Shirou's Dilemma / The Girl Secretly Buying Doujinshi ...

Shirou is like a firefighter rushing into a burning building to save people, or a police officer fighting armed thugs and drug dealers. The world needs people like him, but their families must be prepared for the consequences. Someone like him probably can't provide a stable life for a young girl.

"Why does Shirou-kun belittle himself? Doesn't that make it seem like I have bad taste? If you keep doing that, I'll get angry." Utaha Kasumigaoka leaned closer, looking Shirou in the eye, and said with displeasure.

"No, but I mean it sincerely," Shirou said calmly, looking at the girl.

"Look, you did your best to save me last night, didn't you? You rescued me from that terrible place, you're like Prince Charming," Utaha Kasumigaoka said, giving another example.

"I will save anyone, no matter who it is," Shirou said honestly.

Utaha Kasumigaoka narrowed her eyes in displeasure, rolled her Shirou, and said, "I hope you understand why you went to such lengths to save me, knowing it was me."

To others, he might be a kind old man who never says no and is easy to get along with. But he yearns for a cruel world where heroes fight against evil. Because of the Issei routine, insignificant humans seem so powerless. In the eyes of ordinary people, he might be a good-natured person, but at the same time, he is an outcast and an oddball.

It's like when you're in elementary school, a time when everyone is divided and hostile to each other. But you ignore the unspoken rules and kids who are very close to the opposite sex, even if they have no other problems, will still be ostracized by the group.

If a boy and a girl are together and there's even a hint of flirtation, even if the boy is tall, rich, and handsome, he'll be ridiculed by the other boys.

If a girl is cute, academically successful, and gentle, and is popular with boys but doesn't keep her distance, she may be ostracized and slandered by other girls, or even bullied.

This has nothing to do with character, appearance, ability, or family power, nor is there any reason for it. It stems more from the psychological changes in human nature. This is the unspoken rule among elementary school students. If you don't realize this, you will often be regarded as an outcast.

Those who defy unspoken rules will face ostracism wherever they go, just as the person riding a white horse isn't necessarily a prince, but could also be Tang Monk in Journey to the West). Similarly, a rich and good-looking child might not be seen as a generous and righteous rich and handsome man, but could be seen as an easy target.

Chapter 765 Shirou's Conflict

Utaha Kasumigaoka appears to be a beautiful and academically excellent person at school. However, she is actually a reclusive otaku who is very interested in otaku culture and light novels.

She met Shirou through Eriri, a girl at school who was in a similar situation and shared similar interests. Utaha Kasumigaoka maintained aloofness at school, rejecting others' advances and being regarded as an ice queen. Gradually, no one approached her. She kept a certain distance from her classmates and handled relationships properly, so there were no problems.

Eriri, on the other hand, disguises herself as a gentle and kind young lady from a wealthy family, and is loved by her classmates.

When it's just the two of them, they tend to be somewhat competitive. That's why she's developed a certain interest in Shirou's always with Eriri.

To be honest, at first she just thought he was a weirdo, an overly kind person who didn't care about what others thought of him. He would agree to almost anything anyone asked of him, as long as it wasn't too outrageous.

However, if you were to say he was the kind of honest person who was easy to get along with, he was too strong-willed. There was no sign of any resentment or irritability; he simply calmly and properly resolved the tasks entrusted to him.

Through their interactions, the girl discovered that Shirou's abilities were almost excessively omnipotent, much like the Yorozuya (Odd Jobs Shop), where there was practically nothing he couldn't solve.

When she encountered problems, Shirou was always there to support her and sincerely told her that she was excellent, a talented person, and would eventually gain the recognition of the readers.

It was Shirou's encouragement that helped her overcome her creative slump. She persevered even when her work was not recognized, and it eventually got reprinted and became a bestseller. When asked about these achievements, Shirou just smiled and told her that they were all the result of her hard work.

However, the girl knew that it was because of Shirou's companionship that she was able to persevere.

After all, writing is a peculiar thing. It is clearly a very personal thing, a product that comes from the heart, but if it is something that can only get feedback from external readers, the quality of the work needs to be determined by judges or sales. The moment it is published, it no longer belongs solely to the author, but is a combination of the author's words and the reader's feelings.

If you write solely for the sake of bestsellers, you might lose motivation. But if you write entirely according to your own whims, you might ruin the piece. However, many excellent works require this kind of spontaneity, which even the authors themselves cannot control.

The most famous example is Tolstoy's Anna, a work featuring an adulterous mistress. Initially, Tolstoy intended to portray her as a promiscuous Pan Jinlian, a tragic character to be criticized. However, as he wrote, he fell in love with the character. Despite her adulterous and immoral acts, he couldn't bring himself to hate her, and in the end, when she died for love, he felt deep regret for her.

In writing, you can never know the outcome until the work is finished. So when Utaha Kasumigaoka was in a slump, she was really confused. This is a career that requires both skill and talent, which made her doubt whether she had any talent and whether her work was worthless.

At that time, Shirou gently told her and discussed the characters with her.

"I really like your work, senior." The red-haired youth said to her with a genuine smile.

Perhaps it was around that time that she fell in love with Shirou.

The white deity relinquished its Creator God -like power and, with its dwindling energy, continued its experiment, sending its spiritual avatars to various worlds—favorable or unfortunate—to experience them all.

In different worlds, with different ages and statuses, we meet different people, make different friends, inherit past experiences, and break free from past constraints, searching for answers in this world with a brand new life.

Cicadas sing incessantly because they only live for one season. Humans, living for a hundred years, are considered exceptionally long-lived; tortoises live for a thousand years, turtles for ten thousand; there are jellyfish in the deep sea that are theoretically immortal. Earth has existed for over four billion years since its birth, and there are countless celestial bodies in the universe hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times larger than Earth.

To deities who transcend time, time is merely a word, like space, a name for things.

Anything that is not absolutely impossible is possible; all that is needed is the preparation process.

"So, Shirou-kun, what have you decided? Can you tell me?" the girl asked Shirou. At this moment, Utaha Kasumigaoka was leaning against Shirou, but her face was turned to the other side. Yes, she was not ready to accept everything.

The conversation that follows will determine her future. Perhaps it's an illusion, or perhaps she's just temporarily blinded by love, but at this moment, that's truly how she feels.

Her heart was pounding, each breath was difficult, and every second seemed to drag on. Her eyes drifted into the distance, unable to meet the boy's gaze. But her ears were perked up, listening intently to the boy's every sound. At that moment, everything else seemed to be ignored, and she could hear nothing else.

"Hmm..." Shirou pondered for a moment, then slowly revealed his true thoughts. To hesitate and speak unclearly now would be disrespectful to the girl's feelings.

Although it's within the world of a story, it was indeed an action taken with a clear mind; the deed is done. There's a truth in this world: a person can only be responsible for themselves; no one can help you or do everything for you.

Shirou is the same; he can only be responsible for his own actions, not even the white god. He is a separate individual; he is Shirou Emiya, Hikigaya Shirou, and Shirou was adopted by other people in other worlds.

But at the same time, she is only herself, a separate individual distinct from the Shirou other parallel worlds. Just like Komachi, she wants to protect Shirou as her older brother, but not just the 'him' lying here alone, but all the Shirou in parallel worlds.

"I've thought it through. I'll take responsibility for my senior, and I'll meet with her family later," Shirou said.

He didn't want to see the girl heartbroken. Since what had happened, he, as a man, couldn't just turn his back on her. If the girl was willing, he would take responsibility.

"No! That's not what I want!" Utaha Kasumigaoka Shirou blazed with anger, pounced on him, pushed Shirou down onto the sofa, straddled him with her legs on the sofa, and pinned him down.

"I don't want you to feel responsible. I'm just asking you, don't you have any feelings at all? Haven't I ever moved you at all?" Utaha Kasumigaoka looked directly at Shirou, tears welling up in her eyes. She was no longer the proud and radiant flower of the mountain, but more like a trembling little wildflower growing among the weeds in the garden.

She can radiate dazzling brilliance for the person she likes, leaving people amazed and in awe. But if she doesn't receive appreciation from the person she likes, then it's meaningless, and she will quickly wither away.

"If you don't like me, then leave me alone! My liking you is my own business, I don't need your pity! And don't bother me!" Utaha Kasumigaoka glared at Shirou, hot tears welling up in her eyes and falling onto Shirou's face.

She was actually quite nervous as she asked Shirou to come over. Having come out of the world of the story, she hadn't slept all night. She had managed to cover her dark circles with makeup, but it couldn't hide her haggard and tired heart.

Shirou, lying on the sofa, looked at the girl who was about to cry and knew that his words had hurt her. He reached out and gently wiped away her tears.

He doesn't dislike strong-willed women; in fact, he prefers them. He's never cared whether a woman is innocent or naive, and even if she has a bad temper, it doesn't matter. If she does something wrong, he'll help her apologize and resolve the issue. If she does something bad, he'll correct her and scold her to wake her up. In any case, he would never abandon the person he loves.

He wasn't a traditional Hero of Justice; he simply aspired to be one. Because of this aspiration, he always missed the mark, a case of "a small mistake leading to a huge error." Even Kiritsugu, whom he admired, wasn't the person he imagined.

In the end, the number of people he killed was actually more than the number of people he saved. Even if he gained divine power, those he saved would still be destroyed because of him.

Ultimately, he failed to gain people's approval. Only through the contract of the Counter Force did he become a guardian, finally possessing enough power to realize his ambitions. However, the result was not what he wanted; instead, it led to an endless hell. He wanted to save people, but he became numb from killing, even wishing he could kill his past self.

He is a twisted person who yearns for heroes. When he tries to save others, he hurts himself, and in doing so, he leaves himself battered and bruised, yet he makes the people who are important to him shed tears.

"Senior, if you fall for me, you might regret it," Shirou said earnestly, looking at Utaha Kasumigaoka.

"Now that things have come to this, I'm prepared. I won't be satisfied until I get you!" Utaha Kasumigaoka said, glaring at Shirou.

"Even someone like me, if you're willing to go out with me, then please go out with me," Shirou said with a light smile, looking at the girl.

Chapter 766 The Girl Who Secretly Bought a Book

Shirou, despite his own abilities, lacked the confidence to make the girl happy. Ultimately, he was like a rootless duckweed, suddenly arriving in this world with no fixed abode. However, if the girl was willing to believe in him, he would try his best to make themselves and her happy together.

From the moment he chose the girl and agreed to her request, Shirou was no longer an incarnation of the white god, but an independent individual. He had to put aside his mission of seeking happiness for everyone and prioritize the people around him. If he couldn't do that, then he wouldn't be qualified to love or be loved.

The world is complex, society is restless, and human relationships are fickle. To be able to love and be loved is a rare and precious thing. It's not about playing around or choosing to ignore things because you don't want to get hurt. It's about exchanging sincerity for sincerity, because only in this way can things last.

Shirou looked at the girl and whispered, "Utaha... I like you."

"Let's get this straight, aren't you going to take responsibility for me now?" Utaha Kasumigaoka said to the girl, tears welling in her eyes.

"Of course not. Although we had that relationship at the beginning, I would never have done that kind of thing with you if I didn't have any feelings for you at all. It's just that everything happened too fast, and I didn't think it through. I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind now, so I won't back down anymore." Shirou looked at the girl earnestly and assured her.

"Shiyu, I'm so happy that you're willing to accept me."

Is it true?

Really?

"Then give me proof... um."

Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was sitting on Shirou's lap, was pulled down and her red lips were sealed. The girl closed her eyes, making a plea to the person she loved.

The girl leaned her entire weight on Shirou, removed her off-shoulder dress, and entrusted her body to the warm presence of the person she loved. The two embraced on the sofa, becoming one passionately.

Back at the anime convention venue, the girls who bumped into each other while holding notebooks both looked at each other. That level of disguise couldn't fool someone they knew; they recognized each other instantly.

"Hmph! So you secretly went and bought it after all." The Kuro Neko squatted down, picked up its notebook, then stood up, crossed its arms, and looked down at Kirino with a mocking smile.

"No way! If we're talking about it, aren't you the one Gil too? You weren't shy at all when you were being a chuunibyou, and now you're trying to act cute like this, it's disgusting." Kirino looked at the Kuro Neko with disgust.

"Oh dear, I never said I wouldn't buy it. It's just that some people are being hypocritical and manipulative. As for what happened last night, I was just investigating out of curiosity!" Kuro Neko said sarcastically to Kirino.

"Wait, Kirino- chan." Ayase was standing to the side, didn't know how to mediate the fight.

Kirino and Kuro Neko's argument grew louder and louder until they started fighting. Although it didn't actually solve anything, it was just their usual way of interacting.

"I... I... I just wanted to learn how to draw inside." Eriri silently backed away. What's wrong with middle schoolers these days? Why are they all so strong? She's no match for them at all!

"Come on, Eriri, don't panic so much." Hime no Toki from behind patted the blonde girl's shoulder.

"Why are you so calm, Minister of Justice?" Eriri asked, looking at the girl who was just as weak as herself.

Hime no Toki covered her mouth and chuckled, whispering, "Hehehe, don't you think that seeing two beautiful girls engaged in such an ugly struggle makes you, as a woman, constantly increase in value? You don't have to do anything, yet you appear more gentle and virtuous than others. It's such a worthwhile thing!"

"No way! Minister of Justice, you're too cunning, you're just a nobody." Eriri retorted.

Because the venue was packed so tightly, it was impossible for people to pretend they couldn't hear anything. The girls' argument was like a thunderclap in a bustling market, drawing everyone's attention. They saw a battle between two cute girls, and they shuddered as if a refreshing breeze had come over them, watching with great interest and eager to cheer them on.

"You dark, gloomy creature!"

"Aren't you still just a pretentious, infatuated woman!"

Kirino ripped the silk scarf off the Kuro Neko's head, and the Kuro Neko slapped Kirino's sunglasses askew with one hand.

Because this place wasn't far from where the notebooks were sold, many people who had just bought notebooks came out and saw this scene: the two people whose disguises had been torn off, and immediately... especially their arguing manner, which was exactly like in the comics.

"Wow! She looks exactly like the heroine in the doujinshi! The ugly fighting for a man (me) is just perfect cosplay!" One otaku immediately identified with her without thinking.

"Huh? Someone's already cosplaying this newly released doujinshi?"

"Baka, this must be part of a pre-arranged program, right?"

"Taking photos is allowed, right? It should be allowed, right?" A guy carrying a video camera asked excitedly, his nostrils flaring.

"Yay ya ya..." At this moment, Kousaka Kyousuke, who was standing to the side, covered his face.

It's unbelievable that there exists a type of older brother who thinks his younger sister is cute. Honestly Kousaka Kyousuke really wishes someone would step forward and explain, scientifically and formulaically, how a younger sister could be considered cute.

In reality, that was just a guy without a sister indulging in wishful thinking.

However, since he was the older brother, he couldn't leave her unattended after being asked to do so. His parents had taught him from a young age to take care of his younger sister as an older brother, and it was probably this idea that drove him to take action.

He grabbed the doujinshi he had queued up to buy, held it above his head, and shouted, "I love this work the most! Thank you so much for buying me the whole series!"

Due to some uncontrollable factor, or some kind of fate, his stall was actually selling doujinshi aimed at women, and the protagonist in the doujinshi happened to be very similar to him, with the exact same hairstyle and temperament. And the protagonist was a burly man like King Billy.

"That idiot brother..." Kirino quickly picked up the notebook she had secretly bought from the ground and sandwiched it between the two Meruru.

"Kyousuke... how audacious!" Saori covered her mouth, looking at Kyousuke as if he were a hero.

"Wait a minute? Didn't the cult leader publicly say he likes lolis?" some otaku who had been idolizing Kyousuke yesterday said in surprise.

People around him were all staring at him, and a few muscular, tanned young men even winked at Kyousuke.

"Let's go! Don't let Kyousuke's sacrifice be in vain!"

"Yes! Now's the time!"

"Kyousuke, we will never forget your sacrifice."

The girls seized the opportunity to escape. The long crowd provided cover for them, and Kousaka Kyousuke attracted attention, so they ran outside while people were distracted.

"Huh? Wait a minute..."

The frail and weak Kousaka Kyousuke was abandoned by the girls in the venue, where he was the center of attention. At that moment, several muscular foreigners, grinning with their eight teeth showing, approached him.

Chapter 767 Evidence of Shirou's Scumbag Behavior

Clutching their notebooks tightly, the girls ran out of the venue like thieves caught in the act. They ran for several minutes before stopping, finally reaching the pavilion where they had agreed to meet. Seeing that no one else was around, they then stopped.

Everyone was panting heavily from running. Kirino, who had trained in running, was alright, but the more introverted ones were already drenched in sweat.

Once the girls had recovered from their catching their breath, the pavilion was completely silent. The girls, clutching their notebooks, looked at each other, the atmosphere rather awkward.

I said I wouldn't buy it! Now everyone has a copy. What's going on?

"Let me make this clear! I just thought the paintings here were amazing, so I bought them to study!" Eriri said, blushing and excitedly swinging her twin tails.

That's right! She didn't care at all about what happened after the protagonist slept in the same room as his childhood friend, the blonde girl with twin tails. Even the sweet confession at the end didn't make her happy at all.

"I'm also looking for the answer I lost last night," Kirino said hastily, her notebook just flipping to a picture of a long-haired orange Knight Princess and a boy holding a sword together.

"I'm here to unravel the mystery of this bizarre phenomenon!" The Kuro Neko excitedly swung the "if" book in its hand, which happened to be flipped to the page where the gothic lolita was being held in the arms of a red-haired nobleman, looking at the book together.

The girls' attitudes were surprisingly unanimous. It's supposed to be a horror/mystery story, but you're all focusing on the wrong thing!

"Oh dear... we really get along well."

"Well... we really have a good relationship."

Saori, disguised as a young lady, and Kouko-san smiled and touched their faces, holding the entire series of books in their hands, including one that was a slightly different color.