"...Shirou-kun?"
When Shirou rang the doorbell of the Western mansion, Mrs. Tohsaka came out to greet him.
The moment she saw the red haired boy, her face lit up with delight.
"Welcome, welcome~ Come inside~ Shirou-kun, are you here to keep me company again today?"
Shirou scratched his head. "Good afternoon, Aunt Tohsaka... I came to see Tohsaka-san today. Is she home?"
"..."
At his answer, Aoi Tohsaka's smile froze before her face turned bright red with embarrassment.
"O-oh, you came to see Rin. Goodness, what was I thinking...? Rin just went out. She won't be back until this evening."
"I see. Then I'll come back later..."
"You can wait inside," Aoi Tohsaka said.
"Wouldn't I be imposing?" Shirou asked hesitantly.
"Of course not. You're always welcome here, Shirou-kun."
"Then please excuse me."
At Mrs. Tohsaka's enthusiastic invitation, Shirou entered the house.
Since that incident when he had accidentally walked in on Aoi Tohsaka changing her underwear, Shirou had visited the mansion several times over the past six months.
After all, he had promised Mrs. Tohsaka that he would come by for tea and conversation whenever he had time.
However, he always chose times when Rin Tohsaka was not home.
It was not that he was deliberately avoiding her. He simply felt that Rin Tohsaka was a Magus, after all.
Wouldn't it embarrass her if an outsider like him came and went from her workshop without its owner's permission?
When Shirou explained this, Aoi Tohsaka corrected him.
"How could you possibly be an outsider, Shirou-kun?"
"Thank you for saying that, Aunt Tohsaka..."
"Besides, doesn't Rin come and go from your house as she pleases without asking your permission?"
"That's true." Shirou nodded.
Tohsaka had at least observed the basic courtesies in the past.
Ever since those two fainting incidents, however, she had grown increasingly brazen, appearing in his living room without so much as a word beforehand.
"My daughter has caused you a great deal of trouble."
"...Please raise your head, Aunt Tohsaka!"
"Since Rin is so informal with Shirou-kun, you don't need to be so formal with me either."
"Understood."
And so, Shirou spent a pleasant afternoon having tea in the Tohsaka family's living room.
As the setting sun bathed the Tohsaka residence in gold, a sound came from the entrance hall.
"A guest?"
Noticing an unfamiliar pair of shoes by the door, Rin Tohsaka hurried down the corridor and entered the living room.
There, she found a boy from her school sitting comfortably on the sofa, happily drinking black tea with her mother.
"Hey, Tohsaka."
"Ugh... Amamiya-kun?"
Rin Tohsaka stared at him in disbelief. "Why are you here?"
Before Shirou could answer, Aoi Tohsaka spoke first.
"Shirou-kun came to see you. Since you were out, I invited him inside to wait."
"More importantly... why shouldn't Shirou-kun be here? Haven't you been visiting his house frequently lately and causing him plenty of trouble?"
"Huh...? M-Mother? That's not what I meant..."
"Aunt Tohsaka, Tohsaka-san hasn't caused me any trouble. If anything, she's helped me a great deal."
"Is that so?"
Shirou nodded. "Yes."
"Well, that's wonderful."
Aoi Tohsaka gave the boy a gentle smile, then let it fade as she turned toward her daughter.
"I've known Shirou-kun for six months now. Lately, I've often invited him over for tea."
"What!? Amamiya-kun has been coming to my house...?"
Rin Tohsaka gaped at her. "You mean it was just the two of you...?"
"Who else is there in this house besides you and me?"
Mrs. Tohsaka continued, "There are no men living here, so many things can be inconvenient. Shirou-kun occasionally helps me move heavy objects and repair the appliances."
"In return, I invite him to have tea with me and give him a little spending money."
"..."
Rin Tohsaka felt as though the sky were falling.
No wonder she had been budgeting so carefully and cutting every possible expense, yet still ended every month in the red...
So you were the one taking all our money, Amamiya!
Shirou rose from the sofa and approached the distraught Rin Tohsaka.
"Well then, Aunt Tohsaka, I'll borrow Tohsaka-san for a while."
"Of course. I won't disturb you young people."
Aoi Tohsaka stood and began clearing away the tea set.
"Rin, Shirou-kun is my friend. Please don't be rude to him."
With that, Mrs. Tohsaka disappeared into the kitchen.
The two of them moved to Rin's room.
Before Shirou even had a chance to sit down, the young lady of the Tohsaka family demanded an explanation.
"When did you become so close to my mother?"
She stood with her hands on her hips, bristling with indignation.
Any high school girl would have found it difficult to accept her mother becoming so close to a boy from her school.
Shirou thought for a moment. "Um... six months ago?"
"Six months ago?"
The girl frowned, then suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Was it while I was unwell?"
Shirou nodded.
"I-I see... Then I suppose it couldn't be helped..."
Looking slightly embarrassed, Rin Tohsaka smoothed the black hair resting over her shoulder.
She really had caused Shirou a great deal of trouble during that period and owed him many favors.
I see. Amamiya-kun became friends with Mother while he was looking after me.
It still felt strange, but since she had been the reason it happened, there was nothing she could say...
Come to think of it, Mother's gaze when she looked at Shirou seemed especially, especially gentle... That was just my imagination, wasn't it?
"So, why did you come all the way to my house to see me today?"
Rin Tohsaka sat on the edge of her bed and folded her arms across her chest, crossing her shapely legs clad in black stockings that reached above her knees.
With her sharp mind, she had already guessed that they were about to discuss something that could not be explained in the Amamiya residence's living room.
Shirou handed her the envelope he had brought.
The girl opened it, and her eyes widened.
"This is... an invitation to the Mystic Eyes Collection Train, Rail Zeppelin!?"
Rin Tohsaka had only heard rumors about it before. Seeing the genuine article naturally came as a shock.
"Didn't I go to France a few days ago?" Shirou explained. "You must have heard what happened from Sakura. When I returned, I found this in my room."
At that, Rin Tohsaka gave him a mischievous smile.
"I see. So this is what you came to discuss with me today…"
"Who put this in your room? In other words, you suspect there's a 'traitor' among the people around you."
Shirou frowned. "That's going too far, Tohsaka."
"But that's essentially what happened, isn't it?" Rin Tohsaka replied unconcernedly. "I've visited your house too, so I know exactly how thorough the Amamiya residence's defenses are."
"No outsider could possibly have slipped this invitation into your room."
"...It was only a letter. Calling it a betrayal is an exaggeration."
"Don't you think the timing is far too convenient, Amamiya-kun?
"Caren-san was left unconscious after being attacked by an enemy's Mystic Eyes, and at that exact moment, someone delivered an invitation to the Mystic Eyes Collection Train."
"No matter how you look at it, someone seems to be deliberately leading you there."
"..."
Shirou had no response, while Rin Tohsaka looked thoroughly entertained.
"Oh my, who could it possibly be?
"Judging by opportunity, someone from the Einzbern household seems the most likely suspect, doesn't it?"
"But Matou-san isn't entirely above suspicion. Even Fujimura-sensei might have…"
"Oh, that's right. It could even have been me..."
"Stop it."
Shirou unhappily cut off the delighted Rin Tohsaka.
"...Sorry. That was a poor time for a joke."
The girl realized that she had taken her teasing too far.
Shirou shook his head. "Whatever their intentions may be, the fact remains that someone in my household left this letter in my room."
"What are you going to do? Will you go?"
Shirou answered without hesitation. "Yeah."
Rin Tohsaka stretched. "I thought so. Sigh~ It looks like things are about to get busy."
"Tohsaka, what did you mean by that?"
Rin Tohsaka blinked. "What do you mean...?
"Didn't you come here to tell me all this because you were planning to invite me to accompany you to the auction?"
"Huh...?"
Shirou had not thought that far ahead.
Only those who received an invitation could enter the "Mystic Eyes Collection Train," and each invitation allowed its holder to bring two companions.
Since Shirou was neither a proper Magus nor a noble, the idea of bringing attendants had never occurred to him. He had originally intended to attend the auction alone.
Now that Rin Tohsaka had pointed it out, however, he realized that his approach was rather ill advised.
Many Magi would undoubtedly gather aboard the Mystic Eyes Collection Train, and Shirou knew virtually nothing about Magus society.
Even if only to serve as a guide, bringing someone with him would be the wiser choice.
Shirou hesitated. "But... is that really all right? You must have things of your own to do, Tohsaka..."
Rin Tohsaka smiled happily. "This is exactly what I've been waiting for. A chance to repay every favor I owe you all at once!"
"That isn't actually what I meant..."
"Then what did you mean?"
"The 'Mystic Eyes Collection Train' is a magical train that ignores physical terrain as it travels throughout Western Europe…"
"If you come with me, we'll both have to take time off from school."
Rin Tohsaka stared at him in disbelief. "Amamiya-kun, when did you become such a diligent student? You skip class all the time."
"No, the point is that we'll be taking time off together."
"Ah...!"
Rin Tohsaka covered her half open mouth.
After the fainting incident, the relationship between Shirou and Rin Tohsaka had become the subject of gossip throughout the school. It had taken six months for the rumors to finally die down.
If the two of them took an entire week off at the same time, new rumors would inevitably begin circulating.
Rin Tohsaka did not care about the other students' idle speculation, but there was one person whose opinion mattered.
Matou Sakura, the younger sister who had become part of another family.
Rin Tohsaka did not want her to misunderstand the relationship between herself and Shirou Amamiya.
Unlike me, that girl only has her Senpai...
"Sorry. Forget what I just said. I really can't... Eek!?"
Rin Tohsaka was interrupted halfway through her sentence.
"Tohsaka, will you come to the auction with me?"
Shirou gripped Rin's hand tightly.
"Ugh..."
The strength in his palm gave the girl the illusion that he desperately needed her.
"...You're hurting me."
"Ah, sorry."
Rin Tohsaka hurriedly pulled her hand away, then bit her lip.
"Fine. I'll go with you. Happy now?"
"Really? Thank you, Tohsaka."
"..."
Unable to meet Shirou's grateful gaze, Rin Tohsaka silently turned her head away.
I'm sorry... Sakura.
...
Three nights later, the fog was exceptionally thick.
Shirou and Rin Tohsaka arrived at the location specified on the invitation.
Rin Tohsaka wore the red clothing said to be the trademark of her family, paired with a short black skirt and a trench coat, giving her a crisp and capable appearance.
Shirou was dressed much as he usually was, except for the pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
They were a Mystic Code known as the "Mystic Eye Killers," capable of blocking magically charged gazes. Their creator was Touko Aozaki.
It was Rin Tohsaka's first time seeing Shirou in glasses, so she could not resist stealing several glances at him.
The location marked on the invitation was an old railway station on the outskirts of London.
It had ceased functioning as a station decades ago and was now little more than a relic of the Industrial Revolution, retaining the weathered appearance of a century past.
"Are we sure this is the right place...?"
After hurriedly confirming that they had not mistaken the address, the two climbed over the fence like thieves and entered the station.
They had taken only a few steps when a dignified female voice rang out in the distance.
"Shirou? Is that really you, Shirou!?"
Hearing his name, Shirou instinctively turned around.
Standing there was a blonde girl so radiant that even the night seemed to fade around her.
She was sixteen, the same age as Shirou and Rin.
Her refined features could only be described as perfect. Noble and elegant, she brought to mind a flawless gemstone formed by nature itself.
Her golden hair fell in lavish, extravagant ringlets. A blue dress embraced her young, healthy body, outlining graceful, well proportioned curves.
"It really is Shirou!! You look wonderful in glasses too♡♡"
The moment Shirou turned around, the girl's eyes lit up. She began waving enthusiastically, unable to contain her excitement.
Rin Tohsaka looked curiously at the distant girl, then turned to Shirou.
"...Someone you know?"
"Yeah."
Shirou nodded.
She was one of the few Magi he had met during his brief career as a Magus.
Luviagelita Edelfelt, the current head of the Edelfelt family, whom he had met through a troublesome connection in the past.
He had not expected her to be a guest aboard the "Mystic Eyes Collection Train" as well.
"Phew..."
Shirou let out a relieved breath.
Traveling alone with Rin Tohsaka had felt a little like they were eloping, which had made him nervous.
Running into someone he knew eased his mind considerably.
Shirou thought that Rin and Luvia would probably become good friends.