A chaotic atmosphere flowed through the living room of the Amamiya residence.
Between Irisviel and Taiga Fujimura on one side, and Aoko Aozaki and Alice Kuonji on the other, the empty space seemed to crackle with static.
"W-wait, everyone, calm down for a second!"
Shirou was drenched in sweat as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
Aoko and Alice had only come to Fuyuki this time to greet Shirou's family.
After all, Shirou had taken good care of them, so it was perfectly natural for them to make a special visit and thank them.
"R-right? Aoko, Alice?"
Shirou nudged Aoko with his elbow.
The blue-haired Magician put on a falsely innocent, sly smile. "That's right. We only came to say hello and explain our relationship with Shirou while we were at it...
"We absolutely didn't come here to 'stake our claim' or 'declare war' or anything like that, okay?"
Shirou fell silent.
Even Fuji-nee could hear the blatant provocation in her words.
"What? You want to start something? Fine, I'll take you on to the very end! We'll stake ownership of Shirou on a one-on-one duel!"
Taiga Fujimura rolled her tongue like a street punk picking a fight as she pulled the "Tora-Shinai" out from under the table.
"Don't point that at a guest, Disciple Zero."
"Master!?"
Irisviel raised a hand and stopped Taiga Fujimura's provocation.
"I understand. Leaving aside whether what you two said is true, you don't intend to stay here, correct?"
Alice gave a small nod.
Whether or not they had come to challenge the dojo was one thing, but she and Aoko certainly had no intention of staying at the Amamiya residence.
Irisviel said, "Very well. In that case, I won't say anything more..."
"Wait, Master! Is that really okay? Shirou is about to be led astray by bad women who showed up out of nowhere! I can't accept this!"
The silver-haired Homunculus stroked her cheek and smiled. "Shirou will be entering junior high in a few months.
"He's no longer at an age where we can casually interfere with his relationships."
"I understand how you feel, but doing that will only make him dislike us."
"Iri... How could I ever dislike you or Fuji-nee...?"
Shirou tried to speak, but he was completely ignored.
Irisviel was far angrier than she let on. Shirou had never seen her act this cold before.
Taiga Fujimura's eyes filled with tears. "How could this happen... Shirou is only twelve years old. Are we supposed to just watch while those bad women toy with him?"
"You're right... That would be hard to justify."
Irisviel's sharp gaze swept across Aoko and Alice's faces.
"To be honest, I'm not at all comfortable leaving Shirou in your hands either... Could you prove your resolve?
"Incidentally, the Amamiya family motto is 'Strength is everything!' When family members have a conflict, we settle it through combat."
This was the first time Shirou had ever heard of such a barbaric family motto. Since when did our family turn into an African hyena society where fists decide who gets to speak?
"..."
Aoko and Alice glanced at each other and immediately understood.
"So basically, we just have to beat you, right?"
The scene moved to the dojo at the Amamiya residence.
On one side stood Taiga Fujimura, holding a bamboo sword. On the other stood Aoko Aozaki, bare-handed.
The rules were an unrestricted fight where "attacks to the eyes are forbidden, Magecraft is forbidden, and everything else is allowed."
Irisviel wore a confident smile.
She knew Taiga Fujimura's rank in kendo very well. Although Taiga was only eighteen, she was already skilled enough to easily compete for the adult national championship.
More importantly.
"Shirou, have you heard the saying 'three times the rank in kendo'?"
The corners of Irisviel's lips curled as she shared a bit of knowledge she had learned from a variety show a few days ago.
"It means that to deal with a third-dan kendo expert, you would need to send in an unarmed martial artist with skill equivalent to at least ninth-dan."
"That is how enormous the gap is between fighting with a weapon and fighting without one."
"After all, there is a towering wall between armed and unarmed combat..."
"Crack!"
A sharp report rang through the dojo.
The "Tora-Shinai" in Taiga Fujimura's hands collided head-on with Aoko's kick and instantly snapped apart into countless fragments.
"...Huh?"
Irisviel looked utterly stunned.
She had already decided beforehand that Taiga Fujimura could not possibly lose. And if, by some chance, Taiga did lose, she could accuse the opponent of cheating with Magecraft and drive Aoko and Alice out.
But Aoko had not used any Magical Energy.
She had shattered the sturdy bamboo sword using nothing but martial arts.
"Does that satisfy you?"
The Fifth Magician planted one hand on her hip and turned toward the silver-haired Homunculus.
"..."
Irisviel looked flustered.
"I-it's not over yet! You have to defeat me too, or I absolutely won't hand Shirou over to you!"
As she spoke, she pointed at Alice Kuonji, who was also standing at the edge of the dojo.
Unlike Aoko, who looked strong at a glance, Alice seemed extremely delicate, as if she might collapse from anemia at any moment.
Irisviel thought to herself, And I never said it had to be one-on-one, did I?
Leysritt and Sella are here too.
And so, the second battle took place in the courtyard of the Amamiya residence.
The result was obvious.
Twenty-five-year-old Alice Kuonji.
The First Magician did not even move a finger. She instantly defeated Irisviel and her two Homunculus maids with her Mystic Eyes.
And so, Shirou's relationship with Aoko and Alice was granted permission.
...
Not long after, Shirou entered the junior high division of Homurahara Academy.
Life as a junior high student was not much different from before.
Every month, Shirou would go to Misaki to visit Aoko and Alice, and the three of them would spend a weekend together at the Western-style mansion.
Irisviel and Taiga Fujimura still remained hostile toward them, but aside from occasionally whispering bad things into Shirou's ear, they did not actually interfere.
On the other hand, the Amamiya residence was nearly ten years old.
Routine maintenance and property taxes alone cost quite a bit, and Shirou could not keep up by relying solely on Old Man Raiga's allowance, so he found a part-time job.
His employer was a suspicious architectural design company called "Garan no Dou," and the owner's name was Touko Aozaki.
At first, Aoko and Alice were strongly opposed to Shirou working under Touko.
Shirou himself had reservations too, but there was nothing he could do.
She was simply paying too much.
Compared to Touko Aozaki, who had several companies under her name, Aoko and Alice were complete losers on a social level.
One was an unemployed drifter who called herself a "traveling Magician," while the other was a shut-in who wrote "Modern Witch" but was read as "homebody."
"Shirou, now you understand, don't you? What the standard for an outstanding woman really is~♡" Touko said.
"W-wait a minute! A woman's worth isn't determined by her ability to make money!" Aoko said.
"Guh... If only I could obtain the inheritance rights to the Kuonji Group..." Alice said.
And so, Shirou became the sole employee of the "Garan no Dou: Fuyuki Branch."
...
One afternoon in May, Shirou heard about a person named Shiki Ryougi from Touko Aozaki.
According to Touko, Shiki Ryougi had fallen into a coma after a car accident two years ago. Although her body was still alive, there was supposedly no hope of her waking up.
Not only that, her physical growth had apparently stopped as well.
At first, Touko did not believe something as absurd as "a living body that had stopped growing" could be real.
But after she looked into it a little, she found traces of something abnormal. There was more going on beneath the surface.
"First of all, her surname is Ryougi."
"What's wrong with Ryougi?"
"It's the name of an old Japanese family of demon hunters."
"What's 'demon hunting'?"
"We're starting from there...?"
On the other end of the phone, Touko helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead and began explaining.
Since ancient times, Japan had four surnames known as the Four Demon-Hunting Families.
Asakami, Fujou, Ryougi, and Nanaya. They were the natural enemies of half-breeds and made their living for generations by "exorcising monsters."
As times changed, the original work of the Four Demon-Hunting Families was no longer needed, and so they rapidly declined.
Only the Ryougi family survived, because they had businesses other than "demon hunting" and were able to shift their main focus elsewhere.
Shirou understood at once. "I get it. They're like the Aozaki family, powerful landowning clans, right?
"The kind where every generational change and transfer of power turns the whole family into a powder keg, and siblings start killing each other."
Touko's mouth twitched. "Shirou, has anyone ever told you that you're actually very sharp-tongued?"
She continued her explanation.
Shiki Ryougi's car accident happened not long after she was officially chosen as the Ryougi family's heir.
Was that truly just a coincidence?
"Not only that, the hospital she's staying in has serious problems too."
"Someone has already laid the groundwork for setting up a Barrier there. It seems a Magus other than me is involved."
"The Barrier placed over that hospital is extremely elaborate. Even I didn't notice it at first."
"Among my old acquaintances, there's an expert at setting up Barriers. Whoever did this should be on the same level as that person…"
"However, whoever set up the Barrier probably isn't targeting Shiki Ryougi."
"What kind of Barrier is it?" Shirou asked.
Touko said, "That's the strangest part of this entire incident."
"Normally, in modern society, Barriers are usually used to hide things from people."
"Something like, 'Those who have no reason to visit cannot perceive this place.' That kind of suggestion is the standard.
"But the Barrier set up at that hospital is the exact opposite. It isn't directed outward, but inward."
"To put it simply, no matter what happens inside the hospital, no one will notice. Even if screams come from a ward in the middle of the night, no one will wake up."
"Why would someone do that? Is it actually a biochemical laboratory disguised as a hospital?"
"You read too much manga."
Touko said, "As it happens, I'm filling in for someone else and was supposed to work at that hospital for a few days."
"They hired me as the hospital's psychotherapist, but unfortunately, I have to leave Japan for a while starting tomorrow."
"Shirou, you should have time during Golden Week next week, right?"
"I don't think there's a hospital in the world that lets a junior high student work part-time."
"We can handle that with Magecraft. Suggestion or whatever will do... Just go in my place."
Touko spoke as if it were no big deal. "It's about time. I still have a flight to catch."
"I'll email you the hospital's exact address once I get to the airport."
Shirou was about to refuse without hesitation. He had already promised Shinji that they would go out during Golden Week.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. That girl named Shiki Ryougi woke up a few days ago... Well? Are you a little interested now?"
Touko did not know about Shirou's experiences in the Fairy Kingdom, but she knew that Shirou had a certain obsession with immortality.
And now, a human sample in a state of "time stasis" had appeared.
"Got it. I'll arrange my schedule."
Sorry, Shinji, Shirou apologized in his heart.
Before Touko could hang up, Shirou asked her one last question.
"Who's that Barrier expert you know?"
The puppet master on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before speaking.
"When talking about Barriers, the concept originally comes from Buddhism."
"A boundary used to separate the outside world from a sacred realm. At some point, it became a general term for the defensive techniques used by Magi."
"So naturally, when it comes to experts in setting up Barriers, we're talking about monks."
...
The girl stared into the nothingness before her.
At first, she thought she was dreaming, but she soon realized the truth.
She was not asleep. She was already dead.
The girl drifted in an ocean without light or sound.
A doll named Shiki Ryougi, completely naked and exposed, slowly sank.
In a world where there was nothing, where even the concept of "nothing" could not exist, her body continued to sink.
Her eyes were wide open as she observed the "void" before her.
Then she understood.
This was death.
This place was death.
A world only the dead could reach. A world the living could not observe.
And yet, she alone was still alive.
The girl was on the verge of madness.
For two years, she had been here, touching death.
...
Early in the morning, Shiki Ryougi woke in a hospital room that was gradually growing noisy.
As expected, she still could not remember what had happened before.
She remembered her own name, her parents' names, her older brother's name, and every experience of her life up until she was seventeen.
But the two-year gap in her memories felt as though it had cut her life in half, leaving her at a loss.
Before long, the doctor came to examine her.
Although his tone was gentle, Shiki Ryougi could sharply sense the reproach and dissatisfaction in his words.
After all, just yesterday, Shiki Ryougi had tried to pierce her own eyes.
She had only avoided tragedy because she was discovered and given emergency bandaging.
The doctor questioned her for a long time, but Shiki Ryougi never explained why she had done it. It was only natural that he would be dissatisfied.
"It seems Ryougi-san has calmed down, so I won't have a nurse keep watch."
"If you need anything, please press the call button by your pillow. There's a nurse on standby in the next room."
After briefly explaining the situation, the doctor unilaterally declared today's examination over.
Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and added one final sentence.
"By the way, a psychotherapist will be coming from tomorrow onward. Please speak with him freely.
"For you right now, conversation is an indispensable part of recovery."
"..."