"You've been sitting here crying this whole time?" Kensei looked utterly speechless. "Seriously, what is with this group? How did these three, no, four, eccentric cases end up lumped together?"
Were these team assignments really randomized back then?
The moment Kensei spoke, Isane Kotetsu started sobbing even harder.
"Alright, enough out of you," Shinji piped up from the side, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "At least she stayed here and left us a trail to follow. Without her, they'd be even harder to find."
"Fine, fine. Not like complaining's gonna help now. Which way did they go?" Kensei quickly refocused.
"Rangiku went that way. Mashiro headed off in the other direction," Isane sniffled, wiping her eyes. She knew now wasn't the time to fall apart.
"Alright then. We'll split up. Emiya, you take her back to base. Don't worry, we'll bring all your teammates back safe and sound." Kensei gave a firm nod.
"Got it," Shirō replied, understanding that this was the most efficient course of action given the situation.
And so, Shinji headed after Hiyori, while Kensei veered toward Mashiro. Shirō couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Fate sure loved playing games with him.
"Emiya-senpai, shall we head back?" Isane asked, her voice steady now.
"Mm," Shirō nodded.
...
"Emiya-senpai, let's go back."
"Mm."
...
"Emiya-senpai... are we leaving?"
"Mm."
...
"EMIYA-SENPAI! Are we GOING or what?!"
Even someone as gentle as Isane finally snapped. How long was he gonna sit there and nod?! Was he stuck hiccupping or something?!
Shirō looked slightly embarrassed. He turned and mumbled, "...Which way are we supposed to go?"
"..."
Gawk, gawk, gawk. A crow cawed overhead. A very timely blob of bird droppings fell right in front of them.
"UWAAAAAHHH!!" Isane buried her face in her hands and bawled again.
Mom had told her, if you get lost, don't wander. Stay put, and wait for someone to come find you. That's why she hadn't moved, and she intended to wait... patiently...
In Shirō's defense, he wasn't completely hopeless with directions. But this wasn't a paved road in Seireitei, this was the wild. There was a huge difference between navigating a straight path and navigating through uneven, twisting forest terrain.
When he chased Soifon earlier, it was a straightforward sprint. Just retrace the line, and you'd get back.
But this time, while searching for Hiyori and Mashiro, they'd made turns, several of them. And for searchers like the three of them, who had high-speed movement, the range they could cover in a short time was vast. If they hadn't found them after that long, it meant they'd either gone the wrong way or needed to try another direction.
Also, Shirō hadn't been the lead at the time. He wasn't consciously tracking the route, they were all just reacting. It's like riding in a car versus driving one, passengers rarely pay attention to the road. And besides, he figured once they found the others, the actual shinigami like Shinji and Kensei could just open a gate back to Soul Society.
He hadn't expected to be stuck like this now.
"Should we try walking a bit?" Shirō suggested.
"What if we get more lost?" Isane asked, concerned.
"If we do, I'll take responsibility!" Shirō thumped his chest confidently.
Rationally speaking, Isane's suggestion made more sense, stay put and wait. They were shinigami; they could hold out for a while. Better to be found than to wander endlessly and get truly lost.
But Shirō... he had pride.
Even if he was technically a dead man, he still had to preserve his dignity. And sure, it made sense for someone like Isane, a gentle girl, to wait in place. But he, Shirō Emiya, a man, waiting like a lost puppy?
No way.
What would Yoruichi say if she found out?! He could already hear her laughter, her smug teasing. He could practically see her rolling around on the floor, cackling.
That was a humiliation he couldn't allow.
So, he chose to walk.
He wasn't being reckless. They hadn't gone too far. Given Isane's general capabilities, they probably weren't that far from the exam zone.
And the test area was massive. As long as they didn't head in the complete opposite direction, or veer off by too much, they'd eventually run into a patrol, right?
That was his logic. His confidence.
And so, Shirō led the silently compliant Isane, whether she had opinions or not, she wasn't voicing them, back along the trail they thought was familiar.
Unfortunately, Shirō overlooked one major, very important point.
The exam area wasn't permanent.
This wasn't a Shinigami base or station. It was just a random open area temporarily used for the test. Once it ended, everyone, students and supervising officers alike, would leave.
The place would return to being a barren wasteland.
So if Shirō didn't make it back before that...
He'd be lost even if he wasn't lost.
As fate would have it, because karma is a thing, Shirō and Isane, cautious as they were, never dared to pick up their pace. What if they were heading the wrong way? Going faster would just take them even further off course, right?
They were too careful.
Which is why, ironically, they did make it back to the testing zone.
Only...
It was already deserted.
"Emiya-senpai... are we lost? We shouldn't have gone this far..." Isane asked hesitantly.
Don't be fooled by Shirō's confident expression. He'd been nervous for a while now.
Being the one responsible for directions carried a lot of pressure. But for Isane's sake, he had to keep up the façade.
"We're almost there. Just over that hill and we'll be back." The classic mental trick: "Almost there, just a little further."
"My stomach's growling," Isane whispered, rubbing her belly.
In the future, she might've endured quietly, but the pre-soup, pre-hardened Isane still wasn't used to going hungry.
"No worries! When we get back, I'll treat you to a Four Great Noble Houses-level feast!" The fabled "hunger-placating fantasy."
Eventually, they saw a clearing ahead. It looked like a cordoned-off section. Hope flared.
"There it is! We made it!" Shirō shouted in delight, grabbing Isane's hand and rushing forward.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Several reishi arrows landed right in front of them, searing the ground.
Isane froze. Shirō's scalp tingled with cold sweat.
Wait.
This wasn't home.
This was the wolves' den.
Facing the unknown threat, Shirō immediately raised his hands and dropped to his knees.
"Lady Knight, have mercy!!"
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter