Yes, this is a Shirouko fic. Yes, I realize that I am now working on three (two, soon enough!) things now with this in tow. No, I have no regrets. This is the only path. My whole life was... Otome Game Works.
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In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you think of judging someone," he told me, "Remember that they have reasons for saying what they say and doing what they do, no differently than how you are."
I smiled when he said that, taking on every piece of information he could give me; I saw each and every one as a token from this man who I could tell had lived through so much. His eyes are always so deep and thoughtful, and with him even a simple smile held more emotions in it than I could then imagine.
He was a good and strong man, and he raised me like his daughter even though I was just some kid he found, suffering alone in a fire. He took me in, instead of any of the other orphans that had been rescued, and gave me a new life alongside him.
"I want you to know this: I am a magus." He said that with absolute confidence when he was bringing me to his house. I nodded, smiling.
"Wow, that's really cool!" Of course I could accept this man as my father. He was strange and new, looking unkempt and far from rich, but he had a gentle air to him despite his appearance, and he brought me home, gave me his last name, and made sure that I was able to live a normal, renewed life.
There were times when he was quiet, and times when he spoke with vigour and joy. In the former I wondered what he was thinking, and tried to follow his example, sitting out beside him under the stars, meditating. I didn't know then just what that was for, but I did it anyway. All that mattered to me was that I was emulating Kiritsugu Emiya, my father and my hero.
There was another thing that he spoke to me about. He said, "As a girl, you have to make sure that you don't let other people step on you; I've seen that too much." He looked up and into the distance, half speaking to me and half to someone else, maybe even himself. "You've got to be smart and strong, but also gentle and feminine. You have to be respected, but able to show respect." He took in a deep breath, as if what he was about to say would take all of it. "Most of all, understand the people around you. Get to know them, let them know you, and then you can see if they are good people or not. Never judge someone based on how they look, or act."
Looking back to me, he was smiling his usual smile, full of age even though he didn't look all that old. I knew that I had to be like him, and I took his advice for what it was. I would be the kind of daughter he wanted, so I said to myself, and I would make him proud.
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“Senpai! Are you alright?” Comes a worried cry from above me.
I must've passed out last night, and slept in the shed in my yard. I shiver. It's cold, and I really must have been knocked out hard, since my head is pounding. I remember practising my magecraft last night, as usual, but sometime while I was doing that I must have gone too far, and winded up like this. It's not the most dignified situation I could be in, but I let out a sigh of relief when I see a purple haired girl carefully making sure if I'm okay.
Still laying on the ground, I smile up at her. “It's okay, Sakura. I just... exercised too much last night, I guess. It's nothing to be worried about.”
She continues to frown. “But senpai, this is the third time this month, and that can't be a coincidence! You should rest this morning, and I'll take care of breakfast. Okay?” I weakly nod, and she helps me up off the ground, walking along with me to the house to make sure I don't fall or anything.
Sakura's a nice girl. No matter what, she tries her best to help me, and ever since I taught her how to cook she's been in the kitchen, helping me. Honestly, she might be getting better than me, though I think I like my own cooking a bit too much to admit something like that. Basically, though, she's like a little sister to me, being a year younger than me. We used to be in the archery club together, but I ended up quitting that a while back. I think she likes being around me, though, and we connect on a level much like real siblings. I almost called her 'nee-san' once, and she looked away as if that was something incredibly embarrassing to her.
When we get back to the house, entering the main room, she sits me down on a soft mat and immediately takes off for the nearby kitchen, the hem of her skirt fluttering about just above her feet. At the worst of times, it always seems, she's enthusiastic. Every time she cooks, working with delicate precision like someone aiming to completely master a skill, she gets seriously determined; when she serves the food once it's done she watches every little expression I make.
“Is it good? Is it good?” She asks, staring at the chopsticks in my hand as they make gentle cross-crossing motions through the noodles like the legs of a ballet dancer, swishing and picking up noodles and bringing them up to my mouth.
I swallow, set my chopsticks down, and nod sagely, proclaiming this one dish to be highly superior to those crafted in the past. She accepts this solemn, silent praise as I grant it to her, then looks at me with a curious expression.
“Ah, s-senpai, if it's so good, then why aren't you eating any more? Are... are you full, for once?” Again, she starts studying my face. Is she wondering if I just lied to her just now, or something?
I point to the other servings she's readied on the table, adjusting my position on the floor as I do so to get more comfortable. “Oh come on, Sakura! Just eat up, won't you? If a cook can't enjoy their own food, then there's no worth in it, no matter how many other people say it's good!” This isn't the first time I've said that to her, but I don't think she quite gets it. Her ingrained personality just rejects that whole line of thought, and it makes me more than a little curious.
Still, she nods and smiles, and takes her place at the small table right across from me. Sometimes I have other people over, too, like my teacher Fuji-nee, but often it's just Sakura and I. Of course, there are times when Sakura just isn't around in the morning, off doing something else like club practice, and those times can be tough since I don't always wake up when I should-
Well, hold on. “Sakura!” I shout, startling her out of her calm demeanour as she ate. “What time is it right now?” I'm getting honestly worried here. Fuji-nee's going to kill me right where I stand if I'm not at school on time. Just as Sakura said, I've been passing out in my shed way too much lately.
Sakura put a finger to her chin. “Ah, I'm not sure. It should be...” She arches her neck around, looking for the clock that's hung up on the wall in the kitchen. Seeing the time, she almost goes completely pale. If I'm unsettled by being late, then she's completely frightened by it, as I've come to know. It's not like she doesn't do well in school, after all, and as far as I can tell she takes getting to school on time very seriously. Maybe I should follow her example some time.
“Well, let's go!” I'm dressed still, but Sakura looks at me worriedly. She's all ready to leave, since she had to get prepared for the day before coming to my house, but I have just a little window of time to get to school and get myself ready. I look down, and see that I'm still in my school uniform. It almost makes me laugh, to think of how tired I must have been to not even change clothes, but I have to say that I don't really have a choice in the matter right now. I've got no reason to laugh, either, and I silently berate myself for being so careless.
I rush off to the bathroom, and with as much speed as I could ever muster I brush my teeth and do all the small things I can do to at least look like I tried to prepare myself for today. I think I took a shower last night, so I should be kind of okay in that regard, but sleeping in the shed is inexcusable when it comes to personal hygiene. Ah, screw it, then. I want to walk – or run – to school with Sakura for once, and I doubt too many people will take it badly if I'm not wearing makeup for once. I vigorously scrub my face, and I spot Sakura out of the corner of my eye. She has a bag with her, clutched tightly in her hand. Her other hand is covering her mouth, and I can tell pretty soundly that she's worried; if not for me then it's for her own desire to get to school.
I've cleaned up as much as I can. Taking in a deep breath and towelling off my face, I get everything I need for the day and speed walk out of the bathroom, getting my shoes on at the door and leaving as quickly as my feet can take me. Sakura matches my pace exactly, and really, we must look kind of ridiculous, as two girls rushing off in a completely inelegant way to school. I'm sure we get a few looks along the way, but I can't really pay attention to that as I run with Sakura.
Success. We reach the gates of the school, and that we consider at least some kind of victory. Sakura and I are panting away, myself leaned over and wishing that I had taken up track instead of archery way back when.
On the first floor of the school's main building, we part ways. I wave to Sakura, and despite her own fatigue she smiles back, and with that I can get on my way to class, unhindered.
...of course, that's what I'd naturally hope.
I check a clock mounted on the wall right in front of the exit of the second floor stairwell. Just as I do that the familiar dinging of the bell goes off, and I prepare for the surge of people coming up the stairs. I've got to get away, and fast. So, hardly looking around myself, I charge as respectfully as I can towards my own classroom, hoping that my luck will not fail me and that I'll make it in time so that Fuji-nee won't berate me. That happened once, and I try not to remember the dire consequences that emerged from that.
Much to my satisfaction, though, I get into the class before the big rush, and take my seat before anything looks out of place. A few people glance my way, wondering what the real rush was, but most have settled down in their desks, looking organized for the day. I wish that today had been a better day for me, but it's really not special. My life isn't going to change, and ultimately tomorrow will probably be the same, except I'll try harder to awake earlier than just a short while before school starts.
A while after the bell has rung, I watch as Fuji-nee takes her place up at the front of the class. It's just another day, I tell myself, and start to relax. So long as I don't stress myself out too much, this day will go by smoothly.
And, as I learn some hours later, it really does. As soon as my last class is over I practically burst out of my seat to get away. Halting my advance, though, just as I'm making my way along like a smooth car through heavy traffic, is none other than Tohsaka Rin. She's pretty legendary around here, as the de facto school idol. She's definitely pretty, with dark hair tied up in elegant twintails that, instead of making her look girlish, give her an air of strong femininity that I can respect. She doesn't let other people get to her, and she's always so calm and collected. She smiles for a moment then passes by me, sort of brushing me off I think, but when I check behind myself to see what she was looking at, I see the cause of her surprisingly quick departure.
There's Ryuudou Issei, heading down the halls in my – or perhaps Tohsaka's – direction. When he stops right in front of me, I can tell that he meant to look for me. Glancing to where Tohsaka left to, he scowls in that direction then looks back to me, his visage still stern.
“Emiya-san, you mustn't admire her too much.” Ah, I get it now. He must've seen me pausing for a moment when I noticed Tohsaka as she came out of pretty much nowhere. “I won't be able to accept a virtuous girl like yourself falling down the tainted path that Tohsaka Rin has created for herself. Be kind to life, Emiya-san, and life will be kind to you. Understand this, so that you do not let yourself be corrupted. You are too good of a person to lose to Tohsaka-san's style.”
I get it, I get it. I can see where he's coming from, since while Tohsaka is a smart, attention-grabbing beauty in the school, she's always really cold to most people, and downright mean to others. When Matou Shinji asked her out a while ago, I heard that Tohsaka just kicked him in the shin and laughed at him. That might be a slight exaggeration, but it definitely gives even a little bit of credence to how people like Issei-kun view her. Of course, I've got to mention that he's in the minority. A lot of people like Tohsaka, despite how she acts. In most respects, she's a role model. And despite what Issei-kun has been saying to me for the longest time, I kind of want to talk to her sometime in the future.
I briefly nod in Issei-kun and, looking rather satisfied, he heads off to help out of student council, or so he usually does.
“Oh, Emiya-san? Can you help me with the student council today? I know, this is short notice, but you could be really useful.” Yes, I definitely called it.
I turn around and sigh, with an exaggerated shrug of my shoulders. “I'm sorry, Issei-kun, but I've got to work tonight. Maybe some other time?” I'm actually being honest here, by the way. I might not seem like it, but I'm actually a waitress. I see Issei-kun, looking a bit disappointed, and he says, “It's okay,” and walks off. Hey, I'd help if I could; there's no reason to sulk like that!
Not being too worried about it all, I leave the school, a little later than expected but nothing too bad; I've been later and I've been earlier.
Just like the labours of Heracles, though, I've got yet another obstacle to face before I can truly get my night in progress. Standing outside of the gate, as if waiting for me, is a student with wavy blue hair, casually leaned against the school's wall. I know him fairly well, and I guess we could be considered friends, but he definitely seems to like being around me a lot.
“Yo, Emiya-chan!” He calls out, waving at me. I walk up to him, wondering what he's doing out here after school, if not for the archery club.
“Hey, Matou-kun!” I respond, and he beams a smile at me. “Were you... waiting for me here?”
It might be pertinent to mention that this guy is Sakura's brother. It's funny, how they're so different. Sakura usually keeps to herself, but this Matou Shinji is totally outgoing, and usually has a whole cadre of girls surrounding him. Not this day, it seems.
He shrugs. “Ah, no, actually.” He points with his thumb over at the archery building. “I thought there was practice today, but it turns out there wasn't. I guess I was misinformed.”
“Oh, really?” He's kind of strange, and I stifle a giggle. “I didn't think the vice-captain of the archery club would be so lazy.”
“Hey, I'm not lazy!” Matou-kun loses his cool for a second, scowling, but returns to normal just a second later as if nothing had happened. “Really, though, it's a weird one-off mistake. I must have woken up wrong this morning, huh?”
We continue our idle conversation for a while. “Oh, I woke up late, too! Sakura and I had to rush all the way here in order to get to school on time. We still had breakfast, though, so it was okay. I didn't get to get ready properly, though, and... eh, I'm not all too impressed with myself.”
“Ah, you look fine.” He nods, then gives me a clever smile. “If you had let Sakura be late to school, you'd owe me, you know.” Matou-kun looks a little gleeful with that, but I brush it off as another of his eccentricities.
He scratches the back of his neck, returning the conversation to normal. “Oh, you aren't doing anything later today, are you?” He speaks matter-of-factly.
“Oh, no, my boss needs me tonight.” I frown, shrugging my shoulders as if to say, 'Oh well, it's inevitable, really.'
But, then again... does Neko-san really need me to come in and work tonight? I mean, she might get mad at me, but she's forgiving, plus I've worked a lot more than usual this month. Waitressing is kind of an off and on thing, since any given night there may or may not be people coming in to the restaurant. I've had days before where she called me in and didn't need me to work anyway.
I guess...
*
(A)...I'll just go to work.
(B)...hanging out with Shinji for a while should be okay.
(C)...I'm tired. Going home sounds good to me.
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Yes, each chapter will include, at the end, 2-4 choices for you to make! Why is this? Well, simple enough, though this was originally planned as a Shirouko/Archer fic, I'll be democratic (lawl) and let you choose which route you go on! Not that you'll know, of course! There are four possible routes, though not all of them have particularly good ends. In fact, you the people might wind up on a route destined for pure failure! Aahhahaha, but isn't that the fun part? Regardless of what route you people steer me on to, there will be lemon scenes of some kind. Don't worry, if you don't like that naughty, dirty, sacreligious stuff, then you will be warned by a "LEMON INCOMING!" sign on the chapter containing the scene in question. This allows those people who don't want to read such things the ability to just skip the dirty bits for the normal stuff, and allows those people who are just horny to skip the normal stuff to get to the dirty bits.
...people are going to actually read this... right?
(Don't forget to vote; in addition, the first person to guess the novel(s) from which the first line of every chapter is lifted from gets an additional vote, which doesn't actually have to be for what they voted first for; they could vote choice A as well as B, because I'm an insane person like that. Just... no Google and all that, okay? Just use the honour system here, and guess!)
You can also change your vote exactly once per voting session.
Most of all, though, I hope you enjoy this fanfiction!
INDEX:
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10, part 1
...
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Originally Posted by Elf
