(Next Day, Evening)
"Okay Shirou, you can go home now." The owner said as he hefted the last of the fruit carts into storage.
"Are you sure? There are a few more crates still lying around." I replied as I gestured to the small pile at the back of the room, and I was not just thinking about trying to get more cash for the job. The owner was an elderly man who handled the local bar in my area, and although he was a very energetic person, it did not change the fact that at the age of 63, he was exerting more effort than he should and it was showing at times.
"Those crates can be left there for tomorrow." The old man said as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "Also you can come in later tomorrow, you have done enough for the day."
Before I could rebut, a light knock on the head drew my attention to the elderly lady who was holding up a ladle she used to hit me. "Emiya-kun, you should listen to your elders. You can go home and get a good night's sleep, understand young man?" She brandished the ladle like a weapon skilfully, and I found myself nodding very quickly. It was an unspoken rule that when an elderly lady scolds you with a ladle, you should just clam up and walk away fast.
"Okay, thank you for your generosity." I bowed and took my leave, stopping for a moment to grab a smaller pack and put it on the other shelf. Just one less thing for them to move.
...
I wasn't too sure why I decided to take the shortcut through the park to get to my apartment. Maybe it was because I wanted to take the scenic route for a change, or perhaps the fact that I got off from work early meant I could enjoy my rest in the comfort of my futon.
Then again it could have been due to the scent of blood that I caught a whiff of when I passed by the area and decided to investigate it. I stopped by a small bush and waited for the owner to come around.
It did not take long when I heard a few voices coming from some nearby bushes. To my surprise, Issei came around the corner, accompanying a girl whom I could not help but gawk a little stupidly at the fact that Issei was able to go near such a creature. She had long black hair and a very attractive figure from which her clothes clung tightly to. She seemed a little shorter than Issei and had the air of an innocent girl who was in love with the boy with her, but that did little to ease my mind, because unless I was mistaken, the scent of blood and feathers was originating from her, and it was getting a lot stronger as the sun went down.
"Hey, Ise-kun." The girl called out to him as she stopped. "There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?"
Bad News! I got out of my hiding spot and dashed forward while loading the trigger in my head. The scent of blood just sky-rocketed and from where I was hiding, I could see the glint in her eyes that was definitely not a good thing, and the silly kid was too love-struck to notice!
I just need to make it on time!
"Will you die for me?"
Darn it! I quickly create a simple shield and projected it between the two of them just in the nick of time, as a spear of light formed in her hand and she thrust forward with the intent to kill, only to have it deterred by my shield. Quickly seizing the moment, I threw a small blade to distract her before grabbing Issei by the collar and dragging his ass out of the way.
"What the?! Shirou?!" Issei blurted as he struggled between escaping my grip and getting a hold of his bearings. I ignored his protests and threw him into the nearest bush, before bringing up Kanshou and Bakuya to block the light spear aimed at my head.
"Hmm~ I certainly did not expect my second target to appear in front of me when I was about to kill the first one." The girl mused as she appeared before me while descending from the sky. She had certainly changed greatly from the image of that young girl on a date; she seemed to have matured to that of a young woman, and her clothes were decidedly the type which belonged to only the raunchiest stripper clubs, and she had two black wings from her back that lightly folded as she landed on her feet. But the biggest change came from her facial expressions: gone was the innocent expression of an adolescent girl, and in its place was one of extreme cruelty and deception which I was all too familiar with.
"I don't believe I have the pleasure to know you." I remarked as I took my stance. "Though considering the occasion, I think you may have ruined that encounter."
"Well, not that it would matter, but I would have preferred that we did not meet like this." She let out a rather malicious smirk as she looked at me. "That way, when I do get to you, I will get to see your expressions when I stab you."
Okay ~ this girl just earned her spot on the psychotic masochist list. I took a quick glance at Issei who was looking at her with a mixture of horror and utter confusion. It was definitely too much for the kid to understand everything that transpired, and that just deepened my rage at the fact that lives could be taken so easily in the cover of the night, that it was creatures like her that preyed on innocents without reserve.
"Now, it has been a pleasure to meet you in person, but since both of my targets are in front of me, I should not waste this opportunity to get rid of you both." The girl summoned another light spear in her hand as she alternated her sights between me and Issei. "I guess I should complete the first task at hand."
Honestly, how gullible did you think I was? I was already my right arm to intercept the spear thrown at Issei while creating another blade to attack her at her side, before jumping forward and kicking her in the abdomen as she dodged the blade.
I did not stop to look at my handiwork as I took out from my dimensional pockets four short daggers with talismans attached at the hilts and threw them to the sides, each one automatically flying a few kilometers away from each other and impaling their tips into the ground in the form of a perfect square. The talismans glowed brightly, then a thin beam of light shot up from them, connecting to one another in an intricate web of energy. Good thing I managed to procure an extra supply of these Shinto barrier charms before I went to fight Julius, I would need to thank Talia when I come back.
'Right then' I took a stance with my favorite blades as I looked at the bird lady.
Time to go hunting.
...
"Yawn~ we managed to get a lot of customers this time round." Rias stretched her arms as she yawned. "Here's hoping we can get a lot of requests this year."
"Ufufu~ true, we did not get as many last year, so maybe we can get lucky." Akeno replied as she walked steadily alongside her. In the evening sun, the two of them walking by grass made for a sight that many from their academy would be delighted to see.
"So Akeno." Rias turned to her with a cursory glance. "What do you think?"
"I presume you are referring to Emiya-kun?" Akeno asked to confirm her friend's query. She would be surprised if that was not what Rias had in mind.
"Well, considering he has been at the academy for this long, I would have thought that he was trying to kill us, or do something to the school." Rias pondered as she placed her hands behind her hips and started to walk in big but slow steps. "But as far as I can tell, he does not have any bad intentions towards us, and if anything his attitude is the biggest mystery. He honestly goes out of his way to help others even when they don't ask for it."
"But is that not what makes him attractive in a sense?" Akeno joked as she thought about the conversations she overheard from her fellow schoolmates. Shirou's modesty, maturity and tendency to help others with no strings attached had certainly earned him quite a following that was comparable to Kiba's, and from what she heard, it seemed the girls were wishing for the two to meet sometime soon.
Oh the possible mayhem that could occur.
...
Hey guys I really need you to throw some power Stones ;)
...
if you want to read ahead of the public release you can go to my p atreon :
p atreon.com/Aerle