Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

Celestial Dragon Shirou stared speechlessly at the two of them and quipped:

"Don't talk like that—you're making it sound like I'm some kind of scumbag. I was just messing with them, and in the end, I didn't actually do anything, did I?"

"Good thing you're only eight years old, or they'd have already fallen victim to your evil deeds." Coachman Shirou said darkly.

"Aren't I you? We're the same person—saying that about me is saying it about yourself."

"I'd never do something that vile."

"Liar! If you had a prince's status, you'd be way worse than me."

"That's debatable."

Young Shirou waited for them to finish arguing, then asked with a smile:

"By the way, what do you two think about my Nero Festival?"

"Kariya cheated!" they said in unison.

"Yeah, that's what I think too." Young Shirou nodded slightly in agreement. "Under normal circumstances, Kariya could never beat Kirei. But he won anyway—it's almost like a joke."

"Actually, it's pretty normal." Coachman Shirou laughed. "Kariya had the Noble Phantasm Nero lent him—the ultimate Noble Phantasm combining offense and defense, on par with an A-rank Noble Phantasm, basically an enhanced version of Moon Cell Liquefaction."

"But the most surprising thing is that he gave you the Golden Apple he won."

Right. About ten minutes ago, Kariya Matou had shoved the Golden Apple prize into Shirou's hands.

And when Shirou came in to store the Golden Apple, he ran into the other two versions of himself chatting. After swapping memories, he joined the conversation.

It was around 9 PM now, normally pitch dark outside.

But outside, it was still bright as day, the sky a clear, unbroken blue.

The reason? Nero's Noble Phantasm had twisted time, flipping day and night.

Outside, the Master Tournament had already ended, no one had signed up for the Heroic Spirit Tournament, and the Citizen Tournament had a flood of applicants, currently in the preliminary rounds.

Sakura was talking to Rin Tohsaka—or rather, Rin Tohsaka was talking at her.

"Golden Apple plus Fountain of Life and the Insect-Insect Fruit, Model: Insect—I wonder if it can cure Kariya?"

Celestial Dragon Shirou pondered for a few seconds, then spoke slowly:

"There's some hope, at best. Are you going to try?"

"I have to try. He shouldn't die here." Young Shirou sighed.

"This was his own choice."

"Choice? Who would willingly seek death? It's just that he sees no hope and can only close his eyes and wait for the end."

Chapter 15: Match Format

Section 15: Chapter 15: Match Format

On the other side, inside the arena.

"As of just now, the Citizen Tournament preliminaries have finally ended. A total of eight contestants have been selected. I bestow upon you all the Emperor's Blessing."

Nero, who had already retrieved Primal Fire from Kariya, stood with her sword planted, smiling:

"Now, let's begin the first match of the Citizen Tournament: Rin Tohsaka versus Taiga Fujimura. Please come forward, both contestants, to draw your match format."

"Wait! Isn't this a free-for-all brawl? Why do we have to draw a match format?" Taiga Fujimura asked instinctively.

Rin Tohsaka silently compared their body sizes and said, "That's perfectly normal. None of my previous matches were brawls—I won them all through singing and running contests."

"There's singing too?" Taiga Fujimura's eyes widened in surprise, then she added, "Even if it's singing, I'll definitely win!"

Idiot.

Rin Tohsaka looked her up and down, thinking:

This woman is clearly a simple-minded, muscle-brained fool. Please don't let me draw a fight—let it be something I'm good at.

"Go ahead." Nero gestured to them with a smile.

Rin Tohsaka hesitated for a few seconds, steeled herself internally, closed her eyes, and reached into the box.

She grabbed the nearest slip of paper, cautiously opened her eyes, and looked closely. It read: Obstacle Course.

Damn! I drew the worst possible option.

"Now, please step forward, contestant Taiga Fujimura." The referee Nero said with a smile.

"Huh...? Didn't she already draw? Why do I have to draw too?"

"Then, contestant Taiga Fujimura, do you wish to forfeit this opportunity?"

"Fine, I forfeit the draw. Let's use obstacle course as the match event."

"Very well. I have received your wish."

Nero raised her red longsword and murmured a brief incantation.

The next moment, a rain of red petals fell from the sky, and a flash of golden light streaked by.

Just for an instant, the empty arena transformed into a primeval forest.

Weeds, branches, rocks on the ground, spiderwebs and beehives in the trees—all of it made traversal harder.

Looking at the thorny weeds all around, Rin Tohsaka felt a flicker of hesitation in her heart.

But thinking of her mother and little sister watching from outside the arena, her expression immediately hardened with resolve.

She didn't know why, but Sakura hated her now. Still, through today's match, maybe she could change her attitude.

If she gave up here, Sakura would surely hate her even more—that would be the end.

Besides, the Tohsaka family motto had never included quitting halfway.

"Then, I hereby declare the match—"

"Wait! Can I make some preparations first?" Rin Tohsaka suddenly spoke up.

"Oh...? What do you plan to do? If it's nothing too complicated, I might be able to lend a hand."

"I want to change clothes. There's no way I can run through a forest in a skirt, right?"

"I see. A reasonable request. I permit it."

Nero smiled faintly, aimed her red sword at Rin Tohsaka, and tapped lightly.

In an instant!

Rin Tohsaka's girls' elementary school uniform transformed into a well-fitted set of sportswear.

"Thank you."

Rin Tohsaka's heart leaped with joy as she quickly expressed her gratitude.

"No need for thanks. The sight of you all striving in the match is thanks enough for I."

So cool!

"Thank you very much!"

"Begin your preparations... I hereby declare the match started!"

Rin Tohsaka immediately dashed out.

But compared to her, Taiga Fujimura was like a human leopard, instantly pulling away from her.

This scene, through the sky projection, was faithfully displayed to everyone in the city.

At a street-side snack stall seat, Shirou watched the sky and smiled as he said:

"Sakura, do you think Rin can win?"

"I don't know."

Sakura was also watching the sky projection. Though her expression was still gloomy, her eyes had gained a bit of color.

"I think, compared to Fuji-nee, Rin would rather compete with you, Sakura."

"Shirou... senpai knows that person?"

"Her name is Taiga Fujimura, nickname Tiger. Ten years from now, she'll be mine and Rin's high school teacher."

"Senpai and Rin, what's your future relationship?"

"For now, we're fairly close childhood friends. By the way, ten years from now, you're also a childhood friend, Sakura."

Aoi Tohsaka, sitting to the side, looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

From earlier, she hadn't been able to get a word in.

Though she had so much she wanted to say to her younger daughter, every time their eyes met, Sakura would look down. No matter what she asked, she remained silent.

So much so that she, as Mom, had become a mere bystander.

Plus, she couldn't quite keep up with the rhythm of their conversation.

Talking about ten years from now—she couldn't understand it at all.

She really wanted to go find her husband, but she couldn't leave her younger daughter alone either.

After so long apart, she seemed to be doing poorly. Was she being ostracized in her new home? Or bullied by her new family?

Noticing the conversation had stalled again, Aoi Tohsaka seized the chance to ask:

"Did Shirou's family come in with you? It should be evening outside by now. If your family didn't come in together, they'd be very worried, right?"

Family.

Hearing that word, Shirou couldn't help but sigh.

Reborn, it seemed he had no one left to call family.

His biological parents—he had no memory of them at all. They were complete strangers.

"Right now, I guess I'm a drifter?"

"Eh...?"

Aoi Tohsaka blinked, thinking to herself:

What does "wandering status" mean? Running away from home?

Just then, a voice suddenly came from beside her:

"Whoa, that looks painful. Whose kid is that girl? Pretty tough."

Hearing the other customer's voice beside her, Aoi Tohsaka instinctively looked up, and her heart jolted.

In the projection, Little Rin seemed to have just fallen. Her sportswear was covered in weeds and dirt, and there were even a few leaves tangled in her hair.

As for her opponent, Taiga Fujimura, she had already vanished without a trace, leaving only footprints on the road as proof she was ahead.

"Little Rin... still not ready to give up?"

Even though there was clearly no hope of winning anymore.

Under her gaze, the Rin Tohsaka in the projection fell again, the back of her hand scraping against a stone, leaving a gash about five centimeters long.

"Why won't she give up? The outcome is already decided."

"There's no way she can give up," Shirou couldn't help but say. "Rin isn't just doing this for the prize anymore. No matter what, she can't give up."

Aoi Tohsaka fell silent for a long time, wordless.

What Shirou could see, she could see too.

In that moment, a fierce wave of self-blame rose in her heart.

Her daughter was trying so hard, while she herself had done nothing—just sat here watching. That was her failure as a mother.

With that thought, she stood up immediately.

"Shirou, if Little Rin comes back later, please tell her for me that I've gone to see Kariya about something."

"Ah... oh."

Shirou quickly nodded, watching her leave, while silently guessing what she was planning.