the living [comprehensive]

The weather in the mountains is so changeable that it is beyond cognition.

Under the clear and lonely night sky, Shirou returned to the lodging place under the pale moonlight.However, the moment he stepped on the steps, heavy rain poured down behind him.

"Such a big thunderstorm, I was really surprised." Shirou quickly walked into the room, talking to himself.

"It's good to get used to it, that's what Hinamizawa is like." Keiichi who was sitting in the living room poked his head out, "You bought a lot of vegetables? Are you going to cook?"

"Well, it's too bad to eat only instant noodles." There was a thunder from outside the door, and Shirou paused, "I wanted to make curry, but if it rains, the weather will cool down. I'd better make soup."

"Excellent," the black-haired boy's eyes lit up excitedly, "You are very good at cooking."

"Of course, I'm very good at housekeeping." Shirou replied with a smile, but somewhere in his heart was tingling.

Archer is also an out-and-out housekeeping expert.

Speaking of which, where did Archer go?Although he came to perform a mission, he didn't have to do anything before this place fell into chaos.

What is the other party who has a short period of freedom doing?

Shirou started cooking vegetables, but his mind didn't settle down.When Archer disappeared in front of him in the morning, the thoughtful look on his face made him inexplicably feel the loneliness that belonged to him.

Heroic spirits who stepped into darkness to save others, cannot escape the black void even after death.Countless despair piled up in the heroic spirit's inner world, and even made the other party forget the origin of the ideal; even thinking about it, he felt that the original ideal was meaningless.

That guy is really worrying.

"If you continue to be absent-minded... are you planning to chop off your own hands before implementing your stupid plan?"

The familiar voice made Shirou's drifting thoughts return here.Straightening his back subconsciously, the young man called out softly, "Archer? You're still there."

Heroic spirits did not appear in the air, but the familiar magic power fluctuating in the air had an incomparably stronger sense of existence for Shirou.He could almost imagine how Heroic Spirit leaned against the door frame, frowning at him.He called again: "Archer?"

"Shut up. I'm here."

Not minding the unfriendly tone of Heroic Spirit, Shirou smiled slightly and continued to work on the cooking table: "Do you still want me to leave Hinamizawa? I'm really sorry. Before I make sure that the people here will not self-destruct, I will won't leave."

"Oh? How are you going to prevent the established from happening? Do you rely on your brain full of fantasy and muddleheadedness? Greed and jealousy are the normal state of human beings. Personality is hard to change, and it is impossible to save everyone."

"Archer..." Shirou's face was full of confusion, and the hand stirring the spoon stopped.

Why are you explaining this to me?Clearly, I no longer remember who I am.

Heroic Spirit seemed to feel the same way.Cold laughter came to Shirou's ears, accompanied by the other party's deep voice almost talking to himself: "I was really infected by you stupid brat, and even explained this kind of thing to you. Now you, no matter what I say Didn’t work, did it? But when you hit a wall, you realize how great that ‘save everyone’ sounded like, and how weak it really is.”

The hot soup in the pot was boiled, making a splashing sound, but no one turned it to a low heat.

Stared at by the hidden heroic spirit, Shirou pursed his lips, his teeth sinking into the soft lower lip.

I know.It is impossible for me to save everyone.

So, just try to save as many people who need redemption as possible.

More importantly, the me who appeared in front of you, the me who was forgotten and denied by you, just wanted to save you who was in despair.

I want to do something for you—for you, my ideal, even a little bit.

The two sides confronted each other in almost depressing silence, until Keiichi Maehara outside the kitchen let out a tragic scream——

"Ahhhh!!!"

That is, howling like a wild animal falling into a trap and falling into a desperate situation, shrill, angry, and desperate.

That was the howl of the black-haired boy who was always full of energy, which Shirou knew nothing about.

Turning off the stove without hesitation, Shirou rushed out of the kitchen.Behind him, Yingling's somewhat lonely sneer came lightly.

At this time, Shirou had no time to argue with Heroic Spirit.

At the entrance, near the gate, the girl's calm voice and the boy's hysterical cry came together.

"I guessed right? Keiichi's parents are not at home. Why did you lie to Reina, Keiichi-kun?"

"No, no! Go back, Reina!"

"If you tell a lie, Reina will definitely be angry. But if Keiichi explains, I might be able to forgive... So, loosen the door chain and let me go in and talk about it?"

In the dark night of heavy rain, the girl's faint voice came in faintly.

Speaking of which, why did the other party come over so late?Moreover, directly saying "parents are not at home"... Keiichi clearly pretended that the adults were at home and the lights were brightly lit.

Feeling puzzled, Shirou looked up and happened to see the girl's unblinking blue eyes and the strangely curved lips.As if the cold air of a rainy night penetrated through the crack of the door, Shirou felt a chill rushing up from the bottom of his spine.

Although from the perspective of a bystander, Keiichi's anger and vigilance are a bit overreacted, but when you think about it carefully, that strange girl who is obviously hiding something is indeed suspicious.

Next, the girl who stubbornly insisted on coming in even put her hand through the door.White fingers crawled inward along the edge of the door panel, trying to untie the door chain.

For a moment, Shirou almost thought it was a pale and cold poisonous snake, and slowly sneaked in along the gap that could invade.

"What, suspicious... Could it be that I was influenced by the people here?" Shirou tapped his forehead lightly.

On the other hand, Reina's strange behavior has bordered on Keiichi Maehara's dangerous delusion, which broke the only rational line left in the boy's mind.

"Go back!" The black-haired boy gritted his teeth, almost exhausting all his strength, trying to close the concealed door.

However, it didn't work out.

At this moment, the girl's slender and fragile fingers were like the claws of a beast, firmly buckling on the door.Even if you are squeezed into the narrow space formed by the door panel and the door frame, you will not retreat.And the girl's cry of pain penetrated in a disgusting way like tarsal maggots.

Seeing Keiichi pushing the door against the girl, Shirou frowned.

The jury is still out on the plot, but one thing is for sure: if something is not done, the girl will get hurt.With Keiichi's strength, maybe the girl would break her fingers.

Rushing forward, Shirou opened the door slightly inward.The girl subconsciously pulled out her finger that was crushed to the point of redness, and Keiichi regained the initiative in the next second and closed the door completely.

"Why are you suddenly...!"

"It's impossible to close the door without letting her pull her hand out."

Shirou's explanation stunned the excited black-haired boy.He gradually calmed down, showing a bit of a stiff wry smile: "That's true."

The sound of the rain outside the house subsided, replaced by an ominous silence.It was as if the cry of the girl leaning on the door panel came in so clearly:

"Please let me in, please...I will apologize for the prank...sorry...sorry..."

The flustered girl apologized hastily, her clear voice gradually blurred because of the crying.

Although he is an outsider, Shirou can no longer stay out of it.He cast his eyes on Guiyi: "Don't let her in? With me here, nothing will happen."

The black-haired boy had a strange expression, and he gritted his teeth in the midst of the girl's persistent apology.

"Keiichi-kun?"

"No!" The uncontrollable scream was so sharp that it could sting the eardrums, "I don't trust Reina anymore. If she is outside with a murder weapon and suddenly rushes in to kill me, what will I do!"

The room and the outside fell into a depressing dead silence for an instant.

"It's too much to say that." Shirou slightly accentuated his tone, "You are so cautious, you should have your own considerations, right? But the child has no malicious intentions, you left her in the heavy rain, really..." He didn't continue. Going down, he put his hand on the door lock.

The girl named Rina Ryugu didn't have any malicious intentions, at least, she didn't come here with the desire to kill.

This is the truth felt by Shirou who became acute during the Holy Grail War.Therefore, although he has doubts about the girl, he still intends to let the girl have a good talk with Keiichi.

However, he ignored Keiichi Maehara who was standing behind him, who was mentally unstable due to too much excitement.

The shoulder was hit hard.Accompanied by dizziness and dull pain that penetrated into the bones, Shirou was also deeply puzzled.

Why did you suddenly attack me?

The attacker's murder weapon swung down again.This time, Shirou blocked it with his arm, and then snatched the weapon—a metal bat.

Keiichi Maehara delivered a powerful blow in a panic.The wrist bone seemed to be damaged, and just turning it a little, the wrist hurt so badly.The outside of the arm also looked like it had been bitten by something, with chapped skin and bloody flesh.

However, for Shirou, the opponent has no ability to hurt him at all.The body that was used to fighting quickly reacted and knocked the irritable boy unconscious.After that, Shirou opened the door slightly.Through the gap, he saw that the girl was still standing outside the door: "Today... don't come in, right? Keiichi-kun, something is wrong with him."

"I think so. I'll come back tomorrow." The girl nodded with a slightly hurt expression.She handed over the bento box wrapped in layers of towels: "But, this one, please be sure to accept it for me. All of them are Keiichi-kun's favorite dishes."

Shirou sized up the girl outside the door: "Could it be that you came today to give lunch?"

The white gauze skirt was soaked by the rain, clinging to the girl's shivering body.Her fair hair was disheveled by the storm.

However, the outside of the bento box that was handed to him by the girl was still dry.

At this moment, the girl showed a gratified smile, and said seriously, "Yes, it's just a gift box. The rain has almost stopped, so I'm going home now, big brother."

Although it seems sincere, it feels wrong no matter how you think about it.

Closing the door with a heavy heart, Shirou intends to transfer Keiichi to the bedroom, and talk to him after he wakes up.

However, to Shirou's surprise, he now has another trouble.The Heroic Spirit that made him worry had manifested itself, and was waiting for him in the bedroom with a gloomy expression.

Chilled by the icy glance cast by the Heroic Spirit, Shirou was a little dejected.

——Clearly appearing here to help this guy reduce the despair in his heart, but he made himself so embarrassed, which is too bad.

"Did you die, brat? For someone who has nothing to do with you?"

"Huh?" Shirou raised his head in bewilderment.

Heroic Spirit's sharp eyes seemed to penetrate the boy's soul: "Even if you risk your life, it won't change anything. They will fall into pain and madness, and I will free them all. As for your meddling, it is meaningless , and, besides, this has nothing to do with you personally."

The outside of the arm was still tingling, and the shoulder was aching from the previous blow.The pain made the brain a little chaotic, but the unknown fire in Shirou's heart became more and more vigorous.

How could it be irrelevant.

How could your matter have nothing to do with me!

The words that were about to blurt out were put on hold because of the sudden dizziness.Shirou pressed his forehead hard, took two steps back, and leaned against the door frame.

Seeing Shirou lose his strength, Heroic Spirit raised his eyebrows.

"Little devil," he said again, his voice calmed down, "come here."

The author has something to say: The chilling line here is K1 Hei ends Shi Yin Hei, Shi Yin Hei ends Li Nai Hei, and then you can have a happy ending (really?)

And, the red A here is before participating in the Holy Grail War~ This process of getting along with Shirou and gradually remembering the ideal and the truth from the tacit understanding of the heart, isn't it very warm!