Shirou Emiya — Doesn't Want to Work Overtime!

Chapter 26: Shirou Emiya Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [26]



"Young man, what are you doing up here on the rooftop?"

Before Shirou could even catch his breath, the man across the way vanished—and appeared right in front of him.

So fast!

Shirou's eyes could barely follow his movement. Even when he'd fought that demon before, as fast as it was, Shirou could still track its every motion. But this man—Shirou could only just keep up.

If he had to compare, the demon he'd barely managed to defeat before probably wouldn't have survived even a second against this man.

The energy radiating from him felt like standing in front of the sun itself.

"May I ask who you are?" Shirou took a small step back, already recognizing the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps. He knew instantly that this man was in the same organization as that other boy.

"My name is Rengoku Kyōjurō! And you, young man, may I have your name?"

Rengoku's voice boomed with power, overflowing with masculine vitality. Shirou could practically feel the temperature around him rise by a few degrees.

"Rengoku-san, my name is Emiya Shirou!"

Something about Rengoku's confident, energetic voice made Shirou unconsciously straighten his back as he replied.

"So you're Emiya Shirou, are you!"

Rengoku nodded as if confirming something to himself.

Shirou still had no idea what was going on. Rengoku stood beside him, eyes locked on the street below, not sparing Shirou so much as a glance.

"Um… Rengoku-san, what are you looking at?"

Shirou followed his gaze, thinking perhaps he'd spotted a demon, but all he saw were the usual crowds, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Become my successor!"

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Shirou nearly choked on his own breath. He honestly couldn't follow this man's train of thought at all.

How had they gone from searching for demons to being asked to become someone's heir?

"No, I don't think that's necessary…"

Still reeling from shock, Shirou quickly refused. Being asked to become someone's heir on a first meeting was just a bit too much.

"Is that so?" Rengoku looked a little disappointed, bowing his head.

Then, just as suddenly, he threw back his head and laughed heartily.

"Haha! Of course, who would accept a total stranger as their adoptive father on the very first meeting!"

He didn't seem the least bit upset at being refused. If anything, he seemed only more cheerful and upbeat.

If you already know that, then don't just spring a question like that on someone you just met! Shirou grumbled inwardly.

But Rengoku's next words left him even more at a loss.

"You're not suited to Wind Breathing."

"…Eh?"

Shirou still couldn't keep up with his logic.

"The key to mastering a Breathing Style isn't just talent, but how well it fits your personality. Everyone's life experience is different; the Breathing Style they're best at is different too."

"Wind Breathing is best suited to those with a fierce sense of justice and a temperament as wild and restless as the wind. But you, clearly, are not that sort of person."

Shirou nodded thoughtfully. So Breathing Styles were tied to personality—maybe that's why he'd never been able to use Wind Breathing unless he projected a weapon.

Whenever he projected a weapon, he could draw on the skills already woven into it, allowing him to use the technique—just like firing a gun someone else had assembled. He knew how to pull the trigger, but not how to build the gun from scratch.

But Shirou still didn't know what kind of Breathing Style would suit his own nature.

He glanced over at Rengoku, who was still gazing into the distance.

"For generations, Demon Slayers have constantly refined their Breathing Styles, adjusting them to better fit themselves, rather than forcing themselves to fit a particular style. Breathing Styles are dead, but people are alive."

Noticing Shirou's questioning look, Rengoku didn't bother to explain all the characteristics of each Breathing Style.

He could sense that Shirou's foundation was already there—he just hadn't found the style that truly fit him, which was why he'd never managed to use a technique properly.

All Shirou needed was a catalyst—then he could awaken to a Breathing Style that belonged to him alone.

As long as you mastered even one type of Breathing, you'd develop a sense for which one suited you best. Water, Flame, Thunder, Wind, and Stone—these five were simply the broadest categories.

Anyone with the talent for Breathing could learn at least one of them, and every individual's own style was a branch within one of those five. It was simpler and more practical to start with one of the broader Breathing Styles before refining it into something uniquely your own.

But since Shirou had already skipped learning one of the "Big Five," perhaps he could jump straight to discovering his own style altogether.

For someone to get this far with a style that didn't suit them at all—Rengoku thought Shirou must have outstanding potential. There were others in the Corps who had awakened their own style and only later learned which of the five branches it fit into.

Rengoku had high hopes for Shirou.

Though honestly, why Rengoku would have such high hopes for someone he'd just met was a bit of a mystery.

As one of the most talked-about people in the hanamachi, second only to the oiran, Shirou was always the subject of rumor—praise, complaints, and jealousy alike. Most visitors came for the oiran, but soon heard stories about the red-haired boy everyone was talking about, including the geisha themselves.

Whether it was admiration, envy, or simple curiosity, Shirou's name was always on everyone's lips.

So by the time Rengoku arrived in Yoshiwara, he'd already heard plenty of stories about Emiya Shirou—and became genuinely curious about this red-haired, warm-hearted young man.

Given all that, and Shirou's mysterious past, many people speculated about his origins. He didn't hide everything, either—instead, he'd tell a simple version: he'd woken in the aftermath of a great fire, lost his memory, and was saved by his adoptive father. But a few years later, his foster father had passed away, leaving him alone.

Most people felt sympathy for Shirou's past.

Rengoku was no exception—which only made him more eager to meet the talented, kind-hearted boy with remarkable culinary skills.

And if Shirou truly had the gift for Breathing Styles, Rengoku was determined to take him as his successor.

But with his own mission underway, he couldn't go out of his way to meet this "Emiya Shirou"—or so he thought. When he set out to search for a demon, he never expected to run right into Shirou by chance.

The moment he sensed the telltale traces of Breathing Technique on Shirou, even though they didn't quite fit, Rengoku was thrilled—so much so that he'd appeared in front of Shirou in a flash, bursting with excitement, and asked the question burning in his heart.


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