Type-Moon, But I Summon Tom

Although Irisviel could tell that Merlin was being sincere when he spoke, the next moment he was cheerfully talking about something else, which was just absurd.

Originally, she had admired the figures from myths and legends. But now that she had actually met one of these legendary figures, for some reason, that admiration had completely shattered.

If someone were to bring up Merlin or the legends of King Arthur now, Irisviel might keep a straight face on the surface, but inside she would be grimacing with a "Ugh~" expression of disappointment.

"Oh well, I guess the camera I brought won't be of much use now. Are you sure you don't want to take a photo?"

Merlin, hearing this, smiled and casually snapped a few selfies before quickly catching up to Irisviel.

Irisviel once again firmly rejected Merlin's suggestion. "No, thank you. I'd appreciate it if you could just keep an eye on our surroundings."

"Don't worry about that. I have Clairvoyance, you know? As long as there's no powerful magic blocking my perception, I can easily see everything around us," Merlin said proudly, pointing to his eyes.

"Well~, even if there is some kind of barrier, I can still force my way through. But doing that would definitely give away our position."

Merlin held his Clairvoyance in high regard. After all, during the thousands of years he had spent imprisoned in his tower, it was this ability to observe the world that had kept him entertained.

Aside from that, his greatest hobby was probably creating female personas online to trick people. It was genuinely fun, to be honest.

For example, there was that top fan of his female persona's livestream who showered him with gifts. Most people would feel guilty about it, but not Merlin!

Watching Merlin taking photos all over the street, Irisviel sighed. "I know that, but shouldn't you be setting up a magical workshop right now? The Holy Grail War officially starts tonight. For a magus, not having a workshop is dangerous, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about safety. As long as you're with me, you're absolutely safe," Merlin said, puffing out his chest proudly. "I can't guarantee much in terms of combat, but when it comes to survival and escape, I'm definitely a top-tier Servant!"

Irisviel listened to Merlin's words but remained skeptical. When she had asked about his actual combat abilities earlier, he had said, "I'm not really good at magic. You see, if I chant too fast, I might bite my tongue. Swords are more my style." After that, Irisviel had given up on asking about his combat skills.

"Oh! Look ahead! There's an arcade!" Merlin's eyes lit up as he pointed forward. "I've always wanted to try one. You can't come to Japan and not experience an arcade!"

"Wait, no, hold on..." Irisviel tried to stop Merlin from slacking off, but it was no use. Reluctantly, she followed him toward the arcade.

Just as the two of them walked away, Minamoto happened to arrive in the area.

As Minamoto passed by, Tom, who was wrapped around his neck, suddenly stirred.

Tom's tail abruptly straightened, pointing straight into the air, and the white fur at the tip began flashing red lights rapidly.

"Beep beep!!! Beep beep!!! Beep beep!!!"

As the tail flashed, Tom also made a sound like a radar detecting an enemy.

"Tom, what's wrong?" Minamoto, who had been getting familiar with the streets, was startled by Tom's sudden actions.

Tom didn't say anything but straightened his tail with a serious expression, pointing toward the arcade in the distance.

Although Minamoto wasn't entirely sure what Tom meant, given Tom's usual antics, this was actually pretty normal for him.

In any case, Tom must have sensed something—likely an enemy.

Minamoto followed the direction of Tom's tail and caught a glimpse of two white-haired figures entering the arcade—a man and a woman.

"Are those two participants in the Holy Grail War? If they are, nod your head." Minamoto had only seen their backs and hadn't had a chance to check for Command Seals before they disappeared from view. He had no choice but to ask Tom, who was still wrapped around his neck.

Both of them had silver hair, and from Minamoto's memory, there was no such pair in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Aside from Irisviel, who was posing as Saber's Master, there weren't even any silver-haired characters.

The fact that both of them had silver hair was a clear indication that they were likely new additions to the story—a Master and Servant pair not from the original timeline.

Hearing Minamoto's question, Tom's brain short-circuited for a moment. Only the man felt like a Servant; the woman didn't give off that vibe. Should he nod or shake his head?

In the end, Tom opted for the Indian-style nod, swinging his head like a pendulum.

"...I'll take that as a yes?" Minamoto stared at Tom, who was shaking his head back and forth, and fell silent for a moment. This was... confusing.

But Minamoto decided to assume that the two were participants in the Holy Grail War. After all, in the dark and gritty Fourth Holy Grail War, he clearly remembered that most people had black hair, with a few having red or brown hair at most.

Suddenly encountering two silver-haired individuals was definitely suspicious. If they weren't involved in the Holy Grail War, Minamoto would eat his hat.

Plus, Tom, his Servant, had reacted to them. Combining these two factors, Minamoto was convinced they were participants.

"Let's go in and take a look." Minamoto casually took off his jacket and held it in his right hand to cover the Command Seals on the back of his hand. Then he cautiously followed them inside.

However, just as Minamoto reached the entrance, he was stopped by an employee.

The employee pointed to a sign on the door and said, "Sorry, sir, but pets aren't allowed inside."

"Oh, this? This isn't a cat. It's just a stuffed toy. I won it from a claw machine across the street. See? It's pretty stretchy."

To prove his point, Minamoto pulled on Tom's paw, stretching it out over a meter—something no normal Earth creature could do.

Tom played along perfectly. When Minamoto let go of his paw, it slowly retracted like a spring, and Tom let out an eerie laugh that no real cat could make: "Heheheheheheh!"

Once his paw was fully retracted, Tom instantly went back to looking like a lifeless doll.

"Oh, my mistake. Please, go ahead." The employee quickly stepped aside to let Minamoto pass.

"That claw machine across the street can give out such amazing toys? I'm definitely getting one after work!" The employee's eyes gleamed with determination as he stared at the store across the street, already set on winning a "toy" like Tom.

Once inside, Minamoto immediately began searching for the two silver-haired individuals. Unsurprisingly, they were easy to spot. Without even trying, Minamoto's eyes landed on them.

He quietly moved closer, pretending to watch other people play games while secretly observing the pair.

Although he was only about five meters away, Minamoto doubted they would notice him. After all, he was just an ordinary person with no magical energy. Even if they did notice him staring, it wouldn't be a big deal since plenty of other people were glancing their way too.

The man and woman, both with silver hair, had vastly different styles of dress.

The man was dressed like a tourist, with a camera hanging around his neck—clearly a modern person. The woman, on the other hand, wore a pure white outfit and looked completely out of place in the noisy arcade. Plus, there were no Command Seals on her right hand.

Minamoto quickly concluded that the man was likely the Master, and the woman was his Servant.

The fact that the man was wearing gloves also suggested he was hiding his Command Seals.

"Huh? Red eyes?" Just as Minamoto was about to move to a better position, the woman turned to say something to the man, and Minamoto caught a glimpse of her eyes.

"Red eyes... red eyes... Let me think... Could she be Tomoe Gozen? She seems similar."

There were quite a few white-haired characters in Fate, but when you narrowed it down to white hair and red eyes, the list got much shorter. Aside from Merlin, Minamoto only knew of Tomoe Gozen. It couldn't be Merlin, right? The vibe was completely off. After confirming his suspicions, Minamoto quietly slipped out of the arcade. If he wanted to hear what they were saying in such a noisy place, he'd have to get closer, but that would also increase the risk of being spotted.

If he got caught, it wouldn't be worth it.

After just a short time of wandering around, Minamoto had already found one Master-Servant pair. It wasn't just a win—it was a massive win.

Even if he didn't find anything else for the rest of the day, Minamoto would still be satisfied.

"I mean... isn't this place way too dangerous?" Irisviel sighed as she watched Merlin, who was completely absorbed in playing games.

Although she also wanted to play, this wasn't the time. The Holy Grail War was about to begin once night fell.

At first, she had thought Merlin was just joking when he said he was useless except for running away and staying alive. But after seeing him in action in Fuyuki, she realized he wasn't lying. This guy was genuinely unreliable.

"Relax, with me around, nothing bad will happen. If an enemy shows up, I'll be the first to run! Oh, and I'll definitely take you with me."

After saying that, Merlin continued to tempt her. "Come on, play with me~. It's really fun."

"Ugh... fine. But just one game," Irisviel said, swallowing her hesitation and checking the time on her left hand. Seeing that it was still early, she decided to give it a try.

Before they knew it, night had fallen.

For the average Fuyuki office worker, nightfall meant freedom.

But for the participants of the Holy Grail War, nightfall meant the war had officially begun.

However, this was only the first day of the Holy Grail War. Even if there were any battles, they would likely end quickly. Surely no one would be foolish enough to reveal all their cards right from the start, right?

In any case, Minamoto had made his preparations early. After a short nap in the afternoon, he set out.

Although Minamoto was somewhat of a night owl, with plenty of energy to spare at night, a little extra rest never hurt. Plus, it gave Tom more time to sleep.

He knew all too well what would happen if Tom got sleepy—he'd just collapse after a few steps. The thought alone was terrifying.

If they ran into a Servant, or even just a magus, Minamoto would be wiped out in an instant. He was fully aware of his own lack of combat ability and knew he stood no chance against anyone in the Holy Grail War.

"It's so quiet. There's hardly anyone on the streets," Minamoto muttered as he walked along the riverbank of the Mion River. There wasn't a single soul in sight.

Earlier, there had been a few people strolling by the river, but the further he went toward the estuary, the fewer people there were, until there was no one left. But that was fine—it meant Tom could walk normally without Minamoto having to carry him around his neck.

To be honest, it had been bearable at first, but over time, it had become increasingly uncomfortable. Minamoto's neck was drenched in sweat.

As for why he was wandering near the Mion River, it was because two famous battles from the original story had taken place there. The first was the duel between Saber and Lancer at the port near the river's estuary, and the second was the battle against Caster in the river itself.

Since Minamoto had no idea who was participating in this so-called "Fourth Holy Grail War," he could only try his luck here.

In the original story, this was when Diarmuid was out trying to lure other Servants into battle. But so far, there was no sign of that. At least, Tom hadn't sensed anything yet.

"Zzzzzzz!!!"

Suddenly, a crackling sound of electricity echoed through the sky.

"What the hell was that?!" Minamoto immediately looked around but saw nothing.

It wasn't until Tom pointed upward that Minamoto noticed a thin streak of lightning cutting across the sky. If he hadn't been paying close attention, he would have missed it. It was undoubtedly a Servant, and most likely Iskandar.

If it was him, that would be great. It would mean that, despite the timeline being messed up, some of the characters might still match up. That would give Minamoto a slight advantage in terms of knowing the players.

Seeing this, Minamoto immediately wanted to go check it out. Unfortunately, the lightning was moving too fast. On foot, he might not make it in time. "Tom, let's go take a look!"

With that, Minamoto picked up Tom, tucked him under his arm, and ran in the direction the lightning had gone.

But before Minamoto had run more than a few dozen meters, Tom, who had been confusedly carried along, suddenly broke free, leaped to the ground, and then hoisted Minamoto onto his back.

With Minamoto on his shoulders, Tom ran toward the lightning at a speed far faster than Minamoto could manage.

"???" Minamoto, who had been running one moment and was now being carried the next, looked down at Tom in complete confusion.

A few minutes earlier, in the courtyard of a residential house in Fuyuki.

Inside the house, Waver was observing the images transmitted by his familiar when he suddenly heard the sound of thunder outside. Looking out the window, he saw that Alexander had already slipped out and even summoned his warhorse, Bucephalus!

Waver quickly opened the window and called out to Alexander in a low voice, "Wait, Rider, where are you going?!"

"Huh? To battle, of course!" Alexander, who had just summoned Bucephalus in the courtyard, was about to mount his horse when he heard Waver's question.

"Of course I know you're going out, but why are you going out?! And why are you making such a scene?!"

"Isn't this the Holy Grail War? Of course I'm going to fight!" Alexander tilted his head, as if puzzled by Waver's question, and then swung himself onto his horse.

"I want to become a great hero like Achilles. How can I stay hidden during a war?"

Seeing that Alexander was about to charge out recklessly, Waver panicked. "Huh? I don't understand what you're thinking. The Holy Grail War isn't some gladiatorial match. Stop right there!"

He had originally thought that with seven Servants in total, he alone had two—Rider and Caster. This gave him an overwhelming advantage, How could he possibly lose?

Once he obtained the Holy Grail, he would be able to prove himself to his teachers and classmates at the Clock Tower.

But now, in this overwhelmingly advantageous situation, one of his Servants was suddenly acting recklessly. This was unacceptable to Waver.

Zhuge Liang, who had been standing behind Waver, patted his shoulder. "What? Aren't you going with him?"

Waver, who had been considering whether to use a Command Seal, was taken aback. "Huh? Why would I go... Wait, no, the question is why is he going?!"

"What? You're going too?" Zhuge Liang feigned surprise, then called out to Alexander outside the window. "Rider, Waver says he's coming with you!"

Using his Noble Phantasm, "Strategist's Advice (A+)," Zhuge Liang had determined that Waver would be perfectly safe if he went out. At A+ rank, this skill could predict unexpected events with 100% accuracy. To counter it, one would need luck of the same rank.

Moreover, every time Zhuge Liang saw Waver acting like an idiot, it made his stomach ache. This was a good opportunity to throw Waver into the fray and let him gain some experience. After all, nothing bad would happen.

As soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, and before Waver could react with a "What are you doing?!" expression, he grabbed Waver by the back of his collar and tossed him out the window toward Alexander.

"What are you— AHHHHHH!!!"

"Really? Master, I didn't expect you to be such a brave warrior! Well done! You truly are my Master!" Alexander casually caught Waver mid-air and placed him on the horse behind him.

Without giving Waver a chance to refuse, Alexander pulled on the reins, and the horse shot into the sky.

"STOOOOOP!!!"