Arc 1: Welcome to Shibuya

4/8 Friday, Morning

Shirou arrived to Shujin Academy without much trouble nor much enthusiasms.

Back in Fuyuki, whenever he arrived at Homurahara Academy, there was always a feeling of comfort or warmth. Surrounded by friends, helping students in need, making his parents proud—and of course, always being closed to Illya for whenever she needed help. But as he looked up at Shujin Academy's building wall, their grey, cold and detach color made him aware that those past feelings were gone.

The school lived up more to it's namesake now that he thought about it.

'Prison Academy...I wonder if there's something out there that finds my situation amusing.'

He stopped at the steps of the school, frowning as he went deep in thought. He was so far from Illya that it was sickening. His sister was living a lie, thinking that he had been transferred to another school to further push his studies forward. Her happy and bright smile was a source of comfort when he was usher out of the Emiya Household.

His eyebrows furrowed, looking at the Academy he would be attending for the time being. With a deep sigh, he entered into the building. He walked forward without much commitment to his steps, keeping a neutral expression as he went towards his classroom. He was barely even registering his surroundings as he pulled out his student ID Card and saw the number for his classroom. His ears picked up the the student body chattering among themselves, talking about the volleyball team or the teacher Kamoshida.

He ignored it, not really caring or finding any of the information useful. He frowned at the thought, finding that way of thinking to be somewhat similar to the mages that had been keeping an eye on him. He put away the card and continued on, accepting everything for what it was—there was a clear reason for why he would be here. It was best not to waste time getting too attached.

He had more important things in mind to worry about…

…Shirou, be careful. We'll find a way to fix things…

…my poor baby! I'm so sorry…so sorry that we failed to protect you from all of this…

…young man…I mean…Shirou, I've always told you…to be there to protect Illya…so now I will say to you to keep yourself safe. After all, as Lady Illya's older brother…you have to come back to her…

…we'll keep Illya out of trouble. You do the same…

…Onii-chan! Remember to text me okay! I really wanna know how Shibuya is…

He bowed his head and frowned. 'I can't even text Illya without fear of endangering them...'

He went up the steps and started to look for the number designating his classroom. He stopped as he spotted the door.

"Class 2-E…yeah, this is it." He muttered to himself as he entered the classroom. Inside he saw that it was full of students murmuring amongst themselves. They stopped when they noticed his arrival. Ushimaru took notice of him and looked at him with his severe expression.

"On time Emiya. Good, seems you won't be a troublemaker." Ushimaru then gestured for him to stand in front of the class. The young man obeyed the gesture. "Now introduce yourself to the class."

The class looked at him with bored expression. Keeping his expression level, he gave an unenthusiastic bow to his fellow classmates. "I am Emiya Shirou, please take care of me."

Silence was his only response for a few seconds. Then a groan came, followed by whispers about how boring he was or commenting about the color of his hair. The redhead righted himself and looked around, not really finding the barbs thrown his way that discomforting.

Behind him he heard Ushimaru hum. "Go to the empty seat in the middle of the class Emiya."

Shirou turned to look where he was assigned to and saw two empty seats, the one his teacher had ordered him to take and another one to the right seat ahead of where he was. The redhead nodded, walked towards his seat, and sat down. He took out his books and got ready for his first day at his new school.

A few minutes passed as the bell rang, signalling the start of classes.

"Okay, then let us start the clas—!" Ushimaru started, but was interrupted when the classroom's door slid opened and a young man with blond hair, a yellow shirt with a 'ZOMG' sign beneath his school blazer strolled in with a frown on his face. "Sakamoto-san, still not getting rid of that bad habit of yours? Always need to come in and interrupt me mid-sentence?"

'Sakamoto…' Shirou thought as he looked at the only young man who stood out in the classroom. The blonde looked down with a tight expression and lightly kicked off dust from the ground.

Sakamoto sniffed. "Sorry."

"Take your seat, I don't want to deal with you!" The teacher waved him off and turned his back towards the student as he went to work on the blackboard. Sakamoto ducked his head and took his seat, resting his head on his hand as he slouched forward.

Shirou looked away from him and instead focused on the class for now. He looked down at his bandaged hand, tightening his grip as he glared at it before he took a deep breath and looked away. Clearing his mind, he began taking notes.

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4/8 Friday Lunchtime

Coming out of the classroom, Shirou stretched. He felt his stomach rumble a little from hunger. He placed a hand on it and frowned.

"I think I should head to the cafeteria and get some food…"

He made to move towards the stairs, but something at the end of the hall caught his attention. A woman dressed in a yellow long sleeved shirt and a jean skirt was struggling to carry a huge stack of books in her arms. The woman's face was one of pure concentration and exhaustion as she tried to carry the books in her arms. Then without warning, a student bumped into her and causing her to drop everything in her arms.

The woman's let out a strangled cry as the student ran away before the woman could even look at her. Most of the students skirted around her and didn't offer any help. The woman looked at the fallen books with despair as she knelt down to pick them up. As Shirou watched her, he hadn't realized that he was already moving forward to help her.

Because really…when has helping someone in need ever been wrong?

With that determine thought in mind, he went towards the woman and stopped right before.

"Um, miss?" The woman in yellow looked at him with tired and annoyed eyes as she regarded him. "Let me help you carry those books."

The way her eyes brightened up at his words, almost made him forget of all his troubles.

A couple of introductions and some heavy lifting later and the two were walking side by side.

"Thanks for the help Emiya-kun…I seriously wonder why more students can't be like you…" The tired sigh of the disheveled teacher, Kawakami rang through his ears as he carried a large stack of books. His arms strained a little under their weight, but the redhead didn't let a single sound of complain escape his lips as he walked alongside the teacher towards the club rooms located in the school's other building.

"It's no problem at all, Kawakami-sensei."

"Hmm…I just wish people had that type of good attitude when it comes to helping people out…" Kawakami sighed as she scratched her wild fluffy hair. "Seriously, how many of my own students brushed past me when I was struggling with those books and nearly made me lose my grip on them! Geez…why is it always me…?"

Shirou chanced a glance towards the suffering teacher, as he restrained a sigh. Despite the many complaints the teacher had been throwing around, he felt quite relaxed. It had been a long time since he had felt like this. Just being able to just walk or even breath without the constant surveillance of the Mage's Association looming over him.

And helping someone in need? That was something that always made him feel warm and grateful to have done.

It was an escape from the reality of his situation. The thought of that made him sour up slightly.

"Ah! And here we are!" Kawakami proclaimed with tired excitement as she opened the classroom that belong to one of the school's club activities. She gestured towards an empty desk. "Please put them there."

"Alright." He did just that, feeling the weight of the books leave his arms and the tightness in his muscles started to relax as he placed them on an empty desk. He turned towards the teacher who smiled graciously.

"Thanks, Emiya-kun. You're a pretty alright kid."

"It really was no problem."

The two stepped out of the classroom, the teacher turned towards him to respond—

"So, what you are saying is that you can't fix the air conditioner in my office?" A familiar voice asked with traces of disappointment, and hints of irritation present in his voice.

The duo turned to see Kamoshida crossing his arms with two students wearing the school's gym uniform right behind him. The man's attention was currently on the three students standing before him. One of the three students took the lead, a girl with brown hair and red eyes, and stared at the man squarely in the face and answered him without any sign of hesitation.

"Like I said, Kamoshida-sensei…the Student Council doesn't have anyone available with that kind of skill right now." The Student Council girl said as she tried to placate the teacher. "Have you tried speaking with the Faculty Office?"

"Tsk, I have, but they have told me to wait until tomorrow so that they can get someone to fix this."

Kawakami let out an understanding sigh as she watched the scene alongside Shirou. "I can totally relate with that…I've been stuck inside the Faculty Office with no cool air while doing paper work…it's such a pain…"

Shirou ignored the remark as his eyes focused on a second familiar face, behind Kamoshida—it was the girl he had bump into yesterday, Suzui. The girl had the same downtrodden expression, and looked uncomfortable just being there. The mere sight of that uncomfortable gaze made him narrow his eyes in curiosity.

Kamoshida scratched his head in frustration and looked back at the teenagers clad in the there gym outfits. "I'll suffocate inside that office if something isn't done with the air conditioner…I'll be all sweaty and uncomfortable…ugh, I just know this will leave me in a bad mood for the rest of the day…"

Suzui and the other student beside her flinched. Suzui looked down, her body trembling slightly. Even from the distance he stood, he saw it—

Those glassy eyes…

Something inside him made him walk towards them.

"H-Hey! What are you doing Emiya-kun?" Kawakami's alarmed voice called out from behind him.

Turning to look at her from the corner of his eyes he answered honestly. "I'm going to help."

Because those glassy eyes reminded him of Illya. Anytime she was sad and wanted to cry, those glassy eyes would always appear. Seeing them on Illya was unbearable, so he had made it his mission to always make them disappear. After all, as her older brother, it was his duty to keep her happy.

Seeing those eyes on a random person or someone he didn't know would irk him. There was no reason or anything special about it.

He just didn't like seeing people sad

So if he could do something to avert them, he would be more than happy to do it.

Shirou walked forward, leaving a dumbfounded Kawakami behind him. She scratched her head in confusion as she watched him leave. "Whoa…never thought I would see a kid be so altruistic…or is he just helping Kamoshida-san just to gain some favor from him?... Whatever…"

Shirou's sharp ears heard her as he closed the distance towards Kamoshida, but he didn't correct her.

There was no need as he reached his destination.

"I know how to fix the air conditioner."

His words were firm and unyielding, even as he stepped into the ongoing conversion uninvited and rudely—he didn't falter. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him, surprised by his sudden appearance. Suzui's eyes widened as she recognize him. The brown haired girl looked at him surprised, but something flickered in her gaze as she looked at him.

Kamoshida frowned, his eyebrows lowering in irritation at the interruption. He looked down at him, hands on his hips. "Huh… aren't you that kid from yesterday? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be eating lunch?"

Shirou's eyes remained focused on Suzui as he spoke. "I was helping a teacher with something and heard that you were in need of a handyman. If it's something like faulty equipment, then I can easily fix it."

The brown haired girl looked at him, her red eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded him. "It's rather surprising that a student would have such skill. Is this something that was taught to you back when you attended Homurahara Academy, Emiya Shirou?"

"Huh…" Shirou's focus was broken as he looked towards her. "N-No…I mostly learn how to do that stuff by myself, but… I'm sorry, but how do you know me?"

"I am the Student Council President, you may refer to me as Niijima-senpai if you will. It is my duty to know of every student and be attentive of their needs. That includes new transfer students like you."

"I see…" He responded, a little surprise by the girls overwhelming presence and confidence. It made him compare her to Issei, finding the girl before him more upfront.

"Hrmm…" Kamoshida rubbed his large chin, considering his options and wondering how he should go about things. He looked down at him, his eyes shone with a strange glint. "You say that you can handle this stuff Emiya-san? Because if you can, then it would be a large boon for your reputation. Seriously, having a student who can fix all faulty equipment would do great for our budget."

"I can do it." He stated firmly, his confidence and resoluteness returning to him.

Kamoshida nodded, straightening his posture and towering over him as if trying to intimidate him subtly with his physical prowess. "That's a lot of responsibility down on your shoulders kid, if you can't live up to it…people are going to think you're just a liar."

Despite all of this, Shirou's face remained in its neutral state as he heard Kamoshida. He wasn't intimidated nor moved by those words. He had already determine his path, so there was no need to regret his words. Though, his eyes narrowed slightly at the man's subtle threats.

"Are you sure you can do this Emiya-san?" Niijima's words made him looked towards her. "I would rather avoid having everyone's time here be wasted simply because you wanted to show off."

"Don't worry, it wont be a waste of time."

Niijima looked him straight in the eyes and then turned towards her fellow student council member. "Please bring the tool box here."

"Right away Niijima-san!" The student left in a hurry.

Kamoshida hummed at the apparent agreement. "Alright then. You, stay here." The teacher said as he pointed at the student beside Suzui sharply. The student looked up in surprise beneath his bandaged face.

"B-But…"

"While I know Emiya-san isn't going to do anything that could warrant trouble, I still need to keep some security around here." Kamoshida casually said, as if disregarding the student's discomfort. His eyes sharpened as leaned forward and looked intently at the nervous student. "And I'm placing my trust in you, got it?"

"…Understood."

Kamoshida's face was split into a large boyish grin on his face as he looked down at the redhead. "Alright then, kid. Good luck fixing that faulty air conditioner. If you actually manage to do it, I'll have to find some way to reward you."

"There's no need." Shirou answered honestly as he looked at the bewildered Suzui.

"Huh? Oh…okay." Kamoshida turned away from and walked away, muttering. "Weird kid…"

He heard the words, but didn't react to them. Instead he turned towards Niijima who walked towards him. She sighed as she looked at him.

"If you really have the skills you say you possess, then I wish you the best of luck. Having a student with handyman skills would be great as we wouldn't have to worry anymore about having to pay great sums of money for new equipment and such." Niijima looked at him with narrowed eyes as her tone took a more scolding approach. "But, I will say this. Don't sneak into such conversations like that again, it is quite rude. Especially if you simply wish to show off. Just don't repeat this stunt and keep yourself out of trouble."

"Understood Niijima-sempai." Shirou bowed respectfully at her.

The council student that had left returned with the tool box in hand. "Here's the tool box."

Shirou took it. "Thanks."

Niijima looked back at him as she turned. "When you're done, please return the tool box. The council room is located on the third floor, in the class building."

With that the council students all walked away. Shirou watched them go, before he turned back to see the nervous gym student go to stand by Kamoshida's office. Suzui moved towards him with a curious look shining through her downtrodden eyes.

"Why…would you do that?"

He blinked at her, tilting his head to the side. "Why would I do what?"

"Why offer your services like that? There really was no reason for you to get involved." She said, her eyes directly staring into his own. He only offered a small smile.

"I just wanted to help someone in need."

She looked at him in confusion. "What…? You wanted to help Kamoshida-sensei…just like that?"

"Hmm? Not Kamoshida." Shirou answered honestly as he looked straight at her. The girl looked even more confused.

"What do you…?"

"I wanted to help you. That's all." He explained as he knelt down to open the tool box and started to check for the equipment he would be using. "I saw that you were about to cry, and I decided to step in."

"I…I…" Suzui looked at him with wide eyes, and a small blush on her cheeks. "I wasn't about to…"

Shirou ignored her stammering as he stood up and smiled at her softly. "I hate seeing people cry, so I thought I wouldn't let you either."

Suzui swallowed at the honesty in his words and she looked away, her face red. "I…I see…"

"If that's all, it's best I get to it." Shirou walked around the girl and headed for the office, but he was stopped when he felt a soft hand on his forearm. He looked back and saw Suzui, looking at him with a smile.

"Thank you…thank you so much…"

Her words filled him with warmth as he nodded in return.

'Helping her wasn't a wrong decision…' He thought as the girl bowed before quickly walking away. As he watched her go, his smile turned into a frown. 'Yet…why would she respond like that…? It's twice now that I have seen her looking uncomfortable around that teacher, Kamoshida…'

He turned towards the other student, who opened the office for him offering a small 'thank you' as well.

'And him as well…there's something not right here…' He entered the messy office and grabbed a ladder on the side before making his way towards the air conditioner. "But for now, let me focus on helping them the only way I can for now…"

As he touched the faulty equipment, he turned back to see if the student was still looking at him. Fortunately, he saw him looking to the other side, just staring at the ground.

He nodded in satisfaction and closed his eyes. He inhaled and—

"Trace—!" Shirou Emiya turned from an ordinary student into a mage in that instant—

The sound of the hammer of a gun cocking and firing resounded deep within as his magical circuits were turned—!

"On!"

And in that moment, Shirou Emiya the fledgling student bound by chains disappeared. In his place was Shirou Emiya the third-rate magus. It was something that had been explained to him and something that had been a tough pill to swallow.

...to be a magus, means to walk with death...

With his eyes close, his magical energies extended from himself and towards the faulty equipment. As if he was seeing the model of the air conditioner in a a computer screen, he saw every nook and cranny, every hidden detail within the equipment. After identifying the source where the faulty equipment was damaged, he prepared to fix it.

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"Whoa…that's…" Kamoshida trailed off as he raised a hand to test the strength of the cool air. "It's even better than what it was before…the air is really cooling a lot…"

Shirou was cleaning his hands with a handkerchief as he looked at the satisfied teacher. He turned to look away when he saw one of the Council Students come and take the toolbox away from him. The student fixed his glasses and looked at him.

"That's pretty good Emiya-san…and under twenty minutes, that's very good." The council student praised with a small smile, Shirou just nodded in thanks. He turned back to Kamoshida who was grinning at him.

"Hmm, I'll admit that I'm a little surprised…I actually thought you were bluffing or something…" Kamoshida admitted without any shame. "But I guess this proves me wrong. Everyone should have a role to fill in this school and I guess this is yours. You got talent kid, people with skills like yours are needed out there in the real world."

"…thanks." The redhead turned away, ready to walk out. However, he was stopped when a large hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to look at the man behind him.

"Hey no need to feel so shy, I'm praising you here." The hand on his shoulder tightened enough for him to feel it as the teacher grinned somewhat forcefully. Shirou eyes narrowed slightly at the small show of hostility.

"I'm just a little hungry, sorry if I offended you." His words seemed to alleviate the teacher's annoyance as the man let him go.

"Oh sorry, sorry. I guess it would be best if you were on your way then. I would feel horrible to know you would go on with your school day hungry after the favor you did for me. Alright, go and enjoy your meal." Kamoshida patted him on the back and waved him off as Shirou walked off. He looked back as the man crossed his arms and looked at him. The student in the gym outfit shuffled off quickly, while the council student praised the teacher and walked away as well.

A snort to his right caught his attention, he looked up and saw Sakamoto there. The blond leaned against the walls of the hallway while his eyes were focused on him. He looked back to where Kamoshida's office was and then back to him. His classmate huffed, shook his head, and walked away.

Shirou blinked a couple of times at the display.

'What was that about…?' He wondered as he watched the blonde disappear into the crowd of students.

The redhead shook his head and felt the corner of his mouth tilt up a little. He felt satisfied…he had helped Suzui and for him, that was good enough. The girl wouldn't have to look troubled anymore. He turned and headed in the direction of the school's mess hall.

For once, he forgot about his troubles and helped someone in need.

Relief and warmth filled his heart, as the fire in his heart soar brightly.

Story Beta: Crossovernaru

Author's Note

Hello there! This chapter is more of transitory chapter as you may have noticed. A good way to slow down the story a little and show how despite everything Shirou is still holding strong. Next chapter should be moving things along.

There's not much more to say but thanks for reading the story. I hope you enjoyed reading this.

Until next time. Adios!