When was the last time that she could recall ever leaving school in order to do something that wasn't training? The answer was never. Even back in her old school of Camelot where she'd attended as the Student Council President, she'd never done anything so wasteful.

Strength. Perseverance. Honour. Integrity. Those were her key principles in her time in Camelot in order to better the environment of her fellow peers. In a way, she could be considered a person who had cared the most for her fellow classmates despite her lack of emotion. She'd just feared that if she revealed too much of herself, she'd show weakness in a position that required steady leadership.

She was later joined by others of like mind or who were just drawn in towards her by her charisma.

The Round Table, as her council was later termed by the student body, was strict in its policies to maintain order and combat against misconduct. More so because of Camelot's rival relationship with Saxon Secondary School whose students resorted to extortion and plundering of lunch money and various misdemeanors.

It was her and the rest of her Round Table that had dealt with the students of Saxon high.

Despite never getting a chance to rest or do anything that normal students did, it had still been enjoyable to fight alongside her comrades.

She digressed. Those days were gone.

Her lips pursed together before she shook her head and focused on the matter at hand: A foldable menu pamphlet.

She felt her eyes becoming bloodshot while narrowing in scrutiny.

Black hearted swindlers. What kind of prices were these?

She guardedly kept a hand over the single ten-dollar bill in her wallet and started considering whether or not this shop charged for water. After all, it was the only thing that she could really afford right now.

Which was why it had been all the more difficult to order. She took in a breath to calm herself, but she was still reeling from the prices in front of her. Since when did high school girls have so much money to spend?

"Daddy's like to spoil their girls." Yukika winked at her as if able to read her mind.

The fact was, she couldn't even deny the claim. Even in her current family, she'd noticed a few differences in the way that Papa Ector treated her compared her to her elder brother Kay. He had been gentler towards her and even frequently doted on her whereas he frequently lectured Kay to be better.

Generally, the grumpier and more distant a father was, the softer and more doting they actually were inside. Regardless, the current issue was still what to order. Kaede and the others may have money, but that didn't mean the same for her.

"What do you want to get?" A voice called out to her in the midst of her internal brooding.

"Water." She let slip, her tone strained.

"Water?" Kaede mouthed back in confusion while staring at the menu. Her brow twitched when she noticed the word 'Free' listed as water's price.

The table that Arturia and the others were using in a recently opened breakfast and lunch café suddenly fell silent. Kaede, Yukika, and Kane who were opposite to Arturia were looking at her with wry smiles, causing her to fidget.

She carefully maintained a calm and indifferent expression, but found the stretching silence awkward.

Features flattening in exasperation, Kaede took the menu board from Arturia's hands and promptly ordered on Arturia's behalf, watching as Arturia gasped lightly while the total sum of her order was finalized.

"Okay. Seriously. You're not even the one paying, so there's no need to be modest," Kane pushed up her glasses and leaned her back onto chair. "Besides, if you didn't know, there's an all you can eat option in the café and that's what Kaede ordered for you."

Arturia looked up in bewilderment as if asking why an 'all you can eat' option mattered in the discussion. Yukika was the one who answered the unspoken question.

"Emiya said that you might have a large appetite, and warned us before hand."

"H-He did?" Arturia subconsciously used a finger to twirl a lock of her hair; not seeing Shirou's words as an insult but as a fact and glancing towards the floor. Subsequently, she missed the underlying suspicion on Yukika's face, yet Yukika remained silent.

Kane and Kaede were less reserved.

Kaede was just grinning knowingly, but Kane couldn't help herself.

"He seems to know you quite well," Kane spoke offhandedly while scrutinizing Shirou's jacket which Arturia was still wearing. Again, Arturia failed to comprehend the meaning behind what Kane was implying.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess," Arturia replied, her hands clasping together over her lap beneath the table. Honestly, she was having trouble deciding how she should feel about Shirou at the moment. On one hand, a part of her had to admit that she wasn't exactly 'uncomfortable' in his presence. Far from it, she still blushed in the middle of a sleepless night whenever she recalled how she'd asked him to stay with her because of her own insecurities.

The jacket that she was wearing, the lunches, just the thought that he was still looking out for her was endearing.

Something must have had been showing on her face because when she looked back up, Kaede and the rest were all staring at her slyly. The faces, the body posture, the untold amusement, it all caused her to shudder as the face of a former mentor super imposed over Kaede and the rest.

Merlin, the devious bastard. Probably easier to bend than a toothpick. He was a pushover. A man with no backbone but increasingly annoying in his womanizing ways.

Kaede and the rest were making the same smug faces that Merlin would make whenever her former teacher knew something that she didn't. Merlin called it clairvoyance based on his own flowery intuition. She called it bullshit.

Still, she understood that whenever Merlin made that face, it was because she was being ignorant about something that normal girls and students would already know for a fact. Take the skirt that she was wearing for example. She didn't know that she had to wear one before her transfer from Camelot, but almost assuredly, Merlin the flake had known without informing her.

Even if Kaede and the rest weren't Merlin, she felt a wave of uneasiness, an ill premonition.

Kane glanced between Kaede and Yukiko before grinning and leaning in closer as if to whisper. However, it was unfortunate that the food and drinks arrived at that moment, carried by a waiter.

O thank God. A wave of relief washed over Arturia as the food was placed on the table one at a time. Food came first, so she quickly decided to ignore Kane and the rest in favour of stuffing her mouth even when they called out to her.

She couldn't hear them.

They were just as excited to eat as her, she concluded.

Arturia ignored how Kane placed a hand over her forehead. Yukika just shrugged while Kaede directly joined Arturia in eating. Food really did come first because food was life.

One plate stacked over Arturia's side followed by one after another.

They did say that this was 'all that you can eat' didn't they? Arturia glanced up to see Kaede and the others staring at her. No, not just Kaede and the others, the waiters and people nearby were looking at her as well.

Well, she was used to it. Merlin had told her that foreigners would garner a lot of attention in other countries, so she'd already prepared herself. She didn't stop to consider that having over ten plates piled into a tower on a cart that was placed explicitly beside her was anything worth noting.

Watching Arturia, Kane, Kaede, and Yukiko breathed out sighs of relief while wearily clutching their purses.

Bless you Emiya. Kaede and the rest gave a solemn thank you. If not for Shirou's warning, then they would definitely have had run out of funds within a single outing.

Somehow, watching Arturia, Kaede and the rest quickly lost their appetites, their mouths drying. How could they possibly eat when even the store cook stepped out of the kitchen to see who was eating so much?

It was embarrassing, yet, no one moved to stop Arturia.

She just looked so happy that there was no way to actually intervene, rather, why did watching her eat seem so wholesome? It was like flowers were blooming around her topped with pretty glittering sparkles.

Food was meant to be eaten, never wasted. This was the main principle that Arturia was taught in her upbringing. So long as there was a plate in front of her and room in her stomach, she'd continue to consume.

No matter how big her appetite, she eventually ate her fill much to the relief of the chef who looked like he'd aged a couple years trying to fulfill food demands.

She blinked.

Kaede and the others were slumped in their seats while looking as if they'd just dodged a bullet. The others in the gathered crowd gave Arturia a few thumbs up before leaving much to her consternation.

"So," Yukika began subtly after composing herself. However, recalling how dense Arturia appeared to be, she got right to the point. "What's the deal between you and the Brownie?" She rolled her left eye. Honestly, it wasn't her business but Rin had asked Yukika and the rest for a favour. "Are you dating?"

Huh?

It took Arturia a moment for her to register the question, and then another moment to work away the heat rushing madly towards her face. Unable to answer, she began nibbling on the leftover deserts still on the table to buy time.

"Y-You're still eating?" Kaede pressed her face on the table in defeat.

What was wrong with eating? Arturia could not find any fault in her actions, rather, why ask her about Shirou of all things?

Her face was practically burning behind her carefully neutral façade.

"P-Pass," she chose to deflect because she wasn't sure how to feel about Shirou yet. No. That was a lie. She already knew that a part of her was starting to warm up to him, yet it was she herself who was distancing him away.

"Fine. You can take the pass," Yukika sighed. "It's not like we used food to lure you into an interrogation. We really are thankful for what you did for us the other day."

"Yeah, what she said," Kaede lifted her arm up in a small gesture.

Kane simply nodded, not one for many words.

Yukika bowed her head in apology. "I'm not sure if you know, but Emiya is actually one of the top ten bachelors in Homurahara as ranked by the girl's underground love~love ranking system."

Love~love what now? Arturia felt her mind suddenly blank. She couldn't tell if it was because of the ridiculousness of some ambiguous organization, or the fact that many other girls were vying for Shirou's attention. Either or, she felt an inexplicable looming threat. It showed in her posture.

Her arms crossed and her back straightened in concealed irritation.

"Are you alright?" Kane was the first to notice the change.

"Fine." Her tone was clipped.

Kaede laughed awkwardly before deciding to shift the topic. They'd invited Arturia, the new Captain of the Kendo Club, to thank her not to trouble her.

"Say, would you like to come to a school opening fair some time?" Kaede asked while glancing up at Arturia. "I'm not sure if you do it back in Britain, but there's plenty of school welcome festivals at the start of each school semester. Sadly, Homurahara's is over, but the Celt's Academy has theirs hosted soon."

"Oh, I've heard about that one!" Yukika piped up. "Celt's Academy isn't the most festive with more of their clubs and activities geared towards fighting, but the leader of the Arts and Craft's club called the 'Rune Witch' is said to be able to make anything. It's almost like magic which is where she got her Rune title from."

Kane looked to Arturia for her response.

She considered the offer. "When is it?" She asked.

"It's tomorrow," Kaede responded. "We'd love it if you'd come. It'll be fun, we swear."

"Hmm," she hummed in thought. If it was before, she already knew that she would have had politely declined. However, a part of her had changed somewhat. Honestly, it felt like it was Shirou's fault for being so persistent. He probably rubbed off on her in some way and got her to start re-evaluating her decisions.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps it was because she'd never been one to socialize that she had been deemed emotionless in the first place?

She looked up to see the hopeful expressions on Kaede and the others faces.

"Well," she scratched at her cheek with a finger before glancing at the side and coming to a decision. "I'd be glad to if it's not too much of a bother."

"A bother? I'm more worried about getting challenged from a random member of Celt Academy. Those guys are too competitive." Kaede revealed a rare exhausted expression. "With you around, I think that a majority will run away scared."

"Just stay away from Fergus," Kane said flatly. "That guy is known to never give up."

"Actually, it's better to watch out for Fionn," Yukika interjected. "If you're a woman, you'll always stay on his radar."

Another womanizer? Another Merlin?

The grimace must have had been showing on her face because Kaede and the others began to laugh. Goes to show how high her distaste for Merlin-like behaviours went if it was able to break the neutrality of her face.

The laughter ensued. Slowly, surely, a smile formed on her face, dazing Kaede and the rest.

"No wonder Emiya's…" Kane trailed off.

No wonder Emiya what? She knit her brows in confusion, but soon put the matter aside in favour of basking in the fuzziness around her. It was perhaps the first time that she'd ever felt anything like it.

A girl's night out sort of thing that was different from hanging out with the other members of the Round Table.

Maybe, just maybe spending time with others instead of training wasn't so bad?

Life shouldn't just be full of hardship.

She was too naïve.

"I'm sorry Ms. Pendragon, I can't extend the rental dates. Your family either pays up during the next three days or I'll be forced to evict your unit."

Her complexion quickly paled despite how hard she forced herself to remain calm.

The outing with Keade and the rest had taken longer than she had expected and by the time that it finished, school was already over. This meant that she'd missed club activities and had also failed to return Shirou's jacket. This being the case, it really wasn't much of a problem for her to deal with. The problem came when she returned home.

The building manager, a short middle-aged woman with cropped shoulder-length hair, had been standing by her door in business attire. This led to the current conversation.

The building manager waited for her reply.

Kay had informed her over the phone that he and Papa Ector wouldn't be back for the month due to complications forcing Papa Ector to remain in the hospital. Papa Ector had fought too many battles and injured himself too many times in his youth that it was now all catching up to him in his old age.

Presently, she had been left in charge of the house and Kay had sent her a month's worth of allowance to use in the case of emergencies. Said allowance though would not be able to cover the full cost of their building unit. It was intended more for her personal needs and food.

"Is there really no other way?" She rubbed a hand over her arm. She was feeling helpless, having no idea at all about what to do. The last thing that she wanted was for Kay and Papa Ector to come home and see her out living in the streets. Of course, she could tell them what was going on, but she didn't want to add to their stress.

She could handle it. She was strong, but why did it have to be so hard?

Her hands balled into fists by her side as her expression became more and more downcast. The cold night wind caused her to shiver while she pursed her lips in worry, unable to conceal the turmoil within her.

The building manager scratched at her head in sympathy, clearly troubled by the issue.

"There's really nothing I can do about this. I've already extended your payments for the last three months." It went to show just how much empathy the building manager had to extend the payment dates for so long.

"Look, it might be difficult with your family's current issues, but have you considered looking for cheaper accommodations or applying for a part-time job?" The manager looked like she was picking at straws, but at least she was trying to help in her own way.

"I've been looking into it." Arturia smiled back weakly. What was the point in getting a job now? Three days wasn't even enough to obtain her first pay check let alone if she could ask for one in advance.

Strength just seemed to leave her body, leaving her frail as she pressed her eyes down tight to calm herself.

It was like blades were stabbing into the building manager's heart. This was why the building manager hated this aspect of her job. Sure, it paid well and accommodated for her needs, but she was never a heartless individual to begin with. It hurt mentally to force people out, the guilt constant and lingering like an acid eroding metal.

Arturia didn't argue. She just accepted the situation as it was while taking a seat by the courtesy bench near her front door by the hall.

The building manager felt the guilt triple, no, compound while looking at Arturia's blank face.

The building manager's mouth opened than closed, then opened again. Her feet wouldn't budge. The building manager couldn't bring herself to leave even if she wanted to.

"Tell you what." The building manager scratched at the back of her head in frustration while drawing Arturia's attention. "I know a friend of mine who was looking for a new hire and I'll recommend you to him. I know it won't do much for your eviction status, but having a little more pocket money can do loads to help."

Arturia didn't respond, but just nodded stiffly under the dim overhead light.

The manager sighed, no longer able to look at Arturia lest she risk getting herself too involved. "The opening's tomorrow in the afternoon so don't be late for it. I'll send you the address later."

Arturia froze at the building manager's words.

"Tomorrow?" She echoed as calmly as possible.

"Tomorrow," the building manager reaffirmed.

Arturia swallowed audibly, expression growing unreadable as a trembled travelled down her spine.

'It'll be fun. We swear!'

She thought of the event that Kaede and the others had just invited her to and couldn't help the way that her vision began to grow fuzzy. It was undeniable that a part of her had actually wanted to go. To have fun. To put aside some of life's difficulties, yet she couldn't.

Her expression grew taught, her lips quivering as she wordlessly used the back of her palm to wipe at her eyes.

She sucked in a breath and quelled the sinking feeling in her gut. "Can it be any other day?"

The building manager shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not how it works."

The building manager was being kind, but she wouldn't be polite to someone who would waste an opportunity of good faith because it wasn't convenient. More so when the housing situation was already as bad as it was. "Please just accept. This is all that a useless middle-aged woman can do for you."

The building manager walked away before she promised anything that was out of her jurisdiction.

Arturia was left alone.

It was cold outside, so she pulled out her key and placed it into the lock of her front door. She laughed inwardly. Her fingers were shaking.

She opened the door and promptly closed it behind her. Her back pressed against the smooth surface of the door before she slid down into a seated position, her hands over her face.

Three day.

She only had three days left to stay in her current home.

The eviction notice had said by the end of the month, but the landlord had probably grown annoyed at her family's lack of payment which was why the building manager must have had come.

She took in a deep breath, trying to compose her thoughts.

The Underground tournament, the Holy Grail War would be starting in another week, but she'd be out of housing before then. Kay and Papa Ector wouldn't be back until the end of the month either so she could still fix things. She just needed to win against the competition. She had to.

A part of her, the part of her that was rational understood that there was no guarantee that she would win, yet she was ignoring it.

As for housing in the meantime, her eyes trailed off in the direction of the local park before she bit down on her lips. Why did things have to be so hard? She just wanted to make things right.

On the bright side, at least she wasn't so hungry today.

She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her arms around them for comfort.

She didn't know how much time had passed with her just sitting there in the dark, but eventually she thought back to the part-time job that the building manager had offered her.

The job itself wouldn't do anything to really help her right now, but in the long run, it was better than nothing.

Sorry. I guess it really is too much to hope.

She picked herself off the ground and contained her frustration, guilt, doubts, and every negative thought in her head to the back of her mind.

She needed to be strong. She needed to be.

She made her decision.

"Sorry. I won't be able to come."

She watched Kaede and the other's expressions sink as her own began to stiffen into neutrality.

She'd been putting the matter off for as long as she could during the school day, but when school ended, she no longer had any other choice. She'd sought out Kaede and the rest as soon as classes were over.

Her words caused the trio to frown heavily. To them, it wasn't the first time that friends would bail on plans as it occurred often with high school students. In fact, it wasn't even a big deal. What mattered though was that they could tell that something was wrong right from the get go.

Arturia didn't know it, but she just looked so dead that it didn't matter how much she tried to hide her issues behind an emotionless face. It was obvious for those that cared to be able to see through her act.

Kaede who was generally always upbeat and optimistic, uncharacteristically put on a serious expression.

"Hey, if you're having troubles, you'd let us know right?" Kaede asked in concern. "I'm not sure what we can do to help, but isn't handling everything on your own lonely?"

Lonely? Of course, it was.

Arturia pursed her lips but didn't reach out for any kind of help.

Kaede grunted, a hand scratching her back in frustration.

In response, Arturia just turned to leave.

This girl. Kaede to grit her teeth.

Kaede reached an arm out to stop Arturia, but Kane placed a hand on Kaede's shoulder and shook her head while Yukika remained silent.

Trying to help someone who didn't want help wasn't going to be of much help at all.

Arturia left without another word. She already knew what it felt to shoulder everything on her own anyway. It really was lonely, but she wouldn't involve others in her problems. After all, the more that she cared about them, the more that she pushed them away.

She wasn't worth it. She'd learned that fact the hard way when everyone she'd once thought had believed in her shunned and resented her.

As lonely as it was to be alone, it hurt far more to lose everything for a second time. She should have had never been the leader of Camelot. She knew that fact now and it constantly ate away at her.

Still, she had family to care for.

Walking down the streets of Fuyuki, she glanced at the crinkled note where her building manager had written down the address for the part-time job that she was recommended for.

She stared up at the sign for a moment, making sure that the name was right.

A Coffee Shop?

"Ahnenerbe," the name sounded foreign even to her.

Maybe it was German? Regardless, she had to thank the building manager the next time that she saw her. After all, rather than just a recommendation, the building manager had flat out convinced the coffee shop owner to hire her without an interview after much persistence.

She was touched about how far a stranger would go for another's behalf.

She entered the building and was directed to a waiting room behind Ahnenerbe's serving counter. Her brow twitched when she was given a maid outfit that was to be considered her work uniform. What kind of job did she sign up for anyway? Well, it wasn't like she had any room to complain.

She needed the cash and anything that she could use before the start of the Holy Grail War.

Using the change room, she soon changed into maid attire with a black ribbon used to tie up her hair along with a white-crowned head piece. A part of her felt embarrassed at her current appearance, but the long black stockings and tailored uniform felt comfortable. Besides, she was too far out of her neighborhood to run into anyone that she knew who would work at such a place.

She thought wrong as a man exited Ahnenerbe's kitchen area and into the waiting room where she was standing in front of mirror while waiting for her new boss to begin orientation.

"Arturia?"

"Shirou?"

Her bag dropped from her hand and impacted heavily against the floor, her breath hitching in her throat as if she was being strangled from her own mortification. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Why did it have to be him of all people? Worse, why did he have to see her when she was feeling at her lowest and wearing something so embarrassing? Any thoughts of retuning Shirou's jacket at the moment were tossed out of her mind.

Shirou wasn't known as Homurahara's School Brownie for nothing. His kindness did not just limit itself to Homurahara, but anywhere that needed help. Even a shop as far out as Ahnenerbe who'd asked Shirou to work part-time as a cook.

Arturia was panicking. She wasn't showing it, but she was panicking. Surely, Shirou would ask her what she was doing working so far out from home, yet he was the last person that she wanted to burden at all.

She constantly opened and closed her mouth but no words were coming to her. Unexpectedly, she startled as something cold to the touch pressed against her cheek, prompting her to reel backwards.

A can of cola?

She focused her gaze.

Shirou smiled wryly at her. "I won't ask, so don't over think yourself and a have drink."

She looked down towards the can of cola that Shirou was offering her and gingerly cupped it with her hands. "Thank you," she said softly for lack of a better response. Popping open the cola's cap, she took a small sip while her gaze remained on Shirou all the while.

He really wasn't going to ask anything? Really?

A part of her felt relief, but another part of her felt disappointment? No. She must be feeling something else. Maybe she was just thinking too hard.

Under Shirou's gaze, she kept sipping slowly from the can of cola in her hands.

As it would turn out, Shirou really didn't ask her anything. Instead, he made himself comfortable across from her and just stayed by her side until she could calm down. He was nice that way, always considerate.

She kept looking at him, but he never called her out on it, rather he opened his own of cola and touched it against hers. "Cheers." He smiled.

Her stomach gave her butterflies.

She may have had missed a planned event with Kaede and the others but maybe this wasn't so bad either?

NO. She couldn't think of such a thing, because it was bad because…honestly, she didn't know but it was bad. Surely.

He nodded towards her, causing the tips of her cheeks to flush red when she realized that she'd been sipping on her can of cola for far longer than normal. Flustered, she held the cola slightly away from her while Shirou just let her be.

The atmosphere was oddly comfortable. In fact, she wanted her orientation leader to take even longer to get ready.

Inadvertently, she took another long sip of cola while staring at Shirou lost in her thoughts. However, she quickly realized that Shirou was still looking at her, and then promptly glanced at the ground while inwardly flustered at repeating the same mistake twice.

He laughed, the sound like charming bells to her ears, prompting her to raise her guard against him like a cautious cat.

Still, even if it was just in the time that she spent with him, he made her forget about her troubles.

She grew bolder and snuck a peak at him from the corner of her eyes. He noticed and winked back at her, causing her mouth to open and close in order to find an excuse, yet she wouldn't have to. He leaned in closer and extended a hand forward.

"I'm glad I get to work with you," he said honestly.

"…" Her expression softened, but she didn't dare answer after her hand grabbed onto his.

After all, a sudden feeling of bubbliness assailed her.

She was fairly certain that it wasn't from her drink.

Thanks for reading!

Next update: Fate in Time

P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious

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Milestone Announcement: My first book has been published on Amazon's Kindle website! It's called 'Fated Legacy: Dark' (Author Name: Parcasious Grace)

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Summary of book:

Death. Grief. Ruin. Nothing was left unchanged after an unexplained tragedy led to the loss of millions across the world in key locations. Cities were reduced to wastelands of steel and concrete, and many were forced into migration. When events leading to the prior tragedy occur once more, Kevin Black was going to have to learn that sometimes mysteries were better left unsolved. Trapped with his friends in the world of a ruined city filled with monsters, the journey out would be far more perilous than the journey in.