January 15, 2004.
In the New City district of Fuyuki City stood a small establishment called the Copenhagen Tavern.
A seventeen-year-old boy, Emiya Shirou, stood upright behind the bar, serving drinks to the customers who came through the door.
A few regulars were surprised to see him working the counter, but once they heard his explanation, they all understood.
"Oh, so it's because the old man caught a cold and is stuck in bed. Hotsuka's getting on in years—his body's really starting to fail him. And Onoko-chan probably caught it from him. Shirou-kun, you be careful too, alright? Catching a cold at this time of year is miserable."
A customer who was familiar with the owner laughed as he offered the warning.
This quiet little tavern—also doubling as a convenience-style liquor shop—was run by Uncle Hotsuka and his daughter, Hotsuka Onoko.
Five years ago, after Shirou's foster father Kiritsugu Emiya passed away, this was the only place that had agreed to hire Shirou when he was still a child. So when he heard the father and daughter had fallen ill and couldn't even get out of bed, he came over on his own initiative to help them out.
"I'm fine," Shirou said. "When I went to check on them, Onoko-san told me she should be better by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Hah, that's good. Without Onoko-chan, it just feels… strange. Not that I'm dissatisfied with you, Emiya-kun. It's just—well, I'm used to her."
"I understand, Mr. Takeda."
"Heh. Alright then—two cans of beer today."
"Understood."
…
When the last customer finally left, Shirou let out a breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his right hand.
"Phew… made it through the rush. So many people come to buy alcohol at night."
He paused, then chuckled to himself.
"Come to think of it, last year they both got knocked flat by a cold too. I've got experience from then… Otherwise, if it were only me, I'd have been completely swamped today."
"But when it gets busy, you lose track of time. It's already ten… If I get home late, Fuji-nee is definitely going to scold me. I'll just tidy up and close. There shouldn't be many customers coming in now."
After a short rest, Shirou began wiping down the bar and straightening the tables and chairs, finishing the last of the closing work.
Even though his adoptive father was gone and his biological parents had died in a great fire, Shirou still had a legal guardian.
Her name was Taiga Fujimura—an English teacher. Aside from going home to sleep, she spent almost all her time at Shirou's house.
Which also meant that if Shirou came home too late because of part-time work, he'd inevitably get an earful.
When he was nearly done cleaning, the bell over the door rang again.
A new customer stepped inside.
"Oh my—what a lovely little tavern. Quiet atmosphere, soft lighting… though… it seems I've come at the wrong time. Are you already closing?"
The voice was gentle and sweet, but when Shirou looked up, he found the woman dressed in a hooded black cloak that hid her face and figure completely.
It was… an extremely strange outfit.
Even so, Shirou greeted her the same way he greeted everyone else, smiling as he welcomed her in.
The mysterious woman turned her gaze toward him. As she took in Shirou's face, it was as if she'd discovered something amusing; a faint laugh escaped her lips.
"Working hard, aren't you… young… hero of justice."
"…."
Shirou fell silent in an instant.
He didn't know this woman. And yet she had spoken the words that described the ideal he carried in his heart—his dream.
Because he longed to become like the man who had saved him, Shirou's ideal was to become a hero of justice.
It wasn't just something he'd written in an elementary-school essay; he had woven it into every small thing he did in daily life.
But he rarely spoke that ideal aloud to others.
So when it was suddenly named outright, an instinctive wariness rose in his chest.
"Oh? You look surprised. Hehe. Don't worry—big sister here has no ill intent toward you. I came to this tavern only because I was asked to."
Her laughter was soft and composed, as if trying to put him at ease.
But her words raised yet another question.
"You were asked…? What do you want with me?"
"At an old gentleman's request." The mysterious woman extended her beautiful right hand, offering him a simple bracelet. "He told me this is a gift for Emiya Shirou."
"A gift?"
"I don't know what kind of gift it is," she said lightly, "but please—take it."
At her words, Shirou temporarily set aside his doubts about the woman and focused instead on the plain bracelet.
He reached out to take it, intending to hold it up and examine it more closely—
The moment his fingertips touched it—
"Huh?"
The mysterious woman… and the bracelet she had been offering… vanished.
Just like that.
What… happened?
Two seconds passed before Shirou reacted. He quickly looked around, then checked himself from head to toe.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
—No. Something was.
On the back of his right hand, there appeared to be dark, clustered bruising—an ugly-looking blotch that should have hurt, and yet didn't.
"This is… bruising?"
He stared at it in confusion. There was no pain—none at all.
"Was I just that exhausted from work? Did I hallucinate…? Onoko-san should be better tomorrow. I'll take a full day off and rest."
With a helpless sigh, he rubbed his eyes, then went behind the counter and grabbed a cloth to wipe his hand.
The red, snake-like marks disappeared as he scrubbed, leaving no trace. It didn't look like bruising anymore—maybe it had just been some red dye he'd gotten on himself while cleaning.
Either way, it seemed like nothing.
Shirou changed out of his work clothes, locked up the tavern, and headed out.
The winter wind cut across his collarbone, prompting him to mutter "Cold…" under his breath. It was already late, so he picked up his pace.
And yet—just as Emiya Shirou left the New City district…
At the top of the tallest building in the area, the same hooded woman watched his departure from the rooftop, her face still hidden.
"Mmm… that should take care of that troublesome old man's request. I delivered the magical item to Shirou."
A gust rose, fiercer than before, tearing back her hood.
Her face was revealed—so dreamlike in its beauty that it could make anyone who saw it lose their sense of reality.
Most striking of all were her silver hair… and eyes that bloomed like flowers.
"Still… to go out of his way to ask me to deliver it, and to claim that if he acted personally it might awaken some great spider… What a timid Magus, despite being a Magus."
"But this trip was well worth it." She smiled, her voice almost fond. "Emiya Shirou… an unpolished hero of justice."
"Let me indulge myself. I'll watch over his growth… in secret."
She chuckled softly to herself.
When her words ended, the rooftop was left with only a single beautiful flower, fragrant on the wind.
-------
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