Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

"Projection begins"

As Emiya finished speaking, a silver-white light appeared on his right hand, and he gripped a katana with emerald green hues tightly.

This is the samurai sword left in the hands of the boy at the place where the battle took place.

He has already undergone dialysis and is now able to project it successfully.

However, Emiya couldn't guarantee whether it had the same effect as that sword—severing the demon's neck to kill it.

Emiya's analysis of the Nichirin Blade is as simple as his analysis of some household appliances.

Without any mystery or magic, Emiya easily discovered that the Nichirin Blade was forged from ore containing the power of the sun, which is why it has the ability to slay demons.

However, Emiya was unsure whether the katana he projected had the ability to slay demons.

The Nichirin Blade is able to kill demons using the power of minerals containing the sun, and the sword he projected was a magical creation.

We can only take it one step at a time.

Emiya thought to himself that he could only wait until he encountered the demon again to test whether the projected Nichirin Blade had the ability to kill the demon.

"but--"

Holding the emerald green Nichirin Blade, Emiya felt his breathing become stronger and more rhythmic. He could feel his body gradually becoming more vibrant under this continuous cycle of breathing.

Emiya could feel the fatigue from a night of fighting slowly dissipating. Although the effect was not obvious, Emiya could still feel the changes in his body.

"what is this?"

As Emiya held the projected sword, he felt a memory flood his mind—a technique for wielding a sword.

He followed the direction of his body, gripped the knife tightly in his hand, and a long, drawn-out breath burst from the corner of his mouth, causing the air around him to swirl.

"It seems to be called—Wind Breathing First Form: Dust Whirlwind Slash!"

A powerful shockwave, accompanied by spiraling wind blades, rushed towards Emiya's front. Countless wind blades swirled around him, and in just a few seconds, the entire area was covered with scratches, as if it had been ravaged by someone wildly swinging a samurai sword.

"cough!"

A trickle of blood escaped from Emiya's lips.

He felt pain all over his body, and streaks of blood appeared on Emiya's body.

Halfway through the execution, Emiya realized he had lost the power to control it.

He felt as if someone had suddenly grabbed his neck, making it impossible for him to breathe.

Even if one possesses memories and experience, the body itself cannot support them.

While the new breathing method improved Emiya's health, it was also largely rejected by his body.

Just like expecting a baby who is still drinking water from a pacifier to drink large gulps of water like a normal person, even if they have the ability to drink water, their body will not allow them to drink water in such large gulps, and they will basically choke on the water.

Emiya was in this choking state.

When Tanjiro was learning the breathing technique, he also needed to practice constantly, instead of just staying by the waterfall to get a feel for it. Learning the breathing technique is like a baby learning to walk; it's a gradual process. It's not just about being able to use the breathing technique, but more importantly, about getting your body used to the power it brings.

Darkness gradually engulfed Emiya's eyes, and as if he had collapsed in a hotel, Emiya felt his life slowly slipping away.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand, having lost its magical support, instantly dissipated into countless stars.

The fresh forest air rushed towards Emiya's throat.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha"

Emiya knelt on the ground, gasping for breath like a drowning man.

"So sad!"

Emiya, having regained his senses, slowly stood up, breathing erratically.

If breathing techniques require a long period of adaptation, then Emiya's behavior just now can only be described as trying to become a fat man in one bite.

"Is this the power that can slay demons?"

After carefully recalling what had just happened, Emiya felt that if he had the time, he definitely needed to practice more techniques to deal with demons.

The road is lined with neat rows of colorful streetlights, and utility poles stand in the middle of the street.

The area around the utility poles was covered with orange-red grass, and the layout of the entire street looked very prosperous, with vibrant colors everywhere.

"Is this the town the old man was talking about?"

Emiya quickly bandaged his wound and headed back in the direction he had gone before; he didn't want to spend another night in the forest.

Moreover, due to the previous battle, Emiya had lost all the food he was carrying, and if he didn't reach the town, he would have to continue to go hungry.

Pedestrians on the street looked at Emiya with disgust, since he didn't have proper bandages to wrap his wounds and could only use his clothes to make do with them, so his body was covered in scarlet blood.

Moreover, he was carrying two knives. If it weren't for his youthful appearance, he would have looked exactly like a serial killer who had just finished murdering people on the mountain.

However, on such a bustling street, there were only a few scattered passersby and some sanitation workers.

Many of these people were still yawning as if they were dozing off.

Most of the shops along the street were closed.

It's almost noon, but the once bustling streets are now eerily deserted, as if this is the time for nighttime sleep.

"That's so strange."

Emiya could only sigh to himself as he looked at the desolate scene on the street.

"I'm penniless right now, so I need to find a place to stay and then find out what's going on in that place."

Emiya quickly realized what he needed most right now.

At this stage, he needs to find a place where he can settle down and communicate with the outside world before he can do what he wants to do here and plan his next steps.

Chapter Seventeen: The Kind-Hearted Red-Haired Boy

Table 13 - Tempura

Table 27 - Buckwheat Noodles

One shout after another came from the restaurant.

Sweat dripped continuously from Emiya's forehead.

At this moment, Emiya was constantly moving around in the kitchen, looking extremely busy.

"Emiya, the restaurant's business has improved since you arrived!"

After the peak period ended, some portly bosses patted Emiya on the shoulder, unable to suppress a smile.

Since Emiya became a chef, the company's revenue has increased many times over, and his life has become increasingly wealthy.

"No, this is what I should do. If you hadn't taken me in back then, I might have starved to death on the roadside."

Emiya grasped the boss's hand with great gratitude. If the boss hadn't lent him a helping hand in time, Emiya would probably have had to find a small alley.

"Don't be modest. I don't know where you came from, but not only are you so handsome, your cooking skills are also superb. The chefs in the restaurant are all impressed by your cooking skills."

"No, these..."

Seeing that Emiya still intended to remain humble, the boss waved his hand.

"You've been working hard these past few days. Even a young person would find it exhausting to keep up with this high-intensity work. You haven't had a proper chance to go out and enjoy the sights of Yoshiwara. So today I'm giving you special permission to take a break and go out and have some fun."

"No..."

Emiya, as was his habit, began to refuse.

But the owner seemed to have anticipated Emiya's attitude, and pushed him out of the restaurant before slamming the door shut.

"You can come back tomorrow morning!"

"Eh!"

Emiya sighed as he stood at the restaurant entrance.

He has been in this town for about a month and has basically figured out most of the things in this world.

First, there's the issue of time. According to the history Emiya studied, Japan is currently in the Taisho era, a relatively stable period where technology is steadily advancing.

Secondly, there is information about monsters that, like vampires, cannot be exposed to the sun.

Basically, it's pretty much as Emiya had guessed before: ordinary people don't know about the existence of demons and just consider them a kind of feudal superstition.

The existence of demons, just like the existence of magicians on his side, has been concealed by someone with ulterior motives. Emiya has no source of information about the underworld and can only search around on his own.

Another piece of good news is that Emiya's proficiency in projection magic has greatly increased, and he is now able to skillfully use the emerald green Nichirin Blade to unleash techniques related to the Breath of Wind.

The bad news is that Emiya seems unable to control the sensation of breathing; he can only use the Breath of Wind when the Nichirin Blade is projected.

Even after a month of experiencing it, Emiya still couldn't use the breathing technique without projection. He could always feel an obstacle, as if this breathing technique was not suitable for him.

As for the enhancement magic, it remains the same as before, without much change. Basically, no matter how much practice is done, it maintains a stable state.

He also discovered that once he projected something other than swords or blades, the consumption of magic power was enormous; he would basically exhaust all of his magic power after only a short time of projection.

During this month, Emiya did not encounter any man-eating demons or demon-slaying people. Just like his life in Fuyuki City, he lived a very ordinary life every day.

Thinking of this, Emiya began to worry about Fujiwara and Sakura. It wasn't that he was worried they couldn't survive without him, but rather that they might do something he couldn't foresee after discovering his disappearance.

Every night, the entire Flower Street is brightly lit, like twinkling stars in the sky. Countless streetlights come together to make the whole street as bright as day.

Many times, Emiya couldn't tell when it was daytime and when it was nighttime.

At night, Yoshiwara's geisha district is bustling with people, filled with noise, cheers, and shouts, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere. However, during the day, it becomes a deathly quiet scene.

Even after living there for more than a month, Emiya still felt very uncomfortable in such a place where day and night were reversed.

However, in the past, Emiya often practiced his enhancement magic until late at night, and was woken up by Fujiwara or Sakura in the morning. Overall, Emiya was still able to barely make ends meet in this city.

However, this habit of sleeping during the day and being active at night is somewhat consistent with the sleep patterns of ghosts.

Because they fear sunlight, ghosts normally only move around at night. In a large city like this, where the daily routine is so similar to that of ghosts, it seems like there might be ghosts in this city.

However, after searching the town for more than a month, Emiya found no trace of any ghosts, nor did he find anyone carrying a katana with a strange color like the boy from before.

"Perhaps there are no ghosts in this city?"

Emiya could only think positively. In the month that followed, he had basically figured out all the alleys in the city. Apart from some wandering people, there were no ghosts.