Between the Worlds
Originally feeling anxious about Rin's potential outbursts, Shinji's demeanor changed to a blank expression upon entering this unique space and seeing Rin's current state.
The sight before him left him speechless.
The table in front of the sofa was covered with empty drink bottles, snack bags, and empty cup noodle containers. Rin herself held a bag of potato chips, a half-eaten chip still in her mouth.
Sitting on the sofa, Rin paused mid-action and stared at Shinji with wide eyes, the chip still between her teeth. Shinji glanced at the flickering, snow-covered, gradually fading screen.
...She seems to be doing well.
"Matou…"
Finally snapping out of her daze, Rin's excitement was evident. She stood up, trying to speak, but realized her mouth was full. Quickly crunching the chips down, she gulped to clear her throat, with Shinji watching in bemusement.
"Phew—saved," Rin said, relieved. Then her expression turned sour as she glared at Shinji.
"Matou Shinji, you jerk! You left me in this godforsaken place all alone!"
As Rin approached, fists clenched, Shinji decided not to comment on the earlier scene. He knew it would be ignored.
"Alright, alright, it's all my fault."
Shinji raised his hands in surrender, but his nonchalant attitude only irritated Rin more.
"That's way too casual!"
Ignoring her frustration, Shinji grabbed her sleeve. "Anyway, everything's sorted in that world. Time to go back."
"Wait!"
Rin suddenly turned serious, looking Shinji straight in the eye.
"Matou Shinji, tell me—did Pandora really open the box unknowingly a long time ago?"
"Hmm?"
Shinji was a bit surprised by the question but didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled slightly.
"Does it really matter? Pandora's story ended happily, right? Her wish was to complete her duty and die. At the end, she believed she had fulfilled her divine task."
"You…"
Rin gritted her teeth, frustrated with Shinji's peculiar personality and methods, knowing she couldn't change him.
"And she felt her six thousand years of life weren't meaningless. She died content, having fulfilled her mission. It's the perfect ending."
Rin, biting her lip, retorted, "Yeah, but that's only because some twisted person manipulated it to end that way."
"Hold on," Shinji interrupted, his tone calm and unwavering. "You seem to be misunderstanding something. The tragedy of this world is that everything is predetermined within a certain scope. Otherwise, the concept of a Root wouldn't exist."
"Hmm."
Rin folded her arms and turned away, not denying it because Shinji wasn't wrong.
The Root of all things—the cause is real, so the effect is predestined.
Seeing Rin remain silent, Shinji didn't rush. He slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, curiously asking,
"By the way, why did you notice and question such a thing? Even Emiya and Pandora herself didn't doubt me."
"Of course, because…"
Rin started to answer instinctively but paused, blinking as her voice softened.
"…Because I'm an observer."
Shinji snapped his fingers. "Exactly. Only by being an observer can you see the inconsistencies and oddities in this world."
"Are you saying you've always been an observer of this world?"
Rin furrowed her brows, interested enough to sit on the sofa. She no longer felt the urge to return immediately.
"Don't be silly. I've always lived in this world. I just mean, if one could shift perspectives to an observer's view, people like Archer—no, Emiya—wouldn't walk down their path to despair."
"True…"
Rin sighed, feeling nostalgic about Red Archer's past, which she had seen in dreams due to their bond.
But then, she heard Shinji click his tongue and blushed, remembering something.
"Anyway!"
Feeling her face heat up, Rin clumsily changed the subject. "It's not just because I'm an observer. I also don't believe you could see the past. No matter how twisted you are, you can't see what happened back then."
"True." Shinji nodded thoughtfully. "Next time, I should cover such obvious plot holes better."
Hearing this, Rin's eye twitched, and several lines of frustration appeared on her forehead.
"You're thinking about a next time?"
Shinji shrugged. "Yes, when I write the next story's ending, I'll eliminate such small bugs."
"You really are…"
Rin couldn't find the words to describe him, so she sighed and asked the next question.
"By the way, Shinji, did you plan Pandora's ending from the beginning? Making her believe she had already opened the box?"
"No, I thought of it when I met her."
"What?!"
Rin was shocked, having assumed he had planned it all along. But to think he devised that ending on the spot!
Such a short time?
This guy is terrifyingly brilliant!
Sensing Rin's astonishment, Shinji shrugged and explained, "Can you stop looking at me like I'm a monster? Though the process was improvised when I saw her, the idea of her dying was considered earlier."
"Hmm?"
Rin, quickly catching on, furrowed her brows. "So, you had other endings planned for Pandora?"
"You could say that. There were many contingencies to account for, so different solutions were needed."
"How twisted are you…"
"Although it wasn't the best ending, it was a good happy ending."
"The best ending?" Rin's interest was piqued. "What's the best ending for Pandora in your mind?"
"Don't worry about it. Once something concludes happily, there's no point in considering other possibilities… except for reflection."
Rin shook her head and crossed her legs, sipping her juice seriously as she looked at Shinji.
"I want… to reflect properly."
Shinji's eye twitched at Rin's serious demeanor.
Seeing her determination, Shinji didn't bother to say "reflection is useless because humans repeat mistakes." Instead, he shrugged and began.
"Personally, I wanted Pandora to reject the mission or duty imposed by gods or others."
"Reject the mission to open the box?"
Shinji crossed his legs and nodded. "Yes. I dislike fate, especially when gods are involved. If it were me, I'd reject any imposed duty."
"But Pandora was created specifically for the box…"
Rin trailed off, realizing something. She analyzed aloud, "Wait, the box was made after Pandora's creation. So, the cause and effect aren't as we thought. If Pandora refused the mission, she could escape her tragic fate!"
"Exactly. That's the path for her self-liberation. If she rejected the mission, the gods would find someone else to bear the box. Provided she didn't doubt herself."
"Sounds good. So why did you choose a different ending?"
Seeing Rin's curiosity, Shinji leaned back, arms spread on the sofa back.
"Because… she couldn't do it."