Emiya Shirou Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [232]

“Eh!?”

Shirou Emiya stared at her with confusion, quickly glancing down at her pendant, only to receive a confirming flash from Alastor.

“You got a problem with that?” The girl glared fiercely at Shirou, irritated by his questioning gaze.

“No, no—none at all.”

Shirou shook his head hastily. Her short-tempered personality was somehow making him recall a certain red Saber.

“If it were someone unfamiliar, that would make sense. But even Alastor wouldn't actually call you ‘Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter’ every single time, right? Isn’t that a bit too distant for normal conversation?”

Especially since it was such a long title.

Shirou quietly grumbled to himself.
If her nickname had been something simple, just a single word like “Sky” or “White,” then casually using it wouldn't feel so awkward. In daily life, shorter names were usually preferred—convenient, natural, and friendly. Just as most people he knew called him either Emiya or Shirou, rather than using his full name, “Emiya Shirou.”

Though, truth be told, as Shirou had guessed, Alastor never actually addressed the girl as “Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter” during ordinary conversations.

But that was only because the girl had always worked alone. Alastor only ever communicated directly with her, and since there was no one else, there’d never been a need to explicitly call her by any name.

Facing this, Alastor offered no response to Shirou’s inquiry—after all, even he hadn't given much thought about what to call her.

Only now did Alastor suddenly realize that, among all the Flame Hazes he knew, each one indeed had their own proper name. Only she had none other than the title “Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter.”

“Names aren’t necessary,” the girl said stiffly. “For identification, being called ‘Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter’ is enough.”

Ever since childhood, this girl had been raised solely to become a Flame Haze, ultimately contracting with Alastor. Any Flame Haze contracted with Alastor carried the same title: “Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter.”

Thus, from the very start, she had always lived and trained under this name, intending to inherit and embody the title fully.

She had never known her own name, nor had anyone given her one. She had always focused single-mindedly on becoming a Flame Haze, and thus had never even considered the idea of having a name.

Only now, when Shirou Emiya had brought it up, did she finally realize she didn’t actually have one.

After becoming a Flame Haze, she'd been so busy continuously hunting Crimson Denizens that, aside from Alastor, she'd never once spent such a long time conversing with anyone else as she was doing right now.

Though, admittedly, most of their conversation was Shirou asking questions, and her answering.

“So, Miss ‘Flame-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter’…?”

……”

The moment Shirou Emiya finished speaking, a cold breeze blew in from the nearby river, making the atmosphere turn even more desolate.

Even Alastor, hanging around her neck, had no idea how to respond to Shirou addressing her like this.

“Urusai! Urusai! Urusai!!!!” the girl shouted furiously at Shirou. She’d never particularly cared about the whole naming issue before, but now Shirou Emiya had suddenly thrust it in front of her face, forcing her to confront this reality.

Shiiing—!

Under the night sky, she swiftly drew a long, gleaming silver katana from beneath her cloak, pointing it fiercely at Shirou.

Thankfully, at some point during their conversation, they'd walked onto the Misaki Bridge. Aside from them, no one else was around. Otherwise, anyone passing by would certainly have panicked at the sight of her suddenly brandishing a shining katana.

“It’s just a name, right? Fine—I’ll come up with one myself!”

She pointed the katana straight at Shirou, speaking indignantly.

Then, silence fell upon them for a long moment.

She appeared to be deep in thought, clearly struggling to choose a name.

“…Shana,” she finally murmured softly.

“What—”

Just as Shirou began to ask, the silver blade flashed forward instantly, stopping right against his neck.

“Remember it well. My name—is Shana!”

Having said this, Shana swiftly returned the katana to its sheath under her cloak.

That blade, capable of even resisting Unrestricted Spells, was the strongest weapon existing between this world and Guze—the Nietono no Shana.

It was also the first Treasure Tool she’d earned through her own strength.

And “Shana” was precisely a name taken from the pronunciation of the sword’s name.

“Human, now it’s your turn. Give me your name.”

“Shirou Emiya.”

Shirou didn’t hesitate. After all, self-introductions naturally went both ways.

“Shirou Emiya?” Alastor’s deep, calm voice echoed instantly from the pendant. A faint crimson glow flickered within, as if deep in thought.

“I’ve never heard that name before.”

A human who could repel a Crimson Lord—a feat most Flame Hazes couldn’t even manage. For Alastor to have never heard of such a powerful human was puzzling indeed.

“How exactly did you obtain so many Treasure Tools?”

Alastor recalled the scenes he'd witnessed within the Fūzetsu and immediately asked Shirou.

Armor, a bow, the Reiji Maigo—not to mention whatever other Treasure Tools Shirou might still be hiding—he’d already displayed possession of three distinct Treasure Tools.

Though he might not match Friagne, who specifically collected Treasure Tools, Shirou’s situation was still highly unusual.

Normally, Treasure Tools were exclusively forged by Crimson Denizens.

These powers typically rested either with Crimson Denizens or Flame Hazes. A human possessing even one Treasure Tool was extraordinarily rare.

“If you were a Mystes, it wouldn’t feel so strange,” Alastor continued. “But you are merely a human.”

A Mystes was a special type of Torch, one containing either a Treasure Tool or particular powers placed there by a Crimson Lord. Such Torches were also known as mobile treasuries, though they, too, would eventually burn out once their Power of Existence was exhausted.

For a Mystes to hold a Treasure Tool wasn't particularly unusual—though admittedly, a Mystes with three Treasure Tools would indeed be strange.

But an ordinary human having even a single Treasure Tool, let alone three, was beyond merely “strange”—it bordered on utterly absurd.

After all, most Treasure Tools didn't allow humans to move freely inside a Fūzetsu. Additionally, ordinary humans couldn’t control the Power of Existence at all. Even if a regular human somehow obtained a Treasure Tool, they'd rarely ever have the chance to wield it.

Those rare humans who could move within a Fūzetsu typically had support from Flame Hazes' Unrestricted Spells. And even then, the first thing such humans usually did upon receiving a Treasure Tool wasn't to use it themselves, but instead to immediately hand it over to a Flame Haze.

This was because, firstly, without the Power of Existence, humans couldn't properly use Treasure Tools. Secondly, even if they somehow could, their power would pale compared to what Flame Hazes could achieve. Thus, handing the tools over maximized their effectiveness.

Therefore, a human who could simultaneously wield three Treasure Tools, and even manage to repel a Crimson Lord—such a thing was enough to deeply shock even Alastor himself.

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This is a fan translation of 卫宫士郎不想加班 by 此世无存. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!