Chapter 303: After the Fireworks Bloom
Streaks of light like rising meteors shot up into the sky one after another, emitting a searing brilliance before bursting apart, transforming into multi-colored floral fires blooming in the air.
From a seed planted in the heavens, absorbing nutrients from the air to grow and swell, the buds finally burst. At first, they were merely bright points of light unfolding; then, rotating as they changed shape, they spread massive petals. These colorful specks of light drifted across the entire sky in place of a fragrance.
The radiance illuminated the earth and reflected upon the surface of the park's lake. The water and sky merged into a single hue, appearing like two giant, iridescent flower buds blooming in the night.
The blazing sparks seemed to complete an entire lifetime in a single instant.
Humans created fireworks and projected their emotions into them. Some say that fireworks are easily cooled and life is short—that happy moments and beautiful things are prone to vanishing, and once they pass, nothing can be held back.
Others say that fireworks are essentially a mixture of unremarkable materials stacked together, yet they burn themselves to fly into the sky and show the world their most beautiful side, even if only for a moment.
A person should be like a firework, spending a lifetime pursuing their own unique spark. Live as a hero among men, and die as a champion among ghosts.
More extreme views suggest that even if one cannot leave a reputation that lasts for a hundred generations, one should at least strive for an infamy that lasts ten thousand years.
Regardless, amidst the sound of explosions and beneath the soaring fireworks, people with similar spirits and shared experiences all gazed at the same sky at this moment. No matter what choice you make, perhaps we are not truly alone.
The boy and the girls sat on the lawn, which was cushioned by damp-proof mats near the wooden benches. Some were silent, some smiled, and some cried out in surprise, tilting their heads back to look up at the flowers of fire in this shared sky.
The final firework soared higher than all the ones before it. The sound was louder, and the burst was brighter. Golden light unfurled in an inward spiral, then transformed into blue, continuing to bloom in an outward spiral.
This repeated back and forth, the colors changing again and again, until finally gathering all seven colors along with white light, forming a sharp contrast against the dark night.
Yes, on this night, humanity had planted a seed of the rainbow in the sky.
Eventually, the colorful firework faded, and the sky returned to tranquility. By the moonlight, one could see the high-altitude smoke beginning to be carried even higher by the rising wind.
The crowds on the ground, much like the grey-white smoke shifting with the wind above, began to move bit by bit, leaving the park.
Shirou and the girls packed up their things, preparing to go home. They walked along the shaded paths, exiting through a less crowded trail. Right at that moment, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Although they were heading toward a secluded path home, it was far too quiet. Shirou took another step, and it was then he felt it—a strange sensation, as if he had stepped into a miniature "Small World."
"Everyone!" When he turned around, the space behind him was empty.
"Shirou-kun, you're so cruel. Even though we were partners traveling together, you haven't contacted me once since we parted..." A dark shadow stepped out from the bushes.
Shirou scrutinized the girl in the shadows, recognizing the familiar way of speaking. "...Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
"I told you from the very beginning, the one you're familiar with is Merlin," Shirou said, spreading his hands helplessly. Eyeing this senpai who seemed somewhat off, he took two steps back, preparing to retreat outside.
"Yes, at the start, I—and probably the other girls—felt the same way. Ultimately, the account Merlin used was yours, and the photos inside were yours. People met on the internet surely imagined Merlin looking like you do now. So, at least half of it... and now Merlin doesn't matter anymore. In my heart, I love you."
"No, even so, I've refused. Matters of the heart cannot be forced," Shirou said.
"True. But it doesn't matter; we simply want to be with you. If we can't have love, then let us unilaterally withdraw the White Day return gift in advance tonight. It's also time to settle the score with those girls from just now," Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a smile.
"Wait! What's going on?" Before Shirou could get an answer, he found himself in a lush, dense forest. Even in a park, there wouldn't be a forest of this scale, which meant he had entered an alternate world?
"Welcome! To the world we built together: the Prison of Avalon."
Appearing here was a girl in magnificent ancient robes. Although her attire was similar to that of a Western dancer, her clothes were excessively lavish—a dance skirt of smooth silk. Rubies and gold ornaments hung from her arms and neck, and golden anklets adorned her fair, tender bare feet.
Her dark brown hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her black eyes gave off an impression of innocence and tranquility. In Japanese terms, she was a literary girl who possessed both intellect and sexiness. However, such a woman was holding a wood-chopping cleaver in her hand.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai?" Shirou asked in confusion, looking at the familiar girl. Because of the Pseudo-Servant possession, her features now carried more Middle Eastern traits.
"No, I am currently in my Heroic Spirit state, Lord John! We finally meet. This is our first time meeting in this life. Let me introduce myself first: I am Salome, Princess of Galilee."
"Salome? The stepdaughter of King Herod of Galilee from the BC era?" Hearing the familiar name, Shirou stared at the girl. The first thing he thought of was the world-famous Princess Salome, and he made his guess.
The girl opposite him replied, "No, I have only ever had one father. That woman simply took it upon herself to remarry Herod to maintain her power."
"What are you saying? John, come here. Let me kiss your face once more." Salome opened her arms wide, looking at the boy with eyes full of deep longing.
"I'm sorry, Miss Salome. Whether it's you or the girl you possess, you have the wrong person," Shirou argued, backing away while looking for an escape route.
"Ah, as expected, even in reincarnation, your character remains so noble. Why run? It's okay to reproach me more. Lord John, wait for me. I won't hurt you." Salome followed behind him, carrying the cleaver.
Salome was a figure mentioned in the chapters of the Bible, and her story became widely known in later generations.
The girl was a princess of a nation within Palestine. Her grandfather, Herod the Great, had once saved the great hero Caesar on the battlefield and was thus permitted to rule the entire territory of ancient Israel.
As a king, he possessed great governing talent and even provided grain to relieve the famine in Greece at the time, leading to his election as the president of the Olympic Games.
On the other hand, he was a brutal villain who attempted to kill the infant Jesus, ordering the massacre of all children under the age of two in Bethlehem. More than a decade later, he died leaving behind the reputation of a tyrant. His territory was divided into three parts for his three sons.
The girl's father, Herod Philip, died early, so her mother remarried her former husband's half-brother, Herod Antipas. He was the King of Galilee, known as Herod the Younger.
Herod the Younger not only violated the ethics of the time by divorcing his original wife for property to marry his brother's wife, but he also later set his sights on the growing, young, and beautiful Salome.
As the girl came of age, she possessed a unique charm like a budding flower. Pure and kind, she quickly drew the gaze of men inside and outside the palace, but she looked down upon these vulgar men blinded by worldly desires.
At that time, there was John, a follower of Christ, who bluntly condemned Herod the Younger's immoral behavior. However, due to his reputation, Herod and the new Queen could do nothing against him for a time.
Meanwhile, Princess Salome fell in love with John, who was as upright as a saint. She confessed to him, but she was resolutely rejected by the devout John.
Salome was not discouraged and repeatedly expressed her feelings to John, hoping her burning love would touch this upright and kind man.
However, John had dedicated himself entirely to his faith and rejected the girl.
"Please do not reject me so heartlessly. Even if it is just one kiss, Lord John, please give me a kiss."
But John still refused; he could not do such a thing to a girl for whom he felt no love.
Thus, burning love turned into scorching hatred. Princess Salome put on a silk gauze dress and performed the Dance of the Seven Veils for Herod the Younger. While he was infatuated, she requested the king for John's kiss.
Consequently, Herod the Younger sent men to behead John. His head was wrapped in precious golden silk brought from the far East and presented to Salome.
Salome took John's head, gently lowered her own, and pressed her kiss upon his lips...
The girl finally realized her wish.
In the end, Herod the Younger fell from power, and Salome could not escape the fate of those who persecute saints; she was sentenced to death.
Yes, whether it was the possessing Heroic Spirit Salome or the girl named Kasumigaoka Utaha, they would not personally harm the person they liked. They simply wanted to hold the head of the beloved, unattainable person in their arms.
"Come now, come with me, John. As long as you swear to kiss me—otherwise, the others will be coming soon. Among them is one who wants to kill you and preserve you in formalin. As long as you stay by my side, everyone can be saved. Even those girls who were swept in with you, I can release them back to the outside world."
"Sorry, Senpai! I have to go get my companions." Hearing her words and understanding that the girls were also in this world, he could not delay any longer. He had to seize every moment to find them as quickly as possible.
Just as Shirou rushed out of the forest path, he saw another girl standing there.
This was a woman with long black hair and elf-like pointed ears. She wore the black dress of a magus, with a ruff of dark purple feathers around her neck and a long cape trailing on the ground.
Shirou had some impression of her; she was a girl from a different class in the same grade at school. He had received chocolate from her earlier. She seemed to be a wealthy young lady from a good family, rumored to be somewhat willful and unreasonable.
The Heroic Spirit she had summoned through Pseudo-Summoning was Semiramis, the Empress of the ancient Assyrian Empire—a woman who would obtain whatever she set her eyes on, even if it meant starting a war or using any means necessary.
"Say, Shirou, you gave all the chocolate you received to those other women to eat, didn't you? I knew it from the start," the woman said in a dark voice, crossing her arms.
"I couldn't possibly finish that amount alone, and wasting food isn't good, so I thought I'd put some extra effort into the return gifts," Shirou said helplessly.
"I know. I forgive you," the girl said, nodding with a smile. But then, cradling her cheeks, she followed with a sinister grin: "However... in the chocolate I gave you, I stuffed over a dozen fine needles."
"What!" Shirou's eyes widened in shock.
Thinking back, Shirou recalled a conversation he had at home with Artoria.
"Shirou, some of the chocolate is a bit hard; my throat feels a little stuck..."
"Eh? Then hurry, drink some milk to wash it down." That was what he had said at the time. "Mmm... glug glug... swallowed it!"
He really hadn't thought much of it then, but now Shirou's face turned deathly pale!
He remembered that when Artoria ate chocolate, she just stuffed piece after piece into her mouth without even looking. Did she even eat the needles?
A stomach that is never full, a stomach that can digest food before it even feels stuffed—could her powerful stomach acid truly melt even metal...
How terrifying! Artoria... in many ways, she felt even scarier than the people in this current environment. No, it was thanks to her appetite that she wasn't injured; it was truly a relief.
"If I did something to make you resent me, you can just say it clearly, and we can settle it face-to-face. If I'm in the wrong, I'll compensate you properly. But causing harm to my family—that is something I will not allow!" Shirou said, staring straight at the girl.
"Because! Because! They are simply too much of an eyesore! I clearly wanted to confess to you, Shirou, but you, who treats everyone equally, would surely have rejected me. So not just me, but everyone has been enduring it.
I thought it would be fine to keep it this way. If everyone did the same, then after high school graduation, we could look for opportunities. But they suddenly appeared, hanging around you all day long," the woman roared.
"They are my friends. It's only natural for them to be around," Shirou said calmly.
"No! Since I was a child, there is nothing I haven't been able to obtain. If I can't have it, I won't let anyone else have it either! This time is no exception. If you treasure them so much, then come to my side, or else I will move against them!" the woman shouted fiercely.
"I'm sorry! But I don't treat everyone equally. They are my precious companions. I do not permit this, nor will I be friends with someone who wants to harm them," Shirou said, looking at the woman earnestly.
"Wha—" The woman angrily raised a whip, intending to lash out at the boy.
Shirou reached out and caught the whip, then instantly appeared behind the woman. Bringing his hand down in a knife-hand strike, he hit the pressure point on her neck, knocking her unconscious.
This "Small World" was very strange. For a moment, Shirou couldn't understand its principles and had no way to send the woman back to the outside world. He could only use his Mystic Eyes to create a safe tent, placed her inside, and set up a protective barrier and camouflage on the outside.
Then, Shirou continued on his way to search for the location of the other girls.
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