A Scumbag

'Hard as Hell!' Shinji thought seeing the final form of the stone that he sculpted…

"What is that Shinji?" Hinako asked

"...An Eastern Dragon" Shinji answered weakly in shame, seeing his failure, afterall it looks like a Sea Urchin than an eastern dragon

"Wow you really suck" Hinako laughed, Shinji can only glare but Hinako only laughs harder thanks to the glare

…

"Sorry, it is not everyday you can see a magician fail at something" Hinako apologized after her laughing fit.

After spending weeks days together she getting comfortable around Shinji, and discover his nature that, unlike most magus, Hinako kinda resent him.

At first, she protested why they didn't just go straight to Houtengenki location, only for Shinji to smugly say that they didn't have any reason to rush to take it. Technically they can wander on earth for 100 years as long they didn't visit Houtengenki location, Hinako will be forced to follow Shinji thanks to her words

Yup, basically Shinji exploited Hinako vague word…Hinako can only resign to her fate. That was the reason why Hinako kinda resented Shinji.

Afterall even though it just a promise, not a contract, it was a promise to a Magician. You are a fool if trying to break your promise to a True Magician

"Anyway, why the sudden interest in sculpting?" Hinako asked

"I want to make a planetary level wish-granting device" Shinji answered

"...wish-granting device?" Hinako flabbergasted "Like the Holy Grail?"

"Yup," Shinji pick another big rock and start to sculpting again "Depending on how you view it, this wish-granting device can be superior or lesser than the Holy Grail"

"What did you mean?"

"It can only be used once a year, it will summon a dragon that called Shenron that will grant three of your wish, according to your wish literally"

"Summoning a Dragon that grants three wish!?" Hinako jaw dropped "it closer to a ritual than a granting device"

"Yep," Shinji said with popping the 'p' in his lips "but it is a wish-granting device, the thing it summons will 100% the thing that I sculpt, technically I can sculpt a Mahou Shoujou and the ritual will summon that Mahou Shoujou named Shenron to grant the wish"

"So why a dragon?" Hinako bewildered

"IT WAS COOLER!" Shinji answered with a star in his eyes "it cooler to summon a dragon that can grant wish than summoning a Mahou Shoujo to grant wish …and I just paying homage to the original recipe"

"...So what kind of wish that it can grant" Hinako bewildered at Shinji boyish passion

"Hmm…it can grant True Resurrection. heck, it even can do a mass resurrection with the right word" Shinji explained happily "it can grant anything on a planetary scale! you even can use it to reach The Root but of course, I added security measure to make sure it not abused by any evil natured person"

"...True Resurrection? So that means it can revive dead people?" Hinako asks Shinji with hope in her eyes

"Yup…it not really amazing because I can do the same but It can also do something that I can't do" Shinji explained "like modifying my own soul, perfecting my body, conquering the world…etc"

"You can cast True Resurrection spell!?" Hinako stared at Shinji in disbelief, her eyes hoping her ear didn't hear the wrong word, afterall she longing to meet someone that already dead a long time ago…

"Yup…any user of Third Magic can do it but I am special circumstances. Because when we die our soul assimilated to The Root, to revive someone we have to search for the target information in there" Shinji lectured "thanks to that, all user of The Third have a drawback, they can only reviving someone that they know well or with the help of The Second…summon a heroic spirit."

"Because I can visit The Root anytime, I can revive anyone, and summon any heroic spirit," Shinji grinned and Hinako can only gape hearing that Shinji can visit The Root anytime, something that most Magus trying to reach generation by generation. "the dragon that summoned to grant wish has the same principle"

"The dragon will be connected to The Root but he will be limited at granting wish at the planetary scale, nothing more, nothing less. That was the reason why the dragon capable of reviving the dead"

"Any question?"

Hinako raises her hand

---

"So let me get it straight…you want me to revive your long-dead husband?"

Hinako nodded, her eyes full of hope

"No" Shinji rejected her request, breaking the hope in her eyes.

'It really satisfying breaking someone hopes…wait, wait, I know I have screwed personality but happy at acquaintance suffering was not included on the list, if it enemy or scumbag I got no problem…that makes me think…because I am a scumbag now, will I happy at my own suffering? Isn't that mean I am a masochist by principle? Nah, I think about it too much'

"Why…" Hinako looks like wants to cry…

'I feel bad now but a no is a no'

"I got no reason nor motivation to grant your wish" Shinji stares at Hinako eyes with cold eyes "reviving him didn't give me an advantage and you didn't have anything that you can exchange for it"

Hinako cry

'I really feel bad now, but if I revive him, word will go around that The Third willing to revive anyone with a sob story, something that I should avoid. If that happen many sociopath people(Magus) will come to me with a sob story and ask the same treatment'

'Shirou and Sakura was an exception, they are Shinji best friends and adopted sister or in short, someone that canon Shinji know personally so if both of them ask something I will do the best to fulfill it, no matter how much canon Shinji jealous at Shirou and hate Sakura, while Hinako was different, she is someone that I know through FGO, so there is no way I will revive her husband just based on meta-knowledge'

'You can't save everyone, that was the lesson that hammered in Fate/Stay Night story maybe I can save Hinako by reviving her husband but we didn't really close, my attachment and trust to her is based on meta-knowledge, something that can change anytime.'

Shinji leaves Hinako crying figure behind at the hotel and searches for fresh air. Looking at the sky Shinji wryly smiled.

'Damn…I am really a scumbag huh…'