Night Before 2nd Duel

As the sun sank below the horizon, a quiet stillness settled over the orphanage grounds. Sarah, Chris, Alicia, Cherry, and Shirou walked together along the worn dirt path, their voices mingling in soft, casual chatter. Shirou, however, trailed a few paces behind the rest, his gaze fixed heavily on the ground, his steps slow and uncertain.

"Did something happen, Shirou?" Sarah asked gently, pausing to look back at him. She had easily noticed his distant, brooding expression.

He lifted his head, his sharp eyes meeting theirs. The heavy weight of his thoughts seemed to press against the air around them. Clenching his fists at his sides, Shirou raised his voice, shattering the quiet evening.

"I want to challenge them to a duel."

The sudden declaration stunned everyone into an immediate, breathless silence.

"What...?" Sarah blinked, looking at him in utter confusion.

Before anyone else could even process the words, Cherry suddenly rushed forward. Tears of overwhelming affection welled in her eyes as she threw her arms entirely around him.

"You haven't forgotten our bond, right? Back at the orphanage, when I called you my cute little rabbit..." she whispered dramatically, trembling with theatrical grief as she clung tighter to him.

"Don't—get off me! Don't hug me!" Shirou struggled fiercely to free himself, pushing desperately against her iron grip as she leaned closer, trying to forcefully press a sisterly kiss to his cheek.

Annoyed by her antics, Chris stepped forward and rapped Cherry sharply on the top of her head with his knuckles.

"Ah—ow! Gentle!" Cherry yelped, instantly releasing Shirou to clutch her smarting forehead.

"Don't you see? He's completely annoyed by you," Chris scolded her bluntly, rolling his eyes.

Then, turning his attention back to Shirou, Chris's demeanor shifted to one of calm, focused seriousness. "So. Did something actually happen? What made you suddenly decide to challenge us?"

For a moment, only the rustling of the wind answered him. Sarah, Alicia, and even Cherry held their breaths, waiting for his reasoning.

Finally, Shirou spoke, his voice low but completely unwavering.

"I heard from the younger kids that you two... that you are both significantly stronger than Alicia. And my late mother once told me—if I want to grow stronger, I must face those who stand above me. If I can overcome that strength, then I will surpass my own limits."

His words fell heavily in the clearing, carrying the brutal gravity of his past.

Alicia's eyes widened in surprise at first—but then they narrowed into sharp slits. She stepped forward, her posture tightening with immediate irritation.

"Are you trying to say... that I'm weak?" she demanded, her voice rising. "That the time we fought earlier—when Mother declared you the winner—it was just some pathetic fluke?"

"N-no! I didn't mean it like that—" Shirou stammered, caught off guard by her fierce pride.

"Don't lie!" Alicia's voice trembled with raw frustration. "You implied it. You know you did!"

Chris and Cherry exchanged amused glances, torn between bursting into laughter and cringing at the sudden, explosive teenage tension.

"Enough," Sarah's firm, authoritative voice cut through the air, instantly drawing everyone's attention. She crossed her arms over her chest, her legendary commander's gaze unwavering.

"If you want this duel so badly, Shirou, then I agree to it. But on one strict condition—"

Everyone leaned forward, hanging on her next words.

"It will be a four-way tag match. Shirou and Alicia... against Chris and Cherry."

For a solid three seconds, there was absolute silence. And then—

"Whaaaat?!"

"But why do I have to team up with a total amateur like him?" Alicia complained loudly, folding her arms stubbornly.

"I agree with her," Shirou added, frowning deeply. "I want to challenge them alone to test my own limits, not in a team."

Sarah shook her head, her voice final and unyielding. "No excuses. If you truly wish to fight, then you will fight with Alicia standing by your side. That is my only condition."

Shirou clenched his fists, his fierce pride battling against his cold reason. But he knew—if he rejected this chance out of stubbornness, the opportunity to gauge their strength would be completely wasted. "...Fine. I agree."

"I don't want to—" Alicia started to protest further, but she froze instantly when her eyes met her mother's serious, non-negotiable gaze. She sighed heavily in defeat and looked away, clicking her tongue. "...Tch. Fine."

"Then it's decided." Sarah clapped her hands together with a bright smile. "The match will be held tomorrow morning. For now, get some rest, eat a good dinner, and prepare your hearts."

As they walked back to the house, Alicia kept grumbling angrily under her breath at Shirou, who simply ignored her, staring straight ahead. Meanwhile, Cherry, Chris, and Sarah walked a few paces ahead of the squabbling pair.

"Mother Sarah..." Cherry whispered with genuine concern, leaning in close. "Is it really alright? I mean, Alicia has fought us plenty of times. We know exactly how strong she is. But Shirou... is he really ready for a real clash?"

Before Sarah could answer, Chris interrupted with a smirk. "Didn't you hear the kids, Cherry? Shirou actually managed to defeat Alicia once. His reaction speed is completely absurd."

Cherry blinked in shock, glancing back at the white-haired boy. "Really? So that's why she gets so incredibly annoyed whenever anyone mentions the word 'strength' around him..."

Sarah chuckled softly, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "That's not the only reason, Cherry. Mark my words—Shirou will surpass every single one of us in this town, and it's going to happen much faster than you think."

"Whaaaat?!" Cherry and Chris exclaimed together, their eyes wide with utter disbelief.

"That's why," Sarah said with a warm, proud smile as she reached up and affectionately patted both of their heads, "you two need to give it absolutely everything you've got tomorrow. Don't hold back."

That night, after a hearty dinner, the large house finally fell into a deep, peaceful silence as everyone drifted off to sleep. Everyone except Shirou.

Restless and entirely unable to quiet his racing thoughts, he slipped quietly out the back door, stepping into the cool night air and lifting his crimson gaze toward the endless, starlit sky.

"Hey—what on earth are you doing out here this late?"

Shirou turned his head and saw Alicia standing near the wooden doorway. She was dressed in pale-pink pajamas, her hair slightly messy, crossing her arms against the chill.

"...Nothing," he hesitated, his voice dipping low. "Just—I don't know." He looked back up at the stars, lost in thoughts of a home he could never return to.

Alicia sighed softly, her irritation melting away into the quiet of the night. She walked over and sat down beside him on the wooden steps, though she made sure to leave a polite distance between them. "Geez... I'll never truly understand why Mother decided to take you in out of nowhere."

Shirou glanced at her sideways, his lips parting as if to defend himself, but he stopped when he saw her pouting profile. He thought better of it and remained silent.

After a long moment, Alicia spoke again, her voice much quieter, devoid of her usual bravado. "So... about your past. I'm not trying to pry or anything, but... you always mention your late mother. Who was she, really?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but the memories of the fierce, loving demon who had raised him faltered on his tongue. To explain her would be to explain the world he came from. At last, he muttered, "...I don't want to talk about her right now. I'm sorry."

Alicia blinked, surprised by the genuine vulnerability in his refusal. "...Alright. Sorry for asking," she replied softly, pulling her knees to her chest.

A peaceful silence lingered between them as a gentle night breeze brushed past, rustling the garden leaves. Both of them turned their eyes back toward the endless, shimmering sky above.

"You know," Alicia began again, her tone distant but remarkably gentle, "I never actually got to meet my father. He died in battle before I was even born. Mother raised me entirely on her own. Because she's a legendary war hero, she was always away on campaigns when I was little, so I don't have a lot of daily memories with her... but the ones I do have... they are the most precious things in the world to me. And now, I'm just happy I still have her with me."

Her words hit home. Shirou kept perfectly silent, listening intently to the rhythmic sound of her voice.

"Whenever I missed her terribly, Mother always told me a secret," Alicia continued, a soft smile gracing her lips. "She said—when you feel completely lonely, close your eyes and remember the person you miss the most. And when you open them—"

"—you'll hear that person's voice," Shirou finished quietly for her.

A faint, nostalgic smile tugged at the corners of his own lips. "Yeah. My mother told me the exact same thing. Maybe... that's where you and Sarah really match."

Alicia’s face instantly turned a violent shade of red, caught completely off-guard by the sudden, heartfelt compliment. She looked away quickly, huffing, "...Idiot."

Recovering her composure with a sharp cough, she crossed her arms tightly. "Anyway, about tomorrow... you know we don't stand a chance at beating them, right? Chris and Cherry are insanely coordinated. So listen closely, I'm going to tell you their specific weak points—"

"I don't want to hear it," Shirou cut in, shaking his head firmly.

Alicia gasped, offended. "What?!"

"In real war, you don't always get the luxury of knowing your enemy beforehand," Shirou explained, his eyes reflecting the cold starlight. "The raw fear of death forces your body to adapt. The battlefield itself is the ultimate teacher—it forces you to find a way to win. That's what my late mother drilled into me."

For a long moment, Alicia just stared at his resolute profile, completely struck by the sheer intensity of his convictions. And then, completely unexpectedly, she let out a soft, trembling laugh, wiping a sudden hint of an emotional tear from the corner of her eye.

"You really are..." she smiled, her voice holding a deep, radiant warmth she had never shown him before, "...the strangest, most ridiculous kid my mother ever adopted."