"The essence of the smith has been retrieved and the vessel has been defeated. Mission complete. I expect the payment in due time~"
"Hehehe. You're still the same wicked fox. You speak as if you didn't nearly get your ass handed. At any rate, what should we do with him? Should I turn him into a puppet with my ***** of ************?"
"No. He's the one that put a stop to the ************ of the ***** ***** with his sword, and the *** of a ******* **** deemed him a threat as well. We must dispose of him in a way that he won't be able to interfere with our plans for a while. **********, will you do the honors?"
"Hmph, normally I would charge this as an extra fee, but I'll make an exception since I'll borrow the ***'s power. Throwing him anywhere should be fine, right?"
…
"Heh, dumping this on me all of a sudden after defeating me with your sword… But I guess it's quite fitting. After all, ********** ****** is my specialty."
"Mmm…" A pair of golden eyes opened as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window.
Shirou caressed his temple as he pushed away and checked the hour on his cellphone's screen. His internal clock had awakened him at the same hour as usual, and he didn't remember doing something exhausting yesterday, but for some reason, he was having a headache.
It might've been the lingering aftereffects of using everything he had against Kokabiel. If it wasn't for Camael Muramasa's flames healing his human body, he was sure he would have fallen apart in the middle of the fight.
But he was sure that wasn't the reason. A quick structural grasp revealed no remaining damages in his body. It was…
"What a weird dream…"
He barely remembered its content, and he certainly didn't recognize those faces. A fox, a carnivore, and a priest… Well, the fox was somewhat familiar, but at the same time felt different… And if that wasn't confusing enough, what did Muramasa Senji have to do with that?
He had vague memories of the incident in which the two formed a single pseudo-servant, but that wasn't exactly him, and their bond should have ended the moment they swung that blade… So then, why did he feel like their connection ended not that long ago?
It was one of the reasons why she chose to use those katana against Kokabiel, aside from their low cost to project due to being perfect reproductions. And that was definitely the reason why he felt so offended by the craftmanship of the Excalibur shards.
However, trying to make heads or tails about that matter with so little information would be a waste of energy, and he had more important issues to worry about.
The golden-eyed teenager stood up and headed to the dojo to start his morning routine. His mind started to go over all the recent incidents while the sweat started to slide down his skin.
Yeah, the small fries stopped coming to the town. They didn't seem to be crazy enough to come to challenge the one that defeated one of the leaders of the Grigori, regardless of him being human.
Unfortunately, he knew that only would apply to the small fries. It was only a matter of time for another bigshot like Kokabiel to show up. And this time, the one with a target on his back would be him.
An irregular human that isn't just a passive bystander in this world ruled by Mystery was something any God would overlook.
He was a third-rate magus, so the only thing he would be able to achieve would be some basic bounded fields that would be easily trespassed by the kind of being that was going to target him. The only way for him to fight them off was a direct confrontation.
Knowing his situation, the leaders of the three factions are likely to offer him shelter, but that would be the same as slapping a collar around his neck. That would be his last option.
Perhaps this was his clue to use one of the contacts Kiritsugu left him and flee this city. And leave behind this attempt of his of having a regular life. He knew such a thing was impossible for him from the start, but still… even someone like him yearned to know how that kind of life was.
No, fleeing wasn't an option. Those contacts were mundane at the end of the day, and he would be exposing them to great danger. And besides, that was a one-person ticket that didn't cover the two girls under his protection.
Their situation was arguably even direr than his. They were still severely inexperienced when it came to living in this kind of world. To this day, their view of the world was black and white. Anything that wasn't affiliated with the Church was evil and should be exterminated.
But now, their vision of the world was turned upside down. The people that dictated their way of living now labeled them as heretics, and they didn't have any contact. They even had to resort to asking him for help.
However, as gloomy as the situation seemed, not everything was bad news.
"Trace, on."
After finishing the physical part of his routine, he turned on his magic circuits and projected Kanshou and Bakuya. The twin blades started to dance around the dojo as he practiced his movements.
Any person that had seen him fight previously would notice immediately something changed. His movements were quicker and smoother as if his real fighting style was being slowly unraveled.
Shirou suddenly stopped. There was no sweat nor ragged breath despite being using the speed and strength of a servant for a couple of minutes.
"I guess it was to be expected… Now that the name Emiya Shirou is starting to spread, my Spirit Origin is regaining its strength. I'm still stuck with an E rank in all my parameters except for noble phantasm, but it's better than nothing." He whispered to himself as he let the married blades fade.
This would be his trump card for the moment. This world was aware of his noble phantasms now, but they didn't seem to know what a heroic spirit was. And well, he finally found a way to recover his strength and carry out his mission… whatever it was.
But that brought another glaring issue. The final and most evident clue is that this world wasn't even a parallel world that greatly diverged from the main branch. His strongest trump card, his true noble phantasm, the sword forged within his reality marble, wasn't usable.
It wasn't because mankind in this world was reaching the point of stagnation, but because it isn't the same humanity whose hopes and dreams were used to forge that sword. It would still be able to fight against evil, but its performance was severely diminished.
In case an equivalent of an Evil of Humanity appeared, he would have to resort to the divine blades in his reality marble. The image of Excalibur or the Tsumukari Muramasa. And both options would imply burning himself, the former to reproduce it and the latter to use it.
At least, just as his Spirit Origin, he could get his noble phantasm back to its original power if he collected this world's humanity's hope and dreams.
"Now then…" Putting the towel over his shoulders, his golden eyes drifted to the side of the dojo. There, a blue mop of hair was peeking out the doorframe.
Her stealth skills definitely weren't her strong point.
"Is there something I can help you, Xenovia?"
She flinched the moment she heard her name but entered the dojo nonetheless. Her yellowish eyes stared right at his as she thought of how to say what was in her mind.
"Shirou-san… would you train me in the way of the sword!?" She chose not to beat around the bush in the end.
He fought the urge to not pinch the bridge of his nose. Why did everyone take him for a swordmaster or something along those lines?
"Haaah… Look, I'm gonna tell you the same I told Kiba and Issei. I can't teach you sword techniques since yours might actually be better than mine. What I can teach you is how to fight… and well, you said Durandal is still in your possession, right?"
She nodded. "Yes. They allowed me to keep it reluctantly since it was the sword itself who chose me."
"I see. I can help you control that sword's power and use it efficiently. That's the only thing I can offer you."
"That's… more than I can ask!" She replied with more enthusiasm than usual. "I'll be in your care… err… Shirou-sensei? Did I get it right?"
"If you want to go with that… Will start first thing tomorrow."
""
He didn't want to increase the people calling him "sensei", but he could make an exception. "Now then, I'll go get I quick shower before preparing breakfast. Is Irina also awake?"
"Yes, she's in the living… and well…" Her expression took a 180-degree turn thinking about her companion, and Shirou made a serious expression as well.
"Yeah… we haven't made any progress in that regard…"
The two left the dojo in awkward silence and headed to the bathroom and living respectively.
The shower became a short affair now that Irina's condition was plaguing his mind, and he made a quick breakfast to not be late for school.
Just as he said, he wasn't the right person to deal with psychological problems like Irina's. But unlike Xenovia hoped, Irina's mood didn't change during these days. Yeah, she didn't look like a corpse that much anymore, mostly thanks to his food, but she had yet to speak more than three words per phrase.
Looking at her emotionless expression while eating made Shirou feel a lump in his stomach. He really didn't know what to do to cheer her up.
He didn't pay much attention to the bombshell that was the biblical God being dead, but now that he did, it was further evidence that this world was in a whole other universe separated from Proper Human History.
When he said that a God dying wasn't that strange, he really meant it, but from his perspective. Divine spirits can have their physical forms destroyed, effectively dying, but just as a servant, they can be summoned again as long as their saint graph is intact.
Take for example the Goddess Ishtar. She was killed by Ereshkigal after invading her domain, but she came back to life shortly after. With her soul still trapped in the underworld, but alive nonetheless.
Now, if the Biblical God was dead for real, then there were only two options. Whether someone managed to actually burn His saint graph despite the absurd amount of faith He received… or the Gods of this world were closer to living beings rather than concepts given form by human thoughts.
"Now that I remember, Shirou-sensei, how is the issue of enrolling us in your school going?" Xenovia's words brought back the golden-eyed teenager.
The way she used the "sensei" suffix managed to get a reaction out of Irina, making her look at Xenovia surprised, and consequently, she started paying attention to the conversation.
"Oh, about that… Sona is still getting ready the paperwork, but you'll be able to enroll in the same class I am in a few days."
"Eh? Just like that?"
"She said this is their way of returning the favor of defeating Kokabiel and saving the city… that and she's using her contacts to spread my name in this city as someone good at repairing things. Aside from third-rate magician and experience killing supernatural creatures, my curriculum is quite empty, so that's the only way I came up to earn money… at least legally."
"I see…" The idea of him alone being in charge of financial matters didn't sit well on the girls, but their situation was the same.
He had told them that doing the chores while he was away or helping him patrol the city was more than enough, but they didn't agree. And that just made Irina feel worse.
"I'll be going then…"
"See you later."
And so, Shirou stood up and left the Emiya residence. Despite the fact that it now had more people living in it, he could hardly tell it was livelier.
The moment Shirou arrived at Kuoh Academy, he noticed that something was off. Not in a supernatural sense though. It was just…
"What in the… Why are there so many people here?"
He couldn't help but blink a couple of times. Kuoh Academy had been always a convoluted place at rush hour, but today it reached a whole other level. And more than half the people were adults that could easily be the parents of the students here.
Things didn't change when he entered the building itself. In fact, he had to literally make his way to his classroom through a crowd.
"Haaaah…" He let out a sigh as he slumped into his desk. Even inside the classroom, there were people watching them. "Seriously, what did I miss?"
"You really hear about it, Sen- I mean, Shirou?" A certain Red Dragon Emperor noticed his confusion and approached him. "Today is the Observation Day. You know, that day when our parents can enter the school to watch us."
"Oh, right… That was a thing." Shirou drifted his eyes to a couple at the classroom's door he recognized.
"Asia-chan! Look here!"
"We'll be here rooting for you, Asia-chan!"
Those were Issei's parents… whose attention was completely focused on an Asia that could only look at the camera they were using to film her greet them back with an awkward.
Shirou's eyes returned to Issei, and he could tell that he was dying on the inside regardless of how much he was trying to hide it. However, what actually made the magus look at him with pity was the way his parents were ignoring him.
Yeah, his reputation preceded him, and Asia was a model student compared to him… but still.
"At any rate, is anyone coming to see you?"
The moment Shirou started to raise his eyebrow at him dramatically, Issei realized how stupid had been that question. He didn't know much about Shirou, but he did know that he was an amnesiac, and both his biological parents and foster father were dead.
The urge of facepalming almost overcame him, but he found a way to solve his mess.
"I-it doesn't have to be strictly a relative. Xenovia-san and Irina-san could have come."
"That… would've been a good idea if I had remembered this was a thing. Wait… now that I think about it, if the students' relatives can come, then-"
"Now, now, I know it is a special day, but I ask you to behave in a civilized manner. The same goes for the ladies and gentlemen who came to observe this class."
The teacher's voice put an end to the ruckus in the classroom before Shirou got to finish what he was saying, and the class representative proceeded with the usual greeting.
He didn't need Issei's confirmation though. The moment he focused his senses, he immediately sensed several wicked presences in the campus that were like massive beacons.
He recognized Sirzech and Grafia, and there was another huge presence that didn't fall behind those two among the other presence. Presumably, Sona's sister, who was another of the current maous.
Well, if the school was still in one piece, then he doubted anything was going to happen. Repressing his fight or flee instincts was going to be another different matter though. He got used to the presence of the devils in the school, but something of this level was impossible to ignore.
"Now then, since this is a special day, we are going to deviate from our usual schedule." The teacher announced after taking attendance and proceeded to unpack the huge package he brought with him. To everyone's, its contents were several blocks of clay.
"Today's class objective is to develop your artistic abilities! You can use one of these clay blocks, compose a poem, or whatever you want as long as you give free rein to your mind to create something."
While that actually got his classmates and the adults observing the class all excited, Shirou could just deadpan internally.
What did this have to do with a Japanese class? Yeah, they do often analyze books and poems, which he already found absurd, but this kind of thing was more related to afterschool clubs.
However, seeing that anyone was complaining, he decided to go with the flow. Of course, he refrained from picking a clay block since he knew how that was going to end. Having to explain how he precisely modeled one of his swords from scratch was the last thing he needed.
He took a sheet and a pen then. It was the option that would attract less attention.
"How hard can be composing a poem?" He whispered to himself as he emptied his mind.
This might actually be a perfect way to put aside for a moment all his troubles and the nagging feeling the maous' presence gave him.
He lost any notion of time. His hand moved on its own as he just ignored everyone and entered a trance state. At that moment, if anyone were to touch him, he would've collapsed on his desk.
"I'll give you 7000 yen!"
"8000 yen!"
"9000 yen!"
When Shirou finally got to his senses though, the classroom was rowdy again. All the male students were surrounding Issei and shouting prices as if they were in an auction while the girls looked at them with faces filled with disgust.
The only girls that weren't freaked out were Asia, who was making a pissed off face that actually turned out to be a pout that felt like if someone kicked a kitty, and Kiriyuu Aika, a girl said to be the Pervert Trio's female counterpart, who was teasing both Issei and Asia.
The reason behind the commotion became apparent once he used his enhanced eyes to peer through the crowd and see Issei's sculpture. And for the second time in the day, he found himself blinking in disbelief.
"What have those two been doing the last month?"
In front of Issei was an ultra-realistic sculpture of Rias Gremory… completely naked. Its level of detail was simply absurd. He could bet that if he were to use structural grasp in that thing, he would be able to see even Rias' moles and birthmarks.
Issei did tell him that she insisted on sleeping in the same bed as him completely naked every, but he thought he was just delirious due to living with two beauties.
In the middle of the commotion, Issei casted a pleading look at him, but he couldn't do anything but turn him down. The only solution he saw to stop the "auction" was buying the sculpture, and that would only make things worse.
"It's not for sale, guys! This will be my most precious treasure!" Issei ultimately decided to solve his mess own and hugged the sculpture before making a run for it.
"After him!"
"I'll have that sculpture! Even if I have to trade all my collection!"
"Nooo! We can't let them defile Rias-One-sama!"
About 70% of the class ran after him like mad dogs before the amused looks of the parents, and weirdly enough, the teacher just looked at them with a nostalgic look saying: "It's good to be young."
If things kept like this, then this day was going to be quite hectic.
"Teacher, I'm finished." He raised his voice to get the man's attention. He might as well deliver his poem already and forget about it.
"Oh, you went for a poem, Emiya. The good ol' reliable. Let me see what you've got here."
The teacher put on his reading glasses and took a look at the poem he wrote. The way his face started to slowly morph into a mixture of horror and concern already caught everyone's attention, but it was further cemented by the look he threw at Shirou, which was usually directed to people with mental problems.
"Emiya-san, if you have any problems at home- no, scratch that. Haven't your parent come to see you?"
The golden-eyed teenager could only deadpan at him after being asked the same question in less than an hour.
"I live alone. I don't have any living relatives that I can remember."
The answer alone made the man freeze, but the flat tone in which he spoke made the sense of concern start to spread like wildfire among his classmates.
"I-it can be that bad, Sensei!"
Asia took a look at the poem, but any kind of hope visible on her face died after reading the first line.
"My body is made out of swords."
"My blood is of iron and my heart is of glass."
"I have overcome countless battlefields."
"Not even once retreating."
"Not even once being understood."
"The hero lies here alone, forging dreams on a hill of swords."
"Thus, my life needs no meaning."
"This body is made out of infinite swords."
After finishing reading the poem out loud, the ex-nun shot a worried glance at Shirou that made him feel bad.
"Why did you write this, Shirou-san?"
"I just… wrote what was on my mind? I mean, yeah, it might sound a little depressing, but it has a hopeful side, right?"
At the end of the day, that was the only poem he could put together with so little time. The poem about himself he used to reach a certain place. He really didn't see why it would be that concerning.
Maybe picking the clay wouldn't have been a bad idea after all…
The teacher and Asia didn't seem to buy his answer entirely, but his other classmates seemed to come to the rescue.
"Nah, that has come from a videogame, right, Emiya-kun?"
"Yeah, that definitely fits a dark fantasy videogame."
"I didn't know you had a gamer side, Emiya-kun! Have you been pulling all-nighters this last week?"
How in the world the girls related the Japanese version of his poem to video games was lost to him, but he wasn't wasting the opportunity.
"Well, I really haven't been able to sleep properly as of late…"
He didn't confirm anything they said, but that was enough to defuse the situation. At least the "viewers" didn't make a fuss of it either and thought of it as part of their shenanigans.
The only one that kept looking at him with pity was Asia. That girl was more perceptive than she let on, so she was most likely drawing her own conclusions.
"At any rate. Let's see what your other classmates have done." The teacher let go of the issue and immediately continued checking what the others had done.
When the lessons of the first period ended, Shirou found himself walking straight up to the rooftop.
Some of his classmates followed their usual routine and formed the usual groups, and others went to have lunch with their parents. As someone that didn't belong to any of those groups, he felt even more out of place than usual.
Strangely enough, Koneko didn't join him for lunch today. That made him feel happy for her. It was better for her to socialize with regular people than to spend lunchtime eating in silence beside him.
"ONEE-CHAN, YOU IDIOT!"
"Eh?" He didn't need to reinforce his ears to hear that scream filled with despair and horror.
When Shirou peered over the rooftop fence, he was greeted with an unusual sight. There was no perfect student or "Kuoh's Ice Queen". What he saw was a regular girl that threw all manners to the wind and was running as if her life depended on it.
This day was just getting weirder by the second…
"I guess that's that foreign thing called family matters, huh?"
"Man, that's a really depressing thought."
He just sent a quick glance to Issei before sitting down and starting to unpack his bento.
"So you hid here for the rest of the classes. Where's the sculpture though?"
"I found Buchou on my way here and tossed it to her. Giving it to its model was enough distraction to sneak away."
He basically threw his master under the bus, but Shirou guessed the red-head devil would be fine being the most popular student in the school.
"Since all your things are still in our classroom, I assume you don't have anything to eat." His deduction was confirmed by the roaring sound coming from the devil's stomach. "You can have the bento I prepared for Koneko since it seems it's going to go to waste."
"OOOOH! Thank you, Sensei! This day might not be that bad after all!"
The Red Dragon Emperor didn't think twice and dug into the massive bento. The two doubted he could finish a ration enough to satisfy Koneko's appetite, but at least not everything was going to be wasted.
And unlike Koneko, Issei couldn't bear the silence. "Now that we are alone, Sensei, I've been meaning to ask. I get you want to keep the secrecy of magic and all that stuff, but why do you insist on being all alone. Isn't it… you know, boring?"
Perhaps he didn't think that question wasn't that big of a deal. Issei just wanted to return the favor to his Sensei by trying to get him some friends. But to really answer that question, Shirou would have to reveal almost everything about him. He would have to resort to half-truths as always.
"All the people I held dear are dead… so I guess I try to avoid losing someone again." Because if that were to happen, he doubted he could pull through it again. "Besides, I doubt I could make any friend even if I tried."
Now it was Issei's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Why do you think that? Of course, you could! I know for sure all the girls in our classroom are looking forward to it. As for the dudes… well, you can start with Matsuda and Motohama? Or at least you have m-me. We haven't done friends stuff, b-but I like to think that, aside from my Sensei, you are my fr-friend."
Shirou could just giggle at that. The way he was stuttering seemed like he was confessing to a girl.
"I doubt your friends want to be anywhere near me. But we're friends, huh? It makes sense, I guess. You are the only one that tries to interact with me for something more than asking me for a favor or business."
That was the thing. He did try to not bond with the devils, but he wasn't going to kick them out if they approached him with more persistence. Koneko and Asia were good examples of that, and maybe Sona.
Kiyome also approached him to apologize for indirectly calling him a monster when she didn't know he was the "slayer". But aside from that and the times he went to lend a hand with the Tennis Club, they didn't interact that much.
So yeah, they were more than just acquaintances. Something he didn't know what to make of.
He wasn't the same as those versions of him from which he acquired those vague memories of bonding and even marrying those girls. No servant was the same after being summoned again in normal circumstances. For him, it was as if he had read a book about those events and didn't even finish assimilating the knowledge. It's only due to the nature of his Unlimited Blade Works that he's able to use the abilities and noble phantasm those versions gained in their journeys.
But aside from that, there was a bigger problem.
"Issei, what do you think friendship is based on?"
That question took the devil by surprise. "Err… I guess it's based in mutual trust, no hiding secrets, that stuff."
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I think…"
He knew basically the essentials of Hyoudou Issei. There wasn't really that much to it though. He was just a regular student a few months ago before becoming a devil and discovering he was this generation's Red Dragon emperor. He had some pervert tendencies after meeting a weird old man when he was in elementary school, but he was a good boy at heart.
Now, when you looked at it the other way around…
"Well, since we are friends, I think I have to tell you this."
Issei stopped eating when Shirou suddenly looked at him with a really serious face and swallowed loudly.
"This isn't really my first life. I'm actually a soul that made a contract with The World around the first century to become a heroic spirit upon death and somehow got reincarnated in this body. And I am probably from another entire universe that's fundamentally different from this one."
"Eh?" At that moment, Issei's brain melted trying to process all that information and failing miserably.
However, the flash of a camera got him out of his stupor. He then saw his Sensei holding his phone and giving him a mischievous smile he never thought he would see on his face of all people.
"You really got me there, Sensei. I'd never thought you could pull off a joke on me."
"Your face just now was priceless. Take a look."
Even Issei had to admit his face of "what the hell" was really funny.
"You were talking so seriously that I almost believed you, Sensei. I mean, I'm still assimilating that magic, devils, and all that stuff is real. Adding multiverse, isekai, and "Back to the Future" stuff is too much."
"Yeah, I got a little carried away there. Who would believe such a thing?"
Who would believe such a story? That's why a deeper relationship wasn't allowed to Emiya Shirou. Having to blatantly lie every day would be too much. A relationship built on falsehood was destined to crumble.
He might have been reincarnated, but in essence, he was still a heroic spirit. A transient being that was only summoned to solve a problem and then go in their way. He could protect humanity but doing something like changing the world should be up to the people living in it.
"Speaking about you turning into a devil… have you talked with Rias?"
All the good mood between the two boys started to fade with that question, but he had to ask.
"I didn't have an occasion to talk with Buchou alone. Asia insists on not leaving us alone when we are at home for some reason, and there's always someone else in the club. And Lucifer-sama just moved into my house yesterday temporarily. But aside from the lack of occasions, I honestly don't know how to approach the issue either. I could use some advice…"
That little piece of information about one of the rulers of the underworld moving into this town triggered some alarms on Shirou's head, but he left it for later.
"Well, in cases like that, I just choose the most straightforward route. It doesn't end well most of the time, but in this particular case, that might be the way to go. I mean, aside from the issue of your death, your mental hell should be an enough concerning issue. I might've left things a little vague back then as Koneko and Saji were there, but Issei, what do you think it's the fundamental difference between humans and devils, or any supernatural creature?"
It took him some time to think of a reasonable answer. "Buchou says devils are creatures driven by greed and desire, so it has to be that?"
"That is only partially correct. Devils may be greedier than humans, and we might lose in pretty much every aspect, but what they lack that humanity has is the will to keep moving forward."
"And that means?"
"That means that we humans always strive to change their surroundings to adequate it to our necessities instead of adapting to it. We are always changing, unlike all the other species that only make advances imitating human society. But don't get me wrong. Humanity isn't all good. In fact, we choose the wrong option more often than not. However, we are also specialists in solving those messes. The human world is now more or less in a peaceful state compared to how it used to be, and meanwhile, the supernatural species are still in a cold war state."
Shirou made a pause. Seeing Issei's face, he knew he was starting to get lost, so it would be better to stop his rambling.
"What I'm getting at is that you're going to go from a world that is constantly in change, to one that is almost stagnated in old customs, and for way more time than your soul is prepared. Unless they have some way to deal with that, you are going to have a bad time with that."
"Now that you put it like that… it sounds really concerning. I definitely have to talk about that with Buchou. And I should bring Asia up to speed, too…"
Issei looked at his Sensei. The way he spoke really felt like he was hearing an old man sharing his vast experience in life. There wasn't anything to gain from helping him, but he did so without giving it too much of a thought.
And he was all rude to him just a month ago because he was more handsome than the average.
He really couldn't think of a way to repay him. Not just for helping him beat Raiser or saving them from Kokabiel. For every lesson he received from him. The only way he could see to repay him would be helping him with that lonely expression he made every time he was talking about himself.
But he got the feeling that would be even harder than solving his own pervert tendencies. Getting him friends or even a girlfriend might be just the tip of the iceberg.
"Sensei-" He was about to thank him at least, but Shirou stopped him with a gesture.
The auburn-haired teenager got up suddenly and stared at the rooftop's door. Issei recognized his stance immediately.
A deceivingly relaxed stance, with both hands slightly opened and prepared to grasp the hilts of his twin swords, eyes sharpened and coldly analyzing the possible outcomes.
In other words, he was prepared to destroy a possible enemy, and that made Issei get ready to summon his Boosted Gear at any moment, even if he didn't sense anything wrong.
However, the figure that appeared from behind the doors immediately threw the serious atmosphere down the drain.
"Oh! I finally found the rooftop!"
A… little girl? of blue eyes and black hair tied in twin tails kicked the door open and entered as if she owned the place. But that wasn't what left the two boys completely dumbfounded.
Her clothes could only be described as a pink magical girl cosplay, and she was even carrying a wand with a star at the end of its tip.
"That's… a Milky Spiral Seven cosplay!? And a really good one at that!" Issei shouted after recognizing the outfit, and Shirou could only give him a blank stare.
"A maou suddenly barged into this place and that's what you are concerned about?"
"Eh?" That piece of information now made Issei realize why Shirou had been so tense a second ago.
The problem was that, after focusing a little, he now too could feel the overwhelming power the creature in front of them was exuding. Suddenly, breathing became really hard. It was the part of him that was a prideful dragon that allowed him to not collapse.
The girl's eyes finally focused on them, and the playful smile on her face grew wider.
"If you two are having lunch here, then you must be the main characters! Allow this magical girl Levia-tan to join you!"
Her words only confused the two even further, but that nickname she used to refer to herself gave away her true identity.
She was Serafall Leviathan, one of the four Great Satan's currently ruling the underworld, and Sona's sister.
No wonder the strict and rigid Sona lost her composure in such a way after meeting this girl. They were polar opposites in every sense. And Shirou wasn't referring to those huge "assets" that seemed so out of place in such a small body.
"What do you mean by "main characters"? We are just a pair of friends having lunch in a quiet place."
Shirou tried to play dumb, but the girl chuckled at his attempt. "The Red Dragon Emperor, and the mysterious magician that came out of nowhere and annihilated Kokabiel. What else could you two be if not the main characters? I wanted to meet you in person after watching So-tan during her lessons, so I came to the most frequented place by main characters, and here you are."
Shirou gritted his teeth. Aside from her absurd logic, if she recognized him so fast, then every single member of the three factions must know his face, and that was being generous. In the worst case, he already had a target on his back.