Chapter 83: Shirou and Rin Flirting, Sakura Still at the Matou House
Future Vision?
Is this the reason for the sudden discrepancy between the Emiya Shirou of this era and the one he knew?
While Emiya Shirou was "spoiling" the truth about Matou Sakura to Tohsaka Rin, Archer—who was eavesdropping from the side—clearly had his focus on something else.
It wasn't that he didn't care about Sakura. Rather, Archer truly was in the dark regarding her circumstances.
Aside from the Heaven's Feel route, Matou Sakura effectively functioned as a "purple-haired background character" in other timelines. Archer, who had not walked the HF path in his previous life, had never encountered a situation where Sakura lost control and blackened.
However, looking at it from another angle...
'If he can be so certain about even these things, then this seemingly ridiculous explanation might actually be true.
Because Emiya Shirou is that kind of person. If he truly knew about this, he would never have waited until now to act; he would have rushed to save her at the very beginning.
The fact that he's only mentioning it now means he likely only found out recently and was tied up by other matters before he could take action.'
Archer thought to himself with a mix of disdain and confidence. As a fellow "Emiya Shirou," he was well aware of his younger self's obsession with becoming a Hero of Justice at this stage.
As long as he could save someone, he would rush in without a second thought, even if it meant sacrificing himself, even if his presence was useless, and even if he only ended up adding another number to the innocent death toll. Archer couldn't stand the current Shirou's methods, but he didn't deny the boy's sincerity in these matters.
After all, strictly speaking, not even a single night had passed since Shirou was skewered by Lancer.
'If that's the case, Emiya Shirou should also know my identity by now.
The reason he stopped using reinforcement magecraft, stopped being hindered by the wrong way of opening his circuits, and successfully used projection—the magecraft he's best at—along with weapons I've never even seen...
Is it because he saw the future?'
Once he concluded that Shirou likely possessed Future Vision, Archer found it impossible to believe that Shirou wouldn't know who he was. Ever since being summoned by Tohsaka Rin
and confirming the era and situation, he had set his mind on killing Emiya Shirou—his past self.
Unless he changed his mind, Shirou would inevitably recognize the man who wanted him dead.
Would Archer change his mind? That was equally impossible.
Yet Shirou showed no intention of confronting him. Had something happened in the "future" he saw?
"By the way, Tohsaka. Because Sakura was treated as a vessel and subjected to many magical modifications as a Grail by Matou Zouken from the very start, it's fine to be a bit gentler when you eventually meet her."
Shirou ignored Archer's gaze. In fact, ever since Shirou claimed he awakened Future Vision after being stabbed through the heart, even Lancer had been looking at his own demonic spear with a mix of suspicion and uncertainty.
'Awakening Future Vision from one stab... I didn't know [Gáe Bolg] had that kind of power?'
Moreover, looking at Shirou—who had transformed from a weakling bystander killed in one hit into a powerhouse capable of swaying the entire war, someone Lancer might not even be able to beat—the change was so dramatic that Lancer felt like stabbing himself just to see if it worked.
Shirou, having seen the effects of prophets and future-seers in the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, remained calm. He even found the time to add a reminder to Rin: "After all, you don't seem like the type who can easily empathize with others' pain."
Clearly, with his past-life memories, Shirou was recalling the "brutal logic" Rin used when she encountered a blackened Sakura in the HF route and heard her grievances.
Of course, the reason Rin spoke those harsh words was that she was incredibly rational. Even if Sakura was her sister and she was learning the truth for the first time, she could see that Sakura was using her past as an excuse to justify her current state.
That was why Rin denied her. Sakura might be pitiable, but the moment she began harming innocent people, she was no longer entitled to sympathy. To save her from her fall, Rin had to make it clear that she was in the wrong.
However, Rin's "people skills"... were exactly on par with the Tohsaka family tradition.
"Huh?" Rin looked over with an unfriendly glint in her eyes.
What did Shirou mean by that? She didn't speak, but her glare demanded an explanation.
'What do you mean I can't empathize with pain?'
"Of course, I'm not saying you lack compassion. It's more like..."
Realizing he had stuck his foot in his mouth, Shirou hurriedly tried to fix it in embarrassment: "You might not realize it, Tohsaka, and you might not think of yourself as particularly blessed, but honestly, I've admired someone named Tohsaka Rin for a long time. I'm sure most of the school feels the same.
And yet..."
At this point, Shirou's tone dropped significantly. Why hadn't he noticed it before? He recalled the descriptions of Sakura from his memories—and the way she looked when they first met, like a doll that had already lost its soul. Why hadn't he sensed that something was wrong with her?
"Anyway, the things you take for granted are probably things Sakura will never experience in her entire life... Eh, Tohsaka? What's wrong?"
Shirou finished his sentence and looked curiously at Rin, who had suddenly jerked her head away.
"T-That's my line!" Her cheeks flushed slightly as she turned back to glare at him.
"Wh-What on earth are you talking about!?
You have the nerve to say that about me? You clearly don't engage your brain before you speak! Don't you know saying things like that causes misunderstandings!?"
'Ah... did I say something strange just now?'
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