Chapter 87: An Ordinary Asura Field
"Welcome back, Emiya-kun~ Returning right before dinner is just wonderful! I was worried sick. Although we originally agreed you'd be back for lunch, and it somehow turned into dinner without any explanation, that's quite alright—as long as you're back, Emiya-kun. What? You're asking if I'm angry? My, of course not. I should be the one asking: are you tired? Does your back ache? After all, compared to us girls just idling around in the room doing nothing, you must have had a very difficult day today, right?"
Sitting in the chair directly opposite him was a smiling, friendly Red Devil.
"Shirou , you know I've always supported you. Walking with you to the very end wasn't just talk. So... well, I've done my best, and I'm not going to press the matter. However, I'll have to trouble you to explain yourself to Saber and Sakura. Good luck!"
Rin, looking like the picture of "understanding," puffed out her chest and wagged a finger, feigning detachment.
It was truly lamentable; even though his reason knew she was a devil, his sensibility still viewed her as a descending angel and was deeply moved.
The Archangel had silently launched a "Holy Cut," performing it so stealthily that even her two companions, Saber and Sakura, didn't notice a thing. Despite being the one who wanted to press the issue the most, Rin had completely pushed the burden onto Saber and her own sister. She was incredibly cunning when it came to being socially graceful.
Currently, sitting very willingly in the formal seiza position on the sofa opposite the chair was the head of the Emiya household—Shirou, who had no idea what the point of being the head was since his one vote was consistently outweighed by their five.
Incidentally, Rider and Illya were quietly lingering at the very edge of the Emiya household's female faction, looking like characters brought in just for show. Illya, seemingly fearing the world wasn't chaotic enough, even crossed her arms with a fierce, boisterous energy. She was purely there for the spectacle.
"...Shirou."
Aside from Rin, the first to speak was Saber. Her cool, delicate voice held no resentment, but rather a serious contemplation from the other's perspective: "Why must you always act alone, without even calling for me? I am, at the very least, your Servant by nature. Am I truly that useless?"
She was like a lioness that had been left behind.
"No, no, how could that be!?"
Saber was wrong to think that. Shirou hadn't brought Saber simply because his intuition told him it would be easier to establish communication with the Police Department he visited this morning. He had no complaints about Saber herself.
When Shirou expressed this thought exactly as it was, Saber seemed to barely understand, nodding her head slightly.
"I see..." Saber nodded repeatedly, a tranquil smile blooming on her face, before asking: "Then, where does my opinion rank in all this?"
"..."
Saber had delivered a "Death Loop" of questioning.
Shirou was, of course, in the wrong for acting on his own without telling Saber beforehand. Thus, he had almost no room for excuses and could only exercise his right to remain silent. Finally, Shirou licked his dry lips and managed a weak defense:
"Looking at the results, we did successfully form an alliance with the Caster faction... right?"
Saber allowed her fine eyebrows to curve helplessly, countering gently: "Shirou, there is no such thing as 'all is well that ends well.' This isn't a matter of ability or strength; it's the mindset that everything should be done by yourself that is bad."
Saber tilted her head: "In other words, Shirou, sometimes you are too responsible. There's a fine line between responsibility and recklessness. Ah, come to think of it, you're the first Master I've ever seen who ignores his Servant to charge into battle himself. I've always thought that was a very bad habit."
"Saber is human," Shirou corrected silently.
"What does that matter? A Master for a day is a Master for life. Shirou, you are the person I have decided I must protect. Please imagine: isn't it quite troubling when the object you're supposed to protect runs around uncontrollably?"
It was true. To each their own, and for Saber, this was indeed an embarrassing predicament. Placing her hand over her flat chest, Saber wore a look of weary resignation, as if she were getting used to it.
...There was a subtle glow of maternal instinct. Shirou shook his head to drive away the strange imagery.
"I suppose... failing to keep my promise to Saber and acting first was my fault. Do with me what you will, Saber. I am willing to take full responsibility."
Shirou steeled his resolve, adopting the posture of a "dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water."
"However, I firmly believe there was nothing unseemly about the action itself. If I'm always protected by Saber, I won't be able to accomplish anything. Is it that I can't even survive without Saber's help? It would be a serious cognitive error to take being guarded by Saber for granted."
On this point alone, he would not yield. Shirou replied: "Rather than having Saber help me—I want to be of help to Saber."
Saber's petite cheeks puffed out, her emerald eyes reflecting a mysterious brilliance. The corners of her mouth curved slightly; she looked to have a touch of quiet joy, but upon closer inspection, she was indeed still a bit angry. It was as if she were obsessed with how to conquer a stubborn, unyielding rock.
"If you were a warrior of Britain or a Knight of the Round Table, I would praise your noble resolve without hesitation. But Britain is a distant memory, and Shirou is just Shirou." Saber put her hands on her hips and spoke quite unreasonably.
Accustomed to Shirou's stubbornness, she carried the resentment of "why do things always turn out this way?" in her tone.
"If Shirou cares about me, then let us each take a step back." Saber stood tall and proud, as if saying "I am a woman who can improve," her modest chest forward: "Next time, I must fight alongside you. I demand your promise. In exchange, I won't hold you responsible this time."
"That's fine, but is it really okay?"
Saber thought for a moment, using archaic diction that made one wonder if anyone still used it in the modern era: "Yes. After all, with Shirou's help, it is as if I have won against a thousand foes."
Affected by the beauty of her swaying sand-gold hair, Shirou had no choice but to respond: "Understood."
Saber narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, showing a comfortable smile. But she quickly realized herself, placing her clenched hand to her mouth and coughing twice. Reverting to her king-like tone, she spoke hurriedly to change the subject: "The rest I leave to you, Sakura."
The shifted tone was dead serious.
'Lady Sakura, please take the field.'
"Eh? Me!?"
Called upon, Sakura hurriedly glanced at Saber, her hands moving restlessly in front of her chest. Finally, she made up her mind, stepped past Saber, and walked to the front. She walked slowly until she was right in front of Shirou, then stopped.
Shirou speculated that Sakura might do something to him, so he waited... but one second, two seconds, even three seconds passed without any movement. Shirou looked up and found Sakura's dark blue eyes fixed on him, staring blankly.
"...I say, Sakura, just... give it to me straight."
Compared to the unease of something actually being done, the unease of waiting indefinitely for something unknown was far worse.
"Sorry, sorry!"
Sakura also startled awake from her daze, blinking back to normal. Because she remained so polite even at a time like this, the scene lacked any sense of tension. Then, she took a deep breath and reached her hands toward Shirou's cheeks.
'Is she going to twist them? Slap them? Or pinch?'
As Shirou wondered, Sakura began her judgment. She rubbed upward and downward. She rubbed left and right. She drew little circles. It didn't hurt at all; the gentle movements were like those of a small animal. As a prank, it was actually quite pleasant...
'Isn't she just enjoying rubbing my face!?'
As he continued to feel her fingers brushing against his cheeks, Shirou couldn't help but try to look up again. But before he could, the fingers on his cheeks signaled for him to just keep looking at her chest, which was at his eye level.
"..."
The girl remained silent while performing the actions. After a while, Sakura suddenly said: "While I know it's very moving that Senpai is working hard while we are also working hard...
I would much rather Senpai didn't work that hard!"
Before Shirou could react, she gave his cheeks a final, sudden pinch and let go. This was basically her way of saying this was the punishment, and Sakura's segment was successfully cleared.
Rin, whose long hair was as flowing as Sakura's, rolled her eyes at her sister for letting her Senpai off so easily. She then stared at Shirou with a subtle gaze until he began to doubt himself, at which point she finally looked away.
Rider had no personal objections to Shirou's methods, and Illya was just there for the fun, so the two of them were actually the easiest to deal with—especially the usually quite lenient Illya.
Having successfully concluded the family meeting, Shirou's face remained unchanged, his expression natural, as he successfully rose from the sofa. Everything Saber and Sakura said was reasonable; Shirou would pay more attention in the future. In a domestic relationship where one wants to avoid fighting, finding a good balance is key; one must constantly examine the trouble their individual ideas cause others.
Shirou's intent was that the sky was clear, the "Asura Field" had passed, nothing was wrong at home, and it was another day for a fresh dinner. As soon as Shirou stood up, Illya approached like a fluffy stuffed toy, laughing softly as if to comfort him.
Being used to this kind of normal situation, it could be ignored. Shirou signaled for Illya to take her time while he prepared to help the others.
"Onii-chan, you worked hard just now~"
In hindsight, that was the horn signaling the start of hell. Why had Shirou let his guard down at that moment?
"Hmm?"
Illya opened her eyes slightly in confusion, looking completely innocent. Perhaps she actually did have a grievance about Shirou returning late and was just hiding it poorly; or perhaps her "big sister mode" had activated, worrying about who else had joined her brother's side.
Regardless, the usually low-maintenance Illya sniffed the air and muttered:
"I smell the scent of an unfamiliar woman."
Shirou: ...
'Haha, I see, I see... Illya wants me to die!? Is it not enough that I just die?'
Triggered by Illya's single sentence, the "direct causes of death" all turned their heads. The ventilation in the room creaked as the air solidified; the atmosphere turned so cold it was as if a vampire were passing by. Though Shirou didn't measure it, he wondered if the room temperature had reached absolute zero.
Human hearing is truly incredible; despite being separated by one or two tables' distance, where it wouldn't be strange to hear nothing, the purple-haired girl, the black-haired girl, and the blonde girl all turned their heads in perfect unison, their pupils locking onto Shirou.
Not a single person had failed to hear.
"Senpai?"
"Emiya-kun?"
"Shirou?"
The balance shattered instantly.
In his state of being "locked" by Illya, the poorly spoken Shirou could only watch helplessly as three women from different directions cast questioning gazes that drew closer and closer. The girls, who had been magnanimous just moments ago, showed not a shred of intent to be lenient now. Instead, they mercilessly and instantly joined forces to subject Shirou to interrogation measures that wouldn't even be used on a common criminal.
Sakura tucked back her long hair, maintaining a casual attitude, but her fingers were constantly stroking her strands. "So, Senpai was in close contact with another woman... while he was out... My, a secret rendezvous? C-could it be, Senpai, that you went out this morning specifically for a tryst?"
'Your imagination is too vivid, Miss Sakura.'
Rin revealed a brilliant smile, elegantly curving her fingers, and the room was filled with a "cheerful" atmosphere. "No, no, how could that be~ Sakura, you still don't understand him.
Think about it carefully. This is Snowfield, not the Clock Tower; there aren't any acquaintances he could call out for a tryst. So it definitely wasn't someone he knew beforehand. In that case, it's quite obvious~ The conditions are limited to a first-time meeting, yet the relationship is good enough for close contact... Shirou probably rescued some strange character on a whim again. What you should be wary of is whether he established a long-term contact method—the contact method!"
The bad thing was, when the logic is too accurate, it causes big problems.
"You two, please stop your conjectures."
Saber seemingly spoke up for Shirou, but in reality, she took the situation to its peak: "It is an unacceptable behavior to take one's own thoughts as evidence before there is tangible proof. Since the party involved is not dead, we can obtain the actual answer by simply making the party involved confess. Therefore, we do not need to trouble ourselves with arguments; we only need to question Shirou thoroughly. Shirou will surely answer us patiently."
The deep-sea pressure shifted toward Shirou along with the attention of the three.
What could Shirou, resisting the pressure at the bottom of the ocean, even say? That was a good question.
'Sigh, I give up. Can we settle this peacefully?'
The family meeting entered the second round. Even though they hadn't eaten dinner themselves, the Emiya household girls, who were inexplicably giving twelve-tenths of their attention to a minor event before Shirou came home, caused the dinner time to be delayed once more. Telling the truth wouldn't take much time, but adding the time for admonition, reflection, and reassurance could shockingly exceed half an hour.
—'Could it be that this matter is actually more serious than going out to fight alone?'
Shirou fell into a deep, belated state of bewilderment.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting