Always stay calm and elegant. No matter what happens, never act in a way that shames the Tohsaka name.
Little Rin Tohsaka, with her twin pigtails, didn't just follow these rules because her father drilled them into her; she took pride in them herself. Graceful, poised, top of her class, liked by everyone…
If someone was bullied, she stepped in. If someone struggled with homework, she explained it patiently. If someone was in trouble, she couldn't just stand there.
She was practically a hero in training!
Still young, but the roots of the "perfect honor student" she'd grow into were already sprouting. And now, she was boldly stepping into a dark alley, determined to find her missing friend!
Fear tugged at her, but the Tohsaka code and her loyalty to her friend kept her moving. She'd even tracked a suspicious man to save others.
"Hold my hand tight, okay? Don't wander off. Oh, careful, you almost tripped…" A friendly-looking young man guided two kids away.
"The number of kids… it's growing. Why?" Rin peeked from around a corner, her magic detector pointing right at the man.
She didn't know how he controlled the children, but he was definitely the kidnapper!
'Should I really follow him?' The detector's reading told her he was far beyond her level.
"No, I can't be scared!"
Shaking off her doubts, Rin steeled herself and pressed on. The detector guided her to the entrance of an underground bar.
Watching Rin slip inside, Haru didn't follow right away. He stayed hidden in the shadows.
In the original story, Ryuunosuke's bracelet was a magic tool with strong hypnosis powers; Rin nearly fell for it. She only escaped by overloading it with her own magic and fleeing with the kids.
Haru knew his magic skills were weak; he'd never resist the bracelet. Better to let Rin deal with it. She'd probably get out fine…
"Huh? What's this feeling?"
Haru gripped his chest as a heavy, sickening sensation washed over him.
Then he saw it.
Countless tiny tentacles twisted together, sharp teeth gleaming in a display of pure evil. It looked like a monster from the deep sea, oozing dark magic.
"Caster's familiar! Why's it here already?" Haru's pulse quickened.
In the plot he knew, the familiar showed up after the kids escaped. It attacked Rin, but someone saved her, no real harm was done.
But now… with no one around, the bar's dozen kids, Rin included, would be butchered!
Seeing the familiar slink inside, Haru took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his bamboo sword, and charged in.
He wasn't some champion of justice or anything. It's just that when something terrible was unfolding right in front of him, he couldn't look away.
He wasn't a cold-blooded fighter or a trained warrior; just a regular guy with a bit of kindness. No lofty ideals, but letting a slaughter happen? Not a chance.
Everyone deserves a full, bright life!
To Haru, no one had the right to take that away.
Especially not some creep who got a thrill from hurting kids!
Driven by raw anger, Haru burst into the bar.
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"No way… this can't be real."
Rin sank to the floor. She'd just shattered the hypnotic bracelet, thinking she could get the kids out. But her magic detector was buzzing again!
This time, it wasn't a small spike; it trembled, like it had crossed some critical line.
She recalled her father Tokiomi's warning: if the detector shook like that, the enemy was way out of her league.
A misty haze of magic spilled out as a creature emerged: part starfish, part octopus, but uglier than either by a mile. Its skin pulsed with what looked like half-formed eyes.
The kids, snapping out of their trance, screamed at the sight. But Ryuunosuke and the familiar blocked the only exit, trapping them.
"Hey… this isn't good… Big brother's hurting."
Ryuunosuke raised his head, blood dripping from his forehead, his grin growing weirder by the second.
"You're not a good girl…"
He stepped toward Rin, pulling out a folding knife. With a click, the blade flicked out, catching the dim light.
When the bracelet blew up, shards had cut him. He was human enough to feel pain, but it didn't anger him; it excited him.
To him, pain and pleasure were two sides of the same coin.
"Hey, don't run!" He grabbed Rin's arm.
She fought back, but her vision blurred, her strength fading…
She knew this sensation; it was like the bracelet's hypnosis. But she'd destroyed it!
Behind Ryuunosuke, the sea-monster familiar waved its tentacles, cutting off the kids' escape. Its toothy mouth breathed out purple mist; not poison, just its magic taking shape.
It wouldn't faze a Servant or a trained magus, but it was lethal to kids. Even Rin, with her talent, wasn't ready for it. The mist was tainting her pure magic, leaving her lightheaded.
"Am I… going to die? Mom… Sakura… Dad, I'm sorry…"
Just as she lost hope, a small figure darted past the entrance.
A bamboo sword, glowing with magic circuits, hit the familiar's core from behind, shoving the creature aside.
Haru now had the power of an adult, and being light, he moved faster and more nimbly.
Ryuunosuke whirled around, slashing with his knife. He knew the human body very body well; his strike was aimed for the space between Haru's ribs. One thrust could pierce his heart.
But Haru kept his cool. His mind emptied, locking onto Ryuunosuke's every move. Time seemed to slow; he felt it all: the enemy's breathing, the room's layout, the familiar waiting behind, the kids' scared faces.
'Is this "emptiness"?'
The idea of "First Strike" crossed his mind. Trusting his gut, he let his sword tip sway like a breeze, knocking the knife aside. His swing didn't falter.
"Kiai!"
He called out the kendo term, smashing the bamboo sword into Ryuunosuke's cheek.
In a proper match, it'd be a foul "face strike," but this wasn't a match. Haru didn't hold back. His reinforced strength fueled the hit, and he didn't stop.
Thwack! Thwack!
One strike to the knee, one to the ribs: cracks rang out like breaking glass. Ryuunosuke collapsed, dazed. Haru seized his neck, turning to face the familiar.
It all took less than three seconds. The familiar, pushed aside, hesitated with Ryuunosuke in the way.
"You're…" Rin mumbled.
"No time to chat!" Haru cut her off, eyes fixed on the familiar. "Get the kids out! There's got to be an emergency exit!"