Dusk had begun to fall.
Orange light filtered through the cracks in the warehouse roof, spreading like a fading painting. Dust drifting in the air shimmered faintly as Yuuto stood in the middle of the room, his breathing steady yet slightly heavy after a long training session.
His flip phone remained open, Merlin's voice coming clearly through the tiny speaker.
"Okay, Yuuto. You're done for today.
Go ahead and rest."
Merlin's tone was light, but unmistakably proud.
"You've mastered the basics of your Sky and Earth Affinities.
With Earth, you can already feel the Earth Pulse—the heartbeat of the world—and manipulate small particles.
With Sky, you can now read the movement of air in detail, and even use Arthur's old technique — Invisible Air… plus a few basic spells."
Yuuto wiped a bead of sweat from his temple, though his face stayed calm.
"Thank you, sensei."
"No need to thank me~"
Merlin's voice turned playful.
"With this, you're already starting to catch up to Arthur in magecraft. If he heard this, he'd probably smile under a tree… or panic because my student is learning faster than him."
Yuuto sighed softly.
"Sensei, don't exaggerate…"
"All right, see you tomorrow, my student."
Merlin paused for a beat before adding teasingly:
"Oh, and don't forget… you must read the Mama Emiya Cookbook. ✨"
Yuuto resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes… sensei. I remember."
"Remember it well.
It's important.
You have to study it."
Yuuto could imagine Merlin pointing a finger upward, smiling mischievously.
Then—
Beep.
The call ended.
The warehouse returned to silence, filled only with the sound of the evening wind slipping through the gaps in the metal walls.
Yuuto slowly closed his flip phone.
"…All right. Time to go home."
He stood, straightened his hoodie, and stepped outside, carrying with him everything he had learned today.
---
Among rows of modest houses, Yuuto stood alone, gazing up at the star-dotted sky.
"It's already night," he murmured, taking a deep breath.
"I rested too long… ended up losing track of time."
He began walking toward his apartment.
But—on his third step—he stopped.
A thin smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
A smile not entirely belonging to his old self… but undeniably from the person he was now.
"I just thought of something," he whispered.
"Something… interesting."
A brief silence.
Then—
Click.
His finger snapped sharply in the quiet night air.
Sky-element mana rippled outward from him, lightly cloaking his surroundings.
"Good… no one on the entire path back to my apartment," he said, voice low and satisfied.
He closed his eyes momentarily, feeling the currents of air, faint vibrations, human movement, the rhythm of the city—
"And I've memorized the location of every CCTV camera."
When his eyes opened again, anticipation filled them—mixed with adrenaline, a sense of freedom, and a hint of arrogance.
Yuuto raised his hand and snapped his fingers again.
The effect was immediate:
Sky-Affinity wind gathered around his legs, forming a stable layer of air.
His feet lifted slightly — about 30 cm above the ground.
"…All right," he said, lowering his stance, readying like a sprinter.
"Let's begin."
BOOM.
In an instant, Yuuto shot forward.
His body cut through the air, slicing through the night, moving like a golden bullet wrapped in a miniature storm.
"Hahahaha…!"
His laughter echoed lightly through the shredded wind.
"This… is so much fun!"
He ran low in the air, feet barely brushing the ground, moving like a shadow of light.
Leaves along the roadside exploded upward, sucked into the vortex trailing behind him.
Parked cars vibrated violently—
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Alarms went off one by one as shockwaves of air slammed against them.
Yuuto didn't care.
He leapt into the air—
tap
—landed on a nearby rooftop, and instantly dashed to the next.
The wind chased behind him like a comet's tail.
The faster he ran, the stronger the miniature storm became.
The stronger the storm—
The wider his smile grew.
---
Yuuto landed a few meters from his apartment building.
He inhaled deeply—the cold night air felt fresh in his lungs.
"Fiuh… that was really fun."
The wind around his legs dissipated. Yuuto lifted his head, looking at the apartment with a lingering grin.
"Okay… time for a bath."
He headed up the stairs, step by step—his footsteps lighter than earlier.
Click.
His door opened.
And inside, in the somewhat messy room, stood a very familiar figure:
A perfectly ordinary high school boy—
his old appearance.
Touko's doll.
Yuuto exhaled gently.
"Oh, it's you. How was school?
Did everything go well? You didn't get found out, right?"
The doll nodded smoothly.
Then, in the calm voice that mimicked Yuuto's former self, it answered:
"Everything went smoothly, Master."
Yuuto smirked softly.
"Good. I'll use the Memory Reading spell Merlin taught me to check your memories later."
The doll bowed politely.
"Understood, Master."
It walked to the corner of the room, leaned against the wall, and slowly closed its eyes—entering rest mode like a human falling asleep.
Yuuto nodded, satisfied.
"All right… bath first.
Then dinner."
He walked to the bathroom, removing his jacket as he closed the door.
---
Later, Yuuto sat on the sofa, his body slouched slightly, one hand massaging his temple.
The remnants of dinner were on the table—clean plates, neatly placed chopsticks.
But his head throbbed as if stuffed with a torrent of memories.
"Ugh…"
He shut his eyes, pressing harder against his temple.
"This is my first time using memory reading… and it feels like getting hit by a truck full of memories."
He exhaled slowly, lowering his hand.
His gaze drifted toward the Touko doll resting against the wall—its eyes closed peacefully, like a sleeping human.
Yuuto spoke quietly, not expecting a reply.
"Good thing… nothing went wrong."
But then he fell silent.
For a long moment.
The memories he saw — the classes, the walk to school, the doll perfectly imitating him — were all normal.
Except one thing.
"The doll… didn't interact with those two girls."
His voice was flat. Too flat.
His eyes empty — not angry, not sad.
More like someone finally accepting a truth they already suspected.
"It seems they really decided to forget me…
and chose to cut ties."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Not a happy smile.
Not a sad one.
A smile of someone letting go of something painful, because acceptance was easier than holding on.
"…forget it."
He sighed and sat up straight on the sofa.
"I should just claim this morning's login reward."
Yuuto picked up his flip phone, pressed [CLAIM], and a small glow formed in the air—
pop
A thick book dropped onto his lap.
The cover was smooth, the title printed clearly:
[Mama Emiya's Cookbook]
Yuuto stared at it for a moment.
"…All right."
He opened the first page and leaned back into the sofa.
"Let's begin… Emiya's signature cooking lessons."