Shirou let out a deep sigh at the situation he was in right now.

Which was him...with cat ears on his head that match his hair color. And they weren't fake as well. They were real.

Shirou couldn't help but curse inside right now. "I can't believe this happened...and to think it all started from a simple clean up..." he thought as his mind went back to the event that created his current condition.

(A while ago...)

"Jeez! Just how many inventions did you create while we were gone Da Vinci?!" Olga Marie asked as she was carrying a box filled with a portion of Da Vinci's inventions.

"Hm...I don't know!" Da Vinci replied with a smile on her face.

Olga Marie let out a sigh. "Be serious for once!"

"I am! I seriously lost count!"

Romani let out a chuckle. "Even now, Da Vinci still hasn't changed when it comes to making inventions..."

Right now, Shirou, Romani, and Olga Marie were in Da Vinci's room, cleaning it up from the many inventions she had created over the years in Chaldea. What happened was that one day, Olga Marie took a closer look at Da Vinci's room and was horrified at how much of a mess it was.

Which caused Olga Marie to issue an order for her to clean up her room. Shirou and Romani happened to get involved with this as well because they were there at the time.

Hence, the situation they were in right now.

"Hmph. I still can't believe that you created all these inventions, and Shirou was the one that helped you test them out first. Not only that, but I also heard that you sold one of them onto the market in Chaldea! Is that true?!" Olga Marie asked.

Da Vinci let out a smile! "Yeah! Thanks to the hoverboard I've built and Shirou tested, I've managed to improve Chaldea's funding!"

Olga Marie let out a sigh. "What the heck? Just what kind of stuff have you've been creating during my supposed passing?" she asked while twitching at the same time.

"Well...a lot of...various stuff..."

Olga Marie sighed again. "Whatever, let's just finish cleaning up Da Vinci's room. The sooner, the better."

Shirou and Romani nodded as they continued to organize some of the inventions into many pieces. As they did, Romani then started to talk to Shirou.

"Hey Shirou, can I ask you something?" Romani asked.

"Sure. What is it?" Shirou replied.

"Well...aside from the hoverboard that I saw earlier, what other inventions did Da Vinci created while I was gone?"

For a moment, Shirou didn't say anything as he slightly turned to the opposite direction of Romani. "Well...let's just say...they're something that shouldn't even be possible in this era, and yet somehow exists here now."

Romani was confused by Shirou's words. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well...let me just say...the inventions she created...were based off from tv shows that master watched before he applied for Chaldea."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Shirou and Romani then continued back to their cleaning duties. As they did, Romani had a few thoughts going through his head. "Something that shouldn't even be possible in this era, and yet somehow exists here...and all of them were based off from tv shows that Ritsuka watched before he applied for Chaldea...what are they?"

Soon, Shirou, Romani, Olga Marie, and Da Vinci were almost done cleaning up Da Vinci's room. "Phew. We're almost done. All we need to do is to move some of these boxes and that's it," Olga Marie said.

"Yeah," Shirou said as he was carrying a box and was heading into the corner. However, before he could do so, a bunch of flower pedals started swirling around in the room, and then, Merlin suddenly popped in, surprising everyone in the room.

"Hi everyone!"

At that moment, Shirou jumped from Merlin's sudden appearance and dropped the box. As he did, one of the inventions came out of the box and fell onto the floor.

"What the hell Merlin?! Don't pop up like that! What do you want?!" Romani yelled.

"Hehehe...sorry, but I just feel like surprising you again," Merlin replied with a smile on his face.

At that moment, Romani facepalmed himself. "Really..." he muttered before turning to Shirou. "Anyways, are you all right Shirou?"

"Y-Yeah...I think so," Shirou said.

However, what happened next completely jinxed the situation.

Because when Shirou moved, he accidentally stepped on one of the inventions that fell on the floor, and in an instant, a light began to envelop around him. "What the heck?" he asked.

And then the light began to grow even brighter, making Romani, Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Merlin covered their eyes because of how bright it was. Soon, the light disappeared, and when it did, everyone was in shock at the sight in front of them.

Which was Shirou, with cat ears the same color as his hair.

For a moment, nobody didn't say anything as they were trying to process what just happened. Then Romani said a few words. "Um...Shirou...are you sure you're okay?"

"Hm? Yeah, why?" Shirou replied, not knowing what was going on.

"Well...look at this," Da Vinci said as she grabbed a mirror and showed it to Shirou. As she did, Shirou's jaw dropped upon seeing himself in the mirror with cat ears on his head. Meanwhile, Merlin was laughing at Shirou's situation while Romani and Olga Marie still looked at him in shock.

For once, Shirou didn't have any words in this situation.

(Back to the present...)

"Because of Merlin's surprise visit from out of nowhere, what was supposed to be a simple clean up turned into an event where I got ears. To be fair though, I didn't notice the invention, so I guess this is partially my fault...Da Vinci, just what possessed you to create something that gave people cat ears?" Shirou thought as he continued to walk down the hallway. As he did, he grabbed the attention of the many servants and staff of Chaldea, making him sigh again. "Jeez, I wonder how long this is going to last..."

Soon, Shirou arrived in the cafeteria, preparing himself for the reaction that was bound to happen soon.

And it did.

Because the cafeteria consisted of Arturia, Ishtar, Parvati, Sitonai, Astraea, Irisviel, Kiritsugu, Jaguar-man, and EMIYA, and upon seeing Shirou with cat ears, they immediately dropped what they were doing in shock.

"Shirou?!"

"Emiya-kun?!"

"Senpai?!"

"Onii-chan?!"

"Sherou?!"

"What the hell?!"

Shirou let out a sigh as he expected the reaction from the others. Soon, Shirou headed towards the table where everyone was and sat down on a chair. For a moment, nobody didn't say anything.

Then Arturia decided to start the conversation.

"Um...Shirou...are those...cat ears on your head?" Arturia asked.

Shirou sighed again. "Yes. And in case if you're wondering, they're real."

"Eh?! Shirou! You have cat ears right now?! Since when?!" Jaguar-man yelled.

"Well...it all started when I was cleaning up Da Vinci's room with Romani, Olga Marie, and Da Vinci herself. We were almost done with the clean-up, until Merlin suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the room."

Arturia let out a small groan upon hearing Merlin's name. "Let me guess, the cause of you having cat ears was Merlin?"

"No. Rather, it was one of Da Vinci's creations. And you won't believe how it happened..."

"How senpai?" Parvati asked.

Shirou was silent for a short moment before answering Parvati's question. "I accidentally activated it by stepping on the power button without knowing."

For a moment, everybody was silent again until Ishtar started to giggle, making Astraea mad. "What's so funny Ishtar?!" she yelled.

"S-Sorry, but seeing Emiya-kun like this...it's something I would never expect to see in my entire life...and to think he started it all by accident..." Ishtar replied with chuckles.

"Don't make fun of him!" Astraea yelled. Ishtar then stopped chuckling and calmed down. "Good. Although she does have a good point. I've never seen Sherou like this before..."

"So, how long is this going to last?" Irisviel asked.

"Honestly, I have no clue. Da Vinci did say that the effects are going to wear off within a few days, so until then, I'm stuck like this."

"I see...do you feel anything different?"

"No."

At that moment, Sitonai went up to Shirou. "Um...onii-chan?"

"Hm? What is it Sitonai?"

"Well...if those cat ears are real...do you mind if I touch them?" she asked with embarrassment in her voice.

Shirou gave Illya's question some thought and decided that there wasn't any harm with her touching the cat ears. "Sure."

Upon hearing Shirou's answer, Sitonai got closer to Shirou and proceeded to touch Shirou's cat ears slowly. As she touched them, she was amazed with how they feel. "Wow...the cat ears on onii-chan feel so real...it's not like those cat ears on that embarrassing costume Ruby tricked my counterpart into wearing...or the outfit Rin-san used to wear when she was Ruby's master..."

"Hey Illya-chan! I want to feel them as well!" Irisviel exclaimed, not hiding her excitement of feeling Shirou's cat ears.

"So do I!" Jaguar-man exclaimed as well.

"Us too!" Arturia, Ishtar, Parvati, and Astraea said in unison.

Soon, Arturia, Ishtar, Parvati, Astraea, Irisviel, and Jaguar-man began to touch Shirou's cat ears while Kiritsugu, and EMIYA watched. As they watched Arturia, Ishtar, Parvati, Sitonai, Astraea, Irisviel, and Jaguar-man play with Shirou's cat ears, EMIYA let out a small smirk.

"So...since you got cat ears, I suppose you also have a cat tail, and now have a hankering of drinking milk and eating rats?" he jokingly asked.

Shirou mentally groaned. "This is going to be a long day..."

It has been a few days since Shirou received his cat ears due a combination of a surprise visit from Merlin and accidently stepping on one of Da Vinci's creations, and the attention of the cat ears was getting to him.

For example, Cu and his counterparts laughed at Shirou's cat ears.

Medusa and her counterparts were amused with the cat ears.

Medea giggled at the sight of Shirou's cat ears.

Berserker just roared.

Sasaki just chuckled while jokingly called Shirou a cat demon.

Gilgamesh just laughed while his counterparts just sighed at their Archer counterpart's behavior.

Nero and her counterparts were amazed with the cat ears.

Jeanne D'Arc Alter laughed at Shirou's cat ears while her unaltered counterpart and her santa lily counterpart scolded her later.

Okita was surprised at Shirou's cat ears while Okita Alter wanted to touch them, causing Okita to scold at her altered counterpart.

Musashi was surprised with the cat ears and wanted to touch them.

The Knights of the Round were surprised to see the cat ears and asked if Merlin was the one behind them.

Sieg was shocked with the cat ears.

Hakuno was surprised to see Shirou's cat ears and asked if it a part of his heritage.

Waver was completely dumbfounded over the cat ears and the fact that they were real.

Arthur and Amakusa Shirou were surprised to see the cat ears and asked if they were real.

Proto-Merlin laughed at both her counterpart's sudden arrival and the cat ears on Shirou's head. She even wanted to touch them as well.

Scathach and her counterpart were amused with the cat ears.

Caren was amused with the cat ears and wanted to touch them.

Jack, Nursery, Abigail, and Paul were in awe of the cat ears and wanted to touch them.

All and all, the cat ears were attracting attention.

Shirou let out a sigh. "Wow. It's been a few days since I've got these cat ears, and everyone's having various reactions about them...half of them were touching them to see what they felt like..." he thought as he remembered the many servants that touched his cat ears which included Arturia and her counterparts, Ishtar and her counterparts, Parvati, Kama, BB and her sisters, Illya and her counterparts, Miyu, Astraea, Irisviel, and Jaguar-man.

Shirou then continued to walk down the hallway he was in. As he did, he came across Jack, Nursery, Abigail, Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily, and Paul who were starting to play a game.

"Ah! Shirou-san!" Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily said with a smile on her face.

"Hey there Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily. What are you doing with the others?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, we're playing hide and seek with the others! Want to join us?"

"Sure. I don't mind."

"Is everyone here okay with this?" Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily asked Jack, Nursery, Abigail, and Paul.

"Yeah!" Jack, Nursery, Abigail, and Paul replied in agreement.

"Great! You'll be the hiding along with Jack, Nursery, Abigail, and Paul, and I'm the seeker. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good! Now, everyone try to hide while I count to ten, and no cheating! Now then...let the game begin!" Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily said as turned around and closed her eyes. "One...two..."

In an instant, Shirou and the others began to hide in areas of the hallway. After a few seconds, Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily was done counting down. Soon, she began her hunt for everyone else. "All right. Where is everyone?"

Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily began to look around the area to see where her friends were. As she kept searching, she saw something that nearly made her laugh.

In the corner she was in, there was a sofa...with a pair of familiar red cat ears sticking out.

"Well, looks like I found someone already..."

Shirou let out a small sigh as he sat on the sofa he was sitting on. "Wow. I know the cat ears are going to attract attention, but to think that I would get caught immediately because of these ears..." he thought as he felt his cat ears. "Wow. They're this smooth..."

"Oh my, it looks like you're adjusting to the cat ears over there," a voice said from behind.

Shirou turned around to see where the voice came from. As he did, he saw Tamamo No Mae. "Oh, hey there Tamamo."

Tamamo No Mae let out a smile. "Hey there Shirou! I guess the rumors about you having cat ears were real huh?"

Shirou sighed again. "Rumors started to spread huh?"

"Yup, especially with the other Japanese servants. They're wondering if you're a cat yokai right now. And now that I am looking at them up close, those rumors are now real. Not the rumors about you being a yokai, of course."

"Figures..."

Tamamo No Mae then sat down next to Shirou. "Anyways, how are the ears going out for you?"

"Well, let's just say...it's attracting a lot of attention. And I mean literally."

"Let me guess. Everyone wants to touch them?"

"Yup. And it makes me stand out. For example, I lost to game of hide and seek because of my ears. Jeanne D'Arc Alter Santa Lily saw me first because my ears were sticking out from the couch I was hiding behind."

At that moment, Tamamo No Mae let out a giant laugh. "Hahahahahaha! She found you first because of the ears?! That's hilarious!" After a few more minutes of laughter, Tamamo began to calm down. "So, do you feel anything different right now?"

"Well...no. And if you're wondering if I have a cat tail or claws, then no."

Tamamo chuckled. "Did you get that remark from your counterpart?"

"Yup."

"Figures. He's always got that sharp tongue of his..." she said as she got off from the couch. "Anyways, now that the rumors are true, there's one more thing I need to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Well...just let me take a picture of you with the cat ears. Okay?"

Shirou gave Tamamo's question some thought and replied, "Sure. A photo won't hurt."

"Great!" she exclaimed happily as she brought a camera and quickly took a photo. "Thanks, Shirou! I'll be going now!" she said as she quickly left the room Shirou was in. As she left, Shirou was left with a few thoughts.

"Wow. The cat ears even brought rumors...although why did Tamamo needed to take a photo of me?"

It was at that moment that a light appeared around Shirou, and in an instant, the cat ears disappeared.

"Ah. The cat ears are gone..."

(Meanwhile...)

"You got the photo of him with cat ears?" Osakabehime asked.

"Yes. I got the photo," Tamamo replied.

"Good. Give it to me."

Tamamo then gave Osakabehime the photo. As she did, Osakabehime looked at the photo with a smirk on her face.

"Finally! Shirou with cat ears! This will be a great reference for future drawings!"

Author's Note: Poll ends by this Saturday morning!