Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 180: Overlooking View

Walking out of the empty corridor,

The darkness turned into dimness.

The night view of the town filled the field of vision.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the rooftop of the Fujou Building.

The unpaved concrete floor and surrounding wire fences.

Apart from the water tower above the small house where Shinji was just now, nothing was obstructing the view.

The rooftop itself had no unusual installations.

However, the scenery that existed there was abnormal.

The night view seen from the rooftop, which was ten stories higher than the surrounding buildings, was both magnificent and unsettling. It was like standing at the top of a narrow ladder and looking down at the world below.

A bold and uninhibited shout broke the silence of the late night.

"Flying~ Flying~"

A cloaked boy leaped from the edge of the building, defying gravity as he soared through the air.

Hanging on the boy's slender body was a girl. Her face was pressed closely against the boy's chest, her eyes tightly shut, seemingly afraid. Her waist-length hair fluttered in the wind, tickling the boy's face.

Shinji smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, open your eyes. The night view is beautiful."

Kirie opened her eyes halfway, then closed them again. Her voice was weak, almost inaudible.

"I don't need to open my eyes to see."

In a world invisible to ordinary people, a figure identical to the girl floated in the air, spinning around this intimate couple.

"The perspective of a spirit is different from what you see with your own eyes. I promise you won't be disappointed." Shinji gently tapped his forehead against the girl's with his chin.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then..."

Finally, Kirie opened her eyes. At first, just a sliver, but then they widened instantly to their maximum, and Shinji could see Kirie's dilated pupils and hear her gasp.

"Ah!"

The dim, beautiful city of the night, like the depths of the sea untouched by light, with lights scattered throughout the town twinkling like deep-sea fish blinking.

If one's field of vision is the entirety of the world.

At present, the world has indeed fallen into slumber.

Although it seems as if it might sleep for eternity, it is only temporary.

In contrast to the streets before their eyes, the night sky is strikingly cold.

If the city is the deep sea, this side is pure darkness, with stars flickering like scattered jewels.

"Is it beautiful?" Shinji adjusted his posture, holding Kirie, allowing her to better appreciate the night view.

"Mmm!" Kirie was still immersed in the awe-inspiring night view, nodding absentmindedly.

"Do you like it?"

"Mmm!"

"Then live your life to the fullest because only by being alive can you witness such beautiful scenery."

Shinji freed one hand and gently flicked the forehead of Kirei, then reached out to grab the ghost Kirie floating in the air.

"Moreover, what you see is just a negligible corner of this world. There are even more beautiful sights waiting for you to discover."

"Really? Even more beautiful than this?" Kirie's two pairs of eyes, physical and spiritual, shimmered with excitement.

"Of course! The town of Misaki is too small. Next time, I'll take you to see the night view of Tokyo, the capital. That's truly magnificent. Especially the central area, it's brightly lit, and they call it the 'sleepless city'; it's not an exaggeration at all." Shinji, who had traveled around Japan, was more qualified than anyone else to say such things.

"Then I will strive to live on, and I'll accept Miss Touko's treatment wholeheartedly. Will you take me to see it?" Kirie's face was filled with yearning. This yearning was exactly what Shinji wanted to see, and it was the true purpose of taking her out for a night stroll.

Shinji showed a hint of hesitation. "Tokyo is no problem, anytime once your body is fully recovered. But as for other places, it's not certain because I also have many things to deal with."

"I see." The two subdued faces sandwiched Shinji.

"Don't make that kind of expression." Shinji flicked Kirie's forehead again. "If I don't take you, you can explore on your own. Once your body is better, you can go anywhere. Maybe before long, you'll be able to take me to see the beautiful sights you've discovered."

Kirie instantly turned her worries into joy. "Hehe, that's not bad either."

"Then you have to go back and rest early. Without energy, your illness won't get better." Shinji coaxed Kirie as if he were coaxing a child. Physically, Shinji appeared younger than her, but in terms of mental age, Kirie was much younger than him, even younger than her physical age.

"Mmm, let's go back, Shinji."

"Hold on tight, Kirie, and you too, Kirie behind me. I'll show you my top speed."

The wings on the shoes instantly tripled in size, a surge of magical power formed under Shinji's feet, and his cape covered the frail body of Kirie, ensuring she wouldn't be affected by the wind pressure. Shinji shouted loudly.

"Target: the hospital ward. Shinji Matou, engage!!!"

"Whoa, we're flying, we're flying!"

The girl's cheers echoed through the sky over the town of Misaki along with the sound of breaking through the wind.

This sorrowful girl, tormented by illness and fate, had finally found someone who could fly with her and finally found the motivation to live on. The girl who could only look down at the scenery, constantly praying and cursing, and ultimately heading towards tragedy, had finally found a new lease on life.

Now, only one thing remained.

Shinji, who tucked Kirie into bed, calmly glanced at the corridor outside the ward. It was the first time he left the girl's private room in a normal manner.

The entire corridor had transformed into a different realm. To ordinary people, they would only see the scenery of the corridor, but those who possessed magical power would step into a fantastical world composed of various Sanskrit characters.

This was the highest-level bounded field. In terms of technical level, it had no difference compared to the Matou family's Great Bounded Field, personally set up by Scathach. The only difference lay in the quantity and intensity of the bounded fields.

According to Shinji's knowledge, there was only one human capable of setting up such a bounded field.

"Come out!"

With a soft shout, a red rune quickly took shape in the air. The air around the rune began to burn, enveloping the rune and turning it into a fireball that shot straight ahead along the corridor.

After flying only a few meters, the fireball seemed to collide with an invisible wall, causing sparks to scatter, and the fireball shattered into pieces.

At the same time, the area impacted by the flames twisted abnormally.

Sound, light, and air became like a painter's palette, slowly rotating, ultimately blending into a heavy shade of black.

In the center of the distortion stood a black figure, motionless, resembling a black stone monument, yet also akin to a shadow darker than the night itself.

The man in the black coat guarded the only path leading to the stairs, his face serious but filled with unbearable anguish.

Raising his head, his gaze pierced through the 10-meter distance and locked onto Shinji's face.

With just that one action, the atmosphere in the hall changed.

The once calm air became viscous, oppressing people to the point of breathlessness. This freezing sensation was likely what one would feel when the air freezes.

Unconsciously, Shinji held his breath, and in his mind, a convoluted name immediately surfaced.

"Souren Araya!"