Since Shirou got reminded by Laws, he realized he couldn't just focus on sword skills. Archery should also be practiced to some degree.
After all, not to mention that Servant Emiya's class is Archer, Shirou himself used to be a key member of the school's archery club.
For some reason, Shirou has had very special eyesight since he was little.
His eyes are even comparable to those of some Casters who use magic to strengthen their eyes.
In Servant Emiya's memories, a girl named Tohsaka Rin was truly puzzled and couldn't understand why his eyesight could be so exaggerated.
Even things several miles away, Shirou could capture them very accurately.
For Shirou himself, archery is not just about having good eyesight. While good eyesight can be helpful, what's really important for an archer is to have a calm, steady mind.
Just like snipers in modern warfare, no matter how long it takes, they must hold their breath and seize the key moment to shoot the arrow.
Because he understood this, Shirou's archery skills, if not amazing, were certainly far beyond ordinary people.
He was a key member of the archery club. Some people said he always hit the bullseye, never missing, as if he saw the arrow hitting the target before letting go.
Some also thought Shirou could do this because he had become one with nature, reaching the state of "nothingness" in martial arts.
But these are all wrong.
The reason Shirou is like this is because archery seeks to make the self transparent, weakening the obsession and desire to achieve the goal, which is similar to the nightly magic practice.
Since he was a child, Shirou has spent a fixed amount of time every day practicing magic, although his own talent is limited and the improvement of strengthening magic is quite average. But by continuously spending time on the same thing, he unconsciously entered a state of flow.
When he enters a state of flow, his focus and concentration reach an indescribable level, as if he has a feeling that he can succeed at anything.
This feeling can reach its peak at the moment of shooting an arrow. If not a hundred shots, at least it can be said to be a hundred hits.
"It's a pity I don't have a bow and arrow now, and with this young body, it's still quite difficult to project a complete bow and arrow, so I can only give up for now."
Shirou shook his head, planning to wait until he could get a bow and arrow before trying to practice archery.
After all, Paul himself, as a Saber, never thought about practicing archery, so there are no bows and arrows Shirou can use in the Greyrat family.
...
Three more months passed.
Rudeus turned three years old.
Shirou turned eight years old.
During this long time, Shirou's relationship with Rudeus still didn't improve. Shirou spent his time on sword training and patrols, and had no time to deal with brotherly relations. Rudeus spent his days in the Greyrat family's attic, studying the books there.
Rudeus held books almost all day long, even bringing them to meals.
Paul and Zenith didn't care, because they didn't think a child under three could understand books.
Shirou was very concerned about what Rudeus was reading, but he had his own things to deal with and didn't have time to pay more attention to Rudeus's situation.
This peaceful life continued until the following year, when Paul and Zenith suddenly suggested going to a gathering with old friends.
"Oh, I didn't expect our former adventurer friends to suddenly ask to meet us, and invite us to meet in Roa City in the Fittoa Territory, so we'll be out for a few days." Paul said with a smile, "Rudy, Shirou, this is a good chance! Want to come with us to see a big city?"
"Big city?"
Hearing that they could go to Roa, Shirou's face lit up with surprise.
He thought it was a good chance to see the real world and maybe get some good bows and arrows.
He had been very interested in his archery for a long time, but he just didn't have a chance to practice. If he could get a suitable bow, he could hone his archery skills.
Zenith and Paul then calmly began preparing for the long trip, and they were certainly willing to take Shirou and Rudeus with them.
In their view, being able to leave home and travel to a faraway place should be an irresistible draw for children, and they wouldn't refuse.
However, to their surprise, Rudeus showed strong resistance after hearing the news.
"I don't want to go out."
The three-year-old boy's face showed clear resistance. Rudeus, who had always been emotionally stable and never complained, now showed great dissatisfaction with going out.
"Eh? It's very fun outside!"
"No, I don't want to go out."
Faced with Paul's temptation, Rudeus was very firm in his attitude.
Zenith tried to soothe him, but to no avail. Rudeus had no intention of leaving this home, let alone going to the faraway city of Roa.
"What should we do..."
Paul and Zenith suddenly hesitated.
Naturally, they couldn't leave Rudeus alone at home and go away on their own. That would be too irresponsible.
But since the trip had already been scheduled, they couldn't just give up.
At the moment of the stalemate, Shirou stood up and said, "Paul, Zenith, you two go out. I'll take care of Rudeus."
"Eh?"
They didn't expect Shirou to take the initiative to take care of Rudeus.
Paul and Zenith's faces showed surprise.
But even so, they couldn't relax so easily.
Just as Zenith was about to object, Lilia spoke up, "Master, Madam, don't worry, I'll take good care of Shirou and Rudeus."
"You'll take care of them, Lilia?"
"Yes, Buena Village is a peaceful place, there's basically no danger. I can handle the daily life problems on my own."
"This..."
They didn't expect Lilia to say such a thing, and Paul and Zenith were silent.
They discussed it with each other and felt that it was barely feasible.
But even so, they shortened the trip as much as possible, determined to return within two days, preferably just one day back and forth, to end the meeting with their old friends.