Chapter 14: Day 5 ③

During the morning homeroom, a ferocious tiger stood at the podium of our class.

He mumbled the attendance with a gloomy expression, then suddenly started shouting, displaying more unusual behavior than usual. I already don't understand him normally, but today he's even worse.

However, the rest of the class seemed unconcerned, as if they were used to it. I realize that his daily actions are reflected in times like this. I should be careful too.

I managed to get through the first and second period lessons competently, and somehow, the third period lesson as well.

During the break before the final lesson of the morning, I naturally rested by lying face down on my desk.

A lot has happened since this morning, and I felt tired. Plus, there's the matter of the barrier that's supposedly being set up, so if I don't rest a bit, I probably won't be able to move properly in the afternoon.

"Hey, is that her...!"

"It really is!"

The cheerful voices of the boys in the class reached my ears. I couldn't see them as I was lying down, but judging from their excited voices, they seemed to be stirred up and agitated about something.

"Whoa, whoa, isn't that Tohsaka?"

"Why is she loitering around in front of this classroom?"

"This one counted that she has already walked back and forth past this classroom three times now, good sir."

I picked up the voices relatively nearby—I see. Tohsaka is in the hallway.

She's as popular as ever. I, too, would have surely been conscious of her a week ago, but not so much now.

"Doesn't Tohsaka-san look like she's glaring over here?"

"She does, good sir. That's the look of 'If you're going to act like that, I have my own plans too.'"

"Aww, Tohsaka-san left."

I wonder what she was doing, though. Did she have some business with this class?

Tohsaka is a strange person. ...In any case, it probably has nothing to do with me. Now that the boys in my class have calmed down, I can dedicate the remaining five minutes to rest.

"Oh, yes! Tohsaka-san is back!"

"Am I hallucinating? Tohsaka-san's surroundings look blurry and red."

"Hmm. Is it my imagination, or is she staring intensely at Emiya's seat, good sir?"

"...Huh?"

Feeling eyes on me, I reluctantly raised my head. The guys who seemed to be observing Tohsaka were now looking at me. Then, a shadow fell into my line of sight.

—A white lump about the size of a thumbnail sliced through the gaps between the boys.

It hit my forehead without giving me time to react, and a impact, impossible for its mass, slammed through my brain.

"Whaaaat!?"

And I did a splendid somersault. Even though I was sitting in a chair, my body was thrown into the air and I fell.

Moreover, as if that impact wasn't enough, my body bounced off the floor and slammed into the wall, dragging desks and chairs along with it.

"Agh—Oof!?"

My entire field of vision went white, then returned. It flashed brightly and darkly. It hurt like hell. If this had hit a vital spot, I could have died from it.

"Oh! Emiya! What kind of Ninjutsu is that, good sir!? Could it be the legendary 'Ninpou: Hell Wheel'!?"

Gotou-kun lent a hand to me, who had tumbled over and collapsed. ...It's nice that he helped, but where did he even get that idea?

Is there even such a Ninjutsu? —Even if there is, it's definitely a self-destruct move. No doubt about it.

I looked and saw a piece of eraser lying on the floor. This much power from such a tiny fragment... the impact was like a cannonball, let alone a bullet.

If this technique is refined, someone might be able to shoot through a person's head with an eraser someday. Being killed by something like that would be truly outrageous.

Looking at the assailant, even Tohsaka looked like she realized she had gone too far, with her mouth agape.

"O-ow! ...Hey, Tohsaka! If you have something to say, just say it out loud!"

I got up, rubbing my forehead, and called out—no, yelled at Tohsaka. I know she probably had something she wanted to convey to me, but that's no excuse for getting a potentially fatal attack.

"What are you tal-"

"Shiro, it's your fault for not noticing!!"

Gotou-kun's words, as he looked at me with pitiful eyes as if to say, 'Has your head gone strange?', were cut off by Tohsaka's angry shout.

Tohsaka, her face bright red, entered the classroom and stood in front of me, who was still unsteady, with her shoulders squared.

"I had no way of noticing something like that! Besides, what is it you wanted?"

"You told me we should 'stay together as much as possible,' didn't you?! I was waiting in the hallway, but you never came out!"

The whole class stirred, or so it seemed.

"...Eh...? ...Ah, that's right."

Indeed, we had made that agreement last night. I also remembered saying the words she mentioned. I had completely forgotten about it, distracted by the morning's events.

"Get it together. At this point, Shiro and I are in this together, a shared destiny."

"Yeah, sorry. I completely forgot."

"This period is almost over so it's fine, but starting from lunch break, you come to pick me up."

"Got it. My bad. But next time, I'd appreciate it if you'd just call out to me normally."

Without replying, Tohsaka let out a 'Hmph!' and walked away. She left the classroom, having lost some of her previous momentum.

"...Didn't get a bump... did I?"

I stroked the area where I was hit. To take that much impact and be uninjured—my body is unnecessarily sturdy. My vision hasn't stabilized yet, and my body aches, but it's nothing serious.

Looking around with blurry vision, I saw that everyone in the class was frozen stiff for some reason.

—Hmm. Did they perhaps glimpse the true contents of Tohsaka's half-removed cat mask?

It's certainly natural to be surprised to see a different side of Tohsaka. One would first doubt their eyes and whether their vision was functioning normally.

Even I was quite surprised at first. It must have been a shock to the rest of the class, too.

Or, maybe it was the fact that I, sitting in a chair, flew into the air without warning, bounced off the floor, and slammed into the wall.

The eraser, which flew at tremendous speed, was probably invisible to the people around. It must have looked to everyone in the class as though I had blown myself away on my own. If that's the case, their stunned reaction is understandable, isn't it?

The majority of the class remained frozen and motionless. Since I had no other choice, I stretched out my leg to put the desks that had been caught in the 'Hell Wheel' back into place, when a male student approached me.

—He had a Noh mask-like expression. I had never seen such an expression on him, a student who is usually known as the class clown. Feeling uneasy about his unusual demeanor, just as I braced myself, he opened his mouth.

"Hey, Emiya. Are you dating Tohsaka-san?"

Although his voice wasn't loud, it somehow echoed through the classroom.

"............Hah!?"

After a brief pause, I involuntarily asked him to repeat himself. The question made no sense. Why would he ask that in this situation?

"Well, you did tell Tohsaka-san you'd 'stay together as much as possible,' didn't you?"

"Ah, no. I certainly said that, but still—"

Having started moving again at some point, the whole class began to cheer and make the usual commotion.

"Wha-! No, that's wrong!"

"And Tohsaka-san didn't seem entirely opposed to it either. If anything, she seemed more proactive by calling you by your first name."

"No, that's..."

...I definitely can't tell them that it's a strategy to win the Holy Grail War.

I need to come up with a plausible reason to clear up the misunderstanding, but what should I say? I hadn't anticipated this situation at all, not one bit, so my brain was just racing and not functioning properly.

"How can someone like Emiya be with Tohsaka-san—!!"

While I was panicking, unable to deny it, a voice of resentment came from the corner of the classroom. I looked over and saw several male students clutching their heads and violently shaking them.

"Well, I can't exactly support you, but... go for it!!"

"Choke!? No, I mean..."

Someone slapped me hard on the back from my blind spot. ...That wasn't encouragement. It was filled with an overflowing rage.

I tried to explain myself while coughing, but the person who hit me had already moved away and hidden behind the surrounding group of female students.

"Hey, hey, Emiya-kun, how did you confess? Or did Tohsaka-san confess to you?"

"Uh... ah, no..."

Next, a group of female students approached, full of curiosity. Their chatter was incredibly noisy. They didn't even give me a chance to form a word.

............I'm stuck. How can I escape this predicament? I don't think I can get out of this by myself.

Kiiin-koooon-kaaan-kooon

"Ah, aah! Look, everyone, it's the chime. Hurry up and get to your seats."

The sound of the bell signaling the end of the break rang out at just the right moment. If I miss this chance, there will be no escape route left. I have to somehow evade them! Shiro!

"Fine, fine. Emiya-kun, you'll tell us properly later, okay?"

"I'm not convinced—!! I want Tohsaka-san to call me by my first name too—!!"

"Emiya, be careful on moonless nights."

They threw various comments at me and returned to their seats. ...I didn't fool them at all. At this point, I have no choice but to bolt as soon as the class is over.

During the lesson, I suddenly felt a stare on my back. Well, I'm already being watched by the whole class, but this one felt particularly malicious.

Is this Shinji? ...Why would Shinji be glaring at me?

Oh, right, Shinji mentioned he had asked Tohsaka out. So, with the rumor that 'Emiya Shirou is dating Tohsaka Rin,' it might be understandable for Shinji to harbor murderous intent towards me. But, the fundamental premise is that I'm not dating Tohsaka. Before the situation gets any worse, I might need to clear up the misunderstanding sooner rather than later.

As soon as the fourth period ended, I grabbed my lunch and flew out of the classroom.

I managed to escape the classroom somehow, but it seems like some classmates are chasing me.

I could hear the footsteps of a few people behind me. Without looking back, I arrived at Tohsaka's classroom.

"Tohsaka!"

I swung the door open with force and called out in a loud voice.

This is not a situation I can handle alone. If that's the case, I must seek Tohsaka's instructions as quickly as possible.

"Emiya-kun!"

The eyes of everyone in the classroom, and the eyes of the students walking in the hallway, focused on us.

In the midst of it all, Tohsaka ran up to me in a small hurry with her mouth shut—the result was that the two of us monopolized the attention of everyone around.

"I told you to come, but why did you call out so loudly!"

She shouted in a whisper right next to my ear. Tohsaka is capable of such a feat.

"If we're too open about this, it'll cause all sorts of trouble! For some reason, there's a rumor circulating in this class that Shiro and I are dating!"

"No, it's probably not just this class. Take a look behind me."

I pointed behind me with a finger, trying not to let them see. Tohsaka peered from behind my shadow with a puzzled look.

"What is it? There are... ten people peeking around the corner of the hallway. Do they think I can't see them?"

There were only a few people when I left the classroom, but the number has clearly increased now that I've arrived here.

"They seem to be the same."

Even as we stood there, I felt eyes on us from Tohsaka's class and the hallway. A not-so-small commotion was spreading as they watched us talking secretly.

"How about we go up to the rooftop for now? We can't even talk properly here."

"Alright. Wait for me while I grab my lunch box."

Tohsaka said, looking at the wrapped lunch in my right hand. The lunch she was going to grab was one I had made, though.

Accompanied by Tohsaka, who was carrying the lunch, we quickly headed for the rooftop. As we walked together down the hallway, the attention on us never let up.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

We entered the rooftop and walked closer to the fence, looking around. It seemed no other students had arrived yet. Fewer students eat lunch here in the winter compared to summer because of the cold, but we also ran here without stopping since the end of the morning classes, which might be why no one else is here yet.

Well, it looks like only the two of us are within visible range of the rooftop, but it doesn't seem to be completely deserted. The door to the entrance is slightly ajar, and I can tell that several people are peering in.

There are probably more people than I can see. However, at this distance, they probably won't be able to hear our conversation.

"Ah, um, it's about that. Do you remember the break after the third period?"

"You mean when I had to go out of my way to find you because Shiro wasn't paying attention?"

Hearing Tohsaka's annoyed words with her hands on her hips, I remembered that I hadn't properly apologized for my absent-mindedness.

"Ah, sorry about that. —But that's not it. I said all those things, didn't I? About the 'staying together as much as possible' thing and calling me by my first name."

My face started to turn red even as I said it myself. Looking back now, it's perfectly natural for them to misunderstand. Anyone who saw that situation would definitely misunderstand.

"...Could that be the cause?"

"It seems so. It probably spread via cell phones. Something like, 'Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin appear to be dating.'"

"Ah, crud. I messed up. No wonder I was getting so much attention during class. I thought something was strange, too."

By the way, neither Tohsaka nor I have a cell phone. If we did, we'd probably be overwhelmed by emails even during class.

"But, if Shiro had noticed, this wouldn't have happened."

"I can't argue with that..."

"—Fine, I was also careless. And actually, the eraser throw seems to have been the problem. I seem to have misjudged the force, and I didn't think an eraser could have that much power."

...The question of whether she can simply excuse it as misjudging the force remains, but that's not what we need to talk about now.

"Well, putting that aside. What do we do? If we leave it like this, the misunderstanding will persist."

That's right. If I try to vehemently deny such rumors, it usually just fuels the fire. Usually, the best approach is to either ignore it or casually brush it off.

"————"

Tohsaka put a hand on her chin and thought about something. My own mind doesn't work well for things like this. It's better to leave it to Tohsaka so that things settle down smoothly, so I have no choice but to wait for her decision.

"Hmm. I was thinking... why don't we just leave it as it is?"

"...Leave it as it is, Tohsaka!?"

"Well, think about it. It will be dangerous for Shiro and me not to act together from now on. But to stay together, we need some sort of reason, don't we?"

"That's true, but..."

"Besides, I'm having a lot of trouble with people bothering me as well."

Ah, Tohsaka is popular, after all. The 'trouble' she mentioned probably refers to Shinji and others.

"So, what do you say?"

"—Alright. If it helps you, Tohsaka, there's no reason for me not to help."

"I-is that so. That helps a lot."

A cold gust of wind blew, and Tohsaka's face was faintly flushed. For some reason, she averted her gaze from me.

Is she smiling? I can't see her face, so I don't know what expression she's making. Did I say something strange? I don't recall saying anything odd.

"Ahem. ...More importantly, did you notice, Shiro?"

"Huh? That your face turned red?"

"No, no, no! That there's a magic circle set up on the rooftop by a spell!"

"No, I didn't notice. Is that true!?"

Indeed, Tohsaka said yesterday that a barrier was being set up at school, but I didn't think it would be set up so close by.

"From the looks of it, this is the base point of the barrier's magic circle. And it doesn't look like this is the only base point either. How can you not notice something so obvious? Are you really a Magus?"

"...Ugh."

If she puts it that way, I can't really say, "Yes, I am." I definitely don't have the ability to call myself a 'Magus' like Tohsaka.

"—Phew. Well, at least we should undo this part first, shouldn't we?"

As Tohsaka chanted some kind of spell, the subtle heaviness I hadn't noticed on my body disappeared.

"Oh, I feel like my body is lighter."

"That's because I dispelled one of the constraints of the barrier. Not noticing even that means you're disqualified as a Magus, or rather, less than a normal person. More importantly, since we're here, why don't we eat our lunch?"

"Oh, yeah. That's a good idea."

And so, we sat side by side on a bench and opened our lunch boxes. Since we made them together, Tohsaka's lunch had the same contents. If we had eaten this where other people were, it would have turned into a huge fuss.

I thought I heard things like, "Are they really dating—!?" and "Seriously—!?" coming from the rooftop entrance.

Blood rushed to my face. I looked anxiously at the person next to me, and it seemed Tohsaka's face was also flushed. It appears I wasn't the only one who heard things.

"By the way, Shiro, do you have any Magecraft other than Reinforcement that you can use? I'd like to ask as your instructor."

Tohsaka suddenly asked this after we had mostly finished our lunch. I stopped eating and turned my gaze to Tohsaka next to me.

"Hmm. I occasionally perform Projection Magecraft during Reinforcement practice, but nothing else."

"'Projection,' huh... Another delicate category. Wait a minute, what did you just say? 'Projection Magecraft for Reinforcement practice'?"

Oh? Tohsaka made a strange face. That's a rare sight.

"Yeah. My dad said that Projection is inefficient, so I should stick to Reinforcement. Actually, Projection was the one I learned first."

"Well, he's not wrong but..."

Tohsaka looked like she wanted to say something, but I continued.

"Besides, isn't Magecraft really tough? You're always next to death every time you use it. I shouldn't be talking, but you're quite something, Tohsaka."

"Every time you use it?"

"Yeah, because you have to create a Magic Circuit every time, right?"

"WHAT!? You're doing that? ...Listen, Emiya-kun. You have a fatal misunderstanding."

She looked surprised, but unfortunately, I didn't understand what she was surprised about. Did I say something strange?

"A misunderstanding?"

"Listen up. A Magic Circuit isn't something you create every time; it's something you switch on. Once you can do that, you can perform Magecraft as easily as flipping a switch. If you took the risk of nearly dying every time you used it, you wouldn't have enough lives. First of all, your fundamental premise is wrong."

"No, but... switching it on... I can't do that."

My dad never taught me that. In fact, I didn't even know the concept of switching it on.

"Your Magecraft instructor should have taught you that much, shouldn't they? What exactly were they teaching you? Honestly, Emiya-kun, you're so much of a complete amateur that it's presumptuous to call yourself a Magus."

"Ah, my Magecraft instructor was my dad, but he died five years ago. I only got the very basics and just kept repeating what I was taught, you see."

"—. Well, I guess that means I have to teach you everything, including that part, right?"

"I don't even understand what I've misunderstood, but I'm counting on you."

When I bowed my head, Tohsaka let out a 'Hmph!' and patted her chest, saying, "Leave it to me."

"Now then, I'll be stopping by my place on the way back, so take the long way."

Tohsaka said just that and began eating the rest of her lunch. While chewing the last bite of my lunch, I leaned back against the bench and looked up at the blue sky.