A Wish Upon the Stars [Fate x Highschool DxD]

[BloodMoon5580]

===DISCLAIMER===​

The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. The Fate series is owned by Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.

This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are purely coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.

I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?

"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain and or words/language/things that are beyond human comprehension.)

===AN===​

P.S. I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:

Time of writing: 11/15/2022 11:16 AM
Time of posting: 11/23/2022 7:32 PM (On Fanfiction.net)

To get a frame of reference.

---

Prologue

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

One dreamt of a world of peace but saw only death.

One dreamt of a world of smiles but saw only tears.

One dreamt of a world's salvation but did not grasp it.

The one that could not save the world, in the end, he could only protect the happiness of a single girl.

Shirou Emiya knew what he wanted was deplorable in its own right. Choosing to forsake the salvation of others, when it would cost nothing more than a single life, and yet…

'Well in the end. I chose what I thought was right, but how can I say it was not wrong?'

A war waged on in his mind, burdened by the guilt of betraying his father's dream, the sorrow of losing the woman he loved, and the utter desperation he feels, knowing the only family he has left would be ripped away from him. 'I fought battle after battle. I sustained wounds that would kill a lesser man, I used up more energy in these battles than I ever would have in my life without them. But I kept fighting, I had no other choice but to fight, nothing else to fight for but her, nothing else I could hold close to my heart for they were all stolen away.' Regardless of how he feels, he continues to move forward.

'There was no justice in damning the world. The justice I was taught by that man would sooner kill me for trying this.'

But humans cannot always reach their ideals, to succeed in their dreams, they can only make decisions and concessions. When that small girl made her wish to the stars; that's when Shirou Emiya made his very own selfish wish as well. 'I chose to stop being a shell, to start being real. So I conquered the battles in front of me.'

An Assassin, filled with bloodlust.

A Caster, desiring only to live.

A Lancer, with a nasty grin full of pride.

A Rider, who cared for nothing in the world.

A Berserker, who destroyed all in front of her.

And a Saber, who entrusted something to him.

The events of the Holy Grail War replayed in his mind, he thought of his losses, of his victories, and of those he's killed, carving his bloodied path to victory. 'I prevailed and became the victor of the Holy Grail War. And following that strange priest's words, I left for her.'

Bloodlust suddenly began emanating from the cavern ahead of him, "Emiya," the voice spit out the name as if poison, hidden by the shadows.

Shirou stopped in his tracks recognizing the owner of the voice, "It's been so long… how've you been doing, Julian?" His voice echoed throughout the icy walls of the former dragon's den.

Standing before Shirou Emiya was Julian Ainsworth, still wearing his brown Homurahara Academy uniform, a person that he once called a friend.

Julian's dark eyes, enshrouded by hate, met Shirou's hollow and dead amber ones.

'He's been waiting here for while now, hasn't he?' A million questions ran through his mind, including the things he wanted to hear and the things he wanted to know, but one thing took precedence. "…Give Miyu back." His voice was firm and his hands were clenched tightly in resolve.

The only thing he received was a glare. "That… would be betraying all of mankind, Emiya." Julian spat out his former friend's name. His forehead squeezed in frustration and anger, shoulders trembled with every second had to look at him. He must've been pissed. "I… I don't even know where to start with you, Emiya. Should I be laughing? Crying? I just don't get you. Doing something so unforgivable makes you the worst kind of evil." He continued, eyes burning with hatred.

As Julian continued to speak, Shirou found himself sympathizing with his former friend more and more, despite his cruel words. Julian had no clue just how similar both of them were.

"To think…" Shirou started, understanding how it felt to carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders. To be given such a duty would drive a normal man into madness. 'You'd have to already be crazy to be okay with such a thing. The thing was though, neither of us were particularly sane.' "…we've both been fighting alone this entire time…"

Hearing Shirou's words made Julian snap, "DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW, EMIYA! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" Spittle flew from his mouth. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA! THE PAIN, THE SUFFERING, THE AGONY! YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT IT'S LIKE!"

"Heh… that's the thing, Julian… I know exactly what that's like." Shirou replied calmly. "Kill one to save ten, ten for a hundred, a hundred for a thousand. I knew someone like that, all too well." His adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya. The man who'd saved a random kid he'd never met before. The man who took him in, and trained him with Magecraft.

The smile he wore in his final moments was one Shirou will always remember till the day he dies. Both father and son talked a lot about being 'Allies of Justice'. To the point that Shirou even swore to become one for the both of them.

Those ideals were only reinforced when he installed EMIYA for the first time.

When he installed EMIYA, he learned how he stuck to those ideals until he even became a Counter Guardian.

They are, after all, the same person, so every memory, every bit of knowledge, his thoughts, his dreams… even his suffering became a part of Shirou Emiya.

While they were all different people, they all shared the very same ideals that Julian clung to for life.

Shirou asked curiously, "Did you know Julian? About Miyu's family? About the Sakatsuki family?" Julian waited for him to elaborate as his rage changed to confusion. Shirou paused and looked his former friend in the eyes, "Have you ever wondered what they'd wish for?" When he asked Julian that, he broke eye contact.

"They kept all their records, the records of their ancestors. All the way back from the very first generation to Miyu's. They were the 'Children of God', who could grant wishes unconditionally, even their own."

After some thought, he was left with nothing but blanks. For once, since the start of their conversation, Julian Ainsworth was genuinely curious now.

"The wellbeing of their children... that's all they ever longed for. They could've wished for fame or fortune, but all they ever wished for is what any good parent would wish for; the wellbeing of their child." Shirou paused once more to let those words sink in. "And they consistently did so, for more than 400 years."

Julian was stunned, speechless.

"And if you consider that to be evil…" Shirou marched past him. 'I dug this grave myself…' "…then let me be evil." 'It was time to lie in it.'

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Exiting the long, dark, and frigid tunnel, Shirou found himself overlooking a giant cavern. Looking ahead, he found it, the altar underneath Mount Enzo that directly connected to the Holy Grail system of Fuyuki City, where his sister lays at the center of an incredibly complex Formalcraft Circle.

His younger sister whom he and Kiritsugu adopted into their family years ago. The one that was meant to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity. To save the world from its destruction.

Hearing his approach, Miyu opened her eyes, "O-Onii…chan?" She said through her hazy eyes.

Shirou smiled, a true smile, the same smile he saw on Kiritsugu's face when he rescued him all those years ago, as he kneeled before the altar. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long…" Shirou said as he gently grabbed his sister's hand.

Tears began to threaten to spill from her eyes, "W-Why…" her gaze was full of sorrow and betrayal.

He could feel the sadness in her tone. His heart twisted and wrenched in ways that no weapon ever could. 'No that is a lie and I know it. I do know, I know why seeing her suffering like this hurts so much. I guess in the end, my heart of glass can never truly live up to anything. But even still, I must continue forward.'

"Why did you come? I… I heard it from them… those people…" his smile broke as she spoke.

Miyu choked on a sob, "Those people told me the reason you and Kiritsugu took me in." She has accepted her fate and understood that being used as a tool was part of her duty. A thing that should be utilized until it breaks, then discarded. "To use my power... that's all I was to anyone. A tool to be used. That they would save the world in Kiritsugu's place."

Tears flowed from her eyes without end. The thought of being used up like garbage hurt her more than anyone else. She was terrified of dying. She did not want to pass away like a tool.

Miyu Emiya had her own desires; to see the ocean, to know of freedom, and most importantly, to live.

"So then why... Why did you come here!? To use me like everyone else!?"

The little girl Shirou had come to regard as his sister did not want to vanish into the night.

"That… goes without saying." He said, reaching into his pocket. He felt his fingers wrap around a set of seven cards.

Shirou Emiya's proof of victory over the rest of the participants of the Grail War. A sign that the other six competitors were either defeated or killed, with the exception of the Berserker Card's owner, who escaped due to Berserker's God Hand.

Most of them were puppets belonging to the Ainsworth, brought back from the dead to fight on their behalf. But there were probably one or two that were nothing more than ravenous beasts fueled by their greed. "I'm your brother, you said it yourself. So it's my job to protect you." Shirou's smile returned.

The cards glowed a faint light and levitated off of his hands circling on top of Miyu, he kneeled once more and grasped his sister's hand, "Honestly, it's been one mistake over another with me, this may even be a mistake as well. Nevertheless, for this alone, I know to be true."

Closing his eyes, Shirou began to make his wish.

"I wish upon the Holy Grail;

​

I pray that you may find a world where you won't have to suffer any longer.

I pray that you meet kind people.

I pray that you make friends you can laugh with.

I pray that you find a warm, small share of happiness."

The Grail responded to his wish immediately, as light filled the cavern and Miyu began to float off the ground.

Despite that, Shirou did not let go. Slowly, he stood up as his sister rose into the air, his hand still holding onto hers. Even as their hands began to part, her small fingers tried desperately to hold on to his own.

"Onii… chan…" Miyu said softly, closing her eyes as tears began to leak out. Shirou watched with bated breath as she was gently lifted into the air far beyond his reach, and hopefully, theirs as well.

Sensing the massive flair of Magical Energy, he turned away from his sister, to face the last obstacle that stands in the way of Miyu's happiness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Miyu Emiya, despite her appearance, was very much fully conscious and aware of the fight between her brother and her captor, a blonde girl with very revealing armor.

It's not that she didn't think her brother was strong or that she believed he lacked motivation. But not only was his opponent completely impervious to damage, all due to her Displacement Magecraft making any potential strike that could have impacted her immediately phased through. Coupled with the fact that she also had access to an infinite number of Noble Phantasms. She knew that her brother's defeat is certain.

Even though his own Archer Card was directly above her, Shirou had begun using its abilities, he was still at a disadvantage. Even if he were able to negate almost every weapon used against him, he couldn't stop them all. Not to mention that Angelica could simply create a portal between the two to keep him at a distance.

As their battle raged on, Shirou was thrown to the ground after a particularly large explosion. As he stood up, he ripped off his coat and held out his left hand while supporting it with his right after being brutally hurled back again the second time. He chanted, "I am the bone of my sword… !"

And the battle only grew more intense from there.

After an intense game of keep away, where Shirou withstood Angelica's attacks as he chanted, the two disappeared into a large dome, comprised entirely of snow.

An impossible reality that was a fusion of the Heroic Spirit's and Shirou Emiya's own. A pitch-black sky devoid of stars, with a silver moon hanging brightly in the sky. Snow-covered wastelands, a never-ending storm that obscured sight, and stabbed into the dirt were weapons, reminiscent of grave markers. Weapons of every make, from swords to spears, axes, knives, halberds, hammers, daggers, arrows, and more... a seemingly infinite world of blades.

Somehow, someway, Miyu saw it all. She detested it. She only recently discovered that her brother cared for her, that he didn't view her as a tool, and that he was willing to give up his life for her.

And she rejected it.

'I… I don't want Onii-chan to go… Any world without you is meaningless to me… You promised to show me the ocean. I wish Onii-chan… I WISH ONII-CHAN WOULD COME WITH ME!'

Neither her brother nor his opponent heard her. Only a single entity could hear her heartfelt plea. And the Holy Grail got to work.

At the moment, it was only drawing energy at the time to power the wish. Therefore, the request may still be altered, not to mention the Vessel's powerful will that would drive the alteration through. And indeed, that is what took place. However, it had something in mind before Miyu had overridden her brother's wish, so it did more than simply search for a good world for the Vessel to live in and enjoy. A world very similar to this one. Now, it also had to consider the Subject's own happiness as well.

The Grail knew what made its Vessel happy, mainly the Subject, so it searched through the Subject's memories to find what made him happy. Since happiness was a rare emotion for the Subject, the Vessel aside, it took some searching. However, two characteristics that were fundamental to the Subject's identity stood out to it.

The Vessel, his sister Miyu Emiya, was undoubtedly the first. The Subject genuinely cared about her, and his presence was evidence of his commitment to protecting her. He didn't wish for her to be in any danger.

So the Grail would continue its search, and in order to find a secure world where she would be safe.

The Heroes were another aspect of the Subject that stood out to the Grail. He wished to be a hero but learned of its impossibility at a young age. He could only ever gaze upon it from a distance. But for the sake of his sister, he abandoned his ideals. He never despised it, though. He could never detest a dream so pure, so beautiful.

So the Grail would search for a world where Heroism was within his reach.

In the first, people with special powers, known as Saviors, are trained to defend against monsters called Metaphysicals, which brutally and indiscriminately attacked humans. Saviors are the reincarnations of talented individuals who possess awakened memories of their past lives. Should the Vessel's existence come to light, both siblings would face the same hardships that they face in this one as well. Hence the Grail shall reject the world's pleas for a savior.

The second world was a world of Magics and Nobles. A long time ago, a man known as Brimir created a Thaumaturgical Foundation that saw continued use for over 6000 years after its creation. The Grail rejected the world, for the world's largest religion would see to the persecution of both the Vessel and the Subject, for their existence stands as an upfront to their God, Brimir. Hence the Grail shall reject the call of a pink-haired noble for a familiar most suited to her, ironically doing the complete opposite of the Subject's actions thus far, it shall sacrifice the happiness of one to grant the wish of the two. Perhaps if the girl were to call for another Familiar, someone else may answer her pleas.

The third was a world where, out of boredom, the gods came to join their offspring on earth. The world was almost perfect—it had heroes, dungeons, and monsters. However, it was wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon, and the Subject is a little flirtatious due to the Counter Guardian's influence. Sadly, the Grail had to pass on this one as well. Perhaps it was for the best as it would be difficult to explain to these gods the existence of the Vessel. Maybe such a thing is conceivable in another universe, another world, another reality. The Grail would have to look past this fantastic world.

There were countless other worlds like this one that appeared to meet the requirements but was unsuitable due to certain faults. Not only was it looking for a good world, but also the finest. And it was unwilling to accept anything less. And the Grail has discovered the most suitable world after reducing the options and eliminating ones that were too absurd to be acceptable to either the Subject or the Vessel.

In a world where the three Biblical Factions; God and his Angels, Azazel and his Fallen brethren, and the 72 Demon God Pillars with their kin, descendants, and armies all waged war across the world. Dubbed 'The Great War', in the end, Heaven lost the Almighty Father, Hell lost their 72 Pillars as well as the Four Great Satans, meanwhile, the Fallen didn't incur devastating losses, but were the first ones to propose a cease-fire. Now the three Biblical Factions, alongside the various other Pantheons and Magical organizations, are in a state of cold war, threatening to envelop not just the Moonlit part of that world, but the Mundane part as well, drowning the world in the flames of war. Yet despite these over-glaring flaws, the Grail knew that the Vessel will never be safe so long as the Ainsworths exist and it does not have the power to destroy the Magus family. And so the Grail sought out the power that will aid in protecting the Vessel in accordance with the Subject's wish.

After all, who better to sit upon the throne of god, if not the embodiment of miracles themselves, the 'Child of God'.

Not to mention that a select few of the beings in this world could hold their own against Servants with just their natural abilities, including the wielders of these so-called Longinus class Sacred Gears, functioning similar to that of a high-class Noble Phantasm. Just imagine if they were Servants and their fame strengthened them further… They'd be absolute monsters.

So the Grail prepared to send the two to the perfect world it found. The Grail locked onto the coordinates of this new world, as the Subject deflected sword after sword with his duplicates. The Grail chose the Subject and the Vessel as the targets for the wish's fulfillment as the Subject was launched into a free fall and successfully blocked two enormous blades with his own. The Grail plucked the Vessel from this world and sent her to her new home as the Subject and the Counterfeiter's two unstoppable forces collide.

As Ea shattered the Reality Marble, and the Subject spoke to himself of his promise to the Vessel, the Holy Grail carried him from this world as well. The seven Class Cards were among the items the Grail made sure to bring with them during the transfer. They weren't exactly needed in this world anymore, and maybe they could help the Subject and the Vessel in the new world they found themselves in.

The Counterfeiter, however, was only able to grind her teeth in fury. She had just blown her Master's last chance to save the world, and couldn't even take the Subject's head as a consolation prize. She did not look forward to talking to her Master since she knew he would be upset. The Grail, in its limited sentience, almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

In the center of a deserted park, a portal opened up spitting out a young black-haired girl, wearing a long black dress. Seven cards floated a few feet off the ground, surrounding her in a circular motion. The cards then landed gently on the ground.

"Mmm," Miyu Emiya opened her eyes to the night sky, a veritable sea of stars, and a moon hanging high above, bathing her surroundings in an ethereal light. If anyone were to stumble onto her now, they would've thought they were looking at a fairy.

She looked around to find herself alone, "Onii-chan…" tears pooled in her eyes, thinking of her brother that fought for her sake, prepared to give up his own life so that she could live and be happy.

Suddenly another portal opened in front of her eyes. A red-haired with streaks of white, bloodied, and bruised body spat out of the portal, looking more like that a corpse than a living person.

"Onii-chan!" Miyu screamed out as she ran towards her brother. Putting her fingers on his wrist, feeling a pulse, she sighed in relief.

"Ghk!" Suddenly, Shirou began writhing in pain as the dark patches on his skin squirmed and started expanding slowly, reminiscent of a virus.

"Onii-chan!" Miyu, worried for her brother's safety, called out to him, her voice failing to reach him as he continued to suffer in pain. "Help! Help! Please, we need help!"

"Agh!"

"Anyone! Please, I'll do anything! So please help my brother! I-I can't lose him, please," Miyu continued calling out for help. Unfortunately, no one could hear her desperate pleas.

"Ack!"

Running out of options and seemingly running out of time as well, Miyu decided to use her wish-granting abilities, 'There should still be a few minutes before my birthday,' she thought to herself as she brought her hands together to pray to the stars. "I wish for the power to help Onii-chan!" Light suddenly erupted from her body, and large amounts of magical energy began gathering and swirling around her.

"Huh?" Miyu suddenly stiffened, as she felt a connection to something start to form within her. "What's happening?" The connection began to give her the necessary knowledge and power to help her brother. Accompanying the knowledge, were visions; a golden throne, shining with untold amounts of power, a kingdom in the sky, hidden in the clouds, and Angels, lots and lots of golden-winged Angels.

She ignored the visions and instead focused on the knowledge imparted to her. "I see," she stood up and went to the Archer Card laying on the ground and gently put it on top of her brother's chest. She began to pour her magical energy into both the card and her brother, willing the Heroic Spirit inside the Card to fuse itself with Shirou Emiya.

"Please work," she said as she poured more Magical Energy into her brother until the Card fully fused with him.

Seeing her brother relax, made her sigh in relief once more.

After a few seconds, Shirou began to stir, "Mmm," opening his eyes to the night sky. Sitting himself up, he surveyed his surroundings, until…

"Onii-chan!" A black blur tackled him to the ground. Looking closely, Shirou recognized the head of black hair.

"I'm glad you're alright, Miyu." He said as he gently patted her head.

"Yes, Onii-chan," she whispered, as tears of joy trailed down her cheeks.

Suddenly Shirou felt multiple Magical Signatures coming from the north, closing in on them, fast.

"Miyu, where are the Cards?" Shirou asked as he began looking around.

"I have them right here," she showed him the Class Cards stashed inside her dress. "Why? What's happening, Onii-chan?" She asked her brother, worry seeping into her voice.

"I'll explain later, for now, we need to get out of here," Shirou said, lifting his sister in a princess carry. Preparing to use Reinforcement, Shirou took in the ambient Mana present in the atmosphere for his Magic Circuits to begin producing Prana, when he suddenly began to choke, falling to his knees and his eyes going bloodshot.

Miyu stood beside her brother in worry and panic. "Onii-chan! What's happening?!" She said in worry, dread filling her heart as her brother kept choking on air.

'W-what's happening?' Using Structural Grasp, Shirou analyzed the inside of his body, only to stop when he noticed his Magic Circuits were completely bloated with energy. Thinking fast, he used Full Body Reinforcement and Projection Magecraft to create numerous high-level projections; from powerful Mystic Codes to C and D Rank Noble Phantasms to try and burn off as much Prana as possible.

When the feeling of drowning finally subsided, Shirou let out a sigh of relief. Only to stiffen once more as the Magical Signatures from earlier began to speed up, most likely noticing his abrupt release of a large quantity of Prana.

'Shit!' Cursing inwardly, he picked up Miyu again and prepared to run, this time he was being careful not to overfill himself with Prana.

"Wha-! Kya!" Before Miyu could say anything, Shirou was already jumping from treetop to treetop at near Servant-like speeds.

As he jumped on top of a building, he looked at his sister to check in on her, "Miyu are you alright?" He asked as he saw her eyes swirling.

"P-please warn me before you do something like that again, Onii-chan." She said before passing out in dizziness.

Shirou sighed and laid her down gently on the rooftop. Turning around, he used another round of Reinforcement on his eyes to extend his vision and to see into the darkness in hopes of catching a glimpse of their pursuers.

'There!' He could see them now, a group of people wearing what appears to be a predominantly black school uniform with bat-like wing appendages on their backs, one of them he could see only had one wing deployed. At the head of the group was a girl with fiery red hair and an incredibly voluptuous body.

Seeing them reach their previous location, they stopped and gaped at the sight that lay before them. Weapons, weapons of various makes and types scattered before them, stabbed into the ground. After a few seconds one of them, a young man with blonde hair picked up one of the numerous weapons littering the area. Seeing him pick up one of the D Rank Noble Phantasms, Shirou immediately dispersed all of his Projections to blue motes of light before any of them could be traced back to him. Unknowingly creating an incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing sight for those that witnessed it.

After confirming all of his Projections were gone, he turned around and left the area.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

A few minutes earlier

When Miyu Emiya had unknowingly forged a connection with the Throne of Heaven, the throne emitted a large quantity of Holy Power, blasting the Seraphim, Michael back by a few feet as he was tending to God's System.

Alarmed, he sprung to his feet and operated one of the consoles in the throne room.

"T-this! It can't be!" His voice was a mix of both hope and disbelief.

He looked up to the throne, and for the first time since the end of the Great War, hope shone fiercely in Michael's eyes. "Father?"

---

===AN===​

I'm gonna be completely honest with you guys here, I have no fucking idea why I even wrote this. It's been living in my head rent-free for about a month now and I just couldn't resist y'know.

Anyway, tell me what you guys think about it in the comments down below.

COMMENT, LIKE, AND SUBSCRIBE- oh wait no, that's YouTube. Anyway, you get the point.

 

[BloodMoon5580]

===DISCLAIMER===​

The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. The Fate series is owned by Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.

This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are purely coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.

I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?

"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain and or words/language/things that are beyond human comprehension.)

===AN===​

Thanks to the overwhelming support of you guys from the comment section, I have decided to continue the story. Although the pairings and some other stuff will be subject to changes in the future. I literally did not plan anything for this story when I published it. Sorry.

Oh and in case any of you get confused, Chapter 1 picks off immediately after the events of the Prologue.

P.S. I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:

Time of writing: 11/24/2022 10:26 AM
Time of posting: 12/18/2022 7:25 PM (On Fanfiction.net)

To get a frame of reference.

---

Chapter 1

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

"Huh?" Miyu found herself inside a golden throne room, seated upon a golden throne, with pure white marble columns. She could see various images of people praying from the numerous consoles floating around her.

"W-what's happening?" She said, looking around her. "Onii-chan! Where are you?!" Miyu called for her brother, only for silence to greet her, and her mind began to panic.

"No! I need to be strong!" Slapping herself on the cheeks, Miyu drove off the despair creeping into her heart.

Standing up, Miyu began to look around, exploring the throne room. After several minutes of walking around, she found herself in front of two giant doors made of solid gold.

Determined to find out where she was, Miyu pushed with all her might, but sadly, all her effort was for naught, as the two doors remained shut.

Exhausted, Miyu leaned on the door as she sat on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. Tears began to trickle down her face as she was reminded of her time as the Ainsworth's captive. "Onii-chan… Shirou, where are you?" She said as her tears continued to fall like raindrops on the marble floor.

After a few hours of continuous crying, Miyu looked up and noticed the numerous consoles that were floating around the throne room were all suddenly next to her, surrounding her. For the first time ever, Miyu Emiya felt anger well up from within her, lashing out at the consoles, "Go away!" She screamed as she swung her arm angrily in front of her, grazing one of the consoles.

"Eh?" Information suddenly flooded her mind as her hand made contact with one of the consoles. "Oh, Almighty Father, please save my son. I-I can't lose him, I can't lose the only family I have left!" Miyu watched as the mother was ushered away. "I know I'm unworthy of your mercy, I cheated, I lied, I have committed many sins, and I know that I'll end up in hell for it. But my child, he's innocent! So please take me! Not him! I don't care what happens to me! Send me to the deepest parts of hell if you wish, just, ple-." With a gasp, Miyu pulled her hand away from the console, trying to understand what just happened.

She looked at the golden throne pulsing rhythmically with power, then felt the same power flow within her. 'I-It can't be…' Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her, "You… you were the one that helped me?"

As if in agreement, a powerful pulse of power emanated from the throne, "I see, is this the price I have to pay for my wish? In exchange for helping me, you want me to fulfill these people's wishes?"

Another strong pulse signaled its agreement.

Miyu thought about what the throne was communicating with her. After a few minutes of deliberation, 'It's fine, this is my responsibility, if this is the price I have to pay to help Onii-chan, then I'd accept it gladly.' Miyu looked up at the throne once more, "Fine, this power, this responsibility, I accept."

"Argh!" A searing pain appeared on Miyu's chest as an upright triangle with a circle and dot in the middle seared into her skin.

With a shuddering breath, Miyu clutched her chest and pulled herself together as the throne shone brightly, brighter than anything Miyu had ever seen. A sphere of light then began to form around it, advancing towards her. 'This time — this time, I'll be the one to protect you, Onii-chan.' She thought to herself as the light consumed her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

It was a cold night.

The lingering chill of winter clung to the streets like a mist. The eerily silent environment added to the atmosphere of unease. Despite Kuoh being small, it was a flourishing city, the commercial districts were frequently still busy at this hour, either with people toiling away into the wee hours or with certain businesses tending to the needs of those weary souls.

However, tonight, the temperature fell to freezing levels. No person would want to be caught dead at this time of the night, much less stay on the rooftop of one of the highest buildings in the district. As reports of an increase in missing persons reports, as well as dead mutilated bodies, kept popping up everywhere, giant burn marks and some destroyed shops here and there caused the once-bustling district to fall into complete and utter silence as people were too afraid to go out at night.

Many speculations have begun to pop out as the people did as people do, they gossip. Concocting theories that were surprisingly close to the truth to the more mundane and much easier-to-believe scenarios.

Spying his target in the distance, he stood up from his perch.

Feeling the striking of a gun's hammer in his head, 27 Magic Circuits sprung to life, filling him with a familiar and comforting warmth.

Muttering the set of words unique to him, "Trace. On." Shirou Projected Archer's bow in his left hand and in his right, a Black Key, both appearing in a flash of blue light. The blade twisted in a silent screech of metal, elongating into what looked like an arrow.

Twang.

Twang.

Twang.

Shirou ignored the cold winds that bit at his skin. 'These winds are nothing compared to the near-perpetual winter of my old world.' He idly mused as he released a literal rain of his twisted sword arrows.

Amber eyes traced the hail of the arrows' path. Despite the arrows curving mid-flight in seemingly random directions, he was not worried at all. Shirou knew they were all going to hit before he even let lose the first shot.

Although most would call this overkill, in his defense, whether it was the equivalent of this world's Dead Apostles or the flurry of other hostile Phantasmal Creatures, half of the monsters he has fought during the two months he and Miyu have lived in this world possessed some type of Thaumaturgy that protected them. More often than not, their defenses were at the levels of something he'd expect of lower-level Magical Beasts living during the very end of the Age of Gods, hence why he's built a habit of precautionary overkill.

And besides, it never hurts to have another shot or dozen more flying through the air, just in case his target survives. He knows how many times that's happened already, a lesson learned from when he first encountered these things, mistakes born of underestimating his opponent or lack of knowledge of his target's capabilities.

With his reinforced eyes, Shirou easily kept track of each arrow traveling toward a nondescript building. Or to be more specific, he kept track of how long it would take to reach the monster he aimed to kill.

The arrows shot toward the monster, a naked woman with the body of a spider. It barely managed to twist in place, managing to dodge the first arrow but failing to dodge the rest.

"Gyah!" The monster screamed its dying breath as dozens of Black Keys-turned arrows pierced its body. The wound began producing steam as a burning scent of rotting flesh emanating from the monster. The innate properties of the Black Keys working against its existence.

After confirming its death, Shirou dismissed Archer's bow, scattering it into motes of blue light. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop to where the monster's body lay.

Crouching next to its body, he Projected a small knife once used by a hunter to gut the monster, taking out a chess piece made out of a red crystal, a Mystic Code known as an Evil Piece.

Using Structural Analysis on the Evil Piece, Shirou traced the object's history, learning the object's functions, who the monster was, what happened to it, and all the things it had done, and that was it. Despite his inherited mastery of the spell, he still could not glean any more information, as an enchantment on the Mystic Code blocked him. 'Whoever made this damnable thing is good, really, really good.'

His hand formed into a fist as the thought of an enemy he has no information about frustrated him to no end.

The first time he encountered the enchantments placed on the Evil Piece, he immediately stabbed it with Rule Breaker. Unfortunately, all it got him was a useless chess piece made out of a red crystal. Everything that made it special was destroyed by the Noble Phantasm, everything from the enchantments to the information stored on the Mystic Code.

Thus he opted to just keep them in a safe location until he could crack the protections without destroying the information or he could find someone that knows more about these things.

Sighing to himself, Shirou pocketed the Mystic Code as he stood up, "I hope you can find happiness in the next life," he said to no one in particular. It was a monster of circumstance, yes, but it had done too many horrible things to be left alone. 'I won't pity you, but know that whoever is responsible for turning you into this will die a horrible death.' It had to be erased from the world so that she could be safe.

There was no hesitation when he set out to accomplish precisely that. It took some time to create a Bounded Field that would set the monster's remains on fire and ensure that the flames spread evenly. It didn't take much Prana to start the chain reaction that would sustain itself from the ambient Mana rather than any other combustible material.

This particular Bounded Field is the Clock Tower Enforcers' go-to tool. It was made to let oxygen travel through unfettered while keeping the flames and the energy they emitted inside. It would guarantee that the fire would destroy everything, leaving no trace behind.

Turning around, Shirou pulled up his hood as he Reinforced his legs to jump towards the nearest rooftop. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop at Servant-like speeds, shortening his travel time from a few minutes to mere seconds.

'I need to set up more bounded fields around the area and increase my patrol routes to encompass the whole city.' He began planning his next move as the monsters began creeping closer and closer to their home. No doubt some of them know of him, although they don't know of his face or general features. The fact remains that these monsters know that he exists and that he is hunting them. As if that weren't enough, their numbers have recently been steadily rising, fueling his paranoia even further.

Entering through the window in his room, Shirou moved quietly, careful not to disturb Miyu, who is sleeping in the room next door. Opening his closet, he took out some clothes revealing a hidden safe in the very back. Shirou knew that an ordinary safe wouldn't cut it, hence for added security, he added some Runes on the safe to strengthen it, alongside using Alteration on the hinges, making them impossible to move without ripping out the door.

He sighed once more as he reviewed the contents within, "It seems I'll have to get a bigger safe next time." He said, depositing the new Evil Piece inside the safe, alongside the rest of his growing collection of red chess pieces, the six remaining Class Cards, and a certain metallic ivory-colored bullet.

Guilt flashed through Shirou's mind as his eyes lingered on the bullet, "I'm sorry, dad. I'm sorry that I can't fulfill your dream." A weak and defeated whisper escaped Shirou's lips, accompanied by a weary sigh, looking as if he had aged a couple of years, not helped by streaks of chock-white hair or the bags underneath his eyes, making him look like an old man.

With a deep breath, Shirou closed the safe shut as he suppressed his own emotions. 'The time for regrets has long passed, now — now there is only one thing expected of me. To protect Miyu, to give her an ordinary life, a life where she would be happy.'

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

In the morning

"Good morning, Onii-chan~," Miyu yawned as she waddled her way to the dining table.

"Ah, good morning, Miyu," Shirou called out from the kitchen. "Make yourself comfortable, breakfast will be done in a minute."

"Okay,"

As Shirou finished laying the food on the table, he took his seat on the opposite side of Miyu. "Itadakimasu," both siblings said at the same time, giving their thanks for the food.

As the two ate in companionable silence, Shirou thought of the two months they'd spent in this world.

The rather stressful first few weeks, detecting multiple Magical Signatures belonging to various members of the Phantasmal Species from the Reverse Side, intermingling with humans and, for the most part, living ordinary lives.

Then the worrying theory that this world is somehow still in the Age of Gods and what they could possibly do should Miyu's existence come to light.

Coupled with the fact that the atmosphere is chock full of Mana and the Phantasmals roaming the streets lending their credence to this theory.

'But the biggest, most glaring evidence would have to be…'

Shirou turned his attention toward the TV sitting in the corner. "Around 5 hours ago, another miracle occurred. As famous theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking suddenly regained the ability to walk once more. Could these strings of miracles happening worldwide be the sign-."

Shirou drowned out the voice of the newscaster as his mind raced, trying to think up solutions to their problems.

'Should we relocate?' He thought of the idea for a few moments, weighing its pros and cons. In the end, with a shake of his head, he rejected the idea. 'No, Miyu would not be able to live a normal life if we constantly kept moving from place to place.'

'Try and ally myself with any of the factions of Phantasmal Creatures in the area?' Another shake signaled his rejection. 'Impossible. If there's anything to be known of Phantasmal Creatures, is that a vast majority of them tend to look down upon humans. Meanwhile, the ones I detected in town were far too weak to be of any use.'

Unbeknownst to Shirou, his face adopted a light scowl as his brows furrowed, his mind continuing to think of a solution to their immediate problems.

"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Miyu asked as she noticed Shirou's expression.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and Shirou noticed Miyu's eyes looking at him with worry. 'Ah, shit.' He mentally berated himself for letting her worry over him.

"It's nothing, Miyu." He said with a gentle smile as Miyu looked at him with squinted eyes it was clear as day she didn't believe a word he said.

Staring at her brother for a few seconds more, Miyu closed her eyes and sighed, deciding to drop the topic. The siblings continued eating in awkward silence as Miyu looked down at her plate dejectedly.

Seeing her expression hurt Shirou in ways no sword ever could, her saddened eyes reminding him of Miyu's look of betrayal back at the altar underneath Mount Enzo. Wishing for her to be happy again, Shirou thought of a way to cheer her up. "Hey Miyu, you know that it's my day off today, right?" He asked his sister, to which she nodded. "We can go on an outing if you want."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, her eyes brightened up as a wide smile graced Miyu's lips. "Really?!" She said excitedly as Shirou smiled softly at her.

For all that Miyu tries to act like an adult, it is very easy to forget that she is still a child. And like a child, has their needs and wants as well.

"Yeah, really," he said while patting her head.

"T-then can we go to the park?" She asked with her head upturned with puppy dog eyes.

Shirou raised his eyebrow at Miyu's weird behavior but thought nothing of it. Instead, he had to focus on not succumbing to Miyu's weapons-grade cuteness. Left with no other option, he could only agree, both for Miyu's happiness and his own health. "Y-yeah, anywhere you want, Miyu."

"Yes!" She jumped up in joy, hearing Shirou's confirmation.

Seeing her jump for joy lifted a weight off of Shirou's shoulders, bringing a smile to his face that eventually turned into chuckling at his sister's rare childish moments. Enjoying the sight of her expressing more and more human emotions by the day.

Hearing his chuckle, Miyu looked back at Shirou with her face tinged with red from embarrassment, "I-it's not funny!" After shouting at Shirou, Miyu ran to her room to escape from her brother's laugh and to presumably get ready.

'Haa, They grow up so fast,' Shirou thought as he cleaned up the table.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

The Emiya siblings sat underneath a tree in a public park near their apartment. The light of the afternoon sun shined down on the parkgoers below; people that came for a walk, families and couples out on a picnic, children playing happily with each other, and those just enjoying the outdoors, overall it was an average day.

Yet, despite the time of day being at its hottest, the weather was neither too hot nor was it too cold, just the perfect temperature for the outdoors. This is primarily due to being early February, the lingering chills of winter made the weather perfect for an outing.

Miyu sat in seiza with her hands on her thighs, nibbling on some sandwiches they brought as she observed the children in the park playing around. Weirdly enough, she called the activity 'People Watching', saying she learned of it from reading a book. Meanwhile, Shirou lay on the ground, across from her with his eyes closed.

Despite looking as relaxed as can be, he had still set up a simple Detection Type Bounded Field and kept his senses sharp; ears strained, skin sensitive to the slightest displacement in the wind, and nose always sniffing the air, feeling out any threat that may approach them.

While many would call this level of precaution absurd, bordering on paranoia. Those same 'many' didn't have to live and train under the Magus Killer himself, face seven extremely dangerous Magus-turned Dolls wielding the powers of Heroic Spirits, all vying to kill him.

That… and the various Phantasmals roaming around the city, as far as he's aware, peacefully coexisting with humanity. So honestly, this level of precaution is just the bare minimum.

A few minutes of companionable silence passed as the siblings basked in the peaceful and cheery atmosphere of the park. Suddenly, he felt Miyu shift from beside him to positioning herself near his head. She picked up his head and scooted forward, then put it back down on her lap.

Shirou was mildly surprised by her actions but did not show it, 'What was this called again? A… lap pillow? Yeah, that should be it.' He could see why some people look forward to this so much, it was nice. "Thanks, Miyu." He said, his eyes half-lidded.

She chose not to respond, instead choosing to play with his hair, twisting and curling it around her fingers.

He looked up at her and questioned, "What are you doing?" but did not stop her.

While still gently stroking his hair, Miyu simply grinned. Shirou sighed but returned a smile. He closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew through the park where they were resting. The younger girl eventually responded to his question. She continued to mess with his hair, saying, "This is payback. You always play with my hair, so it's my turn to play with yours."

"Well, as your older brother, I get express permission to play with your hair. It's basically an unwritten rule." He grinned, earning a flick to the forehead, "And if I didn't take care of your hair, it wouldn't be as silky smooth as it is now, Miyu. You should be thanking me!" He laughed at his sister's embarrassment, which made Miyu also laugh as well.

This was it, the life he wanted for Miyu; living a relaxing, carefree, somewhat peaceful life. Unfortunately, this idealistic life cannot and will not last, as fate itself and the actions taken by the two siblings will not allow it.

"!?"

Shirou's eyes shot open, as he sensed it. Another Bounded Field was erected on top of his own as he sensed a foul energy reminiscent of those monsters he kills every night but much more controlled and refined, emanating a dozen meters in front of them.

He stood up almost immediately, body coiled like a spring, ready to kill anything he deemed a threat.

"Kyaa!" Miyu, startled by her brother's abrupt movement, fell on her back.

"Stay behind me, Miyu," Shirou said as he glanced at her without turning his back to two glasses-wearing schoolgirls. One of them was a young bespectacled woman with long straight black hair that extends down to her knees and light brown eyes. The other one was a bespectacled young woman with a slim figure, black hair styled in a short bob cut, and violet eyes, with both of them wearing Kuoh Academy's uniform.

"W-what's happening?" Miyu said as she stood up and hid behind Shirou's back, clutching his pant leg tightly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Emiya Shirou-san," The smaller of the two spoke with an air of confidence and elegance found only in those of noble birth. "I am Sona Sitri, and we would like to invite you for a talk."

---

===AN===​

COMMENT, LIKE, AND SUBSCRIBE- oh wait no, that's YouTube. Anyway, you get the point.

 

[BloodMoon5580]

===DISCLAIMER===​

The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. The Fate series is owned by Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.

This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are purely coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.

I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?

"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain and/or words/language/things beyond Human comprehension.)

===AN===​

P.S., I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:

Time of writing: 12/22/2022 3:12 PM
Time of posting: 3/15/2023 10:30 AM (On Fanfiction.net)

To get a frame of reference.

---

Chapter 2

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Their smile and confidence vanished when they looked into his eyes, a cold dead void contained within hollow amber orbs.

Whereas they expected fear or maybe even hostility from the red-haired teen, the two only felt cold impassiveness, like they were facing a cold emotionless machine.

And then it came.

"What… do you want?"

The words that escaped Shirou's lips belied the murderous intent hidden within his form that caused a physical reaction from the two schoolgirls. The pair recoiled from his threatening aura, faces paling, bodies shaking, and cold sweat flowing down their backs. Their facade of confidence and power shattered almost instantly upon contact.

Although one had managed to hide it far better than her companion. Considering what they knew of him, no matter how little that information may be. It still did not give Sona any confidence in her decision to confront Emiya Shirou with only her Queen to accompany her. 'Breath, Sona, breath, It's better you confront him rather than let Rias do so. Satan knows she would not be able to resist trying to persuade him into joining her Peerage.'

"I'm asking you, what do you want?" Shirou said so in a marginally less threatening manner, which thankfully managed to knock them out of their stupor.

Coughing into her hands to regain her cool, Sona began to speak. "Emiya Shirou, I, Sona Sitri, heiress of House Sitri, have come to inform you of your trespassing onto Devil territory. Such actions are a direct violation of the treaty signed by the three factions; Heaven, the Grigori, and the Underworld."

Miyu stiffened at the mention of Heaven and wanted to say something but chose not to, unsure of what to say.

Shirou noted his sister's reaction but thought nothing of it. Instead, he continued to face the two in front of him. "And? What do you intend to do then?"

The firing of a gun's hammer echoed in his head. Glowing blue lines like those found on a circuit board appeared underneath his clothes. He positioned his body to cover Miyu's form entirely, shifting to a ready combat stance, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Noticing his actions, Tsubaki summoned her courage to fight for her King and friend as she flexed her hand, ready to call upon her weapon at a moment's notice.

While Sona did not have as much melee combat experience as the rest of her Peerage, she also noticed Shirou's actions as well. Neither his stance nor a gut feeling gave him away, but instead, she noticed through her advanced perception of Magical Energy.

Surmising that both sides would come to a potential clash, Sona offered an olive branch to disperse the building tension. "Tsubaki, please take out the documents we have prepared."

Hesitantly, Tsubaki nodded as she eased the tension in her body with Shirou following suit, "Yes… Kaichou." She raised her hands as a blue magic circle appeared on top of her palms, producing a stack of documents.

Nervously, she walked towards the Emiya siblings, documents in hand.

Not sensing any hostile intent, Shirou allowed her to get close and receive the documents. "And these are?" he said as he reviewed its contents.

"Those are the bounties posted on the Stray Devils you have killed in the last two months."

'Stray Devils, huh? So that's what they're called.' Shirou stashed the information away as he reviewed the rest of the incredible documents, noting that the stack was missing 18 Stray Devils from the 84 he killed in the past two months and all four vampires he has hunted down as well.

This presented him with three likely scenarios, either the missing 18 didn't have a bounty posted on them, they are being purposefully hidden, or these Devils didn't know about them.

The first and second scenarios were ruled out immediately, as the missing Strays were all quite powerful, violent, brutal, and skilled as well, with some of them even plotting to kill the Devils residing within Kuoh and cause widespread destruction.

With the other two ruled out, it only left the latter of the three.

They didn't know.

Hence, Shirou would opt to keep this knowledge to himself as it presented two pieces of valuable information.

One: They have a city-wide detection system, evidenced by the stack of bounties he has in his hands.

Second: There are holes in said system, holes he can exploit.

'But the question is how did I not notice such a field covering the entire city?' He scoured his mind for anything that could point to such a thing existing but came up blank, hence he had to resort to guesswork and hypothesize the effects of the Bounded Field.

A method he was not very fond of using, Archer's memories on the matter notwithstanding as he was reminded of a similar event happening in one of Archer's memories with one Rin Tohsaka. While he did not meet the Rin of his old world, the impression left by her on Archer was quite significant, to the point that Archer's feelings for her were, to some extent, imprinted onto him.

'The base construction and function of the Bounded Field is most likely similar to our old home back in Fuyuki, coupled with the abundance of Mana in the atmosphere and the mixing scents of Phantasmals, it would make the Field downright impossible to detect unless I could somehow get close to its focal point that is.'

But such a hypothesis left much of the finer details unknown to him, thus presenting opportunities for everything to go wrong with strange and unknown effects to bite him in the ass farther down the road.

Sona adjusted her glasses so that the light of the sun reflected off of them, "This is the reason I have come to speak with you, Emiya Shirou-san. I, Sona Sitri, overseer of Kuoh Town, would like to invite you for a peaceful discussion on the future of this town."

"Invitation? Discussion?" Miyu said from behind her brother, peeking out from his side.

"Yes," Sona nodded. "As you have no doubt noticed as well, Emiya Shirou-san, the number of Stray Devils entering Kuoh has been steadily increasing lately, yes?"

Shirou eased the tension in his body as he crossed his arms and nodded, seeing where their conversation was going. "Yes, and my guess is you want to hire me to take care of them?" Yet despite his outwardly relaxed appearance, Shirou had over four dozen blueprints with Holy Attributes prepared within his mind, ready to be traced and fired at a moment's notice.

Sona nodded at his words, confident that the two would accept her proposition.

Shirou raised an eyebrow at the overseer's actions, "And what would be our guarantee that we won't be harmed while inside your stronghold?"

While Sona didn't react to his words as she understood where he was coming from, Tsubaki frowned at his words. "We assure you Emiya Shirou, we are not here to fight you. We merely wish to broker a deal, which I believe to be beneficial to both you and your sister, as well as us Devils."

"Y-yes, that may be so," Miyu suddenly spoke up, peeking from behind her brother. "But that still does not discount the fact that we could potentially be led into a trap," she rebutted Tsubaki's words defiantly.

The two schoolgirls were surprised by her sudden interruption. In comparison, Shirou was both proud that Miyu's finally coming out of her shell and incredibly scared, scared that she had gained the attention of two possibly hostile Phantasmal Creatures.

Repositioning himself to cover Miyu once more, "Yes, my sister is right, You could very well lead us to a trap." His mind went a mile a minute to try and salvage their situation.

Sona contemplated the siblings' words, mulling over their situation. Noticing this, Shirou spoke again, thus taking the lead in their conversation by offering her an out. "It seems we are at an impasse, wouldn't you agree, Sona Sitri?"

"Yes, so it would seem, Emiya Shirou-san." She said as she once more readjusted her glasses in an attempt to hide her frown as she realized what he just did. "What do you propose we can do to remedy this then?"

"A Geis Curse Contract." He said in a matter-of-fact tone to the very confused Devils. Capitalizing on the fact that it is a form of Magical Contract native to his old world and simultaneously hoping it did not exist here.

"Geis Curse Contract?" Sona said with a frown as she scoured her memories for any information about such a Magical Contract. "Forgive me, Emiya Shirou-san, but I am afraid I'm not familiar with that type of Magical Contract."

Shirou kept his face blank as he smirked internally. "I see," he said, feigning innocence to the fact that he was leading them to what is essentially a trap. "Well, long story short, it's a type of Curse that enforces all participants to adhere to their respective ends of the bargain. The curse ensures that the chances of backstabbing will be kept to a minimum."

"And how exactly does it stop someone from betraying the other?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Threat of having your soul torn apart tends to be a good enough deterrent for some people."

"I'm guessing that the rest that you are referring to are idiots then?" While brutal, Sona could understand the need for such measures, especially when dealing with irrational and frankly idiotic individuals.

"Precisely."

From his explanation alone, Tsubaki could surmise that there was something that he wasn't telling them, 'You are a fool if you think we'd agree to an unknown type of Magical contract, Emiya Shirou.'

Unfortunately, despite her opinion, her King thought otherwise. "Very well, we accept."

Though suffice to say her King and friend's words utterly floored her, "K-Kaichou?!" She managed to screech out, "Why are you agreeing to such a shady deal!?" Tsubaki half asked and half shouted at Sona.

"Tsubaki, I didn't sign off on anything just yet. Remember it's a contract, it needs consent from both parties." Sona chided her friend as she turned her attention back to the red-haired teen. "What exactly do you need to make this contract, Emiya Shirou-san?"

"I already have everything I need to make one right here with me."

Sona blinked owlishly, thinking that he had brought with him parchment or even paper, clearly, she was sorely wrong. "Oh! Going by your words, Emiya Shirou-san, one would be led to belie–" Suddenly, Shirou traced a simple dagger and slit his right wrist horizontally, startling Sona, Miyu, and Tsubaki. "What are you doing!?" They all collectively shrieked, the loudest being Miyu's.

Shirou for his part ignored them, instead pouring all of his concentration on the next step of his task. Letting his right arm dangle for a bit to let his blood gather at the tip of his fingers while remaining careful not letting any of it stain his clothing.

Shirou raised his arm and drew a series of Runes in the air to actualize the Simple Geis Curse Contract. A makeshift contract that his father had taught him back when Kiritsugu Emiya was still active as the Magus Killer back in their original world. 'I just hope this thing is strong enough to bind them successfully.'

Due to the lack of materials, Shirou was forced to rely on this makeshift contract, it wasn't as strong or potent as a normal written contract, but the backlash was still something that would give any Magi pause for concern.

That and leading them to their home just to gather the materials would just be beyond stupid.

Sweat matted his forehead as he struggled to complete the Rune Sequence.

'Damn it, Archer, this is all your fault!' He blamed the Counter Guardian for his struggle in completing this relatively easy rune sequence, where back then it would've only taken him a minute at most to set everything up, now it was taking him several and all of his concentration just to finish this one task.

With the final Rune drawn in the air, Shirou sighed as he inspected his work.

Nodding to himself, he held out his right hand as he began to state the terms and conditions of the contract.

"Binding Magecraft: Target – Sona Sitri

Shirou of the Emiya family hereby commands: Provided that the following conditions are met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the target without exception.

Oath:
To the Overseer of Kuoh Town: Regarding both Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu, any and all actions to kill and/or harm without provocation from any Devil associated with the House of Sitri shall be forbidden so long as the two are within the grounds of Sona Sitri's territory.

Conditions:
Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu are to accompany both Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra to their base of operations."

The three girls watched in equal measure of amazement and disgust as the blood from Shirous's wrist flowed into the Rune sequence, arranging themselves into the exact words spoken by the red-haired teen. As the last of the blood settled, Shirou finished everything off by writing his name in the air, sealing his end of the contract. "Well? Are the terms and conditions satisfactory to you, Sona Sitri?"

"Yes… these conditions are satisfactory, Emiya Shirou-san." Sona said as she tried to keep her face from going green. "I'm guessing that I need to sign my name in blood then?"

With a nod of confirmation, she strode forward to stand in front of the floating blood. Sona gathered Magical Energy on her left index finger and lightly prickled her right index finger. As she finished signing her name on it, Sona shivered slightly as the Curse took hold within her. 'This… is a rather pervasive spell, isn't it?'

"I take it we are done then?"

"Yes," Shirou said as the blood dissipated into dust, surprising his sister, who was watching the entire ordeal go down with muted interest.

"Well then, we best be off now. Come Tsubaki." Sona turned around and began heading off with the Emiya siblings following suit.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

The group walked in relative silence, broken only by the two Devils replying to greetings from some townsfolk they passed by.

As the group of two pairs of Humans and Devils walked through the streets of Kuoh Town, Shirou thought back on how they found him. 'How? How did they find me? I made sure to erase all evidence that could lead to me, destroyed any surveillance cameras I came across, and made sure to check for Familiars. So… how?'

Suddenly a strong breeze blew through the street, lifting the skirts of any woman that was unlucky enough to be passing by. Fortunately, Shirou had already positioned himself in between Miyu and the two Devils since the start of their walk, thus had shielded her from the wind.

Unfortunately, though, the wind carried with it the foul scent of fire and brimstone shared by the denizens of the Underworld.

His nose wrinkled from the smell, 'Wait, smell?' His eyes grew in realization, 'So that's how they found me, huh?' He then thought back on their first few weeks living in this world, when he had only begun hunting down those Stray Devils.

He had come across a group of unknown Devils wearing Kuoh Academy's uniform hunting another Stray Devil. Shirou recognized the group as the same ones that came to investigate the sudden release of Magical Energy when the two siblings crossed over to this world, deciding to err on the side of caution, and spied on them.

'Although they never did discover me, I was pretty sure that the small white-haired one could somehow, smell my presence. It is most likely similar to how I detect Magical Signatures.' He recalled his encounter with this second group, and despite being at a relatively safe distance he could smell it, a smell of nothingness. The smell emanated from the buxom redhead, making him wary of her, not helped by the fact that she was powerful, more so than the rest of the group.

While Shirou was confident that he could take them all down in just his Human Form. The battle would still result in considerable collateral damage that could endanger civilians and reveal the existence of the Moonlit World. Something that he was not willing to risk, so he opted to retreat instead.

'Maybe I should ask Sona about her,' Shirou entertained the idea but ultimately decided to abandon it altogether. 'No, I should just investigate them on my own some other time.' Especially now that he can no longer show any signs of weakness to exploit, primarily as damning as lack of information.

"Here we are." The voice of Sona snapped him out of his musings, he looked to see Kuoh Academy.

Sona entered through the front gate first followed by Tsubaki, "Welcome, Emiya Shirou-san, Emiya Miyu-san, to Kuoh Academy."

"A… school? But why choose a school of all things to use as your base?" Miyu said in disbelief, shocked that a group of supernatural creatures made a school of all places their base of operations.

"Yes, well… to answer your question Emiya Miyu-san, nearly all Devils within Kuoh Town are all under the age of 18 and hence by law, still need to attend a formal educational institution here in the Human World. So it would be much more convenient for us to just build our base here." Sona explained as she walked towards the main school building, ushering them to follow along.

Tentatively Shirou crossed the front gate first, but as he stepped foot upon the school grounds, he felt a Bounded Field suddenly activate and began scanning him. Tensing his body, Shirou looked around the area, his eyes darting from left to right at a fast speed, scanning for any threats.

Eventually, he turned his attention to Sona who was standing in front of him just fine. Surmising that the Field was something along the line of identifying threats, he relaxed his body and motioned for Miyu to step in as well.

"This way everyone," Sona then resumed walking towards the main school building, traversing through the many hallways and stairs of the school and passing by a few students loitering around the building.

A vast majority of them greeted both Sona and Tsubaki, treating them with respect and admiration like how the townsfolk did as well, whereas others were either indifferent or acted with thinly veiled resentment or animosity.

For the most part, the students ignored the siblings, but those that did started whispering amongst themselves, gossiping about Shirou and Miyu walking right behind the two Devils.

"Hey did you notice that guy walking behind Kaichou?"

"Yeah, he's kinda hot don't you think so? Plus that weird burn-like tan really gives off that rogue-ish vibe, y'know?"

"What!? No! He looks more like a criminal if you ask me, and those ratty clothes aren't exactly helping his image here."

Shirou, for the most part, ignored them, only reacting toward the boys who began fantasizing about Miyu in various cosplays, giving them a 'mild' death glare that froze them in place. Of course, there were also some girls gushing about how cute his sister is, imagining her in various clothing as well, but he ignored them.

On the topic of clothing, Shirou took note of his and Miyu's clothes. He considered the girl's words on his choice of clothing did make him look like a thug or a vagrant, whereas Miyu looked like someone from a pretty well-off family or at least one that isn't living nearly paycheck to paycheck.

Meanwhile, Miyu was openly glaring at the girls talking badly about her brother. Mumbling about being 'rude' or something, he didn't bother listening.

"Humph!" Shirou huffed in amusement at his sister for being angry in his stead.

"Onii-chan?" Miyu perked her head up as she noticed the small, almost imperceptible smirk on his face.

"Hm? It's nothing, Miyu." He said as he gestured for her to quicken her pace to get to whatever destination, Sona and Tsubaki were guiding them towards.

The siblings continued to walk and left behind the students, guided by the two Devils. Eventually, the group reached a set of wooden double doors.

Sona stopped in front of the doors and turned around to speak to the red-haired teen, "Now, beyond this door is me and my Peerage's main office, so I would very much appreciate it if you didn't look like you would kill them all. Am I clear on this, Emiya Shirou-san?" She spoke with sternness in her voice that promised pain and retribution should he threaten her loyal friends and subjects.

'Peerage? Is that some sort of Devil term for a comrade?' Shirou pondered briefly over the term as he raised an eyebrow at her words, "So long as they don't try anything stupid then we would have no problem, Sona Sitri."

Sona resisted the urge to sigh at his confrontational attitude, 'I suppose this is about as good as an answer I can get out of him then.' She turned around and opened the doors, motioning the two siblings to enter.

The moment the doors were opened, Shirou was assaulted by the foul smell of the Devils residing within the room. Tentatively, Shirou entered first, followed by Miyu.

"So this is the guy that was huntin' down those Strays, huh, Kaichou?" A feminine voice said as Shirou entered the room.

Immediately, his eyes went towards the source of the voice, coming face-to-face with a fairly tall, blue-haired girl.

Surmising that she isn't a threat, Shirou instead opted to observe the room they found themselves in. Despite Sona, no doubt coming from an extremely wealthy family, the Student Council office was sparsely decorated, but the few pieces that were there exuded a feeling of high-end, first-class products.

Some of the items he could see were equal in quality to those of something that wouldn't be out of place in a house belonging to a Lord of the Clock Tower.

A single-seat red velvet sofa, facing towards Sona's desk and two larger ones capable of seating multiple people comfortably opposite of each other, a long coffee table situated in the middle of the three sofas, several small paintings from different eras hung on the wall, opposite that were large sets of windows that let in a good amount of natural light that gave the room a cozy feel, and a brass chandelier hanging on the ceiling in the center of the room.

But all of this paled in comparison to what is most likely the centerpiece of the room; a massive bookshelf that ran the entire length of the wall behind Sona's desk filled to the brim with rare, old, and expensive books.

There were even some that emanated a Magical Signature, 'Are those Grimoires?!'

This boggled the mind of Shirou, as unless it was something that would not be a detriment to their craft, no sane or insane Magus would let anything related to their research out of their workshop.

"Yes, Tsubasa, he is." Sona's words brought him out of his thoughts.

Shirou looked towards her as she sat herself down on the expensive-looking chair, way above in quality compared to any furniture within the school. "Please, Emiya Shirou-san, Emiya Miyu-san, take a seat."

Obliging to her request, the two siblings made their way towards the sofa facing the wall filled with paintings, opposite the one occupied by the Student Council members.

"So then, I believe introductions are in order," Sona said to get everyone's attention, her eyes turned towards the blue-haired girl that spoke at the start.

"A-ah right, I'm Yura Tsubasa, a first-year student, and Kaichou's Rook, it's a pleasure to meet you!" The now-identified Tsubasa said energetically.

"I guess I'm next then," a girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair said. "I'm Meguri Tomoe, a first-year student, and the Knight of the Team."

"I'm Kusaka Reya, currently a first-year student and one of the two Bishops of the group. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." A brown-haired girl with braided twin tails said accompanied by a bow.

"Hanakai Momo, currently first-year, fellow Bishop of Reya-san." The white-haired girl said with no small amount of distrust directed at Shirou.

Shirou, for the most part, ignored the hostility directed towards him by the white-haired girl, while on the other hand, Miyu was glaring fiercely at Momo for her disrespect towards her brother.

"Right then, as you all probably already know, I'm Emiya Shirou."

"I'm Emiya Miyu, it's a pleasure to meet you Yura-san, Meguri-san, and Kusaka-san." Miyu said with a polite bow, intentionally leaving out the white-haired girl in her greeting.

"Ah, can we call you Miyu-chan, Miyu-chan?" Tomoe said to the little girl, while Tsubasa giggled at Momo for being left out.

"... Yes you may," Miyu said awkwardly, weirded out by the strange use of grammar by the reddish-brown-haired girl.

"That's great!" Tomoe exclaimed happily, "And no need to be so stiff around us, Miyu-chan, you can just call us by our names. After all, we'll be comrades soon anyway."

"W-well, if you'll let me," she said flustered, unsure of how to act around such energetic individuals.

"Ah, how about you Emiya Shirou-san?" Reya asked the red-haired teen.

Shirou, for his part simply looked at her, as if assessing her, before saying. "Do as you wish."

"That's great then!" She said excitedly.

Just as the two groups got comfortable with each other, Tsubaki returned with a tray full of light snacks and some high-quality tea if the smell was anything to go by. "Tea, anyone?"

A chorus of yeses and yeah's resounded from the Devils, whereas the Humans remained silent, only Miyu looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to.

Nevertheless, Tsubaki served them all the same, with both skill and grace that showed her martial arts training.

With quick movements, she set up the plate of snacks such as mini cakes, finger sandwiches, and various other pastries, and poured everyone tea, with Sona receiving the very last drop from the teapot.

The snacks, while simple, were something that Miyu had rarely ever tasted, only having the chance when Shirou decided to make some for her. Apparently, according to her brother anyway, some of the ingredients used on the food laid before her were slowly getting harder and harder to come by, and more and more expensive each day as worldwide famines continued and harsh irregular weather patterns started becoming the norm in their old world.

Noticing her look, Tsubaki called out to Miyu, "Please, Miyu-chan, no need to be shy." She said with a reassuring smile.

Tentatively, Miyu tried to reach for a mini cake that she has been eyeing since they were laid on the coffee table, a yellow cake with what looked to be honey sandwiched between two layers of cake and creamy white icing, as well as a small lavender flower to top things off.

Just as she was about to reach her target, Miyu found her brother's arm right in front of her path, stopping her from going forward.

Miyu looked at her brother with a look of betrayal and everyone else frowned at him, Shirou ignored it and pushed on. "I'd very much appreciate it if we can get on with this contract, Sona Sitri. I for one would like to get home before it gets dark." He said as he looked Sona straight in the eyes.

"Heh, what, are you afraid of the dark or something?" Tusbasa asked in a taunting manner as Tomoe and Momo giggled to the side.

Shirou looked at her with his dead cold eyes that made all of the Devils sitting next to her flinch. "No, I'm not." He said in a cold voice, "I just promised my sister that I'd spend the whole day doing what she wants."

"Onii-chan!" Miyu said in embarrassment.

"My, aren't you a spoiled princess, Miyu-chan." Reya said as she sipped on her tea, making Miyu more embarrassed.

"Well, I am a man of my word, Reya-san." Shirou then looked back again to Sona, "So I'd appreciate it if we can get this started, Sona-san."

The bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses as she intertwined her fingers, "Yes, I suppose we've delayed this long enough, Shirou-san."

She then turned towards Tsubaki, who was standing on her left, and with a nod, Tsubaki went and retrieved a document. "Here, Shirou-san, these are the terms and conditions of your contract with Kaichou."

Shirou inspected the document's contents with some subtle use of Structural Grasping, "This is an ordinary piece of paper." He said as he waved the paper around.

"Yes, although there are Magical Contracts that are in a written form, most Devils who want to keep their dealings secret prefer to use Binding Oaths. Of course, we could switch to a document format if you wish." Sona offered the option as she gave him a brief rundown of how they do contracts.

"If we do it by document, how would this work exactly," He asked curiously, as it is typical of Magus nature, even if he considers himself more as a Spellcaster.

"Well, the written form works by having the ink infused with a small bit of blood from both parties and having it registered to the main office of Domestic Affairs in Lilith for validation, where it will also be stored. The document form, as you have probably guessed, Shirou-san, are used by Devils that want some form of legitimacy to their dealings with other races or fellow Devils."

Shirou mulled over the answer he was given, "I'm guessing you want to keep things hush-hush, then?"

Sona hid a faint smile as she received the equivalent of an 'I'm interested' from the red-haired teen. "Precisely." She started, "I had originally wanted you to join my Peerage but thought against it. Seeing as how you hunted the Stray Devils mostly with Holy weapons, I figured you would like to keep your humanity."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at this, 'What does keeping my humanity have anything to do with… joining… a Peerage…' Slowly, everything began to click in place, 'So that's what a Peerage is; someone that has been turned into a Devil using an Evil Piece.' Although he had tried to keep his face neutral, he simply could not stop the oncoming grimace from making itself known.

Sona winced slightly from seeing his reaction, "I figured as much." She said with a slightly resigned expression, like a kid that didn't get what they want but was mature enough so as not to throw a tantrum over it. "Rest assured, I promise not to turn either you or your sister into Devils without your consent and will not do anything to force you to agree to it either."

"Heh," Shirou chuckled slightly at Sona's words, it was a hollow chuckle, he knew it, Miyu knew it, and Sona most likely knew it as well. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he said with a smile, a fake smile, the same fake smile he always wore.

"... That's great then," she said, perturbed by how natural and fake his smile was, the same goes for her Peerage as well.

"So how do we set up this Binding Oath then?" Shirou asked Sona, his voice knocking her out of her stupor.

"Ah, yes, we only need to swear the Oath in the presence of a third party to act as a witness, then we're done." Young Devil Heiress said as she motioned for Tsubaki to get their witness.

Shirou, for his part, raised an eyebrow at the simplicity of it all, "Is that really all of it?" He asked skeptically.

"Sorry if our way of doing things isn't as elaborate, disgusting, pervasive, barbaric, or ruthless as yours, Emiya Shirou-san." Sona said with a rather dark smile that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the room, barring Tsubaki, who shared the same sentiments as her King.

"Psst. Hey Miyu-chan, what the hell did you do to make Kaichou act like that?" Tsubasa whispered over to the little girl sitting in front of her.

Miyu's face began to slightly turn green at the reminder of her brother's casual act of self-harm back at the park. "I'm sorry… Tsubasa-san, I don't think I can answer that question." She whispered back to the blue-haired girl.

"Oh, okay then," Tsubasa said as she looked at her fellow Devils sitting beside her.

"Well? What did she say?" Momo, Reya, and Tomoe whispered to Tsubasa, to which the girl merely shrugged and made herself comfortable, and watched as her King continued her talk with the red-haired teen.

"Kaichou," Tsubaki then entered the room followed by a brown-haired girl with drill-like ringlets.

"Ah, Tsubaki, perfect timing. I was just discussing with Shirou-san the intricacies of our form of Magical Contract." Sona called out to the two, "Abe Kiyome-san, I'd like for you to meet Emiya Shirou-san; Emiya Shirou-san, Abe Kiyome. Our witness for our deal."

The brown-haired girl stepped forward to properly introduce herself, "It's a pleasure to meet you Emiya Shirou-san." She then extended her left hand for a handshake.

"Likewise, Abe Kiyome-san," Shirou reciprocated by shaking her hand.

"Ah, but I have to say, your work with exterminating those Strays is quite amazing, especially how you took all of them down." She said as she took a seat on the single-seat sofa. "Would it be alright if we could please see the weapons you used for hunting?"

Hearing her words, Shirou's eyes hardened for a split second as his mind analyzed everything she's said so far.

Ultimately, he decided to acquiesce to her request, reasoning that he can be seen as more reasonable and trustworthy, subconsciously making them lower their guard around him.

And that the Black Keys aren't all that special and that he has more powerful ones to draw upon.

"Here, catch." In a flash of blue light, Shirou tossed a weirdly shaped red sword hilt over to the girl.

Kiyome deftly caught the sword hilt and brought it closer to her face to inspect it. "Is this some new type of Light Sword?"

"Light Sword? No, it's called a Black Key, a sort of sacramental weapon." Shirou explained.

He then noticed that all of the Devils in the room backed away ever so slightly from the weapon. 'Well, considering that their primary weakness is Holy-based weapons and attacks, this shouldn't be that surprising.'

"Now can we please get on with the deal, as I have other things to do."

"Well, I suppose it would be impolite to keep you waiting any longer." Sona then stepped towards the open area in the room, just behind the single-seat sofa followed by both Shirou and Kiyome.

"Oh, and here, Shirou-san," Sona handed him another piece of paper. "Please read that when we begin, it has all of your duties listed on your side of the contract."

Shirou took the paper as he used Structural Grasping on it, read it, and analyzed its contents.

Kiyome then stepped in between the two and spread out her hands, "Is everyone ready?" She asked the two participants.

"Yes," Sona said as she adjusted her glasses. Whereas Shirou simply nodded.

"Then let us begin."

"I, Sona Heiress of House Sitri, hereby swear on my name to ensure the safety of both Emiya Shirou and Emiya Miyu, and conduct fair compensation to any dangerous element within Kuoh Town hunted by Emiya Shirou. This oath shall take effect upon Emiya Shirou's surrender to my authority."

Shirou felt the mana in the room react to Sona's words in a manner that reminded him of that night so long ago when Miyu had stopped the falling roof, and when she made the wish for them to be true siblings. Acting as the start of the bond between the Faker and the last living Child of God.

"I, Shirou, 6th Head of the House of Emiya, hereby swear to defend and give aid to all creatures associated with House Sitri. I submit myself to the authority of Sona Heiress of House Sitri, provided she ensures her end of the deal and the safety of both myself and my sister, Miyu of the House of Emiya." Shirou intoned, his Prana flaring all around him.

"I, Abe Kiyome, witness this pact and bind both parties to adhere to their vows till their dying breaths." The brown-haired girl said solemnly, her arms spread wide. "Alea Jacta Est." She then joined her hands together, producing a weak pulse of Magical Energy that washed over the two.

Feeling the Binding Oath take its effect, Shirou sighed lightly, steam coming out of his mouth. "I take it we are done then?"

"Yes." Sona said as she wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead.

"Miyu c'mon, let's go." He then fixed himself up and waited for Myu by the door.

"Yes." Miyu walked towards her brother and exited the room.

After his sister has left, Shirou turned towards Sona one last time. "Then, we shall be taking our leave, Sona-san."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

"They're gone, Kaichou." Tsubaki said as she watched the Emiya siblings exit the school through the front gate.

"Yes, thank you, Tsubaki." Sona replied as she sipped another freshly brewed tea.

"So then, Sona, care to tell us what that was about?" Kiyome asked the Devil heiress as she made herself comfortable on her chair.

Sona tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, "What do you mean, Kiyome?" she said feigning ignorance.

"Oh, you know damn well what I mean! So don't even try it, Sona!" She shouted at the Devil Heiress, anger and worry seeping into her voice.

Sona took a deep breath before her eyes hardened, staring right into Kiyome's own. "Before I answer your question, Kiyome, what can you tell us about the weapon he showed you?"

Kiyome for her part sighed but did as she was asked nonetheless, "Well, I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but it seems that Koneko-chan's report was right."

"... I see," Sona said, concerned.

"What's the problem with it anyway?" Tsubasa asked her King, "I mean, it's a Holy Weapon imbued with hatred, so what? Kiba has one that can destroy Light-based weapons."

"That's not the problem here, Tsubasa. The problem is that the weapon looked to be hand forged before it was recreated by what's most likely Shirou-san's Sacred Gear." Kiyome said to the blue-haired girl.

Sona nodded at her friend's statement, "Yes, for a weapon to be infused by something as volatile and unstable as hatred, much less a Holy Weapon is dangerous and downright impossible."

"Yes, but that still doesn't answer my question, Sona." Kiyome said with a scowl etched into her face, "Why did you swear your name on the Binding Oath?"

At her words, every Devil in the room looked down onto the floor, ashamed they could not aid their King.

"... I had to, I needed the deal to go through."

"Why? What's the point, Sona? He's a Human! You're Devils! The difference couldn't be any clearer! Granted he's an exceptionally strong Human, but a Human nonetheless!"

"Because we are at the precipice of WAR, Kiyome!" Sona shouted at the brown-haired girl, "And we need every ally we could get."

"Sona…"

"Once the fighting begins in earnest, the number of Stray Devils all over the world will skyrocket; either from desertion, the deaths of their Kings in battle, turned traitors, or any number of reasons. This would further add to the chaos and increase the number of casualties on all sides. That is why we need him, Kiyome, we need his expertise, efficiency, and combat prowess to combat the Strays that find themselves here." Sona explained to everyone in the room, her form wilting further and further from the weight of the responsibility she shares with Rias.

"Sona… I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Kiyome tried to console her friend.

Sona sighed, "it's… fine, Kiyome, everyone. It is encouraging that you all care for me so deeply." She said with a gentle but tired smile.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Due to the erratic actions of Heaven being perceived as hostile. The armies of every supernatural organization had begun gathering in their borders.

All across the world, everyone aware of the Moonlit part of the world could sense the nearing outbreak of war. From the Olympians all gathering on Mount Olympus, to the reassembly of Valhalla's Valkyries and legions of warriors, the reawakening of the Egyptians and Zoroastrians, the rallying of the armies of the Underworld, and the call for arms of the Fallen Angel of the Stars.

For a thousand years since the end of the Great War, the world will once again be engulfed in conflict. Only this time, everyone will play a grand zero-sum game, where there will be no victors, no losers, and no survivors.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

As Shirou stood on top of a skyscraper just like the night before. He watched as lingering chills of winter clung to the streets like a mist, the road devoid of life, the few drunkards passing through the empty streets, barely able to walk straight.

Gone was the impassable, level-headed, callused man that he was a few hours ago. No – now stands a man at his wit's end, unsure of the future ahead of him.

'Please, as if deluding yourself any further will help your situation, Emiya Shirou.' A voice eerily similar to that of the spirit within the Archer Card spoke with utter contempt.

Shirou stood atop his perch, dead quiet as a deathly chill went up his spine, 'We both know delaying the inevitable is impossible.'

'But even still, I have to try, for Miyu.'

'Hmph, very well, do as you wish, but be warned; to try and have it both ways is a foolhardy task. Something would have to give at one point. The question is though, what are you willing to sacrifice for it.'

"Both ways, huh?" Shirou smiled slightly as an idea began to form in his mind. "It was that simple and I didn't even realize it. Thank you, Archer."

From the corner of his eye, Shirou had finally spotted his target, pushing his conversation with Archer to the back of his mind, thinking that he was just hallucinating due to stress and sleep deprivation.

In a flash of light, he raised his bow and arrow.

Twang.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

In a bleak world of everlasting snow and steel, a hill began to form. Where it was once just a small mound, slowly but surely the mound grew in size as the days passed, eventually becoming a small hill.

On top was an almost invisible outline of a man, standing tall.

There was only one thought going through that man's mind, 'I. Am. Free.'

---

===AN===​

COMMENT, LIKE, AND SUBSCRIBE- oh wait no, that's YouTube. Anyway, you get the point.

 

[BloodMoon5580]

===DISCLAIMER===​

The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu own the Fate series. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.

This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.

I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?

"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain or words/language/things beyond Human comprehension.)

===AN===​

I also created an account over on Wattpad; chapters posted there are separated into parts of at least 1000 words and are published as I finish writing them; whereas the completed chapters will be posted on Fanfiction.net and QuestionableQuesting.com.

TL;DR:
The stuff over on Wattpad is serviceable-ish, just not as polished as the ones posted in FFN and QQ. Feel free to follow me there as well to give me your thoughts in advance.


P.S., I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:

Time of writing: 3/28/2023 8:22 PM
Time of posting: 6/27/2023 11:30 AM

To get a frame of reference.

---

Chapter 3

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Within the lower basement of their apartment building, Shirou led a nervous Miyu into a rather large storage room. Although it took him a few hours of free work fixing all of the broken equipment all over the fifteen-story apartment building, the young man finally got permission from the owner to use the storage room for a few days.

Of course, he had to clean it out first, as all the junk forgotten in the room made it quite impossible to do anything and it was rather dirty as well.

Placed in the center of the room was a fairly large pinkish Formal Craft Circle. The Circle was drawn using paint that contained mercury within, as well as Shirou's blood.

"Okay, Miyu, all you need to do is just enter the circle and sit down with your back facing toward me," Shirou said as he sat in a Formal Craft Circle.

They are used by Magi to awaken the Magic Circuits of their disciples. It is a type of Energy Isolation Bounded Field that expels and keeps out the Ambient Mana present in the atmosphere, isolating the Magical Energy of both master and disciple and allowing for an easier time in pinpointing the location of the dormant Magic Circuits.

"R-right," nervously, Miyu stepped into the pink-ish Formal Craft Circle, careful not to smudge the Symbols drawn on the ground.

"Gah!" The moment her head had passed through the edge of the Bounded Field, Miyu's senses immediately reeled from the utter lack of Mana in the air, making her feel as if she were suffocating.

Her body had become so accustomed to the Mana-rich atmosphere of this new world that it was struggling to adjust to the new environment in which it found itself.

She began to stumble forward, making her almost trip and fall face-first on the hard pavement, luckily she was caught by Shirou's waiting arms.

Shirou gently rubbed her back, helping her regulate her breathing and calm her nerves. "It's okay, just take your time. Your body needs to adjust to the lack of Mana in the air," he said reassuringly.

Miyu nodded weakly, still feeling disoriented. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, trying to steady herself. After a few minutes, she started feeling better, and the world stopped spinning around her. "Okay, I-I think I'm okay now," she said, opening her eyes and looking up at Shirou.

"Good." Shirou said, letting go of her. "Now Miyu, what I'm about to tell you, you are not to tell anybody else, okay?" He said, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes!" She nodded while pumping her fists.

Shirou took a deep breath, "You… don't have Magic Circuits…"

"But-!" Miyu made to rise but was stopped when Shirou put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me finish," he started. "... What you have is something comparable to a Magic Core, but different. Think of it as a sort of magical factory that can produce a nigh infinite amount of energy just by breathing." With a nod from Miyu, Shirou continued with his explanation. "It was normally found inside Dragons or those with the essence of one."

"Wait, does that mean I'm connected to Dragons?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head that frankly made her look adorable.

"No, Kiritsugu — the old man and I thoroughly investigated the Sakatsuki family from when we first found you." He said with guilt seeping into his voice.

But whatever Shirou was going to say next died in his throat as he saw the dark look Miyu had after hearing Kiritsugu's name.

Noticing the face she was making, Miyu quickly looked away from her brother in shame. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' She internally berated herself, 'How could you look at him like that! He was still Onii-chans's father!' While Miyu never had any meaningful connection to the man that adopted her, she still hated him for trying to use her as a disposable tool.

"Miyu… I… I know that what we did was…" Shirou tried to say the words he had always wanted to say to her but was always stopped by the guilt he feels over what he and Kiritsugu tried to do to her.

"Huh?" Shirou then felt a hand gently envelope his own, he looked up to see Miyu looking at him with warm and caring eyes.

"It's fine now, Onii-chan." She started, "I forgive you, so it's time you start forgiving yourself, okay?" She said while gently patting Shirou's head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shirou closed his eyes and let out a sigh of contentment as if a great weight was taken off of his shoulders.

Moments passed as the two just sat in companionable silence until Shirou broke it. "So, then, would you mind stopping that, Miyu?" He said as Miyu continued to gently play with his hair.

"Hehehe, it's very fun to play with your hair, Onii-chan."

Shirou just sighed at Miyu's antics and continued with his explanation. "Anyway, what this means is that you have a unique ability, Miyu. You can produce a nigh infinite amount of Prana."

Miyu looked up at him, her interest piqued. "What can I do with that?"

"Well, for starters, you won't tire out like other Magi do, and you won't have to worry about running out of Prana during a battle."

"That's incredible!" Miyu's eyes widened in amazement, completely forgetting about the topic of Kiritsugu.

Shirou nodded. "But it also means that you need to be careful. Without the natural limit of Magic Circuits, you can easily overload your body with Prana and cause serious damage. So you need to learn how to control and regulate the amount you produce."

Miyu nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'll do my best."

Shirou smiled at her. "I know you will." He motioned for her to sit down in the circle properly. "And since you could already use Magecraft subconsciously long before we arrived in this world, I'm just going to send my Prana inside you, to get you familiar with the feeling Magical Energy moving around inside your body."

Miyu nodded, feeling a little nervous with a swirling mess of emotions brewing inside of her. On one side, she was excited at the prospect of finally being able to use Magecraft. While on the other, she was afraid that Shirou would find out about her deal with the Throne.

She watched as Shirou closed his eyes and placed his palm on her back. As he did, the Runes on the ground began to glow with soft blue light, and Miyu could feel a warm sensation spreading throughout her body.

It was a strange feeling but not unpleasant, and she could tell that something was happening inside her.

Miyu felt the warmth spreading throughout her body and began to gather in a single point, right on top of the upright triangle with a circle and dot in the middle; the Symbol branded onto her by the Throne and began glowing.

Panic swept through her form as she tried to hide the Symbol on her chest. "Miyu," she froze when she heard her brother's voice. "Y-yes," she said as she turned her head to face him.

"I need you to focus on feeling for the Magical Energy and follow their natural pathways, " He said with his eyes still closed and a look of utter concentration etched on his face. "Oh, and don't wiggle too much." Shirou then let out a breath.

"Uh, r-right!" Miyu let out a silent sigh of relief. 'Okay, first I need you to stop.' She then looked down at her chest, eyeing the glowing Symbol.

'Since all the Magical Energy Onii-chan is sending is all going to one place, I think it's safe to assume that that step is complete.' Closing her eyes to concentrate, Miyu began doing the complete opposite of what the Symbol was doing, moving the Magical energy gathered in her chest and spreading them evenly throughout her whole body until the Symbol finally stopped glowing.

After a few minutes, Shirou opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Okay, that should do it. How do you feel?"

Miyu flexed her fingers, feeling the Magical Energy permeate throughout her body. "I feel... different. But in a good way," she said, smiling back at him.

"Good. Now, let's start with some basic exercises to help you control the flow of the Magical Energy inside you," Shirou said, starting to teach her the basics of Magecraft. And so, Miyu's journey to becoming a Magus began.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

The whispers of the students of Kuoh Academy continued as they all watched a suspicious person with a weird burn-like tan on the left side of his face and strands of white above his left eye on his otherwise rusty red head of hair be escorted by two members of the Student Council; Tomoe and Tsubasa into the school.

Emiya Shirou entered the prestigious Kuoh Academy once more, wearing a worn-out dark blue jacket with a hoodie, dark gray pants, and a pair of simple black and blue sneakers and carrying a small metal briefcase containing the Evil Pieces belonging to the documented Stray Devils he has hunted down.

He watched with an impassive gaze as his eyes swept the schoolyard and observed the students staring at him from the other side of the windows of the school building. He had been waiting in front of the school gate for the better part of 5 minutes, waiting for one of the members of the Student Council to escort him inside.

As the three walked into the halls of the prestigious academy, Tomoe turned around to face Shirou while walking backward. "So, Shirou-san, how was your week?"

"It was fine, I guess." he shrugged. "Why?" Shirou said, looking Tomoe straight in the eyes.

The cheerful Devil's steps faltered momentarily as she met Shirou's cold gaze, momentarily caught off guard by the bluntness of his question. She quickly regained her composure and continued walking, her eyes shifting between Shirou and the path ahead. "I was just making conversation, y'know." she said while faking a cough, her voice tinged with a hint of defensiveness. "It's important for us to maintain open lines of communication, especially with someone like you joining our ranks."

"Ah, I see." Shirou understood the significance of building rapport within the Devils. Despite his typically reserved nature, he recognized the value of fostering relationships with those who shared a common purpose.

"I appreciate your concern, Tomoe-san." He said in a monotonous tone. "My week was eventful, as always. There were some minor disturbances caused by some Strays, but I managed to handle them swiftly." He said with a flat voice that made Tomoe's eyebrow twitch and almost made her want to call 'bullshit' on him.

Whereas Tsubasa just snickered at her friend and fellow Devil.

The blue-haired teen then spun on her heels and faced the ever-stoic redhead, "Y'know, Shirou-san, you really need a hobby or something." She said with her arms placed behind her head.

Shirou raised an eyebrow at her.

"'Cause, like, when we investigated one of your 'workplaces' a few weeks ago, the people there told us that you just work, work, and work, then you go home." She then threw her arms in the air. "Like, get a life, man!"

Shirou's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, "Well sorry about that, Tsubasa-san." He said with no small amount of sarcasm, "Because, fortunately for you, you guys don't have to raise a kid." This elicited a gasp from the students in the hallways, but Shirou simply ignored them. "You don't have to make sure she's fed, clothed, have a roof over her head, or any of the other expenses that come with raising a kid. So honestly, what would you know?"

Although his words undoubtedly made everyone within earshot misunderstand the situation, it still worked in his favor, as some students and even two members of the faculty they passed by gave him sympathetic looks, whereas both members of the Student Council were given harsh and disapproving glares that made them very uncomfortable.

"H-hey now, Shirou-san, there's no need to diss the Student Council like that." Tomoe said with both her hands raised in a placating manner as her eyes roamed the hallway.

"Y-yeah, Shirou-san, if you could just explain to everyone here what you meant and we'll all be on our merry way."

Shirou, for his part, looked them straight in the eyes and just gave the two Devils a small smirk. A very cruel and sardonic smirk

"Wha-, you, you-!" To say that they were surprised was an understatement. Even though it was too late, they finally realized that they just walked into a trap.

He then walked past the two girls and went ahead to Sona's office.

Once Shirou turned a corner towards one of the many staircases in the school and made sure there was no one there to see him, he just stopped and stared at the wall in utter confusion. 'Just now… why did I do that?' He palmed his face as his mind tried and failed to rationalize what he just did. 'First, I heard Archer's voice in my head a few days ago and now this! I just revealed information about myself to random strangers!'

"Get back here, Shirou-san!" Suffice it to say that Tomoe's shout had knocked the red-haired teen out of his mini-nervous breakdown.

In the end, he just sighed and shook his head, 'I'll deal with this, once i'm done here.' He thought with no bit of irritation as he watched Tomoe and Tsubasa turn the corner and glare at him from the bottom of the staircase.

'Yup, definitely dealing with this later.'

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-​

Slam.

Sona slammed a thick stack of paper down on her desk with an irritated glare directed at Shirou's face. "I've checked the Evil Pieces you've brought, Shirou-san."

Shirou, for his part, remained unfazed by Sona's glare, maintaining his composed demeanor. He glanced at the stack of papers before meeting her gaze with a calm expression. "I trust everything is in order then, Sona-san?"

Sona shook her head and sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "No, Shirou-san, everything is not in order," she replied, her tone exasperated. "Several of the Evil Pieces you've collected are damaged. It seems you've been careless in handling them."

"My apologies," despite his words, there was not a hint of remorse in Shirou's words.

The Devil Princess's left eyebrows quivered with no small amount of annoyance at the redhead. "Can you… explain to me why that is, Shirou-san?" She said with the most threatening smile she could muster.

"Well, if I had to give a reason…" He started, "It would have to be about their locations, y'see."

"Location?" Sona quirked a quizzical eyebrow at him, "Ah, I got it." She then lightly tapped her right first on her left palm, "Is it because you couldn't feel location of the Evil Pieces before commencing your attack? But then…" Sona cupped her chin, "Then that would mean that you attacked the Strays with ranged weaponry, right?"

"... Yes," Shirou said with mild surprise, "I had known that you were smart, Sona-san, but for you to be able to deduce that much from my words alone is quite something." He said with genuine praise.

The ice queen of Kuoh Academy faked a cough as a light shade of pink dusted her cheeks, "H-hmph, if you think a bit of flattery will get you off the hook with what you did in the hallway then you've got a whole other thing coming, Shirou-san."

Shirou for his part scoffed at Sona's attempt at a threat, "Oh, right. Speaking of blundering subordinates, where are they anyways?" Shirou said as he looked around the empty room.

"Well, unlike a certain someone, my Peerage has classes to attend," Sona said with an irritated but neutral expression.

'They wouldn't… right? Would they?' Subtly, Shirou used a Structural Grasping to scan the entire room and quirked an eyebrow, "Really now?"

"Yes."

"And leave you here? With me? All alone?" He said with a suggestive look.

Sona's face practically glowed red from embarrassment, "W-what are you talking about?!" She shrieked with a scandalized expression, causing the red-headed teen to wince from the high volume.

"Sheesh, no need to scream like that, Sona-san." He said with his hands raised in a placating manner. "And besides, I didn't mean it like that."

"W-what?" Sona relaxed her body ever so slightly once she was sure the Human in front of her wouldn't do anything.

"I meant it more like this," he motioned with his left thumb slowly swiping over his neck.

Whatever expression Sona had at the time was completely wiped away and was replaced by an angry scowl. "What?" Flaring her Magical Energy, Sona gave the redheaded teen a death glare as she summoned numerous spikes of ice. All of them, aiming for his neck.

"Heh," despite the admittedly dangerous situation, he found himself in, Shirou failed to stifle his laughter.

"Do you think this is funny, Emiya Shirou?" The temperature in the room dropped to freezing levels as Sona's anger rose to new levels.

"Yes, very." He began to get up from his seat and walked towards her desk, "Think about it this way Sona-san; barely a week has passed since you made a contract with someone that does not trust you and your kind, then your subordinates allowed you — their leader — to be left alone with said individual in a room, and are surprised when they made a very likely threat of murder. I'd say that's quite amusing, don't you think so as well?"

Sona's eyes narrowed, observing the Human teen standing in front of her. "Why are you telling me this?" She said, her voice tinged with anger and fear, angered and afraid that he could very well threaten the safety of the entire school and her friends.

Shirou looked her in the eye for a few moments, "... Can I be honest with you Sona-san?"

"... Yes, you may." She nodded slowly, ice shards still primed and ready to open fire at a moment's notice.

Shirou then leaned on Sona's desk, presenting his back to her. "I've… done some thinking about our deal for the past few days now," he started, "And… well, for this relationship of ours to work I needed to gauge you and your subordinates'... competence, so to speak."

"So you spied on us?"

"Oh, please, Sona-san, don't act so surprised." He said with an exasperated voice, he then turned his head to see a very confused expression on the bespectacled girl's face."What? Don't think I didn't notice that Bat Familiar watching me from a distance in broad daylight."

Sona's heart dropped as she realized the implications of Shirou's revelation. She knew that only one person in all of Kuoh Town possessed a Bat Familiar. The realization sent a chill down her spine, a cold sweat trickling down her back like a waterfall. 'By the Satans, Rias, you idiot!' While she trusted her friend to support her if things get dangerous, Sona couldn't risk her discovering about Shirou, at least for now, not before Rias manages to deal with that arranged marriage her parents planned for her.

"W-well we still don't know much about you as well, Shirou-san," she reasoned out, "And as you said, we also needed to gauge your competence as well."

Shirou eyed Sona, scrutinizing her, analyzing her. 'I see, so there is another Devil group here in Kuoh. Is it the one with led by the redhead perhaps? But the question is, why? Why have two independent Devil groups operating in the same area? Are they to operate as one big group split into two different chains of command?' His mind went through the time spent spying on Sona Sitri's Peerage, 'No, their behavior doesn't seem to suggest such an action,' with a mental shake of his head, Shirou dismissed the idea. 'And it's not exactly an efficient use of their forces either. So then, why are there two different factions then? Are… they perhaps rival? Sent here to test which is more worthy of ruling over the area?'

With another shake of his head, Shirou just let the matter go, 'It doesn't matter why they're split into two groups. All that matters is that I know that the redhead has her own agendas.' His eyes then trailed again to the Devil Princess, 'Well played, Sona, well played.'

Nevertheless, regardless of what he thought and found out, he still let out a soft and hollow chuckle, acknowledging her point, if just barely. "Fair enough, Sona-san." Shirou had now faced her and stood at his full height, "We both had our reasons for being cautious, but after observing your actions, seeing how you handle your responsibilities as a leader, and witnessing your dedication to protecting those under your care. I must say, I'm quite impressed" A faint blush colored Sona's cheeks as she absorbed his words. She had grown accustomed to hiding her vulnerability behind a mask of composure, but Shirou's genuine praise touched something within her.

"But." And then whatever emotion Sona was feeling was crushed mercilessly by the next words that came out of his mouth, "You and your Peerage are so incredibly and painfully inexperienced. Honestly, I don't understand how Tomoe-san, Tsubasa-san, Momo-san, and Reya-san had managed to survive till now."

Sona's expression shifted from one of vulnerability to a mix of surprise and defensiveness. She straightened her posture, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean by that, Shirou-san?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of annoyance.

Shirou leaned over the table, his gaze affixed on Sona. "Let me rephrase that in a way that you'll better understand, Sona-san." he said, his hand gently lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "You are important to me Sona-san."

Sona's cheeks flushed, taken aback by the sudden closeness. "W-What do you mean?" She stammered for a response, struggling to find her words.

Shirou maintained his composure, his touch still gentle. "Yes, you are my shield, Sona-san, my smokescreen — if you will — that will allow me and my sister to live peacefully here in Kuoh. So I have to make sure you and yours are safe and sound. Nobody gets in danger, and nobody from Hell would start to ask questions, am I right?"

After a brief pause to let her process his words, Sona finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly. "... So you're suggesting that you'll be by my side, protecting me?"

Shirou smiled warmly, "Precisely, Sona-san." He said, releasing his hold on her chin. 'And besides, I'd be able to better observe you up close and personal.'

Sona's expression shifted once again, her surprise and defensiveness giving way to a mix of curiosity and cautious consideration. She pondered Shirou's proposition, weighing the potential benefits and risks of working together. The idea of collaborating with someone who possessed unique abilities and an outsider's perspective intrigued her. 'Plus we'd be able to better observe his abilities much more closely.'

"I can see the advantages of joining forces, Shirou-san," she admitted, her voice now tinged with a touch of curiosity. "Your combat skills and knowledge could prove invaluable in our missions, and your presence would provide an extra layer of protection."

Shirou nodded in agreement. "It's good that you catch on quickly, Sona-san."

Sona's gaze turned thoughtful, her mind processing the possibilities. However, she remained cautious. "But let's be clear, Shirou-san. While I'm open to cooperation, I won't compromise the safety and secrecy of my Peerage. Their well-being is my utmost priority."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Good, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Sona-san." He then turned around to return to his seat but stopped, "Oh, and Sona-san."

"Hm?"

"You should smile more, makes you look a lot cuter." He said with a cheeky smile.

"Wha-! You! You!" And so, Sona's blush returned with a vengeance, making her sputter away in embarrassment.

---

===AN===​

In case no one has realized it yet but the block elements you all will be seeing in all my stories going forward actually have meaning behind them.

If you wanna know what it means just search this up (Don't worry, it's safe… I think).:
Lingojam Block Translator

COMMENT, LIKE, AND SUBSCRIBE- oh wait no, that's YouTube. Anyway, you get the point.