Butterflies in the Hospital

"Kanya, I feel like someone's watching us!" In the hospital corridor, Shirou looked up at Kurogiri Kanya.

If he could help it, Shirou wouldn't have to, but Kanya was a lot taller than him—after all, one was born in '79 and the other in '87, the age gap was right there.

"No, I don't sense anything. Maybe you're being too sensitive, Shirou." Kanya looked down and asked, holding a bouquet of flowers. Yes, he was here to visit his sleeping girlfriend.

"That's impossible. I can clearly sense every soul around me; I just can't tell what they're doing." Shirou said, glancing around, though it didn't really help.

"Huh, that's convenient, magician."

Kanya didn't doubt what Shirou said—his boss was a magician, so he was long used to inhuman abilities.

"Not bad, but I probably couldn't teach you this trick." Shirou didn't deny that he was calling his detection nerves magic, nor did he say anything else.

What else could he say?

That this wasn't actually magic, but an innate ability of a creature born with a heart but no eyes?

Forget it, even Shirou himself wouldn't believe that.

"Ah, it's fine. Miss Touko said I have no talent in that area, so I don't plan to waste time on it." The ever-kind Kanya didn't catch what Shirou really meant. Well, let the misunderstanding stand.

"You could have Aozaki make you a body, and I'd help transplant your soul. The process might not be pleasant, but I can guarantee safety—I'm pretty confident with soul work."

"Uh, I'll pass." Kanya gave an awkward smile. "I think my current body is fine, no need to swap."

"Really? I'm actually quite confident." Shirou made a disappointed face.

"I'm still not comfortable with that gaze thing. I'll go check it out, won't keep you."

"Alright, no helping it. See you."

"Yeah, I'll be quick."

"This should be the room." Shirou pushed open the door and stepped into a room no one wanted to enter.

It held only one bed, a wheelchair beside it, shelves lined with medicine, and the only decoration was a single photo.

On the bed lay a woman, skin and bones. Seeing Shirou enter, she struggled to sit up.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Who?" Shirou waved a hand and shrugged. "Who knows? Does that question matter to you, Peeping Tom?"

"I'm not..."

"Not? Don't try to fool me. My senses are sharp." Shirou's gaze turned piercing. "From the moment Kanya and I stepped into the hospital corridor, you—or another 'you'—were watching us. Or maybe you were just watching Kanya, and I was incidental."

"Who are you really?" Having her secret spying exposed made anyone uneasy.

"Hard to say. I'm just a person. Whether I'm good, bad, friend, or enemy depends on how others treat me." Shirou said. He found himself liking these cryptic, mystical, slightly chuunibyou speeches more and more.

"I've never had friends, nor enemies."

"What a shame. Humans are social creatures. Friends or enemies, they're all acquaintances. If your life is only strangers... I'd say it's a miracle you haven't gone mad."

"... "

Faint traces appeared in the room. Ordinary people or magicians might miss them, but Shirou saw them clearly. A spirit—identical to the woman on the bed.

"So, the view's nice here, isn't it?" After a moment of silence, the woman spoke. Her physical body and spirit both stared at Shirou.

"Very nice, but I've seen grander."

"Is that so? I envy you." The woman said. Bedridden with illness, her only scenery was the window.

"I really like this view. Can you be my friend? Will you bring me flowers as pretty as the ones that bespectacled man carries every day?"

"Bringing you flowers is no problem, but if you want to see them, why not go see them yourself?" Shirou asked.

"I..."

"Never mind that before, but now, I've taken a liking to your ability." Shirou continued. He was interested in dual existence. In a way, his Black Winged Great Demon could be considered his own dual existence.

"I'm looking for companions—ones who can stand with me. Since you have abilities ordinary people lack, why not join my side?"

Shirou's words seemed to have a hypnotic pull. Somehow, the woman's physical body and spirit nodded together, a faint smile appearing. "Sounds interesting. I've never had companions, so I have no reason to refuse."

"You've made a choice you'll never regret. And even if you do, it won't matter." Shirou flashed a kind, goofy grin—the kind that made people think he was a simpleton.

"My name is Emiya Shirou. My main job is magician, though I prefer being a chef."

"Fujou Kirie."

"Fujou? What's your connection to the Fujou Building?"

"My father built it."

"Impressive. But it's getting late—I promised Kanya I'd be quick. I'll come pick you up tonight."

"Okay."

"Hey, Kanya, how's your girlfriend doing?" At the hospital entrance, Shirou asked.

"Shirou."

Kanya wasn't in a good mood. He was clearly different from the Kanya at Garan no Dou, worry written all over his face.

"No improvement at all. Miss Touko's stepped in as a language counselor, but it doesn't seem to help much."

"Because someone who's died once has a much weaker will to live—I know that all too well." Shirou had died suddenly before crossing over, and that pitch-black, clanging sensation carried an indescribable wrongness.

"That's a bit much. Died once? You're telling me you've died before?" Though he knew how peculiar magi could be, dying once was too far-fetched.

"As you can see, you've accidentally hit the truth."

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