Riding the bus wasn't something pleasant. The rocking motion made his head hurt and stomach churn. His legs felt like they were going to fall off if he tried moving them even a little. And the smell of other people around him were... not exactly the best.
So he got down at the nearest bus station as soon as he arrived in London and walked to his hotel.
The sky had turned orange, the street lights flickered to life and illuminated the street below them. It was getting dark now.
There were less people walking on the street, which meant that traffic was getting lighter. But the wind was picking up speed, making his hair dance wildly in front of his eyes. His jacket flapped against his body as the wind hit it with full force.
His mind wandered to the woman he encountered in the ruin earlier.
Her white hair, purple eyes, and the strange way she spoke.
The things she said didn't make any sense.
"Next time, bring white orchid or camellia"
It sounded as if they were meeting again in the future, and she would accept the flowers.
As if the grave was her. No, not hers.
It's like she knew what kind of flower he should bring. But that was ridiculous.
That was the grave of King Arthur, not anyone else. And King Arthur had long passed away, no longer existing in this world.
But what she said next was what disturbed him the most.
"A dream should just stay as a dream." He muttered to himself.
It made no sense, and it left a weird feeling inside of him. A strange sense of uneasiness, like a premonition of something bad happening soon.
The more he thought about it, the less he understood. But one thing was clear: That girl had something to do with Saber.
And he was determined to find out what.
He couldn't leave this alone, not when someone told him something like that. There were still too many unanswered questions for him. So many unknowns and possibilities. And the fact that this person knew him, or rather the past him, only complicated everything.
That person, the sister of flower, must have been connected to Saber.
And her identity... he felt like he knew her, somehow.
His feet stopped as he saw someone familiar on the other side of the road.
A blonde girl wearing a hoodie was walking down the street with her hands inside her pockets. She played with gum, bloating it and popping it.
She seemed to be lost in her thoughts and oblivious to everything else. The street lamp illuminated her face and Shirou could see her clearly from here. He didn't expect to see her again so soon.
It was the girl he encountered in Reverse London when he was guided around by Noel.
"Umm, Ninny?" He called out, unsure whether he should approach the blonde witch.
The girl turned to him with a sharp glare before it turned into a softer one.
"Oh? We met again." Ninny greeted, raising her hand and waved at him. She crossed the road to reach him. "How are you doing, Kurosaki?"
"I am fine." Shirou replied awkwardly. He wasn't expecting to see the witch he met yesterday.
He thought he would return to Japan without meeting any of them again.
But fate seemed to say something else.
The two stood in the middle of the street, with the evening sun setting in the distance and the moon rising in the sky.
"I didn't expect to meet you here, especially after you said you would leave today." She crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowing together as she spoke.
"I did leave Reverse London but I still have time for a vacation here. It will take more than one day to look around London, right?"
"That makes sense," Ninny said after thinking about it. She looked at the sky and let out a small sigh. "I guess I should be happy then. I thought you had gone home."
The way she said it made him think she needed some kind of help.
"Why?"
Shirou tilted his head questioningly, not quite sure what the blonde meant. But it was obvious that the witch wanted to ask for a favor, judging from her expression.
She didn't answer right away and kept silent.
After a moment passed between them, Ninny finally shook her head and gave up trying to say something.
"You see..." She trailed off before speaking again, looking up at the orange sky overhead. "It doesn't matter. Forget it. Just enjoy your day here and don't worry about me. See you again, Kurosaki."
With that, Ninny walked away from the location. She entered the crowd and disappeared from his sight.
That only made Shirou more curious about what the witch wanted.
What did she mean by just enjoying his day here?
"..." He stared at where the girl had disappeared into the crowd of people walking down the sidewalk.
She clearly wanted something from him, but she decided to leave without saying anything.
And Shirou couldn't help but wonder why she didn't tell him anything. Maybe she wanted his help but didn't want him involved in the trouble she was facing.
On one side, he wanted to stop her, ask what the matter was, and help her.
But on the other hand, it was better if he just left it alone.
Shirou was a foreigner in this place, and it wouldn't be wise for him to get himself into some mess.
So, he decided to just leave the witch be.
He was no longer the Hero of Justice, after all.
***
A week had passed after his trip to London.
In that time, he learned a lot of things. The food here wasn't as good as he had initially thought.
After visiting King Arthur's grave, he planned to have a culinary trip around the town. He could find some good restaurants and enjoy the local delicacy. Sadly, that wasn't possible.
Not only did it taste rather bland, the variety was also limited.
Shirou didn't think it would be difficult to adjust to the cuisine, but he was wrong. It took him a while to find something good to eat—something other than beans, bacon, or fish and chips.
He wanted flavors. Something more exciting than just bland boiled meat or vegetables.
In that case, it was better to cook his own meals.
But the problem was, he had no kitchen to work with. The hotel room had no kitchen, so it was impossible for him to cook his own meal here.
What a dilemma.
'Should I return to Japan ahead of plan?'
It would be a shame if he had to return early because he couldn't stand the local food. His palate was spoiled by the Japanese food after all, and he had to adjust his taste buds.
'Let's try one more time. Maybe I am just not in a good place. This is a big city after all, so there has to be a good restaurant somewhere.'
And with that, he went to find a new restaurant to visit. This time he chose a different district and hoped that his luck would be better there.
Finally, he found a good Indian restaurant at one alley near the place where he met Noel. He was delighted by the chicken tikka masala in that place. The taste fit his bud pretty well.
It was spicy, creamy, and the aroma of the spice mixed well with the sweetness of the chicken. The sauce had a good texture and consistency, not too thick or thin.
Recreating it was... possible. He smiled at the thought of bringing a new dish for his family back home and decided on something.
'Yeah, let's return early.'
He was also worried about Ichigo.
Would he be okay dealing with the Hollows alone?
Well, he could get some help from Sado or Orihime, but what if the traitor appeared in front of him?
Somehow, Shirou could imagine that scenario in his mind. A sudden disruption of the daily live he painstakingly rebuild.
A new war that came to destroy his peaceful days.
Again.
The strange woman, sister of flower's words, suddenly came into his mind. That he should return immediately. It was a strange and vague warning, and yet Shirou felt like it was a warning that would come true.
Afterall, he had experienced so many weird things. He could smell that something would happen soon if he stayed.
With that, he packed his stuff, checked-out from the hotel and boarded the plane back to Japan. He looked at the city of London from the window, his reflection staring back at him.
"I guess it's goodbye then."
It's time to forget about everything in London.
For now.