Unpeaceful Shinto

Outside the gates of Homurahara Academy.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya held a camera, examining the preview on the screen.

In the photo, Rin Tohsaka was linked arm-in-arm with Shirou Emiya, her entire body nearly pressed against him, her face beaming with a radiant smile.

Though it looked more like she was deliberately teasing Shirou Emiya.

Shirou Emiya stood there with a deadpan expression, though he looked somewhat embarrassed due to Rin Tohsaka's teasing.

Yet, the more Shirou Emiya acted this way, the more Rin Tohsaka enjoyed teasing him.

Because of this, Rin Tohsaka was very satisfied with the photo and said to Kaoru Sakura with a smile:

"Kaoru, you took a great shot."

"Please make sure to get these printed and give them to me."

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

Receiving praise from Rin Tohsaka, Kaoru Sakura took the camera and gave a goofy smile:

"I'll stop by the mall this afternoon to get them developed, and I'll bring them to you first thing tomorrow morning, Rin."

Hearing this, Rin Tohsaka laughed at the sight of a deflated Shirou Emiya, then said to Kaoru Sakura:

"Then I'll leave it to you, Kaoru. Come over to my place this weekend, and I'll have this guy cook you something delicious."

Shirou Emiya, referred to as "this guy," smiled slightly. Although he felt a bit helpless, wasn't this version of Rin Tohsaka also the one he liked?

Kaoru Sakura was overjoyed at the words:

"Rin! If it's not too much trouble, could I have Shirou-senpai teach me a few dishes?"

Rin Tohsaka naturally wouldn't refuse such a request:

"Of course."

"What do you say, Shirou?"

Shirou Emiya gave a wry smile; since Rin Tohsaka had already agreed for him, what else could he say?

Not that he would have refused such a thing anyway.

"Yeah, no problem."

"But is there anything in particular you'd like to learn, Kaoru?"

"That way, I can prepare the ingredients in advance."

Kaoru Sakura pondered for a moment, then looked back at Sasuke and Illya, who were standing not far behind her:

"Big brother, Illya, is there anything you want to eat?"

Sasuke replied with an indifferent expression:

"Anything is fine."

Kaoru Sakura had somewhat expected her brother to say that, but she still felt the need to complain:

"That phrase of yours is the most headache-inducing thing, brother."

"Honestly."

Clearly, asking Sasuke was a waste of time.

Illya, after a brief moment of thought, said:

"Meat?"

Fortunately, Illya gave Kaoru Sakura some direction, so she continued to press Illya for details:

"Meat? How about Salisbury steak?"

Illya nodded, indicating that was acceptable.

Seeing this, Kaoru Sakura turned back to Shirou Emiya:

"I've never been able to make Salisbury steak well."

"I wonder if you know how, senpai?"

Salisbury steak, huh...

Shirou Emiya felt that this was probably his signature dish.

When Kiritsugu Emiya was still alive, a young Shirou Emiya had made Salisbury steak for him many times.

He had even heard Kiritsugu Emiya talk about his experiences eating Salisbury steak in Germany.

Germany...

Thinking of this, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but glance at Illya, who was standing beside Sasuke.

Perhaps connecting the dots, Shirou Emiya looked at Kaoru Sakura with a serious expression:

"Kaoru, I will make sure you learn how to make it."

Although Kaoru Sakura did not know why Shirou Emiya was being so serious, she could not wait to fast-forward to the weekend.

Just as Kaoru Sakura was expressing her gratitude to Shirou Emiya, several of her female classmates approached them.

The lively and cheerful Kaoru Sakura was naturally a popular presence in the class.

As for the extent of her popularity?

Let's put it this way.

Kaoru Sakura's shoe locker was always filled with anonymous letters from girls expressing their affection for her.

In an instant, Kaoru Sakura was pulled away by the girls in her class to take commemorative photos.

When they asked Kaoru Sakura who had accompanied her today, she gestured grandly toward Sasuke and Illya, who were watching her from not far away:

"Naturally, it is my older brother and older sister!"

If one were to speak of an older brother, Sasuke was indeed a perfect fit.

But Illya, no matter how you looked at her, seemed more like a younger sister type, right?

Although, judging by her outfit, Illya certainly did have that older sister style.

However, the group of classmates did not ask too many questions and politely bowed slightly toward Sasuke and Illya.

Sasuke and Illya nodded slightly in response.

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

They boldly asked Kaoru Sakura if Sasuke had a girlfriend.

To this question, Kaoru Sakura responded with a very black-bellied attitude:

"If you have the guts, you can go ask him yourself."

Clearly, no one dared to ask.

Because there were still some matters to attend to in the classroom, if they weren't finished early, they would likely drag on until the afternoon.

So, after saying goodbye to everyone, Kaoru Sakura followed her female classmates into the school first.

Although parents could take this opportunity to tour the school, it was obvious that Sasuke and Illya had no such intention.

After Kaoru Sakura left, Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka walked up to Sasuke and Illya.

Unlike the lighthearted expression she had when facing Kaoru Sakura, Rin Tohsaka said in a serious, low voice:

"Mr. Uchiha, you have been watching the news lately, haven't you?"

"Citizens have been disappearing mysteriously in Shinto, and I wonder if you have noticed anything unusual recently."

Just as Rin Tohsaka said, things were indeed not very peaceful in Shinto.

The people who went missing had almost vanished into thin air.

It wasn't that they had disappeared completely; some of their bodies had been found by the police.

It was just that the state of the bodies was truly gruesome.

However, up until now, the victims had all been citizens living in Shinto, while Miyama Town remained peaceful.

Because of this, the number of people walking alone in Shinto at night had decreased significantly.

Of course, there were still young people who feared nothing and went in groups to explore.

Sasuke's life had been very calm recently, so he responded to Rin Tohsaka with a flat expression:

"No."

Having received the response, Rin Tohsaka did not press further, but said to Sasuke:

"Hmm..."

"If you discover anything, please let me know."

"I'm counting on you."

If what was happening in Shinto was man-made, it could be left to the police to handle.

If it were related to a mage, that would be what gave Rin Tohsaka a headache.

As the administrator of Fuyuki, Rin Tohsaka already had enough of a headache dealing with the lingering problems from the Holy Grail War.

Even with Shirou Emiya helping her, if any more trouble were to arise, she feared she would truly be put on trial by the Mage's Association.

Because Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya had tasks to complete as students, they entered the school after saying this.

Sasuke and Illya remained outside the school gate, waiting for Kaoru Sakura to come out.

However, just as it was nearing noon, Sasuke's phone suddenly rang.

The number displayed on the phone was the landline for Fish Fresh House, meaning it was Sakura Masayoshi calling.

After Sasuke answered, he only heard Sakura Masayoshi's tone sounding somewhat regretful on the other end:

"Sasuke."

"The Hirata Family..."

"Something has happened."