Chapter 17

In the end, Shinji was caught by Issei.

This was almost impossible, as Issei was the kind of model student who never ran or chased anyone in school or the hallways.

Shinji's capture was largely thanks to a certain English teacher's assistance and a twin-tailed girl who just happened to stick out her leg at the perfect moment along Shinji's escape route.

Watching Shinji, who had fallen to the ground and was clutching his nose in pain, the twin-tailed girl, Rin Tohsaka, covered her mouth in surprise.

"Oh my, Matou-kun, how careless of you. Didn't the school rules say no running or roughhousing?"

"You...!" Shinji gritted his teeth, glaring at her.

"Don't do that again. You might get hurt."

"Got him!" Taiga's voice rang out as footsteps approached.

Rin turned politely to greet Taiga, "Good morning, Fujimura-sensei."

"Oh, it's Tohsaka-san. Good morning."

"Matou, this is your karma," Issei said, pushing up his glasses as he approached with a ruler in hand.

"Ugh," Shinji grumbled as he slowly got up, "The ancients were right, women and petty men are hard to deal with."

"Matou, I was going to punish you with the ruler, but since you seem to have had a moment of enlightenment, I'll let it go this time."

Issei held his right hand to his chest, closed his eyes, and muttered a Buddhist prayer. Shinji mimicked him, also closing his eyes and muttering a prayer.

Watching them, Rin's forehead visibly showed two red veins of irritation. The satisfaction of having her revenge was gone.

"Just wait!" she snapped before storming into the school building.

"Shinji, it was Tohsaka, wasn't it?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Shinji looked confused.

"The girl you confessed to in middle school."

"What?!" Issei exclaimed, his expression heavy. "Matou, are you the one who confessed to that fox girl at the school gate on the first day of middle school?!"

"Really, Issei? You're only finding out now?" Shirou sighed.

"Looks like the ruler punishment is inevitable. Matou! After the ruler, you will recite the Buddhist scriptures one hundred times!"

"Are you serious?" Shinji was speechless.

"Absolutely! Getting involved with that fox girl will ruin your life!"

"So Matou-kun knows Tohsaka-san," Taiga remarked in surprise.

"No, I didn't know her before high school," Shinji shrugged.

"Really? Didn't you confess to her in middle school? Why confess if you didn't know her?"

Seeing Taiga's curiosity, Shinji sighed, "Sensei, you sure are nosy. It's almost time for morning tutoring. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

"Oh no!" Realizing the time, Taiga rushed toward the school building, calling back, "You guys hurry too, don't be late!"

Watching Taiga rush off, the three boys exchanged glances and smiled wryly.

Afternoon, after school.

Shirou, who should have been heading to the archery club, instead stopped Shinji, who was yawning and preparing to leave with his bag.

"Shinji, I want to talk about Sakura—"

"Emiya," Shinji interrupted, leaning closer to Shirou, "You're the type who wants everyone around you to be happy, right?"

"Huh? I guess so."

"Good," Shinji smiled.

"Wait, what—"

"Unlike you, I'm a very mundane, selfish person. I don't have your selflessness. I'm just a regular person. Goodbye, Emiya."

Shirou was left puzzled as Shinji walked away without another word, only waving behind him.

After his club activities, Shirou recounted Shinji's words to Sakura at home.

"Maybe it's because my brother... has things he's not good at," Sakura said softly, her expression complicated.

"Shinji? Something he's not good at? But he's perfect at everything."

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "something he's very... very bad at."

"Really? I can't imagine Shinji ever giving up easily."

Sakura remained silent, not mentioning that what she referred to was magic—something Shinji could never master no matter how hard he tried.

"By the way, what's Shinji been up to lately?" Shirou asked, curious.

"He's been interested in astronomy. He bought a telescope and some books. I found some star charts he drew when I was taking out the trash."

"Another whim?"

"But he moved all that stuff out two days ago. Probably sold it as second-hand items."

"That was a short-lived interest."

[In recent news, three previously undiscovered asteroids have been confirmed by the National Astronomical Observatory, as reported by an anonymous online user. Despite efforts, the user's identity remains unconfirmed, though the IP address traces back to the remote town of Fuyuki City.]

Watching the news, Shirou chuckled and looked at Sakura, "Sakura, could this be..."

"Probably my brother's doing."

"Unbelievable," Shirou sighed, "Is Shinji a monster?"

"Shirou, did you hear?" Taiga burst in excitedly. "Someone discovered three new asteroids, and they're from Fuyuki City!"

"Yeah, I just heard. And Taiga-sensei, you might know the person who did it."

"Really? I know them?"

"Yeah, it's probably Shinji. Sakura said he was into astronomy recently."

"Matou-kun? Huh?" Taiga was surprised. "But why not reveal his identity? He could name the asteroids."

"He probably lost interest already," Shirou shrugged.

Taiga: ...