Evening settled quietly over the dormitory.
The sky outside had turned a deep shade of orange, the last rays of sunlight stretching across the school grounds.
The corridor was calm.
Then a door opened softly.
Emiya stepped out of his room and stretched his arms above his head, loosening the stiffness in his shoulders.
"It's been one hell of a day."
As he reminisced about everything that had happened earlier, he slowly began walking down the corridor and stepped outside into the cool evening air.
The dormitory grounds were peaceful.
Crickets chirped faintly in the grass.
Then—
Thunk.
Thunk.
Emiya paused.
A shuttlecock flew across the small outdoor court.
Two figures stood there, moving back and forth as they played badminton.
One with bright white hair.
The other with long hair tied in a ponytail.
Gojo jumped lightly and smashed the shuttlecock across the net.
"Ha! Point!"
Across from him,Geto calmly returned the next shot.
Then Gojo suddenly turned to his direction immediately noticing him.
He grinned and waved his racket.
"Yo, Emiya! Come —wanna play?"
"Yeah, coming," He replied as he walked over.
He stood near the side of the court, waiting for his turn.
Gojo bounced the shuttlecock lightly on his racket before glancing back at him.
"By the way… where's Shoko?"
Emiya shrugged.
" Don't know."
He scratched the back of his head.
"She's probably still in her room… feeling embarrassed."
For a moment, both Gojo and Geto exchanged amused looks.
Then Emiya's mind drifted back to earlier that day.
_________________________________________
Outside the hospital.
The stretcher was gently lowered to the ground.
Shoko has quickly wrapped herself in a coat and climbed into the car, refusing to talk to anyone.
She is sitting in the back seat with her arms crossed, staring stubbornly at the opposite window.
The only sign of what she was feeling was the faint red tint on her ears.
It was the clearest indication that she was still deeply embarrassed about what had happened earlier.
Not far from the car, the assistant sorcerer stood by the hospital gate, speaking on his phone.
"Yes… the curse has been excorcised." he said.
"There's heavy structural damage. Send the cleanup team."
He paused, listening to the voice on the other end.
"And bring people to deal with the cursed residue."
A short distance away, Masamichi Yaga, Gojo, and Geto stood surrounding Emiya.
"What?!" Yaga suddenly shouted.
It was the first time since meeting them that his composure had broken.
His eyes widened slightly as he stared at Emiya, clearly taken aback by what he had just heard.
"…Yes," Emiya said, rubbing the back of his head.
"It was a territory bound semi–special grade curse."
He looked slightly embarrassed as he said it—but there was also a small hint of pride in his voice clearly proud of himself.
Gojo blinked in surprise for a moment—before a wide grin slowly spread across his face.
Geto, on the other hand, narrowed his already small eyes thoughtfully, studying Emiya with much greater interest now.
"Well, well," Gojo said, laughing.
"Why don't you tell us what happened?"
So he told them.
And about how he eventually managed to exorcise it.
For a few moments after he finished, there was silence.
Then—
Thud.
Masamichi Yaga punched him on the head.
Although he believed in Emiya and was sure the boy would one day exorcise even higher-ranking curses, dealing with one so soon—right after being promoted to second grade—was still reckless.
"Idiot!" Yaga snapped.
"You should have run!"
"Next time, first survey the surroundings with your troops—whatever those constructs of yours are—before entering."
"Understand the situation before you charge in."
"Recklessness will get you killed in this line of work."
"Understood."
Emiya rubbed the top of his head, wincing slightly as he endured the scolding.
_________________________________________
The sound of the shuttlecock snapped him back to the present.
Thunk.
On the court,Geto smoothly returned a shot.
Gojo jumped and smashed the shuttlecock back across the net.
"I didn't think you'd be this strong,"Geto suddenly said, glancing toward him.
Gojo laughed.
"Yeah," he added with a teasing grin. "Shoko must be really impressed with her knight in shining armor."
Emiya immediately shook his head.
"Don't say things like that," he said, slightly embarrassed.
But internally, he couldn't help thinking about it again.
…Though he might actually be right.
Back then, he had looked pretty cool.
After all, he had even said "kamikaze" on purpose—just to aura farm a little.
Though Emiya didn't realize it yet, he was simply riding the high from his earlier victory.
And just how wrong he was about himself… would become clear soon enough.
After all, the author had absolutely no intention of letting him get into a relationship—especially when the author himself couldn't. 😔
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Um… Gojo-san—"
Gojo waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, that's too formal," he said casually. "You can just call me Satoru."
Beside him, Geto smiled slightly.
"And you can call me Suguru."
Emiya nodded.
"Okay… Satoru," he said, still getting used to saying it.
Then he glanced at the court.
"So… when will it be my turn to play?" he asked. "Haven't you guys been playing for too long already?"
Satoru looked up for a moment before pointing his racket toward the sky.
"Look at the sky," he said casually.
"It's already dark."
He stretched his arms lazily.
"We should probably head inside."
Emiya looked up at the sky for a moment.
It really had gotten darker.
But then he glanced back at Satoru Gojo… and suddenly realized something.
Wait a second…
Remembering Gojo's personality from the anime, the pieces quickly clicked together.
His eye twitched slightly.
"You!" Emiya snapped in annoyance.
"You never planned to let me play from the beginning, did you?!"
Gojo burst out laughing.
Beside him, Suguru covered his mouth slightly trying hard to hold back his laughter.
_________________________________________
Inside her room, Shoko Ieiri lay face down on her bed.
She had buried her face into a pillow, gripping it tightly as she covered her mouth with it.
"Mmmgh—!"
Her teeth gnashed in frustration.
"Even if you saved me… and I am thankful…" she muttered into the pillow.
"But my image—!"
The memory immediately came rushing back.
Satoru laughing loudly without holding back.
Suguru trying to cover his face while laughing.
And even Masamichi Yaga turning away slightly—clearly trying his best to hold back his laughter.
Shoko pressed her face deeper into the pillow.
"Emiya Hyodo…" she muttered through clenched teeth.