A New Day Begins / The Girl Returns to Shinjuku

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and a wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can't avoid. The surrounding ronin samurai all stepped aside and moved to the side of the road to let the officials pass.

Just then, a samurai, carrying an exquisite katana, walked over from the opposite side. He paid no attention to the aggressive officials and continued walking forward.

"Damn it..." the fat officer was about to start cursing.

"Stop talking, Fatty, that's no ordinary ronin." A colleague tugged at the clothes of the fat officer who had opened his mouth.

At this moment, the onlookers also got a clear look at the newcomer's attire: a sharp-looking man with fiery red hair, wearing a dark red samurai robe, and a samurai sword hanging at his waist. Although the sword was not drawn, the exquisite hilt and scabbard indicated that it was a precious sword.

The man's eyes were fixed straight ahead, and he seemed to be in a good mood. He didn't notice the tension of the Security Force and had a friendly smile on his face, like that of a neighbor, which wasn't unpleasant at all.

However, anyone with discerning eyes would notice that the man's piercing gaze seemed to be fixed on a higher and more distant world, completely different from the aspirations and ambitions of the people here, as if they were not even on the same level.

The samurai and the Security Force passed each other in silence.

Chapter 245 A New Day Begins

"Hmph! Get to work!" the fat officer said, no longer glancing in the direction the man had left.

"Alright, let's go, let's go." The other officers were no longer in the mood to linger and show off, and they all walked forward.

What awaited them was the task of collecting the corpses. If they were too slow, the samurai would be stripped naked, possibly leaving only a naked man without even a loincloth.

The red-haired man, carrying a package, arrived at the official blacksmith shop of this small town.

"Oh, you've finally arrived!" said the Grand Master blacksmith sitting inside, looking at the newcomer.

"Is everything ready?" the man asked.

"Of course! Who do you think I am! But if you want this equipment, have you finally decided to give up your noble Fujiwara surname, abandon your noble status, and stop being a samurai?" the Grand Master said with a laugh, patting the table next to him, on which sat a large package.

The man shook his head dismissively and chuckled, saying, "Well, that was just a joke. Although it's said that the Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana clans are the noblest of nobles. The Minamoto clan was bestowed a surname by a prince, the Taira clan was of the imperial family, and the Fujiwara and Tachibana clans were bestowed surnames by ministers, making them the first choice for imperial relatives."

Those that were destined to decline have long since declined. By today, their lineages have vanished. All the daimyo go to great lengths to falsify their family trees, vying to claim descent from the Minamoto clan, but how many are truly authentic?

"By the way, are you going back to your master's side? He'd be happy to accept you as a formal disciple and let you inherit his mantle. I'll have to address you by name then, and I'll have to add 'Zhengzong' after your name!" The blacksmith's Grand Master said with a smile, not without envy.

The man replied, "Ah, I had a dream that made everything clear, and I feel much more refreshed. I'll be returning to Ise Province, but I don't intend to follow Master Masamune's ideas. Masamune's philosophy is different from the sword I want to forge."

"Hmph! What an extravagant choice. Forget it, I have no right to lecture you, and I can't stop you anyway. Besides, with your temper, you definitely won't listen." The Grand Master said irritably, but still gave his junior apprentice a piece of advice:

"But if you do this, many people will definitely call you a heretic. If you're not employed by a powerful figure, you'll only ever be a small-time blacksmith. It's not as good as you're doing now. Even so, is it alright?"

"It doesn't matter, I've just decided on the path I want to take." The man took off his samurai robe and put on a fire-resistant cloak he took out of his pack.

"Really? Have you thought of a name yet? Dao Ming?" the Grand Master asked.

"Ah, I'll make it 'Muramasa' then. You can sell these samurai outfits for me." The man, dressed as a swordsmith, said casually.

"Hmph, then you stay here tonight too. If you sneak out again in the middle of the night, just say you ran away on your own. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to the master," the Grand Master said, arms crossed and head turned away.

"I understand, thank you, senior brother! Before that, let me forge another pack of weapons and Hidden Weapon weapons for you." Muramasa readily agreed.

"Uh..." The Grand Master, who was about to speak, choked up. He hadn't expected the other party to speak first, and to state the exact amount that was at his lowest acceptable level.

After a moment of stunned silence, the Grand Master laughed and agreed, "Let's do it this way. But how did you know? I wanted you to do this? Haha, I was originally thinking of having you make a lot more, but one pack is fine too."

Meanwhile, on the other side, inside the city lord's mansion of a small town.

The portly city lord lectured sternly, "Listen up, Yukihime! Although our family has fallen on hard times, since your father passed away and handed the business over to me, all we have left is a small city."

But our ancestors were direct descendants of the Minamoto clan, of noble birth. Stop thinking about swordsmanship! Focus on learning etiquette. With your beauty, powerful samurai will surely vie to marry you, and even marrying a daimyo isn't impossible! Our whole family is counting on you."

A twelve or thirteen-year-old girl with long black hair said discontentedly, "Even being Himegishi is better than marrying a boring nobleman and spending all day being a wife and mother! They're both from the Minamoto clan, but look at Tomoe Gozen of Kiso Yoshinaka and Shizuka Gozen of Minamoto no Yoshitsune! As samurai, if your territory is taken away, you should work hard and take it back with your strength!"

"Shut up! You want to disobey me? Just listen to your uncle!" The fat city lord slammed the door and left.

The girl stuck her tongue out at the departing fat city lord and said, "Hey! Sorry, Uncle! I never intended to be a tool for your arranged marriage. My master in my dream taught me a lot, and now I'm confident enough to go out and make my own way in the world!"

At night, the girl knocked out several maids with Hand Blade, pulled out a bundle from a hiding place, took out clothes from it, changed into a young samurai outfit, and tied her long hair into a ronin samurai ponytail.

He stealthily stole the ancestral samurai sword, then scaled the castle wall and ran quickly outside.

A red-haired man dressed as a swordsmith, wearing a cloak and red gauntlets, is about to unexpectedly meet a young samurai disguised as a woman at the city gate...

In the Far East, the place where the sun rises earliest, the sun gradually emerges from the sea, its golden rays illuminating the rippling waves and bringing a new day to the silent night.

"Shirou, you're just like a little kid when you're asleep." Artoria sat on the sofa, gently letting the boy's head rest on her lap, careful not to let it...

"What a brat! Shirou! And you cold-blooded woman, stand up!" Jeanne d'Arc frowned at the boy, crossed her arms, and said, not forgetting to glare at Artoria at the end.

"Hmph, I wonder who's more like a child," Artoria said with a cold laugh, looking at Jeanne d'Arc.

"Ugh..." When the silver-haired girl woke up in the morning, she found that the corner of the pillow she was hugging was wet with drool. However, she didn't find Shirou. She felt a little relieved, but also a little disappointed. It was a feeling that was hard to describe.

"No, no, my brother is an idiot. Although he's never said it out loud, his dream is definitely to be a champion of justice or something. Absolutely! Even in his dreams, he's probably fighting for someone."

Komachi guarantees that this man, who refuses to sleep in a bed, prefers to sleep on the sofa, and never grows up, must have fantasized about wearing a red combat suit and then piloting a giant robot to fight monsters alongside four guys in different colored bodysuits. Maybe he'd even put on a belt and jump into the air to perform a flying kick.

Wearing an apron, Komachi placed a plate of toast with fried eggs and ham on the table, wagged her finger as she walked over, and said, looking at her brother's sleeping face, she pouted and added, "Well, even though my brother is wearing red, he's actually quite handsome."

"I feel like Shirou can be useful even like this..." Mashiro then took out her tablet and took a picture of the boy's sleeping face.

246. The pillow was taken out to air.

"Ah, his brow is twitching, Shirou, wake up!"

"Cold-blooded woman, it's all your fault for touching Shirou! Get out here right now!" Jeanne d'Arc snapped at Artoria, who was sitting on the sofa with the boy resting his head on her lap.

"Hmph, Shirou clearly looked quite comfortable. It was your loud chatter that disturbed him, Assault Girl." Artoria sneered, unmoved.

"No, no, sisters, it's time to wake up our brother. He actually ran away to the living room. You're such a good-for-nothing brother," Komachi complained softly.

Hearing the voices of girls, Shirou groggily opened his eyes and saw four pretty faces above him. The girls were leaning against the sofa, gazing at him from different angles.

"Huh... didn't I just go and do some minor work to save the village? Why?" Shirou blinked, confused. Why was everyone here?

"Good morning, Shirou," Artoria said, looking down at the boy.

"Huh? Why?" Shirou felt his head resting on something soft. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the pretty face of a girl who was incredibly close to him.

Mashiro took a picture using her tablet, intending to use it as material for her future manga.

"Good morning, Shirou, just get up!!" Jeanne d'Arc grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him up from the sofa.

"Whoa!" Shirou was pulled up abruptly. Only then did he see his surroundings clearly and realize that he had returned to his original world. He had been having a very long dream, and his mind was still reeling.

"Good morning, brother. Breakfast is ready, and Mom and Dad will be awake soon!" Komachi, wearing a pink apron, reminded him, hands on her hips.

"Ah... ah, sorry, Komachi. And... everyone, good morning." Shirou suddenly felt his icy body warm up from his heart to his entire being.

"Good morning, kids. What? Has something good happened?" The couple came out and asked curiously.

"No, no! There's nothing there!" Shirou exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa.

"Hmm... never mind, good morning everyone." Mom glanced at her son. Judging from his reaction, something must have happened last night, but since he didn't want to talk about it, she decided not to press him further.

"Everyone, let's get ready for breakfast," Shirou said, quickly slipping to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face.

After that, everyone sat around the table and ate breakfast.

This time, Komachi, who had received Shirou's true teachings, prepared a carefully crafted breakfast: fried eggs and French bread rolls. In addition to strawberry and mayonnaise, which are popular in Japan, the dipping sauce also included French cheese that Shirou had previously purchased.

For drinks, a pot of English milk tea was brewed to take care of Artoria and Mashiro from Britain.

Comparatively speaking, the dishes at the Higashiya family's restaurant have become more abundant and diverse, as the increased food budget has allowed for a wider selection of dishes.

It feels nice to have breakfast together with a group of people.

"By the way, Jenny, have you adjusted to the time difference yet?"

"Jet difference? Ah! That's nothing! I got a good night's sleep, and I feel great now." Jeanne d'Arc realized what was happening and readily agreed.

"Really? Really? That's good. You young people are so energetic, all of you up so early this morning," Hachiman's mother replied reassuringly.

"Yes, I'm sleeping well. I even took my pillow out to air it now," Artoria said casually as she ate her rice.

"Pillow?" Shirou recalled the Stand that allowed him to escape and looked at the two girls with a puzzled expression.

"There's nothing there! Idiot! Don't look at me!" The silver-haired girl blushed, raised her eyebrows, glared at the boy, and said awkwardly.

"Speaking of which, where are you planning to go today? How about we go sightseeing in Tokyo, maybe see the Skytree or something?" Hachiman's mother suggested.

"Yes, Shirou said he would take me shopping today," Jeanne d'Arc honestly replied.

"Mashiro and I will go too!" Artoria said decisively.

"I'll go out to gather materials with you," Mashiro said, looking at the boy expectantly.

"Komachi's going too! Big brother'll treat us, right? You've already received your prize money from the exchange program, right? Onii-chan!" Komachi leaned closer, blinking her eyes as she asked.

"I know, I know~!" Shirou replied helplessly.

"Awesome! Komachi wants to buy clothes and bags; I'm going to redeem all the Komachi points I've saved up today!" Komachi

"Shirou, please take good care of them," his mother instructed.

Firstly, it's a sightseeing tour. For the young girl, coming here is like a journey into the future, full of novelty and excitement, so she seems to be enjoying herself immensely.

Komachi acted as their guide, enthusiastically explaining the local customs and culture to the girls along the way. Artoria didn't miss any of the snack shops, Mashiro silently observed the interactions between the boy and the girl.

The group reached the top of the Skytree tower. The silver-haired girl used binoculars to look down at the earth and exclaimed, "Wow, is this Tokyo? There are so many people down here, they're like ants! It looks... perfect for a fire."

The silver-haired girl's face darkened as she spoke, and she said fiercely.

Shirou, sweating profusely, said, "Calm down, calm down. This isn't Paris, you know. It's a world-class metropolis."

Jeanne d'Arc d'Arc pouted awkwardly and scolded, "Shirou! Stop nagging! Of course I know! Hurry up and take me shopping for clothes! You said you'd help me choose clothes, right? If you pick out clothes I don't like, I'll burn you! And if I try them on and you say they don't look good, I'll burn you too!"

"Huh? When did you decide that I'd be the one to choose?" Shirou asked, somewhat conflicted.

So the group took the subway for more than 30 minutes and arrived in Shinjuku.

When Artoria and Jeanne d'Arc emerged from the platform, they were both taken aback.

"Is this really Shinjuku? It's changed so much! Ah, I've been here before!" Jeanne d'Arc exclaimed, looking around.

"Assault Girl, don't let her escape, or we'll get separated," Artoria warned.

"Uh, there are just too many people here!" Jeanne d'Arc was about to retort when she was bumped into by a constant stream of pedestrians and complained.

After all, this isn't some apocalyptic demon realm. It's bustling with traffic, there are no demon puppets blocking the streets, and you won't be chased by Demon Wolf king on the highway. Everywhere is lively and you can see foreigners everywhere.

"If we keep going like this, we might get separated." Komachi rested her chin on her hand, rolled her big eyes, and then raised her hand to suggest, "Komachi thinks it would be better if we all held hands and walked together, since there are so many people here. Let's go, Mashiro ~!"

The girl winked at her brother, then grabbed Mashiro's arm and pulled her forward, leaving the three of them behind.

Chapter 247 The Girl Returns to Shinjuku

The entire Shinjuku was bustling with people. In the inner shopping street area, stylish and beautiful young women were promoting useful cosmetics to tourists and demonstrating how to use essential tools for Japanese makeup techniques. Saleswomen wearing blue kimono jackets were loudly hawking their wares through megaphones.

At this moment, Komachi, who serves as a role model, has already pulled Mashiro further and further away. If she dawdles, they might really get separated this time, so she has to catch up with them and reunite.

Jeanne d'Arc hesitated upon hearing Komachi's words, then looked up at Shirou and then at Artoria.

"Then let's follow them, Jeanne d'Arc. Why don't you grab my clothes or my sleeve?" Shirou noticed the girl's gaze, smiled, and reached out his hand.

"No! Holding hands isn't a big deal... I guess." Jeanne d'Arc blushed slightly, reached out and grasped the boy's hand, then jerked it away as if she'd been electrocuted.

With a 'smack,' he slapped the boy's hand away and shouted, "Who wants to hold hands with you here Shirou! I won't get lost! I won't get separated from you, Cold-blooded King! Let's go! Shirou! You hurry up and catch up!"

The silver-haired girl grabbed Artoria's clothes and pulled along the blonde girl who was carrying a bag and munching on various snacks, chasing after Komachi!

Shirou chuckled dismissively and followed.

The group first toured the surrounding area. Although it was a return visit, it was more than ten years since the Shinjuku of the girls' memories, and it was in another world. As expected, it had changed a lot and was quite different.

Everything seemed familiar, yet there were many things I couldn't quite understand.

Artoria led the group to try and find the base beneath the burger shop, but the buildings there had already been demolished.

"Ah, so many places here are just as familiar as they used to be," Jeanne d'Arc of Arc remarked, looking around.

"It's an old district after all, but the building that used to house the burger shop was so old that it was demolished and rebuilt," Shirou said with a dry laugh.

"..." Artoria remained silent, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Artoria, didn't you just eat a lot of snacks?" Shirou asked.

"Shirou! Hamburgers and fried chicken are served in a separate stomach! They actually demolished the hamburger shop; the managers here are truly lacking in education." Artoria clenched her fists, speaking with great sorrow.

"What kind of stomach is that?! Just how much do you like junk food?!" Jeanne d'Arc pointed at Artoria and complained.