Was this how modern civilization alienated humanity? It was truly terrifying... No wonder the mages of the Mage's Association and the Atlas Institute lived such reclusive lives.
After saying goodbye to Aika and Laeticia, Shirou successfully returned to Fuyuki City in the early twenty-first century.
The first thing he did, of course, was check the date.
Exactly one month had passed since he had been forcibly summoned away.
In other words, the month he had spent in the Parallel World had passed at the same rate as time here.
"Was I completely out of contact and considered missing for this entire month...?"
At that thought, Shirou's originally good mood turned uneasy.
Before leaving, he had promised Illya that he would return as soon as possible.
One month... Could that really count as "as soon as possible"?
That was a very delicate amount of time.
Would Illya be angry?
Would Eiri, Sister Fujiwara, and Sakura worry about him?
I need to buy them some souvenirs, Shirou thought.
Fortunately, today was the weekend, and Shinto was bustling. He spent the entire day buying suitable gifts for the women at home.
When Shirou returned to the entrance of the residence he had not seen in so long, dusk had already dyed the courtyard orange.
Judging from how well the garden had been maintained, it had been kept in excellent condition even while he was gone for a month... Thank you, Sella.
The last time Shirou had been away from home for an extended period, he had wanted to surprise everyone, so he had used Mystic Eyes of Petrification to sneak inside. As a result, he had walked in on Aoko and Arisu confronting Eiri and laying everything bare.
This time, he had thoroughly learned his lesson and decided to enter through the front