That Year, My Hands Were in My Pockets

"Who gave you permission to speak here? Do you even have the right? You're nothing but a lowly live-in son-in-law of the Zhou Family, and yet you dare to speak before the Family Elders? You're not even fit to polish their shoes."

"Oh, look who it is. Shirou Emiya, the Zhou Family's live-in son-in-law. Quite the big shot, aren't you? You're not worthy of the Wa Lord. She's about to divorce you."

"Here's the divorce agreement. Sign it..."

"Dragon King, the three-year term has come..."

Since he had no clear idea of the Zhou Family's actual household customs, Shirou's mind automatically flashed through a series of utterly ridiculous crooked-mouth Dragon King plotlines.

He focused his gaze on the so-called "Family Elders" the Wa Lord had mentioned, and sure enough, each one was a withered old man covered in wrinkles, their lower bodies coiling in the same serpentine form as the Wa Lord's. Their pupils were dimmer and colder than hers, and they wore ancient multicolored ceremonial robes embroidered with patterns of mountains, rivers, stars, and exotic birds.

The one seated at the head spoke first: "Which family's son is this? What is his bloodline?"

That elder's gaze examined Shirou Emiya like an exquisite object, making the latter feel uncomfortable deep down, though he held it in check with the Wa Lord beside him.

"Good bearing, vigorous blood and qi, dragon-like vitality, solid foundation... but if he is of lowly blood, he shall not set foot through the Zhou Family's gate."

Another elder spoke, his eyes fixed on Shirou, but his words directed at the Wa Lord.

The Wa Lord was unsurprised. Bloodline supremacy—that was the ironclad rule set for thousands of years. But this time was different. In her eyes, Shirou was someone who could change the era. "What I value isn't bloodline. Open your eyes and look at the world. What era is this? The rules need to change."

"?" This time, all the Family Elders' gazes converged on the Wa Lord. One of them huffed accusingly, "You wish to alter the ancestral laws for your own selfish desires?"

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

Shirou Emiya discreetly tugged at the little girl Wa Lord's sleeve. Setting aside the lack of deep affection between them, even though the Wa Lord was cute and beautiful, she looked far too young. He wasn't about to "plunge into the depths of the Zhou Family" just for her sake...

But then again, the Wa Lord had said the elders were feudal in their thinking, and most ancients married young. Did they actually think the Wa Lord's appearance was marriageable age?

In truth, he couldn't actually say that to the Wa Lord. Her reaction would surely be an indignant outburst about how she looked young but wasn't actually young—she'd been an adult for ages...

Shirou was lost in these idle thoughts when the Wa Lord winked at him, her expression confident, as if to say, Relax, relax, it's not a real marriage. I've got everything under control. Just play along and watch me work—then wait for the surprise at the finale!

So, under the gaze of everyone present, the Wa Lord raised her hand and waved:

"Guards! Bring forth the Dragon Severing Platform!"

The Family Elders' faces filled with shock. What the hell are you doing? You, the head of the Zhou Family, are trying to stage a coup against the Zhou? Have you no discipline?

Then, under everyone's tense watch, the Wa Lord grabbed the massive bronze greatsword presented to her—the family's heirloom—and lifted it high...

...before placing it in Shirou's hands.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The elders, who had nearly had heart attacks from the tension, relaxed slightly, but their tone didn't soften. In their view, the Wa Lord was just showing off her military strength without actually intending a bloody confrontation. She was only trying to intimidate them, overwhelming them with sheer presence before handing the Dragon Severing Platform to her weak, low-bloodline attendant. (Shirou: ?)

"Hmph. Shirou, draw it out and let the elders see. Let them judge for themselves!" The Wa Lord stood with her hands in her pockets, her small face proud, as if she didn't know what it meant to have an opponent.

...And so Shirou Emiya gripped the Dragon Severing Platform and drew it straight out.

"Huh?"

Why did you just draw it out? What about the seal? The trial of the living spirit? How can you skip the process?

The elders were dumbfounded.

Ahem. The Wa Lord started signaling Shirou again from beside him—play along, bring some presence.

Got it. Shirou nodded, and in an instant, he poured magical energy into the blade, awakening the Dragon Soul.

Rumble—!

A great wind rose from the ground, and then a vast, deep Dragon's Roar erupted from the blade, like rolling thunderclaps. The elders' faces twisted in shock and anger, their beards and hair bristling, their ornate ceremonial robes blown into disarray. But then a fierce will seeped out from the Dragon's Might, piercing into the old men's decaying spirits, filling them with terror. In their daze, they saw a massive eye filling the entire sky, glaring down at them with cold, brutal violence...

Several cries of alarm rang out as a few elders made fools of themselves. By the time they all snapped back to reality, the world had calmed. Shirou Emiya had already sheathed the sword, keeping his head down, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, acting as if he knew nothing.

The Wa Lord knew when to stop, reining in the smugness on her face. "Shirou's talent is unparalleled. He is an Artifact Forging Genius. His mastery of magical tools and artifacts is unmatched in the world... He has now formed a cooperative contract with the Dragon Spirit of the Dragon Severing Platform, allowing him to borrow its power."

The elders had barely settled their thoughts when the Wa Lord's words stirred up another storm... Over the years, they had only ever heard of the Dragon Severing Platform testing people without negotiation—simply put, the living spirit of the platform asked a single ultimate question. Those it deemed worthy lived; those it deemed unworthy had their consciousness drained and died on the spot.

Back when the Wa Lord had used the Dragon Severing Platform, she had been pulled into a mental space to undergo the living spirit's trial. The question had been about the Observer Effect: "When the observer disappears, does the observed world disappear along with it?" The Wa Lord had spent two days and two nights in that mental space debating the question with it, a razor-edge clash of wits, finally ending the argument with a line from the Diamond Sutra: "Give rise to the mind that abides nowhere."

Who would have thought this young man would just negotiate with the Dragon Severing Platform and set up a cooperative contract? What kind of approach was that?

Finally, an elder steeped in an aura of decay spoke up. "What does this so-called cooperation with the Dragon Severing Platform entail...?"

Shirou replied, "I can use this artifact's power at will. In the future, I'll help repair half of its blade and make it whole."

"Impossible! Absolutely not!" The elder stroked his white beard. "The Dragon Severing Platform is the Zhou Family's emblem and heirloom. How can an outsider be allowed to use it freely? Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Another elder finished the thought: "Unless he marries into the Zhou Family." Once he entered the Zhou household, bound by marriage and rooted there, he would naturally be subject to Zhou Family discipline, and it wouldn't count as reckless behavior.

Can you people not get the word "live-in son-in-law" out of your heads?

Shirou's eyelids twitched. Then, a flash of inspiration struck, and he exchanged a glance with the Wa Lord. He lightly tapped the Dragon Severing Platform's scabbard with his hand.

A wisp of Dragon's Might seeped out.

A familiar scene followed... The elders' faces turned pale and green again. Agreeing to a marriage was already a big concession—and now they wanted to push further?

Shirou thought to himself, Old men, this is like ceding five cities today and ten tomorrow. Better to just give in to the Wa Lord now and get a good night's rest.

At that moment, the Great Qin Wa Lord, who had been staring down the elders like a tiger menacing the six feudal lords, finally raised her sword to part the floating clouds and said calmly, "I have one thing to say. Please listen quietly..."