A bright flash of white light blazed past, and Shirou felt a moment of dizziness and disorientation. When his head cleared, he found himself staring into a pair of wine-red eyes.
He was in the library. In front of him stood a woman with short, golden hair cut to her ears. She wore a simple white blouse and black pleated skirt showing off her slender legs in black stockings. Her golden locks framed a fair face currently scrunched up in anger.
Though she looked sixteen or seventeen, her indignant pout made her seem like a bratty kid.
As he gazed at this blonde girl, he couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
"You're spacing out again, Shirou!" the blonde girl pursed her lips, clearly displeased, giving her a cheeky appearance.
Staring at her, he whispered, "Ar...Arcueid..."
Indeed, the girl before him was none other than Arcueid, who had went to the moon long ago to eliminate Crimson Moon once and for all, never to return.
"Hm? What's with you, Shirou?" she had originally been irritated, but sensing his strange mood, she couldn't help but reach out a palm to his forehead, mumbling "No fever here," before leaning in close, pressing her own forehead to his.
After a moment, she drew back, stating matter-of-factly: "Yup, all good."
Then her expression grew indignant again as she demanded: "Don't tell me you think the novel I wrote sucks?"
"Ah?"
He was startled, before realizing there was indeed a novel in his hands. It was quite thick, titled "Eternal King Can't Possibly Be a True Ancestor Girl."
Shirou: "..."
Seeing Shirou frozen in place, she huffed, somewhat angrily stating: "Don't just gawk at the title without reading it! This book is the fruit of my blood, sweat and tears! After finishing, you were the first person I wanted to share it with! Could it be...you don't consider me a friend?"
"Ah...that's not it at all."
Shirou shook his head, saying: "I'm sorry, Arcueid. It's just - this title is so shocking, it caught me completely off guard."
He replied with a wry smile.
Hearing this, she revealed a cat-like grin. "Hmph! Of course it would! This is my masterpiece after all! Now then, you did promise feedback, so go ahead and start reading!"
She gazed at him eagerly.
Shirou smiled wryly and nodded.
He had...read this book before.
Or rather, he had briefly skimmed a couple pages before sternly warning her not to continue writing it.
And now looking back...beyond a rueful smile, what other reaction could he have?
But he already understood his current circumstances.
This is the so-called paradise Kiara spoke of.
He sighed inwardly, at a loss for words.
Arcueid was a thorn in his heart.
Back then, influenced by the legend of the Eternal King, he could only watch helplessly as Arcueid went to the moon, too rational to stop her despite the anguish he felt, thinking it was the best outcome.
That helplessness stuck with him, festering over time, which was why he still bitterly resented Eternal King. If not for Kiara trying to take Mordred when he was powerless to stop it, he would never have become that legendary, callous being.
Because he feared Eternal King might again hurt someone precious to him.
And now, awash in Kiara's sacred light, he found himself dragged into this supposed paradise.
Yes, the so-called "paradise" refers to the mortal world without discontent and sorrow.
Then it was no surprise at all for Arcueid to appear before his eyes.
Shirou was in no rush to escape this paradise. Instead, he patiently read through "Eternal King Can't Possibly Be a True Ancestor Girl" - the book he once viewed with contempt and secondhand embarrassment.
He read it very seriously, as if wanting to make up for the parts he'd dismissed before.
Undoubtedly, it was a strange story. Outrageously so. Even through the pages, he could smell its nauseatingly sour stench.
What kind of story was it meant to be?
Both a parody and an absurdity.
Arcueid had directly imported the people around them into this story - no doubt inspired by her firsthand experiences on Earth.
It told the tale of Arcueid Brunestud - famed as the Sannotan Bounty Hunter of the 1st Dead Apostle Hunting Unit of the Church. Her loyal knight assistant was Artoria, who could only shout awed praises of "Boss, you're so cool", "Whoa, that's amazing", "You're the best!"
On a difficult mission, they encountered Eternal King - Guinevere the True Ancestor girl. Guinevere's powers had been stolen by the arch-villain Fujimaru Sakura and her henchman Fujimaru Ritsuka, allowing her to be easily captured by Arcueid.
In this book, the Sannotan bounty hunter Arcueid had rather twisted tastes. She took Guinevere prisoner and forged a slave contract with her, taking pleasure in tormenting the helpless Eternal King - messing up her hair, watching her anguish...while occasionally giving her candy.
Especially one scene where the henchman Ritsuka came to stir up trouble, and Arcueid awesomely declared: "She's mine! Only I get to bully her!"
As a result, Eternal King Guinevere fell in love with Arcueid. Meanwhile, the knight Artoria loyally shouted "Awesome!" from the sidelines.
Shirou nearly hurled the book at its author!
Utterly outrageous!
But the conclusion was quite straightforward. The Sannotan bounty hunter Arcueid blasted through the arch-villains - the great demon Sakura and her henchman Ritsuka (known for hogging video games and failing tests). This allowed her to regain Eternal King Guinevere's power.
Afterwards, Eternal King Guinevere assumed an alias. She changed her name to Shirou, henceforth wandering the mortal realm with Arcueid. People called them...
—the Divine Dragon Couple!
And all the while, the knight assistant Artoria was still loyally shouting "Amazing!"
Of course, there were various minor plots and characters sprinkled throughout, all named after people Shirou knew. Like the old witch of the north Scathach, the perverted crossdresser Lancelot of the south...
To be honest, briefly skimming it the first time, Shirou felt the book was trash. And after properly reading through everything, he could now confidently remove the word "felt."
That said, if all the familiar names were to be changed, it could actually be a pretty good yuri story.
But...did Arcueid actually harbor simmering discontent towards Shirou to portray him so?
And the way she depicting Sakura and Ritsuka as villains...she must be full of resentment, right?
However...
"There's something I don't understand about your story, Arcueid," Shirou said as he closed the book and looked at her. "You've made Sakura and Ritsuka into these incredibly evil villains. Following normal story logic, characters that bad should die at the end to satisfy the readers. But instead, your ending has the wronged heroes forgive and reconcile with them?"
"Huh?" Arcueid looked genuinely confused, then shook her head. "Kill them off? Why would I ever do that?"
"Well, readers would probably criticize that 'happily ever after' ending... don't you think it feels a bit forced?"
"We're friends—why would I write about my friends dying?" she laughed brightly. "I believe in people loving each other. I don't like sad goodbyes!" She shrugged casually. "Besides, I wasn't planning to publish this for the public anyway. I just wanted to print a few copies to give to friends. And don't worry—I'm rich, so supporting you for your entire life won't be a problem either."
Hewas left completely speechless.
Seeing Arcueid beaming radiantly in the sunlight, he didn't know how to react.
In the end, he could only give her a wry smile.
This fantasy...felt far too real.
No wonder it was called paradise.
But...
"What's up with you, Shirou?" She eyed him strangely. "You've been making weird faces for a while now."
"Nothing," he shook his head, forcing a smile.
Just then, a little blonde girl skipped in.
Glancing left and right, her eyes lit up when she spotted Shirou.
"Daddy!" she cried sweetly, running over.
He tensed, turning to the girl. Seeing her, his eyes twitched. "Mordred..." he murmured.
Yes, this girl was Mordred.
Except this girl was smaller than the real Mordred, appearing around six years old.
"Daddy!"
A small figure rushed toward him, grabbing his right hand's index and pinky fingers and shaking them excitedly. "I knew you and Aunt Arcueid were talking about books! Oh, and Mommy says it's time to come home for dinner!"
Mommy...?
His mind went blank for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he reached down and wrapped his arm around the girl's waist, pulling her into a hug.
He turned to Arcueid. "We should get going then."
"No hurry," she laughed. "I'm coming with you. I'm eating at your place tonight, remember?"
"Aunt Arcueid is freeloading again! So shameless!" Mordred teased.
Arcueid pretended to be offended, picking up her pen and dramatically scribbling something in her notebook.
"What are you writing?" he asked.
Puffing her cheeks, she said: "I'm making Mordred an antagonist too! Yes! She'll be called Thunderous Roaring Mordred Who Dared Make Fun of Me, Stealing Your Lollipops Little Devil!"
Shirou: "..."
What could he even say? This was just Arcueid being Arcueid.
He carried Mordred as he left the library with her in tow.
On Fuyuki's streets, the scenery matched his earliest childhood memories from age six.
Untouched by the Mt. Enzou fire or the Fourth Holy Grail War...
So naturally, there was no hideous Ultraman sculpture either.
The breeze felt light and carefree - not an ounce of pressure weighing on his shoulders.
Such a relaxed feeling...
How wonderful.
It really...
"Felt so real, reflecting the world in my heart," Shirou murmured.
He was filled with complex emotions, strangely uncomfortable, as if about to cry.
"What's wrong, Daddy?" Mordred's innocent eyes gazed up at him.
"Nothing." he smiled faintly.
Passing the subway station, a train roared deafeningly by. Reflexively, he turned to look. The spacious platform was empty except for an information display showing tonight's schedules.
From early to late, the last train was at 11 PM.
Mordred tugged at his arm. "Daddy, you're the one who always says no staring while walking!"
"Yes, I know..." He smiled down at her.
Holding her close, they made their way home with Arcueid following along.
It wasn't the spacious house from 2003, but rather the comfortable little home his parents had worked so hard to afford back in 1993.
He pushed open the front door.
Inside, a woman moved about the kitchen. She wore a white apron that complemented her graceful figure. When she turned toward them, her green eyes brightened at the sight of him. "Welcome home, Shirou." She greeted warmly.