Chapter Five: Little Red Riding Hood

There was something very wrong with reality. Pressing hands against my ears, I tried to block out the sound of a sea of voices all trying to talk over each other, but it did nothing to block it out. All around me, the surroundings shifted and warped in a fusion of different older buildings of a design I'd never seen before. It reminded me closest of the outside of Rins' house, but surely nowhere near in wealth.

Various sights and people would appear, leaving just as quickly as they came. Countless complementary and contrasting things that held my gaze, whether they were beautiful or horrifying, that I couldn't even remember much about any of them once they were gone.

It seemed as if an eternity had gone by before things changed in a way that didn't disorient me.

Various people stood around, frozen. They had paused as if something was on a screen. On one side of the room, a crowd gathered, observing with great attention, reminiscent of a more formal setting than the principal's office. A severe man stared down at a young woman who was fair of hair and eyes the same shade as the sky on a cloudless summer day. Even in rough clothes, there was no doubt in my mind she was royalty.

The way she stood, just her bearing alone as the man was mid rant at her screams to me of a leader.

Nearby to that scene, as if separate, there was a dark-skinned young boy in rags who seemed to walk by himself. The weirdest thing was being unable to see most of his features. Every time I looked at his face, I just forgot it as soon as I stopped paying attention.

Compared to everything else, I found my gaze fixating on one sight I was unable to divert my eyes from once I had noticed it. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I found my footsteps coming towards my destination.

The sights faded around me until the building had disappeared. Across from me, lying on her back in the grass staring up towards a full moon, was a girl my age. Her hair, blonde and radiant in the moonlight, and her green eyes, reminiscent of Rins treasured gems.

I don't know how long I stared, lost in her ethereal beauty, before something happened. The rustling of grass alerted me to someone coming closer. Reluctantly turning my head, I'm struck dumb once again.

A woman approaches who feels as if there is no way for her to be real. Pink eyes, long messy white hair, with a loose strand standing up above. She has pointed ears, too. With black long tight pants, red heels, a almost skin tight red shirt and a white coat that reminded of what Kiritsugu would like to wear.

Despite her beauty... well.

"She just looks shady." The words leave my throat without meaning to. Thankfully, they don't seem to notice me before stopping in front of the blonde girl. The girl turns her head to stare up at the suspicious woman in familiarity before her brows furrow in annoyance.

"Hello Merlin."

I take a moment to translate it into my head, as they are speaking an off version of English. Though at least this informs me they are British with the accents. I think.

Pouting, the woman described as Merlin dramatically sits herself on the floor. "How rude. Your great teacher comes to pay you a visit, and you are upset."

She groans in exasperation and pouts before deciding to ignore Merlin. "You were supposed to be here earlier. You *promised."

The older woman looks troubled for a brief second before sighing. Resting against the girl beside her, she gazes upwards at the moon herself. "You're right."

The silence stretches for a few seconds before the green-eyed girl speaks again. "*And* you are in that appearance again."

Emitting a sound to indicate she is listening, Merlin's eyes move to meet the gaze of the younger girl as they lock eyes. As she smiles in response to her statement, she turns to face the sky again. Seemingly unconcerned.

"Indeed."

"Why?" Sounding fed up, the younger girl scowls up at that sky. "You cause a lot fewer problems when you appear like a man. Why can't you be like Emrys all the time?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that…"

In response to the girl's growl, she swiftly agrees. "Alright, alright. It's because I'm super greedy." Sounding half serious and half joking, the blonde girl gapes before staring at Merlin incredulously.

"What?!"

"I know, right?" Sounding unapologetic, she grins. "When I was younger, I was even worse, honestly. But the problem with having great powers that let you know the future is you learn quickly what consequences are. And I thought I knew better about how to change them."

"But you didn't?" Forgetting her anger, the girl stares at Merlin with curious eyes.

"I didn't." Her tone is neutral before becoming upbeat once again. "Everything was something I'd know better than others. I made judges bend the law in my favour. In the end, I made fools of the would be kings who sought my wisdom. Why at one point people even thought I was a saint."

Breaking in at this point with furrowed brows and a frown, the young girl shifts her gaze to Merlin. "But they still call you a saint? At least when you call yourself Emrys."

Without making eye contact, Merlin shrugs. Unsatisfied, the girl keeps soldiering on.

"And why is it you act like two different people? You keep avoiding the answer."

"It's just better that way."

"*Tell me.* You train me every day, you tell me about my future and duty. But you hide yourself, avoiding being close to others. Are you truly that afraid of trusting me?"

Despite her young age, the girl brings a gravity and command to her tone that's well beyond any person I know.

"…Emrys is my way of avoiding the fate of Merlin. Emrys is my way of avoiding the fate of Merlin, someone who would be hated and who led one of the few things they ever cared about to ruin. Destined to be alone as they died. It's a little too pathetic for me to be satisfied with something like that."

Taken aback by the answer, the girl can only give a glance of pity towards Merlin, staying silent as Merlin continued.

"So it's better Merlin stays to their role, don't you think?"

In the ongoing silence, the young girl muses over her words. Eventually, she rises even as the woman stays lying down. Merlin stares at the moon while the girl shines as if something otherworldly under the moonlight, looking down at Merlin.

"You won't die alone and hated." Merlin's gaze lowers to stare in surprise. "I can't see someone who can do all the good that you have done as someone so loathed."

The silence stretches for a few seconds before the girl turns on her heel, her expression filled with determination. "We are going to prove it wrong."

As the girls' footsteps faded into the distance and the surrounding sight dimmed, I heard the faint, melodic voice of Merlin, thoughtful and even hopeful.

"I'll look forward to it."

My mind raced as I did all my different early morning training. Once I reached a certain point in my training, I found many exercises became redundant because I was able to perform them continuously, without noticing any improvement. So I didn't need to pay all that much attention as I went about it.

What a strange dream. I'd sometimes get them between the nightmares of the fire. Honestly, I was thankful for getting them. It made sleeping a lot easier.

Both Rin and Sakura had caught on to the fact I wasn't sleeping properly even if I tried my best to hide it. Though I only realised they had figured it out when they kept testing a lot of odd and unusual magic or herbal remedies on me for over a month. I guess my tendency to just help them without asking has come back to bite me on the other foot…

Usually, my dreams barely had anything to do with each other. At times, I would fantasize about a boy who solely supported others, but that one was turning into something I couldn't endure seeing.

Last I saw of that boy was him being hunted. It made me angry watching it all. It was out of the question for a boy that kind to be evil.

I wouldn't accept it.

Other times I imagined young girls, possessing breathtaking beauty and lives that couldn't be more distinct.

It was clear to me that the young girl with white hair was Merlin at this point. But I never heard the name of the blond-haired girl. Usually they called her Wart. Still, there existed a part of me that could never come to terms with the idea that a person like that would bear a name like that.

It was impossible not to admire an earnest and kind girl who went out of her way to assist others. She was called a knight in training, but it seemed weird since I thought girls weren't knights historically.

I think?

I'd have to ask Justeaze.

But that white-haired girl. Something about her confused me. There were moments when she would behave in a way that seemed familiar. But other times she just didn't seem human at all.

A beautiful fairy like girl who acted like the most cruel of actions were without scorn. Lying, stealing, hurting, and humiliating others. She seemed to take almost a surgical fascination in bringing the worst out in others and getting them to thank her for it.

The older she got, the better she learned. Last I saw, she had gotten the attention of somebody much more dangerous than the usual people she dealt with. A severe, dark-haired and icy blue eyed man who had a presence to him that was not inferior to Merlin.

If Merlin resembled an angel who made sin appear virtuous, this man exuded the sensation of a ravenous abyss eagerly anticipating your downfall to consume you entirely.

It seems as if Merlin's mistakes had caught up to them. I didn't experience much sympathy for them. I had a deeper feeling of empathy for her mother, who wore herself out with reprimands and efforts to look after her misbehaving child.

There was at least some hope for Merlin. The girl didn't drag down her mother into something awful. Though with how rotten she seemed, it made me wonder.

I guess even bad people have things they love.

Wiping myself down and making my way upstairs, I prepare food for Rin, Sakura and Kiritsugu. It was around March that he had returned, though not without being almost dragged in by Justeaze as he was running a fever.

After making sure he was fine and somewhat recovering, she gave a quick goodbye and left once again.

Sometimes she worried me with how carefree she is.

Both Kiritsugu and Rin were calmly sitting at the table. It looks like Sakura had already finished cooking before I get here and they were waiting for me. I frown.

"Sakura, you didn't need to cook for us. When I was finished, I would have cooked for you.

"But I wanted to." The first couple of months Sakura was fairly quiet, but once she had settled in she had put forward her own thoughts or did things without asking.

It was hard sometimes, trying to disagree with someone and also support them.

"It's the duty of the host to cook for a guest." Chuckling from the side, Kiritsugu presses a hand to his chest from the sudden pain. Still pale, he gives a smile in my direction. "Then shouldn't I be the one cooking at that point, Shirou?"

My silence is telling. I can't disagree with that since it's the old man who is the head of the household.

From the side, Sakura has a small smile of victory. I sit down with the two of them in my defeat. "I'm cooking next time." Ignoring my declaration she happily eats. Traitor.

The atmosphere is warm and friendly up and until we finish eating. Rin, still half asleep, rouses herself to a more awake state before finishing her meal. After we finish eating, we quickly say goodbye before going back to my workshop to study.

Kiritsugu gives that peculiar expression he typically displayed during our interactions, unsure of how to interpret our partnership. Apparently Magi, to help preserve their Magecraft, tried their best to keep the knowledge of it as little known as possible. The more people know about it, the weaker it becomes overall.

I'm not sure I care about that personally myself.

The drop in performance in sharing spells only between us three had been not as significant as I might have worried. Though I could see how it would get bad if many people learned such a thing.

Rin was the lone individual who was disturbed by it and disclosed spells she knew as if it caused her physical pain. I figured Rin felt less bad about sharing her Magecraft with Sakura compared to me because she had been reading all of Sakura's books that Matou had dropped off.

Just having access to all these different options was honestly going to be incredibly helpful.

Our group project we were all working on at this point was Sakura's family magic. Formal, dense and filled to the brim with various theories, experiments and results. Some things in that book were enough to make both of the girls turn pale or appear ill. But we got through it.

The key problem was trying to sift through and convert this into something any of us would actually use. Sakura was caught in a loop of reading about the various insects meant to act as the focus of her magic and being horrified. She refused to stop, but it clearly distressed her.

Rin focused on the parts specifically on absorbing Mana or Od from other sources and being able to use it for herself. Pleased with herself, I'm fairly sure I even saw her cackle at herself occasionally.

Frankly, what I wanted out of it was like what Rin wanted. Though where Rin wanted to add the magic, she takes in to a battery that she would have on her person. My goal was something other than storing magic in objects.

If it were possible for me to transform into the battery, it would eliminate a significant amount of the time wastage in between.

As I had read ahead of both of them since I needed a lot less sleep, there were quite a few things that suggested my theory had some basis. Conversion and storage of magical energy were absolutely doable. The major problem would always be the process.

But as long as I could get the container, being my body to be perfect for storing and converting such things, there would be so much more that I could reasonably get done.

... well, the main thing that had stumped me is I just have no clue on how to start.

The way Rin stored energy was into those gems of hers, but it's not like I can keep excess magical energy somewhere on my self. I'd probably need to start with the basics and work my way up. Which meant working with bugs. Thinking on it, Justeaze could probably help with this, and even better if I could swap bugs for flowers.

Maybe I can team up with Sakura to get started on it?

Since she had been living here for months with me, I had managed to convince Sakura to join us in sparring with Kotomine. Suffice to say, Sakura was incredibly behind in any form of fitness or knowledge in self defense. It was honestly relieving that Kotomine agreed to it so easily.

It was remarkable how little Sakura allowed pain to hinder her. It didn't matter what happened to her, she had the ability to keep getting back up.

As Kotomine and I sparred, I felt the air leave my lungs as I was flung down to the ground. Before I have any chance to retaliate, his foot smashes into my chest and leaves me wheezing, unable to breathe.

Struggling to stand, Kotomine signals for us to pause our training for a moment with a genuinely satisfied expression on his face. Sakura and Rin lean against a wall a few paces away from us, exhausted and covered in bruises.

Honestly, I'm grateful to have a teacher who looks so happy teaching others.

"Emiya, you have done well." Becoming much more stoic instead of how pleased he was originally, he turns to face the girls. "The same with both of you as well. He gives a nod in their direction.

Both girls give polite thanks, though only Sakura sounds genuine and not in pain. Lips twitching in amusement, he turns back to stare at me as I finally start being able to breathe properly.

"You all have certainly improved quite a lot since I first started teaching you. It is quite heartening to see that having such friends has only driven Rin to work harder." He pauses, letting the words sink in. "Unfortunately, training shall have to stop soon."

Exchanging a perplexed expression with the two girls on the ground, I patiently wait for Kotomine to conclude his statement. "Now that Emiya is at a satisfactory level, I shall fulfil my promise with Justeaze. We shall go on a hunt for a sealing designation as part of his training."

While his topic of conversation confuses Sakura and me, Rin recognizes it and looks completely outraged. "What are you thinking?! He's ten!"

"This is the wish of his caretaker and teacher, and all necessary precautions will, of course, be taken. If you believe he is incapable of such a thing, you are, of course, welcome to convince Justeaze for a better solution."

"What is a sealing designation?" The worried voice of Sakura pierces the oppressive silence as Rin fumed.

The Magus Association gives a sealing designation to those who threaten the secrecy of magic or are extraordinary. Enforcers are those who hunt down such individuals. Either to capture or kill them."

Sakura pales even as I scowl. "I will not hunt people down."

Unaffected, he directs an amused expression towards me. "Indeed. Of course, as a man of god, I would never aid such a group in something so distasteful. Instead, we shall hunt down a monster. A fitting choice for a hero, I would think."

An indignant sound leaves Rins throat. Passed the point of being annoyed, she gets hold of herself before giving a kind smile at Kotomine. "I do hope by the way you say that you aren't hunting a Dead Apostle."

Otherwise known as Vampires, those who were once humans who must feed on other humans to sustain themselves. Kiritsugu had warned me about them, how they played with the lives of others for their own entertainment.

Even if I felt bad about them, so long as they did such a horrible thing, I wouldn't be able to accept it.

"There is no need to fret. The job shall be something appropriate considering the circumstances. In the meantime, until the end of the week, we shall continue all of your studies. If you are unsure of anything, I am sure Emiya Kiritsugu will have an answer for you."

While Rin grumbles a little, we quickly get back into properly studying and practicing.

After Kotomine's announcement, I told Kiritsugu. Initially, Kiritsugu was planning to accompany me on this trip, but his illness limited his ability to be up and about for more than a couple of hours a day.

On the bright side, I now possessed a phone for the purpose of calling Kiritsugu if necessary. Apparently, I was going to be taught on how to transport illegal weaponry and firearms as we traveled, but considering the old man being unable to travel, it wouldn't happen now.

Everything I brought would have to be on my own, or whatever Kotomine had. Thankfully, I had prepared myself well for moments where I would only have what I had on hand. Working with Sakura and Rin, we ended up making a Mystic Code for my journey.

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to learn from Justeaze first on how to do it properly. But with the three of us working together, eventually we worked it into some form of use, if basic. Rin seemed almost nostalgic once I had the finished product.

A simple wooden cane, slightly larger than average. When magical energy is used with it, you can Reinforce and Alter the cane into a longsword with the right materials. I preferred using this type of weapon when fighting dangerous opponents, anyway.

This would be so much easier to transport than carrying an actual weapon.

Otherwise, by the end of the week, we met up at the church before both Kotomine and I would have to make our way to the airport. I'd likely miss a week of school at worst, but thankfully I was way ahead of most people at my year level at school.

My old man had insisted on coming to the church with me and Sakura. The travel was mostly quiet, with both of them being weirdly quiet until we make it there.

As the doors of the church swing ajar, Kotomine stands a mere few feet ahead, accompanied by Rin. With a foot tapping on the floor, she wears an expression of relief on her face upon seeing us.

"Welcome all. Unfortunately, it is quite late for a confession, so you will have to wait until next time for your own salvation." With a look of pity towards us all, he puts a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"I would never waste my own or someone else's time with such a pointless thing." Sounding cold and biting, it's like Kiritsugu is a different man when interacting with Kotomine.

"You may not think that such a thing is worthwhile, but I can honestly say such confessions have saved more people than I shall ever know. Why, I too can be considered one who was saved by confession." Truly pleased, almost enlightened, he gives a cruel smile at Kiritsugu. "Saving others is something to be admired. I'm sure you'd agree. I can say such a method has ruined no lives I know of. Can you say the same about your own?"

Dismissive of Kotomine as if used to his barbs, he sighs and moves the arm where his hand is missing before aborting the motion. Instead, he gazes unamusedly at Kotomine, appearing more annoyed than genuinely angry.

"You are just as annoying as ever." Dismissing Kotomine out of hand, Kiritsugu places a hand on my shoulder before looking me in the eye. "Stay safe, Shirou."

"Yeah, of course."

Rin sighs from the side, exasperated. "Last time he said something like that, he got into a fight with the upper years."

"It was perfectly safe. They didn't even get hurt that much!"

Rin puts her head in her hands. It only makes me scowl harder. Sakura giggles, causing me to shift my attention from Rin to observe her. Kiritsugu chuckles a little before making room for Sakura to come closer. She searches my face as if looking for something before hugging me suddenly with way too much force.

Choking in my surprise, she remains silent for a few seconds. "Come back, okay?" Sakura's form hugging me trembles. Patting her on the back, I have a big grin on to reassure everyone else.

"Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Before she lets go, another pair of arms comes around to hug us both. I can make out what seems to be the form of Rin, who hides her face in the pile of our bodies. "See you soon."

Before I know it, Rin lets go, with Sakura following close behind as they both give me space. Rin has a mysteriously red face but otherwise acts as if nothing happened.

Moving to put a hand on my shoulder, Kotomine directs me to the exit. "Let us be on our way so we do not miss our flight."

The last I see of those left in the church is a stare off between Rin and Kiritsugu. I wonder what that is about.

Seated on our flight, Kotomine seems almost perfectly at ease. The silence stretched on for hours before I eventually broke it.

"What is it we are doing, exactly?"

"In Britain, there appears to be a town that has had all the people who once lived there go missing."

Silence fills the room for a few seconds. "So we are going to try to find them?"

We have confirmed that somebody using Magecraft is responsible for this, based on the evidence that had already been found. During that week, we have narrowed down who caused this and where they have gone."

"How are they going to even explain people going missing like that?" Troubled, I shift around in my seat. All those poor people...

"It will depend on what we find with this Magus. Our target was a previous member of the Galliasta family. Regardless of if this individual is responsible or not, the association wants them dead. Based on their prior history, it would be likely they are responsible."

"Prior history?"

"As a Magus who studies Necromancy, they have had moments in the past where they have been unconcerned about making fresh corpses for their study. Sometimes even killing people in large groups. The killing of an heir to a prestigious family and running away with their corpse was the last straw."

My fist clenches as my jaw sets. I can see why Kotomine called them a monster. I'll have to try to stop him and convince him to stop doing such awful things.

"Their workshop will be where we will ambush them. Enforcers should be there by the time we arrive and will serve as an excellent lesson to what you can expect from them."

I nod to show I understand.

"The Galliasta family is known for their Alchemy, as well as manipulating things like the weather. It is safe to be wary of nature-based magecraft. The crest that was stolen was of the Codrington family, one well known for their research into the dead. It would not be unlikely for our target to now know some of that knowledge, so be wary of corpses.

"Since they are Magi, I assume not much is known about their Magecraft?"

"To an extent. Enough that it's better to be prepared for general ideas rather than specifics."

"Makes sense."

The rest of our flight continues in silence.

Britain itself gave the impression of stepping into a wholly different world. My English was good enough to understand most people here, but Justeaze told me my accent was fairly obvious. I'd been trying to fix that over time, though.

Ultimately, assuming I am able to master different accents or voices, I could potentially resemble a spy with my hiding skills! Being able to sneak up on bad people and stop a fight before it even happens sounded awesome.

Justeaze was definitely not Japanese if the difference in looks wasn't obvious. People here seemed so much more carefree, if not rude fairly often. She would fit right in here.

Kotomine, when he was working, was a fairly serious and quiet man. We exchanged little in the way of small talk as we moved and changed between different transports. It didn't bother me that much, though.

I was too busy admiring all the weird and wonderful sights.

We ended up trying food from here as we continued to travel. Eating this spicy meat on sticks called a kebab, I struggled to eat it more than at a slow speed because of how spicy they were. Kotomine seemed more disappointed in eating it more than anything, as if the kebab had offended him.

We eventually left the city behind and found ourselves in the countryside, which was significantly different from what we were used to back home. Or at least different for me. It reminded me closer of something I would see in my dreams. It was a little surreal being awake in such a place. Like having a dream, waking up and realizing you weren't having a dream at all.

It felt odd to see so much countryside when I'd lived outside of it for so long. The closest I'd ever been to nature was the Einzbern forest. And I don't think I should classify that as normal.

It was around night that we finally stopped at a destination and didn't make plans for the next transport. We had passed a couple of odd looking people who seemed out of place in this town. The rest of this town was completely silent as we walked around. It was kind of unsettling.

"Why is there no one else around? It's not that late out tonight."

Amused by my question, Kotomine is nonetheless unimpressed look. "We are at the village we discussed. It will make a good meeting place with those we will work with before moving on to the next part."

"Oh." My face was burning as I avoided looking at him. Now I was filled with embarrassment, great.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a hotel that looked fairly expensive. Kotomine entered it without a care, so I followed in step behind him. The inside was about just as expensive looking, but had two people currently within talking to each other. One a young teen girl and the other a older man with sharp features.

The young teen girl has short magenta colored hair and matching eyes. She seems out of place in wearing a full grey suit with black leather gloves at her age. Hooked over her shoulder is a cylinder container.

The man seems friendly enough as he smiles at the girl. Slicked back black hair, black glasses, black shirt, dark eyes and a goatee. His bright red pants soften his severe countenance, diminishing his menacing aura. The part that drew my attention the most was the pointed ears. Kind of like Merlin, actually.

It was kind of weird how they both appeared dressed, as if they were about to go to some sort of important event.

The teen was nibbling on a biscuit she had gained from somewhere as she watched the man across from her warily. The man instead looked completely at ease until we entered. With a laid back smile, he gives a small wave at us. The girl follows where he looks to spot us, before her expression brightens once she notices Kotomine.

"Kirei! It's nice to see you again." She makes her way closer to us. The man in red follows behind her at a leisurely pace, but he seems weirdly focused on me.

"I see you have gained an interesting... associate McRemitz." Kotomine focuses his full attention down on the man coming closer.

With a concerned expression, she waves her hands as if to dismiss his thoughts. "It's not what you think! Honestly, I didn't even know he did jobs like this."

Hurt, he crosses his arms. "Hey, hey. That's no way to talk about your senior in the business there. You wouldn't want to make enemies when you are this young in the business." Completely sincere in something that sounded like a threat, he looks across at Kotomine. For a brief moment, he looks nervous.

"So this is the famous Executor, Kirei Kotomine I'd heard about. Apparently, you even scare other Executors nowadays. Is that true?"

Unimpressed, Kotomine merely stares back. "My job is merely to punish sinners. If they are without sin, they have nothing to fear."

Chuckling, the man across from us shrugs with a helpless gesture. "Sucks for them, I guess."

"Are you here to help hunt down Cahya Galliasta?" Kotomine asks.

"You could say that." Unintimidated and amused, he shrugs.

"Kirei… why is there a child here with you?" The girl, unable to hold her curiosity, looks at me with worry. I want to frown at her for her words, but she's not wrong.

"This here is Shirou. His family entrusted me to teach him on how to fight. I considered him at a satisfactory level for today to join us."

The man with glasses looks amused by their conversation, even as Bazzet looks worried. "But at such a young age-"

Laughing, the man in red goes to pat her on the back, which she deftly moves out of the way of. Unperturbed, he shakes his head.

"What's the harm? It's heartening to see the kids getting into stuff like this so young. It makes me feel nostalgic."

Lowering himself to meet my gaze, the intense light prevents me from seeing his eyes behind his glasses. He grins with in delight.

"It's nice to meet you, Shirou. My name is Beryl. I guess you could call me your senpai in the art of killing. Let's do our best to work together, alright?"

He offers his hand. We shake hands after a reluctant pause on my end.

I didn't want to be rude.

End of Chapter Five:

Heyo. A shorter one this week, end of year stuff is pretty wild, huh? Well hopefully I can somewhat live up to the characters in the coming up next chapter. But before that there will be a side small chapter with a resident saber face. Hopefully the new year treats you all well.

Reviews:

Regulus -

Huh, well the more you know. Makes one wonder if him living and being with an origin that's no longer there and getting awakened might end up with something similar to Shiki.

Arturia -

Yeah Shirou at the moment isn't the most socially graceful! He'll get there eventually, even if he's... odd for his age.

Edit -

Whoops I uh, might have updated the wrong file in my rush. My bad!