A Troubled Shinto

Outside the gates of Homurahara Academy.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya looked at the preview photos on the camera screen.

In the photo, Rin had her arm linked through Shirou's and was practically pressed against him, her face beaming with a smile.

Though she looked more like she was deliberately teasing him.

Shirou stood perfectly straight and serious, but Rin's teasing had left him looking a little embarrassed.

The more he acted like that, the more Rin enjoyed teasing him.

Rin was quite pleased with the photo, too. Smiling, she said to Kaoru Sakura, who stood in front of her:

"Kaoru, you took these really well."

"Please get these photos developed and give them to me."

As she spoke, Rin handed the camera back to Kaoru.

Kaoru accepted the camera, grinning sheepishly at Rin's praise.

"I'll get them developed when I go to the mall this afternoon. I'll give them to you first thing tomorrow, Rin."

At that, Rin glanced at Shirou, who had been left speechless, and laughed. Then she said to Kaoru:

"Sorry for the trouble, Kaoru. Come over to my place this weekend, and this guy can make you something delicious."

Shirou, the "guy" in question, smiled faintly. He felt a little helpless, but he liked Rin just the way she was, didn't he?

Kaoru was instantly delighted.

"Rin! If it's okay, could Shirou teach me how to make a few dishes?"

Rin naturally had no reason to refuse.

"Of course."

"What do you think, Shirou?"

Shirou could only smile wryly. Rin had already agreed on his behalf, so what could he say?

Besides, he wouldn't have refused anyway.

"Sure, no problem."

"Is there anything you'd like to learn, Sakura?"

"That way, I can get the ingredients ready in advance."

Kaoru thought for a moment, then turned to Sasuke and Illya, who were standing a short distance behind her.

"Big brother, Illya, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Sasuke replied calmly:

"Anything's fine."

Kaoru had more or less expected him to say that, but she still couldn't help complaining:

"That's the hardest answer to work with, Big Brother."

"Honestly."

Asking Sasuke was clearly pointless.

Illya, on the other hand, gave it some thought before answering:

"Meat?"

Fortunately, Illya had at least given Kaoru a direction to work with, so Kaoru followed up:

"Meat?"

"Then how about hamburg steak?"

Illya nodded, indicating that sounded good.

Seeing that, Kaoru turned to Shirou.

"I've never been able to make hamburg steak properly."

"Do you know how, senpai?"

Hamburg steak, huh...

Shirou thought it was probably the dish he was best at making.

Back when Kiritsugu Emiya was still alive, Shirou had made hamburg steak for him many times as a child.

He also remembered Kiritsugu telling him what it was like to eat hamburg steak in Germany.

Germany...

As the thought crossed his mind, Shirou glanced at Illya, standing beside Sasuke.

Perhaps the thought had brought something to mind. Shirou looked at Kaoru with a serious expression.

"Sakura, I'll make sure you learn."

Kaoru didn't know why Shirou was being so serious, but she was already eager for the weekend to arrive.

As Kaoru was thanking Shirou, several of her female classmates came over.

Kaoru was lively and cheerful, so it was only natural that she was popular in her class.

Just how popular was she?

Let's put it this way.

Kaoru was always finding anonymous letters from girls expressing their affection for her in her shoe locker.

Before long, the girls in her class had pulled Kaoru away to take commemorative photos.

When they asked who had come with her that day, Kaoru grandly gestured toward Sasuke and Illya, who were watching her from a short distance away.

"Why, my big brother and my elder sister, of course!"

Sasuke could certainly pass for her big brother.

But Illya looked much more like the younger sister, didn't she?

Though, judging by the way she dressed, Illya did have the air of an older sister.

The other girls didn't press the matter. They politely bowed to Sasuke and Illya.

Sasuke and Illya responded with slight nods.

Most of the girls, though, were more interested in Sasuke.

They boldly asked Kaoru whether he had a girlfriend.

Kaoru gave them a mischievous reply:

"If you're brave enough, you can ask him yourself."

Clearly, no one dared.

There were still some class matters they needed to take care of. If they didn't get them done soon, they would probably have to put them off until the afternoon.

So, after saying goodbye to everyone, Kaoru went into the school with her classmates.

Parents were allowed to look around the school at this time, but Sasuke and Illya clearly had no interest in doing so.

After Kaoru left, Shirou and Rin walked over to Sasuke and Illya.

Rin's expression had been lighthearted when she spoke to Kaoru, but now she became serious and spoke in a low voice.

"Mr. Uchiha, you've been following the news lately, haven't you?"

"People have been mysteriously disappearing in Shinto. Have you noticed anything unusual recently?"

Just as Rin had said, things in Shinto had indeed been unsettled.

The missing people seemed to vanish into thin air.

They hadn't all disappeared without a trace, either. The police had found some of their bodies.

But the condition those bodies were in was utterly horrific.

So far, all the victims had been residents of Shinto. Miyama Town, meanwhile, remained peaceful.

Because of the incidents, far fewer people were walking alone in Shinto at night.

Of course, some fearless young people had gone exploring in groups.

Sasuke's life had been peaceful lately, so he answered Rin calmly:

"No."

Rin didn't press him for more. Instead, she said:

"Mm..."

"If you find out anything, please let me know."

"I'd appreciate it."

If what was happening in Shinto was the work of ordinary people, the police could deal with it.

But if it was connected to mages, that would give Rin a headache.

As Fuyuki's overseer, Rin already had more than enough trouble dealing with the problems left behind by the Holy Grail War.

Even with Shirou helping her, if anything else went wrong, the Mage's Association might really put her on trial.

Rin and Shirou still had their responsibilities as students to take care of, so after saying that, they went into the school.

Sasuke and Illya stayed outside the gates, waiting for Kaoru to come out.

It was nearly noon when Sasuke's phone suddenly rang.

The number on the screen belonged to the landline at Fish Fresh House. In other words, Sakura Masayoshi was calling.

Sasuke answered. Sakura Masayoshi's voice sounded regretful.

"Sasuke."

"The Hirata Family..."

"Something's happened."