Beta read by Shigiya, FabledLife and Paragon of Awesomeness
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-Sainan, Yuki Household-
For the better part of his existence, Emiya had never been a heavy drinker, to say the least. He never had much interest in getting drunk, and in his past life, there was rarely any room for such an indulgence. Too much was always happening around the world, and his younger self kept trying to shoulder more than he should have. Between responsibilities, combat, and constant problems that demanded attention, alcohol simply never became something that appealed to or stuck with him. It was not a matter of discipline alone; he just never felt the need for it.
Even so, he always believed that he could hold his alcohol well enough. He was not reckless; furthermore, he knew his own limits. Granted, his current body was different from the adult one he once had. Physically, it lacked the same tolerance and build, even if his soul and mind remained the same. Still, a single bottle of soju should not have pushed him to the point of losing all sense of himself.
The former Servant of the Bow refused to believe that he was that fragile.
The one thing he had never accounted for, however, was the possibility of alien alcohol. It was not something he had ever imagined himself dealing with. The drink they had consumed had completely bypassed whatever resistance his body possessed. It hit him hard enough to erase the entire night from his memory. No fragments. No blurry pieces. Nothing at all.
"You cannot be serious," he muttered under his breath.
He sat at the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers pressing against his temples as he tried to fight through a throbbing headache. The room felt warm, and the faint scent of perfume mixed with something else lingered in the air. He searched through his memories again and again, but every attempt returned empty.
"If it were one of them, then I could look past it and accept it to some extent. But both of them together? There is absolutely no way I would have ever agreed to that."
He spoke with confidence, yet reality stood right in front of him. His head slowly turned toward the sleeping princess. He had grown used to seeing Lala naked in the morning, given how casually she treated such matters, but today the details in the room made things harder to ignore. The sheets were tangled. Clothing lay scattered across the floor. A chair had been knocked slightly out of place. None of it looked like a simple accident.
He had hoped it might have been nothing more than a drinking game. Perhaps someone had suggested stripping as part of the rules. Maybe it had ended with all three of them collapsing onto the bed in a careless heap and passing out from exhaustion. That would have been easier to accept. A misunderstanding caused by alcohol.
"You look as if the world is about to crumble."
The amused voice came from the bathroom. The sound of running water had stopped at some point without him noticing. The door opened, and Ryouko stepped out, wearing only an open shirt that barely covered her generous chest and some string panties. Her damp hair fell over her shoulders as she dried it with a towel.
Compared to him, she seemed far too calm.
"That might as well be the case. If Gid were to find out about this, then I doubt there will still be a planet Earth by lunchtime."
She rolled her eyes lightly. "You are exaggerating. He may be an eccentric ruler and an overprotective father, even if his actions with the candidates say otherwise, but he would not destroy Earth. He likes you."
"Somehow that sounds even more dangerous," Emiya replied.
Ryouko chuckled and leaned against the wall. "I suppose you are not entirely wrong. Still, if I were to give you one piece of advice, it would be not to cling to the past. Move on and accept what happened. I have no regrets. Unless you do?"
She gave him a sideways glance, studying his expression carefully. She seemed to be searching for something specific in his face, perhaps hesitation or denial.
"It is not that," he answered.
She let out a subtle breath, as if she had been holding it without realizing.
"I am just confused about how I could have gone along with it. It does not sound like me."
"That is what being drunk out of your mind does," she said plainly. "Your inhibitions are loosened, and so you act in ways you normally would not. For example, I had no intention of starting my morning like this today. I planned to stay a little longer, return home late, and deal with a hangover the next morning. Instead, I woke up next to you and Lala in your bed, covered in love bites, with pleasantly sore spots across my body, and all of us naked. So clearly, something happened."
The casual way she said it made his eye twitch.
"There is no guarantee we actually did that. It could have been something else. Do you even remember what happened last night?"
She shrugged. "Believe whatever helps you sleep. Unfortunately, I do not remember either. My last memory is of us sitting around the table playing that card game. After that, nothing. The next thing I knew, I was waking up here."
Emiya exhaled slowly. He was aware that he was trying to deny what the evidence suggested. Still, part of him wanted to cling to the possibility that there was another explanation.
His gaze drifted back to Lala. She slept peacefully, her breathing steady, completely unaware of the storm inside his head. A faint mark was visible on her shoulder, and he quickly looked away.
Maybe she remembered. Lala was unpredictable; if anyone could wake up cheerful and casually explain everything, it would be her. He considered reaching out to shake her awake, but hesitated. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts first.
He pushed himself up from the bed, the ache in his head a dull but persistent drumbeat against his skull. Denial was a useless thing here, but accepting it felt like stepping off a cliff. Still, standing around wouldn't solve anything. The sun was already filtering through the curtains, which meant the others would be stirring soon. If he didn't act, the chaos would only multiply.
"Hah… let's just get ready for the day. I'll deal with this later."
With a quiet sigh that was more resignation than relief, Emiya moved toward the door. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers along with a discarded pair of pants from the floor and pulled them on, then stepped out into the hallway.
The scene that greeted him was another mystery to the previous night's… chaos. Momo and Yui were curled up together on the hardwood floor, a tangled mess of limbs and blankets, their soft snores the only audible sound in the otherwise silent house. Empty bottles, snack wrappers, and stray cushions littered the living room. It was a disaster zone that would need his attention, but not right now.
Celine, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully with Rito in his room.
"This will take hours to clean up."
Then again, he had anticipated such a mess.
Breakfast first.
The redhead descended the stairs and finally arrived at the kitchen, which was his sanctuary. In no time, he was moving efficiently and going about his routine. First, he pulled out eggs, rice, and vegetables from the refrigerator. Then there was the rhythmic thump of the knife against the cutting board, followed by the sizzle of oil heating in the pan; these sounds filled the quiet house and helped the chef with his headache.
The pan sizzled steadily while Emiya stood by the stove, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, apron tied properly instead of thrown on in a rush. Morning light filtered through the kitchen window and fell across the counter, catching the thin steam rising from the miso pot beside him. His focus stayed on the eggs as he tilted the pan with careful movements to keep them from sticking. Oil popped here and there. Crack the shells cleanly against the bowl. Beat them just enough. Pour. Stir. Lower the heat. Reach for the salt without looking. Simple, familiar steps that required no thought by virtue of sheer experience and familiarity.
The fridge door opened behind him with a low creak, followed by the hum of cold air spilling into the room.
Without turning around, he spoke over his shoulder, given that no one else had woken up aside from him and Mikado. "There's toast in the basket. Give it a minute. I haven't buttered it yet."
A carton shifted on a shelf. Liquid sloshed inside as it was lifted.
"It's fine, I'll wait. What are you making?"
"Eggs. Also, some grilled mackerel for later and miso soup," he replied automatically while adjusting the flame under the pan so it wouldn't cook too fast. "If you want something else, say it now before I plate it."
Milk was poured into a glass.
His hand paused mid-stir.
'That… did not sound like Ryouko.'
Slowly, he turned his head just enough to catch brown hair falling over one shoulder and a familiar profile reflected in the cabinet glass. She leaned against the counter, looking at him with the same stoic face he had grown used to seeing countless times, sipping from the glass.
"Rin?" The spatula lowered a fraction as his mind caught up. "What are you doing here?"
She frowned at him as if he had asked why the sky was blue. "You invited me."
"I did not. Didn't you say something about Saki spending time with her family and you tagging along with her?"
"Yes, I did." She took another sip, then wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Unfortunately, the conversation between them took a turn for the worse shortly after eggnog became a factor in the festivities. She called you for comfort, and then you said we should come over."
"…"
Honestly, he had no recollection of such a thing at all.
"By the way, I never thought I'd see you acting so differently."
"What did I do…" No point in even denying it anymore, best to just listen to what his past self did and not doubt her words. Hopefully, nothing too embarrassing took place.
"You were… nice. Too nice. It felt like I was talking to someone else who put on your skin at times. You wouldn't stop smiling, something I found rather frightening. Even Saki-sama did not know how to handle you, so she just accepted being held by you and almost had her first kiss taken right then and there. Unfortunately, others just had to get in the way."
"I did what?"
"Oh, you don't remember?" This time, the girl smirked, "Good thing I took pictures. You're quite efficient at seducing people when you're actually trying; even the poor new teacher was not spared. Hmph, you're truly Rito's brother after all. Both of you are complete perverts."
What the hell did he do!?
"Hand them over."
"Over my dead body," she said seriously, her eyes actively challenging him to use more forceful means against her. But he knew if he did that, he would be playing right into her trap.
"Hah, damn it." He set the spatula down carefully on the counter rather than the sink, buying himself a second to think. "Where is Saki? Did she fall asleep somewhere I should be worried about?"
Rin blinked once. "Upstairs. With how hard you were going at her, she could not stay conscious for long."
"…Couldn't you have found a better way to phrase that?"
"No."
He did not bother replying. The stove was turned off in one smooth motion, and the pan slid away from the heat so it would not burn, before he stepped out of the kitchen, leaving the room and quickly reaching the stairs.
The bedroom door to his sister's room stood half open.
"I should have known."
Inside, Saki lay sprawled across Mikan's bed, fully asleep, one arm wrapped tight around the smaller girl as if clinging to a security blanket. Her face looked peaceful, completely unaware of the position she had forced onto someone else.
Mikan, on the other hand, was wide awake.
Pinned in place, she stared at him from beneath Saki's grip with a flat expression that carried more accusation than any amount of shouting ever could. One of her hands was awkwardly trapped between them, and she made no attempt to move it, as if doing so would only make things worse.
"This is your fault." The accusation came as a whisper.
There was nothing to argue with. The evidence lay directly in front of him.
Emiya closed his eyes for a second, rubbing his forehead as the last pieces of the previous night fell into place. Invitations, drinks, and overconfidence. All of it led to this.
From that moment on, he made a quiet decision.
No more alcohol, forever.
"Hm, why are you standing here like this?"
A pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist. A certain nurse tightened her hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. He could feel the distinct texture of her still unbuttoned shirt and the inner parts of her breasts against his bare back and the full weight of her chest. "Ah, I see Saki is feeling better. I remember how saddened she looked when she first came over. You did a good job lifting her mood."
"Yo-You two…?"
Emiya and Ryouko both turned their heads toward the other side of the corridor. Standing there, framed in the doorway, was Tearju, wearing the same sexy Santa outfit from the evening prior, her glasses slightly askew, and her golden hair was a charming mess. Her eyes were wide, darting from Ryouko's clingy posture and state of undress to Emiya's state and back again. Her mouth opened and closed once, twice, but no sound came out, for she was utterly, completely stunned silent before her face went full crimson.
"I-I kept on the Santa outfit like you a-asked…u-um, I'll be going now!" The flustered woman rushed downstairs, leaving him at a complete loss.
"Poor Tearju, she truly was at your mercy yesterday. She's usually able to ignore any kind of flirting, but you adapted quickly."
What the hell did he do last night!? This was driving him insane!
Eh, didn't this woman just tell him that she also did not remember much after drinking? Was she lying?
"Oh my!"
The surprises did not end there, for Ringo also walked out after hearing the sounds in the hallway and smelling breakfast. Though unlike the rest, she was still dressed rather fashionably, her widened eyes stared in shock at the duo.
Ryouko, however, just coughed awkwardly, loosening her grip and covering up her front as much as she could. "Go-Good morning to you, Miss Yuki. Sleep well? Care to join us for breakfast?"
{Break}
(Several days later)
Jiiiiii~
To be under a microscope, that was what he felt at the moment when observed so closely by a certain bluenette girl before him, who had been staring intently at him for quite a while now. At first, he just ignored her, but this kept going on long enough for even the other classmates to take notice of her weird behavior.
"She hasn't stopped staring at him for the last hour." One of the boys near the back whispered under his breath, leaning slightly toward his friend, as if the volume alone could decide whether they survived the next few seconds. The classroom itself remained quiet, the faint scratching of pencils and the turning of pages carrying more clearly than usual. In that kind of silence, even a whisper felt loud.
"I've never even seen her make a face like that. It looks like she's thinking about how to murder him."
"What the hell could have happened for her, of all people, to look at him like that?"
"Beats me. But that bastard deserves it. I'm getting tired of him being surrounded by beautiful girls who fawn all over him. About time one of them finally hates him."
"How much do you want to bet she will hit him as hard as she does with his brother?"
That last comment almost made him roll his eyes. Was it really necessary to say it out loud? The urge to sigh pressed against his chest, but he held it back. Ignoring it clearly was not going to solve anything. If this continued for the rest of the day, it would only get worse — so, he turned slightly in his seat, meeting the girl's gaze directly.
"Can I help you, Haruna?"
Truthfully, caution resided behind the calm look he wore. She had been at his house for the party. There was a chance she remembered something he did not. The thought alone had been bothering him since he saw her that morning. Part of him considered pressing her for details, trying to see if anything slipped out. Another part remembered Mikado's advice and wondered if it would be better to let the whole thing go and move on.
When Lala had woken up, he had asked her about it as well. She had only shrugged and said she did not remember much. According to her, it had been an amazing night, and everyone had a lot of fun. That was all she offered.
By this point, it felt like he was the only one worrying about it.
"Did something happen that night?"
The question caught him off guard. For a second, he did not respond. The fact that she asked it first made things more complicated. He kept his expression neutral, tilting his head slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know. For some reason, I feel the urge to punch you every time I see your face since this morning."
"Are you sure that's not just a regular feeling? I've been told I have a very punchable face by several people."
Haruna crossed her arms and looked down for a moment, thinking it over before shaking her head.
"No, definitely not that. It feels like it has something to do with the party. But no matter how much I try to think, I can't figure it out."
"In that case, it's probably best to ignore it and move on."
He said it lightly, as if it were nothing important. If she did not have a clear memory, there was no reason to push further. Letting her dig into the matter would only make things awkward.
The last thing he needed was more unnecessary attention.
Mikan did not seem to remember much either. Thinking back on it, none of them did. Or maybe some of them did and simply chose to stay quiet out of embarrassment. That possibility lingered in the back of his mind.
Emiya told himself he was being paranoid.
"As long as you had fun, that's what matters, right?"
Haruna studied him for another second before her expression eased just a little.
"You're surprisingly popular."
"What?" That statement caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless and not sure what to say as Haruna continued to look at him.
"I wasn't surprised. I see what's going on at school regularly. But I guess it never occurred to me just how big your circle was until I came to your house for the party; even the new teacher was there."
"I barely know her; we've only had a single conversation in the past, and she was invited by Ryouko."
"The fact that, of all the people, Mikado-sensei was there, is shocking in itself. I'm pretty certain that another war will erupt between you and the boys at school after they learn such heartbreaking news. That their favorite nurse shared a drink with you at your own house and you're even close enough to refer to her by her given name."
"Please keep that bit a secret, I'm pretty sure the resulting war would eclipse all others if that got out and I might have a large chunk of the male population in this whole town after me," he said this jokingly, though also being half serious because of just how beloved that woman was not only by the students, but by her many patients and other people outside school.
Then, for no reason, Haruna went quiet. Her sudden change got his attention, so he waited for her to continue with whatever plagued her mind.
"Something the matter? Why so down out of the blue?"
"A-Ah, it's nothing…" she quickly said, but clearly there was something.
As they continued to have their back-and-forth leisurely conversation, the door of the classroom opened with a cheerful spirit in an artificial body walking inside who began waving her hand at him, followed by two other people.
"Good morning, Oji-san!" she greeted him enthusiastically, walking over to him, and his gaze momentarily met the two people behind her, who consisted of Nana and, surprisingly, Mea. The latter had a cheerful expression on her face while she was conversing with the princess; he wondered if this was the first time they were talking to one another.
"Oji-san?" Haruna turned towards him with a particular look in her eyes.
"Just an inside joke between us."
"Is it because of the white hair?"
"…Sure."
Not a lie, and it worked in his favor as a believable explanation. Now he needed to observe Mea's presence here.
'I can't tell if she is feeling better or is just acting.' With the girl's emotional outburst still fresh in his mind and her last parting words, being more wary of her made sense… especially when she now happened to be hanging around these two. 'A coincidence? Hard to believe that with someone like Mea, but this girl is hard to read since the line between her sense of duty and personal interest is so blurred. Best to just keep an eye on her for now.'
Though the interactions between them happened less than a handful of times, he wanted to believe that, at the very least, he had gotten a good read on her personality. Both a complex yet surprisingly simple individual who just happened to be controlled by a troublesome woman.
"Just wanted to ask if you've seen Run or Ren today," Oshizu said, showcasing a hopeful expression along with Nana.
"Those two? I… don't believe so."
It had been a while since he had heard from either of them. Their last interaction had taken place shortly before the party, and even that had only been a brief exchange in the hallway between classes. After that night, everything moved too quickly. There were too many distractions, too many things demanding his attention at once, and the question of where Ren or Run had been simply slipped past him. For a moment, he considered the most reasonable possibility.
"He could be at Mikado's place, staying out of this," he muttered under his breath. "She usually keeps track of her clients around town."
The ghost girl stepped a little closer and shook her head. "We already asked her," she replied. "She has no clue either. But we did get the address of those two just in case!"
He exhaled slowly. "I see. I suppose it would not hurt to go over and check up on them."
"Great!" she said at once. "We can head over during lunch period; it won't take long. Do you also want to join us, Haruna?"
Haruna blinked at being addressed so suddenly. "Um, I don't really have anything planned, so sure," she answered after a second, her voice quiet but clear.
With that settled, the small group returned to their seats as the bell signalling the start of classes rang, its sound echoing through the corridor. Emiya leaned back in his chair and forced himself to focus on the lesson. The teacher's voice droned on at the front of the classroom while chalk scraped lightly against the board. Still, his thoughts kept drifting back to Ren. For a brief moment, he even considered the possibility of someone like Nemesis getting involved. The idea alone made him press his lips together.
Part of his decision came from wanting peace of mind. Another part came from the need to keep an eye on Mea. The choice felt simple when he laid it out like that.
At the end of the day, though, he was also worried about the missing alien. It was strange enough for Ren to skip school for a single day without notice. Several days in a row felt wrong. That raised questions he did not like. He did not know about Ren's habits in detail, but Run, at least, would show up even if she looked like she had barely slept or had pushed herself too hard. From what he had seen, she rarely missed class.
Once the decision had been made, the rest of the day passed faster than he expected. The lunchtime bell rang, and students began packing their bags and talking about their plans for the day. Emiya stepped out of the classroom and headed toward the school gate. Just as he was about to leave the grounds, something caught his attention.
A booth had been set up near the courtyard entrance. A handmade banner hung above it with the group's name painted across the cloth in bold letters while the person manning the booth shouted a recruitment pitch.
"Recruiting new members for the Anti-Emiya Alliance! The first ten will get a sign-on bonus in the form of cash and be included in the frontline for the next holy war!"
Holy what now?
He stopped walking and stared at the booth for a second, wondering if he had heard that correctly. Given the kind of eccentric students who attended this school and the other ridiculous events that had taken place in the past, it shouldn't have been entirely surprising — yet now he wondered if his ears were hearing correctly.
What surprised him more was the person running the booth.
"Mio?" he said before he could stop himself.
The bespectacled girl stood behind the small folding table, scrolling through her phone as if she had all the time in the world. A stack of flyers sat neatly arranged beside her, a giant banner above her depicting a cartoonish character with red hair and two Xs over his eyes. As creative as this looked… since when had she joined that group? As far as he knew, they were on decent terms. He had never noticed any hostility from her.
As if sensing his stare, she looked up. Their eyes met, and her expression brightened. She lifted her hand and waved. "Emiya! How is it going? Having a good day?"
"Not good," he replied as he approached the table. "Especially after finding out that you are part of this nonsensical group. Why?"
She shrugged lightly. "You might think the name sounds nonsensical, but the group actually offers a surprising amount of benefits for students. We organize regular hangouts, like restaurant outings on weekends. Some senior members are alumni who happily share their study notes for free. They even keep copies of old test papers that certain teachers tend to reuse every year."
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
She continued without hesitation. "There is also a small network between members. If one of our parents owns a shop, members can get discounts there. We have movie nights every Friday with free snacks. It is not just all about you, you know. It is a social circle with perks. How can you say no to something like that?"
He had to admit, it sounded more organized than he expected. For a brief second, the thought of joining crossed his mind, if only to mess with them and potentially dissolve the group from within.
He shook that thought away almost immediately. Too troublesome and no guarantee that it will even work.
"No, thank you," he said. "Even if I wanted to, something tells me it would create more chaos than anything else."
Mio smiled, adjusting her glasses with one finger. "Wouldn't be anything you haven't survived before," she replied calmly.
He snorted at her casual remark. "That's not the point. Why are you even involved? I don't remember you having any particular reason to dislike me. Don't give me a reason like wanting to experience those benefits from earlier, as it doesn't suit you. Also, I'm pretty sure you never had much of an issue with studying, you're just lazy."
"Oh, it's nothing personal," she said, her tone smooth as she picked up one of the flyers and offered it to him. He didn't take it. "Think of it as a club management exercise. Someone has to keep all the personalities in check, organize the events, and make sure the budget doesn't spiral out of control. It's a surprisingly complex operation with a lot of flowing cash, hehehehe~! It's not uncommon for several tens of thousands of yen to just suddenly go missing or be used for… medical reasons hehehe… hahahaha!"
Scary.
"Ehem, you said budget?" he repeated, the word catching him off guard and also trying to change the topic. "This 'alliance' has a budget?"
"Of course," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "How else do you fund all the movie nights and the printing costs for study guides, not to mention all the headbands and such? It takes a woman's touch to balance the books and keep everyone motivated. A firm hand, you could say." She tapped the stack of flyers. "Someone has to be the head of operations."
He stared at her, the pieces slowly clicking into place in his mind. The calm demeanor, the way she spoke of logistics and personnel, the complete lack of any personal animosity. It wasn't about hating him. It was about running an organization. He was just the theme. "You're not the one in charge of this mess, are you?"
"Me? Noooo~!" She answered dramatically, shaking her head vehemently but still having that same smile on her face. "I would never do such a thing, trust me~!"
"Don't wink at me or act cutely, it's not going to work."
"But I am being sincere," Mio continued, leaning against her palm with a slight pout. "I am not the president of the club, or else why would I even be here all by myself and not just send others to do the gruntwork?"
"Because those boys are too blinded in their envy for me to do anything right, and because you are a girl yourself—so it's easier to get more recruits."
"Tch."
Did she just click her tongue?
"Anyways, I am merely a grunt in this organization—"
"—Seriously, organization?"
"Let me finish! I get money, you get to wack people, school doesn't end up in chaos with too many fan clubs and hate clubs causing more trouble. Triple win scenario!" Mio simply smiled, pushing her glasses up her nose again. "Also, I prefer the term 'Assistant Coordinator.' It sounds more professional. Now, are you sure you don't want to join? We're planning a trip to the new takoyaki place next weekend. With you there charming up the local women, it will definitely help to whip up some of the members who have been getting a bit lazy lately."
"I'm good," he said, turning away with a sigh. "Good luck with your… coordination."
As he walked off, he heard Oshizu's voice as she returned to check on him. "Ah, Mio! Is he also joining?"
Also?
"He's considering the benefits of our extensive network," Mio replied smoothly. "But he had other matters to attend to. Right, Emiya?"
He just waved a hand over his shoulder without looking back. Finding the ghost girl near the gate with Mea, Haruna, and Nana waiting for him.
"Before we go, do either of you even know where Ren and Run even live?" He asked a question that had been bugging him for a while, looking at Nana, who shook her head, and Mea, who just shrugged. He still didn't understand why she was tagging along with the group.
"I know!" Oshizu mentioned, puffing up with pride. "I've seen them walk this way before! So I decided to follow them and saw that their home was deep in the woods on the outskirts of Sainan."
"Deep in the woods?" Nana repeated, crossing her arms. "That sounds sketchy. Why would they live in a forest of all places? Not like getting a house or apartment should be difficult for them, they are royalty for goodness sake!"
"Says the princess who had nowhere to live and decided to crash in my house with her sisters," Emiya whispered at the end, earning a deep, embarrassed look from the pink-haired girl.
"I-I didn't mean it like that! I-It's different!"
"Whatever you say."
"Maybe they enjoy the scenery," Haruna offered with a gentle smile. "It's a good way to stay away from prying eyes."
With Oshizu excitedly in the lead, the group set off. The familiar streets of Sainan gradually gave way to quieter roads, and soon they found themselves on a dirt path at the edge of a large forest. The chatter died down as they walked deeper into the woods, the canopy of leaves overhead blocking out most of the sunlight.
Emiya found himself walking beside Mea, her hands tucked into her pockets as she kicked at a loose stone. He glanced at her. "How are you feeling?"
Mea didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the path ahead. "Better," she replied, her voice dry and flat. "The noise in my head is settling. There are fewer screams now, and most of your early memories have settled in." She paused, then tilted her head up to look at him, a hint of something unreadable in her golden eyes. "You really were popular with the girls. How can one be so dense?"
Oh… she saw that part?
"I was naive, and I can't say much else since I don't remember much myself."
"You slept with so many—"
"—Let's skip that part."
Mea chuckled; whether or not she did that intentionally to just get a rise out of him was unknown. "It would have been so much more fun if I could have interacted with that version of you. You were so adorable."
He rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you wouldn't have liked the younger me. The two of us are on opposite ends. But if you had been able to break his mind or distract him from doing stupid things, then yes, I wished you two had met as well."
Mea nodded.
"I want to hear another story."
He let out a soft sigh. "We'll see. After we make sure Run and Ren are okay."
Their quiet conversation didn't go unnoticed. Haruna, walking a few paces ahead with Nana, glanced back at them, a thoughtful expression on her face. "You two seem to be getting along well," she said, her voice gentle but curious.
Before Emiya could formulate a response, Mea saw her chance. A slow, sly smile spread across her face as she closed the small distance between them. She slipped her arm through his, pressing her body against his side in a way that was far too deliberate to be accidental. Her fingers traced circles on his forearm.
"We're very close, Haruna-san," Mea purred, her voice dripping with suggestive sweetness. Her eyes locked onto Haruna's, then flicked to a frowning Nana. "You could say we're soulmates. My mind is filled with him."
Nana's face instantly flushed a bright red. "W-What are you talking about, Mea?! Don't say such weird things!"
Haruna's cheeks had also taken on a pink hue, and she quickly turned back around, stammering. "O-Oh, I see… That's… nice."
Emiya just stared straight ahead, refusing to give Mea the satisfaction of a reaction. He could feel her smug grin without even looking at her.
They continued in a slightly more tense silence, the only sounds being their footsteps on the forest floor. After another fifteen minutes, the path began to clear.
"Ah, I recognize this place! I'm sure it's just past these trees!" Oshizu chirped.
They stepped into a large, unnatural clearing. The dense forest simply stopped, opening up into a wide, circular space. And in the middle of it was not a house, but a structure that defied conventional explanation. It was long and sleek, with a metallic hull that shimmered faintly even in the dim light. A large portion of it was covered in a net that mimicked foliage, but it couldn't hide the seamless, alien design or the viewports that dotted its side. A low, almost imperceptible hum vibrated through the air, resonating in Emiya's bones.
It wasn't a cabin or a hidden lodge. It was a vessel, resting silently in the middle of the Japanese countryside.
Emiya finally figured it out. It wasn't a residence hidden in the forest. It was a spaceship, parked in the middle of nowhere.
"Whoa…" Nana breathed out, her earlier annoyance completely forgotten as she stared in awe. "Is that…?"
"A spaceship?" Haruna finished, her eyes wide with wonder. The spaceship itself was quite big, similar to those that brought Solgum to Earth, but this one had a bit more of an oval design along with a white and golden colour scheme. The most eye-catching trait, though, was the golden symbol at the front. "How come no one has discovered this all this time?"
Well, he knew that the people in this town could be eccentric and lazy to some degree, but not finding an alien contraption like this in the middle of the wilderness this close to the town was just plain ridiculous. Unfortunately, the answer he saved soon after did little to erase his confusion.
"Oh, this spaceship has a cloaking mechanism. It's a standard feature for all spaceships, especially for royalty. But I heard from Run that she managed to convince the local authorities that this was just a prop for an episode of Magical Girl Kyouko and people just left it alone, so even if they come across it, without the cloak on, no one would bat an eye."
"…"
The group stood in stunned silence for a moment, processing Oshizu's explanation. Emiya pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache forming. Of course. A magical girl TV prop. Only in Sainan would that be a believable cover story for a goddamn starship.
"I'd believe it. People are surprisingly gullible." Mea added, getting Nana to nod her head along with the others.
"Let's just focus," Emiya said, shaking his head. He stepped closer to the hull, the metallic surface cool to the touch. "Run! Ren! Are you in there?" he called out, his voice echoing slightly in the clearing.
Shizu joined in, her voice softer but still clear. "Run! It's us! We were worried about you! You haven't been to class for a while, and your phone keeps going to voicemail!"
Nana cupped her hands around her mouth. "Ren! Get your butt out of here before I call Onee-sama here to deal with you! I don't want to be standing here all day, and I'll get her to put you in a hundred dresses if you make me wait!"
The only response they received was the faint, steady hum of the ship. No lights flickered on, no doors opened, no voice answered back.
"That's weird," Nana said, lowering her hands. "Usually, Ren would be willing to swim across the ocean at the mere mention of Onee-sama, and now he's all silent? Guess even fools can catch a cold after all, or Run is in control."
"Maybe they're in a deep sleep cycle?" Haruna suggested, though she didn't sound convinced.
"Or maybe they're ignoring us," Mea added with a shrug.
"Unlikely," Nana mumbled, already pulling out a phone from her pocket. "Enough of this. If they won't answer, I'll just let myself in." She tapped a few commands on her D-Dial. A thin beam of light shot from the device, scanning a section of the hull that looked no different from the rest. With a soft hiss, a seam appeared, and a ramp began to lower from the side of the ship, creating a dark entrance.
"Is that… legal?" Haruna asked nervously.
"We are on Earth, even if it is illegal, who would find out, much less enforce any kind of punishment on us?" Nana said with an air of authority as she pocketed her D-Dial. "Besides, it's my sister's invention; it will leave no trace behind."
The ramp settled onto the grass with a soft thud. The entrance was a dark rectangle, reflecting the bright sunlight. A cool air drifted out, carrying a faint scent of perfume and a hint of… grilled fish?
"Creepy," Mea whispered, a genuine note of intrigue in her voice.
"Well, only one way to find out," Emiya said, taking the lead. He stepped onto the ramp and into the darkness, the others following close behind.
The corridor inside proved to be well-lit by soft, ambient panels in the floor, but the atmosphere was still silent. To his surprise, however, it didn't look like the inside of a spaceship at all. The walls were painted in warm, pastel colors. There was a small potted plant in a corner next to a pair of shoes. A few feet in, the corridor opened up into a living area that looked like a perfectly normal, if slightly futuristic, apartment. There was a plush couch, a low table with a few magazines, and a kitchenette with a coffee mug sitting by the sink.
"Wow… It's just like a regular house," Haruna said, her tension easing slightly.
"Let's split up and look for them," Emiya suggested. "Nana, you take the kitchen and that side room. Oshizu and Haruna the corridor over there. Mea, you're with me."
"Eh? Why am I alone!?"
Because he did not want to leave Mea alone or with someone if possible. Concerns arose about whether or not she would even cause any trouble, and so he decided to stay prudent.
The group dispersed. Emiya and Mea walked down a short hallway, passing a bathroom that looked surprisingly mundane. He stopped at the second door on the left. It was slightly ajar. Looking at the alien characters etched on the wall, he gazed at Mea for answers.
"Ren," she wasted no time answering. "I'll go check Run's room in front; you okay with that? I promise I won't kill or hurt anyone."
Quite blunt, still, she was close enough for him to keep an eye on her. "Sure."
He pushed the door open and stepped inside, Mea peeking over his shoulder to get a glance. And then he froze.
"What the…"
The room turned out to be… overwhelmingly horrifying.
Every available inch of wall space was covered in pictures, and they were all of him. Hundreds of them.
Shots of him walking to school, talking with Risa in the classroom, stretching on the track field, and even some where he appeared to be at the park—one of him sleeping at his desk. They were in all sorts of poses, captured from every conceivable angle. And in a prominent spot above the bed, framed in glowing light strips, was a large collection of photos of him shirtless, most of them from when he was in the middle of exercising, others from what looked like a certain trip to the beach, and a few that were clearly taken through his bedroom window with a long-range lens.
This… this was…
A low whistle sounded behind him. "Well," a feminine voice said, thick with wicked amusement. "Someone's a big fan. Not what I expected from the boy, but I suppose everyone had different tastes. You're not bad yourself."
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Emiya turned around. Standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, was a woman he didn't recognize. The first physical descriptor for her that came to mind was tall, with dark skin and stark light blue hair, dressed in a very minimal, black-and-purple outfit that did little to hide her toned physique. Her striking golden eyes were fixed on him, scanning him from head to toe with an unnerving, intrigued gaze.
"You look… different from what I expected," she said, a smirk playing on her lips. "Less… Imposing, for someone talked about so much across so many different planets."
'Trouble.'
His posture instantly shifted, wariness filling his being while carefully observing the person before him. "Who are you? What are you doing here? And where are Run and Ren?"
The woman ignored his questions completely, stepping into the room and running her dainty finger along the frame of a particularly large photo of him sleeping. "Of all the interesting rumors, the one that intrigued me the most was about Golden Darkness, revered across the galaxy as its deadliest assassin… They said she'd met her match with you and retired. To become a simple follower of all things." She let out a short, dismissive laugh. "Absurd. Ridiculous. The ultimate weapon, tamed by a human boy. I had to see it for myself."
Emiya's eyes narrowed at the mention of Yami. His prior belief about this woman being a fiancée candidate was swiftly thrown out of the window. "If you came here looking for revenge, you're wasting your time."
The woman finally turned to face him fully, her smirk widening into a predatory grin. "And who will stop me? You?" She gestured dismissively at him with a flick of her wrist. "A mere human. After spending some time observing you, I know that your prowess is nothing but fiction, a story created by Emperor Gid to boost the image of his future son-in-law. I refuse to believe a creature like you could ever have defeated the likes of Golden Darkness! Much less myself, Azenda the Tyrant!"
Whoosh!
As she finished speaking, her hand lashed out. A whip that crackled with murderous intent snaked through the air toward his throat. There was no time to think, only to react.
"—!"
A black sword appeared in his grasp in a flash of steel, its blade interposing itself between him and the whip.
Bang!
The energy coil struck the flat of the blade with a loud sizzle, deflecting harmlessly to the side.
"Hoh? Not bad~!"
But before he could even process the successful parry, a strange pressure slammed into his entire body. It was like being hit by an invisible truck, a crushing force that seized him and lifted him off his feet. He grunted as the air was forced from his lungs, and then he was sent flying backwards, smashing through the flimsy door, into the corridor, and through the door opposite to this one with a loud bang.
Soon, he felt his back hit the metal hull of the spaceship.
'I got hit?' The moment she drew the whip, his senses and years of experience already knew what to do. Deflecting the whip was no difficult task at all, and he believed another slash attack from a Projected Noble Phantasm would easily cut through its material. But the attack that came afterwards…
Fast enough to hit him before he could reinforce his body.
Some pain radiated from his back as he pushed himself off the metal hull. Rolling his shoulders, the Counter Guardian narrowed his eyes upon seeing Run's room and sighing in relief that, at the very least, this one looked normal.
'Mea is nowhere to be seen… the other most likely heard the commotion. No, they would have already shouted for me; she must have gone to them first.'
With his fingers touching the wall as he got up, a quick use of Structural Analysis on the whole ship revealed no other damage. Which meant no battle took place; no way Mea would have fallen against this one.
"You have quite the audacity to be distracted when facing me, human!"
Azenda was walking towards him, her whip dragging on the floor, leaving faint scorch marks. The tip began to snap and crackle again, hungry for another strike. He could feel it. That same unseen pressure was beginning to build around him, a premonition of the next attack.
He wouldn't be caught off guard again.
"Just get on with it. I don't really care about learning the forgettable name of another assassin sent after me. Much less someone who already lost to Yami."
"Why you!"
Trying not to smirk at how easily his taunt worked, Emiya got into position.
The whip lashed out, and instead of raising a guard, he moved. His body dropped low, pivoting on his heel while the energy strand carved through the space where his head had been a split second earlier. Using that same turn, his right leg swept outward, driving him sideways just as the whip snapped back for another strike. It came again, this time angled toward his chest. A quick twist of his torso let it skim past, the heat grazing his ribs and prickling against his skin.
'She's good with the whip. But easily get angered. No way this person could have taken on Mea… Damn it, Mea is on her side!'
Though he continued to evade, a warning stirred in the back of his mind. Not hesitating and trusting that instinct, he shoved himself hard to the side.
Crash!
A massive force smashed into the wall right where he had been standing. The metal buckled inward with a deafening screech, and a nearby storage cupboard exploded into a shower of plastic and splintered wood.
'Telekinesis.' He had already deduced that part earlier; this just further confirmed it. 'A powerful one at that, but still manageable even if I get hit directly.'
"Stop moving!" Azenda snarled, her irritation palpable. She raised her whip again, but Emiya was already smirking.
"You left yourself open," he said, his voice cold.
Before she could process his words, he flicked his fingers. Several slender, black swords appeared in the air around her. "Huh? How—ugh!" They shot down, embedding themselves perfectly into her shadow on the floor with a series of soft thunks.
Azenda froze mid-motion, her body locking up as if she'd been turned to stone. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion. "What is this?! I can't… move! Y-You can also use telekinesis!?"
"Not exactly," Emiya stated, already moving.
He closed the distance between them in three long strides, his form a blur of white and red. Before she could even begin to struggle against her immobility, he coiled his body and drove his knee up with explosive force. It connected squarely with her abdomen.
"Gah!"
The impact was brutal, the force further empowered by Reinforcement, which was enough to make air rush from Azenda's lungs in a violent, wet cough. A spray of blood even escaped her lips. Her eyes went wide with pain and disbelief as the force of the blow lifted her from her feet and sent her flying like a rag doll.
The woman crashed through the walls of the spaceship, tearing a hole in the already damaged hull, and disappeared into the forest outside with a final, pained gasp.
'She's durable, at least.'
After once more checking if there were any other souls within the ship, and finding it empty. The man approached Azenda, his sword back in hand, seeing her squirm on the ground in pain with cold eyes. "Where are they? Hand them over peacefully, and I'll let you leave. Don't bother using them as hostages against me; it won't work out for you."
Azenda pushed herself up onto her elbows, spitting another mouthful of blood onto the grass. Her once-confident smirk was gone, replaced by a mask of pure, undiluted hatred. "You… you bastard…" she rasped, her voice a venomous hiss. "I won't go down like this…!"
"…"
Emiya didn't answer, simply continuing his approach. As he walked, he raised his left hand. With a soft shimmer of light, dozens of greatswords wider than his own body materialized in the air around him. They flew out, not at Azenda, but into the trees and bushes surrounding the clearing, their blades sinking into trunks and pinning low-hanging branches to the ground, effectively creating a perimeter of solid steel to block any path of escape.
Azenda's glare intensified, her mind racing for a way out, for any advantage. She saw him take another step, his boot crunching on the forest floor.
And that was her moment.
"—!"
Emiya's senses screamed a warning. It wasn't from the front, but from behind, close and fast. With a single move, he threw himself sideways in a single leap.
Clearing the ground right in time to avoid a shadow headed straight for him.
A split second later, a powerful kick struck the exact spot where he had been standing. The ground exploded, dirt and grass flying into the air from the sheer force of the impact. He landed in a crouch, his eyes wide as he saw who had attacked him and even doubted his eyes for a bit.
"Ren?"
Out of all the people to interfere and let alone attack him from behind, Ren stood at the site of impact. With his devotion to beating him in a fair way from the moment they first met being a cornerstone to his personality, this did not make sense.
This wasn't the Ren he'd become familiar with.
'Then again, after seeing that room, I don't think I was ever familiar with that guy at all.'
His usual demeanor was gone; it was more logical to say that nothing could be read within those blank eyes. His face was an expressionless mask, empty and vacant. He stood in the crater she had created with Azenda, getting back up but with some difficulty.
'Working together? Doesn't seem like it. Either some form of brainwashing or control, Ren does not look normal at all. And his strength definitely never reached that level in the few times we fought.'
"Ren!" he called out, hoping to get some sort of reaction. There was no answer. He simply turned his head, her vacant eyes locking onto him like a machine. 'Damn it, nothing. He either can't hear me at all or cannot even do anything even if he could.'
"That's some interesting ability you got there," he said dryly, getting the alien assassin to scoff at him.
"If you're so impressed, then why not join me? I had my doubts about you, but now I'm certain you're the one who defeated Golden Darkness. Hehehehe~! Now I want that body of yours!"
"Won't be so easy. Ren alone won't be enough to save you."
"Pft!" Azenda began to laugh, a low, guttural sound that quickly escalated into a crazed, maniacal cackle. She clutched her stomach, wincing in pain but unable to stop herself. "Hahaha… ha! Did you really think he came here alone?"
She pushed herself to her feet, leaning against Ren for support. "I don't need to take you down myself. I'll let your own friends do it for me!"
As if on cue, three more figures emerged from the forest behind him, stepping out of the shadows.
Seeing who they were, his eyes turned colder than before. For these shadows were none other than Haruna, Oshizu, and Nana. They moved to surround him, and just like Ren, their faces were completely expressionless, their eyes hollow and devoid of the light and emotion he knew so well — just empty shells.
"Quite the collection I accumulated here~! Two of them are just regular humans, but I can make them fight like true weapons. So, want to come at me with that same ferocity as before? Or will you submit?" Her grin soon turned into a twisted one. "After all, we wouldn't want more of your loved ones to join the group. You wouldn't want to swing your swords towards your siblings and parents now, right? Oh, and don't think I am not aware of the ability of those two swords. I'll treat those rumours as the truth as well."
"…"
Submit? That was the absolutely last thing on his mind. With the others nearby, he had planned to render his opponent unconscious before having Zastin take care of the rest.
But now, a single thought flashed across his mind.
'Should I just kill her?'
An option to be sure, but with the others being under Azenda's control, he had no guarantee that they could not still see and understand their surroundings. The last thing he wanted was to traumatize anyone here.
If they were truly unconscious, then there was no need for hesitation, and the woman would have long since turned into a corpse with all traces of her cleaned up by Zastin.
Both married blades within his grasp vanished, leading Azenda to smirk triumphantly, most likely thinking he had given up. Only for that expression to freeze up when a bow as tall as him appeared instead.
With a calm tone, he replied. "I just need to hit you once to set them free, right?"
With that said, an arrow formed in his grasp, pulled against the string, and he confidently aimed straight for Azenda, who stood behind Ren.
.
.
.
High above, hidden by the clouds, Mea watched the scene unfold, her golden eyes narrowed as she hovered silently, a spectator to the unfolding tragedy.
{Break}
-Sainan High School-
The shrill chime of the school bell echoed through the corridors, signaling the start of the lunch break.
While most students rushed towards the cafeteria or their club rooms, Yami moved towards the rooftop since it would be the place with the least amount of people or noise. The heavy metal door groaned shut behind her, muffling the clamor from below.
"…"
Aside from the sound of occasionally passing cars, barely any sort of noise reached this part of the school. No wonder Emiya recommended this place to her,
She walked to the edge, her gaze sweeping over the sprawling city of Sainan, a habit she had developed. Lately, however, the world itself started to feel different to the young blonde. Especially whenever she gazed at the sky above. It felt less… stark. As if someone had turned up the color saturation on the world.
She did not hate it.
Enrolling in Sainan High, it offered her a new perspective on the Yuki siblings. She saw that Rito was just as clumsy and was frequently getting punched by Haruna or some other girl, even when he tried his best to avoid that. He was still someone who tripped over his own feet and had his hands end up in the most intimate places.
It would be a lie to say that Yami did not have the desire to whack him a couple of times herself, but she held back because of Emiya. Furthermore, she saw the latter behave differently at school compared to the one she saw at home with his family.
Lazy and detached for the most part. Bored or absent-minded; if not both.
Quiet and merely blending in the background. Something she ended up doing as well, in fact… they shared a lot of similarities when it came to how they spent their time at school. She found that to be strangely exciting. It was hard to describe this strange joy between them, of just sharing a similar attitude.
Still, it made her happy.
Aside from that, she noticed other kinds of changes.
Her curiosity had begun to latch onto the most mundane things. She found herself paying rapt attention in home economics class, her golden-yellow eyes following the teacher's every move whenever the lesson involved food. The process of combining simple ingredients — flour, water, eggs — to create something fragrant was a concept so utterly alien to her life as an assassin. And yet, it fascinated her.
Hopefully, the class would give her the skillset to one day help both Mikan and Emiya in the kitchen.
"Hm?"
The sound of the rooftop door creaking open pulled her from her thoughts. She didn't need to turn to know who it was. The familiar, slightly clumsy footsteps were a dead giveaway.
"Oh, Yami-chan?" Rito's voice was hesitant, as it often was when addressing her. "I, uh, I didn't know you would be here. Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"
Yami turned her head slightly, observing him. He was holding his own bento box and looking at her with that genuine, unassuming expression of his.
She gave a slow nod.
A visible wave of relief washed over Rito's face. "Oh, good. Thanks." He walked over to the bench and sat down, placing his lunch beside him. "The weather's really nice today, huh?"
Yami seated herself a respectable distance away and placed her own bento box in her lap. It was in case he tripped or lost control of where his hands were going to land; at this distance, she could just trap him with her hair in time.
"…"
An awkward silence settled between them. She realized, with a flicker of surprise, that she had no idea how to proceed. She had so little experience being around other people in a way she now considered… normal. Beyond their regular encounters at the house and his occasional acts of kindness, she knew almost nothing about him.
Rito fidgeted with his chopsticks for a moment, clearly feeling the weight of the silence as much as she was. He finally broke it, his voice gentle. "So… are you enjoying your time at Sainan High?"
Yami stared down at the bento box in her grasp.
It was a simple one, prepared for her by Emiya that morning. She thought about his question carefully. Was she 'enjoying' it? Aside from home economics and physical education, no other classes caught her attention and were boring — but she still listened attentively. Some of the boys were annoying her with how regularly they tried to approach her with perverted desires, especially the principal, who kept coming at Yami despite her having practically buried him six feet underground several times already.
Still, there were kind ones amongst them who just wanted to help.
Strange ones like that monkey-faced boy who kept begging for an introduction with a certain cousin of Emiya's. He wanted to meet her once more and profess his love.
But Yami had never met such a person before.
Did Emiya even have any cousins? By law or by blood?
Either way, she was getting distracted and decided to answer Rito's earlier question with another nod. Yes. She was enjoying her time in Sainan.
"I know certain things may seem quite hectic or chaotic around here, so the best advice I can give is to ignore them. The more you try to go against it, the more it will push back. It's a strange kind of scenario, but you'll understand after a few more days of coming here."
"I'll pay attention," she answered curtly once more.
"You look happier."
"Eh?"
Not exactly prepared for that observation, Yami found herself frozen in place, trying to digest what she had just heard.
Seeing her reaction, Rito tilted his head slightly. "You didn't realize it yourself?"
"I have… I've been happy before."
"I agree, but this happiness feels… different?" the boy said, lost, scratching his cheek. "I don't know how to say it. It feels closed off from the rest of us. Even Nii-san noticed that, but we figured it had something to do with your past, and we figured giving you time would be better to acclimate to everything."
"…"
Was she closed off? Yami agreed with that observation because it made sense. Living one's entire life as an assassin, tasked to kill powerful targets or slaughter entire armies. Being hunted down by various organizations and so much more. Spending days without sleep or food, just because she could not afford a single moment of having her guard down, being in that position for so long that anything besides it became an impossibility.
"I can't afford to lower my guard."
"Why?" Rito asked with genuine curiosity, leading Yami to look at him with confusion this time.
"This world is not a safe place. At any given moment, something or someone can arrive to ruin everything. With the recent involvement of the princesses and aliens like me, aren't you worried?" She asked this genuinely, unable to understand how he could continue smiling so leisurely after witnessing so much.
The boy did not give her an answer immediately, for he also pondered on it for a few seconds, tapping on his chin until he finally seemed to have gotten his answer. "I just don't feel any fear of what's out there."
Yami felt even more confused than before at that statement. Thankfully, he continued.
"I know it may sound silly coming from me, but it's the truth. Sure, I am lacking confidence in other things in my personal life. I do feel fear when it comes to daily matters or when trying to approach someone. But it's not the kind of fear you're thinking about, probably. This will sound selfish, but as long as my brother is here, I just know we won't be in any danger."
"Emiya."
The brown-haired boy nodded. "Now, I know this will sound silly, but when I was very young, I knew I had this habit of calling my brother a hero. I can't remember why exactly, but it's something that stuck with me. Ever since my childhood, that is truly the kind of way I saw him. Though he didn't like it, so I guess at some point I'd stopped calling him that. But that doesn't mean I no longer believe in it. Don't you feel the same as well?"
The same kind of feeling… Truthfully, she did not know.
What exactly did he represent to her? Thinking about that, several memories flashed across Yami's mind. From the moment they had first met, then their second meeting when she fell unconscious due to malnutrition, him telling her to let go of her past and to not live as a machine made for killing, how he invited her into his house despite Yami having previously put his sister in danger, how he trained her, how she slept in that very same home with a sense of comfort she had never felt before.
His presence at one point reminded her of Tearju…
So many conflicting emotions clashed against one another into a messy amalgamation. What could she call a person like that in her life?
"I… I don't know how I see him."
"Isn't that obvious already?" Rito replied while eating his lunch with a mouthful of rice. "There is a reason why he is going the extra mile to have you stay with us at our house as long as you want. The name in your official documents — You are already family to us."
Those words made her heart flutter; it did not immediately register in her mind, and several seconds passed by in silence.
"Family?"
"You don't believe me? You don't need to look very far for proof. Just look at your bento box. While he does make food for other people, it's only Mikan and me who get the deluxe version, per se."
Looking down at said bento box, the blonde carefully opened the lid, and indeed, she beheld a marvelous assortment of different kinds of food, finally presented within as if it were a piece of art in itself. But what stood out the most was not its beautiful coloring or mouth-watering fragrance, but rather the theme.
Taiyaki.
Sweets shaped like taiyaki, meatballs shaped as the fish itself, and even some of the small leaves used for decoration are cut into a similar shape. The rice itself had a touch of saffron and gave it a yellowish coloring, much like her hair.
Everything about this bento just screamed 'Yami'.
Taking one of the pieces and having a bite. The flavor burst into her mouth, coating her tongue and creating a myriad of different kinds of flavors that all blended well together. Once again, Yami found herself completely lost in the taste of what was made by his hand. Feeling every bit of worry within her melt away like snow under a clear spring sky.
"So whenever I worry about something, whenever I think I'm about to mess up or do something that I will regret. I know that I can always stand back up, because Nii-san was always there for me when we needed him. He can be shy to admit it, but he really is a worrywart."
That she could agree with. To some extent, even she started to notice those traits regularly in the most mundane way.
'Am I really allowed to be…'
At the end of the day, she was still a weapon; there were still so many unsolved matters that were tied to her very existence. Especially lately, with the arrival of other living weapons claiming to be just like her, especially the one who nearly got to Mikan.
From the very beginning, she always had a timer of sorts. Ticking by every second, reminding her that her time on this planet was temporary. That sooner or later, she would need to go back and resume her duties as Golden Darkness.
Yet even that belief had started to diminish lately. Why go back? Go back to what?
But if she didn't, what if more assassins came by? What if more weapons started to cause trouble? What if… w-what if—!
Her worries started to rear their ugly head within her consciousness once more when a particular memory came up. A recent one, where during the party, when everyone started to become a bit more drunk, a large hand pressed down on her head and started ruffling her hair while she sat in the corner doing nothing but watching.
"The table feels too silent and empty without you there."
An ironic thing to say, especially when she barely would have uttered a word. Though she figured it was probably the suspicious alcohol making him say strange things.
"Whatever worries you may have, just let me handle them. Don't think about them tonight, because none of them will appear today to bother you, and that is a promise. I will make sure of that. And not just tonight, either; you're a Yuki now, so that means forever."
Had it been anyone else to say such a thing, she would have merely taken those words as an empty gesture of kindness. Something said out of politeness, even if sincere, a part of her knew that it would be an impossibility. Yet right after those words left his mouth, it felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and she genuinely had fun that night, fully letting her guard down and even falling unconscious with Mikan by morning.
She had truly believed his words. That no matter what the universe would throw at her, he would handle it. No matter how utterly nonsensical that sounded, she started to become the fool who believed them. And she enjoyed how it made her feel.
A weapon that could no longer be used to kill, what purpose did such a thing serve? He had shown her the answer.
Once again reliving those memories, the phantom warmth of his palm came back to her at that moment. The young blonde imagined the red-headed man standing before her with the sun behind his back, showing a gentle smile, ruffling her hair, and saying the same words again.
And once more, she believed him wholeheartedly.
Not an ounce of doubt in her mind.
It sounded so silly, yet she could not deny it. Was this the feeling Rito spoke of?
Her lips trembled for a bit, but no tears came. Rather, a small smile bloomed on her face.
'Yes… I don't want to leave, no matter who says otherwise. This is my hou—'
Whoosh!
At that moment, the calm wave of acceptance and joy washed over Yami, but then something deep within snapped. Eyes going blank for a second, she stared ahead, lost. Her hair came to life and immediately started to wrap around her limbs sensually.
"Mmmn!?"
"Y-Yami!? What's going on, w-why are you doing that?"
She had no idea herself, yet even as she tried to force it back. It refused, pulling her consciousness deep within. As if an invisible hand had grabbed onto her entire being and kept pulling her deeper into the murky depths.
And the next moment, the prior golden yellow eyes vanished, and instead, a crimson pair awakened.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Taimanin with 3, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.