Latest update:October 14, 2023
Summary: In a world in which humanity never parted ways with the Gods and became the dominant species, an unexpected variable enters to disrupt its delicate order. After regaining his memories as the nameless hero King of Fakers, Emiya Shirou will have to teach this world why humans cannot be underestimated, and show them all what means to be a real hero.
Link:https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13891233/1/Reenacting-a-legend
Word count:296k
Chapters:13
Chapter 1: Prologue: new world
Well, here we go again, people. This time, I bring you the prologue of a new crossover, this time between "Fate/Stay Night" and "High School DxD". This crossover will consist of bringing "Emiya Shirou" into the DxD universe. Yeah, I know it's not the most original idea, but lately, this kind of fics are pretty scarce, so I decided to give it a try. And well, the idea seemed quite supported when I mentioned it after finishing one of my stories.
Now, moving on to the most common question that one asks when entering this type of fanfics, that is, what version of Emiya Shirou will I use for this story? Although this prologue is self-explanatory, I will answer that question now as there may be doubts. This explanation is intended for people who have not read my other stories, which I'll assume are the majority. Although maybe "Date a Density" ring's a bell.
Well, this "Emiya Shirou" does not come from any of the three "Fate/Stay Night" routes, nor is it the heroic spirit EMIYA, and neither is it the Emiya Shirou of "Oath Under the Snow". This is an alternate version of "Emiya Shirou" that I created myself, and as you may have seen in the synopsis, his true name as a heroic spirit is King of Fakers.
In synthesis, he is a "Shirou" who didn't live in the 21st century, but in the 1st century, in Britannia, and therefore never participated in the Holy Grail War. His journey to become a hero was lonely, and never met a Saber, or Rin, or Sakura. Therefore, on the subject of pairings, there are no restrictions. His background story is more detailed in the first story I wrote, "King of Fakers: saving them all", which I would recommend reading if you find yourself very confused. You can also visit my profile and there you will find a brief explanation about the character and his stat file as a servant.
Now, normally I put the OC tag on my stories so people won't expect it to be about the classic Shirou from "Fate/Stay Night" when they enter the story, and because the original name of this character was not Shirou. A person born in Britannia couldn't be called Shirou. But this time is different, and it'll be explained in this chapter.
On the other hand, unlike my other Crossover "Date a Density", which is a direct sequel to my second story "Fate/Stay Night: King of Fakers' route", the King of Fakers of this story will have no relation to that of my other stories. He won't have any bonds with Nero as he has in "Madness empire of blades", nor with the spirits of "Date a Density". Again, this Shirou has no restrictions when it comes to pairing him with DxD waifus.
However, he will retain the noble phantasms and angels he obtained or will obtain in those stories because he will need them to face what the DxD universe has prepared for him.
After this long introduction, let the prologue of this story finally begin!
Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or High School DxD.
Kuoh Town. From a normal person's perspective, this would be nothing more than a Japanese city with a size and population barely above the average. The only remarkable thing about this town would be the prestigious Kuoh Academy, which had educational facilities for the majority of ages, from primary school to university, and the ratio of students who got the job they wanted after graduating very high.
That was, of course, from the perspective of a normal person who lived completely oblivious of the "Moon-lit World".
And it's after the sun goes down, and most "normal" inhabitants of the city return to their houses to sleep, when the supernatural activity in the city begins.
Despite being located in Japan, a place ruled by the Shinto faction, Kuoh Town was a territory controlled by devils, creatures from Judeo-Christian mythology.
A country so far from Italy, the place where the main base of their natural enemies, the Holy Church, resided, was simply ideal for them. The incidents in this place of battles between inhabitants of the "Moon-lit World" were reduced to simple skirmishes that occurred from time to time.
Lately, however, these incidences have suddenly increased. The peaceful nights when supernatural creatures took care of their own business came to an abrupt end, due to the arrival of "unwanted guests".
Atop the roof of a simple house was a figure crouching under the moonlight. His appearance was that of a young man with ash-blond hair, torn red eyes, pale skin, and wearing a luxurious black suit.
Anyone with any knowledge of the supernatural world would immediately identify him as a vampire. A creature of the night that fed on blood, like those in the books of legends inspired by Vlad III, better known as Count Dracula.
This particular vampire traveled to this country far from his homeland attracted by certain rumors.
A few weeks ago, several supernatural creatures began to disappear under suspicious circumstances after entering this city. This not only drew the attention of the devils who oversaw the city but also began to attract other creatures.
Until now, the only thing that could be deduced from all these disappearances was that they all had something in common. They were always creatures with clear intentions to attack or devour humans.
From this, the rumor that there was a hunter in this city, someone who exterminated supernatural creatures, began to become popular. A powerful monster, a stray exorcist, a magician? After these weeks, the identity of this "slayer" remains a complete mystery. All that's known is that all those who entered this city to challenge this "slayer" have not been seen alive again.
And this particular vampire had come to try his luck.
But, at this time, he wasn't observing the landscape to find this "slayer". His glowing red eyes were following a lonely person walking through the deserted streets of Kuoh.
He was stalking his prey. A snack to replenish energies before fighting against this "slayer" wouldn't hurt him, and would also serve to attract the "slayer". He would be killing two birds with one stone. And besides, this human seemed to give off an unusual amount of magical power, so all the better.
He was a 16-year-old teenager, dressed in a school uniform consisting of black pants and jacket, and a white shirt with vertical black stripes. His height was above average, and his auburn hair made him stand out like a sore thumb in this country.
The boy seemed to be walking aimlessly, completely oblivious to the dangers lurking in the night.
It was quite strange that a student was wandering around at this time of night. But the vampire wasn't going to ignore such easy prey, so he followed the boy with exceptional stealth.
Eventually, the boy entered a murky alley, which made his stalker frown. Maybe the boy had noticed his presence and was trying to throw him off?
But it didn't really matter. With his speed, following the boy through the alleys would be child's play.
Besides, luck seemed to be on his side. The kid ran into a dead end just as he walked into the alley. Once he turned to get out of there, his only escape route had been already cut off by the creature of the night.
A vicious smile appeared on the vampire's lips, causing his fangs to reveal themselves. His overwhelming presence would make any human begin to tremble with fear.
"Nothing personal, kid. You just had the misfortune to run into a being above you in the food chain. Now then..." Still, the vampire didn't attack like a wild beast after cornering his prey.
As a member of a race of aristocrats, he had his manners.
Without even waiting to see the human's reaction, the vampire lunged at his prey with superhuman speed. The human would only be able to see a blur, before his hand with sharp claws pierced his neck, giving him a quick and painless death before proceeding to suck his blood.
However...
SLASH!
"Huh?"
Blood splashed across the alley. That was something that was supposed to happen. What caused the vampire to release a confused voice was that the head of the human in front of him was still attached to his body.
But that made no sense. His outstretched hand should have pierced smoothly through the neck of a fragile and defenseless human.
His red eyes then came down to look at his outstretched arm, and then his brain finally registered what had happened. His arm had been cut by the elbow, and the amputated part had flown away a few feet from him, staining the alleyway's walls red.
And what had cut it was a sword that had suddenly appeared in the human's left hand. It was a beautiful oriental-looking sword of impeccable craftsmanship. Its blade was of a dark black, and a red hexagonal pattern unprinted on it.
But, before the vampire could get his thoughts back together...
STAB!
... he felt immense pain in his chest. A sword of identical appearance to the previous one, but of a pristine white color that reflected the light of the moon, pierced his heart in a heartbeat.
In his immense confusion, the vampire looked into the eyes of the human who had killed him with only two quick and precise movements. His golden eyes looked at the creature with cold indifference as if what he was doing was nothing new to him.
The somber realization fell upon the resident of the darkness. He was never the predator here.
"Trace, overedge."
An enormous amount of energy flooded the sword piercing his heart. The blade burst, growing twice its original size and completely tearing apart the vampire's internal organs.
The last thing that crossed the creature's mind before his consciousness vanished, was that he didn't find the slayer. The slayer found him.
"So we were late again, huh?"
A few minutes later, a group of six teenagers, dressed in the same uniform as the young auburn-haired man, entered the alley. The speaker was a foreign beauty with crimson hair, who carefully observed the "crime scene" with her blue eyes. Her well-developed body for her age had curves that would make any magazine model envious.
In front of her was an alley with its walls and floor stained with blood. However, there was no trace of the body of whoever was killed here.
"This is... Buchou, I detect that strange energy in the environment again."
Another beauty spoke beside her. This girl had a Japanese-looking beauty pretty close to the ideal "Yamato Nadeshiko". Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her violet eyes had a serious unusual appearance on her.
*Sniff, sniff*
In front of the two beauties, an adorable-looking small girl with short white hair and yellow eyes had crouched in front of the pool of blood to sniff it out as if she were a bloodhound.
After she finished sniffing, she got up and spoke briefly to the crimson-haired girl.
"Vampire and... steel..."
"Who died this time?"
"The vampire."
"Well... at least we know it's the same culprit again..."
"Whoever's doing this knows what they're doing. Quick and efficient killings, disposing of the body without leaving any trace that could point to them."
This time it was a boy of European descent who spoke. His blond hair, beautiful face, and slender body would make any girl stare entranced at him.
However, his poster-boy face had a frown, and his hand rested on the handle of a sword attached to his belt.
"Tsk." The crimson-haired girl snapped her tongue with some annoyance. "We're not getting anywhere with this..."
"Err, Buchou..." The serious atmosphere was interrupted by the awkward voice of the fifth member of the group.
Of all the members of the group, he was the most ordinary-looking. He was an average-looking young Japanese man with ruffled brown hair and eyes of the same color. His face at that time was full of confusion.
Behind him was the shy figure of the sixth and final member of the group. A blonde beauty with green eyes, whose face was completely pale after seeing all the blood spilled in the place.
"Yes, Issei?"
"Isn't it a good thing someone's taking care of these guys for us?"
"Well, with all the supernatural creatures that are boldly entering our territory, someone taking care of them certainly gives us a break. However, the problem is that we don't know if whoever is doing this is an ally or an enemy. Although thanks to Koneko here we know that this isn't another fallen angel, it is still worrying. We could be the next target."
"I see..." The boy nodded.
He didn't know much about detective issues like this, but if his master, a high-class devil, was tense, then the thing must be really serious.
"So what do we do now?"
The crimson-haired girl turned to look at the little girl. "Can you follow the trail, Koneko?"
She shook her head. "They hid their scent before they left."
"Buchou" let out a sigh. "I guess we'll call it a night. We couldn't show to Asia-chan how we fight as a team, again."
"Yawn..." A certain auburn-haired teenager yawned as he looked at the history teacher trying to make her lesson as enjoyable as possible.
The woman was doing her job well, as expected from a teacher at the prestigious Kuoh Academy. What made the teenager yawn with drowsiness were the few hours of sleep he had the last few days.
His name was Emiya Shirou, an ordinary teenager to the naked eye. The only remarkable thing about him would be that he transferred to this school just a few weeks ago, albeit the school period had already begun more than a month ago. That, and his past.
About ten years ago, the city of Kobe suffered an earthquake of unprecedented scale even by Japanese standards.
A man named Emiya Kiritsugu was in that city by chance of fate. While he was helping the local authorities search for survivors, he found a little boy who was barely conscious and miraculously avoided being buried in the rubble. The same could not be said of the child's family.
Kiritsugu took the child to a hospital to get his wounds treated and later adopted him. He didn't seem to be able to recall anything from his past until before that accident, the only exception being his name, Shirou. His brain seemed to have suppressed those memories as a defense mechanism to prevent trauma from breaking him even more than it had already done.
To prevent such memories from arising, Kiritsugu decided to move with now his adopted son to another city. Said city ended up being Kuoh Town, where he bought a large traditional Japanese-style residence.
But they didn't stay there long.
Little Shirou early began to show an unusual willingness to help others, without caring for himself. Psychologists attributed it to a survivor's guilt case, but still, it was too extreme even for someone who went through such trauma.
However, instead of seeking psychological treatments for the boy as most parents would, Kiritsugu decided to help him fulfill his aspirations.
It turned out that Emiya Kiritsugu was a mercenary. He spent his life traveling between war zones in the Middle East, eliminating key targets that were entrusted to him, and helping innocent people who were caught up in war.
Unlike other mercenaries, he only accepted commissions that would save many other people.
It was then that Kiritsugu began to bring with him Shirou as his assistant during his missions.
The boy showed an aptitude for the role. Although his father made sure that he wasn't near when he was about to execute a target, the grim and disheartening landscapes which both walked through didn't seem to cause any reaction from him. It was as if the boy was used to be in such places.
"I want to be a hero. One who can save everyone, so that tragedy doesn't happen again."
The words he spoke to his adoptive father as the two watched the stars crossed Shirou's mind. After hearing them, Kiritsugu felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. Knowing that his son would continue with his will by his own choice, he died in peace.
That was a turning point in Emiya Shirou's life. The only person close to him in this world had died, but that was not the only thing. From that moment on, his memories began to re-emerge.
But these weren't his memories from before the accident that took away from him his birth parents. No, they were memories from a previous life.
Emiya Shirou always knew he wasn't a normal person. He always knew about "magic", and about the magic circuits in his body and how to open them. Using his magecraft to reinforce objects and draw swords out of the air was as instinctive for him as breathing.
He always practiced those strange but familiar skills secretly from his father, as he didn't seem to have any knowledge of the "Moon-lit world". But concealing his prowess with sharp weapons and the bow was another matter.
But it was when he got his memories back from his previous life that it all started to make sense.
His previous life started in a very similar way to his current one, so much so that very often he had found himself having deja vu feelings. And most likely it was that huge deja vu feeling when he told his dying father about his dream what triggered those memories.
He was a man who lived around the 1st century, and who devoted his entire life to pursuing the impossible dream of saving everyone. It was a lonely path, and although he finally managed to reach his dream and save humanity from a terrible calamity, he ended up dying alone on a hill of swords.
In his final moments, he formed a contract with The World, becoming part of the Counter-Force. History forgot his name, and the few people who remembered his legend referred to him as the King of Fakers.
His current body was practically identical to the body he had in his previous life, probably due to the genes of the soul. That put him on a completely different level above modern humans when it came to physical prowess.
That also explained the strange habits and circumstances that Emiya Shirou had throughout this lifetime. But at the same time, that brought an enormous amount of questions to which he still couldn't find answers.
If he had formed a contract with The World that recorded him on the throne of heroes, causing his soul to be left out of the cycle of reincarnation, then how the hell did he end up reincarnated in this second life?
And besides, he ended up receiving the name Emiya Shirou, which although he knew that wasn't his name in his previous life, for some reason, was very fitting for him.
The first question had a very ominous answer that even he didn't want to think about. If the nameless hero King of Fakers had been summoned to this world, that can only mean a calamity is about to descend upon this world's humanity.
But, that wasn't the most confusing thing. What was really confusing was how different this world was from the world in which he lived his previous life.
It was the 21st century, a time when magecraft and mysteries should be in decline. However, the amount of mana in the environment was equal to or even denser than it was in the first century.
If he had had the magic circuits of a modern magus from his former world, the Emiya Shirou who still didn't have his memories would have died trying to use them without a proper mystic code to acclimate to the environment. And yet the process of opening them was more painful than he remembered.
It was actually as if... the Age of Gods had never ended to gave away t the Age of Man, however paradoxical that may sound given that science and technology continued to expand without problems.
That could only involve two things. Either Goldie didn't do his job properly and didn't encourage humans to part ways from the gods, or the white titan never arrived on this planet to decimate the primordial gods.
And that should be plain impossible, as those events should be locked into place by Quantum Time-Locks, and messing with them would mean collapsing the Human Order. By all accounts this world in which humans never could part ways with Gods should have been culled by the Counter-Force.
The situation of this world was so impossible and confusing, that Shirou ended up giving up on trying to make sense of it. And actually, this was the dream of any magi come true. Too bad the only common thing he had with other magi was that he practiced magecraft.
Either way, the prospect of running into a god wasn't something he was very excited about. Nothing good could come out of getting those guys' attention. That's why he tried to keep a low profile since he recovered his memories...
Or so he tried.
Finding phantasmal species wasn't surprising considering that this world was still governed by the laws of Mystery for the most part. But the case of this city was just absurd. He could find supernatural creatures even beneath the stones.
Most magical creatures in this city actually seemed to coexist peacefully with humans, blending with them or simply avoiding them.
The problem came with the... things, for the lack of a better term, that actively prey upon humans.
It started with creatures he couldn't recognize, and that's something considering the number of phantasmal species he fought in his previous life. These things seemed to have lost themselves in madness, and their bodies had been deformed beyond recognition.
Without a second thought, Shirou got rid of those things. Supernatural creatures underestimating humans was nothing new to him, but those things weren't even expected him to attack them, and they ended up dying as mere targets.
That seemed to get the attention of the other phantasmal species in the country, and since then they keep coming to join the party as if they had nothing else to do. The situation has reached the point that he had to go out to patrol every night and that in turn has made this city's "overseers" be on his heels.
And that brings us to the next point. How Shirou ended up in this school.
After Kiritsugu died, Shirou decided to resume his school life, which had been rather lacking since he had been traveling around the world.
Although Kiritsugu had made sure to teach him the basics, and learning modern English wasn't very difficult as he could speak first-century Latin, his student curriculum left much to be desired.
That's why he had to take an exam so that they could estimate his level of education, and he got enough grades to be in the year he should be because of his age. And even though this school had quite high standards, they admitted him to increase their low number of male students.
Apparently, Kuoh Academy had been all-girls until just a couple of years ago, and that's why the female population outnumbered ten to one the male one.
Things didn't start very well when. Just after setting foot in school, he began to detect that there were non-human students on the campus. They didn't even try to hide their dark presences, and in fact, they seem to be the ones at the top of the hierarchy of magical creatures in the city.
At that time, Shirou realized that his memories weren't the only thing that had returned. His E-rank luck was back, too. Of all the schools in the country, he had to end up being admitted to this one.
The entire Student Council was made up of these human-like creatures, and the same applied to the members of the Occult Research Club.
At first, he thought they were dead apostles judging by their dark, ominous presence, but that possibility was ruled out by the lack of red eyes and sharp fangs.
The only clue he had was the last name of the president of the Occult Research Club. Rias Gremory, the acclaimed Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy.
Gremori is the name of one of the 72 demons appearing in the Ars Goetia. A rather ominous surname indeed.
But when he thought about the 72 pillars, what came to mind was a huge gruesome pillar made out of flesh, tentacles, and eyes, not some beauties straight out of a model magazine. And he doubted they had anything to do with the Human Order Incineration Ritual.
That matter aside, seeing that they seemed content with leading an ordinary student life, he left them alone for the moment. Still, he watched them every day, to see if that was just a facade and they really had some shady business on their hands.
But other than that, his first day at school was... interesting, to say the least.
A male student transferring to this school was hot news, at least for its broad female sector. And if you add to that already having another student transferred just a few days ago, we have that everyone was looking at him with great expectations while he introduced himself.
Too bad those expectations went down the drain pretty quickly. Having detected at least two magical creatures in his classroom, Shirou made his presentation short and with few details.
And even if there were no phantasmal species in the place, he wasn't going to say something like "I spent my childhood traveling with my father through war-torn countries like Afghanistan while doing mercenary work." or "My goal in life is to be a hero who saves everyone."
That would make him stand out more than he already did by having auburn-colored hair, and being the center of attention wasn't something that excited him.
His classmates didn't take long to stop asking questions after realizing that he was a normal guy with no apparent hobbies, unlike the other transferred student.
It was then that he was approached by some guys who called themselves the "Perverted trio" and offered to join them to become the "Perverted squad". But before he could say a word, a bunch of girls showed up and started beating them for no apparent reason.
One of them turned to look at Shirou blushing and said: "Excuse the existence of these scum, Emiya-kun. Please pretend they don't exist."
To this day, Shirou still doesn't understand what the hell happened at the time. But after that, apart from some polite conversations here and there, his interaction with the other students was sparse. To this day, he really doesn't have anyone he can call a friend.
Not that he cares. The less they relate to someone like him, the less impactful will be when he disappears to pursue his dream.
For now, he was content to lend a hand to anyone who needed it. And after offering to solve a problem with one of the cafeteria's soda machines, his fame as the "Fake Janitor" began to spread.
And well, some of the supernatural creatures approached him, probably out of curiosity, but he was even briefer with them.
Back to the present, the turmoil around him brought Shirou back to reality. The class was over before he realized it, and the majority of his classmates were leaving the classroom to head to the cafeteria.
Quietly, Shirou pulled the bento he had prepared from his desk drawer.
Though in his previous life his culinary skills were limited to "making the ingredients stop being raw", in this second life, Shirou was forced to learn to cook because Kiritsugu was even more inept than he was in that field. And thanks to today's advanced technology, his food now at least had a decent taste, which he could amplify with reinforcement.
"Now then, where should I have my lunch..."
"Err... Emiya-san?" A high-pitched voice made him look to his side.
Next to his desk, Shirou found a blonde beauty with green eyes. Her face reminded him of a person he knew in his previous life, Nero Claudius.
However, unlike that passionate empress who always had a smile on her face, this girl looked at him shyly.
She was Asia Argento, the other transferred student. And for someone who came from Italy, her Japanese was much more fluent than even some natives.
"Do you need anything from me, Argento-san?"
"We-well... since you are always alone, Emiya-san... I thought yo-you could come to have lunch with us..."
The way she wavered and her pure intentions would make her look like an angel, if she didn't give off that dark aura that made him prepare in his mind Kanshou and Bakuya's blueprints every time she approached.
Asia Argento was indeed one of the supernatural creatures that roamed this school, and was also part of the ORC.
The first time she tried to make conversation with Shirou, he actually thought she was trying to mess with him faking her shy and awkward attitude. However, the way tears poured out of her eyes when he completely ignored her, he realized that it was just his paranoia.
Of course, he apologized to her, and since then, for some reason, she's trying to get close to him. And the most disconcerting thing is that her intentions are really genuine, and it's not that she's following orders to investigate him.
But still, Shirou rejected her attempts to approach him.
It wasn't a good idea to bond with a creature he might have to exterminate in the future.
"I appreciate the offer, Argento-san, but it's not necessary. I like eating my lunch alone."
The girl deflated upon hearing his answer. "Huh? Bu-but..."
"I told you, Asia. Trying to talk to this guy is a waste of time. Just leave him alone." A voice full of hostility came from behind Asia.
He was an average-looking male student. Hyoudou Issei, member of the "Perverted trio", the OCR, and therefore another of the supernatural creatures who attend this school.
Since his failed attempt to recruit him to form the "Perverted squad" to do God knows what, the boy had been hostile towards Shirou.
However, it wasn't the kind of hostility directed at him as a human. If so, Hyoudou Issei would have disappeared in mysterious circumstances a few days ago.
According to him, "all handsome boys should die". An enigmatic phrase for Shirou himself, as he did not know what that had to do with him. If he considered being called "Fake Janitor" being popular, his bar is pretty low.
Asia pouted. "Do-don't be like that, Issei-san! There is nothing wrong with trying to keep company with a lonely soul like Emiya-san."
"No, he's actually right." They both turned to look at Shirou in surprise, but he kept talking. "You don't have to force yourself to try to get close to someone like me, Argento-san. You should go spend time with your friends.
He took a look at the other classmates who had stayed in the classroom while speaking. Everyone was watching them closely as if they were watching a most unusual spectacle.
Well, on second thought, the cute Asia Argento that had transferred recently, a member of the "Perverted Trio", and the "Fake Janitor". The three of them had quite the reputation.
As he looked back at Asia, she had an expression full of sorrow, and Hyoudou by her side was now glaring at him.
"Well if you have nothing more to say, I'll take my leave." Shirou maintained his neutral expression and rose to go to the only quiet place he knew. The two supernatural creatures made no attempt to stop him.
A few minutes later, after walking through the halls of the academy in silence, Shirou was on the rooftop.
Unlike other schools, the roof was not a banned place for students, but rarely did anyone go there. That made it the perfect place for someone lonely like him.
He sat with his back resting on the metal fence that prevented anyone from falling by accident, unwrapped his bento, and pulled out his chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu." With the courtesy line said, he unceremoniously dug into his bento.
But before he even put the first bite of rice in his mouth, the roof door opened again.
The person who entered the place was a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes. Shirou recognized him as Kiba Yuuto, also known as the Prince of Kuoh Academy by female students, and a member of OCR.
And of course, another of the supernatural creatures who attend this school.
Shirou could barely suppress a tongue click. His E-rank luck sure is on its game today.
The two teenagers looked each other in the eye in an awkward silence, which was finally broken by Kiba.
"Do you mind if I have lunch here too? This is the only lonely place I found, but if you feel uncomfortable with my presence..."
He asked permission politely, and Shirou just shrugged. He could sympathize with the creature's desire to avoid that fan club of his that follows him everywhere.
This was a situation that he had been avoiding since he transferred to this academy, but rejecting him rudely would make him feel bad, and it would give them confirmation that he was actively avoiding them.
"Suit yourself. It's not like I own the place anyway." With that said, Shirou looked back at his bento and finally put the first bite of rice in his mouth.
His response caused the blond to give him a relieved smile. He ended up sitting a couple of feet away next to the Fake Janitor. Not very far, but not very close either.
The two boys ate their lunch in a silence that was more awkward by the minute. It had to be Kiba again who broke the silence.
"Do you practice with the sword, Emiya-san?"
Shirou eyed him for a moment. "What gave me away?"
"Well... it was the way you walk. You keep your balance at all times, without wasting movements or leaving any opening."
He clicked his tongue mentally. Old habits die hard, and having all these phantasmal species around wasn't not helping.
"I see... I could say the same applies to you. Those calluses in your hands stick out quite a bit from your pale skin."
The Prince of Kuoh Academy chuckled. "Guilty as charged. I have been practicing the art of the sword since I was a child."
As he said that, Shirou realized that his expression became somber for a few moments. However, he decided not to inquire into it.
"If that's so, then why didn't you join the kendo club? I'm sure their captain, Murayama-san, has tried to recruit you more than once."
"That's true. However, my hands are tied with my duties as a member of the Occult Research Club."
It was really strange that anyone asked themselves why the most popular students at this school are all members of such a strange club. That has "cover" written all over, with capital letters.
"What about you, Emiya-san? You're not a member of any club yet, are you?"
"I'm indeed in the "Go Home Club", but kendo doesn't suit me. Too many rules and restrictions, and the armor restrains your mobility too much. It's nothing like a real battle."
Kiba raised an eyebrow at that. "I do think those rules are necessary to have a fair and enjoyable fight."
It was then that Shirou looked Kiba in the eye again. Though the golden-eyed boy's expression did not change, the foreign-looking boy could notice that the temperature around them had dropped.
"Kiba-san, a sword fight consists of two people trying to hurt each other. There's nothing more to it. I see no point in trying to make it look fancier with rules of courtesy and honor. Those things are likely to get you killed one day."
This time it was Kiba who frowned, his easy-going attitude fading away.
Those words clashed directly with his beliefs and his way of the sword. However, that was not what made him serious.
Emiya Shirou was a human teenager, but his manners and thoughts spoke of huge combat experience. His instincts told him this boy was dangerous, and that was certainly strange.
Maybe he should discuss this with his master.
While Kiba was mentally debating what to do, Shirou went to take another bite of his bento with his chopsticks but realized that he had already finished his lunch. And if his internal clock wasn't wrong, then it was just minutes before the break was over.
"Well... I think it's time to wrap things up." He wrapped his bento again before getting up to leave. "I'll go ahead. I suppose this conversation was entertaining, Kiba-san."
"Yeah..." The foreigner boy replied absentmindedly, but Shirou's next words caught his attention again.
"It seems your friend found our conversation interesting as well."
Leaving those words, Shirou left Kiba alone on the roof. The blond couldn't help but blink confused, but his questions were answered when a little white-haired girl entered through the same door that Shirou exited.
"Koneko-chan? Were you looking for me for something?"
The little girl nodded. "I saw you coming here, but then..." She then looked at the roof door.
"You didn't approach me because of Emiya-san?"
Koneko nodded again.
"You don't like being around him?"
This time, she gave a verbal answer. "Not exactly. Emiya-senpai is a kind senpai, unlike pervert-senpai. Still, I feel a sense of danger near him."
"So I'm not the only one, huh?" Kiba pondered for himself. "Should we tell Buchou and the others?"
She nodded wordlessly again.
"Continued in my next chapter"
Link:https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13891233/1/Reenacting-a-legend