A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the long wait, but I have a good explanation for this other than IRL getting in the way. I'll explain it later in the end, but for now enjoy!

Chapter 3: Luck of the Draw

It was currently Thursday, two days after Shirou traced the sword Caliburn. For the red-haired teen, it seemed he was having some sort of normalcy… for the most part. Of course, having magic powers to trace simple-bladed weaponry and a few different spells that could help use these weapons from their minds would freak anyone out. Still, to Shirou, it seemed to draw some comfort to him as it seemed connected to his missing past.

At the moment, the young teen was helping the old man, loading the last small box into his tiny yellow car with his only good arm. The dojo was finally repaired, and that meant the old man could fully move out and leave the complex to wherever he was going. During that time, the man gave Shirou a tour of the city and pointed out where everything was, which was helpful considering the teen would be here for who knows how long. Placing the box into the front passenger seat as it was the remaining free spot in the car, Shirou stepped back slowly. While decent, the small yellow car the old man used had several boxes inside and some tied to the roof; to the redhead, the weight alone seemed to have pushed the car's suspension close to the ground.

The old man was putting a suitcase into the trunk as he finally turned to Shirou, "Well my boy, I suppose this is where I practically pass the keys to you, and Shinono-san but I suppose you can give her one of them once she comes back." The old man then took two sets of keys from a pocket inside his coat and handed them to Shirou.

The old man walked to the open driver's side door and entered the small vehicle. Starting the car, the old man had a slight look of realization. "Oh I almost forgot," fumbling around the old man gesturing to Shirou to come to the window, the boy complied, still confused, that was until the old man held out a small wooden box about the size of Shirou's fist. "Before I forget, this is for you. Do with it what you wish, I suppose. Good luck to my boy." The driver's side window rolled up, and slowly the tiny yellow car drove out of the complex.

Shirou looked on as the car was slowly disappearing down the road, then he realized something. "I still don't know his name… damn." Shrugging the thought away, Shirou noticed the car's license plate, and he knew that the car wasn't of Japan, as the plate itself had English letters. Shirou was able to read the plate as the car was getting further and further away. It read 'KLDSCPE.' The boy only gave a small eyebrow raise before shaking his head, not wanting to think too hard on the matter before looking at the small wooden box in his hand. Shirou walked towards his room as he thumbed the box in his hand. When he reached his destination, he decided to sit on his futon and decided to look at what was inside.

The contents appeared to be a silver-chained pendant. The pendant itself had a triangular red gemstone, possibly a ruby. However, Shirou saw that it was very well crafted, but it seemed familiar to him somehow. Thinking about it suddenly, it brought up the flash of him getting stabbed by a strange-looking red spear he saw in his dreams. Shuddering at the scene, Shirou shook his head, shaking off the fear of being stabbed in the chest. Then, he turned to the pendant, though it brought a sense of slight fear with the flash of a red spear, the charm itself seemed to give the redhead a sense of comfort but also a bit of sadness, on what Shirou didn't know.

Shirou stared at the pendant for another minute before deciding to put it back in the box and place it in his pocket, the feeling of comfort still with him even as he put the box away. Then, walking out of his room and into the living room and kitchen area, Shirou decided to take up stock for what food he had left for the remaining week. Looking into the fridge, he noticed that there were very few vegetables and eggs and some cooked chicken left that would at least last him for dinner. Forming a small list in his head, Shirou knew what he needed to do today.

It took a good half hour before Shirou arrived at the grocery store. Grabbing a cart from the outside, Shirou entered the large store. He was looking and inspecting all the produce with a critical eye. Finding what was cheap and of decent quality came naturally as if it seemed almost second nature to him for the redhead. Though Shirou couldn't remember where he learned how to inspect fruits, vegetables, or meat in that manner, it seemed he got a knack for it for a good reason. Shirou remembered the greasy burger he had to eat a few days prior and shuddered.

About an hour passed as Shirou grabbed the last item on his list, a dozen eggs. Pushing the cart along, he waited in line for the cashier. Taking out his wallet, he counted how much yen he had on him. At the same time, there was a substantial amount Shirou needed to spread as it wasn't his money exactly. When the teen was pushed to be a roommate, he realized he did not seem to have cash on hand while shopping for essentials. However, it appeared Houki did not mind providing the necessary money he needed for his clothes and essentials. She even gave Shirou some money that, by his standards, should last him the month.

"I really need to find a way to pay Shinonono-san back, maybe find a part-time job?" Shirou could only shrug. Being a fifteen-year-old did not open a lot of options. Small jobs would work, maybe, but he would need to make money eventually, or else the guilt of being a freeloader would eat away at him for as long as he would live. Sighing at his current predicament, Shirou could only move to the cashier; as she scanned the items one by one, another employee helped the red-haired teen bag the items and placed them back into the cart. After paying the necessary amount, Shirou pushed the cart along until he reached the exit, and with some difficulty, Shirou was able to carry the groceries he bought with his good arm. The easy task was done. Now he just needed to get back…

"And I'm lost… great…" Shirou thought. While he was given a tour of the town, not exactly having a lot of time to get familiar and not going out often while the old man was present left Shirou slightly confused on where to go. "I'll have to ask someone for directions soon, or the food will spoil," sighing once again, he walked around until he came across an open park plaza where it seemed some sort of attraction was set up underneath a large canopy. Considering his options, the red-haired teen decided to ask someone if they knew the street where he lived. What had he to lose besides spoiled groceries if he didn't?

Walking up to the canopy, did Shirou notice what was going on. Underneath the roof appeared to be a few technicians surrounding some sort of mech suit. It didn't take long for the redhead to figure out what that mech suit was – an Infinite Stratos. While the suit itself seemed basic in color and had no noticeable weaponry, Shirou saw the few personnel present looking over what appeared to be running some diagnostics on the armored suit. He only stared at the IS for a few seconds when one of the technicians tripped nearby while holding what appeared to be a sort of curry in a foam bowl, spilling the contents all over the IS. The other technicians could only stare at their coworker in mute shock and slight horror.

"Damn it, Kate, we just cleaned that this morning!" one of the coworkers scolded, who appeared to be the lead, "Now we'll have to delay the presentation again."

The technician, Kate, simply whimpered, "I'm sorry…"

"Just get the cleaning supplies out of the truck and clean it up… I can already smell the spices from here…" the lead technician grumbled.

"Excuse me," Shirou began, gathering the attention of everyone. Then, he stopped for a second as all eyes were on him, "If you want, I can help with cleaning that."

"Boy, I suge-"

"I-I would appreciate the help, thank you!" the worried technician spoke up, relieved she wouldn't be cleaning the IS alone.

Seeing that her coworker spoke up already, the lead could only reluctantly sigh, "Follow Kate to get the cleaning supplies, then distribute the work evenly…" At least it wasn't all bad; maybe they could present without any further delays with the boy's help.

Shirou nodded, and he placed his bags underneath the canopy. He followed the other technician, Kate, out of the complex; after a few minutes, the two returned with a wide range of brushes and cleaning supplies. As Shirou approach the IS on one side, he felt his nose burn from the smell of the spilled food, and upon closer inspection, it appeared the curry also had bits of tofu in them. The teen unconsciously shuddered at the sight and the smell, swearing he saw this type of dish before.

Steeling his nerves from the uncomfortable but somehow familiar smell, Shirou began to clean the spicy contents off the IS, the other technician doing the same on the other side. Another few minutes passed before the lead technician saw and swore the IS shone like it came fresh off the cleaning dock.

"I must say boy, I'm impressed, and not a moment too soon…" the lead technician mumbled out before facing one of her coworkers, "Run a quick diagnostics test to make sure everything is running properly, and I do mean everything."

The woman simply nodded and ran to a nearby laptop and started typing away, presumably running the diagnostics on the IS. Shirou could simply stare at his handiwork though still intrigued by the machine, he lingered his gaze for a little longer.

"Maybe testing out Structural Analysis here could help them quicker…" he thought as he idly walked up to the IS once more and placed his hand on the side. Then, closing his eyes and concentrating on his magic circuits, Shirou began channeling prana through his hand into the IS.

"Trace on."

Shirou found nothing wrong on the surface but then decided to prod further, pushing more prana into his hand to search deeper into the IS, unaware of what was happening around him.

"Ma'am, the readings on the IS are off the charts!" the technician at the laptop yelled, causing all her coworkers to stop and look at her; even the lead technician looked up from her tablet in surprise.

Running up to her coworker, the lead technician looked at the laptop screen and saw that her coworker was right; the diagnostic readings spiked tremendously on the IS. "This doesn't make any sense. Usually, an IS readings spike like this when someone has…" the lead technician stopped midway as she looked back at the IS as it started to glow, but the source of that glow wasn't random like she thought as she saw the boy who offered to help clean the mech, had his hand on the side of the IS.

"Was he another…?"

Shirou opened his eyes, using Structural Analysis on the IS; he saw nothing wrong with the mech, though, to his confusion, it felt like the IS was alive and seemed to resist his prana. Though the glow he saw coming from the IS made him look at the mech in slight confusion, he hoped that it wasn't too big of a deal. Finally, he looked up from the IS to the people around him.

…

…

…

"Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Shirou thought in confusion as he saw everyone staring at him in shock. One of them was in the middle of drinking a bottle of water, but midway stopped and stared at the redhead, spilling the contents onto the floor.

Realizing the staring wasn't going to stop, Shirou then realized that he needed to get home. Picking up the groceries bags, Shirou simply asked for directions for his current address but was only met with silence.

"I definitely did something wrong…"

Hearing the announcement of the P.A. system that a new pilot was found didn't bat an eye to anyone at the IS Academy. However, hearing that the new pilot was a male, the entire student body was in an uproar. It was around lunchtime when the announcement was made, and all the girls gossiped about the new pilot; well, most of them were. While some of the student body was thinking of… less than civil ways to "welcome" the new pilot, three students were sitting at a cafeteria table in a more civilized manner, two girls and a boy. One of them was Houki, and she was currently sitting next to the boy, and the other girl was sitting on the other side of him.

The boy had short black hair, brown eyes and was wearing the white, red, and black IS Academy uniform; this was Ichika Orimura, the now formerly only male in the world to pilot an Infinite Stratos, and Houki's childhood friend. The girl had long and curly blonde hair held by a blue headband, light blue eyes, and was wearing a female IS academy outfit; however, the blonde had a longer dress than Houki's shorter skirt that reached her thighs with black frills at the end. The blonde sitting next to Ichika made Houki's blood boil, as the girl was sitting next to her… friend more than Houki was comfortable with. This girl was Cecilia Alcott, a… rival of Houki's…

"Ichika dear, how does it feel to no longer be the only male IS pilot?" the blonde asked.

Ichika simply swallowed a bit of his food before replying, "Relieved actually, I finally have someone to talk to."

Houki's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying I don't count as someone?" she asked with palpable anger.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just feel like I can finally talk to another guy, that's all," the boy responded quickly.

"Oh…" Houki simply muttered out; the girl was berating herself mentally, she jumped to conclusions again. Of course, Ichicka would feel that way if she was the only guy in the IS academy. She would feel tense about not talking with anyone other than the opposite sex, especially when most were constantly trying to be "more than friendly" to you.

"I wonder," Cecilia began, "because we're getting a new male pilot, does that mean he'll be rooming with you, Ichika?"

The blonde's question surprised Houki at first before she gave it a bit more thought; with Ichika being the only other guy, having the new male pilot move into her friend's room would make the most sense. Then realization came to the girl; she would have to move out into another room… away from Ichika. Looking at the boy in question, Houki could tell Cecilia's question was on Ichika's mind as well, though it seemed like he wasn't perturbed about it.

"Most likely, though I wouldn't be against it," Ichika replied with slight excitement while taking another bite.

Houki felt saddened hearing that, "Though I am…" she mumbled, but it was enough for the other two to hear.

"You are?!" Ichika asked, surprised that his childhood friend, a girl, would be against something like this. It wasn't even that long since he and Houki found out to be roommates, and she seemed initially against that at first, and now she was against moving out of the room?

"Y-yea…" Houki shyly muttered, slightly embarrassed that both patrons heard her, especially Ichika. Maybe this could be her moment to say how she truly felt about her childhood friend.

"Why?"

"W-w-well, b-because…" Houki stammered as both pairs of eyes were on her now. Ichika's showed confusion, and Cecilia's face appeared neutral; her eyes sparkled with slight glee.

"U-uh… I…" Houki stumbled a bit more, trying to gather her courage.

Though it seemed fate had other ideas.

"I mean, it'll just be the other guy and me. It's not like anything is gonna happen," Ichika said with a simple smile.

Houki felt several different emotions take over when she heard that. Shock. Hurt. Depression. Anger.

"OW!" Ichika's head jerked towards the headrest, he felt a stinging and warm sensation on his left cheek, and a red handprint started to form on the area. Ichika was slapped hard, courtesy of Houki.

"Ichika, you idiot!" Houki seethed through her teeth, her arm still held in position from the slap.

Ichika could only stare dumbfounded, "W-what did I do?"

Houki seemed like she was about to follow up with another backhand, making Ichika slightly backpedal against the booth seating in fear. The girl seemed to be thinking about it, but then stopped herself.

"After classes, we're going to train a lot more, no hour break in between," Houki said evenly.

"H-huh, why?"

"Because I'll have to pack to move out anyway." Houki then turned around with her empty tray in her hands and proceeded to discard them before walking out, her face showing a stone-cold attitude with a hint of lingering anger.

Ichika could only stare at the retreating form of his childhood friend in confusion before turning to Cecilia, "What did I do?"

The girl simply sighed, "You're just an idiot, Ichika dear…" internally, Cecilia felt sympathy towards her rival, even she felt terrible about what just transpired.

The next few hours were a blur for Shirou. After the incident with the IS, he was promptly escorted by the woman technician, Kate, back to his home. He wondered why until she explained that he was now an IS pilot and would be escorted tomorrow to the IS Academy for further briefing.

Shirou could only nod before Kate shoved a bag in front of him.

"Y-your uniform, please wear it when we p-pick you up, 8 AM tomorrow," the technician simply said.

"Um, I know you said I activated an IS, but how did I activate it exactly?" Shirou asked.

Blinking a few times before, Kate simply replied, "You touched the IS when we were running the diagnostics tests on them, showing it reacted to you, meaning you are the second male to be compatible to pilot an IS."

It didn't take long for Shirou to realize what had happened. Using Structural Analysis somehow made the IS respond, causing a false reading of his compatibility with the mech. Before the boy could protest the misunderstanding, he was then given a school bag, a heavy one at that.

"I-inside is the reference book all admitted students should r-read before attending, though due to your circumstances, y-you will only be given a week to do so," Kate explained.

"I need to read this in a week?" Shirou asked, concerned.

The technician could only offer a nod, "I-I know it may be a lot, but considering the school year already started, there really is no other choice, plus I doubt the teacher would allow any more leeway than she is already comfortable with…" Kate mumbled at the end.

"Who?"

"Orimura Chifuyu, she will be your teacher of Class 1-1."

Shirou could only tilt his head in confusion, no idea who this 'Chifuyu' was. Not getting any more answers from the mumbling technician, Shirou could only shrug before entering his home, saying his farewell to Kate. Entering the living room and kitchen, he finally allowed his now tired arm to rest by placing the IS Academy bags onto the small table before moving the groceries bags onto the counter before organizing the fridge and freezer. Considering he may only return to this place during vacation and weekends if needed, Shirou only placed food in the freezer he would use later. In contrast, any ingredients he would use for his meals today and tomorrow would be in the fridge.

For now, the teen had some time to at least get some reading done out of the massive reference manual before starting on a late lunch and eventual dinner. So, grabbing a notebook and pencil from a drawer, Shirou began to read the book before him, though he did agree on one thing. Whoever 'Chifuyu' was, she was either crazy or some sort of masochist if she could read and study this in a week, add on being a sadist if she was making any other student do this besides him.

Throughout the remainder of his day, Shirou read and took as many notes as he could for the remaining daylight before deciding to prepare dinner and the other meals for tomorrow, before proceeding to practice more on his magecraft that evening. While practicing, the boy realized something, would he be able to pilot an IS using his magecraft, or was that false reading just a fluke and fooled the technicians when he used Structural Analysis?

"Another thing to take note of," Shirou thought as he prepared to pack a small suitcase before sleeping that night. Once again, dreaming of that endless hill of swords.

Shirou woke up at the crack of dawn before eating the simple breakfast he prepared the night before. After he proceeded to put on the IS Academy uniform he received the day before from Kate, and while putting it on, Shirou noticed that it fitted him perfectly, something he felt a little creeped out but shrugged the feeling off. Giving himself a look over in the bathroom mirror, he frowned a bit. While there was nothing wrong with the uniform itself, he couldn't help but give a little afterthought about it.

"Too much white, and not enough red…."

Shirou could only shrug; he'll get used to the uniform eventually. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noticed the time was 7:45 a.m. whoever was picking him up would be here soon. Taking a deep breath and giving himself one more quick look at the mirror, Shirou took a short walk around the giant yet familiar property once more before taking his bag and luggage and walked out the front door and gate, locking it behind him with the provided key.

At 8 a.m. on the dot, Shirou saw a black sedan with tinted windows pull up to the gate right next to him. The driver-side window rolled down, revealing a lady with shades along with a black suit and tie.

"Emiya, Shirou?" The boy simply offered a slight nod, and the lady gestured to the back seat. "Get in. Classes will start soon."

The car ride was uneventful, other than Shirou looking at the passing scenery while the woman drove silently. While the red-haired teen did have some questions about the academy, he doubted he would get any answers. All that he knew was that it was a primarily all-girls academy and that one other boy could pilot an IS. That last part made Shirou slightly wince as he wasn't sure what would the reactions of the other girls would be finding another boy that 'might' pilot an IS.

Before Shirou could think any further, the car stopped in a parking lot outside what appeared to be a train station, which confused him.

"The academy is on an island. We'll have to take a monorail for the remainder of the way there," the lady said as if sensing the boy's confusion. The two then proceeded to leave the vehicle and start the short walk to the station, where waiting was the monorail. After getting on one of the railcars, the doors closed, and the monorail began to move. Sitting on one of the seats inside with the lady in tow, Shirou saw the track did indeed lead to a smaller island, though it wasn't until after a few minutes he saw what lay ahead.

Most of the buildings were more futuristic-looking than some. One building that stood out to Shirou was the odd-looking branch-like tower at the island's center, and while most of the buildings were mostly metal, there were many trees and other types of greenery to balance it out. A few minutes passed before the monorail pulled into the station, not too far from the island's shore. Exiting the railcar, Shiou and the officer proceeded to walk through the academy. While far away, the academy looked strange but up close, it seemed relatively normal, minus the holographic displays on the concrete.

The two still walked in total silence before the lady asked Shirou to hand over his luggage.

"We're going to be entering the classrooms. However, your luggage will have to be taken to the office until you can retrieve it later at the end of the day."

Shirou couldn't refute the lady's logic and proceeded to hand over his suitcase while keeping his school bag on him before entering a building to what appeared to be the classrooms. The two didn't have to walk too far when someone seemed to call out behind them.

"Oh, so you're the new student!"

Turning around, Shirou saw a young lady run up to him and his escort. She had short green hair with matching eyes and had clear glasses over them. She was wearing a short-sleeved yellow dress, though it didn't cover up much of her ample chest and instead, a pink blouse seemed to cover it. Shirou could only blink at the lady's dress before his escort appeared to acknowledge the woman.

"Yamada-san, we were just about to find your classroom," the escort greeted.

"Ah Lisa-san, there's no need. I can take it from here," the woman replied in a cheery voice before turning her attention to Shirou, "You must be Emiya-kun. I'm your assistant homeroom teacher Yamada Maya." The young lady simply held out her hand, which Shirou shook, making her mood brighten even more.

"It's nice you meet you, Yamada-sensei," Shirou replied, giving the teacher a small smile.

"Likewise, please follow me to my classroom Emiya-kun," Maya proceeded to walk down the hallway.

"Emiya, I suggest you follow her. Your luggage will be at the office at the end of the day," the escort Lisa said evenly before walking in the opposite direction with Shirou's suitcase in tow.

Seeing no other option, the teen could only follow after the green-haired teacher feeling a slight sense of dread as he did so. However, it was only a few minutes until Shirou saw Maya stop in front of a classroom door, Class 1-1.

"Remember, Emiya-kun, don't come in until I signal you to," Maya said before the classroom door slid open and quickly closed behind her, leaving a small gap for Shirou to hear her.

"Good morning everyone!" Maya greeted cheerfully, quieting most of the talking students. "As you heard yesterday, we have a new transfer student coming in today," she started before turning to the door, "would you please come in and introduce yourself?"

Shirou's sense of dread only increased as he took a deep breath and stepped forward. The classroom door slid open for him as he was walking inside and the door closing behind him. Noticing right away, Shirou saw that most of the class were girls, and only one other guy was in the middle of the front row. Taking a short glance, he also noticed Houki staring at him, a look of shock on her face. Ignoring the shock of his recent housemate and the stares he was getting from the other girls, did he introduce himself.

"Eh, I'm Emiya Shirou. It's nice to meet you."

Not even a second after Shirou introduced himself, did all hell break lose.

A/N: Aaaaaaaand that's a wrap y'all! Now I know you might be wondering, why it's been about 8-9 months since the last chapter, well I'll explain it here...

Since the last chapter, classes have been absolutely stressful the remaining portion of my fall quarter has been pretty packed, not difficult but the classes demanded a lot as the quarter went on. I had winter break which has been pretty uneventful, and I wrote what I could while basically visiting my grandmother (which is a big part of the reason why I took so long, but I'm getting to it).

Winter quarter starts as well as 2021... it was absolute hell, the lab class I had to take was meant to be taken in person... not online... you can connect the dots, especially with one that involved programming and hardware it was the most stressful quarters I had taken. Spring break comes, a perfect time to write, but right at the start, my grandmother passed away... No, it wasn't from COVID, she passed away in her sleep from old age, at least beforehand I was able to say my goodbyes but, I couldn't really find any motivation to really write on this story.

Spring quarter rolls around, and it was easier due to what I had done in winter, but again I couldn't find my motivation to write nor find the time. During that quarter I had to step back a little and well deal with losing my remaining grandparent. Her funeral was towards the end of Spring quarter. While I have been to funerals before, one was for my grandpa as a kid, but being on the sidelines watching compared to being a pallbearer hits differently... At least I was able to see her one last time... I know she's in a better place and no longer in pain.

To all of you who are going through so many tough times, things will get better soon and I hope you all stay safe!

If you like this chapter leave a review, constructive criticism is appreciated! If you like this story leave a favorite/follow! Also, I left a poll up on my profile relating to this story, please vote if you haven't (also apparently you can only see polls on the Desktop version of the website) the poll is essential to the story and will be ending it by the next 1-2 chapters being posted. I honestly hope you all enjoyed it and thank you all for being patient with me, I hope to see you all in the next one. Stay safe and stay cool!