It was the first day of a new semester at Homurahara High.
Students flocked to the main building with all the enthusiasm of teenagers who had to cram their heads with academic notions that they needed not to understand but only memorize verbatim.
Among them was Tohsaka Rin. A seventeen years old Magus for whom high school was considered a break from more extenuating activities. For a person like her, who crossed the threshold of human common sense to perform feats of wonder, high school was an anchor to sanity, to normality.
Imagine her surprise then, when the homeroom teacher came in with an announcement.
"Starting today we are going to have a transfer student."
That alone wouldn't have been shocking. Transfer students weren't necessarily common, but they weren't rare either. It was the identity of the student that surprised her.
"Please introduce yourself Emiya-san."
The door slid open, and in walked a kid that was clearly far too young to belong, even though he wore a school uniform of his size.
"Pleased to meet you, everyone. My name is Emiya Shirou. Starting today I will be in your care. Please treat me well."
The class erupted like a volcano.
"What? How old this this kid?"
"Are you serious?"
"Professor, is this a joke?"
There was widespread disbelief. Even Rin was shocked, to say the least.
"Calm down everyone. This is not a joke. Emiya-san here is a precocious student. He has already passed the exams you'll face later this year. However, since he's so much younger than everyone else, it has been decided that he'll join our school as a second year student instead."
"Is that allowed?" asked a random student.
"In special cases, it is," the teacher clarified. "Please make sure to treat him well. Although he's you equal academically, you are still his seniors."
There was another flurry of questions but the teacher put a stop to them right away.
"Now it's not the time. You can ask him all you want after classes, if he wishes to answer. Go take a seat Emiya-san."
"Thank you, professor."
He passed Rin's desk but didn't as much as meet her gaze, and headed to an empty desk in the back of the class. She did not turn around. Not even once, during the following classes. Yet she was keenly aware of his presence behind her.
Was she worried? Yes. They were both Magi after all. They were inherently dangerous to one another. Even though they had an amicable business relationship it was predicated on them keeping their distance from one another.
And now he was here. At her school. In her own classroom. She had every little reason to be worried.
His reputation preceded him. She had investigated him the moment he showed up. Skipping grades was nothing, compared to hunting solo in the Reverse Side. Being academically ahead of the curve for his age was just icing on the cake.
Even if she had reservations until now, she couldn't consider him a kid. This was an extremely dangerous Magus right on her home turf and she would have to treat him as such.
[br]
[EMIYA SHIROU] [THE GAMER]
[LV 50 27.500/50.000] [HP: 5000[MP: 35[MC: 27[ST: 920[SP: 9]
[STR: 50[DEX: 50[INT: 50[WIS: 50[CHR: 102] [ATK: 100] [DEF:100]
Skipping grades in Japan was almost unheard of. It was a country that strongly believed in conformity. To skp grads, it wasn't enough to be academically gifted. One had to prove that they were also mature enough to do so.
Not only Shirou had to pass the required exams he also had to be interview by a board of professionals. That was both to his benefit and that of the people he would join.
With his Stats, Shirou breezed through everything and received full approval to skip grades. That had been within his expectations. What had not been in his expectations was winding up in the same class as Tohsaka Rin, the Second Owner of Fuyuki.
Not that it would have made much difference in the long run, if he had been assigned to a different class. He should have warned her in advance. This way it looked like he had planned to catch her flat footed. Not his intention, but still what happened anyway.
He'd have to smooth things out later. If he survived was surely was to come.
[br]
Saeko was happy. Today was the day in which Shirou would start to attend her school. Even though he would be a year behind, her and thus not in the same class, she was very excited.
She cherished every moment she got to share with him, even if they had to keep their relationship a secret. However, since he was technically a student at her dojo, their association wouldn't seem so strange at all.
It was in that spirit that she prepared lunch for the both of them early that morning. She was nowhere near a good cook like him. However, as his woman, the least she could do was taking care of his meals, right?
Unfortunately, when she reached the floor where his classroom was, she found that the corridor was packed with people, to the point that she couldn't get through.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm not sure;" said the female student without turning."Something about a transfer student. Everyone's pretty riled up."
Saeko's eyes widened. Now that she looked better at the crowd, weren't most of them girls? And if she strained her ear, she was fairly sure that she heard a fair amount of giggling and squealing coming from the classroom she was trying to reach.
'Oh, no. It's already begun.'
She knew how likeable Shirou was. How charming he could be. Even if he didn't show his manly side, he was at the very least utterly adorable.
She had fully expected him to quickly strike the heart of the school population, but not this fast.
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Let me through!"
If she didn't act now, forget about having more time to spend with him, she'd have even less. With his disposition to help out everyone he'll soon be fixing things left and right and have no time whatsoever to spend with her
She had to get to him before that happened.
She pushed through the crowd, not caring about the cries of protest sent her way. With a great deal of effort she finally managed to reach the door.
"Shirou?"
"Ah, Saeko!"
He was sitting at his desk, surrounded on all sides by a gaggle of teenagers. He looked extremely uncomfortable with all the attention, which in turn probably made him look even more adorable.
However their casual way of addressing each other put a stop to all conversations.
"Uhh… Busujima-senpai, do you know each other?"
"Are you related or something?"
"He… He's my student," she clarified quickly.
"Your student? Of what?"
"Oh, yeah. Busujima-senpai, your family owns a kendo school, right? So, Shirou-kun do you practice kendo? Are you any good?"
"Uhmm… somewhat. Saeko is a very good teacher."
"Speaking of which, Shirou. We need to discuss your training. Come along."
"Ah, yes. Right away," he said, hopping off his chair and following after her. "It was very nice to meet you all."
"Ah, wait, Shirou-kun."
But they didn't wait. Now that he was with her they all parted to grant them passage, and they rapidly left the area trying not to make it look they were running.
[br]
Rin sighed. She had planned to have a friendly chat with the younger Magus, but there was just too much attention on him at present.
'I shouldn't have been surprised.'
If he was an oddity even for a Magus like her, the he would be even more so for ordinary people.
Not that there weren't extremely precocious geniuses in the Moonlit World, but they were extremely rare. Like that Aozaki woman who became a Grandmaster at age twenty and obtained the color designation Red.
That comparison was a chilling one.
As a first generation Magus, he didn't possess the cumulative legacy of an old family, but if he were half as competent as Touko Aozaki was at his age, it would be extremely difficult to deal with him.
There was a strong possibility that he'd be picked as a Master in the upcoming Grail War. Perhaps it was in her best interest to take him out now?
Maybe. Maybe not. If she eliminated a potential Master before the War started, that just mean that the Grail would pick someone else instead. Someone she didn't know anything about.
The more known factors available, the better off she'll be when the time came.
Furthermore, they had a relatively good relationship thus fare and alliances weren't unheard of in the Grail War.
The wisest course of action would be getting closer to him, strengthening their partnership and at the same time figuring out any weakness he might have, that she could exploit.
It was too early to burn bridges.
'No matter what happens, assume he can see through anything you do, Rin,' she thought.
Where Magi were involved, common sense did not apply. Age was truly nothing but a number in this case.
But that meant that she had to act as soon as possible. The clock was ticking.
[br]
"Whew! Thanks for the rescue, Saeko," said Shirou once they reached the rooftop.
"It was my pleasure, really."
"I knew that getting transferred would have raised a few eyebrows, but I didn't think it would be this bad."
"Your case is quite extraordinary," Saeko agreed. "It doesn't help that you are quite the hearthrob. … what? Are you not going to deny it?"
"After the other night? I don't really see the point anymore," he sighed.
Shirou was a rather old fashioned kind of person, but he had already broken several taboos in the past months. Having sex with his two girlfriends at the same time was really the last straw.
At this point even he couldn't be so hypocritical to pretend he was a proper person anymore.
"Well, it was about time, I say. The sooner you realize you are extraordinary, the better."
"Why?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"Because you'll hold yourself back otherwise. People who thinks less of themselves than they should, usually don't manage to accomplish their full potential. It would be a great waste. Especially in your case."
"The same can be said of those who think too highly of themselves," he said.
"Yes, but we both know you aren't at risk of that."
"No, I guess not," he agreed.
Thinking too highly of himself? Even now he was struggling with the concept that a fine woman like Saeko had feelings for him. Much less everything else.
He ended up somewhat accepting it, simply because what else was he supposed to do? Even if he felt he didn't deserve any of it, that wouldn't change the situation. At this point he might as well roll with it.
"Anyway, I prepared lunch for the both of us. Would you mind eating with me?"
"I would love to. Thank you," he simply said.
He deserved none of it, but he'd be damned if he wasted her feelings and efforts.
"Ah! There you are!" said Taiga, arriving upon the scene "I've been looking all over for you."
"Oh, Fuji-nee. Just in time we were about to eat lunch. Would you like to join us?"
"I- Maybe another time," she said after a moment of hesitation. "I just wanted to check up on you. I'll drop by for dinner, alright?"
"Of course. I'll make your favorite," he promised.
"Sweet. I'll see you later then. Don't be late for classes," she said and then went back from whence she came.
"... that was weird," he said. "It's not like her to pass on a meal."
"I think she didn't want to intrude on us," explained Saeko. "After all, the three of us are going to spend plenty of time together as it is."
"Y.yeah. That's true."
That night had been an eye opener. Shirou possessed a high Sexual Interaction skill, which affected how effective he was at sex. However his actual experience was still limited to the things he had done.
Making a woman twist in pleasure had been one of the greatest experiences in his life. Honestly, he didn't think anything would top that, but it turned out that making two women reach the apex of pleasure at the same time was much better. By several orders of magnitude at that.
As someone who found his purpose in making others happy, it had been a very fulfilling experience.
He definitely would not object to a repeat, and as things stood neither would Taiga and Saeko. Although by daytime he had still reduced them to quivering masses of flesh, they had been able to keep up much longer.
Additionally, it seemed that they had been able to put aside their animosity and coexist in relative harmony. Honestly, sometimes he felt like he solved more problems through sex than through any other method.
Truly, what kind of an absurd lifestyle he ended up having. Sometimes he wondered what Kiritsugu would think about it.
[br]
When Waver walked into the kitchen of his house in Fuyuki, he came across several platters of barely tasted confectionery of different brands, scattered across the room.
When Ibaraki-Doji had asked for some pocket money to buy sweets, he saw no harm in granting that small wish. The two of them were at odds for understandable reasons, but he didn't hate her. If he could smooth their relationship with a small gesture like this, he'd be more than willing to indulge her.
However he didn't appreciate senseless waste, and this certainly qualified as such. He even tasted some of the untouched pastries and he found absolutely nothing wrong with them.
At worst, they were kind of bland but still perfectly edible.
"What is wrong with that Oni?" he wondered.
It was too trivial a thing to bother confronting her, but he wondered if this was her way to annoy him. If that was the case, she'd have to try much harder.
As far as willful familiars went, he'd seen worse.
[br]
Ibaraki-Doji's room was a mess worse than the kitchen had been.
The Oni was naturally an agent of chaos, but the situation wasn't a consequence of careless untidiness but the result of her rage. In truth, if she had not been strictly constrained, she would have torn the walls to shreds like so much paper.
Treachery. This was pure and simple treachery. She thought she had found a worthwhile reason for the ignominy of her situation that she immediately proven wrong.
'Accursed humans!'
She had tried several of those shops, but none of the sweets they sold could be even remotely compared to those she tasted at the brat's place.
She was furious of having be fooled so easily and having her hopes trashed. Any other time she would have exacted bloody retribution and burned the city to the ground.
However, right now she was as harmless as a kitten. She was an intruder to this world, and her Master left her just enough Mana to prevent her from being ejected.
It was worse than that. Because she had a tangible body and was not a spiritual construct summoned through Magecraft, she produced her own Mana.
However he siphoned that away for himself and left her in a weakened state.
Despite her great wisdom and power, Ibaraki was no Magus. She could use her Mana all she wanted, but she didn't have a clue how to manipulate it. The moment he forced the contract upon her, she had no way of preventing him from doing that. Then he had the gall to use her own energy to bind her will too.
Up to a point, the stronger she was the more powerful the binding became. She had to recuperate a lot of energy all at once to free herself, but he wouldn't allow that, of course.
A familiar and a Mana battery. Truly he had struck gold with her, but honestly that only added insult to injury.
And then there was this! Even the small comfort she had found turned out to be a nothing lie.
However… at the very least those she ate at the brat's place were the real deal. She only had to find out where he had gotten them. Surely he wouldn't be so cruel to deny her that information, right?
She wasn't sure, and she wasn't in any position to threaten or negotiate. Her Master had even signed an armistice with him, so there wasn't even the chance of getting the knowledge out of him in exchange of a merciful death.
Could it be that her only recourse was to lower herself even further and ask politely?
She didn't want to. She absolutely did not want to!
But she was left with no choice. If only she had not touched those sweets she would have been happily oblivious to their addictive taste, but now that she had tried them she couldn't put them out of her mind.
She had to have them again. At any cost.
[br]
After lunch, classes resumed normally and eventually came to an end. With club activities ahead of them, or the promise getting away from school altogether, the interest in the oddity that Shirou represent was much diminished.
Thank god for that, because it would have made taking a tour of the facilities much harder.
The President of the Student Council, one Issei Ryuudo, was tasked by Taiga to show him around. Shirou had no intention of using the facilities more than strictly necessary. With his age he couldn't really take part in the club activities even if he had the time to spare, which he didn't.
Ryuudo was extremely polite and not at all condescending despite the age gap. Similarly, Shirou's composed demeanor strongly surprised the no-nonsense President and the two of them hit it off rather nicely.
Eventually, the tour of the facilities took them all the way to a building in the farthest corner of the school grounds.
"And this is the Archery Club," said Issei has he showed him inside.
Shirou knew this place. After all, he had been there before, even though it was in the Reverse Side.
"Oh, is this the infamous transfer student?" asked a female voice.
Shirou turned to look at a teenage girl with short TK hair dressed in the traditional outfit of an archery dojo.
[Mitsuzuri Ayako] [Lv. 20]
[Archery Club Captain]
"Hello, Mitsuzuri-san. Yes, this is Emiya-san."
"Pleased to meet you," said Shirou with a bow of the waist.
"Likewise," she said in kind. "Wow, you are young. I thought that the rumors were exaggerated."
"I'm sure they are anyway," he replied. "I'm really nothing special."
"Well, you don't sound like a kid. That much for sure. So, is Issei-kun showing you around the clubs?"
"Yes. Although I'm afraid I can't really take part in the activities, it's still pretty interesting."
"I suppose that joining a sports club is going to be a challenge for you," she agreed. "Say, do you want to give it a try?"
"Weren't you just saying that sports club would be too much of a challenge?" he asked.
"Ah, but that's the beauty of Kyudo. It's not a sport in which you challenge others but in which you challenge yourself."
"He still wouldn't be able to take part in official competitions," Issei pointed out.
"I know, but wouldn't it be a shame if he went through high school without taking part in any club activities at all? They are such an important part of our lives. He won't be able to relate to others in the future, don't you think?"
The truth was that Shirou was not interested. Even if he could take part in club activities, he wouldn't. He had more important things to do with his time. Relating to others was out of the question anyway."
"As a matter of fact, I'm a fair hand with a bow," he said. He didn't want to brag or anything, but turning down the offer outright would have been rude.
"Oh? So you are a Kyudoka like us?" asked Mitsuzuri. "Did you hear that guys? Geniuses know what's the best sport around."
There was a round of chuckles. As far as sports went, and technically martial arts as well, archery didn't get the same amount of attention and respects as others did.
"What about you show me your technique then? I might be able to offer some pointers."
"Are we really going to let a child play around, now? Since when did this club turn into a kindergarten?"
The speaker was a blue haired boy. He could be called handsome if not of the sneer on his face.
[Matou Shinji]
[Lv. 25] [Worm]
Shirou blinked. Level 25 was quite high for someone in his teens. Usually, people whose level exceeded their age number were people who lives were out of the ordinary, people who had more life experience that others.
That title though… Worm? What was that supposed to mean?
"Sometimes I feel like I'm running a childcare center, so that wouldn't be much of a change, honestly," Mitsuzuri deadpanned.
"What's that supposed to mean, uh?"
"Uhm, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…."
"It's no problem at all, Emiya-kun," she interrupted. "Matou is a grouch all the time, you don't need to worry about him. Nobody here minds. In fact we would all brag if the new genius gave our club a try."
Matou scoffed, but pressed no further and went back to shooting arrows.
Shirou observed him briefly. The purple haired boy's skill weren't bad for someone of his age. Nothing to write home about, to be sure, but he could consistently hit the target, even though he never got close to a bullseye.
And then there was that prompt that just appeared
[New Quest] [A friendly competition]
[Description: Take a couple of shots at the Archer club] [Reward for success: 200 EXP, Increased relationship with club members, ?]
[Reward for failure: none, Decreased relationship with club members, ?]
Shirou didn't want to be at odds with his schoolmate from day one. Or ever, actually. If that meant taking a couple of shots with the bow, so be it.
"Sure. I don't mind," he conceded, thus accepting the quest.
"Here, this is the smallest bow that we have," said Mitsuzuri as she passed him said item. it was the same he had used against Mikado's Wraith. Or at least the version from this side of the Abyss.
He gracefully accepted it and stepped up to the shooting range.
He stopped as he looked at the target. What was he supposed to do here? Miss the target intentionally? He could downplay his own skills. In fact he was inclined to. He didn't like standing out. Except….
'People who thinks less of themselves than they should, usually don't manage to accomplish their full potential.'
Saeko told him that earlier, but Shirou wanted neither recognition nor accolades. Yet, he knew there was a truth to her words. He had been through enough situations to understand that mentality was key. In order to excel, one must try their best. In order to surpass his limits, he'd have to aim past them.
Was there any point trying to be modest here? The moment he stepped into this school he had already marked himself as an exceptional existence that stood out from the crowd. His Charisma was through the roof. Unless he planned to go live in seclusion, he'd end up catching people's eyes. He could not longer blend in with the masses even if he wanted to.
He might as well shoot for the stars, then.
[br]
The practice of Kyudo wasn't just about hitting the target with an arrow. It was an ancient art that had a form and a philosophy to it, not unlike other martial arts. It was divided in eight steps, all of which needed to be mastered.
When the young transfert student said that he had already experience with using a bow, she didn't think he was familiar with the art behind it.
Her eyes widened slightly, when he assumed the Ashibumi, the initial position with bow and quiver at his hips, following it with the Dozukuri, Yugamae, Uchiokoshi, Hikiwake and then the Kai, where he stopped.
With each step her eyes widened more and more. She had seen no flaw that she could point out in his form. In fact, it was probably even better than her own.
And now he stood there, with the bow drawn and his eyes on the target.
Hanare. The string was released and the arrow flew. It went through the target with a satisfying thunk.
Dead center.
The archery stage was completely silent. Without even turning, Ayako knew that everyone had stopped to watch the small archer, right until he lowered the bow in the final step. Zanshin.
Matou was the first to break the silence
"B-Beginner's luck!" he sputtered.
The prodigy did not look at him. Unperturbed he went through the steps again.
Wissh-Thunk!
The second arrow impaled the target next to the other, so close to the previous that Ayako had to look twice to make sure it had not split the first in two.
He turned and gave the bow back to her, who accepted unable to utter a single word.
"Thank you for the opportunity," he said, bowing and then moving past her. "Sorry for making you wait, Issei-san."
"No… it's… it's nothing," the president replied, adjusting the glasses that had fallen down his nose. He was no bowman but even an amateur could see the obvious here.
"W-Wait!" Ayako cried out, snapping out of her trance. "This… you… Since when have you been practicing?"
"Mitsuzuri-san," he said, turning to her. "You know it's not a matter of practice. It's about giving shape in reality to the image of hitting the target that's in your mind. You said it yourself, Kyudo is about defeating the self. That's all there is to it, really." He bowed one last time. It was a pleasure meeting you all."
He walked out, leaving the club members in stunned silence.
"... all there is to it, he says," she sighed as soon as he was out of the door. "Like that's easy, right? I guess geniuses live in a different world entirely."
[br]
[Quest: A friendly challenge: COMPLETE] [Reward: EXP200]
[Your relationship with the Archery Club Members has increased. You are now liked.] [You relationship with Matou Shinji has worsened. You are now disliked.]
[Additional Reward: For completing the Quest with the highest score, all the previous rewards have doubled]
[EXP:200] [Your relationship with the Archery Club Members has increased. You are now greatly
liked.] [You relationship with Matou Shinji has worsened. You are now greatly disliked.]
Following Issei out of the club, Shirou kept his face carefully neutral. Double rewards for completing Quests with the maximum score? How was the that even calculated? With the challenge before, it was fairly straightforward, but what about more complex stuff?
Was there even a way to figure it out?
Nevertheless, it appeared that there was some reason not not halfass things on purpose. However…
He glanced at the notification about his relationship with Matou Shinji. It seemed that there wasn't such a thing like an absolute win, in the end. It just wasn't possible to please everyone. Shirou didn't know what the deal with him was, beyond not liking being overshadowed.
Maybe that was the reason for his weird title? Possibly.
"Thank you for showing me around, Issei-san. I won't have any problem finding my way around school now."
"Don't mention it. I'm just doing my duty. Now I should probably go back to my other tasks. Feel free to look up for me if you have any questions in the future."
"I'll make sure to do that," he said before going their separate ways.
Now that school was over for the day, he could finally go home and take care of more important stuff.
The preparations to enter the Land of Shadows.
[br]
"You want to do what,?" Mikado asked, looking up for her clipboard.
"You heard me. I want to set up a base in the Reverse Side."
"I don't have any particular objection, but why?"
"Time and space, mostly I need to do several things, and for the sake of efficiency it would be best if I had everything in one location. Real estate is dirt cheap down there."
Mikado scoffed. Perhaps the closest thing to a laugh he ever heard from her.
"I can't disagree with that. Did you have a location in mind? I assume you don't just want to use the replica of your home."
"There's a hotel in Fuyuki. It's got most of the things I need in it. I might as well go for it."
"You mean the place where you went to have fun with your girlfriends the other night?"
"Uh. How do you know about that?" he asked, face flushing a deep red.
"I don't need Mystic Eyes to put the pieces together. You notified me the general location of your hunt before leaving with them, and when you returned in the morning they could barely walk straight."
"That… that was from the fighting."
"I am a woman as well, Shirou. I know how our bodies works and what it takes to make us walk like that. I'm not judging you or them. I just want to know if this has anything to do with that."
"No! I mean, not really. It's just that when I was there I realized it has great facilities that I can use. There's a fully equipped gym and even a pool. I can set up special training regimens and I won't have to worry about keeping it secret, or the cost of setting it up over here. Plus I'd have direct access to the hunting areas and more space than I could do anything with."
"Also, king sized beds that can easily accommodate multiple people," she added.
"That... that too, yes," he admitted.
"Hm… There is some merit to that if you really have a use for the facilities, but you'd have to ward the entire building. Also, you'd be giving up a lot of protection."
"What do you mean?"
"Magi aren't likely to attack you in broad daylight, for obvious reasons. It's always night in first layer of the Reverse Side and no potential witnesses around to avoid. Your enemies will be able to come at you at full power anytime."
"Yeah, I didn't think of that but…"
"Please don't say you don't have enemies. You didn't know about me or Velvet until we showed up. There's no telling who will come for you next. Or when."
"But not if?"
"Too many people in the Moonlit World already know about you. Sooner or later rumors of the son of the Magus Killer will reach the ears of somebody else with a bone to pick."
"True," he agreed. "Then it's all the more important we go down there. No reason to risk bystanders getting involved with any of that."
"I should have known you'd say that," she sighed. "Fine. As long as you know the pros and cons then I have no objections. I'm warning you though. Permanently warding a building that size is going to require a lot of energy and it has to be constant. You can expect your consumption of Mana Cores to go through the roof, unless you find other ways to provide energy."
"Don't worry about that. Soon I'll have more than enough."
"What are you planning exactly?"
"To catch two birds with one stone."
[br]
Later that night, three figures climbed the stairs to the Ryudo temple in the Reverse side.
"Are you sure it's wise going back there, Shirou?" asked Saeko.
"Of course it's not," he grumbled. "That's why I didn't want you to come."
"Yeah, like we'd let you come alone," said Taiga. "Do you think we've been training for shits and giggles?"
"Of course not," he said. "It's just…"
"Shirou doesn't like when people put themselves in more danger than strictly necessary," Saeko explained. "With the exception of himself, of course."
"Too bad, I don't care about that," Taiga snorted. "He going to have to put up with it. Besides, with these cool armors and weapons he made for us, we've got nothing to fear."
All three of them wore hard leather armor covered in critical places with matte black steel plate made by Shirou. They were lightweight and extremely sturdy. As for the swords, they were all variants of the Spirit Bane he had forged in the past.
"That mentality is going to get you killed," he objected. "The monsters in the next layer are completely different. You have to follow my lead and do as I say, okay?"
"Sure, whatever you say," Taiga agreed. "As long as you don't expect me to let you go in on your own, I don't mind following orders."
"You two just watch each other's back, no matter what happens. I don't die easy, you know that."
"Of course," Saeko confirmed. "Nonetheless, you are not invincible either. It's important to have backup, just in case."
Even Shirou couldn't object to that.
"Alright, here we are."
They arrived on top of the mountain, in front of the temple. Just like the first time, the mirror-like fissure was waiting for them there.
Being this the first time she saw it, Taiga circled around it suspiciously.
"Damn, I'll never get used to this sort of stuff."
She used to be a somewhat regular school teacher, Yakuza affiliation notwithstanding. Now here she was, scouring the Reverse Side, hunting for monsters with her boyfriend and his other girlfriend.
Some things took more time getting used to than others.
"Come, we better go in together. I wouldn't want us getting separated.
They took each other's hands and stepped through the fissure at the same time. After a vague feeling of falling and a kaleidoscope of colors, they stepped on the other side.
The second layer of the Reverse Side. Just like the first time, everything was overrun by vegetation. The buildings were barely recognizable under the foliage. The influence of Gaia here was almost stronger than the collective consciousness of the people of Fuyuki.
For the same reason, the monsters dwelling on this layer were much more powerful as well.
"The weapons I gave you are particularly effective against the spirits that roam this place, however the are extremely strong and aggressive. Be careful not to tackle more than one at a time," Shirou warned.
"Oh good. I got tired of fighting small fries by the hundreds. I'm in the mood for a serious one-on-one."
"Be careful. With that sword you might be able to kill them in one shot, but they can do the same to you. The armor will deflect a glancing blow but a direct strike will go through all the same."
"I know that," she whined. "I won't let my guard down."
"You better not. Come, let's get moving."
Thus, they descended the mountain once again.
Once they were gone, the fissure crackled once more as if another traveller was coming through.
A figure appeared and immediately leaped for the forest surrounding the temple, too fast for any of its features to be discernible. After it was gone, everything fell quiet again on top of the mountain.
[br]
Defeating Scathach was basically impossible. Shirou knew that much. He didn't know if there was a cap to this growth with the Gamer Eyes, but reaching the level of a Divine Spirit would take him more time that than than they had, even if he used time compression to train all day long. The law of diminishing returns was a cruel thing.
The only reasonable thing was not to fight her at all and convince her to dismiss the curse that kept Lunatique from healing.
Hence, Shirou planned to raise his Charisma as much as possible, assigning to that Stat all the points he received from leveling up. All his others he could increase through progressively harder training, but there was no known way to directly grind CHR. Some rare quests could give him a point in it every now and then, but those usually took a long time to complete. Levelling up was still the fastest way for now.
With enough Charisma, Shirou could unlock a Quest from her, if she had one to give. There was no guarantee whatsoever, of course. In fact, the chances were pretty slim. However they were still better than the odds of beating her in a fight. Not to mention that he still didn't want to think as fighting as the best to resolve problems.
Therefore, his current goal was to level up as much as he could, and at the same time collect as many Mana Core as possible. He needed them to power up the Boundary Fields around his future base of operations.
It would be nice to assume that Scathach would show herself the moment he stepped into the Land of Shadows, but there was a great chance he'd have to go looking for her. He had no idea what manner of creatures roamed that place. Therefore, he would still have to grind his other stats the hard way.
He had a definite goal though. To reach Level 100 in the next three months. That was his deadline. Anymore than that and he might not have enough time to complete whatever task Scathach might give him.
Therefore, he went hunting in the one place with monsters that would net him as many EXP as possible.
[Samurai Wraith] [Lv. 60]
Before Onigashima, these were the strongest enemies he had fought. Even now their nominal level was much higher than his own. Last time he woefully unequipped and strapped for time, and even just one was would have been too much for him to deal with without his temporary immortality.
This time, it would be different.
The moment the Wraith laid its hollow eyes upon them, he came charging at breakneck speed howling madly. It possessed no real intelligence or strategic insight. Just a loose fighting instinct and unending hatred for anything human.
It didn't matter that there were three of them and only one of him. It still came at them with no sense of self preservation
"It's fast!" Taiga gasped. Ordinary Wraiths weren't any faster than human beings, but this variant could keep up with a speeding car.
Even so, it wouldn't make a difference any longer.
"HA!
Shirou took one step forward at the last moment and cut it in half horizontally before it could swing its sword down on hi
[Gained 6000 Experience Points]
It dissolved into a fine mist with one blow, leaving behind only a Mana Core.
"That was anticlimactic," Saeko commented. "I had expected more from creatures of this place."
"These swords are particularly effective against them. I didn't name them Spirit Bane for nothing. Still, you need to be careful. As you have seen they are extremely fast and I can assure you they are just as strong. Try not to get into a deadlock. They'll overwhelm you, even with the boost from the armor."
It was impossible for Shirou to Reinforce another human being. The human innate resistance to external energies, more commonly known as Magic Resistance, would make it extremely difficult and short lived.
However, the same couldn't be said about the armors they were wearing.
With Mikado's help, he came up with a way to layer a Boundary Field to the armor that increases the power of every motion made by the user by a factor of two. They were powered by a Mana Core encased into the chestpiece, which could be swapped for a new one with ease. Technically, this made them Mystic Codes.
With this method, Shirou succeeded at doubling Saeko and Taiga's overall strength.
But there was a downside. As they didn't actually become stronger themselves, their body would suffer double the stress. For that reason it was meant to be used sparingly and in short bursts, because prolonged used would actually harm the user rather than helping them.
Theoretically it was possible to make the armor even more powerful, but by that point the damage would far outstrips the benefits.
Shirou's armor didn't have that feature. What he could achieve through direct Reinforcement already exceeded the output they could get from the armor, so they focused on making it even sturdier instead.
"I'm going West. You two should go East."
"What? What's the point of coming with you then?"
"If we go with him, we'll only hold him back," said Saeko. "You and I can take these creature one-on-one, but he can kill them in droves. Since he wants to harvest as many Mana Core as possible, he'll probably rush ahead."
"But…"
"We aren't strong enough, yet," said Saeko.
"... damn it."
"I'll get going then. Let's meet back here in a hour."
"Understood. Take care out there," said Saeko. "Come, Taiga. We should start hunting as well."
"I… alright," she huffed. "What have I been training for all this time if we can't even go with him?"
"If you had not trained as much as you have, you wouldn't even be able to come down here. Be content with the fact that we can be of some use. Even if we can only gather a few Mana Cores for him, it's better than nothing."
"I know, I know… but still."
Shrou heard their conversation fade away as went their own way. Unfortunately, no matter how many methods he employed, the gap between them would only get bigger. He was happy with knowing they could defend themselves if someone came after them because of him. They couldn't fight at his side at all. Like Saeko said, they would just hold him back.
"Right, I better get started. Trace On."
Flooding his body and equipment with Mana, he rushed into the haunted city.
The world blurred at the edge of his vision from how fast he was going. He saw the next Wraith before it saw him and he rushed right past him. With a gastly howl it cashed after him.
He paid it no mind. he kept running down the streets and soon came across another Wraith. That too chased after him. Still he didn't stop and went looking for third one, the a fourth, a fifth and so on and so forth.
After several minutes, there were dozens of Wraiths chasing after him. A veritable army of frenzied ghosts.
"That will do," he decided and turned back, heading toward the swarm that was chasing after him.
"TAAAH!"
He tore through them like they were made out of paper.
[Gained 6000 Experience Points] [Gained 6300 Experience Points] [Gained 5900 Experience Points]
[Level up!]
[Gained 6100 Experience Points] [Gained 6400 Experience Points] [Gained 6200 Experience Points] [Gained 6000 Experience Points]
[...[...[...] [Level up!]
[Gained 5900 Experience Points] [Gained 6300 Experience Points]
[...[...[...] [Level up!] [...[...[...]
[Level up!] [...[...[...]
[Level up!]
it took a while, but eventually they were all defeated.
It was incredible what difference it made having the right equipment for the job. Last time, even just one of them was a tough opponent. Now they no longer posed a challenge. Moreover, because they were still fairly high level opponents, killing them gave a lot of experience.
In little as three hours, travelling time included, Shirou had gained as much as four levels.
However, in doing so he had cleared a good chunk of the city from all Wraiths. He'd have to go somewhere else entirely if he wanted to do it again, but he'd have to regroup with the girls first.
He wondered how their hunt was going.
[br]
"HAA!" Taiga shouted as she cleanly beheaded a Wraith.
"Good job," said Saeko, who was standing a little to the side, ready to intervene should Taiga need help.
"These guys are pretty strong," she exhaled.
Unlike Shirou, who was crazy fast and could kill them faster than they could react, Taiga and Saeko had to fully engage them and use their skills to overcome the gap in power and speed.
"Indeed," Saeko agreed.
Until now, they took turns taking down the Wraiths. They would fight two or three each, and then they would swap so that they were never short on breath. So far, it happened only once that they had to fight simultaneously, because they ran into two Wraiths at the same time.
This was way more dangerous than anything they ever did. A single mistake could cost them their lives. It was no wonder Shirou didn't want them to come.
"How do you think Shirou is doing?" asked Taiga.
"Probably not even breaking a sweat," she replied. "He can be reckless but he usually know what he's doing. To my knowledge, he only struggles when something unexpected happens, and even then he's basically unkillable and full of resources."
"We… we are never going to be of any use to him, are we?"
"... probably not. Not in any way that really matters at least. We'd be hard pressed to catch up with him as he is right now and by that time he'll have reached new heights I can scarcely imagine."
"And you are fine with that?"
"Of course. If I thought I could be his match in any way, I'd have kept him all to myself. I've made my peace with that a long time ago. There's still plenty of ways I can be of use to him. Besides it's not like I didn't get anything out of it either."
"Like what? And don't tell me the sex."
"Well, I have met you, for one thing."
"..Uh? But... but we don't even like each other."
"That's not true. At least not for me. I do like your personality. You are fun to tease. That aside, I never had much in the way of friends. I share almost nothing with normal people, and I couldn't exactly talk about they way I spend most nights with anyone. Shirou changed that for me. I'm no longer on my own, among other things."
"You' had it pretty rough, uh?"
"Somewhat. The truth is that I didn't even know what I was missing for the most part. I can certainly say that my life got much better."
Taiga crossed her arms over her chest. She had never considered how Saeko's life could have been before Shirou came along. Could it be that she could be content even though she wasn't his match?
As they advanced through the city looking for another Wraith to kill, she kept wondering how much about her fellow haremette (was that even a word?) she didn't know.
"There's another one," said Taiga. "This one is still mine, right?"
"Of course, go ahead."
Sword at her side she advanced confidently. These monsters were powerful, but so was she.
The moment he noticed her presence he came running at her just like all the rest, with a terrifying howl.
Taiga's eyes widened as the next moment, from around the corner, four more Wraiths appeared, drawn by the scream of their brethren.
"Oh crap!" she gasped, but it was too late to turn tail and run. Her free hand fumbled for the Mana Core on her chest, to activate the boost from the armor, but she had to abort in order to grasp her sword with both hands and deflect the blow from the first Wraith, who was already upon her.
They exchanged blows, but she knew that with each passing second, the rest of them would be on her.
What was Saeko doing? Why wasn't she helping her. Taiga couldn't even look for her and the other four Wraiths were already upon her.
"SHUNKO!"
There was a flash of light followed by a shockwave.
The Wraith that was tangling with Taiga evaporated instantly, and so did the other four when the it reached them.
Taiga was thrown to the ground, rolling several times before she finally managed to stop herself. Her training had taught to leap back to her feet and she did so as soon as she was able to control her momentum.
At the opposite end of the street, where the Wraiths had been, stood Saeko, hair and skirt fluttering in the wind.
A wind caused by wings of lightning protruding from her back.
The vegetation and concrete on the ground had been shredded to pieces in a straight line that stopped at Saeko's feet. A testament to the sheer power of the technique she had used.
"What… what the heck was that?" hollered Taiga.
Saeko's wings sputtered, then vanished and she fell to her knees, breathing raggedly.
"Hey! Hey, are you alright?" she asked, rushing to her side.
"I'm fine. That... that took a lot out of me."
"What the hell was that thing you just did?"
"A technique I learned from that woman… Yoruichi."
"That exhibitionist? So that's where you have been disappearing to. You were getting secret training behind back, You cheater."
"Guilty as charged," she admitted with a small smile.
"Can you stand?"
"I don't think so. Give me just a minute. This technique is really draining. I can't use it more than once without damage."
"You'll have to teach me how to do that."
"Sorry, I can't," she hook her head. I" really can't. One of the things she asked in exchange for teaching me was that I wouldn't pass it down to anyone else. If you want to learn it, you must go ask her."
"Ugh," Taiga groaned.
"I know," Saeko agreed. Both of them really didn't get along with Yoruichi.
"Come on, she's not that bad," laughed Shirou from the roof of a nearby building.
"Shirou! How long have you been there?"
"Just long enough to see the fireworks," he replied jumping down the building. "That was very impressive, Saeko."
"Thank you," she nodded gracefully.
"And that is why I was against you both coming down here, Taiga. If Saeko didn't have that trump card, you would have been in great danger just now."
"Are you going to tell me to stay home from now on?"
"No," he sighed. "You are far too stubborn for that. But I can't be here to protect you all the time either."
"I just want to help," she protested. "Even if it's just collecting a few Mana Cores."
"How many did you get so far?" he asked.
"Fifteen. Twenty, if you count this last batch," said Saeko. "What about you?"
"A hundred," he replied flatly.
Taiga's shoulders dropped.
The two of them had been struggling bitterly for a handful of Mana Cores, while Shirou collected several times that amount without breaking a sweat. Weren't their just risking their lives for what amounted to pocket money?
"It's just not worth the risk, Taiga," he explained. "If you want to get stronger, I don't mind. Hell, I'm all for it. But even the strongest person in the world doesn't go to battle unless there's a good enough reason for it."
"Fine!" she grumbled. "I'm going to ask the streaker to teach me too. If I become strong enough that these things won't be a threat any longer, you'll have no objections, right?"
"I'll always be against you putting your life in danger, however small it might be, but I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. I just want you to ask yourself what you are putting your life in danger for."
Her answer would have been 'to help you', but their score so far showed that she wasn't being of much help at all for the risk she was taking.
"Look, if you really want to help me out, stick to hunting in the first layer," he said. "There's less concentration of monsters there, but they are weaker and easier to deal with at your level. At the very least, if something unexpected happens, you should be able to make a run for it. If Yoruichi agrees to train you, and you get strong enough to deal with these monsters with ease, then by all means join me here, but keep in mind that Saeko isn't quite at that level yet either."
Taiga pouted, but there was nothing she could object to anything he said.
"I hate it when you are the sensible one," she grumbled.
"I know what is like wanting to help somebody," he said, "and speaking honestly I need all the help I can get for what I'm about to do. Just not like this."
"Fine, fine. I get it," she waved off dismissively. "What now? Should we go back right away?"
"We are already here. We might as well get a bit further in. You wanted to be my backup, so back me up. Saeko, are you good to go now?"
"Yes. I should be able to stand on my own," she said, doing exactly that."
"Good, let's get moving. The night isn't getting any longer."
With that, the three of the advanced into the city, with Shirou at the lead, Saeko in the middle and Taiga bringing up the rear.
"Uh?" Taiga turned around to look behind her back.
In the middle of the road, no farther than ten meters from her, there was a creature, like some kind of big cat with a spotted fur.
"Hey," she called out.
"What's wrong?" asked Shirou immediately turning around.
"What is… where did it go?" Taiga looked around, but of the cat she just saw there was no trace. "I thought I saw something."
"Are you sure? I didn't feel anything out of place."
"There was some animal, but maybe I just imagined it."
He looked all around, but he saw no sign of anything amiss.
"Hmm... Eyes open, everyone. I don't like this. Watch out for ambushes."
"Like I said, I'm not sure I really saw it. It was just a moment."
"Even so, let's be careful.Tell me if you catch a glimpse of that thing again. Actually, you move to the front, Taiga. I'll watch the rear."
They continued the exploration, even coming across many other Wraiths. Nothing unexpected happened again, and they left a couple of hours before dawn.
Despite not catching another glimpse of the creature, Taiga felt like she had its eyes on her all the time.
She told herself was just being paranoid.
She should have trusted her instincts more, but it wouldn't have made much difference in the end.
[br]