EMIYA POV
Are you crying?" Satoru asks, tilting his head as he watches Utahime crawl out of the debris.
"I am not crying! And be more polite!" she snaps, her voice cracking with indignation as she lifts herself up.
I look at Shoko beside me. We are sitting at the top of my new favorite troop, the scales of the ELECTRO DRAGON humming beneath my boots.
The view from up here is good, but the atmosphere down there is getting much more interesting.
"Let's go down," I say.
Shoko gives a small nod.
The Electro Dragon flaps its massive wings, the air pressure pushing the dust away as it touches down. The landing is heavy, but the beast settles with a crackle of sparks.
"If I were crying, would you console me? I certainly would appreciate it," a smooth, calm voice drifts over the rubble.
I look toward Mei-san. She is standing perfectly still, her hair and clothes so pristine she looks like she wasn't just buried under a collapsing building at all.
"You wouldn't cry, Mei-san," Satoru replies. His tone carries a rare note of genuine appreciation for her competence, but he can't help glancing at Utahime with a smirk. "You're strong."
"Is that so?" she muses, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Utahime, finally getting fed up with Satoru's sarcastic remarks, steps forward and points a finger. "Gojo, you listen here! I don't need your help—"
Suddenly, a massive curse pops out of the ground behind her, its body a bloated, pale mass with two tiny, mismatched arms twitching at its sides. It looms over her, its presence foul.
Thwip—BOOM!
Before Utahime can even turn, a single arrow streaks through the air. It hits the curse's head with the force of a falling star, creating a massive hole that vaporizes its upper half instantly. The spirit doesn't even have time to scream before it begins to dissipate into smoke.
Everyone is shocked, their eyes tracking back to the direction the shot came from.
Standing there is a woman with long, flowing purple hair, draped in a green, Greek-style gown. She is barefoot, her expression cold and distant.
The oddest thing about her isn't the way she stands, but the weapon she holds: a massive handheld crossbow that looks far too heavy for a human to carry.
"Every time I see her, I get confused whether she is a Shikigami of yours or a Jujutsu sorcerer like us," Satoru says, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watches her.
I climb off the Electro Dragon, my feet hitting the ground. I look at my — ARCHER QUEEN as she lowers her weapon.
"Well, strong curses are mostly humanoid and also have somewhat human anatomy," I say, walking toward them. "She just happens to be a bit more... refined."
"How strong would you say she is?" Satoru asks, his Six Eyes glinting mischievously again.
I catch Satoru's signal instantly and hold my chin, looking from the Archer to Utahime, then back again, as if I am seriously pondering a difficult mathematical equation.
"I would say..." I pause for dramatic effect. "Around about a thousand Utahimes."
"I'm not your unit of measurement!" Utahime screams, her face turning a shade of red that rivals her ceremonial robes. "You little—!"
"Well, you are—" I start, the retort already on the tip of my tongue, but I am cut off.
Shoko's hand touches my shoulder, stopping me before I can sprinkle more salt.
"You shouldn't tease her, too," she says, before stepping past me.
"Utahime-senpai," Shoko calls out softly. "How are you? I was worried about you. We hadn't heard from you for two whole days."
"SHOKO! SHOKO!" Utahime turns toward her, her eyes glinting with indignant tears.
"Shoko!"
Utahime practically tackles her into a hug, clinging to her as if she were the only good person left on the planet. "Shoko! Don't let yourself turn out like the rest of your class! Promise me!"
"Don't worry," Shoko replies, patting Utahime's back with a deadpan expression. "I won't turn into trash like them."
Satoru, who is now standing beside me, nudges me with his elbow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He says, loud enough for Utahime to hear. "I would say she's worth around two thousand Utahimes."
Utahime doesn't snap back this time. She pulls away from the hug, a question mark almost appearing above her head as Shoko's words finally register.
"Wait... Two days?" she asks, tilting her head in genuine confusion.
Satoru's expression shifts, the playful mask dropping for a moment as he turns serious. "Is the cursed spirit's barrier one of those which messes with time? They are rare, but they do happen now and then. I thought it was odd, since Mei-san was with you."
Mei-san, who has been listening silently, tilts her head. "It seems that was the case."
I look toward her. Satoru notices it too and asks, "Is something the matter?"
"No," Mei-san replies, her eyes narrowing as she looks at the wreckage. "I just realized that this means it is two days of labor. Extra fees must be paid out to me."
Huh. She is overcharging them again.
I think, shaking my head. Even in a time-warping anomaly, the woman never loses track of her money.
She looks at the three of us again, her gaze cutting through the casual atmosphere.
"That aside," she says, gesturing to the wide-open, sunny yard and the very visible Electro Dragon. "What about the Veil, you three?"
"Well..." I start, rubbing the back of my neck.
Satoru just looks up at the sky, whistling a tune that is definitely not an apology.
The Classroom — Later
Now, the three of us are kneeling on the wooden floor in our classroom.
"One of you said you would cast the veil yourself and left your assistant supervisor behind, didn't you?" Yaga-sensei's voice is like thunder. He stands before us, arms crossed, his sunglasses reflecting our guilty faces.
"And then you forgot the veil. Come forward."
Without missing a beat, Shoko and I both pivot in unison, our fingers pointing straight at Satoru. We don't even have to look at each other; the teamwork is flawless.
Well, the two of us are a team, as we mostly go on missions together.
Satoru, seeing the walls closing in, doesn't panic. He does what he always does: he tries to talk his way out of a predicament. He raises his hand high, looking as innocent as a schoolboy.
"Sensei!" he chirps. "Why don't we stop this hunt for the culprit?"
"So it was you, Satoru," Yaga-sensei says calmly.
POW!
A heavy, reinforced punch lands squarely on top of Satoru's head. Even with Infinity, Yaga has a way of making the "physical education" part of Jujutsu High felt by everyone.
"Emiya," Yaga-sensei says, his gaze shifting toward me after Satoru hits the floor. "You're supposed to be the level-headed one. Why did you let him talk you out of basic protocol?"
I keep my eyes on the floorboards, looking at the massive bump forming on Satoru's head. Shoko and I remain perfectly still, not daring to say anything.
He continues, his voice dropping to a serious, heavy bass. "Leaving this behind... Suguru and Miko will arrive from their mission shortly. Once they do, I have a very important mission from the highest boss for all of you. Until then, you guys are dismissed. I will come find you when they both arrive."
"Dismissed," he repeats, turning on his heel and walking out of the classroom, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall.