The afternoon campus, having shed the morning bustle, left behind a moment of quiet.
The teaching building stood in the sunlight, upright and dignified.
Shirou walked up the stairs, arriving at the classroom.
The scattered students who saw him wanted to greet him, but seeing the boy's hurried pace, dropped the thought.
Returning to his seat, he slid the stiff window open halfway, the breeze stirring the curtains with a rustling sound.
On the desk, a mechanical pencil and the language textbook from the last morning class were neatly placed.
Shirou put them back into the desk drawer one by one, then folded his arms and buried his face in them.
Time seemed to congeal. The light rustling of the wind cut off abruptly, waves pulling back were frozen, curtains, tree leaves, the classroom chatter of students. All of it, piece by piece, as if the world had pressed the pause button.
Falling into silence, sinking into a deep lake, losing direction under darkness.
The world drifted away from him, like the dead losing their bodies, artists losing their souls, saints without their sacred cloth.
It was his second time entering this space. The experience was truly strange.
He glanced at the endless haze in the distance, thinking, 'Would a house make this feel more proper?'
The next second, a small courtyard formed, shaped by his inner thoughts.
The boy was speechless.
A line of words surfaced in his mind.
"Do you… like it?"
"Do you want to… stay?"
If voices were to be defined by colors, Tohsaka Rin would be purple, magnetic and mature, yet keeping a mysterious, elegant tone.
Illya would be pink. A childish voice, carrying petulance and sweetness, brimming with innocence and cuteness.
Miyu would be light blue. Clear and gentle, indescribably fresh and pure. Like drifting clouds in the blue sky, like crystal water flowing in the mountains.
Fujimaru Ritsuka orange, Mash blue, Fuji-nee brown, Sakura pale violet...
Yet the voice reaching his ears now was colorless.
Not that it couldn't be described by color, not that her tone couldn't be defined, simply, "colorless" was the definition.
Alaya, the suppression system (Counter Force) unconsciously formed by humanity as a whole, meant to prevent the extinction of humankind (primates).
When factors appear that threaten humanity's survival, she intervenes, guiding heroes or contracting guardians to eliminate the threat, such as: Emiya Shirou.
Her contract targets are those with deep obsessions or a desire to save the world, such as: Emiya Shirou.
In short, broadly or narrowly speaking, it could be summed up in three words: Emiya Cook.
And once she has you, you have to squeeze out forty-eight hours of work time a day for her.
Because of that, Shirou liked to say to her, "I'm not interested in listening to a black-hearted boss pouring out her heart. Just say what you want."
"…Need you… to go to a world…", Alaya, who knew nothing about flirtation, answered honestly.
"What world?", With how many problematic worlds existed in Type-Moon, if Shirou didn't ask, he really wouldn't know.
"Mm~", That question stumped Alaya. She only knew that small problems, find Emiya. Big problems, find Emiya. No problems, still find Emiya. But what kind of world had the problem…
At last, after her brain went through eighty-one tribulations, she firmly answered in one line, "A world… with problems."
Her tone was smooth enough that even if a pink talking pig described her, Shirou would think it fit.
Slightly speechless, he pressed his forehead, "What kind of problem, specifically?"
Alaya climbed Mount Himalaya, yet failed to get over, "…Fighting."
"…"
"That's it?"
After waiting so long, question marks practically appeared above Shirou's head.
"…Anything… else?"
Now it was Emiya's turn to be dumbfounded.
Shirou: "…"
Silence was always the main theme here.
"Forget it. Do I have to go right now?"
"Mm-mm."
The pink pig nodded.
Or was it a pink round dumpling?
In the end, Shirou refused, "A few days later. Right now I want to rest."
"…"
Though unseen, he clearly felt her gaze upon him.
"Send me back," Shirou remained unmoved.
The conditions were laid out. Only if he was willing. If unwilling, then he'd pull a line: I don't eat beef.
For some reason, Alaya didn't dare to force him, agreeing reluctantly.
Light refracted and flickered, his consciousness sinking into a moment of haze.
And then—
"EMIYA!"
'A brown voice.'
That tone should've sounded creepy, ill-intentioned.
And the owner indeed bore ill intentions. But lacked gloominess, instead brimming with vigor.
"Here," Consciousness returned to his body, bringing all senses and cells back under nervous control.
Shirou rose quickly, back straight.
Under the subtle influence of the system, not only his body but even his form was becoming more refined.
By right, no matter how long Alaya kept him, outside it would always be less than a second.
For this situation to happen, it could only be the revenge of a certain shameless little loli.
He took note of the grudge, 'One day, I'll pay it back.'
Without showing anything, Shirou called out the system, then sat down under Fujimura Taiga's gritted teeth glare. The look of wanting to catch his faults but failing to.
With ten minutes left before the break ended, Fujimura Taiga, finishing class, announced the issues regarding next week's physical checkup and exams.
She reminded the students to prepare in advance, not to fall ill or be late.
Mention exams, and psychological readiness existed, but the wails were never absent.
Complaining about tests, yet secretly working hard, Shirou had seen it many times.
For example, "This is bad, Mash."
Fujimaru Ritsuka clutched her head, "I've been watching anime all these days, I haven't studied at all, I'm doomed! My rank will definitely drop."
"Don't worry, Ritsuka," Mash comforted, "I've been working pretty hard lately. If my rank drops, you'll treat me. If my rank goes up, you'll still treat me."
"Eh?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked like she'd been knocked on the head.
She seriously raised her fingers, with the momentum of counting ants, ticking them off, "So… if you drop rank, I treat you?"
"Mm-mm," Mash blinked and nodded.
"And if your rank rises, I treat you?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
Mash asked innocently, "If my grades aren't good, you comfort me. If my grades are good, you celebrate with me."
"…Something feels off," Mash pinched her chin, thinking.
Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a breath, thinking Mash had malfunctioned.
"Right, I almost forgot Emiya-kun."
Mash suddenly had a look of realization, left palm facing up, right hand in a fist hitting it, as she looked toward Shirou, who was watching coldly from the side.
"Emiya-kun, what do you think, do you feel confident?"
"If seats are assigned by grades, Fujimaru's special seat won't last."
Shirou had been eyeing that spot for more than a day or two.
"Oh?", Fujimaru Ritsuka's face instantly grew serious, "Emiya-kun, are you declaring war on me?"
"How could I," Shirou clasped his hands, propping them against his desk to cover his mouth.
With a solemn tone, "I'm only stating a fact."
"I see," Fujimaru Ritsuka entered battle mode.
If this were an arcade game, the enemy taunts you and invites you to the room.
As the defending champion, there was no reason not to respond.
"What does the winner get?", She too feigned depth.
"I've got two buffet coupons."
"Not enough. Add one more. If I win—", Fujimaru's tone grew heavy, "Mash and I can call you Shirou."
"No problem."
Shirou didn't think he would lose.
There couldn't possibly be a question on the test he couldn't solve. Even if there was, whatever, the system would take over.
"Say, what if I win? Besides the seat?"
Two buffet coupons and his real name on the line, it couldn't just be for one seat.
"Mash is yours."
"Deal."
"—As if!"
They both shouted it at the same time.
Mash even grabbed Fujimaru's collar and yelled, "That's way too inhumane, Ritsuka! How can you treat me like an object? And besides, something like Emiya-kun…"
Just thinking about it made her eyes spin.
Fujimaru Ritsuka broke into a sweat, "Then let's change it, how about treating Emiya-kun to a meal?"
Using coupons as chips, that was exactly what Shirou was waiting for.
He sealed it with a punch and the line, "Deal's set!"
"No problem!"
Fujimaru hooked her pinky out.
Their fingers linked, "Anyone who lies or cheats on the exam will be pierced through the heart by ten thousand swords."
"…Good."
Shirou stayed steady as an old dog, only speaking toward the system.
'System-san, hurry up and become Prime Minister, pass a law stating that using the system doesn't count as cheating.'
[...]
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