Chapter 39

"Since you are an ally of justice, Emiya Shirou, do you not have a personal sense of justice?"

Not long after we met, a girl still in middle school looked straight at me and asked.

I do not remember why it happened this way.

However, I do remember what prompted me to pose that question.

Because I had answered why I became a Magician and why I studied Magic.

"Because I want to be an ally of justice."

Yes, I answered.

To that answer, to Emiya Shirou's answer, she asked.

"What's wrong? Emiya-kun, no matter what others say, do you not have an unwavering 'justice'? Do you not want to become 'justice' itself?"

"Well, although it's self-righteous and annoying, isn't it better than the 'Three Parties of Justice'? Because it looks just like a bat, using someone else's justice as a shield, discarding it when it's not 'justice', and using another 'justice' as a shield."

I was a child, and I really didn't know if I was more mature than myself, or childish, or suited to my age, but at this moment, I knew the least.

It was like an innocent child naively asking a question, and also like an old person who understood the hardships of the world, pitying a young person.

She seemed genuinely curious, as if she knew the answer but was seeking verification, or perhaps she was obsessed with something, searching for a "hope" she could not reach. Shirou's selfish thoughts.

She probably asked without even thinking.

"Hey, Emiya-kun, whose side are you on?"

The girl named Sora Shikiori was just that kind of girl.

"Sorry, Emiya."

"Don't worry, I just happened to be passing by after a long time, so I came to see your face. I'm sorry I didn't contact you in advance."

Emiya Shirou managed to end a struggle that looked like an apology, saying goodbye to Ryudo Kazunari, a friend he had known since high school, even though they only met a few times a year.

Although he felt a bit guilty.

What I said to Kazunari was not a lie.

Even now, I still consider him an important friend, so every time I return to Fuyuki, I show up whenever I have time, drinking light wine while reminiscing about the past. Neither of them lied, but the truth is I didn't come here today to see Kazunari. Kazunari was the next position to stand.

Kazunari remembered that Shirou visited Ryudo Temple around this time last year, but he didn't remember the exact date.

Shirou came on the same day last year, and the year before that too. I don't know how he came.

The reason Shirou has come here every year for the past three years is to go to Ryudo Temple, to this mountain, to that cave, to see his friend.

It is even doubtful if I can call her a friend, but that day I lost the girl I wanted to protect, and I loved her very much.

I cannot say today is my birthday. I still cannot give up. Even so, I return every year, just like visiting a grave.

And there is always the same regret.

I know that if I consider it calmly and objectively, I cannot say for sure that it is my fault.

Magicians far superior to her said so, and even Tohsaka Rin kicked Shirou on the head over and over, scolding him, "It's not your fault! No!"

Even so, Shirou's sense of guilt could not be erased.

I have too many regrets now.

It drilled a very small "hole" connecting to an adjacent Parallel World, probably comparable to a Servant's Noble Phantasm, and air flowed out from there. Mana was brought into this world and emitted in the form of a slash of light; it was a magical garment that allowed limited use of the Second Magic, a Gem Sword.

At that time, three years ago, if I could have perfectly and completely performed a Projection...

Shirou continued to regret that Sora might still be alive somewhere in this world.

If I could no longer project it... I couldn't think of anything. Without this, Fuyuki City would have been destroyed even by the smallest loss.

Three years ago today was also the day the Sixth Holy Grail War ended, and the day it was decided that the Holy Grail War would no longer occur in Fuyuki.

It was also the day the Greater Grail was destroyed.

In the Fourth Holy Grail War, Matou Sakura, Shirou's precious junior, friend's sister, and lover's sister, was experimentally turned into the Lesser Grail by having fragments of the contaminated Holy Grail implanted in her heart.

Due to the influence of the contaminated Greater Grail, most of her personality was consumed by amplified negative emotions, and she lost control. As a powerful weapon to stop her from trying to activate the Curse of the Greater Grail itself, Shirou projected.

A few years ago, we faced each other and accepted the future Archer when we parted, but this was possible because the accuracy of Projection Magic had certainly improved since then.

The theory was too complex, and Shirou couldn't understand the mechanism of this garment at all, so he managed to speculate on it by analyzing the Material and structure. But honestly, at first, it didn't function as a "Sword," and I couldn't feel any Mana. It looked more like a gaudy jewel club, so I could imagine what it would be like. I was worried, but it was relatively easy to prove that my anxiety was unfounded.

Sakura drew infinite Mana from the Greater Grail to attack the Shadow Familiar and the giants, but "Since we have to stop Sakura's rampage, the most needed are Shirou and Tohsaka-kun, so the two of them must be there." It had almost nothing to do with you, and would focus on clearing the way. Sora and her Servant took over almost all of the shadow army.

Then, the Shadow Familiar, which should have had the strength of a Servant, was truly cut down by Shirou's projected Gem Sword, protecting them.

Not only Shirou, but even Tohsaka Rin and Sakura herself thought that it must have been thanks to Sora and Karna that they were able to save Sakura.

Sakura was driven out of control by negative emotions, but she didn't want to hurt Shirou and Tohsaka Rin, nor did she want them to hurt her, so the two had no weapons and were unarmed. Sora and Karna were hurt by the aftermath of attacks they couldn't stop, and they reached out to Sakura, trying to save her from the field of darkness.

If Shirou and Tohsaka Rin had attacked Sakura with some means of attack, Sakura would have said in despair, "I don't need myself, I just want to die." This might not even have touched my heart.

I only have gratitude for both of them. However, Shirou, Tohsaka Rin, Sakura, and of course the Servant Karna, could not even thank Sora.

Sakura came to her senses.

However, a person's spirit is the mud of the Greater Grail, "All the World's Evils," and the more Sakura regained her sanity, the more the irreconcilable Curse eroded her body and mind.

"Kanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Thus, she let out a loud cry and gave the order.

The Gem Sword, overestimated as a replica or a fake. Sora laughed happily, unable to feel the pain in his arm as compensation for the effect, and waved the Sword to command.

She must have been smiling so happily because she believed this was the end, that she would be saved.

"I will break the Holy Grail, so take everything inside it!"

He obeyed that order.

"Understood, Master!!"

Even though the Mana bestowed upon him was not perfect and he was forced to bear a Heavy burden, he still responded with a smile, filled with immense pride.

As if waiting for that command all along, and as if saying that receiving that command was the supreme honor, the sunlight of his father himself flickered in his eyes.

The golden armor that had originally become a part of Karna's body was torn off and separated; the feather ornaments thought to be attached to his back spread out, turning into identical wings, and Karna became a massive hollow cavity.

Just at this moment, Sora swung down the raised Sword.

"Old man!

While saying the name of the fake sword named after his teacher, and while telling his usual jokes, he turned it into a fake, turned it into the real thing—a slashing strike of light that scraped away everything, splitting the defiled, twisted, and insane Holy Grail in two.

The slash of light split the Container in two, burning away what was inside, but what polluted the Holy Grail was the black mud. All the World's Evils spilled out.

However, before the mud, which was more than the Holy Grail itself, could swallow Shirou, Sakura, and Tohsaka Rin and overflow into Fuyuki, it was released.

"——I can't even say 'this' is correct.... But 'you' exist, even if it isn't what 'you' wanted, even if it is something that was enshrined. 'You' didn't do it to save yourself... still, it is very precious."

This is why we end here. All the World's Evils"

Until this moment, even the noble hero who was merciful to such a "thing" had a flicker of pity in his eyes, but when the spear granted by Indra that could destroy even gods lit up, the same light appeared in his eyes as well.

"《Burning to Death》 oh sunlight, follow the death Vasavi Shakti'!!"

Perhaps if Karna had truly been operating at full power, even if the cave collapsed and the mountain itself vanished, forming a massive crater, the damage caused would have been smaller; this was far more difficult than operating at full power. He was as relaxed as possible.

Even so, that "mud" rising like a tsunami and about to surge in, just as Sora's command and Karna's declaration stated, instantly turned into nothingness.

That should have been the end of it.

That twisted, broken, and insane Holy Grail War ended just like that.

Originally, as a Magician with no particular talent, it was impossible for Sora to possess enough Mana to deal with a non-standard Servant above the fifth rank of Gilgamesh.

Karna probably hadn't even released half of his power, but even for that one strike, she had drawn her remaining Mana to the limit and then exhausted it.

After Karna used the Noble Phantasm All the World's Evils and evaporated, the Greater Grail was immediately and thoroughly destroyed, causing Sakura to become `All the World's Evils this was absolutely the reason why the sky suddenly fell like a broken string the moment I let go of my consciousness.

However, what happened immediately after was the cause of "that" behind her; no one, let alone Shirou, knew exactly what this "that" was. No one.

A crack streaked across the space behind the sky.

The crack turned into a large "hole," and the falling sky headed toward the "hole" behind it. Imaginary Uro Shirou and Tohsaka Rin could only watch with wide eyes.

"! Master!"

Only Karna could move.

I think he didn't understand the current situation, what "that" was, or what had happened.

Despite this, he ran out, reached out his hand, jumped into "that" without hesitation, supported the sky, and pulled the sky up.

But "that" plunged even the Demi-god hero into darkness.

Shirou and Tohsaka Rin could not understand the current situation and stared in a daze for a long time. At most, it was a ten-second event.

Just like that, everything was over.

When Shirou and Tohsaka Rin shouted her name and reached out their hands, the crack that had formed in space closed as if playing in reverse, and when they rushed up and dashed in, there was simply no such thing as a "space crack."

Those things were all gone.

The sky and Karna, everything.

Sora Shikiori, there was no one left, to the point where it was doubtful whether the girl named Sora had ever really existed.

"... If you were there, you would say, 'Well, are you afraid of things that have nothing to do with you?' and then kick my ass."

Talking to himself with a bitter smile, Shirou sat down on a park bench and looked up at the blue sky that shared the name of the missing girl.

The wish to be driven away like three years ago, as expected, would cause misunderstandings if spoken aloud, so he kept it in his heart.

This sense of guilt would repeat itself with unanswered questions.

Knowing.

I still don't know what that crack in that space, that "that" which swallowed the sky and Karna, was.

However, Shirou eventually tied them together.

Sora and Karna holding it, falling together without letting go... I can't shake the thought that this was caused by Shirou's Projection of the "Jewel Sword."

The performance of the Jewel Sword is that it can pierce a small "hole" that a human cannot pass through, Mana being brought into this world, and the limited use of the Second Magic shot as a light slash.

Because my Projection was imperfect, because I had no experience, because of the effect of that clothing, because the Jewel Sword was poorly made, it wasn't a "micro-hole," but a hole large enough to pass through. Wasn't it?

After all, because it was imperfect, what connected to that hole wasn't the "Parallel World" next to it, but the gap between "worlds," a place where one could go nowhere and could not become anything?

Wasn't she trapped in the "between heaven and earth" where she would rather die?

From that day on, the day the sky disappeared, those thoughts and worries never dissipated.

And no matter how logically this thought and anxiety were explained and proven, Shirou was not convinced.

With this, the Fourth Holy Grail War ended. It had become a Curse that would not disappear unless Sora returned safely, just like how he survived that great Fire.

I felt sad for being alive, felt a kind of guilt that made even breathing feel scorching, a Curse that made you want to tighten it hard.

Although Shirou carried such a Curse, he was still alive.

I remember the reason I am alive, the reason I can be alive.

The existence of the girl named Sora Shikiori had now become a Curse that made one want to commit suicide, but at the same time, she was also like the memory of meeting the Knight King who never faded, and the existence of the woman he loved. I want to live.

To remember this, Shirou always stopped at this park after leaving Ryudo Temple.

I remember on this park bench.

I remember the conversation we had on this bench that day.

"Then what are you going to do! Should I hand you over to that girl now? That kind of thing is nothing more than a follow-up blow, tearing that child's self-esteem to shreds!

I can't do this anymore! Everything is too late, too late, I have nothing left!

I have nothing left to do, but at least end it without making her suffer!!"

Her lover shouted loudly, abandoning the family teachings that Tohsaka Rin should be "elegant," and even abandoning her own stubbornness.

"You really are an idiot... We have the same interests, so if you had told me, I would have cooperated with you..."

"... I should have honestly said that I fell in love with Emiya, and Tohsaka was an Obstacle."

"Not just that. Magic too! If you had shouted that you didn't like it sooner, even on the first day of being adopted, and asked for help, it would have been annoying at first, very annoying, so I might have hit you once, but I didn't even have any Magic perfectly. So I didn't Stick! If you had known my Magic was like this, you wouldn't have craved it!"

"I helped you! Even if you are bad, stupid, and foolish, you are still my little sister!!"

The bad friend said that even at a time like this, Matou Shinji was not honest, but he still couldn't help but complain and sigh.

The black monster that appeared in the town every night, wandering around and attacking people to kill them, was supposed to never happen again, but for some reason, it did. The older sister and brother-in-law reached opposite conclusions because of the same feelings.

And Emiya Shirou had no choice.

As an "Ally of Justice," the true identity of the "villain" who should have been defeated was a symbol of daily life, someone who was like a younger sister to him, a junior he could not help but love. Because I knew the reason why I was dominated by negative emotions.

Knowing that he had trampled on Sakura's last stronghold in the cruelest way and destroyed it, he could not move.

Not knowing that the Sixth Holy Grail War had already occurred, that Sakura had become the Lesser Grail, and that Sakura and Tohsaka were actually sisters, Emiya Shirou asked Sakura for advice on notenki. I chose her as my advisor.

"... I am thinking of proposing to Tohsaka as soon as possible."

Not knowing what kind of feelings Sakura held for me, and unable to imagine the environment of her home, Emiya Shirou discovered that the Ally of Justice had actually stabbed Sakura with the cruelest blow. Realizing it.

I do not regret choosing Tohsaka. At the time, Sakura had not confessed to him, so it would have been too presumptuous not to choose.

However, looking back, I can only think of a few things, but I want to kill myself because I had no awareness of Sakura's feelings at all.

If he had noticed, if he had just guessed, "Maybe...", at least the regret of not being able to escape such a terrible final blow made everything about Emiya Shirou stop.

As an Ally of Justice, I did not notice that the girl was the "victim" who needed my help the most, and in the cruelest way, I turned the girl into a "perpetrator." I sat alone on a park bench in the middle of the night, head down, ironically thinking that my breathing and heartbeat would not stop.

If he attacked people day and night, he eagerly hoped that Sakura would attack him and kill him, so that his resentment could be Eliminated a little.

However, the wish did not come true.

On a midwinter night, the person Emiya Shirou met in the park was not Sakura.

"What are you doing, classmate Emiya?"

A girl who was nothing like Sakura, yet treated her like a younger sister, stood before him before he knew it, tilting her head.

He was covered in wounds and tattered, and by his side, there was a handsome young man who clearly seemed to be even higher than a human.

The experienced Emiya Shirou knew very well that Sora was the master of the Holy Grail War, and the young man beside her was a servant.

I do not know if it was because I had a vague imagination, or because of despair, that even such movement stopped in my heart.

However, to this empty question, he moved slightly.

"What are you all doing? Classmate Tohsaka, classmate Matou Shinji, are you going to leave classmate Sakura alone?"

By this time, she already knew most of the situation on Emiya Shirou's side.

The only thing he did not know was that Emiya Shirou had already stopped in despair.

"... It's fine now."

"Hmm?"

Emiya Shirou answered the empty question listlessly.

"It's fine, I can't do anything anymore... I... hurt Sakura, but... I was prepared to kill Sakura, I wasn't prepared to protect you... I don't know what to do..."

"So... I'm not doing anything... This is the best thing."

"That's fine, isn't it?"

Hearing Emiya Shirou's answer, Sora immediately responded angrily. However, as usual, I could not scold him, saying "a girl shouldn't talk like that," and I couldn't even deny it.

Sora looked down at Emiya Shirou and said:

"Hey, classmate Emiya, whose side are you on?"

I asked the same question I asked shortly after we met.

I remembered Emiya Shirou's answer at the time, even though he was dazed.

"I stand on the side of those who seek help, want to be saved, want to live, and want to be happy."

"Of course, this kind of justice can be borrowed. But I will never switch or do anything else. I have made up my mind, even if I drown, I will not let go."

I have never forgotten. So Emiya Shirou could say nothing, remembering the answer that had left him despairingly unable to move.

"Hey, classmate Emiya, whose side are you on now? You are not classmate Sakura, classmate Tohsaka, or classmate Matou Shinji, but why don't you stand on your own side?"

"Will you give up on the 'Ally of Justice'?"

Emiya Shirou did not answer. This was the most persuasive answer.

"... Enough."

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed.

I knew it was a sigh of disappointment, a sigh of being abandoned and cast aside.

"Never mind. I won't ask again."

Leaving only that, throwing it away, the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Emiya Shirou could not even lift his head, just sitting on the park bench, continuing to keep his head down.

However, no matter what happened, whether rain or spears fell, whether the Fire of his birth appeared again, Emiya Shirou's seemingly calm face changed.

The footsteps that should have disappeared approached me again, and I could not help but lift my head.

If it were just approaching, Emiya Shirou probably wouldn't have recognized the sound, but the footsteps sounded like they were rushing toward him with immense force and speed, so he reflexively lifted his head.

By the time I realized it was not "like," but what it actually was, it was too late.

"Dara-sha!!"

"Jajanken!!"

Instead, because his head lifted, it was likely a hanging kick passed down directly from the Leader of the Edelfelt family, landing on Emiya Shirou's chest with a magnificent momentum.

"Ah!! How can this person be so unskilled at such a critical moment, and even use the Negative Spiral Great Turn!!"

It was merely a landing kick meant to give Shirou a full-force running start; naturally, the momentum of the sky and the rampage did not cease.

A landing kick delivered with artistic momentum turned Shirou and the substitute bench upside down, rolling them across the park grass; the technique Sora held over the fallen Shirou was the Dragon Couch Hold.

It is an improved sleeper hold, locking the opponent's neck from behind and gripping it from the side, then using the other arm to lock one of the opponent's arms, making it difficult to Escape. It is a profitable wrestling technique that tightens not only the neck joints but also the neck joints.

Furthermore, since the body is also restrained by a leg clamp, if Sora's legs are long, even a large opponent like Shirou can be neatly clamped with cloth, so from the side, it also has an artistic aesthetic.

Shirou is also a man, so he knows a lot about martial arts and likes them, so if you see him, you will surely be amazed. Unless it is me who is being worn.

For better or worse, while Shirou was being perfectly executed at night, regardless of age or gender, he was struggling to break free from his bonds. This alone would have already shattered Sirius from a minute ago into pieces, but Shirou could never have imagined that the Sirius, already shattered beyond destruction, would explode again.

"... Mastery."

As if to say that he was a model Heroic Spirit, he did not interfere with the interaction between Sora and Shirou; Shirou looked at Karna, who was quietly and loyally snuggling up to him seeking help, and said with a serious face: even though he was a bit troubled. Sora.

"Should I cooperate with you in some way?"

"Why!?"

Master Shirou, who had decided on the neck joint rather than the sky, couldn't help but shout at the humble yet serious route.

The doubt of this Heroic Spirit was undoubtedly not that the current Master was performing a great wrestling move on a man in his 20s (gachimuchi), but what he should truly do to help. That was a face I could truly understand.

Karna's proposal was somewhat unexpected to Sora, and she froze for a moment, but immediately regained her composure and began to say many outrageous things, saying: "Fine, then take off your stupid shoes and tickle your soles." Rice field.

"Stop it! Servant, what are you ordering a Demi-god great Heroic Spirit to do!!"

Of course, Shirou raised a voice of protest for his own sake and for Karna's, but it was the great Heroic Spirit who ignored these voices and responded.

"Understood."

"I will do it!!"

I squatted on the spot with a serious face again, took off Shirou's shoes, and when he tickled me with the fur on his shoulders, I almost died in many ways, but for some reason I was the victim, but for some reason I was like this to Karna; could it be Karna's holy virtue that made him be struck by a strange sense of guilt and regret for letting him go? Karna is not bad, but she is really annoying.

"Ah, I always thought you were an idiot, an idiot, I didn't expect you to be this silly."

Well, it's better to do nothing! Why, of all things, do you choose what you want most, when no one else wants it most!!"

Having said this, Sora finally stopped strangling Shirou. Not because I said everything I wanted to say, but perhaps because I thought if I didn't stop, I would die.

In fact, when Sora loosened the bonds and instructed Karna to stop tickling, Shirou, who had been earnestly watching the garden, had already rolled away from the two. Until a short while ago I had wanted to die, but I thought this was a cash thing, but I told myself that I didn't want to die like this, and that wasn't bad.

While I was trying to convince myself, Sora approached Shirou again, this time grabbing his chest, glaring at Shirou and saying:

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if Shirou doesn't stand on Sakura's side, or even on his own side, or gives up being an ally of justice."

It doesn't matter, shut up and be my ally!!"

"............ Teeth?"

A faint voice sounded.

Perhaps he didn't like that voice, Sora tightened his chest even more, shook Shirou violently, and announced that he had unilaterally made a decision.

"I mean I will save classmate Sakura, classmate Tohsaka Rin, classmate Matou Shinji, this town, and this world, and you, who are allergic to happiness! I don't care about justice! Because I want to do it, I am going to do it; what I want is a grand finale where everyone is saved, so as long as it isn't over yet, I won't give up on the goal of a great reversal!!"

You! How about that!? Do you really not want to do anything!? Is this the ending you truly want!?"

If it's not, if what I want to do is what you want to do, then don't be sloppy, shut up and help me!!"

This is too young and impractical idealism.

Shirou and his father-in-law encouraged him to become an ally of justice, both giving up on dreams.

That was a dream. It was too far away; it was a dream that kept me away.

But... even so, this is certainly something Shirou wants to Stick to, even if it is not justice.

You taught me something too easy to forget.

(... When you sit there, being able to remember what is important is more important than anything else, that is good, but it is hard to remember, serious is blown away.)

Shirou thought while walking.

Far from the park, Shirou's view on money was not that loose, so he went out of his way to a coffee shop for a short break.

So there was a good reason for coming here.

We only met last year. I didn't make any promises. Even so, Shirou opened the door to the coffee shop "ahnenerbe," firmly believing that he would be here.

"Hello, 'Sora's friend'. It has been a year."

As soon as I entered the door, I was called out.

The beautiful woman said it so casually that I couldn't believe her words were true.

At the age of around 20, no matter how beautiful, the word "beautiful" is a bit excessive, but her long jet-black hair, as if it had been soaked in water, was much more mature than Shirou's. Older than her. The reason was her unique blue eyes, but at the same time, her face also had a childish cuteness, making her an example of a truly beautiful woman.

Seeing such a beautiful woman, Shirou opened his eyes slightly, then smiled bitterly.

I made the same mistake last year, and although I thought I might make it again, I smiled bitterly at the expected mistake I made.

Color-woven Sora also has a beautiful appearance that could be called the best just by not saying a word, but the current her is completely different from the woman elegantly drinking tea at the cafe table.

Unlike her who represents femininity, Sora is bisexual and asexual, in a sense a beauty rarer than anyone else.

However, remembering that he could not fulfill his promise to Sora, to buy her a pie after the Holy Grail War ended, Shirou evoked the woman who mistook him for the same as last year. Sentimental.

"... It has been a long time.... End mana. It is great that you did well."

I hesitated whether to use a title like "Sir," I remembered what I had been told, and when I called out, the beautiful woman smiled with satisfaction.

With that smile, I saw that face again.

Different colors. Her eyes were deeper than the dark night, but they were definitely warm indigo, carrying light.

However, Suena's eyes were very similar to Sora's eyes.

"May I share a seat with you?"

"Go ahead. I was just about to leave."

Apparently, unlike last year, she did not seem to have much conversation with Shirou.

Even if I let her leave the note behind, Mina did not seem to have any intention of being spoiled by a man she only saw once a year, even if it was always like this, so she grabbed the note with her fair fingertips and stood up.

Then, before heading to the checkout counter, she asked Shirou.

"By the way, have you found my precious, cute childhood friend and best friend?"

Shirou lowered his eyes and answered.

"No."

She was not there; it should have been Shirou's guilt, but Shirou kept his eyes lowered and smiled slightly.

Mina also smiled at this answer.

"Yes, that is good. No news proves you are well, but don't you know that it is truly comfortable there?"

After saying this, she left the coffee shop.

Shirou felt a sense of relief from the bottom of his heart, and while recalling her happy smile and voice, he ordered the pie and tea set recommended for the day.

Last year, when I happened to come in and see her, the first time I met her, I was told she was Sora's friend, and my caution outweighed my surprise.

Called Sora's childhood friend, best friend. I would feel uneasy. Honestly, even if I remember it, it is still a bit creepy.

Just as Sora said, she seemed to see through everything; honestly, she is not someone I want to talk to for a long time.

Even so, her existence was a salvation that slightly diluted Shirou's sense of guilt.

Suna should only know that Sora is missing, but she has never considered the possibility that Sora is already dead.

She shouldn't even know that Sora is a mage, nor that she is a disciple of the Golden Wood God, but she has blue eyes, as if she has seen, as if she knows the existence of the Second Magic and the Gem Sword. She looked straight at Shirou and spoke.

"I cannot imagine she would die, I don't want to die, and I can do nothing about that."

"The reason Sora doesn't return is that the world we live in might be more comfortable. If it weren't good, Sora would return very soon."

"On the contrary, I don't want you to return. After all, if it were only a year or so, it has already been two years, and you still haven't returned."

Although there was no basis, her words were true, not comfort or hope; perhaps because it was a kind of omnipotent speech, making her look like she was talking to God.

Looking back, Shirou only then realized that among all the people related to Sora, he might be the one who believed Sora could survive only after Suna said so.

Rin said she didn't want to go to the cave with Sora on the day she disappeared, because it was like visiting a grave.

The Clock Tower's El-Melloi classroom still has an empty register.

These words made Shirou move; he was about to stop, only seeing the possibility he least wanted to believe, and slowly became unable to move again.

She told me to believe in the possibility I want to believe in, and I told my best friend to do what I want to do. I have been regretting, but I still try my best to believe and act.

I dream the dreams I want, the dreams I want, as much as the regrets of the Curse I think of.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Ah, thank you."

The pie and tea set brought to me were placed in front of me, untouched.

Then I just waited for about 30 minutes until the tea cooled completely.

Perhaps she will return, because Sora remembered the promise and suddenly appeared in the pie.

If she doesn't return, she won't come.

I want to believe that there must be something more delicious than pie in the world; I believe in this possibility.

"Sora, do you have any wishes?"

A question I once asked. At the same time, remembering the answer to that question.

Shirou believed the answer must have been realized somewhere, which is why she wouldn't return.

Sora's story shifted from the world she came from, Magic, and the Holy Grail War, to chatting about how funny the weirdos around her were, and then went off-topic; sure enough, she was hungry, so she went to the cafeteria. So we started discussing whether to have dinner, and just as everyone walked out of Sora's room toward the dining hall, Gon said casually.

"After hearing such a story, it might be wrong to think this way, but after all, if there were a Holy Grail War in this world, I would be willing to participate."

Hearing these words from Gon, everyone was a bit confused, not knowing whether to scold him for being imprudent or to feel it was childish and have a laugh.

Gon himself seemed to have noticed his rashness and added to his words with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Ah, of course, I don't want to kill any participant for my own will, and I hate getting people who have nothing to do with it involved, but when I listen to Sora's story, it's interesting to think about what kind of humans the heroes in myths and history were."

"Yeah, come to think of it, I don't want to participate in the Holy Grail War; I just want to be friends with heroes like Sora."

"That sounds like Gon."

Sora smiled slightly humorously at the answer she knew, not bothering to capture it.

Killua looked at Gon with a surprised face, as if admiring him for being a "selfless guy," and continued.

"However, it is true that even if you are called the 'Omnipotent Wishing Machine,' you usually don't suddenly come up with a wish. If I participated now, I would look forward to the Servant more than the prize."

"Leorio can't say that either; it doesn't matter if a child is pure."

"If it were me, it's impossible for people to realize their wishes by making someone unhappy."

"To the point of saying the premise is 'impossible,' Leorio is selfless and pure, isn't he? If what Leorio got was an ordinary Holy Grail instead of a corrupted Holy Grail, the world would be at peace."

Gon and Killua were excited about who should be summoned, Leorio shyly denied Sora's remarks as usual, saying "That's not right!", while Kurapika asked Sora casually.

"Wouldn't Sora want the Holy Grail?"

"Me?"

There was no special reason. Just like Gon and the others, it was just idle chatter.

However, from the moment we met, she seemed selfish, rarely saying things like "I want to do something" or "I want something" other than "I don't want to die." Even if she said it, it was just lip service, and she always put others first.

Even when she said "Let's find the Holy Grail," she said it on the premise that Kurapika would use it, never telling him what she wanted.

That is the reason I want to know.

What does she want?

I want to know how my wish for "Sora's happiness" would be realized if I obtained the "Holy Grail."

However, Kurapika's meager wish was not realized.

For a moment, Sora tried to answer, but for some reason, she looked at Kurapika, opened her eyes slightly, and then smiled gently.

That smile was exactly what Kurapika wanted, but Sora tilted her head, because she did not know why she had smiled like that at this moment.

"……A secret."

"Why is it like this?"

Even though I asked back, Sora did not answer, but instead replied with a smile.

"Haha. Then I will give you a hint.

……It has already come true. So, if I dare to say what my wish is right now, it is that it will be protected for the remainder of the future…… perhaps?"

This time, it was not just Kurapika who heard Sora's "hint"; Leorio and Gon, who were listening nearby, also did not understand and tilted their heads.

＊＊＊

"Shiki, do you have any wishes?"

"I do not have any wishes to entrust to the Holy Grail. After all, I do not want to think that there are hopeless wishes that can only be realized by relying on an omnipotent wish-granting machine."

After stating that premise, Shiki Sora smiled with a hint of sadness and replied.

"——I think I want a family."

This is a story about Katazuki Ippo.

The Sixth Holy Grail War is still in the delusion stage, so it is a vague and one-sided description, but I am temporarily satisfied with the scene where the Greater Grail is destroyed.

Additionally, I feel that Shirou's age should be about the same as, or slightly younger than, the age of Archer when he was summoned as a Servant, so I will take Archer into account when writing his tone.