Tohsaka Residence
After returning to her own world, Rin prepared for school while Archer sat in the living room.
Although Tohsaka Rin was a magus taking part in the Holy Grail War, she was still a student, and she did not like skipping school without a good reason.
As Rin gathered her things, she turned toward Archer and carefully looked him over from head to toe.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, making her look like a leopard watching its prey.
"Archer, are you hiding something from me?"
Her voice was serious, and her eyes continued studying him as though she planned to uncover whatever secret he was keeping.
Archer's expression did not change at all.
He calmly glanced at Rin, and that familiar look of cold dislike returned to his face.
"I have no interest in answering such a pointless question."
His tone was casual and showed no respect for Rin.
The girl immediately became furious.
She pointed a finger at Archer, anger burning in her eyes, but in the end, she managed to hold herself back.
She crossed her arms, snorted, and turned her face away, clearly refusing to speak to him anymore.
Archer looked at Rin but said nothing.
His gaze slowly moved past her, and his expression became more serious as he thought about matters that only he could involve himself in.
Although he was also a Heroic Spirit summoned as a Servant, he was different from ordinary Heroic Spirits.
Heroes such as Iskandar and Gilgamesh had left great names and legends in human history.
Their achievements were enough to allow them to become Heroic Spirits.
Archer was different.
When he was close to death, he had made a contract with the Counter Force and became a Heroic Spirit through that agreement.
Because of the unusual way he became one, the duty placed upon him was also different.
He carried far too much.
He was a Counter Guardian, a nameless man who worked from the shadows of human history in the name of so-called justice.
He was sent into battle again and again, destroyed each time, only to be called back and forced to repeat the same suffering.
Whenever something threatened humanity's survival, he would appear.
For example...
The destruction of the Matou family ten years ago.
At that time, he had been there.
Rin remained with her arms crossed and her back turned toward Archer, but the anger on her face had already disappeared.
Now, she was thinking deeply about what had happened at the restaurant.
At first, she had not noticed anything strange about Archer.
Ever since she summoned him, he had always been cold and distant.
She had rarely seen him show much interest in anyone.
However, when he spoke to Yuto, Archer had been unusually active and asked him several questions in a row.
That was not normal.
Rin's instincts told her there was something happening that she did not know about.
Unfortunately, Archer refused to explain anything, which only made her even more curious.
Since Archer would not tell her, she would simply ask Yuto instead!
She might be a little afraid of Tohru, but she had a very good impression of Yuto.
He had always treated her kindly, so her trust in him had slowly grown.
Perhaps Yuto would tell her the secret Archer was hiding.
With that thought, Rin turned around while keeping her arms crossed.
Her expression remained cold, and she showed no intention of speaking to Archer again as she left the living room.
Her long legs carried her away at a quick pace, leaving Archer alone in silence.
...
The Restaurant
Yuto and Tohru were doing the final cleaning before closing.
There was not much difficult work left, only a few small and annoying tasks.
While Yuto worked, Tohru watched him with a curious and slightly confused expression.
"Boss, there was something wrong with that man earlier."
The usually carefree dragon girl looked unusually serious, though somehow that only made her look even cuter.
Yuto was bent over, sweeping the kitchen floor. He did not stop working when he heard her.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked casually.
Tohru puffed out her cheeks like a child trying to complain.
"Mm... I don't know. He just felt wrong!"
The longer Tohru stayed beside Yuto, the less willing she seemed to think deeply about anything.
Perhaps this was what people meant when they said a comfortable life could ruin someone.
Even a dragon could become lazy after living peacefully for too long~
Tohru laughed sheepishly without showing the slightest embarrassment.
Yuto chuckled, straightened up with the broom and dustpan in his hands, then walked out of the kitchen.
After emptying the dust into the trash can, he turned toward Tohru with an amused and helpless smile.
"All right, Tohru. Don't think too much about it. It probably isn't anything serious."
His words made the dragon girl return to her usual calm and blank expression.
The small smile on her lips made her look a little silly, but also incredibly cute~
Yuto turned around and tied the trash bag. He could throw it away later when he went out to buy ingredients.
Everything in the restaurant had already been cleaned, so there should not have been anything else to do.
However, Yuto still felt like he had forgotten something.
He frowned and tried to remember.
Just then, a soft and adorable voice came from nearby.
"Kamisaka, I'm hungry."
Yuto turned toward the voice.
A silver-haired little girl stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the backyard, staring at him with her usual blank and adorable expression.
Yuto immediately understood.
Oh.
He had forgotten that Kanna was staying here...
...
"Gargle—"
"Ptoo!"
Kanna lowered her head and spat the water from brushing her teeth into the sink, lightly splashing the sides.
She raised her head and stared blankly at herself in the mirror.
A small patch of white toothpaste foam remained at the corner of her mouth.
Kanna blinked, wiped it away with one finger, and looked down at it.
After thinking for a moment, she ate it.
Her cheeks moved twice before becoming still again.
At that moment, Yuto's voice came from outside.
"Kanna, are you finished brushing your teeth? We need to leave for school."
"Mm~~ I'm done." Kanna answered calmly, then jumped down from the small stool.
She was too short to reach the sink normally, so she needed the stool whenever she brushed her teeth.
Kanna turned around and ran outside, where Yuto and Tohru were waiting for her.
"Kanna, did you remember to spit the water out properly?"
Yuto asked with a smile as he rubbed her head.
"Mm."
Kanna calmly nodded.
He only asked because he already knew about Kanna's habit of eating random things.
He had noticed it before.
Whenever food was served to her, sometimes even the plate disappeared.
A dragon's appetite was truly impressive!
"That's good. You can't drink that water, and you shouldn't eat the toothpaste either."
Yuto smiled.
Kanna went silent for a brief moment before nodding again.
Yuto did not notice anything strange. He took Kanna's hand and led her outside.
'Toothpaste doesn't taste good.' Kanna did not say that aloud.
She felt that if she admitted what she had done, she might be scolded.
It was better to stay quiet~
Yuto and Kanna stepped out of the restaurant, where Tohru was already waiting by the entrance.
The obedient dragon girl stood there with a smile while holding the bicycle steady.
"All right, let's go."
After locking the restaurant, Yuto took the bicycle from Tohru.
"Kamisaka, I want to sit on it while you take me."
Kanna tugged at the back of Yuto's shirt and looked up at him with large, hopeful eyes.
Yuto hesitated and glanced at Tohru.
She immediately understood what he wanted.
"Then Boss can take Kanna. I can walk." Tohru spoke cheerfully.
Yuto nodded and agreed.
Kanna immediately raised both arms, showing that she wanted someone to pick her up.
Yuto looked at Tohru again.
The dragon girl smiled helplessly, scratched her head, then bent down and lifted Kanna onto the rear seat of the bicycle.
She looked like an older sister carrying her little sister.
"Thank you, Lady Tohru."
Kanna raised one tiny fist into the air, making her look like someone giving a passionate speech.
Unfortunately, both her voice and expression remained completely flat.
Tohru did not mind. This was simply how she and Kanna normally acted around each other~
Yuto pushed the bicycle onto the street.
Ichinose Street was fairly quiet.
Most businesses were preparing to close, and several had already shut their doors.
After greeting the people nearby, Yuto climbed onto the bicycle and began pedaling.
As the bicycle moved forward with the breeze, a small amount of excitement appeared on Kanna's face.
"Kanna, remember to hold on tightly."
Yuto's voice came from the front.
Kanna wrapped both arms around him and followed his instructions.
Then she squeezed.
Yuto immediately coughed twice.
"Kanna, you don't need to hold on that tightly! You can loosen your arms a little."
"Okay."
Kanna's grip became much gentler, allowing Yuto to breathe properly again.
That sudden burst of strength had nearly squeezed all the air from his lungs.
Yuto rode the bicycle with Kanna behind him while Tohru walked calmly beside them.
A spell changed how nearby people saw her.
Without it, the sight would have attracted far too much attention.
Tohru seemed to take normal steps, but each one carried her nearly ten meters.
Even so, she easily matched the bicycle's speed and could still chat with Yuto and Kanna without any trouble.
Eventually, they reached the building where Shouko lived.
Kanna and Shouko now attended the same elementary school, which meant they also took the same school bus.
Yuto parked the bicycle, then brought Kanna and Tohru to Shouko's door.
This time, he did not need to knock.
Kanna immediately knocked on the door herself.
Knock, knock~
"Shouko, I'm here. Let's go to school together."
An excited answer came from inside.
"I'm coming!"
Quick footsteps sounded behind the door before Shouko pulled it open.
The little girl had already washed and dressed for school. Her pink hair looked bright and smooth, with a tiny bow decorating it.
A faint blush covered her cheeks from running too quickly, and a cheerful smile rested on her face.
When Shouko saw Yuto, Kanna, and Tohru, her eyes immediately filled with happiness.
"Kanna! Yuto-nii! Tohru-oneechan!"
Her voice was full of joy.
Nishimiya Yaeko also came out and stood behind Shouko, looking at the three of them with a warm smile.
When her eyes met Yuto's, they gave each other a small nod in greeting.
Yuto then looked down at Shouko.
"Are you ready for school?"
The little girl nodded cheerfully, looking as bright as a tiny sun.
Yuto could not resist rubbing her head before looking at Yaeko.
"Kanna and Shouko attend the same school now, so from today onward, why don't we let them take the school bus together?"
Yaeko quickly agreed.
While the adults spoke, the two little girls quietly talked to each other below them.
They were a little like birds greeting the morning, though they were not nearly as noisy.
Kanna was never very talkative, and although Shouko had slowly become livelier, she still needed more time.
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