Let us turn the clock back a little.
In Reunion's camp, Shirou, dressed in a set of medical operator clothing, was treating an infected patient together with two smaller figures wearing the same style of uniform.
All of these outfits had been projected by Shirou himself.
Compared to Rhodes Island's medical facilities, Reunion's could only be described as... needing improvement.
Still, that was only natural. There were simply too many people who needed help, and most of the wounded and refugees had been sent to Rhodes Island. As a result, Reunion's own injured members had to rely on themselves.
Even so, conditions were much better than before. With medicine and clean bandages provided by Rhodes Island, patients no longer had to rely purely on willpower to survive.
The environment only seemed primitive from Shirou's perspective. To Reunion, this was already considered quite good.
After delivering medical supplies and reports concerning Talulah and the other two, Shirou had originally intended to go look for something else to do.
Unexpectedly, among the busy figures moving around, he spotted two familiar faces.
Ino and Sasha, the two children who had once followed Alina around.
They had grown considerably since then. If not for their distinctive features remaining largely unchanged, Shirou might not have recognized them.
Well, mainly Sasha.
As a Pythia, his traits made a deeper impression on Shirou.
Seeing Ino using Originium Arts to heal patients while Sasha handled the bandaging, Shirou thought for a moment before approaching them.
He also projected two clean sets of clothing for them.
Otherwise, considering how thin their clothes were, Shirou was honestly worried that after finishing with the patients, the two of them would end up in hospital beds themselves.
Had he not seen them, that would have been one thing. But now that he had, there was no way he could simply ignore them.
Thus, a tall figure suddenly appeared beside the two smaller ones, attracting plenty of attention from Reunion.
Especially Shirou.
As his appearance increasingly resembled Archer's, many people mistook him for someone else.
It was not exactly embarrassing to be mistaken for Archer.
Rather, it was the endless questions that irritated him.
Well, perhaps both things were equally troublesome.
After some thought, Shirou simply projected a medical cap and a face mask and put them on. Things became much quieter afterward.
And so the three busied themselves with their work.
Shirou handled the heavy labor, lifting patients and adjusting their positions.
Ino used his Originium Arts to treat injuries.
Sasha took care of the bandaging.
With Shirou's help, the two children worked much faster than before.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many wounded people in Reunion's camp. Despite working for a long time, they had only managed to treat a portion of them.
Once immersed in his work, Shirou displayed a level of concentration unlike ever before.
Until...
A familiar voice echoed from afar.
"Let me see... Shirou~ Shirou~ where are you~?"
Exusiai.
Shirou turned slightly and discovered six familiar figures charging toward him at full speed.
Only...
The sight was strange.
Blaze carrying Rosmontis on her back was perfectly normal. Shirou had often seen such scenes at Rhodes Island.
But why was Croissant carrying Exusiai over her shoulder while running?
Texas, stop calmly chewing on your Pocky and do something!
And Sora too!
At least try to stop them!
Simply carrying Exusiai would have been one thing.
The problem was that Exusiai was constantly chanting Shirou's name and had even started humming a tune.
That made things far more unbearable.
He had run out here precisely to avoid embarrassment, only to be dragged into an even more embarrassing situation...
Faced with Exusiai's call, Shirou chose to pull down his cap, raise his face mask, and continue treating patients alongside Ino and Sasha.
If he could avoid reality for a little longer, then he would.
That was Shirou's current philosophy.
"Um... what exactly are they doing?"
Sasha had originally wanted to call Shirou by name, but after seeing his reaction, he realized that Shirou seemed to be hiding from the group and changed his question.
He could not help being curious. Alina had always told him that if he had questions, he should ask them.
So he did.
Meanwhile, Ino continued healing patients with Originium Arts while glancing toward Shirou, waiting for an explanation.
"...Ignore them. Let's finish treating this patient first. And whatever you do, do not make eye contact. Things will become troublesome."
Shirou, who desired nothing more than peace and quiet, spoke to the two children with utmost seriousness.
For now, they only needed to continue treating the infected and wait for Exusiai and the others to leave.
As for facing reality...
That could be left to his nighttime self.
Unfortunately, things rarely developed according to Shirou's wishes.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder and patted him twice.
"Excuse me, have you happened to see a spirited young guy with red hair? Doctor told us to come find him."
The one patting his shoulder was Blaze.
And her tone was exceedingly friendly.
As for why she had approached Shirou?
Because among everyone present, only Shirou was wearing Rhodes Island medical clothing.
Naturally, Blaze had chosen him.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment, Shirou remained silent and merely raised a hand, pointing in the direction from which the group had come.
He did not dare speak. He feared that the moment he opened his mouth, he would have to suffer the agony of social death.
"Huh? Does that mean he already left? I did not see him just now..."
Blaze did not suspect anything from the fact that the other person only gestured without speaking. She knew all too well how exhausting life could be for medical operators.
Especially under circumstances like these. The poor fellow might have worked himself hoarse and could only communicate through gestures.
Blaze understood that perfectly.
"..."
Seeing that he had successfully fooled Blaze, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he felt someone's gaze upon him.
It was Sasha and Ino.
The two of them stared at him with expressions that practically said, So this is the kind of person you are, making Shirou feel somewhat tormented.
And there was another gaze as well.
It came from Rosmontis, who was riding on Blaze's back.
Rosmontis narrowed her eyes. Her sharp gaze seemed capable of piercing right through the cap on Shirou's head and the mask on his face.
After a moment, she did not say anything.
Instead, she reached directly toward the cap on Shirou's head.
Seeing that hand reaching toward him, Shirou knew that Rosmontis had recognized him.
He was not too surprised.
Rosmontis's Originium Arts were very... peculiar.
Still, he tilted his head and dodged her restless little hand.
Rosmontis: "?"
Originally, Rosmontis had only been suspicious.
Now she was completely certain that the person dressed in medical operator clothes was Shirou.
Although she was puzzled by the changes to his height and hair, that sense of reassurance she always felt from him remained unchanged.
So this time, Rosmontis stretched out both arms and reached toward Shirou again.
And Blaze, carrying Rosmontis on her back, did not really understand what was happening, but she cooperated enthusiastically and charged at Shirou.
He dodged.
She pursued.
The antics of the three attracted the attention of almost everyone present.
After spending so long in such a depressing environment, this kind of playful interaction naturally caught people's attention.
"Hmm... I do not really get it. Wait, since when did Rhodes Island have such a tall white-haired medical operator?"
Being steered by Rosmontis toward the mysterious operator, Blaze wondered why the little cat had suddenly targeted him.
Although the other person was taller than her, she had Rosmontis on her back, so together they still had the height advantage.
And the guy's physique and agility were absurdly good.
Wait...
Could this guy actually be Shirou?
After pondering for a moment, Blaze suddenly realized something.
If she lined up the Shirou she remembered, the current Shirou she knew, Archer, and Nameless in order...
Then the person before her fit perfectly between the current Shirou and those latter two.
As for the white hair?
The latter two had white hair as well!
They were all Shirou!
And this bastard had deliberately pointed her in the wrong direction just now!
If little kitty had not noticed something strange, they would probably have spent another lap running around looking for him.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Blaze extended her own evil hands and launched her assault on Shirou.
"Stop! Stop! There are still patients here!"
Two fists could not fight four hands.
Besides, Shirou could not strike back against the two of them. All he could do was dodge passively.
And he understood very well that if this dragged on any longer, there were another four helping hands waiting nearby.
At that point, things would only descend further into chaos.
Since there was no escaping, he could only face reality.
"Tch. So it really was you, Shirou."
Only after hearing Shirou's voice did Blaze stop.
Her suspicions had become certainty.
Thinking about what he had just done made her want to punch him.
He had actually tried to fool her!
"You people are way too reckless."
Seeing the two stop, Shirou let out a helpless sigh.
Thankfully, he, Ino, and Sasha had already treated many patients, leaving this section much more spacious.
Even so, he still did not remove his cap or mask.
Those were meant to prevent Reunion's people from seeing his appearance.
"You are the one who tried to trick me first! And you have the nerve to say that?"
Blaze was no longer holding back.
She set Rosmontis down and cracked her knuckles, apparently preparing for another one of those elite operator exchanges.
"Cut it out."
Seeing Blaze's posture, Shirou could only feel speechless.
Ignoring her challenge completely, he crouched down and helped Ino and Sasha finish treating the patient they were working on.
Afterward, Shirou told the two children to take a break. They had already treated quite a number of patients. Originally, he had planned to call it a day after finishing a few more cases, so all that had happened was that his schedule had been moved up a little.
Most of the wounded here were not in critical condition, so they could afford to wait while the two rested.
If Reunion's medical resources had not been so limited, and if they could actually appear before the refugees, then they could have simply gone to Rhodes Island instead.
Although the events that took place in Chernobog were not their fault, those responsible had still acted under Reunion's banner and harmed the people of the city.
Sometimes, many things in reality simply could not be explained clearly in a few words.
Shirou understood that all too well now.
That was why he had been helping the two children here.
After finishing his instructions, Shirou took a deep breath and turned around to face the six behind him.
He felt an overwhelming amount of pressure.
"..."
Aside from Rosmontis's puzzled expression and Blaze's look that practically screamed I would like to apply for a duel, the gazes coming from the four members of Penguin Logistics were positively piercing.
About this whole incident...
It seemed, perhaps, definitely, that he was in the wrong.
He had promised them that he would not do anything reckless, yet things had somehow turned out like this.
If not for Illya and the other him supporting him from behind, he would probably be dead by now.
After thinking for a long time, Shirou still could not figure out what to say.
Mainly because he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.
At this moment, he could clearly sense danger radiating from the eyes of the four women.
"Um... Shirou, why did your hair turn white?"
Perhaps sensing his awkward predicament, Rosmontis changed the subject.
Amiya and Blaze had taught her this.
If someone she knew found themselves unable to speak, she should try changing the topic.
"Little kitty, you—!"
Apparently, Blaze, one of the people who had taught Rosmontis that trick, was not pleased by her growth at all.
She only felt betrayed.
"Hm? This? Just a side effect of magecraft. I should have a chance to recover my original appearance later."
Hearing Rosmontis's question, Shirou snapped out of his tangled thoughts and rubbed the strands of white hair sticking out from beneath his cap.
As for whether he could actually recover, he was not entirely sure himself.
But if the other him said there was a chance, then perhaps there really was.
"You have gotten a lot taller too... I am so jealous."
Now that the conversation had gone off on a tangent, Exusiai immediately followed up.
Ever since Shirou had arrived, she had been very conscious about height.
"And your body has gotten stronger too."
Croissant had done her research in that regard.
Back then, the members of Penguin Logistics had joined forces to strip Shirou and confirm his physical condition.
Thinking about it now made her fingers itch again.
Unfortunately, even if all of them attacked together, they probably could not do much to him anymore.
If he wanted to run away, he could easily leave them far behind.
"Huh wait, are all of you okay? Illya's magecraft did not cause any side effects, right?"
For some reason, Shirou suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He lowered the hand that had been playing with his hair and placed it on Rosmontis's head, as she had moved close to him.
"There are side effects! Of course there are side effects! Do you know how much those things traumatized my innocent little heart?!"
Seeing Shirou steer the topic back around, Blaze suddenly put on a sorrowful expression.
Shirou and Rosmontis: "..."
It should have been a deeply tragic expression.
Yet, for some reason, both of them remembered the look on Blaze's face the last time Kal'tsit confiscated the alcohol she had secretly brought back to Rhodes Island.
Compared to the expression she was wearing now...
They could only say one thing.
It was exactly the same.