Chapter 22 - The Sword and The Knife
Yu slumped over in her seat, watching as officials in business suits shook hands with each other, packing up their briefcases with a few documents, or leaving the room she was in outright.
"Uwa… I'm tired."
She had just finished a meeting with U.A's board of directors, a cautious yet careless bunch when it came to their budget. Kind of understandable, seeing the expenses that went into the school itself.
Now, you might be wondering why she would be in a stuffy board room meeting with a whole bunch of old guys, but the reason was simpler than you'd think.
After the whole incident at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, the budget allocation for the upcoming sports festival was almost doubled completely. Pro Heroes would literally fill up the venue in case of villain attacks, but that's disregarding the hundreds of heroes that were already going to attend the event as audience members.
Yu wouldn't be surprised if over half of the professional heroes in the city were going to be attending. Even in her tired state, Yu snickered at the thought of any villains attacking such a high profile venue.
To her right was Aizawa, who was wrapped from head to toe in bandages. He looked like some sort of petrified mummy. It was only from the fact that the guy was diligently looking through several papers, at the time, that she managed to recognize him.
He wouldn't be a part of the security detail due to his injuries, as much as that irritated him. Who knows? Maybe he'd find something else to do.
Beside him was a rather deathly skinny man with a messy bundle of bright blond hair on him. Yu didn't really recognize him at all, but he seemed to be helping Aizawa out with the documents. They were probably friends... however few of them that the anti-social professional hero has.
And then there was Shinji, or Kamui Woods, who was going to be apart of the security detail patrolling the outskirts of the sports festival. His quirk was great for restraining so he'd be able to stop incidents before they even started!
… Hopefully.
Unfortunately, even with his impressive reputation, his status as a newbie required him to also have a partner with him.
Yu was going to be apart of the security, ignoring her constant protests at the idea. She wanted to be in the audience cheering Shirou on, damn it! Not wandering a venue that was never going to be attacked!
Seriously, if there was even a slight hint of bloody trouble in the water, the hundreds of gathered pro heroes would be on it like a school of wild piranha.
Oh well, at least she wasn't guarding the lower levels without any big screens of the event. She was thankful that her mother birthed her with such a wonderful quirk. Truly, she was.
Maybe I should call her some time?
"Oi, Yu, you still awake?"
A familiar voice entered her notice.
"Yeah 'bami-chan, I'm up," Yu muttered loud enough for her friend to hear. "I couldn't sleep last night."
Uwabami instantly smirked.
"Oh really? Finally decided to get yourself a man?"
Yu's brow twitched.
"No, I didn't," Yu uncharacteristically answered in a stoic tone. "Besides, you know how men work. They just want to get in our pants and call it a day. I'm not into one-night stands."
Uwabami, despite her little smirk, nodded in understanding.
"Yeah, that's true~" She agreed with a sigh. "Fame and fortune make it almost impossible to get a good man. Only ass hats have enough courage to walk up to us."
"Is that courage or stupidity?"
"Both?"
The two women madly giggled at the notion. Already Yu could feel some inkling of stress that she had on her fade away.
Once Uwabami finally calmed down from her hysterical giggling, she let out a sigh to regain her breath.
"Anyway, I heard of this cafe that opened up a while ago but I hadn't had the chance to go there. Do you want to come with me? You don't have any plans today, right?"
Eh?
"How did you–?"
"Your secretary told me," She replied instantly, already anticipating the question from the hero. "That horned secretary of yours seemed pretty excited at the idea of you leaving your office."
Yu furrowed her brow in confusion. "… That doesn't make sense. Wouldn't my secretary want me to do my job?"
Heck, the guy she hired had always nagged her about doing them early, so why now? Those incident reports weren't going to write themselves! She still had five left to write up before the end of the week!
"Something about insurance, I think. Anyway. Come on Yu, at this rate you're practically married to your job," Uwabami whined. "Although, I guess it's better than what you were doing before."
And by before, Uwabami had meant about how Yu would laze about for days on end and write barely passable reports the night before the deadlines. High school habits didn't really fade that much with the years.
Although… that all did change when she adopted Shirou. She wasn't providing for just herself anymore, but for the welfare of a kid too. If she slacked off now, then it wouldn't just be her that paid the price.
At least doing them early left her with a whole lot more free time, which made it all the more confusing that her secretary wanted her to take a break.
Speaking of Shirou… Yu slowly gained a frown as she recalled the young man's recent behavior. He had been coming home late, barely making it home in time to make dinner. Which was odd, seeing as U.A. was practically a hop and skip away from their home.
Whenever Yu would ask, he would always answer that there were group projects he had been working on… but Yu could still feel that nagging feeling that he was hiding something.
What if he fell into the wrong kind of crowd!? Do those kinds of crowds even exist in U.A!? Gah, I just don't know!
"Still not convinced?" Uwabami muttered, mistaking her worried frown for something else entirely. "Fine. Hey, Kamui Woods! Aizawa! Can you help me drag this workaholic along? We're going to a cafe!"
"Wha–"
"I supposed I could go for a cup of coffee," Kamui Woods agreed, a mischievous and slightly vindictive smirk hidden under his wooden mask.
"I don't have time for that," Aizawa bluntly stated as usual. "I still have–"
"Nothing to do for the rest of the day," The skinny man interrupted. "Recovery Girl told me to make sure you get some rest and relaxation. I know you like working yourself to the ground, but you need a break."
Aizawa's brow twitched.
"I've already taken a break yesterday. I'm fine."
"A lunch break where you grade papers isn't a break," He argued. "Just a cup of coffee should be fine. You can continue what little work you have left tomorrow."
Yu spared a glance at the multitude of documents Aizawa had before him, almost all of which was already marked and or checked for mistakes. There seemed to be quiz papers too that had already been checked.
The guy really didn't have any documents left to check.
Then again, this was Aizawa. The guy who did everything as soon as he could and sleep the rest of the day away, which also included some nightly hero duty for the entirety of that very same night.
Huh… he'd only have four hours of sleep with that kind of timetable… No wonder he sleeps in the middle of the day.
"... Fine," Aizawa muttered in minor annoyance. He sent a glare towards Yu and frowned. "Pack your things."
What did I do!?
"If I have to go, then you're coming with me," Aizawa spoke up as if reading Yu's thoughts. "We're burning daylight. Hurry up."
As he said that, all the documents he had laid out on the table were suddenly piled into a neat stack and shoved into a briefcase. For a partially crippled man, that was fast.
Yu sighed and sent a short half-hearted glare to her best friend, who also sent her back a simple wink and cheeky tongue.
"Come on!" Uwabami cheered in the relatively empty meeting room. "There's a neat cafe I've always wanted to go to!"
When she gets back to her office, she'd have to have a little talk with her secretary.
-0-0-0-
It really didn't take long, but Yu had managed to work herself into a disguise. Which really wasn't much, seeing as she just took off her mask and costume and put on civilian attire. She didn't really need any more than that, her costume had a mask anyway.
It would be really inconvenient if someone recognized her while she was going to try and relax.
Uwabami had worn a new hoodie, one that had nice and fluffy innards for her head snakes to rest in. There was a blue fist on it too. When inquired about it, Uwabami just said that the jacket was a gift from her parents, saying it was a precious relic from the past or something like that.
Aizawa didn't need to wear a disguise, seeing as he never worked in the public eye anyway, and was thus nearly unnoticeable. The skinny office worker was with him too, most likely there to ensure the pro hero actually went to the cafe.
Which was basically why Uwabami and Kamui woods were with her.
Speaking of Kamui Woods, Shinji had worn a simple coat over his body. His usual wooden mask had been altered with his quirk, so now it looked closer to a knight's mask with a small opening for his mouth. It was different enough that people didn't recognize him.
Although, in Yu's opinion, the knight mask look was kinda stupid looking. Why couldn't he just take the darn thing off instead?
"We're here!" Uwabami shouted in glee, not drawing any attention from the slightly street. The sun had only just begun to set, which meant that people were probably on a rush home.
"It doesn't look like much," Aizawa stated.
"I think that it is quite homely," Said the skinny man with a blonde shaggy mane, whom Yu should really learn the name of.
"Indeed, the atmosphere of the cafe when I was last here was… refreshing," Shinji said with a smile. Kinda odd, seeing as Yu wasn't used to seeing him with a mouth of all things.
"Wait," Uwabami uttered, sounding just a little bit betrayed. "You've been here before? When?"
"I think it was several days ago… Or was it a few days ago?" Shinji muttered. He turned to Yu for assistance. "Takeyama-san, do you recall? You were here with me."
Yu felt her brow twitch.
"Shinji, I thought I told you to call me by my name, didn't I?" Yu berated. "Did you already forget?"
"Ah… my apologies, Yu," Shinji muttered. "Yes, I did forget. It has been quite a few harrowing days."
Yu simply sighed in response.
"Just don't forget again. I don't like my friends calling me by my last name. I'm not my mother, damn it!"
"Fine, fine." Shinji waved her off. "I'm going ahead to reserve us a table."
Yu just watched as Shinji walked right in, greeted by Endeavor's kid again. She still couldn't believe that Endeavor's kid worked in a cafe. He was ranked the second-most popular professional hero in the country for crying out loud, you'd think his daughter would be able to get a much better job.
"Well? Any explanations, Yu?"
The single mother simply blinked at Uwabami's question.
"Sorry 'bami-chan, did you ask something?"
"That little exchange with Kamui Woods!" She whispered hurriedly. "Already on a first-name basis? You sly girl!"
Yu could feel a headache forming.
"Nope. Nuh-uh. You got it wrong," Yu denied fervently. "Didn't I say it a while ago? I don't like being called 'Takeyama'. That's my mom's thing."
Uwabami's smile dropped.
"So you're not dating?"
"Nope."
"So the first name thing?"
"We're not in middle school anymore, 'bami-chan."
Uwabami sighed and turned away, muttering something about a betting pool and her luck being horrible, not that Yu overheard her or anything…
She was going to keep an open ear about anything related to gambling from now on.
"Are you girls coming in or what?" Aizawa called from the half-open front door. "Nishiya found us an open table. Hurry up, I'm already hungry."
Seeing the irritated look on his face, Yu sighed and walked on ahead with Uwabami following after her. Yu's own irritation didn't last long when she entered the establishment.
She smiled as the atmosphere hit her once more. The smell of freshly brewing coffee and confections. The sound of customers simply relaxing in silence after a hard day's work. It felt like a breath of fresh air after the mountains of paperwork she had been working through during the last few days.
Maybe her secretary was right, she really did need a break.
She followed Aizawa and Mr. Skinny Skeleton man until they stopped by a window, one that showed the street that they had just been on, and took a leisure seat.
Oh… how comfy these seats were. She could feel the stress practically slip away~.
"Well, well, if it isn't another table full of professional heroes. I see that you are all enjoying yourselves. If it isn't too troublesome, may I take your orders?"
Yu blinked to see a familiar dark-skinned man besides their table, the owner of the cafe, Farran. It hadn't even been a minute since they sat down and they were already handed menus. The service must be doing great, it took a short while during the last time she was here.
Or… maybe it wasn't? The usual waiter and butler seemed to be absent… Oh, never mind. Yu spotted the two of them with serving trays to other tables. It was just a very busy hour for them this afternoon.
It was very surprising though, that a new cafe managed to garner these many customers in its opening week. Now, it's only a matter of time before we see how many of them end up becoming regulars.
"Black Coffee," Aizawa muttered as he made his order. "Nothing fancy, I need something to keep me up."
"I-Ignore that order!" Skeleton McGangly said. Oh wow, Yu really felt bad about that one. "He's under his doctor's orders to rest well. Can you get him something lighter, if possible?"
The owner of the cafe simply sent Aizawa a glance. The two of them seemed to have a conversation with just their eyes. When one blinked, the other did so too.
"Those aren't regular injuries… I see. I think I know what will do," Farran uttered. "Take it as a guarantee, if what I serve you doesn't satisfy you, then you may leave without paying."
Wha–
"Oh? Are you sure about that?" Aizawa said, his eyes narrowing at the challenge. "That's a rather naive thing to do. What's stopping me from walking out with my wallet full, even if I do enjoy it?"
"Aizawa-kun!"
"Absolutely nothing," The owner of Cafe d'Acier proclaimed boldly. "However, I am confident that the coffee you will get will be able to satiate you."
Aizawa simply narrowed his eyes further. He made no other comment and looked out the window, effectively ensuring that he wasn't going to say anything else.
However, the owner wasn't deterred and simply smirked at the challenge. "And for the rest of you?"
"A-Ah… Then, a regular Latte will be fine."
"Flat White will do," Uwabami ordered.
"A Mochaccino if you would," Shinji said.
Yu looked over the menu and shrugged. "I don't know much about coffee, so I'll take whatever you recommend."
"I understand, if you would please wait for a few minutes," Farran said as he bowed, taking only a second to turn on his feet and walk away, undoubtedly towards the kitchen if the smirk on his face told Yu anything.
"So, Aizawa," Uwabami began. "That was kinda weird, antagonizing a civilian like that over coffee."
"If he was brazen enough to say that his coffee would be able to satisfy someone he hadn't met yet, then it means he's either a fool… or someone with enough skill and experience to do so," Aizawa said with a frown underneath his bandages. "I'm merely testing his resolve. I don't like mediocrity in my coffee."
"… Were you always such a high-spec person…?" Skinny man said with a raised brow. "Never mind, I hope his coffee will be able to satisfy you."
"I sure hope it does, Toshinori-san," Uwabami said, saving Yu the need to ask the guy about his name. "It is strange though. Did you guys recognize that they sound kinda similar? Like, if Aizawa lost the bandages and sounded less tired, then they do kind of sound the same?"
"… I don't like where this is going."
"Now that you mention it…" Toshinori muttered. "It certainly sounded like Aizawa in his early hero days."
"Stop."
"The resemblance is definitely uncanny, to say the least," Shinji muttered. "Perhaps he is a long lost relative?"
"I'm warning you all."
"I wouldn't put it past him to keep it from us though." Yu found herself mischievously echoing.
It just felt so vindictively good!
"Fine, do whatever you want."
"Don't be such a sour puss, Aizawa!" Uwabami cheered. "We're here to relax. Don't rain on the parade, right Yu?"
Suddenly having the torch of the conversation thrown at her, Yu just sighed and winged it, much like she usually did. "I don't know, I don't really see it. That owner kinda reminds me of someone else."
Uwabami raised a brow.
"Really? Who?"
After scrunching up her brow and racking her brain through a metaphorical grinder. The professional hero sighed as she gave up.
"I don't know… can't really place a finger on it." Yu said. "I met him before when I last came here, but he really does look kind of familiar… but in a weird way, not that familiar. Dunno, can't really explain it."
It was really weird, just plain weird. When Yu first laid eyes on him days ago, she didn't really think much of him. However, today she saw the guy smirk at the thought that his coffee wouldn't satisfy someone. She really felt that she saw that smirk before…
Oh well, no use thinking about it.
"Well, it seems that your musings will have to come to an end. Here he comes," Shinji uttered.
As if clockwork, the owner came back with a serving tray. There were five beverages on it, three of which were handed out readily to the Toshinori, Shinji, and Uwabami.
"Thank you," Toshinori thanked as he took his regular latte. A rather medium sized cup with foam atop of it. There was a sword very stylistically drawn atop of it, probably a rapier by the looks of it.
When Toshinori took a sip, the foam jiggled as the coffee crawled out from underneath it and into his lips.
"Mmm… Truly refreshing… How are your drinks, everyone?"
"Well, only one way to find out!" Uwabami said with a smile. She took a leisure sip of her Flat White, which looked much like an Espresso but with a very small layer of foam atop, where a similar sword was stylistically drawn atop of it as well.
In contrast to Toshinori's latte, where the foam reached above the boundaries of the cup, the Flat White's foam layer was flat, as the name implied, and completely parallel with the cup itself. The drawn sword jiggled but didn't break apart when Uwabami finished her sip.
"Hmm… this tastes better than the others that I've tried before? It looks like a regular Flat White though…?"
"Coffee can be influenced a lot by the way it is handled, ma'am," The owner informed with a satisfied smirk. "From the way we pour the hot water to very beans we select, it is all done with customer satisfaction in mind."
"I can certainly taste it… it is rather pleasing," Shinji said as his sip into the hot beverage failed to even phase him. He was probably tolerant of the heat, which he would probably want to train to be considering his quirk.
His drink, a Mochaccino, seemed to be similar to Uwabami's, but there was a sprinkle of chocolate flakes atop of it, contrasting greatly with the pearly white foam beneath it… which also had a rapier drawn atop of it. Kind of noticing a theme here.
"It tastes a lot closer to chocolate than others… I wonder why?"
"That is because I took the liberty to mix the coffee beans with just a little cocoa powder in order to add a hint of chocolate," Farran added. "I see that it has paid off well."
Yu watched in slight amusement as her beverage was placed before her. It looked like much of the same that Toshinori had, save for the stylized cream that was atop of it, with a stick of cinnamon as well. She eyed the owner, who took the prompt to explain with a slight smile on his face.
"Compared to the other drinks, I prepared an iced coffee variant for you," He informed. "The whipped cream atop is decorated with shredded chocolate to add some sweetness. The stick of cinnamon adds a unique tang and flavor, though I advise that you do not directly eat it."
He said that last bit with a slightly tired smile. Poor man, there must have been a ton of idiots who did that.
"I remembered that you ordered a parfait and cake the last time you were here, both of which are cold so I thought that you would be partial towards much colder beverages. Please enjoy yourself."
This guy…
He hit the nail on her preferences. The fact that he remembered Yu was here a little over a week ago was just a little odd, but it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it.
Yu eyed the beverage one more time before smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Farran. I just might."
She was here to relax, and that was what she was going to do.
"And I suppose that the last beverage is mine?"
Ah, wait a minute. There was still a challenge that was going on.
Damn.
"Yes, it is," Farran confirmed, once more with that oddly familiar smirk. "I do hope that you enjoy it."
"I certainly hope so," Aizawa blurted out.
The beverage was set on the table. It looked like nothing out of the ordinary... like it was a simple latte… exactly like one, actually. Aizawa narrowed his eyes, and it was there that Yu started to grow uneasy.
She really hoped that the sleep-deprived pro hero didn't cause a scene, or hoped that the latte itself had some special property to it.
"This is what you were so confident about?" Aizawa asked. "It doesn't look like much."
"True, looks and presentation play a big factor to food…" The owner said. "However, it is the taste that matters above all. I suggest that you partake."
"Oh…?" Aizawa muttered with a slightly amused tone. That was good, at least he wasn't outright angry. "Very well."
Aizawa took a sip.
Silence fell on the table as the surrounding curious professional heroes glanced his way.
He took another sip.
"It's… passable."
"I suppose it is," Farran smirked. "Well, I suggest that you take a nap after you finish it. Valerian root is hard to come by these days."
Valerian– what now?
While Yu and the others had not a single clue as to what that was, Aizawa, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what it was.
"So that's your game…" Aizawa muttered. "Never mind. You win, it surpasses my expectations."
"Um… do you know what Valerian root is, Aizawa-kun?" Toshinori asked what Yu was going to.
"It's a root that acts as a natural sedative. In other words, it makes you feel sleepy," Aizawa said. "There have been records of it being used in coffee… are you trying to make me take a coffee nap?"
"You seem like someone who does his work well at night. Once you finish with your coffee nap, then you'll be feeling refreshed enough to continue working," Farran smirked as he finished explaining. "I'm sure that your doctor wouldn't disagree. After all, you're still getting some rest."
After that, Aizawa did what Yu never expected.
He laughed.
Like, literally laughed. Like a loud one and not his usual creepy chuckles. It was as if he had just heard a joke that he couldn't just ignore, which was odd because Yu didn't notice a joke there.
He actually laughed.
"You have an unexpected level of insight for a cafe owner."
Farran smirked in response.
"It's a chef's duty to understand their customer, isn't it? I'm merely fulfilling that duty."
"I see…"
Aizawa spent a few seconds sending a scrutinizing glance towards the cafe owner whilst finishing his coffee. It was because Yu worked alongside him and other pro heroes that she noticed just a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Yu was going to ask him what he was thinking, but ultimately she wasn't going to be able to, seeing as the forever sleepy pro hero reclined his head back on the soft chair they sat on.
"Wake me up in fifteen minutes."
And just like that, he was out like a light.
"I… didn't think he would actually sleep," Toshinori muttered. "Aizawa-kun always fights to stay awake until he finishes all of his work. And even then, with his schedule, he doesn't sleep at this time of day, at all."
"Or night, seeing as it's seven pm now. The guy really needs to take a break once in a while," Uwabami informed as she glanced at her watch and stared out the window, with the night sky present…
… Night sky?
Shit! Shirou!
Her panic rose like a torrent, which was noticed by all save for the sleeping Aizawa.
"Sorry guys, I need to head home!" Yu muttered as she took a glance at her beverage. Looks like she'll need to suffer a brain freeze for just a little bit–
"Archer! Where do you keep the black coffee beans!?"
–Hm? That voice…?
Farran's eye twitched as he turned around and faced towards the kitchens.
"Don't call me that! Didn't Todoroki tell you where it is? At the back of the hallway, the fifth barrel!"
"She left before she could tell me!"
No… it couldn't be.
"You should've known, imbecile!"
"I can't read minds, asshole!"
… It is.
"You should've known where I would put it! And be quiet!"
"There's no way I'd know what you'd be thinking about– wait, aren't you shouting too!?"
"Shirou?" Yu muttered, ending the two shouts between the owner and the mystery voice.
Farran blinked.
Two seconds later, a familiar mop of red hair exited the kitchen wearing an apron over a small black butler suit.
Once he laid eyes on her, his mouth automatically stammered.
"Yu!? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be busy with work tonight?"
"Yu?" Farran eyed them both. "You thought she would be… you two know each other?"
Yu's brow twitched.
"What am I doing here…?" She muttered, seemingly ignoring what the owner asked. She got off from her seat and stood up. "I should be asking that! Why aren't you on your way home!?"
"Home?" Farran muttered once more. "Clearly, I am missing some important detail."
Uwabami peered over the shoulder of standing form of Yu. She took a sip of her Flat White and made a sound of understanding.
"Oh… Look Nishiya, it's Yu's kid."
The wood hero leaned forward and stared at the small event unfolding. "Ah, it is definitely young Shirou. I wonder what her son is doing here."
Farran blinked.
"Wait, Son?"
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly on her son before facing her once more.
"My apologies, I was unaware that your… son, wasn't here with his parent's permission." He said those parts weirdly, yet Yu couldn't figure out why. "He has been working under my supervision for the past week as a part-time chef. If you wish, we can talk about this issue somewhere more private."
Yu narrowed her eyes on her adoptive son once more.
"... That would be appreciated."
Looks like she wasn't going to be relaxing today after all.
Terrific.
Shirou sat on his folded apron laid upon a box – for comfort – which was up to his waist in height. From there, he could see the irritated glare that Archer gave him and the troubled and confused stare of his adoptive mother.
Archer opted to lean on the wall, as per usual whenever they were in this room, whilst the only chair was offered to Yu, but she too opted to stand.
Seeing the two of them stare at each other for just a short while was like watching a powder keg on the verge of imploding. More due to Yu than Archer, who was relatively calm throughout.
It was a good thing that Shirou had told him that he had an adoptive mother when he first came to the servant.
Otherwise, the lie that Archer had no idea Shirou didn't have permission wouldn't have been as fluid.
While Shirou was confident in his ability to lie, something that Archer laughed at for some reason but he chalked it up to him just being able to read his younger self easily, Archer's ability to lie was a step further than what Shirou could do.
He watched as the two of them started talking. While Shirou could overhear them, he opted to just let Archer handle the entire debacle.
Although… the few uncertain glances that Yu sent his way were painful in their own right.
It may seem odd to Yu that Shirou was here in a cafe, but he could pull always pull a bluff that he was working on his coffee brewing skills. The trust built from living together for a few months was no doubt going to be tested here, no thanks to Shirou himself… but, he couldn't have told Yu was going here in the first place.
He could have told her, Shirou really could have, but the thing with that idea was that she'd ask why he'd be training in a cafe of all places.
It'd just look odd, which was no doubt what it looked like now. There was a tournament in his school coming in a few weeks and here he was, doing some relaxing work in a cafe, while his classmates worked on getting stronger.
To anyone other than Shirou and Archer, it'd look like he wasn't taking it seriously, which was honestly what Shirou felt about the tournament anyway so there weren't any misconceptions about that there.
But he wasn't relaxing at all.
There was only one way for him to get stronger right now, and the only person that could help him in that endeavor was standing right in front of him talking with his adoptive mother.
Shirou rolled under a sweep as a sword swiped over him. However, he couldn't avoid the boot kicking him away and onto the pavement of the rooftop.
They were high enough that no hero would be able to normally see or notice them. There was always the occasional hero flying above them, but the bounded field on the rooftop prevented them from being noticed as an extra precaution.
"Too slow," Archer rebuked. "Are you really trying to get stronger?"
"Shut up!" Shirou retorted as he stood up once more, holding the heavily favored Kanshou and Bakuya in each hand.
Archer stood before him doing much of the same. However, even from a glance, Shirou could tell that his projections were still at a higher quality than his own, even if they weren't the same blades.
The two rushed at each other once more, with Kanshou and Bakuya meeting his blades.
Each moment of impact between the married blades, Shirou felt like he understood more, felt like he could do more.
He had heard Archer speak about this once before, about how monks used to commune with their past lives to further gain enlightenment.
That was what he was doing now. Instead of training, Shirou was taking the shortcut of sparring with Archer in order to gain more experience artificially. However, in the process, he would be seeing through Archer's eyes the same horrors he had lived through his service under Alaya.
It was honestly as bad as it was the first time he had seen them. Yet, throughout their short ten-minute training session so far, Shirou had not once thought of quitting.
Quitting here and now would be unfathomable, especially since Shirou was the one who asked Archer in the first place.
There was a reason he was going through this sort rigorous of training.