Chapter 46: Returning Home
Returning Home
It was the morning of Shirou's last day in the Clocktower, with only several hours until his flight to Fuyuki. Things in the Clocktower were finally quieting down completely. The tension between the Factions was slowly lowering to normal levels, independent Magi were returning from where they'd fled to, and more and more people dared to pick up their normal lives again.
This was in large part caused by the fact that the trials had ended the day before, at long last. After two full weeks of tedious procedures, every criminal had now been punished, and justice had thus been fully served.
With that point of instability gone, it wouldn't be long now until things would continue like they had before the Purge.
Of course, many things were now different than before. That was only logical with how much had happened.
The Meluastea for instance had been reduced to a mere four members, instead of the dozens they'd had before, and had been gutted in terms of wealth and influence as well.
Most of their money and resources had been taken as reparations, to recompense those who had suffered under their family's actions, and to top it all off, they had lost their department, Archaeology, and were no longer the leaders of the Neutral Faction. In fact, they weren't even members of that faction anymore, as the other families had thrown them out.
Fortunately for them however, Lady Montmorency had allowed them to keep a few of their possessions and some funds, enough to rebuild their family from scratch, if they were smart about it. Unlike the Archibald however, they would likely never regain their department, and would instead become a minor family within it, serving under the new owners, who had not been selected yet.
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the surviving Meluastea were all siblings. One brother and three sisters, who had cooperated with Lady Barthomeloi during the Purge and had proven later on not to be too involved with the crimes that their family had committed.
Of course, in a normal situation, they would still have been punished somehow, as they had still gone along with their family's treacheries, but Lady Montmorency had decided that it would be prudent not to wipe out the Meluastea completely. That family had existed since the founding of the Magus Association, and removing it fully might have nasty, unforeseen consequences down the line. Magecraft functioned through patterns, traditions, and rules after all, and suddenly throwing a massive wrench in the system by removing a key family was a massive risk at the best of times.
Or something like that, Shirou hadn't completely understood the explanation.
Most of the other families from Archaeology however, alongside about one-third of the families from Mineralogy and a quarter of those from Botany, had been eradicated completely. They were not potentially important to the continued existence of Magecraft in its current form, so Lady Montmorency had thrown the book at them and wiped them out.
It meant that the Clocktower now had significantly fewer members than before, but since all those members had been actively undermining the Magus Association, almost no one could bring themselves to feel bad about it. Shirou certainly didn't.
In other news, Waver was now the head of Modern Magical Theories, Mineralogy, and Botany. He'd essentially gone from a somewhat respected lord of the smallest department to a lord whom everyone had to take seriously. His nickname, 'the Big Ben London Star', was no longer something to joke and laugh about, but a genuinely respected title that inspired fear and awe.
Flat, the one who'd come up with the nickname in the first place, had gotten a big laugh out of that, and eventually, Waver himself had seen the humour of it too.
What was not humorous at all though was the titanic amount of work that came with being the boss of three departments. Fortunately for Waver, he had been able to arrange things so that he would lead Modern Magical Theories himself, that Reines would lead Mineralogy, and that Marianne would lead Botany, saving himself from being worked to death in short order, but even with that structure in place, he was busier than ever before.
He'd already told Shirou though that it was likely only temporary, caused by the sudden changing of owners, and that the amount of work should lessen soon. It would probably never entirely dry up, but Waver had known that when he'd accepted the position of lord no less than three times. He knew what he was getting into.
The fact that Waver now led Modern Magical Theories, Mineralogy, and Botany did not just impact the man himself though. Most of the other lords and ladies were now watching him with cautious eyes, wondering if he held any further ambitions.
There had been mutterings about using Waver's debts to blackmail him into submission, but whenever Shirou heard that, he had to suppress an amused smile. Yes, Waver had considerable debts at the moment, but he was now a billionaire, more than capable of paying it all off right this instant. The only reason he hadn't done so yet was because he was waiting for the right moment, and he had confided in Shirou that said moment was not far away now.
Judging from his sparkling eyes when he said that, 'the right moment' would be when he had Melvin and Reines in one room with him while they were eating or drinking something, to maximise the shock-value and get as much satisfaction as possible from springing the surprise on them.
Shirou almost regretted not being able to be present for the occasion, as it was sure to be hilarious.
He didn't regret it enough though to delay his departure even more. It was a shame he would miss the moment when Waver could finally shake himself free from the chains Melvin and Reines had put around him a decade ago, but going home was more important to him.
Before he left however, Shirou wanted to visit everyone he'd met and got along with in Europe, to say his proper goodbyes to them. It would be rude after all to leave without saying anything, and Shirou, having been raised properly by his father and elder sister, did not want to be rude.
To that end, he'd spent an hour or so last night on making a list of people he wanted to say goodbye to in person, and now that the sun had risen and it was eight o'clock in morning, most of those people were probably awake now.
As Waver, Grey, and Bazett would be giving him a lift to the airport later, they were the last on the list. Other than that, the order didn't really matter.
As such, he would get the hardest and most likely longest part over with first, that being Lady Barthomeloi.
Having been to the Vice-Director's office plenty of times, Shirou made his way over there in no time. Once again, he was visiting her without an appointment, but since saying goodbye shouldn't take too long, he was confident that she would be able to spare a few minutes at least.
He'd been planning to visit Lady Montmorency afterwards, as he would be inside the Department of Policies anyway, but once he entered the hallway in which Lady Barthomeloi's office was located, he found that Lady Montmorency was also present in that office, alongside her boss.
It happened so often, finding the elderly lady in that office, that Shirou was honestly starting to believe she lived there or something, at least during times of crises. He wasn't going to complain about it though, as it would save him the time of having to find the elderly lady later on.
"Mister Fujimaru, what brings you here?" Lady Montmorency asked curiously once Shirou had knocked on the door and had been allowed entrance into the office. "I heard you would be leaving today."
"That is exactly why I am here." Shirou answered, stepping forward to give them a bow. "I have come to say my goodbyes and wish you the best for the future before I depart from London and return home."
"How formal!" Lady Montmorency laughed in response. "And how convenient. We were hoping we would be able to intercept you at some point before you left."
"Your arrival here was timed perfectly." Lady Barthomeloi nodded in agreement with her second in command, and she pointed at a chair standing in front of her desk. "Please sit down, mister Fujimaru. There are several matters we need to discuss."
Yeah, Shirou had expected as much. That's why he came to her first. By now, he'd learned that every time he came to her office, there were always 'several matters to discuss'.
He didn't protest though, and sat down in the chair she had motioned to. At the same time, Lady Barthomeloi retrieved something from under her chair, before placing it on her desk. It was a long parcel, wrapped in colourful paper, which she then pushed towards him.
"Lady Barthomeloi, what is this?" He asked curiously, studying the parcel for a bit.
"This is a gift." Lady Barthomeloi responded, gesturing at him. "For you."
"For-For me?" Shirou spluttered, suddenly feeling quite embarrassed, as he'd come to her office empty-handed. "But I don't have anything for you."
"That is fine." Lady Barthomeloi dismissed his concerns, idly waving a hand. "This gift is to thank you, not just for your services during the Purge, but also for remaining at the Clocktower for as long as you have after it."
"I know these past two weeks haven't been easy, and that you have been wanting to go home for a while now." Lady Montmorency added, giving him a good-natured grin. "So yes, as Lorelei said, this is to thank you for delaying your departure for our sake."
"Oh, well, uhm, I… I appreciate it." Shirou fumbled, not sure what to say or do. He hadn't expected to be given a gift by anyone in the Clocktower, least of all Lady Barthomeloi, and it left him at a bit of a loss. "But you already agreed to sponsor my friend, so you didn't need to-"
"Of course, the sponsorship-arrangement still stands. This gift is separate from that matter." The brunette assured him, paying no heed to his stuttering. "As we agreed, I will still take your friend on as my apprentice. Speaking of which, you told me you would arrange a method of communication between me and her?"
"Ah, yes, here." Shirou nodded, pretending to take a folding mirror out of his inner pocket while actually taking it straight from the Vault. "This mirror has been Enchanted by me. When I am back home, I will establish a link between it and a mirror in possession of my friend. This will allow you to talk both through written messages and by speaking with each other directly."
"Hm." Lady Barthomeloi gave a hum of acceptance, and he handed the mirror over to her, after which she placed it on a corner of her desk. "I look forward to her call."
"Once more, I thank you for doing this for her." Shirou bowed slightly.
"It is a payment for services rendered. No expressions of gratitude are required." She said, sounding slightly robot-like, before she placed a hand on the parcel, which was still lying on the desk. "If you wish to thank me for something, thank me for this, should it be to your liking."
"We tried to select something you would be sure to appreciate." Lady Montmorency added. "Though we could have been wrong of course, in which case you can select something else."
"Let me see what it is first." Shirou huffed, before, with a last look at Lady Barthomeloi for permission, he took the parcel and placed it on his lap, where he could easily open it.
He carefully unwrapped the gift, making sure not to tear the paper, before he was left holding a long, thin box, the kind you used to pack weapons in.
"We heard about your recent visit to old man Eckhard, to see his collection of blade-shaped Mystic Codes." Lady Barthomeloi began, piquing Shirou's interest, as this was beginning to sound like… "So I decided to give you a blade-shaped Mystic Code from my family's vaults."
Shirou's heart began beating faster at the news, and without another second of delay, he opened the box, allowing him to see…
A nodachi. A very long nodachi of about 150 centimetres, with a blue handle and a blue sheath. It was quite well made, though the decorations were nothing special, and Shirou noticed, to his mild surprise, that it had been an ordinary katana at the moment of its making, but had become a Mystic Code over time, mainly because of its third wielder, whose skill had been so incredible as to defy common sense.
"You may unsheathe it." Lady Barthomeloi gave him permission to bare a weapon in her presence, something that was normally very illegal, and Shirou promptly did so, freeing the nodachi from its sheath, seeing that the words 'Bitchu Aoe', or 'the blue river of Bitchu' had been engraved into one side.
Inside his soul, Unlimited Blade Works did its thing, and Shirou learned the name of the sword and that of its third and most famous wielder.
This sword was Monohoshi Zao, the sword that had once belonged to Sasaki Kojirou, the mythical rival of Miyamoto Mushashi.
Except, that wasn't quite true. The story went deeper than that. It was… as if the third wielder had been nameless and had only been given the name Sasaki Kojirou much later, to fulfil some kind of role.
Yes, Shirou could see it now. The third wielder had been a farmer's son, never given a name by his parents, who'd come across an old samurai, had taken his weapon, and had trained by himself until he'd become a person who had been judged worthy of taking the name of Kojirou by the Throne of Heroes itself. Essentially, the name and legend of Kojirou had been there first, and the Heroic Spirit, the third wielder, had followed later.
Regardless of the order of events however, the fact remained that the third wielder had been so skilled it seemed almost unreal. When the nodachi had come into his possession, it had been an ordinary sword. When it had left his hands, it was a Mystic Code.
How?
Two words; Tsubame Gaeshi.
A technique without Magic, without Divinity, without any kind of Mystery whatsoever, that nevertheless slipped right past the edges of reality to become something that approached the Second True Magic through nothing but its wielder's unparalleled skill. One strike that became three, the impossible made possible by a mundane hand.
It was marvellous to see, and Shirou could have spent hours admiring the blade, just looking at the tales stored within, when-
"Is it to your liking?"
Lady Montmorency's question brought him back to the present, and he looked up to find that both ladies were looking at him in curiosity, though Lady Barthomeloi hid it much better.
"This sword is amazing!" Shirou said the first thing that came to mind, and he rose to bow to the Vice-Director in gratitude, barely able to suppress a wide grin. "Thank you very much for giving this to me."
"I am pleased it is to your liking." Lady Barthomeloi smiled ever so slightly. "The Barthomeloi have never been able to figure out how it functions or even what it does, but I am confident you will discover its true nature in time."
Shirou barely heard her though, too preoccupied with observing the third wielder's feats, wondering if he could possibly replicate them to some extent. Being able to do something like Tsubame Gaeshi, or even just a mere offshoot, would be incredible.
Lady Montmorency laughed at the sight of the young man obsessing over a cool blade, while Lady Barthomeloi sat up a bit straighter, happy that her gift had been so well received.
Eventually though, they had to get back to business. As Lady Barthomeloi had said, there were multiple matters to discuss.
As usual, it was Lady Montmorency who spoke up first.
"Grover Meluastea's remains have not been found, despite the best efforts of our trackers." The elderly lady told him gravely, her expression darkening considerably. "We hope that his body was destroyed or used in someone's research, but we cannot discount the possibility that something much darker happened to it."
"I know what happened to Grover. He didn't die." Shirou said confidently, having received the necessary information from Ayako to form a definite conclusion. "Grover Meluastea was nothing more than a body possessed by a Wraith, and although he was decapitated, it wasn't enough to kill him. He is still out there, plotting his revenge."
"A Wraith?" Lady Montmorency blinked in surprise, her expression one of confusion.
"That is not possible." Lady Barthomeloi protested, her brow furrowed a bit in bemusement. "Wraiths aren't as sophisticated and patient as Grover Meluastea used to be. If he had been possessed, he would have been a raving monster."
"This one is different." Shirou insisted, belatedly realising he didn't have any proof of his claim. "I don't know how, but this Wraith is different from the rest of its kind."
Both ladies gave him uncertain looks. They didn't know him to be a liar or someone who drew conclusions without due consideration, but the idea that a Wraith could destabilise the Magus Association as much as Grover was so counter-intuitive that they almost couldn't believe him.
"We shall continue looking for him then." Lady Montmorency eventually began, carefully choosing her words. "Whether we are looking for his remains or for the man himself matters little in the end. However, since it has been almost two weeks now since the disappearance took place, the search is no longer a priority."
Lady Montmorency sounded apologetic, but Shirou understood where she was coming from. They couldn't chase after every enemy they had, especially not during such tumultuous times. They didn't have unlimited manpower available after all.
Otherwise, they'd be constantly hunting the Dead Apostle Ancestors as well.
"Should he be sighted, we will of course respond in force, but we can no longer justify spending time and effort on hunting him down when he is believed by most of the public to be dead." Lady Barthomeloi took over from her underling. "I am sorry, mister Fujimaru, but that is the extent of what we can currently do."
"I understand." Shirou nodded, aware that they were already showing immense faith in him by even just half-believing what he said. "I will keep an eye out for him as well. Should I find him, I will try and dispose of him, and otherwise contact you."
"Then there is another matter to address now, something that concerns you more directly, boy." Lady Montmorency changed the subject, giving him an apologetic look as she did so. "Although no one has yet acknowledged it in public, rumours that you are a Sorcerer have become wide-spread and impossible to suppress anymore."
"Your true nature appears to have become common knowledge among the residents of the Clocktower, and I feel it will not take much longer before the entirety of the Moonlit World becomes aware." Lady Barthomeloi agreed, studying him closely for his reaction. "What is your opinion on this?"
"I don't really mind." Shirou rubbed the back of his head, not sure what was expected of him now. How were Sorcerers supposed to react when it became publicly known that they were Sorcerers? "I mean, I never bothered denying it when asked, so I cannot complain now that people know about it."
"I see. That is a relief." Lady Barthomeloi nodded, crossing her arms. "Then we do not need to initiate suppression-protocols."
"…Suppression-protocols?" That sounded very scary, and Shirou was suddenly very grateful he'd chosen not to make a problem out of things.
"You do not need to know about them." Lady Barthomeloi's answer did not make it any less scary. "Instead, I would like to hear from you when you will be returning to the Clocktower."
"Huh? Oh, yes, right." Shirou snapped his fingers in realisation. "I promised to return, didn't I?"
"You did." Lady Barthomeloi nodded, arching an eyebrow.
When Shirou had turned Marie Alva back into a human in full view of Lady Barthomeloi, he had, surprisingly, managed to escape a Sealing Designation, but only if he promised to return to the Clocktower frequently so that 'limited experimentation' could be performed on him.
He still didn't know exactly what that entailed, but since Lady Barthomeloi had promised he would experience no discomfort during this experimentation, he was willing to chance it, maybe. He'd have to see though what he would do to fudge the results, because there was no way he was going to let anyone except his loved ones know about his alien nature.
But those were concerns for a later date.
"The earliest time-period I have available is the beginning of winter." Shirou said after a moment of thought. He would have a two-week holiday then, which he might be able to extend by another week or so by claiming a family-emergency, giving him three weeks in total to spend in London. "I will have three weeks."
"That will do for now." Lady Barthomeloi inclined her head. "I know not what you will be doing in the meantime, but I trust it is important."
"…Yes, quite." Shirou nodded, realising they had no idea he was attending high school, as normal Magi tended not to bother with such trivialities. They either home-schooled their children themselves, hired tutors to do so, or sent them to special Magus classes.
Rin was of course an exception, but she was the only one he knew of, aside from himself.
He better never let anyone at the Clocktower find out either, especially not the ladies in front of him, or they would definitely try to persuade him he didn't need it. Technically, they would be right, but since he had promised both his father and Fuji-nee to finish school, there was no way he could skip out on class.
"That was everything we wanted to discuss with you." Lady Barthomeloi informed him, giving him a look Shirou did not quite understand. "I suppose this is goodbye then, until the start of winter."
"Yes, I'll see you then." Shirou nodded, rising from his chair. "I wish you much luck in the coming months."
"Thank you, mister Fujimaru." Lady Montmorency nodded. "I have a feeling we shall need it."
"If you urgently need to contact me, please ask Lord El-Melloi to relay a message for you. He has my contact details."
"Lord El-Melloi does?" That seemed to surprise Lady Barthomeloi, and she frowned in what seemed to be displeasure. "You gave him your contact details?"
"Well, yes. I needed a liaison at the Clocktower, so I asked him." Shirou nodded after a moment, wondering if he'd said something wrong. "He has proven to be most trustworthy."
"Just him?" The brunette's tone was much sharper than before.
"Yes, I don't see why anyone else needs to know."
That last remark seemed to only increase Lady Barthomeloi's displeasure, and Shirou, who by now was getting very confused by her behaviour, decided it was time to leave.
"I wish you the best." He repeated, before bowing one last time and rushing out of the office.
The last thing he heard was Lady Montmorency's attempt to calm her superior down, and he wondered what he'd done wrong this time.
"So your meeting with the families of Astromancy went well?" Shirou asked, walking through the halls of the Clocktower's main area alongside Mary Lil Fargo and Claire the maid. He'd bumped into them on his way to the cafeteria, and since they were among the people he wanted to say goodbye to, he'd struck up a conversation, asking about the meeting Mary had had to attend recently.
"The meeting went very well." Mary nodded, looking quite proud of herself. "There were barely any problems to begin with, and the few that cropped up were easy to resolve."
"My lady did not need to mention your name even once, mister Fujimaru." Claire added, gazing at her mistress with a loving smile. "She stood strong against everyone who assailed her."
"No one assailed me, Claire." Mary huffed, reaching out to give her maid a small shove. "At most, some people wondered if I was capable enough to lead the Fargo-family, which is a valid concern."
"It was none of their business." Claire refuted, paying her mistress back for the shove by pinching her butt, eliciting a small squeak from the noble girl. "They never would have accepted such invasive questioning themselves if they had been in your stead."
"Hypocrisy is common among Magi." Shirou nodded, more than aware of that fact. "That said, I am glad the meeting went well, aside from those few hypocrites."
"There is one issue though that might be problematic." Mary frowned, trying to clandestinely rub her butt. "Lord Marisbury Animusphere asked about you. He knows that we are acquainted, and he requested that I introduce him to you, as he has an important matter that he wishes to discuss with you."
"Is that so?" Shirou asked, feeling a bit curious, as there were few Magi bold enough to outright request a meeting with him. "Who is Marisbury Animusphere?"
"The lord of the Animusphere-family, the Ruling Family that presides over the Department of Astromancy." Mary replied. "Although the Animusphere-family is not very rich or influential, they are incredibly skilled at their craft, and widely respected in the Moonlit World. I don't think there's anyone who can come even close to their expertise in the readings of times through the motion of stars in the past and the future."
"I see. What did you tell lord Animusphere?"
"I told him that you would be leaving soon, and that you are too busy right now to meet with him, and he responded that he was fine with waiting a while. Apparently, there are some years left before the issue he wishes to discuss becomes relevant." Mary answered slowly, giving him a cautious look. "Was… that an alright reply?"
"It was." Shirou nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Please inform him when you see him again that the next time I'm here, I'll try to get a hold of him. You've made me rather curious."
"I'll let him know then."
"Please do not tell anyone that my lady managed to persuade you to meet with lord Animusphere." Claire suddenly requested, politely yet urgently. "I do not want her to become known as the person who can arrange meetings with the new Sorcerer."
"Claire…" Mary seemed touched by her maid's concern, and Shirou got the idea that Claire was going to be rewarded quite handsomely once the two were in private again.
"I'll keep her involvement quiet of course." He promised.
"Much obliged." Claire nodded.
"Mister Fujimaru, having you at the Clocktower was… well, I won't say it was a pleasure, but it was certainly productive." Gideon the Enforcer laughed as he shook Shirou's hand. "My team and I have earned more money over the past two months than we normally do in two or even three years, mostly because of you and the trouble you caused."
"You're welcome, I guess." Shirou said slowly, not sure if he should take the remark as an insult or a compliment.
"That said, maybe it's for the best you leave now." Rit took over from her boyfriend, giving Shirou a pat on the head. "Too much excitement is a bad thing, especially in a place like the Clocktower."
"I'll say." Gideon huffed, crossing his arms. "A few more months of you running amok, and we'll only have two Ruling Families left; the Barthomeloi in charge of Policies, and the Archibald, or rather Lord El-Melloi, in charge of all the rest."
"Lord El-Melloi did have a meteoric rise over the past month." Rit nodded. "I wonder if he has his eyes on any other departments."
As the two began discussing the recent developments, basically forgetting about Shirou, the redhead decided to sneak off to say goodbye to the rest of the Enforcer-team. Not that he really knew them all that well, but it was still the polite thing to do.
To most of them, he didn't say much, but there was one person among their ranks whom he still had to thank properly.
That person was Khamul, the one who had taught Shirou the technique to break Bounded Fields. That technique had been invaluable to him, not only to save Illya from the Einzbern-castle, but also to save a massive number of innocents from the Department of Archaeology in less than a day's time.
Khamul had never asked for compensation or acknowledgement and had in fact congratulated Shirou for perfecting the technique, but Shirou still wanted to repay the man somehow.
Fortunately, a Bounded Field expert like Khamul was always in need of money for materials, and if there was one thing in the world Shirou had plenty of now, it was money. Not that Khamul would easily accept it, but Shirou would just have to play it smart and give the hooded man no opportunity to refuse.
So he casually handed over a check worth two hundred million pounds to Khamul, before leaving quickly, so the man couldn't try to return it upon realising what it was.
The wordless cry of surprise from Angy did make him crack a smile though, and he quickened his pace, disappearing into the maze of hallways before they could call him back.
"I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours, mister Fujimaru." Marianne smiled kindly at him, her soft, gentle features uniquely suited for such a smile. "And may your time be nothing but productive."
"Though not as productive as they were here, I should hope." Adashino smiled languidly, a faint trace of mockery present in her expression, as always. "I fear the Moonlit World would not survive it if your days were always as action-filled as they have been over the past weeks."
"Hishiri." Marianne frowned at her, lightly swatting her arm in reproach for her rude remark.
"Just telling it as it is." Adashino's lazy smile widened a bit, and even more when she saw Marianne pout.
Shirou wasn't entirely sure why he had made the detour to the Department of Botany to say his goodbyes to lady Marianne, considering he barely knew her, nor did he know why Adashino was hanging around in the blonde's office as well, but now that he was here, he might as well make the most of it.
"I wish you the best of luck too." He nodded at them, before narrowing his eyes, applying a bit of pressure to the room. "And I sincerely hope you'll be kind to Waver, and that you will not betray him."
The 'or else' wasn't spoken out loud, but it was heard very clearly nonetheless.
"Oh, 'Waver', is it?" Adashino asked, having noticed he referred to the lord with his first name, the smile on her face still mocking, though there was a hint of nervousness too now.
"Yes." Shirou confirmed, giving no further explanation.
"We are on Waver's side." Marianne promised him sincerely, her words ringing true. "We shall support him to the best of our ability."
"That is good to hear." Shirou nodded at her, easing up on the intimidation again. "In that case, I wish you nothing but fortune over the months to come, both in business and in personal matters."
"Do attend the upcoming wedding, if you can spare the time." Adashino requested kindly, making Marianne blush slightly. "Not just for any political statements, but also because Lord El-Melloi would really appreciate you being there."
"I will try my hardest to be there." Shirou promised. He'd never had a friend get married before, so he did not know what to do in such an event, but he figured that attending the wedding was the least he could do. "Please let me know when it takes place."
"We will."
"I've come to say my goodbyes." Shirou said as he walked into Lord El-Melloi's classroom, which was empty aside from the three people he'd come to see. "I will be leaving today."
"Yeah, we heard." Svin nodded, getting up from his chair and holding out his hand for Shirou to shake, looking as serious as the day he'd first introduced himself to the redhead. "Mister Fujimaru, it has been an absolute pleasure having you here."
The blonde boy wasn't entirely truthful there, which was logical, considering Shirou's presence at the Clocktower certainly hadn't always been a pleasure, especially not to Svin, who was the most level-headed and 'normal' of Waver's students, but as it was a lie for politeness' sake, Shirou didn't bring it up.
"It was an absolute pleasure being here." Shirou responded to Svin's small white lie with a small white lie of his own. "I feel almost sorry to be leaving the Clocktower, but my home calls me, and I do not want to ignore it anymore."
"I understand completely." Svin nodded, before opening his mouth to continue. Unfortunately for him, he was pushed aside before he could say anything else.
"It was great to have you here!" Flat cried as he vigorously shook Shirou's hand with both of his own, and unlike Svin, he was telling nothing but the truth. "Please tell me you'll come back soon."
"I will." Shirou nodded, his smile turning a tad awkward. "I made a deal with Lady Barthomeloi to return as often as I can, and the next time I'll have a significant amount of free time is around Christmas, meaning that I'll be back here at the start of winter."
"So around five months from now." Lehrman, who was also present, deduced, giving him a grin. "That should be just enough time for the Magus Association to have settled down completely from the Purge. Makes it all the more fun for you to turn everything on its head again."
"That is not my intention." Shirou sighed deeply, anticipating another round of teasing.
"But it is certainly the outcome of your actions." Lehrman giggled demurely, before smiling coquettishly. "Not that I mind it. In fact, I find everything that has happened so far delightful, and it has helped my darling Waver obtain a much higher level of respect inside the Association. If you are going to make more chaos of this kind, I would welcome it."
"Hopefully, I will not." Shirou tried to smother that thought in the cradle, but failed, judging from Lehrman's sparkling eyes.
"Say, Shirou, where is your home anyway?" Flat suddenly asked. "You never told us where you live."
"Nor will I ever, as I'm sure you're well-aware." Shirou gave the frail boy a wry grin, getting a shameless smirk in return.
"Is there any way we can contact you in the time before you return?" Svin found himself a way back into the conversation after being so rudely pushed aside by Flat. "In case of emergencies?"
"Waver has my contact details." Shirou replied. "Should you have a pressing matter, you can tell him and he'll let me know. If you really need me, I'm only one flight away. Please don't abuse it, but also don't hesitate to use it should you really have an emergency."
"Does that also go for me?" Lehrman asked curiously. "I mean, we're not exactly close."
"…It does go for you, to an extent." Shirou allowed after a moment of thought. "Your loyalties are too divided for me or for Waver to really trust you, but I suppose you are a friendly acquaintance at least. If you are in danger and need help, I will at least hear what you have to say."
"I'll take what I can get!"
So far, Shirou had mostly visited people he was friendly with, or at the very least, that he had worked together with in a friendly kind of capacity. Now though, he was making an exception.
After all, neither Melvin nor Reines were in any way his friends or even friendly acquaintances. They were Waver's 'friend' and pseudo little sister respectively, meaning that Shirou had to tolerate them, but he would never have interacted with them on his own initiative.
Nevertheless, he did come to see them in Reines' office, as there were a few things he needed to do, things that involved them.
Normally, he would still have been polite about it, but as he was starting to grow short on time –he had more acquaintances at the Clocktower than he'd thought at first, and time was passing by quickly as he sped from one person to the next– he decided speed was of the essence.
His entrance into Reines' office took the girl, as well as Melvin, by surprise, as he'd hoped, and before they could regain their bearings, he began talking quickly, wanting to keep the initiative.
First, Reines.
"Here are guidelines on elemental spells, as well as Enchantments of various kinds." Shirou said as he handed Reines a map filled with instruction manuals on various kinds of Magecraft. "I have also added homework for you, consisting of both open questions and multiple-choice questions. I will return to the Clocktower in around five months, I expect you to have finished it all by then."
"I-I see." It was clearly not what Reines had expected, but she did obediently accept the map from him. "What if I don't understand something though?"
"Either do your best to figure it out, ask for help, or mark the part you don't understand so we can go over it when I return."
"I understand." Reines nodded, placing the map on her desk.
Waver had asked Shirou several weeks ago, which honestly felt like an eternity now, to tutor Reines on various kinds of Magecraft that she was struggling with. Shirou had accepted, more for Waver's sake than for Reines', and given her several lessons, before a lack of time had forcibly put an end to their teacher-student relationship.
Breaking it off so abruptly didn't sit right with Shirou though, so he'd decided to give her some homework and hopefully pick up the lessons again when he returned to the Clocktower.
With that done, he turned to Melvin next.
"That's a very scary look in your eyes." The frail man noted as Shirou stalked closer, and he started stumbling backwards, a note of panic entering his eyes. "Please don't tell me you're going to kill me to release Waver from his debt?!"
"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Shirou scoffed, before stepping into reach and pressing his hand to Melvin's chest. "I'm just going to try and Heal you."
"Really?! Oh man, it would be really cool if you could manage that-"
Then Shirou pushed his Healing Power into Melvin's frail body, interrupting his sentence and making him light up with golden rays.
To Shirou's satisfaction, his Healing Power was successful at fixing the many, many issues inside Melvin's body, from the decalcified bones to the permanently inflamed lungs, and after twenty seconds or so, he pulled his hand back again.
"Was that it?" Was the first thing Melvin asked after the glow died down, patting himself all over with an incredulous expression. "I don't feel very different yet."
"I fixed all diseases, complexes, and syndromes that caused your permanent frailty." Shirou explained hastily, painfully aware of the minutes going by as he stood there. "Growing more muscle mass however is your own responsibility, though at least now, your own body won't work against you anymore."
Still looking incredulous, Melvin began jumping in place, before dropping down on the floor and doing some push-ups, followed by several jumping jacks and some shadow-boxing. These were exercises that would surely have made him spit blood from his mouth like a geyser in the past, but now, he did them with relative ease, without a single sign his body was protesting in a way that it shouldn't.
Having ascertained that, Shirou left again, leaving Melvin to his private celebrations and Reines to her homework.
He still had a few more people to visit, and time was running out. His plane wasn't going to wait for him after all.
"Mister Fujimaru, we didn't expect you to come by." Fiore said as she opened the door of her room to find Shirou standing there. "We heard that you would be leaving today."
"You heard correctly." Shirou nodded, looking over the brunette's head at the clock that she had hanging on her wall. "I still have forty minutes though, and I wished to speak with you again."
"Are there any problems?" The wheelchair-bound girl asked, a trace of nervousness entering her voice. "Has something happened?"
"No, nothing has happened, don't worry." Shirou promptly shook his head, giving her his best reassuring smile. "I merely wanted to make sure you were all okay. I haven't been able to visit you before now, and I was wondering how you have been doing since the Purge. How is Marie?"
He was pretty sure he'd been able to change the girl back into a human and remove all traces of the Moon's curse on her, but it was always good to double-check.
"Marie is doing fine." Fiore smiled, before she started, her mouth forming a very cute 'o'-shape. "But I am being terribly rude, letting you stand outside! Please, mister Fujimaru, come in."
"Thank you for your hospitality." Shirou entered the room, after which the brunette closed the door behind him, and he saw Rosaly and Marie sitting at the table, both looking at him with curious gazes. "Miss Von Stahlen-Frobrecht, miss Al- miss Marie."
"Mister Fujimaru." Rosaly greeted him back, while Marie gave him a small nod. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for a quick check-up." He replied, before holding out a hand towards Marie. "May I?"
"Please." She nodded, and Shirou placed his hand on her forehead, before sending out a pulse of Healing Power. If there was any trace left of the Moon's Curse, he would know in an instant.
But the scans came back fully negative, and Shirou took a step back again.
"Nothing. You are fully human again." He told Marie, and the blonde let out a sigh of relief.
"We never properly thanked you for what you did for Marie, did we?" Fiore then asked, rolling herself closer to him. "At least, not officially, to say nothing about compensation."
"Nor do you have to." Shirou assured them. "It was a duty and an honour to help you. I do not need compensation of any kind."
"Even so, if you ever need help, please do not hesitate to tell us." Rosaly piped up, placing a hand on her heart. "We may not be very powerful, but we will apply ourselves fully to any task you need our aid with."
"I will keep it in mind." Shirou promised, though privately, he didn't think he'd ever need their aid. Still, it was good to have more allies. "Then there is only one thing left I need to do."
"Oh? What is that?" Fiore asked curiously.
"To try to restore your legs' functionality." He responded bluntly, turning fully towards her.
"H-Huh?" Fiore froze for a fraction of a second, before she shook her head. "No, wait a moment, mister Fujimaru. There is no 'restoring' their functionality. My legs don't work because-"
"They contain an overabundance of Magic Circuits, which paralyses the nerves." Shirou finished for her, having already established that from the first time he saw her.
"…Yes." Fiore muttered after a few moments, looking rather shocked at his knowledge. "But then you know there is nothing to heal."
"I'm not limited to just Healing." Shirou huffed, crossing his arms. "I can also do other things."
He hadn't directly been referring to Marie when he said that, but from the way Fiore's eyes flickered to the blonde-haired girl for a split second, Shirou deduced she was remembering how he changed Marie back into a human.
Irrefutable proof that he was not limited to physical healing only.
"…Please be careful with me." She eventually accepted, holding out a hand to him, doing her best to not have it shake too much in a mixture of eagerness and fear.
Shirou took her hand as gently as he could, privately marvelling at how soft and delicate it was, and began channelling his Healing Power, though in this case, not directly to Heal.
After all, what Fiore said was true. The reason she couldn't walk wasn't because of an injury or a disease, but because of a defect she had been born with. As such, directly applying Healing Power alone would not make her legs functional again, as her body would not recognise that there was anything to heal.
So Shirou needed to be a little more creative, and he knew perfectly well where to start; Fiore's Magic Circuits. The things that kept her legs paralysed.
Normally, Magic Circuits did not affect the body itself. They were channels in the Soul, and thus should not interact with veins or nerves unless the Magus did something foolish, like critically overheating the Circuits for instance, or improperly casting a spell, which would cause the Magical Energy to explode.
Rin had a lot of Magic Circuits in her right arm, but that did not mean that the limb was less functional. Her arm worked perfectly, not at all hampered by the presence of the Circuits.
An even better example was Illya. She was filled to the brim with Magic Circuits, to the point where one needed three digits to display the correct number, yet she didn't suffer from any kind of paralysis either. Her Magic Circuits did not influence her physical body in the slightest, aside from causing it to break down faster due to their artificial nature, but that was a wholly different matter.
But with Fiore, it was different. Somehow, her Magic Circuits 'leaked' Magical Energy, like rusty pipes leaked water, which hampered her nerves' natural functions. The electric signals that were supposed to travel to and from the brain, giving feedback and relaying orders to the muscles, were massively disturbed by this leaking Magical Energy, resulting in a complete paralysis of all voluntary muscles.
It wasn't enough power to influence the blood vessels or other automatic processes, which was why her legs hadn't withered away yet, but Fiore had zero control over what happened below her waist.
An easy solution for this would be to shut down the Magic Circuits and let them atrophy over time –rusty pipes couldn't leak if there was no water flowing through them– but just like a house couldn't go without water, a Magus couldn't go without Magical Energy.
It was a question of what mattered more to Fiore, her identity as a Magus or the functionality of her legs. Since she was still at the Clocktower, calling herself a Magus, her choice had clearly been made.
Fortunately for her though, there was now a third option. Shirou could just fix her Circuits, which would not only let her nerves function properly again, but would also increase her power ever so slightly, as there would be no more Magical Energy leaking away.
"I'll be making some adjustments now." Shirou told the brunette, who gulped nervously, but nodded nevertheless, putting on her brave face. "Please bear with me."
As he was still holding her hand, Shirou immediately started pushing Healing Power into Fiore's body, and the girl promptly lit up with the familiar golden glow that Shirou had seen countless times before.
It took him about six minutes to finish the job, and after he let up and the glow subsided, Fiore came into sight again, fully 'healed'. Shirou had even included the muscle atrophy caused by years of inaction in his healing, as well as several other complications. Just like with Melvin however, he couldn't add any muscle mass, nor could he give Fiore the walking-coordination she'd never needed and thus never developed before. She would have to take care of that herself, ideally with professional help.
"I'm done." Shirou said curtly, before motioning to her legs. "I strongly advise you not to strain them too much though, so don't try to get up yet. If you haven't ever used your legs, there is no way they can support your weight. Please go and see a specialist as soon as you can."
Fiore stared at him for a few seconds, not moving a muscle. Then, she looked down at her feet, which were clad in white socks. She frowned in concentration, as if trying to do something strenuous, clenching her fists as she concentrated.
Then the big toe on her right foot moved, by itself.
Shirou heard two simultaneous gasps coming from behind him, and then Rosaly and Marie rose from their seats to rush towards their friend, their expressions beaming and enthusiastic.
Not as enthusiastic as Fiore herself though, who, after two seconds of wiggling her toe, decided to throw Shirou's advice to the wind and push herself out of her wheelchair and onto her legs, her smile so big as to be outright manic.
Predictably, that didn't go well. She collapsed immediately and would have smacked hard onto the ground if her friends hadn't arrived to catch her in time.
Still, despite the failure, everyone in the room had noticed that Fiore's legs did move, even if they weren't so effective yet.
"Woah there, Fiore." Rosaly laughed, throwing the brunette's left arm over her shoulder to prop her up. "No need to be so hasty."
"You need to practise first." Marie agreed, taking her friend's right arm.
"I can move my legs!" Fiore wasn't listening to either of them though, her face set in an expression of delirious happiness as she experienced feeling something below her waist for the first time in her life, clumsily moving her legs around a bit. "Oh my God! I can move my legs! Rosaly! Marie! Can you see it?! I can move my legs!"
"We can." Rosaly laughed, her eyes glimmering with happiness, showing how glad she was for her friend. "But don't overdo it!"
"I am so happy for you, Fiore!" Marie gushed, taking her friend into a hug. "Now nothing can stop you anymore!"
Shirou watched the merry chaos for a moment, smiling happily at having been able to help someone, before he threw another look at the clock on the wall and decided it was high time for him to leave.
He said goodbye to the girls, and when they didn't react, turned around and left the room again.
He had a plane to catch, but even before that, he needed to be at the garage in time. Waver was waiting for him there.
"You made it just in time, Shirou." Waver said as Shirou came running into the Clocktower's garage, with barely ten seconds left on the clock before their arranged meeting time. "Cutting it close, are we?"
"I'm sorry, Waver." Shirou panted as he came to a stop next to the lord's car. "I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, and that turned out to take a lot longer than anticipated."
"It always does." Waver nodded, his reproachful expression turning into a sympathetic one. "Did you manage to visit them all?"
"I did." Shirou nodded, before looking at Bazett and Grey, who were standing next to the car as well. "Except for the three of you, that is."
"There will be plenty of time for heartfelt goodbyes once we are on our way." Bazett huffed, before opening the door of the car. "Ladies first."
"O-Oh, I see." Grey muttered, before indeed entering the car first.
"Lords next." Bazett continued, though this time, she held open the door of the passenger's seat.
"Much obliged."
"Sorcerers last." The redheaded woman finished, and when Shirou was also in the car, she took her place behind the wheel and drove off, towards the airport.
"I hope traffic won't be too bad." She grumbled, before falling silent, paying attention to the road to avoid hitting anyone in the swarm of pedestrians crossing the street without regard for their own safety.
"This will be goodbye for now." Shirou said, turning towards Grey and Waver. "I have agreed with Lady Barthomeloi to return at the start of winter though, so it isn't farewell."
"I am glad to hear that." Grey's eyes livened up at the news, and Waver, who'd already known that Shirou would be returning at some point, nodded in acceptance. "I'll look forward to seeing you again, mister Fujimaru."
"As will I look forward to seeing you again, miss Grey, and you as well, Waver." Shirou replied, giving them both a smile. "Hopefully, by that time, things will have quieted down a bit."
"So you can blow it up again, you mean?" Waver huffed, though the smile removed the sting from his words. "That said, I also hope the Clocktower will return to normal soon, bar of course my own rise in rank."
"And the fact that you are rich now." Shirou reminded him. "Have you paid your debts already?"
"No, not yet." Waver shook his head, his smile turning a tad vicious. "I haven't had an opportunity yet. Melvin and Reines are very unpredictable. It's hard to get them in my office at the same time, especially now, in these hectic times."
"When I went to say goodbye to them, they were both in Reines' office." Shirou supplied.
"Really?" Waver frowned for a moment. "Now that is interesting."
"Why did you visit them?" Grey asked, looking a bit confused. "Are they your friends too?"
"Hardly." Shirou scoffed. "I went there to give Reines some homework for the coming months and to Heal Melvin."
"Heal Melvin?" Waver parroted, his eyes going wide. "Did you succeed?"
"I did." Shirou nodded. "He'll still need some physical therapy and plenty of exercise before he can be called anything close to healthy, but at least he is not ill anymore."
"How fortunate for him." Waver smiled at the good news, showing that, despite his general distaste for the man, he did see Melvin as a friend of sorts. "Can I ask what ailed him exactly? No healer has ever managed to figure out why he has been ill all his life."
"It was not one disease, but a whole host of them, which is perhaps why no one managed to figure it all out before." Shirou answered, scratching the top of his head in thought. "I thought at first it might have been a Curse, but there was no evidence of that, so I would personally just put it down to bad luck at birth."
"I see." Waver's eyes turned a bit absent for a moment as he absorbed the information, before he focused on Shirou again. "Well, perhaps being healthy will have a positive influence on his character."
"I doubt it." Shirou replied swiftly.
"There is little chance of that, Sir." Grey agreed.
"He is a natural born pest." Even Bazett supported them.
"Right." Waver sighed, letting his head hang in disappointment.
They continued talking for the rest of the journey towards the airport, a stark contrast to the way to the Clocktower, all those weeks ago. Back then, Grey hadn't been present, and the rest of them, Bazett, Waver, and Shirou, had sat in silence. They hadn't known each other at all, and hadn't at all felt inclined to talk.
It showed how much could change in a single summer.
"Are you sure you don't want us to accompany you?" Bazett asked once they were inside Heathrow's parking garage.
"There is no need." Shirou shook his head, taking his suitcase out of the trunk. "I can handle things just fine from here."
"Then I wish you the best in the months to come." Bazett nodded, giving him a slightly awkward pat on the shoulder.
"As do I." Waver nodded, giving him a much more confident pat on the back. "Good luck."
"Bye bye, mister Fujimaru." Grey waved at him from a small distance.
"Goodbye, you three." Shirou laughed, turning around to walk away, though not before he gave them a last wave. "Until we meet again."
Then he walked away for real, and Bazett, Grey, and Waver got back into the car, to return to the Clocktower.
And with that, Shirou's summer at the Clocktower came to an end. All that was left now was the journey home.
By plane…
And with that realisation, that he had to get back into a metal death trap, Shirou's good mood was gone again.
"Just one more night, and Shirou will be back." Ayako said enthusiastically, just before she and Sakura entered their shared bedroom in the Emiya-estate to go to bed for the night. "I can't believe it's almost time!"
"You better believe it." Sakura huffed playfully, giving her girlfriend a shove in the back to push her through the door and into the bedroom proper. "I don't want to wait any longer than this before I can hug him again."
"Right, you are right of course." Ayako nodded heavily, lying down on their extra-large futon. "If his return was delayed any more, I'd go crazy."
"If his return is delayed any more, we shall take a plane to London ourselves." Sakura promised her, also lying down. "We still have a week before school starts after all, so we have the time."
"That sounds like a plan." Ayako grinned widely. "I hear London's nice this time of year."
"Very nice." Sakura nodded, and both girls giggled conspiratorially together.
Of course, they knew that such a thing was never going to happen. Rin wouldn't stand for it, nor would Taiga, let alone Ayako's parents. Even Shirou himself would not want them to do something so ill-advised and impulsive.
But it was nice to fantasise, so they indulged a bit in imaginations that they'd sneak into the Clocktower together, clad in black ninja-suits, to see Shirou again. A secret rendezvous, the kind that appeared all the time in old romance novels.
"Do we have everything prepared for tomorrow?" Sakura then asked in a more business-like tone, propping herself up on her elbow.
"I think we have." Ayako nodded, remaining on her back, though she did turn her head sideways to look Sakura in the eyes. "Three maid outfits, the kitchen is stocked with supplies for the dinner of a lifetime, the table is polished, as are the chairs, we have informed Issei about Shirou's return so he can accompany us tomorrow to pick Shirou up, and Fujimura-Sensei and her grandfather have arranged a car to drive us all to the airport and back. We even fully prepared that 'special surprise' at my house."
"Then we are ready." Sakura nodded, before leaning down and claiming Ayako's lips in a kiss. Then she laid down fully on the futon, leaving some space between Ayako and herself, just enough for an additional person to fit into. "Just one more night, and Senpai will be here again."
"Just one more night." Ayako nodded, giving her a loving smile. "In fact, if everything is still on schedule, Shirou should be boarding his plane right about now."
"I hope he has a good flight." Sakura's words were sweet, but her expression turned rather pained, something Ayako mimicked a moment later.
They both knew very well after all that Shirou did not like flying in planes at all. He had told them that, in no uncertain terms, after his flight to London.
"Maybe he'll get lucky and someone nice will sit next to him again." Ayako ventured hopefully, remembering that Shirou had also told them that the friendly doctor sitting next to him on the plane to London had made the experience much more bearable.
"Yeah, maybe." Sakura also really hoped so. "A-And maybe it's not so bad the second time."
"You know what, I'm sure you're right." Ayako nodded, turning on her side to better face Sakura, making her tone as strong and convinced as she could. "The second time will be fine. In fact, Shirou will probably step out of the plane tomorrow, remarking how he doesn't understand why it was so bad the first time."
"Yes, and that he doesn't hate planes anymore." Sakura beamed, reaching out and grasping Ayako's hand, intertwining their fingers. "That is definitely what will happen."
"I'm sure of it!"
In the meantime, not far away from the Emiya-estate, Rin was also trying to sleep, not on a futon, but in a nice, European-style bed. Sleep wouldn't come easy to her however, and she had been lying awake for several hours already, her mind endlessly grinding away as numerous trains of thought kept assailing her.
Tomorrow, at around one o'clock in the afternoon, Emiya-kun would return home to Fuyuki. Rin had known that the day would come, it had in fact been scheduled for quite a while already, but now that it was almost upon her, she found herself feeling rather nervous.
Not because of Emiya-kun himself of course, he was nothing to get nervous about, but because she had been roped into wearing an incredibly embarrassing maid outfit in front of the redheaded boy, for an entire evening, while serving him dinner and pretending to be an actual lewd maid.
It was partially her fault for coming up with the damn outfit in the first place, not to mention she had walked into Sakura's trap with open eyes, but still, Rin couldn't help but feel tense at the prospect of being ogled by Emiya-kun.
The fact that it was only 'tense' and not 'repulsed', 'horrified', or 'outraged' was another thing keeping Rin awake, and she really didn't know what to feel about the fact that the prospect of having his hungry gaze fixed upon her made her feel not just nervous, but also strangely hot under the collar.
She had known for a while now that she was attracted to the redhead. To continue denying it would be ridiculous at this point. Try as she might to suppress it, the fact of the matter was that his presence, even over the phone, made her heart beat faster, made her blood run swifter, and made her both giddy and embarrassed, like some silly schoolgirl.
Frankly, it was nothing to be embarrassed about. She was still a teenage girl after all, and it wasn't at all strange for her to be attracted to a strong, handsome, caring man, with immensely kind eyes, and large, strong hands she wouldn't mind having on-
However, despite her physical attraction to him, she did not plan on getting into a relationship with Emiya-kun.
Sakura might be steering towards it for some inane, undoubtedly perverted reason, and the normal girl inside Rin might rejoice at the possibility, but she was a Magus first and foremost, and that meant she had responsibilities she couldn't shirk from. She owed that to her father, to her Magecraft, and to her family's legacy.
Yes, the image she'd had of her father had taken a severe beating over the past months, and frankly, now that Sakura was safe and well in a non-Magus family, Rin was able to take it much easier with her own Magecraft as well, but that didn't mean she had abandoned the family's ideals.
For her family's sake, for the sake of the Tohsaka, it was Rin's responsibility to find a good, proper husband with whom she would be able to bear and raise the best children possible.
As such, there were certain qualifications her future husband needed to possess.
For instance, he needed to be at least moderately strong in Magecraft. Marrying a mundane person carried an immense risk of getting a child with fewer Magic Circuits than yourself after all, so it was commonly accepted that Magi should only mate with other Magi, the stronger the better.
In other words, the stronger Rin's husband was, the better it was for the Magical potential of her future children, so powerful men had a leg up as far as she was concerned.
Second, it was vital that Rin could at least be cordial with her future husband. She didn't need him to be in love with her, or even for them to be good friends, but she didn't want to spend any time on fighting or arguing with him either, at least not over irrelevant matters. Unnecessary friction was a thing she hated with a passion.
Third, he should not have too many ambitions of his own, at least not when it came to the family. While she would not care if her husband became an engineer, professor, prime minister of Japan, or a lord in the Clocktower, she did not want to compete with him over her position as head of the Tohsaka. She did not want to end up like Marianne Archelot, a figurehead in her own family while her husband held the actual power.
She didn't want a grasping coward looking for easy ways to obtain power, and naturally, any men prone to backstabbing those around them for short-term gain would not even be considered.
Fourth, her future husband needed to accept that their children would carry the name of Tohsaka and would be educated in her family's crafts, not his. If she'd bear children, she'd only do so for her own family, not for someone else's.
Of course, if her husband did want children that would continue his legacy, he was free to take a mistress on the side or something, as long as he was subtle about it and didn't rub it in her face.
It would also be advantageous if her husband would be someone with plenty of resources at his disposal, both monetary and otherwise. Rin was aware that marrying for money could be considered tacky, but her family was impoverished, and despite her best efforts, she'd been unable to find a way out, so marrying a rich man was very much necessary.
Lastly, he needed to have a good character. Rin didn't want to live in the same house as an immoral monster, much less bear his children, so she expected some decency at the very least.
It was a list of qualifications she'd made long ago, when she realised that she would have to marry someone in order to bear an heir for the family, and though she'd slightly adjusted the list at times when she learned new things as she grew up, the basics had stayed the same.
It wasn't love that mattered to her, it was practicality. In the end, Rin was a Magus, and that meant she wasn't free to act as she pleased, not when it concerned such vital matters. Her marriage had to benefit her family, and in the absence of her father, it fell to Rin to marry herself off properly.
The thought made Rin let out an involuntary sigh, and she turned on her side, for the nth time that night, her mouth twisting in distaste, both at the medieval practice she was thinking about and at the difficulty of her self-appointed task.
It certainly wouldn't be easy to find a man conforming to all her wishes. She was being rather picky, and there were probably only very few Magi around who could tick all her boxes.