Shirō was browsing through the vegetable section when she noticed a familiar scene unfolding a few aisles away. Shinji, as usual, was speaking to Sakura in that same arrogant, condescending tone, his words laced with irritation and cruelty. Sakura, for her part, stood there quietly, her hands clasped in front of her, shoulders tense, eyes cast downward like she was trying to make herself smaller.
Shirō's grip on the shopping basket tightened.
That was enough.
She made her way over, stepping between them before Shinji could say anything worse. "Is there a problem here?" she asked, giving Sakura a reassuring glance before turning to Shinji with a cold stare.
Shinji blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Then his expression shifted—eyes scanning her from head to toe, a slow smirk forming on his face. "Well, well," he mused, tilting his head. "Who's this beauty?"
Sakura tensed beside her. "She's—she's Senpai's cousin," she quickly supplied, her voice quiet but firm. "Her name is Saber."
"Emiya's cousin, huh?" Shinji crossed his arms, his smirk widening. "I gotta say, I didn't know Emiya had such a gorgeous relative."
Shirō didn't react to the compliment. Instead, she met his gaze evenly and asked, "Why were you speaking to Sakura like that?"
Shinji's smirk faltered.
"That's none of your business," he said flatly.
Shirō's eyes narrowed. "Yes, it is."
Sakura tugged at her sleeve hesitantly. "Saber-san, please… it's fine…"
It wasn't fine. And Shirō wasn't about to back down.
"You shouldn't treat her like this," Shirō said, voice firm. "She's your sister."
Shinji's expression darkened, irritation flashing across his face. "Tch. Shut up, Saber-chan," he snapped. "I'm really pissed off right now."
Then, his smirk returned, eyes gleaming with something unpleasant. "But… if you go on a date with me, I might just forgive you."
Disgusting.
Shirō's expression twisted in open disgust. "Not a chance."
Shinji clicked his tongue in annoyance. Then, before she could react, he grabbed her wrist—his grip tight, possessive, like he thought he could force her into compliance.
Shirō's eyes darkened.
Big mistake.
She didn't hesitate. Twisting her arm slightly, she wrenched her wrist free from his grasp, her movements sharp and practiced. Shinji barely had time to register what had happened before she took a deliberate step forward, making him instinctively back away.
Her voice was calm but ice-cold. "Don't. Touch. Me."
Shinji's smirk wavered, but he scoffed, feigning indifference. "Tch. Whatever." He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away. "You're not even that pretty anyway."
Shirō didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she turned to Sakura. "Let's go."
Sakura hesitated but nodded quickly, following her as they left Shinji standing alone in the aisle.
Behind them, Shinji muttered something under his breath, but Shirō didn't care to listen.
She had more important things to do.
As they walked away from Shinji, the tension in Sakura's shoulders slowly eased. She glanced at Shirō, a small, grateful smile appearing on her lips.
"Thank you, Saber-san," she said softly. "You really are like Senpai… always stepping in to help."
Shirō nearly tripped over her own feet.
How can I say that I am Senpai?!
She forced a strained smile, trying to suppress the growing frustration inside her. This was getting ridiculous. No matter what she did, people kept comparing her to herself.
Ugh. Annoying.
Still, she couldn't exactly correct Sakura. So instead, she just gave a small nod.
"Yeah, well… he sounds like a good guy," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably.
Sakura's smile grew fonder. "He is."
Shirō felt like banging her head against the nearest wall.
Before she could stew in that thought any longer, she checked the time and sighed.
"Anyways, got to go," she said quickly, hoping to escape before anything more frustrating happened.
Sakura nodded. "Alright. Take care, Saber-san."
With that, Shirō turned on her heel and walked off—though, really, it felt more like fleeing.
[—(/-\)—]
Someone was draining people's mana at school.
Many students had already collapsed, and since magecraft was meant to remain a secret, the authorities had no clue what was actually happening. To them, it was just another case of sunstroke, nothing more.
But Rin knew better.
She stormed back and forth in Emiya-kun's room, her arms crossed and a deep frown carved into her face. Every step she took echoed her frustration.
Archer, meanwhile, lounged lazily in his seat, watching her pace with mild amusement. Shirō was at the stove, cooking, because of course, she was the one stuck making dinner while these two schemed.
"This is being done by a Master and their Servant," Rin declared, her voice sharp.
Shirō turned from the stove, brow furrowing. "But who?"
"A Rider-class Servant," Rin answered. "Archer has been keeping an eye on them for the past few days."
Shirō clenched her fists. "We need to stop that bastard from harming innocent people."
Archer cracked open one eye, his expression unreadable. "Even if it means killing them?"
Shirō didn't hesitate. "I'm not naïve, Archer. Not everyone deserves to live."
For the first time, Archer actually looked startled. He hid it well, but Shirō caught the faint flicker of shock in his expression. Internally, he was shitting himself.
What the hell?
His past self—his Shirō Emiya—was supposed to be an idiot who wanted to help everyone and save everyone. But this... this realistic Shirō...
Was this because of the fusion with Artoria? Probably.
Rin ignored their tension and kept going. "Tomorrow, Shirō, you'll come to school with me. We'll investigate and figure out who's behind this. Archer will watch from the shadows."
Shirō frowned. "But I'm not a student of that school. I'm not Shirō Emiya anymore!"
Rin smirked. A smirk Shirō did not like.
"I have an idea you'll love, Emiya-kun."
Shirō gulped.
[—(/-\)—]
The next morning, Shirō regretted everything.
Standing in front of Homurahara Academy, she tugged at the hem of the unfamiliar uniform she had been forced into—a standard female student uniform, complete with a skirt that felt way too short.
This was humiliating.
Beside her, Rin was practically glowing with amusement, an infuriatingly smug grin plastered across her face. "You look cute, Emiya-kun."
Shirō shot her a glare that, if magecraft allowed, would have incinerated her on the spot. "I hate you."
"Aww, don't be like that," Rin said, patting her back just a little too hard. "You wanted to investigate, didn't you? Consider this your cover. Now you're just an ordinary transfer student. No one will question why you're here."
Shirō groaned. The uniform was uncomfortable, the eyes of passing students made her skin crawl, and worst of all—Archer had laughed at her. He hadn't even said anything, just turned away as his shoulders shook.
That betrayal would never be forgiven.
As they stepped through the school gates, Rin whispered, "Alright, act natural."
Shirō rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, because walking into a school I don't belong to, wearing this, is totally natural."
"Shush. Just follow my lead."
They navigated through the hallways, keeping their ears open for anything suspicious. Most students were just chatting about their usual nonsense—homework, clubs, and whatever the hell normal high schoolers talked about. None of them knew the real danger lurking in this school.
Then, as they passed a classroom, Shirō caught snippets of conversation—whispers laced with concern.
"Did you hear? Another student collapsed yesterday…"
"Yeah… and Mitsuzuri-sempai is still absent."
Shirō's fists clenched. More victims.
Rin must've noticed, because she sighed. "Don't go charging in recklessly," she warned. "We need to find out who's behind this first."
Shirō exhaled sharply but nodded. She knew Rin was right, but that didn't make it any less infuriating.
Then—
"Oh! You must be new here! What's your name?"
Shirō froze.
Rin's smirk widened way too much.
Her mind went blank. What was she supposed to say?!
Rin, ever the sadist, just watched, clearly enjoying her suffering.
"Uh… I…" Shirō stammered.
And then—salvation came.
"You?"
Shirō turned sharply.
Standing there in his student council uniform, brows furrowed in confusion, was Ryuudou Issei.
Rin's smirk twitched.
Oh no.
"You're the woman from that morning! The one sleeping in the student council room!" Issei pointed at her. "What are you doing here? And why are you wearing a school uniform?!"
Shirō's brain crashed.
Oh. Crap.
She had completely forgotten.
That morning, after she had escaped from Illya and taken shelter in the Student Council Room, Issei had come—only to find Saber sleeping on the floor. They'd exchanged a few awkward words—very embarrassing—but it had been enough for Issei to remember her face.
And now, seeing her standing here, dressed as a student, it was obvious something didn't add up.
"I—"
"She's a transfer student!" Rin cut in smoothly, stepping forward before Shirō could completely butcher the situation. "She's my Emiya-kun's cousin. I pulled some strings to get her enrolled last-minute. You know, since Shirō Emiya isn't attending school anymore."
Issei blinked. "Emiya's cousin?! That still doesn't explain—"
"She wanted to see how the school was," Rin interrupted again, beaming. "Right, Saber-chan?"
Shirō flinched at the name.
I hate you, Tohsaka.
But there was no choice. So, forcing the most awkward smile of her life, she nodded stiffly. "Yes. That's right. I'm, uh… Saber."
Issei frowned. "That's a strange name."
"It's European," Rin supplied instantly.
"…I see." Issei still looked deeply suspicious, but he sighed. "Well, if Tohsaka vouches for you, I won't question it." Then, his brows furrowed. "Still, something about you seems… familiar."
Shirō stiffened. "I-I just have one of those faces."
Issei hummed, clearly unconvinced, but thankfully, he let it go. "Alright. But if you need anything, feel free to ask."
With that, he walked off.
Shirō let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.
Rin snickered. "Saber-chan, huh?"
"…Shut up."
Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—Shirō as Saber didn't exist in any official records.
That meant she spent the entire day wandering around the school, keeping an eye out for anything weird.
Somehow, that also meant she ended up helping people.
It started small—someone mentioned a broken heater, and Shirō, being Shirō, muttered something about maybe being able to fix it. Then, when no one was looking, she actually fixed it using fortification magecraft. The same thing happened with a faulty speaker. And, for some inexplicable reason, even the washing machine.
Of course, people started talking.
"Hey, doesn't she kinda remind you of Emiya?"
"Yeah! He used to fix stuff around here too!"
Shirō gritted her teeth. Ugh, stop comparing me to me.
And then there was Shinji.
That had been especially annoying.
He'd stormed up to her, arms crossed, scowling like he had something to prove. "I still haven't forgiven you," he declared, as if that was supposed to mean anything. "But—" his expression turned sly— "if you fix the AC in the Archery Club, I might consider it. I have to take these girls to a new restaurant, you see."
...Shirō pitied those girls.
Still, being the absolute fool that she was, she ended up fixing it. And, of course, it took an hour. By the time she was done, the campus was almost empty.
That's when Rin found her—sweating, panicked, and pissed.
"Are you nuts?!" she snapped. "I thought a Servant or Master took you! What the hell were you thinking?!"
Shirō blinked. "I was just helping—"
"Ugh. You are going to regret this personality one day, Emiya-kun."
Archer appeared out of nowhere, arms crossed, looking unimpressed as ever.
"I found two more," he said.
Shirō and Rin tensed.
"Where?" Rin asked immediately.
"Near the back of the gym. They're still breathing, but—"
They didn't wait for him to finish.
When they arrived, the sight wasn't pretty.
Two students lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies unnaturally pale, their breathing shallow. Their uniforms were slightly wrinkled, like they had collapsed mid-step.
Shirō crouched beside them, pressing her fingers to one's wrist. The pulse was weak—barely there.
"Tsk." Archer clicked his tongue, eyeing them with distaste. "Their life force was sapped away."
Shirō clenched her fists. Damn it. They were too late to stop this one.
Rin knelt beside them, already reaching for her magic circuits. "They won't last long like this." She placed her hands lightly over their chests, eyes narrowing as she focused. A faint glow of mana surrounded her fingers.
A few seconds passed. The students' breathing steadied, their skin regained a bit of colour. It wasn't much, but it would keep them alive.
Rin exhaled sharply. "That should do it—for now. But if this keeps up…"
"We need to end this," Shirō said, standing up, eyes burning.
Archer gave her a knowing look. "Getting fired up already, Saber-chan?"
Shirō shot him a glare. "Shut up."