Beta read by Opal and FabledLife
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-Midchilda-
It wouldn't be a lie to say that Shirou found himself thinking back to all the difficult scenarios he had faced throughout his life. As a regular student in Fuyuki, he had encountered numerous dangerous situations that would have broken most people. Later, as a temporary contractor with the Clock Tower working alongside enforcers, the stakes had grown even higher. Perhaps those situations weren't as bad as this, but there were certainly moments when he had genuinely feared for his own life. Even then, he had never been particularly worried about himself, carrying out each mission with relative ease and confidence to come out of it intact, even when death would creep up on him several times in unexpected ways. But this time... this time, he had been thrown completely out of his element with no idea what to do whatsoever.
The back of his knees hit something soft, and Shirou found himself falling onto the bed. The sound of the door locking echoed in his ears as his heartbeat accelerated like an engine. He started picturing the upcoming outcome, his mind racing through possibilities.
Quickly getting up, he raised his hands and closed his eyes while looking away. "Yo-You two! I'm happy that you want to take that extra step in this relationship, and I'll try my best, but I still want you to know that I've never gone this far with someone else, let alone two women at the same time, so please give me some leeway if I somehow don't live up to your expectations!"
Ah, did that sound too pathetic? Hopefully not, those being the very first words that came out of his mouth.
'This is all Shinji's fault,' he thought with exasperation. Even though he hadn't seen that boy for so many years, his influence lingered in strange ways. All those adult materials Shinji would share with him at school — something he had initially believed to be just fantasy stories that would never happen in real life. Even for her younger self, who had not been in a relationship yet, she understood that a single relationship would pose plenty of challenges, let alone one with several partners. For such a ridiculous scenario to actually happen to him of all people! Because of that, memories of those times resurfaced strongly, with some of the things that the boy would watch making his face burn red.
'No, I shouldn't be hesitating like this, showing myself to be this doubtful and uncertain! It could potentially make both girls misunderstand that I'm not interested and could make them feel bad since I don't want them to think they're forcing me!'
Pushing aside every bit of anxiety and embarrassment, he took a deep breath before puffing out his chest and opening his eyes wide while facing them directly. "Sorry, I was just… well, never mind. I'm ready!"
"..."
"..."
Something felt odd.
"Shirou?"
He stopped the moment he opened the door.
Nanoha and Fate were standing right outside, both staring at him in silence.
Fate had somehow thrown a bathrobe over her lingerie at some point, though the loose collar still showed enough to make him instantly look away before failing and looking back again. Nanoha was in the middle of tying hers shut, hands paused halfway through the motion as she blinked at him.
The three of them stood there for a few awkward seconds.
"Eh?" Fate tilted her head slightly. "You're ready?"
She looked toward Nanoha in confusion. "What did he mean by that?"
Nanoha only shrugged while tightening the robe around herself. "No idea." Then she looked back at him, eyes narrowing with interest. "So? What did you mean by that?"
Shirou opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
His brain was still trying to catch up to the scene in front of him. Between the half-finished robes, the fact that they had both been in his room moments ago, and the complete lack of concern on either of their faces, his thoughts had immediately gone somewhere else entirely.
Nanoha noticed the growing red on his face almost instantly.
A smile spread across her lips. "Wait…" she said slowly. "What exactly were you expecting here?"
"We just wanted your opinion on our outfits," Fate added innocently. "That's all."
The redhead froze, a dreadful sensation settling in his stomach as he saw their reaction. Was it… was it not that? But the signs were all there, even when trying to think about how he would survive their wrath earlier on, the reaction completely caught him off guard.
"…Oh."
Fate blinked at him. "Oh?"
His face somehow became even redder, realizing that he had let his imagination run wild after all. Coughing awkwardly and leaving the room would be the best outcome before dealing with the aftermath tomorrow. "Never mind."
"Oh no," Nanoha said at once, stepping closer, blocking his path of escape. Damn it, she saw right through him! "You don't get to say 'never mind' after looking that guilty."
"I wasn't looking guilty."
"You absolutely were," she replied without missing a beat.
Fate nodded beside her. "Very suspicious, actually."
"Hah, I just misunderstood, that's all."
Nanoha folded her arms. "Misunderstood what?"
"I thought you meant something else."
"What else?" Fate asked.
They were really pushing it… he looked between them, clearly regretting every decision that had led to this moment. "Can we please stop this conversation now and pretend as if this did not happen?"
"Nope," Nanoha answered immediately, and he practically predicted that response at this point.
"Not until you explain," Fate added, though her tone stayed softer.
While they were no longer wearing those provocative lingerie, those bathrobes still did not do much to hide their contours and made it hard for his eyes to decide where to look without creating misunderstandings. He backed up a step. They followed without even seeming to notice it. The window guide was not locked; sliding it open and escaping through it would be the best plan for the moment. But if somehow it were to be locked… then he was pretty sure his body could break through the glass. A small moment of pain from glass shards was nothing compared to the sheer awkwardness he was feeling at this moment.
Ah… upon seeing their mirthful eyes, it dawned on the redhead that they were just messing with him.
"You two are enjoying this way too much."
"A little," Nanoha admitted.
"A lot," Fate corrected.
"That too."
Shirou groaned and covered part of his face with one hand. "I hate both of you right now."
"No, you don't," Nanoha said with a grin, and he hated how right she was. Fate leaned slightly closer, watching him struggle to maintain eye contact. "So?" she asked. "What exactly did you think we were asking you to get ready for?"
"I'm not answering that."
"That bad?"
"N-Not something bad, but it's embarrassing!"
Now both girls looked even more interested. Nanoha tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, this explains why you suddenly sounded so determined earlier."
Fate nodded along seriously. "He really did sound prepared for something important."
"I hate this conversation," Shirou muttered.
"You started it," Nanoha reminded him.
"I did not start it!"
"You walked out and announced you were ready before even seeing us," Fate pointed out. "That sounds pretty confident to me."
"Because I was dragged in by you two and thought—" He stopped himself again and groaned louder. "Forget it!"
Nanoha laughed under her breath. "You really did imagine something weird."
"I did not!"
The look both girls gave him made his defense fall apart almost instantly.
"…Okay, maybe a little."
"A little?" Nanoha repeated.
Fate smiled faintly. "Judging by your face, I think it was more than a little. Ara ara~ I didn't expect Shirou to be that dirty minded after all, what a surprise."
Shirou took another step back until the edge of the bed hit the back of his legs. He nearly sat down from surprise before catching himself.
Nanoha noticed immediately. "Trying to escape already?"
"I'm trying to survive."
"That dramatic?" she asked.
"You two cornered me the second I walked out the door!"
Fate sat down on the bed beside him before he could move away again. "We're just curious."
"Very curious," Nanoha added as she moved in front of the doorway without even trying to hide it.
Shirou looked at the two of them, then at the blocked exit.
"…I'm trapped."
"Correct," Nanoha said proudly.
He dropped his head into his hands with a long sigh while the two girls tried and failed to hide their amusement. "Alright, alright, we will stop torturing you now, Shirou. But we do have something we want you to do, and that is why we pulled you inside in the first place."
"Hm?" Now that he felt these two were no longer trying to tease him into oblivion, the man got genuinely curious as to why they would even do that in the first place. Is curiosity only growing upon seeing Nanoha point at several shopping bags tucked in the corner of the room?
"We initially just started with a small trip together at the mall and chose a few pieces of lingerie here and there. But then got distracted and started to have differing opinions on certain sets. So we figured, who else but you to give us a third opinion on the matter?"
"Why not Hayate, Teana, or even Subaru?" He asked with genuine confusion. Unable to understand why they would even think about such a thing, given that fashion of any kind when he came to women was not exactly his strong point.
But it seemed that his question might have sounded odd given the stare they gave him. "What do you mean by you? Isn't it normal for a boyfriend to give his opinion to his girlfriend about what suits her and what doesn't? Why I agree Hayate would have also been a good choice, along with the other girls, they are quite occupied, especially Hayate, and I didn't want to disturb the other two for something like this."
That… made sense? Did it really, or was he being corrupted by this woman and her strange way of thinking? At this point, it was hard to tell. Which led him to look at Fate for answers.
But the blonde merely shrugged, "I was technically dragged into this matter as well and figured I'll stick around to see how it goes."
Not that he should have expected anything else from her. These two were peas in a pod.
…
(Several hours later)
The redhead woke early to the sound of birds outside the window. For a few seconds, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling while trying to shake off the heaviness in his head. "…Ugh." He stretched an arm out, still half-asleep, then stopped when his hand brushed against scattered clothing. Shirts, jackets, and blankets were spread all over the room like someone had given up cleaning halfway through.
At first glance, it did look like quite a scandalous scene, but upon closer observation, things just did not add up for one to conclude that anything strange had happened last night. "What the hell happened here…"
Pushing himself upright and caught sight of his reflection in the nearby mirror, and as one might imagine, it wasn't the best. His hair turned out to be a mess, and he looked more exhausted than rested. For a brief moment, his mind came up empty, nothing but the sound from the outside reverberating inside his skull.
Then the memories returned.
The teasing. The constant back and forth. Everyone refused to let him breathe for more than five seconds at a time. His own misunderstanding nearly dragged him into an eternal well of embarrassment. Thankfully, the girls did not mind, but spending on judging clothes and trying not to say the wrong thing sure did take a toll on him. He dragged a hand down his face. "Right… that."
The memories alone made him feel tired again. Never was he going to walk past a clothing store without some trauma now.
Looking around properly this time, he finally realized that there were two other people in this room… "Ah," Nanoha, asleep on the bed itself with Fate beside her. The two were pressed so close together they were practically hugging in their sleep, completely unaware of anything around them.
He blinked. "Why are they on the bed?"
This time, he refused to react instantly and misunderstood something else again. His gaze shifted toward the bed, confusion settling in again. He clearly remembered getting off it at some point last night and sitting on the ground instead. Yet somehow, he had still woken up here.
"…And where did the others even go?"
The more he tried to piece the night together, the hazier it became. He could remember bits and pieces, but after a certain point, everything blurred together into exhaustion and embarrassment from dealing with all the teasing thrown at him.
Silently leaving the bed, he looked around his room and saw all the clothes, the lingerie, and other women's clothing filling the place. "How chaotic last night was," he muttered under his breath. Rubbing his head, he had a small flashback of Fate and Nanoha and their near-endless types of clothing, which he truly believed they were doing intentionally as payback and were just not admitting it.
With it only supposed to be a moment where he would just need to judge each set and give his honest opinion. Yet each set always kept getting a different reaction from him, some looking rather beautiful and even cool, while others were rather provocative and made it hard to hide his reactions.
After that, he proceeded to unconsciously get out of bed and go prepare breakfast for Nanoha and any other guests who were in his house at the moment. Given how his place had ended up becoming an area for social gathering for not only his friends but also anyone else from Riot Force Six.
Looking at the two women hugging each other, he could not help but gently pinch the girls' faces a bit. Enough to elicit a few groans and grimaces. "I'll consider that as revenge for what happened last night and for deceiving me." It would be a lie to say that he wasn't somewhat disappointed. But he was still mostly relieved that things did not advance too quickly and make things very awkward, given that everything that happened with Fate only occurred two days ago.
'Still, they look quite adorable.' He said to himself, watching them sleep peacefully and stopping teasing them. Already satisfied and willing to look past their actions.
Doing so steadily, he walked out of his room without waking them up and finally made it outside, where it felt like an invisible pressure had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Oh, you're awake already?" Shirou said as he stepped into the hallway. "That's unusual. Usually, I have to use all kinds of tricks and snacks to get you to open your eyes. Did you even sleep last night?"
He noticed Lutecia peeking out from around the corner and gave her a small wave. "Morning. Yes, I slept. But Vivio kept pushing me off my bed, so here I am. Then she proceeded to steal my blanket in her sleep. I will never forgive her for that."
"Heh, you are letting yourself get pushed around by someone much younger than you. How the mighty insect summoner has fallen by being defeated by a young child."
"She's not just a young child, don't fall for that innocent front, Shirou! Never mind, it doesn't matter even if I say it… anyway…" Lutecia kept staring at him for a few seconds before finally speaking. "How did last night go?"
The question itself was simple. Completely normal.
For some reason, it immediately put him on edge.
Shirou blinked once, suddenly feeling more nervous than he had any reason to be. "Uh…" He scratched the side of his face. "Nothing happened. I just went to sleep."
Lutecia's expression didn't change, keeping giving him the same flat look before quietly adding, "Vivio was here last night."
"…Yeah?"
"And if Vivio was here," she continued, "then Fate was too."
The moment she said it, her eyes slowly drifted from him to the door behind him.
Then back to him again.
A faint red tint started creeping across her face. "I also saw Nanoha's shoes at the entrance just now. I didn't notice this yesterday, so that means… No way," she muttered.
Shirou immediately felt danger as her mind began to head.
"No, wait—"
"You went that far with both of them?" she asked, staring at him in complete disbelief. The words came out unevenly from how flustered she suddenly looked.
"It's not like that!" he shot back instantly, nearly tripping over his own words in the process. "Nothing happened! Seriously!"
Lutecia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then why are you panicking? A-And now that I am close to you, there is even a faint fragrance of perfume on you!"
What was she, a bloodhound? A not-so-small part of him cursed not taking a bath first thing in the morning. Most likely, she just smelled the expensive clothing that had filled his place. "That's because of a different reason. Also, you already reached the worst possible conclusion!"
She glanced toward the room again. "You all stayed in there the whole night."
"We were talking!"
"You woke up looking exhausted."
"Because they wouldn't stop teasing me!"
That only seemed to make her more suspicious.
"…That doesn't help your case."
Shirou groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "I'm serious. They just wanted my opinion on the clothes they bought. That's it."
Lutecia stared at him quietly.
"…Clothes."
"Yes."
"You spent the whole night discussing clothes."
"Yes!"
The dry look she gave him made it painfully obvious she didn't fully believe that explanation.
"They kept changing outfits," he added quickly. "And then they started messing with me for fun."
"…That actually sounds believable."
"Because it's the truth!"
Lutecia stayed quiet for another moment before sighing softly. "You really attract strange situations."
Shirou pointed at her immediately. "See? Exactly! That's the correct conclusion here."
She ignored that part and looked past him again toward the room.
"…So nothing really happened?"
"Nothing happened," he repeated firmly.
A pause.
Then the girl muttered under her breath, "That's somehow more surprising."
He began to wonder just what kind of impression he had given to this girl for her to reach such a conclusion. That kind of behaviour would be suitable for a gigolo of all things. "Like I said, they merely dragged me into the room and had me rate their clothes. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Clothes? Who would even believe that!?" Lutecia exclaimed, looking almost hurt that he would give her such an explanation. "I may be a kid, but I'm not naive or stupid! You don't need to hide such things from me. I learned everything there is about it!"
Feeling a bit frustrated, Shirou asked, "When did you even learn these things?"
Lutecia answered immediately by giving the name: "Cinque. She and Quattro used to talk to me about plenty of subjects back when I still resided with the doctor… and there were plenty of books for me to read due to boredom. " The redhead repeated the name with confusion, only for her to add, "The white-haired one with the eyepatch."
He went quiet, recalling this Number especially when she was one of the more dangerous ones. His most recent confrontation did not bring forth any memory of seeing that woman again, but now he made sure to remember her better next time they encountered one another.
He continued by telling her, "I'm telling the truth. Have I ever lied to you in the past?"
Lutecia shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't recall."
Shirou then said, "Give me some credit."
To which she replied, "Okay, I'll trust you for now."
After that, with the sound of eggs sizzling and bacon cooking, both Nanoha and Fate walked into the living room while yawning and still looking a bit drowsy.
"It smells wonderful," Nanoha said.
"I wanted to wake up early to cook, but I wouldn't mind Shirou cooking for today."
"It's my kitchen, so I can cook whatever I want whenever I want," So he said, but recently she had been conquering his land bit by bit to the point that even Lutecia doesn't mind eating her cooking. At some point even he started to get used to seeing her here making them breakfast. But saying that outloud would just be no different to admitting defeat. "Don't you think so as well, Lutecia?" Shirou said, looking at the girl whom also looked back at him, hoping she would come to his defense, only to see her look away with a bit of guilt.
"Fate makes better-tasting desserts."
"—!?"
This stunned him as he backpedaled and clutched his heart with an exaggerated look of disappointment. This kind of defeat… never had he expected to happen in such a manner. The girls laughed, but still he pouted, saying, "I can also make amazing desserts. It's just that I've been focusing more on savory dishes lately."
Fate leaned ahead and tapped his head as if he were a child. "It's okay to be second. Just let me handle the sweet stuff, and I might show you a thing or two about cooking desserts to improve your skill."
This made Shirou feel like he was being targeted and challenged at the same time, so he grabbed an apron and tossed another one gently toward Fate. "Why don't you just prove it? This time, I'll make the best dessert I can and show you once and for all that I was just holding back before."
The blonde caught the apron and looked at Nanoha and then back at him. "Is this revenge, or are you wanting to get back at me for the prank we did to you last night?"
"So you admit it was a prank!"
Fate just chuckled. "You're just too easy to tease." But instead, she wore the apron and said, "Aside from that, I'm more than willing to take up this challenge and have you personally submit to defeat."
"Bring it on."
He have to admit, The woman knew how to cook and underestimating her would be a mistake but he still trusted his skills to triumph over her regardless of what she came up with.
…
On the side, both Nanoha and Lutecia looked at both of them. Nanoha said, "He's weirdly confrontational when it comes to cooking and not the usual humble self."
Lutecia nodded. "He is actually very serious when it comes to his cooking being challenged, whether it be for savory stuff or sweet stuff. He's his own biggest critic on taste testing."
"I suppose it makes sense," Nanoha said and then continued with a pleasant smile on her face, "It's cute and endearing. Fate most likely is also finding his reaction a bit cute, which is why she's taunting him, because usually she's not this much of a teaser. And it's rare that I see her so enthusiastic about such a small thing." She then looked back at them, seeing both sides gathering the ingredients and noticing Shirou being so concentrated while Fate was clearly just enjoying the entire thing and even giggling, clearly enjoying the process and not even taking the little competition that seriously. "Do you want to make a bet on who will win?"
Lutecia finally just nodded and, without hesitation, said, "Shirou," which surprised Nanoha, "Weren't you just saying that Fate made better desserts than Shiro?"
"Yes, I do, but now Shirou is serious, and I trust him."
"I understand that, but Fate is also my best friend, so just to make it fair, I'll bet that Fate will be the one to win this competition."
Lutecia nodded as both observed the competition beginning in the kitchen.
{Break}
(A few hours later)
"So, who won?" Subaru asked with excitement and curiosity as she, Teana, Erio, and Caro listened attentively. The events of early this morning were being shared with the rest of the members of Riot Force 6 as soon as they got to the office.
Erio immediately claimed, "While I've tasted Shiro's cooking before and was amazed by how delicious it was, I have to say that when it comes to dessert, no one reaches the level of Fate."
Subaru intervened, "All respect to Fate, but Shirou is a goddamn magician when it comes to cooking and when he's in the kitchen."
Teana listened to the conversation and nodded her head. "He has a gift and can make even the blandest dish taste as if it were made of hundreds of different flavors."
Erio said, "Subaru is being biased since she regularly eats at his house." But Subaru countered, "It's because I regularly eat at his house that I have a good idea of where he stands."
Caro said with a shy voice, "I'm envious of Lutecia and would have loved to be there to see the match between the two." Right after, Subaru and Erio continued their argument until both just looked at Shirou, waiting for an answer. Shirou sighed and said, "It actually ended in a draw."
As soon as he said that, the room turned quiet with everyone watching him with wide eyes until all of them exclaimed loudly, "A draw!?" As if they were both surprised and disappointed by the result at the same time. Subaru quickly followed by saying, "How is that possible? I've never heard Fate being that good with cooking, but Shiro's cooking, on the other hand, was so good that even some of the restaurants around these parts can't match his skill!"
Meanwhile, Teana just said, "What a surprise this is." She was genuinely taken aback by this discovery, but Erio and Caro, on the other hand, quickly accepted the results. Erio followed by saying, "I had truly underestimated Fate. She actually ended up making a coffee-based dessert—a tiramisu."
The others asked, "Why would that matter?" And then he said, "It's important if those who are doing the tasting are still drowsy and not fully awake. While I personally felt like his was more delicious, hers just had a bigger impact."
This made Teana say, "So Fate just outsmarted him rather than cooking something better than him?" This made Shirou nod his head as he then said, "I was being too occupied with trying to make the best of the present ingredients, while I should have been more focused on what would have gone well with those who were tasting it."
The conversation was soon interrupted as the doors opened and Hayate walked in, along with Nanoha, with smiles on their faces as both greeted everyone. Both Nanoha and Hayate said they were glad everyone was present and hoped everyone had a good rest after what happened yesterday with their mission.
Subaru then said, "These Numbers are quite dangerous, and the longer they are out there, the more likely they will return to attack us again."
This sentiment was shared among the rest, who also agreed, and then Hayate said, "I understand. This week hasn't been the easiest for them—rather, this month as a whole wasn't the easiest. Even though we've only been on a handful of missions, I want you to rest assured that this next upcoming mission will be more relaxing."
This made Teana mutter, "It feels like she almost jinxed it," which made Hayate chuckle as she agreed, "I can't disagree with you, but I genuinely promise it won't be anything dangerous. We aren't going to chase after another relic or start another battle with Jail and his drones. While we are trying to find more information on Jail, I figured it would be a waste for us to just sit around and do nothing." This had everyone agree audibly with Shirou, also nodding their heads. And then he asked, "So what's the next mission?"
Hayate crossed her arms and said, "We will be making a small visit to Earth."
This surprised Shirou as he saw Hayate go back to her office and tell the others, "It won't be a long stay, and if you have someone you want to meet on Earth, then you are allowed to do so." The scene ended with Shirou looking at her strangely as she disappeared with the others, beginning to talk about what they would be doing on Earth. Lutecia tugged at his sleeve, which made him look at her as she asked, "Will we be visiting your home?"
Shirou said, "My home?" Before having a pensive look on his face and shook his head. "Earth might be the world I was born in, but that place no longer has my home." But then he realized his words sounded kind of grim, given how saddened Lutecia looked, and he quickly said, "It's not like that. I do have a new home now, and it's here. I actually enjoyed my time there and made plenty of friends." He then quickly attempted to change the subject and asked her, "Have you ever visited Earth before?"
Lutecia shook her head, "I wanted to have plans with my mom to go there to see what it's like, but it never came into fruition."
"It's a wonderful place," Shirou told her as they walked. "I'll show you around properly once we get there." Then something seemed to cross his mind. His expression softened, and a more genuine smile appeared on his face.
"There's also someone I want you to meet," he added. "A woman who helped me a lot when I really needed it. She practically looked after me for a while." He let out a quiet breath through his nose. "She'll definitely be happy to see me again. And honestly, she'll probably like you immediately."
Lutecia looked up at him with curiosity. "Really? You never talked about her before."
Shirou scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah… I guess I never really got the chance. Too much stuff kept happening." His smile faded slightly. "And I do feel bad about not keeping in contact with her."
"You disappeared for a long time?"
"Pretty much."
Lutecia thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Then you should visit her."
"That's the plan."
The girl's mood visibly brightened after hearing that. "Then I'm looking forward to meeting her too."
Shirou smiled faintly at her reaction before the two continued down the hallway together.
A little later, he arrived in front of Hayate's office. The area outside was unusually quiet. Most of the staff seemed to be elsewhere, leaving the corridor nearly empty. Shirou pushed the door open and stepped inside, expecting to see Hayate buried in paperwork as usual.
He was half right.
Hayate was at her desk.
Sleeping.
She leaned against the table in her chair, surrounded by scattered papers and folders. A few sheets had nearly slid off the edge entirely, and a small line of drool had formed on the desk beneath her face.
Shirou stopped for a second.
"…Seriously?"
He walked closer, trying not to laugh too loudly at the sight. "Hayate," he called quietly. "Wake up. You should be sleeping on a bed, not here."
No response. He sighed and reached out slightly, intending to shake her shoulder, but his attention drifted toward the papers spread across the desk.
Most of them were reports.
He picked one up carefully and skimmed through it.
Jail Scaglietti.
Another report mentioned the Numbers. Another detailed information recovered from abandoned hideouts. Several pages contained marked locations and possible movement patterns, all attempts to track where Jail or his people might appear next.
The deeper he looked, the more obvious it became just how much work had been piled onto her desk.
"You've really been pushing yourself," he muttered quietly.
There were too many reports here for someone who had supposedly been resting properly. As he lowered one of the papers back onto the desk, it made a faint scraping sound against the others.
That was enough for Hayate to jerk awake immediately.
"Huh—?!"
She lifted her head abruptly, blinking several times before her eyes landed on him.
"…Shirou?"
"Morning," he said with a small smile.
Hayate stared at him for a second longer before relaxing back into her chair. "Morning…" Her voice still sounded half-asleep. Then she noticed the papers in his hand and immediately started pulling nearby documents into messy stacks. "Don't look at those."
"You were sleeping on them."
"I was resting my eyes."
"There's drool on the desk."
"That's slander."
Shirou laughed quietly while she hurriedly straightened some folders and tried to make the office look less chaotic than it actually was.
"How're you doing?" she asked while reorganizing papers at a speed that made it obvious she was trying to distract herself.
"I'm fine," he answered. "What about you?"
"I'm perfectly okay."
He glanced at the dark circles under her eyes.
"…Right."
Hayate noticed the look immediately and pointed at him accusingly. "Don't give me that face."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"I'm thinking you need sleep."
"And I'm thinking you should mind your own business," she shot back, though the tiredness in her voice weakened the effect considerably.
Shirou pulled a chair over and sat down across from her. "You're overworking yourself again."
Hayate avoided his eyes for a moment while continuing to sort through the papers. "There's a lot to deal with right now."
"I noticed."
The office grew quieter after that, aside from the sound of papers shifting across the desk while Hayate tried to make the mountain of reports look more manageable than it really was. Shirou sighed exasperately and asked her, "When was the last time you actually slept?"
Hayate defended herself, "I did sleep recently! I just got a bit bored reading the documents, and it was because of boredom that I fell asleep."
Then he told her, "Your eyes and the bags under your eyes surely assure me of that fact." He said it sarcastically, clearly showcasing that she was not making a good argument about her not being sleep-deprived.
Hayate chuckled awkwardly before clearing her throat and finally cleaning up her office before turning her attention to him and asking, "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"
Shirou told her, "There's a reason why we're going to Earth, isn't there? It's like a sort of vacation, isn't it?"
Hayate asked, "What makes you say that?"
Shirou said, "It just seems to me like that. Neither you nor the other girls gives me the impression of being someone who would have the time to just relax after what happened these past few days, and with Jail still on the loose. And then I ask — does this have something to do with Jail? Did that man go to Earth?"
A moment of silence settled between them before Hayate shook her head, saying, "No, it has nothing to do with Jail, actually," which surprised Shiro. Then she said, "We're still trying our best to find more information about him and hopefully corner him in a way that he wouldn't be able to escape again. But yes, there is a reason why we're going to Earth, and it's because of him."
This confused Shirou, who then pointed at himself and said, "Because of me?" Hayate said yes, and it's more about trying to find any clues on how they could help him. How could they help him go back home? This confused him even further as he told her to hold on and take a few steps back before asking, "What does going to Earth have to do with any of this?"
Hayate admitted, "Yesterday at night, I was visited by Shamal, who was still researching the gem out of curiosity, and she admitted that they hit a wall trying to find any useful things that could help us find a way to bring you back home. Any further research will most likely bring us to the same exact outcome no matter how much we try."
She said this in a guilty tone, as if she were ashamed of sharing this information. She then went quiet before Shirou told her, "I kind of expected that already."
Hayate looked back at him, "Even though you say that, it was still something we promised you. Having you help us so much and in return, us being unable… to fulfill our side of the promise cannot be acceptable. It ends up feeling like we are dangling a carrot in front of you."
Shirou shook his head slightly. "Hold on, I thought I already explained myself to you and the others. I'm not doing all of this because of that deal. I'm doing this because I wanted to do so from the very beginning; it's the main reason why I called Nanoha to come pick me up from Earth after you all found me stranded on that planet. I wouldn't have stayed back and not agreed to help people because that's what I genuinely wanted. As for me trying to go back and you helping me, I agree that it's very unlikely for things to be resolved from this side given we are dealing with True Magic from my world. Part of me already expected that I would need to wait for those on the other side to make the move."
Hayate's expression softened slightly. "What if they don't?"
Shirou shook his head again. "Rin is not the type to give up. I already mentioned this to the others, and I fully have my trust in that girl."
Hayate leaned forward slightly. "You really want me to meet this Rin and find out what about her makes you so confident that this whole thing about being stuck in another reality will be resolved sooner or later."
Shirou smiled faintly. "Her, Nanoha, and Fate would have been quite compatible with Rin and could even become good friends. She can be quite competitive at times, but has a good heart that is actually very rare with mages in my world."
He then leaned back in his chair. "But you didn't answer me. Why would we be going to Earth in the first place?"
Hayate nodded. "Even if you already mentioned that you're trusting this Rin person to come over and solve this issue, I'm not going to give up so easily. I'll still try every single card I have available." She looked at Shirou and told him, "Would you consider this world to be a sort of parallel to yours? Not exactly just an alternate but one where some similarities continue to persist even across realities?"
Shirou tilted his head. "Hard to say. Aside from the planet being called Earth, everything else is different… even the magic system. If the mages from my world were to discover that most people here had mana cores rather than circuits and for the sheer density of mana in the air; they'd go absolutely feral trying to get here."
"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or be fearful of your world's mages." Hayate leaned forward. "But you're right, but even if it's diffirent, there is still a magic system. Both worlds have a magic system, even though they're different. Magic does exist."
Shirou looked confused. "I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me."
Hayate explained, "Have you ever considered the possibility that there is potentially a person in this world who could have accomplished a similar power like your friend? If we trace back everything about her from your world into this one, same place, same time, and so on, would we be able to find something?"
Shirou shook his head. "It's very unlikely because it wasn't like I wasn't doing anything when I first arrived on Earth. I tried to contact every number I knew, but most were either nonexistent or belonged to different people. While the buildings in London were the same, the people who lived there were different, and there was no one I recognized."
Hayate asked, "Did you ever try to investigate and find any similarities in Japan?"
Shirou shook his head again, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah, well Rin accidentally sent me here with nothing but the clothes on my back. I was already very short on funds and didn't initially have a place to live. Given nothing matched in London, then the same would apply in Japan, right?" He continued, "Not to mention, even Fuyuki does not exist on the map. So there is nothing for me to even check in the first place."
Hayate leaned forward more intently. "Don't you find it weird that your town didn't exist? That everything and even the buildings themselves were the same, except for those intrinsically tied to you, like your town and the people you knew? Only those things did not exist."
Shirou scratched his head. "I never really thought about it that deeply. It is kind of weird since every other place in Japan and England also exists here, except Fuyuki."
Hayate nodded. "Exactly. Something just does not seem right. It feels like we might have missed something on Earth. That is the last option I have left, and if we truly find nothing, then we'll just have to rely on your friend to establish a connection with you with the help of the gem." She looked at him, saying, "Aren't you curious to see if you can find anything similar to your hometown or even your house back on Earth? Perhaps those living in places where your friend used to live or where you used to live might actually have something that could help us?"
Shirou considered this for a moment. "It's a bit of a grasping-at-straws moment, but I'm willing to give it a try. But in return, you must agree to actually get some rest."
This made Hayate pout. "This is not the moment to bring up that part in the conversation! I'm genuinely not tired and feeling well."
Shirou crossed his arms. "It's a deal or no deal."
Hayate stood up straighter. "I am your commanding officer and could technically order you to go through this mission."
Shirou crossed his arms and looked at her dryly. "If you do that, I'll just ignore it."
This made her chuckle. "You can't do that! Such an action could even get you punished."
Shirou grinned slightly. "Perhaps, but I'm confident that you'll never do that. I trust you to not go that far."
The woman huffed before her shoulders slumped. "It's not fair for you to use that card. I'm supposed to be the terrifying commander who everyone respects and fears."
Shiro's grin widened. "You might have a better time doing that if you were less nice."
Hayate sighed dramatically. "I might have to ask Gaius for some advice on how to be like that." After that, another silent moment passed between them. Not enough good ones at all, where it mostly became just two people enjoying a simple conversation. Only for that simple part to be thrown inside the dustbin as soon as a particular question came up. "I heard that Fate also confessed to you; is that true?"
At that moment, he truly felt like he wanted to dig a hole or lock himself up in his room in order to avoid said topic. But given his current predicament, neither of those were an option and thus, he agreed. "Something like that, I don't know how much you heard about it, but she did confess to me in a way."
"You didn't return her feelings?"
"Return her feelings… That's harder to achieve given I am already with Nanoha." He said while putting his hands side his pocket. "But she also acknowledged that and mentioned that I don't need to give her a definitive answer or choose for that matter. That she just wants to continue whatever we already have."
She hummed with interest. "Fate is not a foolish person or someone who would act irresponsibly just because of a crush she may have. She wouldn't make things complicated for you or Nanoha. To tell you the truth, I too am not that certain what's going inside her mind. But if she's happy and so are you with it then who am I to judge?"
Though he did not say it, Shirou had some lingering thoughts about Hayate having something as well. Whether those feelings were as strong as Nanoha or Fate; perhaps even more. But the more they talked, the more certain he became that Hayate did not give off that feeling.
They were acquaintances, friends? Whatever it may be, he was just happy they could rely on each other.
"Also, Shirou. Um, I may have some bad news."
{Break}
The group settled inside the spaceship as it departed the planet, similar to their last journey. He mostly spent his time in his quarters with Lutecia, both distracting themselves with their own hobbies. He cleaned the space to keep his mind occupied from what was happening, while Lutecia lay on the bed, watching television. This cycle, going on for nearly two days and it being a peaceful moment.
"You look nervous," Lutecia mentioned, turning her attention from the screen.
"Perhaps a bit," Shirou admitted, wiping down a surface. "Even though none of my close friends or family live on that planet, for some reason, it still feels like I shouldn't have gone away for so much time without informing someone. It's a complicated feeling that I cannot fully explain."
Lutecia sat up. "It will be fine. At least this time, we won't be attacked by an army of monsters or ambushed by Numbers."
"Don't jinx it," Shirou replied, pausing his cleaning. This Earth was very peaceful, but had no shortage of abominations, powerful mages and other entities more than capable of causing apocalyptic events.
"Even if it were to happen, you can, no, we can handle it," she countered with confidence. "Just summon more exploding swords."
"Heh, of course. A few exploding swords…" He rolled his eyes until the Comms came on and Hayate's voice called everyone to the main bridge as they were soon about to arrive. "We got here faster than I remember," Shirou commented as they headed out.
"The ship is different from the one you must have gone in last time," Lutecia explained. "Each ship can achieve various levels of speed, and this one is amongst the fastest from what I know."
Both of them reached the hall where Shirou finally spotted the planet in the distance. A strange sense of nostalgia washed over him as he couldn't help but whisper to himself, "I'm back."
"Wow, it looks so beautiful!" Subaru exclaimed beside him. "No wonder it has the moniker of 'Blue Gem of the Earth's solar system'."
Erio tilted his head. "Wasn't it called 'Blue Gem of the galaxy'? Also I'm pretty sure that the blue gem name belongs to that other planet we just passed by. It's the Blue Marble, I think."
Teana shrugged. "I can't remember, but it's still a popular place since powerful mages like Nanoha came from that planet. And plenty of others, including Hayate."
The ship hovered in space before getting closer to the planet until it reached orbit and descended further until it was in the clouds. Below them, he saw a giant field of wheat with dry terrain in the corner, which the ship used as a landing area. Looking around, he immediately realized this was the same spot where he had left Earth. 'It's been so long… though everything looks the same.' They had landed in London, and he remembered mentioning to Hayate that there was someone he wanted to see.
He turned around to see Hayate waving at him with a big smile on her face, along with Nanoha, who also told him, "We'll be waiting for you before going to Japan. Take your time to reunite with that lovely lady, tell her I said hi."
"Thank you," Shirou said quietly before taking Lutecia's hand and leading her outside.
The streets of London looked almost exactly as he remembered. Cars moved through the roads at the same steady pace, people passed by without paying attention to them, and the cold air carried the familiar mix of rain and concrete that always reminded him of the city.
For a while, neither of them spoke much. Lutecia stayed close beside him, her eyes wandering from one building to another with quiet curiosity. Even the crowded sidewalks seemed new to her.
After several minutes of walking, they reached a familiar area. He slowed slightly as he looked toward one of the apartment buildings ahead. In his world, this had once been where he and Rin stayed for a time. Here, though, it belonged to someone else entirely.
Lutecia looked up at him. "Is this where you lived?"
"Not exactly," he answered after a moment. "I stayed here for a little while, but my real hometown's in Japan." A faint smile appeared on his face. "I'll show it to you later. First, there's someone I want you to meet."
He guided her toward the entrance of another nearby apartment building before stopping in front of one particular door.
Then he hesitated.
Lutecia noticed immediately. She looked between him and the doorbell before tilting her head slightly. "Why aren't you pressing it?"
Shirou stared at the button for a few seconds. "…It's been a long time," he admitted quietly. "Too long." Such a simple action now felt more stressful than facing a hundred flesh eating ghouls. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm not really sure how to explain disappearing without warning or sending back any messages and then suddenly showing up again."
"You can just tell the truth."
"I can't exactly explain that I ended up on another planet working for what is basically space police while fighting several humanoid androids made by a crazy scientist."
That earned a small pause from her.
"…Right."
He let out a short breath, still not moving. Lutecia gently tightened her hold on his hand. "She won't be angry," she said. "If she cared about you, then she'll probably just be happy you came back."
Shirou looked at her for a moment before giving a tired smile. "You make it sound simple."
"Because it is."
He laughed quietly through his nose at that, then finally pressed the doorbell. The sound echoed from inside the apartment. Almost immediately, he heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door. Shirou straightened unconsciously, nervousness settling back into his stomach as the lock clicked open.
The door swung inward.
An elderly woman stood there, blinking at him in surprise.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Shirou tried to smile despite the awkward tension building in his chest. "Sorry for disappearing for so long, Ms. Brown."
The woman slowly raised a hand toward his face.
Then pinched his cheeks hard enough to make him wince.
"Ow—"
"You've grown so much," she said, her earlier frown already fading into a smile. "But why do you look so thin? Haven't you been eating properly?"
Shirou pulled back slightly with a helpless sigh. "It's complicated. And I haven't changed that much."
"Don't argue with me," she replied immediately. "I know what you looked like before."
He opened his mouth to protest again, but her attention had already shifted. Ms. Brown noticed Lutecia standing beside him.
At first, confusion crossed her face.
Then her eyes widened.
Slowly, she looked at the girl… back to him… then to the girl again.
A second later, she smacked him lightly on the forehead.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"What do you mean what was that for?!" she shot back. "You disappear for who knows how long and suddenly come back with a child?! Without even bringing the mother with you? I thought I raised you better than that, boy!"
"You didn't raise me, I only stayed here for a month or two!" Shirou nearly choked on air. "Also, It's not like that!"
"You better have a very good explanation!"
"She's not my daughter!" Lutecia quietly looked between the two of them while Shirou desperately tried to defend himself. "I can explain this properly if you just give me a second—"
Ms. Brown ignored him completely.
Her expression softened instantly as she crouched slightly in front of Lutecia. "Oh, look at you," she said warmly before lifting the girl up with surprising ease. "You're adorable. You remind me of those cute little dolls my daughter used to have all those years ago."
Lutecia blinked from the sudden change in attitude but didn't resist.
Meanwhile, Shirou stood there rubbing his forehead, already looking exhausted again as Ms. Brown started speaking to the girl in a much gentler voice than the one she had just used on him.
"What's the sweet little angel's name?" she asked.
"Lutecia," the girl answered with a dry tone before nodding her head. "It's nice to meet you."
This made Ms. Brown coo with endearment. "She's such a polite young child!" She immediately brought her inside, saying, "I made plenty of snacks lately, given how much free time I have, and I want to hear more about little Lutecia." She then closed the door, leaving him outside alone.
Shirou let out a dry laugh. "You two really forgot I was standing here."
Neither of them paid attention to him.
Ms. Brown was already fussing over Lutecia while the girl quietly endured it, still held in the older woman's arms as questions and comments kept coming one after another.
The sight made the smile on his face soften into something more genuine.
"…Thank goodness she's okay," he whispered to himself.
After a moment, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Later that day, the three of them ended up near the local farmers' market where Shirou used to buy ingredients for Ms. Brown. The place hadn't changed much either. Small stalls lined the street, people moved between them carrying bags and baskets, and the air carried the mixed smell of bread, vegetables, and cooked food from nearby stands.
Ms. Brown moved through the market with surprising energy for her age, already picking out ingredients while talking to vendors she clearly knew well. Lutecia stayed beside her carrying a basket almost half her size.
"Careful, don't drop the apples," Ms. Brown warned.
"I know," the little one replied quietly, adjusting the basket with both hands. Several vendors noticed her as they passed.
"Well, aren't you adorable?" one woman said before slipping an extra fruit into the basket.
Another handed her candy with a grin. "Here. Free of charge." Lutecia blinked at the sudden attention. "…Thank you."
"She's polite too," the vendor laughed. "What a good kid."
From a short distance away, Shirou watched the two of them move from stall to stall together. The sight made something in him loosen slightly. Things had been chaotic for so long that moments like this almost felt strange now. Fighting, magic, constant problems appearing one after another; it had become normal enough that he sometimes forgot what quiet days looked like.
Yet here Lutecia was, standing in a market while an old woman argued over vegetable prices beside her.
And somehow, that simple scene felt important.
He had tried giving the girl a normal life before, but it was difficult when trouble followed him almost everywhere. Even when things calmed down, it never lasted for long.
Still, Ms. Brown had managed to give her exactly that feeling in only a few hours.
Normal.
Peaceful.
Shirou smiled faintly and decided not to interrupt them. "Might as well leave them to it for now," he muttered before turning away toward a nearby café.
As he walked down the street, his gaze drifted upward toward Big Ben in the distance.
In his own world, the Clock Tower would have stood there instead, hidden behind layers of secrecy and magecraft. Here, though, it was simply another famous building people walked past every day without a second thought.
Hayate's words returned to him.
He frowned slightly.
Had he really searched properly after arriving here?
Magic existed. He already knew that much now. Maybe he had dismissed too much early on because this world looked normal on the surface.
Or maybe… 'I just wasn't paying enough attention.'
He got so lost in his thoughts that an old, elderly voice told him, "You shouldn't get so lost in your thoughts while standing aimlessly like that in the middle of the road, boy."
The voice came from someone who was visibly quite old, a man with a gruff but equally gentle-sounding voice. One clear enough that it snapped him back to reality. Shirou looked to the side where he spotted a table from the cafe where two cups of tea were set on the table, one being held by an old man with a grey beard and slicked-back hair wearing a rather formal suit, robe thing, and looking at him with a smile on his face.
His presence made Shirou's eyes widen as, for a brief moment, he did not recognize the person, but the next second he did. He stood there in disbelief, only for the old man to extend his hand to the seat opposite him, where the other cup of tea could be found.
"You…"
He never met him in person, but he recognised the face given Rin described him several times for him to paint a picture. Even then, just standing here made his body be covered with goosebumps, that alone was enough to recognise this individual.
"Have a seat," the old man said. "There seems to be a lot on your mind."
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