Orphanage

As Sarah raised her hand to declare the match over, Shirou loosened his grip on the wooden sword. Alicia, flushed and fuming, spun toward her mother.

"Mom, that's not fair!" she protested, her voice sharp with indignation. "I didn't even accept defeat yet—and you've already called him the winner!"

Chris bounded over, his eyes gleaming with genuine excitement. "Shirou! That second strike—I thought you were completely done for! But you turned it around... That was incredible!"

Alicia crossed her arms and scowled heavily. "Brother Chris, you too? I hate you both!"

Shirou stepped closer to Alicia, extending his hand with quiet sincerity. "It was a great match."

She narrowed her eyes at his outstretched palm. "What, are you pitying me now?"

"No," Shirou replied, his voice steady and serious. "You're strong. My late mother always said—respect anyone who holds talent. Even if it's unpolished now, it will bloom. And when it does... it can outshine the rest."

Alicia's cheeks instantly turned a bright crimson. Caught completely off guard, she quickly sat down on the grass, burying her face in her knees to hide her blushing face.

Chris leaned in, a teasing smirk on his lips. "Alicia, are you okay? Your face is completely red."

Shirou tilted his head, utterly confused by her reaction. Sarah and Chris exchanged amused glances and chuckled softly.

"Hmm... Alicia," Sarah said with a knowing smile, "since the day is still young, why don't you give Shirou a tour of the town?"

"What? Why me?" Alicia lifted her head, glaring up at her mother.

"Well, just this morning you said you were his senior," Chris chimed in playfully. "So you bear the responsibility of guiding him, right?"

Shirou's gaze met Alicia's. She let out a heavy sigh, then reluctantly stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees. "Fine. Let's go."

As the two walked off, Sarah and Chris watched them disappear down the dirt path.

"Looks like Alicia's finally found a rival who can really push her," Chris noted.

Sarah smiled softly. "Rivals help us grow. Just like you and Cherry."

Turning on their heels, they began walking back toward the warmth of the orphanage.

The streets were peaceful as Alicia led Shirou through winding paths, past the shimmering riverside, and toward the quiet edge of the forest. The afternoon air was crisp, the leaves whispering secrets overhead. After walking in silence for a while, she stopped and turned to face him.

"So... where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Shirou blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Your style—it isn't traditional martial arts. It's... different. Cunning."

"I don't know," he admitted, looking down at his wooden blade. "I never learned how to formally fight. My mother simply taught me how to survive. I wanted to learn how to protect her, but she told me fighting was pointless if you ended up dead. So instead... she left me alone. In dense forests. Barren deserts. She even threw me on a deserted island once."

Alicia's eyes widened in sheer shock. "Wait... she abandoned you?!"

Shirou immediately shook his head. "No. If she wanted to abandon me, she wouldn't have adopted me in the first place."

"Adopted?" Alicia echoed softly. "So... she wasn't your birth mother?"

"I don't remember my real mother. When I first gained consciousness as a child, I was already in a demon town. She's the only mother I've ever known."

His voice was quiet but resolute. Alicia looked at him, the frustration leaving her features as her expression softened with empathy.

"Let's head back," she said gently, turning around. "Everyone's probably waiting for us."

The moment they stepped back inside, the orphanage buzzed with its usual chaotic life—laughter, overlapping chatter, playful complaints, and pure joy all mingling in the air.

"Mom! Sister Cherry! We're back!" Alicia called out.

Before they could even take off their boots, a crowd of younger children turned and rushed toward them, surrounding Shirou like a sudden tidal wave.

"Hey! Are you the Shirou who beat Alicia in a duel?" a young boy asked, his eyes wide with awe.

"What?! Who told you that?" Alicia snapped, her face flushing.

"Chris did!" the boy said, pointing a finger toward the kitchen.

Alicia grabbed a stray wooden sword from the hallway and immediately went charging after Chris, who bolted out the back door, laughing like a madman.

Cherry clapped her hands together loudly, trying to assert order. "Alright, everyone! Give Shirou some space—he looks completely overwhelmed."

But the children completely ignored her, continuing to pepper Shirou with questions. Cherry's pleasant smile vanished, and her voice rose to a terrifying, authoritative boom. "Have you all forgotten your house manners? Do I need to remind you?"

The children froze instantly, breaking out into a cold sweat. "The demon Cherry is on a rampage!" they whispered frantically to one another, scattering to the corners of the room.

The moment the kids backed off, Cherry’s terrifying expression melted right back into absolute sweetness. She winked playfully at Shirou and gently tapped her own head. Shirou blinked, entirely unsure of how to react to her sudden mood swings.

Before he could step back, she lunged forward and enveloped him in a suffocatingly tight hug. "Don't hate your big sister! Cherry loves you, my sweet little Rabi—uh, Shirou!"

"Don't hug me, you idiot!" Shirou shouted, his face bursting into a bright, flustered red as he struggled to break free from her grip.

Later that afternoon, Shirou sat alone in the quiet garden, leaning against a wooden fence and gazing up at the drifting clouds.

"Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Alicia asked, walking up to him.

"Just thinking about home," Shirou murmured.

"Forget about brooding for a second. Come meet the others—they really want to get to know you," she said, gesturing behind her.

Four figures emerged from around the corner of the house.

"This guy with the pot helmet is Dake," Alicia introduced, pointing. "He's a bit of an idiot, but... um, I actually forgot what his talent is."

"Hey! Come on!" Dake protested, adjusting his helmet.

"This girl is Sabrina," Alicia continued, nudging a quiet girl forward. "She's shy, sweet, and kind—so make sure you're nice to her."

"Alicia, stop embarrassing me..." Sabrina whispered, hiding her blushing face by tugging tightly on Alicia’s sleeve.

"Jack is next," Alicia sighed, pointing to a boy standing with his chest puffed out. "He's stubborn, way overconfident, and deathly afraid of flies."

"Why is my introduction the absolute worst?!" Jack groaned, crossing his arms.

"And finally, Venessa—"

Before Alicia could finish, Venessa lunged forward and grabbed Shirou's hands, her eyes sparkling with intense worship. "You actually beat Alicia! Tell me her weakness! I must know the secret!"

Alicia immediately shoved her back by the forehead. "Ignore her. She's my self-proclaimed rival."

Shirou nodded slowly, completely bewildered by the sheer volume of personalities.

Jack stepped forward, narrowing his eyes dramatically as he scrutinized Shirou. "Say, Shirou... you must be completely in love with Alicia, right?"

"What?" Shirou blinked, thoroughly derailed by the question.

"I know exactly how this story goes," Jack declared proudly, pointing a finger in the air. "Boy defeats girl, girl falls helplessly in love with him. It's a classic plot!"

"You total idiot!" Alicia shouted, her cheeks blazing a furious red.

Behind them, Dake and Venessa began to whisper loudly, "So the rumors are true..."

"I challenge you to a duel!" Jack declared, drawing a wooden sword from his belt with dramatic flair. "If I win, Alicia will love me instead!"

"You don't have to accept his stupid challenge!" Alicia said quickly, turning to Shirou.

"I accept," Shirou replied flatly.

Alicia dragged him aside by his collar, whispering furiously, "Are you completely stupid? Why would you accept a ridiculous fight like that?"

"My mother always told me—always respect another person's feelings," Shirou explained seriously. "It takes a lot of courage to openly speak what is in your heart."

Alicia stared at him, completely speechless. "I think your mother meant something entirely different..." she muttered, facepalming.

Minutes later, Jack and Shirou faced off in the center of the garden with their wooden swords raised. Alica stood on the sidelines, acting as the reluctant referee.

The match was brutally brief. Shirou disarmed Jack and swept his legs in a matter of seconds, winning effortlessly.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Sabrina gasped, clapping her hands.

"You took out our second-best fighter like it was nothing!" Dake added, his eyes wide.

"So it really is true—you completely outclassed Alicia!" Venessa gasped triumphantly.

Jack slowly pushed himself up from the grass, looking thoroughly embarrassed but accepting his fate like a gentleman. "I accept my defeat. You... you can have Alicia."

Shirou looked at Jack, then glanced over at Alicia, completely deadpan. "Hm... I don't want her. You can keep her."

Jack's eyes lit up with pure joy. "Really?! Alic—"

Thwack!

Before Jack could finish his sentence, Alicia slammed her wooden sword cleanly over his head, huffed loudly, and stormed back inside the house with her face completely flushed.

As the sun began to dip low over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, the tension completely melted away. Shirou found himself opening up to the other kids. He learned that Dake dreamed of joining the royal military as a vanguard soldier. Sabrina passionately wanted to start the town's very first public library. Venessa hoped to travel the world and marry a legendary, brave warrior. And Jack...

"Alicaaaa! Forgive meeee!" Jack sobbed dramatically into the grass.

...Jack was just desperately trying to get out of the doghouse.

"I want to ask you guys something," Shirou said, his tone suddenly turning serious.

"What's up?" Dake asked, tossing his helmet aside.

"After Sarah... who is the absolute strongest person living in this house? Is it Alicia?"

The kids all burst into hearty laughter. "Alicia is definitely the strongest kid in this town," Jack explained, wiping a tear from his eye. "But if we're ranking everyone under this roof? It goes Lord Sarah first, then Chris, then Cherry... and then Alicia."

Shirou’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly as he processed the information. So Cherry and Chris are hiding that much power... "Hm... I see."

As the first stars of the evening began to twinkle in the darkening sky above the garden, a small, genuine smile finally graced Shirou's face. For the first time since the war tore his life apart, he realized he had found something far more valuable than a battlefield victory.

He had found friends.