Chapter 49

Monday, January 23, 2023.

"Oh hello cavalry!" Rin greets us.

On our way to school, we meet Tohsaka, a beaming smile on her face.

"Hello, Tohsaka-san, I see you're in a good mood today." Haruko said.

"Indeed, I'm in great shape! Totally ready for the upcoming tests! Oh dear, there's someone new in the gang." She said, looking at Asia. "The new little blonde head, Asia Argento, do you live at Emiya-kun's house too?"

"Um... Yes! He has graciously accepted me to live with him!" She said in an embarrassed tone.

"I see... well, it's going to look like you're collecting them, Emiya-kun." Said Tohsaka with a smirk.

"Hm? Why? Is that weird?" I ask, lifting my nose from my phone.

"..." She looks at me confused, then pulls herself together. "Nah it's nothing, you're going to have to work on your sense of humor. Anyway, Emiya-kun, I'd like to talk to you in private, if you don't mind."

"Oh okay no problem, we're early anyway." I put my phone away approaching her.

"We'll let you off the hook, it sounds important, but don't take too long, okay?" Haruko calls out to us, sounding embarrassed about something.

"Okay, I won't hold him long." She said, motioning for me to follow her.

I wave to the girls, then follow Tohsaka as she takes another, slightly longer route around the hill.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I ask.

"At some undetermined date, I'll be invited to the clock tower, as an exchange student."

"Ok... And what does this have to do with me?"

"Well," she turns her face toward me. "I can bring another student with me, as a sidekick. "

"...Wait, you want me to come with you to the clock tower?"

"Exactly."

"Why me, I'm sure there are plenty of people who could benefit from it."

"You're the only person here I know who comes close to being a mage, or at least uses his magical circuits. As you might imagine, it's a requirement to go to this school."

"Yeah ok... that's not wrong... But there's another problem."

"Your last name isn't it? Kiritsugu Emiya, the mage-killer, it's true that it's not very appealing, especially to these mages. But don't worry about it, if you come with me, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Kiritsugu has quite the reputation..."

"You have to believe yes. So, are you going to come with me or not? It's a golden opportunity to improve yourself and learn a lot."

"...I'm going to need some time to think, I guess I have, if you're telling me it's not for now."

"Oh absolutely, I'll let you know as soon as I get the invitation."

"Got it."

"Well, let's talk about something else, I saw you running yesterday with a skinny blond guy on a scooter, who is he?"

"Um..."

I dodge the subject and talk about something else, a friendly chat until we get to school.

"Hi Yugi! What's up?" Jonouchi asks as he enters the classroom before the class begins.

"Uh yes hi! How are you?" Yugi replies, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Uhm... Doesn't it look like it's going well?" Jonouchi asks, leaning against an empty desk.

"Ah, don't worry, everything's fine!"

"By the way! I've been asking around, and I hear there really aren't any new stars at school!" Jonouchi sighs.

"What, you're still thinking about that?!" Yugi is surprised.

"I've got a great idea! I'm going to be the new star of this high school!" Jonouchi proclaims loud and clear, his fist over his heart.

"What do I hear? Jonouchi-san wants to become a star?" Shiria scoffs. "Rude as you are, you'll never make it!"

"Hey! Don't make fun of me Shiria-chan! I'm not going to be lectured by a fanservice-based star! Besides, I'm surprised you haven't made an onlyfan or something yet!"

"Never! The most private parts belong only to Senji-kun!" She said dreamily.

"What? Is this bastard a chick magnet or what?"

"You know I hear everything Jonouchi-san." I make myself heard, deadpan.

"I sure hope you listen to absolutely everything Senji-san! There's a couple of us who'd like some explanations here!"

"Why is it only for you! Huh?" Usui asks, still salty about what happened at the pool.

"Senji-san is a good person! So please don't bother him!" Asia comes to my rescue, calming the boys.

"...Bah, if Asia-san asks... See that, Yugi? We really aren't all equal in this world." Jonouchi turns to him.

But Yugi doesn't listen to him; he seems lost in thought.

"Yugi..." Jonouchi worries. "Tell me about it! What's bothering you?! I'll help you!" Jonouchi puts his hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at him.

"I assure you, I'm fine! Thanks anyway." reassures Yugi, resuming his usual upbeat mood.

The bell rings, signaling time to eat. As usual, Fuji-nee hurriedly packed up her belongings and ran off ahead of the students, heading for the canteen. I sigh at this, then take out my bento but stop, seeing Yugi come out dragging his feet.

(...What's happening to him?)

"Senji-sama! Shall we have lunch together?" Inaho approaches, bento in hand.

"Hm? Oh sure, but first I have something to check out." I say, standing up and putting on my armband.

"Oh? What's going on?" She asks.

"Yugi worries me, so I want to make sure everything's okay."

"I see, you want to tail him? Like a spy, because maybe he's under the orders of someone who's manipulating him! *Gasp*! Even worse! He's being harassed! The Maken-ki that we are can't let this go!" Inaho is making a film.

"Something like that, do you want to come with me?"

"Obviously, let's go and see what's wrong with our classmate!"

We leave the classroom and walk down the steps to the entrance, where I stop abruptly, stopping Inaho just before she ran into me. I look over from the corner of the wall, seeing Yugi looking around anxiously, with something he hesitates to take out of his pocket.

(Doesn't look like him at all... What's he gotten himself into?)

"He looks lost doesn't he?" Inaho asks.

"Looks like it to me, let's go see it." I get out of my hiding place and head towards him, followed by Inaho, also putting on her armband.

"Hi Yugi, everything okay? Do you need help with anything?" It's Inaho who starts, calling out to him.

"Huh?! Inaho-chan, Senji-san, you scared me!" Yugi gasps when he sees us near him. "Um... No, everything's fine, I was just wondering if I'd forgotten something in class..." He says awkwardly, taking his hand out of his pocket.

"Please don't lie to us." I retort. "It's obvious a mile away that something's wrong. I know you don't want to worry Jonouchi, but I don't think I need to remind you that we're members of Maken-ki. Sure, we're the school police, but we're also here to look out for our fellow students, so don't make our job pointless, okay?"

"As Senji-sama said! We want to help you, that's all!" Inaho adds.

Yugi said nothing, lowering his head, probably looking for something to say. Then, after a few seconds, he sighs, looking at us.

"Can we talk about it somewhere quieter?" He asks.

I nod and take us to a corner of the corridor where there's hardly anyone around. Then, looking around, Yugi takes a dozen tickets out of his pocket and hands them to us.

"What is it? It looks like a concert ticket." Inaho asks.

"It is what it is. A third-grader named Sozoji asked me to sell him these tickets to his private concert..."

"Did he force you to do it?" I ask.

He nods without saying a word.

""All night solo live"? Is he a singer?" Asks Inaho

"I don't know if you can call that a singer... His voice is atrocious and he has a catastrophic sense of rhythm... And he does this every month..." Yugi is exasperated.

"Every month? That sounds like torture!" Inaho is as dramatic as ever.

(Although I can't say I blame her...)

"I guess if he forced you into it, there must be others like you. He noted his name, in which karaoke, the price which is outrageous. You said he does it every month, it's almost theft at that level. If we put out an announcement, asking if anyone's been ripped off by this guy, do you think anyone will respond?" I ask, starting to pick up my phone.

"Sure he does, he forces people to buy his damn tickets." Yugi exclaims.

"Okay, it's all good then." I call someone.

Inaho and Yugi look at me quizzically. The phone rings and she answers.

"Senji-san?" Furan asks. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello Furan-senpai. Do you happen to know a guy named Sozoji, in third grade?"

"Hmm, let me think... Yuuka, do you know a Sozoji, third year... It's Senji-san asking... Ok thanks, he's currently in Rias and Akeno-san's class, why?"

I explain the situation, Furan remains silent throughout, knowing her, she has to note absolutely everything I say.

"I see..." She said after letting me finish. "Effectively he's breaking several school laws, as well as harassing students. Very well, I'll send you the room he's in and we'll meet you there."

"Roger." We hang up.

"So? What's next?" Inaho asks, under Yugi's anxious gaze.

"Furan-senpai has just sent me the class he's in, so we're going to pay him a little visit." I say, leading the way.

When we arrived in the third year building and went upstairs, we saw Furan and Yuuka already there, in front of the room, waiting for us.

"Inaho-san, Senji-san, and I presume you are the person involved in this story?" Furan asks.

"Yes, he's called Yugi Muto, but apparently he's not the only one, someone has followed us here, I imagine it's not for nothing." I turn towards the stairs.

After a few seconds, a young blond man with glasses emerges from his hiding place and walks nervously towards us.

"Um... I overheard you talking earlier and... Sozoji-senpai also forced me to sell tickets..." He takes the same tickets as Yugi out of his pocket.

"Well, that makes two victims... It doesn't look good for Sozoji-san..." Yuuka said sarcastically.

"Can I see these tickets?" Furan asks.

Yugi gives one to Furan, who examines it with Yuuka. Then they both sigh.

"That Sozoji isn't very clever..." Furan rubs her eyes. "Well, let's get him out of his class, he's got some explaining to do."

Furan knock on the door, Minori's voice is heard inviting us in.

"Minori-sensei, well that should help." Furan mutters.

She opens the door and we enter, apologizing for the inconvenience.

"Oh it's the Maken-ki, what can I do for you? Do you need me?" Minori asks.

"Hello Minori-sensei, we've come to get Sozoji, he's in your class isn't he?" Furan explains.

"He's over there at the back of the classroom, why? Did he do something wrong?"

"A big yes." Furant hands Minori a ticket. "He sells karaoke tickets at indecent prices and harasses students to sell them for him. So we came looking for him to hear his point of view, but we already have two victims."

"It looks very bad for him Fufu~" Yuuka laughs.

"What the?!" Sozoji finally wakes up. "Yugi and Hanasaki?!"

"Senji-san." Furan calls out to me.

I nod and move towards him. Once I'm next to him, I urge him to get up and join my comrades.

"From your reaction, it would seem that you're the right person. So, under the orders of Maken-ki, I ask you to kindly follow us."

"Oh?" He stands up, several heads taller than me, trying to intimidate me. "I'm not going to be impressed by a first-year midget. Who do you think you are?"

"I said, you're going to follow us nicely without any trouble. Or maybe you want me to show you why I'm part of Maken-ki. I don't guarantee to be gentle with you though."

He can clearly see that I'm not impressed by him, on the contrary, it's he who feels small all of a sudden, as I pour my draconic aura over him, making him tense and frightened. He sighs and swallows his saliva before moving towards my comrades, following close behind.

Passing Rias and Akeno, they look at me with big smiles and greet me. Akeno drops her eraser. I stop and look at her, seeing clearly on her face that she did it on purpose and ask me to pick it up for her. Just before I stand up, she grabs my arm and pulls me close to her.

"You were really manly Senji-kun, I got chills, huhuhu~". Akeno whispers in my ear, making me blush.

"*Sigh* Akeno-san, can you please avoid distracting Senji-san?" Furan asks.

"Fufufu~ Sorry Furan-san, I couldn't help myself. Thanks for picking up my eraser Senji-kun." Akeno releases me.

"Well, now that you've got your criminal, I've got a class to finish, so Akeno-san, you can hit on Senji all you want afterwards. Maken-ki, go do your job somewhere else and let me do mine!" Minori pushes us aside and closes the door behind us, waving with a big smile.

"Well, Senji-san, Inaho-san, I guess you haven't eaten yet, so go ahead, you can make your report after, then I'll tell your teacher. Same to you both." Furan turns to Yugi and Hanasaki. "Go and eat, then come and see us, okay?"
"Yes!"
"Okay."

"Senji-kun, Inaho-chan, good job. Now Sozoji-san, it's time to understand this situation." Said Yuuka, leading the suspect towards the Maken-ki office.

"And there it is again, Maken-ki has saved Kuoh from a great plot!" Inaho proudly announces.

"Thank you Inaho-san, Senji-san! You saved us!" Yugi bows before us, Hanasaki nods.

"No problem guys, but next time come straight to us if you have a problem okay?" Says Inaho.

"Yes, no problem! I wouldn't hesitate..." Yugi is interrupted by the gurgling of my stomach.

"...Um... Sorry..." I apologize, embarrassed.

"Fufufu... Looks like someone's hungry! Well let's go celebrate our success with a well-deserved meal!" Inaho takes my hand and heads for the canteen, closely followed by Yugi and Hanasaki.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

"Wow, this hospital is huge." I exclaim.

In the middle of the afternoon, we took a cab with Rain to a hospital. Where the Florist's daughter is.

"I was just as surprised when I finally found it. Now I just hope she'll be willing to listen to us..." Rain says.

I don't say anything, because I know she won't accept her father's death, which is perfectly normal, but announcing the death of a parent is the last thing you want to do, especially to the child. I nod to Rain, then we go inside and head for her room, only to meet a guy in a suit and tie with a small briefcase.

"Ah, there you are." Said Rain to the man.

"Well hello Rain, and Senji, it's an honor to meet you."

"And you are...?" I ask, but get stopped by Rain.

"No need to ask him, I hope it's the last time you'll see him."

(Wow... Rain really doesn't like this guy.)

"How cold, but it's expected of you." The man keeps smiling.

"Well, do you have the check?" She asks.

"Of course. Now if you don't mind, I'd rather go home alone."

"No problem, we'll come after you." I say.

The guy bows and approaches the door, knocks and enters leaving us alone in the large corridor.

"Um... Who's this guy?" I ask, still as confused as ever.

"..." Rain sighs. "I guess you have to at least know the basics. This guy's a banker and he founded a bank and insurance company specifically for Darwin's Game. That's where that check for his daughter came from."

"I see..."

(The game admin told me about it, so he's the one who also won an event...)

"Go away!" A child's voice is heard, screaming.

"Pfff... That was predictable." Rain mutters.

The door opens and the banker steps out.

"I'll leave you to it, take care of yourself!" He said as he closed the door.

"Did she send you out to graze?" Rain asks, straightening up.

"I gave her the check, don't worry! But I didn't get her signature."

"It doesn't matter, Hiragi had only asked me to make sure she got the insurance money." Rain explains.

"My company is impeccably reliable, come on! By the way, Senji, I've heard you want to start a clan. Don't hesitate to come to me if you want insurance for your clan."

"You're awfully well-informed!" Rain stands in front of me to defend me.

"Not as much as you!" He said as he passed us, walking away. "You're a promising young man, so I wish to maintain a friendly relationship with you! On that note..." Suddenly, he disappears.

"Huh, an interesting... character..." I mumble.

"He appears and disappears as he pleases." Rain explains. "His sigil, Marici's ghost, would make him a formidable opponent."

"Wait!"

Rain is walking towards the little girl's door when she suddenly steps out, running into Rain. I catch them both before they fall, saving Rain from falling on her still flat arm.

"Ouch..." Rain gasped in surprise.

"S...sorry! Are you okay?!" Asks the little girl.

She's dressed in what looks like pyjamas, with long black hair and brown eyes.

"Everything's fine, thanks Senji."

"Hm." I set them down, recovering from their emotions, then turn to the kid. "We'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

"My name is Suzune, what's yours?" She asks.

We're on the roof of the hospital, enjoying the view and the mild temperature.

"My name is Rain."

"Rain? That's so classy! It sounds like a foreign name!"

"Yes, well..." Rain is embarrassed.

"And I'm Senji, nice to meet you."

"Senji... Oh, that's a very old name! Cool! Nice to meet you!" She said with a big smile. "I'm sorry I pushed you, doesn't your arm hurt too much?"

"No, it's practically cured, and then Senji caught me so everything's fine."

"...I've just received a check from a stranger, so I ran out of my room to give it back to him! Do you think it's real or fake?" She asks, showing us the bill of 300,000,000 yen. "I think it's a bad joke... The guy said he was an insurance agent, but he looked super shady!"

"You should present this to your bank, you'll see. If it's genuine, it would be foolish not to cash it." I explain.

"This... this can't be real!" Her voice trembles and tears start to come out. "It can't be... because he said... it was Dad's life insurance money!"

We look at each other with Rain, not knowing what to say, but at the same time, we were expecting it.

"Listen..." Rain pulls a card from her pocket and holds it out to Suzune. "If you feel brave enough to learn the truth about your father, don't hesitate to contact me."

"Information Broker?" Suzune reads the card, confused. "Do you know what happened to my father?! Who the hell are you?!" She asks.

"A simple informant, they call me 'the analyst'. And he's my leader."

We leave, taking Suzune back to her room, then wait for the bus back to Fuyuki.

"Well, at least she got the check, that's something, now it's all up to her." Rain concluded.

"Do you think she'll contact us?" I ask.

"Frankly I don't know, on the one hand I want to respond to her father's requests, but on the other, engaging her in Darwin's game, whether indirectly or not, is not a responsibility I want to take on..."

"That's for sure."

"Well let's change the subject, you're going to stop at Danjo's boxing club aren't you? I hear your intensive training's going pretty well."

"Indeed, I was lucky enough to have a good teacher when I was little, so I'm just perfecting what I already know. Poor Inukai hasn't won once, he must be really angry with me."

"Good, you need to show them you're a reliable ally." I nod at her words. "And Ryuji? How's his hand?"

"It's... strange to see a hand reforming. normally he has a few days left before he starts rehab, in two weeks it should be good, a little less if it goes well."

"Ok and for the base, have you decided?"

"I'll leave that to Shuka and Sui. But it's going to be to Fuyuki, that's for sure."

"...Well, we're going to talk about something less pleasant now... The Eighth, I spotted them near Fuyuki, they should be here soon. If you want, we can find a place for you to hide and..."

"Thanks Rain but that won't be necessary. I'm tired of waiting, I just want to get it over with, the stress is eating me up and I'm sure he's doing it on purpose... But I can't run away, he's bound to take it out on those around me and if I'm not there to stop him..." I can't finish my sentence, biting my nails.

"You still think of others before yourself... But you're right. Don't forget, we'll get through this together. You're not alone, do you understand?"

"...Yes, I know, thank you."