Chapter 47: Autumn Experiences
Autumn Experiences
"Everyone, I would like you to meet Illya von Einzbern, my sister." Shirou said proudly, introducing the white-haired girl, whom he had just taken out of his Vault, to his family and friends.
It was the morning after his return to Fuyuki, after the party, and after Rin had officially become his third girlfriend, and Shirou had already gathered everyone again for another celebratory occasion, giving rise to jokes about how they never should have disbanded in the first place.
Fortunately, it was not hard to gather everyone. Sakura, Ayako, and Rin had already been at his house, Taiga lived right next door, and though Issei lived a bit further away, the Ryuudou-temple was still well within walking distance of the Emiya-estate.
He had assembled them in his living room and asked them to take an hour or two out of their schedule, so they could meet Illya and get to know her a bit. She would be staying with him after all, which meant it was for the best if all his family and friends at least had a passing familiarity with her.
In short, he wanted to get the introductions over with immediately, especially those between Rin and Illya, considering the animosity between their families. He didn't think either of them put much stock into that animosity, but one never knew what quiet resentment might still slumber beneath.
"Also, these are Sella and Leysritt, her maids." Shirou continued, now gesturing at the two Homunculus women in maid outfits, whom he had also retrieved from his Vault a few minutes before.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Sella said calmly, executing a perfect curtsy towards all people in the room. "It is an honour to meet Lord Emiya's inner circle."
"You look nice." Leysritt clumsily copied her big sister's curtsy, giving a short remark as she did so. "Happy to meet you."
"Inner circle?" Ayako parroted Sella's earlier phrase, sounding a bit puzzled, though in an amused way. "And what's that about Shirou being a lord? You are making him sound like an anime villain, Sella-san."
"It is only appropriate to address him with respect, considering Lord Emiya's station." Sella replied calmly, though she didn't elaborate further. Shirou had requested of her not to mention Magecraft or Sorcery during the introductions, and Sella, being a dependable person, had no trouble following through on that.
"Right." Ayako nodded, realising why Sella used the terms that she did. The brunette knew all about Shirou's Sorcerer-like talents after all, and also why they were considered so special. The same went for Sakura and Rin, and Taiga vaguely knew that he was an important person in the Magus Association now. Only Issei didn't have the faintest clue why Shirou was supposed to be a lord, but the monk-in-training didn't bother asking. If it was important, Shirou would volunteer the information, and otherwise, it was none of Issei's business.
Safe to say, Issei was easily the wisest person in the room.
"Thank you for your introductions, Sella, Leysritt." Shirou said, nodding at the maids, before he looked behind him. "Do you want to introduce yourself as well, Illya?"
At the moment, his little sister was hiding herself behind him, pressing her face against the small of his back as she tried to stay out of everyone's sight. It was surprisingly bashful behaviour from the normally so audacious girl, but Shirou guessed meeting five strangers at once was more than she'd ever experienced before.
Still, his question made her look up, and when he gave her an encouraging nod, she took a deep breath, before she stepped out from behind him.
"G-Good morning, e-everyone." She said, stuttering only the tiniest bit as she made a perfect curtsy, just like Sella. "I-I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, Shirou's little sister. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. P-Please be kind to me."
For a few seconds after Illya gave her greeting, it remained silent.
Then Taiga raised her hand.
"Hey, Illya, can I hug you?" She asked bluntly, giving the little girl a very eager smile as she held out her hands like claws, ready to make a grab for her. "Because you are so adorable I could just eat you up."
"Can I go next?" Ayako asked, her eyes shining in anticipation.
"And me?" Sakura's gaze had fixed itself upon the small girl, her eyes burning bright in a way they normally only did when cute bunnies were in sight.
'U-Uhm…" Illya clearly did not know what to say in response, and she looked at Shirou again for help.
"Control yourself, Fuji-nee." He said sternly, frowning at his big sister. "You as well, Ayako, Sakura. Illya has just arrived. Please don't make her uncomfortable."
"That was not our intention." Sakura immediately broke her fixed stare, hastily looking somewhere else, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "I'm sorry for startling you, Illya-chan."
"I-I am sorry too." Illya rushed to say. "It's not that I dislike you! It's just that… being hugged by strangers…"
"We completely understand." Taiga's mature big sister instincts had taken over now, and she calmly kneeled, bringing her at eye-height with the white-haired girl, letting her arms hang by her side. "I'm sorry for making such a sudden request. I shouldn't have done that."
"I-It's alright." Illya assured them, breathing an almost inaudible sigh of relief, before she held out her hand. "M-Maybe you want to shake hands though?"
"Absolutely!" Taiga cried out in pretty decent English, before stepping forward and taking Illya's hand. "Oooooh, just as soft and delicate as I imagined!"
"Let me next!"
"And me!"
Ayako and Sakura wasted no time in stepping forward too, and Illya, who still looked a bit overwhelmed, but also happy with the attention, obediently shook their hands as well.
In the meantime, Sella and Leysritt had placed themselves to the left and right of Illya, slightly behind her, like guardians, although their soft expressions took away all intimidating airs they might normally have possessed.
After the girls, it was Issei who stepped forward.
"Good morning, Einzbern-san. My name is Ryuudou Issei." He spoke formally, also shaking Illya's hand, though with much more seriousness than the girls before him. "It is a pleasure to meet Shirou's little sister at last. He has mentioned you numerous times over the years.
"You are from the Ryuudou-temple, right?" Illya asked cautiously, her eyes turning sad as she looked at the bespectacled teen. "Where papa is buried?"
"That is correct." Despite the sudden and rather delicate question, Issei did not fumble for a moment, though his expression became very sympathetic. "My condolences."
"C-Could I visit his grave?" Illya asked, her tone becoming even softer than before.
"The Ryuudou-temple is always open to visitors." Issei assured her kindly, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. "Come by whenever you like, and I will show you to Emiya-san's burial place myself."
"Thank you, Ryuudou-san." Illya curtsied again in gratitude, and Issei gave her a short nod in return.
After that, a lively conversation was started between the five of them, and with every minute that passed, Illya seemed to come out of her shell more and more as she learned that her big brother's family and friends were all very nice people.
Not that she had expected anything else, but hearing about something and actually experiencing it were two very different things.
However, one person did not contribute to the conversation, choosing to remain in her seat from the very start of the meeting, not saying a single word.
Rin was looking at the proceedings with a careful eye, closely studying Illya and her maids, trying to find out their motives and plans. It seemed the Einzbern-name had made her wary, and now, she was watching their every movement, to the point where Leysritt was already looking back at her. For now, things seemed fairly friendly, a Magus and a maid sizing each other up, but there was no telling when that might change.
"Hey, Rin, is something the matter?" Shirou asked as he sat down next to her, breaking her focus and making her look at him. "You haven't said a single word yet."
"Hm." Rin made an unhappy noise, before looking back at the trio of Homunculi. "I'm sorry, Emiya-kun. I am aware I am being rude, but I need to be careful around the Einzbern."
"I understand that a centuries-old rivalry is not forgotten in a day." Shirou allowed, before gently taking Rin's chin and turning her face back to him. "But that has nothing to do with Illya anymore."
"…I know." Rin nodded after a moment. "And frankly, I don't have the time or the energy myself to sustain rivalries when it isn't necessary. However, I cannot allow myself to trust her after only one meeting."
"Nor do I expect or ask you to." Shirou said softly. "All I want is that you can peacefully coexist in the same room without arguing or glaring suspiciously at each other."
"…Well, if that is all you ask." Rin let out a breath, before smiling at him. "She seems perfectly cordial, so I will behave the same."
"Will it be a mask?" Shirou asked, cocking his head to the side.
"At the start, yes." Rin confirmed shamelessly. "But in time, if she proves reliable and trustworthy, it may not be a mask anymore."
"Fake it until you make it?" Shirou huffed in amusement, before leaning in and capturing Rin's lips in a short kiss. "I'll take that for now. Thank you, Rin."
"I'm not doing this for you." The black-haired girl huffed in response, before taking his hand off her chin. "Well, I suppose I better greet the newest princess on the block myself then."
"Be nice, please." Shirou put his hands together and gave her his most pleading expression.
"I will." Rin assured him, making a small waving motion with her hand, as if to brush away his worries. "Haven't you heard? I am an idol. Perfection itself. My kindness is legendary."
"I had indeed noticed. That is why I fell in love with you." Shirou laughed, and he was rewarded with the sight of Rin turning away from him to hide her slight blush.
Then she walked away to join the conversation, and Shirou smiled when she greeted his little sister with the kindest of smiles and the friendliest of words.
It seemed Illya's acceptance into the family was going almost seamlessly.
Now all that was left was Nasu's ritual.
"And that wraps it all up." Osaki said out loud to no one in particular, putting his signature below his report with an extra pronounced twirl, before he picked the report up from his desk and put it in his bag. He'd take it to his direct superior, who could then decide what to do with it.
Considering that this was the report of the Carlton Paris-case, and that Osaki had not only made sure to mention, several times, that the man had been a gigolo, but also that the likely culprit was one of his extremely rich, extremely well-connected clients, he heavily suspected that the report would never see the light of day again after entering his superior's office. It would disappear immediately, and no one would ever hear the name Carlton Paris again.
Which was just fine by him. The case had become an absolute clusterfuck, way more trouble than it was worth, and frankly, as far as Osaki was concerned, the real culprit was dead, eaten by a dark god or something, and it wasn't necessary to punish anyone else, least of all the girl who had been manipulated by the real culprit and had only ever acted to protect her family.
Maita Hiroko certainly needed psychological help to deal with her murderous impulses –considering her go-to solution for problems seemed to be to kill someone– and the inevitable trauma, but she wouldn't receive that in prison. Better to let her expert mother or one of her mother's colleagues deal with that and keep the police off her back, provided there wouldn't be any more incidents.
If there were more incidents however, and Hiroko proved to be an actual danger to society, Osaki would take responsibility and bring her in, but until that moment, he was going to give her the benefit of the doubt.
With that, the case was over as far as Osaki was concerned. All that was left was, as said before, delivering the heavily revised report to his superior and checking up with Hiroko occasionally to make sure she stayed on the straight and narrow from now on.
Not normally a task for a detective, but that was what they had agreed on with Maita Rei, Hiroko's mother, after discussing the recent events surrounding her daughter with her.
After the 'incident' in the cavern under the Ryuudou-temple, when the whole case had been laid bare by the monster responsible for Paris' murder before said monster had fallen prey to its own schemes, Osaki and his partner Yomaura had taken Hiroko with them and brought her home.
There, at the Maita-estate, they'd found Rei standing outside, going mad with worry over her daughter, clutching a phone in her hand while frantically looking around.
"Senpai, are you sure about this?" Yomaura asked, looking at the young woman they'd laid on the backseat of the car, fast asleep, undisturbed by the vehicle's movements as they drove away from the Ryuudou-temple. "You heard what the Wraith said. Hiroko not only killed Carlton Paris and her own father, but also tried to kill the Mitsuzuri-girl and even you. Would it not be better to bring her in?"
"And then what?" Osaki grumbled, not any happier with the current state of affairs than she was. "We have zero proof that Hiroko did any of that, except for the word of a monster, who was, as you might recall, eaten by a bigger monster. Any judge out there would throw the case out the moment we presented it."
"She would probably confess if we pressured her a little." Yomaura countered.
"Probably." Osaki acknowledged, before he shrugged. "But I don't want her to."
"Why not?" Yomaura frowned.
"Because with things being as they are, Hiroko will end up carrying the can for that monster's deeds and for protecting herself and her mother. You heard it too, Taya, her father was a terrible human being, and Paris was apparently barely better. I do not wish to punish her for doing what was right."
"But she tried to kill you." Yomaura protested, and Osaki realised that that was the thing that bothered his partner the most about this. "I do not care about her father or Paris. In fact, good riddance to both of them. However, she tried to kill you, a detective, a good man, and I cannot let her get away with that."
"…You may have a point." Osaki admitted after a moment. "But I still don't think throwing her into prison is the answer. I'd rather that she got professional help to deal with her… issues. Her mother is a psychiatrist, right?"
"So she'll get help from her own mother?" Yomaura remained sceptical for a few moments, but eventually, when she saw he wouldn't budge, she let out a very deep sigh. "Fine then. If you don't want to make a problem out of it, Senpai, I won't do so either, but I do insist that we keep an eye on that girl. If she steps out of line again…"
"Then we'll arrest her and throw the book at her." Osaki nodded. "Committing crimes because you were manipulated or out of self-defence is one thing, but dangers to society must be dealt with."
"Yes." Yomaura looked a lot happier now, but only for a few seconds, as her dour look returned fairly quickly. "How are we going to tell her mother about what happened though?"
"I just wanted to tell her the truth." Osaki responded calmly. "All of it, as straight up as possible."
"You never did have any time for beating around the bush." Yomaura jested, though she still didn't look very happy. "It's going to be quite something to tell her about the Moonlit World though."
"You heard the Wraith. Rei is unusually resistant to Magecraft, indicating she is somehow involved with the Moonlit World. I think she deserves to know what she is a part of." Osaki argued.
"Yes, I know, especially if creeps like Paris are going to be targeting her because of it." Yomaura nodded to show her agreement. "I'm not arguing against that."
"Then we shall go to the Maita-estate without further delay." Osaki nodded, before sneaking a glance at his Kohai. "That is, after we've stopped by your apartment on the way."
Currently, Yomaura was clad in a large cloak that she'd securely wrapped around her body, covering her from head to toe, but Osaki was nevertheless extremely aware that below that cloak, she wore nothing but her panties.
During the fight with the Wraith, Yomaura had engaged it in hand-to-claw combat. With her exceptional battle-instincts and experience, she had been able to avoid taking any debilitating wounds during the fight, taking only scratches that, while annoying, were not fatal or even threatening in any way.
However, these instincts clearly did not extend to her clothes, as those had been shredded to tiny pieces that had been scattered all over the cavern floor. The only thing that had survived intact were her, rather sheer, panties.
In other words, she'd been just about naked, and although Osaki had done his best to cover his eyes and look away, he hadn't been able to avoid sneaking a few looks at her after the Wraith had been eaten by the thing hiding in the Grail.
Now, had he sometimes wondered what his partner's breasts looked like when they were bare? Yes, he had, he was still a straight man after all. He just hadn't expected that he'd get his first good look at them because a monster from a horror story had slashed her clothes to bits while trying to murder her.
It had been an… interesting experience, and Osaki did not know what to think about the fact he'd purposefully waited with telling her about her nakedness for several, incredibly long moments, nor did he know what to think about the fact that Tohsaka, Matou, and Mitsuzuri had also neglected to tell her, seemingly as some kind of demented favour to him.
She had of course realised herself after some time that she was as good as naked, and like the mature, coolheaded woman she was, she hadn't screamed or panicked, but had immediately taken steps to cover herself again.
She had 'Projected' a cloak to wrap around herself for that purpose. Actual clothes would have been preferable, but those were apparently too difficult for her to envision and create.
Tohsaka and Matou hadn't been able to help her with that either. Apparently, 'Projection' was actually quite a difficult spell, and the difficulty increased exponentially when the object you wanted to create became more complicated.
A cloak was essentially just a piece of cloth. Projecting that was doable to most Magi, including Yomaura and Tohsaka. Actual clothes, like trousers or shirts, were already much more difficult, and Projecting objects with moving parts was something only beholden to true masters of the art.
Projecting Magical Items was apparently entirely impossible, bar possible irregulars who violated every law in existence.
According to Yomaura, she could try her hand at Projecting trousers and a shirt, but those would be of such poor quality, speaking in Magecraft-terms, that they would fall apart seconds after being created, which would defeat the whole purpose of using them to cover herself.
So a cloak it was. Such a thing would at least last her a while.
Unfortunately, 'a while' was definitely not the same as 'all the way'.
"Uhm." Osaki made a warning noise when he saw that Yomaura's cloak was starting to fray at the edges, indicating it was close to falling apart into Magical Energy again, but he was too late.
From one second to the next, the cloak disappeared into a shower of sparks, leaving his partner bare again, and Osaki found himself incredibly grateful it was the middle of the night and no other cars were around, for his driving became a lot sloppier in that moment.
"Again?" She groaned, as it was already the third time she'd lost a cloak, before closing her eyes and holding out her hands, preparing to Project yet another one, for the fourth time.
"You can just take my coat." Osaki offered, also for the fourth time, hoping she'd accept, but she resolutely shook her head, rejecting the offer yet again.
"I should be able to manage this by myself." She hissed, her face scrunching up in concentration, and the next moment, she held another cloak, which was immediately wrapped around her body.
Osaki let out a sigh at her stubborn behaviour, and then returned his focus to the road in front of him.
About ten minutes and two more cloaks later, they arrived at Yomaura's apartment, where they both exited the car.
"I'll stay here to keep an eye on Hiroko." Osaki said, gesturing at the unconscious girl on the backseat. "You never know what might happen."
"That is fine, Senpai, I hardly think I'll need you to get to my own apartment." The redheaded woman laughed, before turning around to make for her home, and Osaki's eyes widened when he saw sparks falling again, before-
"I hate Projection." Yomaura hissed when she was left bare once more, burying her face in her hands. She didn't stay down for long though, and prepared to make another cloak, but Osaki had had quite enough of her stubborn pride by now.
"Take this." He said, resolutely throwing his coat around her shoulders, before holding up a hand when she made to protest. "I should have done that far sooner. Just take it for now, put on some actual clothes, and then return it to me."
"…Yes, Senpai." Yomaura nodded demurely, her cheeks turning slightly red, before letting out a soft sigh. "Thank you, Senpai."
"Like I said, I should have done that far sooner." He repeated. "Now off you go."
She indeed left, and returned twenty minutes later, wearing proper clothes and holding his folded coat under her arm.
"Thank you for lending this to me, Senpai." She said as she handed the coat back. "I really should have accepted it sooner."
"It would have saved us a lot of embarrassment." Osaki nodded, though inwardly, he couldn't quite bring himself to feel mad about it, or disappointed, or any other negative emotion.
"Did you at least like what you saw?"
The sudden question from his Kohai made him freeze for a very long moment, his brain frantically racing to determine the proper way to react, wondering if she'd read his mind, before he turned his head slightly, to look at her, hoping to gauge her mood.
Surprisingly, her mood seemed pretty good. Her eyes were half-narrowed and her fists were planted in her sides, but the corners of her lips were twitching, indicating she was trying to suppress a smile, and he didn't sense any aggression from her, like she was about to give him a slap in the face or something.
She just seemed genuinely curious.
"I did like it." Osaki admitted, wondering if he'd just signed his own death-warrant, but Yomaura merely nodded, before she strolled back to the car.
"Then at least this whole episode wasn't for nothing."
"What was that?" Osaki asked, not having caught her soft whisper.
"Nothing." She shook her head, before waving him over. "Come on. We have to deliver Hiroko back to her family."
"Ah, right."
The drive from Yomaura's apartment to the Maita-estate did not take long, especially not now that Osaki could properly focus on the road without any distractions sitting next to him, and they arrived at the Maita-estate to find Rei standing outside, looking around frantically with her phone in her hand.
Osaki parked the car near her, but she barely gave it a glance, instead continuing to look around whilst typing on her phone, before holding it to her ear, as if trying to call someone. The person on the other end clearly did not pick up though, as she lowered it again seconds later, looking even more worried.
It wasn't hard to guess who she was worried about. Her eldest daughter hadn't come home that night –considering she'd been at the Ryuudou-temple with them– and unless Osaki was very much mistaken, she hadn't told her mother where she was going.
"Rei-san!" Yomaura called as she and Osaki stepped out of the vehicle, and Rei, upon recognising them, looked so relieved and happy that Osaki felt almost awkward.
"Detectives!" She cried, rushing towards them as fast as she could. "Please, you have to help me. Hiroko has disappeared! She is not in the house, and not with her friends, and she didn't say anything, and I have no idea where she is-"
Rei began making her plea for help, but was knocked completely silent halfway through when Yomaura lifted her daughter out of the car.
For a moment, her face showed a mixture of immense relief and happiness upon seeing her daughter alive and well, but then it was replaced by even more worry and stress, as Hiroko was still unconscious and ruffled up.
"Hiroko!" Rei cried, hurrying over to place her hands on her daughter's face and neck, desperately feeling for a pulse, for body-warmth. "Detective-chan, what happened to her?! Was she attacked?!"
"Yes." Yomaura nodded, before quickly continuing when true panic entered the woman's eyes. "But she wasn't hurt badly. She has a few bumps and bruises but is mainly exhausted."
"What happened?" Rei asked, not letting go of her daughter for a second. "W-Who did this?"
"What happened is that she ambushed us to stop us from investigating the murder of Carlton Paris any further." Osaki replied bluntly. "As for who did this to her, we and our allies probably did most of the damage."
Mainly Tohsaka with her first exploding gem.
"What?" Rei clearly didn't understand at all what he meant, so he gently took her hands off Hiroko.
"Why don't we go inside first." He suggested kindly, before gently though insistently leading her into her house, Yomaura following closely behind with Hiroko still in her arms.
Sighing deeply at the memory, Osaki got up from his chair, tidied up his desk, and grabbed his bag, making his way over to his superior's office to hand in his report.
"Osaki-san, you are just in time." His superior, whose name was Yagami Soichiro, greeted him kindly when Osaki entered his office. "I was just about to leave for the day. Please tell me you don't have too much work for me. I promised my husband I'd be home early for a change."
"Nothing too bad, sir. Just the report on my latest case." Osaki said soothingly, handing over the stack of papers. "You don't have to read all of it. I wrote a summary on the last page."
"Good man!" Yagami grinned, taking the file from him. "Well, let me have a look then. Anything particularly interesting you want to tell me verbally?"
"We did not manage to track down the murderer." Osaki said apologetically. "And it seems the trail has gone cold by now."
"Don't worry too much about it." Yagami casually waved the matter away. "If you ask me, this was a spot of foreigner-bashing by some hooligans. Those types of murderers are always hard to track, because they usually have no relation to the victim at all. Add to that the fact the murder happened six months ago, and you had the deck stacked against you from the very beginning."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Osaki nodded, keeping his face carefully neutral.
"No problem, we all have cases that we could not solve." Yagami smiled, before dismissing the topic. "Is there anything else you want to tell me right now?"
"Nothing, sir."
"Then you are dismissed for the day. I'm sure there are many other things you'd rather do this evening than staying in my office." Yagami laughed, clearly hoping to send Osaki on his way so he could go home as well.
Fortunately, leaving the office was exactly what Osaki wanted to do right now, so he jumped on the opportunity.
"Then I wish you a good evening, sir." He said, before leaving the office, while Yagami opened the report on the last page to read the summary.
The man was a remarkably fast reader, for Osaki hadn't even left the office yet when Yagami's face became pale in shock and dismay. Before Osaki could even close the door behind him, he could already hear the paper shredder in action.
It seemed the case was closed forever, if Yagami had anything to say about it.
Which meant Hiroko and Rei were now fully safe again, as he had promised them the night before.
"Hiroko killed Carlton?" Rei whispered, her face anguished as she tightly gripped her unconscious daughter's hand. "And she killed Touka, m-my husband, as well?"
Hiroko was currently laid out on the couch in the living room of the Maita-estate, while her mother knelt on the ground beside her, her gaze fixed upon the girl's sleeping face.
"She did." Osaki confirmed, taking no pleasure in having to bring the news. He and Yomaura were standing at the other end of the room, feeling that it would be prudent not to stand too close. It might come across as intimidating if they did. "She confessed it all to us, and we are inclined to believe her."
Rei didn't respond vocally, instead lowering her head in grief and pain.
"She had an accomplice for the murder of Paris and the attempted murders of detective Osaki and Mitsuzuri Ayako, but he has since passed away." Yomaura took over, not going into detail about the nature of the accomplice or the manner of said accomplice's death. "The murder of Maita Touka was something she did entirely on her own however."
"Then…" Rei whispered, turning to look at them with empty eyes. "What will happen to Hiroko now?"
"Nothing." Osaki responded bluntly. "We will leave her to you."
"Huh?" Rei blinked in stupefied shock, gaping at them as if they'd told her the sky was now purple.
"There were some… extenuating circumstances to this whole matter." Yomaura said slowly, carefully weighing her words. "Circumstances that will make it difficult for the court to find Hiroko guilty of anything, and that also greatly complicate the underlying factors of the case."
"At this point in time, we feel it is unnecessary to incarcerate your daughter." Osaki added. "It would not have any added value for society, and having her tried by a mundane court would not allow us to include several pieces of evidence that would either exonerate her fully or at least mitigate her guilt."
"Excuse me, detectives, but are you saying you'll let Hiroko go? Just like that?" Rei still looked surprised, but there was also a glint of hope visible in her eyes. "You won't arrest her?"
"We won't arrest her, that is true, but to say that we'll let the matter slide entirely is inaccurate." Yomaura huffed, crossing her arms. "We will need to severely reprimand her and ensure she does not engage in such foolish behaviour again, which is something we will need your help for-"
Unfortunately for the redhead, everything after 'we won't arrest her' was lost on Rei, and the next moment, the detectives saw a black blur heading for them, before the grateful woman embraced them both.
Rei was taller than them, which made it a bit awkward to be hugged by her, but Osaki bore it stoically, having expected such a reaction already.
"Thank you!" The woman gushed, tears of happiness streaming over her cheeks. "I will make sure she never does something like that ever again! I won't betray your trust! I swear it!"
"Right." Osaki mumbled, feeling grateful the woman wasn't strong enough to lift him off the floor in her exuberance, because she would have if she could, and that would have been really embarrassing.
"Before we can leave this matter behind though, there are several things we need to inform you about." Yomaura said once Rei had released them again. "Most notably, why Hiroko chose, or rather, how she was persuaded, to kill Carlton. I fear this might not be easy for you to hear."
"Did he do something to her?" Now Rei looked nervous again. "I-I knew they didn't get along, but are you saying…?"
"He did something to you." Yomaura corrected her gently, taking Rei's hand. "Something Hiroko could not possibly accept."
"What? No, I already told you, everything Carlton and I did was consensual." Rei shook her head, looking very sure of herself. "He did nothing weird or wrong to me."
"But he did." Osaki said sadly, preparing himself for a long conversation. "He did."
When Osaki walked out of the police station and onto the street, he found Yomaura already waiting for him there, in the car. She had gone on ahead sometime before, while he'd been finishing the report, to get the car from the garage.
"Did you hand in the report to Yagami?" She asked once he'd gotten into the passenger seat.
"I did." Osaki nodded, tightening his seat belt.
"And?"
"He was already disposing of it before I'd even left his office." Osaki laughed, combing a hand through his hair. "Diligent as ever, our dear superior."
"Undoubtedly eager to get home to his husband." Yomaura huffed.
Yagami Soichiro was not actually married to another man, as Japan didn't recognise same-sex marriages, but he'd lived together with his partner for so long they just referred to each other as husband now.
"He will undoubtedly make the case disappear entirely as soon as he possibly can." Osaki continued. "With some luck, no one will ever mention it again, leaving Hiroko in the clear."
"Legally speaking then." Yomaura scoffed, narrowing her eyes. "Because I am certainly not going to let her off easy."
"Do take some pity on her." Osaki pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears. It seemed his partner was still wroth about Hiroko's murder attempt on him.
Without saying another word, she started the car and drove off, straight towards the Maita-estate, where they would get a progress report on Hiroko's every action from Rei.
Osaki supposed it was fortunate his own daughters were still at their summer camp, as this was likely going to take a while.
It definitely wouldn't end before they came back either, the process of trying to rehabilitate Hiroko, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
If necessary, he'd just take them along. Hiroko, Aya, and Kazuhiro were good kids, and he had no doubt his daughters would get along with them just fine.
"Alright then, Rin." Shirou smiled as he stepped into the living room with a huge plate full of snacks, finding the girls already waiting for him. "I think it's time to tell you the truth."
The truth in this context being his life story. Not the redacted, half-true version he'd told her before, in which he was just a skilled Magus who might be a Sorcerer, but the actual truth, with his demigod nature, sentient Divine Tool, and alien friends included.
It was for that purpose that the girls were assembled again. Issei wasn't present this time, nor was Taiga, but all the others, Sakura, Ayako, Rin, Illya, Sella, and Leysritt, were there to hear his story.
With so many people present, his living room was starting to get rather cramped. For now, everyone had been able to find themselves a place, but only because Sakura was sitting on Ayako's lap, Illya was sitting on Sella's lap, and Shirou sat down on the floor in front of Rin, who was perched on one of the sofas.
Shirou already had an idea though to deal with the lack of space, but that was something for another time.
"Oh, it's finally time to tell me the truth, is it?" Rin asked with some heat in her voice, crossing both her arms and her legs to show how displeased she was. "Took you long enough after you left out such massive parts last time."
"I am very sorry." Shirou apologised after putting the plate down, bowing his head, though more to hide his smile than to show how contrite he was. "But there was just never the right time."
"Yes, I have heard that before." Rin grumbled, giving him a displeased glare, before she mellowed slightly. "Just promise me you'll tell me everything this time, okay?"
"I promise I will tell you everything." Shirou placed a hand on his heart to show his sincerity, and Rin, after looking into his eyes for a moment, nodded quietly. "Though I have to warn you that 'everything' is quite a lot."
"And when Shirou says 'quite a lot', he means it." Ayako added, already munching on one of the snacks Shirou had brought, her arm around Sakura's stomach to hold her in place. "Seriously, it took him, like, a few hours to tell me everything, in multiple sessions."
"Nee-san does have the advantage of knowing about Magecraft already." Sakura countered. "So we'll be able to cut some time there."
"True." Ayako nodded, finishing the snack, before immediately taking another, though she did not eat that one herself but instead tried to make Sakura eat it. "I suppose that does save some time."
"It does not matter how long it takes." Shirou shook his head, trying not to stare at the scene of Sakura nibbling daintily on the piece of cake that Ayako held in front of her mouth. "I promised to tell Rin everything, so I will."
"As you should." Rin nodded imperiously, before glancing over at Sella and Leysritt. "I'm sure the maids are also interested."
"Lord Emiya can tell us as much or as little as he likes." Sella replied, her voice perfectly even and controlled, showing off how skilled a maid she was. "My and my sister's desires or levels of interest play no role in this."
"Even so, you do want to know." Rin stated, and Sella, unable to deny that without outright lying, inclined her head in silent agreement.
"Can I get started then?" Shirou asked, cocking his head to the side as he gave Rin a smile. "I won't get very far if you keep interrupting me before I can even begin."
"Yes, I'll be silent now." Rin nodded with a small huff, before holding up a hand. "Ah, but before you start, I would like to know one thing."
"Which is?"
"Are you actually a Sorcerer?" Rin asked immediately, her expression hardening as she leaned forward, towards him. "I do not have many contacts in the Clocktower, but the few I do have informed me that there were rumours going about in the Magus Association, rumours of you being able to wield the Heaven's Feel. They also said you yourself confirmed it on several different occasions."
"I might have done something like that, yes." Shirou nodded, thinking back on the interrogations he'd been subjected to at times, by Sophia Edelfelt, by Lady Barthomeloi, and even by Waver, to name a few. At all those occasions, he'd either not denied being a Sorcerer or he had even confirmed it outright.
"So it's true?! You are actually a Sorcerer?!" Rather than being shocked or impressed, Rin buried her face in her hands, her body language radiating shame and embarrassment. "I truly missed the rise of a True Magician in my own backyard! How stupid am I-?!"
"No." Shirou said, clearly and decisively, not about to let Rin insult and degrade herself. "You missed nothing of the sort. I am not a Sorcerer."
His strong denial took aback not only Rin, but also Sella and Leysritt, who hadn't yet been informed about the fact his 'Sorceries' were actually acts of Divine Might.
"You're not?" Rin rose her head again to stare at him in clear surprise. "But the rumours…? And your confirmations…?"
"My 'confirmations' were nothing but lies." Shirou admitted, feeling somewhat bad about having lied, though not too bad, considering it had been very much necessary. "And the rumours are false. I am not a True Magician. That is the truth."
"But Lord Emiya-" Sella began to protest, undoubtedly remembering the acts he'd performed that seemed reminiscent of the Second and the Third Magic, but she fell silent when he held up a hand.
"Emiya-kun-" Rin also wanted to say something, but she too stopped talking when he raised his other hand.
Leysritt hadn't said a word, but she was watching him like a hawk, her normally ditsy eyes laser focused and sharp as she awaited his explanation.
"I know this may be hard to believe at this point, after I pretended and lied for so long." Shirou said, having anticipated their reactions. "But I truly am not a Sorcerer. Yes, I did things that are supposed to be impossible through Magecraft, but not through the use of any True Magic. I used something else."
"Something else?" Rin asked, lifting an eyebrow, still looking utterly incredulous. "Like what?"
"Is that even possible?" Sella asked before Shirou could reply to Rin's question. "I-I am hardly an expert on the subject of Magecraft or True Magic, as the Einzbern never thought it necessary to give me that knowledge, but I am rather sure the True Magics are unique."
"The True Magics don't have a monopoly on their effects, Sella." Shirou decided to answer Sella's question first. "Let's take teleporting as an example. Teleporting can be done with the Second Magic, but if a Caster Servant were to teleport as well using their Crafts from the Age of the Gods, it would not mean they were using the Second Magic. They would be using something that was infinitely close to it, but not the Kaleidoscope itself. I do the same as that hypothetical Servant, I use something infinitely close to the Second and Third Magics, but not those Magics themselves."
"I… see." Sella mumbled, realisation entering her eyes. "So essentially, you are conning the Magus Association by pretending to be a Sorcerer, even though you only wield a similar craft. That is quite deceitful of you."
"Harsh as always, Sella." Shirou deadpanned at the maid, who wasn't even paying much attention to him anymore.
"What is it that you use, Emiya-kun?" Rin pulled his attention back to her, slightly breathless in anticipation as she leaned forward, looking seconds away from jumping off the sofa. "What allows you to mimic the Third Magic?"
"That's of course the main question here." Shirou nodded, falling silent as he pondered about what he should say and where to begin. He didn't need to begin at the very start, like telling Rin and Sella that he was a Magus, or explaining what Magecraft even was, but he also didn't want to accidentally skip anything important. "But it is a question that is not that easy to answer."
"Just show them Mjolnir and take it from there." Ayako suggested, something Sakura clearly agreed with, as she nodded a few times, her mouth still full of cake.
"Ah yes." Shirou shot the brunette a grateful look, before materialising Mjolnir in his hand, the hammer once more appearing in a dramatic shower of sparks. "Behold, the reason I am capable of mimicking the True Magics!"
"…"
It remained silent following his declaration, as Rin blinked once in surprise, Sella frowned in confusion, Sakura and Ayako tried to hide their smiles at both Shirou's dramatic behaviour and the unimpressed reactions of his audience, and Illya giggled openly about the situation.
Only Leysritt appeared to be taking it the slightest bit seriously, as her eyes had narrowed to slits as she stared with clear caution at the hammer in Shirou's hand.
"…A hammer?" Rin asked slowly after a few seconds, cocking her head to the side.
"A Mystic Code." Sella corrected her, though she didn't sound particularly impressed either.
They both seemed like they were waiting for the punchline, for Shirou to tell them he was joking, and the longer that moment didn't come, the more confused they seemed to get.
"Ah, Shirou, I don't think they quite get what you mean." Ayako seemed to consider the situation to be hilarious, as she was grinning broadly.
"You should explain it a bit more, Senpai." Sakura added, being a bit more polite as she covered her smile with her hand, though she did nothing to conceal the fact her eyes were sparkling in amusement.
"Yeah, maybe I should." Shirou nodded, realising that Mjolnir in its calm state did not give the impression of a particular unique or powerful weapon. "Rin, Sella, Leysritt, this hammer is not a Mystic Code, as you assumed. It is a Divine Construct."
"…A Divine Construct?" Rin repeated, her expression becoming very conflicted as her natural instinct to summarily reject his ludicrous claim fought with her knowledge that he wouldn't just lie to her about something like that.
Seeing her look like that actually made Shirou quite pleased, as it showed that she deeply trusted him, enough to hear him out at least, which, under the circumstances, was really a show of immense faith.
He had half-expected her to laugh in his face, which was what every other Magus, including Waver and Lady Barthomeloi, would have done. That she didn't, well…
It made Shirou feel warm inside.
In the meantime, Sella looked extremely sceptical, but she was a maid, and therefore, did not speak up to refute him. That would have been unbecoming of her. Her silence did not hide the fact though that she clearly did not believe him at all.
Once more, it was only Leysritt who seemed to take him seriously, as she looked at the hammer in a new light, with a gaze that seemed both respectful and cautious.
"I can see you are having trouble believing my claim." Shirou said after a few seconds of silence, during which Rin's conflicted expression and Sella's obvious scepticism hadn't changed.
"Well, I-" Rin began to say, looking to explain herself, but Shirou again silenced her by holding up a hand.
"That is only natural." He assured her, giving her an understanding smile. "I wouldn't have believed myself either. Fortunately for me though, I can back up my claim."
At times like this, there was nothing better than a good old demonstration. As said before, Mjolnir did not look very impressive now, making it hard to believe it was a Divine Construct. So, in order to show Sella and Rin that he was serious, Shirou would have to show them something that was in fact impressive.
To that end, he channelled the Mysterious Power into Mjolnir and into himself, making the power radiate outwards from him, allowing Sella and Rin to feel that it was notstandard Magical Energy, but something very different, something alien.
More and more power he channelled, until the very air seemed to distort under the pressure of it all. Shirou let all his shields fall away, all measures he normally took to seem like nothing but an ordinary teenager, showing them beyond any doubt that he was no longer fully human, but that he was becoming something far more.
Outside, thunderclouds gathered overhead. The wind picked up, and even inside the Emiya-estate, a firm breeze started circling through the room, a breeze generated not by Magical Energy, but the Mysterious Power.
Shirou's armour materialised on his body, glowing blue lines running all across it. His eyes became an electric blue, except for the centres, which remained a solid golden colour. Lightning flashed from Mjolnir, and the air became noticeably heavier as the power he radiated almost seemed to condense from how thick it was.
Right now, he wasn't Emiya Shirou, a simple teenager, student, and possible Sorcerer. He was Emiya Shirou, successor of the God of Thunder, an Alien God in the making, someone who possessed sufficient Divine Power to mimic some facets of multiple True Magics.
He didn't continue the demonstration for long though. Shirou merely wanted to reveal his new nature, not needlessly brag about his power. As such, he quickly stopped showing off, and dismissed both his armour and Mjolnir again, returning the situation to what it was, save for a few pieces of paper that had been dragged along by the wind and some ruffled hair.
Within a few seconds, the Mysterious Power was gone again, his shields were up, and he seemed like a normal human again, as if nothing had ever happened.
The reason he had gone so far overboard was because it was necessary. Ayako, Sakura, and Illya had believed his claims about him owning an outerversal version of Mjolnir and becoming a god, but they were very much exceptions. They trusted him enough to take him at his word, even though he hadn't shown them much concrete proof.
For Sella and Rin though, it was different.
It wasn't that they trusted him less, certainly not. They had just been raised, or programmed in Sella's case, with the knowledge that gods and their weapons were gone, that Divine Power was a thing of the past, and that the Age of the Gods in general had ended a long time ago.
Shirou was up against a decade of knowledge and education here. Knowledge and education that stated that someone like him could not possibly exist.
In other words, he had to go a little overboard to overcome that education that would deny his existence. He had to create a spectacle that was sure to blow them away, something that no Magus could possibly copy through Magecraft alone.
In this, he was helped by the fact that both Sella and Rin were able to sense Magical Energy, and were thus capable of telling that the power he used was not Magical Energy at all, something that massively improved the effectiveness of his demonstration.
"Do you believe me now, Rin?" He asked, looking first at Rin and then at Sella, spreading his arms as if to display himself.
Neither of them reacted at first, their expressions frozen in looks of slack-jawed shock.
Then Rin's eyes rolled back, and she fell back into the backrest of the sofa, out like a light. Shirou wished he could say he was surprised, but it was a fairly appropriate reaction for a Magus who had just learned that their boyfriend was a demigod.
At the same time, Sella flopped forwards as all strength left her body, prompting Illya to quickly jump off her lap. The older maid would have smacked face-first onto the ground if Leysritt hadn't caught her in time, propping up her unconscious body.
The ditsy maid, for whom Shirou's reveal should have been as much a shock as it was for her sister, looked a bit surprised herself, but judging from her calm demeanour, she was handling it pretty well, surprisingly well.
"Already suspected something was off about you." She muttered when she saw him looking at her, carefully laying her elder sister down on the ground, placing her head on her lap for comfort. "Did not expect Divinity though."
She certainly wasn't easily fazed, that Leysritt.
Then Ayako started applauding, looking deeply impressed by the show he put on, quickly copied by Sakura and Illya.
"That was really impressive, Senpai." Sakura said, beaming at him with unreserved admiration. "I didn't know you could do that!"
"There was never a reason to show it to you, and I normally only get like that in a fight." Shirou explained, laughing a bit in embarrassment. So far, it had only happened two times that he'd channelled so much power as to seem inhuman. One time to destroy the Phantasmal Beast Nokken, and the second to kill Zouken and save Sakura. "It's only since very recently that I can show off like that in a controlled fashion."
Warrior's Madness was not something to play around with, but with some effort, Shirou could mimic the visual aspects of that Berserker-state, and it were those visual aspects that he'd wanted to display here.
"Like Sakura said, it sure was impressive." Ayako grinned at him. "I never doubted your story about being Thor's successor, but even if I did, this would have convinced me completely."
"That was awesome!" Illya cheered, raising her fists into the air as she ran up at him for a hug. "You went all glowy, and super powerful, and Godlike!"
"Godlike indeed." Sakura nodded, her enthusiasm dimming quickly as she looked on with half-closed eyes as Illya jumped into Shirou's arms, something she'd wanted to do herself.
"I think you managed to convince both of our dear sceptics here that you were telling nothing but the truth." Ayako added, before stepping towards him. "Now give me a hug as well."
"And me!" Sakura had gotten over her dimmed mood and was back in the game, also going for a hug.
"Girls." Shirou laughed, pushing them back gently before setting Illya down again. "Your words are nice to hear, but please give me a moment. I need to tend to Rin and Sella before we do anything else."
As far as he knew, fainting from shock was not particularly dangerous or damaging to the brain, but he didn't want to take any risks. Fortunately, a quick check proved they were both fine, and rousing them was a simple matter. Shirou simply snapped his fingers in front of their faces a few times, and soon, both Rin and Sella were seated again, rapidly recovering from their fainting spell, helped in no small part by the glasses of water Sakura had fetched from the kitchen.
Then all hell broke loose.
"What the hell, Emiya-kun!?" Rin screamed so loudly that Shirou had to cover his ears, and she lurched at him, grabbing the front of his shirt as she pressed herself against him, glaring up at him with eyes that seemed to be spitting fire. "What was that?!"
"That was a demonstration, Rin." Shirou replied calmly.
"A demonstration?! What kind of demonst- How could you even- What did you think…!?" Rin was so agitated she could barely form sentences anymore, and eventually, she just gave up and gave him a pleading look, begging for answers.
"I demonstrated my power to show you that I am speaking the truth. I knew words alone wouldn't be enough to convince you, so I tried to give you irrefutable proof." Shirou explained, keeping his tone gentle. "You have to admit, Rin, that what I just did was clearly not Magecraft, or True Magic for that matter. It was-"
"Divine Power?" Rin finished in a soft mutter, slowly letting go of his shirt again as she took a step backwards, pressing a hand against her temple in a clear sign of confusion. "But that can't be. Divine Power is gone. You used… You just used… That was… Oh Root, that wasn't Magical Energy. That was… I don't even know what it was."
"I have been referring to it as the 'Mysterious Power'." Shirou supplied, gently taking her shoulders to support her, as her legs were now shaking slightly. "But essentially, it is Divine Power."
Rin looked at him with wide eyes, her scepticism all but gone now that she had been confronted with irrefutable proof of Shirou's claims.
"You are… You are actually a Demigod?"
"Correct." Shirou nodded, before amending his statement. "Of sorts. I'm not entirely sure what I am right now. Still mostly human though, I can assure you of that."
"So that's how you-?! That is why…?" After noticing she was stuttering too badly to be understood, Rin took several deep breaths to calm down, before trying again. "So that's how you could mimic the True Magics? Because you are a demigod?"
"Correct again." Shirou confirmed, pulling her a bit closer to him, though he did not hug her yet. "That is how I became so powerful, that is why I have so many different powers and abilities, and it is how I can mimic the True Magics to an extent."
"…Unbelievable." Rin whispered, but even though she said that, she clearly did believe him now. "Incredible."
She seemed rather out of it, and after a few seconds, leaned forward, pressing her head against his chest as she processed the new information. Shirou made grateful use of the opportunity to hug her, gently but firmly, trying to set her at ease a bit.
In the meantime, Sella had been staring ahead blankly for a while, but Illya had managed to snap her out of it and was in the process of explaining things to her maid, all while Leysritt listened attentively, showing a mental resilience anyone would be jealous of.
Once Sella had been brought up to date, both she and Rin needed a few minutes to collect themselves again. Even though they did believe Shirou now, the notion that an actual demigod could exist in modern times required them to make some careful adjustments to their worldview.
They were both hardy and resilient ladies however, so after those few minutes, they were back in the game.
"Emiya-kun, please tell me how you obtained this power." Rin got straight to business, zeroing in on the most important matter of the moment, while Sella also paid close attention, quite keen to hear Shirou's answer herself.
"Like I said before, I obtained my power through Mjolnir." Shirou repeated, once more showing the hammer to them. "It is a Divine Construct, the hammer of Thor."
"And how did it come to be in your possession?" Rin continued her questioning. "I assume you did not travel to the Reverse Side of the World to steal it from Thor?"
"That would have been quite something, but no, it wasn't nearly as cool as that." Shirou laughed, placing Mjolnir down on the table. "It came to me, as it had decided I was to be its new wielder."
"It decided that? By itself?" Sella chose this moment to interrupt, but Rin didn't mind, as it was a question she herself had wanted to ask as well.
"It is fully sentient." Shirou revealed, which clearly unnerved both the Magus and the maid, as they both looked at the weapon with gazes full of apprehension. Sentient objects were usually bad news in the world of Thaumaturgy after all. "I received Mjolnir about six months ago, when it suddenly came down from the sky. I picked it up, and by doing so, received the power of Thor."
"How? Divine Weapons usually don't transfer the wielder's power." Rin asked the most important question right away. "I have studied Norse Mythology. Few people could lift the Mjolnir at all, and those who could, did not receive any power from it. At most, they had a cool weapon to swing around."
"That is exactly what I thought." Shirou nodded eagerly, remembering how he'd said pretty much the same when he'd just found the hammer. "But this case was different, and that was because Thor himself made it so. He stored his power in the hammer, for it to be transferred to the first worthy person to lift it."
"Worthy?" Rin was confused again by his words, which by now was annoyingly familiar to her.
"Whosoever lifts this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Shirou recited the lines that had been written on Mjolnir's side, turning the hammer slightly so Sella, Leysritt, and Rin could read the words for themselves. He'd of course converted them into English, which they all three could read.
"But why would a god do such a thing?" Sella spluttered. "Were they not callous creatures with an utter disregard for mankind?"
"They were." Rin nodded strongly, twisting her head around to look at the maid, before turning back around to meet Shirou's eyes again. "A god would never share their power with anyone, least of all a modern human."
"No, you're right. The Thor who's in the Reverse Side of the World would never." Shirou agreed.
"Well, then-"
"But this Mjolnir is not from that Thor." Shirou continued, talking over Rin. "It is from another Thor entirely."
"What does that mean?" Rin asked, and Shirou could see how she braced herself for another huge shock. Behind her, Sella was doing the same.
It was very smart of them, anticipating another surprise, or perhaps it was just experience after a while of dealing with Shirou, but in the end, it did not help them much.
By the time the redhead had finished explaining that his Mjolnir came from a different Multiverse entirely, and that 'his' Thor was actually a super-evolved alien, both Rin and Sella had passed out again, and this time, Leysritt wasn't looking too hot either.
"And you haven't even shown Rin the Vault yet." Ayako laughed, gently brushing Sella's hair out of her face.
"Or told them about Nasu-Sama." Sakura added, referring to the Watcher Shirou had 'befriended', having placed Rin's head on her lap.
They were both right of course, and Shirou sighed, preparing himself for an explanation that was going to be far longer and more complicated than he'd expected.
He'd known that his life and circumstances were strange, but he'd severely underestimated just how strange they would be to a Magus, even more so than to a normal person.
What an interesting irony.
"And that's that." Mirei sighed in satisfaction as she placed the last file on top of an already massive pile of them, before lying back into her chair as she put her hands behind her head. "All the paperwork concerning the Purge of the Meluastea and their followers has been completed at last."
The 'at last' was completely warranted there. Between the arrest warrants, the retroactive killing orders, the processing of prisoners, the trials, the necessary reforms now that a ruling family had effectively disappeared overnight, and much, much more, Mirei and her small army of paper-pushers had been working non-stop for almost a month now.
For all that the Purge itself had been finished in under a day, it had resulted in an administrative nightmare, and even working day and night had only allowed Mirei to barely stay on top of the situation as it unfolded in a semi-structured manner.
But with the signing of this final document, one that finalised the marriage-agreement between Lord El-Melloi II and Marianne Archelot, the matter was finally over and done with. The special circumstances were over, and Mirei could finally enjoy a proper night's sleep again.
Life in the Clocktower could continue as normal, sans the Meluastea and their cronies of course.
"Indeed." Lorelei didn't groan, but she came awfully close as she too placed her last document on the pile in front of her. "Let us return to our normal duties then."
Mirei laughed inwardly as she looked at her direct superior. The girl looked positively exhausted –in Barthomeloi-terms of course– far more than she'd ever been following one of her hunts.
It seemed that, for all of her strength, the paperwork was still pushing her to her limits, especially since this was the first time that she'd ever joined such a large administrative effort.
And hadn't that been a pleasant surprise? For Lorelei to actually lend a hand in dealing with the post-battle clean-up? True, she might not have been worth much as administrator –even the junior bureaucrats under Mire's command were at least three times as efficient– but her presence and impact had a great positive effect on the drive and motivation of the other workers, allowing them to really give it their all to finish their tasks.
"Now that the paperwork is done, we can indeed return to our normal duties and pastimes." The elderly lady nodded to her young superior. "There is no need to remain in the Clocktower anymore, and I'm sure there are many hunts you would like to embark on as soon as you can."
"I will begin making arrangements for a Dead Apostle hunt at once." Lorelei nodded, her mood visibly improving at the thought of slaughtering non-humans, before she frowned. "I would have liked to invite Fujimaru as well, as I promised him I would teach him how to properly hunt monsters, but since he has already left, that will have to wait."
She was clearly unhappy with that, and Mirei had to smother another laugh at the sight. Lorelei had been, for the lack of a better word, 'moping' about Fujimaru's departure for days now, and even more about the fact that he had given his contact details to Lord El-Melloi, but not to her.
It was likely only her sense of propriety and decency that stopped her from marching to the Department of Modern Magical Theories to demand those details from Lord El-Melloi, and even that sense of decency would not stop Fujimaru from getting the cold shoulder from her for at least a few days after he returned.
Unless he properly apologized. Likely, that would cool Lorelei's wrath quickly enough.
"Fujimaru promised to return in December for a stay of about three weeks, so I'm sure you'll get your chance to invite him on a hunt." Mirei assured her, still not sure whether the boy would be as happy with Lorelei's lessons as the girl herself seemed to think. "Do remember though that you promised to accept his friend as your apprentice, and that you will have to arrange things before she arrives."
"Rin Tohsaka." Lorelei nodded, before motioning to the hand-held mirror lying at the edge of her desk. "I am awaiting her call. Once I know what she expects out of a sponsorship, I can start making arrangements. I have already oriented myself on proper sponsor-conduct as well, and the forms are ready to be filled in to make the arrangement official."
"Excellent." Mirei nodded in satisfaction, pleasantly surprised by how much preparation Lorelei had apparently already done. "We'll make a proper bureaucrat out of you yet."
Then she had to forcibly suppress a peal of laughter as Lorelei's face twisted in a mixture of revulsion and fear. She was such a child sometimes, so afraid at the notion of coming to enjoy boring work.
"I jest." She assured her superior, who noticeably calmed down again, just about letting out a sigh of relief. "You can just focus on your hunts. I'm sure the Dead Apostle community is wondering where you have been over the past month."
"They must have grown fat and lazy." Lorelei seemed personally insulted by that hypothetical, not at all proven statement. "It is time I let them know they cannot act with impunity, not anymore."
"Atta girl." Mirei cheered in a deadpan, getting up from her chair, though she did not leave the office yet. "But before you go, there is something I would like to discuss."
"Speak then." Lorelei said imperiously. "It is a matter separate from the Purge, I hope? You declared only minutes ago that it was handled and finished."
"Yes, that is correct." Mirei nodded, holding up her hands in a soothing motion. "This is about something else. I received a letter from your family yesterday."
"Once more?" Lorelei asked wryly, coming very close to rolling her eyes. "If this is about my marriage, you can tell them nothing has been decided yet, as no one has been able to defeat me in battle."
"I am well aware of that, my lady, I was there for all your battles with your would-be suitors." Mirei sighed. "Nevertheless, your family is adamant you marry. They write they are willing to consider your opinion on your prospective husband, as long as you choose someone soon."
"If they are truly willing to take my opinion into consideration, then they shall respect the fact that I have not yet found anyone who appeals to me." Lorelei still sounded entirely dismissive, but Mirei could only focus on one particular word the girl had just said.
"Yet?" She asked, wondering if she'd misheard. "You have not found anyone 'yet'?"
Did that mean she was intending to get married?
"Yes." Lorelei nodded, looking at Mirei as if she was the one not making sense. "None of my suitors have yet managed to impress me, but that may change at any moment."
"Pardon me for saying this, but your family and I were under the impression that you did not plan on getting married at all." Mirei said carefully, probingly.
"Then you were under an incorrect impression." Lorelei looked away slightly as she said those words, as if she was embarrassed by the topic. "I am aware I must continue the line of the Barthomeloi, and that it is my responsibility as 'strongest Magus of the Modern Era' to have as many children as possible, but I would like to choose for myself whom I shall do so with."
"I… Your family will be delighted to hear it." Mirei laughed without humour, wondering how she could have misread the girl to such an extent. "But if the pool of prospective husbands is limited to those who can defeat you in battle-"
"It is not." Lorelei interrupted her. "Should one of my suitors manage to suitably impress me with their personality, I shall hand victory to them in the arena."
"You would throw the fight?!" Mirei's eyes boggled in shock at the girl's words. She, the Clocktower's most dedicated warrior, would lose on purpose?
"Yes, I would 'throw the fight', should my prospective husband appeal to me sufficiently." Lorelei nodded, and Mirei had to sit down again before she would faint from the shock. "Though I would prefer it if I didn't have to."
Mirei had thought that she'd had the girl figured out completely, that she had a relatively simple personality, but it seemed Lorelei had more layers than she'd anticipated.
"The recent lack of suitors vying for my hand is an issue however." Lorelei continued, a frown forming on her face. "I have not been approached in months. It seems I am not sufficiently desirable for worthy men to step up. It is something I will have to work on in the coming months."
"No. I am pretty sure your desirability is not the problem here." Mirei deadpanned. She was the Vice-Director of the Clocktower and head of the Barthomeloi after all, and a beautiful girl with a forthright personality at that. "Rather it is your stipulation that they need to defeat you in battle which causes men to avoid you. After you so thoroughly humiliated the Lords Brevik and Hansen in the arena, no one dares to approach you anymore."
"Lords Brevik and Hansen were exceptions." Lorelei protested, a bit indignantly. "Lord Brevik disgusted me with his very presence, and lord Hansen only cared about the money in the possession of the Barthomeloi-family, nothing else."
"Nevertheless, what you did to them scared away any other prospective suitors." Mirei repeated. "It is unlikely that any will approach you again."
Lorelei stilled, and then blinked once in response to Mirei's words.
"You need to show some initiative yourself." Mirei huffed, rising from her chair again now that the strength had returned to her legs. "Choose several eligible men who seem like they may impress you, approach them, get to know them, and pick the best."
"I-"
"The Barthomeloi already requested me to prepare a list of eligible bachelors in the Clocktower. I shall present it to you before I send it to them." Mirei promised, to which Lorelei gave a grateful nod. "The list will be on your desk in a month or less."
It would be some work to track down every unmarried, young man in the Magus Association and compile a report about every single one of them, but since Lorelei had shown herself unexpectedly cooperative, at least it wouldn't be an issue to make her read those reports.
For a second, Mirei wondered how she'd suddenly become a matchmaker, but she resigned herself to her fate quickly.
Now there were several questions to ask in order to put together a good list for her superior.
"Is there a maximum-age you are willing to accept in your suitors?" She asked Lorelei, taking an empty sheet of paper to make notes on.
"Forty. No, thirty-five." Lorelei replied immediately, which was perhaps logical, considering she was only twenty-six herself.
"Is there a minimum-age?"
"…Twenty." It took a bit longer for the brunette to answer that question, so Mirei marked it down as less stringent a rule than the maximum age.
"Any requirements for looks?"
"No, as long as they are at least well-groomed, and put some care into their appearance."
"Nationality?"
"Entirely irrelevant."
"Family?"
"Entirely irrelevant."
"Talent as a Magus?"
"As long as they are not hopelessly incompetent."
"Anything else?"
"I would prefer a man who would be a capable father." Lorelei said, and Mirei lifted an eyebrow, before obediently writing it down. "He must be confident as well, and capable of joining my hunts, even if only in the background, to either aid me or cheer me on."
She wanted someone with a backbone. Mirei had expected as much. No one would enjoy having a marital partner who was afraid of you and your hobbies.
"Very good. I will make a list of all eligible bachelors, and with the criteria you have given me, I will put them in order from worst to best." Mirei said, to which Lorelei nodded. "That was all. Good luck planning your hunt."
"Thank you. I wish you the best of luck in your duties."
And with that, Mirei left her superior's office.
The first thing the elderly lady would do was send a letter to the Barthomeloi to tell them the good news. Lorelei wasn't against marrying, as they had all thought, but she simply wanted to find the right man.
It was almost childish, waiting for a prince charming, but if you were as powerful as that girl, you could get away with acting childish sometimes.
After that, Mirei would have to get to work to compile the list. Her informants and servants would probably be surprised when she told them to start gathering information on eligible bachelors, but they would do as she told them nonetheless.
The only question now was whether she'd include Fujimaru in the list as well. If it was even a question, that is.
"Rin's out again."
Shirou sighed at Ayako's casual report of the situation, and he turned around to find that the black-haired girl had indeed fainted, and that Sakura had once more taken her head onto her lap, smiling in deep amusement as she gently combed her big sister's hair with her hands.
"I suppose that was to be expected." He pinched the bridge of his nose, before Projecting an actual comb and handing it to Sakura, who gratefully accepted it. "This is quite a sight after all. It almost knocked me out too when I first saw it."
They were currently standing in his Vault, in the middle of the gigantic hall. They were surrounded on all sides by mountains of unimaginable riches, and beyond those mountains, even more treasure was waiting for them.
Shirou had taken Sakura, Ayako, and Rin into his Vault to show it to them. Surprisingly enough, he'd never taken either Sakura or Ayako in there before, and of course, neither had he taken Rin, so he'd decided to rectify that as soon as possible.
Illya and her maids had declined accompanying them, as they had seen quite enough of his pocket dimension already over the past weeks. They were still at home, watching the anime on tv that Illya had always wanted to see but was never allowed to before. Last he'd seen, she was watching something about a dungeon and picking up girls.
After Illya had refused to accompany them, Shirou had pulled his girlfriends close to him and had activated the Bifrost, teleporting them into the Vault.
To be entirely frank, he had expected that the trip alone would be enough to knock Rin flat again. Travelling through dimensions with a rainbow bridge was not exactly normal after all, especially since a rainbow was normally also the symbol of the Kaleidoscope.
She had surprised him however by taking the shock fairly well. Yes, she had been shaken, but not immensely so. Apparently, she had actually expected something like that to happen when Shirou had told her he'd be taking her to the place where his treasures were stored, and had steeled herself sufficiently not to faint again.
Her newfound resilience hadn't lasted long though after she looked around and saw the riches in the Vault, including but not limited to mountains of gold and silver, heaps of precious stones, numerous Mystic Codes, uncountable intricate tapestries, statues of the finest of marble, blocks of materials that did not exist on Earth at all, and works of art that brought tears to the eyes of anyone who saw them.
By that point, she'd already been a bit off-balance, and when she saw the immense number of high-quality gems lying around, gems very much fit for Magecraft, her legs had become rather unsteady.
She hadn't fainted yet though. No, that came when Shirou told her that she was free to take as many gems as she wanted, for they were hers now as well. That was what had sent Rin straight into dreamland as she promptly collapsed backwards, where Sakura had fortunately been able to catch her.
Or well, 'fortunately'… The plum-haired girl had already anticipated such a reaction from her big sister and had strategically placed herself to catch her.
With that over with, the plum-haired girl and the brunette looked over the Vault themselves, also seeing it for the first time ever.
"This is so awesome!" Ayako laughed as she twirled in place between several piles of gold, trying to take in as much as she could, her smile so wide it threatened to split her face in two. "I have never seen so much gold in my life!"
"Feel free to take some if you want." Shirou offered, which got him a beaming smile in return. "Just don't take too much. I don't want to ruin the gold-market."
"What I take won't be for sale." She assured him, before picking up a solid bar of 24-karat gold. "I only want it because it is pretty."
"Then take as much as you want." Shirou smiled, before turning to Sakura. "That goes for you as well, Sakura, and for Rin, when she wakes up. You can take anything from here you want."
"I don't need anything, Senpai." Sakura shook her head lightly, before beaming at him as she placed a hand on Rin's head. "Nee-san though will probably take as many gems as she can carry."
"There are convenient chests standing around, so she can fill one and take it with her." Shirou nodded, gesturing lightly at a chest nearby, which was big enough to hold a thousand gems. "In fact, I think I'll fill one for her."
"I think she would appreciate that."
Shirou promptly went to work. He grabbed one of the chests, carried it to the nearest mountain of gems, using wind-based Magic to lift a pile of those gems into the chest, and then closed and locked it again.
The whole process didn't even take a minute, and if he had to guess how many gems he was now taking with him... It had to be well over a thousand, and it was still less than a percent of a percent of a percent of what was in the Vault.
It truly was ridiculous.
"I'm ready." Ayako then reappeared, holding two gold bars in her hands, several golden bracelets around her wrists, a golden coronet on her head, two golden necklaces around her neck, and about ten golden rings around her fingers.
She was very golden.
"Ayako, no." Sakura pressed a hand against her mouth, looking very disapproving. "That looks so gaudy. You can't wear that!"
"I know." Ayako assured her, giving her an easy smile. "This is only to carry them. I am not going to actually wear all this at the same time."
"Oh, phew." Sakura let out a soft sigh of relief, and Shirou had to agree. With all that gold on her, Ayako looked like an absolute fashion disaster. There were a few people in the world who could pull off a solid golden outfit, but their brunette girlfriend, as much as he loved her and considered her one of the most beautiful creatures in existence, was not one of them.
"How is Rin?" Shirou then asked, seeing that the three of them were pretty much ready to leave again. "Do you think we should wake her up and show her the Vault again?"
"I think she has had enough surprises for today." Sakura asserted, hugging Rin protectively. "I think we should return home. That chest of gems will surprise her plenty already. No need to strain her even more."
"I suppose fainting three times is more than enough for one day." Shirou agreed, before stepping closer to the girls, gem-chest in hand. "In that case, we shall leave."
And with that declaration, he teleported them out of the Vault again.