Shirou had planned to spend the whole day training, somehow and maybe unlock some feature he had yet to discover about.
The Game was as mysterious as incredibly complete when it integrated his life in this different system.
His body sure seemed capable of withstanding a simple training regime without suffering the usual strains of a normal body.
It was an interesting novelty, but not one devoid of particular limitations.
His stats were somehow representing his capacity to do things and trying to achieve more difficult excercises actually put his childish body in a labored state.
It was a slow process that seemed to fasten up if he tried to push himself over that limit even more.
Reading the magazine had actually given him some ideas how things worked now as he learned much of the term 'Grinding'.
It was usually referred to train with low-level, safe battles until your character was capable of stepping on the next area of the game without having issues with the difficulty.
And that was why Shirou had tackled basic workouts first, knowing that it wasn't a dangerous activity and that he would still get some rewards out of it.
Speaking of results, that was what he got after a full day spent training with just few pauses.
Attributes
POW: 8
INT: 8
AGI: 6
WIS: 8
VIT: 10
CHA: 6
LUK: 11
It was an incredibly small boost but the boy was quite sure the issue wasn't much the Game but how he was training up.
The workout was a standard one, the same many used to start at the Gym.
It was frustrating at first as he wanted quick results as quickly as possible. It was a childish notion now that he thought back at it but... he is a kid.
The schedule was made by:
-20 Pushups;
-20 Squats;
-20 Situps;
-1KM of complessive runs;
It was a slug-paced progress but.. he was optimistic. He had a full month to reach LVL10 and discover what his caretaker was hiding from him.
About Kiritsugu, Shirou was somewhat unnerved by the mere fact the quiet man would always watch him as he trained, expecting something the boy to ask him about that.
The kid wasn't at fault if he had started to be interest on Magecraft. The capacity to replicate amazing things (even through under the rules of the World) was something a child his age craved in their dreams and Shirou was no different.
He had planned to pester the man until he conceded.. but studying Kiritsugu's attitude and MO, the boy was sure that any direct confrontations without proper motivation for the man was going to be fruitless.
It didn't help that his guardian had decided to enroll him to the local school, buying him the books required for the year he was being enlisted at.
When he noticed the pile of books, he felt a familiar dread and disgust at the source of knowledge as he could remember how difficult studying was.
It was infuriating how part of him had urged him to plan how to study the pile before the school year started.
Thankfully this wasn't a difficult thing to accomplish as it was still January and the Japanese school year started in April.
He had four months to further his current knowledge with the elementary-grade schools and-
-The Perfume of Literature-
Time Limit: 4 Month
You set yourself to step up your studies even during this vacation. It will be quite hard to accomplish this because of your attention's span but.. You could do it. Maybe.
<Hints>
Plan your schedule in a way that you can fit everything without ruining your other projects.
<Reward>
-Title: Bookworm-
-Unlock New Route-
-Improve -?- closeness-
<Failure> or <Refused>
-Title: Mediocre Student-
-New Route is closed-
- Decrease -?- closeness-
Accept?
Y/N
Shirou had accepted the new long-timed quest but... why he couldn't know who he was getting close with if he succeeded?
What if he didn't like whom he was going to met if he passed this Quest?
Those unanswered questions were soon forgotten by the boy as he started to give a look in the school books, fighting back the various groans and whines as he keep his mind on the target.
He improved his INT and WIS but.. Shirou felt that he had lost any respect for that part of himself that had advised this plan in the process.
And yet, with all the grand things he had accomplished.. he didn't felt ready.
It wasn't paranoia or something like that.. he just had the gut feeling he wouldn't be able to sustain a regular fight.
He didn't have a fighting style, nor a weapon.
Shirou wasn't ready to fight.
That was until something peculiar happened.
He woke up early in the morning, got dressed and, after a quick stop by the bathroom, he reached the living room.
Kiritsugu was already there, sipping a small cup of coffee calmly, and they exchanged a greeting.
"I am going to be busy.. for few days." Shirou was actually surprised by this news, the first time hearing the man speaking of going outside for more than few hours.
The previous time had been just to go buy some groceries or other stuff.. but few days?
It was odd how someone as stuck as Kiritsugu was could afford this compound without even hinting in the previous days about a job.
This was what made the boy still weary of the man, he was far too much secretive for his liking.
There were so many things left unanswered, things that shouldn't be left unanswered.
But he didn't deign him some explanation behind this departure, focusing on finishing the coffee and giving him some more stares.
Kiritsugu was a weird man to live with, Shirou decided to think as the guardian started to prepare his luggage... or at least part of it.
The child had seen the man loading some of the basic things (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.) but the baggage seemed to contain much more and his mind wondered what the man was packing for the voyage.
But he didn't ask him as he found himself incredibly occupied as the man opened the main door just in time for a familiar teenage girl to tackle him on the floor. "Shirou-chan!"
Taiga Fujimura was going to be his bane, Shirou was sure of that as he struggled out of her surprisingly strong hold.
How was someone with her petite frame capable of hiding this insane strength?
It was during that moment of chaos that the boy realised something he should have done long ago.
<Observe>
The result wasn't pleasant to see..
Name: Taiga Fujimura
Title: Young Tiger of Fuyuki
Age: 14
Level (???)
Health Points (HP) : ?
Mana Points (MP) : Blocked
H-How and why?!
The very girl that was embarassing him so much was stronger than LVL12! What is this madness?
Kiritsugu muttered two quick 'Bye' as he left the house, leaving the boy at the Tiger's whims.
She seemed to like the idea of spending some time with her 'little brother' and Shirou sure hoped that the girl was going to distract herself somehow and give him a mean to run away in his room.
His hopes crumbled ten minutes later.
Taiga sure was bored in the relatively big house and having just Shirou to tease around so.. she decided it was time for him to meet her grandfather.
The reasoning behind that resolution against boredom was incredibly off by any humane logic, yet there was little he could do about it, knewing that the girl was much stronger than him and.. the boy wanted to avoid getting beaten by the happy-looking Taiga.
The walk would have been a good way to cool his bruised pride but the girl leading him around started to talk... and talk... and talk.
Between harmless questions, simple tidbits about her life and how she admired (crushed on) Kiritsugu, the boy's patience started to die down quicker than he had hoped.
It was an unnerving and unhappy task to avoid snapping at the overly-cheerful 'neechan' that was accompanying him but... he was polite and gritting his teeth as he screeched internally at the torture he had been put in.
Finally they reached the place where the teen's grandfather lived and-
Shirou backtracked a little in his thoughts' process, finding this new information and sight actually enlightening on some shady spot of his current life.
Kiritsugu actually managed to pay everything with just his tutor job with Taiga... because Taiga's family gave more than a normal pay.
It wasn't difficult to reach this conclusion as he noticed the various thugs walking around the much bigger compound, giving few glances their direction as they entered the place.
It was how fearful many looked their way as they continued to walk towards the main building.
And he was staring at a dojo, a big one- Uh?!
The girl on his side skipped ahead in a quick sprint as she ran towards a.. old man.
The elder was as tall as the teen, dressed in a green-toned kimono with a tiger-like decoration. His hair had greyed because of his age and his wrinkles just made the already scary face he had even more terrifying for unknowns. "Jiji!"
The man grinned as the girl that was his granddaughter pulled him in a bear-hug. "Taiga-chan! It's good to see you."
Taiga giggled and Shirou finally reached them, his presence noticed by the man.
"A young boy? Taiga-chan, how could you bring your boyfriend here-ugh!"
The elder recoiled as the teen kicked his shin. "That was not nice, grandpa! You shouldn't say that about brother and sister."
...They weren't related and Shirou was quite unsure about the whole family-beyond-blood kind of bond with the girl. How many times he had seen her in total? Four, five?
"Oh?" The man hummed quietly and gave the child a close look before nodding. "This is Kiritsugu's kid, right?"
At Taiga's nod, the man smiled and showed his front teeth. "My name is Fujimura Raiga, I am a good friend of your father, Shirou-chan."
...Oh God, noooooooooooooooo! Why that nickname!?
Like heck he was going to let it become a permanent thing!
"Emiya Shirou. Nice to meet you Raiga-sama." The man blinked at the politeness.
"This kid is formal! Taiga-chan, maybe you should take some lessons from this boy-ih!"
The girl proceeded to chop on the old man's head at the jab at her unruly behavior. "Grandpa!"
This girl was extremely violent, that was an absolute truth in Shirou's mind.
----------------------d-d-d----------------------d-d-d---------------------d-d-d---------------------
"Your dad sure is reliable, Shirou-kun." The man chuckled as he stressed the very thing that irked Shirou in that moment. "I had almost lost hopes of getting my hotheaded granddaughter a proper teacher. She is fiery and.. fierce."
A shiver went down their spines as they watched another kendo match between Taiga and some of the thugs training.
It was in that sight that Shirou confirmed that the teen wasn't someone to be trifled and that he had to be cautious around.. this brutal young woman.
"You know, Shirou-kun, I started to fight with a sword at your age." Raiga sighed tiredly as he continued. "It was when Japan was still recovering from the war and.. we had to deal with unpleasant folks in Fuyuki trying to make others' life difficult."
Banditry was a thing in the city during the post-war period but it wasn't something much remembered because of the relative ill events that had happened around the period.
Shirou would have liked to hear more about history but a box appeared in front of him as he continued to stare oddly at the swords used.
Shinai. Its name is... Shinai.
[Something resonates within your souls... and a new Trait has been unlocked!]
Sword Proficiency (Rookie) - You have grasped the basic notions of swormanships and can use it in a fight. Your stats receive a 15% Boost when using a Sword-Type weapon.
W-What?
Reading the description of the Trait was enough to break whatever phenomenon had got him so mesmerized by the fight and Shirou would have had studied this situation further if-
"Are you interested in training, Shirou-kun?"
The question catched his attention and his surprise. "I-I don't want to impose on-" "Nonsense!" Raiga barked at the attempted polite refusal.
"If you crave for learn the way of the sword, I will not be the one discouraging you!"
The boy blinked at the quick proclamation and he had barely the time to blink as he was taken by the elder to dress in the protective armor and given a Shinai.
The moment his hands grasped the practice sword, the Emiya felt his soul becoming hard as steel and his mind cleared up in front of his first opponent.
The thug was at LVL4 but... Shirou felt so much stronger than before.
Part of him wanted him to hold back the first fight, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
But he moved naturally through the man's strikes, staring as those approached incredibly slow at him.
He didn't waste time in hitting through one of the openings in front of him.
It was then that he realised what had just happened as, while it had been few moments in that beautiful sensation that had driven him until now, it had been few minutes of him playing around with the now confused and shocked thug.
*Ding* You have levelled up!
[Status]
Name: Shirou Emiya
Title: The Gamer
Age: 7
Level 3 - Exp: 47.53%
Health Points (HP) : 200
Mana Points (MP) : (Blocked)
Attributes
POW: 8 (9,2)+1
INT: 8 (9,2)+1
AGI: 6 (6,9)+1
WIS: 7 (8)+1
VIT: 10 (11,5)+1
CHA: 5 (5,7)+1
LUK: 11 (11,5)+1
Shirou had barely enough time to blink at the news that he was tackled down by Taiga once again, this time he had also to deal with her sweaty dress pressed on him. "Shirou-chan is super-strong!"
"He is!" Raiga clapped at the scene, a big smile in his face. "I knew that he is natural at this! Give him some time and training and you will get some serious competition, Taiga-chan."
The girl smirked challenging. "I will get even more stronger then!"
What had just happened there?!
---------------d-d-d-------------------d-d-d-------------------d-d-d--------------------
I don't think I need to explain that I cannot push for any ship/harem right now. Shirou is currently 7 and frankly I would like to keep some normality before he get thrown in the full-Nasuverse..
Reply With Quote
