"Why are you here?" Shirou asked as he put down his backpack.
"Hey, rude." The witch pouted at him. "Can't I come visit a friend from a far away country?"
"You can." He said sarcastically, "As long as you didn't invade my house and go through my personal things. So, why are you here again?"
Shrugging, Ninny closed the magazine she read. She looked at him with her usual smug look. It reminded him of the first time they met in reverse London.
She stood up and looked at him, grinning.
"The reason I came here is because I feel bad toward you. I am a good person, so I want to repay your favor by helping you. Don't you feel honored?" She asked, puffing out her chest.
Having been close with Tohsaka in his previous life, Shirou could guess what this prideful girl was really thinking. Surely she came here because she was ordered by her higher-up or maybe she just wanted to fix her mess.
He chuckled, deciding to give an answer that would satisfy her. "Sure I am."
"Good." Ninny nodded, "By the way Noel is also here. She's currently visiting her family right now so she will join later."
"Noel is also here?" Shirou asked, a bit surprised by the information.
"Yes, she is."
Which meant both Witches he became friends with in London were here in Japan.
Having them here would allow him to focus on the arrancar problem and didn't have to worry about other problems, namely the dragon.
He just wondered, what about his family? What should he tell them?
'There is no way they will stay here, right?'
"With that, I am looking forward to working together, Shirou." Ninny gave a playful smile, "Now... Can you guide me around the town? I want to know what I can expect here."
'Why do I feel like I have another problem in my hands?' The boy groaned inwardly. But still, he felt thankful to the two girls for coming. 'At least the situation with the dragon will be resolved.'
"Wait for me outside. I have to change my clothes." Shirou sighed as he opened his wardrobe. He looked around, searching for something that was good and presentable for the outing.
Shirou looked forward for a normal life.
He just didn't expect that a normal life was impossible at the moment. Not with so many problems piling up in front of him.
***
Normal was something he'd like to have when he wasn't fighting.
However...
"So you're Shirou's friend! Eat a lot! Fufufu, he didn't tell us that he made such a cute friend like you."
"Hahahaha! It's my first time meeting a foreigner that is close to my son. Welcome to my home!"
When Shirou finished changing his clothes, he found Ninny disappearing from outside of his room. Turned out, she joined both Masaki and Isshin in the living room, eating some snacks while talking with them.
He was a bit surprised by how easily Ninny blended in with the two, but that was just his mother. She was always good with people, no matter where they were from. It didn't surprise Shirou at all.
"Oh, Shirou!"
Masaki noticed him first and waved her hand to call him. He approached the table and sat beside his mother. She looked at him and Ninny, a smile on her face. "Ninny is such a sweet girl. We've had some fun conversations."
The auburn-haired boy smiled at his mother's compliment, nodding. He was glad she enjoyed her conversation with the two of them. Still... Since when did they become comfortable around Ninny?
Masaki seemed to realize what he was thinking as she smiled wider. She reached for the snacks on the table and handed one to Shirou, "Eat this, it's really tasty. Ninny said she brought it from London!"
Turning to the blonde girl, Shirou noticed her smirk and raised his eyebrow, "What did you tell them?" he whispered.
"Secret~"
The boy groaned. She was truly similar to Tohsaka.
From the way she acted and how she could fake her smile to appear like a sweet, polite girl in front of others. Everything was so similar that he had to wonder whether they were long lost sisters from different worlds.
"Where are you going to stay tonight, Ninny-chan?" Isshin curiously asked her. "You must've had a long way to go here from London, right? So if you want to stay in our home, it's fine."
"What?!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise.
How could he say such a thing suddenly?
Knowing Isshin, it was possible that he was just having fun. But then, this was a girl they were talking about.
Fortunately, Ninny refused.
"I'm staying in my friend's home." Ninny replied, smiling sweetly. "I have made arrangements with her family so there's no need to worry, Mr. Isshin."
"Is that so?" The head of Kurosaki household nodded in satisfaction. "Then make sure to tell your friend to come and play here sometime. We would be happy to welcome her as well!"
"Sure, I will." The girl giggled.
Ninny excused herself soon after that, and Shirou offered to escort her.
Not only was it unsafe for a girl to walk around at night, but she also didn't know this area very well. She used this chance to tease him with a smirk.
"What a gentleman you are." She teased.
Shirou rolled his eyes. "Stop that."
She chuckled, and then changed the subject, her voice serious, "By the way, about your brother..."
The auburn-haired boy looked around for a moment to check whether there was anyone around before nodding.
"What about him?"
Ninny frowned. She looked thoughtful, and after some thought, she sighed.
"Well, I wanted to see him but he's not here. And your sisters are so shy they run away after seeing me."
"Yeah," Shirou muttered, feeling confused as well, "I don't know why Ichigo hasn't returned yet, but my sisters are usually not that shy. Maybe it's because you're a foreigner?"
"Maybe." She agreed with a small shrug of her shoulder. She didn't really mind. It was normal for people to react like that when they saw her, especially those who didn't live in a city.
So she let it go and turned to him with a smile on her lips, "Let's talk about more pleasant things. Talking about love, for example. Let's say... Like a girlfriend?"
"Cough cough," The auburn-haired boy choked in his spit. He took a few seconds to recover before glaring at the witch, "No."
What a coincidence. This morning and afternoon, he had to deal with the school rumor and now he had to deal with this witch who suddenly got interested in the topic?
"No, what? I was just curious, okay? Why are you so angry? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?"
"I don't have a girlfriend and I'm not angry."
"Hahaha! You don't have to lie to me! It's okay. Everyone has secrets." She winked at him and grinned. "Besides, I'm a very good secret keeper! You can consult me if you have a problem with your girlfriend. Just so you know, I am really popular in London!"
Shirou stared blankly at the girl for a few seconds before he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He didn't know whether to feel exasperated or amused. The situation he had been in was just too ridiculous.
"I'm serious though, I really have no girlfriend." He told her, his tone flat and expressionless.
Ninny blinked. She looked closer to his face and hummed curiously, "Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh." She blinked, a little surprised. After a while, she grinned, "Well, you're no fun at all, then. Hmph, how disappointing." The blonde girl sighed in disappointment.
'Why did you want me to have a girlfriend that badly anyway?' He grumbled mentally. 'It's not something I should worry about at the moment.'
He sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. He had already expected this, and it didn't bother him anymore.
Focusing his gaze on the sky, he didn't notice the small smile formed on the witch's lips. She let out a low giggle at his reaction.
Both of them walked under the starry sky in comfortable silence. They were headed to Noel's family house, and the silence lasted for a while until Shirou broke it, asking a question that had been in his mind since earlier.
"So," Shirou began, trying to find the correct words to say.
But when he didn't get it, he just sighed. And then, he suddenly felt it, a surging reiatsu from his brother.
However, there was this chilling feeling along with it, like something was going to go wrong.
It felt like an omen for Shirou.
An omen for a disaster that would happen.
"Ninny, sorry but there is something urgent I must attend." He apologized, turning away. He couldn't ignore the chill he got from Ichigo's spiritual pressure, something that felt dangerous. He wanted to check on it.
"Ah! Wait!" She shouted at him, but it was too late.
Shirou had already jumped over the roof and disappeared from sight, leaving the girl alone on the sidewalk. Ninny pouted as he left, and she sighed deeply as she watched the sky above her head. She was disappointed, and slightly annoyed, at being ditched.
Still... That didn't mean she wouldn't do anything.
"That guy!" She gritted her teeth and took out a whistle.
She then blew the whistle.
The whistle produced no sound that humans could hear. But if a creature with a special sense of hearing could listen, they would have heard a loud noise. The sound was loud and piercing, but it didn't reach normal people's hearing range.
The girl didn't do this for no reason.
She had a partner, a creature that was native to London.
Soon, a giant creature flew from afar, flying toward her.
"Let's chase after him." She told her pet and hopped on top of it. The dragon was huge, at least two meters wide. And Ninny rode it as if it was a vehicle.
And then, she flew toward the sky.