Chapter 5: the taut rope

pov: Shirou.

"so now you designed your costume, the one that suits you best is one of the things you have to think about to be a hero, you've already seen mine and it's fascinating!"

smiling proudly Rumi observed me with energy.

"So remember to specify each thing, okay?

I nodded to her words as I had understood it clearly and my mind was thinking about some necessary things, so Rumi excitedly left the place.

"ha, she is very energetic"

I give her credit for being so energetic, but I can't do much, thinking of a Hero costume I only remembered the one that my hero version wore, even the guardian version.

Remembering both I started to move the pencil over the paper.

"gloves that have some way to give me adrenaline rushes when my body is tired, a dark blanket that can cover my face, something similar to the one I occupied in my guardian days, maybe."

The technology in this world is much more advanced which helps a great deal and allows for a large group of upgrades.

"jhm who knew, in the end I'll be wearing the same outfit from my guardian days except for the gloves and steel clad boots."

I didn't need anything else since I could easily reinforce everything using magic, the steel clad boots is in case of any attack charges and I have to use melee, Rumi's teachings won't be in vain, still my body freezes when I use too many projections in that case a rush of adrenaline will bring my body back into function, even though I risked my heart..

*here we go again

"what do you mean?"

*again you put your life on the limit to save others, Rin said it, you act like a machine*.

"lose, but I can't stand still if I have ways to save someone."

*you're still a kid*

I didn't pay more attention to him but not only he looked disappointed, the others who didn't speak also did, is it wrong what I do? Still it doesn't matter.

I stopped wasting time and took advantage that I had permission to go out, after accumulating an excessive amount of money between so many allowances and not using it in anything, after all Rumi thought it was a good way to reward me by giving me money for being good and do the chores around the house, but I could never go out to use it or buy online, so now I went out with intentions to observe the world and spend the money on something that will generate passive income for me.

"time to go out"

pov: narrator

Shirou wandered the streets of the city, familiar to him in some ways but in others completely unfamiliar, the wide variety of people with body changes, some with lizard skin, tails, horns, giant necks, different varieties and all living together.

Still it wasn't hard for Shirou's gifted eyes to see the looks of disgust in some people as well as in others normality, embarrassment, it's as if it was a taut rope holding steady but a slight movement would generate complete chaos.

*that will always happen, after all now it's not only the skin color now*.

but Shirou's gaze fell on a man lamenting on a park bench, people passed by without paying attention to him as well as the heroes.

*and here we go, always trying to help*

Shirou sat down next to the man and the man after a moment caught the twelve year old boy sitting next to him, he put his phone away quickly, but it was late after all Shirou's eyes are quick.

"why are you crying?"

he asked trying to sound as childish as possible, but the man replied with a dull smile.

"Shouldn't you be at school kid, nothing's going on."

but Shirou didn't answer him and looked off into the distance.

"you are sad and crying, no tears and sweating worry, so you seem to be in trouble."

the man was a little surprised, but Shirou continued talking without taking his eyes off the front.

"are they threatening you? are they debts? love? it's like that, isn't it?"

after asking a few questions the man's eyes twitched at two of them, which made his problems clearly visible.

"if I had to guess I'll leave you, in debt?"

Faced with that situation he had to act normal, after all it was clear his eyes lost sense and his intentions were showing with great notoriety.

"Do you intend to end your life?"

Shirou's cold words hit him hard, as his body began to tremble, still he tried to look for the eyes of the twelve year old boy next to him, but he only found empty eyes, of someone who saw the abyss.

"ha are you even a child?"

Frightened and cursing his luck to himself, he asked him without thinking what to lose, but Shirou answered him in another way.

From his pocket he took out a small pouch that Rumi had given him and handed it to the man.

"use it as you like, I know it's not much but it will help, still the purse you must take care of, I will come for it in due time"

the stupefied man looked at Shirou and tried to give the money back, but Shirou got up and started walking.

"if you want to give it back go ahead do it, but if you want to live use it and think how to give it back in a way that will help all the people, it's your decision."

the man clenched the purse with his two hands and sobbed as the young man left the place, they didn't know it but that change would be a stepping stone to chaos.

*You're still the same old brat*.