Chapter 6 – Setting up Shop
(Published: 06.22.12 – Beta: Sperance)

Shisui, one of the Aoyama's most ancient blades, cut through the air with smooth motions, producing a wheezing noise every time it was swung.

There was, however, a tone of dissonance in the otherwise clear sound.

To say that Motoko wasn't happy was an understatement. She was obviously upset and her anger manifested through her blade.

The situation was unnerving to her for more than just one reason, although the cause could only be the newly arrived manager.

Emiya Shirou was a man she couldn't quite pinpoint. Initially, she had pegged him as just another example of the male kind and thus had proceeded with preparing proper countermeasures to contain his soon-to-be manifested debauchery.

To her surprise, nothing like that had happened. From day one there hadn't been a single incident involving him, beyond those initiated by the tenants themselves.

He dutifully spent his days making the repairs to the inn as he was supposed to, with results worthy of a professional carpenter. Interaction with the older girls was kept to a minimum after the whole hot springs and stalking incident, and Emiya himself had never readdressed the issue, just like he said.

The meals were the only times of the day he passed with all of his tenants, and he spent them in conversation with Shinobu, mainly about about food and spices. The younger girl was obviously smitten with the only male around but Emiya hadn't shown any overt intention of taking advantage of the younger girl's trust.

All in all, he acted like a pretty person with no trace of malicious intention. Motoko had never caught him staring at something he shouldn't or speaking with anything less than perfect politeness.

It was driving Motoko mad. Day after day she had waited for him to make one single wrong move, one, and remove him from the Hinata via Ki Airlines. Needless to say, such an event had never come to pass, and the pent up agressiveness inside the swordswoman was beginning to erode her from the inside.

She needed to release her frustrations but simply letting her ki flow out wouldn't do a thing, so she would have to either follow up on her initial intention and blast Emiya into Low Earth Orbit or cross blades with a skilled opponent.

For a moment she considered taking a trip back to Kyoto to challenge her sister to a spar, but she immediately discarded that thought. She wasn't ready yet to go back and she had no intention of dealing with the rest of her clan at the moment.

Problem was that, to her knowledge, there wasn't a single swordsman worthy of crossing blades with her in the entire city. Even her fellow members of the Kendo club weren't up to her level.

No, her only option was to be patient and release her anger by unleashing her ki to an imaginary target.

An imaginary target with red hair and golden eyes.

Shirou suppressed a shiver when he felt the release of ki in the distance, shortly followed by the sound of an explosion. There was no doubt that the malicious intent he perceived was directed at him, even if he wasn't' the direct target of the swordswoman technique.

A week had passed from the stalking incident and the three older girls had apparently decided to give him a little respite. Narusegawa spent the days studying at the library but that was understandable, considering the racket he made every day with his hammer.

Konno lazed about the entire day, but Shirou had never seen her with a bottle of sake out of her room, although it was clear she abundantly drank before coming out of her apartment. The first couple of days she had looked at him with some fear when they met in the corridors or in other common areas, but she soon understood that he wasn't about to bite her and returned to her normal, playful behavior.

Aoyama had made a point of keeping an eye on him as he went about his business as manager of the dorm, but never again overstepped her boundaries. Still, it was painfully obvious that she disliked him with a passion and was waiting for him to make the slightest mishap. For the time being, her plan had backfired on her if her increasing frustration was any indication.

He would have to watch out for her, in case she suddenly snapped out and went into frenzy.

Maehara was the least problematic of the lot, and she shared with a liking for cooking that provided a lot of common ground for conversation. She was a little on the timid side, but as the days passed she too became more relaxed in his presence. Having her around sure made residing at the Hinata-sou a lot more pleasant than it would have been otherwise.

There was, however, a new arising problem. Namely one foreigner girl that went by the name of Suu Kaolla.

When he had declared the repairs finished, at least until he cashed the following rent and purchased more materials, the tanned teenager held him to his word of playing with her.

It had been an… interesting experience, to say the least.

A few hours earlier

The thunderous sound of feet rushing in his direction was his first and only warning.

"Shirooooou! Let's play!" Suu shouted as she jumped and delivered a powerful flying kick to Shirou's face. Or at least she would have, if said red haired man hadn't caught her bare foot with his hand, slowing her down enough to get out of the way.

"Suu-san!" he exclaimed. "That was dangerous. You shouldn't jump around like that."

"Eeeh? I didn't expect you to dodge that. You're good, but I have more aces up my sleeve!"

With that she pulled a remote controller out of her pocket and pushed a button.

What followed could only be described as half an hour of absolute mayhem, as Shirou was chased out of the inn by robotic… things armed with long range earth-air missiles. What the hell was wrong with that girl?

He could have very well destroyed them, but breaking through metal with his bare hands would have required giving some kind of explanation. Furthermore it didn't look like the missiles were actually equipped with real explosives. Sure, they did a lot of flash and noise, but there was no shockwave when they went off, so he guessed it would be alright.

If anything, it provided an entertaining form of exercise. It wasn't every day that he had chance of having to dodge non-lethal attacks from seven different directions.

He ran in circles around the building, making a show of avoiding every missile by rolling out of the way at the last possible minute, until most of those machines ran dry of ammunition.

He was left a little short on breath, since he did everything without Reinforcing himself.

"Emiya-san! Are you all right?" Shinobu asked, rushing to his side.

"Anf! Yeah, I'm all right."

"But- but- but-"

"Seriously. I'm okay see? Not a scratch."

"Eeeh? You dodged them all?" Suu asked in mock disappointment.

"Yeah, though I have to admit there were a few close calls. Did you build all these things yourself, Suu-san?"

"Yup. The amazing Kaolla did it all by herself!"

"That's pretty impressive," Shirou admitted. "Say, I don't mind helping you test these things out as long as we don't do it inside the inn."

"But shooting missiles inside a closed space is funnier," she commented. "Wait, really? You really want to play with my toys?"

"Sure, I don't mind so long as we don't damage the building. I'd hate to do the repairs all over again."

"YAY! Kaolla has found a new playmate! Woooh!"

"Are you sure about this Emiya-san?" Maehara asked. "Kaolla's games tend to be a little…. excessive."

"I can tell," he replied, "but would telling her not to do it help anything?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. Besides it's a good variation on my usual exercising routine. And I really would prefer to not have her testing explosives inside the dorm."

"Yes… that would be for the best," Shinobu agreed with a sweatdrop. "But still, aren't you going to get hurt?"

"Nah. I'm sturdier than I look. That much shouldn't be a problem." … 'Hopefully'

And that was how he had found himself testing Kaolla's so called 'toys' a couple of times a day. It wasn't all that bad, save for the fact that the foreign girl still ambushed him with a flying kick every now and then before setting an armada of robots after him.

At least there was no malice in her actions and he was grateful for that. He was slowly gaining the acceptance of his tenants, though it was an uphill battle.

Besides that, he had more pressing concerns. The initial exams were just a few weeks away and he had a lot of catching up to do if he wanted to get in Tokyo U.

Now that was another topic of concern. The Toudai was Japan's most prestigious university and being accepted there was not an easy task. However, it also offered the best courses in the entire nation, and someone who chased after an impossible dream couldn't do things half assed.

On another note he couldn't fall back on his other studies either. Rin would strangle him if he disregarded his Thaumaturgy completely. Yes, that was another thing to deal with. He'd have to set up a workshop as soon as possible and have his stuff delivered at the inn.

But there was a complication to that. Hinata City had a leyline, therefore it stood to reason that there should be a Magus appointed by the Clock Tower to watch over the land. A Second Owner.

Before thinking about starting his workshop he would have to find this person and ask for authorization. He could no longer play the card of ignorance as he did with Rin, back in Fuyuki. Not now that he was affiliated with the Clock Tower.

He'd have to call Rin in London and ask her to find the name of the Magus in question. First thing the next day he would try and get the name of this person. Hopefully there wouldn't be problems on that front.

xXx

"So," Rin began from the other end of the line, "are you sure?"

"Yeah," Shirou answered. He was currently calling from a public phone. It wasn't a good idea to discuss that sort of topic on a line that could be tracked back to him. "I checked everything with Rider. There isn't anything wrong with the inn itself or the tenants. They are an odd bunch, a little prone to overreact, but otherwise good people."

"Well then. I'm happy you aren't forgetting your studies. I'll find the name of the Magus and call you back by tomorrow. Is that fine?"

"Thank you, Rin. I appreciate the help. Business aside, how are things going over there? Is Zelretch giving you a hard time?"

"No more than usual, but that's okay. I don't think he wants to admit it, but I'm progressing faster than he had imagined."

"As expected from a genius," Shirou chuckled. "Soon you'll have the secrets of the Second Sorcery in your hands."

"Now you're making it sound too easy, fool. I still need a lot of time and resources before I can hope to reproduce the Jewel Sword, and that's the most basic tool related to Second Magic Zelretch created."

"Your point being? In any case, that means that you already have the skills and knowledge required to do it. How many other people besides your teacher can flaunt that? Heck, how many people would want to be around that man to begin with?"

"Not many, apparently. You and I were the only ones that didn't run away when he was around. And Waver too, but that man is as crazy as you are. I'd swear the both of you were absolutely screwed in the head by your Servants."

"Come on," he protested, "Waver isn't that bad."

"Maybe not as bad as you, but he's crazy in his own way. I wonder if it's a requirement to summon a King as a Heroic Spirit or a result of it. Hey, maybe I could present that theory to the Department of Spiritual Evocation…"

"I'm sure I can speak on Waver's behalf on this: neither of us would like being turned into study material."

"Oh? I don't recall you being against the idea when I was the one studying you."

"Would you have listened to any protest I might have raised?"

"Probably not," she answered without a hint of shame and a good deal of amusement. "But I don't remember you complaining about the aftermath of our study sessions either."

"I- But- I mean," he stuttered, obviously embarrassed by the topic.

"Don't ever change, Shirou," she chuckled. "Now, as fun as this conversation was, I have to cut it short. I'll get in touch with you sometime tomorrow."

"Thank you, Rin," he said, having finally regained his composure. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it. Bye, Shirou."

"Goodbye, Rin."

The next day

Rin was true to her word, and not even twenty four hours later she had called him back with the name of the Magus on charge of the area.

Uncommonly enough for a Magus, the person in question worked as a professor of physics at Tokyo U. It was odd enough for a Magus to have a mundane employment, but then again Magi often squandered obscene amounts of money in their researches, so a source of stable income was needed. Furthermore, despite being Mundane, a university was still a place where knowledge of all sort gathered.

Perhaps Hinata City's Second Owner specialized in a branch of Thaumaturgy that could profit from ordinary knowledge, thus getting two birds with one stone.

Shirou too was one of such Magi. Since he had begun creating his own swords he had taken an interest in mineralogy and chemistry, trying to come up with new alloys that could properly channel his Magecraft while still acting like functional swords.

Then again, he was probably a heretic when it came to a Magi's mindset. Modern time Magi scoffed at new discoveries and their researches weren't as focused on finding or creating new Magecraft but rather on rediscovering what had been lost through the ages.

Magi were a category of people who focused on the past, as was exemplified by the Einzbern family and their obsession with the Holy Grail.

On that note, it wasn't strange that Thaumaturgy was a declining art. As Shirou knew very well, trying to replicate something would only produce an inferior copy. That was one of the reasons why he had decided to develop new Mystic Codes instead of clinging to vestiges of the past. Of course, he would still use such vestiges in times of need, and the mysteries they held were a source of information he could reverse-engineer to apply in new creative ways.

As he pondered this he finally reached the house of the person he was looking for.

Much like Rin's house back in Fuyuki, the two story mansion in front of him was built in western style and was surrounded by a Bounded Field that impressed on unexpected visitors a sense of dread that would keep all but the most motivated from even ringing the bell.

Of course, such Field would never affect a trained Magus, therefore Shirou pressed the button besides the gate and waited. He had managed to book an appointment with the Magus' secretary. He didn't know how much privy to the existence of magic the woman who answered the phone was, so he opted to remain generic to the reason of his visit.

Luckily enough, the Second Owner didn't seem to be very busy outside of school and had no problem setting an appointment for that afternoon.

"Who is it?" A monotone voice, the same who answered the phone, asked from the speaker.

"I'm Emiya Shirou. I have an appointment with Professor McDowell."

"Yes, you are expected. Please come inside."

With a loud clank the gate snapped open and Shirou passed beyond it. The double oak door of the mansion opened, revealing a blonde woman in maid outfit.

Shirou froze at the sight. There was something familiar about that person; even if he was sure he never met her before. She had an aura of unnaturalness that was common to…

… to Homunculi.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Ah," Shirou said snapping out of his funk. "No, nothing at all. For a moment you reminded me of someone I know."

"I see. Come this way, please."

Shirou followed her inside, and she instructed him to wait in the lobby before disappearing in a door to the left.

As he waited, he made sure to keep his guard up. The Einzbern wasn't the only family of alchemists that could produce Homunculi, and this one looked a little too fake in his eyes to be a one of their making. Still, in the off chance that this person had a connection with Illya's family he would have to be ready for anything.

The Einzbern and Emiya didn't mesh well together, with the exception of Illya herself. The last time he had been in their European castle things hadn't gone exactly well. Not for the Einzbern anyway. They certainly harbored a grudge toward him that had nothing to do with Shirou's father and only Illya's iron fist kept the still living members from actively pursuing vengeance, but there was the possibility that they would try and get him by employing a third party.

… And here he was again looking for conspiracies where there were probably none. Seriously, did the naïve Shirou from before the War exist only because he had never really faced the ugliness of mankind? Was the bitter and disillusioned EMIYA his real character? The possibility alone was enough to give him a vague sense of nausea.

Luckily he was once more brought out of his gloomy train of thought by a new female voice from the top of the stairs.

"Emiya Shirou? I'm Evangeline McDowell. Welcome to my house. How can I help you?"

The slender woman on top of the stairs had long blonde hair and blue eyes. If her name wasn't enough to give it away, her appearance definitely proved that she wasn't Japanese or at the very least not entirely.

"Ah. There's a matter of importance that I'd like to discuss with you. Privately."

"Of course. Please follow me to my study. Chachamaru?"

Chachamaru, the Homunculus maid, reappeared from the same door where she had disappeared before.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Please, serve tea for two in my study."

"Yes, Mistress."

Shirou followed the resident Magus to an inconspicuous study, filled with shelves and books. He gently closed the door behind him and took a seat in the chair she indicated him.

"So, Emiya-san, what did you want to talk about? You have been rather vague with my assistant about the reason for this meeting. You aren't one of my students, although I do remember seeing you on campus once. If you're looking for help to be accepted in Toudai, the best I can do is give you an advanced lesson."

"Ah, no. I mean, yes, I'm trying to get in Tokyo U., but that's not the reason for my visit." He took a breath to dispel the mood and turned serious. "I'm here to ask for your permission as Second Owner to set up a Workshop in your city."

The reaction of his host was immediate, if subtle. Her shoulders tensed and her eyes narrowed. Of course, being on her guard was the wisest choice. Magi weren't necessarily violent, but they still represented a level of threat superior to common people.

"This is unexpected, Emiya-san. Hinata City, while site of a powerful leyline, has never been a place of much interest to the Association. What is the real reason for your presence in this town?"

Her blue eyes pierced right through Shirou's. The red haired man had a hard time trying not to swallow loudly under her scrutiny.

"Believe it or not, McDowell-sensei, I'm here mostly because I wanted to enroll in Toudai."

"Is that so? Magi don't particularly care for mundane education. I suppose you got my name from the Clock Tower, therefore you must have access to their facilities. Why not study there?"

"I'm… a bit on the odd side as a Magus. I did spend a year at the Clock Tower but there's nothing more I can learn there that would be useful to the development of my Thaumaturgy. In fact, I believe that I can learn more from a mundane institution and Toudai is the best in the country."

"Indeed? Yet there are many towns nearby that are as close, if not closer, to the university than Hinata City. Why come to a place under the jurisdiction of another Magus?"

"I'm not an Emiya by birth," he explained. "I was adopted after I lost my parents in the aftermath of the Fourth Holy Grail," he watched McDowell raise both her eyebrows at that revelation. "Only recently I came to discover that I have still living relatives in this town. My reason to be live in Hinata City is to reconnect with my lost family. I also have been recently made owner of a property in this town, so it's natural that I would rather live here than somewhere else. I didn't know about this place's leyline until I effectively came here around a week ago."

"I see," she said with a pondering expression. "And where exactly is this property of yours?"

"It's the old inn turned dormitory on the east hill. The Hinata-sou."

The woman went through different subtle changes in expression at that information, from outraged to angry to resigned. Finally every sign of tension left her shoulders and she sagged slightly.

"You're an Urashima then. Sigh. I've wanted to buy that place for years now, but the old woman kept refusing my offers, saying that her grandson would inherit it someday. I was sure she was completely crazy, since I knew her only grandson was dead, but apparently I was mistaken."

Now it was Shirou's turn to be contemplative. Granny Hina hadn't sold the property because he would have to inherit it, but he was supposed to be dead as far as she knew. Had her resolve been caused by delusional stubbornness alone or had she known that he was alive before their first meeting at the airport?

"Still," the woman continued, "you won't mind if I double check your statements. There are a number of ways for a Magus to convince Mundanes to do their bidding, after all."

"Of course, take your time. If you need someone to vouch for me at the Clock Tower ask of Lord El-Melloi."

"Lord El-M… Waver?"

"You know him?"

"Ah! Do I, now? Fine, go ahead and start up your Workshop. If Waver trusts you enough to speak in your favor then you must be an alright person. Just leave me a number where I can call you safely and I'll give you confirmation by tomorrow."

"Sure," he said scribbling his mobile number on a slip of paper.

A knock on the door anticipated the entrance of the tea-serving maid. Shirou looked at her closely.

"I don't want to be rude," he said to the female Magus, "but is she a creation of yours?"

"You can tell that she's a Homunculus just by looking? You have good eyes, Emiya-san."

"Ah, no. It's just that I've seen plenty of them in the past few years."

"Really? There aren't that many alchemists knowledgeable enough to create human-like constructs like Chachamaru. Who were their crafters?"

"The Einzbern," he said with caution.

"Truly? The Einzbern? You are a man with important connections, Emiya-san. The Einzbern are the most renowned line of alchemists in Europe, maybe even the world. Their Homunculi are so humanlike that it's really difficult to tell the difference even for an expert. Why, they are so human that they have overthrown their owners and seized control of the entire family. I do recall hearing that their current Head waged an internal war with the help of the Second Magus Ki- Magus Ki- Magus Ki-," her face paled and she pointed a trembling finger in Shirou direction. "Magus Killer?"

"Yeah," Shirou chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "In my defense, most of those rumors are an exaggeration. In fact, more than supporting Illyasviel, I tried to hold her back. Frankly, if I wasn't there she probably would have slaughtered everyone. My little sister was a little resentful for the treatment and lies she received over the years."

"Little sis…," she rubbed her temples and slowly regained her composure. "Emiya-san, you're the oddest Magus I ever had the chance to meet."

"I told you as much, didn't I?"

"That you did," she conceded. "Anything else of importance that I should know about?"

"Not without divulging particulars about my Thaumaturgy. Oh, just in case you'd want to contact me at the Hinata-sou, please note that the tenants are not privy to the existence of Magecraft."

"You intend to set up your Workshop with Mundanes living nearby? That's pretty reckless."

"I can set up decent Boundary Fields and my mysteries aren't that explicit to begin with. Even if for some reason a mundane were to step into my Workshop, there would be nothing in there that would reveal the existence of Magecraft. In fact, even most Magi would have a hard time understanding my researches."

"How confident," she said over her cup of tea, but there was also a tone of curiosity in her voice. Magi usually didn't speak so freely about their researches. "Are your mysteries really that complex?"

"Not really. In fact, they are rather simple. However due to peculiar circumstances only I can use them efficiently. Anyone else would have a hard time making something useful out of my work."

"Is that the reason why you want to enroll in Toudai? What do you plan to study there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I plan to major in Medicine and minoring in History," he explained. There was no reason to hide such knowledge, and she would eventually discover it by herself later on.

"That is an odd combination, to say the least. Oh well, I suppose you know what's best, so I won't pry."

"Thank you, McDowell –sensei."

They passed half an hour discussing about the Clock Tower and their common interest in mundane education. Finally, she dismissed Shirou with the promise of calling him the next day with the final confirmation of her authorization.

It was perfectly fine for him, seeing that most of his research material was still packed in boxes back in Fuyuki. He would have to phone Sakura and ask her to get them delivered. No, that would be impolite and she deserved better. Renting a small truck was a better idea. That way he could visit his family and move his stuff himself.

In the chaos following the discovery of his family, he hadn't had much time to spend with Sakura, and having spent the evenings with Rider for an entire week and over a year abroad with Rin, Sakura had been left to the side for a long time. Far too much in Shirou's opinion and that was a situation that he would have to rectify soon enough.

That evening

The dinner table was quiet as usual, save for the ever loud Suu.

"So you're leaving, Emiya-san?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes. Things have been hectic these past few weeks and I really didn't have any time to spend with my family when I returned from England. Spending the weekend back home sounds like a good idea. This is probably the last chance for a while, considering that I'm going to be busy with my job here and studying for my exams."

"By your family," Konno said between bites, "you mean the girls you lived with during high school?"

"Exactly. I've been travelling the world these past few years, so I've missed them quite a lot."

"I don't understand," Narusegawa said, for once with honest curiosity. "Why would these girls want to live with you in your house?"

"Indeed," Aoyama interjected. "It's really improper for males and females not related by blood to live under the same roof without adult supervision."

"I would normally agree with you Aoyama-san," Shirou said flatly, "but ours were particular circumstances. And to be completely honest, if any of us wanted to do something improper, living in different places wouldn't have made much of a difference. None of our legal guardians lived with us to begin with, so there wasn't much supervision in any case."

"How lucky of you, Shirou-kun," Konno chuckled. "Having four young girls all to yourself."

"Konno-san," Shirou spoke with a tone of reprisal, "while I consider myself lucky in having a loving family, as odd as it may be, the circumstances that brought us together were not pleasant at all."

"Hmpf," Aoyama scoffed. "I can hardly imagine what circumstances could have brought such a situation. If I was your guardian, I would have pulled you apart immediately. What is the world coming to?"

"Funny you'd say that, Aoyama-san. I was under the impression that there were important reasons for you to tolerate this forced cohabitation instead of returning to your own home or finding another place to live."

"It's not nearly the same thing," she said standing up. "My reasons-"

"Are your own," Shirou cut her off. "I have no right to judge them, so I won't. Please return the courtesy by not judging other people's circumstances without even knowing them."

"You…," she bit her lip, "you are right. I apologize for my outburst."

"No harm done," he said without a trace of resentment.

"Hey, Shirou-kun," Konno said. "Can I ask you something? If you missed your family so much, why did you leave in the first place?"

"…Because I made a promise that I had to keep at all costs," he said looking in her direction, but clearly not seeing at her.

"What kind of promise can send you across the world for years?"

"An important one," Shirou said with a smile.

"Ah ha ha," Konno mock laughed. "Fine, be all mysterious, why don't you? At least tell us who you made this promise to."

"To a woman I loved very much."

The answer was delivered as if it was a common statement, but no one missed the deep emotions laced in it.

Wisely enough, no one said another word on the topic. Even Kitsune realized that prying in such a private matter while being on barely speaking terms wouldn't have won her any points with the manager.

"If there's anything you need from me," Shirou said as he cleaned the table, "please tell me by tomorrow so that I can have it done before leaving."

He was met by a chorus of affirmative answers and he was left alone with Shinobu to clean the dishes.

Shinobu was pensive the rest of the evening.

'To a woman I loved very much.'

Of course she had never thought that Emiya-san couldn't have had a girlfriend in the past, but she also never once stopped to think about such a person.

He had spoken of her using the past tense.

Did he mean that he didn't love her anymore? Did they break up at some point? Did that woman send him across the world looking for something only to dump him as soon as she got what she wanted?

A vague sense of anger built up inside her. How could anyone take advantage of such a gentle person? If she was Emiya-san's girlfriend she would never, ever, do such a thing to him.

Heh. Emiya-san's girlfriend…

FWHOOSH!

Of course the slightest thought of being in such a relationship with her manager was enough to set her face violently aflame with embarrassment.

Of course it had to happen where said manager could easily see her.

Shirou didn't know what to think. Was Shinobu feeling unwell? He watched her going through different expressions, from pensive to angry to… what the hell could make someone's face look THAT red?

"Shinobu-san," he asked worriedly, "are you unwell? Your face is so…. red."

If possible, her face became even redder at his words.

"Auuu. I'm sorry…" she bowed with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry!" she bowed again; "I'm sorry!" she bowed once more.

With each and every bow she took several steps back until she turned a corner and disappeared out of his sight.

"…. Eh?"

There just wasn't anything else Shirou could have said to that.

Two days later

McDowell had called the previous day as promised and gave him the okay to set up his Workshop. With no reason to keep postponing it, he put his things at the dorm in order and prepared for the trip back to Fuyuki. He would ride his bike there and then rent a truck instead of doing it in Hinata. It was a two hour trip back to Fuyuki and he didn't mind at all riding all the way there.

Of course, if he knew beforehand what would have happened, he would have reconsidered his choice of travel methods.

"So you're going home by bike?" Konno asked after breakfast. "I didn't know you owned one."

"I left it at a friend's place, since the Hinata-sou doesn't have a garage. It's not far from here, but I'd better go out now if I want to be in Fuyuki at a decent hour."

At that moment Shinobu came through the door. She looked a little perplexed. "Ah, Emiya-san? There's a person at the door looking for you."

"A person looking for me? Who is it?"

"I- I don't know. She's wearing a helmet and she came here riding y- a bike."

Oh, no. Holy Mother of all that's good and pure, please let it not be her.

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course it was her. He had left his bike with Rider, who had a room in a hotel in town.

And now she was here? Why?

Because she was going to return to Fuyuki with him, as they had agreed the previous evening, but he was supposed to go pick her up at her hotel, not the other way around. Why would she come here?

'Because it's fun,' his brain answered for him in Rider's voice.

He started to move in the direction of the door, in the vain hope of preventing his tenants from seeing her.

Of course, his prayers were completely ignored.

Rider stepped inside the entrance wearing a full biker suit made of leather, completed with a full helmet that hid her face. The tight suit did nothing to hide her generous forms.

Shinobu and Konno eyed the newly arrived woman with suspicion. Of course they would. Who was this stranger who knew their manager?

"Hello, Rider," he said with a defeated tone.

She pulled the helmet off by opening the front part. It was the only way she could do such a thing without removing her glasses (and turning everyone into stone in the process).

Her long, luscious hair fell down almost to her feet, revealing a beauty that literally wasn't human.

"Hi, Shirou. Surprise! I came to pick you up."

"Yes, I can see that," he said. 'You devil,' he added in his mind. "Thank you. That's nice of you."

"Don't mention it," she waved him off with a way too amused smile.

"A-Ah, Shirou-kun," Konno stuttered, "who is this person?"

"Right," he sighed, "I suppose introductions are in order. Rider this is Konno Ki- Mitsune-san and Maehara Shinobu-san. "

"P-Pleased to meet you," Shinobu said half-shocked, half-awed.

"Y-Yeah," Konno said. "Same here."

"Likewise," Rider answered politely.

"Yes, yes," Shirou said hastily. "Now we really should go."

"Oh my," Rider chuckled. "What's the hurry, Shirou? Since I came to pick you up, we gained at least half an hour."

"Still…," he protested.

"Besides I feel a little thirsty. Would you mind getting me something to drink before we leave?"

"Oh," Shinobu said snapping out of her funk. "Would you like to come inside? I have some fresh juice if you'd like some."

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

And just like that she followed Shinobu into the living room, leaving behind a resigned Shirou.

'Must. Not. Facepalm.'

That was the Tohsaka Lesson number one. No matter how idiotic or messed up a situation may turn out to be, never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing you facepalm.

In any case he had to run damage control now. Good God, thankfully both Aoyama and Narusegawa had already left to attend to their own businesses.

He could still turn the situation into a disaster, as opposed to the catastrophe it would have been if those two were still here.

Thank the Gods for small miracles, right?

AN: So here's another chapter. Little by little I'm going to explain Shirou's motives for wanting to attend Tokyo U. and also what he did in the years abroad.

I have been pointed out that I've made a mistake in how Kanshou and Bakuya worked in the last chapter, so I went back and corrected it. I still took some liberties with the Married Blades, but nothing that should be in open contrast with their canonical abilities.

I also put a Negima cameo, but like I said, beside appearance and maybe a little background, there will be nothing in common with their original counterpart.

Evangeline is NOT a Dead Apostle this time around, though much like Rin she could have a vampire somewhere in her ancestry. She will eventually have a little spotlight, along with Chachamaru, but nothing major,

Well, that's all for the time being. Next chapter, a little trolling courtesy of Rider and a trip back home.

Thank you for reading!