Chapter 20: An Unwelcome Reunion.
Miko gripped the steering wheel like a lifeline. Her foot pressed the accelerator to its limit as the hotel loomed in the distance. The car screeched into the parking lot, barely slowing.
She didn't wait.
Throwing the door open, she bolted-each footstep echoing her pounding heart.
Minutes passed. Or maybe it was seconds. Time blurred into a haze of breathless urgency.
She reached the flat.
Her hands trembled.
She didn't knock. She pushed the door open.
Inside the living room sat her grandfather, her father, and her uncle. Among them was Emiya, her younger cousin-the same age as Nino.
Emiya had always been protective of Nino. Not as a friend. Not just as family. But as a quiet sentinel.
He wanted to go into politics-he had the skills for it: charisma, strategy, and resolve. But he made a choice. He chose to be her shadow. And when his parents opposed, he refused to budge. Eventually, they gave up.
The silence was broken by the soft shuffle of sandals.
Three women exited the hallway.
Miko's eyes met hers.
Her mother-Rukia.
Her aunt-Suzuki.
Her grandmother-Ichika.
Suzuki was the family's doctor, someone Miko deeply admired. She had studied with fury and desperation, driven by the memory of loved ones she couldn't save. For Miko, Suzuki was the embodiment of hard work and determination.
Ichika was grace in human form. Elegant, articulate, and composed. But the calm on her face was a mask. She wore it for the same reason they all did now: to stay upright when everything inside them was crumbling.
Behind that mask, she was a grandmother shattered.
Just like her husband, Tatsuya. Once cold and rigid-now the emotional anchor of a family trying to hold together.
He had been the one who once abandoned Koji, his son. But he came back. And now, once more, he stood as a pillar-quiet, enduring, unbending-for the sake of everyone else.
Miko ran forward. Straight to her mother.
Her voice broke.
"...Is what Uncle said... true?"
Rukia's hands trembled. She nodded.
Tears welled in Miko's eyes, but she held herself still.
"...Can I... see her?"
Her mother opened her mouth, but no words came. She only stepped aside.
Miko didn't walk toward Nino's room.
She staggered.
Each step was a war against her own body.
Each breath was a scream buried in silence.
She stopped at the door, hand trembling on the frame.
Then she turned around.
She walked back to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.
"...What an unfortunate way to have a reunion," she muttered with a broken laugh, hands clenched on her lap.
No one spoke.
Until finally-Tatsuya did.
"...Was it a Source user?"
Miko looked toward him.
"...Yes."
Iruma answered, voice tight.
Rukia slowly raised her hand. "I want to... ask something. If that's alright."
Tatsuya nodded once.
She hesitated.
Then said, with effort, "...Should we... call Tarazune-kun?"
The room stiffened.
"I suppose," Tatsuya finally muttered. "He's... part of the family. I never thought we'd meet him like this."
"Hmph," Ichika added with a sigh. "I wanted to meet this boy anyway... even if it's in such a cruel way. Two birds with one stone, I suppose."
She turned to Iruma.
"Call him, will you?"
Iruma blinked. "Huh?"
"You have his number. You're my son-I know how you operate."
Emiya looked up. "Wait-so... isn't that stalking?"
"Definitely," Ichika said without hesitation.
Koji and Rukia sighed in unison.
"I didn't steal his photo or anything!" Iruma protested. "I just saved the number. It's the first time I'll actually be calling, okay?"
"Enough," Tatsuya said flatly, glaring at him. "Just call."
Iruma swallowed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled, hesitated for a moment, then dialed Tarazune's number.