The rooftop.
Shiki sat at the edge, gazing at the sky, idly twirling a short knife in her hand.
"You're here, Shiki."
A voice came from behind. Shiki glanced back and sighed. "It's you, idiot."
"It's been five years—can't you change that nickname?" Naoki smiled nostalgically, then sat beside her. "Why are you up here alone? They're starting to prepare dinner downstairs. You're the best cook—aren't you going to show off your skills?"
"The best cook has to always step in? If that's the case, why don't you? Don't tell me after five years, your skills have slipped?"
"You're wrong there. In the other world, I cooked regularly to keep my skills sharp."
Though after Angelica arrived, Naoki only cooked once a week since Gray and Angelica took over the rest of the time. If anything, his skills might have declined slightly.
But before that, having often learned from Emiya Shirou, his abilities had surely improved compared to before he left.
Shiki stopped twirling her knife, pointing its tip at Naoki's face. "Then go downstairs and make two dishes for me to taste. If they're bad, you know the consequences."
"Five years later, and you're still holding onto old grudges?" Naoki quickly raised both hands in surrender, showing he didn't want to fight. "You're so fierce, I don't even know who'd like you. What if the Ryougi family ends up with no heirs?"
"Just adopt one, right? The Ryougi family sponsors several orphanages."
(So Ryougi Mana won't be her biological child?)
Naoki smiled. "Then, after you adopt, will you let me take care of them? Being a stepdad sounds fine—Danger!"
Shiki swiped her short knife in front of Naoki's forehead, sneering. "Tch, too short. I should've used a longer one."
"I almost died."
"I didn't activate my Mystic Eyes. No way you'd die from a single slash."
(This is the untamed Shiki.) Naoki sighed in resignation. "I really hope someone can tame you."
"You came just to say this stuff to me? If there's nothing else, leave me alone."
Shiki's tone carried a hint of rejection.
After a brief silence, Naoki smiled. "No, I just thought it's been five years since we last met, and since coming back, I haven't properly talked with you. So I wanted to reminisce a bit. Turns out, you're still the same as before."
"You thought I'd change?"
"At least I thought you'd grow your hair out or something. You've never cut it since back then, so I figured you'd have long, flowing hair by now."
Long hair?
Shiki touched her short hair, muttering, "Long hair's a hassle to manage."
"Fair point… I could help you style it, but I can't stay with you forever. Sooner or later, you'd have to manage it yourself—why are you slashing at me again!"
"I slash when I feel like it. I'm in a bad mood."
Her heart was beating a bit fast. The urge in her chest made Shiki want to slash Naoki again to vent.
Keeping his distance, Naoki patted his chest. Fearless as he was, he only feared Shiki's Mystic Eyes that could see death lines and an angry Gray. "Why are you so reckless… At least be more restrained later, Shiki."
"Why should you be the one to control me?"
"I'm the only one who'd dare control you like this."
"Seems that way."
Neither Aozaki Touko nor her family's butler, Akira Yanagi, would speak to her so directly like Naoki did. In that sense, this man was the most unique person Shiki had ever known.
After a moment's hesitation, Shiki put away her knife. "Anything else?"
"There's something, coincidentally. Though Touko would've told you later, since I'm here, I'll let you know."
"About tomorrow's fight with Caster, the main battlefield will be handled by me, Rider, Lancer, Morgan, and Lia. You, Touko, Aoko, Mordred, and Tama-nyan will be tasked with taking out Caster's Master."
"A decapitation operation."
"That's the idea. Any thoughts?"
"It's a pity I can't kill that King with my own hands. He's very much worth killing." Shiki said, her tone full of regret. "Killing a human doesn't need that many people. I'm going with you to the front line."
"I figured you'd say that… The issue is, can you survive on the front line?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Shiki drew the knife she'd just sheathed. A lightning-fast slash aimed straight at Naoki's chest!
The blade's tip grazed his clothes. With her Mystic Eyes activated, Shiki stared at Naoki coldly. "What do you think?"
"Good, but not good enough. Still far off."
The Naoki in front of her vanished, and a hand chop struck the back of Shiki's head. He reappeared from another angle. "If you can't even see through Magecraft of this level, you'd get toyed with on the front line."
"Magecraft… that?"
Shiki swung her hand twice in the air, then suddenly stabbed at Naoki.
*THUD!*
Naoki's body shattered into pieces, but a moment later, another Naoki appeared in front of Shiki, slightly surprised. "You saw through it?"
"After you said that, I sensed something off, then just followed the lines—turns out, it wasn't that impressive a Magecraft."
"Hmm, not that impressive indeed. My Magecraft's only third-rate, not worth showing off." Naoki said with a smile, raising both hands. "Talk it over with Touko and the others later. I'm fine with it. If I had to say, I respect your choice."
"Good."
"It's almost lunchtime. Let's head down together."
Naoki reached for Shiki's hand to pull her along, but the moment he touched her, like a cat zapped by electricity, Shiki swatted his hand away.
"I can walk myself. You don't need to pull me."
"Alright, alright—by the way, that hurt. How hard did you hit my hand?"
"With all my strength."
To make Naoki's hand throb incessantly with just one swat, that strength wasn't something a human woman could muster. In the five years they hadn't met, Shiki's body had truly started becoming less human.
(An effect of her Root connection?)
Watching Shiki stride off confidently, Naoki blew on his hand, then quickly followed her.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
One and a half days until the battle begins.