Just How Many Shiros Are There? / A Good Man Is in High Demand ...

That's why Shirou let the girl curse. He knew that none of this was what the girl truly felt; she had simply been inexplicably dragged into a strange world and imprisoned here by the eccentric castle lord. She must be terrified, and if she didn't find an outlet for her frustration, she would break down.

With a click, the shackles on his feet were unlocked one by one.

Shirou looked at the girl and said, "Alright, try standing up and moving around a bit, Kirino?"

At this moment, the orange-haired girl seemed to have exhausted herself from scolding, so she lowered her head and remained motionless.

After a while, the orange-haired girl whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, don't worry, we'll be fine," Shirou said with a gentle laugh, helping the girl to her feet and stretching her limbs.

Kirino silently moved her hands and feet, then looked up at the boy who was willing to help her even though she was being unreasonable. When that gentle and kind smile came into her eyes, the girl suddenly burst into tears, as if a tap had been turned on.

Even when she attacked the servants alone and was defeated and beaten until she was in pain, she didn't have the slightest thought of crying, just like an iron lady.

It seems that the care shown by others has created a crack in the wall that had been tightly closed to protect her heart. The lonely girl, in order to prevent her mental breakdown, uses an aggressive and hysterical attitude to cover up her fragile heart.

In this world, people admire the strong and want to know how steel is made, but who can truly be as ruthless as steel? Who doesn't hope to have someone by their side who can help them, care for them, and give them the warmth of being protected?

"I'm so sorry, so sorry! If it weren't for me, this wouldn't have happened..."

Yes, Kirino felt very guilty. If it weren't for her, Shirou wouldn't have ended up here. The usually cautious boy would have surely found a safer way to protect himself. But now, because of her, he's ended up like this.

"It's okay, at least we're together, right? No matter what, I'll always be with you," Shirou said softly, comforting the girl.

"Shirou..." The orange-haired girl hugged Shirou tightly, burying her head in the boy's chest, tears streaming down her face.

Purple medicinal smoke permeated the entire space. Although it was very faint, it subtly affected the two people's bodies with every breath.

The girl's breathing and Shirou's breathing unconsciously reached the same frequency. When she exhaled, the boy exhaled as well, and when she inhaled, the boy inhaled as well. It wasn't intentional, but natural, as if they had merged into one. The two of them, pressed close together, seemed to have their heartbeats become one.

When a person faces a survival crisis, no one knows what desperate measures they might take. Or, in situations outside of human society, where conventional laws are ineffective—such as war—murder might be done for world justice, to maintain world peace, or for cheap oil.

Such wars are brutal; once started, they cannot be stopped, and bestiality will prevail over reason. Neither side is absolutely right; history is simply written by the victors, so the victors represent justice. However, the issues of comfort women and the US military presence in Okinawa are dark histories that cannot be concealed.

World War I and World War II were both meat grinders. Those who fought there were a bunch of desperate men, living under the constant threat of death. One second they might be eating at the dinner table, and the next second an enemy shell would come crashing down, and with a bang, they would be gone.

People in that kind of environment would have their minds broken long ago. Even your comrades might suddenly go insane, seeing everyone around them as enemies, and then they'd shoot you in the back, and you'd be gone.

In this situation, people's brains are too busy to think about ethical and moral issues; if those things were truly useful, they wouldn't be on the battlefield.

In this situation, people are accumulating unbearable pressure that they must release, otherwise problems will arise. In modern times, whether it is the army, navy, air force, aircraft carriers, or submarines, the long-term closed working environment requires the presence of a dedicated psychologist or instructor.

In that era before psychology had developed, people in extreme circumstances, without the guidance of psychologists, could only find ways to vent their emotions on their own.

Yes, for example, frantically satisfying one's desires, such as oral cravings, grabbing whatever is edible nearby and stuffing oneself until the stomach is full. What one is eating is not food at all, but rather filling some kind of emptiness.

It's also said that one of the basic human traits is aggression, or destructiveness, which leads to violence against other things, placing oneself on the side of absolute power to soothe inner anxiety.

Or it could be like a person's sexual desires and impulses.

In the quiet, deserted room, with nothing else to do to pass the time, under pressure, fueled by drugs, and amidst the merging of emotions, the two found themselves drawn closer and closer, almost as if by magic.

Shirou and Kirino, a young couple, were alone in a room. Stimulated by their feelings and the environment, they both acted impulsively and consummated their relationship.

Chapter 779 How many Shirou are there?

Humans have the instinct to reproduce and the impulse of desire, and are easily attracted to certain images, like an addiction that you can't get rid of. In fact, it's just your body's instinct, the most natural behavior.

There may also be physiological factors involved, because to some extent, it can be said that humans serve genes. The purpose of human survival is to reproduce and pass on genes, an activity that began even before the ape stage.

The purpose of genes is to ensure their continued transmission. Therefore, when a gene senses that its host is in danger of death, it will affect the human brain, prompting the Monkey to reproduce.

Therefore, people who are under constant stress will develop a strong reproductive drive due to their survival instinct. For example, the saying "after three years in the army, even a sow can rival Diao Chan" reflects a certain natural biological and physiological response.

This phenomenon is most evident in the military, which is a collection of people's aggression and violence.

The mighty Mongolia cavalry, or the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, engaged in plundering campaigns, with burning, killing, and looting being the most basic operations. Men taller than a cartwheel were killed with a single blow, while women were taken as property.

Even during the chaotic times in China, when warlords carved out their own territories and attacked enemy territory, what did the common people matter? They weren't their elders or fellow villagers; they were just a bunch of thugs armed with knives and guns, and they weren't exactly law-abiding. People like Chang Yuchun and Zhang Shicheng in the Ming Dynasty were killing stars like Bai Qi.

Although the Japanese army has been permanently abolished and the Soviet Union army has been disbanded, the United States' military has continued to exist. Forced sex offenders, military prostitutes, and comfort women are indelible dark histories for them.

Back when the US was in Japan Korea, they would trade chocolates and biscuits. It's said that this year, in the Middle East, they didn't even bother with chocolates.

Even so, many soldiers still suffer from various post-war psychological syndromes after completing their military service and returning home. The truth is, there are simply too many who have invaded other countries, aided and abetted evil, and committed countless atrocities. They no longer have enough faith to support their sense of righteousness, leading to psychological imbalance and various problems.

Not all armies of World War II were like the Red Army, with its unwavering faith and refusal to take a single needle or thread from the people, believing the working class to be the greatest. After all, the Red Army can be considered a miracle in the history of world armies, and the only army in the world in the last century to have fought to a draw with the United States.

That was during the most difficult period for the country. Bearing the hatred of the nation and its people, the survivors generally understood the importance of national unity, the hard truth that the weak will be bullied, and that only when everyone stood up could China be saved. That is why the people's will was so strong.

That kind of powerful army could only be created in an era when hundreds of millions of people were united as one. Even if we go back five thousand years, only the fierce and powerful armies of the Qin Dynasty, the Han and Tang Dynasties at their peak could be compared to it.

But in order to achieve these glories, countless people have sacrificed themselves on this road to rise.

In fact, our army has always attached great importance to the spiritual guidance of its soldiers. During the Long March, with pursuers on all sides, suffering from cold and hunger, many people really relied on their faith to persevere, which led to the prosperity we enjoy today.

In reality, it is almost impossible for the great nation of China to recreate that kind of powerful military. The allure of the glamorous world is not limited to high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen; soldiers are also part of it.

In the past Soviet Union was at a disadvantage in everything—weapons, resources, and industrial capacity—when resisting Nazi Soviet Union army during its later Tsarina period were terrifying because they had lost what they once believed in.

Once faith is lost, the mind and body stray from humanity and surrender to animalistic instincts, leading to the problem of being unable to control one's urges. This problem can spread like a contagion to those with mental health issues.

Meanwhile, locked in the secret room, Kirino and Shirou were both yearning for each other's bodies. In fact, the boy felt the same way. When their heartbeats were in sync, they even had a feeling that they could understand each other's feelings without saying a word.

That night, the two shared their innermost thoughts, and the boy comforted the girl, telling her that everything would be alright.

"Is it okay?" Shirou asked, panting heavily.

"I'm willing, so why can't I? Things have come to this point, and there's no need to endure it anymore. Anyway, this is a dreamlike world, and I'm a knight here, and I'm already of marriageable age!" Kirino said, also exhaling heavily.

"Come on, take these things off me."

"Shirou, hold me."

"Um..."

With the girl's cooperation, Shirou removed all her protective gear and spread her clothes on the dry grass to make a bed. The two of them were not affected by the simple environment at this moment. Instead, they were like kindling by a fire, instantly igniting and forming a towering flame.

The girl responded wildly to Shirou, demanding the feeling she wanted.

Above the torches illuminating the secret chamber, the flickering flames resembled a pair of naked dancers, holding hands and swirling, sometimes entwined, sometimes embracing, drawing closer to each other and merging into one. Or like swans spreading their wings, performing a courtship dance.

For a moment, the flames straightened up like snakes, leaping high into the air before falling back into the fireball. The fireball shimmered, shifting between orange-red and bright yellow.

After that, the sky collapsed and the earth split open, and the world was plunged into a vast expanse of white.

In the pavilion outside the anime convention venue, the orange-haired girl returned to reality from her memories. Looking at Shirou, still indecisive and clutching his notebook, she felt inexplicably angry compared to her dream lover!

'If that's the case...' the girl made a decision in her heart.

"Anyway, I just want to ask one question! Do you remember what happened when we were locked in the underground chamber?!" Kirino stared at Shirou and questioned him.

"Eh!!!" Shirou's eyes widened in surprise!

A secret underground room?! Does that refer to the time he was caught? Shirou, feeling guilty, glanced at a certain young lady beside him.

"Why?! You should look at someone else while I'm talking to you!!" Kirino shouted in frustration.

"No, no! Shirou and I weren't captured, nor were we locked in the basement." Saori blushed and waved her hands repeatedly, trying to distance herself from the situation. However, she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But... in the end, my brother made a promise to me. He promised to make me happy. And during the time when the world shattered, we stayed until the very end."

"Alright! We've all said our piece! Shirou, you haven't said anything yet!"

"Well, what I experienced was..."

When Shirou recounted his memories, he omitted the experience of being killed by a rampaging girl at night, the process of using the techniques from his host's memories to woo the girls, and the stud torture he suffered in the dungeon after his failed escape. Then... he realized there wasn't much left to say.

Chapter 780 Good men are in high demand.

Shirou gave a dry, rambling speech, much like a censored web novel filled with asterisks. He omitted thousands of words before reaching crucial moments, leaving the reader completely bewildered by the plot.

Huh?

"Huh?"

"That's all? Don't you have complete memories?" Kirino looked at Shirou strangely.

"So you really are hiding something from us, aren't you?" The Kuro Neko frowned, looking at Shirou suspiciously.

"No, it's not convenient to talk about other things!" Shirou said awkwardly. He couldn't very well say that someone had killed him that night, that someone had a breakdown with someone else, or that someone had poisoned him. That would only sow discord, and the girl's sensitive heart would be hurt.

If, as he initially imagined, everyone were in the same dream, sharing hardships together, that would be fine. But the situation is different now; there are some things that shouldn't be said.

Because that was just a dream, and the girls in it were merely copies of the same image, influenced by the black mist, acting in accordance with the story's development, not reflecting the girls' true feelings.

The evidence is that in the girls' own dreams, none of them intentionally killed anyone; instead, the protagonist and the girls fled together.

Although Kirino and Kuro Neko often argue, they are actually very much friends who value each other. They share similar interests and understand each other.

Saori is indeed from a wealthy family, but she genuinely loves otaku culture. To ensure harmony among everyone at the event, she even dressed herself up as a model otaku, showing she's a considerate and kind person. She's not the kind of wicked woman who would poison her friend for power or commit any evil deeds.

"This is inconvenient! What exactly happened?! Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. Tell us everything you know!" The girls became even more unwilling upon hearing this and grabbed Shirou, demanding an explanation.

"In short, we were drawn into the world of the story and affected by it. Many of the events were beyond our control. The important thing is that everyone came out safe and sound, right?" Shirou explained.

"No! I think some things are just as important as life itself!"

"We just want to know the truth now!"

The girls said it with absolute certainty.

"Eh..." Shirou turned back to look at his new girlfriend Utaha Kasumigaoka.

"Hehe, Shirou-kun, I'm quite interested too." Standing behind, Utaha Kasumigaoka simply gave Shirou a knowing smile, as if to say, "I'm waiting for your explanation." There were some things she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard; she needed to confirm things. Besides... today she had to completely subdue these girls, otherwise, who could tolerate them trying to steal her boyfriend all the time?

"Alright then... I understand. But everyone's world is different, so it's too complicated to explain. I'll try a different approach and analyze it step by step in reverse chronological order. Let's first identify what we have in common." Shirou nodded, choosing to respect the girls' wishes, and made the suggestion.

"What they have in common? It's like the sky shattered at the very last moment?"

"Ah, yes, yes! I remember now, the world seemed to collapse at the last moment." Eriri recalled that she and Shirou had hidden in the room together at the time. Because they were sitting together on the bed, and she was wearing a thin nightgown, the atmosphere was ambiguous and embarrassing, so she remembered it quite well.

"Yes, my memory ends here. Then I woke up, feeling dizzy and not in good condition, and I forgot a lot of things. But now, after reading these comics, I've finally remembered some things." Ayase nodded and said. When she saw Shirou that night, she felt very familiar and warm. It really wasn't her imagination.

"Yeah, it's like that here too." Saori nodded. She was decorating her new home with the male protagonist at the time. In a small cabin by a sparsely populated forest, they were like newlyweds on vacation, all lovey-dovey and all. So embarrassing!

"As I said before, it's in the basement where I'm being held. Shirou promised that if things get really bad, he'll die with me," Kirino said, arms crossed.

"Hmph! All of that was just a dream! The real Shirou was with me when the curse was lifted, and that's why everyone was able to escape from that world." Utaha Kasumigaoka looked at the girls and said righteously.

"But this does seem like something Shirou would do, doesn't it?" said Hime no Toki, who had been watching the scene unfold.

"Yes, that's definitely typical Shirou behavior," Kyoko, who was watching the scene unfold, agreed with a smile.

Shirou couldn't refute it. Although he admired his Hero of Justice, he actually had very low resistance to women he liked. He would be a gentleman to young girls, but he didn't think he could reach the level of Liu Xiahui (a legendary figure known for his chastity).

If a cute girl you like throws herself at you, you probably won't be able to resist!

To put it bluntly, in the Sakura route, he had a relationship with Sakura; in the Rin route, he replenished his mana with Rin; and in the Saber route, he was simultaneously with the King and Tohsaka, in the forest of the Einzbern castle, where they were completely open with each other. How could anyone resist that?

"That's true... but that's not right! After I left the castle, I went to the suburbs alone to look for God of Love's little fairy." Shirou blushed and explained.

"Huh? That's not right! You were hiding in the room with me until the very end, weren't you? You mentioned the little fairy you found before, who turned out to be your long-lost sister," Eriri said.

"Ah! I seem to remember a red-haired boy who eloped with a beautiful girl I've never seen before. Judging from the way they looked, there was also a little fairy flying around with them, who also called him 'brother'," Kousaka Kyousuke suddenly said.

'I'm not going to tell you that I saw your current girlfriend. All you popular girls can go to hell!' Kousaka Kyousuke cursed inwardly.

"As expected! The Shirou I saw was real, not a dream!" Kirino said, unconvinced.

"Me too... Shirou- nii eloped with someone, don't you remember?" Saori looked at Shirou with tears in her eyes.

"Shirou...?" Ayase looked at Shirou in confusion, feeling like she suddenly didn't recognize him.

"Hey..." Utaha Kasumigaoka, standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer. Why did all these developments seem so familiar?

"No! It's in the basement of the prison! Come with me!" Kirino grabbed Shirou's collar and said.

"So what did we... in the end?" Shirou was also confused and asked the girl.

"I don't remember!" the orange-haired girl said, turning her head away.

"But they've come this far, they must have done something! Don't make me say it, you idiot!" Kirino said, blushing.

"Why don't you remember?!" Shirou exclaimed in frustration. Why had he forgotten the most crucial part?! Wouldn't this make it impossible to clear up the misunderstanding?

"It's because I only have fragments of memories that it's so troubling! Who can remember everything in their dreams? So you need to explain this to us!" Kirino said angrily. Otherwise, given her temper, would she have let Utaha Kasumigaoka keep talking like that? She would have snapped back long ago!

What?! Is dating like queuing to buy tickets? There's a first-come, first-served rule?! Love is war! Good men are won over by force!

Chapter 781 These are all choices made by Steins; Gate.

"Shirou- nii? You must still have the memories from inside, right? So you did those things with me after all...?" At this moment, Saori also came out, lowered her head, pointed at her hands, and looked at Shirou with a puzzled expression.

Shirou waved his hands, explaining, "No, no, there's a deep misunderstanding here. Everyone was drawn into the story and affected by its magic, their minds and bodies were no longer under their own control, so it's impossible to say whether it was intentional or unintentional..."

"Brother... are you trying to shirk responsibility?" Ayase stared at Shirou with her big, bright eyes.

"Haa, you were having a blast with this imprisonment knight torture game, weren't you? You pervert!" Kirino asked Shirou, her face flushed.