The moment Shirō asked his question, Yoruichi's eyes flickered, clear signs she was about to lie.
"Uh… maybe it just means we're connected on a deeper level..."
"Don't lie to me," Shirō cut in immediately.
"The charm," Yoruichi tried again.
"I left that at home on purpose," Shirō narrowed his eyes. A huge question was forming in his mind. If she really could sense the charm, would she be using such a flimsy excuse now? Did she not know it was sitting at the Emiya household?
But if she couldn't sense it, then how had she found him at the Quincy hideout that time? Surely she didn't have a mole among the Quincies, right?
"…Fine, it's just an ordinary charm," Yoruichi admitted breezily, seeing she couldn't keep up the act.
"What?!" Shirō shouted in disbelief.
"I never said it had any special powers," Yoruichi replied matter-of-factly.
Shirō was left speechless. "Then last time, how did you, wait… did you mark me directly?!"
It wasn't hard to believe. Other people might struggle, but for Yoruichi? Piece of cake. Shirō had lost consciousness thanks to her countless times. Slipping a seal onto him during one of those moments? He'd never have noticed.
So the "protective charm" had been a complete red herring from the start.
Sure enough, Yoruichi turned away and muttered:
"I didn't want you to get lost. And you did. That's how I found you."
Shirō's face turned red with shame. That "getting lost" incident really was humiliating. But then, rather than admit defeat, he flopped onto the ground and threw a full-on tantrum.
"Unfair! Totally unfair! Why do you get to know where I am, but I don't get to know where you are?!"
Like today, if he'd known where she was, he wouldn't have wasted time sneaking to her room. He could've just gone straight to the bathhouse.
Unexpectedly, that throwaway complaint left Yoruichi genuinely stunned.
"…You're serious?"
As she spoke, she reverted to her human form and casually threw on a bathrobe right in front of him, returning to her usual self.
"I'm done bathing. Wanna hop in? Or should I join you~?"
"Stop trying to change the subject!" Shirō shouted, full of righteous indignation.
Seeing he wasn't letting it go, Yoruichi finally dropped the games.
"You better think carefully. Once this kind of bond is formed, it can't be undone."
"What do you mean?" Shirō asked warily.
"I mean, I can release the tracking mark right now if you don't want me knowing where you are. But if you want the ability to sense me too, once it's mutual… there's no turning back."
She explained it simply, like a pair of handcuffs. If one person is cuffed and the other just holding on, they can let go anytime. But once both wrists are shackled, there's no escaping, locked together for good.
Shirō didn't consider the deeper implications. Not because he was clueless, but because Yoruichi's goofy, irreverent demeanor made it impossible to think seriously about it. The idea sounded more like a game than anything meaningful.
All he could think about was how he'd "gotten lost" last time, an incident he still refused to acknowledge. What if something like that happened again? He didn't plan to do anything shady that he'd need to hide from her anyway.
"Fine. If it can't be undone, then so be it. We're bound now."
"Hehehe~ don't regret it later!" Yoruichi cackled.
But seeing her smile, Shirō got an ominous feeling. It looked perfectly normal, too normal.
Which only made it more terrifying.
Let's hope this doesn't come back to bite me…
The next day, Shirō was hospitalized.
Again.
This time in Squad Four's intensive care unit.
Technically, the incident had nothing to do with the tracking bond, but it was definitely related. See, the night before, Shirō had told Yoruichi, "You're the first person to know about my Zanpakutō. Don't tell anyone."
And the next morning?
He got jumped.
By both Yoruichi and Soifon.
No one knows exactly what happened. Maybe Yoruichi couldn't keep her mouth shut. Maybe Soifon, guilt-ridden for hiding it from her idol, decided to confess.
Or worst of all... maybe they both snitched on him at the exact same time.
Picture this:
Yoruichi, wrapping an arm around Soifon's shoulder:
"Little Bee~ I've got a secret to tell you! But you can't let Shirō know, okay?"
Soifon, eyes shining with gratitude:
"Yoruichi-sama is sharing secrets with me? Then I can't keep anything from her either!"
"Actually… I have something to tell you, too."
In Soifon's mind, it wasn't a big deal. Yoruichi wasn't Shirō's enemy, and knowing his Zanpakutō's ability was just common sense. As her subordinate, she should never keep secrets from her superior.
…
The saddest part?
This is probably exactly what happened.
Instead of blaming himself for bragging, Shirō should've blamed his poor taste in confidants.
And so, his tragic life continued.
Finally, the day of graduation at the Spiritual Arts Academy arrived.
Some were overjoyed. Others, not so much.
Due to the incident during the field exam in the Human World, Soifon had fallen from the top of her class. As for Shirō...
His grades were abysmal.
Anyone else would've flunked out by now.
He wasn't in danger of being unemployed after graduation, but his family was still worried. After all, high-ranking officials rarely had time to pay attention to minor candidates. Unless you were someone exceptional, like Kaien Shiba, most assignments were based strictly on test scores.
If worse came to worst, they'd have to call in favors. And that meant spending money. The Emiya clan was lower nobility; they couldn't afford that kind of extravagance.
Sure, they could ask Yoruichi for help, but Shirō thought that was way too humiliating. He still wanted to earn his way forward on his own merits.
Thankfully, there was one final chance:
A "Talent Exhibition."
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter