[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER]
[LV 27- 3500/26000]
[HP: 2700][MP: 35][MC: 27][ST: 850][SP: 11]
[STR: 42][DEX: 43][INT: 50][WIS: 33][CHR: 102]
Among the list of things Shirou didn't like doing, going back on his words ranked pretty high.
Sadly, he didn't have many options in that regard, because he was quite frankly stumped. The Moonlit World did a fairly good job at hiding itself to the point that an isolated Magus had a hard time finding another one if they didn't already know where to look.
Kiritsugu had been reluctant to teach him Magecraft, much less getting him in touch with other practitioners of the craft.
In hindsight it was for the best. Magi were the resentful sort. Some of them would not hesitate to revisit the grudges they had accrued with the father upon the son.
Needless to say, Kiritsugu had accrued a whole lot of grudges.
Therefore, Shirou had no other option but to get in touch with the local Second Owner if he wanted to learn anything about the Holy Grail War and the tragedy that struck the city five years before.
At the very least he would not just randomly walk to the Tohsaka estate and ring the doorbell, like he had promised Yoruichi he wouldn't do. Rather, he would stake the place and watch the coming and going of its inhabitants.
It was easier said than done though. A kid randomly waiting on the streets was bound to draw attention very quickly and Shirou was even more conspicuous. People knew he was present simply by being in his general vicinity. His recent burst in charisma meant that he couldn't hope to hide even if he tried his hardest. Additionally, Magi were trained into being more aware than the average human.
Fortunately, Shirou had an advantage over other Magi. Japan was the Mecca of electronic gadgetry and he wasn't a technophobe like the rest of them. With the money he made from selling Mana Cores he could easily afford a high-quality drone.
After fiddling with it for a while, he was confident he could control it seamlessly. Moreover, he extended the range from which he could control it and the duration of the battery using Reinforcement on it.
To any other Magus save Kiritsugu it would be a heresy of highest order, but Shirou didn't care about such things. He landed the drone over the roof of a house next to the Tohsaka estate before dawn, with its high definition camera pointed towards the gate. Even if it was somehow discovered there was no way to trace it back to him.
With this method he could set up keep watching over the Tohsaka estate almost 24/7 without risk of being found out.
In a few days he would decide how to approach the mysterious Second Owner.
Tohsaka Rin was everything you could expect from a first rate Magus. Confident and aloof, never breaking the façade of being in control and aware of everything going on around her.
To her credit, she did notice the strange kid checking her out on different occasions. She first saw him staring at her at a café in the shopping district during one of the few outings with Ayako she allowed herself to have.
She didn't think much of it back then, other that he had mesmerizing eyes of an unusual golden color. She was sure he would be quite the lady killer once he grew up.
She came across him again at the grocery store a few days later when she was shopping for food. It was a bit odd running into him on the other side of town, but it was nothing to worry about. She had probably run into the same strangers more than twice in the past without noticing it, as they weren't as weirdly eye-catching as the red-haired kid.
However, she knew for certain that something was up when she saw him from her classroom window one afternoon. He was standing outside of the school gate. She got confirmation that he was waiting for her when she left the premises later that day.
She headed home and the boy followed her, keeping at the same distance no matter how fast or slow she walked. She could feel his gaze on her back all the way. If he wasn't so young, she would have thought him a pervert.
She didn't feel threatened yet, but she prepared herself mentally for anything. In the Moonlit World, discounting someone as a threat just because they looked young was a sure way to get herself killed.
She proceeded without acknowledging her stalker until they arrived in front of her house. Then and only then she turned around to face him.
"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked confrontationally.
"As a matter of fact, there is, Tohsaka-san." he replied without appearing troubled in the least. "My name is Emiya Shirou and I would like to speak with you in your capacity as Fuyuki's Second Owner."
Rin's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. It was the only outward sign that she was surprised in any way.
"It would be better if we spoke inside then." she agreed, unlocking the gate.
Shirou was quite removed from the Magi community but at the very least he knew a thing or two about their etiquette and rules. Tohsaka Rin had invited him inside her home after he called her Second Owner, from here onward he was under her protection and she wouldn't harm him unless he threatened her first.
In this place she had little to fear to begin with. If someone wanted to harm her, a Magus, they would not do so on her territory where she was at her strongest. They both knew this, so even though they were both wary no one expected any violence to occur.
He had observed her behavior for quite a few days using his drone. Tohsaka Rin was for all intents and purposes a decent person although somewhat separated from most of her peers.
She was hailed as her school's idol and not without cause. She excelled in both academic and physical subjects, and could boast a beauty to match.
However, she was far from being openly vain. She didn't seem to acknowledge her status at all and although detached she seemed to treat everyone courteously.
Now, that didn't really guarantee anything at all but Shirou recalled Kiritsugu saying that Magi looked down upon ordinary people and therefore Shirou decided that a Magus that did not exhibit this trait was better than the rest.
Hopefully.
She led him inside her house, a lavish western style mansion that reflected her status as the highest-ranking official from the Clock Tower. She offered him a seat in her living room and brought tea for two.
"So… what is this about, Emiya-san?" she asked after pouring him a cup.
"To begin with, I would like to ask for permission to set up a Workshop in your territory."
"A Magus, then," she acknowledged. "I assume you are the current head of your family."
"Technically, I'm a first generation," he explained. "The man who taught me Magecraft was not my biological father, therefore I did not inherit his crest."
"I see. Did you move to Fuyuki only recently?"
"I've lived in Fuyuki my entire life," he admitted. "To elaborate, my father didn't really want to teach me Magecraft, he had no other living heir and he was about to die from a severe affliction that I suspect was of mystical nature. As result, he never bothered to put me in contact with other Magi or even told me who the local Second Owner was. I sought you out as soon as I found out it was you."
"Hm," she acquiesced, somewhat mollified by his admission of ignorance. "And how did you find out, exactly?"
Shirou reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out an object that he put on the table facing her. It was his Soul Society badge.
This time, the widening of her eyes was far from imperceptible.
"This…"
"I got accidentally mixed up with someone from down below. One thing led to another and I joined their organization. From there finding out that you were the Second Owner was just a matter of asking for directions."
"I see." she replied, picking up the badge and examining it while warily stealing glances at him.
Magi were all inherently dangerous individuals because they could subvert the laws of nature in strange and unexpected ways. As a child and as a first generation Magus, Shirou was perhaps the exception to that paradigm. However any and every member of Soul Society was someone who had proven they could fight.
With that sobering thought, Tohsaka was forced to reassess the level of threat that Shirou posed.
"I don't have any problem to allow you to set up your own Workshop in my territory," she explained, putting down the badge. "However, there is the matter of rent to be addressed. Retroactively at that."
"Ah, I thought you would say something like that. What's your price?"
"How long ago did your father pass away?" she asked.
"About four months ago." he replied.
"Hmm… Considering you have not inherited your father's Crest I won't have you inherit his debt either. I shall consider only these past four months as overdue."
"I'm grateful, but you still haven't named your price."
"I think….," she pondered, making a few mental calculations. "Yes, a hundred thousand yen per month will do."
Not too long ago, Shirou would have balked at that sum. Now he could earn that amount in a single night.
"Alright, that works for me," he reached into his backpack and pulled out a wooden box which he put onto the table and opened towards her. Inside it there were twelve Mana Cores. This time, Tohsaka's eyes bulged. "The exchange rate for these is around a hundred thousand yen each in Soul Society, but I think a Magus like yourself would fetch a higher price for them than that. However if you agree to be paid with these, I don't mind settling for that amount."
She could, in fact, sell them to the Clock Tower for fifty percent more than that.
"That's… that's fine by me, yes," she downplayed. "There is twelve of them here, though."
"Let's consider them down payment for the next few months then." he offered.
"I have no problems with that." she agreed quickly. A moment later the box had disappeared faster than Shirou could follow, making him think momentarily believe she had used Magecraft to stop time. He could almost hear the distant echo of a cash register ringing in the distance, but it was only his imagination. ... it had to be.
"A pleasure doing business with you." was what he replied.
'Human greed is scary,' was what he kept to himself.
"Likewise," she nodded with more dignity she had any right to. "Is there anything else you wished to discuss?"
"Yes actually, there is. If possible, I would like to buy information from you."
"What kind of information?" she asked, expression hardening. Information, also known as knowledge, was the most valued currency among Magi. More precious than gold and at times more precious than human life itself.
"The Holy Grail War kind of information," he told her bluntly. "I understand that you are the person who would know more about it."
Her expression hardened even further. "I do know quite a bit about it, yes. Why do you want to know? Care to participate in it?"
"Not in the least." he told her with such certainty in his voice that she didn't even think he was lying.
"Why then?"
"My biological family perished in the fire resulting from the last one," he explained. "I don't remember them, but at the very least I would like to know as much as possible about the incident."
"I see... You have my sympathies," she told him honestly. She could understand how he felt. After all, she too had lost her father to the war, while her mother was catatonic in a clinic out of town. "Still, this is Magecraft we're talking about."
"I know. I don't need specific knowledge about workings of the ritual. I just need to know about its history and the general rules."
"That much I can do. However, information comes at a price."
No sooner than she had said those words that another wooden box came out of Shirou's backpack.
"Money is not an issue." he told her.
Tohsaka smiled. It took all of her willpower to refrain from rubbing her hands together greedily.
"Emiya-san... I believe that this is the beginning of a wonderful business partnership."
Somewhere in the distance, a cash register rang happily.
Like every morning, Saeko was already awake long before dawn. Apart from the night of the full moon, taking care of the restless spirits took very little time and she would be in bed quite early.
She usually went through her self-training and meditation before having a light breakfast. She then left for school in time to catch the first bus headed towards the city. It took almost an hour to get her there, so she arrived just in time for homeroom.
Unlike every morning, though, she was absolutely shocked when the new teacher walked inside the classroom.
"Hello everyone," she greeted. "I'm Fujimura Taiga, your new homeroom teacher! Let's get along nicely."
The new teacher might have meant that for everyone else, but when her eyes fell on Saeko, the swordswoman knew that it meant the opposite to her.
It looked like her school life had gotten very interesting all of a sudden.
The day passed without any incident worth mentioning. Despite the veiled threat she received in the morning, she caught no glimpse of Taiga for the rest of the day.
However, on her way out of school at the end of classes, Saeko found a letter inside her shoe locker. It wouldn't be the first time she found a missive in there and they were usually love letters or challenges.
'Come behind the school building after classes,' it read. It took little effort to figure who it came from and what she wanted.
As a samurai, Saeko had been taught that retreating was sometimes necessary, but running away was never forgivable.
She could avoid this confrontation today, but it would be waiting for her tomorrow and the next day and the one after that. Perpetually avoiding the consequences of her own actions... what else could it be called other than running?
No, her pride would not allow her to disregard this summon, regardless of what would happen.
Besides, Shirou had said Taiga would do nothing to oppose their relationship. At the very least she would not go to the authorities and have Saeko arrested, mostly because they shared a similar attraction to the same redhead.
Therefore she put on her outside shoes and marched towards her the meeting place with her head held high.
Fujimura Taiga was already there, of course. She was leaning with her back leaning against the wall and she had her arms crossed over her chest.
She stood up straight and let her arms fell to her sides as soon as she noticed Saeko turn around the corner.
"Fujimura-sensei." Saeko greeted.
"Busujima-san." the other replied.
"You wanted to see me?" Saeko asked rhetorically.
"There should be no need for me to explain what this is about," the other declared.
"Indeed, there isn't," Saeko agreed. "The only question is what do you intend to do about it?"
"The way I see it, you took something that belongs to me." Taiga explained.
"I strongly object to that interpretation." Saeko replied.
"Objection denied," Fujimura shot back. "You took something of mine and now you owe me. You will pay me back."
Saeko blinked.
"Even supposing I would be willing to repay you, how would I go about doing that?"
"The Busujima style," Taiga replied. "Teach it to me."
Saeko was taken aback. Asking for such a thing… it meant that she knew about the Moonlit World. Did Shirou decide to accept her feelings after all?
"If you ask for that, then you must be aware of what it means to be a practitioner of my style. Why would you want to come into our world?"
"Because I have no intention of being left behind by him. Or by you for that matter."
"So you accept that he and I are-"
"I accept nothing!" she stomped her foot. "I won't lose to you or anyone else. That's what I'm saying."
"Fuhuhu... I see," Saeko smiled. "If I accept to teach you, sensei, there will be conditions."
"Let's hear them."
"For starters, you will have to go through my test just like Shirou did. However, I will teach you regardless of the outcome."
"Then what's the point of it?" Taiga asked.
"Well, if you do pass the test I will acknowledge your claim over him and defer to you in all matters regarding our relationship." Saeko explained as she slowly approached the other woman, until she was standing right in front of her, chests almost touching.
"And if I don't?"
"If you don't," she licked her lips, "you'll have to be my plaything for the rest of your life."
"Are you a pervert?" Taiga hissed, face turning an intense shade of red.
"Aren't we both?" she asked rhetorically. "Of course, you don't have to accept my terms. Feel free to leave things as they are and watch us from the sidelines."
"Kh! Fine! I accept your terms. It's not like I'm going to lose anyway." Taiga huffed.
Saeko smiled. It was the look of someone who salivating over a juicy meal. It was the smile of a wolf stumbling upon a wounded sheep isolated from the rest of the herd. A slab of meat free for the taking.
"Very well, then. You know where I live, don't you? Come over to my place before dawn."
"I'll be there." she promised.
"Oh, I don't doubt you'll come, sensei. What I'm looking forward to find out is in what state you'll be leaving. If you'll leave at all, that is."
With those parting words, Saeko turned around marched away with a smile on her lips. As expected, having met Shirou was truly a blessing. She couldn't wait to see how many more prospective victims he would unknowingly send her way.
He would probably be put off a little that she broke his sister, but he knew what he was getting into when he saved her. He too would have to deal with the consequences of his own actions in the end.
Even then, she'd make it worth his while.
That evening Shirou returned home 2.4 million yen poorer, but with a greater understanding of what the Grail War actually was.
Every sixty years, Magi would gather in Fuyuki, or rather in the Mirror Side of it. Fourteen of them would be chosen by the pseudo-intelligence of the Grail to act as Masters, plus one more to act as arbiter. They would all be granted a set of Command Seals and the right to summon a Heroic Spirit to fight for them. Their objective would be to obtain thirteen Mana Clusters (Mana Cores millions of times more powerful than an ordinary one) to fully power the Grail.
These Clusters could be obtained either by killing another Master's Servant or by delving deeper into the Reverse Side, where True Phantasmal Beasts dwelled. These entities would have Mana Clusters in place of Mana Cores, but they would be proportionally more powerful.
Additionally, a Master could sacrifice the Mana Clusters they already acquired to summon additional Servants, or to increasing the power of an existing one. Of course, any Master would have to be able to provide Mana for all the Servants they summoned, therefore summoning more than one was a double edged sword.
Details aside, it was a bloody affair that Shirou didn't like in the least.
However, it would normally be limited to those who willingly took part in it, but the last time it went spectacularly awry. So awry, in fact, that even the real world felt it.
Tohsaka didn't know what happened exactly. Her own father, one of the contestants, also perished in the conflict so there was no living eye-witness that she knew about. Kiritsugu had taken that knowledge to his grave along with his countless sins.
The other important thing that he was told was that the Einzbern where one of the three families along with the Tohsaka and the Makiri (nowadays Matou) that contributed to the creation of the Grail System. Other than that, she didn't know much that she could share with him. There was never an official record of the Masters that participated in the Wars so there was no way to know who had survived the last one.
However, if Irisviel was to be believed, then Kiritsugu had been a Master on the Einzbern side. Tohsaka had agreed to get in touch with the Clock Tower to get as much information she could find both on Kiritsugu and the Einzbern on his behalf.
Heeding Yoruichi's advice, Shirou didn't share his encounter with the white haired woman with the Second Owner, both to keep his secrets secret and because he would rather prefer that Tohsaka's investigation would corroborate or deny Irisviel's claims independently.
He couldn't say that he was completely satisfied with the knowledge he had acquired, but for the time being he could be patient and hope that Tohsaka would find out more.
On that subject, he would have to farm more Mana Cores. Tohsaka's services could not be called cheap even by a millionaire.
Fortunately he had amassed quite the fortune since he had started farming in the Reverse Side. However, his moderate wealth wouldn't last long at this rate.
Rin watched her guest walk down the street from a window on the upper floor of her house.
That had been an interesting meeting, to say the least, and a profitable one as well.
The adoptive child of a Master from the previous war.
There was the possibility that it had been Emiya Kiritsugu who had killed her father, but Rin wouldn't begrudge his son even if that would one day turn out to be the case. There would be no point in doing something so foolish.
Both their fathers had willingly entered a deadly competition, so bearing a grudge over it would be the farthest thing from the Tohsaka's sense of elegance she was sworn to uphold.
Still, she had lied by omission. She didn't tell him that the next Grail War wouldn't be in fifty-five years, but rather in a little over twelve months.
There was a chance that he would be selected as a Master and if that happened she would rather have the drop on him. She had no wish to kill someone so young (or anyone else for that matter), but if he refused to opt out of the fight she would treat him as any other enemy. That is to say, without mercy. To be a Magus is to walk with death, after all.
She had a duty to her ancestors to win the Grail. There would be no discounts on that front, regardless of age.
Shirou returned home in time to get started on dinner, but when he arrived he found a message from Taiga telling him that she had other things to do and she wouldn't be dropping by. Shirou didn't think much of it. Teaching at a high school was certainly more difficult and time consuming than teaching at a primary school.
Oh, well. He could still cook for himself and grind his Cooking skill while he was at it. He got it all the way to level 70. Maybe he'd get some bonus ability at level 100?
No other way to find out other than getting there.
Taiga rode her scooter out of the city and towards the mountains with an helmet on the head and a long satchel on her back.
The determined look on her face made a great job at hiding the apprehension she was feeling.
She was not worried about losing, per se. Her concern was over her own ability to keep up with Shirou.
He was strong. Inhumanly so and he was still growing. Taiga couldn't do Magecraft and even assuming that she could learn the Busujima style there was no guarantee that that alone would allow her to stand by Shirou' side indefinitely.
Indeed, the upcoming confrontation was only the first step on her parth. Busujima, no, Saeko had another thing coming if she thought Taiga would lose right at the starting line.
They didn't call her the Tiger of Fuyuki for nothing. She would live up to that monicker and rip apart anyone who stood in her path. For herself and Shirou both.
On her back, Tora-Shinai fed on its wielder fierce determination and let out a murderous black aura.
Stakes notwithstanding, the confrontation of the two contestants would not be a simple spar.
That much was certain to both of them.
After a long time riding, Taiga pulled over where the mountain path leading to Saeko's place met the asphalt. Once the echo of the engine died a few moments after she turned it off, Taiga was left in an eerie silence.
Traffic on that mountain road was sparse even during rush hours. At this time of the day, she couldn't hear the faintest noise of human origins. Although the city was visible, the sea of trees between here and there absorbed all of the sounds.
Of course Saeko didn't come to meet her on the path.
'The little bitch wants to make it more difficult for me,' Taiga growled inwardly. 'Well, something like this isn't going to make me hesitate at all.'
Tightening the strap that held Torashinai against her back, Taiga stepped into the forest and disappeared from sight.
She would not be see coming out of it for the rest of the day.
XXX