Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I want to take a break. Honestly, I'm lacking inspiration right now. Not that lacking inspiration makes me stop writing mind you, but I feel drained for some reason. It might be a combination of not finding anything good to read, to just schoolwork, but whatever the case, I feel like I want to take a break.
That said; don't be surprised if for the next two weeks nothing gets updated. Don't be surprised either if anything gets updated. I'm very fickle in my writing.
Anyway, a warning. This chapter is sort of filler and heavy with dialogue. Nothing much happens that advances the story. We do get some characterization though, with Luvia, Rin, Lingyin, and some Chifuyu at the end. Though I'll admit they are subtle.
Anyway, on with the show.
XxX
They arrived a little past 6:00am. Most of the city was only beginning to wake up from the previous night of work, debauchery, or studying, probably all three at the same time.
Thankfully, they had managed to avoid getting spotted by flying high over the clouds. Directions were given to him by his IS' built in mapping, and soon enough, they had arrived at their destination, although they were sixty thousand feet up in the air.
He thought about just diving for it, but with Rin still in his arms, he didn't want to take the risk. So he did the next best thing, he let his thrusters stop and let gravity do the rest.
Rin wasn't so much as fazed by his action, only admiring the scenery that was London as the sun was rising, the sun glares from the windows gave the city an almost serene look, and if he was being completely honest with himself, London never looked sunnier than it was then. He felt almost regretful that by mid afternoon, the probability of it suddenly raining was high. The saying that it always rains in London was at least half-truthful. It didn't always rain, but for the most part, it was almost always dreary with the rain clouds and the drizzles here and there.
As he approached the ground, he reignited his thrusters and steadily slowed his descent. It was really just a simple matter of landing on the plaza that was in front of the gate of the Edelfelt manor. He didn't even think about landing inside the gates, as that would actually be a foolhardy thing to do. Mages were secretive for a reason.
"Glad to see you still have some common sense." Rin had teased him as he landed with her in front of the large steel gate that led to the Edelfelt manor.
"I'm not that dumb. I'm not about to go landing inside a magi's house without an invitation." He had replied sourly, he could admit that he pouted a little. Rin knew just where to push his buttons sometimes. Especially when it came to his common (or lack thereof) sense, not that he lacked it mind you; he just chose to ignore common sense when it suited his goals. What good would common sense do if you were running into a burning building to save a man from burning to death? Common sense would tell you to turn around and scream for firefighters to help, but his own brand of common sense told him to run inside without thinking about the consequences and help the man himself.
So in essence, he didn't lack common sense, he just had a distorted one.
He let go of Rin and let the Kajiya revert back into the ring in his finger. Rin watched what happened with scrutinizing eyes, before she shook her head and turned around. Muttering something under her breath about 'Sealing large objects'.
He ignored her and turned around as he heard their other companion land close by. Shenlong already dissolving into motes of light as it was sealed. She looked up at the gates and whistled as she approached. "This is where your friend is staying?"
He nodded his head. "She used to live in the dormitories, but after awhile, she found that she lacked the spacing to conduct some of her more… explosive experiments there." He pointedly ignored the confused tilt of Lingyin's head and turned back towards the gate. "So she decided she needed more space and bought a small apartment complex and rebuilt it from the ground up." Well, it wasn't exactly small per se, but in Luvia's own words, it 'Still lacked the space required for her works'.
"This has something to do with magic right?" Lingyin asked from behind him. He shrugged his shoulders. In part yes it did, but the Edelfelt family had their own mundane reasons of being rich. One of which is their jewel trade. Rubies, Sapphires, Onyxes, everything under the earth that was shiny and could be mined really.
It was partly the reason why Rin and Luvia didn't get along. Where Rin was frugal to Luvia's extravagant. Their ideologies crashed into each other every time one would do something with their money. In truth, it was a strange friendship, and although neither one would openly admit they were friends with the other, he understood that their rivalry brought them closer.
Well, that was one part of their rivalry, the other part was-
"Shirou!" He was brought out of his musings as the gates suddenly opened and out came a curly blonde haired woman in a blue dress. He noted she was dressed already, so she had probably spent the night waiting for them.
"Luvia." He greeted with a slight nod of his head. He saw Luvia just barrel past Rin, much to Rin's annoyance, and went straight towards him with a smile on her face. "Did you wait for us all night?" He asked in English, a little amusement in his tone.
Instead of getting embarrassed, Luvia only nodded her head. "Of course, my best butler is coming back to me, and although with some regrettable company-" Luvia cast a sneering look towards Rin, who was only staring at Luvia with narrowed eyes. And although their words and actions suggested they hated each other (though it was close to the truth), there was no animosity, at least, not the animosity of killing each other. "- I must welcome you regardless." Luvia nodded her head as she finished, taking her eyes off Rin and facing back towards him.
It was then Luvia seemed to notice the other person behind him. She tilted her head, before turning back towards him with a questioning look. He closed his eyes and made a move to introduce Lingyin, when he was interrupted by Lingyin herself.
"Lingyin Huang," Lingyin said in almost perfect English. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Lingyin outstretched her right hand, a gesture that Luvia seemed to take in stride.
"Luviagelita Edelfelt." Luvia responded in English. A smile on her face as she took hold of Lingyin's hand with her own. "The pleasure is mine Lingyin." Luvia finished as she let go of the hand with a nod of her head. Luvia then turned back towards him, and gave him a bright smile.
"Well, at least you're other friends aren't as savage as that gorilla." He raised a hand to his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It wasn't for the fact that Luvia was talking about Rin, no, if anything he was used to that. It was the fact that Luvia was talking about Rin like she wasn't even there.
Thankfully, Rin seemed to be the bigger ma – err – woman, and ignored the jab and took it in stride. "It's a bit unbecoming of a host to talk to their visitors outside of their home isn't it?" Well, almost ignored it. "Or perhaps you intend for all of us to talk about this right here? Outside of a bounded field?"
Luvia's mood soured and she let out a huff. "Very well," Luvia said haughtily before she walked past him and towards the open gate. "Keep in mind, once you step inside the gates, you will come under a Gaes. Don't worry, it's not something that will bound you to working for us or anything. Just a precaution, you will not be able to speak of any Edelfelt secrets that may be revealed to you outside of any Edelfelt's presence." At those words, Luvia turned a pointed look at Rin. "This all started when a Tohsaka ran off with some of my family's best kept secrets, this gaes was brought up and is now part of every Edelfelt home. So you keep that in mind okay Rin?"
Rin for her part, only shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care if your family can't let go of a grudge. My ancestor was smarter than yours, that's all there is to it. And don't worry about me doing the same. The Tohsaka branch of magecraft has evolved past using only gems."
Luvia let out a dainty scowl at her words, before she shook her head. She then turned around, and entered the manor. "I welcome you to the Edelfelt manor then." With those words, the gates opened even more, revealing to them a small(ish) manor that was two stories tall. He heard Lingyin whistle from behind him, and turned towards her.
"How did that happen?" He recognized that she was referring to the sudden reveal of a larger house then what they saw from outside the gate.
"Bounded field." Probably. He didn't know that much about bounded fields anyway. Or any other branch of magecraft save for his for that matter.
"So this is what prana can do?" Lingyin commented as she walked up to his side and started walking in sync with him. "I didn't know it could something this large in scale, the body is one thing, but this entire house? That's just amazing."
He shrugged his shoulders. A few feet away from them, Luvia entered the open doors to the manor, followed suit by Rin. He noticed that the person that opened the door was the head butler that served Luvia and the one that had trained him in being a gentleman and a butler. "Magecraft is versatile. It's like science, except it searches for the shortcuts to get there without using anything other than prana." If Rin or Luvia heard him say that, they'd probably beat him over the head with a tome about magecraft. But in all honesty, that was what he viewed magecraft as. A shortcut, it helped him help people. And that was all he needed from it anyway. He wasn't a researcher.
They both approached the door, and when they were close enough, he nodded towards the man that held the door open. "Robert." He greeted the old balding man with gray hair as they approached the door. The elder man smiled at seeing him, before he nodded his head in greeting.
"It's a pleasure to see you again Shirou." The man spoke in perfect English. "Lady Luvia has been rather moody since your own self-banishment from the Clock Tower. You were quite literally the highlight of her day." He blushed a little at the old man's words. Before he shook his head to clear away any embarrassing thoughts.
"Well, I'm here now. That's what counts right?" He replied with a small smile. Robert only shook his head at him.
"Such a wishy-washy answer Shirou. Quite disgraceful for a butler." He frowned good-naturedly at Robert. Who was giving him a small smile in contrast to his frown. "But I guess you are correct. I haven't seen Lady Luvia beam so much after your call last night." Again he blushed, but this time, he managed to control it somewhat.
"In any case," Robert continued as he ushered him and Lingyin inside. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Both Lady Tohsaka and Lady Luvia are in the living room. I suggest you do not dally and go to them before they have another argument." He sighed.
"Shouldn't that be your job?" Of course it should be his job. He was looking after Luvia now, so he should be the one stopping Luvia from making a fool of herself. But his words really were just another way of saying 'I'm not doing this job if you're here.' He was glad that Robert thought so highly of him in this area, but sometimes the man's fear of arguments between Rin and Luvia was exasperating. And it wasn't like he wasn't afraid either! But he understood if he didn't stop them, they would come to blows.
"I must attend to setting the table and the silverware for breakfast." He expected that answer. He was about to offer to help, but stopped as Robert cut him off. "You can help me by making sure Lady Tohsaka and Lady Luvia are comfortable." Damn it.
"Fine." He ground out. It was then he remembered he was still with someone, but again, before he could introduce Lingyin to Robert, Lingyin beat him to it.
"Lingying Huang." Much like her previous introduction to Luvia, Lingyin spoke in near perfect English and with an outstretched hand towards Robert. "It's a pleasure meeting a gentleman such as you."
Robert for his part seemed mildly impressed. "No need to introduce yourself like that young lady." Robert accepted the hand and shook it firmly. "And please, drop the formalities. I can notice when one is being polite for the sake of being polite."
Lingyin seemed surprised, but soon shrugged at Robert's words. "I guess I should have expected that. I still have much to learn about etiquette and politeness I guess." She said with a grin directed at Robert.
Robert only shook his head. "Word of advice young lady," Robert spoke as he closed the door behind them and walked past them. "When you're trying to be polite and respectful, make sure you really feel that way. Forcing it makes you look silly." Robert finished as he turned a corner towards the area where the dining room and kitchen was.
He turned towards Lingyin, and gave her a questioning look. "Faking your feelings?" He asked, half-teasingly and half-seriously.
Lingyin answered by shrugging her shoulders at him. "Not really," She said dismissively. "I just know how to get a really good tip." She said with a grin.
He stared at her for a second, before he shook his head. He had almost forgotten that Lingyin was a waitress and a cook. "If you're really that tight on money, I can loan you some."
He saw Lingyin dismiss his offer with a wave of her hand. "And get more money stuck on top of my head? No thank you. I can earn a living just fine."
He liked this kind of banter with Lingyin, it was fun and it was honest. And although Lingyin had admitted (and showed) him that she could pretend to be courteous and respectful, he knew that Lingyin was far from such. She was competitive and had a touch of sincere-ness to her words. Much like Shinji had been, except without the overwhelming brashness and looking down on people. He guessed if Shinji was raised differently, he would be exactly like Lingyin.
He was interrupted from his musings as he heard shouting coming out of the doorway leading towards the living room of the Edelfelt manor. He let out a sigh, well, it was probably a new record that they weren't resolving things with violence anymore. But still, can't they be pleasant around each other for even a minute? They were friends after all, right?
"Come on. Let's stop them before they destroy something valuable." He wouldn't want Rin starting a fight and destroying something in the manor that was expensive. Their bank account held a sizable amount of money, but it was nowhere near enough to replace a valuable artifact from an ancient family of mages.
"Can't mages just fix something broken?" He heard Lingyin ask from behind him. Well, that was a valid question. But it was a question he had no answer to. He could fix things yes, but fix things magically? He couldn't even fix his broken window with magecraft.
Mechanized Magus
XxX
"So let me get this straight." Luvia began as she stared at him from across the large dining table. The table itself was 2/3rds the diameter of the room, which was probably two times the size of his dining room. Large paintings of renaissance styled pictures hung in ornate wooden frames behind and in front of him. The chandelier hanging above the table shone brightly as it illuminated the area with light, while gems attached to it seemed to make it glow. He had been impressed when he first saw the dining room when he started working, now though; it was just a normal site for him.
Luvia picked up her tea in front before she continued. "You plan to go back into the Clock Tower, ask the Puppet mistress for a favor, and then go back out?" Her tone wasn't condescending, but their was a touch of incredulity evident in it. He couldn't blame her though, even Rin had acted the same when he had told her, Rider and Sakura about the plan.
"That's pretty much it." He confirmed with a nod of his head as he stared at Luvia. Luvia hummed in thought as she sipped her tea, her eyes closed and her expression serene.
When she finished drinking, she placed the tea back on the table and then turned a glare towards him that made him flinch. "That is an entirely stupid plan and you should be ashamed of even thinking about going through with it." Her voice wasn't cold, nor was it biting. It was only direct and unflinching.
He heard Rin sigh from his right. "At least we agree on something." Rin muttered as she shook her head.
"And you." Luvia turned towards Rin, who met the blonde's eyes with her own. "What are you thinking allowing him to go ahead with this plan? I thought you knew him better than me? Why would you allow him to do such an idiotic and suicidal plan like this when the vice-director has been hunting you and him since you both disappeared?"
He turned towards Rin, and saw her scowl turn cold as she met Luvia's eyes. "I know him," Rin repeated Luvia's words. "And that's why I'm letting him do it. I can't talk him out of this, he has an ever present hero complex and has an unhealthy desire to help people. I know that if I try to stop him, he'll just find a way to do something even more idiotic, or ignore my say and just go through with it. I'm here because I'm keeping an eye on him, not because I don't trust him to help someone else. But because I don't trust him not to kill himself doing it."
Now he was put-off by Rin's words. "I'm not that bad! Seriously!" Well, maybe he was a little. It wasn't like he was doing it against his will though. There was nothing wrong with helping people. Even if he was a little bullheaded and brash about doing things that he risks his life doing it. There was nothing wrong with that because in the end, other people will be saved.
"Yes, you are." It was Luvia that answered him. He turned towards the curly blonde haired woman who was now leveling him a glare. "The number of times you've found yourself in bad situations because you couldn't keep your heroics to yourself is too numerous to count."
He frowned. "Name one tim-" He was about to ask, but was cutoff as Luvia just gave him an exasperated look.
"The time you almost got yourself killed trying to stall a Dead Apostle from killing that team of Enforcers in Australia. Not to mention that you had absolutely nothing to do with the Enforcers' mission." He flinched. Alright, maybe not his brightest move, but still. It was either he stall that Dead Apostle or let that entire team of Enforcers die. And if he hadn't been there, the Dead Apostle might still be alive. He got a good talking to by Rin and Luvia when he came back to the Clock Tower with a team of Enforcers half-beaten to death with broken arms and half broken bodies.
"You've got a point, but if I wasn't there-" He tried to defend himself, but Rin cut him off this time.
"Or how about the time you tried to fight that werewolf in Sweden? Remember what kind of state you were in?" Again he flinched. Okay, that one he could admit was foolhardy. But still, he was only there because he caught wind of rumors of a wolf coming into houses and eating children. How was he supposed to know that the wolf they were talking about was sentient and had agility that would make a Servant cry? He had looked for the wolf in the mountain tops and he was ambushed by said wolf. He couldn't even see the werewolf coming at him, and had it not been for his training with his suicidal sword style with Kanshou and Bakuya taking advantage of the werewolf's lunges for open spots in his defense, he would have died. He was also very lucky that their fighting caused an avalanche in the far side of the mountain and nowhere near civilization. That gave him the opening he needed to make a break for it inside the avalanche. He couldn't hope to outrun the thing, or hide from the thing. So the next best thing was to prevent it from coming to him. And getting buried under ten feet of snow was as good a hiding place as any.
Thankfully, he had enough weapons stored up inside Unlimited Blade Works that radiated heat. He managed to get out ten hours later, with several broken ribs and his spine cracked from having ten feet of snow on top of him for so long.
He sighed. If he continued to defend himself, they would only point out some of his more dangerous escapades. "Point taken." He conceded to them. Let it be known that he was foolhardy and hardheaded, but was not above seeing the faults in his actions.
"Wow he's whipped." He heard Lingyin's voice to his left whisper. But he ignored it… well, tried to. He felt his left eye twitch slightly at her words, he wasn't whipped. He was just… afraid of the women he had in his immediate vicinity.
"We're not trying to tell you what you're doing is wrong Shirou." Luvia sighed as she shook her head. "It's just that we worry that you'll do something that will lose your life. Did you ever think about what would happen to us if you died?" He bit his lower lip. Luvia's words hit a sore point. She was right, but at the same time, he couldn't stop doing what he was so used to doing. Even his combat teacher during the war was exasperated he did things so haphazardly. The man even told him he was 'Good at fighting and thinking on his feet, but horrible trying to think of a plan.'
Still, even though he understood what Luvia and Rin were getting at. He still couldn't leave Tabane like that. If not for his own sake, then for Tabane and Houki herself.
"I can't stop…" He began, drawing a sigh from both Luvia and Rin. "But there's nothing wrong with that. I help people because it's the right thing to do."
"And that's exactly why you'll kill yourself trying to help them?" Luvia countered, her voice hot and slightly angry.
He was about to respond, but Robert, who had been quietly standing by the side of the room, suddenly spoke up as he approached Luvia. "Perhaps my lady." He began, drawing everyone's eyes towards him. "That Shirou is simply saying that all lives want to be saved should be saved. And that he tries to save everyone simply because he thinks everyone deserves an equal chance."
He was mildly surprised at the deflection of Robert, but when his eyes met the old man's own, he could see a hint of pride and happiness in them.
He heard Rin harrumph, before she shook her head. "Be that as it may, he should learn to prioritize who he should be thinking about. His friends and family should be on the forefront of his mind, and not strangers that would undoubtedly use him and discard him without a second thought."
"Have you forgotten Mistress?" Robert asked, sounding nonplussed. "That would be the same as asking a gem to still be yours when you give it to someone else?"
That seemed to mollify Luvia somewhat as she deflated in herself slightly. He turned towards to Robert, and gave the old man a short and tight nod. The man returned it with his own, before a devious smile appeared on his face.
Oh no, he wasn't done.
"But if I may ask a question," Robert began, making Luvia perk up slightly. He gave Robert a slight glare, but the old man only smiled at him. "If your friend, someone you are close to, had the power to destroy the world, and they were being forced to do it, what would you do?"
Wow, he didn't pull any punches did he? He could feel Rin and Lingyin's stare from his sides. And he saw Luvia giving him her own curious one. He closed his eyes and took a breath. Well, at least this wasn't a hard question.
One to ten, ten to save a hundred, a hundred for a thousand. This was Kiritsugu's mantra. His way of saving people. If he was the old man, he would be willing to kill one to save the many. But he wasn't… and his answer was simple.
"If I was my father, I'd kill them. No questions asked." He began, his eyes closed. "But I'm not. And I'm willing to accept all the evil that comes with saving everyone. If they were forced, I would find a way to help them. If I can't find a way to help them, then I'll find a way to save the rest of the world. If I can't save the rest of the world, then I'm willing to sacrifice mine trying to find a way. And if I ever failed, I wouldn't regret it." He paused as he opened his eyes. "I have no regrets, this is the only path. To save everyone, I will have no regrets even if they all think me a maniac that wants to jeopardize the rest of the world. And even though I'm being selfish in trying to save everyone; that is the only path I'm ever willing to take."
Although his speech was directed for everyone, he locked eyes with Robert. Who was giving him a small smile, before he nodded his head at him. "I see." Was all the old man said.
He returned the nod, before he looked at Luvia. He only caught sight of her eyes for a second, before she suddenly burst a bright smile at him. "Hardheaded as ever I see." Luvia said with a hint of fondness in her voice.
"We can't change this guy even if we tried." Rin's voice sounded from his right. A hint of amusement and fondness in her voice as well.
"Wow, that's really…" He heard Lingyin whisper from his left. Sounding impressed and more than a little surprised at what he had said.
He shook his head. "Anyway," He interrupted everyone's train of thought as he spoke up. He looked towards Luvia before he spoke. "We just need a few days to stay. Three at the most and just a night if everything turns out okay."
Luvia straightened herself before she answered. "And if everything goes FUBAR?" She asked, an honest question that was completely valid given his track record.
"Then you never housed us and you've never seen us in over six months." He finished with a nod of his head. Drastic yes, but necessary.
Luvia thought over his proposal for a second, before she looked up at him and locked eyes with him. "And what shall I get in exchange for this?"
He was prepared for that, so he immediately had an answer. "A renewal of my contract, after I graduate from the IS academy."
He half-expected Rin to have an outburst, but none came. And only Luvia's answer was heard. "Denied. Too light with no pay out if you fail." Well, it wasn't like he was expecting her to agree with just one offer.
"Wait." They all turned their heads as Lingyin spoke up. Her voice confused and more than a little exasperated.
"What is it?" He asked, confused at her interruption.
Lingyin frowned as she looked at him, before she looked at Luvia, and then turned back towards him. "Aren't you guys friends or something?" Lingyin asked him.
He furrowed his eyebrows before he answered. "Yes, of course we are." Why would she ask that? Has anything they have done suggested otherwise?
"Then why are you-" Lingyin pointed towards Luvia. An act that brought a frown on the curly blonde woman's face. "Asking him for payment? Shouldn't you just do it because you are friends?" Lingyin ended as she pointed back towards him.
Another thing about Lingyin he liked. Her rather blunt personality. She made her opinion about you known. And though for the first three weeks when he first met Lingyin she had been following him, when he talked to her, she was blunt and direct enough to say she was comparing him to someone else. No vague answers, no careful wording. Just plain and simple 'You weren't the person I was expecting'.
He shook his head, he agreed with Lingyin, but these were mages they were dealing with. Nothing ever came free. "Equivalent exchange." He answered Lingyin, who only stared at him with a slightly confused face.
"What does an anime have to do with this?" Okay, not what he meant.
"I meant that mages typically don't do things for free, even for friends and lovers." Everything a mage did, there was a price. And if someone asked you to do something for them, they expected you to exchange something equivalent. "They expect recompense for what they do. It's one of the basic unwritten tenets of magecraft. Everything has a price. Well, save for True Magic, but that's another thing entirely."
"But that's…" Lingyin frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. "That feels so dirty. You're friends right? Why not do things for friends just because of that?"
"It's dirty," He agreed. If any of his friends (or anyone really) asked for his help, he would do so without question. "But it's what mages do. That's partly the reason why I'm such a bad mage anyway." Not that he considered himself to be a mage in the first place, but still, if he ever did, he would be a third-rate one at best. He'd willingly tell people about his own magecraft if it meant helping people. He didn't dare say that in front of Luvia and Rin though.
"Where did you find this one again?" He turned towards Luvia. And saw the blonde staring at Lingyin with an inscrutable look. "She seems knowledgeable enough, but she seems to lack the basic thought processes of a mage."
He shook his head to answer. "That's because she isn't a mage." He began, making Luvia turn towards him with raised eyebrows. "She just has magic circuits. If anything, she's just like me. A magic-user."
"Hmm," Luvia hummed as she looked at Lingyin. After a few seconds, she shrugged. "Well, whatever the case, if she's here, I assume you have something planned?" He recognized the undertone immediately. Lingyin wasn't a mage, and very likely wouldn't want to be one. Both he and Rin had already told her all about the other side of the world and what being a part of it entails. So far, Lingyin had made no mention of wanting to stay in that part of the world, and was only here right now because she was intent on following him to keep an eye on him.
What Luvia is referring to is what happens after. Were they going to hypnotize her? Were they going to erase her memories? Or erase her entire existence? If not, would Lingyin be willing to start mage training? Would it be possible? Or would Lingyin keep her mouth closed about it all, asking them to put their trust in her if she ever says she won't reveal anything.
All these things they could do, but none of them he would do. He had one answer to Luvia's question, and that was a resounding "Nope."
Luvia seemed to buck at his answer. "What do you mean 'Nope'?" Her voice was incredulous, disbelieving even.
"What Lingyin does with this knowledge is up to her. Her teacher told her the bare minimum about it, telling her that Prana is Chi, and how to Reinforce her own body for martial arts." He explained a bit of what Lingyin had told them before. "What me and Rin did was tell her what Chi really is and what kind of world involves the use of it. It's her own discretion on what she wants to do with that knowledge." He shrugged, an act that irked Luvia some more, before he continued. "Besides, it's not like telling anyone will get her anywhere. We've already told her what happens if anything about Mages and Magecraft ever got out, Enforcers would come down on the area like raining fire."
Luvia seemed to deflate somewhat at his explanation, but didn't seem intent on letting it go. "Well, if you've gone so far already, I wouldn't be surprised you would tell her what happens if she runs her mouth. But…" Luvia then turned towards Rin and gave her a questioning look. "How come you agree with this?" Luvia asked.
Rin replied by crossed her arms over her chest and closing her eyes. "I don't. Having a recently discovered person with activated Circuits is grounds enough for memory wiping. But Shirou told me some very interesting facts about the Academy he's going to, and what the leading scientist that made the Infinite Stratos really wants to do with them." Rin then uncrossed her arms before opened her eyes and staring back at Luvia. "It's all conjecture on our part, but the evidence really points in just one direction. That Bunny-fu-fu actually wants to integrate regular people into the magical part of the world."
Luvia took a second to digest this new information, and judging from the look on her face, she was more than a little flabbergasted. He turned a little to the left, and saw Lingyin frowning, before she opened her mouth and spoke up. "Can we get back on topic?" She asked, making every person in the room turn towards her.
Luvia broke out of her thoughts, before she coughed and cleared her throat. "Right, well, that certainly is interesting. But I believe Lingyin is right. What you are offering and what I'm giving are not equal." Well, yes, they've established that, but really, that was all he could offer her aside from money.
"So what is it that you want?" He finally asked after it became evident that Luvia wasn't going to offer something.
Luvia took a second to ponder his question, before she cast a look towards Robert, who had remained quiet ever since his earlier question was answered. Robert seemed to discreetly shrug his shoulders, before he closed his eyes again. Luvia took a breath after that action, before she turned to them and finally spoke up. "I've gotten stuck with my research-"
"No." He turned towards Rin as she cutoff Luvia mid speech. "If you expect him to accept getting turned into a guinea pig for this one small favor, than you have another thing coming."
Luvia took Rin's accusations in stride, as she just pointed her chin up and looked away rather haughtily. "Typical for Miss Gorilla, jumping to conclusions like a piece of banana was being waved in front of her face." Damn it, they are not going to start again… are they?
"Well parvenu." He cringed, of all the things to call Luvia, it had to be that. "It doesn't matter if I jump to conclusions or not, Shirou will not accept being turned into a guinea pig or will ever help you in your experiments. He has his own troubles to deal with."
"Like being your guinea pig?" Luvia shot back. He sighed, he had to step in before things escalated.
"Luvia." He interrupted before Rin could shoot something back. "What was it you were saying?" He asked the blonde as she smiled at him.
"Thank you Shirou, it's good to see that even though you're friends with some unscrupulous individuals, you remain calm and have good manners." Luvia beamed at him, before her smile turned into a serious frown. "And regarding my offer, it's about a project of mine."
He nodded his head. "Sure I'll help." He accepted without much fuss. Really, if this was all it took for him to get Luvia to agree to house them for a few days, it was all good.
Luvia flashed him a smile. "That attitude of yours might just cause you regrets later you know." Of course he knew that, but well, Luvia was a friend, and favor or not, he would have helped her regardless. Rin knew this, and that was probably the reason she was sulking in her seat right next to him as she muttered about naiveté and being too helpful sometimes.
He shrugged at Luvia. "I would have helped you regardless." He then thought of something peculiar. "Why didn't you mention this when we met a few months ago though?" He would have thought Luvia's class would have prior notice about a project ahead of time, as per most classes in a college-like environment.
He saw Robert stifle a chuckle next to Luvia, and gave him a questioning look. Robert replied by shaking his head. "Madam had a different project at that time."
Oh. Oh! Okay, he got it. He didn't need to say out loud what that meant, he wasn't that uncouth.
Too bad, Rin was vindictive sometimes. "You messed up didn't you." Rin's wording was that of a question, but her tone of voice was direct, as if stating a fact. He caught sight of Rin smirking right next to him, and he let out a sigh. Really can't let that one go can you?
From across his seat, he saw Luvia fidget slightly. "I-it was just an unfortunate error on my part. But enough about that. I agree to the terms." He relaxed a little, well, that went longer than he expected, but at least now they had a place to stay. Still, there was one other thing…
"Luvia," He began, making the blonde look up at him and give him a questioning look. "Do you know if some of the people that are targeting me are in the Tower right now?" That wasn't exactly vague, but when he said target, he meant those that were actively hunting him down and not those that actually just want to talk to him.
Luvia closed her eyes in thought, and after a second, shook her head at him. "Sorry. I've no idea if the vice-director is there." He deflated, well, there goes that idea.
He gave Luvia a small smile. "Well, thanks anyway."
Luvia nodded her head at him, before she turned towards Robert. "Robert, take our guests to the bedrooms they are assigned to. They're probably tired after their excursion overnight. So I believe some rest will do them good." Actually, he wasn't tired and he was raring to go. But…
"Yeah, some rest will do us good." He stated as he caught sight of Rin, who was looking more and more tired. He had really drained her of her energy when she was worrying about him for the last three days. Add to the fact that he had just carried her in the air flying at supersonic speeds back in London, and well, she needed to rest.
He then turned towards Lingyin, and saw her stifle a yawn. She may not be as tired as Rin probably was, but still, she might have been worrying about Houki as much as Rin was worrying about him. They needed to rest.
"Of course madam." Robert bowed his head slightly before he turned towards the three of them. "If you shall follow me, I shall escort you to your rooms." Robert stated as he walked over towards the west side door and exited. Most likely going to wait for them out in the hallway rather than inside the dining room.
He stood up, and was shortly followed by Lingyin, who was frowning as if she were in deep thought. He turned towards Rin as he didn't hear her standing. He gave Rin a questioning look, to which she only replied with a shooing motion with her left hand.
"Go ahead without me. I want to talk with Luvia some more." That wasn't suspicious at all. He was about to tell Rin to get some rest and not pick fights, but was cutoff as Rin shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm not looking for a fight. I just need to talk to Luvia about something. I'll get some rest after I talk to her, don't worry." He was still skeptical, but conceded with a nod of his head.
"Alright then." He turned towards Luvia, before he bowed his head a little. "Thank you my lady, for this favor." Hey, at one time, Luvia really was his lady.
He looked up just in time to see Luvia blush hard, before she gave him a small smile. "It's no problem Shirou. A lady must always take care of her friends and servants after all."
He returned her smile, before he turned towards the door and started walking towards it with Lingyin right next to him. Time to get a little rest.
XxX
She watched as Shirou and Lingyin walk out of the room. Truthfully, she wanted to follow them. She needed to rest, her body could only go so far without sleep before it collapsed, but at the same time, she needed to talk to Luvia.
The door closed softly, leaving the both of them alone in the room. She took a deep breath, before she turned towards the one person she probably disliked more than Kirei… well, that may be an exaggeration, but still, she was close.
"So I take it you have something important you want to talk about if you're here alone with me again." Luvia began as she turned towards her. Their eyes locked for a moment, before she closed her own and sighed.
"What do you make of it?" She asked the blonde. She didn't need to elaborate, as much as she was loathe to admit it, Luvia and her thought the same, and were really completely similar to each other.
"Truthfully?" She frowned, was she expecting anything less than the truth? "I think it's all fantastical. Having the entire world integrated with magic is just asking for Gaia to intervene."
She nodded her head. "That was what I thought too." She hummed as she continued her thoughts. "But then more facts about Shinonono and her invention kept popping up."
"Like what?" Luvia questioned. She could see Luvia's interest was piqued as she was now leaning forward and waiting for her answer.
"Like the fact that Shirou's Reality Marble is getting integrated into his own IS' core." That was one thing, and she already knew Luvia knew about Shirou's unique magecraft. So she wasn't scared at all to discuss this with her. And although she didn't like Luvia and Luvia didn't like her, it was… nice to have another mage to discuss things over with. True, their discussions often turned into disagreements, but that didn't mean it wasn't without cause. Most of the time they argued, they got something out of the other. It was a strange case of symbiosis really.
"Well, that's interesting." Luvia commented. "How has that affected his magecraft so far?"
"Surprisingly," She began. "It has done nothing but good to him. His Tracing is already integrated into his IS' systems. And though he can Trace weapons when using his IS, when he does do so, his IS changes the basic construction so that it can be wielded by the IS itself. That's a good thing, and honestly, it's amazing to have." She finished with a sigh.
Luvia spoke up immediately. "But you think there's something wrong with it." Luvia said, and she could only nod in reply.
"Exactly." She began again as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's unclear why exactly Shinonono is doing what she does, but from what we do know, it contradicts to what she's doing." She huffed as she uncrossed her arms before looking up at Luvia. "Take for example Shirou himself. Why would Shinonono allow another mage to have an IS? Her goals are pointing towards wanting to integrate the world with magecraft, so why allow another mage to figure that out? Another thing is her invention itself. Why only females? I would use the term feminazi, but then again, she hasn't shown any kind of hostility towards Shirou at all, in fact, she seems downright interested in what happens with him."
"Everything she does shouts 'this!' while everything she does points to 'that!' It's all confusing and unpredictable. I could write it off as her being a typical mage with a mages mindset, but that doesn't even fit her description." She shook her head and looked up Luvia. "Everything she's doing just doesn't make sense."
Luvia hummed in thought, her eyes closed as she pondered on the new information. Honestly, it's good to have another person to talk to about this. Rider and Sakura didn't exactly have the magus mindset she had raised herself with, and though they had good insight on the situation, it goes beyond just saying 'It's probably just the way Shinonono is.'
"I can see where you're coming from." Luvia began. "It's frustrating to be so in the dark about it. Especially with Shirou involved, and whenever Shirou is involved, you never know how long till he goes off on his own and potentially puts himself in a dangerous situation." Luvia paused, as if in thought, before she sighed. "Well, he's already done that, so the only problem really is the lack of information on our part."
She frowned. "Not only that, but now we have some kind of terrorist group after him and those around him." She shook her head. She was exasperated with the amount of trouble Shirou got himself into sometimes.
"Well regardless," Luvia spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "All we can do is just look after him as best we can. He may not act it, but it's obvious that his saving people thing is eating away at him steadily." Luvia hummed in thought. "Speaking of which, I'm sort of surprised he's doing this with you and that other one, Lingyin was it?"
She nodded her head, agreeing with Luvia. "It came as a surprise to us too. Shirou was never one to ask for anyone for help. Ever since the Grail War, he's always done things alone."
Luvia shifted in her seat, looking uneasy as the subject changed to the Grail War. She knew that Luvia had some knowledge about what happened during the Fifth Grail War, but all the details were probably spared from her ears. Not that Shirou was secretive about it, but it was a sore subject for him.
"In any case," She hastily said. As much as she enjoyed seeing Luvia squirm a little, they needed to get back on topic. "What do you make of Lingyin?"
Luvia visibly relaxed in her seat, before she hummed. "Depends," She began. "What are her qualities?"
"Low number of circuits, above average quality and capacity. It's a surprise really, her Circuits aren't atrophied, it's like they were implanted into her recently and ever since she has been using them." Everyone has Circuits, the real kicker if one can be a mage or not is if one has a significant number of Circuits and if they're prana quality is high. That didn't mean they exactly correlated positively or negatively however. Someone with a high amount of Circuits could have crappy prana quality, like Shirou. Or someone with a low number of Circuits could have high grade prana quality, like the fifth Magician, Aozaki. Though, there had been a rumor circulating before that Aozaki had mediocore prana quality at best as well.
"Well, that is interesting." Luvia commented. "Perhaps they have something to do with the IS cores? There have been theories proposed about them circulating around the Clock Tower for awhile now."
"Let me guess," She drawled, sounding uninterested. "Most of them involve the cores being some sort of makeshift Magic Circuit and/or Crest."
Luvia blinked at her, before she nodded. "That's exactly it." Luvia confirmed. "Most of the professors in ancient crests and Circuit study have been going crazy with the theories and trying to replicate something like Tabane's cores to prove their theories right." Luvia then paused, before she furrowed her eyebrows in apparent frustration. "Most of the higher-ups think the professors are going on a wild goose chase."
She nodded her head. "As they should be." Luvia gave her a confused look, before she clarified. "From what I can discern from Shirou's core, there's something else there that doesn't seem to be evident without inside knowledge about it." She then fidgeted slightly. "Aside from that, I want to know, is Lord El-Melloi spearheading this project? About making those cores to prove their theories right?" She needed to know this, the second El-Melloi is actually one of the more controversial researcher in the Clock Tower, with his mixture of modern science with magecraft, it would only make sense he would be interested in something as technologically and magically advanced the Infinite Stratos.
Luvia nodded her head. "Of course, who else would be so interested in something like a metallic exoskeleton that can fly and shoot lasers?" It was also a well kept secret (read: known to everyone) that the second El-Melloi was an Otaku. Not that she meant that in a derogatory term mind you, but still, the second El-Melloi's love for anime and giant gunpla was infamous inside the Clock Tower.
Not that anyone who didn't believe rumors would know that if they saw him walking the halls that is.
She snorted in amusement. "Aside from the numerous ancient families wanting Shinonono and her secrets? No one comes to mind."
"Yes, well," Luvia sounded amused as well, but her tone turned serious as she straightened herself. "Why did you want to know who spear-headed the projected? Did you have something that can help them?"
She nodded her head. "I have information at least. Not that it's much, and not like I have anything that can contribute to their blind reverse engineering aside from my first hand account with Shirou's own IS."
Luvia seemed to think over her words carefully, before she gave him a pointed look. "It sounds like you have your own theory about this."
She shrugged her shoulders. "You're right about that." She then gave Luvia a crooked smirk. "Not like I'll tell you what it is."
Instead of getting angry or affronted, Luvia just shrugged. "I don't exactly care. Like I said before, I have my own problems with my projects. And besides, how exactly are you going to talk to Lord El-Melloi? You and Shirou left for a reason remember?"
She just waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that, of all the professors in the Clock Tower, he's the least likely to turn me and Shirou in."
"Well, I don't certainly want Shirou to get caught, but you on the other hand, I don't rightly care at all." Luvia commented as she looked at her nails.
"Yeah, yeah." She dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, back to the main topic. If Shinonono gets what she wants, most likely there will be a manhunt for Shinonono."
"And that's a bad thing why?" Luvia asked her.
"Think about it." She began. "Shirou barely knows Shinonono, yet here he is, trying to fix her mistakes for her and saving her life. What do you think will happen if the Clock Tower descends on Shinonono while Shirou is around?"
Luvia's eyes widened a fraction, realization dawning in her eyes. She nodded her head before Luvia could say anything. "It's exactly as you think."
She heard Luvia cluck her tongue, before she spoke up. "You wouldn't think Shirou would really go against the Clock Tower just to help Bunny-fu-fu right?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "He's here right now, going back to the Clock Tower for help. Disregarding his own safety to help Shinonono." A sardonic frown then etched itself onto her face. "And the worst part about this is Shirou really doesn't know Shinonono that well. I can't rightly make my own opinion about her since I haven't met her and only heard stories from rumors and from Shirou himself, but her willingness to allow Shirou his own IS and her general closeness to him makes me uncomfortable." She sighed. "I'm not jealous of her mind you, just wary of her. She's a magus, arguably a much better one than me and you. She's been a recluse for so long, and now she's openly trying to talk and get Shirou to use her own branch of magic when she denied others the possibility. There's something wrong there."
Luvia nodded her head as she finished her explanation. "I agree." Luvia then sighed, before she shook her head. "But as it stands, all of your words and theories are nothing more than that. There is no basis on things other than suspicion. And as much as I want to tell you you're wrong, right now, that may not be the case."
"Is that your version of 'you're right Rin.'?" She asked with a smirk. Luvia however, only shook her head with her own smirk on her face.
"No, just me saying that you're in between right and wrong." Luvia then nodded her head at her. "Now, I believe it is time you get some rest. I can tell you need it now more than ever with those bags under your eyes. And I must say, you look more like a gorilla right now than the other times I have seen you before."
She dismissed Luvia's insult with a wave of her hand as she stood up. "Whatever, I can't be bothered with insulting you right now." She then turned towards the door and started walking towards it. But as she reached it, she turned around and faced Luvia again. "Thanks." She said quickly and quietly as she locked eyes with the blonde woman.
Luvia then gave her an amused smirk. "Whatever for?" Luvia asked her, sounding high and mighty and wanting to hear what it was she was thankful for.
She snorted. "Don't push your luck." She answered as she turned and pushed the door open and stepping outside. She closed the door behind her, and inhaled deeply. Right, now to get some rest!
…
…
…
Wait a minute. Where was her room?
XxX
"So…" He looked towards Lingyin, who was currently sitting on a chair that was backwards so she could prop her arms on the backrest. "I felt like a third-wheel there." Lingyin admitted as she buried her face a little into the chair.
"A lady shouldn't sit like that you know." He admonished her. Not out of being sexist really, but the fact that if Lingyin was wearing a skirt rather than pants, then he would have probably lost his sanity trying not to look down there. "And yeah, Rin and Luvia usually have that kind of effect when you're in both of their presence." That was true. Whenever Luvia and Rin spoke to each other, the other people (usually him) would get left behind as they threw insults and counter theories at each other.
"What's wrong? I'm not wearing a skirt." Yeah, you aren't. But… ah whatever. "Besides, not like there's anything else here that I can sit on."
He just gave her an exasperated look. "How about your own bed? Or your own chair? In your room across the hall?" Why was she here again? After Robert showed them their rooms, with his being just opposite Lingyin's and Rin's, Lingyin had just walked into his room after ten minutes. Wandering around and saying nothing. After walking around and looking at everything, she decided to just sit down on his chair and start talking awkwardly.
"Nah," Lingyin dismissed the notion. "I promised Houki and Cecilia I'll keep an eye on you. So that's what I'm going to do."
"Well, you can't stay here the rest of the day. You have to leave sometime." Honestly, he would prefer if she left now. Not that he was disconcerted with her being here or anything, but he needed to think of what next to do now that they were here. Bringing Lingyin along hadn't been part of the plan, and honestly, he doubted he would bring her along inside the Clock Tower. Granted he could do that, but doing so wouldn't really do anything to the situation.
"Well, you do have a point." Lingyin conceded as she raised her head and nodded slightly. "But still, I don't have to do that now. Besides, what do you plan on doing now that you're here?"
He sighed, before he turned in the bed he was given so that he was staring at Lingyin. "That's what I'm thinking about right now. You being here isn't really helping me." Not that he needed peace and quiet mind you. It's just that peace and quiet helped him focus, making Issei go out of the room as he Traced over an air conditioner unit wasn't just for the secret of magic after all.
Lingyin pouted slightly. "Are you telling me my presence is obstructing your higher brain functions?" She asked, half-teasingly, half-seriously.
He shrugged before he nodded. "Pretty much yeah." He was never good at lying.
He saw Lingyin sigh, before she shook her head. He guessed if she had something to throw, she would have already done so. "Why is this feeling like a repeat of the kidnapping scenario?"
That's because it was. He didn't plan things. He just went with his gut most of the time. The only time he ever thought about things was when he was in the heat of combat. Case in point, him running away from Lancer the first time he invaded his home. After the delusional thought of standing and fighting with nothing more than a Reinforced poster was shattered, he knew he had to run. And even though he didn't know at the time that it was futile to try to, he still had the thought that if he ran over towards the shed, he could at least fight back.
He shook his head to clear away those thoughts. "I don't plan things." He told Lingyin. "When I try and save a person, that's usually my first instinct. I don't plan to save them, I just try and do." He explained as best he can.
"So what?" Lingyin began, still sounding confused and a little put-off. "You hold everyone's lives as equal? Whether this is your friend, your lover, your family, or a complete and total stranger?" Lingyin asked, to which he nodded his head.
"That's pretty much it yeah." He confirmed. There really wasn't much else to say about this, and he was slightly confused as to why Lingyin was so interested in his machinations. "Why are you so interested anyway?"
Lingyin shrugged, an act that was slightly awkward as she was still on the chair and leaning her head forward. "What you said in the dining room, about accepting the burden of saving everyone." Lingyin began, he raised an eyebrow in question, telling her to go ahead and ask. Lingyin frowned, before she continued. "You're really serious about that? You'd seriously try and save everyone, when you can just finish it with just one life?"
He sighed, before he sat up. "If I just chose one over the many, I'd have killed Houki right then and there and never bothered trying to think up a plan." Kiritsugu would have done that, but he wasn't his father. He admired the man's ideal. He wanted to see to that ideal, but he wasn't Kiritsugu.
Lingyin stared at him for a few seconds, only looking at him, before she sighed and stood up. "Well, at least I know you're not just a random playboy." He bristled at the implied insult. But before he could admonish Lingyin, she was already walking towards the door, hands behind her back as she strolled her way towards it. "Makes me wonder what you'll do when your ideals and reality begin to cause friction."
He was surprised by her words, that he couldn't react in time as he saw her open the door and stepping out, closing it behind her and leaving him alone in his own room. From the way Lingyin said those words, it sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Perhaps she had been disillusioned by something in her past?
He shook his head. He shouldn't really pry… Not that Lingyin was giving him the same treatment. Well, at least he had practice with people like that. And it wasn't like she was as bad as Shinji.
Now, just what to do? Maybe he should wait for Rin and discuss things with her. The more he thought about it, just strolling into the Clock Tower was turning into a bad – err – worse idea every minute.
Well, he'd talk to Rin after she got her rest. Hopefully by then, he'd have managed to think up a plan that wasn't just going in and finding who they needed.
XxX
"Another one?" She asked, looking down at the report she was handed.
"Yes, can you believe it?" Maya began, her voice sounded excited. "Three new students in the first semester alone. The board is excited with the prospect of having so many new students, especially now that we have two men."
"Hmm," She hummed as she scanned the report. Charles Dunois. French. Sixteen years old. She listed each and every last bit of information and memorized it. But there was one piece of information that was different from the rest of the other student's files. The gender. "Another male huh?"
She put down the file just in time to see Maya nod her head. "Can you believe it? Another male IS pilot. And he's coming here. Now Shirou won't be the only male in the Academy anymore."
She had to admit, it was a rather exciting prospect. But recent events prevented her from sharing Maya's enthusiasm. She had too much on her plate right now, from Tabane's coma, to Shirou's leaving, to finding out what exactly happened during the events of the previous week where Houki had been kidnapped. She wasn't swamped, not in the slightest. But having so many things going on at the same time spelled trouble. There was something foul here, and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever it was when it finally finishes.
"When is he coming?" She turned towards Maya, swiveling her chair as she stood up and made her way to the records cabinet. Well, whether this was a male or not, he was still a student in this Academy, and he wouldn't be treated any different.
She heard Maya hum from behind her. "The board made mention that he'll be coming over in a few days, two or three give or take." Well, that complicates things doesn't it?
She opened the drawer before she placed the file in between the D portion of it before she turned around. She'd sort that out later. "And have the students been told?"
Maya shook her head. "Not yet, the board wants it to be a surprise, like with Shirou-kun." Well, didn't they like surprises? Maybe that's why she didn't always see eye to eye to them, she didn't like getting surprised, and she didn't like being kept in the dark.
That was another thing she was worried about, being kept in the dark by Shirou Emiya. It was obvious he was related to something shady. His actions were impractical, he didn't think things through, and he was almost predictable in his ways. But that's just what makes it so hard for her. He was predictable, but he was hiding something, and he was hiding it really well.
She was no slouch in that department, but with Shirou Emiya, he either had something he couldn't talk about, literally. Or he wouldn't talk about. Whatever the case though, the only group that would try something this blatant and obvious would be Phantom Task, and whenever they were involved, something fishy was sure to follow.
Could it be though, that Shirou Emiya was related to Phantom Task? Perhaps a previous member that chose to leave for good? No, that seemed impossible. He was clean, the government did a thorough check on him, and he hadn't been involved in anything shady besides having a legal guardian related to a Yakuza boss in Fuyuki city. Phantom Task was an international crime organization, something local like Yakuza wouldn't be part of their group.
Still, getting green-lighted by the government didn't automatically say you were in the clear. She would have to research a bit. She had heard the name Emiya before, but she couldn't recall when or where. She'd have to look into that later.
She sighed, well, that would come later, for now she needed to teach a class. She turned towards Maya and gestured for her to follow. "Come on, we still have a class to teach."
Maya nodded her head in reply. She didn't speak, and she appreciated that. She needed to get her thoughts straightened. Too many things were happening, and she suspected even more things will come soon.
Hopefully, she'll be ready for it.
XxX
Late update for stories. I have a reason though. Prelims. Just got done with that, and now I'm roaring to go.
I've got nothing to say about this chapter. We get to see Rin and Luvia interacting, with Shirou trying to strike a deal with her. Honestly, another filler chapter that has implications but doesn't really advance the story. I expect people will be disappointed with it. But I'm satisfied with it being like this. At least in the next few chapters, I can get to the Clock Tower and Charles coming into the IS Academy.
Next chapter should deal with Shirou getting in the Clock Tower, as well as Houki and Cecilia bonding on the other side of the world. Also Chifuyu sniffing around.
C.O.Y.L out, peace!