The next day, at a ramen shop.
Shinji, who was slurping down ramen he specifically requested without Mapo tofu but had been given a generous spoonful anyway, paused when he saw Shirou walk in with a serious expression.
Especially when the first thing Shirou said almost made Shinji spit out his ramen.
"Shinji! We've all decided to go to the temple to pray for this world and its people. Do you want to join us?"
Shinji's eye twitched as he looked at Shirou standing at the door with a serious face. A few lines of frustration slowly appeared on his forehead.
Dude, I was just joking yesterday!
"Are you serious?"
After a moment, Shinji quietly asked.
Shirou took a step forward, clenched his fists, and said earnestly, "Of course I'm serious! If praying is all we can do, then I will earnestly wish for the well-being of this world and its people!"
"Uh..."
The ramen shop owner, stunned by Shirou's behavior, looked at Shinji and asked.
"Did your friend's head get hit by something?"
"Uh..."
Shinji thought for a moment before replying quietly, "If I had to say, he was probably hit by justice, leaving him with a ten-year-long illness."
This friend was indeed a bit abnormal. Most people wouldn't take a casual remark so seriously, but for him... things changed!
"By the way, Emiya."
Remembering something, Shinji pointed at the ramen shop owner, "This guy here is actually a priest or something. Why don't you just pray to him? He'll even say things like 'Don't worry, the Lord has heard your voice.'"
Shirou looked at the familiar face of the ramen shop owner for a few seconds before shaking his head seriously.
"No, we have to go to the temple! And we must go with a sincere heart!"
I feel like this familiar-looking priest would trick me!
That was Shirou's unspoken thought.
"That's enough! I said it's just a trip to the local temple! Shirou, you're taking this too seriously!"
At this point, Illya finally couldn't hold back, pouting as she pushed Shirou out of the way and walked in, then started pushing him back out.
"Alright, alright, he's not the kind of person who would go to such places. We'll go by ourselves! Hurry up!"
"Wait, Illya. Shinji hasn't said he's not going yet. Besides, if we're going to pray, it's better if we all go together, right?"
After Illya pushed Shirou out the door, Shinji noticed that Saber, who had been standing behind Shirou, had a somewhat strange expression.
Following the trajectory of her last glance, Shinji saw where her gaze had landed—on the ramen.
Does she... like this kind of thing too?
"Saber, do you want..."
Before Shinji could finish asking while pointing at the ramen, Saber suddenly got flustered and started speaking incoherently.
"What are you... you... you talking about, Matou Shinji! How could I possibly want to eat such monstrous food! I completely dislike such things! People who can eat that kind of food are strange!"
You had two bowls when you first came!
Shinji thought, then casually waved his hand. "Ah, if you don't like it, forget it. I was just thinking of treating everyone to some ramen."
!
Saber's ahoge (hair antenna) stood up and then drooped, perfectly reflecting her mood at that moment—like falling off a cliff.
At this point, a blue-haired youth in a shirt and trousers walked in past Saber and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the ramen shop owner.
"Oh! Hahaha! Just like Bazett said, it really is Kotomine! A ramen shop owner suits you, Kotomine, hahahaha..."
Kotomine Kirei frowned and asked Shinji, "Who is this self-talking blue-haired man who makes one feel physically uncomfortable just by looking at him? Is he your companion?"
"No, I don't know him."
"Hey! What's with 'I don't know him'?!"
"A bowl of our signature Mapo Ramen, customer."
The deadpan shop owner placed a bowl of red-hot ramen on the table and said.
"I didn't order this!"
"Sorry, every customer who enters this shop must order and eat a bowl of our signature ramen. That's the rule here."
"Isn't that extortion?! What shop has such rules in any world?!" Lancer argued.
"This world, my shop."
Kotomine Kirei, holding a large calligraphy brush, raised a wooden sign he had just written on and placed it in front of Lancer, unafraid.
Seeing this, Lancer thought of something and relaxed with a chuckle. "Hey, Kotomine, it looks like your brain's still not working right. Don't forget, in this modern society, we have things like the Consumer Protection Agency!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lancer saw Kotomine silently place another sign in front of him that read "After the disaster · Fuyuki City Consumer Protection Agency Headquarters."
Lancer: ...
At this point, unable to tolerate such injustice, Saber stepped into the ramen shop without thinking.
Saber had decided in her heart to fight against such an evil force of extortion!
But before she could speak out for Lancer, a bowl of red-hot Mapo Ramen was placed in front of her by the deadpan shop owner.
"Customer, your special Mapo Ramen."
"Huh? What's going on? Why is everyone crowded here..."
Before Luviagelita could finish speaking, another bowl of special Mapo Ramen was prepared and placed on the counter in the blink of an eye.
"Enjoy! Our signature Mapo Ramen!"
"Hey, what are you all doing here?"
Seeing that they hadn't come out yet, Kamen Rider also lifted the curtain and...
In the end, everyone got dragged in!
...
"Lancer is dead!"
Shinji exclaimed, seeing Lancer with his head on the table after finishing a bowl of ramen.
"Heartless..."
Miyu, with red chili oil on her lips and clutching her stomach, murmured weakly before passing out.
Seeing everyone lying on the tables after eating the ramen, Shinji couldn't help but wonder if the ramen was really that spicy.
Of course, it was just a little curiosity. Shinji had no intention of trying it himself.
Looking at Kotomine, who was pleased with today's business, Shinji couldn't help but marvel.
One person managed to take down more than ten others. Kotomine, no matter the world, is always a formidable boss-like character!
"Since you are the thousandth customer to enter the shop, you get this special double-spicy signature Mapo Ramen!"
Seeing the bright red bowl of Mapo Ramen placed before him, Shinji froze.
After two seconds, Shinji looked up at Kotomine, who was looking down at him expressionlessly...
Kamen Rider, Saber, three Shirou Emiya, Rin, Luviagelita, Bazett, Illya, Miyu...
And Matou Shinji.
Eleven defeats!
Ding ding! Match over!
The winner is—Kotomine Kirei!
...
"Oh, this is serious magic damage."
Standing by the vending machine, having downed two bottles of milk, Shinji still felt a burning sensation in his stomach.
Meanwhile, Shirou and the others, except for the leaning-against-the-wall and resting Red Archer and the buried-in-snow Lancer to prevent corpse stench, were all squatting by the wall, still shadowed by the Mapo Tofu trauma.
One day, perhaps they would all remember the terror that once dominated them by the Mapo Tofu!
"Alright, the matter of this world is settled. It's time to go back."
Throwing the bottle into a nearby trash can, Shinji casually said.
"Huh?!" ×n
"Huh, what? You guys aren't planning to go back?"
"But this world isn't..."
Shirou began but then remembered that Shinji had declared this world beyond saving, and stopped mid-sentence.
"Well, going back is a bit tricky. Hey, that wand, can you do it?"
"Yes~!" The wand cheerfully popped out from a certain girl's chest and said, "Nope~"
"Wait, really? If you can, please..."
Shinji started to speak but stopped, half-closed his eyes, and looked at the shameless wand with frustration.
"Even though Ruby-chan is a product of the Second Magic and can theoretically travel freely between parallel worlds, I can only travel by myself. I can't bring people with me!"
Shinji: ...
"Hey! What do you mean by that? Are you saying we can't go back?"
Luviagelita stood up, hands on hips, eyebrows raised, and asked with her aristocratic pride.
Feeling her noble pride, Shinji was taken aback.
"You..."
Luviagelita frowned, wondering if this mysterious Matou Shinji was some kind of rogue.
"Don't misunderstand, I just have a habit of predicting enemy movements by observing their breathing and chest movements. It's almost instinctive..."
Seeing Shinji's sincerity, Luviagelita didn't press the issue.
After all, this person... was her hope for a master!
Saber stepped forward, serious.
"I've heard of such a technique. Only those with martial skills at a certain level can use this advanced secret technique to predict enemy movements by their breathing."
Hearing Saber vouch for Shinji, Luviagelita's last bit of doubt vanished.
"Wait! Weren't we talking about going back?" Illya reminded.
"Can't we go back?" Bazett asked, wanting to check Shinji's condition.
After all, hearing from the strange Servant (the Queen) that Shinji's life force was supporting her, Bazett worried about aftereffects.
"No, we can go back."
Shinji shrugged and looked at a lone figure walking toward them.
Julian Ainsworth.
...
Sometimes, Shinji didn't understand familial ties in this world.
Like Kamen Rider and Miyu. Kamen Rider wanted Miyu to live a carefree life in another world, and Miyu actually listened and left.
Because it's your brother's wish, you leave him?
Of course, Kamen Rider stayed behind. Maybe because of a good friend he felt a connection with.
Above the crater, watching everyone saying goodbye to Kamen Rider, Shinji felt like he had forgotten something.
Even the return of Gilgamesh didn't jog his memory.
Until—
"Hey, shouldn't your shadow clone be dismissed?"
Rin asked, making Shinji remember.
Damn! I forgot the real Rin!
No wonder I kept miscounting people!
Imagining Rin's expression, Shinji felt a bit complicated.
She'll be angry for sure. How to appease her?
While Shinji pondered, Miyu, holding her brother's hand, said tearfully.
"Brother..."
"Don't worry, Miyu, I'll be fine. As long as you live happily, that's enough for me."
Kamen Rider comforted Miyu and glanced at Julian.
With his best friend back, he couldn't leave him.
And with no enemies left, they could rebuild their world together!
Julian, feeling Kamen Rider's gaze, clicked his tongue. Shirou Emiya's kindness was annoying.
He didn't need friends! Not at all!
He didn't feel lonely, not at all!
"Brother, I want to stay with you..."
Miyu's eyes sparkled with tears, full of love for her brother. Kamen Rider replied with his unchanged wish for her happiness.
Watching them, not letting go, Shinji lost patience before Julian could urge them.
"Ugh! Why not just make a wish? You're a Holy Grail, right? Just wish to stay with your brother instead of making it complicated!"
"Huh?" ×n
Everyone turned to Shinji.
They saw him holding Rider's card, taken from the start!
"Give me the other cards."
Bazett thought for a moment.
"These are required by the Mage's Association..."
"Are these cards theirs?" Shinji asked.
"No," Bazett replied.
"Then why hand them over? They want everything. Are they thieves?"
Bazett thought Shinji had a point.
Taking the remaining cards from Bazett and Illya, except the destroyed Caster card, Shinji held six cards.
And then did the unthinkable!
He crushed them all with one hand!
"Make your wish, girl."