Assessment

Alicia stood by Shirou's bedside, frustration etching her features. The bright morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. She had tried everything to rouse him from his deep slumber—shouting, shaking his shoulders, tugging at the blankets—but Shirou remained blissfully unaware.

"Hey! Wake up, you sleepyhead!" Alicia's voice held a mix of annoyance and genuine amusement. She leaned over, her breath tickling his ear. "If you miss breakfast, it's not my fault, okay?"

Still, Shirou didn't stir. Alicia's patience finally waned. A wicked grin spread across her face, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Fine. You asked for it."

With a sudden burst of energy, she leaped onto the bed, aiming to jolt him awake with a full-body landing. But Shirou's reflexes were far quicker than she anticipated. Sensing a threat even in his sleep, he rolled away in the blink of an eye, completely evading her airborne attack. In one fluid, seamless motion, he lunged forward, grabbed her wrist, and twisted her arm down, pinning her face-first into the mattress.

His expression shifted instantly from groggy confusion to sharp, alert wariness.

"What are you doing here?" Shirou demanded, a hint of survival-driven panic tightening his voice. "Are you here to finish me off? I knew I shouldn't trust an enemy!"

Alicia's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Finish you off? Are you serious?! I'm not your enemy, you idiot!" She struggled fiercely against his iron grip. "I came up here because Mom said breakfast is ready! Now let go of me!"

Shirou's grip only tightened. "You're not lying, right? Because if you are, don't think for a second I won't break your arm."

"You stupid dummy!" Alicia's frustration boiled over. "Release me right now, and we'll settle this face-to-face!" She glared back at him over her shoulder, her determination unwavering.

Just then, Cherry—wearing her usual kitchen apron—appeared in the open doorway. Her eyes widened at the tangled, chaotic scene on the bed, and she instantly pressed a hand to her mouth to hide a giggle. "Oh my, Alicia," she chimed. "You certainly are enthusiastic about waking him up."

Alicia's cheeks flushed a bright crimson. "Sister Cherry! Help me out here!"

Cherry chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "I didn't know you were quite this hardcore, Alicia. But don't worry—as his big sister, I won't lose to you either."

"Are you completely airheaded, you stupid sister?!" Alicia shouted, her frustration reaching entirely new heights.

After Cherry and Alicia finally calmed down enough to explain that it had all been a simple wake-up mission, Shirou reluctantly released her. He sat up, rubbing his temples with a sigh. "So... you really just came here to wake me up."

"Yes! You should have listened the first time!" Alicia huffed, brushing the dust off her clothes.

Cherry intervened, patting them both on the head. "Enough bickering, you two. Let's go downstairs. Mom and Chris are waiting for us."

Down in the dining room, Sarah was serving a hearty breakfast alongside Chris. As they took their seats, Shirou leaned across the table, his eyes fixed on Sarah. "You didn't forget our promise from yesterday, did you?"

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to him. "What promise?" Chris asked, holding a plate of food.

Sarah met Shirou's intense gaze. "I promised to help him become stronger," she explained calmly. "But before I can teach him, I need to accurately assess where his baseline stands."

"But we've already fought," Shirou protested, frowning. "You've already assessed me."

Sarah shook her head, gesturing to her heavily bandaged shoulder. "My current injuries prevent me from accurately gauging power levels through a direct clash. So, Shirou, you will be dueling Alicia instead. That should give me a much clearer idea of where you stand right now."

Shirou grumbled into his breakfast, but Alicia’s green eyes sparked with instant excitement. "Hey! Do you think I'm weak? Don't underestimate me!" she declared, pointing her fork at him. "I can beat a total amateur like you with my eyes closed!"

"Alright, that's enough," Sarah intervened with a soft chuckle. "We will meet out in the training field in one hour. Finish your food and take care of your morning chores."

An hour later, everyone gathered in the open clearing outside the house, save for Cherry, who had gone ahead to the orphanage to help manage the younger children. Shirou and Alicia faced each other from opposite sides of the dirt ring, both clad in protective leather armor and gripping weighted wooden practice swords.

"Are both of you ready?" Sarah's voice cut cleanly through the morning breeze.

"Yes," they replied in unison, their individual determination locked into a tense gaze.

The atmosphere in the makeshift arena became heavy, thick with anticipation. From the sidelines, Sarah watched with an unbothered, steady confidence. Chris, however, couldn't shake a growing sense of anxiety. He leaned closer to Sarah, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper.

"Miss Sarah... I'm not doubting your judgment, but are you sure about this? I mean, look at Shirou. I don't think he stands a ghost of a chance against Alicia. He's going to end up seriously hurting himself."

Sarah’s gaze remained perfectly fixed on the dirt ring. "Don't worry," she replied, her voice smooth and unyielding. "Everything will be alright. Besides, Chris... you are mistaken about one thing. Shirou is going to win this match. For sure."

"What?" Chris blinked, thoroughly baffled. "Shirou will win? I'm completely confused now... but let's see."

The two fighters shifted into their battle stances, raising their wooden blades. Sarah's authoritative command suddenly tore through the silence:

"START THE MATCH!"

In an instant, Alicia vanished, her explosive speed leaving a brief blur in the dirt. Shirou was momentarily bewildered, the wind shifting abruptly. He sensed a sharp presence surging behind him just in time to pivot, narrowly dodging a blindside strike.

But Alicia's combat recovery was flawless. Twisting on her heel, she closed the distance instantly, driving her wooden blade low toward Shirou's exposed midsection. Despite his best efforts to bring his guard down, the heavy blow connected flush against his stomach.

The sheer force sent Shirou staggering backward, his boots skidding through the loose dirt.

"Shirou! Are you alright?!" Chris yelled, instinctively taking a step toward the ring, panic etching his features.

"Stay back! Don't come in here!" Shirou barked, his voice raw. "I'm fine!"

He gritted his teeth, locking his jaw to forcefully suppress the agonizing throb in his abdomen.

Alicia lowered her sword slightly, a confident, teasing smile gracing her lips. "Are you sure about that? Your words are brave, but your body is trembling."

Shirou forced his lips into a defiant, sharp grin. "Nah... it's nothing. Compared to the real strikes I've had to survive before this, a tap from you feels like child's play."

Alicia’s smile vanished, her eyes narrowing. "You...! I'll make sure you pay for that arrogance!"

Alicia vanished into a blur once more, accelerating even faster. But this time, Shirou didn't even attempt to raise his guard. Instead, he lowered his wooden sword completely, pointing the tip toward the ground, and slowly closed his eyes.

Chris practically panicked. "What on earth is he doing?! If he doesn't protect himself, he's going to get severely hurt! Miss Sarah, please stop the duel! There's no way an ordinary kid can defeat someone personally trained by a legendary hero!"

Sarah’s calm demeanor didn't waver. "You're wrong, Chris. And don't worry—the match is already over."

Suddenly, Alicia materialized directly in front of Shirou, her wooden sword poised for a decisive, finishing downward strike. The heavy wood slammed cleanly against his stomach a second time with a loud thwack.

But instead of crying out or flying backward, Shirou simply absorbed the impact. In that exact fraction of a second, his eyes snapped open—burning a fierce crimson.

Because he hadn't moved to defend, he knew exactly where her blade would land. He twisted his torso violently, trapping the wooden sword tightly between his arm and his ribs, freezing it mid-air. Before Alicia could even register what had happened, Shirou's lightning-fast reflexes took over. He lunged inside her guard, seized her wrist, and used her own forward momentum to sweep her legs out, pinning her flat against the dirt.

With a swift, practiced motion, he locked her arm behind her back, applying just enough pressure to keep her from moving.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Hey! That really hurts! Let me go right now!" Alicia cried out, a sudden tear of frustration and pain welling in her eye as she squirmed in the dirt.

"We have our winner," Sarah declared, a small, proud smile gracing her face.

Chris stood on the sidelines, completely paralyzed with shock. His jaw dropped as he looked from the pinned girl to the panting, white-haired boy. How could a complete newcomer, a boy with no formal knight training, effortlessly outsmart and defeat Sarah's own daughter?