...You got here fast. In the original, wasn’t he supposed to fall asleep after it was over? No, things have already diverged from the original to some extent from where I am now...
“You...! Your body!”
[Oh, as you can see, so to speak? Hmm, I think I only have a few minutes left.]
Well, honestly, I should be dead by now. What do they call it again? A dying burst of light.
[Ah, that reactor unit? You can have it. Looks fine to me.]
“Is that what matters right now?!”
Yeah, I figured I’d be kicking the bucket soon, so I was telling you in advance.
“Hey, you unreliable junior.”
[...Strictly speaking, I joined the knight order first.]
About a month ago.
“Hah, and you’re the shortest-lived top sword in history, too.”
[...Damn. Come to think of it, you’re right. Looks like I won’t even make it a year.]
I tried to laugh, but blood spurted out of my mouth and startled me. Crazy. No, how the hell did that guy Ralph Paolo use this without much trouble? Even if it was during his prime.
[It’s not like I got nothing out of it.]
“Hah, what...”
At the end, when I used Starlight, Red Wave and Blue Wave resonated for an instant. Dual wave, stage two—I think I might be able to use it now...
I draw up a tiny amount of Red Wave and Blue Wave at my fingertips and make them resonate. Oh, it works. Frey’s eyes twitch.
[Well, anyway. We don’t have time, so I’ll get to the point. Anne. Can you hear me?]
“...Yeah.”
[You’ve seen a friend die more than once, so why the tears? First, in my MD, the bulbul file is...]
“Now’s not the time to joke!”
[Ahem. I was being sincere, actually. Anyway, there’s a folder on the background screen of that terminal, right? The password is... 1234. Open it. I made it before coming here, but was that a death flag?]
“...The password is really that?”
[Yeah. And... I can’t really think of anything else... Ah. Take care of your family.]
“...That’s obvious.”
[Not just that. Sometimes, it’s okay to be a little selfish. No one will blame you. Remember that. What you think is for your family’s sake can end up hurting them instead. Sometimes, acting a little selfish is fine. Wanting to be with your family is only natural. Keep that in mind. What defines a being is that being’s actions. And no matter what happens, family is family.]
“...What are you talking about?”
[You’ll understand when the time comes. Anyway, remember it.]
The words are a little all over the place... but whatever, I guess. Oh, and delete the bulbul file.
“...What the hell is in it that you’re acting like that?”
[...No comment.]
I’ll exercise my right to remain silent. Hm? What’s that? Nothing much. There may be men who have never seen it, but there are no men who’ve only seen it once. By now you should know what I mean.
[And Frey.]
“...What is it, loser.”
[...Should I say this is better than my junior, at least? Anyway, don’t go causing trouble for no reason.]
“...What are you talking about?”
[If you don’t want to end up breaking up with Anne because you caused some pointless mess. I want to tell you to ignore that “whisper,” but... well, it’s not something you can just ignore.]
“You...!”
Frey’s eyes widen. Ah, this is the reincarnator cheat—spoilers!
[I’m not saying don’t fight, but even if Anne ends up in danger, don’t kill her. Just cut off her arms and legs and stop there. If you kill her for no reason, things will get ugly. If you really can’t hold back, at least hide it.]
Throwing ethics or morality at him wouldn’t work anyway, so this is better.
“Just how much do you know?”
[Who knows...]
Hm, I don’t think I have much time left.
[Anyway, if I had to tell you one thing for sure... don’t go causing trouble for no reason. Otherwise, everything will go to hell.]
To hell, literally. No, maybe “monster hell” would be more fitting? Anyway.
“You...”
[Hm, is this where it ends?]
“Hey! Say it clearly! This isn’t some novel that throws out a plausible hook and then gives nothing after that!”
...That’s exactly Naiktrun...
[Uh... we don’t have time, so I’ll say it quickly. Go ask Mother Knight what the “Orbit of Thought” is.]
“...Orbit of Thought?”
[Yeah, there is such a thing. Just say I told you to ask.]
I don’t even know exactly what it is either, but if you ask directly, something will probably come of it. The original kept tossing out bait all the time, so I never really figured it out either.
Hm, sleepy.
[Anyway, eat well and live well, both of you.]
Hm, with the sun blazing like this, it’s perfect weather to die in.
...Ah, right. We blew away all the clouds while fighting. Hm. Feels like half the emotion got blown away too.
—This is the last time.
Through the fading edge of consciousness, I thought I heard that voice.
++++
“Gah!”
Ah, what a stupid dream. Dreaming about that again, huh.
“Honestly. It was something from my past life, and I still remember it... It must have left a pretty strong impression.”
Well, it makes sense that it’d be memorable, since it was the moment I died.
...I’m sleepy. Let’s sleep a little longer.
++++
“Wake up, Ren!”
Snore~. The answer to the woman’s voice was the sound of snoring. Oh? A cross-shaped vein popped up on one side of the woman’s forehead, just like in a comic.
“This...”
“Mmm... five more minutes...”
How is it that this man hasn’t changed at all in ten years? No, more importantly, he always goes on and on about how “training is the duty of a martial artist,” so why is he always dragging his feet in the morning?
“Wake up, you bastard! No, you’re the one who asked me to wake you, and now it’s ‘five more minutes’? Five more minutes?! Gand!!”
“Waaah! I’m up!”
“Gand! Gand!!”
“I said I’m up!! Hey! Did you forget Uahara?!”
“What the hell is Uahara! You should be Uahara-ing yourself first! Gand! Gand!!!”
“Damn it, that cursed magecraft crest!!”
Ah, this is bad. I can’t dodge this. Fine, no choice. He slams his head straight into the incoming curse bullet instead. Bang!
It should have been a human head colliding with a cursed magic bullet, so why does it sound like a rifle round hitting steel plate? The answer lay in the formless energy surrounding Ren’s forehead.
“No using internal energy!”
“It’s not internal energy, it’s wave force... And what I used this time wasn’t even wave force. If I suddenly force wave force up like this, I could wreck my body.”
“...Then what is it?”
“Qi.”
More precisely, Myer-style Eight Trigrams Qi. The man thought as much. With bare hands, not even a weapon, and not even the hands but the head wrapped in qi—anyone who knew even a little about qi would foam at the mouth watching him do it so casually.
“...That kind of thing exists?”
“If you do it, it works!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Hm, but it’s true. He dodges the stream of Gand flying at him in succession. Ha! It’ll take a hundred years before you can beat this body!
++++
With the booming crashes from upstairs as background noise, a red-haired man and a black-haired woman sit facing each other and sip their drinks.
“Haha... My brother really hasn’t changed...”
“Well, Ren’s been like that forever...”
“And my sister is a little hot-blooded, too.”
“Mm-hm.”
The man and woman nod at the same time, then smirk.
“Well, Tohsaka’s always been like that. I should probably start breakfast...”
“Ah! So today I get to taste senpai’s cooking!”
“Mm. In the name of the Sakatsuki family’s honor, I’ll give it my all, Sakura.”
“Yes, Shirou senpai!”
The man rises from his seat and puts on an apron. The point is that he does it with such terrifyingly little sense of mismatch.
“You bastard!!”
“Oh dear, that was dangerous.”
“Dangerous my ass!!”
...The Tohsaka household is peaceful again today.
========================================
+bonus: Ren’s status sheet
True Name: Ren
Status
Strength A Endurance B Agility A Mana B Luck EX Noble Phantasm EX
(Colored wave force not applied)
Skills
Colored Wave Force - Blue-Red Wave EX
Description: A wave force created by imitating the nature of a conceptual weapon. It is a cheating power that drags all force down to its own level. Except for the same Blue-Red Wave, it holds an advantage in compatibility against any opposing power. In addition, by wrapping it around the body, physical abilities can be greatly enhanced. Specifically, all stats except Luck rise by one rank.
Top Sword EX
Description: A title granted to the greatest knight. Similar to the skill “Unfettered Swordsmanship,” the owner of this skill can display a certain level of mastery with any weapon they wield. However, this effect is not from the skill itself, but from the owner’s personal ability.
Mind’s Eye (True) A
Description: Insight honed through endless effort and training. A combat logic that calmly grasps one’s own situation and the enemy’s abilities even when cornered, opening a path to victory in battle. If there is even a 1% chance of reversal, it can create the opportunity to put that plan into action.
Instinct (Superior) B
Description: Innate sixth sense. In battle, it lets him feel the optimal course of action. Usable only for combat-related actions. However, this subject acquired it after being exposed far too often to extreme situations where life hung by a thread. It could even be said to have derived from Mind’s Eye (True).
Space Human EX
Description: The very structure of his body differs from that of modern humans. At a glance they seem the same, but in reality they have a completely different structure. It could be compared to how humans and oni look similar. His body is vastly tougher and stronger than that of a modern human. It is comparable to, or even stronger than, the body of a human from the Age of the Gods, and full of potential.
Noble Phantasms
1001st Sword Saturday & 1002nd Sword Sunday (always-active type. No True Name Release.)
Rank: EX
AB Sword. A weapon that could also be called a miracle of humanity. In essence, it is a cheating weapon that can cancel out almost all energy. Its principle is a one-way street of power that assimilates with and amplifies the user’s force while also canceling external force. It is also an excellent sword in its own right. Its durability is monstrous as well.
The 1001st Sword Saturday is made as a sister sword together with the 1002nd Sword Sunday, and it has a gimmick attached. Upon release, the sword “deploys” and combines with Sunday to take the form of a greatsword.
-As an aside, the reason for the naming was that Mother Knight said, “Since it’s a sword made by following Monday and Tuesday, let’s call it Saturday and Sunday!”
-As a side note, the then Central Knight Commander got angry and shouted, “You bastard! I told you not to name swords like that!!” He also ranted, “Tone it down, you damned eternal loli! And why are you webbing yourself up like a spider, you lonely freak!!!”
-On the day Saturday and Sunday were named, about 10% of the Central Knight Order’s core temple was destroyed. Damage amounted to 2 trillion space dollars, 500 minor injuries, 238 serious injuries, and 87 knight casualties. Among the seriously injured were four Master Knights. The cause was the fight between Mother Knight and the then Central Knight Commander. Afterward, the commander was sentenced to five years without leave, and Mother Knight was sentenced to one week of standing with hands raised plus confiscation of Adventure King Ralph’s anime for one month.
-Mother Knight was more depressed than she had been since the E-33 battle, and the Central Knight Commander shouted at the committee that imposed the leave-stripping punishment, “You demons! You heartless bastards! You monsters!”
-But the punishment handed down to the commander was never revoked. The committee’s official response at the time was: “No. We won’t change it. No leniency. Hurry back. Go back and work.”
-Seriously. That was sent as an official letter.
The reason Luck is EX rank is similar to the reason BB’s Luck is EX rank. EX rank because she rejected and overturned a predetermined fate. In reality, it is around C.
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