Chapter 53 "The Routine"
Blah blah blah. A serious explanation in progress.
Sitting together with Shirou on a single bed, the black-haired young lady chatted away—half small talk, half complaining—her fair, graceful figure swaying as she spoke, a pair of playful eyes shining with amusement.
Shirou could see no trace of the shyness she used to have in the distant past.
Though she wasn't wearing pajamas, she didn't have her coat on either, dressed instead in well-fitting loungewear and a short skirt. Shirou opened the bottled water Rin had handed him, took a sip, stared for a moment, and then averted his gaze.
"What is it, Shirou? Is the stimulation a bit too strong?"
"......Why do you sisters always bring up such difficult topics right when I'm drinking water?"
If he didn't have his guard up, he'd choke. Thinking back, Sakura pulled the same stunt yesterday while they were having tea.
Even with Shirou saying this, Rin only gazed at him nonchalantly without any further movement; only the smile playing on her lips revealed that she hadn't taken his words to heart at all.
"What are you doing?"
"Just thinking that Emiya-kun is still so innocent."
Shirou made up his mind. At a time like this, if he didn't want the cruel Red Devil to seize the initiative, the best course of action was...
"Well, I can't help it. Seeing a girl as cute, tolerant, and dignified as Rin, of course I'd think about it. Being so understanding, sincerely caring for the other person, and asking for nothing in return—it's only natural to be deeply attracted, right!"
A direct counter-snipe.
The result: an uncontrollable flush rushed to Rin's cheeks, but her gaze didn't falter. On the contrary, it grew softer.
"What's this~? Since that's the case, I won't make things hard for you. Shirou needs to nurse himself back to full energy by tomorrow."
Rin got off the bed, walked to the door, and opened it.
Looking satisfied under the light of the main hall, she showed her profile, gave a charming wave, and closed the door. Shirou exhaled, unscrewed the cap again, and continued drinking his water.
As it turned out, not even thirty seconds had passed before the door was pulled open again.
"Oh, right."
Reappearing with a wicked smile, Rin said: "Sakura and Rider have already finished the dishes. So there's nothing for Shirou to do. Don't get sad later because you're being left out. For an 'injured patient' like Shirou, having the housework handled for him is the treatment he deserves."
Shirou should be glad he didn't choke a second time.
Isn't saying that just meddling! Angry, he twitched, then cooled down. He was only slightly injured yesterday; why shouldn't Shirou be allowed to do housework?
This time, Rin didn't close the door when she left. Shirou put on his slippers and glanced out. The girls of the Emiya household were gathered on the sofa or chairs, focused intently on the news on the television.
Theoretically, they were "occupying the nest." Because based on one person per suite, this suite belonged to Shirou. But when girls arrive uninvited, maintaining an attitude of "reading the air" and gracefully ignoring the fact that they are uninvited is definitely the right move. Shirou being forced to learn this could be considered a form of progress.
"This afternoon, a giant storm appeared in XX District of Snowfield City. After the storm formed, it caused serious exterior window damage to residents within several kilometers before suddenly vanishing. The specific cause of its formation is currently unclear and remains under investigation."
Shirou more or less understood that it was likely the effect of Alcides' arrows.
"In the early morning hours, a gas explosion occurred at a villa in XX District. Multiple residents reported hearing a loud noise—"
Shirou's face stiffened.
That one was his doing.
"Additionally, an extremely heinous shooting occurred in XX District. The Snowfield City Police Department has expressed serious concern over this matter and promised to continue tracking the progress of the incident—"
Extremely heinous indeed. Shirou nodded "mm-hmm" in agreement and shut the door with a snap.
Nothing happened. Better get back to organizing the Holy Grail War intelligence. Shirou first Projected paper and a pen and began his tally:
Archer: Gilgamesh. True Archer: Alcides. Newly learned: they are in a hostile relationship. Rider (?): Pale Rider. Newly learned: True Rider Hippolyta.
Caster: Newly learned: they are at the police station. True Caster's Master is Francesca. Saber: The only Saber, Richard, and his Master, Ayaka.
Information updated.
Among these, what Shirou cared about most was the Snowfield City Police Department.
They seemed to be a combat organization that compensated for individual gaps through teamwork. Everyone held a Noble Phantasm, but these were non-historical items—fabricated constructs rooted in fantasy. Each Noble Phantasm was between Rank B and C. The philosophy behind their creation was... to defeat Heroic Spirits with these weapons.
Though the ranks were mediocre, the ambition was quite determined.
If the gazes of that group hadn't intruded upon Shirou's body, he might not have noticed them lurking far behind.
They weren't quite seasoned enough as warriors. If it were Shirou, an essential precaution when surreptitiously observing a dangerous individual is to never use your gaze to aim at them until the very last moment.
Martial types are sensitive to the gaze of others. Without Presence Concealment, using one's eyes is not a wise move; it's hard to hide. Usually, there are methods like not letting the gaze focus, but one must also be careful not to make a sound. Otherwise, even if you are lucky enough that the opponent doesn't notice the gaze because they are in battle, the moment a sound is made, you will be discovered and killed.
However, the Snowfield City Police Department should be an official agency. The fact that even an official agency belongs to a faction in the Holy Grail War... this fact made Shirou frown.
There was a lot of confusing information to sort through. Although they weren't much in terms of raw strength, they were a good point of entry. Shirou decided: his next move would be to find them.
Shirou put down the pen. It was at this moment that a knock suddenly came from behind.
The knocking sound was gentle and soft, the kind where you could tell just by listening what a kind and gentle girl the knocker was.
"Sakura?"
Though the door wasn't locked, the girl had firmly refused to develop the habit of entering a room without permission. Thus, Shirou simply turned the doorknob himself.
When the door opened, the girl standing outside was indeed the graceful Sakura.
Sakura was wearing a simple, elegant light-colored dress. The hem fell perfectly below her knees, making her already slender figure look even more lithe. Her smooth black hair was loosely tied at the back of her head, with a few stray strands falling beside her fair neck, swaying gently with her slight movements.
She pulled the corners of her mouth into a shy smile and lowered her head to one side.
"Will my coming into the room now disturb Senpai?"
"Not at all, don't worry."
The atmosphere around Sakura seemed to light up, emitting a lively and positive aura.
"I saw Nee-san come out of the room... so I thought I'd take care of 'the routine.' I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to come over now."
How strange.
Sakura had business too?
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