Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

"Eh?"

Rin was momentarily stunned, not expecting to be personally questioned by a Heroic Spirit.

This was one of the most popular Heroic Spirits in all of Japan, completely overshadowing her rival, Abe no Seimei.

Countless people in Fuyuki City regarded her as their dream goddess.

In this era of Heroic Spirits, their ranks were classified from one to five stars.

If a five-star Heroic Spirit's power was set at 100 points, then Tamamo-no-Mae (one tail) would be at 9 points.

But!

Each additional tail multiplied her power by nine!

An exponential explosion!

Now, with three tails, her power was equivalent to 729 points, placing her among the top-tier five-star S-rank Heroic Spirits.

No one knew just how terrifying she would become if all nine tails were gathered.

She might even rival the brief, awe-inspiring glimpse of the Primordial Mother Goddess Tiamat in Flower of the Underworld!

Even someone as mighty as Qin Shi Huang once remarked that the scale of her Spirit Origin with all nine tails was beyond even his imagination.

Fortunately, the nine tails did not gather, otherwise humanity would face the catastrophe of extinction!

Thus, Qin Shi Huang personally suppressed her and assigned her mortal enemy, Abe-no-Seimei, to oversee her custody.

Tohsaka Rin lowered her head, not daring to look at the other party.

The nine-tailed fox possessed terrifying charm, something even countless girls found hard to resist.

She feared she might be swayed by it.

She nodded and replied, "Yes, that person... is a bit like Nameless, always silently helping others without seeking anything in return. That's why I recommended him."

"Oh, that person resembles Nameless, and you're exactly like Ishtar, so you recommended him?" Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly revealed a faint smile.

"Ah, no, that's not it!"

A blush appeared on Tohsaka Rin's cheeks.

She never expected her little secret to be seen through at a glance.

This Servant was too terrifying.

Truly worthy of being a fox spirit who could enchant all living beings!

"Ah, youth!"

Tamamo-no-Mae smiled warmly.

She didn't plan to say much more.

For a well-traveled fox spirit like her, seeing through a tsundere girl was all too simple.

An ordinary person with great popularity?

Tamamo-no-Mae recalled the numerous documents Abe-no-Seimei had previously collected and found herself somewhat intrigued by that boy.

Dozens of people had recommended him.

Among them were not only magical geniuses like Tohsaka Rin, Illya, and Julian but also the sons and daughters of wealthy conglomerates.

Even the student council president, secretary, and others had all chosen to recommend him.

This was no longer just about popularity—it was practically a superpower!

Could it be the so-called EX-rank—

[Socially Fearless Syndrome]?

Tamamo-no-Mae was genuinely curious about that ordinary boy.

What an interesting little fellow.

After she left, Tohsaka Rin stood dazed for a moment before also leaving the rooftop.

Even now, she still hadn't figured out what exactly had happened earlier.

Could it be that her past life as Ishtar had come looking, borrowing her body to search for Nameless, only to mistake Souma for Nameless just like she had?

No, no, that's absolutely impossible!

She had secretly observed that person for years and never detected even a trace of magical energy—he was just an ordinary person!

Why would a deity seek out an ordinary boy?

***

Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, Administrative District.

Illya felt slightly nervous, sitting obediently and quietly on the sofa as she waited.

The renowned Academy Director actually wanted to summon her.

Servants were, after all, Servants.

Even the director of their own academy was a lofty Servant.

To ordinary people—and even to magi—they were unattainable beings.

Click~

The office door opened, and a very familiar figure walked in.

The golden ears atop her head and three fluffy golden tails were particularly eye-catching.

It was the nine-tailed fox, Tamamo-no-Mae.

Illya hurriedly stood up, only to tragically realize her gaze could only meet the other's enormous... assets.

They were too big.

Truly befitting a fox spirit who could enchant all living beings—just her "assets" alone were enough to make Illya envious.

The other party smiled. "No need to be formal. Please, sit."

"Director, what did you wish to discuss with me?"

Illya grew even more uneasy.

"Nothing particularly important. I just wanted to have a casual chat with you, a genius magus."

Tamamo-no-Mae smiled warmly.

This little girl before her was the strongest magical genius in Fuyuki Magecraft Academy.

Others might have dozens of Magic Circuits at most.

But this one had Magic Circuits covering her entire body!

A miracle that shouldn't even exist!

What exactly happened to this little loli?

Neither Tamamo-no-Mae nor Abe-no-Seimei, the heroic spirits, had any answers.

However.

With the mysterious [Alaya]'s video, intuition told her that everything might soon be revealed in an upcoming video!

With a smile, she asked, "Why do you want to recommend that ordinary person, Souma?"

"Because he's a good person."

Illya instinctively replied.

Then, feeling it wasn't quite appropriate, she quickly added, "That person, just like Nameless, enjoys helping others quietly, and his cooking is absolutely delicious!"

"Good at cooking?"

Tamamo-no-Mae wasn't impressed.

She had once aspired to be the perfect wife and had diligently honed her culinary skills.

Someone once described her—

"The 'love' in your loving dishes is so abundant that it could turn your husband into a chubby man within a month!"

That should be the highest praise for a chef's skills.

What makes a mere boy think he can compare to her?

That boy couldn't possibly have EX-rank [Social Skills] and EX-rank [Cooking], could he?

That's obviously impossible!

Tamamo-no-Mae glanced at the list of names on her tablet and said, "Aside from you, Rin Tohsaka, Julian, and others have also recommended him. Are you sure you didn't coordinate this?"

"N-No, we didn't!"

Illya quickly shook her head.

But she silently took note of those names in her heart.

Tamamo-no-Mae smiled warmly. "Since you all recommend him so strongly, then it shall be as you wish."

An ordinary boy, huh? Let's see how you handle facing Heroic Spirits.

You'll probably cower in fear and accomplish nothing.

If you've got the skills, go ahead and charm those Heroic Spirits—make them fight over you!

"Thank you, Headmistress!"

Illya immediately stood up and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Being chosen as the representative ordinary student from among hundreds of thousands in Fuyuki Magecraft Academy was an incredible honor.

She hadn't even dared to hope for success before.

After leaving the administrative building,

Illya dashed off, eager to deliver the good news as soon as possible.

Ding-dong~

She pressed the doorbell, her little face flushed from exertion, her flat chest heaving rapidly.

Click~

The door opened.

Souma, wearing a panda-themed apron tied around his waist, greeted her in surprise. "Oh, Illya? You're early today. I've already made dinner—wash your hands and let's eat."

"Souma-nii, I have huge news for you!"

Illya took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

"Oh? Translate that for me—what exactly is this 'huge news'?"

Souma feigned surprise.

The little loli had mentioned earlier that she had a surprise for him, and he'd been looking forward to it.

Now, it seemed the moment had arrived.

This was a genuine rich loli standing before him—could she be gifting him a 3080Ti gas stove?

Illya tilted her flushed face upward, smiling sweetly. "The news is—congratulations! You've been chosen as the student representative to welcome the Heroic Spirits!"

***

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