Tsukahara Meiji and Archer Loxia's scouting trip had cost a total of 3,325 yuan.
This included a tracksuit that, for some reason, was ridiculously expensive despite being just a tracksuit; a pair of shorts that used even less fabric than the tracksuit yet cost even more; and shoes and socks specially bought because they couldn't exactly have her running around barefoot, could they?
Those alone accounted for nearly half the spending.
After that, despite claiming that Servants weren't human and didn't need to eat, that eating was a waste of time, and so on, she still ate five fruit tarts with different ingredients and more than half of a giant parfait loaded with strawberries and assorted desserts. Together, those two things accounted for nearly two-thirds of the expenses.
Through this experience, Tsukahara Meiji gained a profound understanding of an old saying: women were all liars. Especially women who kept insisting they didn't need to eat...
How ironic.
(Still, this means my relationship with Archer has eased up a little, right?)
Tsukahara Meiji felt a small measure of happiness. Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Archer and Carl didn't get along. And the only thing that could reconcile such discord was friendship.
Archer was a Heroic Spirit. How could she possibly have friends in the modern age? Then, since she had no friends, why not become Archer's friend himself?
Archer didn't trust Carl. If he couldn't change that, they probably had no win rate at all in this Holy Grail War. Archer's parameters were low, not because Loxia herself wasn't capable enough, but because her Master's magical energy couldn't meet her needs. To avoid draining her Master dry, she had to suppress her own mana consumption. The most obvious consequence was her parameter values.
Moreover, Loxia—or rather, Robin Hood—wasn't an Archer renowned for possessing a powerful Noble Phantasm. This hero's archery was unmatched in the world, but she had no corresponding Noble Phantasm legend. That hadn't originally been a problem. The proper way to use her was as an Assassin, exactly as Carl had predicted.
But the problem was that they hadn't summoned a Saber as planned. This was fatal. Archer was the only combatant in Tsukahara Meiji's faction. If she couldn't display sufficient strength...
Tsukahara Meiji didn't dare think any further. He quickly shook his head and threw those negative thoughts aside.
In poker, once the hole cards had been dealt, even if they were terrible, there was no time to lament them.
In magic, if someone exposed your trick, there was even less room for regret. You had to focus all your energy on salvaging the situation before you.
The down-and-out Magus Tsukahara Meiji had had his street magic tricks exposed more than once. He was long used to focusing his energy on what was in front of him.
After leaving the dessert shop, Tsukahara Meiji's expression softened considerably, and almost no one paid attention to him anymore—nearly everyone's gaze was fixed on Archer Loxia, just as she had calculated.
Was it the desserts? Or had Archer Loxia's firm declaration earlier worked? In any case, Tsukahara Meiji felt much less nervous. In fact, he was even a little happy.
His earlier expression had practically screamed: I have a problem! Stay away from me!
Now, he looked exactly like a boyfriend on his first date with a beautiful girlfriend, nervous beyond belief. It instantly seemed much more natural.
As the two strolled along, the sun gradually sank lower. Dusky yellow slowly replaced azure as the most common color in sight. Amidst the golden splendor, Tsukahara Meiji quietly watched the changing colors of the sky and suddenly felt that the scenery was beautiful.
Especially...
Standing in the sunset, Archer Loxia's graceful back was a sight to behold. Her white tracksuit was dyed warm by the orange-red light, while her soft brown hair became even gentler beneath the sunset's glow. Just looking at her from behind made Tsukahara Meiji's heart pound. With so little experience around women to begin with, looking at such a beautiful girl filled him with increasingly inexplicable feelings.
Suddenly, he stopped walking.
Had she sensed something unusual about her Master?
Archer Loxia turned back in confusion. "What is it, Tsukahara?"
"Shh..."
Tsukahara Meiji unexpectedly wore a serious expression. He tried his best to hide his shock, but the strange glimmer in his eyes still made his face look terribly unnatural.
At that quiet signal alone, Loxia immediately understood: he had spotted an enemy.
Because she had noticed them too.
It was the distinctive phenomenon of a Servant's magical energy overflowing.
What was strange was
that this power showed neither any intention of concealing itself nor any intention of being released to draw attention.
It was as if the Servant releasing the mana was simply allowing it to disperse naturally, without any control.
Following the source of the magical energy, Loxia immediately found the enemy.
They were clearly a Master and Servant pair.
The Magus had refined European features, elegant and gentle. His sandy blond hair was somewhat messily combed back, and he wore a lead-gray suit with something that seemed to be magical energy flowing over it.
The man's features were exquisite, and he carried a weathered air that came with age. He should have been the type to attract plenty of attention... but Loxia didn't pay attention to him at all...
Because standing beside him was an even more eye-catching presence...
It was a brawny man over two meters tall, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, like a bodyguard. His firm, statue-hard muscles nearly burst through his suit... His arms were massive. Taking a punch from those huge fists would be no joke...
This huge man radiated a lethal pressure from head to toe, like a sharp battle axe, its metal blade wrapped in an icy, sinister chill. Just looking at him made one shudder.
The Servant-level magical energy fluctuation from earlier had come from this huge man.
Loxia didn't know what Heroic Spirit he was, but he was surely an incredibly powerful one.
Yet compared to that imposing giant, Tsukahara Meiji paid more attention to the Magus.
Because he would never mistake that face.
Abner Fergus Winifred.
His mentor, and one of the Clock Tower's foremost masters of magecraft...
(It... it's Professor Abner!)
It was as if Tsukahara Meiji had been run over by a speeding chariot, terror spiraling out from his entire body! Loxia immediately noticed something was wrong with her Master and yanked hard on his arm, pulling him out of his panic. To outsiders, it merely looked like an angry girl taking out her frustration on him for some unknown reason.
As Tsukahara Meiji turned with the motion, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the towering Servant, but before he could confirm the other's parameters, Archer Loxia immediately tugged at his sleeve and dragged him away.
The two Master-Servant pairs passed each other.
The other side seemed not to have noticed them and continued strolling along openly.
"Tsukahara, did you confirm his parameters?"
"Uh... sorry, there wasn't enough time... I only barely confirmed that his Strength was A."
"That is enough. Because they didn't discover us."
Archer Loxia looked tense, danger flashing in her eyes.
In an intelligence war, the side that obtained the most information wasn't necessarily the winner.
What truly seasoned intelligence experts valued first was preserving themselves and avoiding discovery. The more outstanding the Heroic Spirit, the more famous they were for martial prowess, the keener their sixth sense would be and the more sensitive they would be to being watched. If Tsukahara Meiji had been discovered, the loss would have outweighed the gain.
In the Holy Grail War, the classes known for combat strength were Saber and Lancer. Of course, Berserker was also possible, but if he truly were a Berserker, it was hard to imagine him being so docile. He was probably Saber or Lancer.
Loxia didn't know what their objective was, but she had no intention of letting this excellent opportunity slip away.
As for her Master's momentary distraction earlier, Loxia instinctively interpreted it as fear. After all, he was a newcomer to the Holy Grail War. Of course he would be nervous upon encountering an enemy Magus!
In a situation like this, as long as the Master stayed safe, that was the greatest help he could give his Servant.
"Tsukahara, hide somewhere first. I'll follow them. Remember, Master, if you're attacked, use a Command Spell to summon me back. Don't hesitate."
After cautiously reminding him several times, Tsukahara Meiji nodded repeatedly. He knew that Archer was far more reliable than he was at a time like this.
Seeing that he understood, Archer quietly slipped into a corner. Magical energy formed her Spirit Dress, and then she entered Spirit Form. Her tracksuit fluttered to the ground, and Tsukahara Meiji hurriedly picked it up before heading back to the hotel without looking back.
Not long after parting from Archer, Tsukahara Meiji's phone suddenly rang.
A familiar number appeared on the screen...
"Hello, Carl?... All right, I'll be there right away."
Before you continue