Chapter 6: Moe Is Justice (Patreon)

Watching the flustered, red-faced Shirou diligently working away, Shinji suddenly seemed to realize something. He reached for his own bag and started rummaging through it while muttering to himself.

“In that case, I’ll lend you some. I just so happen to have all kinds of genres here.”

“What kind of stuff are you bringing to school?!” Shirou spluttered, his face bright red.

“AVs, adult magazines, manga, R-18 manga, R-18 doujinshi, R-18 visual novels, regular visual novels…”

As Shinji continued digging through his bag, Shirou’s eye twitched uncontrollably.

“Shinji, you really are—”

“You’re the only guy in our class who hasn’t borrowed any, Emiya,” Shinji said, his expression turning serious. “Honestly, I’m really worried about you. Don’t tell me you’re not interested in girls at all?! Are you into guys instead?!”

“Of course not!”

“Oh~?” Shinji raised an eyebrow. “Really? Then tell me—what type of girl are you into?”

“It’s too early! We’re too young to be talking about this! Weren’t you supposed to be helping?”

“Don’t change the subject, Emiya-kun! This is a serious issue!”

“I’d say it’s a boring issue!” Shirou shot back, but then smirked slightly. “Speaking of which, you’re one to talk, Shinji. You already went to another school on the first day to confess to a girl.”

“That was just a momentary lapse in judgment. Don’t worry about it.” Shinji waved a hand dismissively, trying to act casual.

“Is that so?” Shirou glanced up with a teasing grin. “I heard her name was Tōsaka something. And after she rejected you, you got beaten up.”

“Like I said—it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I came to my senses right after. Totally unrelated to getting punched.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true!” Shinji shot to his feet, clenching his fists with mock seriousness. “At that very last moment, I realized it! The appeal of the tsundere twin-tail archetype—it has an expiration date!”

Shirou’s mouth twitched. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“After realizing that, I immediately played it off as a joke. And I paid the price for making that joke.”

“By getting punched?”

“Exactly. That’s precisely what happened.”

Of course, Shinji wasn’t telling the whole truth.

That first time he met Tōsaka Rin and confessed, something had felt wrong. Not just emotionally—spiritually. The system had pulsed strangely, as if reacting to her presence.

He’d panicked and claimed it was all a joke. Then she punched him.

And Rin’s Conquest Quest favorability had dropped by five points immediately after.

Still, it wasn’t a big deal compared to the random increases that had come over the past two and a half years.

Right now, Rin sat at 40%.
Sakura hovered around 50%.

It baffled Shinji. He couldn’t pinpoint why the numbers changed at all. But it wasn’t urgent—he knew both sisters’ emotional arcs wouldn’t really kick off until that event.

The sports field incident.

“Emiya, I’ll be honest with you,” Shinji suddenly said, stepping up onto a chair and placing his hand dramatically over his chest.

“I am… an Ally of Justice.”

Shirou froze mid-motion. “...What?”

“That’s right! To me, ‘moe’ is justice! In this world, only ‘cute’ must not be betrayed! I will become an Ally of Justice!”

Shirou just stared blankly. “What kind of justice is that…?”

“It’s the justice in my heart!” Shinji declared grandly, flinging open his uniform jacket to reveal the T-shirt underneath—printed with an extremely cute anime girl. “Well?! Isn’t she adorable?!”

Shirou blinked twice, speechless. “Shinji, you’re…”

Shinji interrupted sharply. “Hey, hey, don’t you think she’s cute?”

“It’s not that she isn’t,” Shirou said carefully. “It’s just... no matter how cute she is, it has nothing to do with jus—”

“Enough, Emiya! Say one more word and I’ll get angry! This is justice! The justice of my heart!”

A sudden realization crossed Shirou’s face. “Wait, Shinji… don’t tell me you’re a lol—”

“Ah! You were about to say it!” Shinji shouted, pointing dramatically. “Let me make this very clear! I am not that kind of pervert! Absolutely not!”

“I hadn’t even finished my sentence, Shinji,” Shirou said dryly. “You’re the one confessing without being accused.”

“What did you just say?!”

Their argument devolved into shouting and laughter, filling the quiet clubroom. Despite the absurdity of their banter, the air between them was warm and easy.

And so, amidst teasing and arguments about “justice” and “moe,” the two of them finished preparing the festival signs together.

By the time they were done, midnight had arrived.

Shirou stretched with a groan and surveyed their work, satisfied. Then he turned to Shinji with a grateful smile. “Thanks for the help, Shinji. I really mean it.”

“If you want to thank me, treat me to something hot and homemade,” Shinji replied immediately.

“I can do that, but... aren’t you going home?”

“Nobody’s home lately. My old man practically lives in a hotel these days. Speaking of which, I went to catch him in the act once—it was hilarious.”

“Your personality really is…” Shirou sighed. “And you shouldn’t just throw out that kind of family stuff so casually.”

“It’s fine, it’s you, Emiya.” Shinji slung his bag over his shoulder and stuck one hand in his pocket. “Come on, let’s go. I’m craving fried chicken, sukiyaki... and maybe takoyaki too.”

“What kind of combination is that?” Shirou groaned. “Tempura’s supposed to go with udon, not—never mind.”

“Haha,” Shinji laughed, pulling open the door. “It’s the combination of deliciousness.”

Shirou facepalmed. “That’s not even an answer…”

He trailed off when he noticed Shinji had suddenly stopped. “Shinji? What is it? Weren’t you—”

Then Shirou saw her.

A small girl stood silently in the doorway, clutching a worn rabbit plushie. Her violet eyes reflected the dim hallway light—Matou Sakura.

“Brother...”

Shinji’s expression didn’t change. He turned coldly, brushing past her without so much as a glance.

“Shinji?” Shirou called out, confused.

“Emiya,” Shinji said over his shoulder, his tone light and teasing again. “Sorry, can’t join you tonight. Try not to cry into your dinner, okay? See you tomorrow.”

He walked away, his shoes echoing softly down the hallway.

Sakura bowed politely to Shirou, then followed silently after her brother.

As their figures disappeared around the corner, Shirou exhaled softly. “Shinji’s way of dealing with his sister is still the same as always... And who the hell cries from eating alone, anyway?”

He shook his head, smiling faintly despite himself.