PoV:?

It was like staring into an abyss, an endless hole with no escape. The fierce creature was a black hole, its hunger neverending. Like a vacuum, it sucked up everything in its path with utter ease, leaving a void of nothingness behind in its wake.

A true monstrosity, a destroyer and herald of Death meant to bring about the End of the World.

"MMMMMMM, thish fewd ish shooo good, Shirou!"

And that destroyer was my own sister, Fujimura Taiga.

I watch as the heat of embarrassment fills Matou-san's cheeks as Onii-chan informs her that this work was Sakura's achievement, not his own.

"Really? You've gotten really good Sakura-chan!"

"I-It was a combined effort, Fujimura-sensei, Senpai helped too."

Onii-chan waves off that assertion.

"No need to sell yourself short, you're almost as good as me now."

She blushes again.

I watch on silently by Onii-chan's side as the three go back and forth on the subject. Matou-san downplaying her culinary skills, while Onee-san and Onii-chan shower her in praise.

"You're being far too unfair to yourself, you've grown a lot Sakura, I'm very proud of you."

That particular comment from Onii-chan leaves her wobbling and for a second I'm sure she'll pass out. Thankfully that doesn't happen and she finds her balance pretty quickly.

It was nice.

This mundane setting, this natural feel, so far away from the Moonlit World and magi, well aside from Matou-san, but while I didn't like her much, I knew she had no interest in my abilities.

And most importantly…

"Miyu, how's Okumura-san doing?"

Onii-chan's question draws the other two's attention,

Onee-san's in particular.

She opens her mouth excitedly, just as Onii-chan moves to collect the now empty plates.

"Ah that's right!" A balled fist slams into an open palm.

"She was one of the kids the police found in that burned down, abandoned mansion right?"

I'm slightly surprised that Onee-san even knew that.

"Yes, her and the others from Class 3 seem to be doing fine."

Onii-chan's eyes depict worry, but at the same time relief. He ponders something for a bit, before speaking up again.

"Maybe I'll visit them in the hospital when I go see Tachie, I could bring them something as well."

The mention of that girl's name ruins the good feelings I'd felt before. A deep discomfort fills my stomach and I lose whatever desire I had to ask for seconds.

Across from me, Matou-san seems to agree with my unspoken feelings and we both shoot the only male in the house worried glances, though given he's already in the kitchen, his back is turned to us.

"Nakamura-san's still in the hospital? I thought she was set to be released soon?" My question brings a look of confusion to his eyes, just as he turns around.

"I'm not sure where you got that from, Tachie isn't set to be released until next week." He explains calmly, as if that horrible woman being released onto Fuyuki isn't a bad thing.

"A-ano, Senpai, I wasn't aware you still spent so much time at the hospital."

He blinks.

Before palming his hand to his face, sink water dripping down his features and startling the silent tiger and the two of us.

"I'd totally forgotten to tell you guys", he gives us a slightly apologetic look,"Tachie told me about

a job opening at the hospital as a nurse a while back, so I'll be balancing that and my job at Neko-san's bar."

The information leaves us temporarily stunned, all of us except Onee-san at least.

Seeing the lack of good reception at his words, he frowns.

"I know you guys don't like her much", an understatement but that wasn't the worst thing he's said so far, "But this way I'll get to keep an eye on her and help people out at the same time."

Matou-san looks like she wants to say something, but seems to decide not to.

'Should I say something about that though?'

I ponder to myself, the discomfort from before having increased tenfold.

On one hand, I didn't approve of Nakamura-san in the slightest, her very presence so tainted I feel light-headed whenever she's around.

'But', I frown, 'Nakamura-san is Onii-chan's friend.'

'Is it right for me to tell him to stay away from her, knowing how close they are?'

A hand finds its way on the top of my head.

"Well if I leave it to you all to figure this out, we'll be late again." Onee-san's carefree voice breaks through the tense silence.

"Sooooooo", she strikes a pose, hands on her hips with her chest puffed out and a proud expression on her face, "I'll have to step up and fix this problem for you all, see how mature I am?"

Onii-chan rolls his eyes,

"If you have to ask that then you're probably not all that mature to begin with."

"Wha?! How rude! This is how you treat the person that raised you?!"

"I must have hit my head or something, who raised who again, you bothersome tiger."

A roar.

"Waaaaah, don't call me a tiger!"

She pounces.

"See what I-argh-mean?!"

"This is what you get for being so mean to me!"

The two go back and forth for a while, rolling on the floor like animals.

The tense mood from before had completely evaporated, unsurprising, this was Nee-san's specialty after all.

I glance at Matou-san, and can immediately tell she felt the same as I did.

'Even if the tension is gone, the truth still remains.'

Nakamura Tachie is dangerous.

-Scene-

"Sheesh, that childish woman is gonna make us late again." Onii-chan complains slightly.

"It's your own fault for calling her Tiger, Senpai."

I nod.

"She's right, Onii-chan, you should know better than to have aggravated her like that."

He blanks, admonished, but doesn't say anything, only letting out a sigh.

We cross the intersection and come into view of Homurahara Academy. I'm reminded at this moment of the unfairness of our ages.

Matou-san inches closer to Onii-chan, their classes on the other side of the building from mine.

As we reach the gates, a familiar purple visage is waiting at the gate for us.

Matou-san shivers a bit, distress evident in her features. Onii-chan moving in front of her, the sight seems to piss off Matou Shinji something fierce.

"Sakura," he yells, seemingly already in a bad mood, "what the hell are you doing getting here so late huh? You think you get to skip out on Archery practice, so you can go off and ah!?-"

His angry rant is cut off by someone tugging on his ear.

"You really shouldn't be yelling so loudly in the morning Matou-kun", an elegantly fake voice reprimands him.

Aquamarine eyes, glance at Matou-san and I, before settling on Onii-chan.

The perfect, school idol's lips stretch into a confident smile.

"Good Morning, Matou-san, Fujimura-san, Emiya-kun, Ayako was looking for you two."

My second least favorite person in Fuyuki,

the exceptional heiress of the Tohsaka family, makes her entrance.