Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife
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-Sainan-
(A few days earlier)
"Hahaha, this is some wonderful tea, isn't it, Tearju?" Ryouko's laugh was light but carried a clear effort to lift the weight of the room's atmosphere. She sat together with Tearju and Emiya in the modest living room of her house, a tea set neatly placed on a low table between them. The aroma of steeped leaves curled upward… something she hoped would help to give the room a more welcome and relaxed feeling.
Ryouko alone maintained a cheerful tone, though her attempts at easing the mood did not seem to be as effective as she would have liked. Across from her, one figure sat quietly, keeping her gaze on the rim of her cup. Beside her, a young man with his arms resting on the table held a deceptive expression of calmness, his eyes fixed steadily on their guest. Yet she knew full well that he was capable of springing into action at a moment's notice.
"Alright, this is going nowhere," Ryouko muttered under her breath after letting out a small sigh. She had tried twice now to spark some kind of normal conversation, but both parties offered only clipped replies or had nothing to say at all. She wanted a bridge built between them, some mutual ground, but the atmosphere stayed rigid.
"You two are acting like this is some kind of divorce settlement where both of you are fighting over who gets custody of Yami. That's obviously not what this is, and I'd appreciate it if you both stopped behaving as if it were." She took a measured sip of her tea, part of her wishing she could slip in a small splash of rum to dull the tension, at least for herself.
"Yes, um, I'm not here to forcefully take Eve away as you might be fearing," Tearju said at last, her tone steady, hoping to chip at the wall between them.
Emiya inclined his head slightly, letting a few seconds pass before speaking. "Perhaps I came off too strongly at the start. Your sudden presence just put me on edge after what I heard from Yami, and how you had supposedly vanished — I had to voice them immediately."
His words lacked any sort of anger, instead giving her some space to explain herself. Ryouko noticed it and felt a small relief that at least he had the maturity to step back. "But I was serious earlier," he continued. "That girl is content here and has adapted to her lifestyle on this planet. Your being here is suspicious, to say the least." He leaned forward slightly, his hands folded together now rather than flat on the table.
"Even if I wanted to, I don't believe I deserve to take her away," the blonde scientist answered. "I… I failed her. The fact that she became the infamous Golden Darkness known across the galaxy is proof enough of that." Her eyes drifted downward, fingers tightening faintly around her cup.
"She is no longer an assassin. She has moved on from that past," he reminded her, his tone softer after seeing that the woman at least sounded genuine. He knew exactly how much effort Yami had poured into taking those first tentative steps into a new life. He would not allow her to be dragged back into the mess that was her life she had left behind. Even while entrusting her with protecting Mikan was a good way to keep her occupied, he also carried an obligation to safeguard the family as a whole.
"I know," Tearju said quietly, glancing up at him. "I'm glad that you saved her."
"She has changed a lot in this short time," Ryouko added, breaking her silence with a faint smile. Her hands rested on her knees, posture softening as she spoke. "Their first meeting wasn't exactly ideal and quite the shocker. Never in my life would I have believed that someone like her would get defeated by a human. Still, he managed to achieve something quite remarkable in the end. One could say it was treated as an impossible task by many."
"Impossible?" Emiya repeated under his breath. He did not see it as impossible. Yami herself had wanted that change from the beginning and did not enjoy being an assassin in the least. She only needed the right circumstances and someone to show her a path forward. If it had not been him, someone else might have done so eventually… He just happened to be at the right place at the right time.
He straightened slightly. "Then let's get to the point. Are you here to hide from certain people and start over, or are you here for Yami, hoping to rebuild what you two had before?"
Tearju shook her head slowly. "I don't have the right to influence her decisions. Things out there have been chaotic, not just for her but for me as well. Solgam has been trying to track my whereabouts constantly. Taking her with me would only bring her more danger."
Solgam… Those who had once tried to kidnap Ryouko were still at large somewhere in the galaxy. Emiya was not naïve enough to believe their visit to Earth had drawn their full force, but he hoped the losses they had already suffered by Gid's hand would deter them from acting on his planet again so soon.
"You think they'll follow you here?" he asked at last. His eyes narrowed slightly, not out of hostility, studying her face for any hint of uncertainty.
"They don't know that I'm here. I'm keeping a low profile with Ryouko's help."
He watched her as she spoke, his eyes narrowing slightly but giving away little else. He did not fully trust her words and believed that she omitted certain details… that was the conclusion he had already come to. Everything he had learned about her pursuers made it hard to believe they would simply give up. These people had been relentless for years, with their obsession for biological weapons so deep that they had even tried to kidnap her friend, someone who had no direct link to Project Eve.
In Emiya's mind, it wasn't a question of if they would appear on Earth but when, and how much chaos and firepower they would bring with them.
"If you think my presence here will put you, Eve, or the others in danger, then I'm willing to leave," Tearju said at last, much to the dismay of her friend, who nearly spat out her tea in shock.
Mikado's head snapped up at the statement, her expression tightening. "What are you saying? Leaving this place would be like stepping out of the pan straight into the fire. They'll find you much faster!"
"I have my own ways of moving around without being noticed. It worked before, and I don't doubt it will work again."
"That's a completely unnecessary gamble at this point. You might have been lucky before, but things may not turn out the same next time," the brunette replied firmly. Tearju fell silent, the scientist lowering her gaze without answering. The quiet stretched, and seeing it, the reincarnated Servant of the Bow cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him.
"I won't lie and tell you that I'm completely comfortable with you being here," Emiya said, his tone even. "But I'm not the one who decides who gets to stay on this planet and who has to leave. I also won't ask you to throw yourself into danger again just to avoid causing me trouble. One way or another, problems have a way of finding me regardless."
He set down his cup of tea with a soft click and looked directly at her. "But I do have a request. Don't create any trouble for Yami. Whether she's the Eve you once knew or not, the girl she is now doesn't need her past dragged back into the light. She's trying hard to stop being nothing more than a weapon without feelings. While you weren't the cause of what happened to her, you did play a part in it. I don't want her doubting herself and undoing the progress she's made."
Rather than looking insulted, Tearju simply smiled faintly, her glasses catching the light. "You care about her a lot. I'm glad to see Eve found herself a family."
The words left a brief silence between them. Feeling the conversation had reached its end and that he had made his stance clear, Emiya rose from his seat and began moving toward the door. As his hand reached for the handle, he heard his name again, called out with a hesitant tone.
"Um, Emiya?"
"Yes?" he replied while sending her a curious side glance.
Tearju didn't immediately speak. Instead, she glanced at Ryouko as if seeking her approval. The brunette thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. Only after that did Tearju continue. "I heard you can use magic capable of creating weapons on the spot."
He raised an eyebrow at the question. It was a little unexpected, though not shocking, that she knew about it. Enough people already did, and whether Mikado had told her or she had learned some other way, it was no longer much of a secret.
"Yes."
"If you don't mind telling me, could you explain how, or when, you gained those abilities?"
He studied her for a moment. Both the former assassin and Ryouko had mentioned she was a scientist, and curiosity came naturally to someone with her background. Someone so skilled in bioengineering would naturally find the concept of magic clashing with her understanding. It was not surprising that she wanted to know how such a thing could exist.
"It's hard to explain. I've had it for a very long time," he said at last. Technically, he had been born with it. His soul, circuits, origin, Reality Marble, and much more had all been part of him from his first day in this world. "I just trained with it until I reached my current level."
She gave him a look that mixed interest with puzzlement. "I see. I don't suppose there are more like you out there?"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't met any other humans who can use magic yet, but I haven't ruled out the possibility that others might exist."
"I see. Have you ever thought that perhaps it was passed down to you by your parents?"
He gave a small shrug, though he already knew the answer. "Who knows. That's something we'll probably never find out… but I wouldn't think too much about it. It's in the past."
"Do you hate them?" she asked quietly.
Emiya's eyes shifted slightly, but he said nothing right away, for this was the first time he had been asked this particular question. Her tone hadn't been accusing, only curious. Ryouko stayed still, her hands folded before her as she watched them both, waiting for his answer with an equal amount of interest.
"Hard to hate people you've never met," he said, voice flat, as he shrugged his shoulders and stepped for the door. "I have no idea if they're even alive or dead. At this point, the only parental figures I have acknowledged are Saibai and Ringo. Their only faults are being deadbeats to their children and working far too much. But in the end, they try, and that makes them good people. That's enough, and there's not much else to it."
With that said, he left, having felt he had done enough to push his point across to the duo and made himself as clear as possible.
{Break}
(Present)
The hunting trip had turned out better than Emiya expected. Granted, it had originally been only about restoring his brother's original form and not risk being stuck as a woman for another day. But their catch during this moment was quite substantial, especially when Lala had brought back more than that. There were heaps of bones and preserved meat, enough to fill the fridge for months if it could keep that long. But that was why the freezer was full of thick cuts and old-fashioned pouches of stock, the kind that could be layered into soups and stews. He found himself staring at the shelves and thinking that most of it could be given away.
Then again, the Devilukean Princess mentioned she could add a function to slow down time in a small area, which would keep the supplies usable for far longer. Putting aside how she had somehow managed to manipulate the flow of time with technology, the changes she'd made to his home's food storage made the massive haul of exotic and supposedly extinct meats feel less urgent and more manageable.
With all that food available, their monthly grocery bill would go down considerably for the foreseeable future. Small savings like that could be diverted into other things over time. He kept a notebook where he tracked expenses and the house budget. Numbers and short notes, nothing decorative — the margin notes were practical and quick.
As he continued to observe the numbers, he felt someone approach from behind the sofa.
"What are you doing?" Mikan asked, leaning against the furniture. Her head was visible over his shoulder as she then rested her chin there, looking at the page where he tracked their monthly expenses.
He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His eyes felt tired from reading the receipts and tallying figures. "Saving up some extra funds for your future studies," he said.
"You're still focused on that? Dad and Mom can always send us more if we ask. And by the time I'm at that age, finding a part-time job won't be that hard."
He hesitated for barely a beat from scoffing at the first idea. He did not hold any real grudge against their parents. In his view, they were decent people, but their priorities had always been tilted heavily toward their work rather than their marriage or kids. He could not remember the last time either of them had even called just to check in. Maybe it was last month, but he knew that was optimistic. When taking into account that, in most cases, it was either Rito or Mikan calling them instead, it had been much longer since either of those two made the effort to call first.
"Both of them are busy," he said. "One is a manga artist with constant deadlines. The other travels the world for fashion shows without catching any breaks, and their schedules don't leave much room for being home." He rubbed his temples and let the line of his jaw relax.
'I don't want to imagine what would have happened to these two if I hadn't been around. I handle things so they can learn to be independent without having to depend on their absentee parents too much.'
"Speaking of Mom and Dad, Christmas is coming up soon. We should send a message. Tell Dad to take a day off, or a few days, and for Mom to schedule a flight home. It would be nice if they could spend the holiday here for once."
"I'll talk to them," he said. He meant it. Even if they were absorbed by their careers, he hoped they could spare a few days to be with their children. If that meant for him to fly abroad, abduct that woman, and ask Zastin to do the same with Saibai, whom he now worked with… then so be it.
"Are you ready for school?" he asked.
"Almost. Help me with my hair a bit."
She came over and sat beside him. He reached for a hair tie and began to gather her hair into a ponytail. The movement was practiced and careful; he knew which strands needed smoothing and where to tuck the flyaways. Mikan watched him with the small, easy smile of someone who trusted him without needing to verbalize it.
"The twins have been excited for days," he said as he worked. "They wouldn't stop asking Rito and Lala questions. Which uniform looks better, which subjects they should take, if they can be placed in the same class as her, and so on."
"You can't blame them," Mikan said. "For them, this is new. On their home planet, they had private tutors and a bunch of attendants, being princesses and all. A real school with other kids their age is something different. It makes sense they're excited to try it out."
After they'd returned from Guyana, both Nana and Momo had pushed to be admitted to Sainan High rather than remain at home. He had no real objections. The principal was the kind of person who would accept them at first sight just because they were cute. A single photograph of the twins, and the next thing he knew, their paperwork was in order, and the principal was ready to sign them in without fuss. The formalities would not be a problem since there were basically none to begin with.
He paused for a moment. "I just hope Sephie's influence on him hasn't faded," he said, not adding more than necessary. "If it has, I need to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless with them. Why he hasn't faced consequences long ago is beyond me."
Soon, he finished tying her hair and smoothed the ponytail with his hand. The room smelled faintly of meat stock simmering in the kitchen, and the sound of a pot lid clinking came from the stove. Outside, light moved across the window in a steady sweep. Nothing dramatic. Just the ordinary passage of an afternoon: bills, food, homework, small plans for holidays.
"You'll send the message to Mom and Dad, right?" Mikan asked.
"I will," he assured her. "And I'll keep saving. Small things add up."
Mikan gave him a small, satisfied nod. She stood, grabbed her bag, and checked the straps twice. "Thanks."
"No problem."
He put his glasses back on and returned to the notebook. He rewrote a number, corrected a tally, and added a line for donations in case they decided to give surplus meat away. Even modest plans required care and attention. The twins would start school soon, and there were uniforms to buy, books to pack, and questions to answer. The list was long enough to keep him busy for weeks, and that was fine. Simple work, ordinary responsibilities, the kind that kept a house running and the people in it fed and safe.
"Does that mean Yami will also join the school one day? Though obviously, she'd be admitted into high school and not in my year. It's not like I can just ask her to transfer into my class," she said, her expression calm yet carrying the hint of curiosity that often lingered when Yami was brought up. One interesting detail about the golden-haired former assassin was how easily she could morph her appearance to look older if she wished. It gave her the option to enroll in any grade she wanted, but he wasn't about to influence that decision.
"If she wants to come and enroll at Sainan High, then fine. I can already tell she's thinking about it, just waiting to bring up the topic herself," he replied simply.
"We're ready!"
The voices of two girls came from the stairs. Moments later, the twins descended, broad smiles lighting up their faces as they wore uniforms identical to Lala's.
"So, how is it? Do we look good?" Momo asked first, turning slightly as she posed in a way that deliberately pressed her chest forward, the fabric noticeably stretching. Nana, on the other hand, looked almost embarrassed the moment her sister started tugging at the outfit.
"Don't do that, you idiot! You'll ruin your new uniform!" Nana snapped, trying to push her sister's hands away.
"I'm just making myself look good in front of our host, sister dear," Momo said, the corner of her mouth lifting into a teasing grin.
"Looking good doesn't mean you have to shove your boobs in everyone's face!" Nana shot back sharply, her cheeks faintly pink.
Momo smirked at that. "Why shouldn't I? If you have them, flaunt them, isn't that the saying? I'm sure Emiya appreciates how well they fit into the uniform. He certainly admires our sisters, after all. It's not my fault; there isn't anything I can do to help you in that department." Momo's voice carried such a casual tone that, for a moment, someone less familiar with her might have thought she was being sincere.
Nana's face continued to grow red, though now not just from embarrassment, but also pure outrage, as she was a second away from jumping at Momo.
"Alright, you two. Don't start arguing this early," he said as he adjusted his own uniform. He wasn't in the mood to listen to their usual back-and-forth, not when he still had to deal with that irritating principal later.
A few minutes passed before everyone was ready, and the group finally set out. Rito walked ahead, while Lala and the twins stayed close to him, which drew more attention than he liked.
Students along the way stopped to stare at the school's beauty, accompanied by lovely new faces. It wasn't long before the boys in particular began muttering curses under their breath, envious that Momo and Nana walked on either side of him while chatting as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Lala led the group with her usual energy, while Rito had moved ahead to speak with Haruna.
Emiya noticed how the boy seemed to talk more comfortably with her after the recent hunting incident. Yet even now, Rito still stammered when face-to-face with Haruna, his entire head turning red as he glanced away whenever the girl tried to make eye contact with him. There was improvement from how catastrophic he was before, yes, but clearly, he had a long way to go.
Then again, progress was progress.
"Oh? What's this? Two beautiful young girls are joining my school!"
The voice immediately set Emiya on edge. To his irritation, the principal had indeed reverted to his shamelessly perverted behavior. He bounded toward the twins on all fours like a feral beast, his short, rotund frame moving with surprising speed.
The mostly redheaded man was ready to intervene for what felt like the hundredth time when, unexpectedly, Nana stepped forward. She shifted her weight, then kicked the man square in the chest before he could lay a finger on them.
"Ugyooooo, nice legs!" The principal let out a shrill cry as his body flew backward, crashing through the air until a distant splash signaled his landing somewhere beyond the bridge.
The entire scene was absurd, but Emiya couldn't deny the clean execution of the kick.
"I didn't know you could pull that kind of maneuver off," he said, watching the ripples spread where the man had vanished. "That was a perfectly delivered strike."
"Really?" Nana turned toward him, her eyes and smile both wide for a moment before she caught herself. The edges of her mouth continued to tug upward, but she quickly looked away when Momo chuckled beside her.
"I-it was nothing. Why make a big deal out of something so simple? We should be focusing on the real issues now that we're at school," Nana said hastily before walking toward the main entrance ahead of them.
Momo leaned closer, lowering her voice with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "She's still so shy around you. Do you know how long she took to get ready today? I even caught her staring at several kinds of makeup, wondering which one would suit her the best, and she normally never wears makeup. She asked me at least three times which one she should try before blushing and getting cold feet."
"She's worried and probably overthinking things since it's her first day at school. It's a new social environment for her," he said, not noticing the girl next to him rolling her eyes at the remark. "In any case, let's get going. Oh, and if some of the boys give you trouble, find Rito or me. Don't try to deal with it alone."
He didn't trust those hormone-driven brats one bit. A small pack of them was all it would take for things to get out of hand, and he wasn't about to pretend otherwise. Still, he suspected he might be overthinking it. When Lala joined the school, it hadn't turned into complete chaos, just the people who were part of the Anti-Emiya Alliance. He realized the parade incident had left a bigger scar on his mind than he'd ever admitted to himself, and his own transformed state at the time had been just as big a factor.
"What if I come to you, and it turns into a big deal?" she asked. "I don't want to waste your time over something small. From what I heard and saw, many groups are trying to find ways to make trouble with you."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I've grown used to their antics. At this point, it's practically routine, and they are just beyond saving. If it keeps things peaceful for you, come find me. After a few days, they'll get used to you being around, and things will settle down."
Her smile grew brighter by the second. "That's great! You said it, not me. And I think the best time to test that out is right now!"
Before he could even ask what she meant, the girl leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
The movement was so quick and casual that for a moment, he wasn't sure it had really happened. But the stunned look on Nana's face, mouth hanging open, and the way several boys froze mid-step told him otherwise. Their reactions were exactly what anyone would expect after witnessing something like that.
"Alright! I'm heading in with Nana to meet Miss Mikado first. See you in class, Emiya! And see you around too, Rito!"
She didn't give him a chance to respond. Grabbing Nana by the wrist, she pulled the girl toward the building, waving over her shoulder with a grin as she went. The whole time, the courtyard stayed unusually quiet, as though the students were waiting to see what he'd do next.
That was when he realized Saruyama Kenichi, one of Rito's best friends and possibly the vice leader of the Anti-Emiya Alliance, was standing directly beside him. The boy hadn't said a word yet, just watched everything with an unreadable look on his face. Emiya braced himself for the shouting, the accusations, the rallying cry for every boy in the area to grab pitchforks and come after him.
…
None of that happened.
Instead, Saruyama placed a hand on his shoulder, smiled at him like they were treasured old friends, and gave him a thumbs-up.
"As expected of you, brother-in-law. Their first day hasn't even really begun, and they're already drawn to you. You've got what it takes to be a great man, hahaha! Truly, you are an example to all of us!"
"Brother-in… what?" he asked, his face blank.
But Saruyama didn't answer. He just kept laughing in that loud, good-natured way that somehow felt even more bizarre than if he'd started screaming accusations. The choice of words only made the whole thing even more unsettling.
"Anyway," Saruyama went on, "I've been doing some self-improvement of my own lately. I joined a gym, changed my diet, and even did some studying to get my grades up. Right now, I can guarantee you that I can pass all my classes by the time we get to the end-of-year exams."
"Get away from me," he muttered.
"Also, I believe this was a long time coming… I… I realized I may have been too unjust toward you these past days."
"I'm serious. Go away."
Saruyama ignored him completely. "But seeing you now, I get it. I can do better. I swear I'll become the kind of man worthy of your cousin's love!" He went so far as to pump a fist in the air with such determination that Emiya's expression went completely lifeless.
"So… am I worthy enough to get your beautiful cousin's phone number now? Please?"
At that moment, Emiya honestly wished the boys had decided to see him as the villain again. If they had attacked him with wild jealousy, at least it would have been predictable and something that he had grown used to dealing with.
Now he just wanted to cry.
.
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"Now what's going on here?" a certain girl with a bad habit of feeling up her friends' breasts asked as she came up alongside Emiya. "The whole school's been buzzing about a new pair of sisters. Beautiful twins, apparently. Rumor says they'll be placed in our year. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"They are Lala's sisters, I believe I told you about them before. They were on the island when Saki invited everyone, so most likely, many here will recognise them. I saw you talking to them earlier this morning, too. Already getting along, I see?" She was a pretty social person, and he did not worry about this girl not getting along with those two.
"Ooooh, I see now. Damn, I really missed quite the opportunity back then. I wouldn't have forgotten a chest like that with just how soft Momo's are. Not exactly at the same level as Lala's but just as divine and addictive," she said pridefully, folding her arms with a small, rueful smile. "Anyways, just came to talk to you, you look a little down. Come and tell Mommy Risa what happened. I'll comfort you like the good boy you are."
She said it in a mock-serious voice, exaggerated in the way that only someone trying to poke playfully harmless fun could manage. Then she reached out and grabbed his head. Before he could react, she pulled him down toward her and pressed his face against her chest in a hug that was more intimate than the classroom rules allowed.
The girl really had no shame when it came to showing affection.
Their classmates watched, a few shifting in their seats, some exchanged amused glances with their friends, while others were plainly jealous.
"I'm just regretting the fact that I cannot use memory-altering magecraft to make some people forget the past," he muttered, letting his voice fall low. If people refused to let go of what had happened when he accidentally was turned into a girl, if a fan club sprang up and kept the memory of that version of him alive, he suspected he would burn it down the same day. He said it quietly, the words heavy but practical, not theatrical.
'If they keep bringing up the incident of me becoming a girl to keep haunting me, I swear, I will tear it down in a day without caring for the consequences.' Asking Lala for a solution may well turn out to be his best and only solution for artificially altering memories.
"In any case, why are you here?" he asked the girl, testing the strength of the hug and trying to slip free. A couple of boys in the class shot him swift, annoyed glares, the kind that came from a mix of jealousy and resignation. "Shouldn't you be hanging out with Mio?"
"Mio is helping the twins get familiar with the school along with Lala," she answered, her eyes bright with that practical energy she always carried. "Mikado-sensei is a bit busy, so she couldn't do it, and Run was tied up with some task Yui gave her, so they asked us to step in. I decided to spend my time with my dear old grumpy friend instead. And no offense, but you look like you could use the company of a friend right now."
So she had been bored and chosen to come over, not for the first time. He liked the company, even if Risa had a tendency to be theatrical with her affection. It filled a corner of his day that otherwise felt empty.
"Risa, if you don't mind me asking, does your family have any plans for this upcoming Christmas?" he asked, the question slipping out because he wanted to know, because the season made people talk about different things. The girl blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in topic, and then gave him a small, odd smile.
"Well, they said we might go to the movies and eat out," she said. If anyone else had said it, he might have let it pass as a casual answer and moved on. But after spending time at her home and learning more about her family's situation, he had learned to listen for the little cracks in her sentences. The way she said it made it clear she expected their promise to be an empty one. Still, she kept a cheerful expression.
"Well, I'm going to put this out here; Mikan decided this year she wants to prepare a feast for several people, and she asked me to invite a few guests," he added, quick to move past the doubt. "I believe I already invited you, so in case you change your mind, know that you would be welcome to join us."
"…But I said that I will be going out with my parents, didn't I?" she whispered after a moment, voice small enough that he had to lean in to be sure he heard it.
"I heard that," he said, keeping his tone light. "But the invitation will remain open for you all the same, and think of it as a reminder. Just in case someone gets hungry and is nearby."
He could feel a flush from Risa that had nothing to do with the ambient temperature, and she rolled her eyes in a way that tried to disguise it.
"Damn, you're getting smoother," she said with a laugh that was half tease, half warning. "This might become a problem if you keep being like this. Who am I kidding? It's already a problem."
"Did you say something? I can't really hear you if you speak so silently and mumble like a mosquito,"
"Nothing, thank you," she replied, giving him another quick, playful tug on his head and pulling him toward her chest again. This time, the motion was gentler, less showy than before, her face resting briefly against his hair. It was a small comfort and not meant to be anything more.
"I'm not a teddy bear you can just hold every time you feel like it," he said, half protest, half amusement.
"That actually is not a bad idea," she countered. "You would make an amazing teddy bear. With that constant frown on your face, you would make such a cute model."
"Better let go of me soon, otherwise some people in class might start another revolution and come for my head," he replied, wriggling slightly to escape while keeping the conversation light. Even after saying that, his attempts at moving away failed when she tightened her hold of his head.
"Then let them. It's not like you can't handle them, and smacking a few might even give you a chance to release some of that pent-up frustration. I know you're partly looking forward to it," she said with a sly look. He gave a small chuckle at that. It brought a faint twinge of guilt, given that a part of him did feel like that would be kind of fun.
"Hm?" His amusement faded as his ears picked up a strange, faint noise from somewhere nearby. The moment of ease dissolved, and he instinctively straightened. "Huh?"
"Is something the matter?" she asked, tilting her head at his sudden change in expression.
He didn't reply right away. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the window at the far end of the classroom, drawn to where the sound seemed to come from. His eyes narrowed. Outside the window, far off in the blue sky, he noticed a small black speck moving with unusual speed.
A plane? This low? The thought barely had time to form before the speck swelled in size far too quickly to be any aircraft.
One made on Earth, at least.
His pulse jumped. That dark speck hurtled closer with unnatural velocity, and he saw now it wasn't a plane at all. Emiya's eyes widened, and his body moved before he had even fully registered what he was seeing. He reached out and seized Risa with one arm, pulling a nearby student in with the other, dragging them both away from the windows.
"Kya!"
Crash!
The sound that followed was deafening. A crash roared through the room as a shockwave of splintered air and crumbling stone engulfed them. Windows shattered in a rain of glittering shards. Wooden desks burst apart into jagged pieces, papers scattering like startled birds. Cement cracked under the impact of something enormous ramming straight through the side of the school. The classroom became a storm of debris and dust, the walls groaning as the floor trembled beneath their feet.
"Argh!"
Holding the two girls tightly, Emiya felt the blast throw him forward. His back struck the opposite wall with a painful jolt before he dropped to one knee, keeping his grip on them until the tremor eased. Dust clung to his clothes and hair as he finally released his hold. Risa stared at the wreckage, her eyes mirroring the disbelief etched across the faces of every other student who had survived the impact.
He swore under his breath, no longer able to restrain it. What had crashed through their classroom wasn't an aircraft. It wasn't even debris from space. It was, impossibly, a spaceship.
"Greetings, my future subjects!" a voice boomed from within the wreckage. "It is I, Seven, Third Prince of Kirara… who has arrived to claim what is rightfully mine and take the hand of the galaxy's fairest maiden to become my beloved bride! Yes, I of course speak of none other than Princess Lala Satalin Deviluke of Planet Deviluke!"
The hatch of the ship hissed open, and a figure emerged. At first glance, it had a vaguely human outline. Actually, as the smoke cleared, the individual in fact looked fully human with his biology; rather, it was his attire that was bizarre —wearing a gold and purple spacesuit kind of costume that covered his entire body, aside from his face. In most instances, this person would definitely be seen as a human who had gone crazy. Unfortunately, Emiya could not use that excuse, given the presence of the damn spaceship that had crashed through the walls!
"What is that!?" someone shouted from the back of the room.
"Did a plane just crash into our school!?"
"That's not a plane, you idiot!" another student snapped.
"He said he's from a different planet… an alien?"
"Holy shit, aliens are real!"
"Did this guy say something about Lala being a princess?"
A chorus of voices rose as the dust settled, students reacting with a mix of fear, awe, and wild curiosity. Some clutched their bags like shields. Others backed up toward the far wall. The noise of disbelief filled the classroom, Emiya realizing he needed to do something, pushed himself up with his hands on his knees. For months, he had done everything possible to keep this kind of knowledge hidden from the public, restricting it to a handful of people who could handle the truth. All of that was undone in an instant by a ship plowing directly into the school.
"Now, where is my bride? Where is Lala Satalin Deviluke?" the alien shouted, his arms extending outward as if addressing a crowd. "Come now, Princess, let us go back to your home planet and finalize our wedding! Magnificent as my elder brother Pikari may be, he is not worthy of your beauty; only a prince bursting with both grace and talent like me can marry a princess as fine as yourself!"
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot!?" Lala's voice cut through the chaos from the floor below. She stood there at the edge of the broken staircase, pink hair catching the light as she stared up at the alien in shock and anger. "Do you have any idea what you just did? This is a school! You could have hurt someone with that crash!"
The fact that no one lay bleeding among the debris was a miracle in itself. Emiya, still crouched, felt a heavy wave of relief settle in his chest in the absence of any injuries. For a brief moment, he had truly believed some unlucky soul might have been badly hurt or even killed.
"Ah, there you are, my bride!" the alien prince cried, his voice reverberating off the shattered walls. "Come! Let us leave this backwater planet and return to your home world, where we can have a proper wedding. You will be my queen and I your king!"
"I don't even know who you are, creep!"
A fiancé candidate, now of all times. Emiya could barely believe it.
Despite Zastin's earlier promise that he would keep the airspace secure, the situation had already spiraled far beyond what anyone expected. Speaking of the clumsy fool, Emiya's phone buzzed violently from inside his pocket, the Devilukean champion's name flashing across the caller ID. He snatched it up at once, pressing it to his ear, only to be greeted by the man's panicked voice shouting over what sounded like a background of sirens and frenzied commands.
"Lord Emiya, we've got trouble! A spaceship is heading straight for your location at insane speed! We tried to hail them, but the lunatic piloting it just kept ranting about us being unworthy to speak to the future emperor! You need to get out of the school now! We tried to divert it, but—"
Deciding that everything Zastin had to say was coming a few minutes too late, Emiya hung up and returned his focus to the alien newcomer, who was gazing at Lala with eager, sparkling eyes.
"Resistance, hah!" Seven bellowed, his voice thick with arrogance. "I should have expected nothing less from my soon-to-be bride! Fear not, my love, I may be a touch late, but I have learned the rules of this little game! To claim your hand, I must defeat the one standing between us! The one they call Yuuki Emiya Shirou, who is building his own harem and collecting princesse—urgh!"
The alien's declaration cut off instantly when a hardcover book slammed squarely into his face with a satisfying crack. The redhead, fed up before the fool could blurt out anything else for the entire student body to hear, lowered his throwing arm without a hint of regret.
"Your Highness!"
The alien prince wasn't alone, it seemed. Several nearly identical aliens stormed out of the spaceship behind him, clearly his attendants, scrambling to check on their prince's rapidly swelling forehead. Their ridiculous sentai-themed matching uniforms and sparkling eyes left no doubt that they were his personal entourage.
"How dare you, woman!" Seven roared, clutching the forming lump on his head.
"Wait! Your Highness," one of the attendants interrupted, pointing toward Emiya. "I think it was that guy over there who threw it."
"Ah, humans all look so alike," the prince muttered, his eyes scanning the crowd while Emiya turned away, already addressing Risa sharply.
"Get the others moving. Evacuate the building now. It isn't safe anymore," he ordered Risa. Not only did they have crash-happy aliens standing around with egos larger than their ship, but the crash itself had left parts of the school structure groaning ominously, with chunks of the second floor and ceiling barely hanging on. Any further chaos might bring the whole place down on their heads.
Risa hesitated, her voice dropping to a worried whisper. "What about what he said regarding Lala? Now everyone will know she's an alien."
The former Servant's jaw tightened, but before he could answer, a commotion erupted as several students spotted Lala herself. With Peke's assistance, the girl's cartoonishly devilish wings unfurled proudly, drawing every pair of eyes in the area as she ascended toward the shattered roofline. Gasps spread like wildfire at seeing her fly.
"She's leaving!" one alien shouted, completely forgetting Emiya even existed.
"Quickly, after her! This must be part of the trial too! No one else can be allowed to claim her!"
Without another word, the entire group of attendants scrambled back into their craft. Engines whined, and the hull lit up with pulsing light. In seconds, the vessel lifted smoothly off the ground, rubble scattering below from the downdraft before it tore off into the sky in pursuit of Lala.
Emiya exhaled slowly, watching it vanish over the horizon. At least the girl had the sense to draw the danger away from the school itself. He could commend that much, though now he needed to chase them down before things escalated further in the middle of the city.
Above, two more figures appeared. Now that the secret was well and truly exposed, Nana and Momo ran over, with the latter having used her D-Dial to summon several plants whose vines covered the ground and made sure that the floor would not collapse even further.
Momo shot him a tired smile as she descended briefly to drop off another rescued student. "First day here, and not only does some random fiancé candidate crash straight into our school, but he blurts out every secret possible in front of everyone. I'm starting to think my luck might be cursed."
The redhead smirked faintly at that. "Then it seems we share the same luck. You'll get used to it."
That was all he offered before sprinting toward the gates, only to spot familiar faces trying to follow close behind. He lifted a hand sharply. "Make sure everyone else is safe. Help Risa finish the evacuation, Rin!"
The swordswoman froze mid-step, glaring after him with clear frustration before reluctantly turning back, expression stormy but obedient.
"I really need a permanent solution for all these lunatics," he muttered under his breath as he vaulted the last bit of rubble and hit the street beyond. Reinforcement magecraft surged through his limbs, muscles tightening, pace accelerating as he locked onto the distant glow of the alien ship zipping through the sky as it chased Lala's trail.
For now, at least, they hadn't slipped completely out of range.
Truthfully, he had believed the example he made of Lacospo months ago would deter others from pulling such brazen stunts like this. The Emperor's bizarre antics on top of it all should have served as another warning, convincing most suitors to think twice before attempting anything reckless on Earth.
It had even worked for a while.
Until today.
The last time a fiancé candidate had gone this far was long enough ago that he had almost started to believe the madness might finally be over. Almost.
The galaxy was a vast place with countless worlds scattered in every direction, so the chance of another one showing up sooner or later was high. Lala, most likely thinking she had landed far from everyone, had ended up in the forest, at least far enough from the city to keep people from getting caught in whatever stupid mess Seven was trying to stir up. And for some reason, that foolish prince had repeated the same stunt as before and crash-landed his ship.
"I'm dealing with a bunch of idiots!" Emiya shouted as he ran, pushing through thick vegetation. The ground shook beneath his feet before a flash of light hit his vision, forcing him to shield his eyes. When he reached the clearing, the scene made him stop for a moment. Lala sat on top of a giant shrimp-like robot while several near-human aliens lay unconscious around her. There were more of them than he had expected, but somehow she had taken care of them all with little effort.
"You okay?" he asked, checking the fallen attackers while keeping his focus on her. None of them moved. From the looks of it, this group seemed poorly equipped, hardly the kind of people anyone would call royal guards.
"You sure did a number on them."
"I didn't do much," Lala replied quickly with a sour face as she kicked one of the people nearest to her out of spite. "I just disabled their ship and had Nemu Nemu Inu-kun fire a powerful sleep laser. Since they are Kirarians, they are even weaker than humans when they can't rely on their Rocketium-based technology. They all passed out immediately!"
"…You mean sleeping gas or knockout gas?" Emiya asked.
She shook her head. "No, it's a laser beam that makes you fall asleep. I use it on myself when I can't fall asleep because I'm too excited to do it on my own."
He glanced around at the slumbering aliens. It sounded strange but useful, assuming there were no side effects. Knowing Lala, he doubted she had even checked after confirming the thing worked.
"In any case, it seems the prince himself, or whatever he is, isn't here. Did you let him go?"
"No," Lala said firmly. "I wanted to throw him inside a black hole, but he ran off like a scaredy cat! He disappeared before I could get him. I tried to follow, but these guys blocked me! I wasn't trying to kill him, humph!"
"Throwing him into a black hole does sound like a death threat," Emiya muttered. "Go back to school. I'll handle him myself."
"You sure? He's probably nearby. If we search together, we could find him quickly," she said.
"No," he answered, leaving no room for argument. He tapped her head lightly, as if to calm her. "The school's a mess. Only you have the tools to fix it."
"Eh? Wow, it's rare to hear you say something nice about my inventions. Does that mean you trust me to use my gadgets?"
"Only those necessary for doing simple tasks like the dishwasher and the pantry, to name a few. If you have similar creations that are simple and not animal-looking… maybe I can look the other way," Emiya said simply. "Right now, though, everyone knows you're an alien. We'll have to deal with that later. For now, don't stay here and make sure the school doesn't fall apart."
She nodded and hugged him before leaving, stopping just long enough to give him a quick kiss on the lips. It was clumsy, something she had clearly picked up from watching TV, but she left smiling before he could react.
When she finally left, his expression changed. The faint smile that had been lingering on his face disappeared as he turned toward the river. He walked quietly along the bank, the sound of water brushing against the rocks keeping him company. The air was cool, damp with the faint trace of metal that reached his nose after several minutes. He stopped and crouched down, noticing the faint tracks pressed into the muddy soil. Droplets of blood were scattered across the earth, dark against the wet ground, pointing toward someone who'd recently been injured.
Judging by the trail, it was obvious the injury happened after the landing. He thought back to how recklessly the ship had crashed earlier. Who just descends onto a planet by smashing straight into it like that? It seemed this so-called Prince Seven did. Either something attacked him right after the landing, or he'd managed to injure himself while trying to escape the wreck without paying attention to his surroundings. For all the talk about his advanced battle suit, it was turning out to be rather unimpressive.
The young man considered how quickly Seven's attendants had been defeated by Lala's robot earlier. Watching them scramble and collapse with so little resistance had told him something important. If these people possessed any dangerous powers, they certainly were not showing them. Still, he remembered her comment about them largely depending on rocket-based technology and kept his guard up. Getting careless now would be foolish.
He continued forward, following the tracks as they cut deeper into the forest. The canopy above swallowed most of the daylight, leaving the path ahead dim and damp. The sound of ragged breathing soon reached his ears, uneven gasps mixed with the splashing of water from somewhere ahead. Whoever it was clearly had no strength left to continue fleeing or hiding themselves.
A flicker of gold moved between the trees up ahead. Emiya's eyes narrowed. His hand moved smoothly to Kanshou, the familiar weight of the blade filling his grip before he sent it flying forward. The weapon cut through the air before slamming into its target with a sharp crack.
A scream tore through the forest.
"Aaaaargh!"
The noise carried across the trees as he stepped forward. The so-called prince was there, pinned against a trunk, the blade driven clean through his forearm, and locked in place. Blood ran down his arm in thin streams, dripping steadily onto the roots below. His gleaming battle suit had failed to protect him from even a single strike.
"Y-You—you did this!? To me!? How dare you! Do you know who I am? I'm the third prince of Kirara! Don't come near me! Stay back—AARGH!"
There was no point in saying anything at that moment, so upon reaching the tree and the screaming prince pinned to it, Emiya gripped the sword's hilt and pulled it free in one smooth motion. The prince let out another strangled cry before collapsing onto the ground, clutching at his arm as if he could hold the blood in with sheer willpower.
"You could have killed someone back there at the school with that reckless landing of yours," Emiya said flatly, his gaze cold and steady. "I've dealt with several fiancé candidates before. Some were dangerous. Some were idiots. A few could at least be reasoned with. But you? You've just claimed the title of the biggest fool I've ever met. And I thought Lacospo was bad."
"L-Lacospo? O-Oh… hold on… You're the one who killed him?" Seven muttered, confusion flickering through his pained expression. The question made the person in front of Seven raise an eyebrow.
This idiot apparently had no idea who he was even supposed to go after in order to 'win' Lala despite there being multiple people who'd already tried and failed, a couple even dying for their attempts. There was only so much headspace that one's sheer arrogance could fill, yet this person was practically drowning in it.
"No… that can't be right! Pikari gave me a picture of her real fiancé! You're not him!"
On cue, one of Seven's gadgets blinked to life, projecting a holographic image into the air. The face that appeared was a familiar one.
"Rito?"
So the wrong identity was being spread around. Emiya's eyes narrowed slightly. If his brother's face was being shown to other candidates as well, this could turn ugly fast.
"It doesn't matter," he muttered. He tightened his grip on the sword. Normally he would have just beaten the fool senseless and handed him over to Zastin to be sent back to his home planet. But this one had crossed a line. Endangering students, threatening lives, treating this world like it was his personal playground… No, letting him walk away was not an option for he did not wish to risk something similar happening at his house as revenge. Some people simply never learned.
He saw the man's hands lift and read the motion as clearly as a page from a children's book. The stranger's fingers trembled as he waved them in frantic, pleading arcs.
"W-Wait, wait! Wait! Please!" the man stammered. "I did not mean to put those people in danger! I-I-It's our custom! Our race announces itself like this to show who we are! No one was hurt, right? W-We did not act out of malice. Please, do not kill me! I beg you! I don't want to die! P-Please! I will shower you with riches! I will become your vassal after you ascend the throne as Emperor of Deviluke!"
His voice kept rising until it hurt his ears, but the tears on his face were a sign that he was not putting up an act. He pressed his palms together like a child asking for forgiveness. The sight was pitiful in the clear light; a man clinging to the hope that he would be spared the knife.
Emiya watched with his weapon steady in his grip. For a moment, the tension in his arm loosened, and then hesitation made its way in his heart —until he remembered what occurred back at the school, and his grip tightened once more. Golden brown eyes with a hint of steel gray narrowed at the display before him… for he saw the sweat on the man's brow, the quiver along his jaw. Then just as he was about to reach a conclusion, at the corner of his vision, something violet and thin split the air with a loud ear ear-piercing sound.
"—!"
The blade came down in a wide arc, aimed not at Seven but at the side, where a black projectile that did not resemble an arrow came flying straight for his neck. Kanshou intercepted it at the last fraction of a second. The attack crashed into the metal and shattered into a rain of sharp, glass-like fragments. The shards spun outward, reflecting light before they dissolved into a puff of dark smoke that smelled faintly of ozone and iron, like burnt wires.
'Another one!'
The second spike shot past him, missing him by mere inches. It passed through the space where a second later the prince would have been standing.
The prince never saw the second strike. He was still in the middle of his pleas, eyes squeezed shut, hands raised. The spike drove into his throat with terrible efficiency. Blood fountained into the air. Seven tried to speak, but each attempt only made the wound bleed more. He sank to the ground with a soft thud, his limbs folding like cloth, and by the time he finished a single ragged breath, he had gone still.
Emiya did not move for a beat and kept his senses peeled. The forest went quiet following the sudden assassination. The Kirarian prince's body lay small and still on the soil, a dark red stain spreading outward. The air's taste turned metallic.
"You hesitated." Someone or something? He could not discern the figure behind the sound at all. The disembodied voice had no single place of origin. Whether it be from nearby, behind one of the trees, or even a few steps away from himself —it felt like it came from every single angle. "You hesitated, that is not ideal for someone like you, who should be used to seeing death," the voice continued.
"…Who are you to say that?" Emiya asked aloud, not liking where this conversation was heading. "Do you think you know me? Also, a sneak attack like that is not very polite of you. The least you can do is to show yourself."
A laugh answered him. It came from all around again, softer this time, amused in a way that made his skin crawl.
"Why are you trying to change? Is it because of your current family? Is someone influencing you? It is a nice performance, but you cannot change your nature so easily. How long until they learn to embrace who you truly are? How long until you and that other wayward one return to what you were before?"
This thing knew about his origin? That should not be possible; he never showcased anything else outside of his magecraft, so even his identity as a Heroic Spirit or Counter Guardian could not be known by any being. Yet this thing… Was it another Heroic Spirit? That could explain the Presence Concealment, or whatever this ability was that resembled it. But that was still just a guess. But even then, why hide?
"That is none of your business," Emiya said, choosing to deal with this person very cautiously. "I do not have time for your riddles. My present self has nothing to do with my past, even if it only lasts for what in the grand scheme of things is a small amount of time. Either show yourself or begone. This conversation — if it can be called that — gives me nothing of value."
The voice made a small sound like a pleased hiss. "Oh, feisty. I like that. It is cute to see you thinking you control your fate. And you're even trying to drag Golden Darkness along in your path. Not knowing both of you will just end up back where you started, for that is your true nature."
Emiya's jaw tightened. He could feel his patience shrinking. He had no proof and no face to aim his questions at. The voice fed on his uncertainty. "How long have you been following me?" he asked.
"A long time, relatively. I found you by accident once, and for a moment, I did not trust my own eyes. My curiosity toward you is simple: are you a failure or a success?" The answer was vague, deliberately so, but it actually stumped him a bit. Failure or success? That made him doubt his earlier guess of this being another supernatural entity like himself, yet that made even less sense.
Shaking his head, the man turned his head and cast one last look at the prince's lifeless face, then reached into his pocket and took out his phone.
He thumbed the screen and called Zastin. The line rang three times before the guy answered. "I sent you the coordinates by text," he said without preamble when the call connected. "Come pick up the body. Deal with it as you see fit."
"U-Understood!" The man on the other end responded quickly, his tone caught somewhere between surprise and fear. Without waiting for anything further, he hung up and turned on his heel, making his way back toward the town, fully aware that unseen eyes were still following him.
"I don't know who or what you are," he called out, his voice steady but edged with irritation. "I don't know how you know so much about me, and I don't really care what sort of business you think you have with me. But I'll give you one warning. Stay away from me and my family."
As the last word left his mouth, his eyes caught movement in the distance. From behind the thick trunk of a tree, a shape slowly emerged. It was mostly humanoid, but its form was nothing more than a dark shadow. Two round holes where eyes should have been glowed faintly, and a broad, unchanging smile stretched across its face.
"Ah, oops~! I'm afraid it's a bit too late for t—" The figure never finished. Its body was instantly and brutally sliced apart as a storm of swords descended from above, slicing through the trees and boulders instantly, chopping the creature into dozens of fragments. More weapons shimmered into existence above Emiya, each one trained on the same spot, waiting for the slightest hint of movement.
Yet even as its severed limbs fell, the shadowy figure laughed. One detached arm gave a slow, mocking wave as it dissipated into black smoke. "Fufufu~! Now that's much better. I'll see you again soon, my dear little brother~!"
"…"
Silence followed.
Whatever controlled the construct vanished completely, leaving no trace. Emiya had already taken off, sprinting toward the school at full speed. By the time he arrived, students had gathered outside, watching as a crane carefully lifted pieces of rubble aside. On top of the machinery stood Saki, inexplicably wearing a bright yellow construction helmet, barking orders into a speakerphone as though she's done this many times. And taking a closer look at the crane, he realized Aya was the one operating it.
Lala, meanwhile, was flying around, carrying some students from the building back to the ground, and people were actually… cheering for her. Had they dismissed the truth about her origin as an alien? But she was flying in plain view without bothering to put up any kind of front… so he was at a bit of a loss on what was happening with these people.
"Nii-san! You're back!" Rito shouted from the crowd. "Saki challenged Lala for your hand in marriage by starting a challenge on who can clean up the school as much as possible first."
"..."
Alright, best not to question the mentality of the people of this world and how the young heiress focused more on that part than the alien one. Seeing him being fine and accompanied by his friends and Risa made Emiya feel a flood of relief surge within his heart. But then, he could not so easily ignore the words of that thing back there, whether or not it was joking or being serious; he could not take any chances.
So if it was not talking about Rito then…
"Damn it!"
He spun around, much to the confusion of many, taking another road that he knew would lead him toward a certain middle school as quickly as possible.
{Break}
(Around the same time)
"Whoa, it tastes absolutely delicious!"
Outside the schoolyard of Sainan's middle school, Mikan wore a faint smile edged with pride as the chorus of reactions around her unfolded exactly as she had expected. Her friends had just tasted the food she brought, and the result was the same as always — wide eyes, surprised gasps, and murmurs of delight. The recipe had been one her brother had perfected recently, a simple dish yet a clear hit among her classmates.
"This is even better than the food I had at that Michelin-star restaurant my parents took me to last week. How do you do it?" one girl exclaimed between bites, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Oh, it's nothing special," she replied with a small laugh, brushing it off as if it were hardly worth the fuss. "Just something I learned from my brother. I don't even know where he got the recipe from, but it's not as hard to make as it looks."
The recipe itself was simple chicken karaage, but with a small change to the spice added to the meat before cooking, and a special mayo chilli blend he made for her last night.
A collective hum of appreciation rose around her as the girls nodded, chewing happily. Even though half her bento had already disappeared into their eager hands, Mikan didn't mind. They liked her food, and that was enough for her. Besides, they often traded their own snacks for hers, and there were always a few treats she enjoyed receiving in return. It balanced out in the end.
"I'm really starting to get curious about this brother of yours," one of her friends, Sachie, said, leaning in with a grin. "Every time you bring amazing food, you mention him. I wish I had a brother who cooked like this for me!"
Mikan's smile twitched at the corner, though she didn't let it slip. "Hahaha, is that so?"
"Yeah! Imagine waking up to this kind of food every single day. I'd probably gain weight faster than my mom does when she goes out partying with her friends. Or like my dad when he goes on one of his business trips and comes back twice as heavy as before."
The example was oddly specific, but she had long since grown used to her friends' strange comparisons. Especially Mamie, that girl always fantasized about every little thing.
"Hey, what year is he in right now?" another girl asked with mischief in her voice. "I need to know how long I have before I can meet him after I get to high school myself, or maybe even university. Hopefully by then he's not already married—Ow! Ow!"
The youngest Yuuki sibling had promptly flicked the girl's forehead before that thought could spread any further. Then a second time, just because.
"Idiot," she snapped, scowling as the others giggled. "He's much older than you, and there's no way he'd accept someone as lazy as you for his wife or girlfriend, even if you were his age!"
She knew, however, that her words weren't entirely true. Her brother probably wouldn't mind someone being lazy; in fact, he'd even find them endearing despite his tsundere attitude. He liked doing chores, cooking, and cleaning. If anything, a laid-back partner might suit him perfectly —which was being proven by how he kept taking care of no less than three alien princesses every single day along with Celine! Still, there was no chance she'd ever admit that in front of these girls.
"That hurt, Mikan!" the girl whined dramatically, rubbing her forehead while the others chuckled. Those who had known Mikan longer gave the culprit a look of mock sympathy.
"It's your fault, Ayame," one said slyly. "Mikan's never going to bring any of us to her house if we keep teasing her about her brother."
"That's not why I don't invite you guys!" Mikan shouted, her face turning red despite her protests, which only set off another round of laughter.
"Look at her! She's blushing so much. She really does like her dear big brother, doesn't she?"
"Now I want to tease her even more!" another chimed in.
"Let's just meet this guy already. We always hear about him and her other brother, but we've never actually seen them. She could be making it all up for all we know."
"Well, you're not wrong," someone else added, smirking.
The twitch in her eye grew until she slammed her bento shut with more force than intended. The table rattled. She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she snapped. "All of you can mind your own business!"
"Ah, there she goes. Maybe we pushed too far," one of them muttered as she stormed off.
"Nah, she's always like this when it comes to that topic. Don't worry about it," another said casually.
Mikan could still hear their voices behind her, which didn't help her mood. They weren't bad people, far from it, but sometimes they were unbelievably irritating. Staying another minute with them would have driven her up the wall.
"They act like it's weird to talk about my brother when they were all just gushing over the food he taught me to make," she muttered under her breath as she walked. It wasn't her fault; most of her accomplishments led back to him somehow. Cooking, studying, even sports, Shirou had helped her with all of it, alongside Rito. Talking about them came naturally, but her friends insisted on twisting it into something else entirely.
"I need some air," she sighed.
The school gates were locked during recess, so leaving campus wasn't an option. Fortunately, Mikan knew a quiet spot near the entrance under a tree where hardly anyone ever went at this hour. It was away from the noise of screaming classmates and the racket from the boys playing their usual games.
"They'll calm down in ten minutes," she told herself as she reached the spot, settling down under the tree. A soft breeze filtered through the leaves, cooling her skin and carrying away the heat in her face. The air was fresh here, free from the smell of sweat and food lingering in the courtyard.
For the first time all day, it was peaceful.
"Hello! You must be Mikan-chan!"
The moment barely lasted thirty seconds.
Mikan opened her eyes, expecting one of her friends to have followed her to apologize. Instead, she saw someone completely unfamiliar.
Standing before her was an older girl with mostly short red hair aside from a long braid that trailed all the way down her back. The sunlight caught strands of it, turning them almost copper in the light. Her Sainan High uniform looked neat and crisp, the kind that students from the neighboring campus wore.
Was she lost? Maybe looking for the principal's office? That was the only explanation Mikan could think of. But then another thought struck her.
'How did she even get in here?' Mikan wondered silently, frowning. The gates were definitely still locked. And that wasn't even getting into the question of how this stranger somehow knew her name.
Before she could ask, the girl pulled something from her pocket and held it out.
A lollipop.
The brunette blinked at the sudden offering as the stranger smiled warmly, the candy's wrapper crinkling faintly between her fingers.
"My name is Mea," the girl said lightly. "Do you like sweets?"
---------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.