Emiya Shirou Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [226]

There's really no need to explain in detail how Shirou Emiya managed to find himself a satisfactory job.

After all, Shirou Emiya had developed the habit of working part-time long ago; for him, finding a temporary student-friendly job was as familiar as breathing.

Moreover, Shirou Emiya’s efficiency in handling tasks was beyond ordinary. He alone could easily handle the workload of three people, not to mention his profound expertise in repairs.

Indeed, the author couldn’t possibly list all the daily skills Emiya possessed in merely a few paragraphs.

Thus, Shirou Emiya took only one morning to settle his employment situation.

Many shops had initially hesitated to hire him due to his lack of official identification. Thankfully, kindhearted shopkeepers were not uncommon in Misaki City, allowing Shirou Emiya to finally secure a job.

And now, at the very moment Shirou Emiya was busy working, a sound abruptly rang out next to his ear.

Boom!

It was the sudden eruption of flames.

At the instant this sound echoed, Shirou Emiya threw aside the plate he’d been holding. Immediately, a chained sword materialized in his grasp.

His armor swiftly enveloped him, covering his entire body in an instant.

Only then did Shirou Emiya fully realize exactly what was happening around him.

In this split second, roaring flames surged upward, solidifying into tangible walls and encapsulating the entire street.

Within this enclosed space, a geometric formation instantly appeared upon the ground—like a magic circle, it rapidly expanded until it touched the shimmering wall of heat.

Then, abruptly, the hue of the space itself changed.

It became a glaring, vivid crimson.

In this bright crimson world, everything abruptly froze in place:

The schoolgirls gossiping away.

The plate Shirou Emiya had just dropped.

A cat chasing mice down the alleyway.

Even a bird soaring through the sky had frozen mid-flight, suspended as if trapped within solidified air, imprisoned in this scarlet-tinted space.

In the blink of an eye, only one individual remained capable of moving:

Shirou Emiya.

Looking down at the accessory around his neck, which now emitted a faint azure glow, Shirou swiftly pushed open the shop door and stepped onto the now-motionless street.

So this is the world I couldn’t perceive before?

Shirou Emiya wasn’t particularly startled by the scarlet-tinted world around him; he merely murmured a faint curiosity.

After all, even before coming to this world, he’d already experienced time freezing completely still.

Thus, when Sakai Yūji had described it, Shirou Emiya already vaguely understood what this crimson world might look like.

He could only be grateful that the item he had projected truly allowed him free movement within this frozen realm.

At least he wasn’t a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.

Still, it wasn’t that Shirou feared being targeted. Since that morning, when he'd been job-hunting, he'd felt an obscure gaze fixated on him.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Shirou couldn’t pinpoint exactly who was watching him or from where. All he knew was that an unknown gaze was closely monitoring his every move.

Therefore, Shirou Emiya had continuously maintained vigilant awareness.

As for why he hadn’t chosen a more isolated location to draw out whoever was observing him...

He couldn’t be certain his pursuer would follow.

According to Sakai Yūji’s description, those dolls’ primary objective wasn’t necessarily to eliminate him, but rather to devour some energy hidden within humans.

Thus, there was a high likelihood that if Shirou Emiya distanced himself from populated areas, those dolls would simply remain behind and continue feasting on people in the city.

That was a scenario Shirou Emiya absolutely wanted to avoid. So he chose instead to remain vigilant even while at work.

Boom!

Another fiery explosion rang out.

But this time, it wasn’t the activation of a Fūzetsu—it was the sound of flames suddenly erupting into existence all around Shirou Emiya.

Immediately, the flames solidified into tangible forms, manifesting as human-sized dolls.

Each doll wore clothing of various styles—some archaic, others brand-new.

Creak—! Creak—! Creak—!

Accompanied by harsh clattering noises as their joints scraped together, the dolls twisted their heads in eerie unison, all turning to stare at Shirou Emiya.

This time, their target was unmistakably clear: Shirou Emiya, the only being able to move within the Fūzetsu.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

Though seemingly frail, these dolls possessed incredible speed and strength. In mere moments, Shirou Emiya was completely encircled.

Facing these dolls, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly.

These must be the human-devouring dolls Sakai Yūji mentioned.

“[Trace on].”

Two serrated katana immediately appeared in Shirou Emiya’s hands. Surrounded as he was, this was a perfect opportunity to use his exceptional skill.

"[BEAST BREATHING, FIFTH FANG: CRAZY CUTTING]!"

The twin blades sliced wildly in all directions. Empowered by the Incursio Armor, the katanas whipped up a terrifying storm of blades.

In the blink of an eye, the dolls surrounding Shirou Emiya were shredded, torn apart as if by ferocious beasts, dissolving into fiery fragments scattered through the air.

Yet the remaining dolls at a distance seemed utterly indifferent to Shirou Emiya’s incredible destructive prowess.

With crisp creaking noises still echoing, the dolls jerkily swung their limbs, lunging toward Shirou Emiya from all sides, charging like crazed beasts.

Seeing the oncoming dolls, Shirou Emiya harbored no thoughts of defense. Having already chosen Beast Breathing, his fighting style was naturally that of a beast.

Shirou Emiya bent slightly at the knees. Muscles tightened rhythmically with his breathing, sending tremors through his legs, generating a powerful gust at his feet.

Whoosh—!

Instantly, Shirou Emiya vanished from sight.

"[BEAST BREATHING, FOURTH FANG: SLICE 'N' DICE]!"

The two serrated blades crossed as Shirou surged forward. Countless slashes erupted along his path.

With Shirou Emiya’s exceptional dynamic vision, the strikes sliced cleanly through the frozen crowds, precisely shredding every single doll into fragments.

Even without the Incursio Armor, Shirou Emiya already had more than enough strength to crush these dolls utterly.

---

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!