Chapter 23: Twins and Celine Part 3

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.

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-Yuuki Family Household-

"What are you doing?" Nana asked while leaning against the door frame that acted as the entrance to Emiya's bedroom she looked at her dear twin sister, who for some reason was currently on her knees as she rummaged for something beneath the bed in Emiya's room. 

The wardrobe, cupboard, and even the drawers had all been opened and emptied out, leaving the room a chaotic mess. 

"Oi, we already have enough trouble with that guy so don't go causing more issues with him and making things more difficult for our sister!"

The youngest's tail twitched, Momo turned around and waved to her to walk inside. 

"Ah, there you are Nana. Come and help me, I want to find at least one of Emiya's secret stashes." She said without missing a beat, getting a confused stare from Nana who was starting to wonder just what her twin was plotting this time. 

"Secret stashes?" 

"I learned from our sister's note that teenage boys tend to hide large stacks of perverted books hidden somewhere in their room. If we can get a hold of Emiya's, then we'll have complete control over the owner of this house!" said Momo as she found something through touch and pulled a large cardboard box from under the bed. Expecting to be met with a wealth of adult-themed books, her expectations were shattered which forced a sigh of disappointment at what happened to be an assortment of metal scraps. "These aren't hentai mangas… just random pieces of junk, copper wiring, broken devices, batteries and even… cookbooks? Is this his room or our sister's!?"

Rummaging at the very bottom to try and find the object of her search, there were just more books on strange things like computers and even guns — something Momo knew she could have found in her eldest sister's room.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Nana on the other hand couldn't believe her ears, not only was Momo searching for trouble but also attempting to do something much worse. "You're trying to blackmail him into having us stay in the house? Nope, count me out of it. I don't want to be lectured by him just to get sent back home by Zastin or an angry Lala."

"I'm not trying to blackmail him, come on now, be serious, I'm only trying to get my hands on sensitive information he wouldn't want to be known by other people and to negotiate a possible better deal between us in exchange for keeping my mouth shut."

"That's literally the definition of blackmail!"

Observing her younger sister's flushed face and genuine panic, Momo couldn't help but chuckle. She stood up and placed her hands in the air before resting against the bed's frame, a gentle smile on her face that resembled that of a fox in Nana's eyes. "Alright, alright, calm down. I'm just messing with you," she said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Even if I did stumble upon some of his secret stash, I wouldn't stoop to such levels. We had a good conversation yesterday, and I wouldn't want it ruined by such a silly act — I'm not that dumb."

Leaning down, Momo continued her search beneath the beds, her hands sifting through various items scattered on the floor. "I just got bored and was looking through his stuff for anything that might pique my interest," she explained, her voice muffled as she peered under the bed skirts. "But seriously, I was surprised to find nothing perverted hidden beneath his bed. It's strange that a young guy like him doesn't have any secret magazines or anything. I mean, as the youngest sister it's my right to get to know what kind of person my future brother-in-law is, right? So given this is our last day here, I might as well look around a bit. Though the other sibling's place had quite a few when I was curiously looking around."

She said while pointing at a couple of magazines stacked against one another outside the door which Nana overlooked previously, books she found hidden beneath Rito's bed and brought them with her just to read the content. Nana's face turned ugly, cringing in disgust as she saw the cover of mostly naked women in risque clothing and bikinis. One aspect all of them had in common was their rather endowed chests… "Pervert!" 

"Oh, come on now, it's not that unusual. He's a young teenage boy with curiosity about the opposite sex, it makes perfect sense for him to have these." Momo replied, her tone casual as she glanced around the room. "What's surprising is that the older brother doesn't have anything of that sort. All I could find was this box of junk and a cookbook next to his table. Who reads a cookbook before going to sleep? He's the weird one!"

Nana's lips curled into a faint pout as she didn't agree with her sister's words. "Someone who knows how to whip up a good meal for him once," she remarked, her thoughts drifting back to the delightful dinner they had shared the previous evening. The flavors were exquisite, far surpassing anything they had ever tasted before. "I can't believe I behaved like such a pig in front of Lala's fiancé."

Reflecting on her interactions with the Yuuki siblings, Nana couldn't help but feel impressed by some of their maturity — especially in Mikan's case. Despite her age, the little girl displayed a level of composure and responsibility that she hardly saw with other kids her age in the royal palace. Nana's initial impression of Rito on the other hand had been that of an ordinary human, but recent events had proven otherwise, particularly when he accidentally stumbled into her and had his hands make their way inside her clothes!

'That pervert even had the nerve to grope my chest and be confused!' That punch she threw at him was well deserved!

"While I did say that I'm not going to blackmail him into letting us stay… tell me honestly, do you think you could live anywhere else, or worse, aboard that cramped spaceship with our bodyguards and the cooks?" Momo's question brought back memories of a disastrous meal they had endured on a foreign planet that Nana and Momo visited after hearing rumors of a previously thought extinct floral and beastly hybrid species being spotted. Zastin had attempted to prepare a dish using local ingredients, resulting in a bout of food poisoning that left them ill for days.

And it turned out he accidentally hunted the very same creature both of them were attempting to save!

"Urgh, don't remind me, I think that was the closest he came to dying after Dad found out about it," Nana groaned, the memory of the near-disastrous incident still fresh in her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. "I don't think I will eat anything else other than water for the next month! The effects are still present on me to this day." 

Momo scoffed, "As if, you're just naturally flat, unlike me." Her smug tone was accompanied by squeezing her chest to further emphasize the curves and contour of her body. The slight jiggle caused a surge of jealousy to rise within Nana which the less-developed twin tried to suppress.

Not wanting to fall into Momo's obvious trap, Nana put more thought into what was mentioned before. Nana couldn't deny the appeal of staying in this house. The food was delectable, her younger sister seemed to have struck up a friendship with Emiya on the first day somehow according to her, and she relished the chance to spend quality time with her older sister, who appeared much happier in this environment than on planet Deviluke. 

Nana couldn't help but notice the frequent smiles and laughter that graced her sister's face whenever she was around the man, despite his clear exasperation with her antics. His actions — though sometimes masked by a tired facade — revealed a caring nature that Nana admittedly found endearing, understanding how her sister could have fallen for him.

"Well, either way, blackmail is out of the question. We need to find another way to incentivize our stay here. Any ideas?" She glanced at Momo, her expression thoughtful.

Seated cross-legged on Emiya's previously meticulously made bed now turned into a mess, the sisters engaged in a brainstorming session, their minds working in tandem to devise a solution to their predicament. They were grateful that Emiya hadn't ejected them from the house immediately, even going as far as to prepare breakfast for them before departing for school with his siblings and her sister. Surprisingly, he had entrusted Zastin with the responsibility of house-sitting, but had issued strict instructions upon them to not touch or disturb anything. 

The fact that one of the most famous swordsmen in the galaxy transformed into a bootlicking yes-man when conversing with the redhead did not escape them. They were more disappointed in Zastin than anything else, wondering if he was willing to become a dog just to get a few more servings of food. Honestly, how the hell did Lala stumble upon her current fiance in the first place!? 

"Still, don't you find it strange that he doesn't have any hentai mangas or those adult magazines?" Momo queried once more, her curiosity piqued. "I mean, he's a young man in his teenage years. Don't humans at this age typically get really hormonal and curious about the opposite gender?"

Nana pondered her sister's question, her gaze drifting across the room, not particularly interested in their host's absence of such materials. In her opinion, it just didn't quite fit the image she had formed of him. As she reclined onto the bed, the plushness of the mattress offered a comforting embrace, the contrast of its softness against the chill in the air a welcome sensation.

"Perhaps he's just not interested," she mused aloud, her voice softened by the tranquility of the room. "And he already has our sister. I don't see him being interested in such things in the first place. She's more beautiful than any of those women, after all, she looks more like Mama than any one of us. Besides, not everyone would have such material in their collections."

"…"

The redhead's demeanor had left an impression on her from their first meeting and she couldn't find any bad points about him. It was a stark contrast to the many suitors who came after their sister. Both Momo and herself knew that at one point it would be their turn to get married with one of the candidates… and the likelihood to get anyone like him was practically zero.

"Why don't we just ask Mikan to put in a good word about us to her brother?" She suggested, coming around her initial judgment and thinking that staying over was perhaps not that bad of an idea to begin with.

"You know what, Nana… That's actually not such a bad suggestion," Momo exclaimed, her smirk widening mischievously as she considered the possibilities. "We could also try to get on his younger sister's good side. Oh! And his brother as well! He seems to enjoy sports-related activities, so why not buy him a few gifts? I'm sure he'll warm up to us in no time."

"I mean… sure, we can try. But I won't be the one doing it! And there is no guarantee that it will work in the first place.

"You're too pessimistic, even if it doesn't work, I can try to use my body to convince Emi—hya!" As Momo started to suggest a possible solution, her words were cut short as a firm hand grasped her tail roughly. "N-Nana!?"

Her moan echoed inside the room, foggy eyes looking at purple, the latter rubbing the tip of her tail, each stroke sending a mind-numbing wave of pleasure all over her body. 

"Don't you dare cause any trouble for either our eldest sister or Emiya, he doesn't need to deal with the likes of you!" 

"Ah~!" 

The youngest tried to move but her limbs felt like jelly, panting loudly she grinned before using what little strength she could muster up and immediately went for Nana's tail. "Nya~!" Another sensual moan filled the roam, this time the middle child getting caught at the mercy of her sensitive tail. "Y-You!" 

"Heh," Momo grinned, "What do you mean by the likes of me? Ah~! I-I think both he and I could get along splendidly! Nng! D-d-don't lick it, you idiot!" 

She fumbled onto the bed as Nana's tongue glided across the tip of her tail, a trail of saliva coating the surface. "A-As if! You j-just…ah~ just want to take advantage of the situation! Also, let g-go of my tail first!"

"Never!" 

The conquest between them turned more intense, their moans getting increasingly intense as the siblings wrestled against one another on the bed. Vying for dominance over the other to the point their clothes were nearly gone. 

Yet their sensual scuffle was brought to an end by the sound of crashing. 

Startled by the unexpected sound, both girls paused in their play and exchanged puzzled glances. "What was that?" Nana questioned, her voice tinged with a hint of concern as she turned towards her twin sister. "Sounded like something heavy fell…"

Momo nodded in agreement, her own curiosity piqued by the mysterious noise. "We should go take a look," she suggested, her tone of apprehension.

After putting their clothes back on, the twins walked down the stairs, the house now as empty as it could with everyone in school aside from the two of them, along with Zastin and Celine. 

"N-Nana-sama, Momo-sama!" The bodyguard, now adorned in a simple T-shirt and shorts, froze mid-action as if caught in the act. He stood before the fridge, a guilty look painting his features, half-eaten yakisoba dangling from his mouth. He resembled a child caught pilfering sweets from the forbidden jar. "I-I was just feeling a bit peckish! I assure you, I'm not pilfering anything!" 

Both of the girls just exchanged glances before shrugging, not that surprised by his behavior given they had done something similar as well. "Yeah, anyways, did something fall? We heard a crashing sound a couple of seconds ago." 

"Eh? Not that I'm aware of." 

Weird, if it wasn't him then where did it come from?

"By the way, you know we'll be telling Emiya what you're doing right now, right?" Nana said, crossing her arms while sending a harsh glare towards the man. Still very much angry that Emiya made this person basically babysit them.

"W-What!? Please don't! I'll do anything—wah!" The bodyguard's panicked plea was cut short as he accidentally dropped a bottle of juice, the container clattering to the floor before he lost his footing, crashing his head against the table counter and sending him into unconsciousness.

"His clumsiness seems to have worsened, hasn't it? I bet that sound came from him dropping something else and trying to weasel his way out by acting clueless." With a fork in hand, the youngest Develukean princess prodded the fallen guard's head, observing as foam began to form at the corners of his mouth. "I heard from his subordinates that he fell into the same sewer hole twice in one day. Should they really entrust the house to him? By the end of the day, they might come back to find nothing but a burnt building."

"Let's just ignore him," Nana remarked, gathering the salvageable produce before getting started on cleaning up the mess.

As they were about to do so, another loud clanging noise reached their ears.

"—?" 

Both sisters were startled by the sound of multiple metal pieces hitting the ground. Certainly not Zastin trying to hide something. "What what that?" Nana exclaimed, her heart racing as she nearly slipped on the now-wet floor.

"It came from Emiya's shed," Momo noted, her gaze drawn out of the window toward the shed. The door was slightly ajar, a detail she was certain she would have noticed earlier. A sense of unease crept over her as she scanned the yard, her eyes searching for anything weird that could have caused the sound. 

"Wait, where is Celine?" Another matter grabbed her attention — the absence of the flower girl who had been sitting in the living room just minutes ago, engrossed in a children's TV show the eldest Yuuki sibling had put on to keep the child occupied for a few hours until they got back. Momo's eyes widened as she glanced back and realized the movie was still playing, but the sofa was empty. Panic surged within her, intertwining with the growing apprehension about the shed.

"Isn't that place filled with sharp and dangerous objects…"

"Oh no…" 

Neither sister wasted a moment on seeing if Zastin was okay, abandoning their cleanup tasks and causing a few utensils to clatter onto his head before rushing out of the house in haste. The urgency of the situation spurred them forward, their hearts pounding in their chests as they raced toward the shed. "Didn't I tell you to close the door? How could you forget something like this!?" Nana accused her sister, her tone laced with frustration.

"I did close it! It must have been that stupid Zastin who forgot to close it when he went out or something! Quick, that place is dangerous and filled with sharp blades. She could get hurt!" Initially, both of them had been warned by Mikan and Rito not to venture into that area without Emiya present. The latter was particularly sensitive about his privacy, especially regarding the shed. It seemed to hold more significance to him than his own room, likely due to the swords and forge inside — a hazardous environment for someone unfamiliar with proper safety measures. Their eldest sister back home would occasionally display similar behavior regarding certain spaces.

"What the…" Momo's eyes widened as she pushed the wooden door open, the loud clang of wood breaking the silence. The once meticulously organized interior was now in disarray with blades and ingots scattered across the floor. Tiny soot-covered footprints covered the walls, with small vines creeping up against the table. The sight sent shivers down her spine, a foreboding sense of danger hanging heavy in the air. "This is bad. Really, really bad."

Forget about trying to negotiate with the man to stay for another day, Momo was certain they would be kicked out of the place the minute he found out Celine was missing, and his place was trashed like this when they were the ones in the house, it didn't matter whether or not it was Zastin who was responsible, she just knew the man would be mad!

Worst of all, Celine was still a young budding child, having technically only been truly born very recently, and completely naive of the world around her. If that girl went wandering around town with no supervision or someone responsible by her side to keep her safe, then it was only a matter of time before something bad would happen to her. 

Momo could not allow that to happen.

"Wah! Momo? Where are you going!?" Her sister exclaimed loudly and surprised as she grabbed the latter's hands, pulling her out of the place and running out of the house before stopping in the middle of the streets. She looked around for the slightest clue, anything that would show where Celine could have possibly run off to but the more she tried to find anything the less confident she became.

"Look!" Thankfully, Nana's keen eye caught something on the road. "There's some kind of weird line, coming from the shed and up to here." She pointed at the strange mark, a thin, irregular trail as if something heavy had been dragged along it. Upon closer inspection, the mark remained visible, offering a glimmer of hope in the midst of their panic. 

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Momo urged, worry etched across her features as she prepared to follow the trail with Nana by her side.

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"Man, the weather just keeps getting worse!" Akiho Sairenji remarked with a sigh, wiping away the sweat on her temples with a piece of cloth as she finished the last bit of her ice cream while seated in the park. With long purple hair cascading down her back and eyes shimmering with a hint of frustration, her face bore a resemblance to that of her younger sister, Haruna.

Despite the heat, she couldn't help but lament, "Can't believe that guy ghosted me again."

What should have been a joyful day, spending time with a guy she met at work for a casual date, turned into a complete disaster when he failed to show up or respond to her calls asking where he had been for the past two hours. "Why is everything so crappy lately? Even Haruna doesn't talk to me anymore."

Her voice held a touch of concern as she reflected on her sister's recent behavior. Her dear sibling, usually the bright light in her life, had recently turned gloomy. Despite Akiho's attempts to inquire about her well-being, Haruna would only offer vague, dismissive responses or claim to be feeling under the weather. However, a check on her while she slept revealed she wasn't sick at all. "Did she get dumped or something?" As a high school girl, it wouldn't be unusual for Haruna to behave this way if she experienced such a setback. 

Akiho, unfortunately, had not gone through similar experiences in the past to relate… given the many times she was the one getting confessed to — sometimes twice in one day. Of course, all of them were turned down as she never truly sought any serious relationship. But still, she knew a few ways to cheer her sister up.

"No, that can't be. I don't think she even has a crush…" The woman mused, furrowing her brows as she tried to piece together the puzzle of her sister's emotions. Haruna had never hinted at liking anyone in particular, and her reliable informant would have surely kept her updated if her sister had fallen in love. 

"I'll just call that bastard up, he owes me a few more favors." Retrieving her cell phone, Akiho scrolled through her contacts and stopped at a familiar name. The profile picture taken a while ago depicted her in a middle school uniform, playfully pinching the cheeks of a visibly irritated red-headed boy holding a small brunette girl by the hand. She grinned at the nostalgic sight, having always found his reactions amusing.

'Oi, what happened to Haruna? She's been acting weird lately. Don't tell me she got dumped… or else I'll find the boy myself.' she typed, adding an angry emoji before sending the message and following up with a second one.

'Don't ignore me, I know where you live.' a cheeky little threat, a response she sent knowing exactly the type of reaction that boy would have. Always acting as if she was a troublesome woman. Why couldn't he be as sweet as his siblings?

"Alright, it's clear that my date either had an accident or somehow forgot about me, but he ain't coming, and I just wasted my entire day for nothing." With a deep sigh, she got up and began to make her way toward her house, intending to retire for the night and sleep until the next day. 

As she walked, her thoughts drifted, contemplating the events of the day and the disappointment of her failed plans, her musings were interrupted by an unexpected sight before her. 

"A child?"

A young one, barely old enough to even walk and begin talking, based on the mostly incoherent mumbling she heard. Beautiful locks of light green hair adorned with a giant budding flower atop her head, and wearing distinctive black and red clothing, the young girl walked confidently down the street, drawing the attention of passersby.

Akiho came to a halt, her confusion evident as she observed the child, who appeared to be all alone, save for the item she dragged along like a toy, though it was clearly anything but. It was a dagger, small enough to be wielded by an adult with one hand but appearing formidable in the grasp of the young girl. Despite the concern it raised among onlookers, the child seemed unfazed, humming joyously as she searched the faces in the crowd.

"What kind of irresponsible buffoon gives their child a dagger?" These words slipped from her mouth, coupled with the absolute bafflement that such people could even exist. If the parents were nearby then she would have punched them right in the face and brought them to the police. Regardless, someone had to take care of the child! 

"Wh-what? Where did she go!?" 

Lost in her contemplation, she initially debated whether to approach the child or not. But by the time she made a decision, Celine had vanished from sight, leaving the woman with a puzzled expression.

{Break}

-Sainan Academy-

"Not that woman again," Running within the hallway, Emiya commented with a scornful face as he read the message he just received. Rolling his eyes as soon as the second message popped up. "Her date must not have gone well." 

"A problem?" Yami asked, the girl keeping pace with him. 

"Not really, just someone who gets noisy whenever she's bored," he replied, knowing full well that Akiho rarely messaged him directly unless something significant had occurred on her end. That woman and her tendency to regularly go on casual dates without any intentions to form an actual relationship had been a recurring behavior from her since she was in high school… and he had to put up with the aftermath. 

"Anyways, just forget about that. We need to get over there quickly."

The sudden explosion from the other side of the school took him by surprise, coupled with the shouts from students indicating that the source likely originated from one of Lala's items. This, along with the mention of Haruna's name, added to his worries. Setting aside the unexpected encounter with Ren's sister, who seemed to be inexplicably stalking him and Risa, Emiya focused on the more pressing matters at hand.

"A-Ah, E-Emiya-kun!" As he reached the other side of the school where the girls' changing room was located, he immediately noticed the dense presence of pink smoke filling the room, causing his nose to itch. Emerging from the smoke was Yui Kotegawa, the brunette waving the haze away with little success while coughing multiple times. "Have you seen Haruna or Lala on your way here?"

"No, I haven't seen those two or even a trace of them," he replied, realizing that they were either still inside or something had happened to them. "What the hell happened? Tell me everything."

Pulling the young girl away from the smoke, ignoring the slight blush on her face as he did so, he brought her to a place where she could actually breathe.

"T-Thank…" said Yui while being given a bottle of water by Yami. "Haruna got injured during PE class, and Lala was taking her to the infirmary. One of the girls took their bags and was about to head to the changing room, but she tripped, and out of nowhere, there was a sudden explosion," Yui explained, her voice filled with concern. "After that, I couldn't find those two!"

He didn't know whether to consider it a coincidence that Akiho chose this moment out of all to ask about her sister or his bad luck just coming to haunt him. 

"Ni-san!" Then appeared Rito from the other side of the hallway, rushing over with his friend, Saruyama, and surprised to see the chaos around. "What happened? I heard something happened to Sairenji."

"Holy shit he bagged another cutie!?" Saruyama on the other hand was completely focusing on the blonde assassin standing right next to his most hated enemy. Close enough that there was no way it would be him misunderstanding the situation — practically standing under his shadow! "I'm seriously going to murder you one day, he's even going after the loli!" 

Frowning red eyes instantly locked on to him before a fist twice the size of a human's head struck the boy right in the face, rendering him unconscious instantly. "Don't badmouth Yuuki Emiya Shirou and I am not a loli." 

Seeing Rito get frozen with fear by Yami's action, not wanting the boy to start panicking, Emiya gave him a couple of pats on the back to jolt him out of his state. "She's most likely fine. Just help Kotegawa here and bring everyone—"

"—I want to go with you as well!" the boy interrupted, determination in his eyes as he instantly realized that his brother was going inside. However, his request was met with a shake by the Counter Guardian, the latter less than okay of having anyone else get tangled up in this mess by accident.

"No, I can handle it myself. I need you here to make sure nothing else happens without my knowledge, we still have to make sure people don't get suspicious of Lala's identity as an alien. Also, you can't be sure just what is going on inside, and it's better you don't take any risks," Emiya explained, recognizing the stubborn face he had confronted many times before. With no time to convince him, he had to resort to using force. "Yami!" he called the girl, who nodded before hundreds of thousands of strands of blonde hair wrapped themselves around Rito.

"Wh—Yami-chan!?" The boy was caught off guard, and his friend had already been swiftly knocked out before he could witness the scene, the fog serving as a temporary smoke screen to their advantage. Yui was far too distracted screaming at the students to not approach the area to notice anything.

"Just wait here. Yami will make sure nothing happens to you or anyone else. If there's something that happens out of my control, I'll call both of you. You can wait here in the meantime," he instructed, still seeing his brother struggle and try to break free from her hold. Without wasting any time, he ventured inside the room.

"Now let's see what is going on here." The further he got inside the room, the denser the fog became until even his vision was useless. 

However, he managed to feel his feet touching something and realized it was a bag. Crouching down to get a better look, he searched around and felt a small electric current run up his fingers. With a brief moment of hesitation, he grabbed the item more carefully and discovered it was a D-Dial with a cracked screen, most likely damaged from the fall.  

"Damn it, Lala. Why can't you use sturdier materials for your more reliable inventions?" The ones that always caused trouble were seemingly unbreakable with regular means, and for this to crack from just a fall was frustrating, to say the least.

Coughing a few more times, he finally managed to reach the end of the room. He quickly opened the windows to let the fog dissipate, regretting his decision not to wear a gas mask. Rectifying his mistake, he donned the mask and waited patiently until the room cleared enough for his vision to return. "Empty..."

Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, there were no traces of either of the two girls. Instead, the room was a chaotic mess, with Lala's bag sprawled on the floor amidst scattered belongings. Nearby, a certain swirl-eyed robot lay unconscious. "Oi, wake up, you piece of scrap!" Emiya gave the robot a quick kick to the head, jolting it back to consciousness.

"Eh? La...la-sama?" Still groggy, Peke looked around in confusion, mistaking Emiya for its owner. It mumbled incoherently until it felt a firm hand grasp its face with enough strength to stretch its metallic surface. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Stop, stop, stop, stop it! You're going to crack my face, you dumb brute!"

Emiya, impatient and determined, brought the robot closer to his face. He whispered with a slight growl, "Get a good look at my face and call me Lala again. I don't know why you're lying around in the middle of the room but your creator has disappeared along with another student, and I want you to find them right now. Don't you dare waste my time, or else I'll have Lala create a replacement with a longer battery life and better water resistance."

Peke showed the closest thing to a terrified expression, realizing that Emiya was not in the mood for jokes. It took his words seriously. Emiya knew the robot could find its master, as it had done so in the past. When Lala first appeared in his house, it flew straight towards her, knowing she was there. So, it either had amazing luck or some way to track her down. "Lala-sama!"

Wanting to escape the terrifying human, Peke brought out its wings and flew out of the room, with Emiya following along and passing by Yami, who followed suit while still holding onto his brother.

"Before any of you ask, it seems like one of Lala's inventions broke because of someone dropping her bag and causing it to teleport those two somewhere around the school grounds, most likely. We all need to find them before a certain principal does." 

That slimy bastard just never learned nor was he kept within prison for more than a day at best, and the redhead was certain that the old man was either related to one of the politicians in some way who kept him out of jail this entire time along with his actions making headlines. Otherwise, it made no sense for him to get such a special treatment!

"Lala-sama!" Peke screamed with delight before gasping in horror at the sight before it, the trio behind widening their eyes as they found the pink-haired princess floating on top of the pool, completely naked.

"Of course, it ended up like that!" Emiya wasted no time jumping into the water to grab Lala, bringing her to the side and carefully placing her on the ground. But one thing continued to worry him. "She's alone… the teleportation device must have separated the two. We still need to find Haruna."

"I'll do it. You can look after the princess," Yami said, her wings spreading out from her back as she took flight before even giving any time to respond. Rito's distance screeched as the blonde ascended, still firmly held onto by Yami. Despite their rough initial meeting, Emiya gained a newfound trust in Yami's abilities, after her involvement in saving Mikado, to find Haruna and keep his brother safe. 

"No injuries or broken bones thankfully, can't stay here for long in case more students show up." Taking Lala in a princess carry and covering her nude body with a blanket, Emiya walked into the pool's changing room, where no one was around, and placed her on a bench. "Lala, wake up!" He slapped her face a couple of times, getting no response. 

"Guess I have no choice," Worried that she may have drowned, he prepared to administer CPR but was splashed with water as his face neared her face, forcing him to back off immediately. 

"Cough! Cough!" She coughed up blobs of water, struggling to get up but nearly falling down if Emiya hadn't been there by her side. 

"Hah… hah… hah… hah…" 

The girl wheezed, breathing erratically with widened eyes staring at the ground. It was one of the rare times he'd seen her in such a state of panic, so he went to her side and started to comfort her.

"Breathe, don't panic, and focus on my voice. Just breathe and focus on hearing what I'm about to say next. Breathe in and breathe out," he spoke softly to her, the seconds passing by until she finally managed to calm down. Emiya sighed in relief, realizing that even despite their enhanced physique, Devilukeans were still susceptible to drowning like any other human.

However, he immediately noticed something was off about the pink-haired girl. Despite nearly drowning, she looked around in confusion before locking her gaze on him. Her usual joy-filled eyes were absent, replaced by a vacant stare that seemed very out of place. Then, she looked down at her body, the blankets having fallen off completely, revealing her bare skin to him. "A-Ah…."

Strange, very strange. 

"Sorry about your clothes, I couldn't find them anywhere and was more worried about you not dying from drowning than anything else," Emiya explained but raised an eyebrow as the girl started to tremble. "What? You sneak into my room without any clothes every day, but when I save you from drowning without any clothes, suddenly you've developed a sense of shame? You know, that doesn't sound so bad. It's a normal emotion that you should have," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. 

Perhaps her mind hadn't completely recovered from the shock, and she was having a hard time grasping everything.

"Wa…Wah…w-Wah…"

"Lala?" 

Yet, the strange behavior continued. She did not respond to him, her face growing a deep shade of red as her lips started to quiver. The reaction caused Emiya to feel a sense of dread. Something was truly not right with her right now, and he had a bad feeling about it.

This was further emphasized by her following actions as she quickly covered her chest and crossed her legs.

"No, no, oh oh oh oh oh! Don't look at me, Emiya-kun!" Her hands moved like a blur, holding superhuman speed as his eyes barely managed to keep track of them and the sudden scream momentarily shook him up. The next second, he felt as if a truck had struck his face in full force. 

"What th—urgh!" Lala's punch warped his face, barely giving him time to use Reinforcement through pure instinct alone. The spell was able to keep his bones from shattering under the impact, but unable to stop the force of the impact overwhelming everything else.

Crash!

The sensation was nearly as painful as getting hit by one of Rin's Gandr even as a Servant, his body flew like a ragdoll, crashing through the solid wall and breaking through to the other side. "Argh!" His breathing stopped for a moment as his back impacted the water, sinking deeper and deeper till he reached the bottom. 

'What the hell happened?' Lala's action was so sudden and out of character that even as his body continued to lie immobile with nothing but the sound of turbulent water around him dissipating and turning silent, he remained stunned for the next few following seconds. 'Wait a minute, that reaction... the way she called me…'

The strike almost made him lose consciousness, an expertly thrown punch that struck close to his chin and rattled his brain. Even his vision was hazy, along with the intense ringing in his ears — having done more damage to him than anything Zastin or his henchmen managed to do. 

'I need to move, I can't stay here forever,' he pushed through the sensation and slowly tried to swim up to confirm his worries. Strangely enough, a shadow appeared on top of the water, and the next thing he knew, a hand plunged into the water and grabbed onto his shirt before pulling him with enough force that his entire body instantly shot up the water like a fish getting reeled in by a hook. 

But unlike before, he was prepared and managed to land in a way that wouldn't break his bones. "Oof!" His body rolled onto the side of the pool, the hot slab of concrete warming his body with the sight of a large hole now present in the pool's changing room. "That punch looked familiar as well." 

"Emiya-kun!" he heard a panicked cry followed by hurried steps. A pair of hands gently grabbed onto his face. "Oh my god, Emiya-kun! Are you okay!? I-I didn't mean to hit you! I didn't expect you would go flying like that, I was scared and caught by surprise, and... and... and... I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Please don't die!" 

With widened eyes, the redhead stared back at the strange scene of Lala carefully holding onto him, clutching his face close to her chest as she continued to ramble on. Checking his state, her eyes filled with tears as she continuously asked for forgiveness and begged him not to die. However, if this truly was Lala, she wouldn't have been this worried, as she had seen that he faced much worse.

The fact that Lala never called him Emiya and always used Shirou was the final nail in the coffin, telling him who this person before him truly was.

"Ha… Haruna?"

{Break}

"Shirou!" 

As it turned out, Yami and Rito managed to find Haruna's body. The latter reappeared on top of the rooftop where he and Risa were having lunch, catching the latter by quite a surprise as she was the one responsible for catching the falling blue-haired girl from hitting the ground. 

Emiya stood in front of the school gates, the side of his face slightly swollen with a cold pack pressed against it. It was a small gift from Mikado, who couldn't help but chuckle when she saw his face when he appeared in the infirmary. Next to him, Haruna, now within Lala's body, shyly used a nearby tree as cover to hide from the public eye while dressed in a red jersey he created. Her eyes were still swollen and red from crying, and it had taken him nearly ten minutes to calm the distressed girl down.

"I'm so glad you found Haruna-chi!" 

Indeed, the girl next to him was not Lala, but Haruna, who had somehow swapped bodies with Lala. It was eerie to see Haruna run towards him with such a cheerful display while waving her hands, with Yami, and Rito keeping up with her from behind. She looked fine so far, still her usual self even when trapped in another person's body, at least it assured him that she must not be that worried and had a solution.

Of course, out of habit, Lala jumped towards him with her arms wide open, going for a hug. But given whose body she currently inhabited, he couldn't allow that. "Oof!" Right as she was about to reach him, he stopped her with his palm, pushing her away to avoid any awkwardness between him and the original owner of the body. "Aaaah, why!?"

"Idiot, don't do such a thing when you're not the owner of that body. You'll just embarrass her and make things very awkward between everyone," he emphasized the last part, throwing a glance towards his brother and the real Haruna behind him, who looked at the scene with a crimson blush returning to her face. "Tell me what the hell happened and how long it will take to return back to normal."

At that Lala instantly shook her head, "It's not my fault, I swear! I don't know what could have caused it in the first place. My D-Dial breaking shouldn't have such an effect! It's only a storage and communication device! But don't worry," Lala huffed with confidence, puffing her chest, "I just need to run some tests on both of us tonight and come up with a reversible solution. Then we'll be set for tomorrow."

"Wait, you mean she'll stay in our house for the night!?" Out of everyone present, Rito had the biggest reaction, his face turning crimson with shock as he mirrored Haruna's stunned expression. He glanced back at Haruna in Lala's body, equally surprised, before turning to Emiya for an answer. As for Emiya, he had to think carefully about this.

"No one said anything about living in our house. Haru… Lala, can't you fix this issue another way?" 

Lala hummed, putting on a thoughtful expression as she took a few seconds before answering. "Well, I can't exactly use my other inventions to reverse the effect without knowing what exactly caused the swap in the first place. I mean, I could try, but something tells me you wouldn't like that idea very much," she said, glancing at him. He had to admit she was right. Randomly trying one invention after another to find the solution was just asking for trouble. She continued, "I can also try slowly by examining Haruna each day when she's in school, but without my equipment, it will be a bit hard. It might even take more time than usual, two to three days."

"Two to three days!?" Haruna exclaimed, quickly shaking his head at the idea of staying that long in Lala's body. "No, I can't let that happen. It shouldn't be too hard, and people will find out! My sister alone will be suspicious the second she sees you," she reasoned. 

Well, she did have a point. Even if Lala went back to Haruna's house and tried to act like the blue-haired girl, Emiya had little confidence that she possessed the acting skills to pull it off successfully and not end in disaster. 

"I'd much rather stay a single night and have Lala fix whatever this is as quickly as possible! Even people at school will soon realize that something is wrong with me." Haruna said, equally as opposed to the idea of prolonging this issue more than a single day.

"Are you sure about this, Haruna? You might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything that happened, so take your time to answer." Emiya added, knowing how awkward this was but deciding to still take the girl's feelings into consideration. 

The girl on the other hand huffed, a slight pout on her face as she glared at him. "Why are you making it sound like staying over for a single night is something bad? I've known you and Yuuki-kun for a while and I'm doing this to return to my body as soon as possible. I trust you two and we can consider this like a sleepover between me and Lala-chan… she has been inviting me for such a thing for days." 

"Y-You can count on us, S-Sairenji! We'll make sure you get better soon!" Rito shouted, trying his best to not let his emotions take over at the thought of his crush living under the same roof for a day. 

Well, if she was okay with it then it was a waste of time to overthink it. "Alright, if you say so." Emiya shrugged, still wondering why Haruna hadn't brought up any questions on how or why this phenomenon of body switching was even possible. "After Lala is done with whatever test she needs to conduct on you, I can arrange for a spare bed you can use in Mikan's room. At worst you'll have to settle with a futon." 

"You still use those things? It's not like your place is a small apartment."

He gave her a side glance, "It's comfortable, that's all that matters." 

"Pft, you're just old-fashioned, Emiya-kun." She giggled, feeling less terrible about what happened so far. Going back to behaving like her usual self, though her smile momentarily died down as she stared back at Emiya, the memories of the festival resurfacing for a brief moment. 

She shook her head. This… this wasn't the best place to bring that up. "I still need to talk to my sister. I never actually spent a day at a friend's house, and I'd have to avoid telling her that I'm spending a night at your house… for obvious reasons."

Instead of answering her, Emiya thought of an excellent solution before taking out his phone and dialing the number of that troublesome woman. The phone rang a couple of times before the other side picked up. "You brat, I told you I know where you live, why did you ignore my message!?"

"I was occupied with something more important than listening to your rambling about a failed date. Anyway, I just wanted to answer your question because I know you'd continue pestering me if I didn't. Haruna is doing well. I don't know why she's behaving like that, but at school, she's still cheerful and talks with her friends without any issues. I heard that Risa even invited her to her house for a sleepover, though the girl is obviously hesitating. My guess is she's just worried that you'll say no or something."

"Really? That's a relief! And she's overthinking it too much! I don't mind it; I told her I even encourage such a thing. That poor girl barely has any friends and always stays at home all day without being very productive. As her sister, it's my duty to encourage social interaction and make friends, so let her have her fun with this Risa girl, and perhaps this will put her in a better mood!" 

Haruna's mouth hung open as she continued to listen to the casual conversation between him and her sister.

"Yeah, don't tell me that, tell it to your little sister herself. I'm sure she'll send you a message or call in a matter of minutes to ask you for permission. Just don't mess it up, and also, after this, I no longer owe you any favors." After that matter was done, Emiya ended the call before facing the others and coming to face a different myriad of expressions. 

Yami with the same blank stare, Rito unsure whether to feel happy or anxious about Haruna coming over for a sleepover, while Lala seemed to be busy examining the broken D-dial, fully immersed in her own little world to notice anything from the outside. As for Haruna, the girl was stunned as she brought up her shaking fingers and pointed right at Emiya before shouting in an accusatory tone. 

"What the hell was that about!? You were the one snitching on me to her the entire time? I thought you were on my side this entire time!" In her anger, she went up and tried to punch Emiya, only to stop at the last second as she remembered the incident from before. "No wonder my sister always knew what I was doing at school… I thought I was just bad at lying."

"You are. I'll talk to you about it after you've returned to your old body and no longer have the strength to kill me in one hit," Emiya said dryly, causing the girl to flinch, something he hadn't intended. He realized that perhaps he had gone too far with his joke. "Alright, as agreed, I'll arrange for you a bed in Mikan's room. Lala already has her siblings, but they most likely won't leave until nightfall, and that particular room is filled with other types of gadgets all around. We can't have you caught up in another explosion or something."

"Wait, you're letting them stay!?" Lala exclaimed, getting close enough that their faces were less than an inch apart. 

Once again, Emiya pushed her away as Haruna looked like she was about to pass out in the background. "Only for a few days, your sister Momo is the only one able to communicate with Celine. I don't know how to take care of her new form and rather not take chances. So better to keep them around for a little while longer till I figure things out." 

Not to mention they didn't seem to be nearly as chaotic as Lala. Sure they had their quirks and were brats stealing his food, but neither was walking around with possible faulty reality-altering devices in their pockets. 

Again, it was a bit strange how throughout the entire conversation, Haruna didn't bring up how Lala could even possess such technology in the first place. Emiya worried at first that she would begin questioning the princess's origin and asking just who she truly was, but the girl remained quiet so far. 

Thinking about it for a few more moments, he concluded that perhaps she had gotten far too overwhelmed with her current situation for such thoughts to emerge in her mind yet. But after all of this was eventually fixed, she would question him about Lala's origin and how it was even possible for her to create such devices in the first place. Emiya was already prepared to tell her the truth; coming up with any sort of believable lie was nearly impossible and could potentially cause her to get more suspicious. Risa already knew their secret, and having Haruna know about it as well wouldn't bring any particular harm; he trusted her to keep it a secret for now.

As they were about to leave school, Emiya recalled a particular matter he needed to attend to today. He almost forgot about it; Mikan would kill him if he wasn't present. Rubbing his temples, he just recalled that he had promised a certain heiress to visit her home today. But with everything that had happened earlier, such a thought completely slipped his mind and nearly made him forget to go there, which would have brought him more trouble in the future.

"Alright, Rito, Yami, and Lala… you three are going to take Haruna back home and make sure nothing happens to her. I'm counting on you, Lala, to fix this issue as soon as possible. Remember what I told you; don't use any untested inventions of yours and merely try to identify the problems and possibly reverse it through something you have already tested. If you require a new invention to solve this problem, then wait for me to return because we will check it and conduct some tests before trying it on both of you," Emiya instructed, ensuring they were on the same page regarding the situation.

"You can trust me, Shirou! But I want an award at the end of it too, like another bath together!" It really felt weird hearing those words being uttered from Haruna's body. 

"You two take baths together!?" 

"No… it was an accident." 

Perhaps going over to Saki's place wasn't that bad of an idea after all.

{Break}

"This must be the place," Emiya remarked, holding onto a note with the address of where a certain Kendo practitioner noted down her mistress's address. He watched with impressed eyes at the mansion before him, looking very out of place compared to the other houses in the neighborhood. 

It resembled a giant mansion one would find in Europe or any other Western country, with gothic designs and plenty of insignias of the family's emblem added onto the walls and even the gates. To a regular person, just standing in front of the gates was intimidating enough, but for him, the entire thing seemed rather lackluster as he had been in even grander castles belonging to ancient figures of history. 

In comparison, this was more weird than anything else.

"She said to send her a message ten minutes before I arrive, but oh well, it's not like it's the end of the world," he muttered to himself before pressing the button near the gates, waiting patiently outside with his arms crossed. "I'll only stay here for an hour or two before leaving. That would be more than enough to pacify the girl and stop her from chasing after me for a while." 

He didn't have to wait long before the main door opened when a young girl with a ponytail walked out, still in her uniform and holding onto a real katana. Emiya raised an eyebrow as she usually didn't have that thing carried around.

"What a strange welcome, even for you, Rin. Are you going to challenge me to a fight in front of your mistress's house or something?" he asked, not putting it past her to use such a tactic given how erratically she would behave whenever the intensity of battle would get to her head.

"I am tempted, Yuuki Emiya Shirou. But unfortunately I'm not, I was just heading out to capture and drag you here since I didn't believe you would actually come here of your own volition," Rin replied, making him chuckle at her words.

"Capture me? Have you forgotten that you can't even defeat me in the first place?" He retorted, though he knew how arrogant that sounded. Despite how skilled she was with the blade, Rin had never actually gotten ahead of him once, so talking about capturing him was quite an impossible task for her. "Anyways, you don't need to go on your little crusade or witch hunt. I'm here now, so let's get this over with."

"Why are you treating this like some troublesome task? You should feel honored to serve our mistress for the day. Not many get such a chance," Rin said as she walked forward and opened the front gate, allowing him to enter the mansion. "Still, glad to see you here. Our lady was getting worried that you wouldn't show up, and plenty of preparation went into today's events. She has been especially worried after what happened previously during the attack. I hope you aren't going to evade the matter."

Emiya knew what she was talking about—the fact that she stumbled upon him and Gid's battle was something he hadn't forgotten. Rin especially continued to act normally and never questioned him or demanded any answers after he told her that he would explain everything afterwards. "I'll give you the details, but you have to keep your word that it is only between you and me. Dragging Saki into this matter will only bring her harm."

"And I told you that it will be up to me to decide that after I hear your side of the story," she replied as she led him into a room inside the mansion where he was presented with a set of clothes.

"Now, stop talking and wear this."

"..."

"Do you require something else?" 

"You can't be serious," Emiya finally said after sighing as he looked at the clothes before him.

"I am serious. This is a standard butler suit that Saki-sama commissioned for you. It's made from the finest material and cost a small fortune as we employed one of the best designers in the city." 

"I remembered the girl talking about me becoming a butler, but I merely thought she was just joking. This is... This feels ridiculous." He picked up the suit, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. Having served a similar role to Tohsaka Rin when summoned as a Servant, he was pretty certain she never went as far as to force him into such clothing. 

'Yet I feel like I've been into a similar situation before… can't exactly recall who it was.' Thinking about it, Saki's face was momentarily replaced with another one. A young maiden wearing a blue dress and one that his former Master would complain about in rare instances. "Hm, it has been a while." 

"—!?" Rin who was in the room with Emiya gasped as the man took off his shirt with little hesitation. Frozen in place as she heard him unbuckle his belt, Emiya looked at her with a side glance and a small grin. 

"Enjoying the show?" 

Bam!

She rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind leaving the man to chuckle at her action. "What the hell is the meaning of this!?"

"Heh, well you told me to get changed, didn't even leave the room and now you're acting all flustered. How devious of you, how would your mistress react if she knew the type of person her little bodyguard was?" 

"Not funny!" She smacked the hilt of her blade against the door. "I-I was just g-going to leave the next second! Do not tarnish my name!" 

Right, she truly was fun to tease. Keeping a stoic face but crumbling so easily under the right circumstances. Quickly changing into the uniform, Emiya looked in the mirror whilst adjusting his collar. Just like Rin mentioned, the material was surprisingly comfortable to wear and it fit him perfectly, a part of him worried how the hell she even managed to get his correct measurements but didn't want to think too much about it.

Walking out of the room, he found Rin leaning against the wall, remnants of a blush still visible on her face. Her glare was intense enough that he was certain she would attack him at any moment, but the girl refrained from doing so and took a deep breath. 

"You… you look quite good in it. You should be grateful that my mistress went above and beyond to accommodate you," she remarked with a whisper, even looking proud to some extent. 

To that, he bowed with one hand in front of his stomach and the other on his back. "Glad you found my appearance to your liking, Master." 

"Ah!" Taken by surprise, she nearly dropped her sword before recovering quickly. "D-don't call me M-Master! That is something you s-should only be doing with Saki-sama." 

"To me it looked like you enjoyed it."

"Shut up," not willing to continue this conversation knowing this infuriating man would continue to tease her with his little word plays, Rin asked him to follow and took the lead. 

Though she stopped midway, clenching her sword before silently whispering. 

"I'm glad you're okay, and… thanks for saving my life back then… I don't like owing people favors but… if it weren't for you…" It was hard to finish her sentence, she genuinely meant every word but admitting how helpless she found herself that day at the face of such power would only widen the already large gap between them. 

"It's fine," the man said, walking past her. "I'm also grateful that you actually tried to help out there despite being Saki's protector. And besides, I wasn't the one who stopped that attack at the end, so you should be thanking someone else." 

So he said, but Rin recalled at the very last moment she witnessed the sight of the crimson spear… one that kept appearing even in her nightmare. Dreams of how no matter how fast she was, how skilled her swordsmanship became or even if she managed to master the arts passed down her family tree line. A single red light always managed to pierce through all and tear a hole into her heart. 

A sensation of facing feral beast cascading with so much killing intent that it made her knees grow weak. Completely different from facing Emiya, where he felt like a never ending mountain she needed to overcome. That spear on the other hand just sought to tear anything it came across apart — a demonic entity she did not want to face again. 

Had he used such a thing against her even once in the past… 

Where did he come across such a weapon nor why it exuded such energy did not matter. The fact he could use it already was enough of a blow to her pride.

"Am I truly capable of ever reaching you, Shirou?" So focused in her thoughts she used his name without even realizing it. Her hands shook as goosebumps covered her skin at the phantom image of the spear. 

"Hm?" 

"This entire time when I sought to cross our blades, to force you to take me seriously… have I even come close to doing so at any point? Did you… were you just looking at me the entire time like a lost cause and merely entertaining me because of pity?" 

All of those fights, it became more and more obvious just how much he was actually holding back. 

Emiya didn't say anything, as the truth of the matter was that despite his body being human as far as he knew, everything else still remained the same. Rin, regardless of how hard she trained since her childhood, could never come close to challenging a Counter Guardian in any way, shape or form.. 

His time as Heroic Spirit EMIYA had him contest against the strongest blade users in history, beings capable of altering the very fabric of reality through sheer technique alone. Even if he hadn't won against all of them, the knowledge he gained from each failure continued to hone his skills. 

"Does it truly matter how much I was holding back?" He asked, having the girl look at him to further elaborate. "I thought you were practicing the sword to protect your mistress and to better yourself. Does knowing how much I was holding back affect your primary goals in any way?" 

Rin hesitated at first before shaking her head. 

"Then there you go, focus on what truly matters to you and don't let my existence distract you from it. I know you're not that shallow that a few setbacks is enough to break you." 

What he said should have been enough, but the girl still felt unsatisfied. "But becoming your equal is also one of my goals." She whispered quietly, not willing to say it out loud. "Do you think I'll ever become like you?" 

"..." That question brought a frown upon Emiya's face, a reaction that threw Rin off. 

"Never, you should never try to become like me." 

There was more to what he said, but he didn't find any reason to elaborate such a thing with her. 

"Just continue practicing, people aren't born masters at their craft and it's arrogant for you to believe you'll attain such a level at your age." 

"We are the same age." 

"My circumstances are not what you may call normal." He answered, getting a frown from Rin. "It is what it is, the world is not fair so don't believe you are an exception. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to reach my level, you just need time."

Time that meant beyond just a few decades. They lived in a peaceful era not ravaged by war, there was no outside factors pushing the girl to hone her skills to such an extent. Unless she decided to get heavily involved in this fiance candidates nonsense and use it as an opportunity to sharpen what she knew, then there was no other way.

But of course, he rather not let that happen. 

"Wait," Emiya halted, stopping Rin from going any further. "Is that… smoke?" 

He pointed at the door in distance, a green fog seeping through the cracks. 

He had a bad feeling about this.

… 

Saki was over the moon, not knowing how to handle her rampaging emotions she sat in the living room barely able to contain herself. "Finally, after months of grueling preparations I finally got him within my grasp!" She exclaimed, having heard that Emiya, as promised, came over to her house a few minutes ago. 

"Are the preparations ready, Aya?" She asked the bespectacled girl next to her, the room decorated to the brim with various assortments of statues and paintings depicting herself in various poses. Golden chandeliers, a velvet carpet and dozens of servants in sight. 

"Ready! Even the string bikini is waiting in the changing room along with the stimulant sun lotion! We have also secured the parameter in case he tries to escape, each window has been replaced with reinforced bullet proof glass and each wooden door has been replaced with metals painted as wood." 

Good, at this moment she was going to show him how wonderful it would be to become her personal butler, seduce him once and for all before that skank Lala got in her way again! "Everything is according to plan, nothing can enter nor leave without my permission ohohohoho!"

"Mau!" 

"Eh?" The sudden sound of a cheerful child caught her by surprise, looking upwards the heiress was stumped to find a strange sight of a young girl dangling from their ceiling, her feet tangled with the decorated strings from the chandeliers. Swinging around while laughing, holding on a strange dagger of all things half her size. 

Saki's face turned pale as the girl pouted, seeing that she was unable to break free start using the blade to smack the chandelier with an angry face. 

"Wait! Someone stop that child!" 

Horrified at the scene, Saki panicked at the image of the child falling and hitting the floor. "What are you all standing there like idiots!? Go bring a ladder!" The servants and Aya scrambled around like headless chickens, trying to find a ladder but it was already too late. 

"Look out!" 

The string snapped, the girl free falling with no one having prepared any measures to capture her. Celine on the other hand merely laughed on her way down, but just as she was about to hit the floor, Saki jumped forward and barely managed to catch her. The blonde heiress tumbling over the furniture while keeping the little one safe in her arms.

"Saki-sama!" The maids and Aya shouted her name, rushing to make sure she was okay and sighing in relief as Saki got up without any injuries on her body. 

"I—cough! I'm fine, only my beautiful dress got ripped a bit at the bottom." She said, bringing up Celine and staring the latter in the eyes. "Whose child is this? I'm going to punish the one irresponsible enough to let their daughter wander around the mansion like this! With a knife no less!" 

"Mau!" 

Celine waved her hands and wiggled her feet, trying to weasel her way out of Saki's grasp while looking towards the direction of the door at the back. Sniffing the air and showing a bright smile on her face. 

"Where do you think you're going? You may be cute but a young girl like you shouldn't be holding onto something dangerous like that, now, let me take it off your hands." Saki insisted, grasping the blade carefully and attempting to get it off Celine's hands. The latter noticed her action and tried to strengthen her hold on it, getting more and more angered as she steadily lost hold of it. 

"Mau!" 

The bud on her head which has previously been a flower grew in size. Catching everyone's attention as they thought it was merely a headband at first. 

"What even is th—" Saki wondered, getting a closer look, only to bit hit by a dense green smoke from Celine's head.

The substance instantly covering the entire room and reaching everyone in less than a second.

----------

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 2 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.