Chapter 12: I’m Gonna Train You Real Hard!

Before he knew it, an unfamiliar landscape stretched out before him. A vast wasteland, with countless swords planted in the ground. Standing at its center—himself. The whole thing felt absurdly surreal.

"Where is this...?"

A sharp metallic clang rang out. Feeling something off, he rolled up his sleeve—only to find countless blades sprouting from his arm.

His mind went blank—

"Uwaaah!?"

Shirou jolted awake.

He kicked off the futon, hastily checking his arm.

It was fine. Just a normal arm. Not a single blade in sight.

That alone brought immense relief.

"You okay!?"

The relief was short-lived. With a loud slam, the sliding door burst open—Saber appeared.

"S-Saber!?"

She strode in briskly, and Shirou panicked.

Due to a certain morning issue, he instinctively hunched forward a bit.

"Did something happen? Don’t tell me... did Caster do something—?"

"N-No! It was just a weird dream, that’s all."

"A weird dream...?"

Saber knelt down, concern filling her gaze.

Shirou told her about the strange dream he’d just had. Hearing it, Saber’s eyes widened.

"A wasteland... with countless swords?"

"Yeah. Pretty weird, right?"

"...It might be something Caster did. You should talk to Rin about that dream."

"To Tohsaka, huh..."

"What’s wrong?"

"...Actually—"

Shirou decided to be honest and tell her about what had happened in Rin’s room yesterday. He’d planned to have a proper talk with Saber anyway—this was as good a chance as any.

After listening to him, Saber let out a long, heavy sigh.

"...Shirou. I don’t want you to fight. I still feel that way."

"I don’t want you fighting either, Saber."

A quiet pause followed. Then the two of them shared a small smile.

"...Honestly, you’re such a stubborn child."

Saber said with a helpless tone, and Shirou puffed his cheeks.

"You’re the stubborn one."

"...Exactly. That’s what makes you a child."

Saber gave a dramatic shrug, and Shirou bristled.

"Wh-What the hell!? You started it!"

"See? Getting all worked up like that is exactly what makes you so childish."

"Y-You little—! You were bawling your eyes out just the other day!"

Flustered, Shirou raised his voice, while Saber simply smiled sweetly.

"...You really are a child."

"I-I’m—"

"And so was I..."

Saber said it like she was spitting it out.

"I’ll admit it. I was scared..."

She continued.

"Turning my sword against others terrifies me. And being on the verge of death—terrifies me too. Every time I fight, I’m overwhelmed with fear."

"Then—"

"But last night... when I realized you were gone, I was even more scared."

"Saber..."

"Shirou. Do you have any idea how terrified I was? It was nothing compared to the fear I felt when I tried to kill Rider. I was afraid I’d never see you again. The moment that thought crossed my mind, Archer’s warning meant nothing to me anymore..."

Right in the middle of training, a sudden sense of dread had gripped her, and she’d rushed to Shirou’s room. But it was empty. That terror, she couldn’t even begin to describe.

And when she saw that golden thread rising to the sky from his room—she understood something had happened to him.

『Caster!!』

『Wait, Saber!!』

She’d tried to dash out. The one who stopped her was Archer, yelling at her.

He told her he’d go, and that she should stay put. Then he disappeared into the night.

『...But still...』

She barely managed to wait a few minutes. Even while explaining to Rin, she couldn’t keep calm.

『Sorry, Rin. I’m leaving you alone, but... I have to go.』

『...Geez. Like I could stop you two anyway, right? Just go already—get him back fast!』

『Thanks, Rin!』

She’d activated her Mana Burst to reach him as fast as possible. Her memory of how it worked was vague at best, but it was still way faster than running on foot. She raced toward Mount Enzou.

The place she arrived at was a literal land of death. Not “a place to die”—but a place made of death itself.

Looking up, she saw a swirling mass of spirits above. From between the trees, voices full of resentment echoed out.

『In a place like this—』

In the next second, her connection with Shirou might have been severed. Which meant—his death.

She nearly screamed from the fear.

『Shirou!!』

She didn’t know what had happened, but the stone steps leading to Ryuudou Temple had been completely blown away.

She charged forward through the uneven, twisted path it had become.

At the spot where the temple gate should have stood—there he was.

Archer had scolded her, but the moment she caught Shirou in her arms and felt he was still breathing, she’d felt true relief.

"—Not that you’re gonna stop being reckless because of that, I’m sure."

Saber muttered, almost in resignation.

"I..."

"That’s why, Shirou,"

She said firmly.

"Like you said before—let’s get stronger together."

"Saber...?"

"We’ll get stronger. And we’ll survive to the end—together."

"Saber..."

"I’ll start treasuring my own life. So you have to promise to do the same with yours."

"...Um."

Shirou looked away, almost as if trying to escape the weight of Saber’s gaze.

Seeing that, Saber let out a long sigh.

"...Shirou. Are you trying to protect me just because I’m an ordinary person? Because it’s your duty as a hero of justice?"

"That’s—"

It wasn’t that. He tried to say it—but couldn’t.

He wanted to protect Saber. That feeling, at its core, stemmed from the ideals passed down to him by Kiritsugu.

He wanted to be a hero of justice. That’s why he had to protect the weak, and stand against the strong. He had to protect Saber, and eliminate the looming threats.

"I—"

He couldn’t say it. There was no way he could.

Because if he did—it would mean he wasn’t treating Saber as a person, but merely as a symbol. As just someone in need of saving...

"...Ah. I see."

He remembered what the others had said.

“A hero of justice always carries love in their heart.”
“You’re ignoring Saber’s will and just running wild.”

They had seen the distortion within him. That’s why they’d said it.

Face the one you’re trying to save.
Because you’re not even looking at them—

"...Saber."

"Shirou?"

"You don’t want me to die, right?"

"Huh? Ah... yeah."

Saber responded, a little taken aback by the sudden question.

"Got it. If you don’t want me to die, I won’t."

"Shirou..."

"That’s all that matters, right? I won’t do things you hate. So—"

Shirou said:

"You don’t do things I hate either."

"...Of course. I’d never do anything you’d hate, Shirou."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Shirou held out his hand, and Saber took it. They shook hands, smiling at each other.

Saber was happy that Shirou had promised to value his life.

As for Shirou—

After breakfast, he bowed his head to Rin, who was getting ready to leave for school.

"...I see. So in the end, you two agreed to get stronger together and do everything you can so both of you survive."

"Yeah, to put it simply. So... sorry for always causing trouble, but please, take me as your apprentice!"

"Well, if you’ve cleared up the misunderstanding between you, I don’t have anything to complain about. Fine. We’ll start training this evening."

"Thanks. I’m really glad you’re here, Tohsaka."

"...Geez. You’re skipping school again today, right? Don’t waste the time."

"Yeah, I know."

After Rin and Fuji-nee left the house, Shirou immediately headed to the dojo to train with Saber.

Perhaps because Saber had sparred with Archer last night, she was even sharper than usual.

And thanks to watching Archer fight up close, Shirou had improved the accuracy of his projections and could keep up better than before.

They trained until after noon, completely absorbed.

Then, as always, they headed to the park to meet Ilya.

But no one was there.

Even after the two of them searched around, there was no sign she was hiding nearby either.

"Now that you mention it, she said something strange yesterday."

"Yeah, something like 'Don’t go out at night.'"

Ilya had definitely seemed... different.

"Why did she say something like that?"

"I think it was after you told her about defeating Rider. That’s when her mood changed."

Right. The moment he’d said that, the fun, lighthearted atmosphere had shifted completely.

"...Well, let’s at least go shopping before we head back."

Thinking about it won’t help. He’d just ask her next time they met.

Shirou reluctantly left the park and made his way to the shopping district.

"Now that I think about it, today’s discount day. Maybe I’ll splurge a little."

"Sounds good to me."

As they wandered through the shopping district, his wallet ended up a lot lighter than expected.

And the result...

"I really bought it..."

His hands trembled without thinking.

In the bag Shirou held was a cut of veal tenderloin. Pricey and rare, but not especially tastier—he’d been sweet-talked by the butcher into buying it.

It was cheaper than usual, sure—but it still wiped out an entire day’s worth of part-time work.

But there was no use brooding over it. This was fate, maybe. Might as well take this chance to try a full-course dinner for once.

If he was doing that, he’d need appetizers, dessert, and cheese too.

"Th-That’s quite a splurge, Shirou."

Saber’s eyes widened as she watched him pick up a fancy cheese.

"Today’s special."

Finally, when they headed to the patisserie Fleur to buy dessert—they saw a strange-looking woman.

Was it some kind of uniform? She was completely covered in a white outfit from head to toe.

The woman seemed to be troubling the cake shop’s clerk. Apparently, the money she offered wasn’t yen—but francs.

Walking away without helping would leave a sour taste.

"Um—"

He called out—and froze.

The woman turned to him, and her eyes were the color of blood.

Her soft, silver hair peeked out from under her hood.

Two very distinctive features.

"...Are you by any chance... Ilya’s sister?"

"...No."

It wasn’t her... Shirou cringed with embarrassment and felt like rolling on the ground.

"I’m not Ilya’s sister. I’m her maid."

"...O-Oh, I see. I’m Emiya Shirou. Has Ilya ever mentioned me?"

"...Shi-rou?"

"Y-Yeah, Shirou."

"...I know you."

So she wasn’t Ilya’s sister—she was her maid.

Her outfit, which resembled a Nightingale-style uniform, turned out to be a maid uniform after all. Despite her broken Japanese, they managed to communicate. Shirou exchanged her francs for what little yen he had left.

"...Thank you. Sella and Ilya will be happy."

She seemed pleased to have been able to buy the cakes. Her face and voice barely showed emotion, but...

"Um... Is Ilya doing okay?"

"...She’s fine. But she seems a little... anxious."

"Anxious?"

"Something strange is wandering around. Shirou, be careful. If it finds you, it’s over."

"What do you mean—?"

"...I’m going now. Thank you, Shirou."

With those ominous words, the girl walked away.

"I—I don’t really get what’s going on, but... you be careful too!"

"...Mm. Bye-bye."

After she disappeared from sight, Shirou suddenly remembered something important.

Because he had exchanged money with her, he didn’t have enough left to buy dessert.

"...Crap."

"Don’t worry about it, really. We’ve still got that pancake mix at home, right? Why not use that? You did a good thing, so no reason to feel down."

"A-Ah, yeah... You’re right. Guess I’ll make pancakes for dessert."

He shook off his disappointment and headed home.

When they arrived, Shirou immediately started cooking. Since it was going to be a full-course meal, Saber offered to help—but he gently kicked her out of the kitchen.

Apparently, he wanted to do it all himself. He was even humming while he worked.

"...He must really love cooking."

To Saber, preparing a full-course meal singlehandedly was an impossible feat.

"He looks more natural holding a kitchen knife than a sword..."

"That’s what I think too."

"R-Rin!?"

Saber turned in surprise as Rin appeared behind her, having quietly approached while she peeked into the kitchen.

"Honestly, I’ve been running around all day prepping for our magical training... but I guess I’ll forgive him, since he’s cooking us a feast."

Rin shrugged in mock-exasperation.

"Still... why’s he making a full-course dinner all of a sudden?"

"A full-course...? Wait—what? He’s actually making one?"

Her expression of annoyance turned to one of confusion.

"What’s gotten into him?"

"I’ve no idea. He suddenly declared he was doing it. Was he that excited about the supermarket sale...?"

"Who gets so hyped over discounted meat they decide to make a full-course meal? Honestly, he should ditch being a magus and become a chef..."

"That’s actually not a bad idea. Shirou’s cooking is... comforting, you know? And it’s delicious. Saving people with food might be its own kind of justice."

"'Justice', huh?"

"Ah, well—"

"Oh my, Saber-chan, did Shirou tell you?"

Rin and Saber turned around—when did she get here? Fuji-nee was suddenly standing there with her usual big smile.

"Ah, welcome back, Miss Fujimura."

"Yep, I’m home, Saber-chan. And wow, Shirou actually talked about that? That’s surprising. He’s such a shy kid—he never likes talking about his dreams with other people."

"Dreams...?"

Rin raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Yeah. Shirou wants to be a hero of justice. Oh, brings back memories..."

"You’ve known Shirou since he was little, haven’t you?"

"Yup. I’ve known him since the day he came to live here... Wanna hear the story?"

"Absolutely!"

"Please tell us!"

"Very well, I shall regale you with the tale!"

Fuji-nee began reminiscing, her tone warm with nostalgia, as she spoke about Shirou’s childhood.

"These days he’s a bit more stubborn and awkward, but back then he was just adorable! He’d never doubt anyone, not even a little, and if you asked him for something, he’d say yes without a second thought!"

"Mhm, mhm."

"And then? What else?"

"But you know, even back then, he was strangely headstrong. Once he made up his mind about something, it was almost impossible to get him to change it..."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like Shirou."

"He really is like that."

"In that way, he was the total opposite of Kiritsugu."

"Kiritsugu—that’s Shirou’s father, right?"

"Yep! Kiritsugu-san was the type who just went with the flow. Whether something was good or bad, he’d just shrug and say que sera sera. He was the kind of person who believed life would work itself out somehow."

Rin raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"And yet, whenever someone was in trouble, he’d rush in to help without a moment’s hesitation. Shirou was always watching him, trying to follow in his footsteps. The thing is, Shirou had a much stronger sense of right and wrong than Kiritsugu did. He couldn’t tolerate bad behavior—so he’d go around giving the local bullies a real thrashing!"

"So he was already a ‘hero of justice’ even back then..."

Rin and Saber listened intently, clearly learning things they hadn't known before. Shirou had never shared this with them—not even in their conversations in the bathhouse. And Rin, despite being familiar with the basics, didn’t know these childhood details either.

Fuji-nee continued with more stories about Shirou’s early days, and Rin and Saber discovered new sides of him they hadn’t seen before.

Time passed quickly, and at last, the full-course meal was ready.

Wanting to make the most of it, Shirou suggested they enjoy the meal properly—by following formal dining etiquette.

Fuji-nee, of course, complained, grumbling about how fussy it sounded and how she just wanted to eat already. But Rin and Saber agreed wholeheartedly. It would be a waste to treat something Shirou put so much effort into like an ordinary dinner.

That small twist to their usual dinner routine brought a fresh charm to the evening, and they enjoyed a joyful night together.

After the meal, Fuji-nee headed home. As she left, Rin turned to Shirou with a question.

"Shirou... why did you want to become a hero of justice?"

The one who answered wasn’t Shirou—but Saber.

"You inherited your father’s dream, didn’t you?"

Shirou fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"...Yeah, that’s right."

As he said it, memories of flames rose in his mind—and the image of his father’s back, walking ahead.

"...Well then, Tohsaka."

"Yeah, yeah—I get it."

With a smirk, Rin pulled a pair of glasses out of her pocket.

"I’m going to train you hard."