Part 10: A white girl / Well done

The time is around seven-thirty.
There should be people around at this time, but there's no sign of anyone.

"…Oh yeah."
There was some crime here in Miyama City a few days ago.
A burglar murdered someone, I think.
That must be why there's no one around and why the school curfew became six o'clock.

"…Gas leaks and murder, huh? It's been getting dangerous lately."
No wonder there are fewer people walking around at night.

Oh my, what a completely original plot hook that I have never seen before. How curious and intriguing.

It's getting too dangerous to let Sakura go home on her own.
Sakura's house is in the residential area on the other side of town.
Starting tonight, I should walk her hom

"…Huh?"
For a moment, I can't believe my eyes.
There is someone on the road which I thought was empty.
The person is standing above me as if looking down at me.



Token Loli, activate!

Without realizing it, I hold my breath.
The silver-haired girl smiles and descends the hill without a sound.

As she passes…



She says something strange.



Music: Gentle Everyday




"Welcome home, Senpai. We're sorry for starting without you."
"Sorry I'm late. I wish I could have come home earlier."


"No, you made it. Could you wait a bit? I'll get your dinner ready right away."
"Yeah, all right. I'll go and wash my hands, so make sure Fuji-Nee doesn't eat my food."


"Yes, I will."



I wash my hands, change, and return to the living room to find my dinner ready.

"Itadakimasu."


"I hope it is to your liking…"
Sakura is terribly modest.

Her cooking skills have vastly improved in the past year.
She has me completely beaten at Western-style foods, and I can barely beat her at Japanese food. Neither of us have touched Chinese.
I'm pleased my pupil is getting better, but it's kind of depressing when the teacher is defeated by the student.



It's as good as I expected.
Chicken becomes harder the longer you cook it, so it's juicier and tastier if you roast it before cooking it even though it's tedious.
That's done perfectly here. It's a master's skill, forever beyond the clumsy Fuji-Nee.


"How is it, Senpai…? Um, I think I did quite well today…"
"It's perfect. The sauce is great too. I guess you have me completely beat when it comes to Western food."


"Yeah, meaty food is much better since Sakura-chan started cooking."
With that.


Fuji-Nee, who had been preoccupied with her food, lifts up her head.




…Ack.
It seems she's in a bad mood now that she's seen my face, even though she was happy because of dinner.


"Geez, I bet you were helping someone again. That's good, but at least come home early at times like this. I even told you it was dangerous in homeroom.
I said it for your sake, you know?"

"…Uh, can't you tell me that at home instead of in homeroom?"
"You wouldn't listen if I told you here. It's more effective if I tell you at school."


"…Sensei, I think that's abusing your authority. You shouldn't mix work and private life."


"No, it's not enough for Shirou unless I go that far.
He's always on the losing side because he's the one helping everyone else. He should at least come straight home and relax sometimes, that idiot."
"Hey, what do you mean by idiot? I'm not on the losing side if I help someone and they're helped by it."

I'm not sure you've quite thought that logic through, chief.


"…Man. I wonder if you got that from Kiritsugu-san. I worry because you're like that."


I don't exactly know how she's worried, as she's energetically munching down her dinner.


"…Um, Fujimura-Sensei. From what you said, has Senpai been like this since he was small?"


"Yup, he's always been like that. He's the type that goes to help people in trouble. But he's not meddlesome, he's just a bit precocious."



"Fuji-Nee, I'll get mad if you say too much. You too, Sakura. Don't ask such boring questions."

I glare at them.
Fuji-Nee clicks her tongue and backs down, but…


"Fujimura-Sensei, please continue."
Sakura is taking the lesson seriously.


"Then I shall. See, Shirou is a person who can't ignore someone in trouble. It's like helping the weak and defeating the strong. In the essay he wrote as a child, he said 'My dream is to become a superhero'."


""
…She's talking about things from so long ago.
But it's all true, so I don't interrupt.
Anyways, becoming a superhero is a goal I must not stray from even now.


"Wow. Senpai was a real kid."


"Yeah, he was some kid. He would go and help girls being picked on by much older kids, and he'd do the chores around the house because Kiritsugu-san wouldn't.


Man, he was so cute and innocent back then, so why did he grow up so crooked?"

Yeah, that hoodlum. Always going around and helping people, never thinking about himself. He's real trouble.

"Probably because of you. Kids think a lot when they see bad adults. Learn to make your own dinner before you say anything like that."
"Wha…"


Fuji-Nee crumbles.
I thought she might drop her head and repent, but…

"Uhh, Onee-chan is sad. Sakura-chan, can I have another bowl?"


Fuji-Nee asks for her third bowl.





"Well, what shall I do?"
There's some time before my evening training.
I should