Chapter 11 – The Outing 2
"Tat tat tat … Tat Tat Tat …"
Waver groggily opened his eyes as the constant sound of rapping on his window increased in volume while Waver tried to mute the noise by placing his pillow over his head to no avail.
"Tat Tat Tat … TAT TAT TAT TAT …"
After finally just five seconds, Waver was already annoyed when he bolted out of his bed and threw his blanket roughly to the side in frustration. "Argh!" Waver groaned. "I will slaughter those birds pecking the window."
Stomping on the wooden floorboards loudly, not bothering to conceal his presence, Waver unlocked the window as he used all his might to slam the window open along with the closed curtains in one go.
"WHO IS I—" Waver quickly interrupted himself at the unbelievable sight in front of him, stunning him into complete silence.
There, right in front of Waver, was Shirou smiling at him while giving a wave of greeting as Shirou stood ducking on the edge of the window sill.
"Hi," Shirou broke the tense silence. "Mind if I come in?"
Like a dam bursting upon having too much water, Waver overloaded brain exploded at the ridiculous scene before him. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Waver shouted, surely alerting the entire neighborhood of his outburst.
Shirou cocked his head in confusion at the sudden outburst. "I said I was coming here tomorrow?" Shirou stated his answer in the form of a question, trying to see whether Waver was fully awake to remember such an occurrence.
"That's not it!" Waver exclaimed in exasperation. "Why are you here on the second floor right outside my window! Have you ever heard of the 'door'?!"
"Tried that," Shirou answered without a pause. "But your grandparents said you were still asleep. They did ask if I wanted to first come in and wait for you to get up, but as I don't want to impose on the two elderly couple, I decided to answer 'no' and said I'll come back later. So, here I am," Shirou finished explaining with a smile.
"Wipe that smile off," Waver grumbled under his breath as he proceeded to begin closing the window. "I'm going back to bed."
"That tired?" Shirou questioned with a lace of wonder and amusement.
"You have no idea," Waver answered with an exaggerated drag at the end of his statement as he rolled his eyes.
"Rider?" Shirou made a wild guess as he eyed Waver sympathetically though the glint of amusement in his eyes wasn't gone unnoticed by Waver.
Waver nodded. "More accurately, he added to the problem. Yesterday, I met an 'interesting' girl by the name, Taiga. She's – well … – wild," Waver finally decided his choice of word to best describe the behavior of the exotic girl he just met not even a half a day ago.
"Did you just said Taiga? Fujimura Taiga?" Shirou asked, his expression suddenly serious.
"Huh? Yeah, that's her," Waver answered before his eyes suddenly widened in accusation. "Wait, how do you know her!"
"It's … complicated," Shirou gave a vague unsatisfying reply.
"Yeah … like everything about you is," Waver sighed at the lame response. "Anyway, why are you here?"
"You and me, we're going out," Shirou stated simply.
"Where to?"
"Shinto District," Shirou decided. "Have you been there?"
Waver nodded. "Once. But why there?"
"I need to get something," Shirou said with a victorious and triumphant smile on his face as if he had accomplished a grand deed and can't wait to collect his reward.
"Then where do I fit in the equation?" Waver asked.
"You can talk," Shirou replied.
"Talk," Waver muttered incoherently. "Like what?"
"Anything in particular."
"So it's just a men's outing then," Waver concluded after getting a general idea of what Shirou had in mind.
"You can say that," Shirou answered.
"Do you know how much you are asking for?" Waver asked evenly.
"Uh, no?"
"Of course not," Waver noted to himself as he began to ponder through with Shirou's proposal.
As far as Waver is concerned, with Shirou's personality equated in, this men's outing could range from something dead serious or just a simple outing with nothing particularly important or life-threatening involved. And depending on where this goes, Waver would have to consider whether or not to sacrifice his precious sleep for it.
Then again, if Waver could somehow talk to Shirou and divulge some information in regards to the enigmatic man, perhaps he may be able to know a thing or two about the powerful magus to give him some sort of winning advantage … not that he knows of any way to approach the question at this moment.
"Fine," Waver relented grumpily. "I'll be down in five minutes."
"Okay, sounds good," Shirou nodded.
After a good thirty seconds, Waver continued to look at Shirou who is still right outside of his window, ducking with his foot tiptoed in perfect balance on the narrow concrete ledge.
"You can get off now," Waver dryly stated, clearly unamused.
"Ah, yes, of course," Shirou replied as he proceeded to jump down to ground level as Waver closed the window and curtain before locking the glass windows in the room.
Ah, Waver mentally sighed, this was bound to be another exhausting day. At the very least, he won't be bringing Rider alongside him to talk his ear off. In that regards, this will be the true highlighter of the trip.
"You didn't bring Alexander with you?" Shirou asked Waver as they walked side by side navigating through the Shinto District shopping area.
Normally Waver would berate Shirou for saying and revealing his Servant's identity aloud in public, but after his own Servant audaciously announced himself as the King of Conquerors, Iskandar the Great, to the whole world, Waver decided to give up on the futile action in correcting Shirou.
"He's too much of a nuisance to keep around," Waver replied with dismay etched on his face.
"You sure it's wise to leave your Servant back home?" Shirou clarified, making sure the young Master was clear on what he's doing.
"Normally it isn't," Waver swiftly responded, "however with you by my side, I figure it's okay."
"Me?" Shirou made an incredulous expression. "Why?"
"Just don't think too much into it," Waver cryptically responded. "Anyway," Waver continued after a brief moment of silence, "where are we first going?"
"A clothing shop," Shirou answered with a tint of delight.
"A clothing shop," Waver repeated dryly. "May I ask of all places, why there?" Waver asked with a façade of politeness.
"I need to purchase something," Shirou said in return.
Waver shrugged as he nodded his head in understanding while following along Shirou's lead. If Shirou needed some necessities like clothing, then Waver was not in the position to stop the man before him.
After a short five-minute walk, both Shirou and Waver stopped in front of a store with mannequins dressed in women's clothing displayed proudly by the window for everybody outside to examine and see.
"You said you were getting some clothes, right?" Waver asked in reconfirmation.
"That's correct," Shirou replied as he readied himself to go inside the shop.
"And why specifically a store selling women's accessories?" Waver questioned. Shirou … didn't have any weird … "hobbies", right?
"I'm getting something for Saber and Irisviel," Shirou revealed.
"Huh?" Waver uttered out his confusion. "Why? They asked you too?"
Shirou shook his head. "It's just a gift."
Oh, Waver mentally voiced his involuntary realization. He should have known, this is Shirou who he's talking to after all.
"Do you know what you want to get them?" Waver asked. If Shirou didn't have a game plan or strategy on what to buy, Waver was not planning to stay in the shop for hours on end with him. This was not how he wanted his day off from Rider to be like.
"I have an idea," Shirou responded.
"Okay," Waver shrugged, "let's just get this over with." Waver then took the initiative by opening the door and allowing Shirou entrance with Waver coming into the store from behind Shirou. The voice of the shop attendant saying welcome to them can be dimly heard along with the soft soothing background music echoing in the ornate and elegant room.
"Hmmm," Waver hummed aloud as he began looking at each individual flawless dress while eyeing its price tag. "This is pricey, Shirou," Waver informed, "you sure you can afford this?"
Shirou came from behind Waver's back and noticed what the teen was referring to. "I trust they have cheaper items," Shirou said with confidence.
Well, if Shirou had been here before, Waver thought, then he should at least have a general knowledge on the store's pricing before revisiting the place. All things considered, Shirou is a fairly cautious man … except for that time when he fought against Gilgamesh, Berserker, and Lancer in one go. Oh, also not to forget the event of him trying to fight Caster and Saber as well in the Einzbern Forest.
Processing all these thoughts, Waver concluded that despite Shirou carrying a somewhat cautious personality, he can also have his moments of recklessness. Especially if people's lives are ever on the line. Shirou is a man who always priorities others before himself, this is the kind of person he simply is.
"Huh? Waver-san?" a voice broke through Waver's moment of musing as his ears perked at the familiar voice.
Turning his head around, Waver's eyes widened to see the girl from yesterday named Taiga probing her brown orbs of eyes onto his face. Things have turned from good to bad in just a split second.
"Shirou," Waver urgently whispered, "I need your help."
"I … can't understand you, Waver," Shirou said with uncertainty. "Can you please speak Japanese to me?
Waver inwardly cursed under his breath at his predicament. Not only does Shirou not speak nor understand English, but also he hasn't even realized the presence of Taiga in the store yet as apparent from the way Shirou is eyeing at a pair of white and blue dress displayed fancily on a mannequin.
"Uh … I-I need to go," Waver quickly decided as he prepared to burst out through the exit.
"Waver-san!" Taiga shouted again in the store, heedless of the shop's regulations of putting noise to the minimum.
"Wait, Wav—" Shirou began in surprise when Waver rushed out for the door before the sound of Taiga's young voice entered his ears. "Wha—Taiga?!" Shirou exclaimed under his breath in bewilderment. Why is she here?
Right before Waver could rush out of the building, a couple came in through the glass door as the bell on top of the door rang upon the entrance. Waver tried to circumnavigate around the couple but to no avail as both couples remain oblivious to Waver's internal turmoil while both the man and lady slowly made their way through the door, enraptured in their conversation.
"Ah, there you are Waver-san!" Taiga exclaimed as she clasped her hand onto Waver's shoulder which sent chills through his spine.
"Hehehe," Waver gave an uncomfortable chuckle. "Hello," Waver waved his hand at Taiga as his heart plummeted to the deepest depth of despair. His day just had to get ruined by a criminal chasing fanatic girl. And the criminal she's chasing at its latest development right now just happens to be him and Rider … not that she'll ever know about that piece of information, of course.
"Hello," Taiga replied back in English, "how are you?" Taiga pronounced the words slowly, making sure she got the pronunciation all perfectly, stunning Waver in a lapse of silence.
"Errr … good, I guess … or not," Waver answered, not sure how to respond to the girl in the way that will not earn him a whack of her shinai that is in her hand. Why is she still having that bamboo sword with her anyway?!
"No, no, no, no," Taiga protested slowly as if she was an elderly woman who is about to correct someone. "You say, 'I'm fine. Thank you. And you?'" Taiga instructed Waver the correct response as Waver looked at Taiga oddly.
"Okay …" Waver began slowly. "I … have to go," Waver abruptly said as he used his hands to communicate with her which only earned him a confused face.
"Where—oh! There you are, Waver," Shirou spoke as he made his way from the isles of clothing racks to where both Taiga and Waver were.
Waver inwardly chanted a prayer, begging Shirou to not come any closer and give him any more trouble than necessary as he gave Shirou a pleading face.
"Oh, I see there is a girl here with you as well," Shirou said as he glanced at Taiga. "Hi, my name is Shirou," Shirou introduced himself as he gave a courteous bow in Taiga's direction which Taiga also returned as she began introducing herself.
"I'm Taiga. Fujimura Taiga!"
Shirou lifted up his body as he looked at Taiga with a soft smile of nostalgia at her young form. Veering his gaze over to her right hand which carried a shinai, Shirou's smile broadened at the sight. Even in the past, she's never changed.
"So Waver," Shirou addressed, "where are you going? I can meet you up later once I'm done if you like that."
Waver winced at Shirou's usage of Japanese. This is bad … really really bad.
"Hehehe," Waver faked an awkward laugh and gave an uneasy smile. "M-my – uh – Japanese … bad."
"What … are you doing?" Shirou said with a straight face, not sure what's gotten into Waver.
"He can't speak Japanese!" Taiga announced to Shirou. "Earlier, that was the most he's EVER said!" Taiga exclaimed with glee, perhaps happy at the prospect that Waver is pitching in the effort of learning her native language.
"Huh? Where did you get that idea?" Shirou asked.
"I saw them yesterday night," Taiga replied.
"Them?" Shirou questioned before coming to a realization himself. "You mean Waver and Alexander, right?"
"Ah, yes, the big red giant!"
Shirou chuckled awkwardly at Taiga's interesting description. There was no doubt she has never changed her personalities and quirks even in the distant past.
"The big red man can speak Japanese really good and he was our translator!" Taiga continued where she left off.
"Oh really?" Shirou stated evenly as he glanced at Waver dangerously. "What prank is this now, Waver?"
Waver sighed at his cover being exposed. Both Taiga and Shirou just had to snoop into his business.
"I swear it's not a prank," Waver answered in Japanese, seeing no point hiding or covering his ability in speaking the language. "It … has a complicated history."
"Sugoi!" Taiga exclaimed in surprise with her mouth gaped open. "You speak reaaaaaaaaally good Japanese now! Wow!"
How … dense is this girl? Waver pondered to himself as his uneasy smile lingered on his face.
"He's fluent in it," Shirou added, breaking Taiga's brief moment of fantastical thoughts.
"Heh?!" Taiga's exclamation quickly morphed into confusion as she wore an incredulous expression on her face. "Really?! Can you Waver?" Taiga asked with excitement in her eyes.
"U-u-uh …" Waver stuttered indecisively.
Taiga's pleading brown orbs of eyes as she continued to stare cutely at Waver finally made Waver first break eye contact with her.
"M-Maybe?" Waver said at last, resorting to the most neutral response. Despite his answer being seemingly like a defensive response, it was also a true answer as technically speaking, he is unable to speak any Japanese. However, it is only through magecraft he is able to do so. Therefore, if this was a yes or no question, Waver would have answered: "yes and no".
"Wahhhh! Waver, you can speak Japanese all along and you didn't tell me?! How could you!" Taiga exclaimed with what people would consider as a playful outburst.
"You're … not mad?" Waver asked hesitantly.
"Huh? Oh, no. I'm furious!" Taiga answered with a smile as her right hand holding the shinai gradually began to lift higher.
"Uh … Taiga," Waver addressed cautiously as he continued to eye the raising shinai intensely. "Your hand …" Waver trailed off.
"Huh?" Taiga looked over at her right hand before she lifted her left hand to her mouth as if covering a gasp of surprise while she hastily put her right arm back to her side. "Hmmm, I don't know what happened with my hand," Taiga said as she made a contemplating face.
"Very reassuring," Waver spoke evenly in a sardonic manner.
"Ah, Waver, what are you doing here in a girl's shop?" Taiga suddenly asked as she leaned in over to Waver's side, causing Waver to back up a couple steps to give them some much necessary space.
"I-I-I … ASK HIM!" Waver instantly pointed at Shirou, his partner in "crime", as Waver's back was pushed against the wall.
"Shirou-san?"
Shirou nodded his head in confirmation that Taiga did indeed get his name correct.
"What are you and Waver doing here?"
"I am buying a gift for my friends," Shirou replied. "Waver is here to accompany me because I asked him to."
"Ah, is that so," Taiga responded as she continued processing her thoughts. "What about Waver? Is Waver buying anything?"
"Not that I know of," Shirou answered, not exactly sure where the conversation is going. Sometimes, a conversation with Taiga is just like that, completely random and unpredictable.
"Oh," Taiga gave a depressed sigh, "that's no fun."
Was it just Shirou only, but did Taiga sound like Illya for a moment there?
"Well, Waver doesn't have any girl friends here in Japan, that's why he isn't buying anything," Shirou explained, hoping to cover for Waver in case Taiga thought Waver is just being stingy.
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" Waver protested. "I have friends!"
"I didn't say you didn't," Shirou pointed out.
"Erk—" Waver made a weird noise as he turned his face around to not meet Shirou's peering eyes.
"Huh? So am I his first girl friend?" Taiga asked while pointing a finger at herself in question.
Shirou shrugged, indicating that he didn't know the answer to Taiga's question. "I guess?" Shirou decided to go with the safest reply.
"I have more than one girl friend!" Waver exclaimed.
"Who?" Taiga asked with curiosity clearly evident on her face as she continued to lean closer to Waver in a playful way while Waver continuously backed up for every step forward Taiga made.
"U-u-uh … Irisviel!" Waver shouted out as if he received a revelation.
"What?" Shirou said dryly, wondering did he heard something wrong.
"Irisviel," Waver said, "she's a friend!"
"Acquaintance more likely," Shirou noted.
"T-then Sakura! Yes, Sakura!" Waver said twice to reaffirm his decision seeing that Irisviel will no longer be an option with Shirou disproving the idea so fast.
"I don't think so," Shirou replied with a tint of suspicion laced in his voice.
"T-then … then – uh –" Waver made an assortment of sounds as he frantically tried to come up with an answer.
"So I am first!" Taiga broke Waver's train of thought and Shirou's musing as she punched her fist into the air in celebration to cheer herself. "Yes!"
"You aren't my—" Waver began but was swiftly interrupted by Taiga.
"Can you buy me this? Please," Taiga suddenly came up close to Waver once again as she directed him a pleading set of eyes, begging for approval.
"What?!"
"To remember our friendship by, you can buy me a clothing here!" Taiga explained as if it were perfectly logical and ordinary.
"What kind of custom is that?!" Waver shouted incredulously at the sheer nonsensical statement.
"Pretty please," Taiga continued. "It's for our friendship!"
"You're still going at it?!"
"That's Tiger for you," Shirou said with a sigh as he smiled at the nostalgic spectacle.
Shirou expected for both Taiga and Waver to continue at it, however, Shirou was met with dead silence instead.
Nothing was said for a moment as an oppressive aura encompassed the entire room of the shop.
"What did you just call me?" Taiga asked coolly.
Shirou gulped at the tone of voice. This virtually identical voice reminded him of his English homeroom teacher, Taiga, back in the "past".
"Taiga?" Shirou asked warily. "Are you okay?"
"You just called me 'Tiger', how do you know that?"
Shirou inwardly cursed at himself for his slip of tongue. How can he make such an oblivious mistake of all times?!
"Uh," Shirou gave an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably, "I've heard you are the 'Tiger of Fuyuki', it's a pretty legendary title," Shirou answered Taiga, hoping his play of words would aid his situation.
"Oh, is it?" Taiga asked in wonder as her voice laced with excitement.
Shirou was tongue-struck for a moment after the 180-degree turn in personality but nevertheless gave Taiga an answer by nodding.
"Oh, then in that case, it's okay!" Taiga gave a beaming smile at Shirou.
Shirou gave an exhale of relief before raising his eyebrows in surprise at the younger version of Taiga. Did she … just gave him permission to call her "Tiger"?
"But, don't call me that again," Taiga continued where she left off, her smile never once leaving her face.
Yeah, thought so, Shirou thought inwardly as he chuckled in amusement at his never changing "guardian".
"Anyway, didn't you guys come here to buy something for a girl?" Taiga asked as she opened one of her eyes and closed the other playfully.
"Well … yes," Shirou replied, somewhat hesitant to answer the question. Whenever Taiga wore this expression he's seeing, she's always bound to have a secretive plan under her sleeve.
"Lemme see!" Taiga broke out in a fit of excitement. "Lemme see! I want to see what you're getting."
Shirou nodded his head in tacit approval. Knowing the girl before him, there is going to be no way for him to get away from her until she got what she wanted. Unfortunately, even after ten years, in this aspect, Taiga will still always remain as her immature childish self. In addition, Shirou saw no harm in showing Taiga anything. In fact, as she is a girl, perhaps she will be able to show some of her insight on what he can get for Irisviel.
Shirou quickly puts a pause on that train of thought; on a deeper consideration, Taiga was too much of a tomboy to know about the complexities behind fashion. From what he experienced, as long as Taiga got to eat, she was a happy woman.
"What are you going to get for your friend?" Taiga asked as she approached Shirou's side from behind.
"That," Shirou stated as he pointed at the dress on the mannequin.
"That?" Taiga asked strangely in confirmation. "Isn't that a bit plain?"
Shirou shook his head in response. "I don't think so, plus, it's cheap."
"Ah," Taiga whined. "Men have no common sense of what woman want."
You're the one to talk, Shirou retorted in his mind as he couldn't control the grin making its way up his face.
"Waver!" Taiga shouted out as she latched onto Waver's arm and dragged him over to the set of clothes on the clothing rack. "I want this!"
Waver stumbled as he made his way to the said destination with Taiga dragging him. Waver was quick to regain back his footing as he eyed at the indicated clothing which was a simple yet elegant dress in stripes pattern, a clothing which oddly suited Taiga.
"This?" Waver asked in confirmation as he pointed at the dress.
Taiga indignantly huffed as she nodded her head while puffing out her chest with cross arms.
Waver sighed at the weird and overly exaggerated pose before taking the clothing price tag in his hand for examination.
Waver almost choked on his breath at the overwhelmingly expensive price and value this simple clothing held. "This?!" Waver exclaimed in shock.
Taiga nodded once more.
"No way!" Waver shouted. "Are you insane?! That's ridiculously expensive! Find another one!" Waver ended the conversation while looking in the opposite direction of where Taiga was.
"Hmph!" Taiga huffed. "This is your punishment for hiding that you know how to speak Japanese!"
"I really didn't!" Waver protested.
Taiga's eyes glinted dangerously at Waver as her grip on her shinai tightened.
"I-I'm serious!" Waver involuntarily gulp as the shinai rose about to her waistline.
"H-hey … don't swing that shinai around!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not," Taiga replied as the shinai continued to rise above her chest.
"H-hey … s-stop!" Waver shouted as he backed up a couple of steps.
The shinai rose above Taiga's head and …
"Fine!" Waver exclaimed as all the heads in the small shop turned to him at his sudden outburst. "Fine, I'll buy it," Waver muttered as he grabbed the clothing pointed by Taiga earlier off the clothing rack with a frown.
She was a dangerous woman, that Waver can testify.
"Oh, reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally?!" Taiga asked as she hopped up and down in joy. "Thank you, Waver! I knew believing in your kindness will help you divert from your path of wicked deeds!"
Waver groaned at the personality and behavioral change, what is this girl?!
"I hate you," Waver grumbled under his breath as he made his way to the cashier desk.
"Hmmm, did you say something?" Taiga asked sweetly as Waver turned his head around to glance at the girl.
However, instead of seeing the face of a brown-haired Taiga, Waver was instead met with the tip of her shinai wrapped in white cloth pointed straight between his two eyes.
"I … get it," Waver said as he placed both of his hands up in the air in a surrender sign.
The shinai left Waver's face as he was met with a sincerely beaming Taiga.
"You are truly a kind person! You just need a little push," Taiga stated as she continued to smile.
Waver swore he was going to get back at that girl one day or another!
"You guys done?" Shirou asked as he approached them with his choice of dress in hand.
"Yeah …" Waver muttered under his breath. Why did he ever took up Shirou's offer of going out on an outing with him?
Whenever Waver involved himself with Shirou, nothing good has ever happened to him. Never once!
"Are you okay, Waver? You don't look so good," Shirou commented as he eyed the miserable teen.
"I'm okay," Waver replied. "Let's just get this over with," Waver finally ended with a defeated sigh.
Shirou nodded his head as he gestured over to Waver. "Well, you're next."
"That could have gone faster," Waver mumbled as he slumped his back with dejection, keeping his eyes constantly on the ground.
"Hope I didn't make you wait too long," Shirou said with a sympathetic smile while giving a silent apology.
"It's fine," Waver replied as he stood up straight once more while looking in front of him. "That dress you bought is for Irisviel after all."
Shirou nodded. "Thankfully we passed by the store beside the one where I got Saber's dress or else I would have completely forgotten how Irisviel eyed at that dress there during our first outing."
"Yeah … thankfully," Waver muttered. "Well," Waver began as he raised his voice to standard volumes while putting his hands into his pant pockets, "don't feel bad about it. We know how rough you've been going at it these past few days. You and I both are bound to forget things here and there eventually."
Shirou directed a grateful look at Waver. "Thanks."
Waver looked at Shirou's sincere grin before turning away abruptly, breaking the momentary eye contact due to his embarrassment. What kind of guy smiles at you with that kind of smile for something simple like that? If there is a thing he can never get used to about Shirou, it will be the innocent manner he carries himself.
On second thought, Waver quickly scratched that idea, everything about Shirou didn't make any sense to him.
After a brief moment of silence, a feminine voice broke the short-lived peace. "Ahhhh," Taiga complained. "You guys are soooooooooo boring," Taiga stated while having a shinai and a bag in hand.
"You have no right to speak," Waver said coldly as glared at the girl. "You made me buy you clothes."
"Tch tch tch," Taiga clicked her tongue in succession while waving her index finger back and forth in front of Waver's face. "No, it's punishment, so you wanted to buy me a dress out of your own kindness and repentance."
"What?"
"Yes," Taiga nodded as if agreeing to her own statement. "You were guilt-ridden and begging for forgiveness, through this purchase, I have shown you the way to redemption!"
"Yeah … of course," Waver grumbled, he had no more energy to deal with the girl behind him. She was a really formidable opponent. "Whatever you say."
"Anyway," Waver raised his voice a bit, "where are we going now?"
"Are you guys thirsty?" Shirou asked which Taiga profusely nodded in answer while Waver said nothing.
"Then it's settled, I know of a place that serves some pretty good drinks," Shirou revealed as he led the two companions down the busy streets of Fuyuki.
"This is the place you're talking about, Shirou?" Waver asked as he was seated on his chair in a well-lit environment that resembled somewhat like a coffee bar.
Shirou nodded. "I saw this one day on the way back home, and I thought it was pretty good."
"Hoh, I didn't know Shirou-san knew the Copenhagen!" Taiga explained while greedily sucking up her drink like an unending black hole.
Shirou gave a chuckle of amusement at Taiga's enthusiasm and passion for him knowing of the store here. "Well, I work part-time here," Shirou pointed out.
"Ehhhh! Really?!" Taiga exclaimed as she stood up from her chair, no longer guzzling down her beverage furiously. "Then you know Neko-chan?!"
"Neko-chan?" Shirou gave an awkward chuckle, didn't that mean "cat"? "Do you mean Hotaruzuka-san?" Shirou confirmed.
"Ehhhh?! So formal …" Taiga muttered under her breath as she sat back down to her seat, slowly beginning to fall into the temptation of attacking her drink once more.
"Ah, Shirou-san!" a voice called out in greeting as the figure rushed over.
Shirou and the two people beside him all whirled their heads around to meet the sudden voice.
"Hotaruzuka-san?" Shirou said with a hint of surprise. "What are you doing here?"
The said person grinned at Shirou as she placed her tray under her arm. "I heard someone ordered tea in Copenhagen, and no one orders tea in a bar except for you, Shirou! Also, you know better than to call me by my last name! We're on first name basis!"
"Ah, yes," Shirou said with uncertainty, finding it odd to address the woman he came to know in his past in such an informal manner.
"You got it?" the young adult asked with a grin.
"Ah, yes, Otoko-san," Shirou said after a brief moment of hesitation.
"Ahhh, no! Not that name! Call me by Neko-chan."
"Neko …. chan," Shirou finally said, relenting to the invisible pressure. Shirou knew in the past that only close friends of Hotaruzuka Otoko call her by that nickname due to her resentment of her original name's pronunciation sounding the exactly the same as the word "man" in Japanese. Hence she opted for a cuter sounding name, Neko, which means cat. Why she decided to use that as her name, Shirou had no idea.
"Yes, that's it! Ah, Taiga, you're here too!" Neko grinned as she turned her head over to her old friend upon realization.
"Mmmhmm!" Taiga hummed enthusiastically while puffing out her chest with pride. "I brought two friends here, Shirou and Waver."
"Waver-san?" Neko sounded the odd name out loud. "Is he a foreigner?"
Taiga nodded. "Yep, he and his friend helped me caught a thief and saved a dog!"
"Ah, that sounds really brave," Neko commented with a smile while Shirou eyed at Waver curiously, wondering what Taiga is talking about as Waver simply waved his hand at Shirou dismissively, silently informing Shirou he will explain everything later.
"Yep! And Waver lies too!" Taiga blurted out with her constant unchanging grin.
"HEY! That's no way to ruin a person's reputation!" Waver shouted in protest at the playful Taiga who never knew when to stop.
"Eheheheheh~" Taiga chuckled innocently while covering her mouth as if she was scheming something.
"Ah, Taiga and Waver-san have a close relationship, huh," Neko noted while looking at the bantering couple.
Shirou nodded in agreement as he continued to watch the development play out.
"AS IF!" Waver exclaimed once more, surprise that the newly introduced coworker of Shirou would be so audacious as to make such an atrocious statement.
"Ehhh," Taiga whined with disappointment. "But I think so!"
"Let me guess, because 'kindness' brings us together?" Waver asked.
"Well, yes. But I think you're fun!" Taiga said with joy.
"Uh—" Waver was tongue struck by the sincere smile Taiga was displaying at him. Even though Waver wanted to retort against what he'd believe as a hypocritical comment, Waver seemed to be unable to find the will to do so as Taiga continued to beam at him.
"I give up," Waver mumbled under his breath as he resumed sucking up his drink through a thin straw.
"Anyway, I need to get back to work. See you tomorrow morning, Shirou!" Neko said with an upbeat smile as she jogged back behind the front countertop of the bar that went into the kitchen and storage space.
"No problem," Shirou replied with a smile of his own. "See you in the morning. I should be able to make it this time."
"Good to hear!" Neko replied as she gave a thumbs up in Shirou's direction before disappearing into the "staff only" room.
"Isn't it about time for you to go home by now, Taiga?" Waver asked with a hint of exasperation, though it is true that he is somewhat concerned about her daily schedule.
"What time is it?" Taiga asked.
"Almost lunch time," Waver replied.
Taiga made a contemplative expression on her face before nodding her head lightly several times. "Grandfather will be expecting me for lunch, I guess I'll meet you later then!" Taiga said as she guzzled down the entire content of the drink before placing down the cup on the table as she stood up from her chair.
"See you later!" Taiga shouted, and without waiting for a response from both Waver and Shirou, Taiga flew out of the door of the bar, leaving a blinking Waver and a stoic Shirou behind.
"She … runs fast," Waver said, finally able to formulate some kind of response.
"That's Fuji-nee for you," Shirou said with an amused glint in his eyes.
"What did you say?" Waver reconfirmed as he took a sip of his drink.
"Huh?" Shirou asked with a cock of his head before realizing the obvious mistake he did. "Oh, I meant Taiga."
Waver shrugged before looking at Shirou once more. "Is Fuji-nee your sister?"
Shirou gave a laugh at the comment. "No, you can say she was my guardian once."
"Oh …" Waver trailed off. If Shirou had a guardian, Waver knew either something unfortunate happened to his parents or his original parents abandoned him. But considering Shirou's seemingly reckless and desperate methods and attempts to save others, Waver would be more inclined to believe his former suspicion.
"Why did you call me out today?" Waver asked after a couple seconds of silence. "I don't think you called me out for some fashion advice from a person like me."
Shirou smiled. "It's about Rin and Sakura," Shirou answered.
"Thought so as well," Waver replied, confirming the suspicion he had for the entire day. "And what about it do you want to discuss?"
"As I've said back in the Einzbern Castle, I will personally confront Rin's father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, about his daughters' issue. But, if things turn out for the worst, I am hoping for at least Sakura to stay with you," Shirou laid out the favor he hoped Waver can help aid.
"You mean with my grandparents?!" Waver exclaimed.
"Yeah, if that isn't too much trouble."
Waver's muscles slacked as he sighed in thought. He was being far too involved with the other families in the Grail War for his comfort, but with the way things are turning out, there was simply no helping it.
"How long?" Waver asked.
"I hope no longer than the Grail War itself," Shirou stated. "After that, if possible, I will care for Sakura myself if her original family is unwilling to take her in."
Waver nodded with a pensive frown. That sounded like Shirou alright, but will he be able to manage the load of responsibility to care for a child at his age?
"It should be fine," Waver finally gave an answer. "But I don't know how long will my Bounded Field last from any intruders if someone is to attack my grandparents' house while I and Alexander aren't there."
"Can't your Servant summon a soldier like he did last time?" Shirou inquired.
Waver shook his head. "Rider only did that as a last resort for safekeeping. Just by doing that feat guzzled a ton of mana out of my reserves. It's completely impractical to do that constantly."
"Hmmm, then maybe Maiya can help," Shirou thought aloud.
"That would be better," Waver agreed. "I don't want my grandparents involved in the Grail War, but if they are somehow dragged in, they will stand no chance against even a novice magus. It will be wise to put some guards there for safekeeping."
"You're right," Shirou nodded in agreement. "But I'll need to go through Kiritsugu first before Maiya."
"The Magus Killer," Waver stated gloomily. "Sounds tough."
"I'll manage," Shirou said with a smile. "And lastly," Shirou spoke once more after a momentary pause, "whatever you do, never bring Sakura near me unless I come to you."
"Huh? What about Luca?" Waver asked.
Shirou shook his head. "Luca's too late. He's already too deeply involved in the war. The best thing for him is to be near an allied Servant at all times. Sakura, however, can still be dissociated with the war's events."
"Since you're virtually considered as another participant of the war, and consequently an enemy, you'll become every other Masters' target. Hence why you don't want Sakura near you until the war's over."
Shirou nodded in confirmation.
"Fine. I'll help you. But just be careful. No plan is ever foolproof," Waver warned.
Shirou grinned gratefully. "Thank you, Waver."
"Saber~" Irisviel sang with a toxically sweet voice as she swayed her body back and forth as if cornering a prey.
"I-Irisviel?" Saber eyed her friend uncomfortably at her exhibited behavior.
"Saber~ come over here. I need to show you something," Irisviel said once more with a fake smile though the excitement and pure desire could be seen clearly in Irisviel's "hungry" eyes despite her seemingly "normal" demeanor.
"M-maybe next time," Saber suggested while continuing backing up, having no idea what happened to her friend, Irisviel.
Irisviel then suddenly leaped into the air and attempted to wrestle Saber down to the ground as Arturia easily sidestepped the sudden attack while Irisviel's attack met air as she hit the ground.
"Ah, no fun," Irisviel complained while getting back up. "Shirou!" Irisviel shouted out. "Saber is not cooperating."
Shirou emerged out of the kitchen beside where both of the ladies were currently at. "What's wrong?" Shirou asked with sweat beading down his forehead from the intense heated environment he was working in while he still held a spatula in hand when addressing Irisviel a question.
"I want Saber!"
Shirou shifted his gaze over to Saber to see that she was obviously uncomfortable. "For what?" Shirou asked, hoping to help and alleviate Saber's worries.
"This!" Irisviel exclaimed as she revealed the item she's been hiding behind her back since the very beginning. Holding the item proudly up before her was the very white and blue dress that Shirou specifically bought for Saber.
"Oh, you want her to wear that?" Shirou asked in confirmation. Although he has yet to give Saber his gift, it seems like Irisviel had first seen through his bag when he gave Irisviel her own gift. After explaining who the other dress is for, Irisviel must have been unable to practice self-control when she decided to rummage through his bag and take the initiative in – apparently – dressing Saber up.
Irisviel vigorously nodded her head as she suspiciously made her way slowly by Saber's side with stars shining in her eyes.
"Well, I don't see the problem, but can't Saber dress herself?" Shirou asked, not sure why did Irisviel found the need to abduct the sorely befuddled Saber who is endowed in her male suit.
"Saber~ will you do it?" Irisviel asked in a sing-song voice.
"Thank you, but I am now fine with my current attire," Saber reasoned, obviously not hoping to be cornered in a position she wished she was not under.
"Oh," Irisviel whined like a child. "That's no fun, Saber. Dress up! Here!" Irisviel extended the dress before her as she once again attempted to leap onto Saber to no avail.
Shirou chuckled in amusement at the unfolding event. Even in a serious Grail War between magi, this group of people is still able to maintain their cheerful selves despite the gruesome battle their subjected in.
"It's alright, Saber," Shirou reassured as Saber shifted her gaze from Irisviel to Shirou. "I thought you might like it, so I decided to buy it for you. Try it on," Shirou encouraged with a warm smile.
"You don't have to go through all that troubl—" Saber protested, fully aware of Shirou's low savings and income from their first outing in Fuyuki City.
"It's alright, Saber," Shirou said once more, already knowing what Saber was alluding to before she even finished her statement. "I got that because I wanted to. And if you're okay with it, I'll like for you to try it on. The size I bought should fit on you," Shirou ended.
Saber continued to eye Shirou in mild shock. The sincerity and joy Shirou's words carried out to express what he felt when blessing others brought a warm feeling to Saber's heart.
"Caught you!" Irisviel exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Arturia's waist with a vice grip.
"Irisviel?" Saber said with notable surprise. It appears she had truly underestimated her Master's tenacity and stubbornness in seeing everything through the end.
"Ah, I better go back before the food burns," Shirou stated as he began to smell the aroma of the cooking food drifting out of the kitchen.
"Wah, I can't wait! Saber, let's go!" Irisviel commanded as she dragged Saber by the hand while Saber forced an awkward smile on her face. Things were bound to get really difficult later.
Shirou placed all the variety of Japanese dishes on the massive and long table located in the dining room of the Einzbern Castle with a soft peaceful smile while Maiya and Kiritsugu monitored his work without a word, the former not daring to interrupt the master of food at his work.
"Phew, all done," Shirou announced as he wiped the sweat gathered on his brows with his sleeve.
Kiritsugu nodded solemnly as Maiya without a word sat down on her designated chair, waiting to begin.
"Huh, do you guys know where's Irisviel and Saber?" Shirou asked as he looked around the room in question.
Both Kiritsugu and Maiya shook their head in response as Shirou's forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Tada!" Irisviel burst through the door with a beaming grin.
"Iri?" Kiritsugu spoke with a slight change of expression, indicating he was surprised by the unexpected display of Irisviel.
"Hurry up. C'mon, Saber!" Irisviel urged before her own patience quickly ran out when she went back behind the door and pushing Saber through it from behind the back.
"I-Irisviel," Saber stuttered with uncertainty.
When Saber finally came into full view of everyone, the effect was immediate when everyone responded with a stunned silence. Even the chopsticks Maiya was holding tipped over and cling onto the porcelain bowl audibly.
Saber continued to fidget in place under everyone's watchful gaze as her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.
"I-I think that's e-enough, Irisviel," Saber said, desperately trying to maintain her composure.
"Ah?" Irisviel voiced her confusion aloud, as if Saber's statement was completely nonsensical. "But we're not even done yet!"
"You look good, Saber," Shirou suddenly spoke, his eyes visibly brightened and a gentle smile graced his lips.
Saber tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out of her lips as her blush deepened in embarrassment while she averted her eyes from Shirou.
Shirou's smile broadened at the rare sight as his heart thrummed with happiness. Never did he thought he will see Saber again, but getting to see Saber once more and having the opportunity to know her once again made Shirou acknowledge that although the Grail's ploy in sending him back in time was evil, even what was originally planned for wickedness can sometimes be made for good. And in his case, Shirou knew to get to meet everybody and save people he wasn't able to save in the past were just that.
In addition to all these blessings, Shirou would have never thought he will ever get the chance to see Saber in her old feminine outfit given by Tohsaka herself. Seeing her in the dress made it all the more worth it for Shirou to use his hard earned money in this manner.
Shirou was hoping to see Irisviel dressed up too and see how she'll like it and whether the white dress will fit on her. But considering how Irisviel got her hands busy on Saber's case, Shirou understood how Irisviel's dress wearing day will be postponed.
"Let's eat," Kiritsugu interrupted, shaking his head lightly from right to left, as if trying to drive the image and thought away of King Arthur wearing a girl's dress and acting like her gender. To a person who was supposed to and fully expecting to summon a male King Arthur, Shirou understood why his old man will feel a little bit out of place and uncomfortable to witness all his prior assumptions crumble before him.
This event of Irisviel dressing Saber up only further reinforced that fact.
"Yes! Shirou, you cooked again, right?" Irisviel asked with excitement.
Shirou nodded. "How is Luca, Sakura, and Rin?" Shirou asked, wondering why the children didn't come to join them in the dining room.
"Rin's conscious," Saber announced, "however, she does not wish to dine with us."
"Huh? Why?" Shirou questioned. "Is she not hungry after not eating for a day?"
Saber shook her head, indicating that that was not the issue. "She's looking after Luca," Saber replied.
"Oh," Shirou voiced his realization as he decided to stay silent on the matter. Luca had got injured extremely bad during their battle with Zouken to save Sakura. And without a doubt, Rin must feel like it's her fault behind the occurring tragedy. If Luca did not have a projected version of Avalon implanted in him beforehand, there was no doubt he would have died almost instantly. Virtually half of his body was crushed from the battle, no normal means would allow a human to heal like that. Not even normal magecraft could do anything much with the severity of the injury.
"And Sakura?" Shirou asked.
"She's not responding well to either of us," Irisviel sighed. "It's almost as if she's afraid of us in her own way."
Shirou pursed his lips as he hummed in understanding. "I'll go talk to her then," Shirou said as he got up from his chair.
"But Rin did say that Sakura is not hungry," Irisviel interjected before Shirou could leave.
Shirou paused in his footsteps before sitting back down. "In that case, I can't do anything about it. But it's at least good to see that both sisters are opening up to each other."
Irisviel nodded while taking another bite into her food seeing how both Maiya and Kiritsugu have already started.
"Speaking of both of them," Shirou began, his voice taking a change of tone from caring to serious, "I will be bringing Rin over to the Tohsakas tonight. I am planning to talk with Tokiomi for a while about what Sakura has been through."
"You sure you don't want us there, Shirou?" Irisviel asked, clearly worried for his wellbeing. Especially considering how Tokiomi is the Master of Archer, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.
"I'll be okay, just make sure to watch over Luca and Sakura for me," Shirou said with a smile.
"When will you be leaving tonight?" Irisviel asked.
Shirou looked up from his bowl, his eyes showing the experience of a hardened warrior ready for battle. "Tonight. After dinner."
After that statement, the entire meal went by peacefully with idle chit-chats from Irisviel commenting on Saber's new attire, relentlessly praising the Servant's beauty to Saber's further embarrassment, to Shirou's outing with Waver and the recently met "new" friend, Taiga.
Even with a looming task before him, Shirou couldn't help but smile at how fortunate he is. Regardless of who tells him otherwise, at that point, Shirou felt like he was the luckiest man in the world.
The door creaked opened as light entered the dark room that was dimly lit by the moonlight. Being shined upon by the sole outside light source, Tokiomi looked up from the parchments of documents he was examining as he eyed at the intruder.
"Something wrong, Kiriei?" Tokiomi asked by first initiating the conversation.
"The magus named Shirou has come to us," Kirei announced evenly, immediately straight to the point.
Tokiomi's rhythmic breathing was interrupted momentarily by the sudden announcement before Tokiomi's breathing once again resumed back its natural calming pace. "And?"
"He has your daughter, Rin, with him. And he is asking for your presence."
Tokiomi fixed his eyes back on Kirei's as he slowly placed the documents he was reading down onto his work table.
"Send him in."
"As you wish."
Thank you for reading!
Sorry for the one-week late update, things have been extremely hectic for me recently as I juggle between education, work, and writing altogether. Hope you can understand and please leave a review of what you think about this chapter!
Also, for those wondering about the promised outing that Shirou gave to Irisviel in the chapter titled "The Outing" ... well, that will come much much later.
Lastly, phew, this story has now over 100,000 words. I don't know why, but I can't help but feel proud of the fact. Call it ... a sense of accomplishment. – SteelBlades333
Japanese Word Translation:
Sugoi! – Wow!
Neko – Cat
Otoko – Man (though do note that Neko-chan's real name "Otoko" is written in a different kanji [character] than that of the kanji "man". But ... they still sound exactly the same, hence Neko's natural despise in her name [Neko-chan is a canon character by the way])
Next month's update – Steins:Fate
Why this story? Because people have been asking me to update it for quite some time.