Chapter 5 – Setting things straight (published: 05.27.2012 - Beta: Sperance)
The usually quiet atmosphere of Hinata-Sou was being disturbed by the sound of heavy hammering coming from the roof.
True to his word, Shirou had begun working on the more urgent repairs as soon as he had finished eating breakfast.
Despite the clear effort he was putting into his job, there was no strain visible on his face. After all, he was used to manual labor and his rigorous physical training showed its results even in menial tasks. Besides, he really liked this kind of jobs. He felt a very basic form of satisfaction in making things work properly again. It wasn't merely something that stemmed from his wish to help others but a genuine love for the task.
When he was a teenager, he used to pick odd jobs to meet ends every month, even if his father had left him a considerable amount of money after his death. Shirou had always preferred to be as self-reliant as possible, and considering how he had ended up using his inheritance after the war it was all the more worthy.
With that kind of background, he was easily capable of taking care of every repair needed without hiring professional help, which meant more money left in the Hinata-Sou accounts.
Of course, not everything was good. Even if he spent the entire morning repairing the roof, the residents of the dorm would take their time to come up and criticize his work. They weren't straightforward about it, of course, but some offhanded comments about making sure he wasn't slacking off were really starting to annoy him.
Patience, he figured, was the key to change the situation. He had no intention of being their doormat, and if they behavior went too far he would make his displeasure known, but otherwise he would take their small, childish jibes with a smile on his face.
Reacting badly would only put him on their level and he didn't want to debase himself like that. Amongst the many things he had learned from Saber there was the concept of keeping his head high and staying above petty arguments.
Granted, he hadn't always managed to do it. God knows just how many times he had snapped at Rin during their time together at the Clock Tower. Then again, Rin had a talent for get under his skin (or anyone else's, for that matter), and he cared for her too much to just ignore her altogether.
Snarky comments, which led to heated discussions that became angry arguments that were usually defused by…. Err. No. That wasn't a viable way to settle things with his tenants, so it was better to push such things out of his mind.
Besides he had other things to worry about. Things like his tenants' behavior. Odd didn't begin to cover it; it was plain as a day that most of them had serious problems of some sort. Starting with Narusegawa and Aoyama, with their deep rooted mistrust, if not outright hate, for the male half of the human race. From what he could imagine, they had either been brought up in a man-hating environment or they had suffered some sort of sexual harassment.
The latter wasn't too difficult to imagine. They were both very attractive young women who lived in a very populated area. It wasn't unlikely that they had been subjected to unwanted attentions on many a different occasion and developed a deep distaste for the opposite gender from there. He preferred not to think that they could have been victims of more serious and traumatic abuses. He was fairly certain that if that had been the case they would have rather moved out of Hinata-Sou than remain there with him.
There was also Konno. The resident fox-lady didn't seem to take anything seriously and drowned everything in sake and horse races. He didn't quite know what to make of her, but her intentions for him were rather evident. He had made a mental promise of never being alone with her, less she put him in an embarrassing situation to blackmail him.
Not that it would have worked with him, but he would rather not get in such a situation in the first place.
Then there was Suu. The foreigner girl was nothing short of a genius from what he had gathered. He had seen her tinkering with complex mechanism with an ease that could only be born from practice. He was no engineer but he had a better than average grasp of mechanics, yet Suu's creations were entirely beyond the scope of his understanding.
In spite of that she acted like a middle-school student at her best, and he had the distinct impression that it was just a ruse. Maybe she was just odd like that, but she seemed a little too forceful in her behavior sometimes.
The last one and probably the less problematic was Maehara. The shy and soft-spoken sixteen-year-old girl was an even shyer version of Sakura. Something like that was actually anything but reassuring, considering what she had kept hidden for years behind that warm smile of hers. As a result Maehara was the one that worried Shirou the most, mainly because she wasn't the kind of person that wouldn't freely express her feelings.
Well, perhaps he was worrying over nothing. While Maehara seemed to have trouble voicing her opinion, she didn't seem capable of hiding her emotions. Even though, he would keep a close eye on her, just in case.
"Emiya-san?"
Speaking of the devil…
"Yes, Maehara-san?"
He stopped his hammering and turned to the girl standing at the closest window to his left with a smile.
"Ano… I wondered if you felt like having some tea."
Shirou glanced at his wristwatch and noticed it was already past ten. Time sure flied when he was focusing on something.
"I'd love that," he answered. "Thanks."
He returned inside the building via the window and gratefully accepted her tea. He was thirstier that he had thought and the warm fluid was really appreciated. They drank in comfortable silence for a few seconds, at least on Maehara's part. Shirou was all too aware of the presence of the residing swordswoman just outside the room.
"If you'd like to join us, Aoyama-san, you are more than welcome," he said offhandedly before taking a sip.
Motoko walked in the room with a guarded expression, her hand resting almost casually on the hilt of her sword. Almost.
"How did you know I was there?"
"You aren't as silent as you'd like to think you are," he simply said. "The stairs are old and squeaky. Even the lightest foot makes it creak a little."
"How did you know it was me?"
"Anyone else would have made a lot more noise," he explained with a shrug.
Motoko's surprise was expressed only by an extra blinking. It was quite obvious to her that she had the lightest step of all the residents of the dorm. Training the way of the sword required a great control of one's balance, after all, and as result she could have a very light step, if she so wished.
However, it was unsettling that the new manager had both the acute hearing and the sufficient experience to deduce her identity only from that. This seemingly unassuming and quiet man was deeper than she had initially thought. This only made him all the more dangerous in her opinion, as she couldn't circumvent his guard and catch him in his perverted acts as easily as she had planned.
Silence fell upon the group. Emiya didn't say another word and continued to drink his tea while Shinobu looked at both of them in obvious confusion, not really understanding what was going on.
"It was delicious. Thank you, Maehara-san."
"Y- You're welcome," she replied smiling.
"Then I'll return to my task."
"Thank you for your hard work, Emiya-san," Shinobu said with a small bow while Emiya climbed out of the window.
Motoko didn't like the way Shinobu obviously clung to the perverted manager. She still couldn't understand that behind the nice façade they put up, all men were loathsome beasts. She would have to make sure that Shinobu wouldn't have to find out the hard way.
Of course that meant educating Emiya before he came up with any unsavory ideas. In that case Motoko didn't have any problems with doing it the hard way.
Lunch time came, passed and soon Shirou found himself staring at his handiwork. The roof was completely repaired. No more water getting inside the building when it rained. With that out of the way he could finally move on to other stuff.
"You did a great job," Haruka said climbing on the roof and giving its surface an analytical look. "You really have good hands."
"Thanks, Haruka. I did my fair share of odd jobs while in high school. I have picked a few skills here and there," he said finally standing upright. Regardless of how used he was to physical effort, his back still cracked in protest.
"Eh, sounds to me like you earned your rest, Shirou."
"Yeah. I think I need to take a long hot bath. I'm really looking forward to dip in the hot springs. At least there's one perk to my forced residence here."
xXx
"Uh?"
That summed up Shirou's thoughts when he was showed his personal bathroom. He wasn't sure it even qualified as a tub. He could barely sit in it.
"What exactly is this?"
"Your bathroom, Emiya-san," Aoyama announced proudly.
"And why exactly do I have to use this barrel as a tub when there's a hot spring just downstairs?"
"Because that's reserved for us girls," Narusegawa explained.
"And that's written where, exactly?"
"This is a female dormitory, therefore the facilities are reserved to us tenants," the swordswoman replied sternly.
"Arguable," Shirou objected. "Nevermind that. I'll use it this time. Please, Aoyama-san, pass the word that there's going to be a meeting in the living room in an hour."
"About what?"
"Usage of the common facilities."
Aoyama eyed him warily for a moment, but then nodded and left with Narusegawa. Shirou sighed heavily; the situation was starting to get out of hand. He didn't like the idea of enforcing his authority over the girls, but apparently there was a serious misconception he just couldn't let slide. Otherwise things would only get even more complicated in the long run.
He undressed, and proceeded to clean himself. He tried to enjoy the feeling brought to his muscles by the warm water, but the cramped space put a serious strain against his efforts.
He wasn't feeling much better when he put on clean clothes and went to the living room.
xXx
"This is absolutely unacceptable!" Aoyama raged. "We went as far as preparing you a personal bathroom. Does your ungratefulness know no boundaries, Emiya?"
Yes, that was more or less what he expected to happen.
"I don't see how you can say something like that with a straight face, Aoyama-san."
"Your request is denied. The hot springs are for the tenants' use only."
"Right," Shirou said with a sigh, "I imagined that's what you'd say."
"Then you should have not brought this matter up in the first place. Is there anything else?"
"Yes. Yes, there is. You have probably misunderstood what I said earlier. I wasn't asking nor was I requesting. I was informing you all that from now on the use hot spring will be regulated by a weekly schedule."
"No way!" Narusegawa objected standing up and slamming her hands on the table. "Didn't you hear what we said? You can't use the hot springs!"
"Narusegawa-san, you really don't get it. It's not your choice and it's not up to debate either. Considering that I'm the only male here and that the springs aren't used most of the day it's not even a sacrifice on your part."
"Are you saying that your word supersede ours, Emiya-san? On what grounds do you think you can ignore the majority's decision?"
"Hmm… I don't really know, Aoyama-san. It may be on grounds that I'm a resident, the manager and, more importantly, the owner of this dorm?"
"Be that is it may, you should simply concede this point. This is a female dorm and as such the facilities should be reserved to women."
"You know, I would have not necessarily accepted, but I could have debated this matter with you if you hadn't decided all by yourselves what I'm entitled to do or not to do with my own property. Seeing how you haven't asked for my opinion beforehand, I shall ask you use the same courtesy and ignore your preferences altogether."
"We shall not stand for this!"
"Tough luck. It's not really your choice to begin with. You can either adapt to what the new management has decided or you can find yourself another place to live. This decision is final."
"This- this- this-"
"I hope that from now on you'll consult me before coming up with decisions that aren't yours to make. Now, seeing how tomorrow I have more repairs to do, I'll be taking my leave. That will be all. Good evening, everyone."
Shirou stood and walked out nonchalantly. He didn't really like saying the things he did but it was clear that he had to start curbing their prevaricating behavior before it became too difficult to eradicate. They would detest him, which wasn't that much of a novelty, but they would have to give up. If he had to take the responsibility of being the manager he would also exercise his right to decide how things worked within the walls of Hinata-Sou.
If they couldn't live with his decisions, well, the way out was the same as the way in.
"The nerve of that man," Motoko growled as soon as Emiya had closed the door behind him.
Shinobu really didn't know what to say. She had found out about the bathroom situation when Emiya-san had brought the matter up during the meeting. It turned out that it had been a choice made by Naru-senpai and Motoko-senpai without telling the others and now Emiya-san was angry with her too.
Well, it wasn't like he was at fault for being angry with her. For the second time she had failed to stand in his defense when she thought he was right. After all, he was the owner of the dorm. It was well within his rights to use the facilities as he preferred. As a matter of fact, he had still been kind enough to decide of putting up a schedule visible to everyone as to avoid walking on each other in the baths.
Then why were Motoko-senpai and Naru-senpai so angry with him? And why was she so weak that she couldn't say what she thought out loud? She didn't want Emiya-san to hate her, but she was just too weak to speak up.
"Hey," Kitsune chided, cutting out the other two girls' rant. "Weren't we supposed to follow him?"
"Ah. You're right," Naru said.
"Maybe we can still catch up with him," Kitsune said.
"What's the use? Even if we catch him doing something improper, he has made it clear that he's the one in charge. He'll just tell us again to live with it and shut up," Naru sighed.
"That may not be true. What if we take pictures of him while he's harassing a woman? With those we could force him to return control of Hinata-Sou to us."
"Motoko-chan," Kitsune beamed, "I knew there was some potential in you. Let's go after him!"
The trio stood and ran out, not really paying any attention to Shinobu or Kaolla. In fact, Kaolla might as well not have been there at all, seeing as she kept fiddling with an handheld videogame for the entire time.
That left Shinobu alone with her thoughts, which meant she kept berating herself internally for not standing up when she should have.
"Where's he gone?"
"I can see him over there," Motoko proclaimed, pointing in the direction she was looking at.
Kitsune was excited. It wasn't exactly like she had planned things to go like that with the new dorm manager but it couldn't be helped. The man actually had a spine and used it to challenge them. That wouldn't do at all.
She liked her men properly tamed, or she wouldn't feel safe around them. While she found Shirou's firmness somewhat arousing, she needed him properly broken in and discouraged so that he would look up at her for comfort. Her plan couldn't quite work if he was too strong and self-reliant. That was a definite no-no.
She would have to go along with Motoko's plan for the time being and then let the other girls lord over him for a few weeks. Then she would swoop in and rescue him from their clutches. It would create a good middle ground. On one side, he wouldn't probably challenge the girls again for the fear of falling back in a compromising situation, while on the other he would hold her above everyone, himself included.
After that she could spend her days leisurely between sake and horse races…. aaaand if she happened to be in the right mood she could let Shirou enjoy her… company.
That, of course, would be after she made it perfectly clear that he couldn't just fool around with other women.
Hm-hm. It was a perfect (for her) scenario and, in the end, everyone would be happy. She was just a good person like that.
"There! He snuck in the same alley as yesterday," Motoko pointed out.
"Hurry up or we'll lose him again!"
They followed him just a few scant meters behind. The streets were even more crowded than the previous evening, so there was little chance of him noticing them even if they were close.
As soon as he turned in the small space between buildings, they went after him…
… only to find a completely empty street before them.
"What the…? Where did he go?"
"There's no way he could have reached the other road already," Naru observed, and she was right. Even if he went in a mad sprint as soon as he turned the corner they would still have caught a glimpse of him.
"Maybe he hid somewhere," Motoko said. There were many boxes and crates piled against the walls as it often happened in the streets between shops.
They carefully searched every nook and cranny where he could have hidden but still found no trace of him.
"He… he's gone."
"No…," Motoko stated gravely, grasping the hilt of her sword. "He is still here and he is watching us. I can feel it."
"Motoko-chan," Kitsune chided playfully, amused by the younger girl's reaction. "There's no place to hide that we didn't already check. You're just imagining things."
"T- that's right, he must have run to the other side," Naru confirmed, but there was a small quiver in her voice.
"No. I had the same feeling yesterday in this same place. I don't know where he's hiding but he is still here. I know it."
"Come on, Motoko," Kitsune sighed, "where could he be? Above us?"
She asked as much while she pointed upward. As a reaction, Motoko's gaze followed her finger until she was looking at the upper edge of the building.
And then froze.
Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Naru did the same, only to widen her eyes as she gazed at the same point as Motoko's.
"Uh? Naru? Motoko? What's wrong?"
They didn't answer. Not understanding what could have caught their attention so completely as to ignore her, Kitsune finally looked up.
The full moon was shining in the sky between the buildings, but the three girls had no eyes for the splendor of Earth's natural satellite. The focus of their attention was a lone human figure standing on the very edge of the building, almost threatening to fall down.
Long hair swirled in the motionless night. Nail like weapons connected by a long chain reflected the light of the moon in an ominous manner.
A blindfold covered its eyes completely, but Kitsune just knew that the woman-like… thing was glaring right through her soul with inhuman hunger.
So beautiful and so terrible at the same time, it was something that defied description. The being went against everything that was…
'Not human,' were the only two words that filled her mind, repeating themselves continuously. 'Not human.'
The sounds of the city didn't reach her ears anymore, and the previously warm air was now a cold chill that gripped her spine. It was like they had fallen into a pit and were being stared down by a horde of hungry snakes.
The figure didn't move, didn't speak, didn't breath. It was there and a moment later… it was gone.
Thump!
"Eeek!" Kitsune shouted, startled by the sudden noise. She turned to her left only to see Naru lying on her butt with tears in her eyes.
Motoko's hand had clenched the hilt of her sword so tightly that her knuckles had gone white and her forehead was drenched in sweat.
The taste of copper in her mouth told Kitsune that she had clenched her jaw tight enough to draw blood.
"L-l-let's get out of here," Naru proposed.
There was no object to what had to be the smartest idea Kitsune had ever heard.
"Was that really necessary?" Shirou asked the purple clad Servant as he watched the three girls run away. They didn't look back and didn't care for the odd looks they received from the people they bumped against, so great was their urge to get as far away as possible.
"Necessary? No," Rider answered materializing herself at his side. "It was a pretty fun, though."
"Rider, I can deal with them just fine."
"Yes, that much was clear by the conversation you had with them, but that doesn't mean I can just forgive how they treat you. Consider it something I did for my own benefit."
He should have thought that much. Rider was a woman of few words, but she was fiercely protective of the people she cared about. Her loyalty to Sakura had broadened in the past few years to encompass the rest of their extended family. She would always put Sakura first, but she wouldn't just ignore those who hurt the people she cared about.
"I appreciate the thought," he said honestly. He could have said that she shouldn't do such things, but it wasn't like she ever listened to him. She had learned to care about them, but the only orders she would ever heed were Sakura's.
"You look a little tense, Shirou," Rider said, changing topic. "Would you like to blow off some steam with me?"
Well, wasn't that a great idea?
xXx
CLANG! CLANG!
Kanshou and Bakuya hissed through the air, intercepting the nail-like weapons wielded by Rider. Shirou barely had time to deflect them before ducking away to avoid a kick to the face. As much as he found Rider's legs entrancing, he had no intention of having them smash his nose.
CLANG! CLANG! SHRRRRHH!
Just dodging and deflecting would never be enough against Rider. As Assassin could have attested, had he survived the war, when fighting with her you had to be very careful of where you dodged. The chain that connected her weapons wasn't just for show, after all. It was even more dangerous than its sharp extremes, as Rider used it to craft a trap for her preys. She would let her enemies believe they could handle the snake's fangs, only to trap them in its spires.
Shirou knew her tactics and movements very well, but he wisely avoided underestimating her. She was clever and could come up with new tactics on the spot, rendering his previous experiences nearly useless.
"You have become faster, Shirou," she observed while she kept up her attack.
"I have you to thank for it," he answered as he dodged kick after kick, with the occasional nail in between.
"I disagree. It is all thanks to your own efforts. Now, let's step this up a notch."
She blurred out of sight and Shirou reacted on raw instinct to bring Kanshou behind his head to barely block a kick that would have knocked him unconscious if it had connected. The impact almost threw him off balance, but he held his ground.
"You're on," he replied through gritted teeth.
- I am the bone of my sword. -
He chanted and his circuits flared alive. Prana flooded his body, strengthening his muscles, bones and nerves. His eyes reinforced and he could see Rider again.
- Iron is my blood and glass is my heart.-
"An opening with two verses? Flatterer," Rider commented with the slightest of smirks.
"I can't afford to go easy on you."
"Indeed."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Switching from the defensive to the offensive, Shirou darted forward, passing in the middle of her chain before she could wrap him in it, and closed the distance between them. It was a bold move, seeing that if he miscalculated the timing he would find himself trapped, but it was also the one she expected the less.
Her speed and weapons made her a close to middle-range fighter with dangerous hit-and-run tactics. His best chance to overcome her was to keep close to her for long enough to break through her guard.
That was easier said than done. Rider was well aware of her weakness and was likely to lure him into a trap. The moment he thought he had her… that was when the trap would spring.
It was exhilarating having to fight against an adversary that was both stronger and smarter than he was. Like she said, his skills had grown leaps and bounds since the war, but he still had a lot of ground to cover to keep up with her.
Even if in the past he had managed to overcome two Servants in direct confrontation, it had been a very close call in both instances, and he had had lots of unfair advantages over them. Advantages he didn't possess against Medusa.
Rider leaped back when he saw Shirou dashing at her, but he couldn't afford to give her any reprieve, throwing Kanshou at her while he projected another copy as soon as the blade left his hand. Even with his reinforced body, Rider was just too fast and agile for Shirou to catch her with conventional means. It was time to switch tactics.
The sword sailed through the air, spinning so fast that it looked like a razor sharp disk.
It wasn't much of a threat to her, not like that. She merely moved out of its path and the sword lost itself in the foliage around them. That was odd. She had sparred against Shirou using the Married Blades countless times. She could easily predict the patter of the thrown blade by looking at the movements of the Bakuya still in his hand. Naturally she considered things like distance, speed and even the other Kanshou traced in the midst to predict the variation in the attraction field and the subsequent return trajectory. Against someone who had accumulated enough experience facing those swords like she did, the chances of the technique taking her unprepared where dim, at best.
That was the theory, anyway.
As a precaution she followed the sound of the thrown blade while Shirou charged at her and she just had to grin at the sheer audacity of his plan.
What a clever little trick.
The airborne blade came back at breakneck speed from the direction it was supposed to if another Kanshou hadn't been traced. If it wasn't for the fact that she had bothered following it, she would have fell for it.
She jumped again out of the way, leaving Shirou in the path of his own weapon. The redhead quickly dismissed the fake Kanshou and snatched the incoming blade in midair.
Rider landed in a crouch, several meters away and studied his opponent.
"How flattering of you, coming up with a technique just for me. I didn't know you could project a modified blade."
Shirou took the chance to catch his breath. He wasn't tired in the slightest, but when in battle, every chance to recuperate even a little was invaluable.
"It's not really like that," Shirou objected. "Theoretically I can modify a sword while in blueprint stage, but it takes too much focus and energy for doing in combat as I am now. I'd get killed before I even projected it"
"Then where did that sword come from? The second Kanshou you made clearly wasn't like the first. How did you do it?"
"It was an imitation," he explained, and even if her eyes were covered he could swear that she had just blinked owlishly at him. "I mean an honest imitation. I forged by myself a set of blades identical to Kanshou and Bakuya minus the attraction effect. They are just a lookalike, and to be honest I didn't create them exclusively for you."
"I see," she said standing upright and putting a hand on her chin. "Anyone skilled enough could calculate the trajectory of the blades once they saw them a couple of times. Someone really good could do the same even with multiple pair of swords affecting each other, but if a non-attractive set was put into the equation…"
"Then the trajectory would become entirely unpredictable so long as the fake pair wasn't identified."
"And of course, only you can tell which is which with a single glance, even if you lost sight of them at some point. Oh my, how clever of you."
"I don't know about that. I just tried to diversify my techniques."
"It's still very commendable, although I cannot hide my surprise," she said as she dismissed her weapons and walked up to him. "I would have never expected you to counterfeit even yourself."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm a Faker. I don't need to be reminded every time that I'm just a cheap imitation."
FLICK!
"Ouch," Shirou cried holding his nose. "What was that for?"
"I do not like people speaking ill of you, not even yourself. You might be a Faker, but you are not a fake yourself."
"Gilgamesh wasn't of the same opinion."
"The King of Heroes could truly appreciate only himself. Everything was just for his amusement or, failing that, a target for his disdain. Someone like him, who was born entitled to every treasure in the world, could never truly understand those who strife for everything they wish to achieve. Shirou, even if your talents lay in imitating something else, the effort you put in it it's your own."
"Saber told me the same thing once," he admitted, looking everywhere but at Rider.
"See? You should learn to appreciate yourself more."
"I tried, you know. For the sake of you all I tried and I'll keep trying, but it isn't easy. I just… My… distortion is too deep rooted to remove completely. Perhaps I will learn how to curb it a little, but in the end…"
"In the end Shirou Emiya is someone who values others above himself," she finished for him. "Well, at least the war taught you how to prioritize. Besides, Saber won't let you die easily either."
"… You knew?"
"Fu fu fu. I might be an anti-hero, but I'm still a Heroic Spirit."
"I didn't fool anyone, did I?"
"No. Sakura knew immediately when you returned from England and even if we didn't speak with Rin yet, you were never capable of hiding anything from her either."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Shirou asked, still looking away, no longer out of embarrassment but rather out of shame.
"When you came back you looked elated, relieved. We knew that you had found what you were looking for, but you were also pensive and distant, like you still had more questions than answers. We decided it was better not to press the matter. You might be a stubborn fool, but you always knew how to ask for help if you thought you needed it."
"…"
"So take your time, think as much as you need and when you're ready tell us whatever you want."
"I will," he confirmed finally returning his gaze to her. "Someday I definitely will tell you everything."
"That's all we ask of you. Now you'd better go back to the dorm before your tenants decide to give you any more grief."
"You're right. I'd better be going now. Tomorrow, same place, same hour?"
"Don't be late."
Shirou watched her fade and felt her leave, before moving to retrieve his tools. Kanshou and Bakuya were simply dismissed, but he walked to the edge of the clearing were four knives were embedded into the ground. They had several complex sets of runes engraved over the blades. By themselves they had no effect, but when placed in a certain geometrical pattern they could be used as relay points to erect a Boundary Field.
If anyone got close enough, they would feel the urge to be somewhere else, and every sound within the perimeter would be contained completely.
It wasn't an exceptional thing per se, but the knives were special in that they weren't a projection. They were the very first sword-shaped Mystic Codes of his own creation.
As he was absolutely untalented for any branch of magic beside Projection and Reinforcement he had to come up with a way to compensate.
The Holy Grail War had given him the answer. As he was capable of understanding and replicating any mystery so long as they came in the shape of a sword, all he had to do was have them applied to a blade and they would become easily accessible.
That didn't mean that he had suddenly obtained the key to mastering every single branch of Magic. Many spells couldn't just be runed onto as sword and some weren't suited to be applied on a blade either. Healing by cutting didn't work quite well.
In the end it still came down to his knowledge of the spells he wanted to use, so he had to study the mystery he was interested in, break it down to a workable runic counterpart and engrave them on a suitable support. Sure, he could have commissioned someone with better knowledge than him to make the swords, but Mystic Codes crafters worked for more money than he ever possessed.
While he retrieved his knives he thought about the other ability he came to discover when he first created his blades.
As he found out more about his talents he came to realize that his ability wasn't exactly creating swords by projection, but rather pulling them out from his inner-world. Therefore it stood to reason that he should also have been capable of putting them in if so he wanted. He hadn't been mistaken.
One by one, he placed each knife on his forearm's skin and watched them sink inside without wounding him. It was still a novel experience, but so long as a blade didn't have the Sentience of Steel to acknowledge someone else as a master he could claim them for himself without problem.
That was the second reason for him to craft his own swords. If somebody else created them for him, that person would have a claim of paternity that would supersede his right as a wielder unless he used them long enough for them to bond with him. After all he was originally a Faker, not an owner.
It was tricky, but he reasoned that his efforts would eventually make him more than someone who could only imitate others and leech off their skills.
Feeling better than he had felt during the whole day, Shirou made his way back to the inn whistling a jaunty tune.
xXx
'I knew it,' he sighed as he stood in front of the entrance. 'I knew Rider's stunt would backfire on me.'
In his absence the entire building had been decorated like a temple under siege by a horde of demons. Now he had to feign ignorance, calm the tenants and put things back in order.
"I'm back," he announced sliding the door open. "May I know what's going… uh."
In the middle of the entrance hall stood Aoyama, dressed in full Miko regalia with her sword pointed threateningly at him. Behind her, the rest of the girls were huddled together and dressed in the same manner.
Haruka was to the side, leaning against the wall with the ever present cigarette in her mouth. She wore her usual clothes and a look of mild amusement. It seemed that she was there just to enjoy the show. He wished he could learn how to find funny the residents' shenanigans.
"I know we didn't exactly part on friendly terms earlier, but isn't this a bit too much?"
"S-stand back! We must ascertain if you are possessed by evil spirits or not," the swordswoman explained.
"What brought this up? Why would I be possessed all of a sudden?
"W-we saw a ghost earlier," Narusegawa squeaked and Konno nodded fearfully at her side.
"I see," he said with a shrug. "Very well, go ahead."
Aoyama began circling him, murmuring something that sounded like a Buddhist prayer and spreading incense around. Shirou was actually beginning to find the situation pretty amusing. It wasn't a good thing to enjoy other people's fears but he couldn't forget that they had sort of brought this upon themselves.
"I'm finished. There's no trace of possession on him," Motoko finally declared.
"Wonderful," he said flatly. "Can I go now?"
"Shirou," Haruka spoke. "You don't seem surprised about this ghost madness they came up with."
"Should I be? I believe in the existence of spirits, and they notoriously go after people who did something bad. Perhaps it was looking for people who don't mind their own business, or maybe it was haunting people who aren't good at following others without being noticed. Hmm, thinking about it, maybe it was looking for a blackmailer wannabe."
"Ah," Kitsune said with the typical expression of one who had been caught red-handed. Behind him Motoko stiffened more than she already was.
"Ah, indeed, Konno-san. This is the second time I've caught you and Aoyama-san following me around and the first for Narusegawa-san."
"We were just…"
"Hoping to find me in a compromising situation and use that knowledge to force me into doing your bidding," he provided for her. "Whatever I do inside my room or outside the property doesn't concern you. Invasion of privacy is not only rude and disrespectful; it's also grounds for eviction and criminal offense. Don't make me catch any of you in the act of spying on me again or there'll be consequences. Did I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes," Kitsune stuttered under his steely gaze.
"I was addressing everyone involved, so I'm expecting three answers. Did I make myself clear?"
"… Yes," Narusegawa conceded with a soft voice, not meeting his eyes.
"… I didn't hear your voice, Aoyama-san."
"I understand," the swordswoman finally replied, challenging his stare with some difficulty.
"Then I'll consider this matter closed. I'm really tired and I need to sleep. Maehara-san?"
"Y-yes?" the girls answered, startled by being suddenly addressed.
"I'll take care of breakfast again tomorrow. Is that fine with you?"
"O-o-of course."
"Great. Good night, everyone."
Naru watched the tyrannical new manager heading toward his room and waited until he was well outside hear shot before voicing her doubts.
"H-how did he know why we were following him? I can understand that he noticed us, but we didn't talk about the reason until long after he left and never while following him…"
A chilling silence descended among the presents while they tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't leave them sleepless for nights to come.
"A spirit told me, Narusegawa-san," Emiya's voice rung loud and clear from his room, several meters and walls away, laced with sarcasm.
"Holy shit," Kitsune nearly shouted, "he can hear us from there?"
The door to Emiya's room opened and the redhead came walking out. He stormed until he was standing in front of a Kitsune far too shocked to decide in which direction to run first. Maybe all of them at once?
"There are minors in this dorm, Konno-san. Please refrain from swearing in their presence."
"Ah-uh-eh. No. I mean, yes! I will."
He nodded and returned from whence he came. An even deeper silence fell among the gathered. No one dared to even breathe too loudly. Except Kaolla, but then again, she and Shinobu were the only two tenants who hadn't done anything to warrant the manager's anger.
It was Haruka who finally broke the silence after taking one last puff from her cigarette.
"Well, I don't think there's anything I can add to what he said. Seriously girls, what were you thinking?"
"Haruka-san," Motoko said, "are you taking his side because he is your nephew?"
"I'm taking his side because you are at fault. How would you feel if he started following you instead? And Kitsune… Blackmail? Really?"
"I- It's well within our rights to make sure he's not a threat," Motoko objected.
"Motoko… grow up. Not every man in the world is out to get you."
"That man is dangerous," she protested.
"Is he now? Did he do a single thing to warrant your mistrust besides having been born a male?"
"I- He…. He did not," she sighed in defeat.
"Then why don't you just give him a chance and see how it goes from there? Motoko, you are more than capable of handling a threat should the need arise and you all can come and talk to me if there's something you need to work out with him."
"Then what about the hot spring?" Naru asked immediately.
"The situation is entirely your fault and his decision isn't unreasonable either. Live with it."
"Ugh, fine."
"Great," she acknowledged without losing her usually detached expression. "Oh, and Kitsune?"
"Yes, Haruka?"
"Any more of your smart plans and I'll kick you out of here before he does. You are not allowed to hurt my family just because you don't feel like paying the rent. Got it?"
"Yes Ma'am," the fox said, not daring to oppose the stern woman. No one in their right mind would.
"Good. Now, as fun as this night has been, I still have to open up shop tomorrow. Goodnight, everyone."
Shirou dropped his reinforcement and his hearing returned to normal levels. He didn't like eavesdropping, but he had secrets to preserve, more for the safety of his tenants than his own. Besides, he wasn't snooping around their private lives but protecting his own.
Regardless of that, the entire exchange had been unpleasant. He didn't like to exercise his authority even if it was well within his rights, but his tenants didn't seem to want a peaceful coexistence.
Now, with the intervention of Haruka, on top of him standing his ground, perhaps things would improve. Trust between them was still an issue, and he was no longer naïve enough to think that the problem would solve itself given enough time.
He had to make the opening move because they would definitely not open up to him more than needed, if even that. But what could he give or give up that they could consider as a reason to trust him a little more?
Well, there was no need to lose sleep over it. At least he was now fairly certain that the girls weren't part of an elaborate plot by some crazy Magus out to get him. Unless said Magus was planning of killing him out of stress, that is.
Seeing how his thoughts were getting odder by the minute he turned on his side and willed himself to sleep.
Author Notes:
So, I found myself a beta, though I must admit I received over ten requests for the job. Thanks for the support everyone.
There's not much to say about this chapter. If you found odd Shirou's new abilities fell free to ask. I want to remind you that I created a forum (link on my profile page) to discuss everything you'd like about this fic.
That being said, thanks for reading and eventually reviewing.
Bye.