Shirou's Return from the Fae Kingdom

Shirou merely mentioned wanting to end his stay, and Sakura's tears instantly began to fall.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"No, Sakura, it's not your fault..."

"Hey! Shirou! What's going on here?"

Shinji gritted his teeth, his face turning red. "Didn't we agree to go to nationals together? What about our promise to participate in the National Karuta Tournament? You're not allowed to leave!"

"No, we never made a promise like that."

With his arms pulled by the siblings, Shirou looked towards Tsuruno Matou for help.

The man, who was nominally the head of the household and usually meek and obedient to Shirou, remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"I understand. If Shirou wants to leave, we have no reason to stop him, but...

Please wait until you find suitable housing before moving out."

In the early morning, Shirou walked quietly through the streets of Fuyuki.

There were no classes today, so he had slipped out early to wander around.

"Fuyuki's housing prices are really expensive... Ah, darn it."

When he came to his senses, Shirou realized he was on an unfamiliar street.

Where was he?

Shirou looked around. Which direction was the Matou Family's house again?

"Did I get separated from Mom?"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind him.

Shirou turned his head and saw a thin, disheveled middle-aged man.

"Ah! No! Little boy, I'm not a suspicious person!"

The man waved his hands frantically in defense, but the more he explained, the more suspicious he seemed.

He wore a dirty tracksuit, and beneath his crumpled hat was hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in months. The glasses on his nose were clearly ill-fitting, and he exuded a strange odor.

He's a homeless person, Shirou thought.

"I, I'll take you to find a police officer, okay?"

The homeless man clearly knew he looked suspicious, so he offered a term that would likely convince a child.

He forced the kindest expression he could with his chapped lips. "Uncle will take you to the police station to find your Mom, okay?"

"..."

Shirou had a million reasons not to: Sorry, I don't have a mom.

Just as he was considering using subtle Magic to brush the man off, his stomach rumbled loudly.

Shirou hadn't eaten breakfast before leaving, and he had been lost in thought, so he hadn't noticed until now how hungry he was.

At that moment, the homeless man pulled a wrapped hamburger from his dirty jacket, revealing a genuine smile.

"I just got this from the back of a fast-food kitchen. Want some?"

The Fuyuki Park was shrouded in silence in the early morning.

Not far away were tents where homeless people gathered. Shirou Amamiya sat on a bench, quietly eating a cold hamburger, while the man who brought the offering watched him eat with a smile.

If a police officer saw this scene, the homeless man would at least be taken in for questioning all night as a criminal.

"My name is Shirou."

"Huh? Ah, yeah! My name is Sato!"

With Shirou initiating the conversation, they began to chat.

The homeless man's name was Sato. He apparently used to be a company employee with a decent job and a happy family.

However, he was laid off during the financial crisis a few years ago, and on top of the mountain of debt from failed stock investments, he didn't dare go home to face his wife and children. He ran away to the park and had been living as a homeless person for five years.

Simply put, he was a failure, scum. Most of the people gathered in this park were like him.

"Being homeless... maybe it suits me..."

Shirou looked at the tent made of patched-up rags beside him. "Should I come live here too? I'd only have to collect bottles and beg for food every day."

"What are you talking about!"

The homeless man's expression suddenly turned serious, and he began to lecture.

"Shirou-kun, we people are beyond saving. We're society's trash."

"But you're different, you're still young, you shouldn't be..."

"Got it, got it, I'll leave after I finish my burger, Master, stop nagging."

Sato bared his yellowed teeth and smiled, "Mm, go back to school properly."

The conversation between the two ended there.

"I'm leaving."

Shirou jumped off the bench and threw the burger wrapper into the trash can.

"Oh, oh."

Sato watched the boy leave, but he stopped halfway.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to ask, Uncle, why did you stop me just now? You're not the type to enthusiastically help others in trouble, are you?"

Faced with the boy's question, Sato could only honestly reply, "Because you're about the same age as my son..."

"I see."

Shirou nodded thoughtfully, "Sato, you're a complete piece of trash, but you're still not someone who should be lingering in this park."

"Tr-trash!?"

Shirou continued, "You have a place to go back to, so... go back to your own home."

Sato fell silent at this, his expression turning grim.

"Go home... I don't have the face to go home anymore. I abandoned my wife and child for over five years, I have no home to return to, they won't forgive me."

Shirou glanced at him, "Whether they forgive you or not is their business. But you know, asking for their forgiveness is something even trash like you can do."

"I can't... I can't go back...!"

Sato hugged his head in despair and yelled hysterically, "I owe so much money, I've been hiding all these years, I can't go back anymore...!"

Seeing his pathetic display, Shirou couldn't help but sigh: trash is indeed trash. But even such trash has a place to go back to.

The boy walked up to the man and placed his hand on his drooping shoulder.

"Sato, promise me, go get a haircut, shave your beard, and go home to see your family, okay?"

"..."

Sato looked up, tears streaming down his face.

Looking at Shirou's childish face, the man couldn't say anything. Despite his cute young appearance, his expression and gaze exuded an inexplicably strong persuasiveness—

Charisma.

It is said to be a trait possessed by only a very small number of people. Many heroic kings throughout history possessed this genius trait that could not be explained by science or Magic. As the King of Knights of the Fae, who established the "Fae Round Table" in a foreign land, Shirou naturally cultivated this miraculous trait through his experiences. Unrelated to Magic, his words were filled with divine inspiration. Furthermore, Charisma varies depending on the individual. In Shirou Amamiya's case, it should be classified... or rather, called "Leadership in Despair."

"Mm..."

After a long silence, Sato nodded as if he had made up his mind.

"I-I understand, I'll try! After being encouraged by Shirou-kun, I feel full of strength. I want to work hard, pay off my debts, and gain my family's forgiveness!"

"Very good, then I'm leaving... Speaking of which."

Before leaving, Shirou casually asked.

Sato's creditors seemed to be a yakuza family called the Fujimura Group.

Volume 1, Chapter 015: Fujimura Group

"--Hoo."

Shirou stretched lazily as he left the park. Although he had learned the way back to the Matou residence from Sato, it was still too early to go back now.

Alright, let's wander around Miyama Town.

Might as well inquire about the Fujimura Group, just incidentally.

Shirou stopped a salaryman, "Excuse me, do you know where the Fujimura Group is located?"

"Fujimura..."

The salaryman's expression turned bewildered. He glanced at the boy before quickly walking away.

How could this be? Was I not polite enough just now?

--If Shirou were just a normal seven-year-old child, he probably would have thought that.

But unfortunately, he was the Savior's companion, the Ancestor King of Britain, and had seen all sorts of social interactions.

The passerby's reaction clearly indicated they wanted no association with the organization known as the Fujimura Group.

Since that was the case, he had no choice but to pull out his ultimate trump card.

"Excuse me, do you know where the Fujimura Group is located?"

The second person's expression changed upon hearing the question, but Shirou pulled out two thousand-yen bills from his pocket.

He easily obtained the information.

This was the first principle Shirou had grasped after his return—money is omnipotent.

In this world without calamity, a religion called "capitalism" was practiced (?). As long as you had money, you could obtain almost anything you desired.

Not only in the visible world, but money was also effective in the hidden world of Magic.

According to what Makiri told him, if one had hundreds of millions of dollars, they could even obtain the highest-tier (Jewel-level) Mage's Eye.

In the past, Zouken Matou had diligently researched ways to make money for his Magic endeavors and now held vast assets overseas.

Relying on the power of money, Shirou found the Fujimura Group's base of operations, an old, unremarkable-looking office.

"Oura! This isn't a place for kids, scram home and watch cartoons!"

The tall man standing at the entrance, dressed in a black suit and black sunglasses, menacingly threatened Shirou.

No wonder the citizens kept their distance from this place, the boy thought.