Having briefly explained Academy City and the entanglements with the magic side to Rin Tohsaka, she had a somewhat clearer understanding of the predicament she faced.

"This world is truly complicated," Rin sighed, a lingering regret about not summoning the Knight of Swords, ABER, hanging over her. "Ah, if ABER were here, I wouldn't have to struggle so much."

"Then I suggest you stop hoping for that," Lin Luo interjected. Without Spirit Veins in this world, summoning ABER was nothing short of a pipe dream. "Senior Tohsaka, the most important thing for you right now is..."

"Wait a moment." Rin waved her hand, cutting Lin Luo off. She proposed, "We aren't in our original world now, nor are we simply students. Let's drop the honorifics; just call me by my first name."

"Alright, then... Rin." Lin Luo couldn't have been more pleased.

Why not Tohsaka? Usually, people would call me Tohsaka, right? Oh well. Although Rin felt a bit unaccustomed to such an informal address, she didn't press the issue, tacitly accepting it. "What was the important thing you were about to say?"

"This city's antagonism toward magicians," Lin Luo explained. "Since the Dark Side has already moved against you, they won't stop until their mission is complete or their orders are rescinded. That means their attacks will continue. If this goes on, your situation will become very dangerous."

Rin looked dejected. "Even if you say so, I can't do anything about it. When I was being chased, I tried to leave the city, but I simply couldn't get out."

That was only natural. As an isekai'd individual, Rin Tohsaka possessed none of Academy City's identification. Forget leaving the city; even daily life must be incredibly inconvenient for her.

Lin Luo had no doubt that the reason she had survived this long was largely because 'The Hanged Man' hadn't gone for the kill. Otherwise, if even one member of the Dark Side's ITE or CHL had made a move, she wouldn't have stood a chance.

But how long could this situation last?

Academy City was riddled with Sky-Lanes. Unlike himself, Rin couldn't exploit the electrical currents to disrupt the Sky-Lanes and evade The Hanged Man's surveillance within a certain range. She was under the constant gaze of that peeping tom. Sooner or later, her identity would be exposed unintentionally—or perhaps it already had been?

What was The Hanged Man thinking? Lin Luo couldn't know, but for a magus, being trapped in the enemy's main base was a perilous situation by any measure.

Rin wasn't like the Sisters. The Sisters were still useful to The Hanged Man, so he wouldn't harm them for the time being—he might even protect them. But to him, Rin was nothing more than an enemy beyond her mystery. No one knew when The Hanged Man might lose patience and strike lethally.

Leaving Academy City? Setting aside whether it was even possible, from Lin Luo's perspective, he absolutely would not leave, and he couldn't let Rin leave even if they were to forge a Heart Contract. Yet, if Rin stayed here, it was too dangerous. Even if he kept her close, his current strength wouldn't allow him to face the Dark Side head-on, and it might bring trouble to the Sisters. Furthermore, there was Railgun. If those two tsunderes accidentally met, Lin Luo suspected he’d be ready to 'set sail' before The Hanged Man even made a move...

...Where, then, in Academy City could Rin hide safely for a while? A place where even The Hanged Man would hesitate to act rashly?

Lin Luo pondered, and Rin fell silent. Both were worried about their respective futures...

Wait!

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Lin Luo. He remembered: the only place in Academy City that could truly be called safe!

Although that place outwardly showed almost no security, its defensive capabilities negligible, Lin Luo knew that as long as Rin could stay there, not just espers, but even The Hanged Man would show deference!

"Rin, I've thought of it—a sanctuary where you can evade their pursuit."

"Where?"

"A place that can even stop a god. If you can stay there, I think it will be very difficult for anyone in Academy City to attack you."

"Even stop a god?" Rin Tohsaka froze. Her gaze lingered on Lin Luo for a moment before she suddenly spoke, "But is it really okay to do this?"

"What?"

"I'm practically an enemy of the entire Academy City now. If you help me, it means opposing the whole city. This way, the relatively stable life you've managed to build here will be gone... Though we come from the same place, you don't have to go this far for me. So, are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course."

"Huh?"

"Actually, I have always admired you, Senior Tohsaka, as a genius magus, so..." Lin Luo smiled. "Right now, you are the most important person to me!"

"Huh... What?!" Rin Tohsaka was stunned speechless, her face flushing with embarrassment. After a long pause, she stomped her foot and huffed, "W-What are you saying all of a sudden! Anyway, this is your decision. Don't blame me if you end up dead!"

"Don't let my appearance fool you; dying is quite difficult for me."

"Hmph, you're just a brat!"

...

Afterward, the two arranged a meeting time and place for the next day. Separating from Rin temporarily, Lin Luo returned to the lab around midnight. Last Order was still calibrating her body, and Number Zero and the other Sisters were resting in their respective rooms.

Since the experiments had ceased, the facilities here were largely available for his use. He found a random room, lay down, and began to contemplate his next course of action...

Rin Tohsaka: strong, proud, cunning, and extremely competitive. Basically, aside from her hidden sharpness, her traits mirrored Railgun's. Conquering such a girl with twin tails wouldn't be simple. In fact, during the process of winning over Railgun, if Liu Ziwen hadn't interfered and exacerbated her psychological trauma, Lin Luo might not have succeeded.

But Rin Tohsaka had no such trauma, and this world lacked someone as conveniently helpful as Liu Ziwen. Unless he used the right approach, raising her affection level above 90 would be extremely difficult.

Of course, as an otaku deeply familiar with the Type-Moon narratives, Lin Luo probably understood Rin Tohsaka better than she understood herself. Finding a weak point wasn't impossible. As some people have said, the strongest individuals are often the most fragile. Once he successfully broke through her mental defenses, concepts like 'affection level' would become trivial.

The matter was easy to say but very hard to do; it required the right catalyst.

"Looks like I can only take things one step at a time for now. The most crucial thing currently is still The Hanged Man. I hope everything goes according to plan tomorrow..."

The next day at eleven in the morning, Lin Luo and Rin Tohsaka met punctually at the agreed location. It was a busy street, beside which stood a seven or eight-story student dormitory. Anyone with a keen eye could tell it was a male dormitory.

"Say, what are we doing coming to this place?" Rin’s expression was slightly strange as she pointed disapprovingly at the boys' dorm, her mouth twitching. "You had better not tell me that building is the thing you said could stop even a god?"

"Well, don't be so hasty. While this building can't stop a god, the person living inside certainly can," Lin Luo said with a smile, offering no further explanation. He held a bag in his hand.

"Let's go in first. Ah, I remember it should be the seventh floor."

Saying this, Lin Luo headed toward the male dormitory, and Rin Tohsaka hesitated slightly before finally sighing and following him.

Taking the elevator to the seventh floor, Lin Luo stopped in front of one of the rooms down the stuffy corridor. He knocked, his tone extremely genial, and called out, "Hello, is Miss Index available? This is the food delivery."

P: Requesting recommendation votes, two more updates today.