You guys might find it weird that I choose to write 1k words per chapter instead of long-ass chapters. It's actually very simple — it helps me properly navigate each chapter so I don't contradict any information, since I'm pretty bad at keeping track of that stuff.However, this only applies to normal chapters. Actual arc chapters will be far, far longer.
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Shibuya Junior and Senior High School is a private co-ed secondary school located in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, Japan. People commonly refer to the school as Shibu-Shibu for short. Only the junior high school accepts new students—the senior high school only takes students advancing from the junior high. Each level lasts three years, for a total of six years.
"Oh look, it's Emiya."
"I still can't believe that guy actually ran away from school."
"Does he even get detention for that?"
"Apparently not. He left right near the end of school hours, and of course, it was Hiratsuka who pardoned him."
"Tch. Guess you can do anything when you've got your own personal teacher."
Shirou heard everything.
It didn't surprise him.
While he wasn't exactly socially anxious or a total introvert, he was still infamous—the guy with no friends. And worse, the guy with no quirk. Or rather, that was the reputation of the him who originally lived in this world—the version whose life Shirou had now stepped into.
Not having a quirk didn't necessarily get you hated. Sure, as a kid you might get laughed at, but high schoolers were mature enough to realize that having no quirk wasn't much different from having a useless one.
But using the memories of his alternate self, Shirou understood just how bad it got when you combined no quirk with no friends.
It was a quiet kind of isolation—just enough to remind you every day that you didn't belong.
If he used his memories enough, Shirou knew his alternate self wasn't actually a bad guy. Kind of awkward, sure—but nothing irredeemable. Just a regular kid who happened to get into a car accident at the wrong time. That one moment cost him the chance to make friends. That was all.
(Kinda feel bad for the guy. Wonder where his soul ended up…)
He reached into his backpack—wait, back pack~ bag pack~ …Oops. Wrong fanfiction—focus, author.
Shirou took out his book and placed it on the desk, trying to shake off the stray thoughts.
"Emiyachi!"
Shirou turned to his left, blinking once before recognizing her. "Oh, it's you, Yui. What's up?"
"Wanna eat together during lunch?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Sure, why not?"
"Eh—really?" she blinked, surprised by how easily he agreed.
"Yeah," he gave a small shrug and half-smile. "Maybe that means I've officially upgraded from 'classmate' to 'friend.'"
"Aren't we already friends?" she pouted, hands on her hips.
"Well… technically, our first proper conversation was just yesterday. So maybe we're still in the trial phase."
Yui puffed out her cheeks. "Fine then! I'll make sure you pass the trial."
The basic chemistry teacher was still deep in explanation, pointer tapping against the whiteboard.
"And so, when you apply heat to the compound—"
RRRRRIIIIINNNGGGG!!
The bell rang, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Alright, class, you guys may go now," the teacher muttered, already turning back to erase the board.
Shirou closed his notebook and started packing up. He slid it into his bag—
Backpack. Bag pack. Back pack. Bag pack...
Dora the ex—
"Emiyachi!"
Shirou turned to his left. Yuigahama stood beside him, beaming with a lunchbox in hand.
"Should we get go—"
"Yu-chan!"
A loud, energetic voice came from behind. Shirou glanced past her and saw a pink-haired girl rushing over.
"Ka-Karen? What's wrong?" Yui blinked in surprise.
Karen Himemiya.
According to the memories of this world, she was that kind of girl—overloaded with energy, emotion, and... things that Shirou politely chose not to comment on, but definitely noticed.
"Wanna eat together?" Karen said cheerfully to Yui, practically bouncing in place.
"Eh, well…" Yui glanced toward Shirou, clearly unsure.
(Ah... I get it now.)
Shirou didn't overthink it. He understood the situation perfectly. With how things currently stood—how his alternate self had quietly built up misunderstandings and distance from others—it was better not to force anything. No need to make things awkward or complicated. He'd take it slow, fix things over time.
He stood up casually, slipping his phone into his pocket and slinging his bag over one shoulder.
"I'll catch you later, Yui. Got something to do," he said with a relaxed tone, offering a small, polite nod.
"Ah—okay," Yui replied, blinking in surprise, but not offended.
Just like that, Shirou walked out of the classroom with a quiet step forward.
..
(Ah, I forgot to pack a bento.) Shirou scratched his head. Thankfully, he had remembered to bring his wallet.
"Maybe I'll just grab something from the cafeteria," he muttered to himself. Ah, right. After school, I need to stop by the store.
As he continued walking down the hallway, he started thinking about what to cook for dinner. Maybe pork cutlet? Or mackerel with miso soup...
Eventually, he arrived at the cafeteria and made his way to the counter.
"Set B, please."
"Sure. Everything's 300 yen," the worker replied.
"Here you go."
Set B consisted of a plate of curry rice and a cup of water. Simple, but enough.
Shirou glanced around. Wow. It's packed today.
He wandered a bit, scanning for an open seat. After a short search, he spotted one—just across from a lone student already sitting with a book in hand.
"Hello there," Shirou said politely, offering a small smile.
The student looked up. "Ah, hi there."
"Mind if I sit here?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Shirou set his tray down, quietly observing the student opposite him. (He seems to be reading something...)
Then, unconsciously, he spoke aloud."Eh, is that a light novel?" Shirou asked.
Emiya came from the perspective of someone who live in the 2000s, where light novels weren't all that popular. Back in his time, the Big Three dominated, and the manga industry was at its peak.
"Eh? Uh, yeah," the boy replied, glancing up.
"Ehh, I never thought I'd see someone reading one. Usually, people prefer the manga version."
"You sure? It's actually a pretty popular medium now. Not that rare for someone to prefer light novels—you can finish them faster too."
"Eh, really? What title are you reading?"
"Do You Like Close-Combat Big Sisters," he answered without hesitation.
Shirou blinked."Huh. That's... a pretty long title."
"Yeah, light novel authors don't seem capable of producing short titles. No one really understands why, though."
"Huh, that's an interesting one," Shirou said. Then he clasped his hands together slightly and murmured, "Itadakimasu," before taking a bite of his curry and rice.
Glup.
"Well, is the light novel you're reading any good?"
"Yeah, it's actually pretty decent. I mostly got into it through the anime. If MAPPA hadn't animated the series, I probably wouldn't have even known the light novel existed," said the guy, munching on a curry bread between words.
"You seem like a nice guy," Shirou said casually.
"Eh? That's kinda sudden, isn't it?"
"Ahaha, probably." Shirou then reached out his hand with a smile. "Hikigaya Emiya."
The guy looked at Shirou's hand like it was the first time anyone had offered him one. After a beat, Shirou tilted his head slightly. "Um, you there?"
"Eh—uh, right. I'm Kazuhiko Nukumizu."
"Nice to meet you, Nukumizu."
"Yeah, you too… uh…"
"Just call me Emiya."
"Alright then, Emiya. Nice to meet you too."