Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Is this the alienation that modern civilization has inflicted on humanity? It's terrifying... No wonder the magicians of the Wandering Sea and the Atlas Academy lead such reclusive lives.

After saying goodbye to Aika and Leticia, Shirou successfully returned to Fuyuki in the early 21st century.

The first thing to do, of course, is to confirm the time.

A full month has passed since I was forcibly summoned.

In other words, a month spent in a parallel world passes at the same rate as time here.

"Have I been completely missing for the past month...?"

Thinking about this, Shirou's good mood turned uneasy.

Before he left, he promised Ilya that he would return as soon as possible.

Is a month... really considered "as soon as possible"?

This is a very delicate time.

Will Ilya be angry?

Will Alice, Fujii, and Sakura be worried?

Shirou thought to himself, "I need to buy them some gifts."

Today is the weekend, and Xindu is very lively. He spent the whole day buying gifts for the women in his family.

When Shirou returned to the gates of the long-missed mansion, dusk had already turned the courtyard orange.

Judging from how well the garden is maintained, it's been kept in great condition even when I'm away for a month... Thank you, Sera.

When Shirou hadn't been home for a long time, he sneaked in using "Scent Concealment" to surprise everyone, only to stumble upon Aoko and Ayumi confronting Irisviel.

This time he learned his lesson and decided to enter through the main entrance.

"------"

Press the doorbell.

It was a long time before Shirou heard footsteps passing through the entrance hall.

Judging from this voice—it's Liselle!

Shirou can identify the women in his house by their footsteps. This is neither a special ability nor a malicious attempt to memorize everyone's voice; it's just that his body naturally memorizes them after living together for a long time.

Shirou called it "family bond".

The wooden door was pulled open.

"Oh, Liz, it's been a long time."

"Shirou... young master...?"

Shirou tried his best to put on a cheerful smile, while Lyselette, the poker-faced leader of the Einzbern family, seemed quite shaken.

"you are back……"

"Oh, I'm back. No need for such a big reaction, right? Or have you changed your persona? Just kidding."

Shirou walked through the entrance hall where he had lived for nearly ten years, with Lyselette following hurriedly beside him.

"Is everyone there?"

"Ah, um... I am."

Who's there?

"...There are many people."

"what?"

Shirou entered the living room with a frown.

"Huh?" "Shirou?" "Amamiya-kun?"

The women in the room stared wide-eyed.

As Lisellete literally put it, many people are—

Irisviel, Illyasviel, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, Sera.

Sakura is one thing, but the young lady of the Tohsaka family can be considered a six-star rare character of the Amamiya family. These people are gathered around the table and seem to be discussing something.

"Brother!" "Senior!"

Illya and Sakura, without even bothering to put on their slippers, ran over.

"I'm back... woof!"

Shirou was tackled by the two girls and fell heavily to the ground.

"Shirou, you big liar! Shirou, you big liar! Shirou, you big liar! You promised you'd be here soon! Why?! Waaaaaaahh ...

Illya cried as she pounded Shirou’s chest with her fists.

“Senior…that’s great…you’re finally back…I was still thinking…what if you never showed up again…”

Sakura Matou buried her face in Shirou's waist, letting out intermittent sobs.

Irisviel covered her mouth with both hands, walked over with an incredulous expression, looked down at him, and asked:

"Are you really... really Shirou?"

Shirou nodded: "Ah... I'm sorry to have worried everyone."

Rin Tohsaka, the only one who could remain calm, gave him a sly smile: "Welcome back, Amamiya-kun."

"I am back."

Shirou echoed this with mixed feelings.

……

……

Illya and Sakura vented their emotions on Shirou for about an hour before finally calming down.

Shirou had originally planned to find a way to conceal the fact that he had gone to a parallel world to participate in the Holy Grail War, but that's no longer possible.

He could only recount his experience of being chosen by the Holy Grail and participating in the war as a Servant, omitting the specific details.

Fortunately, Fujii-nee isn't here today. If she were, Shirou really wouldn't know how he would have gotten out of this.

"To think there is such a thing..."

Rin Tohsaka pinched her chin, lost in thought.

She had, of course, heard of Shirou's exploits in the Fourth Holy Grail War, where he used the Holy Sword to fight against Servants.

However, it is still too far-fetched for a living human being to be summoned and possessed by the Holy Grail as we are now.

"Don't leave again!"

Illya hugged Shirou tightly and cried out, while he stroked his sister's head:

"In order to completely solve this problem, we're discussing solutions."

To be honest, I can't stand being summoned like this for no reason...

"Tohsaka, can you help me?"

Shirou secretly called out to Rin Tohsaka in the corridor.

"Eh? Me?"

Rin was taken aback.

Although she has been the head of the Tohsaka family since the last Holy Grail War, she considers herself still an immature magician.

She never expected that Shirou would ask her for help without caring about his pride.

After all, I heard Sakura complaining—

Isn't Shirou currently having a close relationship with those women at the top of the Clock Tower?

"I don't want to involve Aoko and the others."

Unlike Shirou, who is still in high school, Aoko and Touko have their own careers now, and even Ayumi is working as a magic consultant.

Shirou felt he couldn't waste their important time because of his own affairs...

What? You mean the monthly Western-style silver party?

That's different; that's necessary emotional exchange.

Shirou felt that if an ordinary boy like himself wanted to keep their hearts, he could only work harder and diligently cultivate and sow seeds on them.

"Hmph~ Because they felt that someone as insignificant as myself wasn't worth wasting the time of important people, they came to ask me, who's of a similar rank, for help~"

Rin Tohsaka twitched her lips in displeasure: "...I really am being looked down upon!"

Shirou lowered his head deeply: "That's how it is."

I didn't mean to belittle you, Tohsaka. You're the only person I can ask for help.

"Uh, I was just kidding... So suddenly being so frank... Really!"

Rin Tohsaka blushed with annoyance.

Whether it's his "low self-esteem" or his "frank and honest" qualities, Shirou Amamiya makes her feel at a loss.

Despite being exceptionally talented, the red-haired boy is completely oblivious to his own abilities; his very existence is the ultimate mockery of all magicians.

"Okay, okay! You've figured out why you were forcibly summoned, right? I'll help you!"

Rin Tohsaka muttered something and ran away.

Shirou watched her walk away: Speaking of which, why did Tohsaka-san end up in my house?

……

……

Shirou returned to a normal life.

In the morning, I go to school with Sakura; at noon, I go to the cafeteria with Shinji; or I spend time with Kazunari in the student council.

After all the afternoon classes are over, I will go to the archery club for club activities.

At 5:30 in the evening, I left school with Sakura, bought ingredients for dinner in the shopping street, and then went home to prepare dinner.

After dinner, I instructed Fujii to take Sakura home, play the new game released last week with Illya, and finally go to the dojo or the warehouse to practice.

Finally back, Shirou's ordinary high school life, which he once felt nothing for but now finds incredibly precious.

However, amidst this peaceful daily routine, Shirou also sensed something amiss.

Something always feels wrong.

People's attitudes toward themselves are a bit strange.

Tohsaka has recently started frequenting the Amamiya residence, and each time she's with Sakura.

They didn't come to find themselves, but to find Irisviel.

Although Irisviel is only a teenager in real age, her mental structure is that of an adult, a mother who has given birth. Shirou doesn't feel that she has anything in common with the Tohsaka Sisters.

Moreover, Ilya sometimes even joins in the conversation.

During this time, either Lyselette or Sera would stand at the entrance to the living room, seemingly on guard.

As for the target of our vigilance, it goes without saying.

In other words, judging from the current situation—

Shirou was ostracized by everyone.

"how so……"

Shirou felt like the sky was about to fall.

Leaving home without saying goodbye and running away from home for a month was indeed wrong of me, but...

No, no, no, that's impossible. There's no reason for anyone to ostracize me.

Shirou thought to himself, "I must have misunderstood."

I get it! They must be secretly planning my birthday party, wanting to give me a huge surprise...