Seeing the confusion on Shirou's face,Laws hesitated for a moment before finally explaining:
"My daughter, Sylphiette, was born with green hair for some reason. My wife and I are sure that neither of us has been unfaithful, but Sylphiette's hair color is indeed completely different from ours."
"Maybe it's a throwback to an ancestor, or a mutation?"
Shirou had been a high school student to some extent, and had learned about recessive and dominant genes, knowing that some children might appear very different from their parents.
He roughly shared his knowledge withLaws, which surprised the latter, who then sighed, "Shirou, you're a really smart kid. Thank you, this has solved some of my worries. After all, even though we don't say it, my wife and I have had some distance between us because of Sylphiette's hair."
"That's understandable."
Shirou also knew that it was hard for people to trust each other completely.
Even if close family members face a situation that might cause doubt, they will still have some hard feelings that can't be erased.
However, Shirou quickly became confused. If the child named Sylphiette was only suffering because her hair color was different from her parents', why would she have a hard time?
Could it be thatLaws's wife suspected that this wasn't her own daughter because of the different hair color, so she was a little harsh with her?
"It's not what you think." Seeing Shirou's expression,Laws guessed what he was thinking and slowly said, "Although my wife and I didn't expect Sylphiette's hair color to be different from ours, our relationship isn't affected by it, not to mention that Sylphiette came from my wife's womb. If anyone should suspect the other of cheating, it should be me."
"That's true, sorry..."
Shirou also realized that his idea wasn't logical and quickly apologized.
Laws accepted his apology and said with a smile, "Anyway, I'm sure that Sylphiette is indeed my child. Your explanation just now cleared up my confusion. Sylphiette's hair is probably like that because of some kind of ancestral throwback... After all, for some reason, my family's bloodline is very complicated, and I might not even know who my father is."
"S-sorry."
Shirou spoke again, not expecting to bring up some sad things fromLaws's past.
ButLaws was very easygoing and calmly said, "Let's not talk about the past, I'm more concerned about Sylphiette's situation now."
Seeing this, Shirou also silently said, "So, since you and your wife don't have any bad feelings towards Sylphiette, why do you think Sylphiette will have a hard time?"
"Because Sylphiette's hair is green."
"Green?" Shirou was stunned for a moment, but then he realized, "Oh, you mean the Speard race's hair color is green?"
"Yes, although it's been a long time since the Demon War, the rumors about the Speard race have not slowed down at all, but have become more and more widespread."Laws looked complicated, "I'm very worried that Sylphiette will be rejected or even bullied by her peers because of her hair color."
"It wouldn't go so far just because of the hair..."
Shirou was about to say that, but he couldn't say the words.
Because he quickly recalled the many cases of school bullying he had seen in his previous life, where the bullied were often just a little bit different from others, and were rejected by most people, or even collectively bullied.
People always reject those who are different from them, especially children who have not yet established their values, who are more likely to follow their instincts to bully others.
Sylphiette's hair is the hair of the legendary Speard race, and just imagining it, Shirou could picture her being rejected by her peers.
"Sigh, Sylphiette has to live independently, and my wife and I can't protect her forever."Laws sighed, "Some difficulties, perhaps Sylphiette can only overcome them herself."
"Don't worry, Laws." Hearing Laws's words, Shirou said with a smile, "If that day comes, I will definitely help Sylphiette."
"Huh? Why are you willing to help Sylphiette?"
Laws couldn't understand. After all, to Shirou, Sylphiette should just be a child he had never met, and there was no reason to help such a stranger.
To this, Shirou naturally replied, "Because I once promised someone that I would become a Hero of justice..."
Before he could finish, Shirou's expression froze.
Broken memories struggled wildly in his mind, flying like scattered pieces, and being rebuilt again at the end of time.
It was a bright moonlit night, and he was sitting in the yard of the Emiya residence with the dying Emiya Kiritsugu, having his last conversation with the man.
"...When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a Hero of justice."
Emiya Kiritsugu suddenly spoke in a daze.
"What does that mean? You say you once dreamed of it, does that mean you have given up now?"
The young Shirou spoke in a dissatisfied tone, not wanting his idol, Emiya Kiritsugu, to say such self-deprecating words.
"Yes, although I regret it, there is a time limit for being a hero. It's hard to call yourself a hero when you grow up. I wish I had realized this sooner."
"If that's the case, there's no way around it."
"Yes, it's really unavoidable."
"Well, since Kiritsugu can't do it, I'll take your place and become a hero." Shirou said with a smile, making a promise to the dying man, "Dad is already an adult, so he can't be a hero, but I'm fine, right? I'll take over Dad's dream."
"Is that so? Ah, then I can rest easy."
The man sighed tiredly, as if feeling some satisfaction, and fell into a deep sleep in his dreams.
Emiya Shirou then inherited the other's will, including the ideal of becoming a friend of justice.
——
Now, clear memories emerged in Shirou's mind, and he suddenly came back to his senses, realizing that those were not his memories at all.
And if they weren't his memories, then there was only one source for these memories—
Servant Emiya.
"So you once dreamed of becoming a Hero of justice..."
Shirou looked in his heart at the tall red figure, and didn't know what to say for a moment.
After all, Shirou himself had already given up on this ideal at the moment he was willing to sacrifice the whole world to save his sister, Miyu.
However, now that he was fused with Servant Emiya's soul, he couldn't completely abandon this vague dream.
Half-baked...
For some reason, such a strange term appeared in his mind.
Shirou sighed, but then smiled. He slowly said to the still confusedLaws, "Don't worry, I will protect Sylphiette, because I have decided to become a Hero of justice!"