Shirou's new home, for now called the Amamiya Residence, was located in the northern residential district of Miyama Town.
The residential area was broadly divided by the shopping street into a Western-style district and a Japanese-style one. The Amamiya Residence stood in the Japanese-style district, while the Matou and Tohsaka mansions were in the Western-style area.
The old abandoned estate, once worn down by years of neglect, had been completely transformed through the combined efforts of Shirou, the Fujimura Group, and the Matou siblings.
The garden had been cleared of weeds and fallen leaves, then redone with a neat, fresh lawn.
The run-down mansion itself had undergone full repairs and reconstruction, and now gave off an elegant Japanese aesthetic. That part was mostly due to Raiga Fujimura's personal tastes.
Having spent so long in Britannia, Shirou actually wasn't that used to Eastern-style architecture, but since the old man had called the shots, he had no complaints.
The main residence was split into a Japanese-style living section and a separate annex.
Shirou's own room was in the main Japanese-style section, which also had three other empty rooms besides his.
The annex had been specially remodeled into guest quarters, with five vacant rooms of its own.
In other words, the estate had nine empty rooms with bedding already prepared, enough for nine people to stay there with private space for each of them.
"This place is way too big… It's basically an inn."
Shirou thought about it in confusion. Who exactly were all these rooms supposed to be for, and who was ever going to use them?
...
...
Saturday at noon.
In the spacious, sunlit living room of the new residence, Shirou, the Matou siblings, and the Fujimura Group were holding a celebration feast.
Raiga Fujimura and the yakuza copies were drinking off to the side, while Shirou and the other kids sat at a nearby table under Taiga Fujimura's watch.
Sakura Matou set down her teacup and, as if asking casually, brought up the question that had been bothering her for weeks.
"Come to think of it, how did Shirou-nii-san and Fujimura-onee-san meet? You two seem really close."
The girl clearly still cared a lot about that. Weren't they a little too close?
Even though I've been living under the same roof as Shirou-nii-san for the past few months, we still haven't gotten that close...
Taiga Fujimura puffed up proudly.
"I'm Shirou's guardian, you know."
"Fuji-nee, yakitori sauce got on your uniform."
"What? Ah, you're right! Shirou, quick, help me wipe it off!"
"You're hopeless."
Watching their easy, intimate banter made Sakura Matou too restless to sit still. Just then, Raiga Fujimura walked over and spoke.
"Young lady, does it bother you that much?"
"Ah... yes."
So Raiga Fujimura began, between hearty swigs of alcohol, to tell the legend of Shirou from that day.
A red-haired boy had stormed the yakuza headquarters all by himself and, with nothing but a wooden sword in hand, beat those vicious grown men into complete disarray. Even the invincible [Tiger of Fuyuki] had been no match for him.
It was exactly the kind of story boys would latch onto, and Shinji's eyes widened with excitement as he listened.
"Shirou! So you actually know kendo! Taking down the yakuza... that's like something out of a movie. You're amazing...!"
"Ah, yeah... Hey! Old man, don't go spreading that nonsense everywhere."
Raiga Fujimura just laughed it off.
"What's the problem? Don't be shy, hahaha!
Shirou's swordsmanship is incredible, practically like magic!
The young guys in my group and I were all staring in disbelief. It was the first time I'd ever seen anyone beat Taiga in kendo."
"Ohhh..."
Shinji looked at him with open admiration.
Recently, he had been "secretly" learning Magecraft theory from his father.
It was unbelievably hard, and he still hadn't made any progress at all, but he kept pushing on.
There were two things motivating him to keep at it. One was the desire to become "an older brother worthy of respect," and the other was Shirou.
To the young Shinji Matou, Shirou was both his most important friend and someone he admired deeply, his savior.
At first, Shinji had planned to wait until he'd learned at least a little Magecraft before showing off in front of Shirou.
That was the simple thought he'd been holding onto.
And then one day, his younger sister, who was studying Magecraft alongside him, said this to him.
"Big brother, do you really think Shirou-nii-san doesn't know Magecraft?"
"…Huh?"
Has Shirou known Magecraft all along?
Then why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he show it off to me? Aren't we best friends?
Shinji Matou had been troubled by this for a long time.
Now, he finally understood—
Magecraft was just one of the many skills Shirou Amamiya possessed.
Not just Magecraft, even his swordsmanship… there was simply no need for him to show off.
Shinji Matou was instantly overwhelmed with shame.
Shirou is so capable, yet so humble and low-key… while I spend all day thinking about showing off. That's just pathetic.
The seaweed-headed boy resolved to reflect on himself properly once he got home.
Meanwhile, Sakura Matou quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness… I thought Shirou-nii-san liked older women, but it doesn't seem like that's the case… probably not, right?
After that, Shirou showed everyone around the dojo in the new residence.
Raiga Fujimura finally got his long-awaited sparring match with Shirou.
Naturally, the winner was the boy who had just turned eight not long ago.
Even against a towering, heavily built old man over 180 centimeters tall, he secured victory without much trouble.
"S-So strong, Shirou! Are you some kind of genius?"
"Shirou-nii-san, a towel… I'll wipe your sweat for you!"
The Matou siblings rushed over to him, while the yakuza copies gathered around to comfort their boss.
"Boss! Don't get discouraged! Losing to Shirou-kun isn't shameful! We lost too!"
However—
Among everyone present, only Taiga Fujimura saw through the truth.
The red-haired boy had held back to an extreme degree.
She smiled brightly.
"What a kind and gentle kid you are, Shirou."
...
...
"Ahh~ that felt refreshing~"
"Fuji-nee, that's kind of unrefined."
"What's the problem? Shirou is a guy, so you understand, right?"
"But Fuji-nee is a girl, so you shouldn't say things like that."
"Yeah, yeah~"
Since the door to the new restroom had been locked, Shirou had come to open it for Taiga Fujimura. Now the two of them were walking back to the living room along the corridor.
As they passed by the inner courtyard, they noticed the Matou siblings crouching in the grass, seemingly observing something.
"Hey, what are you kids up to?"
Taiga Fujimura walked over casually.
"Ah, Shirou-nii-san! Fujimura-nee-san!"
Sakura Matou turned around and showed them her latest "biological discovery."
"Meow~~~"
It was a calico cat.
It seemed to have wandered into the estate by accident and was now curled up on the grass, lazily basking in the sunlight.
"So cute, kitty~"
Shinji Matou lay flat on the ground, wiggling excitedly with a lovestruck expression.
"Maybe we should get one too? Grandpa, who banned pets, has run away from home anyway~~~"
The calico cat seemed completely used to human households. Despite all the attention from the Matou siblings, it remained calm and unbothered, not afraid of people in the slightest.
Taiga Fujimura licked her lips eagerly.
"I want to pet it too."
But the moment she and Shirou stepped closer, the calico cat suddenly arched its back.
The kitten puffed up like a tiny spiny creature, shot them a sharp glare, let out a loud "Meow!", and swiftly leaped over the wall to escape.
"Ah! Fujimura-nee-san scared it away!" Shinji Matou cried out anxiously.
"Huh? That was my fault!?" Taiga Fujimura looked completely innocent.
Shinji declared with confidence, "Cats are very perceptive creatures. They can tell good from evil! It must have sensed the evil in your heart!"
"S-Sorry…"
Taiga Fujimura lowered her head in disappointment.
Could it be true… that tigers are hated by cats?
"Hehe, Fujimura-nee-san is so clumsy, don't you think… Shirou-nii-san?"
"The… malice in one's heart."
The red-haired boy quietly watched the direction the kitten had fled, his thoughts unreadable.