It was supposed to be somewhat of a pleasant stroll. Something to foster friendships and serve as a memory one could look back to and reminisce about. Unfortunately, this wasn't going to be the case.

"This place is somewhat creepy," Ikumi furrowed her brows, her arms subconsciously wrapping around herself as her turquoise-coloured eyes slowly darted back and forth.

Ikumi Mito was a chef Soma had met and defeated in a Shokugeki days after his admission into Totsuki. She was a tanned-skinned woman with no regard for how much attention her exceedingly large bust generated for her on a daily basis. Rather, she went around wearing Totsuki Academy's Summer Uniform, which when paired with her general bikini-top, exposed a large area of her cleavage.

A brown-leather choker was strapped around her neck and on her wrists were two armbands.

She was a chef that specialized in the use of meat due to the prestige her family had over the meat industry. It showed in her personality as she had absolute confidence in her handling skills to the point where she looked down on others for using inferior meats. Then again, her personality was probably what caused her to be stunned at her defeat by Soma's hands.

Shocked as she was, her defeat came at a cost for Soma.

Ikumi's interest.

Ikumi twirled a lock of her blond hair around her index finger and stared bashfully at Soma when she was certain that he wasn't looking. However, the bashfulness faded in an instant, her expression turning sour as her lips pursed.

Clinging to one of Soma's arms was another girl named Megumi Tadokoro. She was a girl with blue hair that ran down passed her shoulders and her personality appeared quite reserved based on the modest dress she was currently wearing. She was a freshman in the same year as everyone present, but she didn't carry much confidence in herself. It showed in the fact Megumi was hesitant to meet the gazes of everyone other than Soma.

Ikumi didn't really mind Megumi as a person, but as a woman vying for a potential love interest, she couldn't help but feel envious of Megumi at the present instance.

Megumi had both of her arms wrapped around Soma's own and she was pressing herself against him in her unease.

Ikumi's brow twitched, as her gaze subconsciously trailed to Soma's other arm and she began staring heatedly.

A minute passed, followed by another before Ikumi was shocked to realize that she was steadily reaching forward with her arms.

Ikumi's face reddened due to her actions and literally burst crimson when she felt that she was being stared at from behind.

She was too ashamed to turn her face and explain herself so she busied herself by taking in the scenery. However, she forgot how creepy the area around her actually was.

Even though it was a forest leading to some sort of residence, there were no sounds of animals or rays of sunlight able to pierce through the overhanging canopy. It made the entire area appear dark despite Ikumi knowing that it was still in the middle of the afternoon.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the atmosphere around her, Ikumi mustered the courage and glanced discretely at Soma, inwardly debated what he intended to gain by entering such a dubious place. Still, with her rudimentary understanding of Soma, she could hardly find the answer, yet she was too embarrassed to ask either.

The tips of her cheeks tinged red as she recalled how she had invited herself along without any prompting; not that the Aldini brothers who she was certain had seen her attempt to reach for Soma's free arm were any better.

Takumi Aldini and Isami Aldini had followed Soma after Soma chose to ignore Takumi's posturing and aggroed the older Aldini brother.

Both Takumi and Isami were part Italian, their family owning a restaurant in Italy. The both of them were still wearing their standard chef clothing as they had tagged along with Soma moments after their classes ended, leaving them no time to change.

Takumi had blond hair and was slim while Isami had dark hair and was relatively portly. The brothers had sharp European features with thin lips and noses that were slightly pointed.

Currently, they were staring at Ikumi. Isami seemed to have had not paid much attention to Ikumi's actions, but Takumi was different. He was staring at Ikumi with a raised brow that embarrassed Ikumi when she finally glanced back at Takumi and noticed.

She nearly released a panicked yelp but restrained herself by pinching her leg and biting her lips.

Ikumi sucked in a breath, then two, before glaring at Takumi in warning, daring him to say anything.

Intelligent as Takumi was, he chose to drop the matter after Isami shook his head in gesture.

The group ended up walking in a strange sort of silence.

The further they all walked, the more they noticed how chilling the air seemed to become. Even the light of the afternoon had become dim, almost as if it was night.

"I said it before, but this place is creepy," Ikumi shuddered as she spoke. "It feels like one of those horror movie clichés."

"Y-Yeah," Megumi spoke up, her expression weary. "I-It makes no sense for it be this dark in the middle of the day."

Soma frowned hearing Megumi's words, but maintained his general nonchalance. He grinned. "Hey, don't you all think that this would be the time that something like a ghost would come out?" He asked jokingly.

No one was laughing.

In fact Ikumi who had taken to walking a few feet ahead suddenly found herself directly by Soma's side while the grip Megumi had on Soma's arm seemed to tighten into a vice.

Isamu looked down at Takumi who's complexion had grown somewhat pale.

"You can hold onto me if you want, big brother?" Isamu offered.

Takumi adamantly shook his head. "S-Something like this isn't enough to unnerve someone like me."

Isamu frowned. "Your legs are shaking, brother."

"A natural reflex. I'm just working myself up." Takumi was unwilling to meet Isamu's eyes when he spoke.

Isamu shook his head and no longer bothered.

"Did none of you know what people have been saying about this area?" Takumi asked tentatively in the silence.

"I don't listen to rumours much," Ikumi replied.

"No idea," Soma said.

"…" Megumi's expression fell.

Takumi stared at everyone present before letting out an uneasy breath.

"They say this place is cursed. That if anyone were to step into it, only misfortune would come," Takumi inwardly trembled. "Quite a few students in Totsuki were hospitalized for unknown reasons because of this place. In the most severe instances, all the victims would mumble out incoherently. Ugly Witch."

At the same instance Takumi aid the last two words; he paused as everyone turned to look at him

Each of their faces were stiff.

Megumi was closing her eyes while her hands clasped tightly in prayer while Ikumi subconsciously clung to Soma's free arm. Soma himself didn't even register Ikumi's actions and simply stood in place unmoving.

Takumi raised brow, unable to understand Soma and the others reactions. However, a chill travelled down his back when he noticed that even Isamu, his younger brother was slowly creeping away from him.

It was then that Takumi felt it, a hand clamp down on his shoulder finger by finger, like a vice slowly tightening.

In the dark of the forest leading to the Villa, from out of nowhere an arm had appeared from the shadows clutching onto Takumi's shoulder.

It was unnatural.

Inexplicable.

By the time, Takumi registered everything in his mind; his head was already turning to stare behind him.

What he saw was a smile so forced, he could feel a palpable blood lust erupt into the air. Worse, the facial features of the figure who was touching him were obscured by unruly bangs of black hair, twigs and brambles mixed within.

"Who's an Ugly Witch? HEhhhahahahhhaahahahahh." A morbid voice echoed out in the forest before growing abruptly flat. "I've had it, I've had enough of this."

Takumi could feel an eerie sort of sensation running down his body from where the hand was making contact with his shoulder. He immediately attempted to free himself, but his intuition was warning him that if he took any careless actions, he would die.

"G-GGGGhost," Megumi stuttered out in fear.

Ikumi's eyes dilated as Isamu gripped his fists.

Only Soma seemed to be reacting differently. He was looking not at Takumi and the woman grasping Takumi's shoulder, but the other woman slowly approaching with a hand pressed to her face in exasperation.

"Rin, that's not how you treat guests," a pleasant voice spoke out, revealing the identity of the two figures.

The one grabbing tightly onto Takumi was Rin, and the other trying to reason with Rin was Arturia. The two had been biding their time watching Soma and the others progress towards the Villa to find a suitable opportunity to introduce themselves.

Unfortunately, Takumi had inadvertently struck a nerve with the Tohsaka heiress and landed himself in a crisis.

Unable to sit and watch any longer, Arturia stepped forward and began to placate Rin who finally let go of Takumi's shoulder.

Standing together, Arturia apologized on Rin's behalf because Rin was still too busy glaring at Takumi to care about anything else.

"I know you all may have many questions, but I think that we can all agree that isn't exactly the place to be having them," Arturia reasoned with a small smile. "If you would please follow us, we'll lead you to somewhere more hospitable."

The area around the villa was unlike the forest where Rin had laid down numerous magical traps and warding runes to discourage visitors. The area around the villa was bright and sunny, possessing a panoramic view of an open garden that stretched beyond an acre.

Having led Soma and the others to the villa, Rin and Arturia received their guests at the main lounge of the residence.

There were two couches set up near the center of the room and Rin and Arturia took a seat across from where they gestured for Soma and the others to sit.

"My name is Arturia Pendragon," Arturia introduced herself formally, a nobleness to her actions that stunned Ikumi and the others as Arturia inclined her head, a hand pressed to her bosom.

Ikumi was reminded of the sophisticated disposition of the Nakiri family when staring at Arturia. Subconsciously, she began to act more politely, keeping her back straight and her legs crossed in front of her. The same could be said Takumi and the others with the exception being Soma who never cared much for appearances.

"Rin Tohsaka," Rin said curtly with a huff, still in the midst of reigning in her anger. She followed up right after Arturia's introduction and set the tone for Soma and the others to name themselves.

"Soma Yukihira."

"Takumi Aldini."

"Isamu Aldini."

"Ikumi Mito."

"Megumi Tadokoro."

As Soma and the others introduced themselves, the order in which they did so grew more and more polite with Megumi speaking out with a voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, do you have a reason for your visit?" Rin cut right to the chase, visibly annoyed as her eyes bore grudgingly on Takumi who flinched and turned away.

Rin huffed before focusing on Soma. He really was the spitting image of a younger Shirou. It was the same red hair, bronze-coloured eyes, and general disposition if just a bit on the laid-back side.

Arturia was also staring at Soma up and down.

"Uhm, yeah," Soma scratched the back of his head, feeling both Rin and Arturia's scrutiny. "Actually, I heard from the Headmaster that my older brother was living here."

Both Rin and Arturia nodded their heads. They had already expected Soma's relation to Shirou and it was verified by Soma's words.

"Sorry, but he's currently out at the moment," Arturia apologized. "He's been busy practicing for a Shokugeki."

As soon as Arturia mentioned the Shokugeki, the nonchalance of Soma's attitude vanished to be replaced by a gaze that Rin and Arturia knew all too well. It was the face Shirou made whenever he grew serious and was acting for the benefit of someone he wanted to save.

"Oh, so what he said was the true," Soma muttered. Thereafter his mind began to wander.

To be truthful, the only reason Soma was so adamant to check up on Shirou's situation was because of what Kojiro Shinomiya had told him in passing after their food competition. Something about Shirou Yukhira being challenged by a senior Totsuki student to a Shokugeki that wagered the residence Shirou was living in.

Knowing that Shirou had only recently gotten into professional cooking, it made Soma inwardly worried. Therefore, he had come after learning of where Shirou was living in Totsuki.

From the way neither Rin or Arturia appeared worried when they brought up the matter of Shirou's Shokugeki, Soma became certain of a single fact. They were confident in Shirou's victory.

This fact alone helped alleviate most of Soma's concerns, but thereafter, a larger matter came to mind.

"Hmmm," Soma hummed while staring at both Rin and Arturia. Even if Shirou wasn't around, the bigger question was who exactly Rin and Arturia were for them to be living in the same place as his elder brother.

It didn't take Soma long to come to his own conclusions, especially when he noticed the fondness both Rin and Arturia had when Shirou was mentioned.

Pops would probably be proud.

Soma soon nodded his head and chose not to bring up the matter for the moment. His first priority was still to aid Shirou in any way he could as the younger brother.

"Is there any way for you both to let him know I've stopped by?" Soma asked. "I want to be of help to him if I can."

Rin and Arturia looked at each other in silence, contemplating an answer. Getting in touch with Shirou on Totsuki's campus was difficult. Not only was Totsuki huge, but the fact that Rin couldn't freely use her scrying magic out in the open made it impossible for her to locate and contact Shirou accurately. She could scry from within the villa, but it didn't guarantee that Shirou would be at the same location after enough time had passed. In which case, Rin had no options to divulge.

Looking at how Rin and Arturia seemed troubled over the matter, Takumi's brow twitched before he sighed. He really couldn't understand why Rin and Arturia couldn't just use their common sense?

The easiest way to make contact with someone who wasn't present in the area was to simply dial a few digits.

"Let's just call him over," Takumi suggested while pulling out a cell phone. "Oi Soma, do you not have your brother's number?"

Soma shook his head at Takumi's question. Now that he thought about it, he'd never really asked Shirou before.

It was around this time while Ikumi, Isamu, and Megumi were praising Takumi on his quick thinking, that Rin and Arturia suddenly stilled.

Cell phone?

Rin pulled Arturia back to a small corner of the room as her forehead creased. She was pensive.

"What's a cell phone?" Rin asked Arturia in a whisper. In all seriousness, most magi were disconnected with the technology of the outside world, preferring magical customs over modern conveniences.

Rin wasn't the most conservative off magi, but she too hailed from a prominent family line and was fairly detached from modern technology. The majority of her knowledge of modern inventions came from Shirou and even then, Rin was known to grow confused. If it happened with a blue-ray disk player, then it could certainly happen with anything else.

Too embarrassed to admit that she didn't know what Takumi was talking about, Rin was secretly waiting for Arturia to give her an answer.

"Rin. They must be talking about that metal device Shirou once told you about," Arturia recalled a distant conversation.

Unfortunately, the result was less than favourable.

Rin's face flushed red. "T-That lewd device with the xxx-picture thing?"

Arturia nodded her head gravely.

Rin turned back to Takumi in a fluster, slapping Takumi's cellphone out of his hand and stomping it beneath the heels of her shoe. "No. Absolutely not. Why would Shirou have one of these detestable things!"

Rin's sudden outburst silenced the entire room, many looking at her in stupefaction.

Takumi just stood frozen for a moment before his gaze lowered to the shattered remains of his phone beneath Rin's foot.

"Y-You, what the hell?! Mamma mia, I was trying to do you all a favour!" Takumi lamented in grief, falling to his knees in disbelief. "I spent my own money to buy that."

Following Takumi's lamentation, Soma, Megumi, Isamu, and Ikumi were quick to re-pocket the phones that they were just about to pull from out of their jeans. All of them were staring at Rin with both confusion and weariness.

Rin simply grunted, looking down on Takumi for valuing such a vile and obscene invention.

The lounge went silent in a heart beat.

It was only five minutes later that Soma coughed into his hand, smiling wryly.

"If you can't contact him, do you know what time he'd come back at?" Soma asked.

"I'm sure he'll come by soon enough." Arturia looked up at the clock. "In fact, if he's on time, he should be back pretty soon. He generally leaves for earlier classes to have more time to spend here in the evenings."

Nodding to Arturia's words, Soma chose to simply wait. He wasn't in a rush for anything anyway and it wasn't as if he wasn't without company either.

It was after another ten minutes that everyone present in the lounge began to hear a noise coming towards the villa.

Neither Rin or Arturia was alarmed by the noise. The fact that the bounded field didn't set off meant that the new arrival could only be a single individual.

"Rin, Arturia," a voice called out from behind the patio sliding door of the villa.

Both Rin and Arturia perked up. Something felt off with the sound of Shirou's tone. It contained a helplessness and exaggeration that denoted the fortune of a man with an abysmal luck stat.

Sliding open the door of the Villa's back entrance, Shirou revealed his current form.

Everything about him appeared normal aside from the unconscious 'body' he was lugging around over his back.

"Sorry guys, but there's a…proble…m- Oh." Shirou's voice trailed off as he stiffened.

Soma and everyone else were staring directly at him, more specifically, at Rindo's prone body that he was carrying; the red bruise forming on her head making it even more difficult to refute what was being seen.

"W-What are you doing?!" Takumi yelled out while pointing.

"This, this isn't what it looks like," Shirou tried to reason, however, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation fast enough. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

One by one, Soma and the others began to collapse.

Shirou let out a sigh, already understanding what had happened.

"Thanks Rin," he said gratefully.

"Well, I didn't want to make the situation any more complicated." Rin crossed her arms in annoyance. "So," she stared right at him, eyes twitching as a vein popped over her temple.

"What have you done this time, Emiya?"

"That's what happened," Shirou finished surmising in a defeated tone. Rin was pacing back and forth in front of him with no signs of stopping.

Arturia was sitting on the corner while sighing ruefully. There's never been a situation where Shirou could just relax. It was the same in Fuyuki, the Clock Tower, and now Totsuki. Her former Master simply couldn't catch himself a break.

"This is going to be a problem," Rin bit the nail of her thumb. "Soma and the others are one thing, but Rindo has come in contact with magic. We'll have to settle this properly or else risk Enforcers getting involved."

Rin abruptly paused, turning to face Shirou directly.

"Memories are always hard to deal with due to the blank spaces left behind in a person's mind creating too many inconsistencies." Rin looked hard into Shirou's eyes, her expression serious. "How long has Rindo been in contact with magic? Moreover, does she even know what she's seen or experienced?"

Shirou frowned. "I don't know the answer to any of those questions," he replied.

"Which means we'll have to come up with an alternative solution to fixing this entire situation."

Rin seemed vexed, but Shirou could hardly complain as Rin was working herself up for his sake.

"For the time being, let's leave Rindo's case alone and focus on Soma and the others. As they haven't witnessed any kind of magic, it's possible for us to let them off easy, but just as a precaution we have to make them forget that last scene with you carrying Rindo into the Villa."

Rin resumed her pacing, her mind in a whirl of thoughts.

"We can use memory magic to alter their most recent memories, but we can't guarantee the effect that the magecraft will have on their minds."

"Then it's a last resort," Arturia interjected.

Rin nodded her head in agreement as Shirou fell into silent contemplation.

He didn't want to affect the livelihoods of Soma and his friends, but Rin was right to be precautious. Any chance of magic getting leaked out in Totsuki could lead to the mobilization of the Clock Tower's Enforcers. At that point, there would no longer be a Totsuki Academy, only a tragic ruin.

His hands balled into fists as he gritted his teeth in agitation.

An entire hour passed with no results until inspiration finally came at the arrival of another acquaintance.

"Is that who I think it is?" Rin suddenly spoke up in disbelief. She was linked to the bounded field around the villa and could detect any strangers who wandered within it.

"Taiga-sensei?" Rin muttered in confusion. "She actually came all the way here?"

It was Taiga Fujimura, the woman Rin suggested Shirou to call to deal with the people harassing the Villa.

Unexpectedly, Taiga had been quick to action.

Rin could visualize Taiga's current position in the forest using the bounded field. It was because of this that Rin was stunned to discover that Taiga was far from alone.

One-Hundred.

Two-Hundred.

More?

Rin couldn't keep up with the number of personnel diffusing into the area of the bounded field around the villa. There simply too many for her to account for, but oddly enough, after entering the forested region, the hundreds of personnel set up a defensive barricade and only allowed Taiga through.

When Rin had initially advised Shirou to ask Taiga for help, it was with the idea of enlisting the aid of the renowned 'Tiger of Fuyuki' to act as a guard. Thereby eliminating the need for Rin to personally act and use her magic.

However, since when was Taiga, Rin's homeroom English Teacher, able to possess the authority to command so many others?

Rin looked at Shirou questioningly, but all he did was smile wryly without an explanation.

"I see, so Taiga-nee's here." An idea popped up into Shirou's mind at that moment.

A plan that was perfect in his view.

By the time Rin composed herself enough to want to question Shirou more on the issue, Shirou had already left.

Shirou was running. As he had been the one to initially lay down the foundation of the bounded field, it wasn't difficult for him to pinpoint the location Taiga was arriving in and rush up to meet her.

She still looked the same as she always had, but in the current case, she appeared a lot more serious. She wore a closed leather jacket over her torso and form-fitting pants on her legs as she briskly walked along.

Seeing her in the distance, Shirou quickly made his presence known.

"Taiga-nee!" He called out.

Taiga's ears perked up from Shirou's shout before the ruthless expression on her face softened to an endearing smile, her lips curling upwards as she simultaneously ran ahead.

"There's my little Otōto," Taiga wrapped Shirou in a tight hug. Words couldn't describe how worried she had been for his well being. As an heiress to an underground syndicate, she knew how lethal it could be to be placed as a marked target. If Shirou had been in any way injured, then Taiga would have shown no mercy to the captives she currently had secured from the Tiger syndicate.

Now that Taiga verified that Shirou was safe, all the tension left her mind and she reverted to her usual self.

"How have you been Shirou? You haven't contacted your Onee-san in a while," Taiga rubbed Shirou's head fondly.

Shirou pushed out of Taiga's grasp while grinning lightly.

"Actually, Taiga-nee," he scratched at the back of his head. "Sorry for being abrupt but there's a small favour I'd like to ask of you since you're already here."

Taiga didn't even bother thinking about her response. It literally came in an instant.

"Sure, ask away," she said while gesturing broadly. It was the signal for the Fujimura Group's personnel hiding in the trees and bushes to stay at ease. "We're family!"

Shirou felt a warmth bubble up from within his chest from the fondness Taiga was showering him in. She had always been that kind of person.

His Elder Sister.

"This may sound a bit off topic but," Shirou stared directly at Taiga's eyes. "Do you still remember how to cook?"

Unable to understand Shirou's purpose in asking such a question, Taiga simply blinked at him in confusion.

It was all the response Shirou needed.

There was a reason why Shirou was forced to cook from such a young age and it was something he'd rather not recall; a memory his mind subconsciously suppressed to the point where it hurt just to think about it.

However, such an outcome was exactly what he needed.

Dark Memories.

Of food, of fires, and toilets.

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