On the wide training grounds of the Twilight Manor—
"Hah!"
A golden afterimage shot forward like lightning.
Ais Wallenstein's practice wooden sword tore the air with a shriek, stabbing straight for Emiya Shirou's throat.
She had suppressed her level, using only Lv.2-level strength.
Even so, for someone who had just entered Level 2, this was a clean kill.
But—
"Trace—On."
Shirou didn't retreat.
He didn't even raise a blade to parry.
His eyes locked onto the sword tip as Mind's Eye (True) and Mind's Eye—False activated together.
In that instant, the world seemed to slow.
He didn't just see the sword's trajectory—he could feel the shift of air, the pressure line, the micro-changes in Ais's posture.
Sidestep. Half-crouch. Raise his hand.
Snap!
A crisp sound rang out.
At the edge of the training ground, Tiona looked like her jaw was about to fall off.
Because Emiya Shirou—
—had caught Ais's wooden sword barehanded, his left hand coated in mana reinforcement.
"Wha…?"
For once, Ais's usually calm eyes filled with shock.
It was a wooden sword.
She was holding back.
But the speed was still Lv.2 speed.
And he grabbed it like he'd plucked a leaf out of the wind.
"…Caught it," Shirou said, lips curling into a small smile.
The absurd all-SSS stats he'd stacked at Lv.1—1200+ across the board—weren't "numbers."
They were a full-spectrum upgrade.
Dynamic vision. Reaction time. explosive muscle output.
He'd already stepped beyond the boundaries of Level 1 long ago—he was even edging above what a "normal" Level 2 could do.
"It's not over," Ais said.
Her gaze sharpened.
The Sword Princess's competitive instinct had been lit.
She flicked her wrist, using technique to shake Shirou's grip loose, and her wooden sword became a storm—afterimages multiplying as she launched a rapid-fire barrage like wind and rain.
"Now we're talking."
Shirou stopped playing around.
His right hand closed on empty air—
—and twin blades manifested.
Kanshou and Bakuya, black and white, appeared in his grasp.
CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG—!
A dense chain of collisions echoed across the training field.
One red figure, one golden figure, weaving and crashing together—so fast it made the eyes blur.
"Y-You've got to be kidding!"
Tiona clutched her head, staring in disbelief.
"Is Emiya seriously still Level 1?! He's keeping up with Ais's rhythm?!"
Even with Ais holding back, matching the Sword Princess's multi-hit tempo was already a miracle.
Up on the second-floor balcony, Finn watched the sparring, his thumb twitching slightly.
"So this is what 'breaking the limit' looks like…"
"It's not just high values," he murmured. "His combat sense… that's instinct forged through endless life-and-death battles."
"This kid is a born warrior."
BANG!
A final collision.
Both stepped back at the same time.
"Haa… haa…"
Shirou panted, sweat soaking the back of his shirt.
He'd blocked the storm, but the stamina and mental load were enormous.
Ais, by contrast, only breathed a little harder—her cheeks faintly flushed.
"You… got stronger," she said, looking at him with an unfamiliar light in her eyes.
His growth rate shocked her.
And it also made her… excited.
"I'm still far behind."
Shirou dispersed the twin blades with a wry smile.
"If this were real combat, I'd probably die by the third exchange."
"No."
Ais shook her head, walking closer.
Her expression was serious—almost stubborn.
"If we were the same level…"
"…I might lose."
The entire place fell silent.
For the Sword Princess to admit she'd be inferior at equal level—
That was the highest possible evaluation.
A Half-Day Off
After morning training, a shower, and a change into casual clothes, Shirou left the Twilight Manor.
He wasn't going into the Dungeon today.
After consecutive high-intensity fights—and last night's incident—he decided to take half a day off.
He also had errands: buying ingredients for dinner.
He'd promised Loki sukiyaki.
The North Street of Orario was lively, filled with commoners and newer gods—full of market noise and everyday warmth.
Shirou carried a shopping basket, enjoying the rare calm.
As he passed the mouth of a dim alley—
"Guuuu…"
A painfully loud, tragically soulful stomach growl cut through the crowd.
Shirou stopped and turned.
In the corner of the alley sat a girl who looked… utterly miserable.
A worn white dress.
A striking blue ribbon tied at her chest—stubbornly supporting an unreasonable amount of weight.
Black twin-tails drooping toward the ground.
Her entire presence screamed: I'm hungry. I'm broke. I'm suffering.
It was Hestia—
A goddess newly descended, recently kicked out by Hephaistos for being lazy, now effectively homeless.
"Waaah… I'm starving…"
Hestia hugged her knees, watery-eyed as she stared at the passing people.
"Even a fried potato ball would be fine… I'm a goddess, you know! Am I really going to starve to death down here?!"
"…Um."
A gentle voice sounded above her.
"If you don't mind, would you like this?"
Hestia jerked her head up.
A red-haired boy stood there with a warm smile, holding out a piping-hot freshly bought fried potato ball.
In that moment—
To Hestia, he looked like he was glowing with holy light.
"F-For me?"
She swallowed hard, eyes wide.
"Yeah. Just bought it. Haven't touched it."
Shirou crouched and offered the bag.
His "mom friend" instincts were off the charts—he couldn't stand seeing someone, especially a girl, starving.
"Waaah! Thank you! You're a good person!"
Hestia snatched it and devoured it without a shred of dignity.
"So good… so good… this is the best thing I've eaten in days, waaah…"
Shirou sighed in amused helplessness and pulled out a bottle of milk from his basket.
"Slow down. Don't choke."
"Gulp gulp—haa!"
Hestia finished the milk and revived on the spot.
She wiped her mouth, stood tall, and tried to summon goddess-like dignity—though with that blue ribbon, she looked more cute than majestic.
"Ahem! Since I've accepted your offering, I'll graciously hear your wish!"
"Boy—what's your name?"
"Emiya Shirou."
"Emiya… Shirou?"
Hestia froze, then her blue eyes went huge.
"EH?! You're that Emiya Shirou?! The rumored super rookie from Loki Familia?! The one who can produce magic swords without chanting?!"
"…That's probably me," Shirou admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"Y-You're really you…"
Hestia circled him twice, gaze heating up like she'd found a priceless treasure.
"Loki's familia is annoying, but—your soul's color is so clean I want to keep it for myself!"
She suddenly seized his hand, eyes bright with desperate sincerity (and greed).
"Hey! Do you want to change jobs?"
"Leave that flat— I mean, Loki, and join Hestia Familia!"
"It's just me right now, no house, no money, no members… but I'll treat you really well!"
"…."
Shirou's mouth twitched.
No house, no money, no people—this wasn't recruiting.
This was poverty relief.
"Sorry, Lady Hestia."
He gently pulled his hand back.
"I'm satisfied where I am. Loki has done a lot for me."
"Uuugh… so it won't work…"
Hestia instantly drooped—twin-tails sagging like wilted flowers.
"I finally met someone I like who even feeds me…"
Shirou sighed.
"Even if you can't join my familia—if you don't have anywhere to eat…"
He pulled out a boxed bento (originally Lili's emergency lunch) and offered it.
"Take this too."
"And for a place to stay… I heard there's an abandoned church. It's rough, but livable."
"Bento?!"
Hestia's eyes lit up again.
She opened it and found neatly made tamagoyaki, octopus-shaped sausages, and rice balls.
"H-Holy—this is art!"
She teared up.
"Emiya Shirou! I've decided!"
"From today on, you're my best friend!"
"If anyone bullies you, I'll— I'll bite them!"
"…Thanks. I guess."
Goddess War, Street Edition
Just as they were getting along—
"HEY! YOU SHORT TURNIP!"
"What do you think you're doing with my kid?!"
A sharp roar blasted from down the street.
Loki, accompanied by Ais and Lili (they were also out shopping), stormed over like a war party.
"L-Loki?!"
Hestia flinched and reflexively hid the bento behind her back.
"Who are you calling short turnip?! You flat-chested goddess!"
"HAH?! Who are you calling flat-chested?!"
Loki's forehead vein bulged as she slammed forward—
—and the two goddesses began headbutting each other literally forehead-to-forehead.
"Trying to poach while I'm not looking?! You broke little loli goddess!"
"So what if I am?! A good boy like Shirou belongs to everyone, not a pervert goddess like you!"
"And his cooking is delicious! He should be shared by all Orario!"
"He's OUR familia's exclusive chef! If you want food, dream on!"
The two goddesses brawled verbally in the middle of the street like children, drawing stares from every passerby.
Ais stepped up beside Shirou, watching calmly, head tilted.
"Hestia… is very lively."
"…Yeah."
Shirou pressed a hand to his forehead, staring at the still-incomplete shopping list in his hand.
"Looks like lunch is getting delayed again."
Meanwhile, Lili's eyes were locked onto the bento box in Hestia's hands with the intensity of a guarding wolf.
"That… is the spare lunch Lord Emiya made for Lili…"
In the noisy streets of Orario, Shirou learned something all over again:
Compared to Dungeon monsters…
Handling gods and girls with strong personalities might be the real high-difficulty content.
But—
Watching Loki argue fiercely to defend him, with Ais and Lili quietly at his side—
"…It's not so bad."
Shirou smiled faintly.
-------
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