18—Slayer of Gods. And Shrews.

Somehow, class 2-A proceeds apace with little disruption. Frequent glances are shot at Tohsaka and her diminutive charge sitting in the empty desk behind her. Occasionally, a smattering of murmurs ripple through the class as people voice their curiosity. Beyond that, the overall energy remains subdued.

Then, the bell for lunch sounds, and all that repressed energy is released like a bomb, with students flooding inward, forcing Taiasu to shrink back into his temporary desk.

In a flurry, he's assailed with question after question, such that he's unable to even tell who's asking what.

"Where are you from?" asks some young man.

"Um, it's kind of far. I don't think you'd—"

"Why are you in Japan? Are you visiting?" a young woman asks.

"Visiting, yeah. Helping with some—"

"Why did you come to school?" Another voice, another face, neither of which he can pinpoint.

"The teacher, Fujimura, she said—"

"What's with the cape?"

"It was a gift—"

"How long will you be here?"

"I don't—"

"How old are you?"

Taiasu can feel his eyes nearly spinning as he wobbles in his seat for the frequency and intensity of everyone's inquiries. Finally, Tohsaka snaps up from her desk, loudly and deliberately clearing her throat.

"Everyone, please. Whatever your questions are, you're causing a scene, so please give us some space."

A ripple of discontented murmuring permeates the crowd as it disperses. Half the students leave to take their lunches from the cafeteria. Most who remain at their desks are girls, the consensus among them being the roughly made cafeteria food is unpleasant. Occasionally, eyes wander in their direction, but for the moment, things regain some sense of calm.

"Th-thanks…" Taiasu says, holding his hand to his chest and breathing a deep sigh. "I thought I was gonna—"

"Um… Tohsaka-san?"

As Taiasu is speaking, one student, a girl with shoulder-length, light brown hair and eyes, approaches them quietly, wearing a small, timid frown, hiding one hand behind her and holding the other at her chest. Both Tohsaka and Taiasu look from each other over to her now as she tugs anxiously at her student's tie.

"Did that girl find you?"

"That girl…?" Tohsaka's head tilts as she stares forward, thinking.

She must mean Sakura. She said she overheard where we were from a couple of students. I guess Saegusa-san here must have pointed her in our direction before that.

Smiling, she nods. "With the purple hair, right? That's Matou Sakura. She found us, Saegusa-san."

The girl shows a relieved smile and nods. "That's good. She seemed concerned. She was asking if I'd seen, well…" Hesitantly, she looks over at Taiasu and extends a finger toward him, keeping her hand pressed to her body as she does. Taiasu quietly watches her movements and mannerisms, and from them quickly draws a conclusion.

Hmm… She's like an even more reserved version of Sakura.

"Well, everything worked out well. Thank you for pointing her in our direction, Saegusa-san," Tohsaka says, smiling deeply and bowing lightly. "Was there something else you wanted to ask?" Noting her hesitancy, she gently prods her.

"Ah, well… Besides that, I was just wondering…" She tugs again at her bow-knot while twisting her skirt behind her with her other hand. "Would you and your friend like to join us for lunch?"

As she hears the sincere request, Tohsaka's shoulders slump for only a moment. A light frown of disappointment plays across her expression, and she lets out a small sigh. She already knows what her answer will be. But seeing the girl asking with so much sincerity doesn't make it any easier.

Fortunately, today she has a valid excuse.

"Thank you for the invitation, Saegusa-san, but I'm afraid we'll be eating lunch from the cafeteria today. I slept in too late this morning, so I didn't have time to make lunch." She looks toward Taiasu, who continues glancing back and forth between them. "And he'll be needing something as well, I'm sure."

Immediately, the girl's smile drops into a small, apologetic frown, tugging down the corners of her eyes as well. "I see… I'm sorry to have invited you without realizing. I didn't mean to be a bother."

When she apologizes, her actions recall to Taiasu's mind something from that morning. How contrite Sakura had been toward Shirou after asking him to the archery range. Remembering brings with it a discomforting twist in his chest, and before he realizes, he's dropping from his seat.

"Th-that's not true! I'm—!"

He stops himself mid-sentence, looking up at Saegusa, whose mouth is parted and eyes are expanding with each passing moment, then toward Tohsaka, whose eyes are also widening as her mouth narrows into a small circle, before dropping his stare to the floor and scuffing his feet.

D-damn it! Now I'm just drawing attention to myself!

He grinds his teeth, frowning, glaring at the ground.

Nothing for it… Guess I'll just have to…

"I'm sure nobody thinks you're bothering them…" he mutters, finishing his thought.

Tohsaka blinks down at him a few times, tilting her head.

What's he thinking, butting in like that? Well, he's—

She turns her stare back toward the girl and gives a single, firm head-shake, then shows another deep, heart-felt smile.

"He's not wrong, Saegusa-san. Things just worked out this way today, since I slept in too much, so please don't worry yourself over it. Perhaps tomorrow."

As she shares her sincere feelings, Tohsaka's thoughts drift toward what she knows of the timid girl. One of the calmest students in a class full of calm students (though today's excitement over the new guy in red proved the rule's exception). Calm and kind, with a caring concern for her, though she knows not why.

"Oh, I see. I guess even you sleep in occasionally," Saegusa says, returning Tohsaka's smile with her own.

A smile which would warm the atmosphere of any room receiving it. Not homely, yet not overly attractive, but straddling about the middle of the line, she'd stand out in a crowd, not for her looks, but for her warm smile.

Tohsaka sighs, nodding. "Yes, it happens. I try not to let it show on my face, but I actually sleep in often. It's one reason I'm not in any clubs."

Saegusa's smile dips again as she looks up toward Tohsaka, her eyes widening in some slight surprise, bringing from her another sigh.

She's so relaxing to be around. It's a problem. If I have fun talking to people like this, my true self is bound to slip out.

"Well, we should be off to the cafeteria. Please enjoy your lunch, Saegusa-san." Tohsaka holds her hand down toward Taiasu. "Let's go then, Taruko-kun."

"Yes. You too, Tohsaka-san." Her smile brightens as she looks down. "And… Taruko-kun? That's his name?"

For wanting him to draw as little attention as possible, Tohsaka frowns inwardly at the distraction, hiding it from her face as Taiasu looks up, smiling and nodding.

"Uh-huh. Taiasu Taruko. Pleased to meet you… uh… um…" He folds his arms, looking down and away. "Sa… Sae…?"

"Saegusa Yukika," she says, returning his smile. "Nice meeting you as well."

"Saegusa Yukika…" He repeats her name back to her, getting a taste for it. "That's a pretty name. Very feminine—uh." Shaking his head, he looks back up. "Sorry, what should I call you?"

"Hm? Call me?" She tilts her head, her brow rising.

"Yeah. Your name. Which would you prefer?"

"Oh!" Her smile returns as she grasps what he's asking. "Right, sorry. So you're not from around here, but you know that much?"

Taiasu nods. "Yeah. You can call me whichever."

Wearing a thoughtful half frown, Tohsaka takes a step back, observing the interaction in silence.

This isn't the most comfortable thing, but getting some insight on how he deals with people could be useful. And he seems to be doing okay.

"Hey, hey, Yukkichi?" Another girl, tan, with short, black hair and dark grey eyes, walks over, speaking roughly and snapping Tohsaka from her thoughts. "What's taking you so long?"

Beside her, a third, fair-skinned with long silver hair down just past her shoulders and light bronze-colored eyes that watch from behind a pair of normal, thin-rimmed glasses, approaches as well, observing quietly.

"She shot you down, right? I told you she wouldn't have brought her own lunch," she says loudly, almost shouting. "If you wanted her to eat with us, you'd have to bring her one…?" Her voice trails off as she looks from Saegusa down toward Taiasu, who now looks up at her, his head tilted and brow raised in curiosity. With one finger rested alongside her chin, she tilts her own head, looking him over.

"Or two today, I guess? So what's with the kid, Tohsaka?"

"Huh?" Taiasu blinks at her comment, frowning. "Hey, I'm not a kid! I'm a—!"

Quickly realizing he's about to give the game away, Tohsaka reaches down, yanking and twisting his ear, causing him to wince and shutting him up.

"Hey! Ow! Ow-ow-ow!"

"Now, now, Taruko-kun," she says in a saccharine tone through a hard smirk. "Don't be rude."

She leans down, hissing into his ear. "Shut up, stupid! How else would you explain your appearance? Just bear it!" She stands up, releasing his ear and forcing her smile back in place. "What he means to say is that—"

"Sorry, what I meant to say was I don't like being called a kid," Taiasu says, frowning and rubbing his throbbing ear.

Which is true enough. But she didn't have to—wait. Is that how everyone sees me here? As a kid?

His frown sharpens, realizing that's probably (definitely) true.

The girl with dark hair grins, nodding. "Yeah, well, most kids don't, but it doesn't answer the question. Why's he with you, Tohsaka?"

Distracted by his words, surreptitious yet not a lie, and evasive, but not overtly so, Tohsaka stares down at Taiasu, blinking.

That must have been what Sakura was talking about… I wonder if he's doing that on purpose, or if he's just a natural politician, skirting facts and spinning half-truths like that.

It takes a moment for her to realize she's being asked something, and she snaps her focus back up.

"Just looking after him as a favor to a friend. That's all," she says casually.

"Okay, but why's he in the school?" she asks, peering down at him. "This isn't an elementary school."

"Yes, but how am I supposed to keep my eye on him if he's not in my line of sight, Makidera-san?"

"Guh—!" She makes a strange sound as she drops her arms, her stare widening. "Y-yeah, I guess. But how'd you get away with sneaking him into the school, anyway?"

"She didn't sneak me in," Taiasu says, holding his arms folded. "I came in, same as you. Same as anyone, really."

For now, seeing no reason to interrupt, Tohsaka again withdraws herself from the discussion to let it play out naturally.

If it gets out of hand, we'll just leave but… I mean, it seems like he's pretty normal.

"And that's what I'm asking. Why'd you come in?"

"Fujimura-san said it was fine for me to be here," he says, smirking as he recalls her flippant suggestion. Then he turns his gaze away. "Though I didn't think it was such a good idea at first, but so far she's been right."

"Huuuh…" She hums thoughtfully as she continues scrutinizing him. "Well, whatever. That sounds like something Fujimura-sensei would do." Grinning, she holds her hand out. "I'm Makidera Kaede. You can call me Makidera-san."

"Ah… sure, thanks. I'm—"

"I know. Taiasu Taruko, right, Taruko-kun? I heard you introduce yourself earlier."

The force of the girl's personality is overwhelming and makes him feel uncertain. Her boisterous nature and just her energy in general. In several ways, she reminds him much of Fujimura as he slowly nods his head while they shake hands.

"So Makidera-san, huh?"

"Or just Maki." The silver-haired girl interjects softly, her voice calm and composed. "Since everyone else calls her that. And I'm Himuro Kane. Himuro-san is fine."

"Tch." Makidera clicks her tongue indignantly. "That's just you. And don't go blabbing people's nicknames," she grumbles under her breath.

Tohsaka looks the trio over, wearing a passive, thoughtful expression.

Looks like they were planning to eat together. Saegusa-san must be trying to doing some team building, since they're all on the track team. What a dutiful manager.

She's familiar with Saegusa's role as the manager of the track team, and friends with Makidera, with whom she's often gone window-gazing at the shops in town. She even learned of her fixation with wind chimes during one such trip, which she found unusual, given her rough personality.

Then there's Himuro, who's an unknown quantity for her.

"Saegusa Yukika… Makidera Kaede and Himuro Kane…" Slowly, Taiasu moves his stare from each person as he repeats their names. It's a platter of names, and he takes his time considering each one's flavor.

Each of the three girls gives off a different vibe. Makidera definitely comes across as impetuous and unrefined, while Himuro holds herself with calm and composed dignity. Saegusa has already revealed herself to be reserved, socially. In their own right, Taiasu finds each to be attractive, both physically and by what he's seen of how they act.

Though he bristles against Makidera's unreserved forthrightness.

"Sweet. Strong. Smart," he says, grinning and pointing between Saegusa, Makidera and Himuro, respectively as he shares his first impression of each. "Those are all good names. I think you guys balance each other out well."

"Ah—?"

Each makes the same sound as they stare down at him, blinking with some uncertainty.

What's with this kid? Who talks about people's names like that?

He thinks I'm smart? Just from my name?

I never told him how to address me…

Respectively, Makidera's, Himuro's and Saegusa's thoughts on Taiasu's observations about them and their names nearly show through in the way they exchange perplexed stares. Again, and loudly, Tohsaka clears her throat, breaking the silence.

"Well, at any rate, we'll run out of time if we keep delaying," she says, again reaching down to grab Taiasu's hand, and walking him toward the door.

"Say, you know, we could always just join them in the cafeteria, Maki," Himuro says, causing Tohsaka to stop at the door, going rigid.

I hope they don't.

Saegusa smiles widely at the idea, but her smile falls away quickly.

"No way. There'd never be enough room for people who bring lunch from home," Makidera says loudly, frowning and folding her arms. "Besides that, if we sat with Tohsaka, I couldn't stand it. All the men leering at her would be annoying as hell! It'd be just like our last vacation." She grinds her teeth, glaring at the floor. "When we were hanging out together, she's the only one who got any attention. I hate people who flaunt their beauty like that!"

Hearing her words, Tohsaka turns her head.

So she says, but she seems to forget how stunning she looks. Especially in a kimono. If she wouldn't speak so harshly, she'd probably have no problem snagging some poor guy.

Seeing Tohsaka turn her head, Saegusa shows a concerned frown. Himuro follows her worried stare and catches Tohsaka's annoyed expression.

"Um, Makinoji…" She calls Makidera by an odd nickname. "I think that Tohsaka-sama can hear you."

"Agh, crap! She heard that?" Immediately, her wide open mouth quickly narrows as she stiffens, ratcheting her head toward the doorway to check. "Ugh, she's really glaring at me—!"

"Uh, I-I don't think she's really glaring at you…" Saegusa says. Still, she shifts uncomfortably.

"She is! She's scariest when she's hiding behind that frigid smile." Makidera waves her arms at Tohsaka, trying to settle her down. "Come on, take it easy, Tohsaka! It's just us, right? Remember how I bought you that taiyaki?"

She looks from Makidera to Saegusa and sighs.

This whole thing is making Saegusa-san upset.

She's right, as she can tell by the way Saegusa traces a path with worried eyes between Tohsaka, who stands with her hand on the doorframe, and Makidera, who has her arms folded as she pouts indignantly.

"Don't worry, Saegusa-san," she says, showing her a reassuring smile. "And Makidera-san?" As she turns her gaze, her smile loses some of its warmth. "It seems you've forgotten. I was the one who paid. And it was crepes, not taiyaki. Please do a better job remembering, or I might reconsider things next time, okay?"

Makidera diverts her gaze to the ground, grimacing.

"Ugh. That smile is really scary."

Tohsaka gives a last wave as she heads into the hall with Taiasu following behind her. As she slides the door closed, they both can hear a loud, complaining voice coming from inside the classroom.

"Man, come on! Crepes or taiyaki, what's the difference?! They're both just sweets wrapped up!"

Again, Tohsaka stops in place, showing a hard, sharp frown.

"T-Taiyaki and crepes are the same—!? What woman in her right mind would even speak such blasphemy!"

She clenches her jaw and her hands at her side, glaring at the ground.

Must be nice, to not even be able to distinguish a ¥500 crepe from an ¥80 taiyaki! If I'd know, I could've saved enough for an entire crepe, almost!

Finally, she notes Taiasu's concerned stare and shakes her head.

"Tch. What a stupid thing to even get mad over. I must still be tired from last night…"

She pinches the bridge of her nose, breathing out a heavy sigh, thinking.

"Hm… The cafeteria would probably be bad. You draw eyes wherever you go," she mutters. "I'll spot you for lunch, and we can just eat on the roof."

"You don't need to do that," Taiasu says, shaking his head. "I can buy my lunch."

"And how's that? You have money?"

As he flips his side-pack open and reaches in, he nods, grinning. From within, he pulls a single, distinct gold coin which instantly catches Tohsaka's interest. Seeing her staring at it, he holds it out for her inspection, and she reaches out, taking it to examine it closer. It fits comfortably in her palm. On one side, it has engraved a woman's face, and on the other a tree.

She holds it up between her fingers, checking it in the light from the hall, and the sun coming in through the windows.

No words? Nothing telling its denomination? What is this?

She sighs, shaking her head. "I've never seen anything like this. What is it?" She weighs the coin with her hand and stares at it for a few more seconds. "Feels a little less than—" In her mind, she quickly translates the weight from imperial, about an ounce, to metric. "—thirty grams… Is this solid gold?"

Taiasu nods again. "Yeah. That's a—" Immediately, he's frowning and glaring hard at the floor. "—hundred gil coin. It's the standard currency of my homeland." He clenches his hands and looks up. "Back on Eorzea. I can't spend that here, can I?"

He palms his entire face with his hand, groaning into his glove.

Of course I can't spend those here! We had to jump through hoops just to get the merchants in Kugane to accept them!

Tohsaka chuckles, then turns her attention back to the coin. "You could try, but you'd probably be raising every eyebrow in the room. I don't know the last time someone tried to spend a gold coin in this country."

Without thinking about it, she tosses the coin down to him, then blinks, surprised as she watches it vanish in a flash of red. And again, as she spots it in his hand on its way back to his side-pack, causing her to arch her eyebrow.

This guy…

"Hey… Actually, mind if I hold on to that?" Thinking about it further, she decides it can serve as a piece of tangible evidence to prove his story in a pinch.

"What for?" He tilts his head, looking up at her and arching his brow. His tone's not suspicious, just curious. "I mean, if I can't spend it, you can't either, right?"

"Well, no, but remember how we're looking for proof about your story?" She stares down at him expectantly, and his eyes widen, catching her meaning.

"You mean this?" He withdraws his hand from his pack, still holding the coin, and she nods.

"Like I said, I've seen nothing of that sort before."

He stares at the coin for a second, then shrugs and tosses it over so she can catch it. It works to both their advantages. His, in that it might prove his story, and hers, in that it can help cover her ass if she finds herself in front of a committee explaining what she was thinking, letting some arcane anomaly run around her territory.

Still, she can't help but wonder.

"You're really just gonna hand it over?" Her brow raises as she tilts her head. "Just like that? You said each one was worth a hundred… What did you say? Gil?"

Taiasu nods, grinning. "Sure, but it's just one. I've got plenty, and they're easy to come by. Few adventurers actually want for money." He folds his arms, dropping his head and looking down and away with a small half-frown. "Well, as long as they don't spend all their time at the Gold Saucer."

"Gold… Saucer?" She stares at the coin for a moment, then looks down, catching him nodding.

"Mm. The Manderville Gold Saucer. Thanalan's premiere place of all things fun and games. Lights, shows, prizes—"

"Sounds like a casino…" Tohsaka mutters, looking back at the coin.

Taiasu shrugs, and she shakes her head to clear her thoughts as she drops the coin into her pocket. "Anyway, thanks for letting me hold this. I'll treat you and we can talk some more on the roof."


"So everyone, please note the curfew." Fujimura stands in front of the class in her dark green dress and tiger-striped shirt, brushing her short brown hair aside as she addresses them. "It's at six o'clock, so people with club activities shouldn't stay any later than that, either."

A few of the students grumble and complain as she goes over the last few announcements.

"What?" One in particular, a boy with blond, almost yellow hair, is particularly vocal about his dissatisfaction. "Six o'clock is too early, Taiga-sensei! Can't you make an exception for the athletic clubs?"

"Nope, and Gotou-kun." Instantly, Fujimura is frowning with her hands on her hips, glaring down at him. "Please address your teacher as 'Fujimura-sensei'. I'll get angry if you call me that again."

"Fi~~~ne. I'll be careful," he says casually, digging in his ear as he sits back down, clearly not having taken seriously a word she just said.

Shirou rests his chin on his palm as he stares out the window, trying to keep from rolling his eyes.

Stupid. Everyone knows Fuji-nee doesn't kid about that sort of stuff. When she says she'll get mad, she'll get mad. It doesn't matter that he's a student, and she's a teacher.

Though it seems there's at least one person oblivious to this: the recipient of her final warning, who stares absentmindedly out the window.

"Well, that's it for today's homeroom," Fujimura says, smiling again. "I'll see everyone again for third period English, alright?"

Not waiting for any sort of acknowledgement, she glides her way toward the door and stops just as it slides open, with the teacher for the next class behind it, causing her to stop short.

"Ah, Kuzuki-sensei! They're all yours!" she says, still smiling and full of energy. Then she lowers her voice, leaning in. "By the way, how was Taruko-kun? He didn't cause any problems, did he? I'd feel bad if—"

Kuzuki shakes his head twice. "No, but he drew quite a lot of attention from the other students. I can't imagine they were listening much. Fortunately, it was just homeroom."

"Well, they're all young, and he's definitely a curiosity," she says, laughing. "It was inevitable. Thanks for putting up with it all the same."

He mutters something inarticulate, then gives a curt nod. "It's fine. But I imagine you should be on your way, unless you want to be late again, Sensei."

She returns his nod, smiling. They're like complete opposites. It'd take a mind-reader to know his thoughts, and a blind person could read Fujimura's from her face a mile away.

"You're right! Thanks!" She steps around him and takes off to her next class, and he walks through the doorway, sliding the door closed behind him and stationing himself at the lectern.

Watching her depart, seeing her tiger-striped shirt, Shirou recalls her visceral distaste for her nickname and chuckles quietly to himself.

She really hates that nickname. I mean, it matches her first name perfectly, though. It's that, or those taiga forests we learned about, but tiger definitely matches her personality better.

Recalling what she's said about it in the past, how unfeminine she thinks it is, he smirks.

She says that, but she's not so feminine herself. If she wanted a different nickname, she should change that tendency of hers.

"Class is starting. The bows please, day monitors." As ever, Kuzuki's voice is bereft of feeling as he makes the announcement from the center of the room.


As with class 2-A, class 2-C proceeds normally, though more so for there being no fascinating curiosity present within the room. The lunch bell rings, rousing a few of the students from their seats as they prepare to depart.

Shirou being one among them.

"Right, lunch…" he mutters, looking around the room and roughing his hair. "I brought nothing, so I guess I'll just head to the cafeteria. Hey, Issei!"

"Huh?" Issei turns toward him. "Emiya? What is it?"

"Lunch?"

Issei nods, and they step out of the classroom. "Though that's unlike you. You didn't bring your own?"

Shirou nods, sighing. "Yeah. With everything this morning, it sort of got lost in the—?"

Again, his eyes catch Taiasu among the many students milling about on their way to and from the cafeteria. In his outlandish reds, he sticks out pretty much anywhere, but all the more for being near Tohsaka. And it causes Shirou to raise his eyebrows.

Again? Why's he not with Sakura?

The sight distracts him for a moment until Issei pokes him in the side.

"We'd better hurry or all the best food will be taken, right?"

"Uh… yeah, sorry," Shirou says, shaking his head. When he looks back, they're gone. Still distracted for it, all he can do is follow Issei to the cafeteria.

And where are they going?


On the roof where it's bright out for the sun, yet cool despite it, Taiasu sits next to Tohsaka with a packaged, sweet melon bread in one hand and a yellow tin can in the other, which he stares at, perplexed. She just handed it to him, expecting him to know what to do with it, but all he can do is turn it in his hands.

Shaking it next to his ear, he can hear some liquid sloshing around inside.

I guess I'm supposed to drink this? But how do I get it out?

Just to mess with her, he considers trying to bite down on the can, but only smirks at the thought and dismisses it quickly. Tohsaka has to fight back her own smirk as she watches Taiasu puzzle over the can.

Okay, if he is from this world, he's doing an incredible job pretending he's not. He might soon have me completely convinced, even without hard evidence.

In her hand, she cracks open her own yellow can. The sound draws Taiasu's attention, and his eyes widen as he watches the way she folds the tab back down after pressing it in all the way, creating the opening.

He looks back down at his own, frowning lightly as he turns the can over until he spots a similar tab.

So I just pull this? I can't do it with these on, though…

After biting down on the finger of his glove, he pulls his hand out, then lets it fall. He digs his fingernail under the pull tab, lifting it some, then pulls it with his fingertip. It cracks open with a satisfying snap and a light hiss, and the scent of citrus reaches his nose as he lifts the newly opened can to his mouth, where he stops for a moment.

Smells good. No wait, not just good…

He takes another sniff at the opening, causing Tohsaka to chuckle inwardly.

It's warm, too. I hadn't even noticed before now, but it's pretty cold up here.

He takes a small sip, then puckers his mouth, pulling the can back.

It's sweet, but it's sour too. Is this lemonade? But I've never had it warm…

The next sip he takes, he lets sit for a moment, rolling it over his tongue and savoring the new yet familiar experience before drinking it down. As he enjoys the sour aftertaste, he works to get his glove back on. Tohsaka frowns down at her sandwich as she unwraps it.

Simple, but at least I can eat it in peace up here.

The lack of distractions enhances her enjoyment of the plain tomato sandwich she picked up from the cafeteria. By some miracle, they'd gotten in and out before being swamped by countless curious students, and made their way to the roof with no one following. Most students wouldn't bother with it being so cold during the winter months, and apparently the allure of something strange and new isn't strong enough to change this.

Satisfied, smiling, she sips some of her own warm lemon drink, washing down her bite of plain tomato sandwich. She then looks toward Taiasu as he absently rolls his now-empty can back and forth beneath his hand, staring at his packaged bread. Finally, he tears open the melon bread. Watching Tohsaka unwrap her sandwich, and feeling the distinctly un-food like nature of the bread's packaging, he'd assumed correctly that the actual meal lay within.

Also, the packaging is transparent, and that helped too.

Before he bites into the small confectionery, he looks over at Tohsaka.

"Before I forget, thanks for this. For lunch, I mean," he says, holding it up. He then takes a bite from it, and finds it sweet, but otherwise unremarkable in flavor. But it does the job of filling his stomach.

Tohsaka nods, watching him make quick work of it. "It's fine. Can't have you fainting from hunger. Not when there's still a bunch of questions I want to ask you." She looks down at her own half-eaten sandwich and frowns deeply, then sets about finishing it while she ruminates on her situation.

I'm spreading myself thin here. First, there's my 'normal' life, and having to be first at all things athletic and academic. And then there's my 'other' life, and now the coming Holy Grail War… and now this? Some strange… Person? Child? I don't even know anymore, but claiming to be from another world?

She takes another deep bite of her sandwich, chewing it through thoroughly.

How am I supposed to balance all of this while upholding my family's legacy? I mean, I have to, that's not in question! I have to be perfect!

As she swallows down the bite, a small sad frown plays across her expression.

Anything less would tarnish the Tohsaka name. My family's name…

And more, the heavy burden she bears, she must bear alone. The life she's chosen to live, that of a magus, means holding people at arm's length. To do otherwise would be to invite danger into the life of any with whom she gets close. Were they to discover her secret, she'd have to take their memories.

Or their life.

"I don't want to have to do that…" she mutters, both out loud and to herself. She takes another sip from her can as Taiasu tilts his head, picking up on her words.

"Don't want to do what?"

"Kill anyone—huh?" Pulled from her thoughts, she looks down, wearing a light, thoughtful frown. "Nevermind. I was just thinking out loud."

"Why would you have to kill someone?"

Her frown deepens as he ignores her, and she sighs. After finishing her drink, she sets the can on the roof.

"Because if anyone finds out about people like you, or me, that's just how it is."

Taiasu nods. "Right… Sakura said something similar. It's why I've been hanging around her. I don't want that sort of thing either."

His words remind Tohsaka of what he said shortly after she locked them both in that shed. About how excited he'd been, and relieved, that she already knew these things. She shows a small smile as she nods.

"Yeah… That's why I have to do things like turn down Saegusa-san's lunch invitations. Becoming too big a part of anyone's life, it's just too risky."

"Sounds lonely…" Taiasu says, turning his eyes down, letting out a small, sad sigh.

Tohsaka nods. "That's just how it is. But it's not something for you to worry about. Anyway, enough about that." She dabs her mouth with a paper napkin she brought, then turns her attention fully toward Taiasu now. "You're claiming you're from an entirely different world. So let's talk about that now."

He nods, then stops. "Yeah—wait, claiming? You mean, you still don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't…" Tohsaka says hesitantly. "I mean, it's only been a short time, but with everything I've seen, I'd have to be pretty stubborn to say I wasn't convinced. Even if everything could be explained away with magic, there's just far too much about you. And it's all far too strange to attribute to something so convenient."

"Okay?" Taiasu sighs lightly, then nods again. "Then what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, why did you come here?"

"Why I came here…" He sighs and starts rolling the can back and forth again beneath his hand, showing a small, thoughtful frown. "Well, I'd first have to say I didn't know it was a different world I was coming to," he says, his frown cutting deeper. "If I had, I think I'd have told the old-timer to stuff it."

He knows he's lying, and it shows on his face before he's even finished speaking, his deep, cutting frown lifting into a thick, wry smirk.

"No, that's wrong. I definitely would've come. Still, knowing would have been nice."

He lets out a small chuckle.

"You're dodging the question, Taruko-kun," Tohsaka says through her annoyed frown.

"Right, sorry." Taiasu looks back up, relaxing his smile into something more natural. "Well, I have to explain first what I am, er, what I do. I'm an adventurer. I don't think you have them on this world, right?"

"Ah…" Tohsaka tilts her head, holding her chin. "We… might? In movies, and stories and such, but that's all pretend. I mean, there are people who go exploring in jungles and stuff, contacting tribes of people—" She frowns, shaking her head. "—damn it, I'm getting distracted. Why don't you just tell me."

Nodding again, he goes on. "Right. Well, for us, it means we go places and help people with their problems. Those are the two biggest things."

"Problems?"

"Yeah. It varies for each case, and in some calling it a 'problem' is being generous. Things like…" He pauses, tapping his chin as he thinks back, trying to recall something that he could use as an example. "Well, where I got my start. There was this guy like me who asked me to kill a bunch of shrews."

"Like you?"

He nods, holding his hand level over his head, then over the ground next to him, as if to say 'Short, like me.' "Yeah. A Lalafell, like me. Anyroad, he said the shrews were eating the worms he was using to keep the soil good, and he asked me to kill a few of them. I forget how many."

Tohsaka smirks. "Sounds like pest control to me."

"Sometimes it is," he says, nodding, his arms folded. "Other times, it's delivering a simple message from one person to another. Sometimes it's slaying a primal—"

"Primal?" Her brow lifts some as her mouth narrows. There's something ominous in the word he speaks so casually.

"Yeah. They're like gods, basically. Occasionally they get summoned by the beastman tribes around Eorzea. If they stick around for too long, things get bad quickly, so when they show up, myself and a few friends will get called to make them go away for a while."

Just before she asks about 'Beastman Tribes', she stops and looks down at him with a heavy stare, unblinking and wide-eyed as he describes killing gods with the casual lack of concern someone else might use to describe picking up dry cleaning. Less surprised at the leap from slaying shrews to dethroning deities, and more the dispassionate way in which he talks about it.

Like it was some minor inconvenience, not worth dwelling on.

"Wait, hold on. Slow down, short man," she says, waving her hands. "You're saying you've fought and killed gods?"

Her tone is laden with skepticism, and Taiasu shakes his head.

"They're not gods. They're like gods. And no, not just me. Never just me, that would be suicide. I usually go with a few people when it needs doing."

Tohsaka stiffens, then falls backward, smacking her head into the roof for how indifferent he seems about all of this. Twitching on her back, she stares up at the sky, hoping to find something written in the clouds that might explain this nonsense.

Gods, or like gods, you don't just casually use that word to describe something unless it's terribly powerful! He's not even a meter tall, and he's talking about killing that sort of thing?! I don't care how many people he has with him, that's just—! And what's with the blasé attitude about it? Is he being serious, or just yanking my chain?

She sits up, rubbing the back of her head, staring, scrutinizing his face, trying to determine which. Based on his placid expression, and if what Sakura said is anything to go on, it definitely seems like her chain remains thoroughly unyanked. Before she can ask any sort of followup question, the bell sounds, signaling the end of lunch.

She sighs, shaking her head and standing up, feeling she's received no proper answer to her question. Why did he come here? Instead, just more questions in need of answers.

That's just nuts. This is all completely insane.

"Alright, we need to get back…" she says, standing up and brushing her coat off.

Nodding, Taiasu hops up and collects the bread wrapper and can.

"Right. Where do these go?"