As the girl makes her way down the stairs, she hears a beeping noise coming from her terminal, the device vibrating within her pocket. Surprised, she takes it out and turns it on, seeing a message pop up on the screen. "All masters, please proceed to designated classrooms immediately." Designated classrooms? What did that mean?

Scrolling down, she sees some more text, reading, "Participant No. 128: Hakuno Kishinami. Designated classroom: Classroom 2-A." She tilts her head to the side, looking confused. "I believe it's best that we head to our destination first. Perhaps there'll be an important announcement...otherwise we'll know what to expect when we get there ," her servant advises behind her back, leaning his head over her shoulder to take a look.

She nods, switching the device off before she walks down towards the second floor. Standing in front of a somewhat familiar door, the girl braces herself for what was to come as she slides it open...

...Only to be greeted with a small group of other fellow masters, some of them quietly chatting amongst themselves while others kept silent and to themselves. She raises an eyebrow. "Uh...so...what are we supposed to do now?"

"Hmm...maybe take a seat and wait for a few minutes? There's got to be a reason why they sent you that message. And from what I can tell, there are quite a few people here who seem just as confused as you are," Archer replies. Hakuno decides to go along with his servant's advice and takes a seat by the window in a corner, looking out towards the virtual sky. Her eyes are fixed towards the swirls of data shifting around the clouds, telling that what kind of world she was in. It was a completely different space, a new world which she isn't familiar with.

It wasn't long before she heard the sound of the door sliding open once again, turning her head, she now focuses her attention at the person who had entered. The first she notices is her striking leafy-green sundress worn over a yellow and green striped sweater, her hair a splendid light brown. Hakuno's mouth opens slightly in disbelief as the woman strides in proudly...

...shortly before she tripped over her own two feet and fell flat onto the floor. The whole class cringed at the sound of her nails dragging themselves across the blackboard with a loud screech, hushed murmurs going about. Hakuno stares at the woman lying on the floor, recognizing her to be Taiga Fujimura, her homeroom and English teacher back during the preliminaries. Was she a master here too?

Standing up, Taiga acts as though her awfully painful fall didn't affect her one bit, and begins talking after clearing her throat to get the class's attention. "Ahem! Good morning class! I see that you all are very energetic and that's great!" And she still had the same amount of enthusiasm as back then too.

"Anyway, as you all may or may not know, I'm Taiga Fujimura! And in this Holy Grail War, I serve as one of the secondary overseers, tasked with monitoring you guys from time to time. But enough about me!" So she's not a master, but an NPC. Well, that made sense, seeing that Sakura was also not a participant in the war.

Taking a piece of chalk, she writes down a few words on the board. "So...as nost of you are still new to this tournament, from today onwards, you guys will be spending some time each day learning battle strategies as well as the history of various Legendary Souls by none other than yours truly!"

"Well, that was unexpected. Who would've known that the SE.RA.PH takes consideration in novice masters. Lucky you" Archer says with a smirk, his arms crossed over his chest. Hakuno could only give him an unamused look, before Taiga begins the lessons. Making small glances every now and then, the girl came to a conclusion that these classes weren't compulsory, seeing that there were quite a number of empty seats.

Soon enough, the three hours quickly flew by as Taiga dismissed the class, dashing out the door in a frenzy, yelling something about it being lunchtime . The girl leans back in her chair, sighing before she got up. "Did you learn anything out of those lessons?" her servant inquires. "Well...somewhat. I do have a better understanding of the war and all." From what Taiga had taught in the first few minutes of the lesson, Hakuno found out that the Holy Grail War was decided into seven rounds, to which every master was assigned their respective opponent for each round. "I see. That it's best that you continue to attend these lessons in the future as well."

With her servant ending the conversation, the girl noted that most of the masters had already scurried out of the classroom, with only a handful of them lingering behind to discuss amongst one another...well, not like she really knew anyone here to talk with. Besides, every master here was considered an opponent, so trying to get close with them was useless.

Walking towards the door, Hakuno feels someone tugging on her wrist. Turning around, her eyes meet with a girl around her age, with tanned skin and ebony-black hair in a bob cut. "Hey! You're a master too, right?! I'm Nagisa!" she smiles, shaking her hand vigorously. Hakuno was at a loss for words, clueless at what to say to this sudden random development.

"Err...I'm Hakuno," she finally replies. "I see~ What a nice name!" "Um...is there a reason why you're talking to me now?" There was no point in going around in circles, so the girl figured that it would be best to be blunt and get straight to the point. After all, it wasn't everyday that you get a stranger coming up to you and acting like they're your childhood friend.

"Ah...sorry. I couldn't help but notice that you seemed rather quiet and kept to yourself instead of conversing with the others earlier! I take it that you're new to this kinda thing? Cause I am too!" Hakuno sweatdropped. She could already tell that this girl liked to talk a lot; Nagisa wasn't even allowing her to reply.

"So...who's your opponent for the first round? After all, once your opponent's been decided, it's like the tournament has officially begun." Hakuno remains silent at her question. Now that she thought about it, she hasn't been informed of her opponent. "Um...I don't really know actually."

Nagisa's eyes went wide as she looked at the girl as though she had grown an extra head. "What? You don't know who you're fighting? Then you'd better go find Father Kotomine. He's the overseer of the war." "Father...Kotomine?" The name itself was enough for her to raise her eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's what everyone calls him. The man's pretty tall and looks like a priest." Patting her by the shoulder, Nagisa gives her a bright, cheerful smile. "Well, I'll see you later then! It was nice chatting with you Hakuno, but I've gotta go and start training with my servant in the Arena!" And with that, the girl leaves, with Hakuno standing there dumbfounded. Forget about Rin and Taiga, she had just encountered an even stranger woman!

"...That was...eventful. Though I don't think it'll be wise of you to befriend someone like her." Once again, her servant's voice brings her back to reality. "...I know." Yes, now that she was in the Holy Grail War, she should prioritize her own matters over the others.

Walking out of the classroom, Hakuno decides to search for this man that Nagisa spoke of. Upon making her way to the first floor, she spots someone standing in front of the shoe lockers. She stops, staring at the man from afar.

Somehow, this man gave her the bad vibes. Standing tall and upright with his back straight, the man was dressed in black, his clothes almost that of a priest, his lifeless, sinister-looking pupils eyeing every master that passed by him creepily. It was then that he noticed her standing from afar. Hakuno stiffens, not sure whether to walk away or approach this man. Was he this 'Father Kotomine' that Nagisa spoke of?

Seeing that she was not budging from her spot, the man decides to walk towards her, his shoes clicking against the floor with each step. Standing in front of her, his figure towers over her stature in an almost menacing manner. "...Congratulations. You have been deemed worthy to be a participant in the Holy Grail War. What is thy name?" Hakuno gulps, slowly opening her mouth to answer. "...Hakuno...Kishinami."

"Hakuno...Kishinami." For a moment there, the girl could've sworn she saw a glint in his eyes as her name rolled off his tongue, but one thing was for sure: she disliked this man...or at least being in the presence of him makes her nauseous. "You may call me Father Kotomine. I am an NPC assigned with the task of supervising the Holy Grail War."

So her assumptions were right. Though she found it hard to believe that this person was a priest, she remains silent and listens to what he has to say. After all, she also had to ask him about her opponent. "As of today, you and your fellow magi have been given the honour of fighting in the Arena up ahead." Arena? Nagisa did mention that detail as well before she left. Was that place some sort of training ground for masters?

Kotomine nods, and continues on with his lecture. "The war is run as an elimination tournament, with the grail being awarded to the last person standing. In other words, the participating masters will kill each other until there is only one person left. Simple enough to understand, yes? Even a complete idiot should be able to understand the rules." The girl tries not to react to that one word. Kill...it was unevering how it could be used so casually when talking.

...Also, she wasn't too sure if the man was hinting something when he mentioned that last line.

"Masters get a six day preparation period before the Elimination battle, which will occur on the seventh day of each week. I'd advise you to use the time given go devise the most efficient way of slaughtering your foe." Hakuno could almost feel shivers going up her spine, wanting nothing more than to leave...if she could. "Y-Yes...thank you."

"On the seventh day, you and your foe will fight. The winner lives and the loser is...deleted." All the girl wanted to do in that moment was cover her eyes to block out this man's voice. Even though she had already knew this earlier, her mind still rejects the thought of killing another, the man's voice painfully piercing her ears. No, she didn't like hearing this at all.

"If you wish to make a query, speak now. The right to ask about the rules is given to all." Hakuno tries to calm the inner turmoil she was experiencing from earlier, addressing to the matter. "Then...how do I survive this?"

"As I've already explained, after six days of preparation, you must kill your assigned opponent. You have chosen your servant as a weapon for that very purpose, have you not?" Hakuno had never really thought about it, but even if she were reluctant, Archer didn't seem like the type to care what his master thought. In fact, he could probably kill off the opponent without hesitation whatsoever if he wasn't binded by his command seals under her.

Instead of lingering on unwanted thoughts, Hakuno tried to distract her mind by pursuing another question. "Preparation period? Is that period fixed for every master?" "Of course, the other masters are given the same time to prepare for battle, and to kill. As for how to prepare, I cannot help you. Do whatever you feel is necessary." Was it just her, or did this priest possess a highly disturbing way of conversing and answering questions? Hakuno didn't really know whether she wanted to even ask him anymore questions at this point.

"Then...I'd like to inquire about the terminal." "The terminal will relay any messages generated by the system which governs the Holy Grail War. It is the course of wisdom to pay heed to any message you may receive." So the message she got earlier this morning was from the system...the SE.RA.PH. Hakuno didn't seem to have any more questions regarding the rules, she nods. "I think I'm prepared as I can be."

"I see. Good luck then." As the man makes the motion to leave, but not before Hakuno stops him from doing so. "U-Um...!" "...? Is something troubling you, young one?" "Err...that is...I don't know who's my opponent for this round," she replies in a meek voice, pressing the tip of her index fingers against each other.

"You've yet to be informed of your first round opponent? Hmm...wait just a moment." Kotomine takes out his own terminal and begins fidgeting around with it, before a frown appears on his face a moment later.

"...Strange. There seems to be a system error. I'll locate your opponent by tomorrow," he reassures, keeping the terminal. "I see. I'd appreciate that." Hakuno bows, now about to leave herself, but is stopped by Kotomine's words.

"One more thing. Masters that continue to advance will be given a private room." The girl's ears perk at the very mention of a 'private room'. Kotomine chuckles at her child-like response, handing her what appears to be a slip of paper with a password of some sort.

"Your room will be located in classroom 2-B. Please enter this password into your terminal. This will allow your terminal to act as a key card whenever you wish to enter your room from the outside." Hakuno nods, gladly taking the paper from him with glee.

"Well, the time for conversation has come to an end. The door ahead leads to the Arena. For today, concentrate on becoming accustomed to the inner workings of the Arena. In case you're wondering, the Arena entrance uses the same door you went through during the preliminaries. Good luck. Though it would be great to converse with you more, I must return to the church, for there is a pressing matter I must discuss with the sisters there." Without another word, Kotomine turns and leave, stroding down the other end of the hallway. Hakuno continues to watch his back, until she hears a dissatisfied 'tsk' coming from her servant.

"...? What's wrong? Did he say something that bothered you?" she asked. Shaking his head, Archer merely sighed, his eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "It's nothing really. It's just that the priest reminded of a man who acted and talked just like him...and let's just say that the man and I had some...bad history between us." That was surprising; seeing that her servant was rather calm and composed most of the time, she was surprised by the fact that he got bothered over such a trivial matter.

Now that the thought came to her mind, she didn't know anything about her servant, the man who pulled her out from the brink of death and is her weapon for the war. This man whom she knows nothing of, and her who he doesn't know anything of either. This man who came to her aid despite how weak and powerless she was. This man who willingly accepted her situation. Can she really hope to win the Holy Grail War with such a disadvantage? Archer did say that he would tell her in due time but...the same cannot be said for her.

At first Hakuno thought that her amnesia would only hinder her, but now she realizes how frustrating it must've been for her servant to have a master whom he knows nothing of...and will continue to know nothing of as long as her memories do not return.

.The people whom she interacted with all had the same expression of their faces upon finding out about her problem: pity. She hated that. She didn't want to seem different, to feel left out. Just picturing that made her feel irritated with herself, even after knowing that she can't do anything about it.

Though curious to ask, she thought of it to be better to not pursue the matter any further. Perhaps one day, when things have calmed down, that maybe...just maybe...

...Archer then, would be willing to tell her more about his past.