Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

At that thought, Yukihira Soma closed his eyes in a daze and slammed his fist against the wall.

"Damn it! What's the right thing to do?"

Just then, a clatter of footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door.

A guest at home?

Or was that merchant here with his men to take this place?

Thinking it over, Yukihira Soma made no further move, lying motionless on the bed.

Bang, bang...!

Dad would never knock so urgently. Was it really that merchant's men?

As he wondered, a woman's voice came from outside the door:

"Yukihira-kun, Boss is here to see you. Hurry up and open the door."

It was that woman from the first day!

When she came yesterday, she'd been trailing behind that fat guy the whole time. Probably some secretary type, right?

Yukihira Soma got up, shuffled to the door, and opened it.

As expected, that woman was the first thing he saw.

But compared to yesterday's bare legs, today she wore pantyhose, and her office lady outfit was a different style too.

"Are you here to take the restaurant? Isn't that too soon? At least give us a few days to move out."

"Not at all. After Boss and your father discussed it, this street now belongs to the Yukihira family." Minezaki Yaeko said with a smile.

What?

Yukihira Soma's eyes lit up, and gradually, other figures came into view.

Behind her stood his own dad, a vaguely familiar young man beside him, and over a dozen suit-wearing men scattered around.

"Dad, did you win the Shokugeki?"

"No, I lost." Yukihira Joichiro shook his head slightly with a sigh. "But losing to an opponent like that isn't so bad."

"What! Even Dad lost?"

Yukihira Soma spun around sharply, glaring at Minezaki Yaeko:

"Then what did you mean just now? Didn't Dad lose?"

"Indeed, your father lost—lost to Boss's money, equal in value to this street." Minezaki Yaeko chuckled lightly. "So, to repay the debt, your father pawned you off to Boss."

"Dad!" Yukihira Soma's expression shifted.

"Hahaha..."

Yukihira Joichiro laughed heartily, and after a long moment, grinned:

"Soma, it can't be helped. Besides clearing the debt, I used you to get ownership of this street."

"In other words, you're worth two streets. Isn't that a pretty good deal?"

Yukihira Soma could hardly believe his ears, feeling like he was about to collapse.

Even hearing it firsthand, he still refused to believe his own dad had sold him off.

That dad who always competed with him in cooking and was never that reliable—turned out... he was this kind of scumbag!

"What... will happen to me? Sold off to dig mines in Africa? Or will I be dismantled and sold off as individual parts?"

Yukihira Joichiro caught on instantly—his son was overthinking it.

He felt both amused and a little annoyed.

I'm your dad, have some faith in me, will you? How could I sell you off to dig mines?

"Of course not! You're transferring to a Chef Academy, where you'll spend the next three years. That's the condition."

"Just... that's it?" Yukihira Soma was utterly baffled. "Just a transfer, and we get a whole street?"

"That's right! Not a bad deal, is it? If you were in my shoes, Soma, would you take it?"

"Probably... yeah."

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't pissed off.

"You bastard dad! Selling me off without even discussing it. So, what kind of Culinary School is it? Are there a lot of skilled chefs there?"

Yukihira Joichiro didn't answer, instead glancing at Shirou, waiting for him to explain.

Shirou nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "It's still being prepared. It hasn't officially opened yet."

"What?" Yukihira Soma exclaimed. "The school hasn't even opened, so why are you already recruiting students?"

"Don't worry. At most a week, and everything will be ready." Shirou said with a smile.

"A school thrown together so hastily—is it really okay?"

Yukihira Soma hesitated. "I guess I have to go, don't I?"

"What do you think?" Shirou shot back.

"Yukihira, this is a good thing." Minezaki Yaeko smiled at him. "Just the enrollment subsidy alone covers an entire street—if word gets out, plenty of people will be jealous. Besides, don't you want your restaurant back?"

Yukihira Soma fell silent. It really was a deal that felt like manna from heaven.

If he agreed to enroll, he'd not only get his restaurant back but also reclaim the whole street for his neighbors.

No, wait—they'd treated him like garbage yesterday. He couldn't let them use the shops for free. He'd charge rent!

"Fine, I'm in!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Yukihira Soma frowned and hesitated.

"Hold on... your voice sounds familiar. Were you that... fat guy from yesterday?"

"It was me." Shirou nodded slightly.

"That's impossible! How can someone lose that much weight in a single day? Even surgery wouldn't recover that fast!"

"Well... technology is pretty advanced these days. You should keep up with medical breakthroughs instead of staying cooped up in the kitchen."

Yukihira Soma was at a loss for words. He really did spend all his time in the kitchen, barely paying attention to the outside world.

But... has medical tech really reached the point where a fat guy can slim down overnight? Then why are there still so many fat people on the streets?

Yukihira Joichiro glanced between them and let out a quiet sigh. The road had been rocky, with more than a few close calls, but in the end, things worked out.

Nighttime, Sakurai Residence.

The sprawling house was empty except for Sakurai Shirou.

That afternoon, he'd deliberately given all the servants the day off. Now, standing alone under the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, he ensured no one would disturb him.

From last night's tests, self-targeting jutsu like the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique worked normally.

But outward-release jutsu like the Water Prison Jutsu and Great Waterfall Technique were partially weakened, while others functioned fine.

He wondered if the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu would work.

Not that he wanted to see that woman again—he just wanted to test the technique's effects. Nothing more.

Soon, a black van pulled through the iron gate of the courtyard.

Two men in black suits carried a man strapped to a stretcher out of the vehicle and set him on the ground.

"Boss, this is the death row inmate we bought from the prison overnight, as you requested."

"What crime did he commit?"

"After killing his wife, he... and his daughter..."

"I see. A complete scumbag, through and through."

"Boss, do you have any other orders?"

"No. You can go."

Watching them leave, Sakurai Shirou took a deep breath and began forming hand seals.

"Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu!"

A puff of white smoke. The man lost his life, but nothing else changed.

Clearly, the jutsu had activated successfully, but it failed to pull the target's soul over.

"Failed?"

It was expected. Not every world had a Pure Land like that.

"Fire Style - Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Two consecutive jutsu, and the courtyard returned to its original stillness.

Chapter 62: Like-Minded People

Section 62: Like-Minded People

Soon, inside the White Mist Space.

"You really did try it, huh."

After shaking hands with Sakurai Shirou, Slime Shirou chuckled cheerfully.

"Just testing a jutsu. Nothing more." Sakurai Shirou said flatly.

"I get it, I get it! No need to explain."

Slime Shirou laughed softly, then turned and bumped fists with Demon Lord Shirou, who had just entered.

Their palms met, and in an instant, their memories and emotions connected.

"Ohhh... you opened a manga shop? But why manga?"

"Because I like reading manga."

"I like it too! But with the rise of the internet, physical book sales are bound to decline. No matter how you look at it, this is a dead-end path, right?"

"Not that fast. Where I am, it's only 2004. Physical manga can still thrive for at least another twenty years."

"2004?" Tohsaka Shirou suddenly spoke up.

This familiar time period made him unconsciously think of the Fifth Holy Grail War, ten years from now.

The other Shirous who arrived one after another shook hands with him, then showed knowing expressions, turning their gazes toward Demon Lord Shirou.

"Does the Earth you're on have Fuyuki City?" Mizukage Shirou mused. "Because you're not a native of that other world—you're a Transmigrator. So after using magic, it's possible you transmigrated back to your original Earth."

Demon Lord Shirou pondered this, rubbing his chin in silence.

Indeed, it was a very real possibility.

Suppose, in the story of The Devil is a Part-Timer, Earth and the other world were sister worlds.

Then, for now, let's call that Earth Earth A.

And he himself had transmigrated from Earth B to the other world.

That meant, when he transmigrated back from the other world to Earth, there was a high chance he wouldn't return to Earth A, but rather to Earth B—or even Earth B1, B2, B3, and so on.

The version of himself on Earth B was Shirou Kotomine, while the versions on Earth B1, B2, and so on might be Shirou Emiya.

"I'll look for Fuyuki City when I get back."

"Not just Fuyuki City—check for other cities too," Celestial Dragon Shirou said with a grin. "It might not just be A or B; could be C or D, you know."

"Mm. No need to worry about funds now. I'll buy a computer later and do a thorough search." Demon Lord Shirou nodded slightly.

"Right. How would you know if the place you live in is just an ordinary Earth without looking?" Celestial Dragon Shirou laughed, glancing at Tsukimi Shirou with a teasing wink. "You've been having quite the romantic luck lately."

"No! That's not romantic luck at all—it's pure hell on earth."