09—Euphoria
Unable to hide her grin for being completely unaware of it, Sakura slides the dojo door closed behind her and walks to her cubby. Dressed in his archery uniform, Shinji lurks near the bows set in the back, glowering at her. She leans forward, grabs her things, then stands up.
Spotting him, she waves.
"Morning, Nii-san!"
"Huh…?" He blinks at her greeting, then scowls, sharply narrowing his eyes. "What, you think you can just—!"
She doesn't wait for him to finish whatever snipe he's prepared to release. Where normally he would find capitulation or compliance in her voice, his frown deepens on finding it full of mirthful cheer. When combined with her eyes shining and the unceasingly bright smile she wears, he can feel his own scowl deepen.
Tch. After that stunt she pulled yesterday, this is how she's going to be? Like everything's fine? To hell with that. I wanted to have Grandfather say something to her too, but I haven't been able to find him since last night. Not even in his study. Just a bunch of those damn bugs and worms. I haven't seen him at all. Not since…
Something in his thoughts softens his harsh frown as he watches Sakura trot off to the changing room, still bearing that insufferable grin.
It doesn't matter. She can have the tall trollop. I got something better, anyway.
Still fully immersed in her delighted daze, Sakura walks into the changing room, oblivious to everything around her as she quickly works to divest from her school uniform for her archery gi.
"Huh? Matou? You're a bit late." Some voice she recognizes tries to cut into her dream-state, but fails as she works to fasten her gi's waist-strap in place. "Eh? Earth to Matou…?"
The voice tries to cut in again, but Sakura's smiling so hard she can barely keep her eyes open, let alone pay any concern. Finally, someone gropes her chest from behind, bringing her crashing down to earth with a startled yelp.
"Ah—!" She spins around, covering herself. "M-M-Mitsuzuri-senpai!"
The captain, fully dressed in her own archery uniform, stares at Sakura, frowning lightly.
"Back with us now? Say, did those grow?" Her small frown lifts into a more casual smile. "Anyway, what's with the stupid grin? Did you win the lottery or something?"
"Eh?" Sakura pats her mouth, feeling the grin she can't put away, and her face quickly heats for it. "Er, no… nothing like… that…"
Realizing its presence only makes it grow broader.
"So? Spill. Nobody walks around with a grin like that this early unless something good happened." She folds her arms, still showing her own casual smile.
But it can't hold a candle to Sakura's. Though, as she tries to piece the words together, she can feel her face growing more heated by the second. And before she can finish finding the words, Fujimura pokes her head in.
"Captain Mitsuzuri, the troops are growing restless." She speaks in an exaggerated, yet unserious tone. "They are calling for…? Eh? Sakura-chan?"
She looks over to spy Sakura as red as possible, pressing her cheeks between her hands, like it might help.
Which, of course, it does not.
"I don't know, Fujimura-sensei. She was like that when she came in." Mitsuzuri looks forward, her smile tilting into a curious frown. "She was about to say what was up, but then… Well, just look at her."
"Huh…?" Fujimura takes a step forward and puts the back of her hand on Sakura's forehead. "Not warm… So it's not a fever. Sakura-chan?"
Finally, Sakura claps her face, which by now aches from holding that smile in place, and forces her eyes open.
"S-Sorry… Actually, it's good you're here, Fujimura-sensei. I need to ask about something."
She forces down a deep breath, trying to compose herself, as Fujimura and Mitsuzuri exchange perplexed glances.
"Okay? Well, please make it quick. We're burning daylight." Fujimura folds her arms and frowns thoughtfully, waiting for the unasked question. "So what's on your mind, Sakura-chan?"
The silence which follows could stop a bullet.
Mostly out of idle curiosity, Mitsuzuri stayed behind to listen. Seeing no real reason to deny her curiosity, and suspecting Fujimura would be about as delicate with the subject and keeping her confidence as a train derailment, she allowed the captain an audience.
"Sorry… let me see if I understand this right." As Fujimura seems to buffer slowly, Mitsuzuri is the first to comment. "Emiya… told you—didn't ask—but told you to stay at his place…?"
Fully red again, and wearing a grin like she's holding every ace, and a few that she slipped in, Sakura can only reply with a small nod.
"And you're asking Fujimura-sensei if it's okay?" Mitsuzuri's frown falls open into an almost angry scowl. "Girl? Have you lost your sanity!?"
"Huh?" Sakura shakes her head, shedding some red from her complexion. "Captain? What do you mean?"
"I mean, when the guy you're… YOU—" There's no other word she can think of, so she settles for that one. "—over practically compels you to stay over, you don't risk that on something as trivial as propriety!" She sighs heavily and kneads her forehead. "Seriously, what's wrong with you…"
"Captain, it's not… like that." Still, Sakura shoots her stare to the floor. "He's just worried about me, is all. And he made a good argument about it saving time, since I'm always over there, anyway."
"Sure, Matou, it doesn't start like that, but there's no reason—"
"Mitsuzuri-san…"
Finally finished buffering, Fujimura holds her hand out, bringing her rant to an end.
"It's fine. I'm proud of Sakura-chan for bringing this to my attention, and for making certain everything stays above board."
Outside, she's everything a proper teacher should be.
Calm, composed, dignified.
Beneath that delicate façade, she's fissioning like an unstable isotope.
The part of her which yearns to be a responsible adult is trying desperately to force from her mouth a violent 'HELL NO', while the 'big-sister' part of her, which yearns just as desperately to see Sakura happy, is trying to squeeze out a hesitant 'I see no problem with this'.
All while they both engage in a sort of internal verbal joust, but only as they're unable to physically throttle each other.
'Oh really? No problem, you say? Are you blind?' the adult says.
'Well, we hoped that something would develop between them, right?' big-sister laments.
'Yeah, but maybe like a friendly date at a coffee shop!' the adult spits. 'Not an open-ended guest-pass at Casa De Horny Teenagers!'
'So what, you don't trust them to act properly?' sis fires back.
'Trust has nothing to do with it! They're teenagers coming off the high of adolescent hormones!'
Her own inner tirade goes nowhere.
Slowly, she draws in and releases a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She then raises her gaze from the floor, up to meet Sakura's. The red has since faded from her complexion, and her hard, ever-present grin has dropped some as she waits for whatever is coming.
As much as she hates to admit it, the adult in her seems to be in the right. But there is something about this that makes her want to tell it to sit down and shut up, anyway.
She came to me first. She didn't just try to hide this. That's commendable. If I were to interfere, then next time she might not…
Slowly, her lips curl up in a light smile.
And I do trust them. I mean, as much as I can trust young adults in their situation. I'll just have to hope that trust is well-earned.
Still, beneath that thin rationale lies a grinning big-sister pumping her fists and doing a victory dance around a deeply frowning, frustrated, pouting adult in a conal cap, resignedly blowing a party horn as confetti falls from the sky.
As is often the way of things in the duels between these two, the less mature side has proved victorious.
"Okay. Sakura-chan, I meant what I said. I am proud of you for coming to me with this first. I have my reservations, but I feel it would be unfair not to let you have this chance." She leans forward and pats her on both shoulders. "Please do not forsake the trust I am putting in you. It won't be long, and you'll be a fully fledged adult, allowed to make these decisions for yourself. So just consider this a trial run of that responsibility."
Listening to everything being said, Sakura's mouth gradually lifts from a concerned frown into another elated grin. By the time Fujimura finishes expressing her concerns, and granting her permission, Sakura's face somehow aches again, trying to hold that grin in place.
It's like golden week compressed into a day.
"Y-Yes, Sensei! I promise!" She nods almost violently. "Thank you!"
Behind them, Mitsuzuri sighs deeply through her frown, then smiles, finding herself deeply relieved, though she's not even sure why. It might just be the sort of pleasant, warm feeling that comes from seeing someone deserving finally have something nice happen to them.
And it's the first time she's seen Sakura like this, so elated and filled with energy.
In front of Shirou, Mitsuzuri stands with the sun at her back, casting her shadow over him. Seated against the wall with his eyes closed, his chest rises and falls slowly, as if he were asleep or deep in thought.
Whichever it is, she's unsure, as he's shown no response the entire past minute she's spent repeatedly calling out to him.
Once she'd settled down from Sakura's explosive news, she'd gotten in some practice with her bow. After that, with about ten minutes left before the start of class, she'd returned it to the rack, then stepped into the school courtyard, still decked out in her archery club uniform, to purchase a drink from a nearby vending machine.
It was then she'd noticed Shirou, and attempted to give him a hard time, only to find her efforts thwarted.
"Earth to Emiya?"
Again, he offers no response, and with her patience at their limit, she reaches down and shakes his shoulders to rouse him, causing his eyes to snap open.
Despite her shadow blotting out most of the sun, enough of its light still reaches Shirou's eyes that he has to blink a few times as they adjust. Once they have, he tilts his head back, looking up into a familiar pair of brown eyes. The girl with the reddish-brown, near shoulder-length hair is no stranger to him, given they'd spent their first year here, at Homurahara Academy, together as classmates.
Of course, he's not the only one familiar with this girl. Besides himself, Sakura, and Tohsaka, many know her, and of her. And of those, many look up to her as a sort of older sister, relying on her insightfulness that extends beyond her years. Though that was a subject often shied away from, given how quickly she'd get irritated, taking it the wrong way and insisting she's 'not that old'.
But none of that matters right now, as it's just Shirou here, being subjected to her curious stare and slight frown, now that he's finally come around.
"Huh…? Mitsuzuri?"
"Back with us? Jeez, first Matou, and now you?"
Sighing, she shakes her head, then smirks as her impatience yields to amusement.
"Is space really that interesting?"
"Space? What are you talking about? I just nodded off for a… second…"
He's slow to stand, and even slower to shake his head, which swims with fatigue and the few mental cobwebs which still cling to him.
"So thanks for bringing me around, by the way."
For his tired head making him slow on the uptake, it's a moment before his own words reach his ears. When they do, he frowns thoughtfully.
If I did nod off, how much time before the bell? It can't be long, can it?
Realizing this, and spying Mitsuzuri still in her archery gi, his frown deepens.
"But you're still dressed like that? It has to be almost time for homeroom. Do you really have time to be idling away here?"
Stifling a yawn, he gestures with his free hand at her uniform, and her smirk falls into a brief frown as she waves off his observation.
"Never mind that. I just heard from Matou." And with that, her smirk's brief reprieve ends, and it returns in full force. "Have to say, I didn't think you had it in you."
"Huh? Had what in me?"
With his brain still in a fog, Shirou tilts his head curiously, and Mitsuzuri sighs, frowning and palming her face.
"Oh, come on, I just said. Are you still half-asleep? I was there when Matou asked Fujimura-sensei about what you said. About how you basically told her to stay over at your place?"
Then, smirking, she lightly and playfully, for her at least, jabs his arm.
"You dog."
"That…?"
Both her words and that light tap work together, helping to clear his mind some, and he sighs, shaking his head.
Just Fuji-nee knowing would be more than enough, but now this? I knew people would make this out to be a bigger deal than it is.
His soft frown stiffens as his thoughts tinge with building exasperation.
"Okay, I need to clear this up right now. It's nothing like what you're obviously thinking. She's just having some problems at home. I owe her a lot for always coming by, so I thought this might be a chance to repay her."
Of course, he knows there's more to the story than that. But as he's said, he's looking to correct misconceptions, not add fuel to the fire, or hand over extra ammunition, with which Mitsuzuri already seems burdened with an overabundance.
"Quick to deflect, I see. But problems at home…?"
Hearing those words strips away her wide smirk, and Shirou nods solemnly.
"Yeah, but I've already said too—"
"So, something to do with Shinji, if I had to guess."
At this realization, irritation mixes with concern, painting a vexed frown on her face and forcing from her a matching sigh. She looks back up, meeting Shirou's eyes, which well reflect her worry, and even soothe it, as she's reminded that he's provided for Sakura someplace safe.
"Whatever the case, it's good of you to offer your home to her."
"Look, just…" Feeling awkward, even self-conscious under her gaze, Shirou runs his fingers through his hair, while seeking relief by letting his stare drop. "Don't go poking your nose into it, alright? I really mean it that I said too—"
"Yeah, I know," she cuts him off again. "You don't have to say anymore. I know what he's like, and being his only guy friend, I'm sure you do, too. I mean, every time I see him, I'm reminded of your strange friendship, and how you left the club. And everyone's still waiting for you to come back, you know?"
At her words, Shirou frowns, feeling a vague sense of deja vu
Sakura said something similar.
And not wanting to have the same discussion twice, let alone in one morning, he skirts the issue.
"Well, the archery club has nothing to do with it. And Shinji, I mean, I guess? But it's feeling less and less like a friendship, and more like I'm just some rickety puddle-jumper hauling around his unstable dynamite."
As he's still staring at the ground, he can't see, but can sense something menacing, which causes him to look up. What he sees—Mitsuzuri, frowning heavily with her arms folded—is telling, and he's not left long wondering why.
"Oh, that pisses me off," she snaps. "You always talk so coldly about the archery club. You've got it nice, since you left Shinji behind and quit, but maybe think about the rest of us who always have to put up with his crap before saying stuff like that?"
"Ah—" Under the force of her heated glare, he again diverts his gaze. "Um… Sorry for speaking thoughtlessly. So, what, did Shinji do something again?"
His words come soft, with a note of contrition, but Mitsuzuri's already moved on to answer his question.
"A day doesn't pass without him doing something." Glaring daggers at the ground, she bites down on her thumbnail. "… But what he did yesterday was crossing a line. He even made this first year quit."
She then heaves out a deep sigh. Rarely has Shirou seen her make the sort of serious face she's wearing at this moment, but there's something more than that concerning him.
Specifically in what she's just said.
"Wait, what's that? A student quit? Why?"
"Shinji got pissed, that's why. He gathered his whole harem together and had them stand around this poor kid who'd never even held a bow before. Then he hands him one and tells him to hit the target."
Briefly, despite the answer's upsetting nature, she's able to show a small smile at his concern. But it doesn't last long. Just recalling what happened sours it into another frustrated frown, and she clicks her tongue audibly.
"He and his gaggle of aspiring courtesans just laughed and mocked him mercilessly each time he shot and missed."
"Huh!?"
Any trappings of tiredness still stuck to Shirou's mind are swept away as he processes what he's just heard. Even as her words ring in his ears, he can feel his face contort a frown filled with surprise and indignation.
"And you just let that happen!?"
"Of course I didn't!" She glowers at him, bristling against his accusatory tone. "But a captain's busy, you know? I can't be in the dojo all the time! You know that!"
"… That's true. Sorry… But what the hell was Shinji thinking? His teaching style's always been pretty abrasive, but I never thought he'd be just outright cruel for no reason like that."
No sooner have those words left his mouth than he twists it down in a sour frown. Immediately, they feel false, and for sound reason.
What am I saying? Maybe he wasn't like that before… But he's changed. Or something changed him. I mean, I opened my house to Sakura for just that reason!
For her part, Mitsuzuri blinks in surprise at his words, and the sudden shift in his expression.
She then smirks.
He must have realized how stupid that sounded. But that's just like him, trying to find the good in people, even when there's none to be found.
Amused, she chuckles.
"I shouldn't be surprised, hearing you say that, Emiya. But it's just how you are, I guess."
"Huh?" Missing something, he looks up again from the ground, his head tilted slightly. "How I am? What, were you just thinking unkindly about me or something?"
"Nope. Just thinking objectively about some truth" With her sincere denial, her smirk grows into a full-on, teasing grin. "How you feel about that is your business."
"That…" For want of words, he can only stare at her blankly. "That sounds like something I'd say. But forget that. What about Shinji? He can be a jerk sometimes, but there's usually a reason. Do you know what it was this time?"
"Well, from what I heard from around school, and from Tohsaka herself, he tried to make a pass at her, and she shot him down like a surface-to-air missile."
"Tohsaka, huh…?"
As Mitsuzuri mimes an aircraft being blown out of the sky, complete with sound effects, Shirou taps his chin thoughtfully, trying to catch up. When he finally does, the way his eyes widen, it could have been him in that aircraft.
"Wait, you mean THAT Tohsaka?"
"Because we have more than one?" Letting her hands down at her sides, she tilts her head at his odd declaration. "The honor student from class 2-A, Miss Perfect, Tohsaka Rin."
"I… don't think I've ever heard her called that before," he mutters.
Though I have to say, it suits her pretty well. And from what I've heard, I could definitely see her… well…
The image of an ill-fated passenger jet with Shinji as its pilot being skewered by a rocket with Tohsaka's face painted on it flashes through his mind. And he's unsure if he should wince, grimace, or chuckle, so he settles for none of the above.
Yeah, I could see her being pretty blunt about it.
"But whatever happened, Shinji's been in a foul mood since yesterday," Mitsuzuri continues, pulling Shirou from his inner musings. "So I have to keep a closer eye on him and the dojo than usual to make sure things don't repeat themselves."
"Yeah, he has a pretty nasty temper…" Feeling sympathetic, Shirou breathes out a deep sigh for her sake. "I know it's difficult, but keep up the hard work, Mitsuzuri."
"Yeah, yeah." She waves her hand dismissively. "But he doesn't know when to stop, you know? I feel like he'll get even worse if she shoots him down again. I mean, how many planes can he have?"
She chuckles as she keeps with the analogy, and Shirou frowns thoughtfully.
"I don't know. Approaching someone again after they've turned him down so harshly?" Briefly entertaining the thought, he then shakes his head. "I don't think even he could be that brazen. He's at least got that going for him."
His ill-informed observation cuts Mitsuzuri's mirthful chuckle short, and again he can feel some heated frustration building behind her vexed and falling frown.
"That's easy to say, but what if she keeps dropping by? You wouldn't know since YOU'VE stopped coming around, but SHE comes around quite often! I mean, I invited her yesterday morning, but still…"
"Huh?"
Shirou's thoughts stop short at the revelation. Not that it's his business, but it is an interesting and surprising one, given what he's heard.
Why would she…? I mean, I thought she always went straight home after school. She even turned down a recommendation to join the student council for that reason.
As Shirou digests this sudden discovery, Mitsuzuri breathes out a sigh, relieved for having been able to vent her irritation at his cluelessness. She then smirks as some thought bubbles up to the surface of her mind.
"Well, maybe that sort of thing is good for him now and again. He's so stuck on himself, so getting knocked around like that might help bring him down a peg."
Internally, Shirou winces at her words.
Sh-she doesn't know what she's saying. I mean, Shinji hit his own sister, so it would probably be dangerous for Tohsaka to antagonize him. But wait, though…
His thoughts then diverge, being interjected upon by another set.
I've heard many people view Tohsaka as an enemy… Mitsuzuri… If she knows Shinji's like that… She's not one of them, is she? No, that's dumb. I'm sure she's not…
His mouth curls in a wry smirk as he dismisses the ridiculous notion entirely.
Still…
"Hey, Mitsuzuri, isn't that going too—"
As he attempts to complete his thought out loud, she shrugs, then cuts him off as her grin lessens.
"Oh, I didn't think to ask because of that bombshell Matou dropped—" Where he'd been smirking before, Shirou now shows a sharp frown at these words. "—but I didn't see the little guy this morning…"
Thumbing her chin, she glances down and to one side.
"What was it…? Taiasu? Taruko-kun?"
"What…? Oh, him?"
And just like that, she's changed the subject, leaving Shirou's brief irritation by the wayside.
"No, you wouldn't have. Sakura told me he left this morning to go get familiar with the town."
"Really? Wow…" Surprised, Mitsuzuri's mouth narrows into a small open frown. "Just like that? And all by himself? Seems kind of—"
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Shirou mutters, nodding. "But apparently he and Sakura have some way of staying in touch. She didn't say much more than that, but at least she seems okay with it."
"I see… Too bad, though. I was hoping to see him again."
Her small frown lifts into a playful smirk, causing Shirou to lean his head.
"You were? Why's that?"
"Well, he's interesting, for one. I mean, a full cape? How often do you see someone wearing that? Even a kid!" She chuckles. "Plus, he's kind of funny. And he seems like the sort who'd be fun to pick on."
"Mitsuzuri… For that sort of thing?" Unamused, Shirou narrows his eyes. "You're gonna give the poor kid a complex."
But only briefly, realizing something that makes him frown in at himself.
Well, I'm not much better. The first thing I did was laugh when he said he was an adventurer. But he said it with a completely straight face. What's that even about?
Ignoring his subtle protest, Mitsuzuri goes on unabated.
"But he was adorable, too. I mean, I guess all kids are?" With her head tilted back, she looks up at the sky, tapping at her chin, thinking. "He just felt different, somehow. Like there was more to him than some oddly dressed child."
She pauses thoughtfully, folding her arms and drumming her fingers before completing her thought.
"If he's already like he is now, it really makes me wonder what he'll be like as an adult."
"Mitsuzuri? Wow, the way you're talking…" Seeing a chance to finally turn the tables, Shirou shows a slight smirk of his own. "I never took you for a shota—"
"You wanna die, Emiya?" Before he's even finished speaking, she's turned her head down again, glaring at him with ice in her eyes, smirk, and voice. "Finish that sentence."
Deciding he very much does not, he clips his mouth shut, and Mitsuzuri sighs, shaking her head.
"Anyway, it's nothing like that. He's just fascinating, is all. But since you went there, boys grow into men. And from what I saw, he didn't seem to have a problem with women older than him."
"Wait, are you being serious right now?" Incredulous, Shirou's gaze blanks over as he tries to read his friend's thoughts. "You really want to—"
"Don't be dense," she snaps, pressing her finger into his nose and forcing him back a step. "It was just a for instance. And you're the one who suggested it. I was only exploring the hypothetical further."
"Sure, whatever you say," Shirou mutters, rubbing his nose. "But I think he's too young to even be thinking about what his preferences would be. What is he, like, eight? Maybe it's a good thing he didn't come today. Talk like that could confuse or corrupt an impressionable mind."
"I wouldn't suggest it around him, Emiya. Even if I was seriously considering what you're suggesting, which again, I'm not. Even if I did see him like that, I'm patient enough to wait and see what sort of man a person like that grows into."
Frowning, she sighs again and fully palms her face.
In the deepest and most unconscious recesses of her mind, the idea has been turning, over and over, like a cement mixer trying to keep its contents from setting. Some strange fascination with the crimson-clad child.
There has to be more to him… I'm sure of it. I just can't put my finger on it… I always thought kids would just be more… I don't know, child-like?
"Well, I can't really comment…" Shirou mutters, snapping her thought bubble like a pin in a balloon. "At least, not if I want to keep all my teeth, apparently…?"
Glancing across the courtyard, he sees the trickle of students that's been milling about has gradually grown into a steady stream, splitting into smaller groups as they head toward the school's various buildings.
"But I think at this point, you should probably go get changed?" Again, he gestures at her white archery gi. "Unless you're planning to attend class dressed like that?"
"Ah, right…" Coming back to reality, she lets out a small laugh. "Anyway, we'll talk again. And speaking of inappropriate things—" Her small smile curls down into a serious frown. "—You'd better not do anything stupid with Matou hanging out at your place."
Punctuating the implied threat, she jabs her finger into his shoulder.
"She admires you. Probably more than you know…"
With that said, she turns toward the dojo, leaving Shirou there staring blankly in her wake.
"What was that about…?"
The entire time she'd spent talking about Taiasu, she never once let her tone drop, or turned even a single shade of red. For all his effort, Shirou could sense no subtext from her words, but only that she was honestly speaking her mind. As for Sakura, he's unable to fathom what she's thinking in that regard either.
She's usually so easy going. I really like that part of her, but this was… just kind of odd…
Frowning, he sighs and shakes his head, then turns and makes his own way toward the main school building, and his class.
