Chapter 4

Emiya Residence

Shirou welcomed his new housemate, seeing the man return safely from his trip.

(Shirou): Curious "I take it your documents concerning your grades were misplaced at the office in Tokyo?"

(Abraham) Quickly recalls that the same would occur in Boruvia. "Fortunately it hadn't. It was a lost package."

He lifts up the packages Dio had his subordinates send, helping his ally have some defense against the strange priest: Kirei Kotomine.

Shirou then raises his eyebrow, noticing how heavy the packages were. He could sense that there was a lot more than just school documents in there. So, he decides to ask his new house mate a simple question.

(Shirou): "So, there's nothing special about them? These are just documents, yeah?"

(Abraham, internally): I swear if Enya somehow placed an arrowhead in there without Dio knowing...

(Abraham) Eyebrow raised "And sleep in the cold? There are clothes and a bit of equipment in there too."

Shirou smiles a bit as he hears about the clothes and equipment. But even then, this was way too much for a simple exchange student moving in. He decided to follow up with a more probing question so he could get a better idea as to what exactly was in those packages.

(Shirou): "Clothes and equipment, huh? What kind of equipment?"

(Abraham, internally): The Assassin's Creed Robes, fool...

(Abraham): trying to recall what Dio had offered him "Brother Brando had messaged me that I forgot some of my stuff in his garage. Not sure if there's a smith's shop in Fuyuki, but I know for sure that the forging process couldn't really be located in the city. It's small work, so I needn't bother looking far away for a little project I've been working on for over a month now."

Shirou nodded along as he listened to Abraham's explanations. It didn't make a lot of sense, but the fact that he was being very roundabout with his explanations was what put his guard up. So, he decided to follow up with another question.

(Shirou): "Forging, huh? What exactly were you working on?"

(Abraham, internally): Do not say explosive duckies, Do not say explosive duckies...

(Abraham): "Shirou, have you ever tried to make a remote device from raw material before?"

Shirou's eyebrow raises again. This seemed to make even less sense now. A remote device? What the hell was he even referring to?

(Shirou): "A... remote device? You mean like something that you can control remotely?"

Abraham nods in confirmation.

Shirou nodded back as he thought about this, but he was still very unsure about this. Something just felt off. Why would an exchange student need to make something like this in a foreign country?

(Shirou): "And what are you going to use this remote device for?"

(Abraham): Lightbulb idea arrives "I am in a strange land with basic understanding of the language. Wouldn't you want your personal remote device for the television?"

Shirou's eyebrow raises yet again. Huh. So that's what this whole thing was all about? Abraham was just gonna make a... remote for the TV?

(Shirou): "And you're carrying that much tools and equipment for just that?"

(Abraham): "My work is meticulous. A bit of dust gets in, and BOOM- electronics are ruined and you just wasted nearly ten times the hourly wage on that now useless remote."

Shirou just stared at him with slight disbelief. A remote for the TV was his main focus?

(Shirou): "Yeah, I get that. But really? This much stuff? You could have just bought a remote and called it a day for that. I'm assuming there's more stuff in those cases?"

(Abraham, internally): Dio better have sent over some snacks as well...

(Abraham): "Go ahead and look in it if you want."

Shirou's curiosity eventually gets the best of him, and he decides to take up the offer and peek into one of the cases. It shouldn't be THAT hard to find whatever this guy was planning to hide, right?

As he opened one of the cases, Shirou was expecting a lot of stuff for a remote device, possibly even an assembled one. But the case that he was looking at was actually only half filled with wires, circuit boards, and some pieces of metal parts.

Shirou frowned as he took a few steps back. There was no way in hell this was all for a remote device.

(Shirou): "I don't really have a strong understanding of electronics, but I don't think this is what's needed to make a remote for a TV. Are all of these cases filled just like this?"

(Abraham): Shrugs "Depends on how the trip went, really. Besides, knowing circuits is like knowing a language-you forget important things if you don't practice from time to time. I'm a guy who'd rather be over prepared than seen as a dumbass in the middle of the field."

Shirou still had a few reservations, but he couldn't deny that he understood where Abraham was coming from. There was nothing wrong with being thorough, particularly when it came down to this type of thing.

(Shirou): "Yeah, I can see why you think that way. But, there still seems to be a couple more cases, do they have the same thing or would it be different?"

(Abraham, internally): Now that I wish to know as well.

(Abraham): Wondering as he mutters to himself "He said something about Mr. Pucci needed me to hold onto these until he came to see me for them."

Abraham's explanation only raised more questions in Shirou's mind, especially in the mention of Pucci's involvement. As he was doing earlier, he decided to ask a simple question to try and get more explanations.

(Shirou): "Mr. Pucci is a friend of yours? What do these cases have to do with him exactly?"

(Abraham): "That guy is a priest in training. Right now he's getting prepared for enlightenment, so we might not see him for a while until he's been approved by God."

Shirou frowned at this explanation. The way he said this whole thing made it sound like Pucci was going to be a completely different person once he went through "enlightenment". He took a deep breath as he decided to continue with his questioning and follow up with another sentence.

(Shirou) "And what does he have to do with these cases?"

(Abraham): "Guy never told me. AND NO- You're not looking through those like Pandora's Box. These are his items, not mine. I agreed to take care of them because he's coming here in three months, but I'm not even sure he will be managing that, since he's quite charitable to his community and would probably end up late."

Shirou sighs as he understands this, and he decides to just not push it. After all, it was Pucci's things and he did seem to tell Abraham to keep them safe for him.

(Shirou): "Alright, alright, fair enough. Still not convinced they're all for a remote of all things."

(My guess would be that these are the Stand Discs Pucci was able to collect for me. If things get too much for me, I'll have to select one and hope for the best. His White Snake is the only one who can remove an unwanted stand afterwards.) Abraham thought to himself.

(Abraham): "The remote is an essential tool. I'll be making better things after that."]

Shirou thought about this for a bit before he nodded his head along with another shrug. He was definitely planning to check to see if this was true in the following days. But, for now, he decided to just leave it be.

(Shirou): "Alright. I'll take you at your word. How about we check the other cases?"

Opening the LAST of the cases, the two see it filled with notepapers and blank journals.

(Abraham): Glad "Finally! I NEEDED SOME OF THESE."
He grabbed the empty journal.

(Abraham): Annoyed at Shirou about to ask "I like writing down ideas. It helps keep my memories organized."

Shirou saw the case filled with many blank journals and some notepapers, and he was a bit curious as to what a man such as him would want with these. But he didn't want to push it too much, so he decided to ask a simple question instead.

(Shirou): "I see. But aren't those a bit too many? I'm assuming you're talking about ideas, not just any thoughts that pop up?"

(Abraham): "Brother Brando had ordered in bulk when they were on sale. We're a thrifty household, so I have to use what we have until he orders again."

Shirou nodded along as the man explained this. It made a lot of sense that he ordered those in bulk, being economical and all, considering his background. Besides, he was only an exchange student, so him being thrifty is a welcome trait indeed.

(Shirou): "Alright then, understood."

It seems like they've gone through everything, or at least he thinks so. Now that he didn't have any other reason to stay any longer, he could finally go do his usual activities and- he just remembered that he had a question.

(Shirou): "Hm, this might be a bit weird to ask, but is there anything that's off limits here for me besides your belongings?"

(Abraham): "Not including body in that sentence for some reason?" Abraham jokingly narrows his eyes and looks straight at the redhead.

Shirou looks at him for a few moments before he realizes that the man's teasing him again. He has to admit, his deadpan jokes were a bit funny. Maybe their relationship was off to a pretty great start.

(Shirou): "Huh, oh, right. I guess, aside from your actual body, there's nothing I can't do or touch, right?"

"Don't mess around with the food."
"Don't leave water on the ground."
"And for god sake, do not start an ignition without checking if there are sources of fire around."

"Hm?" Shirou was more confused than ever at the last sentence. What was that meant to be for specifically? Was this guy a rehabilitated pyromaniac? Although, the rest of the sentences made perfect sense to him. "I'm assuming all of these are from experience, then?"

(Abraham): "Brother Brando works with subordinates that fuck around. One of them likes to mess around with an electrical outlet, even if it's not connected to the circuit."

(Shirou): "Yikes. I bet that was a fun time."

Shirou could imagine someone getting hurt due to something like that. He then decided to crack a quick joke here before continuing the conversation.

(Shirou): "I'm assuming something like that was what made you this careful, huh? I take it you like to take preventative measures to make sure nobody gets hurt?"

(Abraham, internally): Bro, I am The Agent 47 of my world. I MAKE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

(Abraham): Nodding "Don't want regular people to get hurt, especially if they don't know what they're going into with their life choices."

(Shirou): "Hm, I see. I can respect that."

Shirou nodded back as he was thinking about this whole thing more. This guy always seems to keep himself under control despite being a bit too prepared for his own good, or so Shirou thought.

(Shirou): "And you've never gotten hurt in your line of work, right?"

(Abraham): groans "It's bound to happen when you're around idiots."

(Shirou): "That's pretty awesome, well not for the people that got harmed, obviously. I'm guessing you've lived through a lot of accidents. But, I have another question: Do you have any enemies?"

(Abraham, internally): Where did that come from?

(Abraham): leans closer and speaks in a lower tone "You have loan sharks after ya, kid?"

(Shirou): "Hmm...? Wha- No! It's nothing like that, I promise! I've never even borrowed money from anybody," Shirou says quickly as he shakes his head. "I'm just asking out of curiosity. I assume somebody as cautious as you has to have at least some enemies. I don't mean anything by this question, I'm just curious."

(Abraham): "The best thing you can do for now is stay aware of your surroundings, Shirou. That, and keep your mind calm. Anxiety can mess you up a lot if you don't."

Shirou could just feel the ominous tone coming from Abraham. He couldn't help but think that he had gotten this man wrong in that he was just a bit cautious. There was some kind of fear of something behind his eyes whenever Shirou asked anything related to enemies, or even danger.

(Shirou): "Got it. I'll remember that. Anything else I should keep in mind before I head out?"

(Abraham): "If you want to be happy...keep hold of your humanity, even if it's just a little. Brother Brando explained it to me once." He did not.

(Shirou): "Hm. I see. I guess that's something that a lot of people lose."

Shirou nodded along as he absorbed the words of wisdom. It's true, that's something a lot of people seem to forget: even with their immense powers, they were still human in the end, no matter how strong they became.

(Abraham): "When does school start?"

Shirou was caught off guard when he heard the random question, but he figured that's just how this guy is. He thinks he might just be joking here, but he decided to answer anyway.

(Shirou): "It starts tomorrow. Why did you ask?"

(Abraham): "The hour, not the date, kid."

Shirou felt his face turn red when the guy called him a kid yet again. He couldn't argue that maybe it was the truth, though. He was still far from being an adult.

(Shirou): "Oh, it starts around 8:45 am." He paused for a quick second to think about something. "Is there a reason why you're asking about this?"

(Abraham): "Best to make a positive impression."

(Shirou): "Hm. True, that's right." Shirou nodded along as he took this advice to heart. The impression that you have at first with other people is always key unless you really want to be alone all the time. Even then, you still need to interact with people to be fully functional in society.

"Thanks, again." Shirou gave the man a smile as a quick thank you before he began leaving.

The following morning

Shirou was up early. He took Abraham's advice to heart about always being aware of his surroundings and what could happen. He made sure to take a shower and eat a light breakfast before he left for school on time. It was almost a miracle that he didn't get lost on the way over, but he finally arrived at his school.

The building was big and almost intimidating, but he decided it was best to enter through the front doors to make a grand impression today.

(Abraham): "So this is where Taiga works? Homurahara Academy. Must be pretty high standard for all these equipment and buildings."

Shirou was looking around, taking in his surroundings. It really isn't an exaggeration when one says this was a high standard school; everything looked new from the halls to the equipment. It felt more like a mini-lab than it was a school. But with how advanced humanity had become, it wasn't surprising that these fancy high tech schools had become the norm.

He walked around the building, taking in his surroundings until he found himself in front of a staff room. Something in him was compelling him to enter it.

(Abraham): "Shirou, stick close. I need you to guide me."

(Shirou): "Huh?"

Shirou looked back at Abraham to see him following after him. He was actually surprised to see the guy following him to the staff room, as if the man couldn't be more subtle about wanting to be guided around the school.

(Shirou): "Sure, I guess I can be your guide..."

Shirou looked back at the staff room door, deciding to open it up and go inside.

Inside the room were the usual teachers, all busy at work. They were grading paperwork or doing other important activities, which made them unable to notice Shirou and Abraham entering. If it wasn't for Shirou's intuition of being looked at, he wouldn't have noticed that one of the teachers had their eyes on him for a quick moment before she went back to her work.

Shirou wasn't particularly bothered by this. He just felt a bit uncomfortable with the teacher's gaze on him for a moment; but he knew that it was probably nothing, just his paranoia getting to his head. He led the way to the front desk, where a familiar face caught his attention leaving Taiga's office booth.

Shirou and Abraham stopped for a moment when they saw the girl. Abraham felt like something seemed so familiar about her... and after a few seconds of looking at her, he couldn't help but notice one thing that caught his eye; she looked a lot like a girl he knew from his early teens. Same facial structure, the same hairstyle; but she looked so different from what he remembered... he wanted to ask, but Shirou confirmed it for him.

(Shirou):"That person there is Rin Tohsaka. I'd try to avoid messing with her if I were you."

Rin had left quickly, not knowing that she just passed the exchange student that Kirei wanted her to spy on at first, but a second glance backwards confirmed for her that she made the right choice on checking and switching her homeroom from Mr. Souichirou to Miss Fujimura.

(Abraham): In a good mood and tone "Good morning, Miss Fujimura. I take it that you'll be starting homeroom soon?"

Taiga quickly looked up and smiled at both of them when she heard his question. She looked pleased by the fact that Shirou came by with a friend, and they even gave her a warm smile.

(Taiga): "You're right, Mr...?"

Abraham remembered that he hadn't introduced himself beforehand. He gave a smile as he politely introduced himself.

"I'm Abraham. Abraham Ruel. I'm spending my stay in Japan at Shirou's house. Unfortunately, I believe I couldn't introduce myself to you earlier in the weekend because I had to run errands. Your grandfather Raiga explained that you'd be helping out if we need anything particularly school related."

With Abraham's explanation, Taiga's smile came back to her face as the pieces started to fall into place.

She seemed to be much more comfortable around the young man now. She felt a sudden rush of relief flow through her veins as she felt a lot less anxious now that she remembered this guy was going to be around. She quickly gave a polite smile as she gave Abraham the benefit of the doubt in this scenario.

Abraham also smiled back. He felt quite at ease around the woman, and he could feel his body calming down now that she accepted him. He figured it was the perfect time for him to ask something.

(Abraham): "Also, I have another question to ask."

(Taiga): "Sure, go ahead."

Taiga replied with a soft smile as she prepared to hear his question. She had a feeling that it was something that would be personal, but that was not enough to stop her from politely listening to him.

(Abraham): "When are you planning on going to the home room?"

Abraham politely asked the question to Taiga who just gave him a puzzled look. Taiga felt confused by the sudden change in topic, and was beginning to look confused.

She seemed to be taken back by the abrupt question, and wasn't sure what the true motive was behind it.

(Taiga): "Um... it's at... 8:45 am,"

She answered with a bit of apprehension in her voice. She was wondering why he was suddenly asking about this out of nowhere.

Taiga looks at the clock, seeing it is 9 am.

She then let out a small sigh, as she felt a small amount of annoyance with how Abraham suddenly decided to remind her about this when she was still doing paperwork. However, it wouldn't be fair of her to just lash it onto him, so instead, she chose to calmly respond.

(Taiga): "Oh, we better get going now."

(Abraham): "Alright. We'll be leaving as well. Since I'm getting introduced today, you might as well use me as your excuse for the teacher being in their office. Isn't that fair enough for you as well as my roommate, Shirou?"

Shirou thought about this for a moment before he gave a reluctant nod in response. He figured using Abraham as his excuse for being in the staff room would be a good coverup for him. It's not like anybody could deny Abraham's claim, anyways.

(Shirou): "Sure... that could work out. Just follow me."

Abraham nodded, and began to follow Shirou as they crossed the staff room to the exit, where the homeroom was. He followed Shirou's pace as they walked with purpose, making their way to class. Once they got to the door, Shirou grabbed the knob with his left hand and opened the door, letting him and Abraham inside.

They walked inside the class for homeroom. The class was beginning to slowly come to life as more and more students came inside and began finding their seats. Some kids, mostly the more popular ones, were already chatting and laughing with one another, making the class seem more alive and energetic. As Shirou and Abraham entered, most of them turned to look at the two of them.

Shirou looked over at his housemate, noticing as he looked over the seated students. It wasn't until he looked in a certain direction that he seemed to have a tell go off. One that a vast majority (99.9% because you can't kill all bacteria) would never notice if they didn't spend time around him.

(Taiga Fujimura): Commanding "Settle down, students. Today we have a newcomer to the school. I know the semester began last week, but he was a late arrival and the paperwork got lost in the system."

With how confidently Taiga announced the arrival of a new student to the class, most of the students seemed to listen and settle down for a moment. While they were no longer talking and moving around, they were still whispering to one another; and with the sudden announcement, their voices increased exponentially. And while everyone, especially Shirou and Abraham, could hear them whispering amongst one another, one person was listening carefully to the whispers.

The whispers continued on, and despite how quiet it was compared to the usual boisterous atmosphere of any classroom, it was still loud enough for Shirou and Abraham to notice. Even Taiga had noticed the whispers, though she didn't mind too much. All she could hear were kids gossiping among themselves; and while they weren't as loud as usual, the sheer volume of them made it impossible to make up what they were saying.

However, Abraham had trained himself over the many years and information he collected. His Wild Sense enhanced his senses to the point of intuitive cognition, and at times let him concentrate on certain things.

Right now, he was attempting to focus on a person that caught his eye. The familiar face that he thought he'd never see again.

But for the guy who tutored her all those years ago, there was no denying those familiar ribbons on her twin tails.

Abraham's attention was suddenly focused on a person he could sense from a crowd; and based on what he saw, he quickly felt a wave of nostalgia flow through his heart. He saw a familiar face among the crowd, someone he taught a long time ago. He couldn't deny the existence of those familiar ribbons on the girl's pigtails; that alone was enough to prove that it was her. He seemed to be in disbelief when seeing this person, almost unable to believe it was real.

The girl was surrounded by fellow students, who made it difficult for him to see his old student properly. It seems like the girl was talking with them for a moment, but there was no way for Abraham to hear what they were talking about. All he could do was watch the girl from afar, as he couldn't let it slip that he recognized her. Otherwise, they'd question him on how and why he knew her; and he couldn't give an answer that wouldn't raise their suspicions.

While Abraham was focusing on a student he recognized, Shirou was also hearing the whispering of people. With how they were whispering, Shirou didn't even need to listen to them to know they were gossiping in circles, trying to figure out who the new student was. However, none of them could figure out the real answer to their questions; but their whispering was more than enough to catch Shirou's attention.

Shirou could feel himself start to get irritated, and with each and every time that people started whispering, it only served to increase his annoyance. Despite the fact that they weren't disturbing the rest of their peers, their whispering was doing a pretty good job of disturbing him. And eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

Shirou excused himself, knowing that he didn't need to start a fight as those rumors were simply affecting a person's reputation. And that reputation was someone who didn't need to be protected by others. He just didn't like how they were all focusing on Tohsaka, who had switched to their homeroom so suddenly.

Lunch time

The homeroom session eventually came to an end, and with that, everyone was now allowed to go outside for lunch. The students started making their way out of the room, and as soon as they left, they immediately began to chatter amongst one another, some in small talk and some gossiping on different subjects about random topics. Most of these students were from different clubs, as some were from the photography club, the tennis club, the fencing club, etc.

This was when one of Shirou's friends, Issei Ryuuduo, decided to come over from his own homeroom.

The people began to scatter as they made their ways towards different locations to eat. Shirou could notice his friend Issei approaching him with a small smile.

Abraham was also watching, seeing as the lunch was pretty much already starting. He was curious to see how Shirou's friends dealt with him being in a new school.

Issei was close to Shirou now, and he took his chance to introduce himself once more.

(Issei): "Hey, you must be the new guy they were talking about. Nice to meet you."

(Abraham): Calm exterior, hawk-like observation dropped "The same to you. Ryuuduo. Would that happen to be the same as the Ryuudou Temple in the mountains?"

Issei seemed a bit taken aback at how straightforward Abraham was, and was slightly impressed with his observation skills.

(Issei): "Yeah... it is. You could say that I'm of the same bloodline as the temple that was built there. I'm actually a martial arts practitioner myself, my ancestors specialized and honed their martial arts over generations."

(Abraham, internally): Best to know if there are any differences in this world that I can improve myself with.

(Abraham): Respectful tone "Quite a shame that modernization causes us to push away from our roots. Pretty soon, people will specialize too much into roles humans don't interact with nature."

Issei nodded in agreement, finding the words Abraham was speaking to be quite understandable. He did have to agree with the guy's stance on the topic of modernization, as he believed that people should always learn to take care of nature despite the vast changes and technological advances over the years.

(Issei): "Indeed. Nature has given us so much already, and to just push away from it and ignore it... it's a bad thing, that's for sure. We should always remember the roots that helped us grow into what we are now."

Abraham was quite pleased with what he heard. He was glad to find someone who was on the same wavelength as him. But he remained calm and collected, and didn't seem to make his excitement visible. Instead, he just kept the smile on his face, as he was curious to see how everything would come out in the end.

After the brief moment, Issei seemed pretty relaxed, as he kept a friendly smile on his face as he kept talking to Abraham.

(Issei): "So, you're into martial arts, huh? That's really cool. I'm pretty interested in martial arts myself; it's something I've been trying to start off on recently. What kind of martial arts do you primarily specialize in?"

(Abraham): Dryly "It's a mix, but I tend to include Kickboxing, Panantukan, Krav Maga, Eskrima, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Ninjitsu, Karate, Boxing, Pencak Silat, Wing Chun, Judo, Taekwondo, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do."

He looks at the two boys' reactions

(Abraham): "I'm not lying here."

With each new martial art that Abraham had mentioned, Issei was beginning to feel more and more impressed at the variety of martial arts that the guy knew and could use. He couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for the man. And the more impressed he got, the more Issei's smile grew. While Abraham was calm and collected, there was no doubt that he could see Issei's excitement.

(Abraham): Jokingly "Try blocking bricks tied on ropes swung at you. The reflexes will improve, and all you'll need from there is study the positions. I'm pretty sure that guy over there would have done something similar, considering how confident he seems, being a player and all that." He pointed at Shinji Matou who was next to some girls.

Issei chuckled at this, as he could tell that it was just a simple joke. Everyone in school actually knew how the guy had an open crush on Tohsaka, and he was always with other girls because he couldn't be with her, so it was alright for the new student to mistake Shinji's enjoyment at seeing Tohsaka moving into their homeroom as confidence. But besides that, there was a good chance he'd try Abraham's advice out anyways, so he nodded in agreement before speaking back.

(Issei): "Oh, I'll definitely try that out. I always love trying to push my limits, especially when it comes to martial arts. I've always seen it as a way of self-improvement, and just growing better overall. And it's not bad to learn new skills, anyways."

Abraham could see Issey was agreeing with the advice he provided him with, and he was content with that. It was satisfying to see that someone actually took his advice seriously, and was actively interested in it. Abraham also decided to speak up one more time, and this time, he wanted to get to know the guy better.

(Issei): "You seem to know your stuff when it comes to martial arts, huh? Are you interested in self-defense? Or maybe competing?"

(Abraham, internally): I use them to knockout any potential witnesses.

(Abraham): Smiles "More on the competitive side, but in terms of body condition. The practice is good to stimulate your muscles."

(Issei): "Ah, I get what you mean. It's not every day you see someone who actually trains to get his muscles pumping. People are usually just fine with doing light exercise from time to time, but to train your muscles with intense work in order to get yourself in even better condition? That takes dedication."

Rin is currently dealing with a lot of pressure from many different sides: rumors and expectations about her being the perfect person, Abraham's sudden arrival, and now being asked by Kirei to watch him every day and report back with anything she finds. These various issues she faces are causing her a lot of stress, especially as the Holy Grail War gets closer. She is currently trying to find a way to deal with all of this, but seems to have no luck.

(Rin, internally): Why did it have to be now that he chooses to tell me?
She recalled that Kirei told her the grail was gathering energy much faster than the pace it normally had, and that he had noticed this 3 months ago. Now he had told her about this, and only after a strange boy was in Fuyuki, possibly looking to survey the city as his manner of preparing for the HGW.

Then there were the rumors, with some of them getting into topics she thought people wouldn't dare touch unless their enemy struck first. Someone had been saying that she was secretly bi.

SO UNTRUE.

Rin would be thinking to herself about all of this and how she was trying to deal with it all. She would recall her meeting with Kirei and how he stated that the Holy Grail was gathering power much faster than usual, likely meaning that they were entering the 5th Holy Grail War very soon, perhaps even sooner than it usually does. That would only add to the stress given how she is barely given a moment of relaxation in between all of these issues.

She would also recall the rumors surrounding her, with the most recent one possibly being the most controversial: that she might be bisexual. This one is obviously a lie that Shinji came up with to start a scandal, but even so… it is something that she would feel pretty angry that someone would say or even assume about her had Shinji not begun it anyways. She would feel rather insulted by that assumption.

And lastly, she would think about Abraham and how he suddenly came to the Fuyuki district, with Kirei being in an annoying uproar over the fact that the mysterious boy has suddenly arrived in Japan and has a strange aura to him. She would feel rather anxious about Abraham, not knowing what to make of him given how most of his behavior has been sarcastic and intimidating.

She would feel rather anxious about her current situation as all of the various problems were piling up and seemed to only be getting worse. She would begin to wonder if there was any way to find peace or at least reduce the stress she was feeling after having to deal with it for a month now. As she felt herself starting to crack under the pressure, she would decide to seek help.

At the moment she decided to not volunteer to help out for today, she noticed that the new student was in a lone classroom, seemingly writing things down into a notebook he had. From time to time, he'd pause, tap the side of his head like a stereotypical writer, then return back to his work.

A rather strange discovery to see that after a week in school she found that he wasn't all about masculinity culture, but Rin didn't think it was of much note to stay in the school watching him. This was probably a cover for his true intentions; he'd drop it later by accident, and then he'll be caught red-handed by her.

Rin would note the strange manner in which Abraham behaved, finding his actions to be rather perplexing. The fact that he would tap the side of his head every so often and that he would write things down very meticulously was something that caught her attention. However, due to what happened the previous day with the student council request, she felt no desire in sticking around to see if anything happened. Still, she decided to walk past him and see if anything notable was happening in that room.

Feeling another presence nearby, Abraham's Wild Sense kicked in, letting him know who it was, what they were doing, and how far they were from him. He almost faltered upon noticing that it was this Rin doppelganger, but he kept himself cool, and continued with his hobby of removing unnecessary memories from his current body through a combination of Braille and Morse code along with further converting it to Base47 encoding.

Rin would stop right outside of the room, looking through the glass of the room as she observed Abraham's odd actions. He did catch her presence, but still seemed to act pretty calm about the whole thing. She found it a bit strange that he was just calmly writing things down, and seemed to be doing that quite religiously, doing it every few moments.

Abraham would feel her eyes on him through the glass. He would stay silent for a few moments, wondering if he should just continue with his writing, or say something to her. After a moment of debate, he would decide to look back at her with a slight raise of his head before turning back to his notebook.

(Abraham): Genuinely joyful mood "Would you be interested in helping me out here?"

Abraham's words would slightly catch her off-guard, causing her to blink twice before answering.

(Rin): "H-huh? Me? What do you need my help for?"

(Abraham): "I'm trying to write a novel, but the plot is getting away from me. I have too many ideas, and not enough structure to make a coherent path from start to end."

(Rin): "That... is a problem. I can help you, sure, but... how do I not know that you're going to steal my ideas? I... would like you to give me some reassurance to believe you."

(Abraham): Happy "Sure. I can give you a sample of my own work so far if you want to judge if I can be trusted or not."

(Rin): "Sure, that's acceptable to me. I won't say no to reading a part of your work, it'll give me an idea of your general writing style and skill level."

(Abraham): Casually begins with a synapse: "My novel is currently having one of my protagonists being sent to a foreign interdimensional universe, and just as he's about to return home, he'll be pulled into a timeline similar to his past, but it's a Herald War."

Rin would raise her eyebrow, intrigued by that plot. Even though it sounded a bit far-fetched, it sounded rather intriguing. The idea of an interdimensional universe and the main character going between different timelines reminded her of the multiverse, with a similar concept to the Holy Grail War. It was different enough, but it was still something that got her attention as it could probably be a hint as to whether he was a spy on reconnaissance or simply just wrote a concept that overlapped with the Servants and the Grail.

(Abraham): Continues after a small break to see if she had questions "The overall fight is that humanity was nearing extinction, so they placed some colonies into a simulated universe in order to survive. The machine is called the "Akashic Records" but after a while of existing inside of it, the humans forget that this isn't the real world.

One colony had decided long ago to try to escape the Simulated Universe by using technology in case they forgot. Of the AI created by their technology, one had "evolved" to the point that the colony had exiled it to survive, and that AI now lives on the planet of my protagonists.

If you are interested in knowing more of the concept, just ask."

Rin is definitely interested in this concept, as most of it sounded pretty much completely alien to her but somehow realistic at the same time. It sounded like something from a sci-fi dystopian novel, with so many layers of plots and subplots to look into.

She would feel a bit awkward about asking for more details, so she did so cautiously.

(Rin): "I..." She pauses for a moment. "Could you possibly explain the situation of the AI you mentioned a bit more?"

Abraham's eyebrows rise. So she caught onto that...Seems like he was doing well with leaving messages in the work, unlike his first timeline where they immediately imprisoned him for knowing too much.

(Abraham): "Sure. There's a space colony of humans that decided they don't want to risk extinction, even in the simulated universe, so instead of rebuilding the world they used to live in there, they decide to explore and archive every one of their findings. They're essentially historians of existence, and since their understanding of how humanity works is rather cynical, they decide to make systems and AIs in order to prevent loss of valuable information, like the fact they originally came from outside of this universe. Unfortunately, all it takes is one mistake in the coding, and one of the AIs goes rogue, deciding to go further beyond its purpose for existing as part of the system in place, and decides on its own to save humanity by helping them escape the imprisonment in the simulation. Unfortunately, this means that it will be extremely Utilitarian, so it lacks the human touch of ethics, and when the Space Colony finds out about it, they are nearly wiped out, but get lucky and exile the rogue AI, where it then "unfortunately" lands on the planet the rest of the humans are not living on, and it has been manipulating catastrophic events since its arrival. My protagonists are all affected by it, but I have one in particular that fights against this AI the most directly."

Her eyes would widen with shock; she was already curious about this work, but now she was even more interested in it. The idea of an AI that has been manipulating events throughout history, with the goal of helping humanity achieve freedom from a simulated universe, even if it was through questionable means. It still sounded rather insane even when you put it that way, but it was fascinating to say the least

(Rin): "W-who is that one particular protagonist that will fight against it the most...?"

(Abraham): "His name is Darryl Galapos. He's a guy who was very unfortunate in crossing paths with the AI, and has since been a target of interest for its plans to complete its objective. The man has powers given to him by the higher dimensional beings, which in my novel with how everything is designed, are basically computer programs that a Supercomputer uses for the simulations humanity had been using ages ago."

Rin would raise her eyebrow once again at the sudden mentioning of super-powered protagonists, and their connection to higher dimensional beings.

(Rin): "Really...? He sounds rather powerful from what you've just described him to be. And these so-called 'higher dimensional beings', are they like a version of "gods"? Do they have a special role in your story?"

(Abraham): "Yeah, but unfortunately as they are working as a system that is unknown to the rest of humanity, and the Space Colony Humans probably had little information on that system anyway, it will be working for a set finite amount of loops until someone reprogram another set of loops for the simulation to continue existing. The scary part about them is that they work like a firewall in a computer: should something foreign to the system be found, it will be exterminated. If a simulation has lost all signs of civilization being capable of growth, extermination. Utopia reached? Archive the path taken to reach that, then extermination. These erasures are done in order to save resources, as there won't be any more being added to the system as most of the humans outside of it won't be able to do that, or dont know that there are humans surviving inside of it. That's why the Space Colonists made the AIs, so that they, the survivors, wouldn't accidentally erase themselves."

(Rin): "Okay, wait, hold up, you mentioned time looping, and that there are limited amounts of time before the simulation starts purging itself for being too perfect or too broken. I understand the concepts of limited resources and space in a simulation, but why would they set it to destroy itself when it reaches either extreme? Why not just... pause it once the simulation has reached one of those points?"

Abraham looks directly at Rin, as if trying to tell her that she's missing an obvious element here.

(Abraham): "When a system overheats, it begins malfunctioning. The same goes for motors, and the same goes for humans in real life. It's why heat stroke is a rather dangerous condition."

Rin's mind suddenly gets hit with that realization, as her eyes widen with shock and she immediately goes wide-eyed.

(Rin): "Heatstroke? Overheating? You're talking about heat generated by the computer system, right? So... wait... are you saying that they're setting the simulation to destroy itself once it gets too heated from overuse, and this is to prevent it from malfunctioning...?"

Abraham nods, glad to see that the girl understands the hidden passive threat in the story.

Rin was definitely shocked by this realization. She thought herself to be pretty smart, but she clearly wasn't bright enough to see the threat until Abraham laid it out for her in simple words. She was a bit embarrassed that she missed something so trivial, but it's better that she knows it now than later.

(Rin): "Right... so, to sum it up, unless someone comes up with another way for the system to continue existing, it will basically purge itself to prevent system malfunction, am I correct? You mentioned loops, were those supposed to be resets or something else?"

Abraham thought about it for a while, attempting to remember what Jikanna (Lady Time) had informed him about this particular issue. Loops were pathways that weren't part of the universe's main flow. If he were to describe it, then it'd be what allows him to send things through time.

(Abraham): Smiles as he gave her the answer "Loops are a representation of the free flow of time. In physics, time only moves in a single direction: Organized to Chaotic. With the loops included, things are allowed to be sent to the future, or the past, but such a transfer will cost a lot of energy if accessed by brute-force mechanics."

Rin would raise her eyebrow once again, this time being intrigued by the usage of physics in Abraham's explanation.

(Rin): "Wait, so you're telling me that you use real-life physics concepts to justify the way your story's world works... as well as certain aspects of the story's plot?" She raises her eyebrow. "Huh... not a lot of people I've seen before do that. So, just to clarify, are the whole higher dimensional beings that operate the simulation connected to those loops?"

(Abraham): "They wouldn't. Then they'd be part of the simulated universe, bound to a disposable product of the system. That'd be like the stupidity of patching a hole on your airline while underwater."

Rin chuckles at that analogy, as it was quite a hilarious one.

(Rin): "Indeed, that would be utterly ridiculous. You mentioned that the higher dimensional beings were pretty much computer programs, or at least worked like one, which makes sense. I'm guessing the loops you mentioned are the connections that these programs use to connect with the simulation and make changes to it?"

(Abraham): "I suppose that is one way they can edit the simulation..."

He then wondered if he had gotten Rin interested in working together.

(Abraham): Subtle Charismatic tone "So... Would you be interested in helping me, Miss Tohsaka?"

Rin would be confused by the sudden change of Abraham's tone; it was a pretty charismatic one at that. For a moment, her heart thumped faster and she felt a bit flustered.

(Rin): "Help you... with what? Your novel?"

(Abraham): "Yes. I'm still working out the details of connecting the important events from start to finish, and I dislike In media res storytelling. It becomes unorganized trying to make it like that, so I would like to avoid that."

Rin was once again intrigued by the idea, as she usually found that she wasn't really good with coming up with the structure of the story itself; she was much better at writing things in-between and adding details in the descriptions. It was the actual structure that was her weakness.

(Rin): "Do... you already have a list of all the important details and plot points in the story? And it's just the connection that's troubling you, or are you looking for someone to add additional details as well?"

Abraham noticed how Rin had been navigating through school, seeing the girl having social skills that were developed through forced experience of trial and error, so he understood that this version of his friend was just as confident in her courage to face problems she'd encounter. He liked that this world's Rin was similar to his late friend, so he decided to test her a bit before settling for a role.

(Abraham): "A bit of both, actually. I'm willing to add details to the novel so as to make it more exciting or light hearted; you wouldn't want to read a gloom-and-doom styled book...unless you were goth, and I'd prefer we proofread each other's first drafts when possible. What do you say?"

His invitation was quite enticing for someone as insecure about their writing as Rin. Having someone to review her first drafts was something she wouldn't mind at all, and the idea of collaborating and writing a story together really caught her curiosity, especially if he was going to make her write lighter and happier things than usual. That thought alone made her feel rather giddy with excitement.

(Rin): "I... would definitely love to give it a try. I've been wanting to write something that isn't so... bleak. So I see no reason to say no. I accept."

After returning from school, having made an agreement with Rin from Dio's world, Abraham decided that it might be best to contact his ally and get some direct instructions while he was away from Shirou and anyone who might be interacting with him multiple times a week. That being said, he dialed the direct line to Dio.

~Ring~ ~Ring~

(Dio Brando): "Has there been a development?"

(Abraham): "No, but I did manage to get Holly Kujo to trust me and forward my message to Joseph. Remember, Brother, that in order to do this successfully, I'd have to be backed by someone Joseph appreciates in his life. Unfortunately, and fortunately as well, it appears I'm invited to the Kujo household once again. It seems Holly has been enticed by how I behaved, which seems to be a double-edged sword on my end."

Dio would sit down on a comfortable chair in his mansion and fold his arms as he listened to Abraham's update. His connection with Joseph Joestar had already been revealed to him, so that's why he understood what his ally meant by "being trusted".

(Dio): "...so, you managed to convince Miss Holly that you were trust-worthy. Impressive..." Dio chuckled for a moment, feeling amused at how this is going for Abraham.

(Abraham): A bit annoyed "Well she seemed charmed by me, going as far as to ask me some personal questions. I think she even got it in her head that she wanted to know a bit more of my romantic life... which is rather non-existent prior to arriving in your world. I was almost alarmed by how forward she was behaving-almost like she was attempting something risqué. I was fortunate that her son interrupted before she could get anywhere peculiar that I could not escape from the last time."

Once again, Dio chuckled as he listened to the details of Abraham's encounter with Holly.

(Dio): "Really now, it seemed like she wanted to make a move on you? That's hilarious. Seems that woman was quite forward for her age. I wonder where she got that trait from..."

(Abraham): Sighs "Despite her being a kind and mellow individual, she still has Joestar Blood. You had told me that Jonathan was the same, although he would have been more rough, seeing as the man lacked the feminine touch a mother would have guided him with when growing up."

(Dio): "Indeed, he was quite stubborn and relentless, which is why he was such a threat to the plan. But don't let your guard down simply because she's more feminine than him; remember, Joseph Joestar used his wit and charm to get on Lisa Lisa's good side, and he was able to convince a woman not only older than him, but who also knew and hated vampires due to her heritage. Remember what I told you; women can be easily manipulated when you know how to play with their feelings and desires."

Abraham thought about what he observed on the first visit. It would appear that Holly was lacking the love she desired from her husband. As such, she compensated it by being extra motherly with her son, and yet from the pictures she had of the young Jotaro and the discrepancy of how the young man behaved in their first encounter, it seemed she would begin to be lacking that too.

(Abraham): Sighs "FUCK MY LIFE... My mother was always pushy with how she wanted me to give her gestures of love with hugs and kisses. Now I have to behave like a son to Holly if I'm to succeed."

(Dio): He was amused at his ally's complaints "Well, that is unfortunate. Still though, don't fret. You can still manage her with ease, as it seems her husband is quite the absent and neglectful figure. She only acts motherly towards her son because she's lonely. If you simply fill in the empty space as a friend, she should open up to you just fine. You may have to play the part of a son, but that's just for a short period of time. Just take my advice and act accordingly."

(Abraham): "Well at least I'm not having a damn affair with the woman. She almost gave those types of feelings until I mentioned my late friend."

(Dio): "Indeed. It would have been disastrous had you made a mistake like that just because she attempted to get friendly and flirty with you. I understand that you have your own personal issues with women, but you have to know that, by playing that role of her favorite son, you could easily influence her opinion of you and make it favorable. If you're able to please her, she might as well talk great things about you to Joseph. And that, my friend, would be a great step forward."

Abraham agreed with that assessment. He then thought about the packages he picked up that were sent from Dio, and wondered when backup would arrive to help him with the Kirei issue.

(Abraham): In a serious tone "I take it Pucci sent one of the packages for my safety while he's gathering intel on Kirei Kotomine? What else was sent over, because my roommate was being too obnoxious with his curiosity on what was in the packages."

(Dio): "Ah, indeed he did. I believe one of the packages is meant to aid in your fight against Kotomine, and the other is just some other information regarding other potential enemies or threats. I would say that you should try and hide the contents of the packages so that you won't have to worry about your roommate being nosy; although I'm curious, how did he manage to become so curious about the packages? Was he trying to open one of them?"

(Abraham): "He kept asking me questions, why I went to Tokyo, why I had so many packages, what was in them, etc... If the place had some sort of basement lab or something to hide the equipment I'm going to build, that'd be great, but unfortunately this place is more of a safe house than it is a fortress. If only there was a way to hide my gear while remaining incognito."

(Dio): "Hmm... it's certainly unfortunate. It seems that your roommate is quite astute as well. Still, I do advise that you find a way to conceal the packages you received; it'd be bad if he managed to open one of them, even if he ends up doing nothing about it. Maybe you can find a hiding spot elsewhere close to your room so that you can keep a watchful eye over them and your experiments."

(Abraham): Sombre "Yeah, it'd be bad if he opens one of the packages and gets his hands on one of the Stand Discs."

Abraham then thought about the allies he would be working with that Dio sent.

(Abraham): "About my backup, will they be sticking around Fuyuki or waiting to meet with me? I don't want to bring too much attention to me, and I'd prefer they are socially astute, unlike how Vanilla Ice behaves when your name is mentioned. I understand that one of them is in Tokyo, so I can meet them the next time I head over to see Holly."

(Dio): "The allies I sent you to support would be arriving at Fuyuki, although they're not the... most social people there are. One of them, in particular, is actually quite an oddity when it comes to his personality, so I'll let you decide on whether you find him amusing or annoying when you meet them. Still, they are allies you can depend on and trust completely, so I wouldn't worry too much about your own well-being around them."

As Abraham returned to the Emiya residence, he noticed an extra set of shoes at the entrance. A woman's shoes, which he noticed wouldn't have been Taiga Fujimura's as the design was not comfortably made for sports.

Entering the house, he could clearly smell and hear the sounds of cooking, and looking into the kitchen, he saw Shirou doing the work, whilst another person was assisting said boy who was technically still recovering from his sports injury.

This girl had deep purplish hair, but Abraham could tell by her facial features... that this was Sakura Tohsaka, the younger sister that Rin's father had given to the Matou family. If she was also a copy of his own world...this Sakura had also experienced that horrible life that Zouken Matou forced upon her.

He needed to remain calm, then act when he had time to do what he must.

(Abraham): Casual mood "So, Shirou... I wasn't aware we had a guest coming over. I should have prepared something for them."

He slightly smiles over to the girl, making sure not to come off too heavy and scare her with his directness.

(Abraham): "I take it that my roommate did mention my stay in his home, miss-?"

The purple-haired girl, having heard Abraham's question, simply responded with a slight bow of her head while answering back calmly with a soft voice.

(Sakura): "My name is Sakura Toh- er... Matou. My name is Sakura Matou. I'm here to assist young senpai in the household."
She looks away in embarrassment, as she remembers about her last name, as Abraham can sense a slight bit of regret in her voice as she spoke it.

Abraham could understand where the girl was coming from, noticing the slight mistake that she made in her identity. He had done the same the first time, when he was still new to faking his death and living under his multiple Aliases.

(Abraham): Warmly "Well then, Sakura. I trust that Shirou did his best as a gentleman and not leave all the work to you, correct?"

Having sensed Abraham's warm and calm attitude towards her, Sakura seemed to be starting to feel a little comfortable being in the presence of him, or at least not being afraid when he's around. She simply gave him a simple nod of her head and gave a slight smile to answer his question.

(Sakura): "Oh, yes! Shiro does his best to help me with the housework. However, I also would like to make sure that everything is set in order if he ever needs anything."

While the atmosphere in the kitchen was overall pleasant, Sakura seemed to be hiding something behind her smile and her cheerful tone of voice towards Abraham. It seems like she had a lot of things behind the happy face she was trying to show him. Perhaps it was a slight bit of discomfort being at the Emiya residence due to Sakura's situation with her "family", or perhaps something else.

Later that day, after Sakura had noticed that she couldn't remain much longer with them, she gave the two boys notice of her leave, then returned to her family. She didn't want Zouken to punish her.

This left Abraham the opportunity to probe Shirou after he was sure it was only the two of them.

(Abraham): Serious tone "How long have you known her?"

Abraham's sudden change in tone towards Shirou definitely caught him off-guard. After the departure of Sakura, the two were left alone with each other once more, and Abraham was back to acting the way he was when he originally arrived at the Emiya residence. Shirou, for his part, was confused by the sudden question Abraham had given him, especially given the sudden sharp shift in attitude.

(Shirou): "You are referring to Sakura, correct?"

Abraham nodded.

He was attempting to guide Shirou away from his unrealistic dream, as Raiga Fujimura had asked him to when they had been discussing his stay in Fuyuki, and he was for damn sure not to let that Yakuza feel as if he was bamboozled.

(Shirou): "I've known her since we were in elementary school. I've always wanted to see her smile ever since we were kids, although it's somewhat rare for her to do so. I don't really know why; but she just seemed to change once she entered middle school. Now, it's almost impossible for her to give a smile at all; it's like she's lost all hope and joy."

Abraham thought to himself, knowing that he needed to change his perspective and see it from Shirou's view. The girl was putting up a mask, she was a child back then, so no abuse could have been done, but as a person grows up, they start to understand the horror of the possible consequences. The kid did not know this. In fact, he had no idea of the vast amount of information he lacked. And middle school would have been a ripe time to make Sakura submissive to Zouken's will. It would probably go horribly wrong if he revealed this to Shirou so soon.

(Abraham): Assertive tone "Remain her friend. You are a constant in her life that she can depend on. Eventually she'll open up."

Then, to lighten up the mood, Abraham cheerfully revealed to Shirou what happened after school ended that day.

(Abraham): "So I believe I have an assistant for my writings now."

(Shirou): Curious "Oh? So you're making friends this fast? Who would it happen to be?"

(Abraham): Smirking "Indeed I am, and I was surprised to find that she was interested in doing it as well. And who else would this mysterious figure be but the Tsundere Queen herself, Tohsaka Rin?~"

(Shirou): Surprised "Huh? You managed to become friends with Rin? But I thought that she was always so cold and distant towards others, especially towards strangers?"

Abraham quickly looked back into his memories, removing the rose-tint glasses of nostalgia that he may have seen his memories of his first time meeting Rin when he was tutoring her in his world.

(Abraham): Casually deflects Shirou's claim "That may be the case, but I caught her observing me, and after I made it known that I could tell she was around, my offer to have her help me may have been accepted in order to sooth her little spying rudeness. She's a person with pride, so of course she'd accept a method to sooth her ego. Noblesse Oblige and all that."

(Shirou): "Hm, I can see that being an effective way to get her to accept being an assistant of yours. But I'm more interested in seeing how she would deal with someone like you. You're quite eccentric and full of yourself sometimes, so I don't think she would have the same sort of tolerance she has with most other people."

(Abraham, internally): Boy. You are lucky you aren't one of my enemy targets.

(Abraham): Mood drops in fake hurt pride "We'll see if it was meant to be..."

(Shirou): "Hm, I guess I see your point about that. The two of your personalities are actually quite different from one another; in fact, the contrast is almost extreme enough to see both of you as completely different people. It should be quite interesting to see how she interacts with you in your more... eccentric moods, especially since it's going to be so different from her normal, Tsundere self."

(Abraham, internally): Challenge accepted

(Abraham): Narrows his eyes "What are you willing to bet?"

(Shirou): A bit confused "Uh... what kind of a bet are we talking about here?"

Abraham knew he had an opportunity here. Although he didn't find pleasure doing it this way, the method was kinder than just beating it into the kid.

(Abraham): "You are a rather good cook. How about we have you be my personal chef for a weekend?"

(Shirou): He feels a bit skeptical about why Abraham wants him to be a personal chef for a weekend, but he's up for the challenge regardless "And what if I win?"

(Abraham): Chuckles "Shirou, this bet is nothing harmful. I'm sure there's plenty of things you could ask me. I'm a foreigner, so maybe you'd like me to teach you some things you wouldn't have easy access to in Japan."

(Shirou): "Hm, I suppose you're right; that does actually sound quite interesting. Well, then, you have yourself a deal, I'll accept the bet. Let's give it a 2 week requirement."