"..."
"..."
"..."
Scáthach's words were like a spell that cast a field of silence, causing the lounge to fall quiet instantly.
She herself, however, seemed quite baffled by this reaction.
"What's with those expressions?" she asked.
"Are my words that difficult to understand?"
"It's not a question of understanding or not," Rin Tohsaka interjected, her brow furrowed, looking quite displeased with Misaya's demand.
"He's only going to be an instructor for the Spearmanship Club. Why does he have to live with you?" she challenged.
"Don't you think..." Rin trailed off, hesitating.
At this moment, she wasn't even sure why she was so opposed to the idea.
But she could confirm that she did not approve of Ian living with Scáthach.
"Hmm?"
Scáthach crossed her arms, exuding a powerful aura.
She didn't feel there was anything wrong with the request she had just made.
"Rin Tohsaka, you've probably never spent much time at the Spearmanship Club, have you?" she questioned.
"No," Rin admitted, not denying the fact.
"I usually have Student Council work to do... so I don't come over here much," she explained.
"I see." Scáthach snorted coldly. "No wonder I have no impression of you."
"If that's the case—" the Spearmanship Club's instructor continued, staring at Rin with a very serious expression.
"I think it would be best if you didn't say any more on the matter."
"After all, he's the one joining the club, not you, correct?" she pressed.
"If you have more opinions than he does, wouldn't that seem rather strange?"
"..."
For a moment, Rin Tohsaka found herself unable to refute Misaya Reiroukan's words.
Ultimately, she had only brazenly come to the school to ask a teacher for help because her mother had told her to take better care of her younger sister.
As for her relationship with Ian, it could only be described with the word "awkward."
By any measure of emotion or reason, Rin Tohsaka truly had no right to argue with the woman.
However, just as the young woman was feeling awkward, she heard some unexpected support.
Ian, who had just been thanking Scáthach for the opportunity, now stood up for her.
"Misaya-sensei—" he began.
(T/N: I wanted to use Shishou xD)
"If it must be this way, then I think I'll pass on joining the Spearmanship Club."
"And please, don't make things difficult for Rin anymore," he requested firmly.
You absolutely did not refuse on a whim.
Admittedly, accepting Misaya Reiroukan's invitation to join the Spearmanship Club is an opportunity that should not be easily missed.
But you can clearly sense that Rin Tohsaka disapproves of this arrangement.
Beyond that, there is an even more important point.
If Rin is this resistant...
...then as your Master, Sakura Tohsaka's reaction would surely be even more intense.
Rather than letting all sorts of conflicts arise later, it's better to proactively end this dispute now.
After all, no matter how good a cover identity you create, if Sakura Tohsaka doesn't feel good about it, then it loses its original meaning.
You still know what is more important.
"..."
Scáthach looked at Ian, saying nothing.
As the Queen of the Land of Shadows, the guardian of the gate between the worlds, she did not like to ask people for things.
It was a pity.
But if Ian were to refuse again, she would not try to make him stay.
That was the queen's bottom line, one that would never be easily changed.
"Alright," Scáthach nodded.
"If you think this is the right thing to do—"
"Then I will..."
"Please wait!" Sakura Tohsaka interrupted Scáthach.
"Um—!" she started.
"Misaya-sensei!" The young girl clasped her hands together in front of her chest, looking as though she were praying. "I must trouble you, please let Ian stay!"
"..."
Sakura's tone was so sincere that Scáthach didn't think for a moment that she was being trifled with.
Besides, to be honest—
If Ian could be made to stay, it would definitely not be a bad thing for her.
After all, the line of thinking behind his offensive strategy earlier was truly brilliant.
"So, what's it going to be?"
Scáthach looked towards Ian, handing the choice back to him.
"Are you staying, or not?!"
"..."
Faced with this question, Ian's gaze fell upon Sakura Tohsaka.
She simply nodded.
"I understand," the man said, changing his tune once again. "Then I'll be in your care, Misaya-sensei."
Scáthach let out a silent sigh of relief.
She nodded, then looked at the Tohsaka sisters at her side.
"That's all for today, then," she announced.
"I'll take him to see the place he'll be staying—it'll be trouble if he can't find his way later."
"You two shouldn't have any more problems, right?"
"None at all," Sakura replied with a slight bow. "We're troubling you, Sensei."
"..."
Scáthach did not reply further, simply turning and leading Ian away.
After watching the two of them walk into the distance, Rin Tohsaka finally voiced the doubts in her heart to her younger sister.
"Sakura, you're actually letting Ian go with Misaya?"
"He's your Servant, you know... Aren't you worried something might happen?"
Hearing this, Sakura Tohsaka smiled and shook her head.
"I'm not worried," she answered softly.
"I... I will always trust Ian, no matter what."
"Besides—" she continued.
"He was about to refuse Misaya-sensei for my sake, wasn't he?"
"If that's the case, then I can't be so petty as to disrupt the original plan."
"Am I right, Sis?"
"..."
After being silenced by Misaya, Rin Tohsaka was now rendered speechless by her own sister.
Once again, she felt the incredibly deep trust between Sakura and Ian.
Perhaps this was why she had been able to summon a Saber, while Rin herself had regrettably missed the chance.
It seems— Rin thought.
—I'll have to consider other options for the Servant I summon.
With this in mind, Rin Tohsaka began to ponder what Class she should prepare for next.
However, she realized she hadn't come away completely empty-handed.
At the very least...
He did stand up to protect me just now, didn't he?
What an excellent Saber!
You are unaware of the conversation between Rin and Sakura Tohsaka.
You are led by Misaya Reiroukan into the depths of Homurahara Academy.
This is the residence she spoke of.
That being said...
Although Misaya Reiroukan called it a residence, Ian felt that the situation here was not so wonderful.
He could clearly sense that there was no one around; it was the kind of place you would hurry through if you happened to pass by.
Scáthach seemed to have noticed Ian's thoughts.
Walking ahead of him, she soon asked, "You must be wondering why I live in a place like this, right?"
"Yes," Ian admitted, not hiding his thoughts. "Because I have a feeling you should be living in a much more high-class establishment."
"Oh? A more high-class establishment?"
Scáthach was intrigued by Ian's answer.
"And what exactly would that be?" she inquired.
"Hmm..." Ian briefly studied Scáthach's back before answering again.
"A place like a palace, for example."
"Or perhaps a castle of some sort," he added.
"..."
Scáthach paused, then turned her head to look back at Ian and asked, "Do you really think so?"
"I do," Ian nodded. "At least, that's the first impression you give me, Misaya-sensei."
"..."
"Just call me Misaya," Scáthach said, turning back around. "Adding 'sensei' makes it feel like I'm much older than you."
"However, those places you mentioned just now—" she continued.
"I did live in them for a while."
"Is that so?" Ian smiled faintly. "Then my guess was quite accurate."
"Perhaps," Scáthach replied, her expression growing complex.
If she could, she wouldn't want to live in a place like that at all.
A magnificent palace was nothing more than the shackles of fate.
A single glance was a millennium of lonely existence.
You finally arrive at the place where Scáthach lives.
Only—
You discover that there seem to be far more problems here than you had imagined.
No wonder she needed two people to live here—the other apartments didn't even have doors!
The dust-covered staircase indicated that this place had been abandoned for a long time, and that Misaya had forced her way in to live here.
Of course, basic utilities like water and electricity were available, but only just barely.
Standing at the doorway and looking in, one could see a dilapidated sofa and coffee table, as well as a television on a stand that looked like it could dissolve into static at any moment.
Other than these, the only relatively conspicuous piece of furniture was the refrigerator in the corner.
But even so, Ian didn't think it was worth much.
The floor was littered with all sorts of cardboard boxes and broken equipment damaged by Spearmanship Club members—it seemed she was trying to find a way to repair them.
He didn't know what was in the inner rooms, but judging from the state of the living area, it couldn't be much better.
Everything seemed to be in a state of chaotic disarray, yet it also seemed to hide some sort of personal habit of Misaya's.
However, she herself seemed completely unconcerned by any of this.
The Spearmanship Club instructor placed her hands on her hips and spoke as if giving an order, "Ian, for the time being, you will live here with me."
"There shouldn't be a problem with that, right?"
"..."
"..."
"What's with that look?" Scáthach asked, looking displeased. "Are you disgusted by how shabby my place is?"
"Whether it's shabby or not is secondary," Ian replied, his brow furrowed tightly.
It was clear he had many opinions at that moment, but he was still maintaining a polite restraint.
"Misaya-sensei, are you sure you're not going to tidy up a bit?"
"Tidy up?" Scáthach shook her head. "Isn't it fine as it is?"
"Then—"
Ian pressed a hand to his forehead, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Take a look over there," he said.
Following the man's pointing finger, Scáthach, who had been perfectly calm and even a little arrogant just a second before, instantly blushed.
Because in that very spot was her lace underwear, which she had left out to dry but hadn't had time to fold and put away in the cabinet!
Since no one ever came to visit—which was also the primary reason Scáthach chose this place—she hadn't even realized that she only ever put her clothes away at night!
"Close your eyes! Don't look!" she yelled, scrambling to salvage her dignity.
A few minutes later, after having "seriously dealt with" the matter and confirming that Ian would not see anything else embarrassing, Scáthach returned to the living room.
Just as she was about to warn Ian to "forget everything you just saw," she saw an unexpected sight.
Ian had already started cleaning up, and he looked quite serious about it.
Scáthach was stunned for a moment—she hadn't expected him to take action so quickly.
"Ian, are you cleaning?" she asked.
"Yes, Misaya-sensei," Ian replied, continuing his work. "Don't worry, it'll be done soon."
"..."
"Do you think it's very messy here?" Scáthach couldn't help but ask.
"It's not really a question of whether it's messy or not," Ian said.
He bent down, stacked up some boxes he confirmed were useless, and cleared a little space.
"I just can't stand seeing things not being where they're supposed to be," he explained.
"Don't worry about it—" Ian looked at Scáthach, a smile in his eyes.
"As the ten-year undefeated legend of the Spearmanship Club—isn't it normal for an admirer to help you clean your room?"
"..."
Scáthach realized that Ian was just looking for an excuse to clean the room for her.
But she found that this feeling of being taken care of wasn't bad at all.
Hmm... she thought.
It feels like touching warm sunlight after staying in the shadows for a long time.
"But—" Scáthach started.
"If you had pushed just a little harder, you would have already hit me, wouldn't you?"
"So—"
Scáthach walked over to Ian's side.
"Let's clean up together... It just so happens I haven't organized my own things in a long time," she offered.
"Alright," Ian shrugged. "There are some things I don't know how to handle anyway."
You and Misaya Reiroukan begin to tidy up the room, just like tenants who have just moved in.
You realize she isn't as difficult to get along with as she appears on the surface—at least she's not so cold when cleaning.
But in all honesty, you find this a bit absurd.
After all, Misaya has lived here for ten years, yet her room has ended up in this ghastly state.
You can't help but wonder what she has been doing for the past decade.
Could it be that Misaya really spent all her energy practicing her spear skills?
But none of that matters—you're not here to dwell on her past.
Getting along like this is pretty nice.
As night fell, Scáthach's slightly chaotic residence was completely transformed.
"Phew," Ian let out a breath.
"Misaya, we finally got it done."
"Mmm," Scáthach hummed in agreement.
She handed Ian a tissue.
"Wipe your sweat," she said.
"Alright." Ian took the tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Thank you, Misaya."
"I should be the one thanking you," Scáthach replied.
She nodded, then looked up at the man who was slightly taller than her.
Her already good impression of him had improved even further.
This made her think of something.
"By the way, Ian," she began.
"Do you like to drink?" Scáthach asked.
"It's alright," he answered.
"Then—" Scáthach's tone turned a little cheerful.
"Would you like to have a couple of drinks with me tonight?"