That's right, I have to go and help Sakura. I'd feel bad, both for letting my junior do all the work, and for Sakura coming here so early in the morning.

But I'm too late. It seems breakfast has already been made. I can smell the elegant scent of breakfast befitting Sakura. Sakura has finished cooking and is opening the cupboards. I can see that all she has left to do is set the table.

"I'm sorry. I'll at least get the dishes ready, so you go and sit down." "Huh? Oh, you're here already, Senpai?"

"Not 'already'. We're usually eating by ten past six, so I certainly slept in." "I don't think so. You're not in any clubs, so this is still early for you."

"Clubs have nothing to do with this. When you bring clubs into it, the problem is that you come here when you have morning practice to go to." "Ah... no, I'm doing this because I want to, so please don't worry about my club."

"Yeah, you always say that. That's why I wake up early, clubs or not. It's rude for me to sleep in if you're going to be here."

For me, waking up early is waking up before Sakura gets here, and sleeping in is making Sakura prepare breakfast on her ownlike today. Though, this has only been a habit for a year and a half or so.

"Anyways, you take a rest. We only have to set the table, so at least let me do that." I stand next to Sakura and take out the dishes. Sakura is stubborn at times, and in situations like this, she won't rest unless she's forced to.

"Oh, then I'll help too. I'll load the plates and you can take them out."

"No, I'm saying I'll do it all myself." "That won't do. You're head of this household, so you should just sit contentedly in the mornings."

"Sit contentedly? A head of household who leaves you to do the work by yourself is a failure. It's okay, so go to the living room."

"That's right, please be a failure. This is repayment for letting me eat good food all the time. So if it's possible, I'd like for you to rest."

"Hey. We're going fifty-fifty on the groceries, so you shouldn't worry about it. I should be the one thanking you. Since you've started coming here, our meals have improved."

"Oh, I knew it. You don't get it, do you Senpai? That's not why the meals here are good." "Huh? What do you mean that's not why?"

"No, it's nothing. But please take responsibility because I can't eat a pleasant meal anywhere else any more." Sakura smiles while blushing.

"I-Idiot, don't say such weird things. What if Fuji-Nee hears that? She doesn't understand jokes." "You're right. It would be a big problem if Fujimura-Sensei overheard that." "Right. Don't say so much weird stuff." "Yes, I won't. I won't say anything. So I can help you, right Senpai?" "......" Sakura looks up at me, naturally and calmly.

"Fine, do what you want. If you want to help so much, go right ahead." "Yes, I'll do as I please." "...Geez, you really don't listen to anything I tell you anymore, do you Sakura?" "That's true. Maybe I'm becoming more like Fujimura-Sensei." Speaking softly, Sakura reaches up for the cupboard.

Her silky hair and smooth skin catch my eye. “...” ...How can I put this... it's troubling. She must be maturing as she seems really feminine these days. Her casual movements and her figure are so beautiful that I instinctively look away.

"Senpai? Is something wrong?" "No, it's nothing. Don't worry, it's nothing." "Hm?" ...Honestly. Why am I feeling tense around my friend's sister? After all, Sakura's not like that. She's a good underclassman, and a junior I need to take care of.

First of all, the relationship between me and Matou Sakura is just that of a Senpai and a junior. She's the sister of a close friend of mine, but since she's a grade below me, we weren't that close.

It all changed a year and a half ago into this cooperative kind of relationship. Sakura came to cook when I was injured, and after that, I think we just ended up like this.

...I think we intended to do it until my injury healed, but some trivial thing came up to make her stay with it.

Anyways, Sakura is a good cook, and perfect at cleaning and doing the laundry. It's a big help to have her helping around here in the mornings, but it's been a bit troubling recently. The problem is not in Sakura, but me.

“...” Frankly, Sakura is beautiful. She's one of the best looking first years, and I'm sure there are lots of guys who want to date her. And on top of that, she's been growing in certain places recently and some of her casual gestures have started to catch my eye.

...That's what I mean by a small problem. Maybe I'm just feeling guilty about being attracted to my friend's sister. Usually I'm fine, but when I'm caught off guard like just now, I blush... does this make me an unsuitable Senpai...?

Breakfast is placed on the table. A perfect breakfast consisting of chicken salad, cooked salmon, spinach, radish and carrot miso soup, and yam soup.

Sakura and I bow and start our meal quietly.

The sounds of our chopsticks echo. Sakura isn't the talkative type, and I'm not versatile enough to talk while eating.

Naturally, mealtimes are quiet. Usually it's louder, but today, the loud person is... She must have been watching spy movies last night as she's eyeing us while hiding behind a newspaper.

"Fujimura-Sensei, don't you think you shouldn't read the newspaper during meals?" "......"

Fuji-Nee ignores Sakura's question. She's acting weird, but Fuji-Nee always acts in suspicious ways during breakfast. Sakura must be used to it, as she continues to eat with no particular care.

Sakura prefers to make Western foods. She learned to cook Japanese food after she started coming here to help. Fuji-Nee and I preferred Japanese, so Sakura learned to make Japanese food for our breakfast.

Now she's so good that she's almost surpassed me, her teacher. The salmon is especially good as it's cooked to perfection. Her miso soup is tasty, and she has shown some capacity even for making yam soup by grinding yams. Actually, I think this is the first time she's made it.

"Sorry, Sakura, can you pass me the soy sauce?" "There you... oh wait, Senpai. Your soy sauce is empty." "Fuji-Nee's will do then. Can you get it?"

"May I, Fujimura-Sensei?" Fuji-Nee nods. Her newspaper trembles.

"There you go. Are you going to use it on the yam soup?" "Yeah, you usually put soy sauce on yam soup, right?" I put the soy sauce onto the white yam soup. After stirring it, I put it on the rice and take a bite.

Mm, the stickiness of the yam and the taste of the soy "]sau "Ugh...! This is terrible! This is oyster sauce!" I almost throw it back up. And then,

"Haha, ahahahahahaha!" Fuji-Nee throws her newspaper away.

"How's that? It was my plan to switch the labels earlier this morning!" The female spy throws up her arms to show her happiness.

"W-What are you thinking!? You're always like this even though you'll be turning twenty-five this year!" "Haha. Did it teach you a lesson for what you did yesterday? It's divine justice for picking on me with everyone else."

"Divine justice doesn't come from people! I thought you were calm, but this is what you were thinking about!?"

"That's right. That's why I have to go and start grading the exams now. Yup, I should hurry up." Fuji-Nee sits back down and finishes her breakfast quickly.

"Thank you. Breakfast was lovely as always, Sakura-chan." "Ah... thank you, Sensei." "I'm going on ahead then. I'll get mad if you two are late."

And she runs off. ...There's something wrong with a world in which that thing is a teacher.

"...Um, Senpai?" "Sorry about that. Fuji-Nee didn't really take the time to enjoy your breakfast." "No, it's not that. Um... did you do something to her yesterday? It's a bit too much for Fujimura-Sensei to play with food."

"Uh... well, yeah. I accidentally called her by her nickname." "I guess it can't be helped in that case. You didn't apologize to her, did you, Senpai?" "Sorry. I forgot since it happens all the time."

"You mustn't. Fujimura-Sensei doesn't like you calling her so, Senpai. You made her cry again, didn't you?" "...I made her run away too. Yesterday's English lesson was a self-study because of it." And I was awarded a student honor written on note paper, but I threw it away.

"Geez. It was all your fault, then." Fuji-Nee is like a big sister for Sakura, so she's basically on Fuji-Nee's side. That's good in its own way, but I wish she'd consider my situation where I have to deal with Fuji-Nee 24-7.

Fuji-Nee was originally an acquaintance of Father's, and she's been coming to the house a lot since I was adopted. She started to show up even more after Father died, and she's now almost a dependent, eating breakfast and dinner here.

No. Maybe she's why I was able to make it on my own even after my father died. Fuji-Nee, Sakura, and I are now the residents of the Emiya household.

...But I'm the only one who knows that my father was a magus. It's said that magi must hide their identities. That's why I've been hiding the fact that I'm learning magic ever since I became my father's student.

I say I'm learning, but I can't even cast a single magic spell properly. With this kind of a skill, it wouldn't make much difference whether I hide it or not. But because it was how my father wanted things, I've trained secretly since then.

I finish breakfast and prepare for school. I clean the dishes with Sakura while listening to the news on TV.

“...” Sakura is staring at the TV screen. Over the screen runs an exaggerated teletype reading "Gas Leak Accidents Continue".

It seems there was a big accident in the neighboring town of Shinto. It happened in a building in the business district. It seems a whole floor of people ran out of oxygen and fell unconscious. They've called it a gas leak, but this kind of accident is happening often recently.

"Are you worried about the news, Sakura?" "Eh? No, not really. I just thought it's near... Senpai, your workplace is in the Shinto area, right?" "Yeah, but it's not really a big place. I don't think an accident like that would happen there."

...But it's not a risk I can completely ignore. Gas leaks can happen in any building, and on top of that, it hurts to think that hundreds of people are suffering.

It's said that the accidents are happening often because of defective construction work during the rapid development of Shinto. Whether that's true or not, I certainly don't want any more victims

"...It is dangerous. We'll have to be careful here too." "Oh, don't worry, Senpai. I check the gas twice every time."

Sakura boasts with pride. "No, that's not the point." ...Yeah, I've thought so before, but Sakura is a bit off too.

"Senpai, did you lock the back door?" "I did. I bolted it. Is there a problem?" "Not at all. Then I'll lock the front door now. When will you be home today, Senpai?"

"I think I'll be a bit late. What about you, Sakura?" "I'll be back at the usual time. I'll probably be here earlier, so I'll start getting dinner ready." "...Yeah, that'll help. I'll try to come home early too."

We lock the gate. Sakura and Fuji-Nee also have keys to my house, and the rule is that the last person out locks up. "Let's go. You won't make it to morning practice unless we hurry." "Yes, let's hurry then, Senpai."

We walk down to the town together. Passing the long wall and going downhill, we reach the residential district. My house is on top of the hill, far away from the center of town.

Going down the hill takes us to the residential district, and beyond that... We reach the crossroads at the center of this town.

From here, there are many roads: a big bridge leading to the neighboring city... ...A hill road that leads to Ryudou Temple... ...The residential district on the other side of town... ...The shopping district Sakura and I always use... ...And the school we're headed to right now.

We head for the school without stopping elsewhere. We don't talk much as we walk up the hill. Since it's still seven o'clock, there aren't many others on the road. Other than us, all you can see are a few others heading to their morning practices.

"Well, see ya. Have fun at your club." I part with Sakura at the school gate like usual. Sakura's in the archery club, so we have to part here in the mornings.

"......" But today, Sakura doesn't go.

"Sakura? Are you not feeling well?" "...No, that's not it, but... um, would you like to come to the dojo?"

"No, I've no business there. Anyways, Issei asked for me, so I have to go to the student council room today."

"...I-I see. Sorry for troubling you then." Sakura bows. "Hm?"

"I'll be going now. Please look forward to dinner tonight." Sakura runs off like she's ashamed of something. "...?" Hm? I wonder what that was all about...?

"Issei, you there?" "I am. You're a bit late today, Emiya." He must have been studying, as Issei looks up from the paper he's reading.

"Just you, Issei? Where are the others? Shouldn't they be here now as well?" "No. Unfortunately, our members are very businesslike. They have their set work hours, and they don't want to come in early or stay late." "That's why the student council president is doing the routine duties himself, huh? I guess this place has its own problems."

"No, it's the kind of trouble I like. You don't need to pity me." "Huh? Uh, no, I wasn't pitying you or anything." "Hm. I'm not happy about that either, but I'll pretend I didn't hear it. It still means that you care."

Issei, who is organizing the papers he was reading, is the big boss of this student council room. He's the guy trying his best to reform this lax student council, and he's been a friend of mine since first year. His full name is Ryudou Issei. Despite his old-fashioned name, he has elegant features and he's really popular with the girls. And he's also the student council president, so you'd think he'd take to it like a duck to water, but...

"Hm. Hot tea is certainly a good way to start a morning." He's just sipping tea like this, so he's not that firm.

As you can see, Issei has a plain personality. It's easily misunderstood, but he doesn't involve himself in love affairs nor engage in normal student recreations. It's because he's the successor of the Ryudou Temple, up in the mountains. He's fine with that idea, so there's a good chance he'll shave his head when he graduates.

"So, what am I doing today?" "Hm? Well, I'd like to let you sit down and take a rest first... but I guess we don't have time. I'll explain as we go, so bring your usual tools and follow me."

"Frankly, our school's budget is completely unbalanced." "I know. The athletic clubs are favored, so other clubs don't get much, right?" "Right. As a result, members of the other clubs are in trouble. I'm working hard to make the budget go to them, but I'm having trouble because it's not clear where the money's going. In particular, there's no solution for the shortages of heaters during winter."[l]

"I see. Oh, can you hand me the torque screwdriver? The biggest one. And the conductive wire too. ...Yeah, I should be able to fix this." "Conductive wire? ...Uh, is this it? Sorry, I don't know exactly.[l] Tell me if I'm wrong." "You're right. So, what was that about the shortage of heaters? Are there other broken ones?"

"Yes. In the 2nd AV room and the art club. The petitions requesting new stoves are multiplying." "But there's not enough budget to meet the demand, huh? As I thought, it's just getting old. Good thing it's not broken on the inside."

"...Hm. You think it can be fixed, Emiya?" "Yup. In cases like this, old things are nice because they're easy to understand.[l] It's just a shorted connection, so it should last the whole year if we replace that." "I see! Good job, Emiya. I'm always so pleased when you're reliable."

"You're wording it weirdly, Issei... Oh, I'll be finished soon, so could you wait outside for a bit?" "All right, I'll be out of your way."

Issei leaves the room quietly. ...It seems he assumes that I'm going to do something delicate.

"...Well, it is delicate, but..." I place my hand on the old electric heater. Usually, even if you're used to fixing things, it's hard to figure out what's wrong with it just by looking at it. So the fact that I figured it out means what I'm doing is not ordinary.

I block off my vision and look inside the heater with my sense of touch. In that moment... An image appears in my head.

"...There are two places where the wire's about to break... The pipe should last a bit longer... Insulation tape should be enough for the power cord..." ...Good, I can fix this with the tools I have with me.

If the pipe were broken, it couldn't be fixed by an amateur. If that had been the case, I would have had to "strengthen" it in a very unamatuerish way. But in this case, just looking at it will suffice. That is the "magic" Emiya Shirou learned from Kiritsugu.

"All right, let's begin." I take the cover off and start to work. I already know where it's broken, so the rest is easy. "...Man. This is the only thing I'm any good at."

That's right. Emiya Shirou has no talent for magic. Though it doesn't make up for it, I think I'm quite skilled at visualizing structures like I did just now. In fact, when I first figured out a structure and reproduced it, my father looked surprised and said "what a useless ability".

I guess my strong point isn't a useful ability. According to my father, it's already a waste of effort to perceive the structure with my eyes. For a real magus, there's no need to understand every corner of a structure like I just did.

They say that the battle of the magus comes in reading the center, the core of things instantaneously, and changing it faster than anything else. That's why reading the structure is a wasted effort, as even if you do understand the structure, all you can do is determine where magical energy could be more easily transmitted.

So all in all, it turns out that my strong point is just in fixing things like this. I don't have to open them up to look for damage. If I can quickly search for broken parts and have the skills to repair them, most things can be fixed. Though, that's only the case for simple things that can be fixed with "amateur knowledge".

"Done. On to the next one..." I pack away the conducting wire that I used and go out into the hallway with screwdriver and wrench in hand.

"Issei, the repairs are done." But. In the hallway is someone else apart from Issei, a girl.

“...” I'm a bit surprised. The person talking to Issei is Tohsaka Rin, from class 2-A. She's a lady who lives in a big mansion on top of the hill, a perfect honor student. Good looking, smart, athletic, and faultless. She's intelligent, well mannered, and modest about her looks. People say she's the ideal woman.

So it hardly needs to be said that the guys at my school treat her like an idol. Though in Tohsaka's case, she's so perfect that she's considered unreachable. It's commonly believed that only teachers and guys like Issei can even talk to her.

...Well, to be honest, I'm a guy too. So I'm one of Tohsaka Rin's admirers.

"......" Tohsaka looks at us as if she's in a bad mood. It seems to be true that she and Issei don't get along.

"Ah, sorry Emiya. I'm the one who asked for help, but it seems like you're doing all the work. Forgive me." Wow. Issei's an amazing man, talking like that and ignoring Tohsaka.

"Don't worry about it. So, where next? There's not much time left." "Yeah, the AV room is next. It seems it's been working badly for a while, but now it finally died."

"It can't be fixed if it's dead. It would be quicker to just buy a new one." "...True, but it'd help if you could take a look at it. It might be dead to my eyes, but only faking it to yours."

"I see. Well, let's take a look." There's only about 30 minutes left until homeroom. I'll have to hurry if I'm going to fix it.

I start for the AV room with Issei. But it's impolite to ignore her completely when we've met like this.

I turn back to Tohsaka, who's standing in a daze. "You're up early, Tohsaka." I make an honest comment, then follow Issei.

"We barely made it. Thank you, Emiya. I caused you trouble again. I would be a failure as a friend if I made you late doing things for me." "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal for me to be late. Though I guess it would be for you to be..." "Indeed. Well, I'm glad we made it." Issei heads to his seat, relieved.

It's exactly eight o'clock. The first homeroom bell has rung, so Fuji-Nee should be here in about five minutes.

"Phew." I'm a bit out of breath since we ran here from the AV room. Taking a deep breath, I head to my seat.

"You're so noisy in the mornings, Emiya. I was wondering what you'd been doing since quitting the club, but all you've been doing is helping out Ryudou? It's not my concern, but don't do anything to bring the club into disrepute, okay? You're pretty uncommitted after all."

Matou Shinji, a friend of mine from middle school, is standing in front of my seat. As you can tell from his last name, he's Sakura's brother who's one year older than her.

"Yo. Is the archery club doing well, Shinji?" "O-Of course...! There's no point in telling an outsider, but it's been peaceful since a certain attention-hog left. We'll do well in the next competition!"

"I see. Mitsuzuri must be working hard." "Huh? You're talking rubbish. The archery club is doing well because of me. You're just an outsider, Emiya, so you'll just embarrass yourself if you talk like you know about it."

"I see, I'll be careful. But I won't have any concerns with the archery club since I don't have any business there." I put my bag on the desk and pull out the chair.

"What's that about? You're saying you're not interested in my archery club?" "I said business, not interest. It'd be weird to go there when I'm an outsider, right? But tell me if something comes up. I'll help if there's anything I can help with. You weren't good at fixing the bows and bowstrings, right?"

"Oh, thanks. I'll call you if there's any work to be done. Though I don't think that'll happen."

"Yeah, that's good. You're not captain material if you leave work that needs to be done. Don't give Fujimura-Sensei too much trouble. She's scary when you piss her off." "...! Huh, mind your own business. You're an outsider, so keep away from the dojo!"

Shinji returns to his seat in his usual manner. ...Hm, he seemed even more irritated than usual today.

"What a guy. How can he talk like that when he's the one who drove you out?" "Oh, you were here, Issei?" "What do you mean!? You're so cold, saying that to a friend who was listening in out of concern!"

"Hm? Why would you do that? I'm not doing anything that should make you worry about me." "Idiot. Of course I'll worry about you. You're the sort to lose your temper easily. Some people would cheer if you beat Shinji up, but all the girls would condemn you. It's not good to let a friend get into a situation like that."

"I see. You're right now that you mention it. Thanks, Issei. I don't think it'll be a problem, but I'm grateful for your concern." "Yes, well, as long as you understand... but it's strange. You lose your temper easily, but you're tolerant of Matou." "Yeah, that's just his style. You get used to it if you hang around him for a long time."

"Hm, I see." "Yeah. If you understand, go back to your seat. Fujimura-Sensei will fly in here any second now." "Haha. It's more like her to come floating in than flying in."

The homeroom bell rings. A homeroom teacher usually would come five minutes early, but our homeroom teacher isn't like that.

For class 2-C, homeroom starts one minute after the bell rings. Right when we hear...
"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...!" And Fuji-Nee runs into the classroom.

"All right, I made it! Good morning, everyo" Wham! Fuji-Nee falls over with a terrible sound.

“...” The classroom is filled with silence, in contrast to the clamor from a second ago. A sudden change of atmosphere. Just as you'd expect from Fuji-Nee. Her nickname of "human jet coaster" isn't just for show.

...But that really was a bad hit. Fuji-Nee is still on the ground, having hit her head on the platform. You can't see her expression with her head facing the ground, so it gives you a bad mental image.

"...Hey. Front row. Wake her up." "...What? I don't want to. I'm scared she'll bite me if I go near her..." "...She's not a Mimic or anything. She won't go that far." "Hey, if you're saying that, why don't you do it?" "Uh, I'll pass. I'm not used to this." "Me neither! And why would you make a girl do it? A guy should do it!"

The front row is getting noisy. As we're in the middle rows, we can't tell what sort of state Fuji-Nee is in. We can't tell, so we all stand up to look.

"Hey, she's not moving. Has she passed out?" Someone asks. If so, the problem would be how to get her to the nurse's office.

Everyone here is a warrior who has been with Fuji-Nee for the past year. They probably want to get out of the habit of taking their teacher to the nurse's office.

"Fujimura-Sensei...? Um, are you all right?" A brave female student calls out to her. Fuji-Nee doesn't even twitch. A sense of worry runs through the room.

"...That was a bad fall. She hit her head right on the platform. She'd have to be invincible to come out of that without a scratch." "Hm. How about getting her for our baseball club?" "D-Don't even joke about that! The day she's in charge of us, we'd get into the regionals!" "Fujimura-Sensei, Fujimura-Sensei...! It's no good, there's no response...!"

"Hey, why don't you wake her up since you're in front of her?" "What!? No way! If she's really dead, I'll be killed!" "But things could get bad later if we leave her like that." "But no one wants to go near her." "...I guess it can't be helped. We'll have to do... that." "Yeah, that." "All right."

All our hearts become one. ...Well, not Shinji and I, because we're too scared.

"One, two... wake up, Tiger!" Even though everyone said it at the same time, it's only as loud as a whisper. The "Tiger" part is especially quiet. But still... ...A twitch. The silent Fuji-Nee reacts.

"Whoa, she moved!? It's working, everyone!" "All right! Continue the punishment!" Everyone must be stressed from the impending exams. Even though they shouldn't, they repeat Fuji-Nee's nickname while waving their arms.

"Wake up Tiger, it's morning!" "Sensei, you're a tiger if you don't wake up!" "Don't give up, Tiger! Stand up, Tiger!" "Yeah, wake up, Sensei! Then you'll be a true Tiger!" "T-i-g-e-r! T-i-g-e-r!"

"Gahhh!! Don't call me Tiger...!"

A roar of lightning. She stands bravely as if the fall has done nothing at all.

"...Huh? What are you all doing? You can't stand up in middle of homeroom. Come on, sit down and I'll get started." Fuji-Nee stands before everyone in her usual manner. ...It seems all memories from the moment she entered the classroom have fled her head.

"...Hey, it seems Tiger doesn't remember what happened." "...Lucky. We're really fortunate this morning." "...Well, I don't know if we can call it 'lucky'..." Everyone returns to their seats, chatting.

"Huh? Did someone just make fun of me?" "No, we didn't. Maybe you imagined it?" "All right, good. Then I'll start homeroom, so listen up."

Fuji-Nee starts homeroom slowly. She chats in between the announcements, so we don't get through it very fast.

"So everyone, please note the curfew.[l] It's at six o'clock, so people with club activities shouldn't stay too late either." "What? Six o'clock is too early, Taiga-Sensei. Can't the athletic clubs be exempted?"

"Nope. And please address your teacher as 'Fujimura-Sensei'. I'll get mad if you call me that again." "All right, I'll be careful." He sits down again, not showing any signs of listening to her.

...How stupid of him. Fuji-Nee gets mad when she says she will. It makes no difference that he's a student and she's a teacher. He doesn't realize that she just gave him a final warning.

"Well, that's it for today's homeroom. Let's meet again in English class in third period, everyone!" Fuji-Nee leaves, waving her hand.

She's the teacher responsible for class 2-C, Fujimura Taiga. Her nickname is Tiger. You might doubt it, but it really is her nickname.

People like calling her so since she has a name like "Taiga" even though she's a woman. But Fuji-Nee herself hates the nickname. According to her, it's unfeminine. But she's that kind of person, so I think it's her own fault she has an unfeminine nickname.

"We're starting class. Day monitor, the bows." The teacher for the first period enters as Fuji-Nee exits. It's like this every morning, as Fuji-Nee continues homeroom until the very last minute.

And the classes end like every other day. There are many kinds of students: ones that go to clubs, ones that hurry home, and ones that stay in the classroom for no reason. It looks like I won't be in any of those categories.

"Sorry, Emiya, about the rest of the repairs... do you have time today?" "Well, I do have plans, but..." It's not like I'm just playing around. After all, the main reason I quit the archery club is because I wanted to prioritize work.

It's already been five years since Father died, and I decided to start working to pay my living expenses. If you work a lot, there are some jobs you just can't refuse.

Today's an example. They're restocking inventory at work, and they asked me to come if I can as any help is appreciated. But it's certainly not something I have to go to. They're probably just having people come in because they want to party after work.

“...” There are two options.

1. I'll go and help out the student council
2. I'll go to work

I feel sorry for Issei, but I should prioritize work. I didn't promise to be there, but I said I'd do my best to be there, so I should do so.

"No, sorry, Issei. I've got plans, so can we finish it some other time?" "Plans...? Oh, you must mean your work. Sorry to trouble you. This isn't an urgent matter. Don't worry about me and go to work."

"Sorry. I'll continue first thing tomorrow morning, so can we call it even?" "Hm? I told you, it's not that important. The urgent stuff was finished this morning. You can finish the rest when you're free, Emiya." "I see. Then can I finish it when I don't have work?"

"Sure. I'll rely on you again then, Emiya." Issei says farewell and leaves the classroom.

"Well." I should hurry off too. Even though there's no set time to be there, I should head for the neighboring town if I'm going to go to work.

"...Geez, I thought I was only helping out, but they gave me 30,000 yen." Call it receiving a windfall, I guess.

Copenhagen, the place where I worked today, is like a liquor store and a bar, and a lot of people are needed to restock inventory. It's a big job that takes at least five people, and it doesn't hurt to have more help.

But the boss just said to everyone in his usual tone, "If you can come and help, please do." ...Completely relaxed about it.

But as it turned out, I was the only one who came, along with the boss and his daughter, Neko-san.

"You idiot! There's no way people will come if you ask like that!" Neko-san was scolding the boss, but I showed up to be a victim, defying their expectations. They welcomed me with a cheer, and we decided to clean up the storage area as best we could.

And so, before we realized, two hours had passed and we'd finished restocking the inventory.

"I'm surprised. Shirou, are you some kind of Brownie or something?" After work, the boss eats a brown cake while being impressed.

"Not at all. I'm just used to heavy jobs and I've worked here long enough to know where things are. I haven't been working here since I was small for nothing, you know!"

"Oh yeah. Has it been five years already?" "About that long. You were the only ones that would hire me right after my father died." "Whoa. No wonder I'm feeling old."

He eats his rum cake. Neko-san is drinking hot sake next to him. The family is well balanced, as the boss likes sweet things while his daughter likes spicy things.

So. "But you really helped us out. I can't just give you a cake for all this work, so here's a token of my appreciation." He hands me three 10,000 yen bills. A reward unmatched for the three hours of work I did, much more that I would get for even a week's work.

"Oh, thank you." I hesitate, but decide to accept what I'm given.

And as I'm leaving Copenhagen... "...Mmm. Hold on, Emiya-n. Who'd you hear about today from?" Neko-san stops me while curled up in front of the heater.

"Um, I think it was Furukawa-san." "...Man, that idiot. Don't push your work onto a student. Well, so you came here today even though you didn't have to?" "Uh... well, it was like, 'come and help if I wasn't busy'."

"Furukawa's an idiot, but so are you. Oh well. You never turn down anyone asking for help, do you? You took care of the store when dad and I got sick too."

"Hm? I don't think that's true. I don't take impossible jobs. I only accept things I can do."

"...Hm. But you were sick too back then. I don't really care. But what I'm saying is, you're a good person and a bit stupid, so I'm a bit worried. Tell Fujimura to come and see me from time to time."

Neko-san circles her finger while drinking some hot sake. She seems to think I'm a firefly or something.

"Okay. ...So, just tell Fuji-Nee that?" "Right. See ya, don't push yourself too hard."

"...Wow, I'm already past the bridge." I made it from the neighboring town of Shinto back into Miyama City while I was daydreaming.

I walk through the moonlit town. Walking up the road, I notice that there aren't any people around.

The time is around seven-thirty. There should be people around at this time, but there's no sign of anyone.

"...Oh yeah." There was some crime here in Miyama City a few days ago. A burglar murdered someone, I think. That must be why there's no one around and why the school curfew became six o'clock.

"...Gas leaks and murder, huh? It's been getting dangerous lately." No wonder there are fewer people walking around at night. It's getting too dangerous to let Sakura go home on her own. Sakura's house is in the residential area on the other side of town. Starting tonight, I should walk her hom

"...Huh?" For a moment, I can't believe my eyes. There is someone on the road which I thought was empty. The person is standing above me as if looking down at me.

“...” Without realizing it, I hold my breath. The silver-haired girl smiles and descends the hill without a sound.

As she passes...

"You'll die if you don't summon it soon, Onii-chan."

She says something strange.

I go up the hill and reach my house. As the lights are on, Sakura and Fuji-Nee must be home already.

I smell dinner the moment I enter the living room. At the table are Sakura and Fuji-Nee, in the middle of dinner. It seems the main dish tonight is chicken in cream, and Fuji-Nee, who loves white sauce, is in a good mood.

"Welcome home, Senpai. We're sorry for starting without you." "Sorry I'm late. I wish I could have come home earlier." "No, you made it. Could you wait a bit? I'll get your dinner ready right away." "Yeah, all right. I'll go and wash my hands, so make sure Fuji-Nee doesn't eat my food." "Yes, I will."

I return to my room. It's a fairly empty room compared to the shed, but since I don't have any hobbies, I think it's quite decorated. Most of them are random things Fuji-Nee has left here, though.

I wash my hands, change, and return to the living room to find my dinner ready.

"Itadakimasu." "I hope it is to your liking..." Sakura is terribly modest.

Her cooking skills have vastly improved in the past year. She has me completely beaten at Western-style foods, and I can barely beat her at Japanese food. Neither of us have touched Chinese. I'm pleased my pupil is getting better, but it's kind of depressing when the teacher is defeated by the student.

"Mmm." It's as good as I expected. Chicken becomes harder the longer you cook it, so it's juicier and tastier if you roast it before cooking it even though it's tedious. That's done perfectly here. It's a master's skill, forever beyond the clumsy Fuji-Nee.

"How is it, Senpai...? Um, I think I did quite well today..." "It's perfect. The sauce is great too. I guess you have me completely beat when it comes to Western food."

"Yeah, meaty food is much better since Sakura-chan started cooking." With that. Fuji-Nee, who had been preoccupied with her food, lifts up her head.

"Oh, Shirou. A student mustn't come home this late." ...Ack. It seems she's in a bad mood now that she's seen my face, even though she was happy because of dinner.

"Geez, I bet you were helping someone again. That's good, but at least come home early at times like this. I even told you it was dangerous in homeroom. I said it for your sake, you know?"[l]

"...Uh, can't you tell me that at home instead of in homeroom?" "You wouldn't listen if I told you here. It's more effective if I tell you at school." "...Sensei, I think that's abusing your authority. You shouldn't mix work and private life."

"No, it's not enough for Shirou unless I go that far. He's always on the losing side because he's the one helping everyone else. He should at least come straight home and relax sometimes, that idiot." "Hey, what do you mean by idiot? I'm not on the losing side if I help someone and they're helped by it."

"...Man. I wonder if you got that from Kiritsugu-san. I worry because you're like that." I don't exactly know how she's worried, as she's energetically munching down her dinner.

"...Um, Fujimura-Sensei. From what you said, has Senpai been like this since he was small?" "Yup, he's always been like that. He's the type that goes to help people in trouble. But he's not meddlesome, he's just a bit precocious."

Fuji-Nee laughs dangerously. "Fuji-Nee, I'll get mad if you say too much. You too, Sakura. Don't ask such boring questions."

I glare at them. Fuji-Nee clicks her tongue and backs down, but... "Fujimura-Sensei, please continue." Sakura is taking the lesson seriously.

"Then I shall. See, Shirou is a person who can't ignore someone in trouble. It's like helping the weak and defeating the strong. In the essay he wrote as a child, he said 'My dream is to become a superhero'."

“...” ...She's talking about things from so long ago. But it's all true, so I don't interrupt. Anyways, becoming a superhero is a goal I must not stray from even now.

"Wow. Senpai was a real kid." "Yeah, he was some kid. He would go and help girls being picked on by much older kids, and he'd do the chores around the house because Kiritsugu-san wouldn't.

Man, he was so cute and innocent back then, so why did he grow up so crooked?"

"Probably because of you. Kids think a lot when they see bad adults. Learn to make your own dinner before you say anything like that." "Wha..." Fuji-Nee crumbles. I thought she might drop her head and repent, but...

"Uhh, Onee-chan is sad. Sakura-chan, can I have another bowl?"
Fuji-Nee asks for her third bowl.
Relaxing after dinner, it's almost nine o'clock.

"Well, what shall I do?" There's some time before my evening training. I should

1. I'll take Sakura home
2. I'll play with Fuji-nee
3. I'll rest