Okita Souji

"If this is hide-and-seek, let's end it here, agent of the Counter Force. Tell me, what did the Counter Force send you here to do?" Shirou said to the mysterious person in the black cloak standing before him in the alley.

"Hmm, were you able to find me after all?" The mysterious person lifted the hood covering their face. They had shoulder-length cherry-blossom pink hair, a single ahoge on top of their head, and a standard ahoge face. Their identity was all but revealed: the samurai of the Shinsengumi, Okita Souji.

"As expected, just as the Counter Force said!" Okita Souji let out a long sigh of relief, speaking with an expression of 'just as I thought.'

Hearing the other party's words, Shirou immediately became vigilant. His Zanpakuto was already unsheathed and held before him. He questioned, "The Counter Force's target is me?"

Although he didn't know Okita Souji's combat prowess, if she could be an agent of the Counter Force, her combat ability must be considerable, at least on par with Red Archer. While the latter performed poorly in FSN, he still managed to defeat seven opponents and end the Holy Grail War in one night. Shirou had to treat her with caution.

"Hey, don't be so tense! The existence of 'Emiya Shirou' is special to this world; even the Counter Force can't easily erase you. I came to find you for another reason!" Seeing Shirou's "ready-to-fight-at-a-moment's-notice" demeanor, Okita Souji immediately raised her hands to the height of her ears to signal she had no hostile intentions, explaining to Shirou.

"I can't trust you." Although he said this, Shirou still lowered his Zanpakuto. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Shirou found it difficult to attack Okita Souji in her current state. On the other hand, Shirou also somewhat believed her words. Firstly, Emiya Shirou was one of the main characters of this world. Secondly, if the Counter Force truly wanted to do something to him, they wouldn't have waited until now.

"State your purpose. Souren Araya is dead. If you're here for him, you wouldn't show up only after he's died," Shirou said coldly.

After all, he was quite confident in his own perception abilities. Okita Souji, who had suddenly appeared, was as conspicuous as a bright lightbulb at night in his senses. It was precisely because of this that Shirou had followed her alone.

"Do you know about the Holy Grail War in another world?" Okita Souji asked.

"A war between the Red Faction and the Black Faction, seven Servants against seven Servants. However, a rogue priest who wanted to materialize human souls appeared halfway through, and in the end, the rogue priest was stopped by a village girl and an artificial human." Shirou didn't hold back, spilling out all the plot details of FA that he knew.

"Mm, that's right," Okita Souji nodded at Shirou, confirming his statement.

"It should have been as you said, but in one timeline, there was a problem with the artificial human who was supposed to defeat Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Following this path, he will be defeated in his confrontation with the opponent, and this timeline will collapse due to the extinction of humanity."

"If that's the case, then let's just abandon this timeline," Shirou said. "Anyway, according to the theory of parallel worlds, there are many parallel worlds. It's not much to add this one, nor is it much to lose it."

"If only it were that simple," Okita Souji said with a wry smile. "There are many timelines that are branches of this one. If this timeline were truly lost, the loss would be immeasurable. The Counter Force cannot bear such a loss, and this is the meaning of our existence as agents."

In Shirou's previous life, there was indeed the concept of a World Tree, but it was just a concept. Shirou didn't know if it was true or not. Seeing Okita Souji's appearance, she didn't seem to be faking it. Shirou decided to ask her some questions. "Answer me a few questions, I ask, you answer.

Question one: After telling me all this, what do you need me to do?"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Okita Souji knew this was a done deal! (Great, it looks like there's hope! Miss Okita wins again!) So she quickly replied, "The Counter Force wants me to find you to participate in the Holy Grail War and stop Amakusa Shirou Tokisada."

"Question two: Why me?"

"The Counter Force said you understand everything and are the best candidate."

Shirou nodded. If that was the case, then the Counter Force had basically acknowledged his existence. This left only the last question:

"Question three: What can I get?"

"Huh? You want compensation?" Okita Souji took half a step back in surprise, her face flushing with an unnatural blush.

Shirou frowned and said, "What, am I supposed to work for the Counter Force for free?"

"Sigh, alright! Regarding the compensation, the Counter Force also told me," Okita Souji sighed, striking a pose of dejected defeat. "The compensation for this matter is already standing before you."

Shirou tilted his head, then—one, two, three—

"Huh?"

"Hey! What's with that unreasonable look on your face! I haven't even said anything about being the compensation yet! Hurry up and say it, are you agreeing or not?"

Looking at Okita Souji's flustered expression, Shirou suddenly understood why she was offered as compensation. No matter how you looked at it, Red Archer, with his excellent combat skills and all-around domestic abilities, was more reliable than Okita Souji.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Huh? You agreed so readily, what's with that?" Okita Souji said in disbelief.

"There's nothing strange about it! Combat and pain can make a person stronger. If I want to protect the people around me, I must become stronger. The Holy Grail War is a good opportunity. The reason is sufficient, and the compensation is adequate. I have no reason to refuse," Shirou replied calmly.

In reality, asking about compensation was just a formality. He simply felt that three questions were better than not. In other words, even without compensation, he would have agreed to Okita Souji's request to fight in the Holy Grail War.

Poor Miss Okita, just by going through a formality, she inexplicably became Shirou's compensation. However, from this, it could also be seen that the Counter Force attached great importance to this matter, otherwise, they wouldn't have handed over a Servant as compensation to Shirou.

"When do we leave?" Shirou asked. He was always a doer who acted immediately after making a decision.

Okita Souji was a qualified executor. When it came to serious matters, she immediately adjusted her state, returning to the serious demeanor they had when they first met. "The Counter Force said that as long as you, Master, agree, we will depart immediately."

"Huh? You changed your address so quickly. No, what do you mean by immediately—" Before Shirou could even finish speaking, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

"Okita Souji, I'll..." (epic rant incoming)