A/N: Hello There.

An Ocean's Sword
Chapter 6
Short of War (III) – Gunboat Diplomacy

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"A guest has arrived to speak with you, Raiga-sama."

The head of the Fujimura Group sighed, sensing the impending headache headed his way.

"I see. I've been expecting her. Send her in."

"There's no need for that, old man. I know well enough how to let myself in."

It spoke volumes of their relationship that the yakuza boss didn't have to bother waving off his guards at the girl's sudden intrusion. The questions lied in if it was done on his orders, or whether it was they knew better than to try. Regardless of the finer details that entailed, it was clear this wasn't the first time they'd met like this.

Didn't stop him from leveling a glare in her direction for her usual disrespect, however.

"One of these days I'm going to request young Shirou-kun to teach you how to properly respect your elders."

She giggled. "You say that as if he's not already trying."

Despite himself, Raiga couldn't help but grin at the memories of the boy struggling to reign in this girl and her free spirit. Then again, knowing what he did of her true nature, that this girl respected the boy's wishes at all made it clear Shirou wasn't only the best for the job, but likely the only one as well.

Now if the boy could just get the message across for her to leave this old man in peace.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Tia-chan?"

"Tch." The girl clicked her tongue. "Curse your granddaughter and that ridiculous nickname of hers." In spite of her response, he seemed to have gotten the message across that he wasn't in the mood for her usual antics, her amusement evaporating as she took a seat next to him. A spot on the veranda with a calming view of his home's gardens.

They sat like that in silence for some time. He himself contemplating the implications and questions that came with her visit, while it seemed even existences such as hers could find trouble in choosing the right words. They certainly made for an odd pair, him in an elaborate kimono, seated in a formal seiza position, while the girl swung her feet casually, dressed in a much simpler western dress.

But very rarely could problems such theirs be solved through silence.

"A storm is coming."

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Are we making simple weather predictions, or is this a poor lead-in to something more?"

"Would you fault me if I were to reply: Both?"

Probably. Though with her, it was to be expected. "I suppose this has something to do with your newest resident?"

"You could say that. You could also say it's related to that nonsense in your news as of late."

"I assumed as much. Kiritsugu shared enough with me during his time to make it apparent you people are fond of such methods."

She snorted in a particularly unladylike manner. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't associate me with those unsubtle brutes."

In the end, the ignorance of humans had exceeded even her expectations.

What was initially reported as an attack from an unknown enemy at sea was now instead a series of gas leaks and the resulting destruction. Blame was being shifted amongst a number of companies responsible for providing power to the area, but results were inconclusive, while 'investigators' struggled to pinpoint what had actually happened. It was a blatant cover story, obvious to anyone by the simple fact that the property damage that'd occurred was far more varied than from what you'd expect from a normal gas explosion. Yet it seemed the government would be merely walking away with a black eye for their 'mistake', while for all intents and purposes, with the victims so few and primarily military, it looked like no one was officially interested in pursuing the matter any further.

Let alone a couple of weeks as she'd predicted, the security interest in chasing down hostile forces had been dropped after just over a day.

No one could be this incompetent. She could only assume memory alteration was responsible, from a party other than herself, likely this 'Association' her partner was so wary of. If that proved to be true, if their influence spread even this far, then she had to admit he was right to be concerned. They would all need to tread more carefully in future engagements.

But it wasn't as if her hands were completely clean of similar actions.

"I'll consider that when you stop manipulating my granddaughter."

"I see. Figured it out, did we?"

Now it was his turn to scoff. "Please. I'll be the first to admit she can be a bit… naïve, but make no mistake, that fault of hers is one she manages to keep firmly restricted to her own dealings. After Kiritsugu's passing, Taiga took it upon herself to look after Shirou-kun, and while she has a habit of taking advantage of his kindness, she's a true mother hen when it comes to his protection. Her sympathy may have been enough to convince her to allow one of you to live with the boy, but Taiga's not so foolish as to open the Emiya home to every stranger with a sob story."

By the time he was done speaking, his building animosity had ignited a cold fire in his eyes. It was a sight few men had seen, and even fewer had survived. It was at times such as this his status as a yakuza boss came to the fore, and if there was anyone who feared the 'Tiger of Fuyuki', it was only because they hadn't met the man who'd had a hand in raising her.

The girl beside him sat unfazed.

"Calm yourself, human. Your anger means little to me. My hands have already touched far darker places than you could ever reach. We both know how important it is that the secrets we keep remain as such. Our methods may be different, but the results we seek are the same. I have no patience for your hypocrisy."

So it was that a staring contest began between the two, combating both their resolve and authorities. Such continued for several tense minutes, before finally, it was surprisingly the girl who backed down first.

If he didn't know better, he'd almost call it regret.

"In any case, even before myself, that woman stands as his guardian. I owe just as much a debt to her as Shirou does, for being there for him when no one else could be. If you have any alternatives to this in mind, I'd be happy to hear them. Otherwise, the most I can do is offer a promise Taiga Fujimura will know the truth before all of this is over."

"In the end, this is a conflict not even magic will be able to keep secret."

Her sincerity didn't absolve her of her wrongs, but knowing that she took no enjoyment in such was at least enough for him to swallow his pride. Doing so, however, left Raiga showing all the signs of his age, in a rare moment of vulnerability. An effect that came with the guilt of acknowledging this girl was right about one thing.

The violence of his past was one secret he planned to take with him to the grave.

He was no stranger to who this girl was, or what it was she represented. She had revealed as much to him in a private meeting shortly after Taiga had introduced them, somehow recognizing the fact he was one of the few privy to the truth of Kiritsugu's origins. Each visit since, she'd come with the same request, and on each occasion he refused. One in his position didn't have the luxury to get involved in conflicts not his own, and even more importantly…

"In my line of work you don't survive without developing an intuition regarding other's intentions. When you've been in the business for as long as I have, such things have become second nature to you. Yet, despite this, one such as you remains entirely unknown to me, and that fact leaves us at an impasse. As much as I respect the fact you came to me with the truth of your connections to that other world, one of the few regrets Kiritsugu saw fit to share with me before his death, was that of trusting things which man can't understand."

His rejection was the same as it'd always been. Contrary to that though, the girl wasn't wearing an expression of disappointment. In fact… "Old man, are you getting senile? Or do you intentionally deny me with the same speech each time I visit?"

So that's how it was. "You may find it wise to quit biting the hand that feeds you, old hag."

"Touché."

Raiga took the moment to grin at one of his few victories, before continuing. "I've refused to do any business with you in the past because of this reason, but these recent events make it clear your warnings are more than just some fantasy. As such, I find myself stuck between honoring a friend's memory, and the even greater danger of remaining complacent. Fortunately, our dear Shirou-kun has brought a possible solution to my attention, though I suspect you had more than just a hand in it."

"Then again, perhaps this is merely fate. Since the day his father picked him up, I've seen the effect he's had on Kiritsugu, my associates, and even my granddaughter. That idealism is unquestionably his greatest asset, but it's also obvious to anyone watching just how easy he makes it to exploit. What that boy needs is an anchor, someone to reel him back in when his selflessness takes him too far. If what you've said is true, Kiritsugu's son will be involved in this conflict with or without my consent, thanks to the final factor in this matter."

"I've kept an eye on these girls who've begun appearing alongside you, and it's clear that whatever connection they have to all of this, it's not your orders they follow. It's rare to find one of them far from that child's side, and as far as I can tell, his safety appears to be as important to them as it is to Taiga. As if that weren't enough, they wear their intentions even more distinctly than Shirou-kun, if such a thing is even possible. The only question I'm left with is this:"

"Is Shirou Emiya the master you serve as well?"

He was actually taken aback at the pride reflected in those metallic-colored eyes as she answered, "I trust him with all that I hold dear."

As nice as that sentiment was, "That doesn't answer my question."

She smiled, remaining silent on the matter.

"Fair enough. In any case, what I'm willing to offer is limited assistance in getting these girls situated into the public eye, as well as handling any business transactions that could otherwise reveal their connection to the secret side of the world. Is it right to assume there'll be more coming?"

Her grin spoke of a joke only known to herself. "You could say that."

"Right then. Despite its size, the Emiya household was never intended to be a boarding house. I'll see if we have any apartments open for rent under our management. To ensure proper concealment of any suspicious behavior, it would probably be safest if we already own the entire complex. All that being said, I don't operate a charity, girl."

"And we both know Shirou wouldn't accept such a thing even if you offered."

He had to give her that one. The kid always found a way to honor his debts. Since that more or less left the manner of payment settled, "That leaves us with the matter of identification…"

If reincarnation was a real thing, Shirou decided, then his previous life must've been filled with some of the most atrocious acts imaginable.

Considering what was happening in front of him, it was more comforting to believe in that, than the idea his luck was just this bad.

"This is your fault, isn't it?" someone whispered behind him.

Dammit, Ayako!

The most confusing part in all of this? Was just how in a certain goddess' name Fuji-nee was managing to deliver the news with a straight face?

"So with that said, class, say hello to our new assistant teacher from overseas. Since she'll be interning with those of us in the English department during her stay, she'll be assisting me as your homeroom teacher for the time being until she gets settled."

"Since I'm only a couple years older than the rest of you, just call me Kongou-sensei~! Nice to meet you, desu~!"

He could almost feel the rest of the class mouthing the same question.

'Another one…?'

What was left up for debate was whether the incredulous stares were directed at the likelihood of them somehow getting another transfer to their class, or what it was the class had done to be assigned another hyperactive disaster-waiting-to-happen for a teacher. As for Shirou himself, he had his face buried in his desk, stuck in the unique third category of trying to keep himself sane while trying to puzzle out how this was even possible. Less than a week ago one of these women didn't even exist!

Didn't they require certification for stuff like this? The fact there was no way Kongou could have the formal credentials necessary should've meant this was borderline impossible, right? Who was responsible for the background checks in this school?! At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised to find out one of their teachers was secretly an assassin!

Breathe, Shirou. Breathe…

Stopping himself at the edge of hyperventilation, he began sorting through his memories, hoping there was something he'd missed buried within that'd explain this whole mess. It took less than ten seconds to pinpoint where he'd gone wrong in life.

A couple of days after Kongou's summoning, Tia had come up to him along with one of Raiga's men with a folder of paperwork, claiming they were forms for identification that needed the battleship's signature. It was obvious by this point the old man knew something was up, but as long as he wasn't asking any questions, Shirou was more than happy to leave the man with his suspicions and just accept the yakuza boss' help.

His mistake? Overlooking the fact that, even to one as unversed in legislation as himself, the amount of paperwork the two had with them had been a bit excessive for just an ordinary passport. But Tia wouldn't do something like that behind his back, though, right?

…Dammit, Tia.

And here he was faulting Taiga for being too gullible. He took a moment to let that irony sink in.

Fine, everything was fine. He could work with this. It was certainly more believable than the idea another student was being transferred to their class. All the two of them had to do was maintain a respectful distance from one another during classes, and no one outside of Ayako would figure out they knew each other. Kongou was smart enough to know that already.

With those thoughts, he raised his head, confident they could play all of this off…

…only to find a set of playful grey eyes staring pointedly in his direction.

Um, Kongou understood this was one place where she needed to hold herself back, didn't she? She wouldn't abuse her new authority as an opportunity to remain even more perpetually attached to his back, would she? Fuji-nee had shared with her the professional constraints of a student-teacher relationship, hadn't she?

Yeah…

He performed every silent signal he knew to get the message across to her. Hand signs, eye movements, lip reading, prayer. He even entertained the thought of sending a warning through Morse code with the use of Central.

She winked, communicating she understood.

Oh no.

"Of course, anytime you're in need of private lessons, I'll be at your beck and call, Shirou-kyun~!"

This time, it wasn't just the guys in his class trying to burn a hole into his back.

He wasn't sure how. He wasn't sure when. But somewhere, this was all Fuji-nee's fault.

"Dammit, Tiger…"

Later that same day, a girl in the same school was having a similar mental breakdown for not-entirely-unrelated reasons.

On the one hand, for the first time in her life Rin actually found herself grateful for the school's rumor mill. On the other…

Emiya? The janitor? Seriously?

She couldn't decide whether to be relieved that her rogue magus had all the intimidation factor of an angry corgi, or irritated that a magus with the nickname 'Homurahara's Brownie' had managed to slip by her notice. In the end she did what came naturally to her, and chose the most logical course of action.

Shoot the problem with Gandr Shot until it stopped moving, then ask questions later.

What really got her blood boiling in all of this, however, was that it hadn't even been a challenge to find him. All her days of painstaking preparation and nights of lost sleep had been a wasted effort, because instead of her target being a dangerous immortal or insane fugitive, he was just an idiot. That, more than anything else, was the insult to her pride as a Second Owner she couldn't let go.

One day. That's all it took. On the first day of her investigation proper she figured out who her intruder was, and it hadn't even been due to a result of said investigation! Out of mere curiosity, she'd decided to take a look into the rumors going around regarding some suspicious transfers surrounding one of the classes in their year. She'd heard some of the details in passing from Ayako, but it was the first time she'd decided to look into it personally.

What she found there was an idiot lit up with magical energy to the point she would've believed someone telling her Golden Week had come early. If they hadn't been in the middle of school she would've…!

Focus, Rin. Focus…

She could save her frustrations for when she had her hands on him. As for here and now, she had to make a plan as to how she was going to confront him. Sure, maybe she was willing to bet he wasn't hiding simply because he couldn't, but it wasn't like she could rule him out as a credible threat.

The matter of his possible connection to the disappearances that'd been happening was still a concern, and if those continued because she handled this poorly she'd never hear the end of it from that stupid fake priest. There was also the matter that when she did so, she'd need to ensure there'd be no witnesses. She wasn't inexperienced with the methods used for keeping magic a secret, but that didn't mean she was fond of using them.

Most importantly, she had to keep in mind that the Emiya she was familiar with was likely nothing more than a public mask similar to those worn by most magi, even herself. She had no way to predict what might be hidden underneath. She couldn't back down here, regardless of how many clueless grins he threw in her direction.

That didn't mean she'd abstain from taking advantage of the persona he'd created. The guy often spent his time after school helping the student council or as a member of the archery club. It also wasn't an unusual sight to catch him alone in the hallways doing some job an irresponsible classmate had left him with. Quite often he was one of the few still on academy grounds by the time he headed home.

Not that she'd witnessed any of this herself, mind you. She'd just heard things. From Ayako. Because she asked…

But that wasn't important!

The plan she settled for wasn't one of her most complex, but she didn't feel like wasting any more time with all of this. As long as there hadn't been any changes to his usual habits it wouldn't be difficult to catch him alone. All she had to do was make sure he couldn't escape, that no one would interrupt, and she could ask as many questions as she wanted.

What could go wrong?

She didn't have to wait long for her chance. Ayako complained to her during lunch of how the 'selfless idiot' was it again, and had taken up the job of a lazy upperclassman from one of her sports teams who was supposed to be taking inventory of their equipment that afternoon. Having filled in for Ayako once or twice in the past for similar tasks, Rin knew the job involved a long afternoon of isolation in the school's storage building. It was about as perfect of a setup as she could hope for.

As she waited after school for the various clubs to make their way home for the evening, she spent her time running various encounters in her head, of both the more likely scenarios as well as the worst case. In none of them could she imagine a situation in which he escaped for more than a few minutes. She was a Tohsaka after all, head of one of the most esteemed magical lineages aligned with the Clock Tower, and her target was at best a second or third-generation magus.

Rin kept telling herself that even as the time came to finally make her move.

The storage building for the school was a short walk from the gym, and was large enough to fit a classroom into. Metal racks had been set up to clearly divide the equipment of each club, and the half meter gap between them ensured people could slip past each other even when the place was packed. It was in one of those aisles that she found him, clipboard in hand as he made notes of what the school had well stocked, as well as what items needed to be brought to the student council's attention.

"Emiya-kun, could we talk for a minute?"

His expression made it clear she'd startled him. Hopefully, the fact he was unprepared would only make this easier. "Tohsaka? What are you still doing here this late? Well, I guess that's none of my business. Could it wait until tomorrow though? I'm sorry, but I need to get this done as soon as possible. Fuji-nee's bringing the new English teacher over for dinner tonight, and she'll never let me hear the end of it if I'm late."

With that casual dismissal, he went back to his task, believing that to be the end of their conversation. It wasn't. Not by a long shot.

"Actually, I really do insist."

While she'd been waiting she'd decided to give him one last chance. One that'd perhaps give her a different explanation of why he was lit up brighter than a New Year's festival. It was a simple measure. Something every magus, regardless of their generation, would recognize. She rolled up her sleeve, exposing her forearm, and revealed the glowing 'tattoo' she had hidden underneath.

"What are you…? Oh."

She felt equal parts relief as well as irritation when clear recognition flashed in his amber eyes. So much for that last olive branch.

"I'm assuming you know what this is?"

"A magic crest."

"So you are a magus. I'll admit I'm a bit disappointed, Emiya-kun. When it was clear there was an unidentified magus at school, I was hoping I was going to get a challenge out of it, and made my preparations accordingly. Instead, here you are, treating the whole thing so carelessly, as if to insult all the time I've put into this."

He started shuffling his feet backward. His concern visibly increasing by the second. She wouldn't let him get far. "Can we talk about this?"

"Sure, once I'm certain you're properly immobilized, we can talk as much as you want."

A black orb formed at the end of her index finger.

Yet, somehow, he managed to move even faster.

She fired out of reflex when he suddenly threw something at her, but it was only when her vision went white that she realized her mistake.

Did he just throw a bag of field chalk at her?

Using her sleeve to cover up her mouth and stave off the inevitable coughing fit, it was obvious the boy wouldn't let the opportunity he'd made slip by. Sensing movement, she flooded her body with reinforcement magic.

But instead of engaging her, he bent low, slipping by through the small opening she'd unwittingly left open. Realizing her mistake too late, it took her a second to make the switch into giving chase. It took her another five to stumble her way out of the thick cloud that surrounded her. She wasted a final one chastising herself for falling for such a stupid trick.

Dammit, she had been so confident she hadn't even thought to put up any wards. He could run right for the entrance at this rate and…

…he was running for the school?

"Central, I could use some help here!"

Idiot. Was he hoping that getting a third party involved would save him? There was no one here except for some teachers, and their building was on the other side of campus. On top of that, this was too important for her to let something like compassion get in her way. If he got someone else involved in this, she'd deal with them too.

Though he had a good head start on her, her reinforcement allowed her to close the distance quickly, and in short fashion she was moving fast enough to put any Olympic runner to shame. He reached the entrance a second before she did, slipping through the doors and making a quick sidestep to the side.

So quick was she in following him, however, that she only managed to notice the wet floor after she'd already lost her balance. Her momentum took care of the rest, and the next thing she knew she was crashing into the shoe lockers with enough force that she could feel the metal giving in with her impact.

Her reinforcement left her largely unscathed, but with her head spinning faster than Ayako at a sport's festival, it took a second for her to get her bearings back. Why the hell was the floor wet to begin with? The students responsible were supposed to have had those cleaned hours ago.

Wait, had he…?

"Sorry about that, Tohsaka!"

Yep, he had. Well, that threw any notion she had of holding back out the window.

Getting back on her feet, and warding off a killer headache, she took notice of the sounds of his footsteps headed up the staircase nearest her. Renewing their chase once again, she caught sight of his back just as he was turning the corner, and took a few potshots just for the heck of it. While she missed, she still had to hold back her satisfaction at hearing his cry of alarm when a few of those shots took part of the wall with them.

"Oi, Tohsaka, are you trying to kill me?!"

"Just stand still and make it easier on yourself then!"

"Like hell!"

Reaching the top of the stairs, she got a better look at him and noticed that at some point he'd grabbed the door to one of the lockers downstairs. An object which likely stood as a testament to how hard her earlier crash had been. That was all she ended up taking note of, however.

Because in the next instant, he threw that at her too.

Normally, she'd just blast it out of her way with a shot of Gandr, but she was a talented mage and could notice the telltale signs of reinforcement even at a glance. She ducked, and not second too soon. Passing over her like a spinning discus, it continued to fly down the rest of the hallway, before hitting the wall at the far end.

Like a hot knife through butter, it then cut through that wall like it wasn't even there.

"Emiya! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"No! You dodged it, didn't you?!"

"That's it! Now I'm angry!"

"Wait, if you're only getting angry now, then what were you before?!"

She didn't answer, choosing instead to get back on her feet and take another few shots at him just as he made it to the next stairwell. She growled as she missed yet again. He was fast. She had to give him that. She wasted no time in following.

In the back of her head, the brief thought lingered as to what it was he was planning. The only thing above them was a couple more floors of classrooms and then the school roof. Getting back down would involve getting past her, and she had no intentions of falling for the same trick twice. He should've known all that himself, however, which begged the question of why he'd taken this chase into the school to begin with.

She got half of her answer just as she reached the landing between floors.

"Sorry! Again!"

She looked up, and her eyes widened with shock.

There was a mop bucket flying towards her head.

And on top of that it was recently used. If the dirty water was any indication.

It nailed her dead on in the forehead, the contents soaking both her hair and upper body. As she lost her balance and fell backwards down the stairwell she'd just climbed, she made the silent pledge she really would kill him after all of this was over.

She finally caught up with him on the roof, but it seemed that was mostly because he was done running. His back was turned to her, gazing at something beyond the fence. So this was it then. She had to admit, he'd turned out to be far more trouble than she'd ever expected him to be.

"Well? What are you going to do now, Emiya-kun?"

He turned to address her. His look of discomfort calmed her a small margin. "I'd suggest surrendering."

"Oh? Giving up already?"

"No. I just don't want to see this play out to the worst-case scenario."

That… was not the kind of response she'd expected. Shaken from her tunnel-vision, it was only then that Rin realized her mistake. The two of them were no longer alone.

From behind her, a soft voice spoke up. "What my admiral is trying to tell you, Tohsaka-san, is that it's only by his order that you're still alive. Move another muscle, and this 50 caliber shell is going through the back of your head."

"Shigure…"

"No offense, Admiral, but I've seen enough of my family die. If this girl intends to harm you, then I intend to teach her the severity of that mistake."

Rin managed to sneak a peek at her assailant while the two were talking. She immediately wished she hadn't.

Blue eyes stared back into her own, burning with a cold fire and murderous intent so potent that, even lacking as much combat experience as she did, Rin knew this girl could and would kill her if she didn't comply. The small cannon in the girl's hands simply told her how.

She smiled when she noticed Rin's attention. It was not a nice smile.

"Good evening, Tohsaka-san. I believe this is the first time we've met."

Wasn't this supposed to be one of those girls that were rumored to be following Emiya all the time? The one that everyone said was as meek as a lost kitten? What was with this disparity in information?!

Why was it always in the final details where she screwed up?!

Still, despite her questions directed at fate, Rin knew a loss when she saw one, even if she was unaccustomed to them. Recognizing there was a reason she was still alive, she decided to hear out their reasons, and lowered her arms as she sighed in surrender.

As if that was the only thing she was waiting for, the girl's personality did such a quick heel turn Rin could almost feel the whiplash. Muttering some quiet words of relief, the other girl's stance relaxed as well, her weapons and outfit disappearing to reveal Homurahara's school uniform.

When she noticed Rin's attention was still directed at her, however, this time her face lit up in a blush so bright that Rin wouldn't have been surprised to see steam suddenly leaving the girl's ears. Shifting her attention between Rin and Emiya for several seconds, she eventually reached some kind of decision, before crossing the distance between herself and the boy fast enough as to give Rin's neck a real case of whiplash.

In the end, she hid most of herself behind Emiya's back, glaring at Rin with all the petulance of a pouting child. As for Emiya himself, he was scratching the back of his head with a sheepish expression, as if to say this wasn't the first time this had happened.

What.

Ignorant of the mental reboot she was undergoing, Emiya apologized. "Sorry about how I led you all the way here, Tohsaka, but I wanted to make sure we were in a place where we wouldn't have to worry about interruptions. Speaking of which, did you lock the door on your way up, Shigure?"

"Kongou's guarding the stairs."

"I see. I'll ask Central to pass along my thanks then. I have to give you credit for your acting, Tohsaka. I don't think I ever would've figured you for a magus on my own. If I had, I might have tried something other than this brute force method, but I was expecting a magus closer in personality to how my father described them, so a display of strength seemed like the surest way to get their attention. Which reminds me…"

He seemed to mess with something hanging around his neck. Whatever it was, the prana he was outputting suddenly dimmed, to the point she could only recognize he was a magus because she already knew he was one. Did that mean that all of this…

"I'll also have to thank Tia for showing me that little trick later. Anyway, I assume you have a lot of questions. Mind if we take this back to my place?"

Rin nodded. She didn't trust her voice at the moment.

"Alright then, before we go though, there's one last thing I need to address."

He pulled out a cell phone from his pants, dialing a number as he turned to look back at whatever he had been before.

"Kaga, didn't I ask you to send up a few recon planes in the case we needed some additional support?"

He paused, listening to the response of the person on the other end.

"Then why is Central warning me there are several armed dive-bombers I should be worried about? Kaga, you weren't planning on blowing up the school with all of us still inside, right?"

He paused again, before sighing like he'd repeated this conversation far too many times in the past.

"I seriously need to teach you girls how to exercise restraint one of these days."

The girl who was still hiding behind him at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

Three. There were three of them. Somehow, Emiya had three girls following him like a mother hen, each of whom could summon naval weaponry at the flip of a dime. An odd skill for a magus to pass along to his assistants, but one she couldn't deny the effectiveness of. On top of that, they'd each been set up in a position to attack her had she actually done anything to harm him.

Rin had never felt so outclassed before in her life.

They met with the other two on their way to Emiya's residence. The first was the woman who'd been introduced to the school earlier that day as their new English intern, and that certainly brought with it its own case of concerns. The second was a girl she recognized in passing, as well as for being the subject of all those recent ice queen rumors. It was obvious now why the boy had been so keen on presenting himself as a target. The magical talent of each of the girls paled in comparison to the power he'd been radiating before, but it was also nothing to scoff at when observed on its own.

The English intern was asked to separate from their party apparently to distract Fujimura-sensei while they talked by going out drinking. She was vocal in her initial reluctance, but was just as quick to accept when Emiya made some promises that had Rin raising an eyebrow in disbelief. It was the first time in her life she'd ever heard of a magus' assistant who got excited about something as mundane as the prospect of ear cleaning.

Most of these were subconscious thoughts however. Observations that would bother her over the coming days. The thing that was taking up most of her thoughts was a scene that had played out as they'd been leaving the school.

When she'd performed a few basic spells to repair the damage they'd done in their fight, Emiya had thanked her, as well as included that such magic was beyond him. There was a serious disconnect there, and she couldn't decide if it was because he was lying, or if it was because the magic he had passed to his assistants was so specialized he'd become incapable of magic that veered from it. On top of that, it was only one contradiction out of many.

Yet, when Emiya sat her down at his kitchen table, and slipped into his kitchen to prepare some tea, the first question she asked had nothing to do with any of that.

"Emiya, how exactly did you manage to booby trap our school in the span of a few minutes?"

Those traps had not been there when she'd left the school to confront him.

"That? Well, part of it was my knowledge of the school and where everything is. You don't exactly gain the title of 'the fake janitor' without picking up a thing or two. But I also can't take all the credit for that. These little ones certainly did their fair share."

As if that had been some kind of summoning technique, with a small 'pomf' noise, what looked like a couple of disproportionately shaped dolls suddenly appeared. Their characteristics varied, but they each looked at her with the same emotion of remorse in their small eyes.

"I think they're trying to say they're sorry. After all, they were the ones who gave me that bucket to throw at you. They were also the ones who dumped that water in the entrance. Oh, and the bags of dirty gym clothes, that was them too. In fact, most of that stuff on the third floor was them. Sorry I didn't do more to stop them, but you both looked like you were having fun."

She may have just discovered something she hated more than that fake priest.

"Which reminds me. Do you want a towel or something, Tohsaka? There's still some chalk in your hair, and your clothes are wet enough I can almost see through them. Nice brand, by the way. Ayako's mentioned it to me a few times in the past."

What.

"You…! You perverted…! That's the first thing you're supposed to say, you idiot!"

"Oh. Sorry. Would it help if I said I've gotten used to seeing girls in just their underwear?"

A sigh. "I'll go see if we have any spare clothes," Kaga said, dismissing herself.

Shigure simply stuck with condemning her with a look of pity.

It took all her years of discipline not to pull out one of her gems and kill them all. The only thing stopping her, in all actuality, was the knowledge it'd be too quick.

After she calmed down from wanting to murder everyone in the room, and preserved what little remained of her dignity by changing into a set of dry clothes, she renewed her little inquiry. Now more determined than ever to get the answers she wanted.

"So, Emiya-kun, what are these little pets of yours anyway?"

Now that she could look at them analytically, Rin had to admit she was impressed. For familiars, they were incredibly advanced. She also had no idea what branch of magic they would fall under, and her concerns of before once again came to the forefront of her mind. Was Emiya still trying to treat her like a fool, or were these creations, which were most likely some kind of mystic code that had been passed down in his family, some kind of advanced form of the same magic that he'd taught to these girls?

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. I know they're called fairies, but they actually belong to Kaga and the others. The girls are just able to, well, I suppose you could say they 'loan' them to me on occasion, granting me limited control over them. I'll admit they've certainly proved themselves useful. Just in our fight alone, not only were they responsible for helping me set things up, but they also acted as an extra pair of eyes even when I had my back to you."

That made sense she supposed. The familiars belonged to the girls, and had been one of the reasons Emiya had taken them on as students. Considering his words from before, as well as the fact she hadn't yet seen any magic on his part aside from some basic reinforcement, perhaps all the talent she'd seen so far belonged to them. She had to admit the idea of that made her jealous. Apprentices like that were hard to come by.

"It makes me realize that even if I'm the one who summoned them, there's still so many things about these girls I don't understand."

…wait. What did he just say?

"Emiya-kun, can you repeat that last part?"

"Hm? Oh, right, we haven't gotten to that part yet, have we? It's probably obvious to an experienced mage like yourself, but Kaga and Shigure aren't technically human. Kongou isn't either. They're kanmusu, or fleetgirls, the spirits of warships from the last World War given form. It's probably not very impressive to an actual magus, but I'm… kind of the one responsible for summoning them."

…

…

…"Um, Tohsaka? Are you okay? That look you're giving me is really unsettling."

"Emiya-kun, I just want to make sure I'm getting all of this right, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Are you telling me that you've formed a summoning contract with these girls? That they're all originally spirits from beyond the grave? That your familiars have familiars?"

"Are you telling me you're capable of doing something comparable to the Third Magic?"

That sheepish look of his was starting to get on her nerves. "Uh, can we pretend for a second like I don't know what that is?"

Was he telling her he had access to a magic that in a different context, required the services of one of the most powerful artifacts listed within the Clock Tower, one that even its creators no longer understood? On top of that, did he just imply that he used it so casually that he didn't even know what it actually was?

"Ehehehe… Ahahaha… Ohohoho…"

"Admiral, I think you broke her."

"How is this my fault?!"

It was roughly an hour or so later before she was capable of forming rational thought that wasn't centered on a certain redhead's inevitable demise. It was somewhat ironic that Emiya's knowledge of how to act the role of a good host played a large part in stopping her from making those thoughts reality. It only took a few instructions on her part for him to prepare her tea exactly the way she liked, and more time spent with good tea meant less time for revenge plots.

However, to give credit where it was due, it wasn't as if he'd let all of that time pass while simply making refreshments. Grasping the full picture of what was going on had been the other reason why he wasn't a dead man walking. On the one hand, it was genuinely a huge relief to know one of her classmates wasn't the target she was looking for. On the other though, the reality of what was going on was in actuality far worse than even her worst fears.

If she understood this right, then what was essentially a phantasmal beast had decided to park itself just off the edge of Japanese shores, and this one wasn't satisfied with merely keeping to itself.

Admittedly, most magi would've cringed with disgust at how she was simply taking Emiya for his word on such a matter, but along with doing his best to give evidence to the parts of his story he could prove, there was also the fact he still had yet to show her anything other than the honest character he was widely known for. As far as she could tell, being a magus was the only great secret the boy had ever kept in his life. That begged the question though…

"Emiya-kun, why are you telling me all of this? Even as a half-assed novice you should understand how important it is to keep some cards close to your chest." …and that was assuming she even bought the part of him being a terrible magus, which she didn't.

Still seated across from her, it was the first time in their conversation he actually looked offended by one of her insults. "I mean, it's not like I'm telling you everything. I just think these are all things you deserve to know if I'm going to ask for your help." His eyes briefly shifted to the other two at the table, and Rin noticed that at some point in their conversation the girl he called Shigure had fallen asleep in the lap of the other girl. "Considering how much effort these girls are putting into helping me, it's about time I do something to return the favor."

"Emiya-kun, no offense, but what could you possibly need my help with?"

He sighed. "Despite what you think, I'm not joking when I say that magic you used before was beyond me. Reinforcement is the only skill I can use reliably, and my father never had the chance to teach me much else. I need someone to take me on as their apprentice."

Blue eyes sharpened into a fierce glare. "Try to lie to my face like that again, Emiya-kun, and I'll make sure you aren't even capable of doing that much. Do you really expect me to believe you're capable of summoning the spirits of old warships, yet at the same time you also lack the training to even call yourself a novice?"

"I see. I suppose that's it then." His shoulders sagged, and suddenly Rin felt that she'd made a mistake. Of all the reactions she'd been prepared for, submission wasn't one of them. "Just to make it clear, Tohsaka, I did persuade her to stay out of this on the condition that I could convince you to help on my own. Guess there's no avoiding it, though." For the first time in their conversation, he turned his attention away from her, staring instead at a hallway that led deeper into his home. "Well, Tia? Are you just going to eavesdrop on us all evening, or are you going to make yourself useful for once?"

A feminine voice replied from the direction he was looking, "I'd rather not. At the rate you two are going, one of you will confess before the night is through. I think we finally figured out what your type is, Little One."

It was the first time she could ever recall seeing Emiya visibly irritated. "Tia…"

"Hah, fine. You certainly know how to ruin a girl's fun, Little One." A girl of small stature made her entrance from the corridor, and yet despite the fact the newcomer looked like she could pass as two or three years younger than herself, Rin found something was preventing her from calling the girl a child. Perhaps it was her movements, lacking as they were of the clumsiness or wasted energy one would normally expect of someone much younger. Or perhaps it was her hair, seeing as it was long enough to reach past her waist and clearly cared for with experience. Or perhaps it was her dress, a simple white yukata decorated with grey floral patterns.

Whatever the cause, the effect was that Rin found herself caught speechless, once again left feeling outclassed by events completely out of her control. Except in this second case, her pride as a woman was left bruised too.

…and then just as if to remind her she was a meaningless extra in all of this, the girl promptly shattered that image by taking a seat in Emiya's lap as if to claim it as her rightful place in the world, the look she directed upward with her steel-colored eyes all but begging to be pampered.

Left with her feelings crushed and her pride stained, Rin couldn't decide whether to smile out of snide amusement or gag out of disgust as the girl let out a cute cry of indignation when Emiya chose to instead reach up and flick the girl's forehead. Whatever chance that had of uplifted her mood fell short though once she realized he had no intention of removing the nuisance.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Emiya led the introductions. "Tohsaka, meet Tia. Tia… just… don't do anything to give me more of a headache than you usually do."

"No promises," was the girl's response.

"Of course," Emiya muttered, his tone making it clear it'd been pointless to ask.

Shaking herself of her stupor, Rin asked the obvious question, "So Emiya-kun, mind telling me what the point is in introducing me to another one of these familiars of yours?"

Rin had never so quickly regretted asking a question before in her life.

"Familiar, you say? One of those pathetic excuses of a servant you magi use because you're incapable of recreating any of the old mysteries? Do I look like a joke to you? I see that before we begin, we require a lesson on who it is you're speaking to, girl."

The feeling from before returned with a vengeance, except this time Rin understood that it hadn't been envy she'd felt, but fear. The instinctive sort one felt when they realized they were in the presence of something they stood no chance of retaliating against. The kind that came with the sudden understanding that one's death could realistically be just a few seconds away. As magical power flooded the room, the pure and arcane sort she'd only read about in her family's tomes, it was then that Rin recognized what'd struck her speechless before.

It was the eyes, she realized. They were eyes that didn't belong to that of a child, eyes that didn't belong to anything that could be described as human. They were the eyes of a creature that held, in equal parts, wisdom and madness beyond humanity's comprehension. A statement made evident with irises that were now lit red like a primordial fire had been ignited behind them. A legend made manifest with pupils that had reformed into the shape of a four-pointed star.

What was sitting before her was a genuine Divine Spirit, and Rin had just made the mistake of comparing her to the likes of crystalline birds and reanimated corpses.

Damn you, Kirei.

It ended up being the most unqualified of saviors who came to her aid.

"Tia, please stop terrifying one of my guests when she's at the dinner table."

The growing tension in the room collapsed like a stack of cards. Which was impressive when you considered the fact that even as the color of the girl's eyes faded back to their previous silver, the killing intent rolling off of her nonetheless remained. It was just that it was difficult to treat seriously with Emiya pulling on her cheeks like he was.

"Shirou, I just want you to know there are some days where I want nothing more than to rip that disrespecting head from your shoulders."

Somehow, the boy faced the giant in his lap as if he were daring her to try, "And I've lost count of the number of times your nonsense has intruded into one of my meals, so I'd say we're even. Keep this up and I'll make sure there isn't any fish at the table for a month."

"Tch."

Did… did she just watch a Divine Spirit lose an argument and react by pouting?

Also, was it just her imagination, or did that Kaga girl look like she'd just been told Armageddon had come early?

For that matter, why was that last statement the first thing the brunette reacted to that came out of this entire conversation?

And why were her questions becoming a clearer sign that she was losing her mind?!

"Little One, I suggest you bring the girl back to us before she loses it again."

"…and again I'm being told that as if somehow it's all my fault."

Fortunately, this time around Rin had her ambitions as a magus and her interest in the unknown to help keep her stabilized. What calmed her the most, however, was the knowledge that those two traits were the foundation upon which organizations such as the Clock Tower had been founded. The fact that Emiya didn't seem to possess either, to the level he was willing to share a discovery with a close-stranger that any other magus would keep secret even from their blood, meant that Emiya could quite possibly be the worst magus in history.

She had no words with which to describe that level of incompetence.

So he really was telling the truth.

"Emiya. That girl and what she is. What that means she's capable of. Do you realize what kind of people would be after you if this information got out?"

He at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish. "It would probably be easier to list the kind of people who wouldn't be after me, wouldn't it?"

She had to give him that one.

"Alright. Fine, Emiya-kun. You win. I'll believe your little story of needing a teacher."

"So you'll help?"

"I never said that."

Fortunately, depending on who you asked, an annoyed sigh stopped Rin seconds before she could descend into an angry rant.

"I don't have the patience to skirt around the issue, Little One. You. Girl. Get past the fact the boy can be an idiot at times, skip the part where you try assisting him indirectly despite being a klutz, and just agree to help him already."

Through what was probably experience, Emiya beat her to the retort. "Tia, how many times have I said that the stereotypes in those shows Fuji-nee watches have no place in reality?"

"Probably the same as the number of girls in Kaga's fan club."

"…I still can't believe they managed to get that one past the student council. Issei even mentioned having second thoughts about running for president during the next election. By the way, stop trying to change the subject."

"Tch."

The discipline that had kept her in check before had long since left the premises. The only thing still stopping Rin from pulling out one of her gems and ending it was the new uncertainty of whether or not one of them could even be killed. So instead, she asked another question.

"Emiya, has it occurred to you that I could be the one to make sure your situation got out?"

Frustrating Rin further, it wasn't Shirou who answered.

"No, because despite what you're undoubtedly thinking, he's actually an admirably good judge of character. Which, if that doesn't make it clear enough, is the only reason I gave you that earlier display in the first place."

Part of Rin wanted to agree with that, but as for the other part…?

"He's friends with Shinji of all people."

It was the first time in their conversation the girl in that boy's lap looked confused by something. "Who?"

"Blue hair. A personality that not even a mother could love. Can't be seen without a girl hanging off his arm. Has a stare that makes your skin crawl. Ringing any bells?"

"Ah." The girl nodded, grey eyes widening with recognition. "The boy toy with the massive inferiority complex."

…dammit. She was struggling to stop herself from laughing.

Meanwhile, the other girl's expression became one of pity. "While I certainly agree that child leaves much to be desired, I can hardly call Shirou's choice to befriend him one cast out of bad judgment. In spite of his ego, that child is clearly not intelligent nor malicious enough to be a threat to anyone. No, if anything, I'd say he's merely the victim of fate and a pawn in someone else's game. Keeping close watch of him may in fact be the safest option."

Speaking of Emiya, "Uh, I'm still here, you know? And this is one of my friends you two are insulting."

The girl scowled. "And this is my way, in no uncertain terms, Little One, of telling you to stop ignoring what you already know and do something about that brat before he does something you'll both regret."

Rin had to give the boy some credit. His expression at that moment made it clear that he'd already put more than a bit of thought into the matter, but that was none of her concern. What was very much her concern came from the girl, whose sharp gaze had been redirected back to her.

"Well, it's clear that tossing words back and forth is getting us nowhere. So in that case, I have a little proposition to make that should speed things up."

"So how about it, girl? Care to see a demonstration?"

They asked that she give them until the first day of Golden Week. She agreed, if only because she needed the time until then to put everything that had happened into perspective. In the meantime, despite it being against her better judgement, she decided against contacting Kirei. Putting aside the fact she still held a grudge against him from the last time they spoke, there was also the reality she faced that the only conclusion she could see to that path was an appeal to either the Church or the Association. To put it bluntly, it gave her a headache just trying to consider all of the ways that could end up going bad.

By contrast, as far as she could tell Emiya had been entirely genuine with her so far, and for that, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. More importantly, as loathe as she was to admit it, working with the idiot could very well be the only method available to her that didn't involve turning her home into a bloodbath.

So with that in mind, as the rest of Japan was busy with the evening festivities of Showa Day, Rin found herself granted entrance into Emiya's 'workshop'.

"This is your workshop?"

"It is."

"This is a shed, Emiya."

"Thank you, Tohsaka. I hadn't noticed."

She scoffed at the sarcastic reply, turning away from where Emiya had sat himself on a plastic tarp to give the place a second look. If forced to describe it, she'd say it looked like someone had tried to mix their home storage, hobby room, and magic research into one area, with all the clutter one would expect from such a thing.

That said, she couldn't say she'd ever seen Emiya as someone interested in model building.

Personally, she couldn't fathom how you could possibly find peace-of-mind in such an environment, but she had to concede it was something of a comfort to discover that 'the fake janitor' was actually a bit of a mess when it came to his personal space. Looking around as she was, however, Rin noticed something she really should have earlier.

Namely, that one person of note was missing from their meeting.

"Where's the brat?"

She didn't intend on clarifying further. Mostly because it brought her a sense of smug satisfaction knowing she didn't need to.

Looking up from what he was doing, Emiya raised an eyebrow out of clear skepticism. "Considering how well you two got along last time? I figured it'd be best if Tia sat this one out."

Well, she couldn't deny the sense in that, but then that begged the question, "And yet you also decided to stop those familiars of yours from following us too?"

"I… didn't exactly like the way we forced you to come along with us last time. That was necessary then, it isn't now. If we're going to work together I want to trust you, Tohsaka, and I can't exactly do that if I'm left wondering if you're only helping out of fear of getting shot in the back otherwise."

She did her best to stop the heat that was rising to her cheeks. She failed.

"Besides, I'm not sure if it's even possible for me to be on my own these days."

Leaving her with that mysterious statement, Emiya went back to work doing… whatever it was he'd been busy with for the past couple of minutes. Her next question was obvious.

"So Emiya-kun, what is that thing anyway?"

"An old war medal. You'd be surprised at what you can find when you know where to look. The reason Tia and I asked you to wait is that in order to do this I needed a catalyst first. With all the flea markets that have opened for the holidays, it seemed like a good opportunity. Now if I can just…"

He fell silent, amber eyes narrowing as he focused on something only he could see.

"Ah, there you are."

"Emiya-kun?"

Hearing his name, he shook his head as if waking from a trance. "Right. Sorry about that, Tohsaka. Even if this is the fourth time I've done this, it still feels just as strange as the first. As I was saying before, even if Tia's nature allows me to bend some of the rules, I still need some kind of connection before I can summon a kanmusu."

"An old piece of their hull seems to guarantee the best chances of success, as was the case with Kaga, but that method comes with the glaring problem that shipwrecks aren't exactly easy to access. Shigure's appearance proved that there's some level of dependence on compatibility that I can lean on, but the reliability of such a method should speak for itself. Fortunately, the last ritual that I learned with Kongou also seems to be the most dependable, and as long as I can find old navy relics that survived the war, there's a small chance that a shipgirl's lingering will might be attached to it. That's the one I'm using now."

Rin would never admit it out loud, but she was impressed. Still, to give credit where it was due, "I'll say this much. If you've done at least this much research, then I guess you're not a complete idiot."

Grinning, Emiya accepted the compliment for what it was. "Thanks. Shall we begin?"

A glare of impatience did the speaking for her.

"Alright then."

He stood, dusting off his pants as he did so. With the thrum of his circuit still echoing in her senses, he closed his eyes, focusing on the small trinket held forward in his fist.

"Trace, on."

The familiar feeling of magical energy flooded the room as Emiya began to chant. However, considering what she'd been expecting, it was… disappointingly normal. Rin could sense none of the primordial presence that had almost stopped her heart from beating before, and with that understanding she was left pondering a question that would bother her for years to come.

Just what kind of contract had Emiya made with that girl?

"Analyzing composite materials."

"Envisioning the base core."

"Sympathizing possessed experience."

Was this it? Was this boy really going to perform a miracle by simply finding a remnant of the past and uttering a few lines of an aria? Considering the magnitude of what they were doing, completely separated from the assistance of artifacts like the Holy Grail, it was impossible for Rin to hide her disappointment. She'd expected more.

And then she got more.

"Calling on the ancestral contract."

Like it'd been waiting for the right moment to make its appearance, Rin stumbled as the weight she'd previously expected made itself known. Energies that belonged to no man circled the room with Emiya as the focal point, and yet what bothered her the most was that he continued to chant as if the change had never occurred.

"Reciting her true name."

Magical concentrations strong enough to become visible formed patterns in the air half a meter in front of the boy, and the room suddenly had the scent of a salty ocean breeze. It was like being in the eye of a storm. One lapse in concentration, one misstep, and Rin got the impression she'd be swept away to a place from which no mortal could return.

"Bridging the steel and sea."

So this is what it felt like to be in the presence of a sorcery.

It ended just as quickly as it started.

"Set – Fleet Construction Forge."

Light blinded her as the summoning finished, yet despite being stripped of her ability to see, Rin could nonetheless feel the new presence that had entered the room. And compared to the mystery she'd just witnessed, surrounded by the residual mana that still filled the room…

…she could only tell it was magical because she expected it to be.

It was yet another question to add to a list Rin felt might very well take her a lifetime to sort through. It also didn't help her rapidly descending mood that the first thing she saw when her eyes cleared was a girl making a commendable attempt at suffocating Emiya with her chest.

Dressed in what looked like a brown school uniform, with the jacket opened to reveal a tan sweater underneath, Rin found herself further disappointed by how ordinary the girl looked. She knew there wasn't anything particularly odd about the other girls either, but part of her had expected that to be something the girls had done themselves to blend in, not what they looked like from the moment they were summoned. The only thing noteworthy about the young woman at all was possibly that her hair, which hung loosely to about the half-point of her back, was the same shade of green as her eyes.

"Heavy cruiser Suzuya reporting! I'll be in your care, Admiral!"

Well, she was also more forward than your average Japanese woman too, Rin supposed.

After spending another minute struggling to free himself, when it became obvious this was one contest of determination he wouldn't be winning, with what Rin could only call practiced ease Emiya began to make compromises instead. The end result was that the girl was still hugging onto his right arm, but at least this way nothing was stopping him from seeing her angry smile.

"I guess I forgot to mention it earlier, but gaining a body for the first time in their lives makes most shipgirls… overly affectionate, at least for the first few days after their summoning. Though, I guess if Kongou's any indicator, some are just that friendly to begin with."

Using his free left hand to scratch the back of his head out of embarrassment, Rin was once again reminded of what kind of idiot she was dealing with, but putting that aside, it was time to get to the point of why she was here.

"So, Tohsaka, is this enough to convince you to help?"

There were so many things she wanted to say here: about the dangers of dealing with existences man wasn't capable of understanding; that his casual disregard of the laws that magic operated under was an insult to every magus that had dedicated their lives to their study; that one of those foundational laws was the rules of equal exchange and that this… her eyes shifted over to the 'empty' items sitting in a corner.

That everything he was apparently capable of made her want to kill him for the sake of the world's stability.

Rin sighed. She still couldn't bring herself to see him as an enemy.

He was a fool. But he was a fool that had made a contract with something that lent him access to something comparable to the Third. A fool who was in desperate need of a teacher. A fool whose future would be dictated by the magus who accepted him. In short, he was a student for which most magi would kill their own mothers to get their hands on.

And that was enough for her to look past the fact they might very well be bringing an end to the world.

"Oh, trust me, Emiya-kun, I plan on doing much more than that. I promise our relationship will be a long and profitable one. I guarantee it."

End: I'm just going to continue to ignore addressing the fact that this story hasn't been updated for almost two years now. Most of my followers have probably left, and for those of you still here:

First, thanks for the support. It means a lot, guys.

Second, you've probably all resigned yourselves to the fact it takes me forever to finish an update anyway. By this point, a lame excuse with regards to lacking motivation and the problems we all have in life would just be adding insult to injury.

In other news, for those of you who actually look at my profile you'll see that a new poll is up that asks a question I've been rolling in my head over the last couple months. Made the mistake of giving in to my curiosity, and gave Azur Lane a try shortly after the last time I updated this story, and if I'm perfectly honest: As a game, I've personally fallen far more in love with it than I ever did KanColle. I understand that the two are fundamentally different outside of the shipgirl theme, but I thinks it's still fair to compare the two even if that is their only similarity.

Sure, some of the character designs in AL leave something to be desired, but then again depending on who you ask, I suppose the same could also be said of KC.

In any case, now I'm left with the conflicting opinion of either incorporating some of the characters I've grown attached to in AL (seeing as it wouldn't change the nature of this crossover at all as it would be just the characters and not the setting), or remaining true to the crossover this story started as. Figured I might as well get the overall opinion of my readers to help influence my decision.

And let me say it here, this is just a way for me to gauge general interest. The results of this poll won't set the future course of this story in stone. I've seen way too many fanfics become a dumpster fire because the author changed things due to a vocal reader or two without regard for the original vision they had to make that same mistake myself.

Now to speak a little about the chapter itself, with this we reach the end of what I would call the initial plot arc for this story (even if we're actually several arcs into the story), and enter what will be the first of many "grace periods" for this fic that occurs during this period between now and the start of the Grail War. The initial setting has been staged, the first major conflict is over, and the next one won't take place until Shirou and Rin devise a way for the kanmusu to work in secret. In other words, expect the next couple chapters to be short scenes of new kanmusu joining the fleet, slice-of-life nonsense between Shirou and the shipgirls, hijinks that takes place amongst just the shipgirls themselves, and perhaps a scene or two of the girls interacting with other members of the Fate cast.

So basically just more of what you've already gotten from this fanfic.

If you have something to say about the chapter, or have any questions regarding the poll, leave a review or send a PM. They're often the only things motivating me when I'm slacking.