"Emiya-kun, do you mind if I visit Iri-sensei with you?"
I wanted to know how was she, and not only that, but I wanted to know if he was okay.
"I am becoming too obvious, aren't I?"
I found his hand gently patting my head. The difference between our height was pretty considerable, so there was no need to remind me this, you know? He smiled at me and said:
"It's fine. I'm sure she would be glad to meet you."
As he marched forward, I followed him with a smile on my lips. Because the touch of his arm, even though it was calloused and full of scars, was warm, warmer than I imagined. He looked at me over his shoulder, constantly checking if I was there, slowing down his pace to match mine, and added.
"It's Shirou. I'd like you to call me that."
[Ally Unlocked – EMIYA]
After some time, with our road filled with comfortable silence, we've passed empty halls and found a room near the infirmary. "Intensive Care Unit" – said the sign on the door. Apparently, our school had one for the most extreme cases, but according to Shirou, it wasn't used that much.
"It's here," he said and opened the sliding door with a crack. We were greeted with a boisterous voice, coming from the inside. There, sitting comfortably, was Iri-sensei. And she looked very healthy for someone who was on the brink of death not so long time ago.
"Oh my," she said, "I see you have finally brought a girl, Shirou. I didn't expect it to happen like that, though."
… Eh? Eh?! E-e-eh! E-e-e-e-e-eh!!
"It's not like that!" I almost shouted. "I was worried, so I came! Not that Shirou-kun doesn't have any good traits, but things like dating and marriage are…" I finished the sentence with a string of meaningless noises.
"Oh, so it's Shirou-kun now. I see, I see. You sure work fast, son of mine," Iri-sensei smiled like a sun and flashed us a thumps-up. I… I just made a fool of myself, didn't I? I peeked at Shirou to see what his face looked like. As always, he remained composed.
"And you like teasing your students too much, mother," he said with a wry smile. In an instant, his face got extremely serious. "Now, how are really feeling?"
"Honestly, you're taking too much after Kiritsugu," said Iri-sensei. "I can barely see you, my hands won't stop shaking, and standing on my own seems to be a problem. That said, thanks to Himura-chan, I feel a bit better now."
She, who must be in great pain right now, laughed our worries off. "Yes," she said, "Everything's going to get better now."
In that moment, I felt great strength coming from this woman – mellow, but unyielding tide of belief that the future would be kind to us all. Iri-sensei was strong, not as a warrior, but as a mother.
"Shirou," she said. "Be a dear and fetch me a drink. I'm quite parched, you see."
"Of course," he said, leaving me there. Not quite sure what to say, I waited for Iri-sensei to start the conversation.
"I was very surprised, Himura-chan. After all, you saw that thing too, didn't you?"
[] "Yes."
[] "No."
[] "I don't understand."
[] Write-In.