As soon as Shirou arrived, Sakura Matou fainted from sheer relief.
With nothing left to worry about, Shirou gave Atrum and his men a thorough beating.
He was in the middle of placing curses on them when Byakuya Matou and Kariya finally arrived, fashionably late.
The two of them had come specifically to handle the cleanup.
After confirming that Sakura had woken up and was in no serious condition, Shirou gave Byakuya Matou and Kariya a few instructions on how to interrogate them for information, then left.
By the time all that was finished, it was already 7:00 PM.
Shirou arrived at the meeting place they had agreed on beforehand, where Aoko Aozaki had been waiting for quite a while.
"All done?"
"Not that quickly. I haven't even had time to question Atrum yet… I was just worried you'd get tired of waiting."
"I wouldn't have minded waiting a little longer."
Shirou shook his head. "We'll leave the rest to the Matou family. With the Tohsaka, who manage Fuyuki, missing, we have no choice but to ask them to fulfill their duty as allies."
"Heh~ That's Shirou for you. You've gotten pretty good at coordinating things, haven't you?"
Aoko Aozaki smiled as she stepped forward and linked her arm through the boy's.
"Alright, let's go."
Shirou blinked. "Go where?"
"What are you talking about? To your house, of course. We're spending the night there. It's already so late."
Aoko Aozaki spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't worry, I won't fight with Irisviel again this time.
I even brought a gift. She's pregnant, right? This is the perfect chance to congratulate her. I brought it back specially from Romania…"
Aoko Aozaki went on cheerfully.
She planned to spend the night at Shirou's house openly tonight, as his girlfriend.
Aoko and Alice had visited the Amamiya household a few years earlier, so Irisviel and the others actually knew about Aoko and Alice.
Although Irisviel had been extremely unhappy about it, she had eventually accepted their existence.
Of course, she would not refuse to let Aoko stay overnight at the Amamiya house.
And that was exactly the problem!
There was another woman hiding in Shirou's room right now!
And that woman seemed to be connected to today's incident!
With Aoko's personality, even if she were put in a guest room, there was no way she would behave herself.
Late at night, after everyone had gone to sleep, she would definitely sneak over to Shirou's side…
And when that happened, Ye Sizhen would be borrowing the room right next door… and the soundproofing in a Japanese-style room…
"Ugh...!"
No matter what, I can't let Aoko come to my house tonight, Shirou resolved.
"What's wrong?"
Although Aoko looked like a somewhat careless, scatterbrained woman, she was actually thoughtful and very sharp.
She noticed Shirou's distraction right away.
"Um… I suddenly don't really feel like going home tonight… or something… hahahaha."
Shirou laughed dryly.
"It's already seven. If we leave Shinto now, it'll probably be past eight by the time we get home… Ah, that feels like such a waste of time~"
"..."
Aoko Aozaki furrowed her dark brows slightly and studied Shirou's face with suspicion.
"Shirou, you…"
"What about me?"
Under the gaze of those sapphire-like eyes, the boy instinctively held his breath, not daring to make a sound.
"You little pervert! I hate you!"
Aoko Aozaki suddenly blushed and laughed, then hit him in the chest with a soft fist as if trying to hide her embarrassment.
Shirou: "???"
Aoko Aozaki pouted and scolded him with obvious delight. "Saying you suddenly don't want to go home tonight… You just want to spend the night outside with me, don't you?
You're still a middle schooler! What do you even think about all day? You're the worst~☆"
Shirou: "..."
It seemed she had completely misunderstood him.
It was a little humiliating, but it was not entirely a bad thing. For now, he could only go along with her.
"Oh~ So that's what this is. Shirou-kun wants to spend the night outside with Aoko-nee-san~
You look like such a well-behaved boy, but you're surprisingly bold~
Well, I suppose it makes sense. You're a boy that age, after all. It's only natural you'd fall head over heels for a beautiful, gentle older sister."
Aoko wore a pleased, teasing expression. "What am I supposed to do with you? ♡"
Shirou clenched his fists. This woman… she's getting carried away again…
"Whoa, Shirou-kun is actually starting to look impatient…
That won't do, you know? It'd be such a waste of that handsome face~"
Aoko grinned wickedly. "If you want to ask Aoko-nee-san for a favor, you'll have to show the proper sincerity, okay? Shirou-kun♡"
"Please, Aoko-nee-san…"
Shirou clenched his teeth in humiliation and muttered, "Don't go home tonight. Spend the night outside with me."
"Ugh…!"
The moment Shirou said that, Aoko Aozaki's face flushed bright red, and her gaze began darting around.
"Hee… heehee, what an honest good boy~
Alright, I guess I have no choice♡ When you beg me that much, how could I possibly refuse…"
Shirou noticed Aoko Aozaki's long, shapely legs, wrapped in jeans, were pressed tightly together, and she could not help rubbing them against each other.
After deciding to spend the night in Shinto, Shirou and Aoko found a hotel.
"Wow, Shirou… I'm starting to see you in a slightly different light…"
Aoko stared at the building in front of her in stunned disbelief. "I thought you'd never come to a place this frivolous."
The two of them were standing at the entrance of a love hotel.
Not a hotel meant for ordinary lodging, but one that sold itself as a place for "couples to spend the night."
"I'd like to say places like this are cheaper than regular hotels… but honestly, I'm pretty curious about what they're like inside.
Since we have the chance, let's just treat it as a learning experience."
With that, Shirou took Aoko's slightly embarrassed hand and stepped into the love hotel lobby.
Using suggestion Magecraft to make the staff see him as an ordinary male college student, the two of them passed through the front desk without trouble.
"Oh, the room's nicer than I expected~ I thought there'd be all kinds of shady stuff, but what's this… It's not that different from a regular hotel."
So declared Aoko Aozaki, the traveling Magician who had stayed in hotels all over the world.
"Then, Shirou, I'm going to take a shower first, okay?"
"Sure. I'll call home."
"Want to shower together?"
"No, I'll take one later."
"Tch~"
Shirou watched Aoko Aozaki enter the bathroom, then dialed the hotel's outside line.
He had used the excuse of "spending the night at the Matou family residence" too many times lately whenever he stayed out. If Sakura came over for dinner one day and someone asked her about it, he would be exposed…
So this time, Shirou changed tactics and told Sella, who picked up the phone, that he would be "spending the night at Ryuudou Temple."
After ending the call, Shirou quietly leaned back against the room's large bed.
Atrum still had to undergo further questioning from Byakuya Matou, but Shirou had already pieced together the general situation.
There was no such thing as a perfectly sealed secret. Although he had taken measures to keep the Fourth Holy Grail War under wraps, some people had still learned the truth.
And among the Magi who knew the details, someone seemed to have set their sights on him.
Are they after my Magecraft?
Shirou spread his fingers and projected a Short Blade.
The boy remembered Alice once telling him that if the Mage's Association learned of his ability, he would definitely be marked with a Sealing Designation.
A "Sealing Designation" was a title the Mage's Association granted to Magi with special talents. It was also an arrest warrant issued by the Association.
Magecraft that could not be attained through study or research alone, something realized only through bloodline or physical constitution and limited to a single generation. Because such holders were too precious, the Association would issue an order to personally preserve them forever.
In other words, a "Sealing Designation" meant that a Magus had been judged to possess "an unparalleled talent that would never appear again, past or future."
Most Magi who received a "Sealing Designation" had no choice but to retire from the Magecraft world, hide themselves away, or remain secluded within their own territory.
Touko Aozaki, whom Shirou knew, was one such example.
Even Touko could not defy the Mage's Association's power, and had ended up hiding on an island in the Far East, taking up architectural design and detective work.
At the moment, Shirou had not received a Sealing Designation.
Kayneth and the others must have been working behind the scenes.
Although that man's perfect record had been stained by his defeat eight years ago, he recovered quickly after returning home and achieved enough accomplishments to easily erase that blemish.
"Kayneth has become so driven, no longer obsessed with power struggles, and his temperament has grown much calmer… All of that is thanks to you, Shirou-kun."
Sola-Ui, no…
She should now be called Lady Archibald. That was what she had written in a letter to Shirou.
In any case, Kayneth was now a Lord in London whose power and achievements stood just below the Three Great Noble Houses.
There had even been many rumors recently that if Kayneth continued to succeed, he would become the next "Grand Rank" after Touko Aozaki.
If he reached that point, even the Three Great Noble Houses would no longer be able to suppress the El-Melloi faction.
Incidentally, after returning to London, Waver continued studying under Kayneth.
Although his talent for Magecraft had still not blossomed, he had not given up and continued to hold on to his dream.
Kayneth still mocked and ridiculed his unrealistic ideas, but Waver no longer took it to heart.
"Shut up! One day, I'll prove myself and make you eat your words!"
"Oh? Then by all means, try it if you can, Waver-kun."
Today, the atmosphere in El-Melloi's Lecture Hall was as explosive as ever.
Recently, Waver seemed to have left the Clock Tower and set off on a journey to broaden his horizons and study foreign cultures.
So the person targeting me doesn't seem to be from the Clock Tower…
Shirou suddenly realized that.
The proof was Ye Sizhen.
As a student of Spiral Manor, she had spent a long time active in Europe, but there was no way she would have any connection to the Clock Tower.
In any case, he only needed to ask Sizhen about it tomorrow.
Ah, right…
I still haven't told Sizhen I'm not going back tonight… She should be fine, right?
"Thanks for waiting~ Shirou."
Along with the woman's voice came a pleasant fragrance.
Shirou looked up and saw Aoko Aozaki fresh from the bath.
"...?"
But to his surprise, Aoko Aozaki was not wearing the bathrobe provided by the hotel.
Shirou stared in shock. "Wait… what are you wearing?"
"What do you think? Fits pretty well, doesn't it?"
Dressed in the Misaki High School uniform, Aoko Aozaki placed a hand behind her head and struck a flirtatious pose.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did your big sister's charm leave you speechless?"
As she spoke, she tugged her short skirt up just a little, revealing her flawless white thighs.
"Aoko, where did you get that outfit…"
The last time he had seen her wearing clothes like that was when Aoko was seventeen. That had been thirteen years ago.
"I've kept it in my time pocket all this time. It might come in handy for an infiltration mission someday."
Don't keep stuff like that in your time pocket!
And what kind of infiltration mission would need a high school girl's uniform anyway…
"Honestly, Shirou, your reaction is so boring."
Aoko Aozaki sat down on the edge of the bed, dissatisfied. "I was going to show you some other outfits too, but forget it~"
"What else did you bring?" Shirou asked, speechless.
Aoko counted on her fingers. "Hmm… five identical spare T-shirts and jeans, my decisive battle outfit for Magecraft combat, a bunny girl outfit from a TV shopping channel, and some Western-style clothes I stole from my older sister…"
Shirou said, "Hold on. Something weird slipped in there."
Aoko said, "Oh? Are you interested in bunny girls, Shirou? Want to see me wear it?"
She really was sharp. The boy turned his face away.
"Well, if you insist on wearing it, Aoko… I wouldn't mind seeing it…"
"What's that supposed to mean? You awkward little brat, just say you want to see it… There's an opening. Take this!"
Aoko sprang up and pounced on Shirou like a startled rabbit, knocking him down onto the soft bed.
"Wait, let me shower first…"
"No. We can go together later…"
As if perfectly in sync, their bodies entwined.
"Hehehe. Back at the Western-style mansion, I have to worry about Alice's feelings… But now you can cling to my chest as much as you want. You're happy, aren't you?"
"Shut up, Aoko… Be quiet."
"Mmm…♡"
...
...
"It's already so late… and he still isn't back…"
In the Amamiya family's tatami room, Ye Sizhen quietly gazed at the Chinese pastries laid out before her.
They were rose pastries she had spent the entire day making from scratch, failing several times along the way before finally completing them.
They still looked as awful as ever, but she could absolutely guarantee the taste.
She had planned to wait until Shirou came home that evening and share them with him. Then, she could naturally bring up a new topic.
"As thanks, why don't I teach you how to make pastries?"
Shirou was very interested in cooking. When the time came, he would definitely look so happy…
Just getting to see his smile would make Ye Sizhen feel she had come out ahead, and that the whole day's effort had not gone to waste.
But the clock in the room had already struck nine.
Normally, Shirou would be home by six at the latest… After all, he loved helping the maids in the kitchen.
What happened today?
Why wasn't he back yet?
What was that boy doing right now?
Ye Sizhen felt uneasy.
Her chest felt tight, and it grew harder and harder to breathe.
It felt as if the wound Shirou had healed not long ago had split open again.
She took out a red ornament shaped like a half-moon.
This was Ye Sizhen's non-combat Mystic Code, called "Cup and Shell."
The "shells" referred to two clam shells that represented Yin and Yang.
Since the shells were shaped like cups, they were called "Cup and Shell."
In ancient China, people would toss two clam shells into the air during sacrificial rituals, then judge fortune and misfortune by whether they landed face up or face down.
One facing up and one facing down was considered auspicious. This ancient method of divination was also known as "Cup and Shell Divination."
However, Ye Sizhen's "Cup and Shell" was not a divination tool. It was a Mystic Code engraved with Thought Magecraft formulas, allowing it to communicate across long distances.
"Sizhen, if anything happens at home, find a way to contact me."
After Shirou said that, Ye Sizhen gave him one of the two halves of the "Cup and Shell" she carried with her.
At the time, Ye Sizhen's heart had fluttered a little as she thought, "One half for me and one half for this boy… It sounds almost like some kind of suggestive keepsake."
She never expected it to actually come in handy so soon.
Just as she was about to touch the Mystic Code, her hand stopped.
Ye Sizhen remembered that the "Cup and Shell" communication function included video, so she walked over to the nearby mirror.
She adjusted the neckline of her cheongsam and tidied her messy hair.
With that cute, nervous look on her face, she seemed just like a high school girl getting ready for a date.
Then Ye Sizhen lightly bit her red lip and activated the communication Mystic Code.