"Master…", Mash looked at her, placing her hand on Shirou's palm. Two different kinds of warmth spread across their hands.
If every moment would be denied, erased, then, is this instant of reality itself the meaning that continues on?
She didn't know.
The pure girl's eyes filled with mist, "If it's not recorded, if it's impossible to exist, does it still have meaning?"
"Is that so?"
The girl's gentle voice flowed through the air, "I'm sorry, I don't really understand. But somehow it feels beautiful. A person's beginning and end. Even if forgotten, it will still leave behind meaning…"
"It will! It will! Definitely it will!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka gripped their hands tightly, gripping so hard her arms trembled, unwilling to let go.
"Just like this, like right now, even if the world is destroyed, we were still together once."
"…"
Under the clear moonlight, the girl's unwavering words left Shirou momentarily speechless.
He shook his head helplessly, pulling out his hand to poke the little one's forehead, "What do you mean 'together once,' don't spout nonsense."
"Ugh!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka held her forehead, making a declaration like a Partner of Justice who would never yield to the Evil of Humanity, "It's true! Not wrong at all! Aren't we together right now?"
"You're twisting the definition, twisting it! Where did you learn your language skills, Fujimaru University Student?"
"Oh! That's right! I am a university student."
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly realized, and with a pure, lofty tone tempted him, "Little Shirou, I'm older than you, I'm an adult. Children should listen to adults… be good, you're my lost relative from Chaldea, come back with your big sis, and big sis will give you candy."
Even now she hadn't given up on the idea of luring Shirou back to Chaldea.
"You, this brat—"
Shirou's forehead darkened with black lines, and he rolled up his sleeves on the spot, "Saying things like that, watch if I don't beat you!"
He was a proper adult, officially recognized by the system.
Could the status screen possibly lie?
Seeing Shirou wasn't just pretending, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately hid behind Mash and shouted, "Look, Mash! Senpai's turning into a real red-haired ghost."
"I'll kill you!", Shirou's hair spiked up, and with the special effects of a hundred million yen, he instantly transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"Bleh! Bleh! Bleh!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka stuck out her tongue.
"Hehe~"
Mash gave a soft laugh, her pink eyes lifting slightly, "It's getting late, Master. Didn't Mr. Cursed Arm say there's a lot of work to do tomorrow morning? Hurry and rest."
Hearing this, Shirou stopped fooling around with Fujimaru Ritsuka and smiled slightly, "Then…"
He placed his arms around the backs of their heads, and before either of them could react, pulled them into his embrace. Before they could even regain their senses, he let go, his tone soft, carrying a faint blessing, "If… no, not if, let's just say this."
"Even if one day we really forget each other, never meet again. I still hope, every day, morning, noon, and night, as long as you can do that, then I believe this encounter was already the best of fortunes."
"…"
Faced with the boy's sincere smile, the two beautiful girls were stunned into stillness.
———
[Ten Minutes Later]
Finally sending them off, Shirou wiped the cold sweat on his forehead.
So scary. He always had the illusion of thorns pricking his back.
'Could it be… someone's spying?'
'Forget it, doesn't matter.'
Shirou couldn't wait to project the great sword.
Finally, he could train.
'Surely now, no one would come to disturb me?'
"Fou~"
The Fou who had been ignored all this time finally made its presence known.
Splash!
He had only just completed one standard thrust movement.
"You didn't sleep after all?"
Shirou staggered, nearly falling.
'Come on, I just want to practice sword swings, is that too much to ask?'
Completely ignoring the twitch at the corner of Shirou's mouth, Xuanzang Sanzang approached, hands pressed together, smiling gently, "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Shirou's face was blank, "You did."
"Really? But everyone else has already fallen asleep, and quite deeply at that."
Xuanzang Sanzang continued speaking as if nothing was wrong, completely unconcerned.
Shirou remained silent.
"So, what are you doing?"
Seeing that Shirou accepted the conversation, Xuanzang Sanzang smiled, "I was already prepared to be scolded, but you didn't even get angry. You really are gentle, huh."
"So, what are you doing?", Shirou asked again.
"Don't be so boring," Xuanzang Sanzang tried to casually pat Shirou's shoulder, but he dodged mercilessly.
Not minding the cold treatment, she answered, "Just making a record of today's events."
"!"
"Hey, what's with that shocked look?"
Xuanzang Sanzang put her hands on her hips, "Don't tell me you think I only know how to play?"
"Not exactly."
Shirou rubbed his chin, "I thought you only knew how to eat and sleep, sleep and eat."
"Uwaaahhh!"
Xuanzang Sanzang cried out, "I'm hurt! You're so not cute!"
"A real man only needs to know how to transform into a Super Saiyan. What's 'cute' supposed to mean?"
Shirou replied coolly.
"If the price of transforming into that Super Saiyan thing was being cute, then what?"
Even though she didn't really get the joke, Xuanzang Sanzang still caught the thread precisely.
Shirou declared flatly, "That's something worth thinking about. But before thinking about it, it's also something worth thinking about."
"…?"
The fast-spinning computer crashed. The eloquent Xuanzang Sanzang was stuck for several seconds.
Finally, she smiled, "You really are impressive. You look honest and simple, but actually you're very good with words."
"So-so. Can't compare with a monk who became famous young."
"I wasn't joking. I really think you're amazing."
Xuanzang Sanzang crouched down, spotting Fou at Shirou's feet, looking for a sense of existence, "Chaldea is also amazing, no, truly amazing, being able to let people travel through time… and summon Servants."
On this point, Shirou did not deny it.
Being able to summon Servants into the present world. No matter what, that itself was a kind of miracle.
It had been said before: a so-called Servant is nothing more than a facet of a Heroic Spirit cast into this world.
For example, if you summon the Monkey King, the Sun Wukong of Journey to the West, the one who appears might not be the westward-traveling Sun Wukong, but perhaps the "I want this sky to never cover my eyes" Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Because the existence of Heroic Spirits is created by people's thoughts.
And in each person's heart, there exists their own version of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Like in Singularities, when no one officially summons people like Arash, Touta, or Xuanzang Sanzang, their appearances can be said to be distortions caused by the Holy Grail.
Even the Knights of the Round Table, in essence, belonged to the Lion King's Servants.
After receiving the Lion King's blessing, they were under her service, unable to raise their hands against her, or even harbor hostility.
That was equivalent to a Master having absolute command over a Servant through Command Spells.
Only, the Lion King was a god, far more domineering.
If any of the Knights of the Round Table under her service harbored hostile thoughts toward her, the moment they stepped into the Holy City, they could be burned to ashes.
In summary, what this means is: in a normal world, summoning Heroic Spirit incarnations and commanding them would generally be absolutely impossible.
That was why Xuanzang Sanzang was so astonished.
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