Invincible Young Hero Locke: "Hey, why do you think they believe in the existence of the Black Dragon, just because the Demon King Beasts and other monsters appeared in that 'Chronicles of the Pacified Demon Realm'?"
Naruto Locke: "Don't argue. After all, he spent 20,000 popularity points on fireworks and even summoned the mysterious four Olympics. They're probably scared to death. Take a step and miss it, by the way."
Hogwarts Locke: "Twenty thousand!! A full 20,000! How many levels could I have upgraded with that?! You set it off as fireworks?! I'll bite you to death!!"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Damn! You bite so hard! Let go! Let go!"
Because every time Hogwarts Locke received popularity points, his points would disappear right before they could be spent, so he was the only Locke who hadn't upgraded at all.
Therefore, everyone could only tolerate his periodic madness—after all, only a ghost knew how long he would remain a warrior of the Nine Wise Ones.
The Boys Locke: "However, do you think the popularity points we're getting now are actually related to belief? After all, once it was suppressed, the popularity points started skyrocketing?"
One Piece Locke: "But if you really want to start a religion—forget it. That thing is pure poison, and there's no need for it."
Naruto Locke: "Wait a minute. I think I understand what you're saying. There's actually no need to make it a religion. It's not impossible to make it a story. Do you want to try to cross boundaries to gain popularity? For example..."
The Boys Locke: "Draw comics."
Invincible Young Hero Locke: "Hey, don't say that. You can give it a try."
Naruto Locke: "In that case, I can learn from Jiraiya and write a book—the full romantic heavenly version of the Chronicles of the Pacified Demon Realm?"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "?"
Jujutsu Kaisen Locke: "Turn on your mic and communicate!"
Just as everyone was making a fuss, a Locke sitting cross-legged appeared before everyone—this was the Moon Locke who had returned at the same time as Detective Locke.
One Piece Locke: "The Chosen One?"
Moon Locke: "Of course."
Hogwarts Locke: "Chosen for what?"
Faced with his own questions, Moon Locke remained silent and extended his hand to everyone:
"See for yourself."
---
Daytime, January 31, 2004.
The deep winter sun slanted diagonally through the school building of Suikunyuan Academy, covering the window lattices with a warm gold, coated in a thin layer of frost.
In the idle club classroom, the air was filled with dust, the faint smell of plastic from old appliances. Screwdrivers and multimeters were scattered in the corner of the table. Shirou Emiya was crouched on the floor, focused on a broken amplifier.
As a third-rate magus who hadn't even mastered a proper magical system, his best skill was using this unconventional reinforcement magic to repair the broken structures of objects.
A pale blue flow of magic, invisible to ordinary people, flowed through his fingertips, drilling through the broken circuits and faulty components. The machine that had been struck immediately showed signs of working.
In the midst of the magical flow, the wooden door of the classroom suddenly creaked open, and the cold wind from outside rushed in.
Shirou Emiya's movements suddenly stopped. Almost instinctively, he cut off the magical circuit, and the magical energy around him instantly folded cleanly.
His spine tensed. When he looked up, there was still undiminished vigilance in his eyes. But when he saw the person standing at the door, his tense guard instantly collapsed. His shoulders slumped, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"What, it's just Locke. You really scared me."
Locke, who was on crutches, coughed twice, limped over to Shirou with his inconvenient legs, sat down opposite him, reached out and placed his hand on the amplifier that needed repair, and helped him sort out the scattered parts.
"Shinji said he couldn't find you, so you must be hiding here. Why, are you planning to rely on magic to find shortcuts?"
Pierced by his friend's words, a guilty expression immediately appeared on Shirou Emiya's face. He scratched the back of his head, his tone a bit embarrassed as he defended himself:
"After all, I don't have the skill to do it as well as you, Locke. These things can only be fixed quickly with magic."
Locke looked up at him, spinning a scattered screw with his fingertips, his tone calm but clearly serious:
"Magic is indeed a good thing. I've never objected to you using it. The reason humans are humans is that they can use tools to expand their abilities. But relying too much on magic and using it as a shortcut to solve everything is ultimately not a good thing."
As his words fell, he took the screwdriver Shirou handed him, slightly twisted his wrist, his movements clear and precise. In just a few clicks, he connected the broken circuits and restored the missing components.
When the amplifier emitted a smooth sound, he casually put the tool down on the table, brushed the floating dust off his hand, his gaze fell on the bare branches outside the window, and he suddenly sighed softly:
"In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. I never expected my legs to still be like this."
The originally relaxed atmosphere in the air instantly froze.
Shirou Emiya's gaze involuntarily fell on his leg, which he could never use.
Beneath the hem of his school uniform was hidden a lifelong disability, carved by the fire that had burned everything ten years ago.
The winter sun shone indirectly, but the air that suddenly fell was not warm. Other emotions surged uncontrollably, including anxiety and guilt over his friend's misfortune, as well as confusion over the vague "ideal of justice" from the fire and himself.
His Adam's apple moved slightly. He opened his mouth and finally managed a quiet call: "Locke..."
"I'm fine, Shirou." Locke interrupted him first, stood up, smiled, and gently tapped the tip of his shoe with his cane. His voice was relaxed, as if talking about today's weather.
"So many years have passed, I've long since gotten used to it. It's just a lack of strength in one leg. It doesn't stop me from walking the path I want to walk. After all, humans have limits. Perhaps everything I have now was exchanged for that leg."
Only at this moment did Shirou Emiya suddenly wake up.
Before him was this friend who always had a gentle smile and was forced to rely on crutches to walk—what an astonishing talent was hidden beneath this ordinary and harmless appearance.
Completely different from himself, who had only learned magic halfway, Shirou knew better than anyone that if Locke wanted to, there was almost nothing in this world he couldn't do—the only prerequisite was whether he was willing.
The winter wind swept through the window with fine snow foam, making a soft sound.
"Shirou."
Locke stopped abruptly at the classroom door. His crutches hit the concrete floor, making a clear, dull sound that broke the silence in the room. He didn't look back, his back to the midday sun, and there was a heavy temptation in his voice that Shirou had never heard before:
"What would you do if one day we ended up on two diametrically opposite paths?"
Shirou Emiya was stunned by this sudden question, and an inexplicable sharpness arose in his heart. He didn't take it as a joke, but lowered his eyes and thought seriously for a long time. When he looked up again, only unwavering seriousness remained in his eyes:
"I don't know what to do. But if one of us deviates from the right path, the other will definitely pull him back. Whether it's you or me."
The moment he received the answer, the corners of Locke's lips slowly rose into an arc of unclear emotion, as if both relieved and disappointed.
He didn't say another word. He just leaned on his crutches, dragged his inconvenient leg, and step by step walked into the shadow of the corridor, leaving behind a sentence so light it was almost carried away by the wind:
"Yeah. That's good."
At this moment, inside Locke's inner world, he looked at this male god who had grown up watching him, and only heard a whisper full of sighs.
"Forgive me, Shirou. I swear this is definitely the last time. After all, there aren't really many scenes this suitable."
After these words, his own panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Fujimura Locke]
[Bound Character Card: Viktor (Assistant Professor, Piltover University)]
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