Setting out from Fuyuki, facing the rising morning sun, an old granny sighed "Young people these days have no manners at all" as he didn't step aside. Her gaze trailed off as he went further and further away.
Shirou had two reasons for not giving way.
First, because the system was controlling him.
Second, seeing the sun reminded him of a great man.
He once said, ["You young people are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, full of vigor."]
He also said, ["The world belongs to you, and it belongs to us, but in the end it's yours."]
So, as the King of the World, for a moment of carelessness, he didn't yield the road and got scolded, what else is there to say?
———
"Ahhhh～"
'This isn't good, today's such nice weather.'
Rin Tohsaka just can't get rid of her habit of staying in bed.
But there was no helping it, she had already promised Yukika and the others that she'd get up early to go to the aquarium, then later watch a movie, then go to the water park.
'A day's schedule tighter than going to class, is that really supposed to be fun?'
If you let Rin Tohsaka choose, she'd probably just spend the whole morning sleeping, then in the afternoon study robot vacuums.
'Honestly, it's hard to imagine those things not being pets.'
Her father too, confidently and elegantly said it was a special pet, feeding it bread every day?
'Please, that just ruins the illusion!'
It even made her embarrass herself in front of Emiya.
She pulled her hand out from under the blanket, instantly feeling the chill.
'Not good, did I set the AC to subzero yesterday?'
'I let Sakura fiddle with it yesterday, then never touched it again. Don't tell me Sakura's getting revenge?'
Groggy, she picked up the endlessly ringing alarm clock, pressed twice, but it didn't respond.
'What the heck?'
'Did Sakura mess with the alarm clock too?'
She smacked the red button on top hard.
Same as when the family TV broke when she was a kid, you just slap the back.
Only, the alarm clock probably wasn't broken, meaning she might've just pressed the wrong button?
Anyway, thanks to Rin Tohsaka's tireless effort, the alarm clock died a glorious death.
To her it wasn't a sacrifice, but finally the world was quiet again.
Feeling satisfied, she curled up under the blanket and fell back into a deep sleep.
But after only two minutes, she suddenly panicked as if she'd already slept till noon.
At that instant, her heart rate spiked, and she jolted awake.
"I overslept!"
She grabbed the clock and saw, it was 7:10.
She hadn't even slept three minutes.
Realizing the truth, she let out a sigh.
With her face buried in the soft, fluffy pillow, she complained, "Why do I even get anxious on weekends, I'm so done with this!"
The alarm clock had long been abandoned under the bed.
About ten seconds later, Rin Tohsaka reluctantly got up.
When she threw off the blanket she really did feel cold. Not just her imagination.
She quickly picked up the AC remote on her nightstand and pressed the button shaped like a red signal source.
'This time it should work, right?'
Thankfully the AC shut off as desired, otherwise Rin Tohsaka would've rolled around in fury on the bed.
Shhh!
She pulled open the vintage curtains with an oil painting's flavor.
"Whoa～", A startled breath slipped from her lips.
It was like liquid gold poured down, coating the oak window in a flowing waterfall of light.
When the morning light passed through the gauze curtain, it was shredded into countless golden-edged feathers, like Venus gently brushing her hand across the world.
"A good weather like this is rare even among good weather."
After admiring for a while, Rin Tohsaka turned back, took off her pajamas, and put on the clothes she had prepared in advance for the outing, "It really is perfect weather for going out."
Her morning grouchiness was soothed, even making her think maybe getting up early wasn't all bad.
Though she used to wake up early often, today's weather really made the heart feel clear and refreshed.
After dressing, she stood in front of the mirror to tidy her appearance.
Her father might not constantly harp on the Tohsaka family's precepts anymore, like always keeping elegance, but Rin Tohsaka had still inherited them well enough. Not only had she learned the attitude of maintaining elegance anytime, anywhere, she also shared his knack for slipping up at critical moments. And her grasp of electronics.
By contrast, Sakura was more like their mother. Without these little flaws, but with one very crucial shortcoming.
Before leaving, Rin Tohsaka picked up her shoulder bag and grabbed a sandwich to fill her stomach.
Today she didn't plan to use the car service, so with enough change in her purse, she closed the villa's heavy iron gate.
Walking down the slope a bit, she came to a corner. She saw an old granny walking her dog. Politely, she stepped back against the wall to let her pass.
As the granny passed by, she gave her a warm smile and said, "Children from wealthy families really are different."
"So pretty, and so polite. Unlike that red-haired brat just now, no manners at all. If all of Fuyuki's youth turned out like that, it'd be the end," Shaking her head as she spoke, the granny left Rin Tohsaka's sight.
Pulling back her gaze, Rin Tohsaka stood still and thought for a moment.
'That granny, was she talking about Emiya?"
'Probably some kind of misunderstanding.'
But since he didn't explain, maybe it wasn't important.
She didn't dwell on it, just kept walking to the place she'd agreed to meet the other three.
———
Clang!
"Whew!"
He had used the two hundred yen he found on the road to buy a bottle of Monster energy drink.
Drank it all in one go, then crushed the can easily.
'See, the early bird gets the worm, it's no joke.'
Even just a few dozen seconds or a minute later, that two hundred yen might've already been picked up by someone else.
Then how could he have enjoyed a two-hundred-yen bottle of Monster?
The taste, kind of like a carbonated version of Red Bull.
Packed with punch.
So he decided to try every sports drink in the vending machine, pick the best one, and improve it himself.
'Have Sella sell it, Rin too.'
'Should earn more than writing novels?'
Running to the harbor, the sea breeze brought with it the salty dampness unique to the ocean.
The sound of waves grew, the beach slowly awakened under the blend of sunlight and waves. The sand glittered with crystal luster.
The girls who came to play on the weekend took off their shoes. Stepping as if on countless scattered diamonds, under the rising sun's glow, they let out crisp, lively laughter.
When they lifted their heads, they saw Shirou running with professional form, sweat scattering in the morning light, sparkling in the dawn.
They giggled, shoved each other a bit, then one girl led the rest in calling out, "Do your best, running big brother!"
At a loss, Shirou could only cancel hosting and return a smile. Then he waved.
Seagulls soared, sandpipers danced.
The girls gasped, hearts filled with delight as the flocks of birds circled and called joyfully around them. They skipped happily after them.
When they finally turned back, suddenly, the figure of the boy on the asphalt road was already gone.
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