Prologue 2/3
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Homurahara academy lies only a fifteen minute walk from the top of the hill. The winding path down is like a memory lane to me, though, so before I know it, I’ve spent almost half an hour on my way there, simply staring at familiar sights.
I should really visit the shopping district, I guess. I wonder if my favorite antique shop is still standing.
I found some real treasures there, at times. People throw away things with history without ever realizing it.
But – if there is one thing that has not changed in seven years, it’s here.
My old school, Homurahara academy.
White walls and the old forest that surround the school, the block-shaped buildings were I spent the days of my youth, and the ridiculously large archery range that is the pride of the place.
Yes, they’re all here, just as I remember it.
“Really? Is the time standing still in this place? Will I run into younger version of myself if---“
For a moment, I freeze. I was completely sure I saw my words coming true. A younger version of myself, walking her head held high like she was the queen of the school. Gathering eyes like they had been---
“Bwahahahaha! As if!” I laugh at myself.
I can’t believe it. The shock of seeing the familiar uniform made me go along with the stupid train of thought more than I should have.
And now that I look at it, the girl who I had playfully imagined to be younger version of myself doesn’t even have that similar face with me. Only her hair looks the same.
And this brings forth another, slightly worrisome, conclusion:
“……Could it be that I was defined my by hairstyle back at school…?”
Disturbed by the possibility, I hurry inside to the main building. My target is the faculty office, where I’m hoping to meet one tiger running wild, as usual.
That animal could at least tell me if my husband had come here.
Still, I’m getting a lot of looks from the students. Mostly from boys who seemed to have been struck speechless, but also from girls. Most of them, for some reason, reminded me of Saegusa-san.
Hmm, I wonder what that girl is doing nowadays?
If I remember right, she got married just recently. At least I got the card they had sent.
The guy had been slightly older but really handsome looking, with flowing, long hair. And both he and Saegusa-san looked really good in traditional Japanese clothes.
Of course, there was also one other person in the background who, while fitting into such clothing, disturbed the whole picture by acting like an idiot.
“Just like in my wedding, huh…?”
Makidera Kaede was not the most polite guest in any wedding.
Inside, the first thing that I find surprising is that there is no one to come and throw spiteful words at me when I pass the student council room. Normally, seven years ago, I would have been attacked by Ryoudou-kun already.
He would have complained about money, I guess.
It was always about money.
But this time, I made it to the faculty room without any incident.
I knock and enter, after having heard a curt “Come in” from inside.
“-----Ah.”
I stop dead in my tracks.
And so does the teacher who had gotten up to greet me.
Well now…
Never thought I’d see the day when she is wearing such clothing.
“Tohsaka? Is that you? Wow, with that jacket and those glasses I hardly recognized you”, the teacher asks and laughs in a boyish manner.
Who would have thought? It seems that Mitsuzuri Ayako has gotten a place as a teacher in Homurahara academy.
She was dressed in a cream-colored skirt and blazer, yet retained her short brown hair from back in the days. To be honest, if she had let her hair grow, I still wouldn’t have recognized her.
But since that was not the case…
“Hello, Mitsuzuri-san. Now this is a surprise. Should I take this to mean that you are a teacher here?” I ask.
Mitsuzuri’s reply is a curt nod.
“Something like that. You remember how I told you, back at your wedding, that I was studying in university? Well, all that ended up here”, she chuckles. “You are now looking at the P.E. teacher of Homurahara academy, Mitsuzuri Ayako. I also manage the archery club.”
“Somehow I’m not sure whether I should be surprised or not.”
“Tohsaka, what’s that supposed to mean? Either way you think, isn’t it somewhat rude?” Mitsuzuri scowls at me.
If there is one thing this girl is good at, it’s glaring at someone.
And unfortunately, right now, she is glaring at me.
“It is?” I play it cool. “But we were only discussing about the surprisingly good turn your life has taken. If you want to decide it’s rude, then it’s your right, but isn’t that like shooting yourself in the leg?”
For some reason, the scowl transforms into one big sigh.
“I see that you haven’t lost your wit in London. That is a sort of relief, I guess. Or maybe the tendencies of your hubby just rub off on you. I know I never won him in an argument”, she smiles with lame amusement. “So? What are you doing here, Tohsaka? Weren’t you two living in London nowadays?”
I clear my throat matter-of-factly.
“We are, but right now, I’m here to look for Fujimura-sensei. Have you seen her?” I ask.
Mitsuzuri glances back at the faculty office, and when her gaze returns to me, she shakes her head.
“Nope, she must be running late this morning too”, she states, and once again I feel that simply notihng has changed in Fuyuki city. “But if you want, you can come to wait in the archery club. Even though she is no longer responsible for it, Fujimura-sensei tends to eat all her meals in the range. You can bet she’ll stop by before heading to class.”
“Then I’ll take up your offer”, I smile at Mitsuzuri, who returns the gesture. “And even if she doesn’t, it will be nice to visit some nostalgic places.”
Thus we exit the faculty office’s doorway and head outside.
Outside, the sun is still high up, and I can hear birds chirping in the trees.
Summer like this is simply magnificent.
“It’s a good weather, huh?” Mitsuzuri asks and stretches her arms, while squinting her eyes because of the light.
“Indeed. It was raining in London as I left, so this weather is nice change for me.”
“I bet”, Mitsuzuri chuckles. “Fuyuki maybe city known mostly because of its winters, but I say our summers are just as good too. Though this has the danger of becoming a little too hot.”
“Yeah…”
Winter. Memories of those months are flooding back in.
Yes, winter.
That was the time of war in Fuyuki. At least until seven years ago.
I wonder if the scars of the last war are still visible in this city?
For example…
---- Is the foreigners’ cemetery still like a former battleground?
---- Are there still tales about the tragic red sky that covered Homurahara academy?
---- Is the castle at the edge of the town still in ruins?
Those kinds of questions run through my mind.
And to be honest, I’m not sure I want to know the answer.
“Well, here we are. I’ll go prepare some tea, so-“ Mitsuzuri opens the door to the archery range.
However, when we both hear the sound of a bow-string being released and arrow flying through the air, we stop. We also hear the faint thud as the arrow hits the target.
There, illuminated by the morning sun, stands a girl.
Girl with short red hair and sharp eyes.
She is dressed in the traditional archery uniform, clothes which seem like they were symbolizing her eerily serene aura. Yes, that girl’s delicate features are covered in calmness that seems almost unnatural.
The girl pays no attention to us. The arrow, and the target, are the only things that she is still focused. The large bow in her hand does not waver even a one bit.
Only after she has made sure the arrow has hit the desired point does she turn her eyes at us.
“Ah, Tomoe. You were here again?” Mitsuzuri asks with odd affection in her voice. “You really are a hard worker…”
“Yes, sensei. I came to practice at seven”, the girl answers, and resumes her practice.
“Seven? And judging by those bags under your eyes, you were surfing on the net till at least four in the morning, right?” Mitsuzuri continues.
Twang. The bow cries out.
The arrow flies way past the target, hitting the wooden wall behind it.
The girl’s eyes carry both annoyance and feeling of quilt.
She murmurs something, which might have been rebellious if we could have heard it, and jumped down from the wooden floor to go get her arrows.
Mitsuzuri sighs.
“That girl is good, no, absolutely great, at archery, but her way of life is what worries me…” she says.
I can’t help but to raise my eyebrow.
“Ho? Red-haired kid who has a knack for archery and has a weird way of life? For some reason I am not surprised you took liking to her, Mitsuzuri-san”, I tease her.
“Well, when you and your hubby married each other, I knew that I had lost that race. But still, lingering affections are not bad if they can be turned into something good. – Like shaping some youngster’s future into something better.”
“Well said”, I congratulate her. “Now, what about that tea?”
We chat a little while she prepares the tea. As we do so, I realize that her bad habit of talking like a man when expressing her true feelings has not disappeared. But I don’t mind.
After all, it suits her just fine.
And it creates a good balance between us.
I cool the tea I get by softly blowing, before taking a sip and enjoying the summer air. Since the sun does not shrine straight to the archery range, we get to enjoy the heat in shade.
While drinking tea, this makes for a quite pleasant experience.
“Well, I’ll get straight to the point”, suddenly Mitsuzuri speaks. “Just why are you here, Tohsaka? It was a bit of a surprise to see you, after all these years. Not that I mind the chic get-up, even though I think the sunglasses are too much, but still, a surprise.”
That last comment seemed a bit too much, but I decide to ignore it.
“Truth to be told, I’m hunting that idiot. He slipped away almost a month ago, and I couldn’t find him anywhere in London. After that, when going through the stuff he left behind, I found enough evidence to tell me he had gone back to Fuyuki”, I come out with the truth. It would be meaningless to lie to Mitsuzuri. “And so, I’m here, searching for him.”
“Your hubby?” Mitsuzuri asks. When I nod, she looks a bit surprised. “Well, what do you know. I saw him just the other day. In the shopping district. We chatted a bit, and when I asked about you, she said you had stayed behind because of flu. That’s why it was so surprising seeing you.”
“Wha---“
I slam the tea cup back to the table a little too forcefully, and it makes a loud sound. The girl -Tomoe was it?- glances at us, but seeing my expression, quickly turns her head away.
“Are you serious? You saw him?” I demand to know, and Mitsuzuri chuckles.
“Yeah. Haha, now I kind of understand why he looked so guilty when I asked about you. He must have known that you would come after him, you know?”
Gk-gk-gk-gk-gk! Unpleasant sound. But I can’t help it.
After all, my teeth are grinding together from sheer annoyance.
So what was it? He was here, after all? But where?
He wasn’t living in that house, that’s for sure.
I guess my only hope right now is that tiger of a woman.
But when is she going to even arrive…?
“Good morning, Mitsuzuri-san! I brought some breakfast with me~”
------ Well, speak of the devil. Or in this case, wouldn’t that be “of animal”?
In any case.
A familiar person who looks like she has not aged one bit enters the archery range.
Fujimura Taiga is still wearing the same sort of clothes she always wears, though right now, she seems to have switched to a short-sleeved version of that striped tiger-shirt.
I guess the summer is to blame.
She is also sporting a scarf around her foreheadhead, with the words: “H*nshin Tigers GO-GO” written on it. The color-scale was what you could expect.
“Oh, Tomoe-san is here too. Good morning”, Fujimura-sensei greeted the red-haired girl, before turning to me. “And this person is…?”
She tilted her head, in confusion.
“Fujimura-sensei, I’m somewhat insulted. After you spend so many hours lecturing me before my wedding, I thought you’d recognize me easily”, I teased her.
In that instant, Fujimura Taiga’s face melted into the world’s biggest smile.
“Tohsaka-san!”
Before I knew it, I was captured into a merciless hug of tiger.
“Oh, wait, I supposed it’s Rin-chan now, right?” she asked with a mischievous smile, while still continuing to try to break my bones with affection.
“I-I guess so, Fujimura-sensei.”
“Oh, there’s no need to be so formal now. After all, you’re my sister-in-law, aren’t you?” she chuckled and let me go.
I know I should be a bit annoyed by that overbearing welcome, but…
------------ Ah, I give up.
It’s just no use. There’s no way anyone could be annoyed with this person. And she is right. In a way, she is my sister-in-law.
“But Rin-chan, what are you doing here? I thought Shirou-kun said you were down with flu back in London?” Fujimura-sensei asks with confused eyes.
I see that the story has been used not once but twice.
“Well, something like that. I’m better now, though, and I’m trying to find out where my dear husband is. I thought we could enjoy our vacation together”, I tell a half-truth.
I can see Mitsuzuri giving me a sideways glance when she hears that, but she does not say anything.
Instead she opts to stare at the range where yet another arrow hits the target dead-on.
Fujimura-sensei, on the other hand, gives me an understanding nod. Enthusiastic one, to be precise.
“Un-un. I can peeeerfectly understand that. Shirou-kun can be dense at times, but I guess you already knew that, didn’t you, Rin-chan?”
------ Dense feels a little underwhelming adjective when discussing about him.
“In any case, I’m sorry but I can’t help, even if I would want to. That Shirou, I saw him in Shinto last week, but he refused to tell me where he was sleeping at the moment. He didn’t want to disturb the current tenants of the Emiya house even though Ilya-chan so insisted. But, I guess he’s a grown-up now. I should just trust him to take care of himself.”
Fujimura Taiga sighs like that were the last thing she wanted to do.
And it probably is.
I still remember how she was bawling her eyes out at our wedding, making it more akin to a funeral.
“It’s alright. But that does present me with another problem”, I say. “I was counting on you to be my decisive lead, but it seems that-“
“Taigaaaa! Karirin~! I came to play~” A cheerful voice enters the archery range, along with a new person.
“……..Ah. Ilya-chan”, the girl named Tomoe Karin greeted bluntly the person who had just arrived.
I too turn my head towards this newcomer.
What I see is a bleak hair, more white than silver. Red eyes that shine with happiness. A girl that I would put, judging by her height, somewhere between 17 and 18.
She is dressed in the Homurahara academy’s uniform. And it suits the girl well.
But……..isn’t this strange.
This girl was…
--- Thump.
A girl I knew.
--- Thump.
A girl who was not supposed to be here.
--- Thump.
A girl who had, most definitely, died.
--- Thump.
Her heart ripped out of her tiny body.
--- Thump.
“Well, if it isn’t Rin”, the girl greets me with mischievous smile. “I thought you were far too busy with Onii-chan to visit this city, but looks like I was wrong. First Onii-chan comes here, then you. Well, I could have made it without the latter happening, but nothing’s perfect.”
--- Thump.
“…Il—“ I hesitate. I cannot say that name.
If I do, I’ll put a name to this madness.
And it’ll become reality.
“Hmh?” she tilts her head at me. Those red eyes stare right into mine.
“Ily----asviel…von…Einz----------bern.”
I feel like I just vomited something.
The words that come out of my mouth are unnatural.
I’m recognizing something that should not be.
“R-Rin? What’s with the sudden formality? It hasn’t been that long…?” she looks at me, worried.
Almost if we knew each other.
Almost if we were something of acquaintances, no, friends of sort.
This is strange.
This is too strange.
This cannot be happening.
Why? Why is she standing there? Why is she living?
I cannot make any sense to this.
Why is…
----------- she…
WHY IS ILYASVIEL VON EINZBERN STILL ALIVE?
Abruptly, I stand up from my chair. All gathered at the archery range look at me with surprise.
I don’t care. I slam my teacup back to the table, push myself violently past the thing that should not exist and head out to the door.
“H-hold on, Rin-chan! Is everything alright?? You looked—“ Fujimura-sensei starts, but I cut her off.
“I’m fine! I just…..need some….air.”
Air.
Air is the last thing I need.
What I need are answers. Answers to what I just saw.
Or rather, how I saw it. The fact that somebody who was dead is actually alive.
And acting like we were the greatest of friends.
--- Thump.
This throbbing pain won’t go away.
It started the moment I saw Ilyasviel.
The moment I saw her, something inside me changed.
I began to sweat. A sharp, pulsating pain assaulted me.
--- Thump.
First in my brain. And now, it has slowly crept towards my left hand.
I do not know what this pain is about.
And I do not care.
What I care about are…answers.
Answers to this ridiculous farce I just saw.
Why was there a living corpse amongst all those people!?
And if it wasn’t that, then what? Who was she!? How did she know me!?
I feel like screaming these questions to the summer day.
But I keep my head cool.
After all, there is only one person I should be screaming these questions to. ---Yes, there is only one possibility left.
Person who would know everything unusual that is happening in this p lace.
That would have to be…
Whoever replaced that false priest at the church on the hilltop.
Originally Posted by ItsaRandomUsername
I'll await for more... Suscribing.
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