Chapter 73

It looks like Kazuma Satou is about to start a fight.

Shirou Emiya actually reached out and shouted:

"Kazuma... no! Brother, wait a minute!"

"Hmm... what's wrong?"

Kazuma Satou turned his head. "Do we still need to discuss tactics? Let's just fight him!"

"Who cares if we can beat him or not? Let's just skin this BOSS alive first. We can earn more Fate Coins next time. Brother, you can't let this go!"

Thanks.

Shirou Emiya stepped forward and placed his hand on Kazuma Satou's shoulder:

"Actually, I brought you here... to see if you have any ideas."

"Last time I was blinded by my emotions, and I even got beaten up by Ryuguuin..."

"I was a little angry with him before, but I thought it through after I got back."

"He's right. No matter how realistic this place is, it's still just a game. If I want to save everything, what I need to do is... calmly explore, not vent my emotions."

"OK".

Kazuma Satou nodded, unbowed the arrow, and tucked the bow behind his back.

He spat towards [Kirei Kotomine], then entered a state of deep thought:

"Then, is there any information you've missed?"

"Hmm, let me think about it."

Shirou Emiya looked at Kirei Kotomine, recalling the test their team had taken last time:

"Last time, I noticed that Ryuguuin Seiya had a countdown timer above his head. He wouldn't attack us randomly until the countdown ended."

Kazuma Satou found it quickly.

[Current remaining time for accepting the task: 05:55:59 (total 6 hours)]

[Note: This quest will be cancelled after completion, and [Kirei Kotomine] will personally find a new NPC to complete it.]

"Um?"

Kazuma Satou typed a question mark.

Is it possible that this quest, which is accepted by players, will extend to NPCs?

Shirou Emiya stepped forward to check the red countdown:

"That's right. The reason we accepted this task last time was that if we didn't accept it, it would proceed automatically."

Secondly, they said, "You might accept it... because we weren't familiar with each other back then."

"Miss Makise said at the time that as long as it was posted in the group, you would all understand, but I didn't think that much about it at the time."

"I'm sorry for causing you unnecessary trouble."

Kazuma Satou and Shido Itsuka waved their hands dismissively.

There's really no point in making a fuss about something like this happening to a friend; besides, neither of them are the type to hold grudges over such things.

"This mission... is definitely one we have to accept."

Kazuma Satou stroked his chin, pondering.

My good brother's sister—he might even be able to find a girlfriend through that, if I didn't tell him.

Ahem, even if we don't mention such delusions, we still need to protect ourselves.

"Did you receive any new notifications after accepting the request?"

"Some,"

Shirou Emiya spoke with an extremely complex expression:

"It will prompt... [Shirou Emiya]'s affection level has been reduced by 50."

"It will also reveal my sister [Illya]'s current location on the map."

"Oh... um?"

Kazuma Satou nodded calmly at first, then suddenly turned around and stared wide-eyed at Shirou Emiya:

"You mean [Shirou Emiya] lost 50 points in affection?"

"Wait... is this the only one?"

"Yes, there's also an NPC whose name isn't displayed that increases your favorability."

"..."

Kazuma Satou stared at Shirou Emiya's face, feeling as if he had grasped the key point, but this guess was a bit too far-fetched, and he didn't dare to move in that direction for a moment.

He shook his head:

"Fine, Shirou, then let me ask you something."

"What?"

Kazuma Satou pointed to the [Kirei Kotomine] sign above and said:

"Does this barren priest assign tasks that are shared by the entire team?"

Shirou Emiya couldn't quite keep his composure when he heard this address, and coughed slightly.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Hmm, I have an idea."

Kazuma Satou took out the map and held it in his hand:

"Where on the map did you last see [Illya] marked?"

"We didn't see her at the station park because that guy was blocking the way. This task is still on our shoulders."

Shirou Emiya answered instantly.

"Oh?"

Kazuma Satou looked at the map; the station park was right beneath Fuyuki Central Park.

He finally understood why Shirou Emiya.

My absurd guess was indeed correct.

The [Shirou Emiya] in this game should be the [Archer] who blocked the bridge!

If you think about it that way, then there's no problem.

Everything makes sense now.

Trying to rip out someone's older sister's heart right under her brother's nose? You'd be lucky if he didn't ejaculate.

And the one who accepted the mission was... Shirou Emiya himself, which is the most ridiculous part, even though his own intentions were good.

"Wow, you've changed so much, bro."

Kazuma Satou stepped forward and patted Shirou Emiya on the shoulder, looking at him with pity.

"I know your world is tough too, but don't become such a beast..."

Not only did his hair turn white overnight, but his skin also became tanned dark.

A perfectly normal teenage boy, and in such a short time, he's turned into a mysterious bridge-blocking man seeking revenge on society.

Tsk tsk tsk, the Holy Grail War turns people into demons.

"Well."

Kazuma Satou patted Shirou Emiya's shoulder hard again.

Shirou Emiya was completely bewildered by his appearance. "Huh?"

Kazuma Satou explained his plan, which was actually quite simple:

"You guys wait here. I'll go to the station park by myself to look for it first. Once I get there, I'll send you a message through the team channel. You can just pick it up here."

Shido Itsuka, who was standing nearby, overheard the entire conversation and instantly understood:

"Holy crap, Kazuma, you're a genius!"

"Since it's shared by the whole team, not everyone needs to go; someone just needs to go there in advance."

Kazuma Satou nodded:

"Once you accept the quest, there might be a way to cancel it or do it in another way. This game is different from other games... it has endless possibilities."

Shirou Emiya was a little slower to react, and by the time he realized what was happening...

Kazuma Satou had already walked out of the church alone, turning his back to them and giving them a thumbs up.

"I'll go check the situation first and see if I can find your sister."

"In short—operation begins!"

A smile appeared on Shirou Emiya's lips, but the real change was...

In those brown eyes, which hadn't changed much in the ten years since that fire.

A smile appeared for the first time.

Shido Itsuka patted him on the shoulder.

"Trust our leader."

The red-haired boy, burdened with unspoken thoughts, responded with a heavy sigh from his burning yet gradually healing heart:

"Um... thank you."

[Archer: "...(smiling with eyes closed)"]

Rin Tohsaka: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

[Kiritsugu Emiya: "...(breathes in relief)"]

Irisviel: "They're both equally dull. (Smiles)"

[Gokou Ruri: "Listen to me, thank you, Kazuma."]

[Iskandar: "Hahaha, interesting, very interesting. I never thought it could be solved this way."]

[Tet: "This is the true charm that can only come from the interaction between the game and the player."]

[Izayoi Sakamaki: "Stop talking, just give me a spot!"]

[Ichigo Kurosaki: "Give me one"]

[Tatsumi: "+1"]

——

"I think I could still eat another bite."

Kazuma Satou glanced at the time above a large advertisement on a nearby screen.

Never mind, I have more important things to do, so I'll just grab a bite at this trendy shop on the way.

Oh right, I should also remind you that we can't let Shirou Emiya and Shido Itsuka just sit there doing nothing.

Tell them to go over there and see if they can get something to eat.

[Kazuma Satou: "@Itsuka Shido Itsuka Shirou Emiya, you can have a bite, don't be nervous, it's just a game."]

[Kazuma Satou: "I remember there's a cemetery for outsiders down there. I wonder if it's dangerous."]

[Kazuma Satou: "But logically speaking, being so close to a regular evacuation point, it shouldn't be a high-revenue resource point, and shouldn't be too dangerous."]

[Shido Itsuka: "Hmm, sitting here is kind of boring."]

[Shirou Emiya: "Then I'll go with him."]

[Kazuma Satou: "Be careful. You can use a Concealment Command Spell to go in and check first. If that doesn't work, just activate Invisibility and lick a few times."]

[Shido Itsuka: "Understood, Captain"]

[Shirou Emiya: "I understand."]