253A/N: Well, it has been a while... here's the next chapter!
Chapter 9: The Third Pilot
"Well, isn't this interesting?" a voice said aloud. Tabane Shinonono was once again in a dark room. She wasn't typing away on her holographic display. Her screen showed what appeared to be lots of data logs and what appeared to be two separate recordings. One feed seemed to be in a hallway, and the other in a large arena.
While the first feed in the hallway didn't offer much to the genius inventor other than seeing a certain redhead in action with a bow, the second feed provided more insight and a lot of questions. The second feed was currently on loop, and what drew the inventor's attention wasn't the whole video itself but what happened just before the end.
Seeing the video approaching a particular point, Tabane slowed it down before the recording approached a specific frame and immediately paused. While the frame was blurry, one could see a patch of red hair, accompanied by dark accents of silver and formations of red metal on black.
"So he got it to shift, huh? It looks like this suit is performing better than initially calculated," Tabane mused. However, she was drawn to the long bright stick the red blur appeared to be holding. While it was angled towards the ground, it marked the inventor's curiosity.
"Strange, whatever he used could easily cut through the armor and shielding. Though these were not meant to be strong units anyway," the genius thought. Looking at the logs, she found a peculiar message that had appeared three times since the entries began.
Unknown Energy Detected. Similarity to IS Core Energy: 70%. Source: Pilot.
Now that was something even Tabane was curious about. Whatever 'trick' this person used was eerily similar to the energy that powers an IS Core. It wasn't until the third time this message repeated did the genius frown and was shocked at the following two logs that came after.
Primary Weapon Heavily Tampered. Standard Weapon Auto-Dismissal Protocol Engaged.
Error. Weapon Damaged. Grade Level: F. Emergency Weapon Auto-Dismissal Engaged.
"How did that happen?" Tabane was curious about how the person's main weapon was tampered with. In a very short time, no less. On top of that, whatever the person did after said tampering broke their weapon. Looking through the logs once more while glancing at the still frame of the red blur, Tabane brought up another window that looked like a simple terminal console. The genius inventor typed a few commands, and the terminal responded in kind.
Weapon Adaptability Protocol Engaged. Weapon Auto-Repair Protocol Engaged.
Tabane only sighed. While that took care of the person's primary weapon, she would need to return to finish the person's remaining preferences for the suit. Since it finally adjusted to the pilot's parameters and shifted successfully, the initial project the inventor started was coming along nicely. Despite the early success, Tabane was drawn more to the pilot she gave it to.
"Just what are you hiding, Shikkun?"
Exhausted, Shirou shambled into his dorm room. It had only been an hour since he had taken down the rogue IS with his peers. The redhead had just returned his suit to the designated room when he suddenly felt this way. Considering the circumstances, Shirou had a feeling it was a combination of two main factors—the projection of Caliburn he used and sheer adrenaline. While the latter reason was apparent, the former conclusion took a bit for Shirou to realize.
"I guess using Caliburn itself compared to just projecting it like that time would make a significant difference," the redhead mused as he took a quick shower and laid back on his bed.
His thoughts were now on his roommate, who had yet to return. "I hope Ichika knows what he's doing." The magus sighed, remembering how Houki looked, and walked out after. The boy deduced that the brunette had thought of the worst possible case happening, and that alone tore her up.
A tired sigh came from Shirou. "He'll have to do that on his own unless…" The redhead let out a yawn. "In any case, it's up to him now."
The next time the magus woke up, he saw Ichika already in his sleepwear, working on what appeared to be a homework assignment. However, the raven-haired teen appeared to be more distracted by something. Seeing his roommate in this state, Shirou decided to break the silence by getting up and getting Ichika's attention.
"Hey Ichika, you alright?"
The other male pilot blinked out of his stupor as he noticed Shirou beside him.
"Oh, hey, Shirou. Yea, I'm alright. I was just thinking about what happened."
"With, Huang-san…?" Shirou asked, unsure.
"Yea."
"Is it bad?"
Shirou could only nod and listen as Ichika explained what happened in the hanger bay.
After listening to his Ichika's story, Shirou had to finish the reference manual he had been given. Maya had visited the male pilots' dorm room to remind the redhead of this, and due to his later and quick enrollment into the academy, Shirou had to take make up an exam on their day off, which would be tomorrow. Finalizing a time when Shirou could take the exam, Maya left both Ichika and Shirou to finish their respective assignments.
In the morning, Shirou woke up earlier and took at least an hour to review his notes from the reference manual. When Ichika woke up a little while later, the raven-haired male told the magus that he would be gone most of the day as the male pilot had to take care of a few things at home. However, as Ichika was about to leave, the boys had an unexpected visitor when Ichika opened the door. Outside of their room was a very neutral-looking Houki. Her arm was outstretched, showing she was about to knock.
Coming face-to-face with his childhood friend, Ichika was surprised but decided to greet her. "Oh, good morning Houki. Did you need something?"
It took a second for Houki to realize that Ichika was talking to her. Quickly lowering her arm, the brunette spoke in an oddly neutral tone.
"Ichika, I was wondering if you wanted to eat breakfast with me today."
The first male pilot looked at the girl as the former's face looked conflicted and a bit guilty, "I'm sorry, I already ate breakfast earlier. I have a few things to take care of back home, too, so I'll be gone most of the day."
"Oh…"
Letting out a small sigh, Ichika could only give a small apologetic look at his childhood friend. "Sorry, Houki, we can eat breakfast another time."
"Yeah, okay."
Ichika could only give a small smile before walking down the hall and out of sight, pacing himself so that he didn't miss the first monorail to the mainland. Houki looked at Ichika's retreating figure before her expression showed a bit of sadness as her bangs covered her eyes again. Shirou witnessed all of this as the door was left wide open, and he was at his desk preparing a small bag to bring for the test he had to do. Shirou considered his options when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Looking toward the open door, the magus saw his housemate looking at him with a neutral expression. The magus could only sigh as he seemed to resign to his fate.
"What is it Shinonono-san?"
"Shinonono-san, is there something on your mind?" Shirou asked as he grabbed a serving tray. The girl in question was behind the redhead as the two teens were getting breakfast in the cafeteria. While the magus would have preferred to make his own breakfast, Houki wanted to talk to him after Ichika left to do whatever the male pilot had to do at home.
The brunette could only reply, "Maybe once we find a seat, I can ask you." Shirou could only nod. The two students grabbed their ordered meals before sitting at a nearby table. Shirou looked at his breakfast with an analyzing gaze: a simple grilled fish, rice bowl, and miso soup.
"The fish seems overcooked," the magus secretly critiqued before taking the chopsticks provided and started to eat in silence. However, it wasn't long before Houki asked what seemed to be bothering her.
"Did Ichika ever tell you what happened at all?"
Shirou was caught off guard but was not completely surprised. Considering how his housemate had acted with Cecelia and Rinin when Ichika was around, the redhead felt the girl would ask him something in particular. Going through his options, Shirou decided to play it safe for now. "What do you mean?"
"I mean at the hanger with Huang-san."
Shirou chose his following words carefully and replied with a straight face, "Nothing really important."
"Really?"
The magus nodded. This was something Ichika had to do himself. Shirou would only spill if things escalated to a large misunderstanding or being interrogated. Luckily for the male, Houki did not want to go that far or thought she needed to.
"I… see," the brunette continued eating her meal afterward.
Seeing his housemate continue to eat in silence, Shirou did the same. As the redhead was eating, he did notice a few stares he received from other students passing by. Feeling a slight twinge of discomfort, the magus had become aware that eating breakfast with a friend would result in a misunderstanding about himself.
"Just my luck…"
Finishing his food quickly, Shirou gathered his tray, left it on top of the trashcan, returned for his school bag, and was about to leave before addressing Houki again.
"If that's all you need to ask Shinonono-san, I have to take a test soon," the magus quickly walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the brunette alone in deep thought.
It did not take long for the magus to arrive at the classroom 1-A. When Shirou walked in, the class was devoid of students, and only one other person was sitting at the teacher's desk on a laptop, Maya Yamada. Hearing the door open, the green-haired teacher looked and saw Shirou walk inside the classroom.
"Ah, Emiya-kun, right on time. Please take your seat, and we can get started."
The redhead complied and sat at his usual desk, the bag he brought with him resting at the foot of it. Reaching down, Shirou grabbed a mechanical pencil and eraser as Maya procured a test of what appeared to be a few pages long before placing it at the male student's desk.
"You have one hour Emiya-kun. If you are confused about a problem, don't hesitate to ask for clarification." Giving a smile of encouragement, Maya confidently said one final thought. "Good luck!"
As the young teacher returned to her desk, Shirou focused on the five-page stack before him. Taking his pencil in one hand and taking a deep breath, Shirou began his test.
The sound of one arrow hitting the target was heard through the primarily empty archery range. Its only occupant, Shirou. The magus had finished the makeup test a few hours ago. However, the male felt he needed to relax, leading him to practice at the archery range. As the boy continued to concentrate and fire arrow after arrow, he heard the door to the archery range open. He paid it no mind as he notched another arrow, inhaled deeply, took the proper form, and landed another bullseye, eliciting a surprised sound from the other person. Taking a long exhale, Shirou lowered his bow and reached for another arrow, glancing at who entered the archery range. It was a girl he did not recognize.
She had exotic skin, dark-green bob-cut hair, and bluish-violet eyes. While the girl was wearing the female IS academy uniform, on top was a long natural white Thai coat with red tassels on each side and details spread about. The girl had a gym bag slung over her shoulder. However, when she noticed Shirou, the girl's eyes widened, and she froze like a deer in headlights.
Noticing the girl's posture, Shirou had to think carefully. Quickly going through his options, the redhead decided to try to diffuse the situation. "Good afternoon. Are you here to practice?"
The girl still could only nod, making the magus continue. "I just finished anyway. You can use it now; just be sure to clean up after yourself."
The girl's shoulders relaxed slightly. However, she quickly entered one of the nearby changing rooms before the sole male could say anything more. With a sigh, Shirou walked up to the target he was practicing on to remove the arrows he fired and put them back into the arrow stand he used. Placing the bow back onto one of the racks, the magus took his gym bag from the cabinet shelves and walked into another changing room to switch to his school uniform.
When he finished, Shirou walked out with his bag in hand. As the magus was leaving the archery range, he noticed the girl had already changed into the appropriate uniform and was already trying to practice with a similar posture Shirou had done. However, the redhead saw that the girl was struggling with gripping the bow correctly. A nagging thought entered the boy's mind as he was about to leave.
"Don't hold the grip too hard. You'll shake the bow, throwing off your aim. Try to relax and aim before shooting." The magus left after leaving his parting comment. As the door slid behind him, Shirou did not notice the girl look back at where he was with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Eh?!"
The rest of the day went without incident for Shirou. It was not long before Ichika came back from running errands. The two boys had gone to the cafeteria for a quick dinner. However, when Houki joined them, she told them something unexpected.
"Yamada-sensei told me that I'm going to have a roommate."
Both males blinked in surprise. Ichika spoke first. "Did she say why?"
Houki sighed. "We'll have another transfer student coming tomorrow, another male pilot." Both boys' eyes widened in surprise. "Since I'm technically the only girl with 'experience' with a male roommate." The girl then gave a not-so-subtle glare to Ichika. "And there aren't any triple rooms in the dormitory, so the new transfer student will be rooming with me instead."
Ichika felt he had been put on the spot and could not figure out why. "Well, I guess you can hope he isn't a bad person, right?"
Shirou looked down at his food, seemingly interested in the soup he was given.
"So, you're fine with me rooming with another boy?!" Houki asked, annoyed.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Ichika tried to defend himself. "If the new transfer student turned out to be bad news, you're more than capable of taking care of yourself." The raven-haired male closed his eyes, expecting a painful slap, but nothing happened. Opening his eyes, Ichkia noticed Houki's face flush with embarrassment. However, she was still glaring at the boy. "Did I say something wrong?"
The girl's face formed to annoyance. "It's nothing." The girl proceeded to eat her dinner in silence.
Seeing the girl act like this, Ichika knew he had done something to upset her. The male looked to Shirou for possible help, but the redhead looked irked as he drank his tea silently. Unbeknownst to Houki and Ichika, Shirou's posture relaxed slightly from not needing to intervene in a possible physical confrontation.
After dinner, Houki continued to give Ichika the cold shoulder as she split from the two boys. When the two males reached their dorm room, they talked about their day. However, when Ichika asked Shirou about Houki's behavior, the redhead gave a vague answer.
"Consider what she said about the new male pilot and your response."
Houki still gave Ichika the subtle cold shoulder the next day. All the students seemed to discuss what they did on their day off, and their teacher Maya was working at the teacher's desk. Shirou simply sat at his desk and prepared his materials for the day. As he took out his book, someone tapped his shoulder. Turning to the source, Yuko was standing there, a look of concern on her face.
"Is something wrong Tanimoto-san?" Shirou asked, confused.
Yuko's lips thinned a bit before she answered. "Did something happen between Orimura-san and Shinonono-san? She's been giving Orimura-san a cold attitude since they walked in today."
"Guess it's pretty noticeable." Shirou thought. "Nothing really, just a small dispute between them."
"Oh, okay." Yuko began to press her fingers together as she looked more nervous. "Did something happen between you and Shinonono-san by chance?"
Shirou's face turned to confusion. "No, nothing happened. Why?"
"Erm, you see-"
"Take your seats. Homeroom is starting immediately." The indistinguishable strict voice of Chifuyu Orimura ordered as she walked into the classroom.
Most of the students quickly walked to their seats in the classroom. Shirou noted the disappointed look Yoko gave as she mumbled something before the girl went back to her desk. Once everyone quieted down, Maya took to the podium with a cheerful smile.
"Well, class, I'm happy to announce we're getting another transfer student today!" Just as Maya finished her proclamation. The class had varying degrees of quiet curiosity, including Shirou. While he knew the new transfer student would be a male, he was not expecting the student to come into their class.
As the classroom door slid open once more and a person walked in, everyone had varying degrees of surprise. When the person stopped next to the podium and faced the class, Shirou could get a good look at the new male student.
He wore the male IS Academy uniform and had long, straight, spiky blonde hair tied into a short ponytail and purple eyes. Straightening his posture, the male spoke in a semi-deep voice.
"I'm Charles Dunois. I'm from France." The new student, Charles, smiled. "It's nice to meet you."
"You're a boy?" A random girl asked.
"Oui. I heard that there are other males in a similar situation as me, so I decided to transfer here."
"Oh boy." Shirou mentally prepared himself as he counted down in his head. "Three, two, one."
Similar to the redhead's first day coming to the academy, the class broke into another frenzy, much to Charles' surprise and confusion.
"There's a third male student." One girl stated.
"And he's in our class. What are the odds?" Another said aloud. The commotion continued for a few more seconds until one instructor had enough.
"Quiet, damn it! That's enough!" Chifuyu's voice silenced all the remaining female students to pay attention. The raven-haired instructor sighed before continuing. "Today's agenda is to conduct joint practical training with Class 2. I want everyone changed and on Field Arena 2 ASAP." The woman turned her attention to both Ichika and Shirou.
"Orimura. Emiya."
Both boys gave the teacher their full attention. "Yes?"
"Since all three of you are boys, I'm putting both of you in charge of getting Dunois up to speed. So keep an eye on him." Chifuyu then addressed the rest of the class. "Alright, ladies, let's get moving."
Just as the girls began to gather their bearings, the new male student approached the two males. "So you're the other male pilots, oui? It's nice to meet you. I am-"
"Sorry, but formal introductions will have to wait." Ichika began as he stood up from his desk. "We'll have to get to the field right away. C'mon, Shirou." Motioning to the redhead and the blonde, the trio briskly left the classroom, leaving most of the girls in a daze, though Houki looked on with a more neutral expression.
"Wait, why are we leaving in such a hurry?" Charles asked.
"It's because we need to beat the girls to change first, or we're going to be the last ones on the field," Shirou explained.
Before ending up at the archery range the day before, Shirou had to get his gym bag to get his outfit. However, he noticed his initial locker had been moved to a different locker room. When he asked Ichika last night about it, the raven-haired teen said he got a notice from his sister. It noted that the student council president wanted all the student lockers to be grouped by class year, with no exceptions. Ichika and Shirou's belongings in their initial lockers were moved by staff during the day off from apparently the second-year students' locker room. The chances of changing in a mostly empty locker room dramatically decreased—unless they changed first.
However, as luck would have it, other girls from other classes got curious about the new male transfer and conveniently decided to try and find out who the new student was. Seeing their peers congregating at the ends of the hallways, the trio had to look for a possible way out.
Shirou noticed an open hallway to the left. "Guys, to our left." Ichika and Charles did not have to think twice as they followed the redhead. This continued for a few minutes until the trio reached the locker room.
"Looks like we finally lost them," Ichika said as he tried to catch his breath.
Charles was also breathing heavily before he spoke. "I'm sorry for bringing you guys into this mess on my first day."
"It's no trouble," Shirou began as he opened his locker. "I had to deal with similar experiences on my first day, so you don't need to apologize." As the redhead reluctantly took out his IS uniform. Both Ichika and Charles noticed Shirou did not look winded from all the constant running earlier.
The blonde spoke up as he realized something. "By the way, what are your names, since we have the time now."
Ichika's eyes widened in realization. "Oh right, I'm Orimura, Ichika." The raven-haired boy then motioned to the redhead. "And this is my roommate."
Noticing the implications of what Ichika was doing, Shirou introduced himself. "Emiya, Emiya, Shirou."
"Ah, as you know, I'm Charles Dunois, but you both can call me Charles."
"We'll keep that in mind, though we should hurry before the rest of the class comes in."
The reminder of the other girls coming in soon made Ichika quickly open his locker. "Yea, we gotta hurry up before Chifu-Orimura-sensei scolds us." The raven-haired male started to undress. However, Charles yelped in surprise to both Ichika and Shirou's confusion.
Charles quickly turned around and covered most of his face with his hands except for his eyes as he tried to hide his flushed cheeks. However, he turned around to see a shirtless Shirou putting on the top of his IS suit. More blood rushed to his face seeing the redhead's well-toned torso.
"Oh, mon Dieu!" was the only thought that went through the blonde's mind as more blood rushed to his head.
Shirou's confusion turned to suspicion as Charles continued to stare at him. "Um, you should get changed, and fast. Orimura-sensei isn't lenient on slow people, and the onslaught of girls coming in won't make it any easier."
"Oh! You're right! I'll change right now," the blonde snapped out of his daze though he looked uncomfortable. "But, um, could you both turn around s'il te plaît?"
Ichika was confused by the request but complied. Shirou's suspicion went up, but he also turned away as he quickly removed his pants and undergarments to wear the outfit shorts. Hearing the quick sounds of changing clothes, the redhead noted the blonde's behavior.
"Just hurry up, okay, huh?!" Ichika's outburst made Shirou look back at the two males. Charles was already in his IS training uniform. A two-piece form-fitting suit composed of mostly black and orange edge trimmings. An orange-winged pendant adorned his neck.
"Erm, is something wrong?" Charles asked with uncertainty.
"No, it's just you've changed incredibly fast. Is there a trick to it or something?"
"Erm, no, not really, hahaha…"
Shirou decided to speak up. "It takes practice, though it does take time to get used to." The redhead made sure his uniform's top didn't have any creases. "Though wearing these are not the most comfortable either."
Ichika agreed with the redhead. "Yea, since we can't even wear undergarments, some 'things' just end up getting caught."
Charles' eyes widened. "Uh, 'things'?"
"Yup."
The blonde's face turned beet red again.
Ichika then seemed to notice the suit the blonde male was wearing. "Huh, your suit looks a bit easier to put on, though."
"Oh, the Dunois company originally designed this for me."
"Dunois? That's your last name, right?"
"Mhm, my papa is the company CEO. Dunois is the largest IS-related corporation in France."
Shirou listened to the two pilots' discussion with intrigue but decided not to comment.
"Then, you're the CEO's son, huh? I guess that makes sense." Ichika then proceeded to put on his top for the US uniform.
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"Well, you seem to have this professional air around you, and your mannerisms come from prestigious families. So it makes sense."
"Ah, yes… prestigious families," Charles mumbled aloud though more to himself.
Shirou noticed the blonde's distant tone, and while he was about to comment, he saw the time on the wall clock. "Ichika, we need to hurry up soon. The girls will be coming in any minute."
The raven-haired male did not need to be told again, as he had begun to pick up the pace while the other two males waited for him outside. While waiting for Ichika, Charles noticed Shirou's IS suit also had a different design. The top resembled a short-sleeved wetsuit and lacked a midriff.
"I see you have a custom-made suit as well, erm, Emiya-san?" Shirou nodded, and the blonde continued. "Who made it?"
The redhead responded with a neutral face. "Shinonono, Tabane-san."
"Eh? You got your training uniform from THE Tabane Shinonono?"
"Considering the circumstances, yeah."
"Circumstances?"
"It's a lot to explain." Shirou then saw Ichika coming out of the locker room with his IS uniform. "Why not we talk about this after the joint training?"
The blonde could only nod. The surprise was still evident on his face. The trio of males then all walked together to the field, wondering about whatever training their teacher, Chifuyu Orimura, would have planned for the two classes.
Final Word Count: 4384
A/N: Alright, so I wanted to continue, but I already hit my word count. I know there wasn't much in terms of action in this chapter, but with the word limit I put on myself (for good reasons), there will be another 2-3 chapters before we get Shirou into a major fight. I think you guys will know what I am talking about. Now as for any guesses about the girl that made an appearance in the archery range, I'll leave that to y'all to figure out on your own.
While writing this chapter, I noticed someone on Wattpad had translated this story into Spanish... without my consent and knowledge. While I'm not against people sharing my stories in other languages, please ask me personally before you translate them. I am giving this person a free pass for IBW since I saw it, and they credit me in the description. However, you know who you are, please next time, ask me in a PM at least. The same goes for the person who requested the story to be translated; please ask me before going to someone to translate it.
In other news, I commissioned Alex-Kellar for getting cover art for this story, which should update soon if it hasn't already. Go check out his deviantART for the full resolution if you haven't already. Well, at least at this point, I have unofficially finished in third place in the writing contest this story was written for. It has only taken me... almost three years... yea... XD
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and enjoyed this story so far. Leave a favorite if you do, and follow if you want to keep up to date. Leave a review for any constructive criticism and positive words, flames will be ignored.
Stay safe, stay cool, and I'll see y'all in the next one!