Chapter 33: Chance Encounter with Mr. Gold While Shopping
Passing through the hazy dream, Shirou's consciousness returned to reality.
Opening his eyes, sunlight penetrated the curtains, warm and comforting.
At this moment, Shirou noticed Sakura, who had somehow migrated to his embrace while sleeping.
Upon sensing that Shirou was awake, Sakura slowly opened her eyes, and her cheeks flushed immediately as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"I... I'm going to take a shower...!"
Sakura quickly stood up and scurried toward the bathroom.
Watching the small figure receding from sight, Shirou shrugged helplessly, then asked the Ethereal-form Lancer.
"Lancer, did you sense the presence of any other Servants last night?"
Hearing Shirou's inquiry, Karna immediately replied.
"I did not detect the presence of any other Servants or Magi nearby, Master."
"I see..." Shirou nodded.
It seemed that only Emiya Kiritsugu had, so far, probed their location.
And Emiya Kiritsugu's death would be enough to make the others who were still observing become even more cautious.
Since Karna had not yet exposed the power of his Noble Phantasm, even if others had ideas, they would have to weigh their options carefully.
Thinking this, after checking on Sakura, Shirou took Karna and headed straight for school.
All the way to his seat in the classroom, Shirou was still contemplating matters related to the Holy Grail War.
Last night, he had clashed first with Emiya Kiritsugu and then Kotomine Kirei; even Gilgamesh had appeared. Fortunately, Shirou was quick to escape, or he would have had to waste a Command Spell to summon Karna.
Given that both Karna and Gilgamesh are top-tier Heroic Spirits, it's hard to say who would win if they actually fought.
Furthermore, even if Shirou and Karna won together, they might suffer heavy damage, and dealing with other Servants popping up afterward would be difficult.
While Shirou was thinking, the teacher at the podium was lecturing on history.
"In ancient Japan, men referred to their younger sister as 'Imo'. This had nothing to do with age; it was a term used to address female relatives, and it was also used to address lovers and wives.
Because marriage between siblings was also common at that time, there was the saying that one's wife, lover, and younger sister were regarded equally.
The eldest prince of the 19th Emperor, Prince Kinashi no Karu, fell in love with his own sister, Princess Karu. The two secretly had an affair. Upon learning of it, the Emperor exiled his children. Unexpectedly, Princess Karu couldn't bear the exile and committed suicide by drowning herself in the sea. When her brother, Prince Karu, learned this, he also committed seppuku (ritual suicide) and followed her in a lovers' suicide."
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4:00 PM, dismissal time.
Rin came looking for Shirou the moment school was dismissed to walk home with him.
At first, this situation caused a lot of students to tease them, but now everyone was used to it.
"Let's go, Shirou~"
The call was exceptionally cute, making one's heart flutter.
Shirou suppressed the urge to reach out and pinch the girl's baby-fat cheek, nodding in response.
"Mhm, let's go."
As they walked down the stairs, Shirou told her a story from a book he had once read.
"There was a man named Kusunoki, who in his youth believed his life value was higher than others; he was proud, unhumble, and not very perceptive. At this time, he met a girl, Himeno, who shared the same belief. They promised each other that they would definitely realize their ideals in the future.
However, by the age of twenty, Kusunoki still saw no path to success; he could only see the end of a poor and failed life stretched out before him.
Driven by his hardship, Kusunoki happened upon a shop that bought lifespans, so he sold the rest of his life for ten thousand yen per year..."
The story Shirou was telling was from a light novel he had read, but the publication of this book was still more than ten years away from now.
If there hadn't been a Holy Grail War, Shirou had considered moonlighting as a literary plagiarist during his school days.
Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."
Just as Shirou reached the part where the main character, Kusunoki, returned to look for his childhood friend, Himeno, they arrived at the school gate, where Rin's mother, Tohsaka Aoi, was waiting outside.
"That's strange, why would Kusunoki sell his lifespan? Even if he was poor, didn't he have a place to live? Couldn't he improve things by getting a job?" Rin asked, confused.
"That's a matter of mindset. There are always some people who believe that good things will just fall from the sky, wasting their lifespan and doing absurd things without a shred of regret, never making an effort to confront or deal with their reality, only constantly defending themselves. Yet, sometimes, it's precisely the ignorant who receive the most precious things or people. Some remain defeated even after that, but others burst forth with astonishing power. It's truly incredible."
It was like Kusunoki, who had deemed his life worthless, only to find out shortly after selling his lifespan that his artwork sold for an exorbitant price after his death.
"It seems this story is a bit too long. Next time, I'll switch to a simple and pleasant joke. I'll tell you the story of Luo Ji deploying in his Gundam-form to destroy the Droplet and sweep out the Trisolarans."
Shirou finished with a smile, glancing at the woman waiting outside the school gate.
It seemed that the events of the past few days, combined with the tense atmosphere of the Holy Grail War, had truly unsettled the mother, prompting her to come pick up Rin herself.
"Alright, I'll go now~ See you tomorrow, Shirou~"
More than the story, Rin was actually more concerned with the feeling of relaxation she got when she was with Shirou.
Looking at her mother, Aoi, who was waving at her outside the gate, Rin felt a little reluctant but, after saying goodbye to Shirou, she obediently left the school with Aoi.
After seeing Rin get into the car, Shirou also left the school, then got Karna an outfit so he could experience modern life in his materialized form.
"Master, it is perfectly alright for me to remain in spirit form." Karna was a bit confused by Shirou's actions.
Shirou smiled, "Since you went to the trouble of manifesting in the current world, you should enjoy the experience."
Hearing this, Karna was silent for a few seconds, then let out a hearty laugh.
"Is that so? I understand."
Next, Shirou walked with Karna toward the commercial district.
After destroying Caster's workshop on the Mion Riverbank previously, Shirou hadn't found any trace of Caster since.
So, he planned to go back and check that area once more, making a surprise return visit.
Although the possibility was low, perhaps he had missed some clue.
Also, since he was out, Shirou planned to buy Sakura a gift.
"What do girls her age like..."
As Shirou walked and pondered, he suddenly spotted two familiar figures in the continuous stream of people and immediately stopped.
"Is that...?"
Gilgamesh, with his golden hair and handsome features, dressed in casual clothes, should have looked like a noble young master, but the undisguised arrogance he displayed toward the surrounding ordinary people made him look like a delinquent.
Yet, the reason no one expressed dissatisfaction even at this level was Kotomine Kirei, who was following closely beside Gilgamesh, dressed in a priest's robe and wearing a poker face.
Kotomine Kirei's tall, robust build, which made even the black priest's robe look tight on him, allowed the surrounding ordinary people to sense how terrifying his inherent explosive power was.
Kotomine Kirei, who was constantly shadowing Gilgamesh like a bodyguard, caused those who felt slighted by Gilgamesh's arrogant gaze to obediently look away.
What these people didn't know was that their fear of Kotomine Kirei had, in fact, saved them from a disaster.
While Shirou was observing the two, they had also noticed Shirou.
"That child seems to be the one from that night..."
Kotomine Kirei's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing Shirou.
He had a very deep impression of Lancer's Master.
The mental trauma inflicted by Lancer's spear that night was enough to still make him tremble somewhat.
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