Chapter 2: Visit

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

.

.

.

-???-

He always had the desire and needs to help people ever since the incident.

Shirou could not explain this urge inside of him. It was there, always forcing him to go out of his way to help anyone. Sometimes his actions, influenced by these needs, got to the point that it was a detriment to his health and well-being.

Always them and never himself.

His father had noticed this aspect of him in the past. He never truly scolded him about his acts of heroism, like when he returned home covered in injuries and bruises because he wanted to protect a young girl—which he discovered a year later that it was none other than Sakura after Shinji introduced her—from those thugs in the park. He remembered the lonely girl with broken eyes standing still as the other kids pulled her hair or smeared her with mud, she neither reacted nor tried to stop them. 

He intervened and fought against the group on his own, still getting beaten up quite harshly in the end. Fortunately, he and Sakura later became friends on their second meeting and she never got into trouble since then. But, that sight still haunted him from time to time, it made him wonder what could have forced a young girl to have such a broken expression that reminded him everything he would look in a mirror. Even when he tried to ask her about it, she claimed to not know what he was talking about and that she had forgotten the entire thing.

Now, she acted much cheerful and her eyes filled with life whenever he met her. This gradual change relieved him a lot, but somewhere in his heart, an uneasy feeling still popped up from time to time.

He planned to pay her house a visit one day, going against the promise he made to his old man about staying away from that place.

It wasn't the first time he had gone against Kiritsugu's advice.

Normally, he would just slightly scold him or sigh at his stubbornness. But he did react differently that one time when Shirou heard the news of a criminal escaping the police and roaming the streets of Fuyuki. At that point in time, he had learned to activate his natural magic circuits and used reinforcement on a simple metal bar. Thinking that it was more than enough for what he was dealing with, the young redheaded boy tried to take the law into his own hands. He found the criminal after days of searching at another store robbery in the middle of the night in one of Fuyuki's sketchy areas and attempted to stop him all on his own.

Safe to say, it didn't go well.

He nearly got shot, had his shoulder grazed by the bullet, and worst of all managed to lose the thief.

His first failure.

One that the young Shirou Emiya didn't want to acknowledge.

But Kiritsugu decided it would be the perfect opportunity to remind him that he couldn't just run headfirst into any dangerous situation and hope everything would work out. He was quite upset with him. His actions could have easily killed him or harmed other civilians.

Seeing his already weak father get so riled up and suffering from it later made Shirou promise to never run headfirst into any scenario without thinking of a plan.

"Shirou, remember my words. Always prioritize your safety first before anyone else's. If you get hurt or, god forbid, something unthinkable happens to you, then who will save you? No one, and you will end up hurting more people instead. Sometimes, you have to make small sacrifices to save the majority. If only one or two die and you manage to save ten people, then that is the best outcome."

Shirou did not want to accept that outcome. He had to save everyone.

That was his goal.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny it after seeing Kiritsugu's state. He gave his word, to never put himself into unnecessary danger when he had other options, all while doing his best to save those who needed his aid.

After that, he never stopped helping, especially when he would patrol Fuyuki whenever he had the opportunity. After school, from dusk till midnight, sometimes even skipping sleep entirely—trying to help out or save anyone in need.

He always did.

The context of how and why someone came to face a dangerous or unfortunate obstacle was never important. In fact, he never paid it any mind at all. All that mattered was that he saved the people who needed it the most, saving them from the terror that seemed to creep up around every corner. No matter where he wound up, it was always a struggle.

He noticed how some particular set of people were hell-bent on doing everything in ways that seemed to always put them in the most danger. The world looked like it wanted to revel in that danger, sometimes outsmarting him and coming up with new ways to hurt and terrify those who he tried to help. But it didn't matter. Shirou wanted to become a hero, and he could not stop, not that he dreamed of ever doing something as such. Because deep inside him, he possessed a goal, a drive to help others and save them from the cruelness and horrors that were forcefully placed upon them, no matter how minor the incident.

"What are you doing, Shirou!?"

This was the exact reason he willingly jumped off a several-story tall cruiser with a panicking Taiga calling out his name, as well as several staff members trying and failing to stop him.

Splash!

{Break}

(A few hours before)

"Woah! Athens is so beautiful! Looking up from here really gives it a magical feel, don't you think so, Shirou? So many beautiful architecture with their rich history and amazing mythology! I gotta take some pictures to show off to the others back in Fuyuki! Hehehehe, Neko-chan will be so jealous."

Standing on the cruise deck, with her tiger-striped swimsuit, was none other than Taiga looking up at the coast. Looking far off in the distance where the famous citadel could be spotted from their location—the Acropolis of Athens. Situated on a rocky outcrop above the city itself and containing the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Taiga just wouldn't stop talking about them during their entire visit, almost becoming the unofficial tour guide for some of the tourists.

"Yeah," Shirou said, catching up to his guardian while carrying various bags of clothes and souvenirs Taiga bought from the souvenir shop.

She must have spent her entire monthly wage on these piles of clothes and makeup. He swore that she chose all of these items out of impulse rather than planning on using them.

"Why did I have to join? I had a busy week."

He disliked being used as a bag carrier for the last two days before getting on the cruise.

"Oh, cheer up! I checked your schedule, and you didn't have any tests or exams planned for this week. And your big sister even went so far as to ask the principal for permission!"

"You lied that I had a life-threatening disease that needed to be treated by a special doctor abroad."

There was something wrong with a world in which this person could become a teacher.

"Minor details!" Taiga waved off the boy's comment, before giving the young boy a stern glare. "Besides, Shirou, we need to talk!"

She approached the boy, her expression never changing. Shirou felt a foreboding feeling crawl up his spine.

"What are you doing always locked up in that shed of yours? You're a 15-year-old middle school boy! Have fun for once, go out with your friends, play games, get hobbies, kiss a girl—wait, maybe not that last one! Just go enjoy your youth!"

Shirou got a bit intimidated by Fuji-nee's sudden outburst.

Though he didn't agree with her words.

"But I do have hobbies!"

"Like what? Helping other people does not count as a hobby, nor does tinkering with tools all alone in the shed like a lonely hermit." She'd seen him spend an entire day without sleeping or eating doing god knows what in there. She felt pity for Sakura, always being the one waking him up in the morning and even preparing the boy's breakfast as well! How Shirou could not see the telltale sign of that girl's obvious crush on him baffled the young teacher.

"When you're in high school, I'll make sure to enroll you in the archery club. You'll make tons of friends there, and I think the sport will please you. Though there is also kendo…."

Taiga had seen Shirou's talent with kendo. He performed far better than anyone his age. She even suspected the boy to be a natural genius with how quickly he managed to learn some of her moves and copy them to perfection! He could easily go up to nationals and be famous!

'But the archery club has more girls in it!'

For some reason, the archery club tended to have more female practitioners than males. Making it the perfect spot for Shirou to score some points.

Truly, she was torn on her decision.

"You do realize that cooking counts as a hobby, right? And I love doing chores around the house as well. It's quite fun."

Shirou loved his big sister, but she could be a bit too caring in his daily life sometimes.

"I also repair old vehicles, from simple cars to Fujimura-san's old, beaten-up motorcycle."

Shirou knew that Taiga's dad would intentionally damage his bike or car so that he could have him do the repairs and use it as an excuse to pay him money. The boy was grateful to the man who had helped him since Kiritsugu's passing. Especially the house he now lives in. His younger self, of course, didn't have the management ability to secure the place for himself. Old Man Fujimura took charge of complicated things like inheritance and property taxes.

Old Man Fujimura was one of the biggest landlords in Fuyuki.

"It's not like I spend every waking moment inside the shed, Fuji-nee."

And then there was also the fact that he needed to practice his magecraft away from her prying eyes. From reinforcement, projection, and structural analysis—he practiced each of these spells non-stop daily. Of course, this led him on many occasions to sleep the night inside the shed and be woken by Sakura or Fuji-nee in the morning.

The universal law dictated that magi must hide their identities from normal people at any cost. That's why he'd been hiding the fact that he was learning magecraft ever since he became his father's student.

He could cast a regular magic spell properly… to some extent, at least. And his options were limited. Honestly, he wondered if he even needed to hide anything with how bad he was at it.

"But yeah, Fuji-nee, I can do whatever I want now. And it's not like the things I do are dangerous."

That was a lie but it was better to keep ignorant of the truth.

Taiga sighed.

Shirou was growing up so fast before her eyes. Before, he used to follow her words without question, following her every whim and being an adorable little child. Now, look at him, arguing with her on such an important subject concerning his social life. But she also understood that the boy needed his own space, and she didn't have any problem with it.

"Alright, Shirou, you win. But promise me that you'll at least have fun and mingle with some of the people here, okay? Make some friends and get to know other people. Your Fuji-nee will be very happy if you do so and will no longer disturb you on this matter ever again!" she proposed, making Shirou think about her suggestion for a minute and then accept it.

"Yes! Best week of my life, here I come!"

With that said, Taiga cheered at the top of her lungs before running toward the buffet restaurant. Another aspect she enjoyed a lot while in Greece was their cooking, she didn't hesitate to pay a ridiculous amount of money to try every single variety and nearly caused Shirou to get sick with much they ate in a single day!

Truly, no one could beat the tiger when it came to eating.

Shirou was left all alone to bring the luggage back to their room. Thankfully, the luggage weren't that heavy and he didn't bring much as well, so he managed to carry them without that much of an issue.

"At least she's having fun."

{Break}

After a few minutes of wandering around and trying to find their room with little success, Shirou got approached by a member of staff to help him find his room. He stood out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd of happy tourists with his multiple luggage and lost expression.

He didn't know where Taiga left the note in their room, so he had to spend a few minutes rummaging through the luggage filled with bikinis and cosmetics, and much to his embarrassment, lacy and daring underwear, until finally found the crumbled ticket of the room.

"Oh my!"

The female staff member exclaimed in surprise as she saw the room number. For some reason, Shirou became confused when she acted all flustered and apologetic, stating to forgive the crew for not accommodating them sooner. Feeling awkward, he accepted their apology and muttered how they did nothing wrong.

Soon, the lady called for a few staff members who insisted on carrying the luggage even when he told them that he was fine with the weight.

But they remained adamant and he relented in the end.

"Please, follow me."

They escorted him to an elevator to the upper floors. Walking beneath the gold chandelier and marveling at the many tapestries seen on his way, Shirou started to feel a bit uncomfortable with all the luxurious decoration. It was just a bit too much for his taste. They continued to walk past the stairs leading. Shirou also got confused as he thought the rooms were located below the deck.

"Umm, aren't the normal suites below?" he couldn't help but ask.

This only made the lady giggle at his question.

"Fufufu, yes they are," she spoke with a polite tone. "But you are staying at the royal suite."

.

.

.

Wait, what?

Shirou wondered if he heard correctly. He read the average price for the cruise, and the high-end option cost ten times more! Could an average garapon booth from a small festival even be able to offer such an expensive prize!? Did they misread the names wrong?

"Ummm, my name is Shirou. I'm here with Taiga Fujimura. Are you sure this is our room?" he said, hoping that the woman would notice that their names were different and actually send them to their proper room. This could all be just a simple misunderstanding for all he knew.

She just smiled at his question.

"Yes, Shirou Emiya, right? Those are indeed the names associated with this room."

Oh…

After shutting up and following the lady to the higher floors, they came to a large hallway decorated with red velvet carpet and rows of tables decorated with roses, tulips, and daffodils. A piece of pleasant orchestral music playing in the background with even more exaggerated features everywhere around him.

Shirou felt that even breathing the air would cost him extra even though he didn't need to pay anything.

In front were two large doors with the number 1 and 2. The word 'Royal' was written below it and engraved with gold.

The lady brought a gold-colored key card and unlocked the door for him to enter first. She gestured to him to enter first, and he complied.

"Wow..."

Emiya felt like he had entered the inside of a modern western villa. With counters that looked like they were made of marble, a bar with dozens of expensive-looking wines and alcohol, which Taiga would steal a few bottles if he wasn't watchful. A large TV in the middle with a small living room with a door leading to the single queen-sized bedroom.

There was even a freaking chandelier in the middle of the living room!

'It even has a large balcony!'

It was not every day he would get excited over simple things, but the view from the balcony made him speechless for a moment. He could see everything, the city, the ocean from miles on end. It soothed his nerves, and feeling the light breeze made him want to enjoy the feeling for a little while.

Alright, he admitted that Taiga may have been right about him enjoying these next few days.

"I see you found the place to your liking, Sir Emiya. If you have any requests or require our services, please dial us through the landline phone, and a member of the staff will be here with you in an instant."

She offered him a small pamphlet.

"Here, you will find every kind of activity available on the ship with a menu where you can choose to order the food at any point of the day, and it'll be delivered straight to your room."

She bowed and said, "Have a great honeymoon!"

Ah, he wanted to correct her but just left the matter.

Looking back at the menu, he realized that he had never tasted most of these dishes.

He rather cooks his own meal but having a starred chef cook him Mediterranean cuisine, some of which he had never tasted, was something he looked forward to as well.

'I can take back a few ideas and recipes to practice at home. Maybe Sakura will enjoy the new dishes.'

After the pieces of luggage were properly arranged inside the room, he bid farewell to everyone and did not forget to tip everyone a bit of cash, grateful for their service. As he was about to close the door, another group of people came from the elevator pushing a trolley filled with luggage to the room adjacent to his.

Guess the neighbor has arrived as well.

He didn't want to disturb whoever it was, but before closing the door, he caught sight of a small imprint on the side of a luxurious-looking handbag of which was embroidered the name; Edelfelt.

Now all alone in his room, he sent Taiga the location of the room, just in case she got lost.

"Now, what do I do?"

The boy was grateful that his guardian had chosen him for the trip, but he barely had the time to prepare anything. So what to do? The room looked to be in pristine condition, so he didn't have anything to clean and organize.

Going around the big counter of the bar, where he found packets of tea and coffee beans, there wasn't anything he could use to cook in the first place. He could probably try training for a bit.

He couldn't help but think back to his progress in both magecraft and physical training.

Shirou had been training every day to be like Kiritsugu, but it was not that easy in reality. Following his instructions, word per word could be grueling at times.

"Even after unlocking my natural circuits, I still couldn't use basic spells that well without failing a hundred times." He truly had very little talent in magecraft in general.

Tracing his hands over the chairs, he thought about how Sakura would spend a lonely week with him and Taiga, now gone from Fuyuki.

He couldn't help but recall her silky hair and smooth skin, which would catch his eye from time to time.

It was hard to explain it in words, but he felt troubled around here lately. She was beginning to mature and seemed really feminine these days.

Her casual movements and her figure held a beauty of their own.

He felt bad for thinking of his friend's sister in such a way. Sakura was not like that, She was a good underclassman and a junior he needed to take care of.

First of all, the relationship between him and Matou Sakura was just that of a Senpai and a junior.

She was the sister of a close friend of his, but since she was a grade below me, they weren't that close.

If Taiga were to hear his inner thoughts, she would definitely smack him for his denseness.

Frankly, Sakura counted as a beautiful girl in his eyes. Being one of the best-looking girls in all of middle school, he was certain that there were lots of guys who wanted to date her. And on top of that, she began growing in certain places recently, way earlier than other girls, and some of her casual gestures have started to catch his eye.

He felt guilty about being attracted to his friend's sister and looking at places that he shouldn't be looking. Usually, they acted fine, but Sakura had moments when she would catch him off guard… Did that make him an unsuitable Senpai?

"Hugh, get your mind out of the gutter, Emiya. It's just the hormones acting up again. I'm at that age where such things become noticeable, and boys begin to act differently."

The last thing he wanted was to creep Sakura away from him. Even aside from these complicated feelings, he really enjoyed her presence. Teaching her how to cook became a wonderful pastime as well.

At the rate she was progressing, her culinary skills in eastern cuisine could easily surpass his in a few years.

"Maybe practicing some of my magecraft will help me get rid of these bad thoughts."

Grabbing a butter knife from the cupboard, he stared at the dull blade. The more he practiced using reinforcement on various items, the more he realized that his rate of success would soar when dealing with knives of any kind. Even small razor blades worked better than a PVC pipe. The time would be cut short as well, compared to anything else he tries reinforcement on.

Doing quick reinforcement on foreign materials would lead to a 70/30 chance outcome. It either exploded or became stronger than its previous state. But yeah, on most occasions, it just failed spectacularly.

He destroyed enough materials to fill in an entire spare parts shop many times over, and the price wasn't low as well.

Sure Kiritsugu left him quite the big fortune, but he preferred to keep himself grounded and work hard to then spend the money he earned through hard work.

"Alright, focus…"

He stretched out and adjusted his breathing.

Trying to empty his mind.

Ignoring everything around him, from the laughs and cheers of the people having fun and paying attention only to what was inside him.

"—Trace, on!"

The mental image of a gun's hammer firing came to his mind.

As if to hypnotize himself, he murmured the spell he'd grown long since accustomed to.

As he had no Magic Crest and barely any knowledge of magic spells aside from what Kiritsugu taught him, he practiced the little he knew to their limits.

He used to think that there were no lines in a human body to allow the passage of magical energy. His younger self practiced artificially changing his body to create such a line, to change his nerves into temporary circuits so often that he'd grown accustomed to it.

Even now, the phantom pain of what felt like a burning steel rod into his backbone resurfaced in his mind.

Thankfully, the old man managed to thwart his ways of activating his circuits a long time ago. Finally, showing him how to use his inborn 27 natural magic circuits.

Kiritsugu taught him a lot of magical energy itself. To be blunt, magecraft became a way to release one's magical energy. You could say that magical energy was his life force. Divided into two forms; a large source, "mana", floating around the world, and a small source, "od", created inside oneself.

It went without saying that the large source was superior to the small one. The power of "mana" was completely different from "od". Whatever the form of the magic, a spell using the large source far exceeded the one using only one's own power.

That was why superior magi excelled at drawing magical energy from the world.

They used their magical circuits like a filter of sorts.

A magus turned his body into a filter, sucked up the mana from the world around them, and changed it into something they could use.

That was the talent one was born with, and the number of the Magic Circuits within one was determined the moment you are born.

Which once again equaled his 27 magical circuits, which surpassed the average number of 20. And he couldn't have any more due to not coming from a magical family, thus not inheriting a Magic Crest.

Shirou was still unaware of his origin and element.

Kiritsugu had initially planned to find out, but his health rapidly declined each day. Shirou just didn't care about knowing such a piece of knowledge over the well-being of his father. He could always find out later, as he only had a limited amount of time left with him.

'To learn magic is to stray away from common sense. You die when you die, and you kill when you must. Our essence is not in life but in death. Magic is only a way to destroy yourself.'

Those were the words he repeatedly reminded the boy in the past and one which Shirou couldn't really understand.

He didn't feel fear nor reluctance over the idea of practicing something which might as well be the cause of his death in the near future. As long as it helped him to save and help people, then he didn't care about himself.

He couldn't care. He was not allowed to do so.

He was not a Magus. Kiritsugu reminded him that if he learned to perform magecraft with the sole reason of helping others, then he was the farthest thing to what a Magus truly was. They worked and researched for their own gain and not others.

He wanted to become a hero and not a Magus.

He was wasting time!

Focus!

What used to take an hour to activate happened in a matter of seconds when he employed the proper method and did not try to kill himself.

"Basic structure, analyze."

Emiya Shirou was no magus, only seeing himself as a magecraft user who could create magical energy within his body and draw it from the world to channel it into objects.

Recording and analyzing each of the knife's compositions and designs countless times in his head. For the spell he was going to use, he needed to have a detailed blueprint of the object at hand.

"Composition, analyze."

Reinforcing objects.

Reinforcement strengthens the object's abilities by understanding the object's structure and channeling magical energy into it.

Being one of the three basic magic spells that all apprentice magi learned at first, at least according to his father. Reinforcement, Alteration, and Projection, the set of spells he practiced for years.

"Basic structure, alter."

Before him, the metal butter knife had tiny amounts of circuit-like patterns running along its surfaces. He channeled magical energy into it, performed the simplest magic, and reinforced its durability.

Basically, channeling your magical energy into something other than yourself without knowledge and understanding was like pouring poison or a ticking time bomb. If he did it with carelessness, it would break. And if it was the far more complex human body, then the end result would easily be death or becoming disabled for life.

"Composition, reinforce."

He watched the butter knife glow brightly, showing neither discomfort nor tiredness from using the magic spell he'd done countless times in the past.

"It worked."

With his magical energy filling every gap and imperfection in the object. Making it stronger and more lethal if used in combat.

Swish!

Shirou grabbed the knife in a reverse grip, got into a fighting position, and slashed the blade many times in the air at an imaginary enemy.

He proceeded to perform basic moves from both Systema and Tantojutsu. Kiritsugu showed him how to defend himself with or without a blade, but Shirou found out that he was more naturally inclined to fight with a bladed weapon.

Wanting to go a bit further, he pushed his body a bit harder and made a series of slashes in the air at speed.

"I hope I didn't disturb anyone on the other side."

He made sure to not make too much noise, even though his feet were barefoot, and he breathed slowly throughout the practice round.

Just as he was about to continue his training…

Knock

Knock

… Someone knocked at the door.

"Heh? Did I perhaps really disturb the other passengers?"

It could have been Taiga.

"No, she would have just barged in without knocking and probably screamed my name out loud for half of the passengers to hear."

Sometimes, he wondered who was the adult in this situation. He even fed her.

Not wanting to keep whoever it was on the other side waiting, he shouted, "A moment, I'm coming!"

There was no peeking hole for him to check who it was, so he had no other choice but to open the door.

As he did, he came to face someone he did not recognize.

A very pretty young girl who looked to be around his age, with long golden blonde hair styled entirely in drills. Wearing ribbons in her hair with striking blue-themed clothing, she wore a long blue dress with sleeves that reached her hands. Honestly, she looked like she was going to attend a ball or something.

"Eh… hello?" he greeted her in English, not knowing what else to say to the stranger in front of him.

"Good afternoon, my name is Luviagelita Edelfelt, and I have just taken temporary residence in the adjacent room. I came to offer my greetings to my fellow neighbor!"

Shirou noticed how she spoke elegantly, with a sophisticated look that made him feel inadequate to some degree.

Still, he recomposed himself.

"O-Oh, w-well, nice to meet you as well, Miss Edelfelt. My name is Shirou. Glad to meet you."

"Oh? Are you perhaps Japanese?"

To his surprise, the girl suddenly spoke perfect Japanese out of nowhere. He was so taken back by it that it led him to stare at her for a few more seconds, debating whether he misheard her.

His reaction didn't go unnoticed and made Luvia smile proudly with a hint of smugness.

"Shocked? Hohohoho! No need. I only learned the language a few years ago out of curiosity. I can't say I'm quite good at it yet, but I'm improving with time." said the girl who spoke the language fluently and even sounded like a native if it wasn't for her European looks.

Even her laugh sounded bougie to him.

Shirou was impressed.

"Oh right, please come in. Sorry about keeping you standing all this time in front of the door… I didn't mean to be rude." he apologized while scratching the back of his head.

"Just like you, I just arrived and couldn't pack my things yet, so please excuse my bags."

Luvia didn't hold back on the hospitality and entered the room, looking around curiously. He wondered why she did that since their room should have been the same layout. Both were Royal suites.

"I see you came here for a honeymoon. Congratulations are in order."

Shirou noticed how she looked at the heart-shaped pillows on the bed and some of the rose petals on the sheets and immediately tried to stop another misunderstanding.

"Oh no, my guardian just won a ticket from a festival and forced me along cause she had no one else to ask."

Taiga would have cried if she had heard those words.

Shirou's face reddened considerably as he didn't want more people to misunderstand the situation and for the word to spread around Fuyuki. Fortunately, Taiga managed to explain the details to Sakura back then.

God forbid Shinji found out.

Out of everything, that woman just had to win a honeymoon-themed vacation. Her luck truly was special in its own way.

"Ah, I see. Forgive me for my quick judgment. I hope my words did not offend you in any way, Shero-san. Still, to sleep in such a room designed for couples, this mustn't be easy for you."

It was Shirou…

"Don't worry about it. My guardian can sometimes be a bit extreme, and she forcefully brought me here to 'make some friends'. And I see her as my big sister, so this doesn't bother me as such. Though at some point, I feel like I'm her parent, feeding her and ensuring she gets to eat her vegetables." Shirou joked, making Luvia giggle a bit.

"You have an interesting guardian for sure. Are you perhaps interested in some tea? I am waiting for my butler to unpack my belongings and wouldn't mind indulging in some light conversation with you. If you don't mind, that is."

"Ehh, the room only has packaged tea and coffee beans, of which I'm not sure of their quality. I can't guarantee something good with the materials at hand," he answered, flustered that he couldn't provide something better.

Luvia just found his attitude funny and amusing.

"I do not mind. I rather enjoy tasting some of the common folk's products from time to time. Sometimes, they taste better than the premium version, which I find to be ironic."

'Spoken like a true ojou-sama.' thought Shirou.

"Though I wouldn't mind a simple glass of water, I don't want to cause you any discomfort."

That would not do. She was his guest, so he couldn't let her do such a thing. Taiga would be ashamed of him if he let someone else prepare tea in his room.

"Please sit down, you're my guest, and I can't let you do such a thing."

Finally, he got something to do and fulfilled Taiga's promise of talking with others and socializing. Though he didn't know what kind of topic to talk about in the first place, he wasn't familiar with rich people like her, so their points of interest would definitely differ, and he didn't want to bore her.

"My my, a gentleman indeed," Luvia said as she sat on the sofa.

While Shirou walked behind the counter and fiddled with some of the utensils and different brands of tea, Luvia's smile slowly disappeared from her face.

Her eyes gazing at the butter knife Shirou forgot on the table with suspicion.

--------------------

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 2 Fate fics are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.