Black Shirou's Abilities / Shirou's Evil Prophecy

"Oh, what are you selling?" Isaka asked, looking incredulous.

"Our company can provide you with the most advanced protection system. The world is not very safe these days. Superpowered individuals are rampant, and there are extreme criminals. Even heroes who fight against superpowered criminals often act too violently and get ordinary people involved. If you install our company's protection system, it can greatly reduce your worries," Shirou said.

"If we get hit by a shockwave or a giant, even a house made entirely of steel wouldn't stand a chance, right? And!!! Do you think I need to fear evil forces here?!"

Isaka jumped up excitedly and questioned, pointing with both hands to the various superhero models and posters displayed on the cabinets on either side. Not only were there characters from the manga, but also merchandise from real-life heroes, especially a considerable number of the sexy female heroes.

To him, it was something sacred, like a wall of faith; as long as these beings existed in the house, he had nothing to fear from evil.

"I'm sorry! I was very rude." Shirou worked in sales, had developed a good temper and apologized to the man. Although he didn't quite understand, he figured he had probably offended the man's values.

"You don't need to apologize like that," Isaka said, unusually considerate.

"I always make these kinds of mistakes, and I hate it myself," Shirou said, somewhat frustrated. Recent events have completely disoriented him, but he can't afford to stop for a moment; he can only try his best to see if he can make a change.

"Hmph." Isaka snorted, clearly displeased. "Well then, let's hear the product description."

Take the Saitama Line to Tatsumaki Station, and after several twists and turns along the winding, narrow path, you'll enter an old residential area where the Isaka family lives. The residential area is surrounded by towering walls and impressive greenery; indeed, the people who live here seem to be aware of the need for a security system.

"That's exactly why this young man came to this area," Isaka thought to himself.

However, he suddenly pointed out sharply, "Look, most of the houses around here are quite old, and those that are interested in security systems have already installed them." And that was indeed the case.

Shirou puffed out his chest and said, "Just as you said." He answered like a warrior, "However—though it's not nice to say it like this, there are disturbing news reports every day, so even people who weren't interested in security systems before might suddenly feel scared at some point."

"I see. So you've hired a salesman named Terror and Anxiety, and the days when robberies and murders occur are the days when you make money."

"Yes, that's right." Shirou responded honestly to Isaka's sarcasm, "This is also to protect everyone's safety. Society is becoming increasingly unsafe, with all sorts of dangerous individuals emerging. If we don't take precautions in advance, we might encounter tragedy."

"Are you saying that some people are like they've suddenly been possessed by a demon and then go and do evil?" Isaka asked Shirou.

"Yes, in terms of sheer ruthlessness, those people are no longer human. If judged solely by modern Japanese legal standards, they would certainly be sentenced to death."

"Some people want to transfer their pain onto bigger problems, so they unconsciously fantasize about being possessed by a demon," Isaka said in a different tone, his voice earnest. This was a quote from one of his novels.

At this moment, Shirou's attitude changed. He paused for a moment, then looked at Isaka, and glanced at the bookshelf on the wall, seemingly noticing several of Isaka's works.

Then Shirou took a paperback book out of his bag and asked, "Excuse me, are you Teacher Isaka? I've always loved your books."

"Hmm! It is indeed I." Isaka's attitude seemed to have changed as well. His mischievous intention to tease the salesperson disappeared, and he adopted a proper demeanor, like a true master and senior.

Chapter 1169 Black Shirou's Abilities

"It might be fate that I'm meeting you, Teacher Isaka, on this occasion. Could you please talk to me? I have something troubling me that I can't discuss with anyone. I hope someone as knowledgeable as you can offer me some advice." The young man lowered his head slightly, so his true expression couldn't be seen.

"Well... just tell me what you think, and I'll give you some advice. If it helps you, that would be great. If it's not good, don't take it to heart." Isaka looked hesitant, but since she was a fan, he didn't refuse.

"Yes, I tried listening to music, watching movies, and reading all sorts of books, both ancient and modern, hoping to gain some inspiration to help me persevere or start a new life. Until I read Teacher Isaka's work," Shirou said, mentioning the content of Isaka's novel, "I gained courage from the final lines."

"Ah..." Isaka's expression was somewhat helpless. If you don't start doing things, you can't change anything just by thinking about them.

Then, after a while, Shirou said, "Actually, well... how should I put it, I'm a little different from other people. The power I possess is quite special."

"Different? What exactly do you mean? I have special abilities too. I can transmit my brainwaves five centimeters away, and if someone touches my forehead with mine, we can have telepathic communication."

"People who can engage in that kind of intimate behavior probably don't need telepathy, right?"

"I don't know! I don't have anyone I can do that kind of thing with! I've had enough of touching foreheads with men in their fifties or sixties during tests!" Isaka shouted angrily.

"So... sometimes I think, what a damn skill this is. I'd rather have two more hands, though even that probably wouldn't allow me to write two novels at the same time."

Isaka was a chatterbox, constantly making sarcastic remarks.

In this world, there are brats who can unleash flames from a young age, destined to either become destructive maniacs or heroes, and there are writers who have two extra hands but can't work on both at the same time. What a damn unequal society.

"Even so, my power is even more special," Shirou said calmly.

Isaka began to consider what tone to use when speaking to him, while also being wary of being mocked instead of taking it seriously.

He picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and started playing a downloaded video.

On the screen appeared a hot-blooded hero, hailed as the newly crowned No. 1 and a symbol of peace. He transformed, leaped into the air, and caught the out-of-control helicopter and the woman falling from it. The scene was recorded and circulated around the world, becoming a popular topic of conversation.

Of course, there are other heroes as well, such as Superman entire body is engulfed in flames, and whose eyebrows and beard are also made of flames, or Superman who uses ultrasonic waves. There are all kinds of Superman with powerful 'personas' in this world. They cooperate with the police department to protect world peace.

Of course, in Isaka's opinion, they were too petty. They had no professional support team and no one to advise them. They just acted recklessly according to their own wishes, just like content creators who made short live streams. Their entertainment value even outweighed their heroic attributes.

Of course, this also made it easier for Isaka to satisfy his hobby of being a hero fan. In short, Isaka knew everything about these heroes active in Japan, whether they were local or foreign.

Oh, right, recently a young man with silver hair has also started to stand out. He has a strong sense of justice and is gentle. When he fights, magnificent swords appear out of thin air behind him, just like a sword immortal in a Chinese novel, incredibly dashing and handsome.

With his good personality, he has garnered a lot of attention and may be able to break into the top ten of Japan's most popular heroes this year, becoming the rookie king.

Seriously, can't they just send out those celebrity fans for a fair and proper election?

Although Isaka also voted for the abstinent heroine 'Midnight' last year, she was completely wrapped up, unlike those glamorous and cheap women, and most importantly, she had a great figure.

Upon closer inspection, the salesman in front of me actually looks quite similar to the new hero, except he's much darker-skinned and his demeanor is completely different.

"Special power... does it refer to this level?"

Isaka asked this question.

But the young man's answer was, "I know the future."

Seeing Isaka's confused and silent expression, I urged him to explain, "Do you mean you can predict the future?"

The young man was in a bad state; his expression was somewhat neurotic. He turned his face and stared intently at Isaka.

Isaka felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

When he came to his senses again, a row of newspaper clippings had already been laid out on the low wooden table used for receiving guests Shirou had taken them out of his bag and spread them out on the table.

The reports were spread out over time—in other words, the degree of fading on the paper varied considerably. There were about ten pages, and they all reported on murders and accidents.

Isaka secretly wondered if he was about to proudly declare that he had predicted all these events and accidents. If so, how boring.

Isaka crossed his arms, looking displeased.

Isaka rested his chin on his hand, gazing at Shirou sitting on the sofa.

After grunting and looking through the clippings, he said, "Judging from the tone of your voice just now, you used precognitive abilities or something else to predict these events and accidents in advance, is that right?" The reports were all about murders and accidents.

Isaka didn't believe in precognitive abilities. He picked up the newspaper clipping, looked at the business card with the security company's letterhead, and finally glanced at Shirou sitting in front of him.

He was looking at the ceiling—no, his head was tilted back, and his eyes were closed. It looked a little strange, as if he was preparing for something. After a while, he lowered his shoulders and stared straight at Isaka.

"Your imagination is close, but it differs somewhat from reality. You could say it's essentially the same, or you could say it's completely opposite."

"What's going on?" Isaka asked.

The chilling aura emanating from the young man filled the entire room.

"Actually..." Shirou confessed, "All the events recorded in these reports were caused by me."

Isaka fell silent for a moment. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the side table, the sound piercing his heart little by little, as if urging him to think.

Suddenly, Isaka, who had been staring intently at Shirou, jumped up. The heavy sofa didn't move as a whole because of his movement, but it still tilted slightly to the side. It was clear that he was so startled that he could overturn the sofa.

"Don't be afraid, I won't harm anyone indiscriminately. My only goal is to prevent misfortune from happening, nothing more. As long as it's not evil, I won't take action." Shirou waved his hand somewhat flusteredly, rambling on as if revealing his old habit.

"But Shirou-kun, you..." Isaka straightened the tilted sofa, looked at the report, and said, "Did you do all of this? The train accident too?"

"Could it be that you pushed me from behind?" Isaka's tone carried a hint of interrogation.

"Hmm." Shirou closed his eyes and answered in a deep voice. He did not deny his sins and felt remorse, but he was also prepared to bear everything.

Chapter 1170 Shirou's Evil Prophecy

For a while, Isaka struggled with how to react. He considered calling the police immediately and handing the young man over to them, but he wasn't sure if he fully understood what the young man was saying; perhaps it was just a metaphor or an example.

"I can see all the evil in humanity, both in the past and in the future. I have walked through this place and know clearly that misfortune will occur here."

To give an example, it's like I would sell a security system to the people here, so that once it's installed, it will deter 'bad guys' or ensure that the police can arrive promptly when they commit a crime.

"Is that so?" Isaka breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was a sales tactic; if he was scared, he would buy the product the young man was promoting.

In fact, he was genuinely scared. The young man in front of him didn't seem like a salesman at all; he seemed more like someone who wanted to kill him. If the young man could promise never to come back, he might consider buying the product.

Isaka, feeling a bit teasing again, asked:

"There's only the past and the future, but no present?"

"Well, it's probably outside my jurisdiction, but..."

"Only?"

"... Humans can't even wait ten minutes. If it still doesn't work after installation, I'll stop everything before the other party commits any evil deeds," Shirou said calmly and firmly.

Isaka's mind worked quickly; even as Shirou got to this point, his brain was already racing. He was probably already figuring out how to connect the hallucination he had just seen, the news report about the murder, and Shirou's earlier remarks.

"So, you believed that prophetic fantasy and killed the person who was going to be the murderer?"

A satisfied smile appeared on Shirou's face, as if he had received the comfort of someone who understood him.

"Exactly, as expected of Teacher Isaka." He raised his chin, as if trying to exude a touch of madness. "Those I killed were people who, if left unchecked, would kill for their own selfish desires."

Although this frenzy vanished in an instant, it still startled Isaka.

At this moment, in the writer Isaka's home, the atmosphere was tense to an unprecedented degree due to the young man's manic behavior, making even breathing difficult.

Isaka looked down at the newspaper on the table again, his expression turning puzzled. He pulled out a clipping, and a huge headline jumped out at him. It was a report on a traffic accident that had occurred in Saitama Prefecture:

"The driver was intoxicated and crashed his car into a line of kindergarten children who were taking a walk outside, injuring 15 people and killing five."

"So, were all the people in these places killed by you? It was all to protect others. This one was a suicide by jumping onto the tracks, and this one was stabbed with a sharp weapon, but you couldn't have caused this car accident, could you?"

Shirou glanced at the newspaper clippings spread out on the table, a bitter look in his eyes.

"That was my mistake. Because of my negligence, the children in the kindergarten were harmed," Shirou said with deep remorse.

Isaka looked at the young man with surprise, 'Do you think you're a god? Killing evil people is your responsibility, but failing to kill them and causing harm is also your responsibility?'

Shirou recounted the events as if he were confessing in church.

"When I first came into this world, I wasn't sure about my abilities, so I didn't believe it. I just thought there was something wrong with my brain. But after I had my brain checked, the doctor said I was healthier than any other person my age."

Isaka thought to himself, "Perhaps this is a unique way of expressing myself among young people? The world? Or the universe? Saitama is a small world, and this neighborhood is also a small world."

"By the time I saw the newspaper, it was too late."

"Well, after all, news in Japan is disseminated through newspapers. By world standards, this is already old news, old news in newspapers."

Japan is a centralized state that transitioned into Lord at the end of the Edo period, but was forced to move towards American-style democratization due to the war, resulting in a polarized internal structure. Japanese scholars have even said that Japan is a hybrid society.

Isolated, closed, and resource-poor island nations are destined to be unable to independently develop an advanced civilization, because only a wealthy and stable society can support so many seemingly useless scholars.

In fact, before the Meiji Restoration, Japan was ruled by warlords, and the country was constantly engaged in fighting and killing.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan had no choice but to wage wars abroad in order to develop, otherwise its own territory would not have been able to keep up with the development speed of Western countries.

It wasn't until the end of World War II and the collapse of the Soviet Union that the world gradually shifted from the Cold War to peaceful development, and Japan finally settled down. However, aside from a period of rapid progress when it benefited from the support of a superpower, Japan experienced a period of great development.

Japan initially built its nation on advanced technology and agricultural self-sufficiency, which indeed led to the miracle of winning Nobel year after year. However, it failed in agriculture because of soil quality issues, and still had to rely on imports for fruits and vegetables.

Relying solely on the domestic economy ultimately led to a slump.

In the fields of imitation and high-level craftsmanship, no country in the world can compete with China. In terms of population and birth rate, no country can compare with India.

Japan is restricted in this regard. It can only seek etiquette, morality, and universal values from the outside. In the past, it was Japanese spirit, Chinese talent, then Japanese spirit, Western talent Japanese spirit, American talent.

Of course, this is also an advantage. As an island nation, it naturally needs to absorb continental civilization to enrich itself. Japan has always been very good at learning from and absorbing the civilizations of advanced countries, and then forming its own system.

For example, during the Industrial Revolution, the West rose while the East lagged behind. Japan competed with the Qing Dynasty, and Japan's efficiency in learning from the West far exceeded that of the Qing Dynasty. After gaining an advantage, Japan quickly widened the gap and, taking advantage of the generational difference, almost completed an unprecedented underdog victory.

Of course, if we want a next time, we'll probably have to wait until aliens invade Earth with advanced technology.

However, this has also led to bizarre power distributions and rules across various industries. For example, Japan does not have a true capital city; even the country's official name has two pronunciations: 'Nippon' and 'Nihon'; and Kyoto, hailed as the most famous ancient capital, has surprisingly few preserved temples.

Japan has the highest newspaper sales in the world because four of its five major TV stations are owned by newspaper media groups. Apart from the state-owned NHK, the other television networks can be considered subsidiaries of the newspaper industry. Therefore, in order to ensure newspaper sales, the news content broadcast on television is often restricted to be released after the newspaper is on sale.

For a long time, if office workers wanted to know the latest news about society every morning, watching TV was useless; it only provided the day's weather forecast and fortune telling. For important matters, they still had to rely on newspapers.

At the time, Shirou wasn't interested in newspaper news; he just happened to see the news about someone crashing into a kindergarten with a car, and then he was stunned.

Ah! He suddenly realized he recognized the name in the report. Wasn't this the name that had popped into his mind during his hallucination? Then, he noticed that the date of the accident published in the newspaper was also the same date he had seen in his hallucination!

Shirou began, "After that day, I would record the details of each hallucination I saw."

I read the newspaper and discovered that the stalker in the incident that happened the day before yesterday was the same person I had imagined last week. I went to the address I had learned from the fantasy, but it was surrounded by police and media, and I couldn't get close.

Shirou began to think.

Did those inexplicable fantasies contain the name, address, and date of a future crime that would trigger a certain incident? Could it be a prophetic fantasy about a crime?

So... what should we do?

After listening to Shirou's explanation, Isaka had countless questions, but he felt that every question boiled down to the same point—how should he deal with the young man in front of him? He could no longer make a judgment. This was beyond his ability.