Disclaimer: I own nothing.

There's a reason I have Aoko as my DP. That reason is because I like that picture of her, and I like her in general.

My DP and what I write have absolutely no correlation to each other. It just so happens that I like Aoko as a character, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna start writing about her.

And it'd be weird if she was a given a gaming power. Seeing as she's been alive since the 1980's and that most RPG's with this kind of system haven't been made yet. If we're going to talk about liking characters and making a gamer fic about them though, then it'd make more sense to have El-Melloi II to have the Gamer ability. But I digress; my DP and what I write aren't correlated to each other in any way.

Hey, I like mangos, but that doesn't mean I can't eat bananas everyday right?

Also, Lunatic+ mode for FE:A is driving me nuts. I can't get past the first map cause the boss thief almost always has Luna+… And it triggers every time.

On that same note though, Lunatic mode is easy now because I managed to max out my Avatar and Cordelia's stats, and now both Morgan and Severa have Ignis and Galeforce. Not to mention that I had apparently made an anti-tome and anti-bow Cordelia, and well, I have an army that consists of a family of four.

Next I'm gonna try Lucina and my Avatar and see what the hell kind of stats I get for Morgan. Remember, FE:A isn't about having the best wife, it's about breeding super soldiers. At least, in Lunatic and Lunatic+.

XxX

Turns out, the Stranger wasn't joking when he said he would take care of everything.

Not only had he cleaned up the broken pieces of glass that was his window after he was thrown through it, but he had also managed to hypnotize both Sakura and Taiga, telling them that they had fallen asleep and wouldn't remember anything weird happening last night.

The impressive thing was, they were both asleep when he did hypnotize them. He had no idea how hypnotism works, as Kiritsugu was weak in that respect as well and hadn't taught anything but the basics of how it worked, but he didn't need to be a good magus to know that hypnotizing anyone while asleep not only takes skill, but thorough knowledge of hypnotism.

He idly wondered how he didn't sense this guy was strange. The Stranger smelled like… sweat. Not the typical kind of sweat, but the one that seemed to accumulate over time. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was noticeable now that he had calmed down. Not to mention the fact that the smell had multiple odors to it.

He chalked that up to just him seeing someone that might need his help.

So, with both Taiga and Sakura asleep in his guest bedroom, everything cleaned and unsuspecting, he sat by his living room table. Across from him, the Mysterious Stranger was sipping a cup of tea.

"This doesn't taste that good," The Stranger commented as he put down the teacup. The Stranger then crossed his arms over his chest, before he hummed. "If you had some brown sugar and a bit of honey, it'd be perfect."

He felt his eye twitch. Was this guy for real?

"Out of both," He said blankly. It was true anyway, he didn't have brown sugar, and he didn't really buy any honey. Too sweet for his tastes.

The Stranger seemed to deflate at his answer, before the man sighed. "Oh well." The man took the cup of tea, before putting it to his mouth and sipping. He checked the man over, noticing the man's eyes were closed, before he looked up at the man's status bars.

Mysterious Stranger – Mysterious Stranger – Level 132

Still at least 9 times his level. He wondered if his life would be all about fighting people higher leveled than him, but then realized that maybe Ayako was right. The world was bending to his life, or at least, trying to.

He just wished it bent more in favor of him, and not against him.

"You've been stealing glances above my head for awhile." His eyes darted down and met with the Stranger's own. The Stranger had a look of curiosity on his face, before it was changed to that of amusement. "Don't tell me you have some sort of mystic eyes that can give you a good look of how strong I am." The man's voice held humor, but to him, it was surprisingly close to what he really was seeing.

He fought hard to keep his face neutral, before he made to change the subject. "About that spike you were talking about…" He said, trailing off as he waited for the Stranger to continue for him.

The Stranger straightened himself, before letting out a slight cough into his closed fist. "Straight to business then," The Stranger began. "As you know, I was sent here by the Magus Association to look over an Anomaly that happened with the ley lines in this town." The Stranger explained. He nodded his head in confirmation.

"You said that it was because of a spike in mana?" He asked. Still confused as to why a sudden spike of mana had gone over his head.

The Stranger nodded his head. "A few days ago, there was a sudden spike in mana in Eastern Berlin." The Stranger began, his eyes closed as he told his story. "It wasn't strong enough to warrant any kind of investigation there since it was generally just a small spike."

"What does Berlin have to do with the spike here though?" He asked, interrupting the Stranger before he got too into his story.

The Stranger sighed, before he continued. "Ley lines are like veins," The Stranger explained. "Every single one is interconnected in the Earth in one convergence point. That convergence point may or may not be the Akashaic records, that is, the Root." The Stranger than gave him a look that bordered on slightly exasperated. "Honestly, even someone who just practices Magecraft for practical uses should know this."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not interested in the Root." He spoke plainly. "Infinite power or not, that kind of thing isn't something that a normal human being should have."

The Stranger gave him a look, before shaking his head. "Anyway, since the ley lines are all interconnected somewhat, there's a chance that a small spike in one area of the world can cause disastrous effects on the other side. In this case, that small spike in Berlin might have affected something or someone in this town."

He felt a scowl appear on his face. "How are Eastern Berlin ley lines connected to Fuyuki city? I mean, isn't that stretching it? Even if they are interconnected?" There were hundreds of miles between Japan and Germany. Not to mention the fact that those ley lines the Stranger was talking about would be under the sea, probably hundreds of kilometers deep.

How does a small mana spike in Germany constitute to a bigger spike happening here?

"Ever heard of the term, Butterfly effect?" The Stranger asked him. He felt his eyebrows furrow, before he nodded his head.

"The one where a butterfly flaps their wings on one side of the earth and it causes a typhoon on the other side?" He asked, the Stranger nodded. He nodded his own head in confirmation. "I thought that only applied to time travel though?"

"It normally would," The Stranger began. "But then, you have to realize, that everything is interconnected."

Again he felt his eyebrows furrow. The Stranger was looking at him expectantly, as if what he had said would be enough to explain why he was sent here to investigate.

For a few seconds, he thought hard, trying to think of a reason why the Stranger had said that. Everything was interconnected? Well, the ley lines probably were, but what did he mean by everything? Did he also mean humans-?

"Alaya." He paused, before it finally dawned on him. The consciousness of mankind. That was the reason everything was interconnected, at least, in terms of being human. So Alaya itself wasn't what drew everything together, no, there was another force, a much bigger one that connected everything. The one that came before Alaya. "Gaia?"

The Stranger nodded his head. "Right on both counts." The man confirmed. "Normally, when something like the spike a few days ago happened, it doesn't just happen in just one part of the world. There are spikes somewhere else. A spike in Antarctica for example, could cause a spike in Honolulu, Hawaii if it was the right ley line. And it just so happens that the ley line in Germany was connected here." The Stranger shook his head. "It's all a moot point anyway. There wasn't any kind of effect that was visible, and no one seemed to notice. Not even the Second Owner and her guardian. The spike was probably just a small scale one, easy to overlook or ignore."

A lull in the conversation soon happened. With him going over the information given, and the Stranger drinking his tea. For a few seconds, nothing was said, until he looked up and asked. "So, normally, what would a spike do to someone? Does quantity matter?"

The Stranger put down his tea, before shrugging his shoulders. "Normally no. Quantity and quality of the mana that came from the spike can have differing effects." The Stranger paused, before he shook his head. "And a lot of things can happen to someone caught in a spike, for example; if the spike is particularly strong and there are enough people in the general vicinity; their consciousness and their body could meld together and form some eldritch abomination. If there's a building on top of where the spike happened, the building could topple or perhaps become some sort of 'haunted' place." The Stranger paused for a second, before he shrugged. "Or… if a person is particularly lucky, they might become the next true magic user." He tensed at the last one. No… it couldn't possibly-

"Then again, all those things have an astronomically small chance of happening. Someone or something would have to be at the right place at the right time, and the mana that surges through should at least be compatible enough so that it doesn't fry their innards. So yeah, buildings could topple; people and their minds and bodies could merge, generally, a lot of shit." He flinched a little at the crass way of saying things, but he couldn't really fault the man. He knew more about this than he did; at least, he thought he did.

You've acknowledged that you're not as qualified as some people! Your WIS increased by 1 point!

Ignoring the message that popped up, he refocused his attention to the Stranger. Again, his eyes flicked upwards and he saw the man's status.

Mysterious Stranger – Mysterious Stranger – Level 132

He then wondered if there was a way to check the man's stats, or at least, some of the skills the Stranger had.

He shook his head. No, now wasn't the right time to think of things like that. He had to focus on the now, particularly in him maybe probably being the next Sorcerer unless he got something that could explain what was happening to his life right now. He had to research this, he had to be meticulous, he had to be a Magus.

…This was probably going to end badly for him. He just knew it.

"Anyway!" He looked up, and saw the Stranger begin standing. He noticed that the man pocketed something inside his tattered clothes, but didn't particularly pay it any mind as he stood up himself. "I'll be taking my leave. Nothing seems out of place here, well, save for the fact that there's an unregistered magus sitting around without the approval of the Second Owner."

He bucked a little as he finally stood up. Right, he forgot about that part.

Seeing his reaction however, the taller man merely laughed as he waved his hands. "Don't worry about it, as far as I'm concerned, there were no problems that were caused because of the spike, and the investigation went smoothly. No need to add more paperwork for me."

He let out a sigh of relief; he had probably found the most laid back person from the Magus Association. He wondered just how lucky he really was to have someone willing to overlook his 'squatting' so to speak.

"I'll be taking my leave." The Stranger said with a nod. "No need to show me out." He was about to say it was the least he could do, but thought better of it. Instead, he nodded his head, and sat back down.

As the Stranger walked past him, he finally noticed what exactly was missing from the table, and probably what the Stranger had pocketed. It was… strange to say the least, but he let out a resigned sigh. "…Just don't take anything too big." He called out as he heard the door slide open.

"No promises." Was the Stranger's immediate reply. He heard the door slide to a close, and wondered why exactly he took the teacup of all things. Then again, maybe most magi were this loose in the head.

You've acknowledged what Equivalent Exchange(?) is. Your WIS increased by 1 point!

Again, for the umpteenth time in the span of two days, he felt his eyebrow twitch. Seriously?

Gaming Magus

XxX

"Pause." He spoke clearly as he sat in a bathroom stall in school. The world turned grey, and everything seemed to stop. He pulled down the menu, before quickly navigating to his status page.

Name: Emiya Shirou

Class: Magus (3rd rate)

Title: Brownie (+10% increased reputation gain)

LVL: 14

HP: 851/851

MP: 130/130

STR: 10 (35)

VIT: 10 (61)

DEX: 9

AGI: 8 (25)

INT: 9 (-7)

WIS: 7 (+5)

LUK: N/A (-5)

EXP to next level: 1320

Stat points unused: 35

Skill points unused: 7

Trait points unused: 1

Nodding his head, he quickly got to work to distributing the points that he thought would do him good.

LVL: 14

HP: 851/851

MP: 240/240

STR: 15 (35)

VIT: 10 (61)

DEX: 13

AGI: 15 (25)

INT: 20 (-7)

WIS: 15 (+5)

LUK: N/A (-5)

EXP to next level: 1320

Skill points unused: 7

Trait points unused: 1

There, pretty balanced… Well, at least he thought so. Adding 11 points to INT was a last second decision, but it did give him some more MP. Now he could use skills much more liberally, but it still bothered him that there was a set limit to what he can do with the time given to him.

With that said, he refrained from giving anything to his VIT stat, mostly because his Skills and Traits just boosted that to incredulity. But still… For some odd reason, the bonus VIT stats didn't increase his health, what did those bonus stats do then?

VIT (Vitality) – This stat increases your overall physical defense. Adding points to the main stat increases your total HP. Bonus stats are transferred over to your physical defense and HP regen in combat.

HP per main VIT point – 10

HP regen per second per bonus VIT point – 0.09

Bonus physical defense per bonus VIT point – 1

He blinked at the window that suddenly popped out. Before he put a hand to his nose and pinched the bridge of it. This was honestly getting ridiculous. Everything just seemed... to come up at strange times. It would have normally been fine even if they came up one at a time, but damn it this was getting ridiculous with the sudden appearances. It was like the game – his life – was evolving as each day went along.

Sighing one last time, he brushed the window closed, before he focused on the next part of distributing points. Namely skill points.

He quickly navigated through his skills, and put all the skills in the one area he thought would be the best way of getting better.

Tracing – Active – Level 19 – An offshoot combination of the (Structural Grasping) skill and the (Projection) Skill. This skill allows one to understand the core of anything they choose to understand.

Adding all seven points to his (Tracing) skill, he nodded to himself before he confirmed the change.

His reasoning was simple. Tracing was the one magecraft he had created for himself. He used it in his everyday practice, and not only did it give him an understanding of items he normally wouldn't have, it also gave him a… schematic of what an item really is.

If he was going to figure out how his life got like this, he would need to become a better Magus. And to be a better Magus, he needed to understand things better. What better way to do that then leveling the only skill that allowed him to figure things out better?

That was his logic, and he honestly found no fault in that.

So, with stat and skill point allocation out of the way, he now had one trait point he needed to distribute. And honestly, he was now finding it hard which trait he should pick at all.

Determination – This user is a Determined person. ((Concentration) skill turns into (Determination) skill, +8 WIS)

Like before, the Determination Trait was still available, and he found it easier to hover his finger over it. Still, his eyes darted below, and wondered if he was making the right choice.

Observant – This user is an Observant person. (+50% EXP increase to (Tracing) and (Structural Grasping) skill. Unlocks the (Eyesight) skill tree.)

And then the one below that.

Heroic (Greater) – This user is a courageous person. This user will stop at nothing to save people, even going so far as to give their life just for the chance for others to live their lives. (-75% to self-worth, +20% reputation gain, +10 to STR, +10 to VIT, +10 to AGI, -5 to INT, -5 to WIS, -5 to LCK.)

That last one was just unfair. It gave a lot of positive things for the same negative things his (Heroic) trait gave. It was so good that he found his fingers going towards it.

He withheld from pressing however, as he dropped his hand and sighed. No, he shouldn't use the Trait point yet. At least, not until he thought this through.

Moving back through the menus, he finally came to a stop at the main one, with his finger hovering over the one menu he hadn't opened yet.

Relations

With a deep breath, he pressed on the button, and was greeted with a rather simple menu.

Homurahara Academy – LVL 5 relationship – Helpful Student

Fujimura Clan – LVL 16 relationship – "Zookeeper"

Archery Club – LVL 2 relationship – Archer

Others

He blinked at the rather simplistic menu, before he realized that he could press on the three names and another window would pop out. Tentatively, he pressed on the 'Fujimura Clan' button.

Raiga Fujimura – LVL 11 relationship – Unofficial godchild

Taiga Fujimura – LVL 65 relationship – Little bro/Great cook

He let out a breath of exasperation at what it read about Taiga, before he moved on to the other names.

Hayama – LVL 7 relationship – Good kid

Junpei – LVL 7 relationship – Good kid

He knew who both were of course. Both Hayama and Junpei were the designated drivers of Taiga, and whenever she wanted a ride home, or if she deigned it was too dangerous to walk alone outside at night for Sakura, she would call on either one depending on who was working that day.

Either way, he knew them both. Not as well as Taiga, but he knew them.

Taking that aside though, he guessed that the titles listed after the relationship level were how they looked at him and how they saw him. It… told a lot about what others saw him as and how they reacted to him.

The rest of names below the two however, were names he did not recognize. But with the way they were listed, he sort of knew why they respected him.

Yukimura – LVL 5 relationship – Zookeeper

Ryuuji – LVL 5 relationship – Zookeeper

Gato – LVL 5 relationship – Zookeeper

And so on and so forth. There were at least ten more names under Gato, and all of those names had the word Zookeeper next to them along with a level 5 relationship.

On a separate note, he wondered if Taiga was really a tiger after all.

With a flick of his wrist, he moved back to the previous menu that listed his school, the Fujimura clan, the Archery club, and the one option that was different, Others.

Deciding that he could spare one more look, he pressed on the Others list.

Sakura Matou – LVL 75 relationship – Honored senpai

Taiga Fujimura – LVL 65 relationship – Little bro/Great cook

Shinji Matou – LVL 45 relationship – Annoying friend

Ayako Mitsuzuri – LVL 15 relationship – New friend

Mysterious Stranger – LVL 1 relationship – Interesting stranger

Huh, okay then. Aside from the facts that Taiga was listed again and the Mysterious Stranger being listed, he guessed the names listed in the 'Others' list were for people he was particularly close to.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of this, he closed the menu, leaving nothing but the grey bathroom stall he was sitting in. He guessed it was time to unpause the game then. He spent too much time wandering around the menus, and he still had to think of where to put his Trait point.

"Unpause." He spoke, and the world's color returned. He heard the sound of students in the hallway, and breathed out a sigh. Right, well, time to eat lunch he supposed. Maybe he'd have better luck thinking things through with a satisfied stomach.

XxX

He watched as the arrow flew from the bow and land on target.

You're unwavering when facing a goal! Your (Concentration) skill level has increased by 1!

You've hit successive bull's eyes one after another! Your DEX has increased by 3!

The arrow has already hit, therefore, you need not worry about your shot. Your (Archery (Kyudo)) skill level has increased by 1!

He inhaled sharply, before breathing out slowly. That had been his fifth bull's eye, and that had been when his skills and stats increased. He wondered if there was a certain criteria before a point is rewarded, but thought better than to think too much about it. Right now at least. He still had some more shots before he was satisfied with wh-

"Yo!" He turned his head towards the voice, and managed to catch the bottle of water coming right at his face.

You managed to avoid getting hit in the face! Your DEX has increased by 1!

He ignored that as best he could, before he turned towards the person that threw the bottle in the first place. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, silently asking her if she had intended to hit his face.

Ayako's defense was a simple shrug. "Wasn't trying to actually. But it woulda been funny if you got hit." Ayako grinned as she added the last part hastily.

He just gave her a blank look, before he sighed and put went over towards the wall and put his bow down. He then twisted the bottle cap, and proceeded to drink the contents of the water bottle. Whether she intended to hit him or not, it was a nice thought to give him a bottle of water.

"Yeah," His eyes darted towards Ayako as she walked up to his side. "You looked like you were so concentrated getting those bull's eyes that I figured you'd want a drink."

He downed the last drops of water in the bottle, before he wiped the sweat off his eyebrows. He then turned towards Ayako, before he gave her an amused smile. "How exactly did you know I'd stop at five though? I could have still been concentrating."

This time, it was Ayako that gave him a dry look. "You had five arrows. You fired five. Doesn't take a genius to count Sherlock."

He felt his face flush a little. Err, right. He hadn't thought about that. Still though, "Sherlock was a detective, not a genius."

Ayako just shook her head. "A genius detective that observed. Get your facts straight Watson."

He sensed there was some sort of joke in Ayako's words, but he didn't get it. So instead of defending himself, he pushed the offensive. "And why exactly were you observing me? Don't you have anything better to do then watch me get bull's eyes?"

Ayako rolled her eyes. "What? I can't look over my friend? Geez, you sound ungrateful to someone that gave you a bottle of water."

He gave her a half-smile, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks for observing me. I feel safer knowing someone's looking at me."

That earned him a small punch on the shoulder. "I am not a stalker!" Ayako laughed.

He just shrugged his shoulders again. "Never said that." He said nonchalantly. Ayako's response was to punch his shoulder again. Harder this time.

Your relationship with Mitsuzuri Ayako has increased by 17.5 points!

A lull in the conversation, and they just stood there with smiles on their faces. Finally, he broke the silence. "So what's up?" Ayako approached him for a reason. Not that he expected her to have alternative reasons just to talk to him, but from previous conversations with her, he knew that Ayako wasn't someone that just went about small talk. Or at least, didn't enjoy small talk that much, the previous conversation notwithstanding.

Ayako gave him an amused look, before she gestured her thumb over her shoulder. He followed to what she was pointing at, and found that it was pointing towards the open break room. There, he saw one person seated and sipping a cup of tea.

It was Tohsaka Rin. A student that held the top spot for brightest mind of his middle school.

He didn't know her personally, but he certainly knew enough about her to recognize her on sight. Especially since, well, he sort of admired her demeanor.

He blinked in surprise, before he gave Ayako a confused look. "I'm not in trouble… right?" He asked tentatively.

Ayako blinked, before she shook her head. "Not really no. Well, if you count keeping her company while I go and make my rounds with the novices as trouble, then yeah, maybe you are."

It was his turn to blink. "Err, what?"

Ayako let out a laugh at his expense. "She's here for me. I've been keeping her company ever since she came to sit in and watch the club. But I can't just sit down and talk to a friend while the rest of the club works. I have to do my part after all."

"Oh…" That made sense. Still though, "Why me? Not that I'm saying no, but can't you ask Shin-" He stopped himself from finishing the sentence as Ayako gave him a glare.

"You don't expect me to put that," Ayako pointed towards one end of the dojo. He turned towards it, and saw Shinji giving instructions to a girl by putting his arms around her and giving her instructions with a bow by moving her hands. All in all, the instruction Shinji was giving was rather intimate… and not at all appropriate. "Next to her." Ayako finished. He turned back towards Ayako, and saw she was pointing her finger back towards Tohsaka, who was still sipping her tea quietly as she watched the club with roving eyes. Her eyes seemed to catch his, and she gave him a small smile and a slight wave.

For some reason, her smile and wave felt off.

He shook his head, before he let out a sigh. "I guess I can see your point." He admitted. Shinji… wouldn't really the best person to entertain anyone from the opposite gender. Well, unless they liked being flirted to and given unending empty praises. And though he didn't know her personally, he could probably guess Tohsaka wasn't someone that enjoyed that. After all, she was the number one student in middle school and probably their grade level in this school. She probably didn't need someone gallivanting around trying to woo her with her own accomplishments.

Ayako nodded her head. "Okay good, cause I'd hate to hit you on the head if you insisted on putting Shinji next to my friend." He wanted to defend his friend from the accusation, but really, there was no way of defending Shinji without sounding wrong.

He liked Shinji, he really did. But not everyone shared his sentiments.

"What? Not rising to your friend's defense this time?" Ayako asked him, her voice teasing. He let out a sigh, before shaking his head.

"Anything I say would be a lie. Shinji's my friend, but I can't defend him if what I say isn't true." He admitted. "Still… why haven't you asked Fujimura-sensei to watch over her?" A valid question, since Taiga was the moderator of the Kyudo club. How one so good in Kendo winds up being the moderator for the Kyudo club though, was lost to him.

"Been meaning to ask that myself." Ayako said before pausing. He raised an eyebrow at Ayako, before he gestured for her to keep going. Ayako however, just sighed. "Do you see her anywhere here?"

He took a look around the dojo, and as Ayako was alluding to, Taiga was nowhere to be seen. He had to resist palming his face. He wondered where exactly the moderator for the club was when club was ongoing. He wondered if the Stranger did something else to her mind that made her forget about club but come into school to teach her subject, but then realized that this was probably just one of those days where Taiga had something else to do.

"She asked me to open up the club today," He turned back to Ayako, who had confirmed his thoughts. "She said she had a meeting to attend to with the other teachers. Asked me to lock up as well. Would have said no, but I can't rightly have a free day for the members y'know? Bad practice and all that."

He shook his head at what Ayako said, of course. Not that he was disappointed mind you, but couldn't she have at least shown her face and said it to the club in person?

"Aaanyway, yeah. Keep Tohsaka company while I do my rounds." A teasing grin then appeared on Ayako's face. "Don't worry, she doesn't bite… much anyway." With those words, Ayako turned away from him and went over towards a club member fumbling as he tried to put the next arrow into the bow.

He let out a sigh. Not out of exasperation, but rather of resignation. He would have gone over to talk to her one way or another, especially since Ayako asked for his help. Still… he knew he wasn't much of a conversationalist. And for some reason, Tohsaka's earlier smile and wave put him on edge. There was just… something off about it he couldn't place his finger on.

Still, his friend asked for help, and help he would do.

He began to walk over towards the squared visitor's area where Tohsaka was seated. It really wasn't large and was just one place where people could sit down and take a break. There were some small lockers there to place anyone's belongings, and there was a coffee table right in the middle of it with a plant in a vase as a center piece. Tohsaka was seated to the side of it with a cup of tea in front of her.

As he reached the rest area, he put his bow down so that it leaned on the wall, before he went over towards the table and grabbed the teakettle. He raised the kettle until it was chest level, before he spoke. "Refill?"

Tohsaka gave him another odd smile, before she nodded her head and pushed her cup forward. He poured some more tea into her cup, before he placed the kettle down and moved the cup towards Tohsaka.

Tohsaka took the cup, before she raised it to her mouth and began to drink.

…

...

...

This lasted for three more sips, before he realized that Tohsaka wasn't probably going to initiate a conversation with him.

He opened his mouth to ask how she knew Ayako, but was cut-off as Tohsaka asked him a question instead. "How do you do it?"

He blinked. "Huh?" Was his reply.

Tohsaka let out a giggle, which again, sounded completely off. Before she clarified. "How do you manage to hit 5 bull's eyes one after another without looking anywhere else?"

Oh… so that was what she meant. "Err, I… don't really get distracted much. When I see something that I want to do, I sort of block out the world and work to accomplish my goal."

Tohsaka looked at him, her surprisingly light blue eyes almost assessing him. "Oh? That's a pretty good mindset to have." He flushed a little at the surprising praise. Hey, if a pretty girl – off smile and gestures notwithstanding – suddenly complimented you, you'd be embarrassed to.

"Still though," He shook his head as Tohsaka put a finger to the side of her cheek. "Isn't that also called having a one-track mind?"

Erk… She had a point.

"Well…" His eyes drifted upwards as he thought of what to say, and he froze at what he saw.

Tohsaka Rin – Tohsaka heir – LVL 128

Wait… that can't be right.

"Are you alright?" He was broken out of his reverie as Tohsaka suddenly spoke. His eyes locked with hers, and he hastily avoided it.

"Err, yeah. I'm fine. Just… had a thought is all." He lied. He knew that Tohsaka wasn't convinced at all as her eyes were still on him, but thankfully, she didn't push it as she just decided to drink her tea.

Taking a few breaths, he decided he would at least do what Ayako had asked him to. "So, are you interested in Kyudo?" He asked, to which Tohsaka responded with a slight shrug.

"Not particularly no." She admitted as she put her tea down. She put a finger to her chin, before she continued. "Though I guess the mindset for Kyudo is particularly interesting. That is, believing in something before it actually happens."

Huh, small world. "That's exactly the reason why I took it up in the first place." He admitted with a slight smile. He hadn't thought people would like the Kyudo mindset. As it was particularly mind numbing and contradicting. Most of the people that joined this club really only wanted to hit a target with an arrow, not get the discipline needed to do so in the first place.

"That's very mature of you Emiya-kun." Tohsaka complimented with a smile. Normally, he would be a bit abashed by the praise, but as he got used to Tohsaka…

"Err, thanks I guess?" He rubbed the back of his head. Taking the compliment as a grain of salt. Again, he couldn't escape the feeling that there was something off about Tohsaka and the way she spoke. "Not particularly praise-worthy though."

"And so humble too." Tohsaka batted her eyelashes at him, a smile on her face as she leaned forward. "You must be a good student as well."

This time, he openly scowled. "Not really." He said bluntly. He watched as Tohsaka blinked, before she straightened herself and give him a… he didn't know what to call that look. Confused? Calculated? "I'm fairly average in everything."

For a second, Tohsaka didn't say anything. And then another smile appeared on her face. "There's a difference between being humble and just being hard-headed you know."

He blinked at the underhanded insult. "And there's a difference between speaking your mind and just going with what's nice." He spoke without really thinking. Nonetheless, his words seemed to make Tohsaka recoil in surprise, but like before, she managed to cover it up fairly well before she responded.

"Oh? But isn't being polite the better man's way of dealing with things?" Was she implying he was less of man than she was?

"Shouldn't that be only applicable to men?" He countered, and this time, he saw Tohsaka's eyebrow twitch.

"I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying Emiya-kun…" Her voice was low, and for a second there, he thought he saw her arm move under the table as if grasping something.

He shook his head to clear it. "How do you even know my name? I never introduced myself to you." He asked. Not rudely, but rather as a means to point out something obvious.

His sudden question made Tohsaka blink in surprise, and her arm seemed to slack a little. She coughed, before she answered. "Ayako was generous enough to give your name when we were watching you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, still, I should introduce myself first." He said as his head the tiniest bit as a sign of respect to a fellow classmate. "Emiya Shirou, pleasure to meet you."

Tohsaka seemed slightly taken aback by his sudden introduction, before she bowed her head as well and introduced herself. "Tohsaka Rin, the feeling is mutual."

Your relationship with Tohsaka Rin has increased by 15.5 points!

Your reputation level with Tohsaka Rin has changed from "Stranger" to "Acquaintance".

He blinked, before his eyes involuntarily darted back up Tohsaka's head.

He shook his head as he just sighed, an act that was easily caught by Tohsaka. "What's wrong Emiya-kun? Regretting your earlier words already?" Tohsaka asked, a hint of a teasing tone in her voice that felt… natural to her.

He shook his head. "You're weird." He said blankly. His words caused Tohsaka to recoil, but before she could reply, another voice joined the conversation.

"From the looks of things, you should run before she can get her hands on you Shirou." He turned his head towards the voice, and saw Ayako walking up to them with a slight smile on her lips. "Geez, I asked you to keep her company, not piss her off."

He turned his eyes towards Tohsaka, and saw her giving a pleasant smile, no hint of animosity evident in her body language. He then turned back towards Ayako and shrugged. "Didn't think I was." Pissing her off, he left unsaid.

Ayako let out a small laugh. "Wow. I've been trying to get a rise out of both of you without success, and the minute you two are in the same room, you managed to show a bit of your real selves." Ayako teased, unabashed in admitting her actions against both of them. She approached the table, and saw down next to him and across Tohsaka. "Maybe both of you have some repressed sexual tension."

He turned to stare at Ayako. "No."

"No." Tohsaka's said at exactly the same time as him.

He blinked before he turned towards Tohsaka. She seemed to have the same thought as she locked eyes with him. After a few seconds of looking at each other, he let out a smile, which was mirrored by Tohsaka.

Your relationship with Tohsaka Rin has increased by 12.5 points!

"And you can read each other's minds." Ayako teased as she gave both him and Tohsaka a big grin. He sighed before he shook his head at his friends' antics.

"You're looking too deep into this." He said as he stood up and made to move out of the rest area.

Well, tried to at least. Before he could take the first step, he was pulled back down by Ayako and was seated right next to her. "Hey- what?"

"Come sit down and talk. You've hit your quota for the day, and watching you two talk is just so darn entertaining." Ayako said with a big smile. He gave her a blank look, before he shook his head.

"How do you even know what my quota is?" He asked, slightly surprised that she figured out that his minimum quota was five shots. They hadn't really been talking about Kyudo since they first started talking to each other more, and he doubted that-

"Oh, that's a fairly easy question to answer." He looked up towards Tohsaka, and found that she was sporting another not weird smile. Problem was though, it didn't exactly make him more comfortable.

"Oi, Rin-" Ayako spoke, but was interrupted as Tohsaka spoke over her.

"She's a really good captain and knows each club member's style." He stared blankly at Tohsaka. Who in turn, just gave him a bright smile in return. "She's been watching every member and she knows what each member's style is."

He didn't buy it, not one bit.

Still though, he guessed he could play along. At least, for Ayako's sake. "Huh, I didn't know you took to being captain so seriously Mitsuzuri." He looked towards Ayako, who seemed both relieved and disbelieving at the same time.

"Err, y-yeah. Right!" Ayako nodded her head, a flush on her face as she did so. "A captain's work isn't just to lead the team to victory! They need to make sure everyone can get to that victory!"

Your relationship with Tohsaka Rin has increased by 35 points!

Your relationship with Mitsuzuri Ayako has increased by 25.5 points!

For odd reason though, he just pictured Ayako as a younger Taiga… no wait. It was the opposite, Ayako was a more mature Taiga. Yeah, that was it.

"Yeah, uh huh." He turned towards Tohsaka, and saw her giving Ayako a lopsided smile. "A captain's work is to observe each member."

For some odd reason, he felt he knew what they were talking about, but decided to just lock it in the back of his head. He didn't need to know, thus, he didn't want to know.

"A-anyway!" Ayako suddenly spoke, interrupting his train of thought. He looked over towards her, and she coughed into her hand to regain her composure. "I was actually planning on going to the mall today. I was thinking that since you two aren't busy-"

"What makes you think I'm not busy?" He asked, interrupting Ayako before she could continue.

Surprisingly, he heard Tohsaka agree with him. "Yeah, and me too? Aren't you assuming a little bit too much for both of us?" Tohsaka reasoned as she looked towards Ayako.

Ayako however, was unfazed by both of their looks. She turned towards Tohsaka first. "You always head home when you have nothing else to do after school." Ayako said, making Tohsaka's ears flush red before Tohsaka looked away with a sheepish look on her face.

"And you," He turned towards Ayako, who was pointing a finger at him rather accusingly. "Don't have anything to do except look for people that want your help." He had the decency to be embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck. Well… She wasn't exactly wrong…

"Still, what makes you think I want to go?" He asked, honestly not seeing the point of Ayako dragging him shopping.

Only slightly less dense, but still dense. Your relationship with Mitsuzuri Ayako has decreased by 30 points!

Ayako sighed before she palmed her face. "Geez, I thought you were getting better, but then you go and say that."

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Did I miss something here?" He asked, not really understanding how his relationship with Ayako could take a hit like that.

"I believe the term you're looking for Emiya-kun is 'Hang out'." He turned towards Tohsaka, who was again, giving him that strange weird smile. "Is the concept so alien to you I wonder?" Tohsaka's tone was teasing, and yet, he could detect a hint of… realness to it as well.

Still… "I'm not going to take that from someone that just goes straight home everyday." He said blankly as he stared at Tohsaka.

Tohsaka in turn, was slightly taken aback by his words, but managed to reign in her surprise (and possibly annoyance) by coughing and shaking her head. "Nonetheless, Ayako is inviting both of us to accompany her. It would be rude to refuse anymore after we have thoroughly asked her reasons for doing so."

He blinked at the rather… prim response Tohsaka gave. Before he sighed, seeing that she was right. "Well, okay then. I'll come." He said tentatively, not sure how he should take this surprise plan.

Ayako grinned at him before she nodded her head. "Then it's settled, we go to the mall in Fuyuki today." Ayako then gave him a strange look that was half-teasing and half-disbelieving. "Wow, it took a lot of convincing for you to go on a date with two girls. Maybe you…" Ayako didn't finish her sentence, but swung an imaginary baseball bat opposite she was facing.

The message was clear.

He stood up and felt his face flush. "I'm not- I don't- I like women!" He blurted out, flustered at being silently called gay.

It was then he realized, that he had screamed his defense for the entire club to hear.

He looked up, and saw people staring at him, some men were giving him thumbs up, while others were shaking their heads. The same could be said with the women, but instead of thumbs ups, he was given giggling as his eyes roamed over them, and instead of shaking heads, some of them openly glared at him.

There was one standout person though, that was giving him an approving look.

He wasn't sure if he should feel happy his friend Shinji was beaming at him, or worried.

Your relationship with Matou Shinji has increased by 35 points!

Yeah, definitely worried.

XxX

Turns out, Ayako knew a lot about downtown Fuyuki. She had lead both him and Tohsaka and she had shown them both good places to eat, to shop for clothes, heck, she had even shown them a store that sold nothing more than stuffed animals.

The seemed to bring a smile on both women's face, and that in turn, made him smile. Though he didn't exactly dislike going around and being lead by Ayako with Tohsaka, it still made him happy they smiled whenever they were talking about things.

Now, they were all seated in a café, quietly taking sips of their drinks as both women discussed schoolwork and other things. He lent one ear to the conversation, but his mind was elsewhere at the moment. Namely, his mind was on the park right across the road.

The dead trees that stood tall looked oppressive, the stale and brown grass looked like they belonged in a cemetery, and the general air seemed to look thicker the deeper he looked into it.

He knew the park; he knew the park since this was where Kiritsugu had found him, and where he had been reborn.

It's been eight to nine years, and still that place didn't look the least bit healed.

But it wasn't the oppressive air nor the dead vegetation that drew his eyes to it. No. Any other day his eyes would have darted towards the park if he passed by it, but today, his eyes were locked on a sign that hung in midair right between the tree lines.

Fuyuki Park – Danger Zone – Recommended level 10

So… Ayako had been right. There were safe zones and danger zones scattered around. And he had inadvertently found one thanks to Ayako leading him around.

"Oi Emiya." He blinked as he faced the two women that were now looking at him. He turned towards Ayako, who was giving him a worried look. "You look like you're thinking about something heavy. Is it about the park? Did someone you know die there that day?"

That day of course, was the day the Fire happened. He frowned a little, before he shook his head. "No… it's nothing." He then scratched the back of his head. "Err, what were you two talking about? I didn't hear most of it."

Ayako gave him a blank look. "Yeah, of course you wouldn't. You've been staring at the park ever since we got here."

He frowned a little at Ayako's words. He hadn't meant to be rude, but still, did she really have to point it out to him? He knew he should have been paying attention to the conversation, but still…

"I think Emiya-kun just has a weird feeling about the park." He turned his head towards Tohsaka, who was quietly sipping her tea with closed eyes.

Ayako sighed. "Everyone has a weird feeling about the park. After all, it's built on people's corpses and bones." He actually blinked at Ayako's blunt words and tone. He forgot how… direct Ayako could be.

"Regardless of how many corpses are buried under there, it does give off an oppressive vibe." Tohsaka explained as her eyes turned towards the park. "It doesn't matter who you are, or what age or upbringing you had, you can literally feel the oppressive air."

His eyes darted back towards the park. While it was true the air was oppressive to some extent, he didn't exactly feel it. It just… sort of permeated, like a stench he couldn't get rid of. In fact, he guessed if he stood right next to the park or god forbid, in it. He would no doubt smell rotting flesh and probably death.

Wait a minute… the weird vibe he got from Tohsaka didn't have anything to do with how she smelled like, right?

"I guess what you're saying is true." He heard Ayako say. "I mean, only about a hundred and fifty bodies were found, the rest were ashes and some weren't even recoverable. So I guess the park really has its past buried." He knew the pun wasn't intentional, Ayako may like to joke, but she didn't seem like the type to be that thick-skinned.

For a few minutes, all three of them remained silent. His eyes were still glued to the park, scanning the trees and tree lines, but his mind was thinking about the past. He had only looked at the park because it had the words 'Danger Zone' to it, but now that the past and the dead people were brought up, he couldn't help but think back. Back to the flames that licked his skin, back to the people clawing at his feet screaming at him to help them, and how he just mindlessly walked on, ignoring the cries of help, ignoring the pleas of people dying.

But most of all, he remembered the people. He saw people in their primal states back then. How each person, probably with no relations to each other, stood and tried to help others, only for they themselves to die. He remembered how selfish he was that day, how he chose to save his own life, and how his selfishness soon turned to apathy, and then turned into defeat as he fell down face-up, his eyes blank.

And then he remembered Kiritsugu…

"Kya!" He was broken out of his reverie as he felt cold water splash on top of his head, drenching it before it fell to his uniform.

Brr! It's cold! But you can take it. Your VIT has increased by 1 point!

Of all the things it could increase with, it had to be getting himself soaked with cold water.

"I'm so sorry!" He looked up as he felt hands brushing against his uniform and hair. He saw a waitress anxiously rubbing his hair and his chest with two handkerchiefs, her face laden with worry and apprehension. "The floor was slippery and I'm not used to wearing heels and I'm new here and this is my first job and-"

He blinked at the rapid fire words that came out of the waitress's mouth. It took him a few seconds to realize that she really looked terrified and that there was broken glass on the floor. Shaking his head, he held up a hand as he put a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"It's fine," He began, smiling a little as he tried to calm the waitress down. "Accidents happen to everyone. Just don't get all flustered about it so you can take responsibility for them." He lightly scolded the woman, before he turned towards the floor and kneeled down, picking up the broken pieces of glass in the water that may have been previously inside it.

"A-ah! I can clean it up sir! Pl-please don't-" The waitress began as she ducked right next to him. He gave her a (he hoped) calming smile, before he nodded his head.

"Of course you can." He said. "I'm just helping you." It wasn't really that big a deal. Sure he got wet, but getting angry wouldn't help anyone. Well, if you were a particularly vindictive person then yeah, blowing off steam was something you'd do. But he wasn't vindictive, in fact, he didn't particularly care that he got water poured over him.

You charmer you. Your reputation with Hiratsuka Oda has increased by 125 points!

Your reputation with female populace in the Café has increased by 50 points!

Your reputation with the male populace in the Café has increased by 38 points!

Your reputation level with the Café staff has increased by 30 points!

Your reputation with Mitsuzuri Ayako has increased by 30 points!

Your reputation with Tohsaka Rin has increased by 30 points!

Your reputation level with Mitsuzuri Ayako has changed from 'New Friend' to 'Friend'

Your reputation level with Tohsaka Rin has changed from 'Acquaintance' to 'New Friend'

Your reputation level with Hiratsuka Oda has changed from 'Stranger' to 'Admired/Crushing on'

Your reputation level with the Café has changed from 'Customer' to 'Honored Customer'

He actually balked at the last one, before he looked over towards the waitress, only to see her look away with a flushed face. Did he… what happened?

"Alright you charmer." He looked up in surprise as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He saw Tohsaka giving him a smile… that didn't exactly fit the grip she had on his shoulder.

He… shouldn't feel scared. Shouldn't he?

"Get changed in the bathroom. You'll catch a cold if you keep your shirt on." Tohsaka said. He wanted to argue, but a look from her made him rethink that course of action. Reluctantly, he stood up and made his way to the bathroom. But not without giving the waitress a placating smile.

A few minutes later, he came out of the bathroom wearing only his inner white and blue t-shirt. It was relatively wet, but comparing it to his jacket which was soaked, it was the lesser of two evils.

He went over to the table where Ayako and Tohsaka were still chatting, before he sat down right next to Ayako. "Don't get too close." He warned as both women turned to him. "I'm still wet and I don't really have a place to put my jacket in." Well, technically not true. He could put the jacket in his bag, but that'd make his notebooks wet. The last thing he needed right now was failing a subject because he couldn't read watery squiggles.

"Here." He turned towards Ayako and saw her pull out a plastic bag from under the desk. He gave his frien an incredulous eye, to which Ayako shrugged in reply. "The waitress that got water all over you came here with it. She said you could put it here and she'll wash it for you."

He blinked at the last part. "Wait, she really said that?" He asked, confused as to why she would say that. It wasn't really that big a deal, at least, not a problem for him to wash it himself. Besides, it was a Sunday tomorrow, there weren't going to be classes to begin with.

"Why are you so surprised?" He turned towards the other woman. Tohsaka was giving him a raised eyebrow as if wondering about something. "You told her that she shouldn't get flustered and she should take responsibility right?"

He remembered yes, but he didn't recall telling the waitress herself to take responsibility. "I never told her to take responsibility." He began, making both women in his vicinity to look at him. "I just told her it'd be easier to take responsibility if she wasn't flustered. I can handle cleaning my own clothes."

He saw Ayako sigh, and Tohsaka shake her head. "Honestly," It was Tohsaka who spoke up. "You're either really dense, or you're just that way."

"Well! Anyway, maybe we should cut our outing short." He turned towards Ayako this time. "You're wet, and we wouldn't want you to get sick just because you're stuck listening to two girls talk." Ayako then smirked a little before giving him knowing look. "Not like you'll listen anyway."

He flushed at being called out. "I'm not normally like that you know." He mumbled as he looked away from both women. He felt his flush turn into a full blown blush when he heard both giggle.

XxX

Following the episode in the Café in which the waitress had introduced herself as Hiratsuka Oda before she said their orders were on the house and that she still wanted to make up for getting his clothes wet, to which he calmly and quietly declined of course, telling the waitress that it wasn't that big a deal. Ayako decided that it was time to call it quits. Tohsaka agreed, stating that he needed to get home and get changed from his still wet clothes.

He wanted to argue, remembering 'Avalon' his 'Special Body Item' that prevented him from getting sick, but decided against it. There was no conceivable way he could argue that he wouldn't get sick, at least, now without revealing some things about his 'life'.

Now that his thoughts were on it however, he remembered that he still had one trait point he had to distribute, and he still wasn't anywhere close to actually picking one of the three traits.

While the (Determination) and (Observant) trait sounded good, he still had no idea if he should pick those over the (Heroic (Greater)) one. True both of the former options gave him positive additions in stats, the latter one was a greatly upgraded version of its lesser counterpart. Not to mention that it was labeled as (Greater) instead of (Greatest), which left his mind to wonder if he chose that trait for now, would the (Greatest) version of it appear when he got to pick his next Trait?

"Geez, for a guy, you sure don't like paying attention to women." He was taken out of his reverie as he looked to his left. Ayako was giving him an exasperated look, almost telling him he should stop thinking and start listening.

"Sorry," He apologized. "It's just that I have a lot on my mind."

"Alright then," Ayako began, her tone showing a hint of curiosity and annoyance in it. "If what you're thinking about is that important, why don't you share it with us? We're friends right?" Ayako challenged, almost daring him to say otherwise.

He may have the (Dense (Lesser)) trait, but he knew better than to take her up on that challenge. And he wouldn't really deny that they were friends either.

Still… he couldn't rightly talk about what he was thinking about.

"Err, it's nothing really. Just… something about a game." He winced a little at his words. Really? Of all the things he could say, he had to say it was because of a game? Technically it was true, but damn it! He just had to dig himself a hole!

"A game?" Ayako and Tohsaka spoke at the same time, making him wince a second time. "All this time you've been distracted because you were thinking about a game?" Ayako's voice was incredulous, almost disbelieving.

"It's not just because of that!" He defended himself. "It's just been on my mind ever since we left the Café. I wasn't distracted the whole time because of it."

"But you have been distracted." Again, he winced. This time, the voice one that spoke was Tohsaka. "You haven't been distracted the whole time, but ever since we sat down in the Café, you have been."

He actually blinked at Tohsaka's words. Had he been so transparent?

"So really Emiya-kun, tell us. Why were you so distracted since we came into the Café?" Tohsaka prodded, her tone curious.

He pondered on whether he should tell the truth, but quickly squashed that idea. The truth would be him telling he could see floating words that said things about people that shouldn't be possible. So, he decided he should at least tell something that he thought they would find appropriate.

"The Fire… I was in it." He admitted. Memories began flooding back, but he shoved them aside to prevent him from blanking out. He wasn't uncomfortable talking about it, but the unpleasant memories really distracted him.

"You… were?" He heard Ayako's voice. He detected apprehensiveness and surprise, but that was to be expected. What was unexpected however, was concern. "You… don't have to talk about it you don't want to."

He shook his head. "I'm not uncomfortable admitting that I was in it. It just brings up memories of the time I was in it." Again, his mind was flooded with images of corpses and of people begging for help. He fought hard to push it back down, but he couldn't, he... it didn't feel right to just brush images off.

"I remember walking through it," He began, mostly as a means to stop himself from blanking out. "Through the fires, watching people scream for help, asking me to stop and help them." He looked down at his feet and at the ground. "I didn't. I just walked by them, walked past them without looking back. I think I even stepped on some of them."

"I walked over them, but I still saw people helping others." He recalled a woman pulling up a pillar to save a child. "But then those people that helped died in turn." And then seeing the pillar burst into flames and fall on top of the woman, he recalled the sickening crunch of a body being crunched. "And in the end, the people they saved died as well." He then remembered the child that was saved. Who fell down into open flames, catching fire and shouting in agony.

"It wasn't… It wasn't a… It…" He felt himself blanking out. He didn't know what to say next. Not because he was uncomfortable with talking about the Fire and his experiences in it. But because he wasn't used to… talking about it with other people.

He wasn't uncomfortable. Far from it really. It was just… a foreign thing for him, to talk about himself this much. He didn't know if he should tell them about Kiritsugu, or about his dream. He was just… deathly neutral to it.

You've acknowledged your own personality flaw. You have gained the (Survivor's Guilt) trait.

Survivor's Guilt – You've survived a horrendous event. Your guilt about being the only survivor may not be obvious, but it has affected not just your mind, but also your soul. (This user has an inability to talk so freely about the 'Event'. This user also finds trouble having fun and enjoying life. He may be happy, but he is not living. -15 to VIT, +15 to STR, -300% experience gain to any social related action, (Concentration) skill changed to (Determination) skill.)

Determination – Passive – 7 – This skill allows the user to focus on the task at hand, granting the user increased stats whenever they allocate attention and finish any task. Removes the previous hindrance of the (Concentration) skill. (Gives the user the 'Determination' status effect when fixated on a task, +0.7% increase to each base stat for every completed task you have allocated your full Determination for.)

He had nothing to say as of this time about the windows that popped up, and instead, decided to just turn towards the two women walking beside him.

He stopped, which caused both women to stop, before he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Listen, sorry that it's so awkward. But… It's just kind of weird talking about the Fire. A lot of people died, a lot of people I could have helped. But… I didn't because I would have died too." It wasn't easy for him to say that, it really wasn't. His whole being was to help people and to admit that he couldn't, admit that he could have but didn't… It just made him angry with himself.

For a few seconds, there was nothing. Neither women spoke, and when he looked up to look at them, he saw a look of apprehension and confusion in both of their faces. He guessed they didn't know what to say. Even he didn't know what to say either, he wasn't one for bearing his secrets like this. Nor was he one to look for anyone to sympathize with him.

Really, how was this easier than just telling them that his life was now a video game? At least then they wouldn't be so silent.

Finally, Ayako broke the silence. And it was with a sigh of… he didn't know if it was resignation or amusement. "Yeesh, we've been friends for less than three days and already you're bearing your soul." He felt his face flush at Ayako's words.

"Hey!-" He was about to retort, about to make a comeback that involved his embarrassed state of mind, but he was stopped as Ayako punched his shoulder. Effectively turning his embarrassment into pain as he clutched the offended limb. "Ow!"

"And another thing, don't feel sorry for yourself that you're the only one that survived." Ayako said, eyes narrowed as she glared at him. He rubbed his still hurting arm, but otherwise, locked eyes with his friend.

"But-" He tried to argue, but again, a sharp pain in his other arm stopped him in his tracks. "Hey! Stop hitting me!"

Ayako only raised an enclosed fist and waved it threateningly. "Keep talking like that and there'll be more where that came from." Ayako warned, her tone serious. He backed away a little bit, she probably wasn't kidding.

"I think what Ayako is saying," He turned his head towards Tohsaka, who had placed a placating hand on Ayako's shoulder. Surprisingly, Ayako dropped her raised fist and turned to look at Rin. "Is that you're not supposed to feel sorry for those that died. Instead, you should live for them. Enjoy a life that they couldn't."

Enjoy life… He remembered his latest trait, and wondered how hard that would be for him to do.

"So, no more talk about helping the people in the fire okay?" Tohsaka said, this time walking forward and placing a hand on his own shoulder. "You couldn't have been more than ten years old then, and I doubt a ten year old could have escaped with someone else. It's a miracle itself that you survived without any scars." Tohsaka's hand went from his shoulder to his face, touching the side of his cheek and brushing against it.

He may have the (Dense) trait, but the sheer intimacy of the act caused him to recoil and look in shock at Tohsaka.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!" He shouted, surprised at the sudden skinship that Tohsaka subjected him to. Tohsaka for her part, only smiled teasingly.

"Oh my, are you flustered Emiya-kun?" Tohsaka leaned forward and stared into his eyes. He tried his hardest to stare back, but he couldn't and just looked away.

"Ha!" He looked towards the other woman in their group, and saw Ayako clutching her stomach and laughing uncontrollably. "Hahaha!"

For a few seconds, he stared at Ayako, but pretty soon, another voice joined Ayako in laughing. He turned towards the owner, and saw Tohsaka herself giggling as she stared at their friend.

He didn't get why they were laughing so much, but he found that their mirth was contagious. He smiled as he stared at both women, before he shook his head.

"Ha…." Ayako let out a deep breath as she calmed herself. "Oh man, you two are just precious. It's kind of weird that the only person that can get such a rise out of you Shirou is Rin. Considering she doesn't like to show emotions too."

"Oh really?" Tohsaka's voice was strangely cold, but at the same time, there wasn't any animosity to it. "Is that what you see me as Ayako-chan? As someone cold?"

Ayako grinned before she nodded. "You're just provin' my point."

Again, he smiled. "You know I can see it to." He joined, agreeing with Ayako's view of Tohsaka. "You're kind of an open book sometimes Tohsaka."

Tohsaka turned her icy-glare towards him. "Oh? And what about you Emiya-kun? You don't seem like someone that can lie so easily. What does that tell about you?" Tohsaka pushed, her tone suggesting that he should try and get out of this.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm an open book. I can't lie to save my life." He admitted without thinking twice. "I'm not going to get into a lying match with someone that's a master at it."

Tohsaka flinched back, a look of horror on her face. "Do… you really see me that way?" Her tone sounded so sad and so hurt, that it probably looked like he was a bad guy to anyone watching.

Well, save for himself that is. "Yeah, I'm not falling for that." He said blankly as he turned around and began walking.

"H-hey! What's with that blank answer!" He heard Tohsaka shout as Ayako laughed.

True, his newest trait was eye-opening. But… for some reason, he felt much better now. No doubt it was thanks to both Ayako and Tohsaka. Their way of addressing his problem wasn't normal in any sense, but it was the way they knew how to address it. And while it may not work for most people, to him, it may have been the best possible way to do so.

You've found people willing to share your burden! Your relationship with Tohsaka Rin and Mitsuzuri Ayako has increased by 150 points!

Your relationship level with Mitsuzuri Ayako has changed from "Friend" to "Good Friend".

Your relationship level with Tohsaka Rin has changed from "New Friend" to "Friend/Suspicious of".

You have gained the ability to form a party with Mitsuzuri Ayako and Tohsaka Rin called "Scarred Pasts".

He felt another headache incoming. But ignored it as he just enjoyed the company of his two friends. He would worry about it later.

XxX

Shirou stat sheet

Name: Emiya Shirou

Class: Magus (3rd rate)

Title: Brownie (+10% increased reputation gain)

LVL: 14

HP: 851/851

MP: 130/130

STR: 15 (50)

VIT: 11 (46)

DEX: 17

AGI: 15 (25)

INT: 15 (-7)

WIS: 15 (+5)

LUK: N/A (-5)

EXP to next level: 1320

Stat points unused: 0

Skill points unused: 0

Trait points unused: 1

Status: ? (+30 to VIT, +30 to STR, +?% experience to [Tracing] and [Structural Grasping] skill),

Helpful (-50% to self-worth, +5% increased reputation gain). Levelheaded (Allows the calm assessment of any kind of situation). Heroic (-50% to self-worth, +10% reputation gain with the opposite sex, +5 to

STR, +5 to VIT, +5 to AGI, -5 to INT, -5 to WIS, -5 to LUK). Quick thinker (+10 to AGI, +10 to WIS), (This user has an inability to talk so freely about the 'Event'. This user also finds trouble having fun and enjoying life. He may be happy, but he is not living. -15 to VIT, +15 to STR, -100% experience gain to any skill related to social interactions, (Concentration) skill changed to (Determination) skill.)

Skills:

Tracing – Active – Level 19 – An offshoot combination of the (Structural Grasping) skill and the

(Projection) Skill. This skill allows one to understand the core of anything they choose to understand.

Structural Grasping – Passive/Active – 45 – Passively grants perception, an ability that allows the user to understand the going's on around him and spot the tiniest details. Active: Grants the user the ability to delve deeper into an objects structure

Cooking – Passive/Active – 55 – Passively grants a bonus to stats when cooking (+10% to all stats when cooking). Active: Grants the user the ability to make stat increasing food.

Mechanic's hands – Passive – 40 – Grants the user an understanding of how most doohickeys and doo-dads work. Give the user an understanding of how to fix and/or upgrade certain items.

Vigorous (from Avalon) – Passive – Max – Due to the user's special body item, this user doesn't suffer from illnesses and has drastically increased health regeneration. Also, this unit doesn't suffer from age inhibitors like most others.

Determination – Passive – 7 – This skill allows the user to focus on the task at hand, granting the user whenever they allocate attention to any task. Removes the previous hindrance of the (Concentration) skill. (Gives the user the 'Determination' status effect when fixated on a task, +0.7% increase to each stat for each completed task you have allocated your full determination for.)

Archery (Kyudo) – Passive/Active – 1 – Your arrow has already hit, thus, you need not worry about your shot. This skill grants the user increased perception and awareness when using a (Kyudo) bow. (Passively gives +2 to WIS and +2 to DEX per level up when a (Kyudo) bow is equipped, and +1 to WIS and +1 to DEX per level up when using any other bow. When active, grants the user +8% bonus stats when using any sort of bow, drains 5 MP per second active.)

Reinforcement – Active – Level 4 – No, it does not make things harder. This skill allows you to transfer your prana into an object to better its molecular structure and 'Reinforce' its basic principles. (Actively drains 10 prana per minute for each (Reinforced) item you're using.)

Traits:

? : This user is a *ERROR*. His skill set allows him to [Trace] *ERROR* to the point that it feels like the original. Due to the very nature of this user, he cannot be more than a 3rd rate magus at best. (+30 to VIT, +30 to STR, +?% experience to [Tracing] and [Structural Grasping] skill)

Helpful: This user is a helpful person. (-50% to self-worth, +5% increased reputation gain.)

Levelheaded – This user has the ability to think clearly and make good decisions, even under intense pressure. (Allows the user to be calm in situations that would otherwise make others panic.)

Heroic – This user is a very brave person. This user will stop at nothing to save people, even going so far as to give up themselves to try and save a total stranger. (-50% to self-worth, +10% reputation gain with the opposite sex, +5 to STR, +5 to VIT, +5 to AGI, -5 to INT, -5 to WIS, -5 to luck.)

Dense (Lesser) – This user is a bit thick in the head. But through understanding when to read a situation and how to interpret the situation, you've gained a bit of empathy. (-3 to INT, -5 to WIS, +20 to VIT)

Quick Thinker – This user thinks fast on their feet. This trait allows the user to make up plans on the spot and to act on those plans quickly. (+10 to AGI, +10 to WIS)

Survivors Guilt – You've survived a horrendous event. Your guilt about being the only survivor may not be obvious, but it has affected not just your mind, but also your soul. (This user has an inability to talk so freely about the 'Event'. This user also finds trouble having fun and enjoying life. He may be happy, but he is not living. -15 to VIT, +15 to STR, -100% experience gain to any skill related to social interactions, (Concentration) skill changed to (Determination) skill.)

XxX

Hoo boy, I can already read the people reviewing about Shirou's choices with the stat and skill points distributed.

Ah well, nothing ventured nothing gained.

As it is though, this chapter introduces not only Rin, but also the Mysterious Stranger. Or at least, the Mysterious Stranger somewhat. Both will play parts in the incoming arc, but for now, this chapter showcases the relationship parts of Shirou's 'game'. Or as some of my reviewers had started to call it, his 'Dating Sim' social life. So all in all, people may find this chapter boring and unnecessary. But like I said in the last chapter and the summary, a lot of things are happening all at the same time. Like most RPG games. (Looking at you Xenoverse Chronicles and .Hack G/U.)

Anyway, the focus next chapter would be the incoming arc, which I'm sure most of you probably guessed what it would be. Seeing as how I already introduced Rin and the Mysterious Stranger and how *redacted*. Oh wait, that was a spoiler? Well, alright then.

Also, I am well aware how OP the 'Determination' skill is. But here's my counter argument, how OP do you think most of the things are compared to a regular 3rd rate magus? And anyway, there's a downside to it. Even though it removes the negatives of the 'Concentration' skill, it adds the 'Determination' status effect when Shirou allocates all his attention on one thing. Now, who's to say that's a good thing?

I've given clues people, no need to keep asking if you can't see it. Be like Sherlock, construe the clues I gave you, and then think of what I might have planned.

C.O.Y.L out, peace!

One last thing that I want to talk about. If you don't want to read a thorough review/analyzation of the manga series/anime Akame Ga Kill, stop reading now

I know I've said I liked (Read: Love) Majikoi. But Akame ga Kill... is just something that I don't like. I gave it a try, and for a while, I had no opinion on it. But as time went on and the more I read it, the more I realized that each individual character is just... a copy of each other. Each character has some past that scarred them, and each character then goes apeshit crazy and makes things worse for everyone else.

Aside from that, Night Raid talk about reforming the government, yet they don't reform the people. They want the government to bend knee to them, or at least, the revolutionary army. Now that is to say that the government isn't as bad, seeing as they want the people to bend knee to them. But being completely honest here, how can you reform something that is monitored and is run by people when you don't reform the people themselves? So what, they overthrow the people in the government, only to replace them with people the same as them? Only instead of the previous government's ideals, they replace it with their own? Are they gonna start silencing people that don't agree with them too?

Aside from all that. The series itself is just grimderp instead of grimdark. It tries so hard to pander to people's want to see dark things happening that it's comical. Even Esdeath, what with her genocidal tendencies, gives off the vibe that she's 2-dimensional instead of a deep and enriching character. I get that the author of the series wants to make sure that everyone sees that not everyone sees the world as you do, but you have to make it believable, not make it one extreme side looks over at another extreme side and sees nothing but contempt. Even Wave and Tatsumi are two extreme sides of one another. So of course they're gonna butt-heads.

Well anyway, that's my two-cents on the matter of Akame ga Kill. And you're asking why I'm telling you all this? Well, simply because my thoughts on Akame ga Kill can be perfectly moved over to another story on this site. And seeing as another person has brought it up again and every time it's brought up again I'm triggered, well, you get this.

Seriously. Don't mention it again. But if you want to discuss things about my views on Akame ga Kill or that other thing, PM me instead of reviewing. That way we can have a two-way conversation going instead of me posting a wall of text responding to people that have asked the same question in another chapter of my stories.