Chapter 308: Choose! Shirou
Following the method proposed by Merlin, it became necessary to ensure that these girls obtained spiritual satisfaction, allowing them to gain a sense of happiness that would let them set aside their hatred and resentment.
However, he hadn't expected it to be so difficult right from the start.
"Asuna, you like games too, so why don't you go talk to her?" Yukinoshita and Yuigahama looked at their friend.
"Alright, let's put that 'setting' aside for a moment. Let's just have a proper talk, okay?" Asuna spoke warmly to the girl.
"Persona? No, that's not it. Like I said! Ako is Ako, and Shirou is Shirou! We are a married couple!" Ako explained once more.
"Shirou? What exactly is the deal with this girl?" Yuigahama ran to the boy's side with a look of confusion, intending to grab his shoulder.
At that moment, Ako jumped out, blocking Yuigahama.
"Don't get so close to Shirou!" She became like a bristling kitten, standing in front of Shirou and stomping her feet in anger, acting like a cat protecting its food.
She had only just gotten away from the pink-haired "vixen," but she hadn't expected to be brought to a place with three more—and each one of them so beautiful. Ako felt like she was going to be completely outclassed.
"Shirou... just how many girls do you know?" Ako said with hollow eyes, her fingers twitching as if searching for that cleaver. Fortunately, that dangerous weapon had already been thrown away.
"There, there." Shirou pulled the girl along with a headache, finally managing to settle her down to sit on the side.
Only then did Shirou find the time to explain the situation clearly to the other girls.
"Please! Lend me a hand! I really don't quite understand the way these girls think," Shirou pleaded with the group.
Just then, a massive roar echoed from outside the dense forest, sounding as if giant monsters were engaged in battle.
"Though it sounded like nonsense at first, thinking it over, it's actually feasible. After all, aside from us who were swept in, the goal of all the other girls is actually this man," Yukinoshita pondered seriously, then looked at the boy with a biting remark.
"Hmm? What's going on? Don't they want to kill Shirou?" Yuigahama asked, not quite understanding.
"No. It's precisely because they hold hope that they feel anger and sadness, and thus want revenge. So, we just need to satisfy them."
"In that case, I shall take the place of Chaldea's Da Vinci-chan and relay information between you all," Merlin said, projecting a holographic image modeled after Chaldea's system within the girls' camp.
Shirou nodded helplessly.
"Shirou? Are you talking to someone?" Ako asked curiously.
"No, it's a partner from my Pseudo-Summoning. Let's go," Shirou said to the girl.
"Mhm! So where are we going now?" Ako stood by the boy's side, asking with a giggle.
Then, Merlin channeled the magical energy within Shirou's body to cast a massive illusion. Using his magecraft that could "deceive the world" for a short duration, he created a modern commercial street out of thin air within the forest, with the surrounding area packed with a sea of people.
Drawing from a portion of Shirou's memories, Merlin perfectly recreated Shinjuku. With the combination of his illusions and Shirou's Mystic Eyes that could analyze everything, every detail of the storefronts, the flow of the crowd, and even the shop clerks inside were flawless.
"Th-this... this is Shinjuku?! So many people! So many people!? What? These 'normies'! I feel like they're too bright! I'm going to melt." Ako exaggeratedly clutched her throat, covered her eyes, and pressed her hand against her chest.
"Ako, are you okay? Just try not to pay too much attention to the others," Shirou said, a bit worried by the girl's sudden reaction.
"Y-yes... that's right. They're all just NPCs anyway," Ako said with a forced laugh.
This scene was frozen on the holographic screen on the other side, where the three girls began to act as strategists and offer advice.
"Just give her money and let her choose what she likes herself. That way, you don't have to take the risk of buying something that doesn't fit her taste and being seen as someone with no eye for style or common sense," Yukinoshita-Koumei said with a cold expression, ever the perfectionist.
"No, no, Yukino! At a time like this, receiving a gift filled with heartfelt sentiment would make her happier. Man, it's so nice that the other girls get a chance to go on a date with Shirou like this," Yuigahama said enviously. She had picked up a large leaf from somewhere to use as a feathered fan, fanning herself, then fanning Yukinoshita on her left, and then moving the fan to Asuna on her right when she spoke.
"I think this girl is happy enough just being with Shirou. However, you can't let her think this is all deserved, or she'll start taking advantage. So, a single hug at the crucial moment is enough... fufu," Asuna said, resting her chin on her hand.
The girls gave their respective reasons. Thus, three options were transmitted to the boy's side:
Give money—the most direct and simple method! Hand over a gift filled with your heartfelt sentiment! Go window shopping—stay with her and play while maintaining distance and avoiding physical contact.
"CHOOSE!!!"
The jovial, eerie voice of a certain priest seemed to echo in his mind.
"Why! Why?! Why did you have to pick that voice?" Shirou raised his hand in protest to Merlin.
"No, I just thought it would be interesting. Since we've seen each other's memories, I know you quite dislike that priest," Merlin said with a laugh.
"Choose!" This time, it was the voice of a certain twin-tailed devilish young lady.
If it weren't for the fact that Merlin's retreat was currently blocked by the witch hiding behind the scenes, Shirou would have kicked him out long ago.
"Waaaaah!"
At that moment, Ako was accidentally bumped by a passing pedestrian. She stumbled and was pushed into the center of the road by the continuously gathering flow of people. She spun in place and was carried away by the crowd. Though she wanted to escape, she lacked the courage and couldn't squeeze through the throng.
Looking at the girl, Shirou realized that although he didn't understand her at first and viewed her as a dangerous person, through proper conversation, he saw she was just a young girl who was extreme in some aspects. In this small world, those emotions seemed to be greatly amplified, which was why they were acting so radically.
"Uuuu..." Ako seemed very uncomfortable facing so many people alone.
"Maybe we should hold hands?" Shirou hesitated for a moment, then reached out to the girl. Although he wanted to combine the three options, for now, he could only take it one step at a time.
"Mhm! As long as I'm with Shirou, I'm not afraid of anything," the girl placed her hand in the boy's and agreed with a giggle.
"But, which shop should we go to now?" Shirou asked, confused.
"I'll leave those considerations to you, Shirou," Ako said with a smile.
His three female companions sent him the next set of options:
A book cafe. Spend the afternoon reading together in silence. No awkwardness, no noise—the best way to pass the time. Go to a cute accessory shop, then spend the day at a delicious dessert shop. The Game Center. Play a fighting game and use your full strength to completely dominate her.
"Right, let's just visit all the shops we're interested in!" Shirou looked at the three options in his mind and, after some thought, decided to implement them all.
Within the illusion, time flowed slowly, but the people inside felt as though they had spent an hour equivalent to half a day. Thus, the two of them did a full circuit of the commercial street.
The girl, who was initially reserved, became more proactive. Perhaps this could be the catalyst to change her. The black aura of resentment on her body slowly faded away.
"I feel a lot lighter now," the girl spoke up.
"Shirou! Now's the time! Let her go! The black aura has vanished; the small world's lock on her is released."
"Mhm, Ako worked hard too. Well then, let's meet again on the outside," Shirou said with a light laugh, patting the girl's head.
"Thank you, Shirou. I'll try my best! I'll come see you at school, too," the awakened Ako seemed to have set some things aside, waving her hand with a smile.
"However, these items can't be taken back. After all, no matter how real they seem, creating something from nothing isn't a skill I've mastered," Merlin said with a laugh.
"Yeah, once we're outside, I'll make it up to her and send a gift to her house," Shirou said after thinking for a moment.
"Well then, this princess is heading back to the castle as well. It's exhausting being outside. But meeting Shirou was unexpectedly quite fun. Play with me again next time, Shirou~!" Osakabehime, who was possessed within the girl, manifested herself and said while yawning.
They had finally sent off one blackened girl, bringing a peaceful conclusion to that segment. Although it took some effort, at the very least, it proved the feasibility of the plan.
"Choose!" Just then, the voice rang out again.
"Choose, choose... there's nothing left here now, is there?" Shirou complained irritably, sitting down on a stone step.
"Choose?" The voice of a certain twin-tailed devilish young lady echoed from behind him.
"Like I said! Stop joking around with voices! And what am I supposed to choose now?" Shirou sat on the steps, feeling completely helpless.
"What do you want to choose?" the young lady's voice came from behind him again.
"Hmm?" Shirou turned around in confusion. What met his eyes was a beautiful face he was extremely familiar with from his previous life. She happened to lean over to look at him as well, so their faces were close together, noses nearly touching as they stared into each other's eyes.
However, seeing her glittering golden attire, she didn't seem to be in a human state. She looked somewhat different from the others' Pseudo-Summoned states; she was quite exposed, as if several parts of her armor had been removed—it was like she was wearing a swimsuit but was covered in gold and jewel ornaments.
"Even though I did have my body borrowed by that goddess, my current state is also a Pseudo-Summon. By the way, which Shirou are you? Do you know a stupid woman named Luvia?"
"Ah... no, no..." Shirou thought things were going south and quickly changed his tune.
"Ah, that reaction... you really are that Shirou, aren't you!!!" Tohsaka Rin flashed a "top student" smile of sudden realization, and then...
She lifted her foot and kicked at the boy with sudden force.
Shirou felt a gust of wind pressure and quickly threw himself backward.
Tohsaka Rin's foot swept past where Shirou had been standing, striking a massive stone wall.
With a BOOM, a deep crater appeared in the giant rock where her foot struck. With the footprint as the center, the shattered stone wall cracked in all directions, splitting into several boulders that slid to the ground with a series of loud, heavy thuds.
If that had hit a human body, I'd definitely be dead! Shirou thought with lingering fear. This murderous Rin felt somewhat familiar to him.
"Tch..." The girl tossed her twin-tails and pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
"You just clicked your tongue, didn't you?" Shirou asked.
"What are you talking about, Shirou from another world? I am a lady; how could I possibly make such an unrefined gesture?" Tohsaka Rin said with a light laugh.
"A lady wouldn't launch an attack like that either! What's with this monstrous strength? Are you actually a Berserker right now?" Shirou asked, looking at the girl in surprise.
"No, I'm an Archer! If you can't handle a bit of close combat, you can't really call yourself an Archer class, can you?" The girl lightly lifted the bare foot she had just kicked with, slowly rotating her unharmed, fair ankle, speaking with a playful smile.
"Such a familiar face. Well, for now, let's start with a greeting," Tohsaka Rin raised her fist and looked at the boy, making a decisive judgment.
"Tohsaka-san? What are you doing? Is there some misunderstanding between us? Have you found the wrong person?" Shirou waved his hands, backing away while carefully trying to explain himself.
"No, Shirou, don't doubt it. I am the Tohsaka Rin you know. Yes! The Tohsaka Rin who took you to study at the Clock Tower! It really has been a long time. Meeting here surely can't be a coincidence. Ever since you dumped me, I've been thinking about you constantly," Tohsaka Rin said with a smile, her left hand gripping her right fist as she made her knuckles crack.
Shirou sighed. It seemed the girl before him was indeed the one he knew.
He'd had a bad feeling ever since Gudako mentioned her; he just hadn't expected her to appear here under these circumstances.
Come to think of it, it was precisely because of her existence that he had been sufficiently tempered. That was why he could remain calm even when seeing other girls brandishing cleavers and acting out; it didn't feel like much at all.
Past memories flooded his mind, and Shirou covered his face in pain.
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