IBHJ 1007

Kiara's brow furrowed as a thought struck her. "You know, I just realized I don't know much about your past, Ayaka. Some friend I am." She paused, her voice softening. "We know Mr. Shirou was trapped in endless loops by Saver, but what about you? I don't think you've ever mentioned your own story."

Ayaka gently pressed a finger to Kiara's lips, silencing her. A mysterious smile played on her face. "I'll answer that question the next time we meet. Look, the day is breaking."

She gestured towards the horizon, where fiery red clouds announced the approaching dawn. Still smiling, Ayaka rose to her feet and turned to leave.

"Next time we meet?" Kiara repeated, confusion evident in her voice. She watched Ayaka walking away, questions swirling in her mind.

...

Fujimaru and his group reached the southern outskirts of Shinjuku, where the area's leyline node was located. They needed to temporarily restrict the flow of mana.

As Misaya started to perform her family's magecraft to intercept the leyline, Mordred suddenly turned and began walking away.

Fujimaru noticed and called out, "Hey, Mordred! Don't go off on your own. Manaka could attack at any moment."

"Don't worry. I don't need your concern," Mordred waved her hand, walking further and further away, looking incredibly tough and lonely.

Fujimaru sighed, rubbing the back of his head in frustration.

Suddenly, he felt a shove from behind. Stumbling forward a few steps, he turned back to face Misaya, annoyance clear on his face. "What are you doing?"

Misaya stood with her arms folded. "Well? Why aren't you going after her?"

"Why should I go?"

"Isn't she your daughter?" she raised an eyebrow.

Fujimaru spread his hands. "Come on, that's future me, not current me. She clearly has issues with him, which means she's not fond of me either. We don't have any emotional connection. Why should I go embarrass myself? It'd just be awkward." He paused, then added with a smirk, "By the way, since when did you start caring so much about others, Reiroukan Senpai?"

"Mind your own business!" Misaya snapped, glaring at him.

Without warning, Gilgamesh slammed the back of Fujimaru's head, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.

Fujimaru sat up, rubbing his forehead as tears welled in his eyes. He glared at Gilgamesh. "What the hell, Gil?"

"Your behavior is unbearable to watch," Gilgamesh said, arms folded. "A true man faces his responsibilities, no matter how uncomfortable. Are you a man or a sniveling child? You want to go, don't you?"

"You're making me sound like a jerk..." Fujimaru grumbled. He dusted off his sleeves, stood up, and started walking towards Mordred, muttering under his breath.

Misaya watched him go, surprise in her voice. "I didn't know that nerd had a shy side. I thought he was just shameless. Earlier, I saw him keep glancing at Mordred. But like he said, they shouldn't have any emotional connection."

Gilgamesh leaned against a tree trunk, his eyes closed. "This has nothing to do with emotional connections. His heart is sensitive, more so than any of us. He saw the loneliness in Mordred's eyes and heard the sorrow in her heart."

"So you're saying that guy is just purely kind-hearted?" Misaya asked, skepticism lacing her words.

Gilgamesh nodded.

She frowned, thinking it over. "Pure kindness, just wanting to help unfortunate people... I don't see how he'll make it in the future. Shouldn't kindness start with yourself, then go to others? If it's the other way around... isn't that just being a slave to kindness?"

Gilgamesh glanced at Misaya. "What he has isn't fake kindness that lives for others, or the hypocrisy of feeling good about doing nice things. I hate that kind of fake behavior. If he were like that, I wouldn't accept him as my Master, let alone get along with him."

He continued, "He knows his limits and only does what he can. He's selfish, but honest too. In his soul, there's something special even he doesn't know about yet. It's the one treasure my Treasury can't collect. So I'm not surprised he becomes the Eternal King."

Misaya stared at Gilgamesh, shocked. Was the King of Heroes really praising Fujimaru Shirou this much?

"Of course," Gilgamesh said, as if reading her thoughts. "His way of thinking is closest to how I was when I was young, when I still respected the world and life itself."

He turned away. "It's also a past I can never go back to."

Misaya finally understood. She saw why Fujimaru Shirou could work with and befriend this arrogant king. Even Gilgamesh, she realized, couldn't escape being human.

She thought about how people are like travelers, moving further along life's path, changing as they go. That's growth. But growth has a price. The more you travel, the more you leave behind - innocence, ideals, friends... even family. In the end, you walk alone on your unique journey across the yellow earth.

That's why people call those who've lost the most "mature," forgetting that their faces have already lost both smiles and tears.

Like parents supporting a family, they might drink late at night, but never bend their heads and weep. They have no one left to be vulnerable with.

Misaya now saw why this proud, selfish king was so soft on Fujimaru Shirou. When Gilgamesh looked at him, he saw his own lost past - something he could never get back.

...

"I told you, I don't need your worry. I won't slow you down," Mordred said, annoyed at the young man who had followed her.

Fujimaru scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Even so... I'll still worry about you."

Mordred shuddered, looking disgusted. "Ugh, don't talk like that. It's creepy!" She hugged herself dramatically.

His face darkened. "How much do you hate my future self?"

"I don't hate him," she pouted. "But he probably hates me plenty."

"What?" Fujimaru was stunned, remembering Shirou's words to take care of his daughter.

"That doesn't add up," he muttered.

"What are you mumbling about?" Mordred frowned. She looked at him and said, "Just stay carefree like this. Don't get close to me. My relationship with future you isn't great. Just hate me like he does, okay? I'll keep you safe until we beat Manaka, as promised. Don't worry about the rest. We'll only stay together in this illusory plane of the past anyway."

Mordred walked away quickly, leaving the young man behind.

He thought to himself, "The conflict between Mordred and future me is huge. But why? I wouldn't push my daughter away like that. It can't be me! And why did Mordred say future me resents her? That doesn't match how he acted earlier... Eternal King... King Arthur... Mordred... Wait a second!"

His jaw dropped. "No way. That can't be right, can it? Her mother is Artoria. The Artoria I know wouldn't... Could it be Alter? Or something else I'm missing?"

The young man felt very confused and became really curious about the future.

As Misaya worked on cutting off the leyline nodes in different areas, the young man kept trying to be nice to Mordred. He'd say good morning or goodnight, which just annoyed Mordred more and more.

"What are you trying to do?" Mordred asked, clearly frustrated.

Fujimaru replied, "I'm just being nice. We're a team, right? I want you to feel welcome."

"I don't buy it! You're up to something!" she yelled, "You're clearly messing with me! What are you, five?"

"How can you say that?" Fujimaru said, looking hurt but smiling gently. "You're hurting my feelings, but it's okay. I'll warm your heart with love."

She groaned, "Hasn't anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"

Fujimaru turned to Gilgamesh and Misaya. "Am I really that annoying?"

Misaya nodded without hesitation. "No one's more annoying than you."

Gilgamesh nodded. "You make me want to beat you constantly. Even your future self admits you're annoying."

The young man blinked, then turned back to Mordred. "See? They all say I'm not annoying. I'm clearly a messenger of love and goodness."

Misaya and Gilgamesh rolled their eyes. This guy's ability to twist words was unbelievable.

"Please, I'm begging you," Mordred's shoulders slumped. "Just act normal! Let's finish this job and go our separate ways. It's better for everyone."

"But I've always been like this, normal. This is normal for me," the young man cocked his head. "Maybe your idea of normal is different? What do you consider normal?"

As he rambled on, Mordred's face darkened. She drew her sword and started walking towards him. He saw this and took off running.

"Hey!" Mordred called after him, breaking into a run. "What happened to all that talk about team warmth? Your actions don't match your flowery words!"

"Let's talk this out!" he shouted back. "Put the sword down!"

Mordred smirked and lowered her sword. The young man sighed with relief. Then he saw Mordred spit on her blade, turn her cold eyes on him, and start walking his way.

He ran even faster. "Spitting on your sword? That's disgusting!"

She laughed, "Merlin told me that to deal with disgusting people, you need to use disgusting methods."

"To come up with such a terrible idea, he's truly a despicable person!" He shouted.