I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

These words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through Lin's chaotic thoughts.

She stood up abruptly, her heart pounding erratically.

As she looked at the man's broad and lonely back, an absurd conjecture took shape in her mind.

She took a deep breath and, in as steady a voice as possible, tentatively called out the name.

"Emiya."

The man wiping the vase experienced a momentary, extremely subtle stiffness throughout his body.

The movement was so fast it was almost impossible to catch, but his hand holding the rag paused at that moment.

A few seconds later, he slowly turned around, his dark and rugged face showing just the right amount of confusion, his gray eyes looking at her calmly.

"Young Miss, who are you calling?" His voice was deep and indifferent, revealing no flaws.

But that's enough.

In that instant, Rin Tohsaka was 100% certain.

That's him. This man is the future Shirou Emiya, who became a Heroic Spirit.

[Devilish Muscle Rin]: !!! Could it be—

She sent a string of exclamation marks in the group chat, but didn't know how to put her feelings into words.

[American Scythe]: Ha, looks like you've guessed something interesting? Look at you, are you scared out of your wits, you top student?

W's taunt appeared at the opportune moment, but failed to provoke Rin in the slightest desire to refute it.

She sat back down on the sofa, crossed her arms, and forced herself to calm down.

She didn't look at the man again, but focused all her attention on the chat group.

[Devilish Muscle Rin]: Gu Ye! Explain yourself! What exactly happened? Why did Shirou Emiya become a Heroic Spirit? What happened in the future?

[Weather Forecast]: Well, that's a long story. Simply put, some idiot, in order to uphold his naive ideal of "wanting to save everyone," made a pact with the world's restraining force, becoming a "guardian" after death to cleanse humanity of its sins. The price is being summoned endlessly to eliminate disasters caused by humanity itself.

Gu Ye's few casual words stirred up a storm in Lin's heart.

Guardians? Endless slaughter?

[Devil Muscle Rin]: So, he knows me?

[Weather Forecast]: Hmm.

[Devil Muscle Rin]: Then why did he accept the summons? For the Holy Grail? Does he also have some unfulfilled wish?

[Weather Forecast]: No. He is probably the Heroic Spirit with the least desire for the Holy Grail among all the Heroic Spirits participating in this Holy Grail War.

[Weather Forecast]: However, he hates himself. If he had to say what his wish was, it would probably be—to kill the Shirou Emiya you know now.

This sentence silenced the entire chat group for a few seconds.

【Marin】: Huh? Wait, wait a minute! This is so weird! Why? Hasn't he become a hero? He saved so many people, isn't that amazing? Why would he kill his past self?

[American Scythe]: Ha, what a pointless internal struggle. You have to finish the path you chose, even if you have to crawl. Now you regret it and want to kill your past self? What a useless man.

[Herrscher of Food]: But... this must be so painful. To become a hero with the intention of saving everyone, only to have to deny your original self in the end.

Rin Tohsaka ignored the discussion in the group chat, her gaze fixed on Gu Ye's name.

She knew that only he could give her the answer.

[Weather Forecast]: Because Shirou Emiya, in his previous life, had long been prepared to die at any moment for his ridiculous sense of justice. In order to save more lives, he chose to make a contract with Alaya, which you can understand as the 'collective unconscious of the planet'.

[Weather Forecast]: Sacrificing everything to save all living beings sounds noble, right? A hero is born. But the problem is, even if he becomes a so-called hero, what he does and what he wants to do are fundamentally contradictory. He doesn't want to be a hero; he simply needs the power of a hero to realize that naive ideal.

Gu Ye's narration is calm; he dissects the tragedy of a man named "Emiya Shirou".

He recounted how, through repeated choices, the boy learned to abandon the minority in order to save the so-called majority.

Because there has never been a perfect solution to this world.

The more people he saves, the more tragedies he witnesses.

When he discovered that there were always people who could not be saved, he began to personally "sever" those parts that were destined to be sacrificed in order to minimize the damage.

He began to become ruthless, efficient, and eventually, even the lives of innocent people were nothing more than a string of cold numbers in his eyes.

[Weather Forecast]: Then, the most ironic thing happened. After he saved a city for the last time, he was framed by the very people he had saved, betrayed by his former comrades. They made him the culprit who caused the disaster and sent him to the gallows.

【Marin】: How could this happen?! This is outrageous! How could those people treat him like this!

[Weather Forecast]: On the day of his execution, he felt neither anger nor sorrow. It is said that he died with a smile, because he felt he had fulfilled his lifelong ideals, saved those who deserved to be saved, and died a worthy death.

【The Herrscher of Food】: ...That's too cruel.

[Weather Forecast]: Yes, it's cruel. And what's even crueler is that death isn't the end. After his death, as the contract stated, he became the guardian of the Throne of Heroes.

[Weather Forecast]: But he soon discovered that what he did as a Guardian was no different from what he did in his previous life. He was constantly summoned, constantly cleaning up the messes created by humanity itself, constantly killing. In this endless cycle, his initial ideals were worn away, leaving only endless regret. He finally realized that what dragged him into this hell was precisely that naive and foolish ideal of justice from the beginning.

[Weather Forecast]: So, he began to resent his past self. He wanted to break free from this cycle, but he knew very well that a Heroic Spirit was different from his past self, and simply changing the past could not erase the original being on the Throne of Heroes.

[Weather Forecast]: So, he came up with the only possible way—by using the huge contradiction of 'his future self killing his past self', he could create a sufficiently large distortion in the timeline, thereby causing the hero Emiya to completely disappear from existence.

Rin Tohsaka quietly read through all the text.

[Devilish Muscle Rin]: I understand the concept of timelines. But, this is almost impossible to succeed, isn't it? According to the theory of world line convergence, no matter which parallel world Shirou Emiya is in, he will eventually become a hero. This is his predetermined fate. Even if he kills the Emiya I know in this timeline, it will be completely futile.

[Weather Forecast]: You're right. So, what he really wants to do might not actually be to kill anyone.

[Weather Forecast]: He just wanted to... correct his past views; he wanted to prevent another tragedy from happening.

[Demon Muscle Rin]: In any case, all I need to know is his ability. As for what he wants to do, I don't care. My only goal is to win this Holy Grail War.

[Weather Forecast]: If you don't mind, you can wait for me a while. After I finish eating, I will write out the complete outline of the Fifth Holy Grail War, which you can use as a reference.

[Devil Muscle Rin]: I'd completely forgotten about that! If I knew the origins and trump cards of all the other Servants beforehand, they would pose no threat to me whatsoever!

[Weather Forecast]: Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done before I go to bed.

Gu Ye was quite confident in his Stand ability. Controlling the weather to type was easier for him than breathing.

He put down his phone and focused all his attention on the plate in front of him.

Tonyo had just served the main course—a perfectly roasted lamb chop, golden brown and crispy on the outside, yet with an enticing pink interior.

The juices were perfectly locked inside, slowly overflowing as the knife and fork cut into the meat, filling the nasal cavity with a rich aroma of rosemary and black pepper.

Gu Ye thanked him and then eagerly put a small piece of mutton into his mouth.

The meat was so tender it seemed to melt on the tongue, and the warm, pure energy slid down the esophagus into the stomach, quickly spreading to every part of the body, dispelling the last trace of fatigue left after the battle.

He was enjoying this rare moment of peace when the restaurant door was pushed open, and the wind chimes rang out with a clear, crisp sound.

A few girls in Grape Hill High School uniforms walked in chattering, injecting a touch of youthful energy into the quiet restaurant.

"Welcome." Tony stepped forward with a smile.

However, when the girls learned that they couldn't order their own food at the restaurant, but rather the chef decided the dishes, they all looked disappointed and quickly left together.

Only one girl, the hot girl with dazzling blonde hair and coral highlights, hesitated for a moment, but still stayed.

She seemed to be full of curiosity about this peculiar restaurant. She found an empty seat, looked around the restaurant, and finally fixed her gaze on Gu Ye, who was focused on eating lamb chops.

Her eyes widened suddenly, her beautiful red contact lenses filled with disbelief.

"Gu Yejun?"

Gu Ye looked up and was somewhat surprised to see that familiar face.

"Hai Meng?"

"What are you doing here?!" Kitagawa Kaimu practically jumped up from her seat, strode over to his desk, slammed her hands on it, leaned forward, and stared at him warily. "You...you weren't following me, were you?"

Gu Ye slowly swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“My home is around here.” He looked up at her, stating the facts calmly. “So, who do you think is following whom?”

Chapter 37 Hai Meng Hai Meng, let's play "Slippery Girl 2nd Generation" together!

"Huh? You live around here? Me too!" Kitagawa Haimu's eyes widened, but she quickly grasped the key point, her expression shifting from shock to sudden realization. "Wait! You're from this world! I'm from this world too! That means... my world isn't the everyday world?"

"Yes, you got it right." Gu Ye nodded. "It's a pity there's no reward."

He gestured with his chin toward the seat opposite him.

"Please have a seat. It's an honor that you found this restaurant and had the opportunity to taste its cuisine."

"Is there anything special about this restaurant?" Kitagawa Kaimu pulled out a chair and sat down with a hint of skepticism in her eyes, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

“Boss,” Gu Ye gestured towards the kitchen with his eyes, “is a Stand user specializing in cooking. The food he makes is incomparably delicious. Ordinary people don’t have the fortune to enjoy it.”

"A Stand user?!" Kitagawa Kaimu's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's amazing! I want to eat it! I absolutely have to try it!"

She has quickly accepted the fact that the world she lives in is actually a world of superpowers.

After all, who cares? With Gu Yejun, who seems like a very reliable big shot, what danger could I possibly encounter?

While Tony was preparing food for her in the kitchen, Kitagawa Haimu, like a curious child, bombarded Gu Ye with a series of questions, wanting to understand another side of this world that was unknown to others.

Although Gu Ye found it a bit troublesome, he patiently explained the basic facts about "stands" and "stand users" to her, considering that she was his "partner".

After saying all that, the conversation between the two naturally veered off-topic from superpowers to their shared home—the world of anime and manga.

"Speaking of which, Gu Yejun said in the group chat that he's an otaku, is that true?" Hai Meng leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You like playing bishoujo games?"

"Ah."

"What type? Pure love? NTL? Or something bizarre?"

"Play both."

"Wow! That's a wide range!" Kitagawa Kaimu's excitement was palpable. "Have you played that new one, 'The St. Slippery Girl's School: The Shameless Miracle Life in the Shame Club 2'? I've been to several stores but haven't been able to snag a limited edition!"

Upon hearing the exaggeratedly long game name, Gu Ye paused for a moment.

"You mean that one?" He put down his knife and fork, seemingly recalling something. "I managed to snag it. The plot was pretty good, the voice actor cast was amazing, and the CG quality was high."

"Wow—! Really?! I'm so envious!" Kitagawa Kaimu clasped her hands together, her eyes practically sparkling. "I heard this limited edition also comes with a life-size towel of the heroine and a drama CD with the new storyline! Damn it! Why didn't I get one!"

Seeing her looking so frustrated, Gu Ye thought for a moment and said, "I've almost finished the game too. If you want to play, you can borrow it."

"Huh?" Kitagawa Kaimu was stunned, then her face lit up with ecstatic joy. "R-Really? Is it possible? A limited edition game!"

"Of course." Gu Ye nodded. To him, it was just a small matter. "After dinner, you can come to my house with me to get it."

"Thank you so much, Gu Ye-kun!" Kitagawa Haimeng stood up excitedly, bowed deeply to Gu Ye, and said in a loud voice, "You are such a good person!"

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss.” Tony’s voice was gentle and steady. He walked over with a plate covered with a silver dome and gently placed it in front of Kitagawa Kaimu. “This is a special ‘Teenage Troubles Terminator’ platter made just for you.”

"Wow! What an amazing name!" Hai Meng's eyes sparkled as she watched Tony lift the lid with great anticipation.

The plate didn't contain any fancy meal, but rather a brightly colored vegetable salad, garnished with a few ruby-red cherry tomatoes, and dressed in a peculiar pale purple sauce that exuded a fresh, herbal aroma.

"Please enjoy your meal." Tony smiled and stepped aside.

"I'm digging in!" Hai Meng picked up her fork and without hesitation, speared a lettuce leaf soaked in sauce and put it in her mouth. The crisp texture and the wonderfully sweet and sour taste made her squint her eyes happily. "Delicious! This sauce tastes so special!"

She devoured the food on her plate in a flash, while Gu Ye watched quietly with a faint smile on his lips.

Just as Haimeng finished eating the last cherry tomato and put down her fork contentedly, something strange happened.

"Hmm?" She first felt a strange itch on her skin, like countless tiny ants crawling under her skin.

She couldn't help but reach out to scratch it, only to find that her fingernails left a grayish-black mark where she had scratched.

"Aaaaah!" Hai Meng let out a short scream. She was horrified to see that her arms, neck, and all the exposed skin began to slowly ooze a sticky, grayish-black substance with a faint fishy smell, as if it were oozing oil.

Immediately afterwards, her bones emitted subtle crackling sounds, as if they were being recalibrated by an invisible force.

"W-What's going on?! My body! Gu Yejun! Help!" Hai Meng's face turned deathly pale instantly. She jumped up from the chair, looking at herself helplessly, her voice trembling with tears.

"Don't panic, this is normal." Gu Ye's voice was like a calming agent, instantly soothing most of her panic. "This is Mr. Tony's cooking helping your body regulate and eliminate toxins. Relax, it will pass soon."

"Detox? But this is so dirty! It smells so bad!" Hai Meng was about to cry. Looking at her sticky hands, she felt her worldview being shaken once again.

"Bear with it for a bit." Gu Ye handed her a tissue. "Trust me, once the effects wear off, you'll thank him."

Under Gu Ye's reassurance, Kitagawa Kaimu endured the strange process with skepticism.