Chapter 24: Day 7 ②

In my opinion, breakfast should be something that is taken leisurely to gain vitality for the day and enrich both mind and body.

In contrast, I can’t shake the feeling that the dinner table in my house these days is heading straight for chaos. No, it is, without a doubt.

Normally, it's quite peaceful. Although exclamations of admiration for the cook and comments about the food may be heard here and there, that’s probably what happens in most families.

The problem is Fujinee, who appears with a clatter during mealtimes. —That's when the dinner table accelerates.

The lovingly prepared meal is consumed at an incredible speed. See? The stew I just served has already "vanished" right before my eyes in an instant.

The ones creating that speed are, of course, Fujinee, and then Lia and Alto.

Because Fujinee keeps putting side dishes into her mouth one after another without considering others, Lia and Alto are spurred on and reach for their chopsticks. Seeing this, Fujinee's eyes light up, and for some reason, she gets a competitive spirit and speeds up even more.

Lia and Alto reach for their chopsticks again, feeling they can't let everything be taken. And then Fujinee again... and so on, they mutually spur each other on, escalating into a massive battle.

The sight is like that of a 'Large Family Where You Can't Eat Anything Unless You Grab It,' and watching it makes me wonder whether I should feel amused or not. However, it's undeniable that our household finances are not as good as I thought. We might not make it through this month at this rate...

Tohsaka and I withdrew from the battlefield that is the large serving plate, and we ate slowly. As expected, I couldn't bring myself to jump into that melee. ...Oh, today’s miso soup is very well made.

By the way, I later heard from Lia the reason why they had their hands on my chest last night. I understood what had happened after hearing it, but I still don’t know why it happened in the first place.

However, Tohsaka said, "If you rely on something so uncertain, no number of lives will be enough," so for the time being, we decided to leave it alone. It doesn't seem to be harmful, and it might even be helpful... maybe.

Still, the warmth I felt last night seems familiar, but when did I feel it before?

"Hey, Shirou..."

Tohsaka spoke to me as I was lost in thought. But despite calling out to me, she wasn't facing me. Her brow was furrowed, and her face was twisted into a displeased expression.

Wondering what was wrong, I followed Tohsaka's gaze, and it led to the TV screen. A news program was on, and the ticker tape read, "Missing women in Fuyuki City, total of 7." On the screen, a reporter was speaking to a female student wearing our school uniform, against the backdrop of a familiar scene.

The unusually high number of disappearing women in Fuyuki City, where the Holy Grail War is taking place. This immediately brings to mind the family massacre incident and the mass fainting incident from the other day.

Unconsciously, my throat clicked. Something is wrong with Fuyuki City these days. There are simply too many incidents.

"Tohsaka, is this perhaps—"

"It seems so."

So it is, after all. I'm not relying on her, but if Tohsaka says it, it must be true. Judging by the news, the disappearances have been concentrated over the last three days. It’s undoubtedly the work of a Servant.

No one has died since the family massacre incident, but considering that none of the seven people have been found yet...

"...We need to do something about it."

Just as I muttered that, breaking news must have arrived, as I saw the news anchor being handed a script.

“According to information just received, it appears there are new missing persons in this incident. There are 4 new missing persons. Although it is not yet known if this is the same incident, as the investigation is ongoing, the total number of missing persons has reached 11.”

The news anchor mechanically read out the repeated article.

I heard the grinding of my teeth. When I looked down, my palms were white where my fingernails dug in. I had unconsciously clenched my fists.

"For now, it starts with the school."

Tohsaka reminded me, seeing my condition.

"—— Yeah, I know."

Today's plan is to crush the boundary field at the school. According to Tohsaka's assessment, it will be complete in a few more days, so we have prioritized getting rid of the school's boundary field.

Whether it's the one in the news or the one who set up the boundary field at school, do they not care about other people? Even if it's to fulfill one's own wish, there's no justification for disregarding people.

"Phew, that was a treat."

My thoughts were interrupted by that strangely muffled voice, like some sumo wrestler. When I glanced over, Fujinee was patting her stomach contentedly, having made the table a mess with soup and vegetable scraps.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Beside her, Lia and Alto, also satisfied, sat up straight, completely calmed down. However, Lia had a grain of rice on her left cheek and Alto had one near her mouth, completely ruining their composed expressions.

"—Cough"

"?"

I couldn't help but let out a suppressed laugh. Lia and Alto still hadn't noticed the grains of rice on their faces.

They both tilted their heads and looked at me strangely, so I pointed to my own left cheek and mouth. Alto noticed first, put her hand to her face, turned bright red, and then told Lia.

"Well then, Big Sis is heading out first~ I'll be angry if you're late~"

After drinking a cup of after-meal tea, Fujinee left with just that statement, or rather, she ran off, leaving a Doppler effect in her wake.

While it is certainly not a commendable action for an adult, I could feel my tightly wound mind relaxing in this short time because of the unchanged, usual Fujinee.

I left the house after being seen off by Lia and Alto. I had them stay home to house-sit and remain on standby so they could come quickly if anything happened.

As an aside, Alto apparently finally got permission from Tohsaka, so today she was wearing her usual white blouse with a navy blue pencil skirt. It makes it easier to distinguish her from Lia, and I think that outfit suited her well anyway.

That aside, looking at the clock, it was about fifteen minutes earlier than our usual time to leave for school. Perhaps because of that, the air was clearer and felt somewhat colder. Suddenly, I heard the chirping of a sparrow. I looked up and saw a sparrow perched on a power line.

It wasn't a time when there were many students yet, so the students were sparse, and the air felt like it was moving slowly. Since I've been in a situation far from peaceful lately, I've come to really appreciate these moments.

I walked to school alongside Tohsaka. Next to me was the composed Tohsaka.

—A year ago, I would never have imagined this situation. I could never have predicted that Tohsaka, whom I thought was a flawless young lady, would be easier to get along with than I thought, or that I would be 'dating' her, even if it was a lie. In fact, I didn't have the slightest idea that Tohsaka would make such a suggestion the other day.

No, no, what am I thinking? Since we formed an alliance and are cooperating, and this is the situation we’re in, just thinking this way is rude to Tohsaka.

Tohsaka wouldn't have any such intention either.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

Tohsaka said that, took out a hand mirror, and checked. Unbeknownst to me, I seemed to have been staring at Tohsaka's face. I noticed this belatedly and opened my mouth, trying to salvage the situation.

"N-No, there’s nothing on your face."

"Then why are you looking at my face... Aha."

Woah, what is that 'Aha' supposed to mean? Is she plotting something?

"W-What is it?"

"That's right, we are lovers, aren't we?"

"W-What are you saying?! That was just because we needed a reason to be together, so..."

"...Honestly, don't answer like that when someone asks you?"

"U-Uh, I know. I'll do it properly at school, so you don't have to worry so much."

"Haa. Well, trying to make Emiya-kun act in the first place is unreasonable."

"Hmph. Well, I’m certainly not good at acting, but I can manage that much."

Although I said I could manage, I'm actually not very confident. But if she calls it unreasonable, I can't back down.

After all, I couldn't possibly say, "I can't do it," after she sighed a sigh that sounded like a genuine sigh. Even if it's a temporary arrangement, we're partners, so I want to help her on equal terms.

Tohsaka stopped and looked into my eyes, so I also stopped and didn't look away. After about ten seconds, when I noticed the eyes of the students gathering around us and my face flushed, Tohsaka seemed to have made up her mind about my resolve, and she exhaled, “Phew,” and then,

"W-Well then, I'm counting on you."

She said only that and walked ahead.

I watched Tohsaka's back and realized I should have taken some countermeasures. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't thought at all about the fact that both of us were absent the day after the rumor about us dating started circulating.

"What should I do..."

It's no use; I can't think of a good excuse. At this rate, we'll reach school soon. ...I guess I'll just have to pray that everyone has forgotten.