Shirou and Shinji

"Hey, hey, hey, handsome, if it's just a coincidence that you happened to be at a coffee shop near the Fuyuki City Bridge, then that's a bit too much of a coincidence, isn't it? What exactly is your purpose in contacting us? Deliberately approaching and testing us is one thing, but if you're looking for my uncle or Father Kotomine, there's no such thing here..."

Shinji Matou cut to the chase, then gestured for Karen and Shirou to get ready for battle. This was the Fuyuki City Bridge at night, and the reason Shirou chose a secluded café was because it genuinely was. Therefore, he didn't believe that Rovey's presence here was purely accidental. Shinji Matou was certain that this guy had some ulterior motive.

Only...

Seeing Shinji Matou's infuriating performance, Rovey's lips twitched involuntarily. Seriously, he truly lives up to his reputation as a high-level extra in countless Type-Moon fanfics, whose deaths are more tragic than the last. Just that one taunting ability alone is enough to make him a target for attack; in an online game, he wouldn't even need a taunt skill, he'd be a perfect bait.

However, his words and analysis were indeed very reasonable; the idea of a chance encounter in such a place seemed like a lie, but...

Rovey really met them by chance.

The reason he came was because a certain dog-like man who wished to remain anonymous called him and said he was going to have a duel at the Fuyuki City Bridge that night, so the drinking party was canceled. That's why Rovey came to check it out. He didn't expect that the location of these three little guys would happen to be near the area where Cú Chulainn and the other Servant to fight.

However, meeting each other is also a kind of fate.

He remembered that Shirou and Karen were also assistant supervisors in this Holy Grail War, weren't they?

So, after thinking about it, he decided to bring them over to see it later.

What is the power that comes from mythology?

What is the destructive power of the upper echelons of the mystical world?

Let them experience firsthand the ancient legends created by the Heroic Spirit.

Chapter 387 Shirou and Shinji

From an outsider's perspective, Shinji Matou's life was actually quite tragic. After all, living in such a family, the only decent person Matou Kariya, died young, and even his father was just a puppet, living his entire life under the control of the Old Worm. After losing the guidance of his family, coupled with the Old Worm's deliberate manipulation, it was impossible for him not to turn out badly.

Not only that, his fate is also incredibly tragic. In every storyline, Shinji is the one who gets killed, in all sorts of ways, including but not limited to being killed outright, or being turned into a hole in the Holy Grail by Gilgamesh. He is, in short, an utterly unlucky guy.

However, the proverb "There is always a reason why someone is pitiful" is quite aptly reflected in Shinji Matou's character.

Considering all the things he did, these deaths can only be seen as his own fault; for him, living in such a family was the biggest mistake of all.

However, now that he hasn't been manipulated and corrupted by the Old Worm, Shinji Matou, although just a spoiled brat with a somewhat bad temper and personality, hasn't distorted his values and hasn't done anything heinous or unforgivable. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to have such a good relationship with the clergy members Karen and Shirou.

Given Shirou's current personality, shaped by Kirei Kotomine's upbringing, it's easy to predict that if Shinji Matou dared to break the law, his Baji Fist would land on his cheek in the next moment, definitely bringing him to his senses.

After all, while Shirou is still a champion of justice, he is no longer the kind-hearted man he once was. Kirei Kotomine taught him that we should be gentle and kind to kind people and not use violence, but if we are dealing with criminals or inhuman beings, we must use swift and decisive measures to better protect the innocent and not have any psychological burden.

Our hearts are as clear as a mirror, and all our actions are righteous.

Just follow your will.

Although Shirou found it a bit strange, he remembered it completely and put it into practice.

But whether it was fate or just that the world is too small, Shirou and Shinji's meeting was still so familiar.

As the rightful heir of the Matou Family, Shinji Matou is now a true "high-value man" despite the Matou Family having withdrawn from the world of Magecraft, thanks to the family fortune salvaged by Byakuya Matou Shinji Matou.

Although he still sports a seaweed-like hairstyle, Shinji has always been quite unique. Despite lacking Magecraft talent and being forbidden from engaging with supernatural things by his father, he possesses exceptional abilities in other areas. Whether in academics or sports, Shinji Matou has consistently ranked at the top of his class, making him a genuine top student and a combination of a handsome, rich, and successful man.

Therefore, he is often surrounded by a large number of female admirers. However, the proud Shinji always treats these girls with the attitude of "You are so annoying, stay away from me, I am not interested in ordinary girls", and actively drives them away.

Over the years, he had never considered anyone a true friend, nor had any girl or boy ever caught his eye, but that was before he met Shirou and Karen.

After meeting Shirou for the first time in junior high school, Shinji became interested in Shirou, a kind-hearted man who was good at all housework and could basically grant any request. Moreover, he sensed that Shirou and Karen, who was by his side, both possessed certain qualities that ordinary people could not perceive, qualities that kept drawing him closer.

As they gradually got to know each other, Shinji was surprised to find that Shirou and Karen were not as simple as they seemed on the surface. In particular, he had once witnessed Shirou hunting vampires or similar monsters in a corner of Fuyuki City. His moves were clean and efficient, and he was completely focused on the fight, which was quite different from his usual self. In just a few exchanges, he successfully dismembered the terrifying monster and then cremated it on the spot.

That night, he realized what the qualities he had previously been unable to understand were, and what those Magecraft, which only existed in his family's notebooks, really were.

And why did Shirou attract me? Turns out, this guy is a legendary Magus?!

Although Shirou later discovered that Shinji had been spying on him, Shinji looked at him with a headache and apologized, explaining that he hadn't concealed his presence well and had been noticed by ordinary people, Shirou decided to erase Shinji's memories of that night for the sake of secrecy.

However, when Shinji Matou say that he knew what had just happened, that he knew about the existence of Magus, and that he himself was a descendant of Magus, Shirou was stunned. He hadn't expected that it was already strange enough for him to hide away and go to school as an Executor, but he never imagined that his classmate and friend Shinji was actually a Magus?

Because he couldn't make up his mind, he took Shinji to Kirei Kotomine's place. After learning that Shinji Matou was a member of the Matou Family, Kirei Kotomine did not erase his memories. But from that day on, Shirou felt that Shinji's gaze towards him was becoming increasingly intense.

She kept trying to win him over, circling around him and trying every trick in the Bible to get him to teach her Magecraft. But Shirou had explained this to her many times: he was Executor, not Magus, and he himself didn't know many Magecraft tricks, which were mostly just biblical baptismal chants. He couldn't teach her. But Shinji Matou still wouldn't give up, saying he'd teach her anything, even other skills. He wasn't picky. This led to Karen getting a little annoyed because of her constant pestering of Shirou.

Although Shinji Matou learned his true identity, Shirou felt a sense of relief upon also discovering that Shinji Matou was no ordinary person. At least he wouldn't have to resort to such a vicious method as memory sealing against his friend.

Moreover, as descendants and Executor of Magus, they are both beings involved in another world, so Shirou still regards Shinji as his friend, regardless of family or anything else, even though Shinji is now just an ordinary person who doesn't understand Magecraft.

This deeply moved Shinji; in other words...

' Shirou, you've caught my attention.'

'We'll be best brothers for life!'

Even though he had to spend every day in the same space as that crazy woman Karen, Shinji would still occasionally gravitate towards Shirou, and sometimes even wanted to join them on missions, just like today, where Shirou couldn't get rid of him even if he wanted to.

It's truly a wonderful friendship, very precious. At the same time, Rovey also felt it was such a pity; if this guy were a girl, then a strange branch like the Shinji would probably have appeared.

After thinking about it for a while, Rovey found it a bit too offensive, so he stopped thinking about it and sat down to order a decent-looking coffee. He then asked Shirou to pay for it, considering it a protection fee for the future.

Although Shirou didn't understand what the protection fee meant, he still dutifully paid for Rovey's coffee. After all, Rowe was his master's friend, and it was only natural for a junior to treat him to coffee. This made Shinji somewhat displeased; he increasingly felt that Rovey was a strange and scheming Magus.

Another reason is that everyone knows Shirou himself doesn't have much money. After all, he's a high school student and can only ask his parents for pocket money. His hunting missions never offer monetary rewards; he usually receives new weapons from the Church. Kirei Kotomine once offered Shirou money, but he refused and chose to go out and do odd jobs.

At that Shinji Matou even suggested that Shirou work at his family's company. He said he could use his status as the heir to give Shirou bonuses and raises, which would be a piece of cake. This would also make Shirou grateful to him, thus building a good relationship. He was completely delighted. Unfortunately Shirou refused, which made Shinji Matou sullen for a long time.

Shinji Matou couldn't stand the fact that Shirou was paying other people's bills without even knowing whether they were good or bad people. So he grabbed Shirou's arm, pulled Karen along, and they left the coffee shop to whisper to each other.

"What are you trying to do? What's gotten into you again?"

Karen questioned Shinji with extreme displeasure. However, Shinji, who would normally retort sarcastically upon hearing such words, remained silent this time. Instead, he pulled them along, speaking mysteriously as they walked:

"Let's leave that aside for now. Anyway, I have something I want to ask you two, Karen and Shirou. Do you two really know that guy? He gave me a dangerous feeling. It's best to stay away from him."

"Ah?"

Karen and Shirou were speechless after hearing Shinji's words.

"Why are you worrying about this again? That's someone Father knows. We just met him the day before yesterday. How could he be a bad person?"

"Shinji, your intention to protect us is commendable, but that gentleman really isn't a bad person. Master was there too, and they seemed to have a good relationship. It's really impolite of you to leave like this."

Having realized what Shinji was worrying about unnecessarily, the two couldn't help but speak up.

"..."

After hearing their words, Shinji fell silent.

He thought he might be worrying unnecessarily, but no matter how he felt, he had a bad feeling, or rather, this feeling had been getting stronger and stronger since the beginning. He felt that something bad might happen tonight, which was why he hurriedly led them away to try to avoid getting involved in anything dangerous.

"..."

Even though they were far from the coffee shop, Shinji Matou's premonition hadn't disappeared. He rubbed his temples and told Karen and Shirou to come with him to another place for a while before they talked.

After all, although they were supposed to have a mission, they didn't actually know where they were going, right? Since that's the case, they might as well leave with him first and wait patiently; there's no need to rush.

Karen and Shirou exchanged a glance, agreeing with Shinji's reasoning. They decided to leave with him first. Besides, the Matou Family owned a property nearby, so they could rest there for a while.

However, just as they were about to cross the Fuyuki City Bridge and leave, the three of them suddenly noticed something was wrong. Their eyes immediately sharpened, and they turned a warning look around at the empty surroundings.

Although it wasn't the weekend, and the three of them were only temporarily off school because of the gas pipeline explosion at the Seaside Park near the school, the journey was unusually quiet. They hadn't encountered a single person or seen a single car.

This bizarre scene made it impossible for Shinji and Karen, who were not used to each other, to make any more choices. In an instant, the three of them huddled together, warily looking around.

Yes, there really wasn't a single car.

It's astonishing that there wasn't a single car on the bridge in Fuyuki City; this is something that has never happened before.

Anxiety, unease, and a sense of the unsettling began to overwhelm them.

Within the triangle, Karen pulled out a red Shroud of Turin and began chanting a spell, while Shirou instantly switched to battle mode, brandishing two black standard weapons, Kirei Kotomine's Black Keys, and began to be on alert of his surroundings. Only Shinji like he was the only one who couldn't do it, but he still picked up a piece of wood from the roadside and held it in his hand to bolster his courage.

Karen and Shirou, the duo of an Executor and a nun personally trained by Kirei Kotomine, need no introduction; their combat experience is incredibly rich. Although Shinji Matou doesn't know Magecraft, he has some knowledge of it. Therefore, the three of them immediately realized that someone had used Magecraft barrier to cover the Fuyuki City Bridge.

"This should be Magecraft barrier to repel idlers, which means a Magus set it up in advance. It seems we just stumbled in by accident."

After analyzing the situation, Shirou quickly guessed what was going on and made a serious decision.

"And it's very likely related to the Holy Grail War. They probably won't make things difficult for us as the overseers, but just in case, Karen, you take Shinji and leave first. I'll stay here. If they really have malicious intentions, I'll stop them."

"By the way, if I'm not out in ten minutes, go find Master. Don't worry about me, and whatever you do, don't barge back in."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Karen nodded, then handed her Shroud of Turin to Shirou, adding, "You must be very careful."

Then she was about to take Shinji away from here.

"What?! Are you kidding me?! Are you going to abandon Shirou?!"

Shinji, realizing what Karen was about to do, widened his eyes, immediately burst into a tirade of curses, and then sternly refused.

"Go if you want! I'm not going to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shinji Matou felt a ringing in his ears.

Snap!

A crisp slap rang out, and without a word, Karen delivered a powerful blow—I'm too lazy to explain—slapping Shinji Matou the face, making his head spin.

Then, to his disbelief, he heard Karen's voice.

"Whether you leave or not is your own business. Even if you die, it has nothing to do with me. But let me warn you, with your level of skill in Magecraft, staying here will only cause trouble for Shirou. If you think it doesn't matter even so, then do as you please."

"I..."

Hearing Karen's cold words, Shinji Matou's excited mind seemed to be doused with cold water, and he suddenly became much more sober.

He looked at Karen, then at Shirou, and silently clenched his fist.

He knew that Karen was right.

She was far too weak. She didn't even know Magecraft. Even though she had pestered Shirou to teach her some Baji Fist, it was just a rudimentary skill. It was enough to deal with ordinary people, but it was completely inadequate to fight Magus. If she continued to stay, she would only become a burden to Shirou.

Although Shinji Matou is arrogant, he is not stupid; he can understand this principle with just a little calm.

"Alright, let's go. But Shirou, you must be careful."

So he took a deep breath, gave up his insistence, and prepared to escape with Karen to seek help.

Although he couldn't bear to leave Shirou alone, he couldn't accept becoming a burden to Shirou even more. Now was not the time to be reckless; acting within his capabilities and recognizing his own limitations was a commendable quality.

"There's a human voice..."

Just as he was about to escape with Karen, a flippant male voice came from across the mist.

"Ugh, what's going on? How can ordinary people break into a barrier set up with Rune? That's really worrying. If Master finds out, I'm sure I'll get yelled at again."

Upon hearing the sound, Shinji Matou and Karen stepped back together and looked at the blue-haired youth who emerged from the mist not far away, wearing a blue bodysuit and carrying a Crimson Demon Spear on his shoulder.

Upon seeing this guy appear, Shirou and Karen, the two perceptive Executor, immediately sensed an unprecedented danger. Facing this young man, they actually felt a sense of oppression, as if they were facing a predator.

The mere appearance, speech, and release of magic by this being were enough to instill fear in these humans. Combined with what he had just said, his attire, and his weapons, it was not difficult to deduce that this guy must be a servant.

Not knowing whether they were friend or foe, Shirou felt immense pressure as he intruded into their territory.

"Karen, Shinji, step back. I'll negotiate with him."

Without any hesitation, Shirou stepped forward and stood alone in front of Cú Chulainn, then looked up into the other's eyes.

"Oh? Looks like you're not an ordinary person. Are you Magus too, kid? Are you a Master, or rather, are you that blond bastard's Master? If that's the case, then I might not let you off the hook~"

Seeing that Shirou clearly felt his pressure but didn't run away instead facing him alone, Cú Chulainn whistled and then asked with interest.

Because their appearance was so coincidental, Cú Chulainn hardly hesitated, raising his magic spear and aiming it at Shirou in front of him, ready to pierce him at any moment.

Faced with the demonic spear that was so close, gleaming with the light of death, Shirou merely swallowed hard. He didn't raise his Black Keys to defend himself, because he knew it would be futile. At this distance, his opponent could kill him instantly.

So he said seriously, "I'm sorry to have interrupted your battle, but I'm not a master. I'm the agent of the supervisor of this Holy Grail War, not your enemy."

As he spoke, he raised the back of his hand, indicating to Cú Chulainn that he did not have Command Seal.

"A supervisor?"

Upon hearing his words, Cú Chulainn narrowed his eyes.

He remembered that there was indeed a third party acting as a supervisor in the Holy Grail War, whose duty was to prevent them from causing too much trouble and to handle the situation on the ground. He just didn't expect it to be such a young brat.

However, he didn't dislike it.

After all, he quite liked the scene where this kid had clearly felt death yet still stood up for his companions. Since they weren't enemies, there was no need to indiscriminately kill innocent people.

After all, he's not some kind of serial killer.

"Tsk, the supervisor, huh? I thought I'd found a lone master. What a disappointment. But since you've said so, there's no need to hurt you. Since you're the supervisor, you might as well stay here obediently and be a witness to the upcoming battle."

Cú Chulainn sheathed his demonic spear, his killing intent vanished, and then looked at Shirou in front of him nonchalantly, saying:

"Kid, don't blink now, watch carefully and really feel the impact of this battle between us."