Shirou was coming home after another mundane day at school. He had adjusted back to the mundane life of a student pretty well. After all, school could never compare to the stressful tense days of the Grail War. The only differences between now and then were Shinji's death and his relationship with Tohsaka. Originally, it was nothing more than Shirou's simple admiration of the girl. She was the elegant girl who charmed most of the student body with her looks and demeanor. The perfect school idol was all he knew. However, with their partnership during the war, Shirou saw more sides of her. Her magus side was on full display, showing him her bravery. She took out one of Berserker's lives despite being grabbed by the hulking beast. She was also the one to teach him more about magecraft, bolstering his prior knowledge quite a lot. What followed after the war, they became more friendly with one another. Of course, Tohsaka was still Tohsaka, getting flustered over things Shirou said. But it didn't change the fact they were firm friends now. So, it wasn't that shocking when she invited him over to her house to discuss something important.

When he opened the door, he found Illya sitting there looking bored. Until she saw him, and immediately lit up.

"Illya? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Fuji-nee's?" The girl looked at him, before putting her finger on her mouth. She quickly let out that infamous mischievous smile of hers.

"Eh? Does Shirou not like me being here?"

"Of course not. It's just weird seeing you before dinner on the weekdays." She let out a sigh, understanding where the boy came from.

"That makes sense. Taiga let me stay here, she had something important to take care of at the school. She won't make it to dinner."

"Really? Fuji-nee didn't tell me anything important today."

"She told me because she likes me more. It looks like I'm her favorite now!" She quickly spun around the room before playfully grabbing Shirou's arm.

"It's ok! You are still my favorite. At least one of your older sisters has room for you." Shirou did slightly blush at the notion. Thankfully Illya didn't notice, meaning she couldn't capitalize on it.

"I'm going to have to go somewhere, Illya." He knew Illya wouldn't let up a chance to go with him somewhere. So, he might as well extend an invitation to her. Tohsaka wouldn't mind, right? "I suppose you would want to accompany me rather than being stuck here all alone."

"Where are we going?

"I'm going to Tohsaka's house. She wanted to see me about something important."

"Then I'm definitely coming. Who knows what Rin will do to you."

"What does that mean?"

"You going to a lady's home all alone is trouble. Of course, Rin isn't close to being a lady, but still. Who knows what the two of you will do? Especially in her bedroom." This caused Shirou to become flustered, his blush being way more noticeable.

"We wouldn't do that, Illya!"

"Oh, do what?" There on full display was her big teasing smile. Shirou hated it when she pulled that out.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"It would be fun to continue this, but you are flustered enough." Anyway, we should start going. Rin is someone who cares about punctuality." Shirou nodded, and the two of them headed out. It wasn't a long walk, and soon they were at the mansion. Illya was trailing behind Shirou, hiding behind him for her nefarious reasons. Knocking on the door, Rin quickly opened the door.

"Emiya-kun."

"Hi, Tohsaka." Illya quickly showed herself, no longer hiding in the back, and jumped as high as she could. This alarmed Rin immediately. Shirou didn't seem to mind, clearly gotten used to his older sister's antics.

"Good afternoon, Rinnnn!"

"Shirou, what's she doing here? I invited you, not her!" Illya put on a hurt look, doing her best to exaggerate her hurt expression.

"Being rude to your guests? That's not very mature, Rin. And I thought the Tohsaka's had manners! She closed her eyes and put her hands up. "So much for having hope."

"I never invited you, brat! Also, as if you would know anything about maturity! I'm older than you, what would you know?" Hearing this both Shirou and Illya shared a knowing smile glancing at each other and then at Rin. The annoyed girl regained whatever composure she had left, before inviting them inside.

"Fine! Come in, both of you." Soon, all three were situated in the Tohsaka living room. Rin had made tea, but only for two people. Shirou offered it to Illya, but she had no interest in tea.

"So, Tohsaka. Why did you call me here?"

"Shirou, I have a proposition for you. But first, what are your goals after school ends?" That made Shirou think. Fuji-nee had been on his case to make future plans after high school. Especially now when he was quickly approaching graduation. Originally he thought of going into law, but after everything that happened he wasn't 100% certain.

"I'm not sure. I had plans before, but after the war, I don't know if I want to pursue them."

"I see. Well, I might as well tell you then. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Once we graduate, I'm going to leave Japan."

"Did you already get accepted into a prestigious school? Somewhere like Oxford? Makes sense, you are very smart." This caused Rin to blush immensely. Illya noticed but decided not to comment on it.

"N-no-not quite like that, it's in London." Rin waited to see if Shirou picked up on it before elaborating again.

"The Magus Association, right?" Both of them turned to see the silver-haired girl who contributed to their conversation. Shirou was going to say that, but Illya said it first.

"Indeed, the Magus Association has given me an admission recommendation. Since I survived the war, I won't have to give a prior test or other pretenses."

"That's good for you, Tohsaka. But what does that have to do with me?"

"Simple, I'm the successor of the Tohsaka family. As such, I can take at least one apprentice with me." This caused Illya to grow more interested, knowing where Rin was taking the conversation.

"And that apprentice is me, correct," Shirou asked.

"It can be you. I know you have no interest in any of the formalities of being a magus, but I think you can benefit from coming with me. The Clock Tower has great resources to help you with training. Besides, you will need the extra training, considering your end goal."

"I guess that makes sense. However, I might still need time to think it over." Shirou knew Tohsaka was right in this case. Even if he didn't care about joining the Magus Association, he could benefit from learning more about magecraft. He did have a goal, to travel the world and be the hero of justice he needed to be. If there were sensible ways to increase his potential, he would do it. The only issue he had was regarding how Illya would feel.

"Understood, but don't keep me waiting too long," she huffed. Shirou smiled at her annoyed tone. If anything, Tohsaka was a dynamic person to interact with.

"Yes, yes, I know. Can't keep the great Tohsaka waiting too long," he teasingly said to her.

"Very funny, Shirou." She escorted them out of the mansion, saying her formal goodbyes. Shirou said goodbye while Illya did her customary bow. As the two siblings walked home, no words were uttered between the two the entire way back. That was until the two of them returned home.

"What do you think about Tohsaka's offer?" Shirou wanted to know Illya's thoughts on the whole thing. She was sitting there, mostly listening to their conversation.

"It makes sense for someone like Rin to go. The Tohsaka's have had a history with the Clock Tower. I'm sure Rin's father studied at the Clock Tower in his youth."

"What about the Einzberns?"

"The Einzberns have no place there. We keep to ourselves, most of the time having no interest in other magus matters."

"What about me going?"

"I don't always agree with Rin, but she was right about you. You have no interest in joining the Magus Association, Right?" Shirou nodded at her words. "She's also correct that it would help you." Once again, Shirou didn't argue with the points laid out in front of him.

"I do think being there for a while could be beneficial. Tohsaka is right, I could use their resources and sharpen my skills. After that, I can leave and do my own thing."

"Then, there's nothing to discuss right?" Shirou thought of her words, there was one thing on his mind. The thought that hadn't left him since Tohsaka told him about the offer at her place.

"What about you? Would you like it if I'm not here often?" Illya sighed at his question. Classic Shirou, always considering other people's feelings before making a choice.

"Shirou, you have your goals and ambitions. It would be selfish of me to keep you here. If you think this is right, I'll support it."

"It's just... I don't want to leave you alone." Illya sighed again. She had just said she was okay with him leaving, but he still didn't understand. She decided to put his mind at ease.

"Shirou, here's the best-case scenario. We can still talk on the phone and you can still come here to visit on breaks. I could even get Raiga to give me money for plane tickets to show up in London. Yeah, it isn't the same, but we can still make it work." Shirou couldn't argue with that. He didn't want to entertain the worst-case scenario since he knew what she would say. For now, he nodded, glad Illya was thinking about a better future for both of them. He decided to change subjects, now that he had some semblance of peace.

"Still, it's going to be weird leaving Japan. I don't know how I'll fit in with the people in London. I barely know any English."

"Didn't Taiga teach you anything? After all, she's an English teacher." Shirou scratched the back of his head, feeling silly with himself over a prior memory.

"Fuji-nee tried, but I didn't get it that well. That was a few years ago, maybe I should try again with her."

"I'll ask her to teach me too. That way you know I'm smarter than you." This time Shirou sighed at her words. He knew Illya was joking, but a part of him did feel threatened. She was smarter than she let on, so she could be a great learner. Although, his thoughts quickly pivoted back to what was said today. Shirou did have a lot to think about regarding his future. Tohsakas's offer was a big step in achieving his ultimate goal. To be a hero of justice required alot of skills he needed to perfect. But for now, he would live his days in the present. There were many plans he had for the near future and late future on what he wanted from life. All of it hopefully ending with him reuniting with his true love. But he wouldn't fixate on those aspirations, and forget to live in the present. He would carry on with his day like it was any other with Illya and everyone else by his side