Chapter 92:
– Haru –
Zelretch looked strangely nervous as he glanced cautiously toward Milim, who was busy chatting animatedly with Eywa. His crimson eyes flicked briefly to me before he cleared his throat and leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
"So, Haru… what's your relationship with Milim the Destroyer exactly?" he asked me carefully.
That caught me by surprise.
I raised an eyebrow, looking Zelretch over again with renewed interest. How did he know Milim? They were from completely different worlds, after all—him from Shirou Emiya's reality, and her from whatever her and Rimur's crazy world was called.
"You know Milim?" I asked.
"I've been around the multiversal block once or twice," he admitted lightly. "I've seen a lot of things—and even more people. Milim is... memorable."
I studied him quietly for a second, processing that.
It made sense, honestly. The Fox Hole had a goddess who looked after us, sure, but that didn't mean she was the only entity capable of traveling between universes.
"Well," I said with a casual shrug, glancing affectionately toward Milim, who was still cheerfully chattering away to Eywa, "Milim is a good friend of mine. We've known each other for a couple of weeks now, I guess. We get along great, and my little sister absolutely adores her."
As if hearing her name, Milim suddenly spun around, eyes sparkling as she grinned wide at me, flashing her tiny but sharp dragon-like teeth. "Yep!" she shouted gleefully. "Haru's family is super awesome, and I'm definitely gonna be his wife!"
Zelretch was just taking a casual sip of his wine at that moment, and Milim's bold declaration caught him so off guard that he promptly spat it all out. A fine mist of dark red wine sprayed dramatically across the bar, making Eywa flinch slightly and lean away with mildly amused disgust.
"You—you're what?!" Zelretch sputtered, wiping wine hurriedly from his lips. He whipped around, staring at me with an expression of complete shock, clearly questioning my sanity.
I couldn't help myself—I chuckled softly, waving away his scandalized stare. "It's a bit… complicated," I admitted lightly. "We're still figuring things out…"
That was all I could say at this point.
Milim giggled happily.
"Complicated," he repeated slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're a brave Yokai, Haru."
"I've been told," I said dryly with a shrug.
It was only a few minutes after that the doors to the Fox Hole swung open again. Aela strode in with that confident hunter's gait of hers, head high and eyes scanning the restaurant intently.
Serana followed just behind. I knew they were both pretty good friends and wondered if they were having a girls day with just the two of them?
I barely had time to greet them before Aela marched right up to the bar, grabbed me by the collar, and dramatically kissed me full on the mouth.
Zelretch, still seated at the bar, damn near fell off his stool. He gawked openly as Aela finally pulled away and smirked at me like she'd just claimed her prize in front of an audience.
"Well, someone missed me," I said with a grin, licking my lips for dramatic effect.
Zelretch sputtered, blinking rapidly as his gaze flicked between me, Aela, and Milim. "Uh… what?"
I chuckled and gave him a casual shrug. "Zelretch, meet Aela, my first girlfriend and a proud Nord huntress. She was the first woman to claim my heart."
Aela grinned while placing a hand on her hip. "Damn right I was. First to stake her claim, and the first to share his bed!"
Zelretch looked completely baffled. "Wait… Milim the destroyer… is okay with this? Another woman?"
"Oh, it's certainly not just me," Aela snorted. "There's a lot more women in Haru's life."
I leaned on the bar, tails swaying lazily behind me. "Yeah… I have a harem," I said proudly, watching as Zelretch's face contorted into something between awe and horror.
The vampire slapped a hand to his chest in exaggerated dramatics. "Truly, I am not worthy to be in the presence of such a gentleman! A master of the multiverse, culinary arts, and the heart of women everywhere!"
Serana finally made her way over and took the stool next to Zelretch. Her glowing yellow eyes flicked to him with interest.
"So… another vampire from another world, huh?" she asked. "What kind of vampire are you, exactly?"
Zelretch perked up a bit at the question. "Ah, well… vampires from my world are less 'cursed undead' and more… let's say part extraterrestrial parasite. Specifically, we descend from the True Ancestors—beings crafted to maintain nature's balance, though most of them went insane or rogue. I'm a Dead Apostle, technically. Still a vampire, just… self-made. I altered my own body centuries ago for power and immortality."
Serana raised an eyebrow. "So basically, blood-drinking alien hybrids?"
"More or less," he said cheerfully, before pausing…
Zelretch stared at Serana for a long moment, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly as if he were trying to match her face with something from memory. Then his gaze flicked to Aela. Back to Serana. Then to me.
"Wait a minute," he said, his voice thick with disbelief. "Are you two… Serana and Aela? From… Skyrim?"
I blinked.
Aela crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Indeed we are. What's it to you!?"
Serana nodded as well.
Serana tilted her head. "You know of us, despite being from another world?"
Zelretch didn't answer them immediately. He just kept blinking rapidly, eyes bouncing between the two of them, then swinging back to me like I'd just pulled off a magic trick in front of his face.
I gave him a look. "You know them too?"
This guy must get around when it comes to the multiverse…
He made a weird, strangled sound and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uhhh… yeah. I mean, not personally. But let's just say they're, uh… kind of famous in certain… gaming circles." He chuckled nervously and took a sip of wine like that would help smooth things over. "This place is amazing," he added, gesturing around the restaurant. "I've been here less than an hour, and I'm already meeting interdimensional waifu legends. Incredible!"
I blinked. "Huh?"
Serana squinted at him. "Waifu… what?"
Aela leaned closer to me and whispered, "Should I stab him?"
Before I could respond—or laugh—the front doors of the Fox Hole slammed open so hard they bounced against the walls.
"You asshole!" a voice shouted.
I turned to see Shirou Emiya standing in the doorway. He was glaring directly at me.
Well now… What did I do?
Right behind him was Sakura, eyes shimmering with tears. "Senpai, please—stop, it's not what you think!" she pleaded, grabbing at his sleeve.
Shirou didn't even glance back at her. He was locked onto me with a kind of righteous fury that usually came just before someone tried something stupid...
I straightened up from the bar, more confused than annoyed. "What the hell is this about?"
"You did something to her!" he snapped, storming through the room. "Sakura suddenly started crying her eyes out, amd you suddenly disappeared! So I'll ask you once—what the hell did you do to her?!"
He stormed right up to the counter, fists slamming down hard on the reinforced wood. "If you hurt her then I'm going to—"
And just like that, his world turned upside down.
Literally.
Aela moved so fast she was a blur, to half the people in the restaurant. One second she was casually leaning against the bar, and the next she had Shirou flipped over, slammed onto the floor with his arm twisted and a gleaming dagger pressed firmly to his throat.
Her voice came out as a growl. "Don't you ever threaten my beloved in front of me!"
Shirou choked on his breath, wide-eyed as the tip of the blade rested against his pulse.
"Senpai!? No, stop! Get off him!" Sakura screamed. Magic exploded out of her in all directions like a surge of pressure snapping loose. Sakura's hair was already shifting—dark purple strands turning pale, bleached white by the surge of raw energy around her. "Let him go!"
Zelretch, who'd been watching all of this unfold, turned toward me and gave a resigned look. "You just don't give a fuck about canon, do you?" he asked flatly.
I stared at him. "What?"
"Never mind," he muttered, shaking his head with a grin like he'd just given up on explaining anything.
Sakura looked ready to start unleashing spells.
Before she could actually cast anything, Serana lifted a hand lazily from her seat.
A solid wall of enchanted ice burst up from the floor, swallowing Sakura from the shoulders down in a pillar of frost. She was completely immobilized and frozen.
"Calm down girl," Serana said simply.
"If you're done acting like a fool, I'll let you up, boy!" Aela said to Shirou.
—
It took a couple minutes to calm everyone down. Aela didn't exactly apologize for putting Shirou on the floor, but she did eventually ease off and help him up after a stern look from me. Serana, meanwhile, didn't even flinch as she maintained her ice spell on Sakura like it was just a minor inconvenience.
Sakura eventually stopped thrashing inside the pillar, panting hard with her head bowed. Her magic had calmed, but her hair remained unnaturally white—almost glowing with residual energy.
Eywa, Jake, and Neytiri had taken the hint and quietly excused themselves during the chaos. Eywa gave me a graceful nod on the way out. "Stop by Hometree again soon, Haru. We have more to talk about."
I smiled. "Of course."
Jake gave me a thumbs up and said, "Save me another one of those burgers."
"Two," Neytiri added without looking at me.
"Got it." I smirked, but she didnt see it.
They slipped out the door, and the Fox Hole returned to a shaky silence. Shirou still looked shaken. He kept staring at Sakura like he didn't recognize her. "Your hair… Sakura, what… happened to you?"
She looked away, shame heavy in her expression. "I… didn't want you to see me like this."
"Sakura…"
Her voice cracked as she finally spoke, softly at first, then stronger with every word. "I've been lying to you, Senpai. For what feels like years now. Every time I smiled at you, every time I laughed at your dumb jokes, I was in pain. I… I was being eaten alive by the things the Matou family did to me."
Shirou's expression froze. His eyes widened a little, hands clenching at his sides. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura kept going.
"I wanted to die," she whispered. "So many times. But I didn't because of you. Because I wanted to see you one more time. I wanted to feel safe, even if it was just for a moment, when I was with you."
The room went completely silent again.
Shirou's face was bright red from the confession, but there was no mistaking the look in his eyes now. All that heat from earlier was gone. Now he looked scared. "Sakura… what do you mean? What did they do to you?"
Aela and Serana both turned their full attention to her now. They looked deadly serious, like they'd both stepped into "big sister" modes when they saw a younger girl in need.
Serana tilted her head slightly. "She has so much potential… Her magic aura's thick with raw power. What kind of monster could have hurt her?"
Sakura raised her head slowly. Her eyes met mine for just a second, and then flicked to Serana. "A monster that refuses to die," she said. "Matou Zouken."
I glanced at Zelretch, curious if the nosy old vampire knew who Sakura meant when she said that name—Zouken.
But to my surprise, he was gone.
What the hell? He was just here.
Before I could even ask anyone, Milim popped into his now-empty seat. She beamed at me and declared, "The scaredy-cat old man ran away!"
I raised an eyebrow, but before I could say anything, she leaned closer.
"Now that he's gone, I wanna play with you, Haru! We should spend some ti.e together," she chirped. "Maybe you can teach me how to cook?" Then she paused, fidgeted a little, and added in a quieter voice, "M–maybe… in private?"
She stuttered. Milim stuttered. And she blushed. That actually stunned me a little.
"Uh…" I scratched the back of my head. My tails swayed awkwardly. "Normally I'd be happy to teach you too cook, but…" I trailed off as my ears twitched.
Sakura was still talking, and trembling, pouring out years of trauma right here in the open. Her story wasn't just heartbreaking—it was fucking horrifying. I listened, and the more I heard, the more my blood boiled.
I'd gotten rid of the worms inside her earlier. Purged them completely. But now I knew where they came from. Her own goddamn grandfather. Zouken. That rotting freak did unspeakable things to her, and the way she talked about it—quiet, broken, like she didn't even think she deserved better in the first place because apparently her original father had sold her away as literal property in the first place…
"How dare he!" Shirou looked like he was ready to go to war with the old worm mage!
But the teenager had never actually been in a real magical fight to the death. He had no clue what he'd be walking into.
I nodded at Aela to stop him before he did.
"I'd be proud to slay such a beast. No creature that preys on the young deserves to breathe!" she declared instead.
Serana nodded. "He sounds like a daedra. One of the worst ones too! I'd love to send him back to Oblivion…"
Milim pouted and puffed out her cheeks in frustration. She didn't like everyone was currently focusing on Sakura. "She's just a sad human girl," she grumbled. "Why is Haru giving her all the attention…" she muttered. Then she stood up suddenly and dramatically. "Fine! I'll just go punch this Zouken guy into space so you'll stop being distracted, Haru!"
"Wait, what?" I started to respond, but she was already gone. Just straight-up bolted out the front door like a pink missile! Threw open the door and had ran off into a new world with nothing to go on…
Aela and Serana turned and looked at me at the same time.
"…Does she even know where to go?" Serana asked dryly.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Probably not."
Aela smirked. "Eh, she'll come back eventually."
"Yeah," I muttered. "When she gets hungry." In the meantime, I wanted to go squish some more worms.
So, when we all followed outside, after Milim, I was surprised to sense a dark presence nearby. But it wasn't coming from the direction of the Matou mansion that Sakura gave us. Instead it felt like it was coming from Shirou's place…?
My sensitive fox ears were able to pick up angry raspy screaming in the distance.
"I'll kill you, EMIYA!"
XXX