Copenhagen Cafe.
A sight couldn't be held back as Shirou adjusted his work uniform.
Classes were over and all that was left was his part-time work. He almost ran late, but the café was empty at the moment, the busy hour not yet upon him despite the place never really being that full at the best of times. However, saddled with cleaning duties and prep work for the back of the shop, he had the freedom to be lost in thought.
'Two new people today…' Picking up a new box of supplies, a second sigh escaped him. Accompanying it were furrowed brows as he shut the café's service entrance with his back to the door. He huffed tiredly. 'Two new classmates… Two new magi…'
He shook his head, remembering that he was on the clock. Heading to the storage closet, he continued to ponder on this situation while working.
Today wasn't the easiest of days. Two new arrivals from abroad were partly to blame. Things were likely far more complicated than it seemed as even the always-carefree Shinji had called off hanging around the café to walk Sakura home. And that's the other half of his concern.
Sakura was very quiet today. More so after that awkward exchange with the new blondes.
'Luvia Edelfelt. Tohsaka Rin." He wasn't ignorant. Kiritsugu had taught him well over the years and drilled into him the history of magi in Fuyuki out of necessity. The Tohsakas especially were a known element, having been the old keepers of this city from the shadows of the moonlit world.
He'd hardly heard of the Edelfelts before, but the clingy one, when she wasn't being so… forward, certainly had a certain smell about her. Not to say she smelled bad… More… smelled of blood. Or something along those lines. She had an air that was… distant… despite her pushy character. She acted like an aristocrat, upfront and demanding but also magnanimous and ambitious. More big words than Shirou cared to use on a daily basis, but it was very similar to how Kiritsugu defined the upper-class mentality that the Association he had to work with in the past held.
Although in his foster pops' case, he referred to them as 'arrogant, snobbish, and the worst kinds of people to ever cross'.
They were dangerous. That much was clear. Though he wouldn't initially assume that as they were friendly enough, his father's training would caution him from being complacent. That begged questions.
'Why would such a family return? What were their intentions?' More concerning was the Edelfelt family Luvia claimed to be sheltering them. Edelfelt. Shirou found it odd another magi clan would be taking care of the prestigious Tohsaka, but there might be a myriad of reasons. A benefactor, an existing alliance, or maybe… distant family relation— 'Family… Sakura…'
He recalled the uneasy exchange between the usually-upbeat girl and the Tohsaka. He didn't catch the whole of their exchange, being wrangled by the guys who kept teasing him for taking on Taiga's request, but he wasn't dumb.
'She called her 'Nee-san'. That means they could be sisters…' Or close friends that grew distant after separating when they were young, but still. 'Something's up between them… I can feel it.'
An issue between the Tohsaka and the Matou. That couldn't be good. Not when he was well aware of their status as magi families. Fallen families, but a fall from grace did not immediately spell their inactivity and passivity. They may not carry the same prestige as in the past, but a magus was a magus. Even his father was a dangerous person when it came down to it.
But he knew Shinji and Sakura well enough to boldly defend them against his own parent and mentor. While Kiritsugu wouldn't hesitate to cast suspicion on the Matou family for past issues, Shirou would trust them with his life. He'd been their friend long enough to know they wouldn't hurt the innocent, much less him.
Tohsaka and her allies, however…
It troubled him to do this to someone who may be related to Sakura, but he couldn't risk it. If they were dangerous, they couldn't be allowed to roam free.
Shirou would have to keep an eye on them, and inform Kiritsugu when he gets back from his trip. The old man was scheduled to be back sooner as this trip wasn't out of the country, just out of the city, so he wouldn't have to wait long. It was going to be a stressful job regardless, being only vigilant but not investigating further. Keeping watch was making him anxious, but direct confrontation was out of the question.
But it was just frustrating to not be able to do much. He could try and talk with Sakura and Shinji, but to do so now would likely intrude on… whatever issue it was they had going on with the newcomers.
His internal debate had started to bother his actual work. He'd finished stocking up the cabinets, but he had barely managed to finish washing the dishware. The running water mixed with his train of thoughts left him oblivious to the jingling of the front entrance and the guest that seated herself in one of the empty tables.
"Hey! Excuse me!" It wasn't until the newcomer spoke and made their presence known that he finally noticed them waving him down. Thankfully, they weren't mad he ignored them. Just… blankly staring at him. "Good day, can you take my order?"
"Ah, of course." Her piercing red orbs and silky white hair had him captivated from the moment he locked eyes with her. So much so that he was stammering apologies as he dried his hands and left the sink… only to then pause when he noticed it was a small child.
And by small, he meant it. She looked to be reaching puberty. The silkiness of her long silvery locks, good quality of her purple blouse and white skirt, and the poise she carried herself with belied a prim and proper upbringing. That she wasn't anyone he recognized despite being so eye-catching meant she wasn't from here. He would remember a pale and beautiful child like her, especially when she had such a strong gaze with those crimson orbs that glowed like rubies in a field of white.
"How much longer are you going to stare?"
"Erk!" So befuddled was he that Shirou let out a nervous chuckle when the girl's air of indifference turned to one of slight annoyance. "S-sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. What can I get for you?"
"One green tea please."
She sounded young but was carrying herself in such a mature form that Shirou was confused if she was acting mature for the sake of it. Coming from a young child, it wasn't that hard to imagine. Copenhagen was mostly visited by young adults, college students, and tired folks that needed a good coffee for the late night shift. Young ones weren't their usual clientele but that didn't mean they weren't prepared for it.
"Do you want anything to go with it?" Putting on a genuine customer service smile, Shirou shifted to work mode. "We have cakes and some snacks that partner well with it. If you'd like something lighter, we have some cookies and muffins as well—"
"Just the tea." She huffed, turning her gaze to the window. "Nothing more."
'Oookay… Guess she wants to keep up the mature act.' He didn't mind and played along. It wasn't as though he wasn't used to dealing with the willfulness of children. God knows how he had to put up with a childish adult enough already. At least this little girl was behaved enough to only stare at his back while he worked behind the counter brewing her tea.
It was when he was almost done prepping the tea leaves that he heard her speak again. Well, more mutter aloud, really. "Do you work here alone?"
"No." Shirou shook his head. "The owner is usually here a little later near the evening. As for his daughter and my boss, she's out running a delivery. Or slacking off."
She let out a bored hum. It's as though she didn't seem to care much and was just making conversation. "And that doesn't bother you in the slightest?"
"Not really." Shirou opted to entertain her. "I've got most of the shop's recipes down. And it's not much of an issue opening the place alone since we're not all that busy so early in the day. Most of the traffic is around the late evening when drunks come by to sober up or salarymen need a shot of espresso. By that time, my shift as a part-timer is already done."
"I see." The girl mused about something before speaking again. She kept her stare on him "You're strange for a teenager. A young one such as yourself chooses to work the afternoon away instead of going out with your friends. Do you not have any? Or is your family not financially stable."
"Nothing of that sort! I just want to help where I can after school. I'm not really doing it for the money. If anything they're the least of my worries."
The child stared at him for a good ten seconds with a puzzled look before she said, "I change my mind. You're not strange. You're just plain weird."
"Eheheh…" He had no defence if that's the impression he gave off. "Can't argue that. My boss says the same all the time." Shirou finished making the tea and he placed it before the young girl with a saucer. "Here you go. Do you really not want to order anything else? I guarantee our sweets are pretty good."
Most children would've taken the offer. Most. This child didn't. Instead, she took a dainty sip while holding the saucer under her mouth, pinky askew as she gently blew it to cool. A small smile formed on her face, appreciating the tea for a second before it quickly receded back. "No need. This is more than enough."
A bit lost at the seemingly perfect image of what could be called a high-class lady in the form of a petite child pretending to be one, Shirou decided to just leave her be. "Well… If you need anything else, feel free to ask."
"In that case, can I ask some questions about the local area? As you can tell, I'm not from Fuyuki. It is my first time here and I arrived only just this morning." For a second, Shirou thought the look in the girl's eyes was somewhat playful. But in the next, he quickly felt a hint of unease, though he couldn't place why.
"S-sure? What do you wanna know? I might not know as much as a tour guide would but—"
"But you have lived in this city for quite some time, yes?" She interrupted him. "Surely you know a lot and can help me get more… acquainted with its history."
Well… that wasn't what most children usually asked about. Certainly, there were the odd ones curious about the place, but he never heard a kid use the word 'acquainted' before. She was a real oddity. Coming from him, that meant a lot.
Still, she was in need of help, so who was he to outright refuse? Suppressing the weird feeling he was getting, Shirou nodded along and waited for her to continue.
"I hear that the city has been experiencing quite a renaissance in the last few years. Something to do with the corporation known as Sumeragi Industries? As far as I heard, they are heavily investing in Fuyuki's infrastructure and many local businesses are either directly or indirectly connected to them. Some even call it monopoly and heavy intervention in the city's administration. Is this true?"
Shirou slowly nodded, a little taken aback by why a kid would be interested in that. "Y-yeah, I guess. That pretty much sums it up. They got a hand in a lot of things, from electrical to mechanical, from big malls to the local shopping districts. Last I heard, they even bought off religious sites."
"Oh? Isn't that illegal?"
Common sense dictates that it was, but the way big corporations did things wasn't very clear-cut when they had legal documents to prove administrative permission. Not that Shirou wanted to bore the kid by explaining it. "I heard it is. One of my friends wasn't happy about it since he belongs to a family of monks. In any case, most places have been bought out by them. Our Copenhagen is one of the many exceptions though."
"You believe they weren't interested in your café?"
Shirou shrugged. "Maybe at first before they changed their mind. I wouldn't know as the owner didn't want to talk about it and I respect him enough not to pry."
"Curious." The girl whispered, very much not showing a childlike attention span as she continued to ponder many things. It creeped him out more that she was staying on topic. "About the religious sites they acquired… was it one of those Japanese Buddhist temple shrines? Or were they Catholic Church lands?"
"The one I know of that my friend was complaining about was Ryuudou Temple. It's located on Mount Enzou. My friend and his family used to be its caretakers but had to move after Sumeragi Industries decided to acquire it…" The creepy feeling pushed him to ask. "Hey… I'm sorry if I sound rude, but why does someone as young as you want to know all this stuff?"
The white-haired girl fell silent for a moment staring at him like he was the ignorant one before quickly chuckling to herself. "Ah, I forget that my appearance often confuses people. I'm sorry if you misunderstood, but I'm actually an adult."
Amber eyes blinked as his brain attempted to analyze information. "Eh?"
"It's true." The little girl before him who couldn't, or rather shouldn't, be more than ten years old giggled. "Many people get surprised when they find out about it, but I'm really eighteen years old."
To prove a point, the girl pulled out what appeared to be a foreign passport. Flipping it open, she handed it to Shirou. He didn't immediately recognize the German language but it had all the bells and whistles of a legitimate ID. He slowly read the words spelled next to her photo which was a perfect match to her current appearance.
"Chloe König. 20.11.198—1986?!"
Shirou took a double take as he looked between the document and the girl before him. The said girl laughed once again while Shirou felt genuinely dumbfounded. Turns out she wasn't joking and in fact was older than Shirou. The boy awkwardly looked away but the child—no, the girl continued to laugh heartily at his discovery.
"Y-you're really 18!? S-sorry, you just look so—!"
"Young. I know, I know. I have an unusual growth disorder and as a result, I've been stuck looking as I am for about ten years now." Chloe looked down at her childish body. A wry smile graced her face, changing what was a pretty and happy girl into a melancholic porcelain doll. "I stopped aging when I was eight and it's partly the reason why I came here from Germany."
Shirou, empathetic idiot that he was, took immediate concern about her health. Though he met her only today, her genuine expression told her she was a good kid—Er… young woman. Either way, he couldn't help but ask. "You… you came here to get treatment?"
Chloe shook her head. "Not so. Modern medicine work help me here. Truth be told, I've lost all concern trying to remedy it directly. But perhaps coming to understand what caused my illness would help. Some people suggested that it may be due to my childhood trauma. Others say it's genetic. Either way, it's why I even bothered coming here. To… resolve my past issues."
Trauma. It was familiar to Shirou. One that had him intrusively curious as he slowly asked her.
"You've… you've experienced something traumatic before?" He wasn't supposed to ask customers questions like this, but part of him felt like he wanted to know what happened… and maybe help.
Or was it to help himself? Either way, all thoughts were pushed aside as he earnestly asked the sad young lady before him.
"Do you mind talking about it?"
Chloe's crimson eyes looked up and stared at Shirou, studying him for a moment. Perhaps she tried to find any hidden malicious intent or expected to see pity in his eyes. Instead, his genuine concern won her out.
This wasn't exactly what she expected to happen when she mentioned it, but she spoke… Regardless if he knew it didn't concern him.
"Ten years ago my mother died. She was one of the victims of the Great Fire incident here in Fuyuki."
The quiet that befell them was interrupted only by the sounds of driving cars outside the cafe. Neither Shirou nor Chloe broke the silence for a good half a minute.
In Chloe's case, she was looking for what kind of reaction the boy would show her. If it would be as genuine as his concern from a few moments ago or not? What she didn't expect to see was a young man on the verge of exploding.
But in Shirou's case, there was nothing to express. Nothing he wanted to express.
Not when in just a single moment, he was suddenly bereft of the afternoon curiosity. It was replaced with the scenes of that day so long ago.
The nightmares of that night. The heat and flames that never stopped. Endlessly burning, endlessly screaming… Even as he lived… he felt like he wanted to die while all others died around him…
"I… I'm sorry…" It was involuntary for the words to leave his lips.
"Why are you apologizing?" Confused, the girl studied his expression. She was astonished to find something that was neither concern nor pity. It wasn't even close to mockery. The boy was just… quiet. And apologetic. And she didn't know why.
Emiya Shirou, however, had his reasons for the apology. Even if they weren't reasons any normal person would give in the heat of the moment.
'Her mother died while I lived… She died… They all… died… I… I…' These kinds of thoughts weren't new to Shirou. Over the years, he thought about all those who lost their loved ones in that fire. Both Sakura and Shinji lost their uncle that night too, so more misery was to be had every time the anniversary of the event came around. Shirou lived, however. He survived when he shouldn't have.
He was just lucky, so many say. He didn't need to feel bad about it, his loved ones always reassured him. It didn't matter, he was alive and that was all that was important, Kiritsugu always repeated whenever Shirou's nights were consumed by tears and screams.
It hadn't happened in a long while for now. But the memory and the emotions the incident had burned into him all those years ago… they were still there. Still alive inside of him…
Which is why, at the moment, Shirou could think only of one thing to say.
"I'm sorry… I'm… I'm so sorry…"
"What's gotten into you?" Chloe narrowed her eyes at his insistence. "You needn't apologize. It's not as if you had anything to do with it all. You were just a kid when it happened back then, right—?"
"That's not it… That's…" his words turned to mumbles before almost disappearing to mutters.
"Then what is it? Speak up!" Unable to take his stammering any longer, Chloe inadvertently raised her voice to an almost irritated childish whine. That snapped something in Shirou, the memory of so many pained cries intermingling with her voice.
"… I'm sorry… I was there… but I survived… Your mother… she didn't… I'm sorry…"