I woke up with a gasp to find myself in the shed. Early morning sun is shining through the ventilation window. I took a moment to process what happened.
The quest was a disaster. I got beheaded without having a chance to fight back. Looks like there is a reason that these quests have no penalty. Still, it seems like I can't die during these side quests. I should use these quests to train myself.
I return to the main building and tidy myself up. Now it's time to make breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just some egg fried rice.
While making food, I think about the current main quest. I need to find a magus. When Kiritsugu was alive, he really didn't want me to get involved in magic. He also didn't leave me any way to contact anyone from Moonlit Society. His description of magus doesn't give me any confidence in finding one without getting dissected. It's not like a magus is going to drop by my house or that I'll run into one at school.
I can hear the front gate opening—Sakura's here to help me out. She's really sweet and always makes me feel better just by being around.
"I am home sempai."
"Welcome home, Sakura."
"Do you need any help, sempai?"
"Please set the table."
She finished setting the table while I wrapped up cooking. We brought the food over and waited for Tiga to arrive. Just think about Tiga, and she'll show up. She kicks things off by teasing Sakura and me before she digs into her food.
Sakura is blushing and eating her fill shyly. She looks gorgeous with her purple hair and eyes. Her school dress fit her curvaceous body perfectly. I can't help but keep looking at her. As if sensing my gaze, she turns to look at me. I look away to hide my embarrassment.
"Fuji-nee, you will be late if you don't go to school now."
"Shit! I will be late." She leaves as quickly as she can. As a teacher, she should manage her time more effectively.
It's just me and Sakura hanging out now. We grab the dishes and head to the kitchen to clean up. I can't help but notice how beautiful she looks while doing housework. I want to hold her in my hand. I can't help but tell her that she looks beautiful today. She blushes up a storm and looks ready to faint.
We walk to school together while holding hands. I can feel her happiness in the air.
Once we reach school, we go our separate ways to our respective classes. There, I find my longtime friend Issei Ryuudou. He greets me and asks me about my health, as I was hospitalized previously. We chat about class and many other topics.
----
As the clock struck noon, I was eagerly anticipating a quiet lunch with Issei in the familiar confines of the student council room. But suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. An angry Rin Tohsaka, her eyes blazing with intensity, seized my arm and dragged me away. Before I could protest, I found myself on the cold stairwell, the walls closing in around us, her grip unyielding. With each step, the anticipation of lunch faded, replaced by a sense of foreboding. She led me to the rooftop, a place of isolation, where the winds whispered secrets and tension hung in the air. What awaited me there felt like a storm ready to break. Then she poses the most damning question, a sly smile curling her lips that sends a chill down my spine. "Emiya-kun, are you a magus?"
"..."
"How do you know I am a magus?" I couldn't help but blurt out.
That question seems to knock her out of her rhythm. Maybe she was expecting me to deny or make an excuse instead of acknowledging it. Does it mean my quest is complete?
"System is the main quest complete?"
["Yes, host, and there is also a new quest. Do you want to collect rewards now or check the quest out?"]
"Not now, first I need to get out of the situation."
"What do you mean? "How do I know you're a magus?" Your magic circuit is active and emitting energy, making you a walking neon sign to anyone who can detect mana," she shouts at me.
"Why are you on my land? Where is your permit? I am the second owner. Why was I not notified of you? Why am I feeling your mana now? Tell me, unless you want to die." She gets angrier each second. It looks like she is going to explode at any moment. So I start answering her questions.
"First of all, I didn't know it was your land. My father died before teaching me about this. I don't know about that, maybe he got it from the previous Second owner? I don't even know what a second owner is. But I was always a magus. I don't know why you are feeling my mana now." I tell her as quickly as possible.
My answer calms her down. She is still angry, but she isn't trying to kill me anymore. Now she looks at me like a researcher who has found a new specimen.
"After school, we'll have a conversation you won't forget." She leaves the rooftop with a warning glance.
----
As school ends, I feel a sense of dread for our upcoming meeting. I saw Rin waiting for me at the gate. Sakura is also there. Rin comes forward to go with us. So, Sakura mentioned that her grandpa told her to head back home earlier today. Rin tells me to take her to my home. Isn't it a bit concerning? She looks like she will blow up at any time. So, I take her with me.
----
"Please take a seat, Tohsaka. Do you want tea or coffee?" I ask her.
"Give me tea, " Rin replies.
While I make tea, I can feel her scrutinizing gaze around the room. I put a cup in front of her and poured tea into it.
"So, how long have you been a magus, Emiya-kun?" She probes.
"For a few years now," I replied.
"So, tell me, Emiya-kun," she said, her voice laced with an edge reminiscent of a blade drawn from its sheath. "Why are you so recklessly wielding your magecraft in the open? Do you not know the rules for public magecraft usage? And why—tell me—do you still have your magic circuit exposed, even now?" Her words hung in the air, charged with an intensity that threatened to ignite the very atmosphere around them, the promise of violence simmering just beneath the surface.
"You can turn off the magic circuit? But my teacher told me magic circuits can't be turned off." I told her, remembering Kiritsugu's teaching.
"Tell me what your teacher taught you about magic circuit, now." She asks me with a firm tone.
"He told me I have no magic circuits. So, he taught me how to create one. I used to make one every time I used Magecraft. It was a bit painful. But after yesterday's accident, it feels like I don't need to create a new one every time." I know that I am a bad liar, so I give her the 'truth'.
"Emiya-kun, I have bad news and worse news for you. Which one do you want first?" She looks at me with so much pity as if my family died and my adopted family also died, which is not very far off. I start to get annoyed.
"Just tell me already," I replied.
"You don't make a magic circuit every time you want to use magecraft. You create one at first and use it to open your natural circuit. If your teacher only taught you that, then he might not have wanted you to continue learning magecraft. But whatever accident you had yesterday has opened your magic circuit, and now they are constantly on. So please turn it off. You turn off the magic circuit by closing the flow of mana in it, in case your teacher forgot to teach you that," she explains.
I did as she said, and it seems to have worked. As the flow seized, I realized the burden on my soul lessened.
"Thanks, Tohsaka, you are a lifesaver," I tell her. All those years of pain and suffering I had endured are nothing more than my punishment for pestering Kiritsugu. Old man's grudge is really painful.
"So, Emiya-kun, tell me, what other magecraft did your teacher teach you?" She seems to find amusement in my suffering.
So I told her about my Projection, Reinforcement, and Flash air magecraft while hiding the system's existence.
"So far, the spells you learned have no problem. I could teach you magecraft, but you will owe me a big favor. What do you think?"
I began thinking, while I have the System, my progress in magecraft or combat is very low. The System also wants me to make more contact with other people. Taking her offer is quite logical. I will see what I can do for her favor when the time comes.
"I accept, please lend me your aid, Tohsaka-sensei", I replied.
Rin blushes for a moment and tells me not to call her that. She tells me that as an apprentice, I should show her my workshop. I agree and tell her to follow me while leading her to my shed.
------
When I finally revealed my workshop to her, her expression turned incredulous, as if she were considering stabbing me with a blunt knife for maximum discomfort. After she collected herself, she demanded a demonstration of my spellcasting.
I projected a bamboo katana, reinforced it with energy, and propelled it across the room with flash air. Her stern gaze softened just enough for me to feel a flicker of relief as she deemed my technique "adequate."
But before I could celebrate, she fixed me with a determined look and declared that she would teach me barehanded combat. Without waiting for my consent, she ordered me to lead her to the training room.
She gives me a brief explanation about bajiquan, a close-quarter combat that she is learning from her teacher. Then, as a demonstration, she beats me like I owe her money. Afterward, she starts healing me, and notices my healing factor is amazing. So she decided that I should learn fighting more. It continues till evening when she leaves. I show her off and then start to clean the training room.
Old man Raiga has prohibited Tiga from eating dinner at Emiya Mansion for a week as a punishment for hitting me, and without Sakura, the house feels empty.
"System, collect the main quest reward."
["Host, collecting reward"]
[Ding~ Main Quest completed]
[Rewards received:
exp +100, 2 Common gacha tocken]
[Ding level up!]
[Level 1 -> 3 (44/100exp)]
[Ding~ Side Quest Complete: Find errors in your magecraft and fix it.]
[Rewards received:
exp+100,
MP rank already maxed,
MP -> +270units,
points +100,
1 SR gacha token]
[Ding level up!]
[Level 1 -> 4 (44/150exp)]
[Spirit Origin:
Name: Shirou Emiya
Title: The Gamer
Level: 4 [44/150 exp]
Class: Foreigner
Alignment: Neutral ・ Evil
HP: 11000->14000 [regen 1800 per min]
MP: 1500->2070
SP: 2000->2400 [regen 500 per min]
ATK: 500
]
[New quest available]
Main Quest:
-> Defeat Rin Tohsaka in unarmed combat. {Rewards: exp +100, STR upgrade to E rank, 2 UC-tokens, Inventory limit+5}
["Host, do you want to receive character quest rewards?"]
"System not today"
I feel mentally drained, so I went to bed and fell asleep.
==================================================================
[A\N: I will post Shirous' spirit origin and quests at the end of each chapter to keep a better track of his progress. And maybe add an auxiliary chapter to record all the Skills and Spells.]
[Spirit Origin:
Name: Shirou Emiya
Title: The Gamer
Level: 4 [44/150 exp]
Class: Foreigner
Alignment: Neutral ・ Evil
HP: 11000->14000 [regen 1800 per min]
MP: 1500->2070
SP: 2000->2400 [regen 500 per min]
ATK: 500
Points:110
Params:
STR: F
END: A
VIT: A
AGI: F-
MP: EX
LUK: E-
NP: ??]
[Quests]:
World Quest:
->11 months and 29 days left
Main Quest:
-> Defeat Rin Tohsaka in unarmed combat. {Rewards: exp +100, STR upgrade to E rank, 2 UC-rank Tickets, Inventory limit+5}
Character Quest:
->Increase your physical fitness
->Increase your magical fitness
->Increase your knowledge of the world and beings living there {knowledge about powerful beings yields better results}
->Learn/Improve skills
->Learn more about people you already have a relationship with {friends and foes both are counted}
Side Quests:
->Unlock Immunity to Mystic Eye Of Death Perception
->Unlock Enuma Elish Nullification
->Upgrade Skill: Type ORT