Hello! Finally an update!
At the end of the chapter, there are a couple of notes I added to explain certain aspects of this world and Shirou in more details. I did not put them here in order to potentially avoid spoiling certain parts of the chapter
Beta read/Co-written by D-Quarter05 and NimtheWriter
-Tokyo-
(A few days later)
The bustling sound of the most populated city in Japan coupled with the steel forest of highrise buildings and densely crowded streets — Shirou found himself already missing the unique calm atmosphere of his house and Fuyuki.
Dread already filled his heart when browsing at the local prices for commodities and vegetables. He wasn't short on cash with Fujiwara forcefully handing him a monthly allowance, but for someone who had grown used to handling daily chores and grocery shopping, he was already making plans on what to buy for the next few days to come.
"He's making that face again, Sella."
"That he is, Lady Illya."
"What do you think he's thinking about?"
"Matters related to my duties most likely and how to monopolize them." Her tone though polite held a hint of resentment. "He was reading those magazines on the train the entire time and even stopped by that grocery store to check the prices."
"Sella, are we poor?"
"No." Sella wanted to say that the boy was just weird but refrained from doing so. "He's… just stressed most likely."
"What if we make an anonymous wired transfer to his account? It might help to relieve his stress."
"We no longer have access to the main family's funds."
"So we really are poor! Don't tell me that Tohsaka idiot is richer than us now… she'll rub it in my face forever!"
"Do not worry, I made sure to save up enough to last many years on the side in case of such a scenario. We still have about a million euros left."
"So little… still, it's amazing you prepared for such a thing, Sella!"
Sella puffed her chest, oddly prideful at the compliment. "This is nothing. One must always prepare for every kind of eventuality."
Not hearing the conversation between the two women behind him, the redhead continued to worry about other matters — namely, how unprepared he was for this. Damnit! He knew he should have spent more time planning! "Hah… hopefully the kitchen will have all the appliances. I should have asked for a picture. Should we stop by the store to get some daily necessities? Right, I'll need to buy cleaning supplies as well."
This being the first time he was moving out, there were many things he was unfamiliar with and thus was bound to make some mistakes here and there. The apartment he was promised sounded big enough to house them, a 3LDK whose rent was just within his budget.
Not exactly cheap in any way but sufficient that he could manage.
The place looked recently renovated, with three rooms furnished with newly bought beds, a small table, and an empty wardrobe. It was a bit barren when it came to decoration, but it was more than he could ask for at this price. The living room was big enough to accommodate five people comfortably, and fortunately, it had a TV. However, his main concern—the kitchen—turned out to be somewhat lacking.
"These are cheap," he muttered, looking at the utensils, which were mostly low-quality plastic that would likely break after a few uses. The kitchen also featured a basic gas stove and a small fridge, obviously bought second-hand. There was barely enough space to place a chopping board, and he doubted two people could stand there without causing chaos.
"This is unacceptable. Lady Illya cannot live in this bona fide closet room. Even the bedroom does not have enough space to store her winter clothes, let alone what little we've brought here," Sella muttered with a frown. The homunculus was visibly displeased, internally comparing the apartment to the Einzbern Castle and Shirou's house.
"I think it looks fine, it's very cozy," someone remarked optimistically.
"You can't be serious, Lady Illya," Sella remarked, clearly unimpressed.
"Well, I wasn't expecting us to move into a mansion," the young girl replied, plopping onto the single sofa in the living room and stretching her limbs after the long walk from the train station. "You can go out and buy a bigger bed for my room and Shirou's. Don't forget to get some things for yourself as well. As for the third room, we can turn it into a closet for our luggage."
Shirou, who had been scrutinizing the lacking kitchen, turned his head sharply. "What do you mean by "our" room?"
"Eh? Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"
"I'm not sure I follow."
Illya frowned. "How do you expect me to sleep in that single bed? It'll barely hold you, let alone the two of us, unless you want me to sleep on your chest — which I don't mind," she said so casually, with a small grin, that it made him do a double take.
"This is the perfect opportunity for sibling bonding! I read in a magazine that sleeping in the same room encourages communication and understanding of one anot—"
"Absolutely not," he cut her off before she could finish, his face deadpan.
"Why not!?" she exclaimed.
"I will have my own room, and so will you — just like in Fuyuki. We don't need to spend extra on expensive things like a new bed frame for two people, and I doubt it'll even fit neatly in such a small room. We'll just get the basics — new kitchen appliances, bed sheets, and pillows. That's all."
"Boo! You're such a buzzkill, Shirou! Don't you want to spend more time with your adorable little sister? What if I have nightmares in the middle of the night and wake up looking for my dear brother to console me, only to find myself all alone in a dark room, shivering in the cold? Could you live with that!?" she whined dramatically.
He just rolled his eyes, choosing not to argue. Instead, he had a better idea. Gently, his hand stroked her head, playing with her hair, causing her to freeze momentarily.
"If I remember correctly, you are the older sibling here. So… does this mean Onee-chan is scared of the dark and needs me to keep her company?" he teased.
"…" Her body stiffened, unsure how to react.
"Is something wrong, Onee-chan?"
Her body twitched again, hearing him call her that was more pleasant than she liked to admit. But it also felt irritating!
"Y-You can just call me, Illya you know… like you usually do."
"Onee-chan sounds better." He continued with a sly grin on his face, her eyes twitched. "Onee-chan."
"Urgh!"
Her heart!
What was this feeling!?
"Onee-chan~!"
"Why you…"
"Onee-chan~!"
"Argh!"
"O—nee—chan~!"
"Shirou!" Her face now looking no different than a tomato, she lunged at him with her small hands trying to grasp his face to teach the brat a lesson. "Ah!"
Unfortunately, as if he anticipated her response, Shirou swiftly picked her up from the ground — holding her in front effortlessly. His action bewildered the now confused Illya who tried to regain control of her emotions.
His chuckle didn't help.
"You look very cute when you're angry, Onee-chan."
The young girl was rendered speechless, her face becoming even redder than before with embarrassment. "…You're becoming a bad person, Shirou… it's not good to make fun of someone like this."
"I don't know, teasing someone feels more enjoyable than I imagined."
"…"
She has no retort for that.
Satisfied with his victory, Shirou turned his attention to Sella, who, for some strange reason, was glaring at him coldly.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"I fear for my lady's safety the longer she stays with you," Sella replied bluntly, her tone icy.
"Eh? What did I do!?" Shirou exclaimed, genuinely baffled.
"Humph." Without providing any further explanation, Sella turned around, grabbed the luggage, and headed toward one of the empty rooms. Before disappearing inside, she called back, "Before I leave, I would like to remind you that it's nearly closing time for the local stores. If you have any purchases to make, do it now or tell me, and I'll handle it tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be unpacking our belongings."
Surprised, Shirou quickly checked his watch. He realized he had about an hour before the stores closed. Fortunately, he remembered seeing a shop nearby, so there was no need to rush. Heading to the kitchen, he started making a list of the essentials they'd need to buy.
Meanwhile, Illya was sprawled across the sofa, flipping through channels on the television. "Tch," she muttered. "Only news channels and music? The good ones aren't available. Guess we'll need to buy the package too."
Shirou sighed, adding "TV package" to the growing list.
"I know, we'll buy it tomorrow."
"But I'm bored…" said the young girl, exhaling audibly before deciding to put on the news channel, curious to see what was going on locally. "Good evening, I'm Ayumi Sato, and here are tonight's top stories."
"An ongoing investigation has uncovered a major financial scandal involving the Tokyo-based construction company, Kogane Construction. Authorities have revealed that the company has been embezzling funds from multiple public and private contracts over the past several years. The company's owner, Hiroshi Takeda, has been taken into custody and is currently standing trial in Tokyo District Court. Prosecutors allege that Takeda siphoned millions of yen meant for city infrastructure projects, redirecting the money for personal use and leaving critical construction work unfinished or dangerously below safety standards.
Investigators are continuing to scrutinize the company's records, and further charges could be added as more details emerge. If convicted, Takeda could face up to twenty years in prison. The case has sparked outrage among the public, with many calling for stricter oversight of major construction firms operating in the city."
"Wasn't there an incident that led to this investigation?" the man next to the woman spoke.
"Yes, the unidentified student who was involved in what is now known as the 'steel beam incident' is said to have recovered. Doctors have confirmed that the victim had sustained multiple life-threatening injuries but managed to make a full recovery thanks to an organ transplant and the aid of medical experts on hand that night. City officials are now raising the safety standards across all construction sites to avoid similar accidents. Many are questioning whether the company responsible, Kogane Construction, will be shut down in the following days after the revelation.
"We will continue to follow both stories closely as more details come to light."
"And that's the latest. Stay with us for updates, and for more in-depth coverage, visit our website. Now over to Kenji Nakamura for the latest on weather and traffic…"
Shirou had been listening to the news in the background in silence. It wasn't an extreme case like a murder or a hit-and-run; whoever it was had just been plain unlucky. Though he didn't think about it too much, he was glad that the unknown person managed to recover quickly. "I'll be going out to buy some things. In the meantime, help Sella with the unpacking. You shouldn't let her do all of the work by herself.'
"I was just about to connect my console to the TV and relax."
"Do it after you help out."
"You sound like a mom."
"And if you don't want me to treat you like a strict mother, then go do your chores," he said playfully, rubbing the top of her hair one last time, much to her dismay, before leaving the apartment. It didn't take long for him to reach the nearby store and buy everything he needed for the kitchen.
"Ah!"
Unfortunately, he failed to pay attention to his surroundings and bumped into a person by accident, some of his purchased items falling onto the ground, much to his dismay.
"Oh shit! Sorry about that, man, I wasn't paying any attention!" a frantic voice sounded behind him, while he was picking his items from the ground; the person in question came over and tried to help him as well.
"It's fine; I wasn't paying any attention either," he said whilst looking at the person before him.
"A young man around his age. Uncombed blonde hair that was obviously bleached, given he could see the black-colored roots, wearing a yellow jacket with orange headphones around his neck, which were playing music he didn't recognize on full volume.
'Wow, are you seriously trying to walk with this many items with you? Either you're super strong carrying so many things without your arms falling off, or you live nearby," the stranger commented with an apologetic grin, trying to make light conversation as both boys were almost done with the cleanup.
'It's not that much, and I can manage."As soon as he said that, the bag held within his hands started to rip, and not a second later, all of the contents they had picked up once again spilled onto the ground."
"…"
"…"
Curse his luck!
The stranger scratched the back of his head before snapping his fingers. "Don't worry man, I'll carry one half; you carry the other. I'll help you bring this stuff to your place. Seriously, these recent convenience store bags have been getting more and more useless, always ripping.'
'Oh, you don't need to do so much; I can just call a taxi—'
'It's fine! You were going the same way as me, right? I'll help you since I have nothing better to do." After a few more rounds of back and forth between them, Shirou had to admit he had rarely met someone this stubborn about helping him before. In the end, he agreed to let the person help him after he told the latter where he lived, and surprisingly, they lived on the same block. So left with no other excuses, he reluctantly agreed. "Oh, I just realized I never introduced myself. The name's Hideyoshi, Kamii University student." That caught Shirou's attention, especially when he heard the last part. "Emiya Shirou, nice to meet you.'"
"I don't mean to pry, but I couldn't help but wonder after seeing everything you bought. Did you just move to Tokyo recently?"
Seeing no reason to hide that information and make the conversation awkward, the redhead nodded. "Yeah, I just moved in a few hours ago with my family. I plan to attend Kamii University as well."
'No way! Seriously? That's awesome! It's a good coincidence that you ended up bumping into another student. Which program are you going to take?'
"Law."
"Wow, so you're aiming to be like a lawyer or something?"
"I guess you could say so." Truthfully, Shirou did not have any plans or desire to pursue such a career path. The only reasons he came to Tokyo, under the guise of a student, was to find a way to save Illya or at least buy her more time and to clear away some of his doubts about his past. The only lead he had was that book, Dear Kafka. He heard the author lives somewhere in this city. "I'll be starting next week; I hope we can get along well.'"
"Same, though we won't be able to meet much given the different classes we're taking. If you need any kind of help, then you can come to me at any time. Hey, wait! Since we'll be attending the same university, how about I show you around the campus tomorrow? That way, during your first day, you'll know where to go and won't get lost like I did in the beginning. That place is huge, I tell you."
Shirou didn't decline the request immediately, taking a moment to ponder before agreeing. "I plan to visit the place tomorrow in order to finalize my registration with the administration, so I'd appreciate the help.'
'Great! Also, I'll introduce you to some of my friends. They can help you too if you need assistance in case I'm not available.'
All in all, the conversation between them was light and enjoyable. He could tell Hideyoshi was a spirited individual, to say the least, talking to him about everything going on in Tokyo and getting advice on places he should and shouldn't visit. They held this small conversation all the way till he reached the front of his apartment. Twisting the key to open the door, he walked inside and gestured for the boy to come in as well. "It was a long walk; your arms are definitely tired. Come inside; I'll make you some tea or coffee."
Hideyoshi raised his hands. "I would really appreciate the tea; coffee is a bit too bitter for me. But unfortunately, it's getting quite late, and I should head back home. Maybe another time. I'll also bring something to eat as a welcome gift."
"You're late! Did you bring me the AA batteries, Shirou?" From the living room, Illya's small head popped around, looking at the two boys with an impatient expression. His sister's hair was now glossy and shining under the light, with a subtle scent of shampoo wafting into the hallway. So she had already taken a bath. But wasn't the water heater not working properly?
"Who's this?"
"Oh, this is Hideyoshi; he helped me carry these things back. He's also a Kamii University student like me," he introduced the blonde, who also bowed his head politely. Though just as he was about to greet Illya, another voice chimed in.
"I told you that I should have tagged along to help you carry so many items, Master Shirou." Sella came out of her room, having a similar appearance to his sister, as it was clear she had taken a bath recently as well. "Oh my, a guest. I should prepare something."
An awkward silence followed as soon as she called him 'Master,' especially with Hideyoshi looking at him with widened eyes mixed with a shocked expression that turned into awe.
Then he proceeded to give him a thumbs up.
"Dude, you've got nice taste."
The embarrassment threatened to swallow Shirou in an instant. "It's not like that!"
"It's fine, I understand."
"No you clearly don't!"
Sella would kill him if word about them being a couple or lovers spread!
"Hahaha! Anyways, I just told Shirou over here that I need to get back home. But I will gladly come and visit another time, and I'll inform all of you in advance," Hideyoshi said with a flustered expression, putting his face near Shirou and whispering, "Damn dude, come on! I didn't expect you to be living with such a beautiful girlfriend and her sister. Respect."
"His eyes twitched as soon as he heard those words. "It's not like that; she's my sister, and that's her, uh… cousin." He quickly elaborated while feeling a cold glare coming from behind, along with Illya's hands reaching into his pocket and taking out the battery pack he bought before going back to focus on her game without trying to clear the misunderstanding.
"That's your sister? You two look nothing alike, but I won't judge, and it's not my place to make such comments anyway, so I'll leave you to it then. See you!" he said before leaving the place. The redhead let out a sigh of relief before hearing his sister say something completely absurd.
"I like that guy! Come on, he has good eyes and good manners for complimenting me as your girlfriend."
"I am pretty sure he meant me being the girlfriend and you being the younger sister, Lady Illya."
"Dammit! Maybe I should wear high heels to look taller…"
Shirou was certain that it wasn't just her height that was the issue here. But he kept it to himself, knowing full well the consequences of getting into an argument with his sister over such a matter. Instead, he went and closed the door before going over to the kitchen with everything he had bought, with a clear goal of cleaning everything out and finally stocking up their pantry.
{Break}
(Next day)
"The first thing he did the next morning, after preparing breakfast with the help of Sella, was to head to the university. Tokyo was far more crowded than Fuyuki, but thankfully, he managed to make it to his destination without much of a delay.
'It does look huge,' he thought as he stared over the campus. Despite Hideyoshi's warning, he was still caught off guard by how large the place was. The main building at center proved to be the most eye-catching with its large tower showcasing a giant analog clock with its base consisting of a four story building built in a semi circular shape. It was surrounded by gardens and various kinds of buildings from old to modern all blending in together. He looked at his phone, where there was now a new contact he added yesterday. The call rang for a few seconds before it was picked up, and he heard the young man's voice from the other side.
"Hi, it's me, Emiya Shirou; I'm in front of the gates.'"
"He didn't need to wait long before he saw two people approaching him from afar. The familiar blonde was accompanied by another student this time, a young man with black hair and an eye patch. Unlike Hideyoshi, this person had an overall average appearance. Regardless, he greeted them both with a smile.
"I told you that it was a big place; everyone has the same reaction the first time they get here. Before I forget, let me introduce you to my good friend Kaneki here. Kaneki, meet Shirou; Shirou, meet Kaneki. He's the guy I mentioned I bumped into yesterday and made him drop his stuff. He's going to attend the university as well next week."
"Nice to meet you," Shirou reached to shake Kaneki's hand, while the latter hesitated at first but reciprocated the action after a second. He looked rather shy upon first impression, but overall, he seemed like a good person.
"Can you help me get to the administration office? I have some paperwork to fill out before I attend next week." Better get that sorted as soon as possible and then focus on more important things later on.
"Sure, it's just a few minutes walk away from here. Follow us; we'll lead you there."All three of them made their way inside, with Hideyoshi serving as a guide and the one who spoke the most the entire time.
"So Shirou, where are you from? You have the dialect of someone from Oita."
"Something like that. To be more precise, I'm from Fuyuki City.'"
"Fuyuki?" Hideyoshi repeated with a confused face, trying to remember whether or not he had heard of this place before. "I've gotta admit, that's the first time I'm hearing of such a place. Are you familiar with it, Kaneki?"
The boy in question thought for a few seconds. "I know of that place; I think I saw it on the news a while ago. Ah! I remember; wasn't that the place where there was a rampant gas leak problem a few years ago?"
So the news of the cover up story used for the Fifth Holy Grail War was still on the minds of some people, from the looks of it. Honestly, Shirou believed most wouldn't even pay attention to news relating to a small place like Fuyuki given a gas leak didn't sound that bad.
"Yes, that's the place. Though if you don't know anything else about that area, then I don't blame you. It doesn't have anything out of the ordinary or unique; it's a mostly calm place, separated by a river going down the middle and connected by a bridge. The only thing you'll find exciting about that place, if you were a tourist, would be the beautiful scenery of the surrounding mountains. But aside from that, it doesn't have anything memorable."
"Ah, I see. You came a long way then. It must be a bit stressful changing from a peaceful place like that to a fast-paced and loud place like Tokyo. It can get pretty rowdy and chaotic around here."
"Can't say; I haven't even been here for twenty-four hours yet. But honestly, it doesn't look as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it's a bit more crowded, but overall, it looks quite lively." Though Shirou had to admit, he did miss the scenery of nature surrounding his house and the beautiful landscape of the mountains. But he was certain this place also had its fair share of charms.
"They all say that, but I guess you have a point. Anyways, this is the administration office; I think there should be someone in there, so go on in. If you need anything else, then call me."
Shirou thanked the duo and went inside to complete his final step in becoming a student. It didn't take long — perhaps a few minutes to half an hour — before he was done and walked out of the door.
"Hm?" Though as he was going down the stairs, he noticed a strange little item out of the corner of his eye. "Wait, isn't that…" An identity card with the face of Hideyoshi's friend printed on it, along with Kaneki's full name."
"He must have dropped it and didn't realize it." Hurriedly going downstairs, he, of course, couldn't find the duo, as they had left a long time ago. Just as he was about to make a call once more, he spotted the eye-patched Kaneki in the distance and immediately ran over to him.
"Hey! You dropped this!"
Surprised by his voice, the latter flinched and looked startled. However, his expression shifted to surprise when he saw the identity card held up in the approaching redhead's hand before swiftly checking his wallet and realizing that he had indeed dropped the item in question.
"Damn it! I didn't even notice when it fell! Thanks, Shirou, you're a lifesaver. It would have been a headache just trying to replace it!" he said thankfully, a response that made the young man wave his hands.
"Don't worry about it; I just happened to see it down by the stairs by chance. If I didn't, then someone would have eventually brought it to lost and found." He said with a smile, more than happy to have helped this person by accident. "Anyways, I should be going. Still have lots of things to do when it comes to moving into another city."
"Wait Emiya-san!" Kaneki reacted quickly, calling Shirou's name before he was about to leave, "I really do feel like I should thank you in some way. How about this, I know of a certain old cafe on the east side of town. It serves some of the best coffee in all of Tokyo in my opinion along with various kinds of drinks and food. The price is also affordable for most students, so I know you'll like it there. Here's a card, you'll find the address on the back along with a phone number. If you can't find it then just call me and I'll help you out."
This time, Shirou didn't immediately decline what Kaneki had to offer. Even though he felt there was no need for the boy to go this far just to repay him, he still ended up accepting the card out of curiosity of this cafe the boy kept praising so much. Looking at the name of the place, he hummed,
"Maybe I should bring Illya along as well, it's not good for her to stay cooped up in the living room staring at the screen all day." Not to mention that the place was close enough to his apartment that it wouldn't take long to reach, even by walking.
"Alright, I'll make sure to drop by. Also, you can just call me Shirou."
.
.
.
"…A cafe?" Illya repeated, her eyes barely open with a hazy stare, half awake and half asleep. Having a severe case of bed hair which he gently combed with a soft bristle brush as she leaned against him, using his lap as a chair while watching TV. He doubted she even heard most of the things he said, watching the latter slowly start leaning against his chest, using it as a pillow and slowly slipping into a peaceful sleep. This made it impossible for him to continue his task. Shirou sighed, his sister wasn't exactly a morning person.
"Oi, wake up. Just sleep on the sofa, I won't be able to move if you sleep here."
"Five more minutes."
Sella was busy doing her half of the house chores, starting by cleaning her and Illya's rooms which he wanted to help with but was kicked out soon after. Of course, free from her maid's supervision, the young lady used this opportunity to just use him as a teddy bear and slack off on fixing her appearance.
So he had to do it for her.
"Were you even listening to what I was saying?"
She hummed, "Antique cafe… something like that."
"Hah… it's Anteiku, I even showed you the card."
After getting the invitation from Kaneki, he looked around online to see what the place was like. Absentmindedly going through the random reviews all praising the place for its peaceful atmosphere that helped distract them from Tokyo's usual quick paced rhythm.
"I'll be going there in a bit, want to come with me?" He asked, trying to finish properly brushing her hair until it was done a few moments later. "Have you ever been to Tokyo before coming to Fuyuki? This can be a good opportunity to see other places."
"Not really," she answered, yawning. "Jubstacheit never allowed me to leave the castle, I've never even been to most places in Germany let alone Japan. After summoning Berserker, we just immediately headed to Fuyuki after the castle mama and papa used before was repaired, that's about it."
No wonder, Shirou felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. Imagining the young girl stuck in a castle for most of her life made the urgency of finding a cure for Illya grow that much stronger — at least then he could have her experience the things she missed out on.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, the white haired girl started patting his chest, "Don't feel bad about me, I had Sella, Fillia and Leysritt to keep me company along with plenty of other maids."
"Fillia?" As far as he could remember, he never met a maid with that name, making him wonder if she was killed during the Holy Grail War or if she just remained in the main Einzbern castle.
Illya shrugged, "You wouldn't know her, she left the castle not long before the war. I don't know if she's alive in the first place. So, about this cafe, when are you going? I can get ready before Sella finishes with her chores."
Did she want to avoid talking about this Fillia? Not putting too much thought into it, he picked his sister up and set her down on the sofa. "Shouldn't we wait until she's finished so we can go together?"
"No!" Surprisingly, she shot down that suggestion as soon as it left his mouth. "This is supposed to be a brother and sister outing! We can bring Sella another time, so let's go!"
Now filled with newfound energy, she grabbed her shoes and keys before heading out of the apartment much to his dismay.
"Wait, Illya! Don't run in the hallway, you'll fall!" Quickly putting on his shoes and grabbing his wallet, the redhead raced after the energetic girl, only stopping to quietly close the door behind them.
"Hm?"
A few seconds later, Sella came out of her room holding a broom and various cleaning materials, her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a beige, long-sleeved blouse tucked into an olive-green, knee-length skirt.
"Lady Illya, I hope you weren't lazing around and freshened up like I told you to… do… so… eh? Lady Illya? Shirou?" The woman was greeted by only the background sound from the television, both Emiya siblings nowhere to be found. "Don't tell me those two…"
With both sets of keys and Shirou's wallet missing along with their shoes, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened.
"Hah… those two… she was supposed to catch up on her studies." Feeling powerless to do anything, Sella just sat on the sofa and decided to have some time for herself. "They better return before noon."
…
(A while later)
"So is this the place?"
After running to catch up with the surprisingly fast Illya, both walked across Tokyo from one block to another. It took him a while to find the location of the place Kaneki recommended to him; he ended up asking a policeman to help him navigate around before they finally found it.
"I have to say, the place looks nice but nothing special. With how you were talking about it, I thought it would at least have a garden and a fountain." Illya said, adjusting her hat while looking slightly unimpressed. "It looks empty."
"It is very early I suppose and we're here on a weekday." Shirou added, looking around to find the place to be just as Kaneki described it — peaceful. "Hm?"
The door to the cafe opened and someone who appeared to be an employee walked out holding a duster which she used to lightly remove the dirt on the sign. She had bob-length dark blue hair with long bangs reaching her chin and covering the right side of her face along with blue eyes. She looked to be around Kaneki's age, maybe a little younger.
The girl noticed the two standing in front, her eyes darting from him to Illya next to him a couple of times.
"…"
No name tag.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so rather than continue keeping his silence, Shirou spoke up first. "Uh, hello there. We heard about this place from a friend, are you… open?"
"…Yes, come in." Her hand held the door open for them; he thanked the young woman on the way in. Illya's eyes lingered on her for a bit before she lost interest and turned her attention to the inside.
It reminded him of Copenhagen but without the slight stench of tobacco lingering in the air due to his boss. A couple of round tables, enough to welcome a dozen people, warm light at the bar where an old man stood drying the glassware, shelves filled with different kinds of coffee beans and a cozy, inviting atmosphere. He could easily see himself spending a few hours relaxing here without even noticing the passage of time.
"Our first customer of the day, new faces as well, welcome to Anteiku." The old man spoke, a kind smile on his face which he returned. "Please, have a seat. Our store has a variety of blends to offer, some of which will be to your liking. We also serve desserts if the young lady is interested. Touka will be with you shortly to take your orders."
"Thank you," Taking a seat, the siblings gazed at the menu, but Shirou noticed that Illya in particular was behaving weirdly. The young half-homunculus kept glancing back at the blackboard near the entrance where the girl who he now knew as Touka stood writing today's menu for passing pedestrians.
"It's rare for you to be interested in others and look at them so intently, Illya." He commented, knowing she usually wasn't very social or showed much interest when it came to strangers. "Did you notice something strange about her?"
"I… don't know." She answered, with a slight frown. "I just find her presence to be a bit weird; it's different from most people here. The same thing with that old man… maybe I'm wrong but I think I sensed some magical energy nearby but it's gone now."
Magical energy? He did feel his nose react to a scent, a sense of synaesthesia from what Rin explained to him, due to the presence of magical energy. But it was so faint that he thought it was perhaps because of Illya's presence and as she said, it was gone soon after.
"Do you think one of them is a magus?"
"Unlikely," she said, shaking her head as she reached for the menu on the table. "Magi in general don't tend to work in cafes like this, unless they're dirt poor and need to earn a living. And those two… they don't seem to be openly giving off any magical energy at all, they just feel like your average person you'd meet anywhere. Unless they are mages going the extra mile to hide any traces just to work peacefully in a cafe — which is also unlikely."
"Then what about the magical energy you sensed?"
She answered his question with a shrug, "Tokyo must have other magi as well, one of them probably used a spell nearby."
Nodding his head, the boy noticed Touka approaching with a notepad. Both placed their order as the waitress quietly noted it down without saying a word and left soon after. She wasn't cold, just quiet in his opinion and was just doing her job. The way she moved spoke of confidence and experience. If he had to guess, he'd assume she'd worked here for quite some time now.
Ring~!
The bell rang near the door, and another person walked in. It wasn't a customer as he initially thought, but instead a familiar face who introduced him to this place. "Oh, you're already here, Emiya!"
Crash!
As soon as those words left Kaneki's mouth, Shirou winced when he heard the sound of glass shattering. Looking around to find the old man now empty handed, the cup in his hands having slipped and shattered into shards. Both of their gazes met, the redhead felt the latter looked at him more intently than before.
"Sorry about that, I guess age is catching up to me. Touka, help me clean this, would you?"
"Y-Yes." The blue-haired girl was confused at first but quickly agreed and headed over with a sweeper.
Maybe Shirou was imagining it.
Turning his attention back to Kaneki, he noticed the boy wearing the same uniform beneath his coat as Touka and the old man. It didn't take a genius to figure out why he was wearing it.
"So that's why you recommended this place to me — you work here."
"Yes, sorry I forgot to tell you about that. But this place is genuinely one of the best places to get a cup of coffee. Even before I became a waiter here and worked part-time, I was a regular customer along with Hide. We'd usually come over during the week after our classes and hang out for an hour or two," Kaneki said while placing his coat on the rack. His eyes lingered over to Illya, who barely paid him any attention.
"This is my sister, Illya. Since we've just arrived in Tokyo, I wanted to show her around and explore the place. So I decided to bring her here," Shirou explained, a small voice within him urging to add the word 'little' when introducing his sister — just to tease her a bit given how she behaved like one.
However, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a stern glare or the dreaded silent treatment. They also needed to visit the local hospital after this, but he didn't mention that detail.
"So what's your first impression of the place?" Kaneki asked, looking over at Touka and the old man, who had cleaned up the broken glass and were now preparing their orders.
"It's just as you said, peaceful and relaxing — the kind of place where I feel I could hang out for a few hours and just enjoy the atmosphere. It reminds me of the café I used to work at in Fuyuki."
"You had a similar job as me?"
At that, Shirou showed an awkward smile. "Well… It was a part-time job, but it was a little bit of everything. I helped with cleaning, cooking, managing our finances, making sure we had enough stock, looking over my boss's habit of smoking too much, working at the register, and other stuff as well."
Kaneki looked at him weirdly. "At that point, aren't you the owner of the café?"
"Maybe. Even the owner herself made that comment, but I didn't mind much. In the end, it was a nice pastime and quite fun."
They both conversed for the next few minutes, sharing small details of their daily lives while Illya sat there, not uttering a single word. Though he didn't force her to socialize in the first place, he hoped she would get used to having normal conversations with people soon. Eventually, rather than Touka, the old man came over instead, carrying a tray filled with one cup of coffee, a glass of juice, and a plate with a slice of chocolate cake. He placed them on the table carefully, the entire time having the same smile on his face, though Shirou wondered once again if his eyes were deceiving him; the old man's smile looked a bit strained.
"I see you two are acquainted with one another. Kaneki here is our newest employee. It's not often he invites others. I managed to overhear some of your conversation. From what I understand, you're new to Tokyo, right?"
"Yes," Shirou answered while taking a sip of his drink. His eyes widened when he discovered just how amazing the taste was — even better than the coffee he made back home, surprisingly enough. "We came from Fuyuki. I'll soon be attending the same university as him."
"Fuyuki, you say?" He nodded with a thoughtful hmm. "A nice little place. I've been there a few times in the past. Beautiful scenery and very quiet compared to Tokyo. It's not often people from there visit my café. Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Yoshimura. I am the manager of Anteiku."
"Emiya Shirou. Nice to meet you," he greeted the man with a polite smile. He was a bit curious about who from his hometown might have come over here, but then again, it wasn't like he knew everyone back home, so it was very likely he wouldn't recognize the name.
"If you don't mind me asking, who might this young lady be?"
Just like with Kaneki, Shirou introduced Illya. Unlike before, he was certain this time when he saw a look of confusion on the owner's face. He couldn't think of a single reason why Yoshimura might know of Illya let alone be surprised to see her. Maybe he was just being paranoid and reading too much into facial expressions.
"I see. I overheard the part where you mentioned you were here to pursue your university studies. So, I take it you are going to stay here for a few years. Is that right?"
"That's very likely." As he said that, the TV in the background switched to an emergency news channel, with the anchor discussing another series of murders. The more he listened, the more unsettled he became, especially when the news reporter started to talk about ghouls eating people in Tokyo. Immediately, he felt a wave of goosebumps spread across his body.
He knew that the existence of ghouls had already been recognized and accepted by the world for the past century. While many people still thought of them as urban legends, they were still well-known to the general public. A part of him couldn't help but fear how the Clocktower or the Church would handle this situation if it was too out of control.
'If I remember correctly, the Mage's Association and various governments around the world were unable to suppress the existence of ghouls and had no choice but to try and distract public attention away from them or at least away from their more supernatural elements as much as possible. A form of damage control really… I wonder if Illya is familiar with them?'
No matter how vicious the Clocktower was, they couldn't erase multiple countries and over a century's worth of publicly recorded history just to erase ghouls from everyone's minds. Not only was it beyond their capabilities, but even if they could pull it off, it could trigger a response from the Counter Force.
Shirou shuddered at the thought of that last part, dealing with the existence of ghouls was still far better than that option.
"Hahaha! There they go spreading those ridiculous propaganda stories again. Who the hell even believes that crap? You'd think the people would get tired of hearing these stories." One of the customers who arrived a few minutes after he was settled laughed in the background, dismissing everything the news reporter said with a wave of his hand.
'Wait, do the people here think that the ghouls are just a fantasy story made by the news?' The more he listened, the more it became obvious that even the news anchor himself wasn't taking it seriously.
Perhaps this was the way magi tried to deal with the issue? It sounded practical and could work in the long run.
"These stories have been around since I was a small child. Whether people believe in them or not is something I don't think about," Yoshimura stated as he lowered the volume and changed the channel. "Tokyo is a dangerous place this time of year; you never know what kind of danger you will encounter and what kind of stories will be spun around it. Please don't mind it; it's nothing serious."
"Is it a regular thing for the news to talk about ghouls?" Shirou asked Kaneki, but the boy remained silent and avoided his gaze. Yoshimura answered in his stead. "You can think of it as an inside joke of sorts. Trust me, you'll get used to hearing such things daily, in many cases, these 'ghoul' attacks are just a cover up for petty criminals trying to use it to their advantage. Don't trouble yourself with such things."
"Is it common to see cases of murder happening around here?" Shirou continued to inquire about the matter, pretty certain there was a similar news broadcast yesterday after he returned from the university.
"I can understand your concern; after all, Fuyuki is a peaceful town where it is rare to hear about such cases regularly. But you must remember, Tokyo is a big place with a lot more going on than any other city in Japan. It's quite common to see more criminal activity, but the news tends to exaggerate it in most cases. Just stay away from sketchy areas; other than those places, Tokyo is just like any other city."
In a way, Shirou understood the man had a point. A part of him wanted to look further into this matter, but that could wait, as his main priority was to look after Illya for now. He could investigate that part later on. So, letting go of that matter, he continued his conversation with Kaneki, while Yoshimura went back behind the counter to tend to the other customers. Occasionally, he felt Touka looking toward them every so often and wondered what was going on inside her head, the same happening with Yoshimura.
Eventually, an hour passed by, and both his and Illya's cups were empty, with the cake already eaten. "We should go. I had fun here, thanks for inviting me to this cafe, Kaneki."
"Don't mention it; it was the least I can do. The next time you come over, I'm sure Hideyoshi will be here as well."
After paying his bill, both of the Emiya siblings left the premises, with Kaneki waving them goodbye and Yoshimura telling them to come back again. It wasn't until they both left that Touka and Kaneki both turned their attention to Yoshimura, both with confused expressions.
"We'll talk about this later," he said calmly, pointing at the new customers coming into the cafe. "First, we have to focus on our job."
Not having anything to say against that, both nodded their heads and went back to their work.
.
.
.
(A few hours later)
"The day went by as usual; Anteiku tended to their regular customers with the same smile and treatment as always. Everyone was fully focused on their work without being distracted by what had happened earlier. The minutes ticked by until it was near closing time hours later. This time, the cafe was empty, and both Touka and Kaneki were busy cleaning up the place.
The first one to break the silence ended up being the blue-haired girl. "How are you feeling?" she asked the boy next to her. Though she didn't say it explicitly, he understood what she meant.
"I should be the one asking that," he replied. "You fought one of the ghoul investigators."
"I can handle myself, this isn't the first time I've killed one of them nor will it be the last. I advise you to get used to it, you won't be let off so easily next time."
The artificial half-ghoul flinched, the fight against the younger investigator still fresh on his mind. That was the first time he'd ever gotten into a physical fight with someone and the idea that he'd have to fight more people like that, even to the death, terrified him.
It was also the first time he had experienced being struck by a quinque, and he wasn't sure if he'd be as lucky as he was this time in the future.
"Is Hinami… alright?" Wanting to change the subject, Kaneki asked about the young girl they saved from the two investigators.
This time, Yoshimura answered. "She'll be fine, for her sake I'll be sending the child to the twenty-fourth ward soon; for now, she is living under my care temporarily." At this, Touka's shoulders tensed slightly, but the old man chose to ignore it for now. "Also, you haven't answered Touka's question, I'm also wondering if you have been adapting well."
"It's bearable, not nearly as bad as in the beginning, and drinking coffee helps," he answered, some discomfort seeping from his voice. "I'll make sure that it doesn't end up as bad as before. I don't want to lose control and harm an innocent passerby."
"You'll get used to it," Yoshimura said. "There are many things you need to learn, and with time, you will slowly get adjusted and even live out your regular life just as you would have if you were still a normal human."
"I hope so," Kaneki replied, already missing the taste of food, the lingering desire to consume what he once loved, which was now impossible given how his body now rejected human food. "By the way, what was going on back then when Emiya and I were talking? You looked a bit distracted."
To his surprise, the person in front of him sighed and massaged his forehead with a complicated expression. "I suppose it's understandable for both of you to be surprised at my reaction. It's normal for the younger generation to not be aware of that name, given how that man retired a long time ago. I was just surprised to hear the name 'Emiya' again."
"Emiya?" While Kaneki was clearly confused, Touka had already come to her own conclusion and looked worriedly at him. "Is he someone important within the doves? He could be an investigator for all we know despite being so young."
The girl was suspicious, rightfully so after she recently murdered one of the investigators hunting Hinami. It would be foolish to believe there wouldn't be other investigators following up on the case. Part of her feared whether Kaneki was going to be targeted next.
At that, Yoshimura chuckled. "No, he's not related to the doves whatsoever. The man I'm talking about, Kiritsugu Emiya, was a free-lance — a mercenary or assassin depending on how you looked at it. He didn't share the same goals or ideals as the doves either — that man was very selective about his targets. However, he was known for a level of cunning and brutality that put him on-par with the most ruthless and dangerous investigators."
Kiritsugu Emiya, that was a name neither of them recognized, and they looked at each other wondering if the other knew. But no matter how much they racked their brains, nothing came up. Touka was especially confused as she had been involved in the more dangerous side of their world for years and considered herself pretty knowledgeable about dangerous people to avoid. That name never once came up.
"It's not a story either of you should be concerned about. From my guess, that person is long dead; the last I met him, he was on his last legs. What you should understand is that he was a dangerous individual. On the rare occasion that he visited Tokyo, he always left bodies — human and ghoul alike. He may have only been human himself, but he was feared."
Touka became more confused as she listened. A person who wasn't a ghoul investigator that even Yoshimura was wary of? She knew in his prime, Yoshimura was easily considered to be one of the strongest ghouls in Tokyo if not the world. Even now, he was still among the strongest. The idea of any human, let alone someone who wasn't an investigator, being enough of a threat to have him this worked up was hard to accept.
"Did he have a quinque?" If he had a powerful quinque then it might make more sense. Although they're hard to come by, a number of quinques had made their way into the black market. Usually, ones that were stolen off the bodies of slain ghoul investigators.
Yoshimura nodded. "Yes, I know he had at least a couple, but none of them were very noteworthy. I believe he carried them mainly for convenience against weaker ghouls that he didn't need to employ his… usual methods against. What made Kiritsugu dangerous wasn't his quinques but the lengths to which he would go to eliminate his targets. For example — even we ghouls wouldn't be able to withstand C4 explosives, or direct hits from anti-tank rounds designed with RC technology."
This was enough to cause Kaneki's eyes to widen and for Touka to grit her teeth.
"He didn't shy away from using methods that were considered too costly or caused too much collateral damage even in densely populated areas," Yoshimura continued. "He also never faced his opponents openly — he preferred taking them out from the shadows when they least expected it."
At this, the older man sighed and looked at the two of them with a serious expression. "Anyways, I'd prefer you be careful around anyone bearing the name 'Emiya.' While I don't know the relationship that young man may have with Kiritsugu or if he's following in his footsteps, I'd rather not take any chances. I won't ask you to avoid him, but be careful around him; don't give him any reason to suspect you're a ghoul.
He didn't elaborate any further and went into the back rooms, leaving the two alone to finish cleaning.
Plenty of thoughts swirled in their minds, each different from one another. For Kaneki, he didn't want to treat Shirou as an enemy given his impression of him. The two had spoken like regular college students in the short time he'd gotten to know him. Even Hide seemed to like him, and he knew Hide was an excellent judge of character thanks to his sharp intuition. So, he wanted to believe that perhaps Yoshimura was overthinking the issue and that whoever this Kiritsugu Emiya was, he had nothing to do with Shirou.
Touka, on the other hand, had a different opinion. Having lived the kind of life she had, the girl knew when to meddle and when to back away. If the old man said that this Shirou was potentially dangerous, then she'd believe him and keep her distance. A part of her did feel bad that this would have to include his younger sister — she was actually a pretty cute kid although she didn't say much, something Touka could easily relate to. Suddenly, a haunting memory flashed to the forefront of her mind of how the girl had occasionally looked at both her and Yoshimura strangely as if she thought they were hiding something.
'It can't be… did she notice something…?"
No, that couldn't be it. Even members of the Doves wouldn't recognize them in this state, let alone a small child. Still, it was enough to give her reason to be cautious around the younger sibling as well. She'd have to keep her guard up if they came back in the future.
"Kaneki, you should probably listen to him, I've known Yoshimura for years and I know he's not the sort of person who gets worked up over nothing. I won't force you to stay away from that guy since he'll be attending the same college as you, but be careful. If you slip up, it's not just your life that'll be on the line."
"I know."
{Break}
(A few hours later)
"Aaaah…" Sitting inside the hospital's waiting room, both Illya and Shirou waited for the doctor to come and take Illya for her checkup. Shirou had chosen this place first in hopes of finding a way to cure or at least alleviate his sister's condition.
"So sleepy…" the white haired homunculus muttered, not at all worried whether or not the procedure would have any success. Going so far as to use his lap as a temporary pillow to have a small nap.
Not that he was against it, his hands were already stroking her hair. This had become a habit of his lately, her snow-white hair was smooth and soft as silk.
"You've been getting exhausted more easily lately; is everything alright?" he asked, glancing down at her with concern. One of the side effects of her condition, she had told him, was that as her body began to break down, she'd become physically weaker and unable to move as well as she used to. Already, he could attest to this — although she tried to hide it, she clearly lacked the boundless energy she once seemed to have.
"I stayed up late last night, trying to set up a magical workshop," she replied with a yawn, her eyes still closed.
"You what!?" Shirou's worry deepened. He was afraid she was pushing herself too far by using magecraft more often. Seeing his concern, Illya waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, setting up a workshop is a trivial matter. It won't have any effects on my body… at least no more than what's already happening."
Shirou hesitated, biting back what he really wanted to say. He knew what she said was true, but it didn't make him worry any less. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So, you said you tried to set up a magical workshop. Can I assume it didn't go well?"
Illya's expression soured immediately, frustration etched across her features.
"Exactly! The density of mana in the atmosphere is so pitiful that I can barely sustain an average workshop. It's completely useless for what I have in mind without further preparation."
A workshop — a standard practice for an average mage — was their personal space, their study and lab where they could conduct research and magecraft in peace, away from prying eyes. Shirou didn't have one himself, but in a way, his shed could be considered a makeshift workshop.
"But why?" he asked, confused. "You didn't have such an issue in Fuyuki, right?"
Illya sighed, closing her eyes for a few more seconds. "I have a hunch why it's like this. The mana in Tokyo's atmosphere is very thin compared to other places — most likely due to the existence of the gallu."
Shirou blinked. "Ga…llu?"
Illya continued without missing a beat. "That's just what we call them instead of using the general term 'ghouls' like the public. Real ghouls are entities in the second stage of vampirism who, other than consuming people, have nothing else in common. Gallu survive off of magical energy as well as human flesh. They draw in mana just like any magus would, but they can also absorb massive amounts of magical energy all at once using their uh… er… ah right, 'kagune' which they use for fighting and hunting. The reason why the mana is so thin here is likely because of a very large, active population of gallu."
"They sound dangerous… I'm still having a hard time understanding why the Clocktower or the Church hasn't dealt with them yet given the public knows of them. I know they've been around for centuries, but haven't they ever tried?"
"Of course they did, and as you can see, it wasn't much of a success. They aren't dealing with mindless monsters after all. So anyways, unlike magi, Gallu constantly absorb large amounts of magical energy from their surroundings, especially when using their kagune, which they then store. Besides sustenance, they use it to accelerate their regeneration and enhance their physical abilities, kind of like Saber's Mana Burst. Some of them also have special abilities that they use it for."
Here, Illya sighed and frowned. "Unfortunately, they're horrendously inefficient at using magical energy; they burn through it too quickly, which leads to them needing more. That's why there's dry spots where the mana is extremely weak throughout Tokyo and we just so happen to be in one. It doesn't help that we're not close to any major leylines."
Shirou nodded, recalling some of this information from conversations with Rin. He remembered how the Ryuudou Temple had served as Caster's base, where the leylines were more concentrated than anywhere else.
"So, Tokyo isn't an ideal place for magi?"
Illya nodded. "To make matters worse, gallu see magi like us as a 'delicacy.'" Seeing her brother's confused expression, she elaborated. "They sense magical energy similar to how you do, through a sense of synaesthesia. Only in their case, it's both smell and taste.You've heard the news, right? There are plenty of them around. It's no wonder so many people at the Clocktower hate them. Hah… I doubt even a magical energy reactor would help."
Shirou was taken aback. He hadn't realized that ghouls er, gallu could disrupt the environment to such a degree, and the thought of their safety being at risk with so many of them in Tokyo started to gnaw at him.
"Emiya Shirou and Emiya… Illya?" The doctor is ready for you. Please head down the hall."
Shirou snapped out of his thoughts as a nurse came and called his name, but it was the second name that made him gaze questioningly down at the person resting her head on his lap.
"What? It's not like that name is wrong and it's easier for them to deal with 'Emiya' than 'Von Einzbern.'"
She wasn't wrong.
"All right, let's get this over with quickly. There's a new show airing in a few hours, and I don't want to miss it," Illya said cheerfully, grabbing his arm and dragging him along. Shirou could only smile helplessly as he followed her.
As they passed a group of nurses, Shirou caught snippets of their whispered conversation. Something about what they were saying piqued his interest, but before he could listen closer, Illya tugged him onward.
"These last few murder cases and disappearances, I'm telling you it's because of the Gourmet ghoul."
"Shhh! Don't say it out loud, you know the head nurse will get mad if she hears us."
Gourmet ghoul?
Perhaps he could investigate this later; if this creature was behind the increasing cases of murders going on in Tokyo, then he had to do something.
Author's note:
So, I would like to put a small reminder here and a clarification about this story's Shirou Emiya and the Ghouls.
First, our favorite redheaded MC is not from any of the three routes specifically — it's a completely original route Shirou Emiya. The situation is basically the same as the Shirou from the Case Files who is stated to be from an original route rather than the same one from ubw.
Second, it concerns the Ghoul's ability or rather Galu as they are classified in this world since the Fate ghouls are still a thing. Their ability is to draw Mana from their surroundings through their Kagune to 'store' it in their RC cells thus allowing them to use their abilities. But they are HORRENDOUSLY inefficient at using that energy thus consuming a lot.
Hope this will clear some confusion for current and future chapters.
