Part 35: Rose and hydrangea

"Huh… it's the shed"
I pick my body up and shake my sleepy head.
"I see, I fell asleep here yesterday."
After yesterday's routineafter the training to create another sensation within me, I must have been too lazy to return to my room.

He created a new sensation within himself, alright.

"It must still be before six. …Damn, I should prepare breakfast."
I fold up the blanket, straighten up the things I failed to "strengthen" yesterday, and head back to the house to wash my face.



"Oh, there's some frost… I should do something about the lawn soon."
The sound of breaking ice.
There is frost on the ground and footprints are formed as I walk.



"All right."
I'm wide awake now.
Now that I'm awake, all the things I don't want to think about, like the situation I'm in, come straight to mind.

"…Oh yeah. I shouldn't be washing my face so calmly……"
It's five to six.
There are a ton of things I have to do, but I should return to my room and check on Saber first.

"…Yeah. I guess I left the room without saying anything, so I should explain things to her."
I'll be troubled if Saber misunderstands things.
…It's my daily routine to go out to the shed at night, so she should understand if I explain.

"After explaining things to Saber, I should make breakfast. …It seems Tohsaka won't be eating, so I should just add Saber's share."
Oh. In that case, I should go and buy more ingredients for the additional people. I should note that before I forget.

"…Hm? I'm sure I'm forgetting something…"
What could it be?
It feels like I'm forgetting something really important

"Gah, it's six. I have to hurry or I won't make it."
Well, if I can't remember, it can't be anything important.



"…That's kind of a letdown. I thought Saber might notice."
Or did she need sleep so much that she couldn't notice?

"…I see. That must be what she means when she said she needs to sleep frequently."
That must be why she's sleeping as close to me as she can, so she can come to me in case something does happen.

"……"
Either way, it won't make much difference where I go if it's within the house.
I can detect intruders from the boundary field.
I should be able to protect myself for about a minute with that, and Saber should be able to come save me in a minute wherever I may be in this house.

"…That's right. And if it's the shed, there'll be plenty of places to hide."
Anyways, I shouldn't be scolded at for what I did last night.
I was considering explaining this to Saber, but it seems there's no need for that. And I don't think I should wake her up either if she's asleep.

Calling out to someone is the best way to not wake them up.

"Saber, I'm going to prepare breakfast. I'll prepare some for you, but you don't have to get up if you're tired.
I'll come get you later, so rest until then."
I call out to her and quietly leave the room.



And then.





"Mornin'. You're up pretty early."

Music: Gentle Everyday



It's hard to convey in screenshots, but she's kinda wobbling around the screen.

Tohsaka comes in, looking like she's in a really bad mood.

"T-Tohsaka…? What, did something happen…!?"
"Nothing. I'm always like this in the mornings, so don't worry."
Tohsaka crosses the living room like a ghost.

"Hey, are you all right? You don't look all right."



"I'm telling you, don't worry, I'll wake up when I wash my face. …Uh, how do I get to the bathroom from here?"

"You can take that hallway. There's a bathroom in the hallway by the entrance if you're going to wash your face."
"Oh yeah, there was one there, wasn't there?"
I'm not sure how much she heard, but Tohsaka waves her hand and leaves.

Music: Stop

And then.
Just as Tohsaka disappears into the hallway, I hear a bell informing me of a visitor.

Music: Tender Scenery

"Shirou? Someone's here?"
I hear Tohsaka's voice from the hallway.
"Oh, don't worry about it! Only my friends come at this time!"
It'll be Sakura arriving at this time.
Sakura has a spare key, so I shouldn't need to go to the door.

"…Geez. She never listens, even though I keep telling her she doesn't need to ring the bell."
Sakura is like a member of the family, so she can come in when she wants.
But she's polite, and she only comes in after saying "excuse me".
That must be one of Sakura's good points, but if she's considerate all the time, she'll

Music: Stop

""
Hold on.
Sakura… is… at my house…?



"Haa… haa…!"
I reach the entrance, out of breath.
But it's too late.
There…

Music: Surrounded by Smiling Faces



…Is Tohsaka, greeting the guest, even though I didn't ask her to,
"Huh?"
and Sakura, just standing there, surprised.

Sakura is at the door, and Tohsaka is in the hallway.
With an indescribable tension, the two look at each other.


"Good morning, Matou-san. Are you surprised to see me here?"
Tohsaka asks, as if looking down on Sakura from the hallway.

"Tohsaka… Senpai."
Her face asks why.
Sakura looks up at Tohsaka with fear in her eyes.

""
Damn it.
I can't call out to them.
They are ignoring me and staring at each other.
There's no room for me to say anything.

All I can do is to think how to explain things to Sakura, but before I can think up a good explanation…


"Senpai… what is this…?"
Sakura looks at me as if asking for help.

"Yeah. Well, it's a long story"


"It's not long. I'm just staying over here."
Clearly.
She cuts off my sentence and just states the point.





"The short answer is yes. There are circumstances, so I have her staying here now.
…Sorry, I forgot to tell you and surprised you."


"P-Please don't apologize, Senpai. …Um, I was certainly surprised, but that's fine. But what you said, you really"


"Yes, this is what Shirou and I have decided. The head of the household, Shirou, decided, so that's how it is.
You understand what this means, right, Matou-san?"




"It seems you have been taking care of Shirou up to now, but this means he doesn't need that anymore. It'll be a bother if you come here, and it's for your sake not to come here."



Sakura looks down and falls silent.
After a brief moment of silence…
Suddenly,


"…I don't understand."
Sakura states so in a clear, small voice.

Never underestimate the resolve of an H-game female to get into the protagonist's pants.




"…I said, I have no idea what Tohsaka-Senpai is talking about."




"Excuse me. Senpai, I'll be using the kitchen.
Sakura enters the house with a bow and goes into the living room, ignoring Tohsaka.

Music: Stop



Tohsaka is standing there, astonished.
The same goes for me too. This is the first time I've seen Sakura act like that, so I don't know what to say.
…No, that is surprising, but something else was unexpected too.

"Hey, Tohsaka. How did you know Sakura was coming over to my house? I don't remember telling you about it."


"Huh? Oh, I heard about it before somewhere. It's just a coincidence.


But I'm surprised. Is she always so energetic here? She's totally different from when she's at school."

It must have been really unexpected, as Tohsaka says this with disappointment.
That must mean Tohsaka knows Sakura pretty well.


Sakura seems to have known Tohsaka, so they must have had a friendship I didn't know about.
…Well, that aside.

"No, I'm surprised as well. That's the first time I've seen Sakura be so snappy. She's just the way she is at school when she comes to help around here. I'd say this is a special case."


"Hmmm, I see… this is bad, I never knew Sakura was so perverse. I should have let you explain things."

All that cooking and cleaning for the boy that she likes. That pervert!

She's right.
I would have been able to explain things better than the merciless Tohsaka.

"What's done is done. But what's bad about it?"


"Of course it's bad. This place might turn into a battlefield. I warned Sakura so we can keep unrelated people away from here, but it seems it'll be harder to get her out now."
"You were warning her? I thought you were tormenting her."



"Just an honest opinion. Anyways, about Sakura. What should we do? I don't think she'll go home now.
…I'll make it clear now. I won't allow Sakura to get involved."


"We'll just have to do something. So, does Sakura only come in the mornings? Or are you using her during the evenings too?"



"Don't word it to be misinterpreted. She always comes in the mornings, but not so much for dinner."



"Huh? Every day? What is?"


Tohsaka sighs at my response.





Music: Tender Scenery

"…So, that's the situation.
Sakuraoh, the person here right now is called Sakura. She's not a magus and she's just a normal girl, so we can't have her involved in the Holy Grail War. If I can help it, I want her to stay away from this place without learning anything"
No, I didn't come here to consult her on how to get Sakura away from here!

"Well, Sakura is acting strangely this morning.
Tohsaka is the reason, but I don't want to shock her even more. Well, Sakura is already surprised that a stranger's here. I think it will get worse if you come out, so… wait, I'm not insulting you, am I, Saber…?"



"! Yes, that would really help! I'll come back as soon as I see Sakura out, so let's have breakfast then."
Saber nods silently.
Wow, thank God Saber is so understanding.

All right.
I'm worried about the living room too, so I should hurry back there.
"Shirou."
"What is it, Saber?"


"You do not need to explain such things to me, but you should calm down a bit. Your actions are a bit strange."
"Huham I panicking?"



Ahhh, girls!