After a long day of corporate work, Yasuhiro returned to his apartment, greeted by an illuminating figure.
"Welcome home, darling." Artoria's beautiful face gleamed brightly as she looked at him. Wearing an apron and holding a spatula in her hand felt like a dream many would strive for.
Of course, Artoria was his alone, the love of his life and the only one worthy of her existance.
"Would you like a shower, maybe a meal first..." Artoria paused as her face became slightly flustered. "Or maybe... me" Her~ eyes shifted to the side, embarrassed by what she said.
"Of course, honey. I'll always choose you first," Yasuhiro said with overwhelming affection before leaning in for a kiss.
Artoria closed her eyes and leaned forward, but before their lips could meet—
He was woken by the sound of birds chirping. Yasuhiro's eyes lazily opened.
"Ugh, it was a dream." Stricken by reality, Yasuhiro begrudgingly rose from his bed while cursing reality itself.
Washing himself and donning his school uniform, his mind slowly became clear from the morning fatigue.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he drew a smile, checked for any imperfections, and nodded to himself with satisfaction.
Going downstairs and brewing a cup of black coffee, his mind felt more refreshed. He stored the remaining coffee in a thermos for later.
Grabbing two pieces of bread, some salami, and cheese, he assembled a simple sandwich and exited the house through the front gate.
Yasuhiro was part of an old samurai family dating back to the Edo Period—samurai who once served the shogun. For their service and loyalty, they were granted a large Japanese-style mansion, with walls surrounding it.
The current heir and only descendant was Sato Yasuhiro. Though his family wasn't as hardline about traditions as the Ryuudou Temple, they were still considered strict by normal standards.
His parents, who often worked overseas, usually left the house empty, while the elders of the family had moved to the back of the mountain—the same mountain claimed by the Ryuudou Temple, said to have air that could heal and increase life expectancy.
So to summarize: the current heir of the Sato family was left to care for the main household while his parents "worked overseas" (an excuse for a vacation), and the elders were bunched up in a spare mansion on the mountainside.
Verdict: it sucked.
But aside from cleaning a very large house, his lifestyle didn't deviate much from his previous life.
And there were some benefits to being alone without anyone watching—like performing rituals that may or may not resemble satanic ceremonies, and sitting on the so-called ritual circle, praying all day and night.
Carving his body with magic circuits, which from an outsider's point of view looked like a maniac drawing weird signs on himself. You know. The usual.
Yasuhiro sighed to himself before looking ahead, and without realizing it, he had reached the school's entrance.
"Morning, Senpai!" a passing student greeted him, and Yasuhiro returned the gesture with a smile.
Though it was still very early, many students arrived early for club activities.
Of course, Yasuhiro was part of the kendo club and naturally, he was the captain.
Still occupied with eating the sandwich, he caught a rare sight from the edge of his vision.
Rin Tohsaka, an idol of many male students at his school. She always placed first in exams, acted with proper decorum, and walked a line between aloof and friendly to give off the impression of someone approachable, yet far too good for you.
The textbook example of a model student.
But seeing her this early in the morning felt unusual, as he knew a trait of hers not many were aware of:
'Not a morning person in the slightest.' With that in mind, he approached her sluggish figure.
"Morning, Rin. Pretty rare to see you so early in the morning." Yasuhiro's greeting grabbed the attention of the fatigued Rin.
"Oh, Sato. Odd question, but what time is it?" Rin asked in a slightly exhausted tone.
"The current time is..." Yasuhiro flipped his sleeve to check the watch. "05:30. A perfect time for anyone participating in club activities, unlike you." With a slightly sarcastic remark, Yasuhiro retrieved the thermos from his bag. "You look exhausted. How about a cup of coffee?"
"No thanks. And for your information, I am in the go-home-early club."
Yasuhiro sensed there were unspoken reasons why she had woken up so early, but he could make a few guesses.
"Hm, I haven't heard of such a club. Maybe I should join. Ahk- kendo has been weighing heavy on my back." I dramatically cracked my back like a hunched old man.
"Hmm, I think if you leave the kendo club, all the girls who joined will be very angry at you, Mr. Nice Guy." Rin's fatigue seemed to have worn off just enough to make snarky comments.
Perhaps because we both wore masks to school or perhaps because I knew she was secretly a decent person, I felt a certain kinship. I always enjoyed interacting with Rin.
"Mhm, whatever you say, Mrs. Perfect." After the short banter, I decided to go ahead, there was club business I needed to attend to.
With a short farewell, Yasuhiro went ahead.. but suddenly a loud voice stopped him in his track.
"Well, well, look who it is!" There was only one person who could have such a distinctive tone and voice.
Without looking back, I broke into a full sprint toward the school's entrance!
"Hey! Wait! I'm not done with you!!" Ayako Mitsuzuri's voice trailed behind me as a set of footsteps quickly followed.
"Ugh, why do you guys always have bones to pick with each other?" Rin, who saw this scene, sighed deeply and continued her leisurely walk to the school.
As the two raced toward the entrance, Sato, using incredible athleticism, performed a front flip and while still in the air, he managed to switch into his indoor shoes.
Everyone who saw the scene stared in open-mouthed amazement.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Ayako cried in protest as she hurriedly changed her shoes.
Quickly ascending the stairs, Sato escaped Ayako's line of sight—for now. But the hurried thumping of footsteps gave away the direction he had gone.
Scanning the second floor, he saw a certain red-haired student accompanied by a stern-looking companion.
'Perfect!' He sprinted toward Shirou Emiya.
"Oh, Sato, wait!"
Seeing the rapidly approaching figure, Shirou unconsciously stepped back.
"No- no running in the hallway!" Issei Hyoudou, though bewildered, still tried to sound imposing.
It didn't work.
Without missing a beat, Sato was in front of Shirou. Placing both hands on Shirou's shoulders, he took a deep breath and looked very serious.
"Hide me. Now!"
"Wha!"
"No time. She's coming for me, there is no time."
The rapid footsteps from the stairwell grew louder.
Racking his brain, Shirou opened the classroom door beside him and shoved Sato inside before shutting it firmly.
A second later, Ayako's menacing figure appeared at the end of the hallway where Shirou and Issei stood.
"Shirou, where did Sato run?"
Without a second of hesitation, Shirou answered, "He ran past us. Did something happen between you two?"
"It's an unfinished match he shamelessly abandoned!" Without another word, Ayako ran past them.