Fate/Reach Out (Fate/Stay Night x SMT Persona 4)

[Kishou the Badger]

Fuyuki Gaiden 1: The Sunny Days are over

My name is Taiga Fujimua. I've been called many things, from teacher to Yakuza Princess to human rocket to even… that word. I always strive to be a role model for my students and peers. It's not my fault they don't know how to have fun most of the time.

My little protégé-slash-student-slash-cook-slash-brother Shirou is always a handful, getting riled up at the most harmless of my pranks, but we get along well. I worry sometimes that I can never quite help him or reach that level of closeness to do it, but I suppose that's the downside of not being related by blood.

I admit that I wasn't the best older sister figure most of the time, but I believe I finally came through for him with the chance to reconcile with his extended family. This fact alone is what keeps me sleeping soundly (and with a slightly smaller stomach) for the first few nights.

But I still feel… uneasy. I haven't forgotten about the blue butterfly that night. I tried doing a bit of research, but nothing I found came even close to what I saw. If I was a little more paranoid and wary, I would think that the butterfly spoke to me that same night.

Right, and Homurahara High School is secretly teaching students magic. Like I said, "If I was a little more paranoid and wary."

That aside, I still wonder if there was some warning of things to come that would happen to Shirou. Something that might happen to his family after all the time and effort I went into looking for them. It was part of the reason I pushed him along to his school year transfer. I didn't like it any more than Sakura (and I might have backpedalled into reeling him to cook for me again) but I knew he needed this. I just wished I thought of this sooner. Like, five years sooner.

When Shirou called me two days after he left (despite interrupting my beauty sleep), I was thankful he didn't automatically forget about me. The last thing I would want is to be forgotten because he didn't have me mooching off his food anymore. But it still reminded me that he might get back to his old habits of being helpful.

I would also find myself watching the news every day just wondering how he's doing. My… intuition (which is clearly NOT the same as paranoia, which I already explained) told me to keep an ear low to the ground on whatever could happen to Shirou and/or Inaba. It wasn't easy because that town is literally in the middle of nowhere, but it wasn't hard to pick up how hard they were milking the "Yamano Love Scandal" for days.

Some days I wished I hadn't.

Days after it went public, said scandal had an unexpected and startling twist that resulted in the former news anchor's death; hanging off a telephone pole no less. It was almost as unexplainable as the string of child killings in Fuyuki a decade ago. To this day, it's still a somber topic for high school students who were children at the time because of the terror they felt and the friends they lost. I think I also heard rumors that Rin Tohsaka miraculously survived the encounter with the serial killer.

Instead of grieving though, the Inaba newscast team was ecstatic; going over the mysterious death and anything else relating to the scandal like they had found a way to kill Gojira. A part of me was angry at how careless they were all being, but I had other concerns on my mind. I tried to keep myself calm, thinking that it was just an unfortunate coincidence that happened just as Shirou moved over. The murder topic would eventually die out, and then he'd enjoy the rest of the trip with his family.

<><><>

The next day I dialed Shirou's home phone to Ryotaro Dojima's cell. He picked up after two rings. "Dojima spea-"

"I want Shirou to move back in Fuyuki City right now."

I was never one for tact, but Dojima-san was smart and caught on to things quick. True to my theory, he sighed in a way that indicated he knew who I was and what I was calling for. "You heard about the announcer's death?"

I turned back to the house TV. "I'm watching the news right now about a student's death."

Saki Konishi, a third year student from Yasogami High. As usual, the news media was effectively grave-robbing her identity for a story in a complete 180 of doctrine and hiding her face and voice from the public only a day ago. The only details I cared to get were her name and school, especially how close this was all coming to Shirou.

Dojima wasn't happy either, but he seemed more annoyed and muttering about the news for some reason. Not that I cared at this point.

"When I agreed to send him over for his yearlong stay, I expected him to be in a nice, quiet environment to study and get to know you and Nanako-chan better," I explained calmly. I can't help but to feel a bit vindictive after the pause. "Not to be caught in the middle of some Western crime drama!"

"You can't blame me for how and when these perps act up in this town!" Dojima argued. "Besides, he's in no more danger than the rest of his friends are."

I wanted to believe him, and if it was anyone else I probably would, but I knew that bonehead better than he did. "This is Shirou we're talking about. If there's one thing he won't tolerate, it is injustice. And maybe bad cooking." Oddly enough, his passion for food was probably one of the more normal tidbits of his personality and what he'd be open with.

"I still don't see how this is a problem."

"Tell me; are you anywhere close to knowing who did this?"

"The bastard knows how to cover his tracks," the detective sighed.

"Then it's only a matter of time before Shirou gets the brilliant idea to go try chasing the maniac himself or die trying!"

The line was quiet as my words slowly sunk in, and I realized just how scared I was for Shirou. I knew I was ever since the first killing, but it just hit me like a ton of bricks in my own argument.

"You're kidding," Dojima replied, as if trying to convince both of us that it was a bad joke. And I honestly wish it was.

"He got into a lot of fights with bullies growing up," I frowned, recalling those memories. "And he lost. A lot. Had bandages over his arms and legs every other week, and tried brushing it off like it's no big deal until the next injury would happen."

Why else would I want him to rethink the whole "Ally of Justice" nonsense? It was a cute dream for him as a kid, but it's only that; a dream. If he was a bit clearer as to why or how he'd go about it, I'd be more than welcoming of his attitude to change the world, but he's either always vague or half-hearted in explaining what it means. The only person who could probably explain it (since it was his dream to begin with) was Kiritsugu Emiya, and he's dead (God rest his soul). Not to mention that Shirou would still act so immaturely that I wonder if he even knows how much Sakura-chan really cares about him. In hindsight, I should have pushed them together a bit more.

But despite this, Dojima gave a small chuckle. I was about ready to snap at him that it was no laughing matter, but his next words stopped me. "He'd make one hell of a cop, then, if he could take a beating."
Shirou, a cop? The thought honestly hadn't occurred to me before. Still, it helped cheer me up a bit. "I fancy him as a part time chef with a food truck."

That got Dojima laughing harder, as it did with me. A traveling chef might suit him, really. Making fine cuisine dishes and ending world hunger in all the small European countries too poor for anything else.

"In any case," he said after we calmed down. "I'll let him know you called and see how he feels about moving back."

"Thanks. Good luck on the case."

I hung up, left once again alone in the empty house. A big, fancy rich house that according to my grandpa's records was bought by Kiritsugu a few days before the Shinto district fire. It had a lot of rooms, lot of space, classic sliding doors, and a large open yard space with its own storage annex that Shirou has a strange fixation towards for some reason. But it was missing people to fill in that void, and two to three people was never quite enough to fill that space.

This must have been what Shirou felt every time Sakura-chan and I left for our own homes each night. A constant reminder for five years that there was no family or friends around when sleeping-

Wait a minute.

I hurriedly dialed the phone again. Three rings this time. "What is-"

"What was that you said about Shirou's friends?"

The talk following that was mostly short, as Dojima-san stressed he needed to get back to work before complying. My head was still ringing. Two girls. First day of Yasogami High and he was socializing with two girls his same year.

Dojima-san only knew this because they were walking home from school while he was on duty, looking over the announcer's dead body. This is all well and dandy but WHAT THE HELL?! The first day in a new school and he's already got two girls walking with him?!

I could seriously count on one hand the number of people Shirou knew personally in Homorahara, and they weren't at all instant made friendships! First was Issei Ryuudou, Reikan's younger brother and current student body president. Problem is he tends to look a gift horse in the mouth concerning Shirou. Not that I blame him, since he's probably the closest semblance Shirou has to a friend worried for him.

Then there was the archery team captain, Ayako Mitsuzuri. From what I know, Shirou used to be in the club before some accident convinced him to drop out last year. She's been pestering him to join back ever since, but they get along like former acquaintances at best.

Then there's Sakura's brother, Shinji Matou. Enough said.

Adding Sakura and myself, that's a whole hand! So why would he suddenly get attention from girls?!

Wait… THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HE PERSONALLY KNOWS ARE GIRLS! OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO GROW UP TO BE A WOMANIZER!

<><><>

"Uh… Taiga-chan?"

I lifted my aching head from the table. Ugh, stupid hazy thoughts. I could barely recognize the room though. Copenhagen, right?

"Don't you think you've had enough to drink?" I turned to the speaker, and it was 'ol Neko-chan in all black attire; shirt, pants, apron. Yep, Copenhagen; which means I came here for a heavy drinking binge, as seen by the empty mug in my hand. Next to about a dozen others.

Damn, why'd I drink so many again?

Oh that's right, something about a murder of a student in Inaba, and Shirou walking back with two-

"Nope!" I slam my glass mug down. I was suddenly sober from that thought, and had no wish to be tonight. "Give me another!"

<><><>

I called Dojima the following evening, ready to chew him out. This was the third missing person, and it's only a matter of time before she became a streetlight ornament. I was in my house this time; hand on my cell, foot tapping, and my gaze glued to the Inaba local news.

He finally answered at the fourth ring. "He's staying."

Well, color me surprised. The detective can predict when I-wait, what?! "Excuse me?"

"Shirou's staying here, at least for now."

Okay, what the hell?! He has no right to claim custody like that! I'm his legal guardian, damn it! What possible reason could he have to keep him down there?!

"I don't know when this case will be solved, and things are only getting worse with a missing student." Exactly my point! So why-?! "I'm most likely going to spend a lot of late nights finding this guy while Nanako's alone in the house."

Nanako?

"You told me once that I should consider my daughter's feelings with her mother gone and me always working. That was the only reason I even considered meeting half-way to this whole "long-lost-nephew' thing. I don't know about Shirou in all this, but Nanako's just starting to open up more now that there's more company at home. They need each other."

…I'd forgotten. In the whole spiraling worry of Shirou's wellbeing, I didn't consider how bad it would be for Nanako-chan. And even if I devote more time and attention to him and remind him (that) he's not alone, the same couldn't be said for Nanako-chan.

I feel ashamed for even wanting to break up the family that I'd started and help mend. But it doesn't help that there's still a murderer out there, who'd ruin that family connection anyway by killing Shirou.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. And I damn well want to hit something right now. Instead, I breath out the leftover anger and guilt away in a long, exhausted sigh.

"…All right," I agree. "But if I hear or see the news going over a third murder victim, I'll come over myself and drag him back home if I have to."

"Fair enough," he replied back. He then adds with a bit of annoyance, "Though you're making it kind of hard to do my job."

"You're Detective Ryotaro Dojima," I said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll figure something out!"

I hung up, torn between being relieved and upset. That idiot was making a connection by channeling his helper attitude as usual, but the timing couldn't be worse. I guess the best thing to do would be to call Shirou and see how he was dealing with the whole thing. He was just a call away, like his uncle.

But why do I hesitate to dial the number?

<><><>

Good news, the Amagi Inn girl who went missing for almost a week had finally returned; alive, no less. She didn't make another appearance like in that one-sided interview, because the mother and father assured that she was safe and sound while recovering. They also kept the questioning short and returned to their business, so good for them.

But then there's the bad news: Shirou won't be coming back yet.

Well, not that I would have been happy for that girl's death in any case. I want to eat his delicious free food again, but I also want him to get along with his uncle and cousin.

It was then, sitting in his empty house once more that I decided to call him and see how he was. One ring goes by. Then two-

"Hello? Fuji-nee?"

How I missed hearing him call me that. But I can't let him know my weakness though.

"Shirou, it's good to hear from you! Haven't had any problems yet, right? Are you studying hard? How's Junes? Did you buy me any souvenirs yet? What about their recipes?!"
That should throw him off a bit.

"Sl-slow down! I'm fine with studying, Junes is great, I'm working on the souvenirs, and I'm considering how they make their steak skewers…"

I absently lick my lips. Steak skewers? That sounds kinda-wait. He skipped one. "So I take it you are having problems?"

I didn't need to see Shirou to know he was looking panicked at his blunder. "Uh… no?"

"If you have something to say, you better say it now before I beat it out of you, one way or another."

I was angrily tapping my finger to the table. He seemed to clue in to my behavior, for he sighed and said, "Okay, I do. Though it's… kind of embarrassing to say."

I grinned and silently urge him to continue. He'll admit he's caught up in the murder case, she'll talk him out of it, and he'll be out of risk of endangering himself and Nanako-chan. Plain and simple. "Just say it, Shirou. I won't judge." Much.

"Well…" he sounded doubtful, but went ahead anyway. "What do you do if you found out someone is… attracted to you?"

…

"And that you found out about it in the most… humiliating way possible?"

…

"And you want to try and help them see someone else but can't because of a misunderstanding?"

…

What?

Did Shirou just… is he seriously asking me… love advice?!

"Fuji-?"

I hung up, unable to listen to his innocent questioning anymore. It took all I had in me to fight back the urge to run for Copenhagen. Remember Taiga, getting drunk off your ass won't help anyone. Getting drunk off your ass won't help anyone. Getting drunk off your ass won't help anyone.

…Oh who the hell am I kidding?! SHIROU'S A WOMANIZER! THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US!

Wait. What if it's Sakura?! Maybe… maybe he's finally realized that she has feelings for him and was legitimately asking for reasonable advice regarding his underclassman sweetheart! This changes everything!

I quickly redialed the number, excited and grinning from ear to ear, despite him not seeing it. "Fuji-nee, you're back! What happened?"

"Phone died," I lied easily. "Got it back up with a quick charge. So, mind telling more about this lucky girl?"

"W-well, she's very energetic, for starters. A bit violent, but also very protective."

I nodded. Sounded like a bit of a handful, but nothing Shirou couldn't handle. But if she was violent, she couldn't be Sakura-chan, though. "Yes, yes, go on."

"She's also very strong and athletic. With a healthy metabolism to boot; meaning, she eats a lot, but she works out to keep her figure fit, I'd imagine."

Strong and athletic? That'd suit more of Ayako-chan's description than Sakura-chan's, and even then they're both archers. But it's definitely not Sakura as I usually out-paced her in eating. So it wasn't her after all…

"Fuji-nee?"

"Sorry," I said and smiled again. I should be happy for him, and at least determine who this crush girl really is. "How did you know she likes you again?"

"I, uh…" he fumbled. He really was nervous about this. "I walked in and heard the alleged confession. Among other things I shouldn't have."

Ah. That's always a hazard to go through. I would hate for someone to get the wrong idea of me sleeping over at Shirou's place every night. I lost count I had to stress it otherwise to more than a few students curious of our arrangement, especially Ayako-chan's brother. "And what's this about a misunderstanding?"

"I was hoping to help someone else get to know her better but there's still the fact that she likes me."

Huh. Well, I got to admit Shirou's in a real pickle concerning this mystery girl and whether or not he wants to let her down gently. It was almost cute in a way. Still, she sounds vaguely familiar. The description, the rumors… if I didn't know any better, this crush girl sounds just like-

The smile on my face froze. Painfully.

"What do you think I shou-?"

I hung up again. Screw the power of mental persuasion. I REFUSE TO BE WOMANIZED!

<><><>

"Taiga-chan, I really think you should-"

"Nope!"

<><><>

Meals with Sakura-chan became a rare occurrence now. I was devastated at first, but it turns out Sakura-chan took Shirou's move harder than I thought. I convinced her to at least come over every Sunday and spend the entire day in the house with whatever she needed; we could study in separate rooms and she'd cook for both of us all three meals. It's a good thing because it'll spare Neko-chan and myself from another night at the bar, for both our sakes.

Tonight was a simple teriyaki chicken dish with fried rice; not as extravagant, but we both had no real reason to stay longer than necessary. I'd never admit it to Shirou of course, but Sakura-chan really is the better cook of the two, even with the most simplest and bare of ingredients. She just had the unfortunate trade-off of not being around as often as Shirou in the household; prior to this year, anyway.

Sakura-chan would never say why she would suddenly go straight to her estate, or what her sudden disappearance would be other than "family matters". Sakura-chan loved her brother more than he deserved, but she never liked talking about her family so Shirou and I never pushed. We just stayed stagnant at our little table for years, enjoying wonderful food and pretending nothing was wrong.

Pretending that Shirou didn't miss Kiritsugu. Pretending that Sakura-chan didn't have an unhappy life outside of the estate. Pretending that I just wanted to have responsibilities without really acting on them.

"I miss Senpai," Sakura spoke softly. She was lightly eating through her rice (with her) head hanging down.

"Yeah," I agreed, going through my third helping. Things just weren't the same without him to tease around. Dinner wasn't lively anymore with just the two of us. Perhaps this was another reason I always ate here.

"You never should have made him leave."

I looked up, surprised to see cute little Sakura-chan glaring at me. It was only a stern frown, but this was still a first from her. I was almost inclined to agree with her, though. But Sakura-chan was ignorant about the murder cases and there was no sense in getting her more worried. As far as she knew, nothing was going on in Inaba.

I simply shrugged. "I see this as doing it more for Nanako-chan at this point. She's lost her mother, and her father's too busy to take care of her all the time. Shirou would make a great nanny for her!"

I could already see it; the two of them sitting by a small table in princess dresses and large stuffed animals sitting around them, drinking tea that he'd no doubt make for the occasion. Shirou's lack of backbone led him to be everyone's favorite fake janitor, but there would be nothing wrong with allowing himself to go along with a little cousin's play time. In fact, it would sound kind of cute… and hilarious. I honestly had to laugh at the image.
But I realized that Sakura-chan wasn't laughing with me. Her glare broke down to a sadder frown, and she ducked her head down as if trying to hide from under her bangs.

She really was against Shirou's trip from the start, huh?

Well, as much as we both hated it, the decision was final and he won't be back until spring. There was nothing to worry about either; there hasn't been another murder yet from what I've kept up in the Inaba news. Shirou would be fine, and this whole murder crime spree will be a distant memory by the end of the year.

…I hope.

 

[Kishou the Badger]

Fuyuki Gaiden 2: The Tower of Babel

<><><>

"Oi! Tohsaka-san!"

I was heading for the stairs when I heard someone call my name. I politely turn to acknowledge Saegusa-san, the young manager of the track team. Further down the hall, I saw her friends and fellow track hopefuls, Makidera-san and Himuro-san, watching her.

The brown haired girl stopped to catch her breath, and smiled at me as she spoke up again. "W-would you like to do something together for Golden Week?"

"Thanks for the offer, Saegusa-san, but I already made plans." It was a carefully rehearsed line, but it was also the truth. I almost felt bad at having to turn down the offer.

"Oh, I see," she said, downcast. "I didn't mean to bother-"

"Plans?! What do you mean you have plans?!"

Saegusa-san quickly retreated to the side. Makidera-san, the tanned skin track runner, was apparently annoyed by my answer and came up to confront me. Seeing no reason to stand by either, Himuro-san followed to stand by Saegusa-san.

"I mean exactly as I said, Makidera-san," I told her calmly. "I have plans. Why is that such a surprise?"

"Because you always do this!" she complained, pointing to her track team manager. "Normally I could care less if you show your 'highness self' or not, but you keep getting Yukicchi upset with your excuses!"

"I-it's alright Kaede-chan," said Saegusa-san.

But I knew Makidera-san had a point. Saegusa-san was a nice girl, and her warm smile easily won her a small fanbase. I'm a little flattered she would keep taking time to make arrangements with me, but her relaxing nature was the very reason I couldn't relax around her.

And yet I couldn't go around pretending to be distant all year either. Having too little interaction with others was just as dangerous as having too much. I already have Ryuudou-kun making me public enemy number one, and I would rather not have anyone else actually start believing him.

In fact, I would rather that no one was constantly antagonizing me, but I could care less about a certain someone whether he loved or hated me. And no, I'm talking about Ryuudou-kun this time.

"Perhaps I can make room in my schedule for Children's Day," I admitted. Children's Day was fine, as long as I finished my errands in the next two days.

Saegusa-san smiled and bowed. "Children's Day sounds great! Thank you, Tohsaka-san!"

"Geez, that long?" Makidera-san's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're not just going to weasel your way out of this like you do every time, are you?"

I smiled at her. "Whatever do you mean, Makidera-san?"

She had no answer; she was too busy flinching away from my face. "N-nothing! Just hold up your end of the bargain!"

"If that's all," I bowed to them, and took my leave from school.

<><><>

By day, I was Rin Tohsaka, model and ideal student of Homurahara High School. I was the popular face among female students, both respected and admired from a distance. Although none of the physical exams or school tests had started, last year I all but aced them.

But by night, I was Rin Tohsaka, heir to the lineage of Tohsaka magi, Second Owner to Fuyuki City, and a prodigy with an affinity for all five elements. Every night for the last decade I've worked hard and long in the safety of my estate, my workshop, to live up to my late father's legacy. The only assistance I've had is my guardian arranging my finances and teaching me in my father's stead.

…which, considering who my guardian is, is the same as no help at all.

No matter. A magus has to learn and perfect their art themselves, and share it only with their heir at coming of age. All I can do for now is research until that day.

At the safe haven that was my workshop, I waited until two in the morning, when my magic energy reached its peak. In my hand was a ruby that I have been storing my energy within for some time now. A magus can only hold so much prana in their bodies, and trying to harness it, no matter how well equipped you are, hurts. Magi are still human, after all.

It is for this reason why I have spent the last decade siphoning my magic into these gemstones. Not a very cost-effective plan, sure, but it helps having so much magic in reserves for any use, like a hand grenade. Years of pain and dedication focused on stockpiling as many carry-on reserves as possible was well worth it.

Ah, it appears that this ruby has finally reached its full capacity. That's another for the hoard.

I delicately placed this gemstone in a drawer full of other prana-infused rubies. I kept other elemental gemstones, like topaz and sapphire, separate and organized. I've lost count how many of these stones I used, because I always buy more once I finish. Perhaps this Golden Week I can buy myself a few more gemstones to work on for the next few weeks…

My thoughts trail away from gemstones and the date I have planned when I stared at the Command spells on the back of my right hand. To anyone else, it would look like an intricate blood red tattoo, a single line over two circular crescents. But to a magus, it's proof and status of being one of the next Seven Masters of the Holy Grail War. A battle royale between masters, calling upon seven familiars called Servants, and fighting to the last man for the chance to receive the titular Grail. The prize of an all-powerful wish is a tempting one indeed.

My father and current Guardian were both Masters, once upon a time. Sadly, neither of them won the war. I can understand why the latter would fail, but it seems unfair that he would survive and my father, who took him in as an apprentice, wouldn't. But that's how things were in the world of Magi, especially in the Holy Grail War.

Still, as much as I'm proud to be selected as a Master (even if being a part of the Tohsaka name makes me all but assured as one), the timing doesn't make sense. It has only been a decade since the Fourth Holy Grail War, and each war has had a 60 year reprieve. Command Spells shouldn't be showing up until much later.

I can't be entirely certain what's to happen, as my guardian doesn't know either (damn him). At the very least, I can just keep researching and stockpiling my magic until then. If the war happens on schedule, all is good. I will be an experienced and great magus by then, with my own heir to boot.

If the war comes early, well, I'm sure being the first winner of the Holy Grail War would look great on my resume to the Clocktower.

<><><>

"Aaaah, look at how pretty this one looks!"

I smiled at the animated response. Despite her loud and blunt nature, Makidera-san was very much a girl with more feminine interests. Right now the four of us were walking down a street bazaar and she was staring wide-eyed at a hand-made wind chime from one such stall. Collecting wind chimes was the last thing anyone would expect a track star to do for a hobby.

The design was pretty, I admit. These wind chimes were made of hollowed glass, decorated with painted images and a paper slip tied below. The one that Makidera-san was smiling about had a floral design resembling a sakura tree.

I turned away from the stall and hurried on as soon as that thought crossed my mind.

"H-hey! Tohsaka-san! Wait up!"

Saegusa-san and Himuro-san hurried behind me. Makidera-san stayed behind, as she was still deciding on whether to buy the wind chime first.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm just a little tired from stall hopping."

It has been a few hours since I met up with the track team girls. The greeting was awkward, as I rarely met with classmates outside of school. I almost didn't recognize them in casual clothes. The closest I ever had to a friend was Ayako Mitsuzuri, but I would feel bad distracting her from the archery club just to hang-out.

But the last day of Golden Week was arguably the most crowded. Even with all the tourists leaving home today by train or car, little boys and girls danced excitedly down the streets, eating festive snacks or playing games while deciding which one is Kintarō. We, as four high school girls, should feel out of place as the holiday was meant for young children. But between Saegusa-san and Makidera-san acting so excited, and Himuro-san and I not caring enough to be embarrassed, it was hardly a problem.

So it was technically a lie that I was feeling tired from all this wandering around. Of course, it would feel awkward to admit I didn't like the sakura-themed wind chime and why.

I'm starting to get the feeling that this was a bad idea from the start.

"Is there any stall in particular you want to see next, Tohsaka?" asked Himuro-san. Frankly, I was surprised to hear concern from her at all, as I don't know much about her. She has an impressive high jump, but she doesn't seem like the type of girl to get involved in track.

"Why, whatever do you mean, Himuro-san?" I asked back, if only to sound polite.

"Maki has been window shopping at glass wind chimes, I bought a few art posters for myself, and Saegusa has bought at least half a dozen Kintarō dolls for her brothers. Yet you yourself haven't asked to do anything. You just followed."

…I suppose the glasses should have been the big indicator that Kane Himuro was the smart one of the track team trio. Makidera-san and I have window shopped together before, and I enjoyed theorizing about the use of glass in stuff other than wind chimes. But I neglected to notice the rolled up posters tucked under Himuro-san's arm, or how the suddenly self-conscious Saegusa-san had her arms full of plastic bags, carefully handled as to not drop the cutely stitched dolls.

"It's not that I didn't want to impose," I reasoned. "But I can't remember the last time I celebrated Golden Week. This is all a little new to me."

"It's no trouble, Tohsaka-san," Saegusa-san smiled. "You can pick the next stall if you want!" Before I could form a reply, her face fell as she recalled, "Oh, but you just said you were tired from all this. Do you want to leave then?"

"Leave!?" Again, Makidera-san's voice boomed loud as she marched over. "You just got here and we haven't even done all the fun stuff yet, like food and games! And don't give a stupid excuse like you're off to see Mitsuzuri-san!"

How does Ayako have anything to do with this?

"I'm surprised you bought that," Himuro-san said, noting the small bag in the tan girl's hand. "Didn't you already buy a wind chime yesterday?"

"Yeah, but it broke when that guy pushed me!"

"What guy?" I asked her.

"It's just an excuse Maki made," Himuro-san shrugged. "She tripped crossing the street and the wind chime broke."

"Excuse?! This is no excuse! Somebody pushed me as they passed me and made me drop my wind chime!"

"Did you see this person?"

Makidera-san bristled slightly. "Not… clearly. I barely made out his face as he ran by. I tried to catch up to him but he managed to outrun me and disappear after making a corner turn."

It was clear that even Saegusa-san had trouble believing this story. "Uh, Kaede-chan, you're one of the fastest runners on the track team. It seems unlikely that someone could outrun you at all. And we were right there behind you. We didn't see anything."

"Yes you did! You even held Kane-chan back because you saw the runner come up first!"

I watched the one-sided argument continue to heat up. Saegusa-san and Himuro-san were calm and rational, but Makidera-san grew more aggravated that no one believed her. She did have a habit of changing stories to fit her own convenience.

"Oi, Tohsaka!"

Ah, it seems Makidera-san could save the last bit of her dignity after all.

I turned and greeted the voice with a smile. "Mitsuzuri, what a surprise to see you here."

The track girls only stared in silence. They were probably not used to seeing Ayako act like anything but a tomboy. She was actually quite feminine if you know her well enough, there she was in her casual clothes (pink jacket, white shirt, blue jeans) and also enjoying the weekend.

"That's my line," she smiled back. "You haven't been here all morning, have you?"

"No, just for a few hours. Saegusa-san asked me to accompany them today."

"Did they now?" Ayako turned to the three track girls. For some reason, Makidera-san was glaring daggers at her, which took Ayako and I by surprise.

"And just what are you doing here?" she accused. Saegusa-san quickly scolded her (as politely as she could of course), but Ayako answered anyway.

"Well, there's a fair here of course!" she smiled. "I would have been here sooner, but Fujimura-sensei called me up for some favors."

"Oh? What did she want?" Taiga Fujimura was an English Teacher, adviser of the archery club, and a black belt in kendo, which normally would say she's a responsible woman. Her personality was childish and easygoing, which makes it hard to believe she's a faculty member.

"Just fetching her some archery equipment from the storehouse," she replied, idly fiddling with a set of keys in her hand. "Emiya's to be exact."

I blinked. My attention was now solely on Ayako, as were the girls. "Emiya? As in Shirou Emiya?"

"The Shirou Emiya who's known as the Fake Janitor?"

"The Shirou Emiya who fixed the school generator last year?"

"The Shirou Emiya that quit your club after decking Matou-kun?"

We all turned and stared incredulously at Makidera-san. She returned our confused glances with a slightly annoyed one. "Well it's true, isn't it?"

"Not exactly," Ayako frowned.

My mind was still reeling from this revelation. Emiya's archery equipment. He was forced to retire after a shipping accident broke his shoulder, so he had left his bow and arrow case as a donation to the school. Naturally Ayako was set on getting him back on the team so she kept it under lock and key under his name. Between her hope and Shinji Matou resenting him, no one really bothered with his equipment. Or so Ayako told me.

And then shortly before this school year started, Emiya had moved away. Ayako also told me it was due to seeing some long lost relatives he didn't know he had, and was to spend the year down there to reconnect with them.

Only two things of significant note have happened since. First, the student council nearly imploded within the first two weeks. After taking the fake janitor's work for granted last year, they had to scramble on budget cuts and cancelled events to make ends meet after it became necessary to replace much of school's old and now-irreparable hardware at once.

Second, Sakura Matou joined the archery club, but without Emiya around I suppose she just focused all her attention on other things, such as her studies. The only one who could get her to do anything was her brother Shinji. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

To hear that brought about an expected feeling of elevation within me. I could only guess that this meant one thing. "So, what happened? Is Emiya-kun here? Will he be joining the archery club after all? Do they already know?"

"Whoa, slow down there," Ayako said with raised hands. She then smiled with a teasing glint. "You seem rather excited to see your boyfriend again."

Well, I wouldn't exactly-
BOYFRIEND?!

Saegusa-san and Makidera-san gasped behind me. "Tohsaka-san…" the manager started.

"And Emiya-kun?" the runner finished.

Their bespectacled friend seemed more amused than surprised, judging by the tone of her next word. "Scandalous."

I fortunately had time to regain composure… though I couldn't hide the shock on my face from Ayako. Sometimes I forgot how vile she could be. Is this what friendship is supposed to be? Hanging out here and there, stuck between competing with each other and then embarrassing ourselves?

It's interesting, I admit.

"My interest in Emiya-kun is purely business," I answered with the cold control that my father would be proud of. "He owes me a favor that I have yet to collect, and I would like to know if and when he's available so that I can plan ahead."

It was, of course, a bold faced lie. It was a natural skill for me to pick up over the years, as it helps keep control of situations without blatant hypnotism. And keeping control of one's emotions, power, position, everything, was an important skill for any magus. The lie worked, as they were convinced I wanted Emiya for a favor, although Ayako looked rather disappointed.

"Well, you'll have to wait a while longer," she said. "He was only visiting for Golden Week, and he just took the train back to Inaba this morning."

"Oh," I said. For some reason I felt disappointed. Hopefully the others didn't notice this change of tone either.

"There's still no say whether he'll take up archery again or not," she added. "But Fujimura-sensei was rather insistent on getting his bow, saying that he needed it. It seemed rather excessive with all the suitcases she was carrying around, too."

I blinked incredulously, but it was Himuro-san that asked the question first. "Suitcases?"

"'Oh, those? They're just a little reading material I picked up for Shirou!'" she explained in a rather convincing interpretation of our teacher; right down to the smile and dismissive hand wave. "That's what she told me anyway. It was anything but 'little', though."

I smiled teasingly. "Oh? Referring to Emiya-kun by first name? That sounds something a girlfriend would say."

It was only natural to give a little revenge to Ayako. Her facial reaction alone was worth it.

The track girls reacted similarly as before; gasping and gossiping amongst each other. "Do you think that's why-"

"She wants him back on the team so badly?"

"Apparently he was that good."

"I was only quoting Fujimura-sensei," Ayako snapped. I could see that her face was still red.

"I hear no denial of enlisting him, Mitsuzuri."

"He's that good. In fact, I think he might be some sort of savant. He could do anything he wants if he puts his mind to it."

"Like sports!" Makidera-san agreed.

"Or engineering," Himuro-san added.

"Or cooking!" …huh?

Saegusa-san blushed and looked away when we turned our attention to her. "Umm… we shared a home economics class last year. He always made the best food."

Huh. I did not know that Emiya-kun was a cook.

"That's a shame," Ayako sighed. "For being so in touch with his feminine side, it sounds like the only type of girl that could hope to date him is a tomboy."

I stared at her incredulously. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

Ayako stared back confused. "Isn't it?"

That's right. I forgot Ayako sees herself as feminine, while everyone else assumes she's very masculine. She doesn't care about the clash of perceived personalities, though. She must not care what other people think of her either.

That train of thought didn't go much further before Makidera-san suddenly yelled, "I REMEMBER NOW!"

Perhaps this is the kind of tomboy Ayako was referring to?

"Emiya-kun was definitely the guy that pushed me!"

Saegusa-san looked away, embarrassed. Himuro-san sighed. Mitsuzuri-san blinked at her.

I stopped and stared at her. "What."

"I saw it for only a second, but the runner definitely had short red hair and gold eyes! I almost dismissed the likeness since he was gone, but if he was here since this morning, then it had to be him!"

"Maki, you tripped," Himuro-san stressed. "Saegusa and I were there and we didn't see anything."

"And I'm telling you he pushed me!" she argued again. "Geez, what kind of joke is this? Are you that mad at me or something?"

"M-mad?" Saegusa-san squeaked. "Why would you think that, Makidera-san?"

"Because I bailed on you guys trying to chase Emiya-kun. I... almost had him in my sights, but I ended up wasting about half an hour running around the city. By the time I came back, you two kept insisting that I tripped!"

Again she changed the story. Earlier she said he disappeared as he ran the corner, and here she insisted he was within her sights. And seeing Shirou Emiya being seen running around the streets when no one else remembered sounded much like a contrived coincidence.

Himuro-san just rolled her eyes and pulled out her buzzing phone, idly texting back. "It's not like you have any proof we were there."

"Y-yeah I do!" she argued. "Check your photos! Yeah, I remember that too! You took a picture of the guy after I told you to! It was to make sure the guy paid back money for a new chime as compensation!"

Himuro-san stared at Makidera-san, weighing her options to humor her friend or not. It's actually kind of amazing how all three of them, Saegusa-san included, are friends when they barely have anything in common. They just butt heads and share a club that only one of them seems passionate about.

"Fine," she said, pressing her phone buttons again. "But I seriously doubt that there's any… huh?"

Himuro-san's cool composure was absent in place of honest confusion. One by one, we looked over her shoulder to the picture in question. It wasn't in great quality, but it clearly showed Makidera-san ready to pounce and sprint off the ground. It also showed a small brown bag next to her side holding her then broken wind chime, slightly deflated from the drop.

And just at the top corner of the phone was a patch of blurry red on a blurry runner. If that wasn't proof enough, the time and date of the picture was listed from yesterday.

"See? See?!" Makidera-san pointed, equal parts mad and excited. "I was right! It WAS Emiya-kun that pushed me!"

Saegusa-san stared between her boasting friend and the phone. "So Kaede-chan was right?" she said to herself, guiltily.

"But I never took this," Himuro-san insisted, but sounded just as subdued.

I admit, this sounds too suspicious to just ignore. Saegusa-san and Himuro-san are bright students, and wouldn't forget things so readily. Something involving Emiya-kun must have been so important that the girls had to get the event hypnotized out of their minds, only to miss Makidera-san somehow.

And that could only mean one thing. The fake priest.

Why the hell wasn't this brought to my attention?!

"Tohsaka?" Ayako must have noticed my façade slip. Damn, can't lose my composure here.

"It's nothing," I assure her. "I'm just… a little surprised to hear you imply Emiya-kun to be a mischievous fellow, Makidera-san."

The self-titled Black Panther scowled, but I was already walking away. "O-oi! Where are you going, Tohsaka?!"

"I'm sorry everyone, but I'm afraid I have something important to take care of right away. It was fun while it lasted, and thank you for inviting me to join you Saegusa-san."

I bowed deeply to show my gratitude. All in all, it was a fun day. I may not get many of these in the future, and will have to break ties with those around me for the sake of my family lineage. The recent conversation was proof of that. But I spoke honestly when I admitted to having fun.

I was already running down the street for the bridge to Shinto when I heard a voice cry out desperately.

"W-wait! At least buy me some takiyaki!"

Simplicity. Thy name is Kaede Makidera.

<><><>

"Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there."

Service at the Kotomine Church. I'm not an overly faithful person, but the Kotomine family has been close with mine for as long as I can remember. It's probably due to old tradition why I still go from time to time. If not, the fake priest wouldn't let me hear the end of it.

"They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"

Still, I make an effort to only come during the Christian holidays of Easter Sunday and Christmas. Having to study for my craft, on top of school work, has thus far been a suitable excuse as to why I can't come every week.

"But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'"

But today was different. This was something that I couldn't overlook or wait, so I suffer through this service until it's over and I can confront him.

"So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth."

This story from the book of Genesis the fake priest just read aloud was the final piece of the service. After some more stock phrases and the closing hymn, the church occupants started to leave. I stayed rooted in my seat near the front row, glaring daggers at the man.

Because he was the one I find hard to like. Because he was a walking contradiction in both church and magi standards. Because he was my Guardian.

I march up to him to the front of the church when we were finally alone. "You have some explaining to do."

"Nice to see you too, Rin," he replied coldly. "But wouldn't it hurt to greet me properly by my title?"

"Your title is non-existent to what you really are; a fake priest."

He smiled, more amused than annoyed. That trait of his always annoyed me. I almost missed him being a stoic doormat when I was a kid. At least then it wasn't hard to tell when he meant something or not. "Do indulge me, Rin. We are still in the sanctum of God, so my title does hold merit. Unless you wish to speak in the confessional?"

No way will I step foot into that wooden trap just so he can play the role of moral conscience. There are many reasons why I spend as little time as possible in this church, and they all relate to this insufferable man. Still, I grit my teeth and call him by his name, if only so he can stop teasing for a moment. "Good evening, Father Kotomine."

"There, now. Was that so hard?"

Yes. Yes it was.

"As I was saying, you have some explaining to do."

"Whatever do you mean, Rin?" Kotomine asked. Although he knew I was here strictly for business, he still had the gall to play innocent and ignorant. Sometimes I can never tell what the man is really thinking.

"Let's make something perfectly clear; I'm the Second Owner. I know everything that goes on in this city, whether it's a magus hiding here or an outbreak of Dead Apostles. But for some reason, something happened that was clearly magecraft-related only to have been swept under the rug without my knowledge. And I know you well enough that you would do everything to undermine my authority, just to take my title as Second Owner, and everything I own with it!"

Kotomine blinked, surprised that I was able to deduce him so easily. But then he threw his head back and laughed that audacious laugh of his. "Ahahahahahahaha! Oh Rin, that couldn't be any further from the truth. I'm quite content in my position as a 'fake priest', as you so affectionately call me."

Affectionate my ass! Everything he does is half-assed and without effort or meaning. He has the means to be a magus, but he never finishes what he starts learning. He even told me so himself, back when I was still looking to him for guidance years ago. I learned early on that I could master whatever Kotomine didn't bother to, and I haven't looked back on that decision since.

Still, as much as I hate to admit it, Kotomine wasn't a liar. He was trustworthy to an extent, so I can take his word that he wasn't interested in undermining me… for now. "Fine, so you didn't orchestrate this event. But you were aware of it happening?"

"It was brought to my attention, yes."

"How?"

"Why, Sakura Matou told me."

…!

"Have you forgotten? The Tohsaka aren't the only magi family that have lived on Fuyuki's soil." His smile widens, almost sadistic. "Oh, pardon me. I should say 'isn't', as you're the last Tohsaka alive."

Of all the answers I expected to hear, this wasn't one of them. In a way, I was a bit foolish not to overlook this possibility. But… I couldn't rationalize the feeling of-

"She's not a magus," I replied. My voice or posture didn't change, as I refuse to let anyone see my weakness. Especially Kotomine. "She couldn't have known what happened."

"But she was raised by a magus family," he reminded. "In fact, she asked me to help save her classmate from Wraiths. But I'm getting ahead of myself; you don't know the full story, do you?"

And so the fake priest told me what he knew. A family gathering during Golden Week, visiting the Central Park after their shopping trip. Two Wraiths coming out and chasing the young boy, while his teacher chased after him. How Sakura asked to hypnotize the uncle and his daughter, as well as to save the boy and teacher. How he fought against a spade warrior while the boy fought a black ghost, and he brought both the boy and teacher back to their homes.

The names were omitted, and while I didn't know or care who this teacher was, I knew the boy's name. He was the one that fit both of Ayako and Makidera-san's accounts. And more importantly, he was the only one that Sakura trusted enough to all but live at his house.

"This boy," I asked slowly for confirmation. "It was Shirou Emiya, was it?"

"It was."

I stared down at the floor, feeling my bangs slip and cover the view of my surroundings. I don't care. "And… he's a magus?"

Kotomine frowned in thought. "Yes…"

I clenched my hands into white knuckles. How could I have missed this? How could I have been so stupid?!

"-and no."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"Shirou Emiya understands what it means to be a magus and knows how to fight back, but he lacks the practical skills and assessment to be called one. I've suspected enough that he doesn't even know how to use his magic circuits. Furthermore," Kotomine added, finding time to knot his eyebrows together into a frown. "He has a very different set of goals in mind for his supposed craft."

Different goals? But what could be more important than the goal of all magi? To be able to reach Akasha, the Root itself, and the knowledge of everything that ever is, was, and will be?! Unless…

"You mean to tell me that he wishes to be a Dead Apostle?" I asked in slight horror. It would make sense, given his supposedly weak magecraft and hiding under my radar. With immense power, durability, and constant bloodlust, having just one of them in Fuyuki City was a disaster waiting to happen. There was a reason why the Church hunted them down as viciously as-

Wait.

"I assure you," Kotomine smiled. "If that were the case, I would have killed the boy myself."

I glowered in anger and embarrassment. For as much as the fake priest annoys me, he used to be an Executor. Fighting ghouls and Dead Apostles is second nature to him, and he always followed through with duty and protocol. I worried over a detail that meant nothing.

"No, his goals are rather selfless than selfish. Whether he becomes a great magus or not, Shirou Emiya plans to use his talents towards…" he sighed, almost disappointed. "-world peace."

…

I'm not going to laugh. I'm not going to laugh in front of the damned fake priest! I'll laugh all I want at this stupid, ridiculous goal later in the comfort of my home, but damn it not now!

I kept my face mostly neutral, with mouth agape. "E-excuse me?" I hoped the hitch in my breath was more of exasperation than escaped laughter.

Kotomine was still frowning, so I was fortunate on that regard. "He earnestly wishes to emulate the man that rescued and adopted him years ago. I tried to dissuade him from this line of thinking but… he was stubborn."

Stubborn? If anything, the supposed "Fake Janitor" was about as passive as a doormat. Why do I get the feeling that this isn't the full story?

No matter. I'll solve this personally when I get the chance. After all, I told Ayako and the others that I have a "favor" I need to collect.

"If what you're saying is true," I asked him. "Emiya has no proper training, no magecraft skills to write about, and has no wish to see the Root at all?"

"I would be surprised if he even knew of Akasha's existence," said Kotomine. "He probably should have been raised an Executor instead of a Magus, honestly."

For once I agree with him. And this helps make what I plan to do with Emiya-kun on his return all the more clear.

"Is that everything, Rin?"

"It is," I said. "But next time an outbreak like this happens, I demand to be notified immediately."

Kotomine smiled. "I wonder… how would that look to the esteemed Magi Association to know that the Second Owner of Fuyuki would only respond to danger when the Church representative tells her?"

"You know what I mean, fake priest," I snarled, and turned for the exit. He always has to be a smartass, and get the final word edgewise.

"And a good night to you too, Rin."

I hate that fake priest.

<><><>

But not as much as I hate mornings.

School started the next day. I heard more than a few students wish that the weekend could have been longer. Not that I would know, because I ended up going to school half an hour early, and only club members are awake at this time.

I use this as an excuse to catch up with Ayako on small talk and our bet (who would get a boyfriend first before the end of our third year), but I found myself staring intently at the purple haired archer.

She's changed. I've heard her classmates talk about how smart she is, and how much time she dedicates to studying after school. Ayako mentioned with slight envy that she's also pretty good at archery, but seems to hold back whenever Shinji was around. Without Emiya-kun to hover over her, she was adopting the cold, distant façade that all magi know how to project.

I feel both proud and jealous at how easily it comes to her. Almost a shame she's not really an heir to the Matou line… and how low they have fallen over the years.

With nothing more to talk about, I left Ayako and the dojo before she noticed me. With nothing else to do, I headed to homeroom to sit and wait until class started. Just as I reached the stairway-

"Good morning, Tohsaka-san!"

I turned and stared at the energetic woman coming up from behind. Given everything that happened today, all I could do was nod and greet her back. "Good morning, Fujimura-sensei."

Her smile grew wider, happy and relieved. "Thanks, Tohsaka-san. I'm glad there's still someone that greets me properly."

I blinked. This didn't sound like the friendly, cheerful woman posing as an English teacher. "Is there an improper way to greet you, sensei?"

Her smile dropped to a frown. It was so sudden and brief I wondered if it even happened. "Ah, well… just don't call me by my first name, all right? None of the older students here do that, and it kind of hurts my feelings."

"…I don't quite understand, but I won't hurt your feelings, sensei."

"Good girl," she nodded. "If only more students were as kind as you are."

She quickly waves goodbye and hurries off. It was one of the few times we shared a conversation, but something didn't sit quite right with me.

Fujimura-sensei acted… vulnerable. She was still happy and chipper, but she didn't seem to hide the fact she was sad. I didn't say something wrong, did I?

Or what if it was because Emiya-kun was gone now?

…

…gah, I'm must be overreacting. This is Fujimura-sensei I'm talking about, and if there's anything to explain about her behavior, it's an off day.

Shaking these thoughts away, I hurry over to class as the esteemed honor student. I have more important things to worry about.

Starting with Homurahara's first exams of the school year.

 

[Kishou the Badger]

Fuyuki Gaiden 3: Shoot for The Moon


The Mitsuzuri clan; a family with a strong history of martial arts and collected weapons. For generations, our clan has been known to have men and women with strong physical fitness and peerless stamina. Our family tree goes back as far as one of the many samurai clans around the Heian Period before branching out to martial arts.

It's an honor to be a Mitsuzuri. To be a strong leader, a capable fighter, to preserve the talent for ages to come. To be a Mitsuzuri is to be a warrior pushing your limit to be the strongest. My father, a retired police officer, is a master of taiho-jutsu. My mother, a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, has practiced naginatado so long that she named her polearm like a pet. My younger brother is a quick study and is intent to learn kyudo.

…and then there's me.

"Shout~ friends! / Just those words you'll feel that you'll need/
And let your / voice be heard all over the world /
Stand up / when you hear the knock on the door -"

A knock on my door interrupted my singing, and ruined my focus on the music. "Ayako! Time for practice!"

"Okay, mom!"

I'm the daughter and heir apparent of the Mitsuzuri clan; Ayako. Second year student of Homurahara High, Captain of the school's Archery Club, all around competitive girl… with a girly streak.

I feel I need to emphasize that because no one seems to take me seriously when I show them my CD collection, let alone my copy of Risette's newest single.

I turn off the music player and open my closet, exchanging my girly clothes for my martial uniform. Considering it was a white undershirt and black front guard, it was a bit hard to find through all the other dresses and cute clothes I've bought. So many colors, frills, designs… and I haven't worn all of them yet!

It's a dilemma all girls have, I'm certain. Even Rin.

<><><>

My family dojo is nothing special; it's not as pristine and well maintained as the one in Emiya's house (or so I've heard), and it's a dwarf in comparison to the archery dojo at Homurahara. But it has an entire closet full of weapons. Mostly swords and polearms, with the odd exotic weapon like a chain knife, but it's a treasure trove of weapons all around.

But I know a handful of styles. There's archery that I picked up on my own naturally. I would have said I'm proud to be a master of it, but I can't say that in good confidence after seeing Emiya use a bow and arrow. He took to it as naturally as a fish to water. I'd love to learn more from him, but he quit the club last year, and is now visiting his relatives in the rural country town of Inaba.

Then there's kendo. I just started it recently this year, so I'm not so skilled in that one. It's kind of hard to get better when your teacher, opponent, rival, and above all worst enemy is Taiga Fujimura. Mind of a child, body of a… big vicious carnivore. It makes for a dangerous combination, and while I'm learning through her, she's still leagues above any student in Homurahara High. I would say she's worthy to be the best of the best, but she hasn't reached any level higher than five-dan lately.

Last but not least is proficiency of the naginata. A beautiful weapon, really, used back in the age of samurai as their bladed polearm. There are different naginatas meant for men and women (but mostly women), usually in a smaller blade to compensate for the heavy thick pole you swing around. I've always used the o-naginata to try and compensate for my girlish figure, but I'm not sure if it's working.

Tonight's exercise is just my mom and me swinging our weapons. Strike, turn, parry, repeat. The basics are important in any martial art, and once you have them down pat, you can focus better in fights. It's like training to level up, but using the long and hard way instead.

Strike, turn, parry, repeat.

I was about to do my next set when my mom stopped and looked at me. "Something's troubling you, dear."

I blink. "What do you mean? I'm following this routine like clockwork."

"That's just it," she told me. "Fighting and training is about more than routine. You need to have passion in your art, and a reason to pursue it."

I could tell what she was saying, but it's not like we live in an anime or video game. Having a martial arts skill set isn't going to make you become a magical girl or save the world from some ancient evil. Modern warfare and technology has come a long way since the age of the samurai, and the act of aiming and shooting with a gun makes any extension of martial arts next to useless. But even so…

"I'm doing this because this dojo is kind of a big deal. You and dad want it to keep going, don't you?"

"Not if it means you giving up on just enjoying yourself."

"But I do have fun and enjoy myself."

"With swinging a naginata? Or a kendo sword? Or firing an arrow?"

I frown. "I want to keep doing martial arts, mom. Really. It's okay if I don't like doing it, right? It's more of a job to keep it going on. I don't have to like a job to do it."

Because seriously, a lot of people would tend to do work even if it sucks. The reasons vary, like a big payoff or something honorable or rewarding. Maybe not in money, but in something else…

Mom still looked upset with me though. "If you keep thinking like that, Ayako, you'll never reach master status." She walked across the dojo to set her weapon back on the closet rack. "We'll end early tonight. Take this time to reflect on what you really want."

What was that supposed to mean?

<><><>

I'm not an official Kendo club member, because there's no Kendo club for women in school.

It just happened one day after watching a couple shows that had the main characters use wooden swords to save the day. The idea was cool, and the practice behind it was sound too. You swing a wooden, weighted weapon enough, and you'll build muscle to learn the motions. Then you can use real weapons based off their wooden counterparts and deal a lot more damage.

Of course, I've practiced with a naginata and bow for so long that I already have the necessary upper body strength, so the real challenge is muscle memory. While a discipline in kendo sounds like the perfect art to add to my repertoire, I'm not an official kendo club member, so I had to… improvise.

"HA!"

Luckily there's Taiga Fujimura. English teacher, supervisor of Archery, the living proof that scientists have it wrong about the perpetual motion machine… and a total brat.

The situation for the Kendo club is tricky, as Fujimura-sensei is old enough to be captain but is regularly a member. I think everyone just calls her captain and lets her take all the important planning because she's a teacher and highly skilled at the art. She certainly cares more about getting the club into regional contests than spending funds on superficial equipment, for starters.

"YAY! I win again!"

Not that it excuses her for acting like a kid more frequently than her own age. Standing in the arena circle, the taller kendoka was jumping and cheering. She had earned her final point striking the shorter kendoka on the crown of his head, and judging how he was crouching and rubbing it, the helmet did little to buffer the pain.

Sitting in the back with the other official members, I hear them grumbling among themselves. "There she goes again, acting as if the fight wasn't that serious."

"Yeah, but it's amazing how far off she is compared to the rest of us. Shouldn't she be higher than five-dan by now?"

"If you ask me, it's better this way. Otherwise she'll get famous!"

The boys nodded in agreement. I didn't quite follow their logic as to why this was bad. If Fujimura-san was famous and a master of kendo, wouldn't that be a good thing?

…if we overlooked her childish antics of course.

"Besides," they started up again, and spoke more softly. "We all know her shinai seeks out the blood of those that she duels against."

"Such a deadly weapon can only be described as cursed!"

I found their claim ridiculous, but it's not really my place to ask. A kendoka is supposed to give respect to senior members, as well as always pay attention in practice. Not that I'm really an official member but still…

"Okay, Moto-kun. You can go rest for today," Fujimura-sensei told her latest victim as he more or less fled. She turned to the rest of us sitting at the side of the dojo. "Now, who's up next?"

No one stepped forward or raised their hands. They still squirmed and flinched at the idea of having to go up against Fujimura-sensei.

"This is all your fault, you know," one of them whispered.

"My fault?!" A kendoka asked incredulous. Even I was surprised by with the claim.

"You had to blab out loud that Fujimura-sensei is a kendoka, and now she's running us ragged in these sessions!"

"Well, sensei was upset about our last match and really wanted us to shape up. I didn't think the rumors around 'The 'T' of Fuyuki' were true!"

Ah, so that's what happened. It did seem weird that Fujimura-sensei was spending so much time with these guys. Well, if no one else was stepping up…

"I will, sensei."

Sensei turned to me, and I can barely make out the smile behind her mask. "Ayako-chan, perfect! Come on up then!"

I nodded and slipped my helmet on as I carried my shinai over. Some of the boys sighed in relief at not having to fight. I don't see why they keep coming to this club if they don't try to better themselves. Friendly spars among club members could only go so far before they stagnate. Only by facing stronger, more skilled fighters could they learn more and get additional experience. Any gamer would understand that logic; it's how you "level up" in video games.

And Fujimura-sensei is the best there is in kendo. She is even better than me. At least right now. We bowed to each other as custom dictates, the calm before the storm.

Okay, review time. In Kendo, you can only strike at four points; the crown of the head, the side of either wrist guard, the abdomen, and a small space for the throat. Each strike there counts as a point, and the first to get best out of three points wins.

What's more, the strikes don't count unless they have the energy, the accuracy, or the proper stance all at once. Usually matches last up to five minutes, but the matches can go by very quickly if you don't even have time to count the score.

Sensei seems to prefer the straight approach, and her preferred target is the head. As long as I can parry and thrust at her neck, I'll get ahead with a point.

The referee signaled us to begin, and like always, sensei is off like a bullet, and her shinai even faster. I swear I saw her lucky tiger bangle tied to it. "HOOOA!"

From my standing position, I raised my own bamboo sword to a diagonal slant. It wasn't enough to stop her swing, but did divert her enough to hit my shoulder pad. A miss, and the match will keep going until an official hit is registered.

With my sword in position, I quickly thrust at her throat guard. She all but vaults backwards to avoid it, but I press forward in chase. She shifts her arms back into position and swipes down to strike my head to score before me.

"KIAH!" "HOOOOA!"

I connect with her neck. She hits my head. One of the three referees blew their whistle.

"Point, Mitsuzuri!"

Two more to go, but the real fight is about to start.

It's rare to get the upper hand on sensei, but especially so to win against her. She's already designated me as a threat and holding her shinai seriously. She's always been serious in sports, but lately she seems to be making more of an effort to train and spar. I think she only agreed to help these kendo club kids solely to brush up on her skills, too.

The second match starts, and sensei doesn't move right away. I flinch, expecting some sort of advance and barely hold myself back for her to take an opening.

It's easy to assume that to win in kendo, you have to strike first and strike hard. While striking with vigor is very important, it doesn't count unless the strike is in proper form and hits the right target. Those rules might sound very restricting, but when refined with sharp reflexes and precision, a kendoka can theoretically wield a real katana with ease.

But musing on the speed or lack thereof in kendo is pointless-

"HOOOOHYAAAA!"

Or else you get blindsided for not thinking quick enough.

I barely manage to block her, this time getting stuck in a deadlock instead of a parry. Sensei must have anticipated this regardless as her strike was rather light and she made a quick retreat. I chase her forward with the intent to attack her abdomen this time. "KIAH!"

Almost at the same time I swung to her left torso, I feel a deft smacking of wood against my left arm. "HOOOOOA!"

Since it struck the outer rim of my vambrace, that meant- "Point, Fujimura!"

The remainder of the spar became a sort of song and dance. Having read off our moves for a while now, we give up points and advantages to guard our weak spots. Our torsos were well guarded, our arms always moving, and our heads just out of reach from a strong strike. And of course, our battle cries entered a sort of rhythm of rise and fall. During this barrage, there was a brief pause as the refs said:

"Point, Fujimura!"

"KIAH!" "HOOOA!" "KIAH!" "HOOOA!"

Smack, smack, smack, smack, we continued with gusto.

I was tired, my arms were shaking, and my throat was raspy from shouting to make sure my strikes had the right "energy" to count for points.

But Fujimura-sensei? She was a dynamo of energy. Try as I might, I could only go for so long before she overwhelmed and struck past my defenses, claiming her victory.

"Match point! Winner: Fujimura!"

"I WIN AGAIN!" she jumped and cheered loudly like an overeager school girl. At least she remembered to bow to me to signify the end of our match. It's those bouts of rudeness she has which remind me why she's not a higher ranked kendoka.

She removed her helmet to wipe away the sweat in her hair. It's amazing how young and energetic she acts. "Good match, Ayako-chan! You're getting better every day!"

"I'm still leagues behind you, though," I told her honestly. "I mean, fighting you was like trying to fend off a tiger."

"…" Fujimura stared at me blankly, mouth agape in a gasp. I think I heard the other kendoka boys wince and gasp too. Why is-

…Oh shit, I just said that out loud, didn't I? The one rule of Taiga Fujimura is never ever ever say that word in front of her! The one that sounds so much like her given name. Not even the fact that our match is over could spare me from her violent outburst.

Survival instincts, think of something and don't fail me now!

"-Oak! Tiger oak, that is about to fall over you and crush you! Yeah, that's it, heheh-heh…"

Such a weak excuse backed by a weak laugh only showed how vulnerable I was. And even then, the recovery was bad. I had to compare her power to a falling tree? Why couldn't I apologize?!

Game over, girl. Game over!

"Yeah, I work out so much that I'm pretty much the second coming of Kaihime!"

…what.

Was she… smiling? And laughing? And slapping my shoulder like a good sport?

…thank goodness that my mask is still on. I don't think I can trust my facial reaction from seeing Taiga acting so jovial. I can't help but to feel guarded though, like she's already planning her revenge of my slip-up.

"I…I'm sorry," I squeaked, in what little I could do for damage control.

"Yeah, you gave me a good match! Don't sell yourself short. Just keep it up and maybe you'll do better!"

I slowly nod back to her and then walk back to the benches. I'm a bit confused by Fujimura-sensei now. I assume she's a master, so dedicated to martial arts and gung-ho about what she does, but instead of going into a rage, she acts mellow and nice. Passionate, even. Not just in kendo and teaching, but in personality.

Is this what mom was talking about?

"Wow, you did pretty well against sensei, that time," one of the kendoka whispered to me.

I shrug. "I still lost. I'm just glad I didn't get told off for that blunder."

They smiled and chuckled. "Maybe the tiger doesn't have a strong bite on her after-"

"Toshi-kun, you're up!"

The boys stopped rambling and they turned to Fujimura-sensei. Toshi was annoyed. "Come on, sensei, I already did my-"

Toshi-kun stopped. All the kendo members flinched. I don't blame them. Taiga Fujimura, helmet still in her arms, was giving them the Smile.

On the surface, it had the image of a pleasant, happy, generic smile that anyone can make. But you can make out the small facial differences, like how the lips were strained to stay that way, or how the eyes were closed a little too tightly. But what differs a smile from the Smile is the fact that the former was genuine and the latter promised a swift death.

Man, and I thought only Rin knew how to pull that gesture off.

"I said," she said in faux sweetness. "You. Are. Up."

There was no mistake. Fujimura-sensei was pissed. She gave me a stern, sad warning as she knew I didn't mean it. But since the idiots assumed that she wouldn't fly off the handle every time it was said, she needed to make an example. And whether or not he felt forced to see it through or believed he would still get away with it, he slowly made his way to the ring.

"GWOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Not even a second passes before he steps in and she all but bulldozes him while screaming with a powerful forward swing. The club member standing in as referee was all but ignored in this execution session.

I'll pray for you in the next life, Toshi-kun.

<><><>

I practice the naginata to get close to my mom as a proper martial arts woman. I practice the bamboo sword out of love for anime and to beat Fujimura-sensei.

But my third proficiency, the bow and arrow, is something I chose to practice out of a fascination of shooting targets. It's definitely more primitive than a gun, but it's not like I can afford one like an American. But hey, it's not like they have a giant-ass school dojo made solely for the sport, so that's something.

There's just something very soothing and awesome when it came to picking an arrow, pulling it tight on a bowstring, and watching it fly. I remembered the years I struggled to successfully pull back a practice bow. The disappointment of seeing it sink down to the ground just in front of my feet. All the years pulling back and forth, building the muscles to fire farther… it was worth it to see my arrow fly true and pierce through the target rings on the other side of the open range.

It seems funny that I'm the captain of the archery club now. I don't see myself as a master of archery, but more as a caretaker of the trouble students. There's only one real master of archery that I've seen so far, and he's all the way in Yasoinaba.

As odd as the request was, I'm glad Fujimura-sensei asked for his old archery gear, even though she didn't say why he needed it again. Knowing he's practicing again is enough of a motivator to keep me going.

I turn my sights to a target ring. I can see Emiya in my mind's eye, his back facing me. He looks so distant, yet confident. He should still be in the archery club. His mindset is that of a master of the craft. Fast, sharp, calculating, accurate, dutiful… the list goes on. He was a prodigy, we shared the same club, we became good friends, and then he just leaves without looking back.

I still regret not asking him out when I had the chance. I might not find another guy like Emiya to be a future boyfriend in time to beat Rin.

Thinking about it though, when did Emiya and Rin get close enough for him to owe her a favor? I mean, Emiya is just not the kind of guy to ask people to do something for him. It's more of the other way around. Did they have a secret meeting that even Fujimura didn't know about? Are they, dare I think it, together?

I only joked about it when I assumed Emiya was Rin's boyfriend to her face, but she reacted quite off guard and flustered. She's a school idol, highly popular, and if they were really going steady everyone at Homurahara High would have known that by now.

Furthermore, if Rin was actually dating Emiya, she would've told me, if nothing else to claim victory in our secret bet over who could get a boyfriend first. So why the secrecy? Perhaps they went out as friends but didn't go steady? Or maybe they did and then broke up? He did have to leave Fuyuki due to family reasons, so perhaps they ended their relationship by mutual agreement instead of going for a long distance one.

That would have been disappointing if the case. If I were dating Emiya, I'm sure I would have at least tried to make it work. Emails, phone calls, maybe an online game could play together. The trick is keeping contact, right? Well, it would have been more difficult for Rin "Analog" Tohsaka, but if she really wanted to…

I blinked. I replayed the memories of that Children's Day again in my mind. Rin did seem rather excited when she mistakenly thought Emiya was coming back. Could it be that she wants to go back together? What about him though? He spent the holiday here in Fuyuki, but from Rin's reaction is safe to assume he didn't seek her out to catch up with her – heck, I haven't quite forgiven him for neglecting me that way.

And for all I know, he's probably getting cozy with a new girl at Inaba. Maybe a popular school idol like Rin, or someone sort of cute tomboy?

Dammit, Emiya. Who do you think you are to play with a maiden's heart like that?

So mad at that handsome jerk I visualize him as a my target to shoot at, for all my frustration. Preferably at the heart, like the center target ring. My arrow flies, and hits dead center.

Bullseye. Now if only I could strike his metaphorically small brain too…

Just as I was about to draw another arrow, I hear applause. Just around the dojo door were Fujimura-sensei and Sakura Matou. Supposedly, they always ate breakfast and dinner together at the Emiya household (I learned that to be fact from my snoopy younger brother). This is the first time I've seen them arrive at school together though.

"Nice shot!" our teacher smiled. "You're really getting good at this, Ayako-chan!"

"Thank you," I smile back. If Fujimura-sensei thought I was good, then it meant I was doing something right as archery captain. Namely, to pay attention to her members.

Sakura bowed and muttered a soft, "Good morning, Mitsuzuri-senpai," before walking over to pick out her own shooting spot. Sensei is always so chipper and happy, but Sakura looked like someone kicked her puppy into a vat of acid. She's better now than she was the start of the year, but there's no prizes for guessing that was because of Emiya's brief visit.

"Keep your form straight, Sakura," I told her. As her captain, this is probably the furthest extent of what I could help her with.

My purple haired kohai nodded and adjusted her arms slightly. At least Shinji wasn't around. Probably too busy trying to flirt with girls, or stalking Rin. Well, family matters have to be resolved within the family, so it's none of my business anyway.

"Ayako-chan? A word?" Sensei asked. I almost missed the timid tone in her voice.

"Sure," I reply. After setting my bow down gently, I follow Fujimura for a bit, and purposely away from the only other archer on the field. Morning practice isn't mandatory or even required, but more of a perk for early riser martial artists. I think Emiya was the one that even suggested the idea to do so.

But that was a year ago, and not important now.

"If it's about the kendo thing yesterday, I really am sorry," I told her.

Sensei blinked, and then laughed. "Are you still worried about that, Ayako-chan? I know you're one of the more respectable students here, and accidents happen!"

"But-"

She patted my shoulder with a rather sad smile. "It's fine. I had a bit of a self-revelation recently, and I'm trying to keep all my emotions in check. In a way, I'm kind of jealous of you, Ayako-chan."

"Jealous? Of me?" That made no sense!

"It's just, well…" Taiga started, before glancing over her shoulders to make sure we were still relatively alone. "I know what the other students see of me, coming across as more of a tomboy than a teacher. I'm sensitive about my name being used as a joke, and that I'm not seen as feminine enough."

Taiga Fujimura? Sensitive? The only time you would read or hear a sentence with those three words together is if the word "isn't" is between them!

Although, if all her overreactions were a mask for her being slighted all the time… that makes sense.

She looked at me with a sort of begging plea in her eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you, Ayako-chan, but first I want to ask a serious question."

A favor and a question? I'm really starting to get scared for this more vulnerable Fujimura-sensei. But I kinda owe her for the other day, saying that word, so why turn her down? "Okay?"

"First off… why do you do all of this? The archery? The kendo? Even practicing with your family? It's one thing to be good at a sport or martial art for the fun of it, but you throw yourself in them all the time. You can't possibly be training for a war, so why?"

…okay, this is getting weird. I expected a simple question like something about Sakura or the other students, and she's only this serious whenever she's teaching or in a fighting ring. This introspectiveness isn't like her at all!

Still, she has a point, and it reminds me of the talk I had with mom before. Why do I do all of this?

"I think," I started, trying to think of the right words. "I just want to beat my other self."

Fujimura stiffened. "Y-your other self?"

"My weaker side," I clarify. "The one that is trying to learn from the stronger martial artists like you and mom. The one that can't seem to find a balance between my interests and my fitness. I don't know if I'll find the answer if I keep doing this, or if I'm making things worse in the long run. But I think if I'm strong enough to pass my current hurdle, maybe it'll all be worth it."

Because I think that's my problem. I'm still behind other masters. My mother in naginatado. My sensei in kendo. My old club member in kyudo. I can't move forward until I pass at least one of them. What happens after is irrelevant.

"To be better than your weaker self," she muttered in thought. "Yeah, that sounds deep. I should do that more, too…"

"Sensei?"

"Sorry, just talking to myself. Thank you for your honesty, Ayako-chan. I feel more motivated to do this now."

"Do what, exactly? And what about the favor?"

"Ah, that," she frowned, glancing back to Sakura. "Can I ask you to keep an eye on Sakura-chan while I'm away?"

"Of course, sens-EH?!" Did I just hear her right?!

"Sorry for dumping this on you," she smiled sheepishly. "As I told you, I'm kind of having trouble with my emotions right now, and hearing my students throw around Ti-ti… the T-word has been rather straining." Geez, she can't even say that word herself without stuttering! "I've been considering a leave of absence the rest of the school year, and the only thing really stopping me is Sakura-chan. I tried telling her about it, but she didn't take it very well."

That would explain her mood, I guess. Focused, yet monotonous and without the vigor and energy behind it. She would make a poor kendoka-

Wait a minute.

"Sensei, what about the kendo club? And your position watching the archery club?"

"Well, I asked a few other teachers to oversee the clubs while I'm gone. You don't have to worry."

"I'll keep watch over her," I promise. "But do you think you could loan me a second kendoka set?"

"What for?"

I glance over to Sakura. Still staring, still focused, probably absent of life in her. Fujimura-sensei followed my gaze and got my point. "For Sakura-chan? She's not suited for that kind of sport."

"It's not about whether she's fit for it or not," I answered. "She needs some more 'kiai' in her life, especially if you're leaving soon. I can be her personal tutor in archery and kendo, maybe make her my protégé."

The more I thought about it, the more I smiled. I barely knew Sakura, but anyone who is a friend of Shirou Emiya and very familiar with Taiga Fujimura is okay in my book. Rin's great, but we barely interact outside of school. Whenever we do, we try to one-up each other. I'd rather have someone like a kohai to count on me.

Fujimura smiled and sighed at once. "First cooking, now self-defense? I'm getting the feeling everyone wants to play with poor Sakura-chan."

"Is that a bad thing?"

She paused, and then shook her head. "…no, it's probably good for her. I'll give you a copy of Shirou's house keys later so she can cook for the both of you. Anything to help her calm down and relax the rest of the year."

I don't know how to think about that, really. I mean, being able to hang out in Emiya's house without him being there? Maybe I could rummage through his room and find what kind of porn he reads- purely for research of course.

Gah, what am I thinking? "Why Emiya's house? Can't I just invite her over to dinner at my place or something?"

"Well, Sakura-chan doesn't like to impose and make new friends, see. It took her a while to warm up to Shirou because of how stubborn he was. Embarrassingly so, but that's another story. Being at Shirou's big house is sort of like her sanctuary and second home, and I still don't get what makes her so tense about talking about her house or being around Shinji."

Besides the fact that Shinji is kind of a pompous ass? The guy is a decent shot and has good grades, but for some reason that's never enough for him and he overreacts at the worst of times. Sometimes I wonder if Sakura and Shinji are even related; I know one doesn't really deserve the other.

"But anyway, thanks for this, Ayako-chan," Fujimura smiled at me. "First fetching Shirou's archery gear for me on your free time, and now this? I'll be sure to make it up to you later."

"Sure then, sensei." I nod, and she hurried off. Not sure what she does between now and the school warning bell, but it almost always ends with her running late and making her frantic yelling through the halls.

Without Emiya or Fujimura around, Homurahara High is going to be a rather sad place this year. Especially for poor Sakura…

Well, no time like the present, and the initiative is always important in martial arts. I walk back to the shooting field towards Sakura, who was just now looking my way.

"So, Sakura-chan," I smile to her. "How would you like to wield a bamboo sword?"

Her reaction was to be expected. "Eh?"

I'm gonna have to shoot the moon for her.

 

[Kishou the Badger]

Inaba Chorus 1: Yasogami School Days

<><><>

Melpomene Mask XII

April 26th, Samegawa Floodplain, Morning

You are Yosuke Hanamura, and you are having a bad week.

You thought that life had finally given you a break for once after you had awakened your inner Persona Jiraiya, joined forces with Shirou and Satonaka, and braved the frontier of Teddie's world to save Yukiko Amagi. Yes, it was the adventure of a lifetime like your Shadow said, but it was all for a good cause. You were no longer the world's punching bag and it felt great to take a stand against it and all who had pissed on you in the past.

But there were no Shadows in the real world. No murder cases to solve. No need for action or superheroes. In boring old Inaba, you were still just Yosuke Hanamura, and people had no reason to change their actions around him.

Housewives still gossip behind your back, students from the shopping district avoid you like the plague, and your coworkers at Junes only pay attention to you if they had something to bitch about on store policies. In short, life as usual.

And you still have to go to school too, which sucks. But today, you hear a few of your fellow classmates talking ahead. "Did you hear? They found Amagi-senpai."

You feel a surge of pride and accomplishment, being one of the few responsible for rescuing the school idol. Yes, it was a team effort, but they couldn't have done it without you.

"Huh, really?" the other student asked. "So, does that mean she wasn't part of the case?"

"How should I know?" the talkative one replied. "I just heard people talking about it."

Your pride soon gives way to annoyance. They didn't sound happy at all that Yukiko Amagi was rescued, let alone cared. They were gossiping about the murder case as usual.

"You think Amagi-senpai might have been the next target after Konishi-senpai?" one of the gossipers asked. "The culprit must be going after people for their looks."

"No way," his friend dismissed. "Those two are completely different. I mean, one's an inn heiress that's pretty much royalty around here, and the other's a tramp who—"

Suddenly aware of the implication, you are about ready to snap and show some Jiraiya-fu on the dumbass freshmen, consequences (or King Moron) be damned. But before you can, another student briskly walks past you from behind, and then the gossipers. They both pale and promptly clamp their mouths shut as soon as they see him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, they changed topics. "B-by the way, did you hear that it's going to rain tonight?"

You don't care about the idiot gossipers anymore. You're more concerned about that boy. You've never seen that kid before, yet you can't help but find him familiar. Maybe if you had gotten a closer look before he rushed past you…

<><><>

June 7th, Homeroom

You have a plan. A devious plan. One that will make the most out of this sucky ass camping trip coming up, even if it kills you. All you need is to borrow Shirou for five minutes while you both browse the swimsuit area for women at Junes.

But that idea hit an impromptu roadblock.

"Emiya! Hanamura!" the demon king's voice bellowed. You were just about to sneak out of the room when he saw fit to call you both. Shirou happened to still be in his seat getting ready to leave too. "Do you know what day it is?"

Shirou, your friend, your team leader, possible eroge protagonist in another life, stated the obvious. "June 7th?"

"And what's important about June 7th?" the King of Morons asked patiently.

You ponder over it, and then snap your fingers. "Araki's birthday!"

Moron and Shirou look at you funny. You would expect the former not to get it, but you can't help but wonder what kind of life the latter has to be so ignorant…

"It's Health Week!" your teacher said. "And last I checked, you two aren't part of the Student Health Association! Do you know what that makes you?"

"Unaffiliated?" Shirou shrugs.

"Out of here?" You quip, already turning to leave.

"Slackers! And I hate lazy, good-for-nothing kids wasting space in my classroom! So I signed you both up to fill in for a few absentees."

"WHAT?!" you screech. "You can't just drop this on me–us! –like this! I have to go make my rounds at Junes for crying out loud!"

"You can go shopping for lingerie on your own damn time!" he dismisses you scathingly. You bite your tongue off to avoid ranting because chances are he's not going to listen. He doesn't seem to care whether you work at Junes or not, if he implied you wasted time shopping there. Not that you really want to correct him that on what you had planned to do there today…

"You big city boys are all so damn spoiled! Well, tough! At this school, we expect every student to pitch in! Or are you not man enough to do something as simple as stock inventory?"

You see three options in your head:

1. Punch him.

2. Punch harder.

3. Kick him in the nads.

You are SO tempted to pick number three, but for your sake, Shirou once again saves the day. "We'll be on our way."

"Good," Moron nodded; he seems to have grown a sort of soft spot for Shirou Emiya of all people, but he'd rather die than admit that out loud. "Now hurry up to the infirmary. I went ahead and called them saying that you'd be there. You're welcome!"

And with that, the fugly-faced teacher with a hunch stormed off, leaving you both mad and crushed. Why today of all days?

Shirou just smiled and patted your shoulder reassuringly. "Let's go."

<><><>

You didn't know what to expect, but as it turned out, the Health Association group really did need all the help it could get; because the ones in charge reminded you way too much of two certain Junes employees. Always complaining, didn't care about the work, and always tried to dump everything on you the first chance they could get.

It was startling that as soon as you and Shirou walked through the door, the group left both of you on infirmary guard duty while they pranced around the school to see if "anyone needs help" or something. If anyone should be thanking King Moron, it was them, not you.

The only thing of interest that happened was some white-collared businessman (Kitano from Sando Inc. or something?) and saying that the gauze order wouldn't come in for another month or two. Luckily Shirou remembered all that when he relayed it to the health team.

At this point, you don't even care what they're talking about. You haven't done anything since coming here, short of playing secretary. Shirou, bless his heart, doesn't seem to mind or care, and still hung on their talk like he's part of the group and ready to help. The custodian has found his calling, it seems.

All you hear right now is:

"Blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah."

"Blah, blah Konishi blah blah."

Wait, what?!

You snap your head up and look at Shirou. He stares back with the same shocked expression that tells you, "Yes Yosuke, I heard him too."

Konishi is the surname as the late Saki, your coworker and… friend, from before.

"Oh yeah, Konishi-kun." The Health Association president nodded sadly. "He can't help it, after what happened…"

"He"? Oh, that's right; Saki told you once that she had a younger brother. Were they talking about him?

It was at that moment the door opened. Everyone stopped talking and stared. It reminded you of that little incident on the road after saving Amagi, and you recognize him as the same kid from before. You also saw Saki's likeness in him: the slanted eyes, the grey hair, the facial structure… but instead of a smile you had grown used to on Saki's face, his expression was stoic and rigid. Blank. Almost like he could fade into the background without anyone noticing.

And given how nervous and skittish the health group was acting now, they probably wished that he was anywhere but here. Which is weird, as not just a minute ago they were complaining about him. What was their deal?

"I'm sorry I'm late," Saki's brother said as he stepped inside.

"I-it's okay, Konishi-kun!" the president said rather quickly. "You don't have to come anymore, really! We found two replacements to fill in for you, and you have to help out in your parents' shop anyway!"

"But I don't want to be the only one…" he trailed off, too melancholic to even finish the sentence.

"Well, then… help out Emiya-kun and Hanamura-kun clean up this room!" You almost miss it, but Saki's brother twitched at hearing your surname. That was one of two warning flags going off in your head.

"Wait," you speak up. "You mean help the rest of us, right?"

"Someone has to go report to the teacher," one of the health kids explained.

And there was the second one.

"It's simple! You clean a little, and you're done. Y-you can handle that, right?" Without so much as waiting for a response, they move for the door as the depressed grey-haired teen stepped aside. "Bye, guys!"

They quickly leave the room and you hear them all but run after closing the door behind them. Leaving you stuck in this room with clean-up duty and a moody, upset teen.

To be fair, you can't really blame them for wanting to bolt as quickly as they did. You certainly don't want to be near him, and he shared that sentiment from the way he refused to meet your eyes.

You don't think that you would be able to handle this without Shirou around, if for nothing else than moral support. "Nice to meet you, Konishi," he smiled and extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Shirou Emiya; just transferred here from Fuyuki City this year."

He just stares at it before looking up to Shirou's smiling face. Then he turns toward you, as if expecting you to say something.

…you feel like you should, but you don't know what.

"Y-Yosuke Hanamura," you finally squeak out. "And you must be —"

"Saki's brother, yes. First year," he says, with a hint of annoyance. Then his face shows the first bit of emotion ever since stepping in— anger. "And I hate you. Both of you."

You wince. Shirou's arm pulls back. Not a very good start, but you figure that you deserve it anyway. You may have not been the one to kill Saki Konishi, but you sure as hell made her personal life worse getting worked up over a crush.

Thinking back, you really were a pain in the ass. Still kind of are, too. You're sitting there feeling awkward as the silence drags on, and then the brother breaks it as if he didn't snap at all.

"Can I go now?" he asks lazily. You're confused; earlier he said that he wanted to work, but now he wants to get out? That doesn't make any sense.

Shirou mulls it over a moment, and then nods. "Sure." Saki's brother is already making his way for the door—

But you call out and tell him, "After you help us clean this place."

Both Shirou and Saki's brother stare at you. Your friend is confused and concerned regarding your reasoning, and the young freshman seems to challenge you.

"I have to help out at home," he explains. "It's a mess… you understand, right?"

Of course you understand; you know how Saki really died and are doing everything in your power to prevent her death from happening to anyone else. But it's been two months since she passed away, and he's acting more or less the same as you saw him on that odd April morning. You can't just let this continue on.

You want to help Saki's brother, at least to make it up to her in some way.

"If you're really needed back home, you wouldn't be here," you counter. "And didn't you just say you wanted to help?"

He stares at you for a long moment. You almost forget that Shirou is in the same room until he says, "I'll get the mop."

That seemed to be the right thing to say as Saki's brother shrugs and holds out his hand. "Get me a rag and I'll do the shelves."

Between the three of you, you clean the shit out of that infirmary. None of you talk the whole time and eventually go your own separate ways when you're done… and when it was painfully obvious that the Health Association group was long gone.

<><><>

Thalia Mask XI

June 4th, Faculty Office, After School

You are Chie Satonaka, and you sometimes play a hero for fun.

But right now, you're in the faculty office with Kondo-sensei to decide what after school club you want to join. It's kind of a requirement for Yasogami students to join at least one cultural and/or sports club, but the options don't look so good in your opinion. Your best friend Yukiko had talked about trying out for drama, but you don't see yourself as an actress. You're not pretty enough for that.

You wish that there were better sports options, but the fact is that Yasogami High is a small high school in a small country town. The men's sports are limited to soccer and basketball, and they aren't very popular. There used to be some girl sports clubs like tennis and track, but a lack of members and general interest saw to them being disbanded for the year.

"Don't you have an English culture club?" You ask hopefully. If you need to take a club, you want to improve your language skills.

Kondo-sensei shrugs apologetically. "I barely have the credentials to teach English, and I'm more of a P.E. teacher and sponsor for the sports clubs. I don't want to overload myself by stretching too far!"

You slump your head down, discouraged.

"Well, maybe there's something we can do," he said. "Our current sports teams lack managers. It's something both captains have argued about because none of the members have the motivation to even clean up after themselves."

You perk up. "Really? Can I work out with the team too?"

"Sure, why not?" You like Kondo-sensei; he's so carefree and open-minded. Why couldn't he have been your homeroom teacher? "You're free to do whatever you deem necessary working with the team of your choice. Oh, and I should mention that we are planning on giving another student a similar position, but as a means for her to make up on missed credit. Since you asked first, she'll be given the club you don't pick by default."

Oh, well, at least one club won't be left hanging. But who would be forced in such a position in the first place?

"So, would you like to help the basketball team, or the soccer team?"

You ponder over it. You remember that Ichijo-kun and Nagise are the respective captains of each team. You don't necessarily dislike either boy, though you do know that Nagise has a serious aversion to girls and Ichijo-kun is another Yukiko fanboy. If you are going to be a team captain, you need to decide which you would rather put up with for the rest of the year. Not to mention how both teams have problems in motivation and team spirit, not unlike what doomed the women's sports.

Will be it basketball or soccer? Soccer, or basketball?

You decide to settle your decision with a yen coin flip.

<><><>

June 7th, Field, After School

It's your first new day as the soccer team manager, and you introduce yourself. "Hi! I'm Chie Satonaka! I look forward to working with you guys!"

Everyone is smiling at you, even Nagise. With confidence, Kondo-sensei leaves to check on the basketball club and introduce their own new manager. As soon as he does, almost all the soccer guys swarm around you a little too close for comfort. You flinch back in reflex, barely stopping yourself from snapping a forward kick at the nearest set of legs.

"So, Chie-chan, you want to hang out after practice?"

"Actually, can we end practice now? You're a guy like us, right?"

"Can you help do our laundry first?"

You fight the urge to frown. While very flattered that you're being given the kind of attention that follows Yukiko around, what you're getting doesn't feel right. Well, you never like how the guys hounding your best friend acted either, but the guys here are treating you like you'll give them cheat-sheets out of practice.

You fight dangerous Shadows that can kill you with ease, and these wusses are afraid a little labor and sweat. How pathetic.

To get their attention, you blow on your whistle (a little something you bought to really drive home the image as soccer manager). The shrill noise makes all of them stagger back while covering their ears with a wince.

"Okay, that's enough soliciting!" you shout. "I'm in charge, and you are all going to start working your asses off! Now get in formation and start with team passing!"

"Wait, what about—?"

You blow again. Harder, and longer this time. The boys all scramble in position, grumbling in annoyance.

Good. You're here to shape up a team, not make friends.

<><><>

The practice ends on a good note in your opinion. The guys are grumbling about pain and sore joints, but exercise is all about pushing your body further each time and getting stronger for it. The soccer team has been too complacent until now, and you're going to have to make up some lost time this early spring. You take the time to write down notes on your clipboard about each member's strengths; Hanamura calls your writing illegible but you traded these with Yukiko all the time.

The only spectator that showed up was a first-year girl who came to watch Daisuke Nagase play. She stayed and cheered for a while before leaving. Nagase didn't seem to notice or care, and was outright dismissive when the guys teased him about it.

After practice, you made sure to tell each and every one of them to clean up the field. Any complaints they made were silenced by your whistle.

The only one still left in the now clean field is Daisuke Nagase, with his tan skin and iconic bandage-over-the-nose look. He is grinning from ear to ear as he pats your back. "Man, you're a natural, Satonaka-kun! We might actually win a game for once."

"I appreciate it Nagase," you tell him. "But soccer is a team sport, and everyone needs to pull their own weight. I suppose I don't need to tell you, the star player, how to work, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged it off, almost indifferent.

"Hey, Daisuke! Are you up for some ra…?"

Coming from your six, you see the blue-haired captain Kou Ichijo approach you two and wave in greeting. His voice trails off as he glances at you. "Ch-Chie-chan? What are you doing here?!"

"I'm acting as the new soccer team's manager," you shrug. "It was Kondo-sensei's idea."

"Seriously?" He sounds both incredulous and disappointed, as he then sighs and dips his head in defeat. "I wish our team manager was half as enthusiastic, at least."

"Who do you have?"

"Ai Ebihara." You and Nagase both winced in sympathy. "She flat out told us the only reason she took the job was to make up for her absences before blowing us off."

You've heard rumors about Ebihara. The moon to Yukiko's sun. Witty and smart, yet cruel and abrasive. Pretty on the outside, stingy on the inside. Possesses full confidence in her looks and actions, but ultimately rebels and acts on personal interest.

Or the too-long-didn't-read version: Ebihara's a cold-hearted bitch.

Still, she is popular, so she must have some sort of fanbase. But even knowing how sour a person she is, they must either have the delusion of making her nice, enjoy being dominated or something of that nature. Maybe if you had that image too… Gah, no, get your head out of the gutter! No more Shadow Bananas!

"Man, just for going through that, you deserve an Aiya special," Nagase said, before turning to you. "What do you say, manager? Up for some ramen?"

You perk up at the mention of Aiya and ramen. No Junes brand stuff or Hanamura trying to bail out on a deal. You're faintly aware of Ichijo paling and trying to say something, but you don't care. You want a meat bowl supreme. "I'd love to!"

<><><>

Aiya's

You are in blissful, euphoric heaven. Or at least somewhere close enough. And no, it's not because you're sitting between two admittedly cute guys and having dinner together; that kind of crap is for cheesy girl-centric romance manga. No, you're here only for food, as it has been too long since you had a yummy bowl of meat and ramen.

You still haven't beaten the Rainy-Day Challenge, with food going as far as the Meat Dimension, but one day you'll accomplish it. Until then, practice makes perfect, and you're making good time on this meal so far.

"Mmmmhm! This is the best!" you cry.

From your right, Nagase laughs. "Glad you think so. We try to eat here at least once a week, but can never decide on what day to do it. Our practice times never align, you see."

From your left, Ichijo-kun groans. "You can't just decide something like that right away, Daisuke. We barely have enough money for ourselves here."

"It's cool, I can pay for myself," you waved it off. And you mean it. Your allowance was just enough to see a good 'ol Aiya bowl once a week, so long as you don't do something stupid again like break an umbrella or ruin the shoji door. Maybe you could try commissioning for a weighted umbrella weapon next time?

"Man, look at you, acting all independent now!" Nagase said. "And here I thought you'd be stuck in Amagi's shadow forever."

Luckily your mouth was full; gulping food down was no different from gulping down your fears and anxieties, or that roller coaster of emotions from the castle. Yukiko eloping, the princess fantasies, your Shadow going on and on about Yukiko and Emiya-kun…

They're bad memories, and you don't want to think back on them again.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm my own girl!" But that doesn't mean you can't be miffed at the idea that you have no social life.

"I think what Daisuke is trying to say,"—Ichijo smiles—"is how nice it is to see you without Amagi-san all the time."

You glare suspiciously at him. "So you can try and ask Yukiko out, you mean."

Ichijo's face blanches, to your small satisfaction. "Th-that's not it at all!"

You don't buy it. Next to Yukiko's family, the Ichijo family is the closest thing that Inaba has to royalty. Tea ceremonies, traditions and customs, the works. Whenever you hang out with your other friends like Hanamura and Nagase, he's nice and cool and friendly. You actually found him cute at one point while watching him play basketball last year.

But whenever he bumps into Yukiko, he gets all tongue-tied trying to say something like a confession or asking for a date. You were there each time and made it clear to him not to ask her out again, but he keeps persisting even when he said he wouldn't. You never trust a guy alone with Yukiko, and Ichjio is no exception.

Still, you're vaguely aware of what Emiya-kun told you the other day. "Give him a chance," he said. It's weird, as it's not like the magus knows Ichijo any better than she does, but he seems to find the good in anyone. Probably because of that Social Link perk he also mentioned before.

You can trust Ichijo at least… just not anywhere around Yukiko. There's a difference.

"She's outta your league anyway, man," Nagase reminded him. Ichijo glares back, but you smile at your star player for his agreement. "Why not ask that girl from our class? Sada… Saki… whatever, you know the one."

"Oh? Ichijo-kun has a girlfriend?"

"A real doting fan, this one. She keeps making sweets in Home Ec., saying stuff like 'I made these for you, Kou-chan!' "

You and Nagase laugh. It was all in good fun, as while you don't like the idea of Yukiko and Ichijo being an item, you think he's a decent enough guy who deserves a girlfriend. It was kind of sweet that he had someone call him Kou-chan, too.

Only Ichijo-kun wasn't laughing. He was sighing. "You don't like sweets?" you asked him.

"Nah, I like sweets just fine," he shook his head. "I just wish all the girls would stop calling me 'Kou-chan'. I mean, Kou's such a crappy name. I hate my name."

"Yukiko: how I hated that name."

You cringe. That little admission hit too close to home, going right back to Yukiko's Shadow.

Nagase shrugs in a very insensitive manner. "Well, what are you gonna do?" Then he protects his newly bruised abdomen in a very unmanly manner. "OW!"

"I think what Nagase is trying to say," you explain as you pull your elbow back, "is that you don't need to think too deeply about the name meaning something. I mean, my name has so many different ways it can be written, but I'm stuck with the kanji that means 'thousand branches'. I stopped trying to figure out what that meant years ago."

Ichijo looks at you in bemusement. You're not sure what you're trying to say either, but if I could cheer up Yukiko about her name then you can do the same for him.

"You're a nice guy, a skilled athlete, and pretty easy on the eyes too. But if you're still upset about being called your given name, I guess I'm stuck with calling you Ichijo-kun."

Ichijo blushes, to your faint surprise. But he smiles too and seems to have cheered up again. "Th-thanks, Chie-chan. That means a lot."

It was nothing really, but it still feels good to be praised on a job well done.

Aside from plans on future club meetings and when to meet up at Aiya's again, the three of you eat in comfortable silence. It was a nice change of pace from the Investigation Team, not having to worry about life-threatening Shadows and monsters.

Being a team manager is going to be a piece of cake!

<><><>

Melpomene Mask XIX

May 26th, Spare Classroom, After School

You are Yukiko Amagi, a new rising star.

Yesterday you had purchased a book all about job licenses. You certainly intend to apply yourself as an interior decorator, but building different skills and a wide range of options is ideal for a good résumé, and it pays to have a back-up plan. So instead of wood shop or home economics, you join the drama cultural club.

You arrive at the door of the classroom where they host the club, but hesitate. You briefly wonder how taking up acting will affect your schedule around the inn, but find the concern to be silly. You plan to strike out on your own in the future, so if you can't make little choices like these, you really will be stuck in Inaba forever.

Besides, after what happened with your kidnapping, the inn staff has been reorganized, and your mother fully recovered. You take a moment to compose yourself, and with a determined nod, you go inside.

"…Now let's move on to tongue twisters," you hear a voice say as you slowly close the door behind you. You walk in further, but softly to not draw attention from their on-going practice. "Ready? The sixth chick cheek's shixth cheep… Argh!"

"The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick!" A brisk voice cuts in, so fast and yet nuancing their s's perfectly. "You're still not saying it correctly. Are you sure you're the club president?"

You see a small group of students gathered around, more girls than boys. The one that strikes you the most is a girl with short dark hair with a green tint, and a light blue hairclip over her right bangs. She's wearing the typical school uniform, only with a slightly longer skirt and knee-high socks. She notices you first, with wide grey eyes and a growing smile.

Eventually all the other club members do too, as they stare and gossip amongst themselves.

"Wow, is that Yukiko-chan?!"

"Miss Amagi is joining our club?"

"Holy crap! She's looking right at me!"

"She looks so pretty in person…"

"Where do you think she bought that sweater?"

You feel a little self-conscious from all the attention, especially as it seems like the girls are talking almost like the boys Chie warned you about. What have you ever done to warrant a "Princess Yukiko Challenge" anyway?

"Quiet down, everyone!" A stern voice cut through the room, and its speaker, a bespectacled male, walks over to you. "Yukiko Amagi, I'm President Nagai. It's a pleasure to have you join us. Welcome to the drama club!"

He quickly introduces the other members in the club, who all greet you with mutual enthusiasm.

"Thank you," you reply. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all. We're just practicing today, and our main play isn't set until the end of the year," Nagai explained. "Just try to catch all future meetings every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and you'll be fine."

"Don't worry about meeting every day, either," another girl spoke up, also wearing glasses. "We won't kick you out, but the more you train, the better you get at impressions, expressions and stuff."

"Thank you, miss…?" you ask, as you don't quite remember her name yet.

"Oh, Mika's fine," she says quickly. "I'm the vice president, by the way. I don't see myself as much help though, or very good…"

The president quickly turned to her with a smile. "That's okay, Mi-tan. I know you put a lot of effort into the club. And you're so cute too."

"Don't call me Mi-tan in front of everyone!" the vice president scolded in a tone that was embarrassed… yet teasingly affectionate. And they seem to be in their own little world staring into each other's eyes.

Huh. So this is what Chie calls "sickening sweethearts."

Rolling her eyes, the brisk student grabs your hand and leads you to a corner of the room. You remember her name being Yumi Ozawa. "Forget about them. You need all the practice you can get, so let's get cracking."

"N-now?!" This was happening a little too fast for your liking!

"Hey, no time like the present! Now, let's go over our voice lessons."

You quickly find Ozawa to be an inspiring teacher and expert in drama. She explains things in a simple and easy to understand manner. Even when you make mistakes she quickly and gently corrects you.

You were both so involved in your perfected breathing that you fail to notice everyone else has left. Seeing no reason to stay any longer, you say goodbye to Ozawa and head home.

You give your parents slight worry coming home late, but then you quickly pick up late night duties, homework, and cooking practice. You've been surrounded by teachers and knowledgeable peers all your life, and it seems weird that you only started to notice after what happened in April.

As grateful as you are, you can't be a porcelain princess forever, and will have to move out of this town one day. Until then, you make sure to learn every important self-sufficient skill that you can.

<><><>

June 2nd, Amagi Inn

"Auuuugh," you sigh as you collapse onto your bed, naked sans towel. If there's a perk of owning a hot-springs inn, it is having access to its very soothing water after a long day, even indoors with showers and built-in bathtubs. Unfortunately, you were so tired and ready to doze off at a moment's notice that you couldn't stay in longer.

You were very lucky today. You almost died, trying to save Rise-chan. It never occurred to you until that moment about the very real danger of facing Shadows, and you were a kidnappee just a few months ago. The water has helped in soothing your aches and pains that didn't carry over to the next world. But you were still full of stress and anxiety that couldn't be washed away in a single bath.

If only you were stronger, or better in control. You slipped up at a funny joke that the Shadow made, and Emiya-kun rightfully reprimanded you. You attacked the Shadow with Sakuya's strongest flames only to get blindsided by a counter-spell of ice. You were helpless when a second Megidola was all but ready to turn you into ash, and saw your life flash before your eyes.

And in that moment, you realized how much your friends, inn staff, and especially parents worried about you. How they cried when Chie carried you limping through the door. How they hugged and kissed you and uttered "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" over and over as if they were blaming themselves. You had almost caused anguish to them all over again by rushing to your demise.

But it was better than living with the fact that Rise would have died. You don't regret your choice to fight, just your inability. At the very least, if you can't stop the Shadows on your own power, you'll make sure that no one else dies on your watch.

You owe this to your friends who saved you before, and especially Emiya-kun and Teddie who pulled off a victory at the last moment. For all his flirting, Teddie was downright loyal and brave when the chips were down. And Emiya-kun, even in his bloody and battered state, looked so strong. So manly…

The sudden ringtone of your phone interrupted your lusty daydream with a start. Now wide awake, you reach into your bag and check the caller ID. It was Ozawa, whose number you obtained earlier this week after practice.

You've only known Yumi Ozawa for a short while, but she's a savant on the stage. The other day, she perfectly rehearsed a part that was intended for Mika, and had taken the role of the character as her own. Her one-on-one sessions with you also helped you get better among your fellow drama club members, although she insists that you have talent as well.

Curious as to what she's calling you for, you answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, Amagi. Sorry about missing practice."

You blink. Today was Thursday so… oh right, Mika said they had drama club practice that day. "It's okay. I missed practice too."

"Really? What happened?"

"Something… important came up," you answer. You had forgotten all about practice when Chie and the others decided to visit Teddie, and from there it became a mad blitz to rescue Rise-chan from inside the TV world. "What about you?"

"The hospital called and said that my mom collapsed."

"Oh my!" You shot up from your bed. Memories of your own mother passing out during Yamano's visit come to mind, and every bad thing leading up to your kidnapping too. "That's horrible! Is she all right?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Ozawa said. "After all, she wasn't the one hurt at all."

You're confused. Not only is Ozawa starting to sound peeved, but what she's saying doesn't make sense. "What do you mean? Didn't she collapse?"

Ozawa sighs from her end on the phone. "My mom lied, saying it was the only way she knew I'd come. She didn't collapse, but someone else was in a hospital bed."

"Who?"

A tense silence followed, before Ozawa uttered two words full of contempt and anguish. "My father."

You're almost positive that you misheard that. How could anyone hate their own father? You weren't sure what to say in response, but the moment passes as Ozawa speaks again.

"No, not my father," she amends, before growing in volume and achieving the intensity of a rant. "He left us ten years ago for another woman. He's always been a dirty scumbag like that. And now he's all sick and on his deathbed. He comes crawling back, saying that he wants to see his family again, and it pisses me off!

"I was finally able to move on! I had completely blocked him out from my life! And now he's ruined that, just like he's ruined our lives before! And despite the fact that he LEFT HER, mom is actually going to stay by his side until he dies! I can't believe how stupid she's acting!"

You're taken aback by Ozawa's anger. You've seen her act before and know that she's very expressive in emotions, but this feels unsettling. She seems to have been through a lot concerning her father, but wants nothing to do with him even as he's dying?

"Ozawa," you finally speak. "I'm sorry to hear about you and your father, but… don't you think you should honor his wish?"

Ozawa immediately snaps at you. "What do you know?! You never had to live with him, or see him walk out with some… some hooker on his arm!!"

You choke on your words. It's true that you can't understand Ozawa's position, but she's also ignoring the important issue. Death is final. You've had a brush with it more than once to know that horrid feeling of helplessness. If her father was fine, she'd be free to act like this. But when you die, that's it. And to die with regrets is just awful…

"I'm sorry, Amagi," Ozawa says softly. "I… we just decided on the major roles in our upcoming play, and then he drops back into my life. I just really needed to tell someone how unfair this is, you know?"

"I know," you reply. Chie has always been a close confidant for you and vice versa. You can sympathize with Ozawa's conflicting emotions, and needing to tell someone.

"Don't worry, this won't affect practice," she tells you. "My absence was a one-time thing. Same for you, right?"

"That's right," You tell her. You doubt anyone will get kidnapped again now that Rise-chan is safe.

"Great! Then we'll play catch up next week! See you then. And… thanks for listening, Amagi."

"Of course, Ozawa. Take it easy." You hang up, slumping down to your bed again.

This has been such a depressing, exhausting day. You can save people from the TV world, and yet others still die in unfair ways.

You get dressed, find your father, and hug him tight. The scare of your kidnapping is fresh on his mind too, and he hugs you back.

You may not want to take over the inn, but you certainly would never wish ill to the family you love.

<><><>

Thalia Mask XIX

June 6th, Music Room, After School

You are Rise Kujikawa, retired idol by the name of Risette.

You didn't really know what to expect upon entering Yasogami High School. Yes, you were popular and had fans, but every student in the general area tries to hound you with questions, shake your hand, and other stuff. You ignore it, believing that the craze will die out soon and you can make some friends past the idol persona.

You love music, and want to try playing an instrument at least once. So, after discussing it with some teachers and your friends Chie-chan and Yuki-chan, you decided to join the music band club, or music club for short. You hesitate for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. With the memory of your big entrance this morning still fresh on your mind, you have a feeling that you'll get a lot of unwanted attention before everyone gets used to you.

You open the door and step into the music room just as a girl was about to leave. "Oh!" She looks no older than you, is shrinking back in a posture like she could fade into the background, but her face sticks out. Her short green hair tops her head, her small brown eyes… and those cute red cheeks! She looks almost like a Pikachu!

She seems to stutter as she looks you over, her shock and surprise increasing two-fold. "Y-y-yo-you're—!"

"Yes, I'm Rise," You smile at her. Between all the screams and requests for autographs or pictures, having someone stutter cutely was a welcome change of pace. "I came by to see if I could join the music club."

Her mouth flaps around like a fish before she runs inside. "Captain! Captaaaaain!!"

<><><>

As it turned out, everyone in the music club was rather mellow. There were faint whispers and a lot of staring, but it didn't look like anyone cared that you were famous.

"As you're all aware"—the band captain gestures to you—"this is Rise Kujikawa, a first-year. She'll be joining our troupe starting today, so let's give her a warm welcome."

You were standing before the school's symphony band, sitting in chairs with sheet music stands next to them. A wide variety of instruments were available, ranging from clarinets and violins, to trumpets and trombones. You swear that you can even see a tuba player in the back. "Welcome!" they all chorused.

The band captain turns to you after introductions. "So Kujikawa, aside from singing, have you had any experience with musical instruments?"

"Not in the slightest," you admit with a chuckle. "But I'm familiar with notes and sheet music, if that helps."

"We can always use another coach." He nodded. "We'll decide on what you can play later. Just sit back and watch for today. Matsunaga, bring her up to speed in the meantime, alright?"

The girl from earlier stuttered again. "Y-yes, captain!"

The two of you sit down on a few seats in the far corner, away from the rest of the band members. "Okay, break's over! Let's take it from the top!"

The symphony that followed was appropriately rustic. It wasn't perfect by any means (since they're training to perform together) but it was getting close. You're excited to be a part of this. No single important star that takes over and no background singers are around to make the lead look good. This is just a well-oiled cohesive group where everyone's nearly the same and they have their own part to play.

"U-um," the Matsunaga girl next to you stammers again. Not loudly of course, as she doesn't want to interrupt the other band members. "So, Risette, I-I mean, Kujikawa-san—"

"Just Rise is fine," you tell her. You see no reason for the two of you to be politely distant.

"Okay, Rise-chan." She smiles. "So, like the other culture clubs, we meet every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Except for a week before finals, so everyone can study."

You cringe at the mention of "finals." At least you came to the school year late and have one less test to worry about.

"We don't worry about attendance either. Our band is good, but we usually perform at small places. Like senior homes and hospitals."

So the symphony band was only eligible for charity events? You have mixed feelings about that, honestly. On the one hand, you did just retire from showbiz so it's nice not having to go directly into the limelight of big featured events like school-to-school band concerts. On the other, it's such a major step down from your idol career that it is almost sad. Not mention that not as many people could hear the band play their hearts and souls out.

After a few more songs, the captain calls rehearsal to an end. Then everyone packs up their instruments and leaves. They don't spare you or Matsunaga a second glance. Matsunaga herself seems to slip into a routine of standing up, dusting her skirt, and collecting the sheet music.

You sit there in confusion, watching and wondering why one girl is doing clean-up, or why she's even in the band. "So uh, Matsunaga?"

"Ayane."

"Huh?"

"M-my full name is Ayane Matsunaga," she tells you with a smile. "I never got a chance to properly introduce myself, and it's only fair that we call each other by our given names, right?"

…It takes all your self-control not to jump up and squeeze the cute out of her, but you manage. The Investigation Team's reactions told you that not everyone likes the sudden touchy-feely reaction.

"A-anyway, what exactly do you do around here? Why are you in this club?"

"Oh, I play the trombone," Ayane smiles. "I joined this club because I love music and have always been inspired by the songs that bands and idols played, like yours!"

"Glad to hear it." You smile. You can tell that she's one of your more modest fans, drawn by your singing appeal rather than sex appeal. Not that it would make you want to go back ever…

Then you blink as a thought occurred to you. "But wait, why weren't you playing today? And why were you running around doing errands instead?"

Ayane looked down and away from your gaze. "O-oh, I'm not very good. I'm a reserve member, so I don't go to performances. I practice sometimes, but I mostly help take care of the paperwork and cleaning."

That sounds more like a manager's job… or a secretary's.

"But someone's gotta keep this place all clean, right? I can't do much regarding music or performing yet, so I help out with this." She continues collecting sheet music and putting them back in the giant locker-like storage. "You can hurry on out of here, Rise-chan. Don't let me keep you waiting."

You suddenly get why you're so attached to Ayane. You thought it was just how she was cute, young, and innocent (probably ideal in the idol market). But more than that, she's so lonely and wants to be a part of the band so much that she'll do grunt work. She was like you before you ever became Risette.

"I'll help." You announce as you rise from your chair.

Ayane looks at you in surprise, not at all expecting the offer. That alone makes you sad and all the more determined to help her, even as she's shaking her head no. "N-no, it's okay, Rise-chan! It's my responsibility, so please don't go out of your way or anything!"

"I insist," you state and move your chair towards the back end of the room. "We're bandmates now and we help each other out like a team. And what kind of bandmate leaves someone to do all the hard work?"

Ayane's cheeks glowed bright red, nearly reached her whole face.. "W-well, okay. Thanks, Rise-chan."

You both clean up the music room quickly, and manage to finish in time to leave before the sky got too dark. You look forward to the next practice, and in the meantime ask your grandma about getting a new instrument.

 

[Kishou the Badger]

Inaba Chorus: A Fortunate Encounter



You are Naoto Shirogane, the aspiring young detective with a legacy to follow.

You have solved many cases on your own already, earning a rather dubious epitaph, "The Detective Prince". You care not for rumors or titles, so you barely paid attention to such things. Rather, they helped give you notoriety and establish your foothold as a rising star in detective work, and that is enough.

That said, you are now faced with the reality that magic exists in some form, and that the recent murder case in Inaba has taken a supernatural slant.

In order to get to the bottom of that mystery, you decide to venture to the victim's last known address before moving. All you had to go by was the city name of Misaki Town, so you asked around. Mostly about recent events that might have encouraged the suspect to leave. You were quite surprised to find that Misaki Town, on top of its history of a small mountain town that bloomed in size over the years, had quite its own murder mystery a while ago.

Reports of missing people were one thing, but such records never reached the hundreds in a single night without explanation. A missing person in Inaba showed up later as a cadaver on some power lines. Yet in Misaki, there were no records of such missing people ever reappearing, and the only morbid clue to their disappearance were bloodstains. It was especially worse where a single hotel was cleared out of all guests and staff in a night.

Were vampires truly involved? It might fit the modus operandi, but something didn't feel right. Not quite a copycat, but certainly a different party involved altogether.

Fortunately, they seemed to have stopped after a while. There was no killer caught, but it was probably for the best. Had you not seen Emiya-senpai's "magecraft", Personas, and the wonders of the TV world, you'd be less open-minded to such circumstances. You'll just have to accept that someone with similar powers had resolved the mystery.

Your deduction on Satsuki Kubo –or rather Satsuki Yumizuka— led you to one of the many high schools in the precinct. Misaki Municipal High School. You decided to be tactful for your purposes, as Rise's criticisms held heavy on your mind since.

This is not a game to you, so you shouldn't treat it as such. You shouldn't make others believe you think as little of others either. Arriving at the school after classes were over, you introduced yourself as a detective looking into the missing cases and how they paralleled another back in Inaba.

Police dramas liked to romanticize the process of solving crime murders, but it wasn't as fast or glamorous. Cases like these were hardly resolved within the runtime of an episode or two. One had to be careful how they approached topics like these.

So, you played softball questions. "Do you know Satsuki Yumizuka?" "No? Then do you know someone who might?"

Two names kept coming up: Arihiko Inui and Shiki Tohno.

Tohno-san had already left for his home after school, but Inui-san was hanging back on the roof. It was a convenient spot for a private talk. You found him quickly after getting directions and approached him. "Arihiko Inui, I presume?"

"Hmm?" the red-haired young man in an unbuttoned-uniform turns to you. "You talking to me?"

"I hope to have a moment of your time," you tell him, flashing your badge. "I'm detective Naoto Shirogane."

He seemed to bristle at the sight of your badge. "A cop? Hey, I know I look like a delinquent, but I haven't missed a school day yet!"

You shake your head to diffuse the misunderstanding. "I'm not authorized to delegate how you spend your time at school, Inui-san."

"Well, what else would you want if you knew my name?"

"I want to ask you some questions regarding a friend of yours, Satsuki Yumizuka."

Inui-san blinked. "Sacchin? Haven't seen her in months. I don't think anyone has."

Well, at least it correlates to the idea that the vampire Satsuki might be the same one that lived here. But not enough evidence to go by. "Do you know anyone who has last seen her?" You asked.

"Eh, Shiki is the only one who comes to mind, but he kinda dodged the question when I asked."

That could mean a lot of things. Was Tohno guilty of something pertaining to Satsuki's change? Was he the last one to see her alive? Then why avoid the topic?

"Can you describe to me more about Yumizuka-san then? Her quirks, traits, usual hangouts?"

"Geez, didn't expect a pop quiz like this," Inui grumbled, but thought deeply all the same. "Let's see… for starters, she's got a big crush on Shiki. Only one who seemed to never catch that was Shiki himself, but with him dealing with family drama and his anemia, eh, kinda hard to blame him."

You took mental notes to ask about Shiki Tohno later. "Would you say you were her friend as well?"

"Eh, more so Shiki's friend than hers, but whenever he's around she's bound to show up too." He paused and looked especially thoughtful. "Come to think of it, Shiki has been hanging out with a number of girls the last few months. Ciel-senpai, Aruceid-san… and I think I saw a pair of red-haired twin maids at his new house one time, along with his sister."

As interesting as this was, it was getting off track. You just hope Shiki Tohno had some semblance of decency towards the fairer sex as Emiya-san, else one hypothesis could be his unfaithfulness that caused Satsuki to descend and take out her unrequited feelings on Hanamura-senpai.

"Now where was I?" Inui said to himself, bringing himself back to your question. "Oh yeah. Sacchin was really popular at school. She was part of this non-competitive sports team that I can't remember what it was about, and was a pretty frequent member of their practice sessions. You know, whenever she wasn't trying to talk to Shiki for a moment. Had her share of admirers too. Girls thought she was nice, and guys thought she was cute. She was outgoing and bright and kind of a klutz, but we all laughed with her since she bounces back pretty quickly."

"That definitely sounds like the makings of an upbeat person," you comment.

"For sure," Inui agreed. "I think she felt like she needed to bring that positivity to Shiki's life since… Well, it's not really any of my business to bring it up, but the short version is that Shiki has been through the wringer the last few years."

"I see." You have your suspicions, but you were here to ask him about Satsuki anyway. You have a candidate in mind on who to interview more about Shiki: his sister Akiha Tohno.

Still, this presented a question you had to bring up. "Were you and Yumizuka similarly downtrodden?"

"Eh?" Inui blinked, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Were any of you severely traumatized that you sought each other for comfort?" If they shared some connection of suffering, that could explain their ties, and maybe the underlying issues within Satsuki's psyche. You may not have the grasp of Freudian psychology for Teddie's world, but you have enough to gauge criminal profiling.

"I mean… I guess? I don't know about him or her, but I lost my parents when our apartment building collapsed, and my grandma died getting me out of there." He shrugged, as if the memory wasn't at all horrifying. "Sure, it's sad, but at least I'm still here thanks to her, so I gotta make the most of this life, yeah?"

"That's a strong way to look at it," you console, unsure what else to say.

"Nah, no it's not. I'm just not that scared of dying after nearly being crushed to death, that's all."

Most kids his age wouldn't be so stoic about nearly dying. You had lost your parents young as well, but at least you still had your grandpa. Having him die to save you was a horrifying thought.

If he's friends with Satsuki, then maybe there's some common ground other than just him. "Then what is Yumizuka's close death encounter?"

"Before I answer that, I want to ask you something in return."

You fought the urge to frown. Inui-san has been helpful thus far. You're not sure how appropriate it would be for him to ask you questions about the case, but you doubt you'd get better answers from anyone else. You nod and allow him to ask his question.

"So, is Sacchin dead?"

You had feared that would be the conclusion he would come to. And yet you are also floored hearing Inui-san's question so impudent, as if discussing the weather. "Pardon?"

"That's the only reason you're here, right? A bit of profiling on who might have killed her leading you to her hometown? I kinda hoped it wasn't the case, but with it being so long and all of the sudden a detective like you shows up asking around? Kinda obvious."

It might be accurate to state so because vampires are undead. She would have to be killed to be turned. Normally you'd avoid addressing the cold truth with civilians, but he didn't seem all that concerned. Sad, yes, but anyone would feel lonely if a friend was away from town. Not dead.

"I'm not at liberty to say," you admit, partly to shy away from addressing the elephant in the room.

He accepts it at face value though, and reads between the lines, as he grunts and scratches his hair. "Yeah, kinda figured you'd say that too." He frowns sadly, likely knowing what a bygone conclusion for most missing person cases was.

Satsuki Yumizuka is gone, and a vampire by the name of Satsuki Kubo is wearing her skin to wreak havoc on Inaba.

Exhaling the displeasure away, Inui looks you eye-to-eye as he speaks. "I'm not sure how important knowing this is to you, but you look serious and came here for a reason. I remember a story she told me once, when she was unsure of herself and pretty miserable. It was how she first met Shiki and wanted to be more than just friends.

"The gist is, her and her fellow sports club girls were locked in a storage shed. Not so bad in itself, but it was a late winter night, and with just their shirts and bloomers on, they'd freeze to death before help came. Shiki happened to be at the right place at the right time to open the door. How he did it, she didn't know and I don't think he ever explained either, but she was mighty grateful that he did.

"Shiki's a nice guy, but also an idiot. Doesn't think too much about helping others when he can. Satsuki wasn't very direct about her feelings, whether it was nerves or something else. But I think it eventually got to her that he probably didn't see her the same way, and that a guy like me would notice she liked a guy before the guy did. She did seem happy when she told me that she got him to promise to rescue her again though."

Inui-san frowned and looked away. "Problem is… that was the last day we ever saw her at school."

That was a lot to unpack. A sign of weakness, yearning, and regrets. A promise made but unfulfilled. You feel you know enough, at least on paper, about who Satsuki Yumizuka was as a person.

"If you want to know more, I say ask Shiki himself," Inui added. "He's been pretty beat up about it so maybe he'll tell you something he won't tell me."

You had considered that, or perhaps asking his sister for her side of things. Especially with the disappearances in this town. That mystery might have impacted Satsuki in some way that convinced her to hide all the down to Yasoinaba.

But would knowing more about Shiki Tohno actually help in knowing about Satsuki Yumizuka? Even if her life revolved around him as a swooned admirer, it is likely that Shiki himself didn't notice her affections, let alone cared. You might get more about what Satsuki saw in him to be infatuated with, but that would just as well distance yourself from her. You had intended to look into a small detail but it seemed like there were deeper secrets lurking within this very town.

Maybe if you had powers of your own, be in Persona, Magecraft, or something else suited for paranormal investigation, you'd investigate. Find all the secrets and bring them to light, to justice. But no knowledge of the paranormal would protect you if you ventured too deep. You also promised that you'd come back to Inaba soon, and your return trip is coming up. You'll make due with just this interview.

"I believe I have everything I need, actually. Thank you for your time, Inui-san," you say to him, bowing.

"Uh, you can cut it out with the 'Inui-san' bit," he tells me. "I'm just Arihiko. Besides, I should be thanking you for coming today."

It would seem the closure of his friend's passing lifted his spirits slightly. So long as he doesn't know the truth of the matter, then all is well.

"Of course… Arihiko-san," you greeted him one last time. Though wincing, he grins brightly and waves as you turn and leave. Back to being a detective for the sleepy town of Inaba.

You do hope one day you'd come to your own awakening. It was cool to pretend until then. "Spirit Detective Naoto Shirogane"… heh, you did enjoy that show, as well as using your own Spirit Gun. (Even if it was just hand-painting runes around your extended index finger for "enhancing". No one needed to know that.)