"By adding different events, letting me choose based on my own will, and then reshaping my view on love through those continuous choices, huh?"

After Miss Kuonji Alice had left, Li Zihan, now back in his room, sat before the tea table, muttering to himself.

"Should I say, as expected of Alice? To be able to think of a method that doesn't need to twist a person's will but can still get the desired answer."

"So, Host, what are your thoughts?" the system asked, sensing that the relationship between the Host and the Fairy Tale Witch was actually quite intimate.

"If you just go easy on her, what comes next could be a pretty nice development."

"Yes, it would be a very good development."

The young man, who indeed found such a development quite romantic, nodded. Then, a remarkably firm voice echoed in the Matou family's reception hall.

"So, I've decided. I'm going to get serious and sweep away all the other participants."

"Host, you're—"

The system, sensing that the upcoming development could be very romantic, let out an excited sound like a pig squealing.

To clear out all the enemies in advance and then intentionally lose, handing the Holy Grail to his lover... no matter how you look at it, that's super romantic!

"I plan to add different events, let Alice choose based on her own will, and then reshape her view on love through those continuous choices."

It was as if ice-cold water from the Arctic Ocean had been doused directly over its head. System-kun froze completely.

This was not what it had imagined.

"Hey, hey, hey, Host, what you're doing is pretty scummy, isn't it?!"

"It is a bit scummy, I suppose."

The young man admitted, acknowledging that his decision was indeed a bit trashy.

Kuonji Alice was a fantastic girl. At first glance, she was quiet, ethereal, and seemingly emotionless, but in reality, she was just shy and bad at socializing. She had a considerable attachment to her possessions and, unexpectedly, a very girlish heart, though she herself was unaware of it. Furthermore, beneath her overly cool exterior, her heart was actually more passionate than Aoko's.

As long as he didn't use his Honkai-based powers as his main force and had Karna go easy in battle, he could achieve the Alice route happy end.

"To maintain my relationship with Alice, one of us will definitely have to compromise."

"Although I don't mind compromising myself, if Alice is the one who compromises, that would be even better for me!"

These words came out of the young man's mouth, leaving the system in a daze.

"Hey, hey, hey, aren't you afraid this is actually some kind of test?" the system asked after it recovered, proposing a possibility.

"For example, maybe Kuonji Alice actually wants to see if you'll go easy on her, to determine if this relationship is worthwhile or something."

"Alice is not the kind of girl who likes to make things complicated."

The young man, who knew Kuonji Alice very well, pouted and said.

"Her suddenly coming here and talking about all this was actually an invitation to battle."

"An invitation to battle?"

The system, completely failing to understand what its Host was talking about, had to admit it was baffled.

"Well, calling it an invitation to battle isn't quite right. To be precise, it's a game."

Li Zihan, who knew very well that Kuonji Alice wasn't the type of person who could brazenly use a "favorability cheat" like himself, shrugged.

"She's looking for a chance to convince me, and she's also giving me a chance to convince her."

"Simply put, this is a game. Whoever gets the Holy Grail first can modify a piece of the past, creating events that never happened, trying to influence the other person this way and make them fall head over heels."

"This is... a game?"

The system remained utterly baffled.

"Yes. If I hadn't been to the Honkai world, it would be very unfriendly to me. Or rather, even now, it's not exactly a friendly game for me," Li Zihan said.

It was a fact.

Alice and Aoko were on the same team. Their side had two Servants, plus a crowd-control master and a super cannon. Their abilities were completely complementary; when combined, the result was definitely not a simple one-plus-one. And although Aoko was a half-baked magus, she could summon her future self as a substitute player. Once that substitute came online, her power level would explode upwards from Caster Medea's level.

If Li Zihan hadn't been to the Honkai world, even with Karna and the Ahoge King, he might not have been able to defeat those two.

If he lost, what was the point of even playing? If he couldn't even touch the Black Grail, what was the use of talking about changing the past?

Furthermore, Alice had dug a pit for Li Zihan. The Fuyuki Holy Grail was a blackened cup. The task of purifying it was quite difficult for Li Zihan, who specialized in spatial and jewel magecraft. Even if he won, it would be hard for him to use the Grail to change the past.

"You two... are you actually insane?"

The system, feeling that this whole development was like a frog having an epileptic fit and jumping around randomly, retorted weakly.

It had figured it out.

Neither Li Zihan nor Alice intended to leave the other. However, a disagreement had arisen because Li Zihan himself was a total playboy. But this disagreement was not something that couldn't be resolved. Through debate, heart-to-heart talks, and emotional adjustment, two people who didn't want to separate would eventually see one of them compromise, reaching a conclusion that one desired or a middle ground that both could reluctantly accept.

But instead, these two, over a matter that could be solved by talking and emotional adjustment, decided to fight in a Black Holy Grail War, then go through the trouble of purifying the damn thing.

And then, use the purified Black Holy Grail to make a wish, change past events, and reshape the other's view on love?

The system, feeling like it might have encountered a couple of genuine lunatics, felt a sense of suffocation.

"You two... aren't you tired of playing such a complicated game?"

"I wasn't the one who started this game," Li Zihan said. "What can I do?"

Magi are all insane. System-kun seemed to have gained a deeper understanding of this fact.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

The young man, who still hadn't figured out how to purify the Holy Grail, sighed. He couldn't possibly sell his body and ask Aoko to handle it, could he?

"Lord Head of the Family, are you there?"

Just as Li Zihan was pondering how to deal with the so-called Black Grail, the man named Matou Kariya came running over again.

"What, is someone else here to visit me?"

The young man, who had just spent a good while discussing Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter with Miss Alice, raised an eyebrow and asked.

"No."

Matou Kariya, who had come in to report, shook his head.

"Then what is it?"

Li Zihan's expression was a little surprised, feeling that at this point in time, other than someone coming for a visit or a physical visit, nothing else should be happening.

"A young lady calling herself your friend and her friend treated a Chinese restaurant like an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Matou Kariya's expression was a bit strange, having just received a call from a certain restaurant.

"It seems... they can't pay the bill and are waiting for you to rescue them."