"Who was that?"
Haru hung up the phone, feeling a gentle tug on his shirt. He turned to see Sakura Matou gazing up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Was it Uncle Kariya?"
Haru nodded, offering a soft smile. "He's got some things to handle, so you'll be staying with us for a while."
Sakura seemed uneasy in this unfamiliar place, but she didn't question him. Maybe she was just used to going along with things. Seeing her quiet discomfort, Haru felt a small ache in his chest.
"Sakura~~ Let's play!" Rias dashed out, grabbed Sakura's hand, and stuck her tongue out at Haru. "We don't need Haru, the boy, joining us!" With that, she pulled Sakura off into the distance.
Haru caught a fleeting glimpse of Sakura's shy smile. She looked unsure how to handle Rias's energy but seemed eager to join in anyway.
"Oh, Rias. I told you not to run around in the hospital. It's not very ladylike," Miki said, stepping out of the room with a gentle scolding.
"I know, Auntie..." Rias's voice trailed off as the two girls vanished around a corner.
"Really..." Miki sighed.
Haru turned to his mother. "Mom, how are Uncle and Auntie doing?"
Earlier, he and Rias had visited them in their hospital room. Uncle had pulled the bed sheet over himself, telling his daughter it was just a minor injury and he needed rest.
It was a lie, of course. Rias, being a kid, didn't suspect a thing. Though she was upset at first, her attention quickly shifted to her new friend, Sakura.
Meiko's face grew serious. "Ryouko's doing better, but Shinya... they couldn't find his severed limb. His arm's gone for sure... but at least his life's not in danger."
Haru's fists tightened, anger simmering inside him with nowhere to go.
"Haru, come inside. Uncle and Auntie have some questions for you," Miki said firmly.
He'd known this was coming. Haru gathered his thoughts and followed her into the room.
Maybe the police felt guilty for not stepping in sooner, because they'd arranged a decent setup for Uncle Shinya and Auntie Ryouko. The room was comfortable, just for the two of them. Both were ordinary folks, like Haru's parents, but where Haru's family was average-looking, Shinya and Ryouko stood out; him handsome, her striking, even now, pale and dressed in hospital gowns.
The moment they saw Haru, their emotions spilled over. Ryouko struggled to stand, wanting to thank him properly. Haru rushed to steady her wobbly frame, and with Miki's help, they got her settled again.
"Haru, we owe you everything," Shinya rasped. "I've taken down plenty of tough criminals, but I've never seen... those... monsters!"
He searched for words, struggling to describe something so far beyond normal life.
"Our guns were useless. The bullets did nothing. They just flicked their tentacles, and the teeth on them turned my hand to mush. If your aunt hadn't dragged me out, I'd be gone... Haru, you're a good kid. Thank you for saving us!"
His voice rose with agitation, and Ryouko patted him gently to calm him down.
Miki fixed her gaze on Haru. "Haru, why were you out last night? How did you find them? And... Ryouko says you seemed to have some kind of power to avoid those monsters."
She hadn't seen it herself, only heard it from Ryouko. Naturally, she was skeptical, wondering if they'd imagined it all.
Haru took a slow breath. "Here's what happened. I overheard you talking to Dad, so I knew Uncle and Auntie were missing..."
He wove a story, blending truth with fiction. He'd slipped out at night to search for them, got attacked by monsters on the way, and then a "hero of justice"; a magus named Kariya Matou showed up. Kariya protected him, guided him to Shinya and Ryouko, but stayed out of sight for his own reasons. All the strange things Haru did? That was Kariya helping from the shadows.
He pinned every odd detail on this "mysterious magus," Kariya Matou, steering clear of anything about the Holy Grail War.
"...So that's it. Uncle Kariya said Fuyuki's been crawling with evil magi lately, making it dangerous. He asked us to look after his niece; Sakura, for a few days until he cleans up the mess."
Haru tied up his story, almost convincing himself it was true.
"So that's why you went out today and borrowed my phone; to reach this 'Kariya Matou,'" Miki said, not doubting her son for a second. Her trust stung him a little ashamed.
She groaned and said. "He saved you all and trusted us with his niece, so he can't be a bad guy... Still, magicians? That's a lot to swallow."
Haru didn't bother correcting her mix-up of "magic" and "magecraft." He asked, "Where's Dad? Shouldn't we talk to him about Sakura staying?"
"Talk about what?" Miki raised an eyebrow. "Kariya Matou's our benefactor, so helping him out is only fair. Besides, he's doing what us police can't; keeping the peace from the shadows. Watching a little girl's no trouble. Your father won't mind."
The higher-ups were hushing up Shinya and Ryouko's ordeal, offering compensation to keep it quiet. Weird cases in Fuyuki were being swept under the rug. Haru's dad, a mid-level officer, was off handling the press and public, still clueless about his son's role.
Miki's tone made it clear Dad's opinion wouldn't change a thing. Haru quietly pitied his oblivious father for a solid three seconds…no more.
And so, on top of Rias, another little girl joined the household: Sakura. Unlike the bouncy Rias, Sakura was calm and quiet, shaped by both her nature and how she'd been raised. She was shy, too.
Worried about her sleeping alone, Miki decided, "Tonight, Sakura and Riki can share a bed. Haru's is big enough for two."
Haru frowned. "Three people on one bed? That's too much. It's my spot; why should I—"
"I didn't say three," Miki cut in, puzzled.
Haru's stomach sank. He had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, she continued, "The two little princesses get the bed. You can take the closet. Or would you rather sleep with me?"
"Uh... I'll take the closet," Haru muttered, suddenly aware his family status had slipped another notch.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course Haru didn't just roll over and sleep. When the time felt right, he opened the closet door quietly and peeked at the two girls snoozing soundly. Sakura was the picture of a good kid, even her sleeping pose prim and proper. Rias, though? A total mess. Years of tussling with Haru over blankets had left her sprawled out, no trace of grace.
He smirked, picked up the fallen blanket, and draped it gently over them without waking them up.
Then he pulled a bamboo sword bag from under the bed and slung it over his shoulder. Inside wasn't some practice blade, but the demon sword Muramasa he'd recently obtained. Aside from a golden pot he hadn't figured out yet, this knife was the priciest thing he owned.
...Oh, and that stray hair on his head was worth about three demon swords. Better be careful with the next haircut.
Tonight's bloodbath on the Mion River was way out of his league. He just wanted to watch from a safe spot, to see this fight play out. Plus, he was worried about Kariya. With that guy's shaky mind, Haru wouldn't be shocked if he cracked at any moment.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caster hadn't summoned some run-of-the-mill monster. This thing could regenerate forever, unstoppable as long as it had magical energy. And getting that energy? Easy; just keep eating.
"We can't let it near the shore!" the Conqueror yelled, slamming his Noble Phantasm, the Gordius Wheel, on a giant tentacle. "If it starts eating people, it'll keep growing, and we'll never be able to stop it!"
The attack had no effect. The tentacle regrew fast, back to normal in seconds.
"Tch, gotta take it out in one shot?" The Conqueror frowned. His Gordius Wheel had speed and power, but it couldn't hit wide enough. His other ace, "Ionioi Hetairoi," was top-tier, but it burned through magical energy and relied on soldier numbers; useless against a beast that fed on humans.
"Even an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm won't cut it... We need Anti-Fortress firepower."
"Conqueror, focus!" Saber leaped up, her unseen holy sword slashing a tentacle aimed at the divine bulls.
"Thanks, King of Knights!" The Conqueror snapped to it, charging his thunder chariot at the monster's massive head, smashing tentacles into pulp along the way.
"It is still healing, huh? It doesn't seem to have any weak points."
He saw it regrow again. Annoying, but he attacked anyway. Heroes don't quit. Saber kept at it too, hacking tentacles despite her sword's awkwardness, though the monster outpaced their efforts.
"What a joke," Gilgamesh sneered from her Vimana, eyeing the chaos below with disgust. "Tohsaka, this is what you dragged me to see? It's no fun; it's just a rotting mess."
Tohsaka bowed. "O King, that beast's trashing your garden. For your honor, please end it!"
As Fuyuki's landowners, the Tohsaka family had to hide the mystic world. But this monster was out in the open, drawing a crowd. Things were slipping, and he needed it gone fast to save face.
But he was disappointed, Gilgamesh had no intention of helping.
"I've discarded two treasures already, stained with that filth's blood. I'm not fishing them back. Now you want me to take action again? Tohsaka, I indulge you for your respect; don't push it."
Tohsaka eyed his two remaining Command Seals. 'Should I use them? But that'd anger her afterwards.'
Then, two F-15 jets buzzed in from a distance.
Tohsaka's face darkened. This was beyond the Church's control now.
One jet which got too close was grabbed and swallowed by the sea demon. The other jet, maybe freaked out, kept firing, but bullets barely scratched it.
"Hm?" Gilgamesh perked up. The lone jet turned black, red veins snaking over it, morphing from tech to some mythic evil bird.
Tohsaka spotted someone below. "O King, let me deal with something down there."
Gilgamesh waved her off, then grinned at the jet. "It's coming for me?.....Is it that mad dog again? Interesting."
Vimana shifted, flying towards the morphed F-15 in the sky.
Tohsaka landed on a rooftop via magecraft where Kariya Matou was waiting.
"Just like the kid said; you came," Kariya said with a half-smile. "I originally wanted to talk to you about a lot of things, but now it seems pointless. He already told me how this ends."
Hundreds of bugs crawled up, cocooning into demon wasps in seconds.
"See this? Matou magecraft. You sent Sakura away because you're a magus; family ties mean nothing to you. After seeing this do you still feel that way now?"
Kariya stared at Tohsaka, a man he'd once called a friend, silently begging: 'Say you care about Sakura. Say you love her. Let her go back to her mom and sister!'
He'd heard Tohsaka's stance from Haru, but he still clung to a shred of hope.
However, Tohsaka's answer crushed it.
"What's this nonsense? You've shamed the Matou magecraft line. With Sakura and Rin's talents, sending Sakura to the Matous as an adoptee is the best move."
"...Best move, huh."
Kariya's shoulders shook. He laughed. "Hahaha....Damn it! you bastard…you really deserve to die"
"You decided Sakura's life without asking her. Have you ever asked what she wants?"
Kariya snarled, "Insects; devour him!"