Chapter 13

Fire raged and lightning cracked all around the place.

Two opposing forces collided and the space in between their point of origin was annihilated.

It was chaos. People ran for their lives screaming and crying.

Shirou's body hit the ground, his exposed back sizzlingly from the heat. His shirt had been burned away and his skin was blistering and his limbs twitching from the joint effect of the two elements.

Even so, he didn't let go of the person in his arms.

"Mister! Are you alright?" asked the indecent-looking miko.

"Hhk. I'm okay. Come on, let's go!"

They got up and he pushed her further down the alley.

"Hold it, you!"

Shirou grabbed the lid of a trash can and threw it behind his back. The bolt of lightning aimed at him was drawn to the metal and impacted against it exploding in several smaller electric bolts that splashed all around harmlessly.

"Your opponent is me," said the black clad fire user, putting himself between the retreating duo and the lightning twins.

Shirou threw a glance at the three Sekirei, one protecting them and the other trying to kill them, or at least the indecent Miko.

Two versus one. The odds didn't seem to be in the favor of the fire user, yet he didn't appear to be trouble at all. Shirou considered whether to stay and help but quickly got rid of that notion. He didn't seem to want to help and clearly he had stepped in only because he saw they needed help. Removing himself and the Miko would also remove the reason for the battle.

Besides, the fire user looked confident about his odds despite being on his own.

Shirou swallowed his first instinct, that of rushing to help despite the circumstances, and instead made a run for the other end of the alley. He caught up with the Miko and turned the corner, leaving the battlefield behind.

To think the day had started almost normally.

[br]

Kochou woke to the smell of coffee being brewed.

Her hand patted around the futon blindly, until she found her half-rimmed glasses. Still half-asleep she put them on her face before stumbling out of bed, trailing after the delicious smell.

Stepping into the next room, she found a tall man manning the electric stove, his back turned to her. For a second, she failed to recognize him but the memories of the previous night soon came back to her.

It was that guy's place. Emiya Shirou. That's right, she ended up staying at his place, somehow without getting winged, and shared a room with another Sekirei. A Scrap one at that. Calling it an unexpected turn of events would be a huge understatement.

"What time is it?"

"Almost noon," he replied without turning. "Slept well?"

"I'm not used to a futon," she said, rolling her shoulders. "My back is stiff."

"Sorry about that. I guess a medical facilities like MBI uses regular beds."

"Where's the Scrap?" she asked, looking around the apartment. "Akitsu, right?"

He pointed his thumb at the door to the bathroom and now that she paid attention she could indeed hear the sound of running water.

"I thought about making something for lunch but there's not enough left in the fridge for the three of us. We should also get you something to wear while we are at it so I thought it would be easier to eat outside. Are you fine with that?"

If there was no food, eating out was the only option so asking her opinion was rather pointless. Then again, he was probably being considerate of her circumstances so she didn't call him out on it.

"That's probably for the best," she simply agreed.

Currently she was using one of Akitsu's pajamas, which was a bit too large for her as the other Sekirei was a bit taller. She could make do but it was no long term solution.

"Coffee?" he asked, as he poured some of the dark liquid into a plastic cup.

She accepted the drink, sniffing at it momentarily before taking a sip.

"Hmm. I needed that," she sighed, finding it to be better than expected. "Thanks."

He nodded and poured a cup for himself. While he drank it, leaning against the shabby kitchen counter, Kouchou took a good look at the place.

The apartment, carved out from what used to be an office space, had seen much better days. Only the table and the chairs appeared to be brand new. Everything else was worn down to an extreme.

Weirdly enough, she thought, this place seemed to fit him. He too appeared to have seen better days. His clothes had been used extensively, that much was clear. His hands looked rough even at a distance with several scars, both small and big. Mostly, however, it was his eyes that seem to tell a long tale woven from difficult experiences.

It would be false to say that she wasn't curious about him, starting with why he had come across her the previous night. If he lived here, what was he doing in that part of the city at such a late hour?

She decided not to ask. Although he had pledged to protect her, she didn't exactly trust his commitment yet. She'd rather not do anything that would have him revoke his promise if she upset him. Therefore, she decided to ask something not directly related to him.

"How did you come across Akitsu?"

"I ran into her shortly after she escaped from the labs. I took her in until MBI tracked us and told me that it was my job to act as her Ashikabi."

"Even though she can't be winged? That's weird."

"Which part of a battle royale between the last members of an alien species is not weird?" he snorted without looking up from his cup.

Kochou's mouth twitched in amusement, despite herself.

"If you put it that way, I guess it really isn't."

At that moment, the door to the bathroom opened, and the other Sekirei walked into the room with a towel around her body.

Next to Kochou, Emiya coughed into his coffee.

"Akitsu! We talked about this," he said, looking away from the ice user. "Where are your clothes?

Even Kochou felt her face burn at the sight of her. There wasn't enough towel to hide all of her, in any direction, making the effort of covering herself almost futile.

"I forgot to take them with me. I'm sorry, Master."

He waved his hand, eyes scrunched close. "It's fine; just go get them."

Akitsu retreated to the room she shared with Kochou the previous night, disappearing from sight.

"She's gone," said Kochou to which Shirou opened his eyes.

"Thanks," he sighed, putting a hand on his chest. "That girl is going to be the death of me someday."

"Doesn't she know the meaning of modesty?"

"I don't think they ever taught her about it at MBI," he explained. "I've been trying to instill in her some common sense, but she hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. Sometimes she still slips, forgets her underwear or something like that."

"You are a strange person. A pretty girl like that is clearly all over you, and you don't seem interested in responding in kind. Even if it's obvious, she has an effect on you."

"Of course she has an effect on me," he grumbled. "Look, Akitsu might have the body of a grown woman but she's much like a child in many aspects. It would be taking advantage of her, plain and simple. Not to mention I'm not looking for a relationship, casual or otherwise."

"Hmm," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to take measure of your character. I suppose that if you were any different, I'd be winged by now."

He shrugged, neither agreeing or disagreeing with her conclusion.

"You should get dressed too, by the way. You can borrow some of Akitsu's clothes until we buy you something new."

"Right…. by the way, you wouldn't happen to own a computer, do you?"

"No, can't say that I do."

"Then there's one more place we'll have to stop at while we are out shopping."

The quizzical expression on his face was almost childlike, but he shrugged in acceptant.

"Sure. It's all MBI's money anyway," he said, before draining the last of his coffee.

[br]

Akitsu came out of the room, now fully dressed, just as Kochou was going in. The two Sekirei exchanged glances, but neither said a word to the other.

"I'm ready, Master," she said turning to him.

"Is something the matter, Akitsu? You don't seem to like Kochou very much."

"I neither like her or dislike her," she said with her usual tone devoid of emotion.

"I know, your views about the winging process are diametrically opposite. You just can't agree with her opinion."

"Yes."

"Even so, I need you to look out for her and protect her. Can you do that?"

"If that is your wish, I will not let anyone lay a finger on her without your permission, Master."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," he nodded.

"Master, do you agree with her?" she asked hurriedly, almost as if the courage would fled her if she waited. "Is that why you decided to help her?"

Shirou crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side pensively.

"It's not that. I'm helping her because she wants to be helped. There's really no reason beyond that."

"But do you think she's right?" she insisted.

He sighed.

"It's difficult enough for a human to draw the line between right and wrong when it comes to our own species. I wouldn't know where to start with you Sekirei. How much of your desire to be winged is innate? How much is MBI's influence? How does your restriction to wing another Sekirei affects it all? I have absolutely no idea. At the very least, I do understand the desire to choose for oneself. It's why I accepted to be your Master, and why I chose to help her remain free."

Akitsu looked like she wasn't really satisfied with the answer, but before she could elaborate further, Kouchou came dressed to go out.

"I'm ready to go," she said.

"Let's head out then," he replied. "I don't know about you but I'm starving."

As if answering roll call, Kochou's stomach let out a low roar.

"Eh," she said, blushing slightly. "I guess I am too."

"When was the last time you ate something?"

"I don't recall. Two days ago, maybe."

"Alright. Food first and then clothes," he decided.

No one raised objections and the motion was thus carried out.

[br]

The construction site as as loud as ever, with everyone busying themselves with their task.

From high up the scaffolding, Seo Karou leaned out and shouted.

"Hey, has anyone seen the new guy?"

"Who, Emiya?" answered someone down below. "I overheard the chief saying that he called to resign this morning."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"How would I know? Guy must have his reasons. He ain't a lazy drunkard like you, that's for sure."

"Yeah. Fuck you too, buddy,"

The other guy cackled, and Seo too would have at another time. This kind of banter was a regular thing and Seo didn't take it to heart. However, his coworker was right. Not about him being a lazy ass (that too), but about Emiya.

He was a hard worker with a good head on his shoulder and a solid plan for the future. He wouldn't just ditch a job without forewarning, even if better offer came up. He wasn't that kind of person. He was reliable. Trustworthy.

'They are alike in more than just looks.'

Anyway, what business of his was what Emiya did with his life? None, but worrying about that face was a force of habit that time was having a hard time washing away, apparently.

They weren't the same person, but they were similar enough that Seo knew he'd have no peace of mind if he didn't at least check up on him. He had a very bad feeling, even though nothing should have given him reason to feel that way.

Once again he'd have to trust his guts and see where it would take him.

To be fair it he never recalled it being somewhere good, but maybe that was just his lot in life.

[br]

'No wonder MBI issues a credit card to the Ashikabi. No way the average person could afford this much stuff.'

It had been three hours since they had finished eating lunch and they had gone through about a dozens shops, coming out with an even higher number of bags, which were now dangling off Shirou's arms.

Akitsu was difficult to deal with because she needed to be instructed about the most basic of things, but besides that she went with everything that Shirou suggested. Kochou was totally the opposite. She had clearly defined priorities, and since there was no limit to their budget she had every intention of satisfying them. Hence the shopping spree.

She immediately put on on first outfit she had bought, consisting of a knee length pencil skirt and a simple button up shirt. With her glasses, she either looked like a teacher or a secretary. Either way, much like Akitsu, she made heads turn at her passage.

Both of them had a cold type of beauty, even though for completely different reasons. Akitsu didn't know how to properly express emotions, or perhaps they were naturally more subdued because of her Element. Kochou on the other hand didn't want to show them. Maybe it was because they were the only thing she could truly control. There were people like that. Shirou was already working with the assumption that Sekirei had the same range of emotions as humans, and the same tells. Which he wasn't that good at reading anyway.

However, looking over her shoulder every now and then, was a clear indicator that she was still tense. Despite Akitsu watching over her all the time. Or maybe because of it?

After buying enough clothes to last her long time, they went looking for a computer as per Kochou request.

"What do you need a computer for?" he asked.

Kochou looked at him suspiciously.

"You didn't ask what my ability is yet," she said. "Why is that?"

"I didn't want to give the impression that my help is conditional to how useful you can be" he said. "And I thought you would appreciate calling the shots when it comes to yourself."

"Thoughtful, are you? I wonder how much of that is calculated."

"About fifty percent," he replied. He genuinely considered her preference, but he also needed to know who and what he'd be working with. However, he also knew that it was better for Kochou to come forward on her own.

"I'm not sure whether you admitting it is good or bad," she said, crossing her arms under her prosperous breasts. "I'm a Brain type. My ability the manipulation of digital devices and data. Once I have a computer, I can access any information that stored on a device connected to the network."

Shirou's eyes widened and almost dropped the bags he was holding.

"Judging by your reaction, you seem to have a good appreciation for this kind of ability."

He nodded sharply. "Whatever the conflict, intel is the first weapon."

"I'm glad you agree. I'm going to need the best hardware to make full use of my skills, but for the time being a laptop will do."

"Buy whichever model you want," he said, putting down the bags and pulling out his phone. "I'm calling an IPS to set up an internet connection at our place."

Kochou nodded in approval, apparently happy that she didn't need to explain him the strategic value of her ability. She wasn't being hunted just because she was unwinged, but because any Ashikabi who had her would gain an incredible advantage.

Shirou got outside of the store, where he could actually hold a conversation and started calling one ISP after another, seeing which would offer the best service. He had almost made his decision when his nostril twitched.

He turned around, scanning the crowd. There were hundreds of people around, but what Shirou was looking for was easy enough to spot. The silver mop of hair stood out like a sore thumb, especially when shrouded by the smell of the fire user from the previous night. He was unmasked, but between his hair, body type and aura Shiro wouldn't mistake him for anybody else.

The Magus had few moments to make the decision whether to follow him or not. He didn't have time to go back and warn Akitsu and Kochou. He'd be gone by the time he returned outside. Such a fortuitous turn of events wouldn't be happening again anytime soon.

He went after him, making a mental note to buy both Sekirei a phone each, so that he might contact them in situation like this. He hoped that they wouldn't freak out from his sudden disappearance. At least he was mildly certain that Akitsu would not leave Kochou to look for him, since he had given her the order to protect her fellow Sekirei.

Thus, Shirou found himself stalking yet another alien.

Among the crowd, it was unlikely that he would be spotted, particularly since Shirou didn't have to actually look at the Sekirei to know his general location. However, it appeared that the alien had better instinct than Shirou gave him credit for, because he stopped several times to look around, almost as if he felt that something was amiss.

Fortunately, Shirou had some experience following people around without being noticed and the Sekirei couldn't locate him. He shrugged his shoulders and resumed walking, even though his posture had changed. He was only pretending to be at ease but was actually on his guard.

That also put Shirou on his guard more than he already was. Between that display of power the previous night and now this show of awareness, Shirou knew that this Sekirei was cut from a different cloth. He definitely hadn't been sheltered like others. Maybe he was a member of the disciplinary squad? Was that why he wore a mask?

Shirou didn't like his odds if they were to fight. Sure, he had some big guns at hands but plenty of reasons not to use them, even at the cost of his life. Once he opened that can of worm, no one would be able to close it again.

Not that he expected any violence to take place. He just wanted to figure out where he lived, who was his Ashikabi and so on and so forth. All thing he could use against him if necessary. The more he knew about the competition the easier it would be to come up with a strategy to take them down.

Alas, it didn't seem that his plan would pay out. After half a hour, they had passed through the same street twice. He was being led around in circles, without a doubt. Clearly the Sekirei was trying to flush out his unknown pursuer.

It was a that point that Shirou picked two new scents approaching from a different direction. One was the distinctive smell of the wind when a thunderstorm was approaching and the other… the other was harder to identify. He would guess a large animal of some kind, but none that he could recognize.

He stopped in his tracks. It was unlikely that the fire user would take him anywhere and if stubbornly kept following him it might eventually led to the confrontation Shirou wanted to avoid. Better cut his losses while he still could and follow this new trail instead.

Kochou and Akitsu were certainly wondering where he had gone by now. Akitsu in particular would probably we worried about him, but the damage was already done. If he went back without gaining anything, it would have been for nothing.

Having made his decision, he turned a corner and went looking for the source of the two new scents.

[br]

For over half an hour, Homura's instinct told him that he was being watched. As the feeling didn't fade, he became fairly certain that he was actually being followed and it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. Despite being trained at spotting a pursuer, he couldn't find anyone particularly suspicious. Then again it was hard to spot a specific human among hundreds of them. Unless, of course, the stalker wasn't a human but rather a Sekirei with an ability to conceal themselves. It was far from impossible, after all.

Then, just as suddenly as the feeling came, it abruptly vanished.

Homura didn't know what to do. Did the stalker lose interest after being led around in circles for so long, or was he just imagining things all along?

He started walking again but not yet towards home, just in case it was a ruse to lull him into a false sense of security. After some minutes he was fairly certain that the coast was clear.

And that's when a bolt of lightning fell from the sky out of nowhere two streets over.

There was not a cloud in the afternoon sky and as such no reason for lightning to strike.

"Those two are at it again," he sighed wearily, before ducking into an alley to get changed.

There was still work to be done before he could call it a day.

[br]

Not having to worry about being discovered meant that Shirou could advance at his own pace. Not knowing who to look for on the other hand made things a bit more complicated. He could feel the presence of a Sekirei at a distance thanks to his sixth sense and could firmly detected their presence when he was close enough to them.

The difficult was bridging the gap between the two ranges. Spotting a human-looking alien among a crowd of regular humans wasn't a simple task without knowing what they looked like. Several times he had the impression of getting close, only for the the source of the scent to vanish.

In particular there was something weird about one of the scents. The thunderstorm one seemed to originate from two separate points that moved independently from one another, yet never straying too far from each other.

In fact, unless he was mistaken in tracking their pattern, they seemed to be closing in on the animal scent. Almost like a pincer maneuver.

'Wait, it's still broad daylight. It can't be.'

He started to move faster, pushing his way through the crowd. He wasn't concerned about pinpointing their location anymore. If his instinct was right, they were going to make themselves known all too soon.

The first thing he noticed were the hair on the back of his head standing up. It wasn't a warning of some kind, but rather the ambient static electricity being harnessed upward toward the sky.

Shirou looked up. In fact, everybody was looking at the sky.

The lightning struck out of nowhere, hitting the ground like a sledgehammer. The explosive thunder threw the nearest people off their feet while the other simply fell to the ground from the shockwave. Even though it had struck between two building, all the windows in a hundred meter radius shattered, showering the streets with glass.

People screamed. Shirou was sure of it even though he couldn't hear them through the ringing in his ears. He was perhaps the only one who hadn't dropped to the ground, so only he saw a figure rush out of the alley, clutching her chest and almost stumbling on the road as she crossed without looking.

Two more figures came out soon after, running after the first.

All three disappeared into the alley on the other side of the streets

"Those fucking idiots!" Shirou snarled and took off after them. "Trace on!"

He flooded himself with Mana, Reinforcing his body as much as he could without harming himself. This was going to get very ugly, very fast. His eyes scanned the fallen passersby as he dodged them. Nobody seemed grievously injured at a glance, but he couldn't make sure. He had to stop those three before they did even more damage.

He cautiously got between the two buildings, and a shadow fell over him. He threw himself to the ground to avoid the airborne dumpster that would have flattened him in a meat pancake. It crashed on the ground and spilled its contents all over the place and conveniently blocked the way he came from.

Unless someone was willing to climb over it, nobody else would be coming in from that way. At the very least, no one would else would stray in this area from that direction.

Shirou stumbled back on his feet and took stock of the situation.

Right in front of him there were two Sekirei with their backs turned to him. They both had long dark hair and wore short shorts and tops similar to sports bras, except that the entire ensemble looked to be made of some kind of latex. They looked oddly alike from behind, almost sisters-like.

Opposite to them was the third Sekirei. This one was a short haired brunette dressed like a miko. That is,iIf a miko's dress included a miniskirt, boots and padded gloves. The front of her top was torn and she was hiding her bosom with one arm.

"You dummies! A Sekirei fight is meant to be one-on-one!" she lamented.

Yeah, that was one of the rules of this battle royale. One among much more important ones, such as avoiding the eye of the public and steer away from the general people.

"Shut up and give up already!" said one of the twins, stomping her foot.

"Hikari… if we don't wrap it quickly the Disciplinary Squad will come," said the other one. "Or maybe that guy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but this brat is smarter than she sounds. She keeps taking us in narrow places where we can't use our powers well."

Both of them were lightning users, which explained why their auras signature were so similar.

Narrow spaces were naturally a foil to their ability. Even though they could manipulate electricity, by its own nature it would discharge through the path of least resistance. The more stuff lying around, the less likely it would reach their intended target.

Shirou was able to surmise this much from their conversation.

He clenched his fist and prepared to Project a weapon. There were no witness around other than the Sekirei themselves, nor cameras that he could see. Not surprisingly, Magi that too to the field very often were taught how to spot them. In this setting, he could afford to go out a little. However they either had not noticed him or they did not pay the powerless human any mind.

A disregard that seemed to extend to the rest of his species if their behavior thus far was anything to go by.

But there were three of them. He might take one out with a surprise attack but not two. And there was no telling what the miko would do. Would she fight or would she flee?

No, first of all, his objective was to stop them from fighting, not take them down. Besides not knowing if he actually could, he worried about the long term consequences. He was reluctant about terminating Sekirei. He needed more information before he took actions he'd end up regretting. Magecraft would not help him here. He needed another power. Something far more common but just as effecting.

"Hey, you!" he shouted. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

The twins, for they could be nothing other than that turned to him and the miko too seemed to notice him for the first time.

"Piss off! You didn't see anything," said the bustier twin, lighting crackling around her clenched fist.

"I must have been fooled," he said, "because I could have sworn I saw a bunch of Sekirei going around breaking rules left and right, making millions of yen worth of property damage and hurting hundreds of humans. Do you have any idea the magnitude of the mess you've made? Who do you think pays for all this stuff, uh? Who do you think is going to clean up that shit? The rules you have been given weren't just guidelines."

"... are you from MBI?" asked the calm looking twin.

"Calm down, Hikari. Hey, you, if you are from MBI, what's your identification code?"

"Tango, Bravo, Foxtrot, Six, Eight, Gamma, Four, Charlie," he said without missing a beat, arms crossed over his chest. "Satisfied?"

He was spouting complete bullshit of course. That was his strategy. Sekirei weren't mere berserker. They were people with their own thoughts and feelings. He could get a result from messing with them perhaps even better than by fighting them.

He didn't know if MBI agents had an identification code and what format it could possibly have. In fact they probably didn't have one at all. But even if they did would all Sekeri know all of them by heart?

It was impossible. She was just testing him, but because he had answered immediately and without hesitation she looked stumped.

"Hibiki…."

"I have already informed Takami-san of this situation," he said, stepping forward with his arms at this side, showing that he was in perfect control of the situation. "The Disciplinary Squad is on its way."

He walked past the twins and headed for the miko. His apparent self assurance was enough to let him through without any resistance.

"But I didn't do anything!" said the miko. "These meanies attacked me together and I still have to find my Ashikabi."

"Oh? Attacking a fellow Sekirei before her winging? We'll add that to the list of the offenses. I'm sure that Karasuba will have something to say about it."

"Watch out!" called out the Miko before she grabbed him and threw both of them to the ground.

A streak of lightning went through the place he had just vacated.

"Hibiki! Don't!"

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Shirou.

"You overplayed your hand, smartass!" laughed the Sekirei called Hibiki. "There is no actual rule against attacking unwinged Sekirei. That's just a courtesy. And nobody that survives inside of MBI would dare to call that monster anything less than Karasuba-sama even behind her back! You are full of shit."

"Tch! Looks like I've been seen through."

"Yes, it does look that way," said a voice up above.

Perched on top of a pole, looking down on them, was the black-clad, fire-welding Sekirei now with his face concealed from the nose down.

"Kagari!" cried the most violent of the Sekirei twins. "You again! This has nothing to do with you."

'Kagari? I thought his name was Homura,' though Shirou as he picked himself up from the floor. At least that's what the Earth-user called him the previous night. 'Then again he probably wears a mask for a reason.'

"It has everything to do with me. How many times do I have to warn you? The lonely Feathers are under my protection. If you want to hurt them, you'll have to deal with me first."

'Interesting. A Sekirei that protects other Sekirei? Is that what was going on last night with Kochou?'

"You, Ashikabi. Get that girl out of here," he said. "I'll deal with these troublemakers."

"If you fight here, people will get hurt."

"I know that but they won't leave us much of a choice."

"Damn right we won't! Hikari!"

"Yes, Onee-san."

The twins took each other's hand and electricity started to crackle around them as soon as they did.

"Shit!" Homura swore and fire burst at his feet, erupting into a fiery wall that completely hid him and the other two from Shirou's sight.

If such powerful forces collided in this narrow space…

"Get down!" he shouted, but he was a fraction of second too late.

Behind him, Fire and Lightning met. Homura had thrown up a wall to protect himself and them, but in the confines of the alley their combined energies could only go up and toward the two exits.

Lightning pierced through Homura's barrier carrying his flame along with it.

The explosive force threw Shirou and the miko in his arms into the air toward the opposite exit, where the people already startled from the previous blast screamed and ran away.

Shirou's back burned and his body was wracked by electricity but he had managed to shield the Sekirei..

"Mister, are you alright?" she asked.

"Hkk. I'm fine. Come on let's go," he said, getting up and helping the Sekirei to her feet as well.

"Hold it, you!" shouted one of the Lightning users.

Shirou knew what was coming from the surge of Mana that anticipated it. He grabbed ahold of the lid of a nearby trashcan and threw it in the air. Flames weren't much of a protection against electricity. Metal on the other hand worked much better.

The lightning blast was drawn to it, scattering all over the place in hundreds smaller electric tendrils, but missing its intended mark entirely.

"Your opponent is me," shouted Homura, interposing himself again between the Twins and Shirou. The previous attack had knocked him off his feet but he was otherwise completely unharmed.

Shirou gave one last glance at the opposing parties before pushing the miko out of the alley and away from the combat zone. By the looks of things, Homura could handle himself against two opponents of that caliber. He'd get out of there as soon as the twins could no longer find them.

This was absolutely not how he expected his day to go.

[XXX]

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