Volume 5: Absolute Demonic Front + Temple of Time
Chapter 1: A Dating Trip with Rin
"I really want to know where exactly your divine authorities come from..." Scathach's wine-red eyes were filled with a thirst for unknown knowledge.
"Can't I just snatch those divine authorities and make them my own?" Shirou spread his hands helplessly.
"..."
Scathach snorted coldly, then immediately revealed a smile. It was a simple smile, but paired with her unique aura, it gave off a powerful sense of temptation. In her daily demeanor, the Queen of the Land of Shadows was charming and bewitching, but once she entered battle, her temperament would rapidly become heroic and stern. Because her "Spirit Origin" as a Servant wasn't strong enough, she couldn't use her power recklessly—and combined with the fact that her opponent was Shirou, a demon king who could instantly crush stars if he got serious—it made her seem relatively weak.
If she underwent a few "Spirit Origin Ascensions" to bring her strength closer to her original Heroic Spirit level, Scathach's power would likely surpass that of the "King of Swords" from the God Slayer world.
"Heh, I don't dislike that arrogance of yours. On the contrary, I admire it. If a person lacks even pride, they can only be cowardly and humble; I do not like such people... but arrogance must have a limit. Only by thoroughly understanding oneself, knowing one's own limits, knowing one's talents, and knowing one's flaws—only then does such arrogance have meaning."
Unknowingly, Scathach had adopted the tone of a mentor. Shirou had almost forgotten she possessed the "female teacher" attribute.
"By the way, do you care a lot about your appearance?"
Suddenly, Scathach lifted a lock of hair from her temple with a very feminine gesture. Her lazy expression carried a hint of ambiguity, yet her whole being radiated a sharpness like a drawn sword.
"I certainly care about appearance." Shirou answered very candidly.
That's right; Shirou knew clearly that he was just a person who cared about looks. There was nothing he couldn't admit about that. Pursuing beautiful people and things was nothing to be ashamed of.
"Ancient Celts, especially Celtic warriors—their lives consisted only of slaughter on the battlefield and the enjoyment of fine wine and women off the battlefield. This is the basic desire of a warrior, because they never knew when they would die in the slaughter. They would also smile to welcome death."
Scathach smiled sweetly at Shirou, the scent of violets wafting toward him. "I don't dislike frank and straightforward people."
Shirou recalled the Celtic history he knew. The Celts were an uncivilized barbarian tribe, extremely bloody and brutal. Whether Scathach counted as a Celt, Shirou wasn't sure, but she must have been deeply influenced by Celtic culture. If so, then what she said now must be absolutely true.
However, just as Shirou was curious and wanted to ask something, Rin appeared beside them at some point.
"Hey, what are you two whispering about behind my back?"
"Nothing, nothing happened, Master~" Scathach answered Rin with a smile, playfully winking at Shirou.
"Huh? What are you guys doing?" Rin looked confused.
Shirou shrugged, pretending nothing happened, and walked into the kitchen to prepare lunch with Sakura, leaving Rin standing there, completely bewildered by the situation.
"What is going on..."
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On the morning of the day he and Rin were scheduled to head to the Clock Tower, Shirou, urged on by Saber and Sakura, changed into a brand-new white suit, looking well-groomed thanks to the two gentle women.
"Mm, you look good." Jeanne also gave Shirou a rare word of praise.
But speaking of which, the style of this saint seemed to have changed a bit lately. She often found Karen to go shopping and would crazily eat sweets every time.
Although Jeanne's body as a Servant hadn't lost its shape, Karen's figure had become a bit fleshy lately. The last time she came to Shirou's house to play, the nun complained that her previous stockings felt a bit tight. If there was anything that hadn't changed, it was her chest size. Karen also seemed to hope that the excess fat would go where it was supposed to, but it seemed they had a mind of their own.
Regarding this, Shirou believed he also had a say in the matter. Because his hands had a mind of their own, but neither Saber nor the Goddess believed his defense at all.
While recalling the interesting events of the past few days, Shirou strolled along the road of the lower town. Fuyuki was a city built at the foot of a mountain; standing on the mountain road, one only needed to glance sideways to take in the entire city of Fuyuki, and the iconic
bright red Fuyuki Bridge could be seen very clearly. Compared to ten years ago, the entire city had indeed changed its appearance.
Shirou strolled leisurely through this small seaside town, passing through residential areas and shopping streets, past lush cherry blossom trees that had yet to bloom in early spring, feeling the rapid, day-by-day changes of the city.
About half an hour later, Shirou arrived at the area outside Fuyuki Airport.
"Shirou~!"
The girl's joyful call reached him. Shirou looked in that direction, and his eyes brightened. Because the weather wasn't warm yet, the girl was wearing a red coat, her smooth, jet-black long hair tied into twin tails. Her face carried a hint of fatigue, as if she had slept too late last night and looked a bit sleep-deprived.
"Over here, over here! Shirou, you're really late." The girl puffed out her cheeks slightly and spoke as if she were pouting.
"It's not until the nine o'clock flight, is it? I thought there was still plenty of time."
It was only eight-thirty, after all. Rin's cheeks turned slightly red, and she looked away as if remembering something. When she was acting out, she didn't even forget to pull Shirou's arm toward the airport.
"Anyway, let's hurry inside and wait. It's a bit cold out here."
Rin would never admit that she had tossed and turned until late last night, only sleeping for four hours. It was all that guy Lancer's fault, suddenly bringing up shameful topics like a "dating trip," which left her upset and unable to sleep well.
Hmph, bad woman!
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Not long after boarding the plane, Shirou felt something lean against his shoulder.
"Hoo... hoo..."
He could hear a faint sound of breathing, and a bit of dream-like muttering. Shirou listened carefully and realized the girl was whispering, "Shirou... Shirou..."
Glancing at the girl who had fallen asleep holding his arm, the corners of Shirou's mouth curled up in an imperceptible arc. This feeling was very faint yet beautiful. If one had to use a comparison, he could only think of that line from One Hundred Years of Solitude, slightly adapted:
——"The ship of her years was rounding the last cape of childhood."
The teenage girl was now beginning to touch upon a hint of maturity and allure; Rin, in this regard, far surpassed most of her peers, and that pride belonging to a mage added a touch of elegance to her aura.
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