SwordSwoSword Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The air at the main shrine was laced with the aura of the night.

The sky above was no longer a fading gold, the twilight hour was no longer casting long shadows over the mossy steps and torii gate standing watch like a solemn sentinel as the dark had taken solace.

“I didn’t want to let the opportunity slip away.”

She was thinking about what Okarun said to her when they were discussing about why he had approached her in the first place.

‘He’s just a guy who’s into the paranormal! All he wanted was a friend!’

Momo Ayase practically stumbled into the clearing, her chest heaving. She had run barefoot from the house, not even bothering to grab shoes or socks. The urgency in her heart drowned out everything else.

‘This is my fault! This happened because I forced him to go to that place! I’m so sorry, Okarun!’

Momo was breathing heavily as she finally arrived at the main shrine that was just outside the house.

“Okarun!” she shouted, eyes darting wildly around the shrine.

For a moment, she thought of the worst. But then, he was there.

It was him… while munching a rice ball.

Okarun’s outfit was an oversized shirt, probably something that was lent by Unc, his glasses was still dirty, and his normally clean face was still a little roughed up like he’d fought a hurricane. But the moment she saw him there, eyes bleary but intact, she couldn’t help but let out a sharp breath of relief.

“Ayase-san! Thank goodness! You’re all right! I was positive I’d killed you!” Okarun gleefully proclaimed his happiness that Momo was fine and safe. His eyes started to get wet, and his nostrils started to exude liquid.

SLAM

Immediately, Momo shut the doors of the shrine.

“Ehh?! Wait! Ayase-san!?” Momo could hear Okarun’s voice coming from inside, pleading and being confused by the act. “Ayase-san?!”

“You’re actually alive, you four-eyed freak!!!” she cried out, slamming her foot against the shrine’s entrance..

Okarun barely kept his composure. “Ehhhh—What’s your deal?! What did I do?! Excuse me for being alive.”

“You almost—! I thought—! Gaaaahh! This is so annoying” She couldn’t finish her words, and instead buried her head against the door, fists balled. Her voice came muffled. “I thought I’d never see you again, dumbass…”

His voice softened. “I… I thought the same thing.”

There was a pause. Just the wind through the trees, the cry of distant cicadas, and the aching vulnerability hanging between them.

Then Okarun exhaled.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I lost control. It wasn’t supposed to go that far.”

GLOOMGLOOM

He couldn’t see it as she was still outside the temple and the doors being shut, but Momo was sporting a really big blush after hearing Okarun’s voice and seeing his visage.

“So when did you start having monsters for friends?” came a voice from behind.

She instantly turned as the crunch of approaching footsteps broke the tender silence.

“GYAHHH! You scared me!”

Shirou Emiya and Seiko Ayase had arrived.

Emiya’s presence was quiet but immense, the moonlight gleaming off his white hair like threads of silver. His shirt was rolled up to the forearms, hands stuffed in his pockets as if he were just on a casual stroll.

Seiko walked beside him, unlit cigarette dangling from her lips, wearing a varsity jacket over her home clothing.

“The curse won’t activate if he’s in there,” Seiko said, eyeing Momo’s face. “But as soon as he sets foot outside, he goes back to being a monster.”

Momo immediately pulled away from the door, flustered. “You said you killed him—! You’re a liar!”

“You were pretty desperate just then, huh? That your type?” Seiko teasingly said to her granddaughter.

“NO!!!!”

Momo tried to find her composure after being teased by her grandmother. She took a side glance to see that the only guy outside with them was… having a bit of a smile.

She really hated that, so she turned the topic into something serious.

“Okarun’s You-Know-What got stolen by Turbo Granny,” Momo explained.

“Apparently, the curse can’t be lifted until he gets it back. It’s all my fault too. I just wish there was something I could do for him.”

“Oh I see. So you’ve got a thing for him, eh?”

“That’s not what I said!!!”

Momo really was tired with these kinds of questions.

“There’s something else. I have psychic powers now,” She then looked at her grandmother and her adoptive uncle.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Seiko asked her to elaborate, whereas he raised an eyebrow.

“I went to this place where you could encounter UFOs and then yadayada, now I’ve got powers.”

For a moment, there was silence. No one was able to speak after Momo explained how she got her psychic powers.

Then, The one who had listened stepped in.

“There’s no such thing as UFOs.” Seiko said.

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” he added.

Their reaction made Momo sweatdropped.

“I can understand why you’d say that. Until yesterday, I didn’t believe either…” she looked at them with tired eyes.

“Anyway, I’ve got powers now, and that’s the truth. And If I don’t suppress Okarun’s curse things get real hairy.”

“I’m not surprised psychic powers exist. Have you seen what Shirou can do?” Seiko said.

“I’m pretty sure we have such a vast difference when it comes to our abilities…” It was Emiya’s turn to sweatdrop.

“Just what is your criteria for believing things? Speaking of, Unc! You never told me that you could summon arrows out of thin air!! Is that magic or something?”

“He can do a lot more than just arrows. And yes, it’s magic—“ Seiko vehemently explained.

“No, it’s Magecraft— Look, I can explain that later on. But, for now…”

As he saw this dialogue being exchanged, he then stepped in.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Emiya said, cutting in. His tone was simple, but his gaze went briefly to the shrine, scanning the one inside like a weapon system assessing a threat.

“You held back the curse. That took a lot of focus and talent considering you’ve only awakened it yesterday.”

Momo, felt that she was being praised, adjusted her mannerisms awkwardly. “I… Yeah, I did.”

“That Turbo Granny though…” Seiko added, tilting her head and lighting up her cigarette. “You’ve gotten yourself mixed up with a real pain in the ass. I’ll tell ya what.”

Momo flushed with guilt, then turned back to listen to what Seiko was explaining about.

“In the old days, she was called “The 100KMPH Granny”. A yokai who wreaked havoc all over the country. I had heard the elusive freak was staying put in that long tunnel these days, so we went out there once to scope out the scene.”

“We?” Momo asked.

“’We’ means me and Shirou, duh. He’s always helping me with this stuff.”

“More along the lines of ‘unpaid labor’ to be fair,” he cut in.

“Your pay is all the materials you wish to have for the food you wanna cook—anyway, it was bizarre. The spiritual force was so strong I couldn’t even get near the tunnel.”

“A bound spirit is there as well,” Emiya said, stepping forward.

Momo looked at him.

“It’s a spirit that remains in particular place it has a strong connection to,” he explained,  “They’re pretty strong in their territory.”

“Heh—look at that, you remembered the thing I taught you,” Seiko proudly proclaimed.

“I learned from the worst—but yes, there isn’t a medium alive who stands a chance against a bound spirit.”

Momo froze. “So, you’re saying—?!”

“There was just such a spirit already in that tunnel. To be more precise… have combine into one,” he finished his explanation.

Seiko then turned to Momo, who was shell shocked after hearing everything that was told to her.

“Don’t get mixed up with it,” Seiko said flatly, poking her on the forehead. “You have no direct connection to this. Just forget about him and go back to your regular life.”

Momo was still just standing in front of the shrine door, looking at it with a trance.

“I wonder what my beloved Ken Takakura would do in this situation. Whenever I’m at loss, that’s the question I ask myself… and it’s never steered me wrong. And I know…’

He saw Momo’s face filled with resolve, no longer was she in a daze or exuding a sense of shock.

“Ken Takakura would 100 percent do something to help. So that’s what I’m gonna do too.”

That kind of resolve to help others… made him remember his past live. To be more precise,..

It made him remember a certain someone. Someone who just as violent, who just as put on airs, who always acted realistically but vehemently an idealist as well… she didn’t have a massive crush on an old movie actor, unlike Momo… or did she?

‘She really does remind me of her,’ he thought.

As Momo was done solidifying her resolve, Seiko only tilted her head further.

“Your beloved Ken? So you do love that punk inside, huh?!” Seiko asked as she had found out that Okarun’s real name was also Ken Takakura.

“NOO!! GAH!! You’ve got it all wrong!” Momo was blushing far too red. “I’m not talking about that Ken! I’m talking about—“

“Hey, in there! She’s confessing her love! How ya feel about that?” Seiko teasingly asked while placing herself closer to the door of the shrine, making Momo more frustrated in the process.

“I told you, you got it all wrong!! I meant the actor!!”

After that, Seiko then stepped backward and faced Momo directly. Finally feeling like her granddaughter had a resolve, she wanted to share the plan that she had concocted up.

“Well, if you feel that strongly, so be it—“

“No, there’s no need for any of you to do anything.”

Momo and Seiko looked at the voice that cut off the approval. Of course, it was Shirou Emiya, who crossed her arms while putting his back on the wall.

“Huh?! What do you mean, Unc?!”

“Always the silent hero type you are…”

“It’s not about that,” he said. “Turbo Granny, and that old tunnel, are too dangerous for not even Momo and that other kid, but also you, Seiko. That place is cursed beyond belief. It’s literally a hotspot for entities like the one possessing him.”

Seiko chimed in, finally turning of her cigarette. “We’ve got a bit of a golden chance here. You really just wanna go gung-ho and do it all by yourself? Your plan of just nuking the tunnel can have consequences, ya know?”

“The consequences are better than what can be lost. Momo just acquired her powers, her friend is basically cursed and needs her to maintain it from going out of control and then, there’s you.”

He looked at Seiko directly, steel grey eyes looking at soft ones sharper than a razor.

“Your barrier magic is just borrowing the powers of the god that lives in this region. Once we’re outside of Kamikoshi City, it won’t work at all. That’s why it’s better for you to just stay here and let me handle it.”

“I can blast them with something that makes missiles look like party poppers,” Emiya said without a hint of sarcasm. “Quick, efficient, and no one has to endanger themselves.”

The wind stirred. No one doubted that he meant it.

Momo was trying to process that fact that he was confident to handle Turbo Granny and the tunnel spirit all by himself, but as she listened more and more, she had a question in her mind.

“Wait, what about Okarun? If you say you can nuke the whole damn tunnel and kill Turbo Granny and the others, does that mean…”

“He’ll still be alive but I don’t think what is taken can be returned. So, he’ll be missing a few parts, perhaps.”

“OH MY GOD!! ARE YOU INSANE?!” Momo screamed at him, furiously reacting and showing many veins in her forehead.

Seiko gave a small chuckle. “There’s a big flaw in your plan there, Shirou.”

Momo gave a big frown and a loud noise. “You can’t just force him to become a eunuch! Have you no conscience?!”

He gave a big sigh. “It’s the safest and quickest way to end this mess. You don’t have to agree, but just remind yourselves that your lives can be on the line. It’s better than to lose your lives, don’t you think?”

There was a pause.

And then, Seiko stepped forward to the shrine’s entrance and opened the door.

“We should let him join in as well.”

Lo and behold, Okarun was standing in front of the other side of the door, heavily implying that he was listening to their conversation this whole time.

“May I finally be allowed to join the conversation?” Okarun asked.

“Oh, right! Sorry! Forgot all about you!” Momo apologized for forgetting his existence of a while there. “You were listening that whole time?!”

“Well, yeah. The shrine’s not exactly soundproof, you know,” he replied flatly. “It’s made of old wood and my feelings.”

“Don’t act dramatic! You were eating rice balls the entire time!!” she snapped back.

“I was emotionally eating!”

Seiko laughed. “He’s got the timing of a ghost and the self-pity of a man in his thirties. You sure he’s not already cursed in the head?”

Okarun huffed, not stepping out of the shrine and warily watching his own aura as he took one step after another. The cursed energy inside him growled faintly but did not lash out. It seemed dormant… for now.

“Listen,” he said, facing Shirou Emiya. “I don’t care how dangerous it is. I don’t want anyone else risking themselves for my sake, especially not if your plan is just nuking the tunnel and leaving me half a man.”

“That’s better than being half a corpse,” Shirou replied calmly.

“But that’s not your call to make!” Okarun fired back, voice rising. “This is my life. My body. And my—well, my missing parts! If I’ve got a shot at getting them back, I’ll take it.”

“Not alone, you won’t,” Momo added, stepping beside him. “We started this together. And even if it’s my fault we got involved, I’m seeing this through.”

“I don’t want Ayase-san to endanger herself, but she’s the most reliable person I’ve ever met!” Okarun nodded, a little surprised at the solidarity.

“Okarun…” Momo was shocked hearing just how he was judging her in such a good light.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You two are unbelievable. This isn’t a school play. It’s a domain teeming with wrathful spirits and a yokai terror with a vendetta. You’re not trained. You’re not ready.”

“We might not be,” Momo said, eyes locked with his. “But neither was I when I first got dragged into this. And yet here I am.”

“She managed to suppress my curse,” Okarun added. “That’s gotta count for something.”

He looked between the two of them, eyes hard like tempered steel. There was silence. Even the insects in the surrounding forest seemed to pause.

Then—finally—he sighed.

“…I hate this part of me,” he muttered under his breath.

Seiko raised an eyebrow. “What part?”

“The part that sees myself in them,” he replied flatly, then turned back to the duo. “Fine. You want to fight? Then you fight. But under two conditions.”

Okarun perked up. “Name them.”

“One—” he raised a finger, “—you follow my orders. When I say fall back, you fall back. No heroics.”

Momo and Okarun exchanged glances, then nodded.

“Two—” he raised a second finger, “—if I say the situation is lost and we retreat, you don’t argue. No hesitation, no ‘just a little bit more,’ nothing. We live to fight another day.”

“Deal,” Momo said firmly.

Okarun hesitated only a beat before echoing, “Deal.”

He looked them over again. Their postures were still raw, energy still clumsy, and their stances far from that of seasoned warriors. But… they had resolve. A dangerous kind of resolve.

Seiko, amused, lit another cigarette.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little team,” she said, grinning. “Hope you brought enough of those magic arrows for the whole class.”

“Don’t worry,” he muttered. “I’m bringing more than arrows.”

Momo turned to Okarun. “We’re gonna win this.”

He gave a nervous smile. “I just want my dignity back.”

“Now that we got that out of the way, let’s go back to the plan,” Seiko said, earning a collective “YES!” from both teens.

“Let’s play a little tag with this Turbo Granny.”

That earned a collective “What?” from both teens.

“You—“ Seiko pointed at Okarun “You need to train yourself to be able to go all-out all the time.”

“So, do five sets of 100 push-ups, sit-ups, back exercises, and squats right now. Shirou will attest to your training.”

“So, I need to train the kid now?” he could feel another headache coming right this instance.

“And you, Momo—“ Seiko then pointed at her granddaughter. “Your psychic abilities need to be train to a higher level than they are now. I’ll be your trainer in that.”

“Since I can’t help you in the fight, you two’ll have to make yourselves stronger. Even with this magical kid leading you two,” Seiko said those words and then ruffled his hair when she mentioned him.

“Get some sleep. We’ll start tomorrow,” Seiko said while walking back toward the house. “Except for you, four-eyes. You can start fitness training immediately.”

“Uh, yes, ma’am…” Okarun meekly responded, and then stood near Momo’s side. “Your grandma’s young, huh?”

“Oh, please…” Momo replied.

As the group stood under the pale moonlight, the shrine behind them and the cursed tunnel looming in their near future, one thing was certain—

Tomorrow, they would go to the tunnel.

---

Tomorrow arrived.

The sun had barely peeked over the mountain ridges, casting long golden slants through the trees when Okarun's groaning echoed behind the shrine.

“Push-up number… seventy… something…” Okarun wheezed, face pressed against the wooden floor of the shrine as he tried—and failed—to lift his noodle-like arms again.

Shirou Emiya stood a few feet away with his arms crossed, casting a long shadow over the teen, his face unreadable.

“You’ve done fifty-two, then cheated through the rest,” Shirou said flatly.

“L-Lies! You can’t even prove—”

“I counted. Your elbows didn’t lock out. That’s a no-rep.”

“Guhhh…!” Okarun collapsed with a face-first grunt.

“Get up. You’ve got four more sets.”

“Four?!” Okarun rolled over and lay spread-eagle on the ground. “This is actual torture. You sure you’re not secretly working for the aliens?”

He let out a small exhale that could almost be called a laugh, though his expression didn’t change. “If this is torture, you’re not ready for what’s in that tunnel.”

That sobered Okarun up a bit. He sat up with a groan, his back cracking loudly. “How the hell are you this strong, anyway? Did you eat protein powder as a toddler?”

“I didn’t have the luxury,” Shirou replied, glancing toward the horizon. “I trained to survive. Not to bulk up.”

“Huh…”

Okarun stood on shaky legs and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. “So, hey… can I ask something kinda personal?”

He raised a brow. “You can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Fair.” Okarun stretched a bit, then leaned against a waill for support. “Are you, like… Momo’s cousin or something? I’ve never heard her mention a big brother before.”

There was a long pause.

He looked down at the ground for a moment, as if weighing the value of truth.

“No,” he said finally. “I’m not related to her. Not by blood, anyway.”

Okarun blinked. “Oh? Then who—?”

“Seiko found me,” he said, voice calm, but distant. “I was just a newborn. Left in a dumpster behind a convenience store. She was out doing some errand and… I guess this world nudged her toward me.”

“…Seriously?”

He nodded once. “She took me in. No questions asked. Gave me a home. Because Seiko basically adopted me, it’s also the reason why Momo called me “Unc” most of her life, I guess.”

“Wow.” Okarun’s brow furrowed. “That’s kinda… intense.”

“Probably,” he said, his voice softening slightly. “And I think she always knew something was off about me. But Seiko… she never pushed. Just said, ‘Whatever you are, kiddo, just help me carry the groceries and don’t set the house on fire.’”

Okarun laughed at the impression. “Sounds like her.”

He smiled faintly.

Okarun scratched his head. “So… what about your powers? How were you able to acquire them? ”

“That’s a long story,” he said, glancing away. “One that I really don’t want to share.”

“I’m sorry for intruding… It wasn’t my intention to offend in any way whatsoever.” Okarun apologized, feeling like he had just trespassed a line.

“Just focus on yourself for now, and don’t worry about anything else.”

There was a lull in the conversation, filled only by the soft breeze rustling the trees and the sound of distant birds.

Okarun stepped back into the center of the training spot, shaking out his arms.

“Well, guess I better get through the rest of these sets. I don’t want to get outshined by Ayase-san.”

“You already are.”

“Gee, thanks for the support.”

“I’m just being honest.”

“You’re being kind of hard…”

He watched the boy drop into another set of push-ups with a small shake of his head. Despite the complaints, Okarun wasn’t giving up. Not yet.

And that, more than raw talent, counted for something.

After a while, progress really was made.

Okarun grunted as he lowered himself into another push-up, sweat dripping from his forehead.

“Ninety-nine… one hundred!” he shouted triumphantly—though the form was a little questionable.

“Acceptable,” Shirou muttered.

“Thank you, O Great Reps Dictator,” Okarun huffed as he collapsed onto the grass like a pancake. After catching his breath, he sat up and turned toward the cruel trainer.

“I’m sorry, I just realized… we’ve never formally introduced ourselves, have we?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure you screamed my name when I turned that monster into paste.”

“I mean, besides that,” Okarun chuckled, dusting off his pants before standing. He cleared his throat dramatically and put a hand on his chest. “I’m Ken Takakura. Friends call me Okarun. Or, well, just one friend.”

 “Hm. So, that’s why she’s so fond of you,” he offered a slight nod.

Okarun was confused and then blushed after hearing those words, especially coming from her adoptive uncle, out of all people.

“Emiya.”

Okarun smiled. “Oh, I know. Who doesn’t?”

Emiya tilted his head slightly.

“I mean, c’mon, you’re, like, the guy at school. Shirou Emiya— Good with everything, top scores in every class, mysterious as hell, super good-looking—” He paused. “I don’t mean that in a weird way.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Sorry! Emiya-san!” Okarun held his hands up again, laughing nervously. “But seriously, people at school talk about you like you’re the final boss of high school. Everyone’s either crushing on you, afraid of you, or wants to be you.”

“That’s stupid,” he said plainly, though his tone was flat rather than offended. “I just keep to myself.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes you so mysterious!” Okarun waved his arms. “You show up, do everything better than anyone else, don’t say a word, and disappear after school. People fill in the blanks. I actually thought you were secretly in a gang.”

He gave him a side glance. “I’m not.”

“Yeah, I figured that out when I saw you go toe-to-toe with a literal three-meter-tall alien like it was nothing. Normal gangsters don’t do that.”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he bent down to pick up a towel from a nearby bench and tossed it to Okarun.

The boy caught it, blinking. “Thanks, Emiya-san.”

“You’re not completely useless, Takakura,” he muttered. “You kept your head, a bit, during that mess. That takes courage.”

Okarun looked surprised for a second, then grinned. “That… might be one of the nicest things anyone’s said to me all week.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

As Okarun wiped the sweat off his face and neck, Shirou Emiya walked over to a cooler set by the side of the training spot and pulled out a bottle of water. He tossed it to Okarun, who barely caught it.

“So…” Okarun said as he uncapped it. “You really gonna be our coach or something?”

He didn’t answer right away. He looked up at the clouds drifting lazily overhead.

“I hope I don’t have to.”

The sound of gravel crunching under sandals and boots signaled their approach before either girl spoke.

“Oi! Training session still going?” Seiko called out with a cigarette lazily hanging from her lips, waving her hand high above her head.

He turned his head at the familiar voice. Momo walked beside her grandmother, arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable.

Her eyes immediately sought Okarun—and Emiya noted how they didn’t leave him for a second, as though watching for any twitch, any sign of change.

He was still cursed, after all.

Okarun perked up at the sight of them.

“Oh great,” Emiya muttered under his breath. “Now the circus is back in town.”

Seiko grinned as she took in the sight of him towering next to a winded Okarun. “He survived? Huh. Didn’t think his noodle arms would make it.”

“Almost died during the second set,” he quipped.

“I almost made it to five!” Okarun protested, hands on his hips.

“Almost is just failure with optimism,” he shot back, stone-faced.

Seiko gave a loud laugh. “He’s a little mean, ain’t he?”

Momo rolled her eyes. “It’s early in the morning, can you guys just take it easy?”

But then her attention returned to Okarun, and her brow furrowed.

“Wait…” she said. “You’re… you’re squirming.”

They all glanced over. Sure enough, Okarun had started to shift his weight from one foot to the other.

“I—uh, I need to go.”

“Go where?” Momo asked, confused.

“Go to the bathroom! Like, right now!” Okarun shouted, clenching his fists and doubling slightly forward.

Seiko puffed out a cloud of smoke. “The main building’s got a toilet. It's a bit of a walk, though.”

“Wait, wait, wait—!” Momo held up her hands. “You can’t go towards the house! If something obstructs my view of him— the suppressed curse breaks free!”

“So?” Seiko asked her granddaughter like it didn’t mean anything.

“So I gotta watch him doing his business! I don’t wanna see that!” Momo clarified.

“And I don’t wanna show you! It’d injure my dignity!” Okarun added.

Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Emiya was the only one who put a palm in his head.

He watched as Seiko asked Momo about the nature of her psychic powers, and how she was able to suppress Okarun’s curse.

“It’s like a blue flame around him… or maybe a blue aura? And If I grab that aura and squeeze it gets smaller, which suppress the curse.”

Momo then looked around and explained more.

“Everyone has an aura and the colors vary, even those plants and rocks have auras.. and wow, Unc has the biggest aura here!” Momo pointed out.

“Ahh, that is not a surprising fact at all…” Seiko commented nonchalantly, whereas Emiya only came out with a “hmph”.

As all of this was being explained, Seiko added the fact that perhaps Momo’s psychic powers now only relied on her eyesight and told her to use her other senses.

Momo tried to suppress Okarun’s curse using her sense of touch, as she felt that the aura that she was holding was cold…

But Okarun was beginning to transform.

“AYASEE-SAN!!!” a half-transformed Okarun said.

“Then, I’m failing!” Momo reacted while being shocked at the circumstance.

“Yeah, this is bad,” Seiko added while only crossing her arms.

“I’m starting to feel bad at how much he’s shaking,” Emiya, who was the only one thinking about Okarun’s nature call, commented.

“I’M REACHING MY LIMIT! I CAN’T HOLD IT ANY LONGER!”

Okarun bolted in a panic.

“Wait a sec! Where are you going?!” Momo shouted, chasing after him.

“I gotta use your bathroom! I don’t want anyone watching me poop! But having an accident would be worse!” Okarun ran away as fast as he could.

Emiya and Seiko could only watch as the two ran as fast as they could toward the house, intending to go to the bathroom.

He blinked. “This is ridiculous.”

“No, this is hilarious,” Seiko corrected, folding her arms and watching the two scramble toward the shrine’s building. “Reminds me of when I had to seal a curse into a toilet bowl once. Didn’t hold. Ghost farted for days.”

He gave her a long, disturbed look.

Back at the main house, Momo ran side by side with Okarun, making it into a makeshift sprint race.

“You’ve got some nerve crapping in someone else’s house!” Momo tried to body Okarun while running beside him.

“Well, I’m desperate!” Okarun desperately defended while holding it his hardest.

“Let me join!” Out of nowhere, Seiko appeared behind them and started running as well.

“Who said you could use the john?!”

“Don’t be dumb! I’m about ready to fill my pants!”

“In this house, no one runs faster than me!”

“Outta the way! Or there’s gonna be a mess!”

“You’re pretty tough, Ken Takakura!”

As this sprint race was drawing to a close, none clearly wished for the winner… as the finish line was Okarun sitting on the toilet while the bathroom door was opened slightly for Momo to see him.

Inside, a loud groan echoed.

“This is humiliating..” Okarun meekly said while covering his face with his hands.

“Yeah for me too.”

Emiya walked up to the house slowly, hands in his pockets. He shouted to the ones upstairs. “You know, take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

Momo spun around, red-faced. “This isn’t funny! I have to keep my eyes on him or else he could lose control again!”

“Then you’d better not blink,” Emiya said, leaning against the wall nearby beside Seiko, who was leaning as well.

Another strained cry echoed from inside. “I’ve always craved a paranormal encounter— like getting abducted by aliens… but this is just awful. I just want the curse to end.”

Momo almost slumped to the ground outside the door, red with embarrassment, glaring at the floor like it owed her money.

“Worst day of my life… so far,” she muttered.

Seiko leaned in from around the corner. “Momo. I think you do have that much power but it’s sealed or something.”

“Sounds kinda cool!” she exclaimed.

“It’s not. It’s a hassle,” this time, both Emiya and Seiko said in tandem.

“Wow, okay…”

“You have to gradually release your power through training—“

“And you also have to be able to control your power so that you won’t be running out of steam fast—“

Momo stood against the wooden wall outside the bathroom, eyes fixed on the cracked-open door. She really felt like these two were just nagging her about how to control her powers better.

Her fingers trembled slightly, sweat beading down her temple—not from fatigue, but from the unrelenting strain of keeping her psychic perception focused.

She had to keep seeing him. Had to maintain visual contact with Okarun, even if she couldn't see him in the usual way. Her sixth sense reached through the wall, brushing against the burning energy of the curse coiled inside him like a serpent wrapped in barbed wire.

Inside, Okarun groaned. “I can’t believe you have to keep watching me go…”

“Same shitty feeling,” she muttered, forehead twitching.

She then saw something out of the corner of her eye.

“Um, grandma? Your nose is bleeding,” Momo pointed out. “Did you hit it earlier when—“

And then she realized—everything stopped.

The cigarette froze mid-smoke between Seiko’s fingers. The groaning halted, Okarun’s presence dimming.

Time had paused.

Momo looked around, panic flaring in her chest. “Wh-What…?”

And that’s when she saw her.

A twisted form, half naked, overgrown head and stalking out from the shadows behind the bathroom door.

Her wrinkled face was like torn leather, lips peeling into a grotesque grin lined with too many teeth. Eyes wide and pale, glowing with malevolence, her old-woman face jerked forward like an animal walking on cracked bones.

Turbo Granny.

Her presence soaked the air like sewage, thick and revolting.

“Grandma! She’s here! Turbo Granny appeared! Grandma—“

“It is no use…” she croaked, voice dragging like nails across concrete. “This is a mere shadow… time flows only for use…”

Momo panicked as she saw Seiko was bleeding profusely from her nose and ears.

“Grandma! What are you doing to my grandma!?”

“Heart attack or cerebral infarction? You may choose her cause of death…”

Turbo Granny’s grin widened. “My curse is transmissible. Through this brat… I can curse anyone he sees. Everyone. To death.”

Her overgrown head twitched once, twice. Then she cocked it toward Seiko, still frozen in place.

A thin line of blood began to slide more from Seiko’s nose.

“No!” Momo snapped, instinctively reaching forward.

Turbo Granny laughed like breaking glass. “Do not take me lightly.. I will not grant you more time…”

“Don’t you dare—!”

“Then come to the tunnel. Tonight.” Her head twitched again, more violently.

“Or I’ll start killing. Indiscriminately. I’ll start with everyone you know. Him—” she jerked her face toward Okarun.

“Her—” she flicked her chin toward Seiko. “Tonight… understand?”

The air grew colder, heavier. Momo's fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. Her throat dried as she stared into the monster’s warped, grinning face.

And then—

A presence emerged behind Momo. Not loud. Not heavy. But sharp. Focused.

“You can fuck off now,” a voice said flatly.

Turbo Granny’s twisted smile faltered. She turned—

Standing there, bathed in the low orange glow of a nearby lantern, was Shirou Emiya.

Arms crossed. Gaze unblinking. Calm, confident.

And very much moving.

Turbo Granny hissed. “You—why can you move?!”

“I don’t care,” he said coolly. “You’re messing with people under my roof. You want her?” He jabbed his thumb at Momo. “You’ll have to go through me.”

Momo looked up at him in disbelief. “Unc…?”

Turbo Granny’s overgrown head took a step back, her expression finally twitching in what looked like… unease. Maybe even fear.

“You…” she snarled. “You’re not normal.”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You just figured that out?”

Turbo Granny’s jaw cracked as her grin snapped back into place. “This isn’t over.” Her voice became a whisper of air and gravel.

“Come to the tunnel. Or I’ll drown your world in curses.”

And with that—she vanished in a swirling gust of black wind.

Time snapped back like a rubber band.

Inside, Okarun groaned, “Agh! my nose—”

Momo stared at Okarun, and then at her grandmother. “Grandma! Your ears are bleeding! Does your head hurt?!”

Seiko blinked and but she still stood coolly, wiping the blood on herself. “Huh?”

“Momo, tell me what happened,” she finally said.

Emiya looked at her, his expression unreadable.

He turned and saw that there was a protective charm in the upper corner of the wall.

It looked like it was almost burned.

Behind him, Seiko stretched and grunted, completely aware of what just happened.

But Momo?

She stood there, hands shaking, one thought burning in her mind?

‘How the hell did he move when time was stopped?’

---

Night came quickly.

The shadows spilled long across the pavement as the moon rose high above the rooftops, its glow pale and full. The atmosphere was tense. Silent. Like the whole world was holding its breath.

The group stood in the gravel courtyard outside the Ayase residence—Seiko in her ceremonial garb, looking for once like a true shrine priestess. The dark blue of her layered robes shimmered faintly under the lantern light, and the sleeves drifted with each motion she made.

She was mid-ritual, arms raised to the moonlit sky, salt trailing in slow arcs from her hand as she chanted quietly. For a moment, she looked regal. Graceful. Bewitching, even. It was a rare sight.

Momo watched with Okarun by her side. She too wore ceremonial garb, though she tugged at the sleeves and collar like she was being tortured in a kimono commercial.

The red-and-white robes made her look just like a proper shrine maiden, something she absolutely did not feel like tonight.

Okarun wasn’t faring any better. His outfit was a mix of traditional priest-wear with protective seals stitched into the fabric. A flimsy ofuda was plastered over half his face like some kind of last-minute mask. He kept shifting from foot to foot, muttering.

“Do we have to wear these?” Momo asked, not bothering to mask her annoyance.

“I can’t see very well,” Okarun added, his voice muffled slightly by the ofuda.

“Consider them bulletproof vests against evil spirits,” Seiko replied calmly as she finished her ritual. “They stay.”

“But how come Unc gets to wear whatever he wants?!” Momo whined, pointing at Emiya who stood silently beside the stone lantern, completely unfazed.

Indeed, Emiya wore only a long-sleeved black shirt, its sleeves rolled up neatly to the elbow, dark grey pants, and simple black shoes. No ceremonial anything.

“His body’s bulletproof already,” Seiko said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why waste outfits for him then?”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Emiya said dryly.

Momo felt a vein pop on her forehead.

“But for you two,” Seiko added, pointing at both teenagers, “this is like stepping into the ring for some strong-style professional wrestling but without any training—”

“Huh? What? Strong-style?” Momo blinked. “Why are we being compared to pro wrestlers?!”

“—So be careful, or you’ll die,” Seiko said cheerfully, clapping her hands once to mark the end of the conversation.

Momo’s stomach turned at that. “We may look hapless, but we’ve defeated aliens! Aliens!”

“Aliens don’t exist. Stop joking around,” Seiko said with all the authority of someone who definitely believed curses were more plausible than extraterrestrials.

“Uh… okay…” Momo muttered, giving up.

Seiko pushed her glasses up and gave her granddaughter a disapproving look. “Your loosey-goosey attitude is why you always get into trouble. You’ve never listened to me.”

“Aw, gimme a break… I hate it when you nag!”

“…Tch.”

Okarun quietly watched the familiar chaos unfold like a veteran spectator. He leaned toward Emiya.

“Are they always like this, Emiya-san?”

“Sometimes, they’re worse,” he said without breaking expression.

“…Right.”

“Let’s go, Unc! Okarun!” Momo called out as she grabbed her backpack and marched toward the torii gate.

But just before they left the courtyard, Seiko called out, “Momo!”

Momo turned halfway, letting out a long sigh. “Still going—?”

She didn’t get to finish. Seiko had already crossed the courtyard and pulled her into a sudden, tight embrace from behind.

Momo froze in surprise. Her grandma rarely hugged her like this—not like this.

“Don’t get killed, okay?” Seiko whispered, low and serious.

“…Yeah, okay…” Momo muttered, eyes softening as she returned the hug, if a little awkwardly.

When they pulled apart, Seiko stepped toward Emiya and gave him a brief hug too. Her voice turned gentle.

“Watch over Momo and that four-eyes, okay? You overly mature child of mine who acts like a war veteran.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Seiko,” Emiya said quietly, but firmly.

Momo watched the two of them from a short distance. In that soft moonlight, they really did look like mother and son.

The silver hair, the calm intensity, even the way they stood—like warriors who’d lived through more than they ever talked about. You wouldn’t think it was an adoptive relationship at all.

“You’re usually quiet like an annoyed old man, not like someone about to kill a ghost,” Momo teased Emiya lightly, breaking the quiet.

Seiko waved a hand and added dramatically, “Don’t mind him! He’s dramatic like that! Like one of those tsundere anime boys who’s allergic to backstory!”

“…We’ll be off,” Emiya muttered, clearly uncomfortable with the commentary, and turned to lead the way out.

“Good luck, you weirdos!” Seiko called after them.

Momo tightened her grip on the straps of her bag. Okarun adjusted his robes and cracked his knuckles—more out of nerves than readiness.

Then they began their leave.

Their goal: Turbo Granny’s demise.

Their destination: Shono City (where the tunnel resided)

The ride to Shono City was quiet at first.

The train rumbled steadily beneath them, cutting through the night like a thread pulled taut across the map. Fluorescent lights flickered slightly overhead. The car was mostly empty, save for a dozing salaryman two rows down and a mother and her child sharing a bento box near the back.

Momo sat near the window, arms crossed, chin tilted toward the moonlight that filtered through the glass. Her ceremonial robes were bundled in her lap now—she’d changed back into her usual outfit the moment they boarded the train: a cropped jacket over a loose top and ripped jeans. Comfortable. Mobile. Hers.

“I couldn’t stand that thing for another second,” she grumbled, rolling her shoulders like she was shaking off a curse of her own.

Okarun, still in his ritual garb but having removed the ofuda mask from his face, looked at her sidelong. “You could’ve waited until we got there…”

“Absolutely not,” she said firmly. “I’d rather fight Turbo Granny in these than die of heatstroke in that oven of an outfit.”

Emiya, seated across from them, let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You know, there was a reason we dressed for spiritual combat,” he said, eyes half-lidded. “It wasn’t to annoy you. The paper seals were hand-written. Blessed. Etched with protective incantations.”

Momo stared at him. “I’m still wearing the hairpin, okay? That counts, right?”

“Your spiritual hairpin won’t stop a curse that rips through your entire body like a chainsaw,” he said flatly. “That outfit was layered defense. Layers you no longer have.”

“I’ll dodge.” Momo replied, smugly.

“…Dodging spiritual attacks is not like dodging punches,” Emiya said, rubbing the side of his head as though a headache was forming. “It’s like trying to dodge tuberculosis.”

Okarun snorted despite himself. “She is kind of hard to hit.”

“Thank you,” Momo beamed at him, then shot a wink at Emiya. “Besides, I’ve got you two meat shields, don’t I?”

Emiya stared at her.

Okarun stared at her.

Momo held up her hands defensively. “Kidding. Kidding. Kinda.”

“Let’s just go over the plan again,” Emiya said before the conversation could spiral further. He leaned forward, his voice dropping into that tactical tone of his.

Momo crossed her arms again. “You mean when me and Okarun run?”

“Run is definitely on the table,” Emiya said, surprisingly agreeable.

“…C’monnn,” Momo muttered.

“Anyway,” Emiya continued after a beat, voice leveled again, “if things go south, I’ll cover your retreat. You know the layout of the tunnel’s approach?”

Momo nodded. “The old road past the shrine, through the forest ridge, then down into the valley. Tunnel’s still sealed off with fences.”

That made even Emiya smirk, though it faded quickly.

A lull settled over them for a moment as the train passed through a darker stretch, where streetlights were few and the forest pressed close against the tracks. The atmosphere shifted—tenser, colder. Even the quiet rattle of the train seemed subdued now.

“What if this is all a trap?” Okarun asked.

Emiya glanced toward the window, where the reflection of his face met the glow of the moon. “It is a trap. That’s why we’re springing it on our terms.”

Another pause.

Momo looked down at the ceremonial garb in her lap. She ran a thumb along the stitched patterns on the sleeve. Seiko had probably embroidered some of those by hand.

She didn’t say anything, but she looked a little less smug now.

“…I’ll put it back on when we get off the train,” she muttered.

Emiya didn’t say anything. He just nodded slightly and looked ahead.

The train rattled forward, ever closer to the town of Shono—where ghosts waited in darkness and the past was hungry for vengeance.