Chapter 10: Fate in Motion (Patreon)

The sky darkened. Having completed today's physical training—the daily task—Shinji lay panting on the riverbank, his mind a torrent of silent complaints.

Dammit… every time it's a daily task, this damn system seals my abilities.He gritted his teeth, glaring at the faint, transparent blue interface flickering above him. I can't even use reiryoku reinforcement. It's like you're trying to kill me.

[Grandson, this is all for your own good. No pain, no gain. Hardship tempers the will.]

Piss off. Don't talk to me. I don't want to hear your voice.

[Then I suppose my Grandson has no interest in activating the lottery function either. Very well, very well—This King will just—]

What are you talking about? I'm always honored to speak with you!

*[Call me Grandfather.]

Hmph! Who do you take me for?

Shinji snorted inwardly, even as he used the last of his strength to haul himself fully onto the bank.

You think a certified African like me would give up a lottery function for a little bit of dignity?!

*[If you don't want it, then forget— Eh?]

Grandfather!

*[...]

Lying on the grass, Shinji stared at the lottery interface on the system screen.

[Lottery Rules: One free chance refreshes monthly.]

[Additionally, a maximum of ten paid draws per month using points.]

[First draw: 100 points. Second draw: x10 cost. Third draw: x10 cost again, and so on.]

[PS: A 10-draw guarantees an Epic item! The free chance has a high probability of yielding nothing!]

Screw this! Shinji cursed inwardly, seeing the final PS. This is such a scam! None of the system novels I read in my past life had a system as scummy as this one!

Not only are the quest rewards pitifully low, but the lottery is this rigged too!

After a quick glance at the prizes on the wheel—mostly items worth a few hundred points in the mall—Shinji sighed softly and clicked the start button.

Three seconds later, watching the pointer land on "One Bottle of Brain-Damage Pills," Shinji's eye twitched uncontrollably.

[Grandson, drawing again? You still have 1,100 points left. You can draw twice more.]

Looking at the prize wheel, which now clearly featured a few more high-tier items than before, Shinji gritted his teeth. With a trembling will, he clicked start again.

Watching 100 points vanish instantly, the feeling could only be described as his heart bleeding.

Three seconds later, seeing the pointer land once again on "Brain-Damage Pills," Shinji suddenly felt the urge to slap himself.

I have genuine European bloodlines in this life!

This is unreasonable!

[Drawing again? This King has a feeling the next one will definitely yield a rare item.]

Draw my ass! No more! I'm going home! I'm done playing!

[Dissatisfied with your prizes? You can resell them to the Points Mall.]

Huh? Shinji's interest was suddenly piqued. A bottle of Brain-Damage Pills sold for 100 points in the mall. Two bottles, even at an 80% depreciation rate, could net him 60 points!

What's the buyback rate? Shinji asked, a flicker of hope in his heart.

[30%.]

Slap!

The slap Shinji had promised himself earlier was finally delivered.

...

After roughly drying himself off with a towel from his bag, Shinji was about to put his clothes back on when his peripheral vision caught a figure standing on the levee above.

...Sakura. Had she finished watching the high jump already?

The thought crossed Shinji's mind. The FSN plot is finally starting. There are only four years left until the next Holy Grail War. The deadline for the main quest is also only four years away.

He had no choice but to prepare desperately.

The main quests were mandatory, with punishments for failure. A 90% chance of becoming a vegetable? He didn't dare gamble on that remaining 10%.

...

On the other side, watching Shinji and Sakura—one leading, the other following—walk away slowly in the distance, Rin also turned and left quietly, heading in the opposite direction.

By the way, at this very moment, Shirou was still on the sports field, attempting the high jump.

And he still hadn't cleared the bar.

...

Time is like...

Anyway, two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye!

Four months ago, Shinji entered the same high school as Shirou—Homurahara Academy. His life, however, remained largely unchanged from his middle school days.

Well, except for his high school teacher—Fujiimura Taiga, Shirou's good neighbor and self-proclaimed 'big sister,' whom he'd known since middle school. She was clearly on a different level compared to his middle school teacher, Yuko-sensei.

Her resentment towards his frequent absences ran deep.

Every time, like a genuine tiger, she would chase Shinji across the entire school grounds, solely to make him mend his ways.

Her roll call during class was exceptionally simple too. She only called Shinji's name. If someone answered, it meant everyone was present. If no one answered, she'd secretly make a note of it and, the next time she saw Shinji, use physical force regardless of the setting!

Still, it was just as ineffective as before.

Skipping class had become an integral part of Shinji's life.

Of course, Shinji hadn't remained completely unchanged. For instance, his height had reached 173 cm, completely surpassing the "that Shinji's" official stat of 167 cm. Or how he had studied kendo with Taiga for half a year.

Or again, how he'd undergone three months of ascetic training at the Ryuudou Temple for a normal quest, which led to him befriending Ryuudou Issei even before entering high school.

Rumor had it that after Shinji's training ended, Issei's father, the muscular head priest, had even tearfully begged Shinji to stay, citing that he'd "never seen a child so hardworking, so enduring, and so exceptionally talented!"

Shinji really wanted to tell him he was just whipped into shape by the system, but he ultimately let it go.

Because of this, Shinji's relationship with Issei was fairly good—at least, it was before they entered high school.

After starting high school, Issei, as part of the student council, became the number one person in charge of hunting down and lecturing Shinji daily. Taiga probably only ranked second.

Additionally, the amount of stock Shinji managed had grown significantly.

The old worm had basically abandoned even his sole hobby of stock trading, dumping it all on Shinji.

Compared to Byakuya, Shinji was far more skilled in these matters, and the returns were frighteningly high.

For Shinji, this money would eventually be his anyway, so how could he not manage it properly?

Leveraging memories and experience from his previous life, combined with the realities of this world, Shinji had multiplied the value of the stocks under his control countless times over just a few short years.

He had even secretly established a holding company, officially becoming the president of a corporation, investing in various projects and starting actual businesses. For example, the construction of Fuyuki City's largest amusement park, set to break ground this very month.

As for the spiritual lands the Matou family owned nationwide, Byakuya still handled most of that. However, even though Shinji had taken a significant load off his father's shoulders, his cheap old man still drowned his sorrows in alcohol daily due to the remaining pressure.

Over the years, Shinji had advised Byakuya more than once to drink less, but it was completely useless. The latter continued his nightly drinking binges.

Eventually, Shinji simply stopped bringing it up.

...

2002, Summer. Early September. Summer vacation had just ended.

There was less than a year and a half left until the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Shinji, whose schedule had remained packed even during the summer break without a moment's rest, continued his hectic pace after school started. Aside from showing up on the first day, he had skipped class for a full week straight.

Just as Shinji was busy dealing with various tasks, Shirou suddenly asked to meet up...

On a sweltering summer day, in a certain café in Fuyuki City.

Looking at Shirou sitting across from him, his right arm in a cast, Shinji suddenly remembered something he had forgotten amidst his recent busyness.

This guy got injured around this time, didn't he?!

I specifically reminded him to be careful at his part-time job before! But I guess this really is... fate.