"Tokyo's still got this nice air."

Shiro mumbled as he leaned into the railings. The wind blew on his hair due to how he is on top of a skyscraper. Especially the brightness of the sunlight; with his oversensitive [Six Eyes], they felt more uncomfortable.

Suddenly, darkness encapsulated his vision. What replaced it is an abandoned city. Car wrecks can be found everywhere while the buildings had collapsed into mere rubbles. Skeletons of the deceased littered the streets. These poor people couldn't even react before their life was taken away.

Bzzzt-!

"Enoshima has fallen. A surprise artillery strike got past our shields."

A sturdy voice of an old man came from the other side of the earpiece.

"The best option is to rearrange... and order a counterattack."

"That wouldn't make sense. No, no. Old man, you know we're sacrificing KANSENs to such a pointless battle!"

Atop the ruined building, Shiro saw a white-haired man wearing a Lieutenant Commander's uniform. He argued with the voice from the other side of the earpiece.

"You understand what I am talking about. Should our men lose their morale, this battle is as good as over."

"It's your men. I thought you considered the KANSENs as a part of them?!"

"Don't forget. The ones organizing their supplies and risking their lives on reconnaissance are these men."

Due to the KANSENs' potent attack power, they are often placed on the frontlines. However, it doesn't mean that it's only them. Human troops carried out their operations on surveying and reconnaissance of both the seas and the airspace. With each outpost destroyed, hundreds of them were killed; all to send valuable information to the command center.

"...Damn it!"

Throwing the earpiece, he could only clench his fist in anger. Helplessness is the majority of his emotions as of now.

"Why couldn't I do it?! To have the power to save everyone?!"

Seeing this, Shiro muttered:

"Childish. With that power, I hoped to save everyone, aiming for an ending in a fairy tale. I'm this fucking pathetic back then, huh."

Upon receiving all of his lifetime memories, he needed time to adjust. He wouldn't change simply because of it, but the responsibilities that he had to carry became heavier. Everyone in the chat group noticed this change in his. As if...

As if he's a hero who wants to bring salvation by himself.

"I can't even make a joke on Emiya—"

'—because I know well how it feels.'

A hero. Shiro didn't care about everyone but the people he values. Even so, in the eyes of these people, he is a hero. It doesn't matter whether the remaining ones whom he didn't give a damn call him a devil, but their safety is all that matters.

In the first place, he wouldn't do his maneuver from a thousand years ago if he is a cold-blooded machine.

Hug.

He was pulled back from his thoughts as the touch of two soft mounds became present in his back.

"What were you thinking?"

The only girl whose height reached a few centimeters below him. As a result, she could do some new things... such as placing her chin on his shoulder.

"It's nothing. Just reminiscing something about my past."

His serene vibe came back. He is no longer as lost as before after his reflection.

"Your past... Is it your life as 'Commander'?" She said as she separated from him and leaned on the railings. "The one where you are sought by hundreds of girls?"

Altair's tone transformed into her previously cold one.

"That one can't be helped. It's natural to become close with the sole human in the Azur Lane base."

Azur Lane's base operated with repair ships doing retrofitting for the other combat ships. There are also the Manjus that serve as logistic and tool partner, hence the reason why there are no humans in the base except him, the Commander chose to form links with their [Wisdom Cubes].

Wordlessly, Altair summoned forth a holographic screen.

'...I know where this is going.'

It showed a scene inside his office. Taihou had snuck inside it before him going in. By the time he sat down and noticed her, Roon opened the door to his office.

'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. God, what should I do?!'

His past self wailed as he found himself stuck between two obsessive yanderes. The moment Roon finds out that Taihou is underneath his desk, a misunderstanding would ensue, which could escalate into a death duel.

Above, Roon flirted with him. Below, Taihou tempted him with her ample cleavage.

'I WANT TO ESCAPE!'

His strong power was triggered, enabling him to phase out of his office. This is the first time that he unlocked the true potential of Anzeel's study regarding Quantum States. He did so by being exposed to a perilous situation, namely: a checkmate.

Buzz-!

The holographic screen disappeared. Before that, Shiro already looked away with his red ears. Only a single thought dominated his mind.

'That's so... embarrassing.'

Simply put, it is what you would feel if you see your chuunibyou past self as a mature adult. At that time, Shiro didn't have his usual cool and acted embarrassed every time he got into a close encounter with women. Though, it could be said that these experiences are what shaped the current him.

"...I won't peer into those details further."

Sensing his discomfort, Altair made a reassurance. Her [Holopsicon] could perfectly intercept any type of information, which is what allowed her to view his past without his permission.

"I know that there are already a considerable number of girls at your side."

Even without her absurd abilities, Altair's intuition as a woman told her of this fact. It is impossible for such an attractive man as Shiro to not have a significant other/s. His charm did add up to it, but Shiro as a person is what made him attractive for the most part.

"Setsuna..."

Eyes widened, and Shiro saw this scene overlap with his memories.

...

"I like you."

The girl's confession came all of a sudden. Her eyes erratic and her face beet red. Looking straight at him, she conveyed the emotions deep within her heart.

"I love you, Reo. Ever since the beginning..."

The shaken Reo processed what was going on. While his mind went haywire, the girl carried on with her words.

"This fuzzy feeling... it won't go away. Every time I think of you, my heart beats faster. I became conscious that I sometimes acted like a klutz!"

"T-this was the reason behind it..?"

"D-don't mind that!"

Both of them were embarrassed, sending their faces into a deeper shade of red. Fortunately, there wasn't any person nearby.

"T-that's why..!"

...

""...will you accept me at your side?""

Their overlapping voices created an illusion of the timid black-haired girl with her usual glasses. It formed a sharp contrast to Altair's calm and collected personality. In a way, she is similar to Shiro who have matured.

Her pink lips became closer and closer to his. 

Shiro did not hesitate further and closed that distance himself. His memories synced all of his experiences. Meaning, it is naturally a part of him. Everything—be it his time with his wives to his time with other girls—composes a part of "Shiro".

Altair's eyes widened for a moment before transforming into looks of relief and affection.

As it happened, every single girl connected to Shiro had a thought.

"Another woman..."