TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
The events following the [Purification] of the Holy Grail were relatively uneventful. No Servants, other than Caster, who was put down by Tatsuo's blade, were defeated that night. Though, one Master, Kuzuki Souichirou was admitted into a hospital. Apparently, Elicia's kick to the head put him into a coma that, even after three days, he had not awakened from.
Though, there was a bit more to it tan that.
On top of that, the fight between Lancer and Berserker ended inconclusively, the battle continuing until sunrise, where the two eventually went their own separate ways to heal and recover for their next encounters with enemy Servants.
As for those who were not involved in the night's happenings, namely Sakura, Rider, Rin, Archer, Shirou, and Saber, they all returned home that night, wondering what happened exactly.
Luckily, sometime after Sakura and Rider returned to the hotel, Tatsuo and Elicia also returned. And before the group retired for the night, Tatsuo and Elicia let them know that the Grail had been [Purified] of its corruption.
Unfortunately, that also meant some sad news for Sakura.
Because the Grail had been [Purified], the alliance between the two sides, Tatsuo and Elicia and Sakura and Rider, was officially over. So, that meant that Sakura would have to move out of the hotel.
Although neither Sakura, nor Rider were happy with the arrangement, they both understood that it was necessary. Especially since Rider, now that the Grail was free of taint, was not willing to give up her chance at a wish. And Sakura had no intention of abandoning her Servant's dreams. So, the two chose to rent an apartment in the high-end part of the Shinto District. And thanks to everything Tatsuo had stolen… *Cough* taken from the Matou Residence when he first rescued Sakura, they had no problem affording the rent.
Then, the following day, Sakura told both Rin and Shirou about what Tatsuo and Elicia told her about the events of the previous night. And when they heard that, they both breathed sighs of relief. Especially Shirou, who was a victim of the Great Fuyuki Fire ten years ago.
However, that also made Shirou think that he might seriously not be needed in this Holy Grail War. His biggest hang up about the war had been taken care of. And most telling, he was not even needed to do so. So, he did not know what else he should do.
But by the end of the school day, while not paying any mind to his classes, Shirou made a decision. Then, before heading home for the day, he spoke to Sakura, asking her to contact Elicia for him
After that, two days passed. And today, Sunday, Shirou was sitting in his residence while waiting for his guests along with is Servant, Saber.
"Are you sure about this, Shirou?" Saber asked, hints of both concern and relief in her tone.
"Yes." Shirou replied resolutely. "After everything that's happened, nearly dying twice… being of no help during quite possibly the most important night of the Holy Grail. And looking towards the future… I've made up my mind."
Reaching that point, Shirou took a deep breath. Then, he looked Saber directly in the eyes.
"Like Taylor-San said, there are many ways for me to help people." Shirou continued, his tone growing more resolute with every word. "And although they won't help me reach my ideal of helping everyone, that just wasn't possible to begin with. So, instead, I'll do what I can to help as many people as my hands can reach. And there are many ways I could do that. Become a doctor or a policeman. I could even start a humanitarian organization. Either way, fighting and using Magecraft are not the only ways for me to help people."
Hearing the resolve in Shirou's tone, Saber could not help smiling proudly. One of the reasons she was so willing to help Shirou was because she could see herself in him. Strong willed, steadfast in his beliefs, and willing to sacrifice his own happiness to make his dreams a reality.
But seeing him able to take a step back and assess his situation calmly while taking the advice of others was something she was never able to do in her life. Something she wished she could have. Unfortunately, her image of what it meant to be a king simply would not allow her to do so.
"Well then, I suppose the only thing I can do is wish you the best." Saber said, her tone softening significantly. "Just don't forget, you don't have to do it alone. I'm sure there are people that you know who would be willing to help you in such an endeavor."
Nodding his head in reply, Shirou could not help letting a smile grace his lips.
"Besides, with another, more qualified, Master, your chances of winning the Grail will be even higher." Shirou said, the encouragement in his tone making Saber smile along with him.
"I hope so." Saber replied.
*Ding!* *Dong!*
At that moment, the sound of the bell interrupted the two's conversation. And they both knew who was ringing the bell at this time. Shirou had invited them to his house, after all.
And just as expected, when Shirou checked the camera set up at the residence's gate, he saw Elicia standing in front of it in a white t-shirt and a pink skirt while Tatsuo stood behind her with his hands in his pockets while wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
{"Hello~~~!"} Elicia sing-songed into the camera. {"We came to visit~~~!"}
As serious as the conversation he wanted to have with Elicia today was, Shirou could not help smiling despite himself when he saw Elicia doing things at her own pace like that. At the same time, he pressed the button for the intercom and spoke to the people outside the gate.
"I'll open the gate." Shirou said with a smile. "Just push it open when you hear the click."
With that, Shirou pressed the button to open the gate. Then, he watched Tatsuo step forward past Elicia and push the door open.
{"Oh, you're such a gentleman."} Elicia said with a smile. {"do you have any idea how many men can't be bothered to open a door for a lady in this day and age?"}
The last thing Shirou saw before he turned off the camera at the front gate was Tatsuo rolling his eyes while holding the gate open for Elicia to walk through.
After that, it did not take long for Tatsuo and Elicia to reach the main house's front door where Shirou and Saber were waiting for them.
"Welcome." Shirou said before stepping aside to allow his guests to enter. "Please come in. Make yourselves at home."
"Thank you, thank you." Elicia said cheerfully as she and Tatsuo entered the house. "So, I'm guessing you asked us to come over because you've made a decision."
"*Sigh* Yes." Shirou replied, the same resolute expression making its way onto his face. "But for now, allow me to offer you lunch and something to drink. We can talk once we're satisfied."
"Sure." Elicia replied.
Tatsuo, on the other hand, stared at Shirou quite intensely when lunch was mentioned. As the decidedly best chef in this world, Tatsuo was curious to know how his skills in the kitchen measured up.
"You wouldn't mind if I watched while you cooked, would you?" Tatsuo asked casually.
Hearing that, Shirou was taken aback for a moment. But in the end, he shrugged his shoulders and nodded to Tatsuo's request. Then, the two boys made their way into the kitchen to start the preparations for lunch.
Meanwhile, Saber led Elicia into the living room where they engaged in polite conversation. However, Elicia seemed to be more focused on Saber herself, rather than the words coming out of her mouth.
'Just as I thought, she's really only interested in getting me on her side to win the Holy Grail.' Saber thought to herself while not letting her feelings show on her face. 'Although everything she said about Shirou finding another path was true, that wasn't the real reason she wanted to get him out of the war.'
However, Elicia's next words made her question everything she was just thinking.
"I don't' mean to be rude, but are those the best clothes you have?" Elicia asked, looking a little annoyed by Saber's plain casual clothing. "I mean, you're so pretty. You should really dress up more. Even if you're only here for the Holy Grail War, you don't have to dress in such a plain fashion, do you?"
Saber, unable to respond immediately, as her thoughts were completely elsewhere before Elicia asked her question, could only open and close her mouth repeatedly without releasing any sound.
"I told her the same thing." Shirou said from the kitchen. "But she's so stubborn. She just won't listen."
"I have no need for such luxuries." Saber, finally returning to her senses, said defiantly. "These clothes are fine. They protect me from the elements, they are functional, and they are easy to clean, as well. What more do I need?"
"All of those reasons are good ones." Elicia replied with a nod. A moment later, however, her expression turned more solemn than anyone had seen from her so far. "But why can't your clothes be cute while still being functional?"
Saber did not have an answer to that question. And the simple reason for that was because she never had to consider anything like that in the past.
Back when she ruled Camelot, she posed as a man. So, cute clothing was the furthest thing away from what she looked for in clothing. Function and Regality were more than enough for a King of Knights like her.
"Somehow, I know exactly what you're thinking." Elicia said while shaking her head. She then raised her right hand to her chest and continued while imitating Saber's voice and tone. "As a knight, nay, a king, such things are unnecessary. The only things I need are functionality and a design that shows off my stature. Or something like that, right?"
At the end, Elicia switched back to her own tone. And Saber, caught off guard by how easily she was read, could only nod her head dumbly.
"Okay, so now let me tell you why you're wrong." Elicia said, her serious tone re-emerging. "First of all, you're no longer a king. So, all that crap goes right out the window. And secondly, even if you are a knight, you already have the armor that shows your status. But you don't have clothing that does the same in your role as a female knight. Ya feel me?"
Though thoroughly dumbfounded, Saber once again nodded her head.
Meanwhile, Shirou could not help chuckling at how completely overwhelmed Saber seemed.
"Hey, watch the fish." Tatsuo warned. "If you don't pay attention, you're gonna start losing flavor."
Startled back to his senses, Shirou quickly looked down. But when he saw that there was no sign of burning, he turned a skeptical gaze in Tatsuo's direction.
"it's not gonna burn, so it's fine." Shirou replied.
Hearing that, Tatsuo could only roll his eyes. Then, he walked over to the kitchen wall and picked up an apron. After that, he stepped closer the stove and gently pushed Shirou out of the way while putting on the apron.
"It looks like I overestimated you." Tatsuo said as he took the spatula from Shirou. "I'll finish this. Go make sure the rice cooker is working, or something."
Dumbfounded by Tatsuo's dismissal, Shirou stood there with his eyes and mouth wide open for a moment. However, when he saw Tatsuo start to get to work on the fish and the rest of the dishes he had prepared ingredients for, Shirou was dumbfounded even more thoroughly. Never before had he seen someone look so graceful and focused while cooking. Not even he was so attentive while cooking.
Shirou then, instead of checking on the rice cooker like Tatsuo said, pulled out a notebook, from who knows where, and started taking notes on Tatsuo's cooking process.
'Hmm… If I had to guess, his cooking skill was about B-Rank or something.' Tatsuo thought to himself while watching Shirou from the corner of his eye. 'But if he can internalize all the notes he's taking, he could rise to B+-Rank like me. In the end, food-gasms might make their way into the TYPE-MOON universe, too, even after Lici and I leave.'
As that thought came to an end, Tatsuo's eyes narrowed after feeling that he was being watched through space.
'Whoever is watching me is good.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I'm not saying that I'm the best in the multiverse when it comes to [Space Manipulation] but not knowing where the person watching me is hiding is new. Especially after feeling it so clearly. Hmm… There's only one person I can think of who could do something like this in this world. That old man with the [Second Magic], Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. And since we are in Fate, he should be human. But with that old man, you never know.'
Despite his thoughts racing to one of the few true Magicians in the TYPE-MOON Universe, Tatsuo's cooking never faltered. Every step he took was precise, and Shirou took notes on everything he did to try to incorporate it into his own cooking style in the future.
About an hour later, both Tatsuo and Shirou carried the food out to the table where Elicia was talking excitedly about what kind of clothing would suit Saber. Saber, on the other hand, looked as if steam would rise from her head. The topic so foreign to her sensibilities that she could only stare at Elicia blankly.
Luckily for Saber, once the food came out, Elicia's attention was completely diverted to it, giving her a desperately needed reprieve. However, as soon as she tasted the food, Saber could immediately understand why Elicia's attention was stolen away so thoroughly, as she, herself, had no other option but to focus her whole mind on the delicious food in front of her, as well.
In fact, Saber was so focused on eating that she did not even notice the utterly depraved moan that left her mouth after the first bite. However, that could not be said for the rest of the people joining her for the meal.
And while Tatsuo smiled smugly and Elicia grin amusedly, Shirou, who had never heard Saber make a sound like that before, could only lower his head to hide his blush while shifting the position of his legs to hide another biological reaction.
"That was truly delicious." Saber said after eating nearly five times as much as the others sitting at the table. "It would seem you are just as capable in the kitchen as you are at taking lives from the shadows, Assassin."
"Oh, I'm just as good at taking lives head on." Tatsuo said off handedly. "Anyway, now that we're done eating, why don't we get down to business. We still need to prepare for anything that could happen tonight, after all."
Just like that, Tatsuo broke the happy atmosphere that had permeated the room during the meal and brought back the grimmer reality of the situation.
'And that damned old man is still watching us' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I'd bet my favorite knives that he's gonna show up in front of us before everything is over.'