Starting in Type-Moon, with Adopting Sakura Chapter 7

The changes were too great—so great that he was practically a different person.

Aozaki Touko thought to herself, unable to help feeling somewhat puzzled by the changes Rovey had undergone.

"Is that so? I think so too."

Rovey nodded slightly, expressing his agreement.

An Investigative Request (1/2, Please Bookmark!)

"Have I changed that much?"

The changes were too great—so great that he was practically a different person.

After calming herself down a little, Aozaki Touko scrutinized Rovey before her once more, and a flicker of curiosity passed through her crimson eyes.

If this had been two years ago, she would never have connected the dull, aloof research fanatic he used to be with the young man in front of her who fought her over French fries.

If she had to describe it, this guy was practically a completely different person from before...

Had he really gone through something to change so drastically?

She knew that Rovey's parents—the two heads of the previous generation of the Crowley Family—had died tragically. She also knew more of the inside story than anyone else.

When Rovey's parents had died, she had happened to be in that same region and had also set her sights on that powerful Phantasmal Species. However, she had been acting alone at the time, rather than traveling with a mercenary corps or a team of magi.

Later, the Clock Tower's magi had used special tracking methods to locate that legendary Phantasmal Species first and had tried to forcibly subdue it. As for the result...

It was already obvious. Trying to capture a top-tier Phantasmal Species with at least several thousand years of Mystery using modern magecraft, which had long since weakened beyond recognition and lost who knew how much of its power, was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Thus, that hunt ended with hunter and prey switching places, and the entire Clock Tower team being wiped out. Even the corpses of those two had been dug out of the primeval forest and personally brought back to the Clock Tower by her.

That was precisely how she had come into contact with the Crowley Family and Rovey.

"...I see. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just think of it as the growth I went through."

"After all, without my elders' protection, I had to try becoming independent after being thrust into the role."

Rovey spoke calmly. Though he retained memories of what had happened before, he never took the initiative to bring it up.

"Then your growth is really absurd. It's like you changed personalities."

Aozaki Touko casually jabbed at him, her words sharp and dead on target. However, she could tell that Rovey was deliberately avoiding the subject, so she had no intention of digging any deeper.

She felt that Rovey might have adjusted his personality to some extent, just like she had, which was why he was the way he was now. But that had nothing to do with her.

They were both magi, after all. Wasn't it normal for a magus to have secrets? Investigating another person's Mystery without permission was tantamount to declaring war in a magus's eyes, no matter how close their relationship might be.

She had already caused herself enough trouble. Turning against the friend who had still extended a helping hand while she was under a Sealing Designation was not something Aozaki Touko wanted.

Still, she remained curious about why Rovey had come to the Far East.

"Why would a Clock Tower magecraft aristocrat like you leave his estate and research behind to come to this Mystery-starved dump in the Far East?"

Aozaki Touko's eyes shifted slightly. Then she directly held out her hand toward Rovey and teased, "Could it be that you heard your senior sister has been short on cash lately, so you came all this way to help me out?"

"Heh. If you can pay off the debt for the materials you took from me on credit, I can help you out a little more."

Seeing Aozaki Touko hold out her hand and ask him for money so directly, Rovey could not help getting a headache. He then smacked her restless little hand.

"Cheapskate..."

Aozaki Touko withdrew her hand and muttered unhappily. She instinctively reached for a cigarette, but when she saw Rovey point at the no-smoking sign hanging beside them, she helplessly put it away and picked up another French fry.

"Fine, enough joking around. Since you contacted me on your own initiative, you didn't just ask me out to eat French fries, did you?"

"Of course not."

"Then hurry up and say it. What urgent matter brought you all the way to the Far East to find me? Do you need a custom puppet for some special purpose, or did you run into something troublesome? Hurry up and tell me so your senior can have a laugh."

This woman...

Even after being on the run for so long, her personality hasn't changed at all. She's still as awful as ever. Can't those idiots in the Department of Law try a little harder?

Looking at Aozaki Touko's half-smiling face and her utterly punchable tone, Rovey could not help getting another headache.

However, she was right. He had indeed come to her this time because he needed her help with something.

Rovey did not beat around the bush. He slipped a hand into his pocket, took out a bank card, and held it out before Aozaki Touko. "There are five million in this card. The password is 777777. It should be enough to hire you for one job."

"..."

Aozaki Touko's expression froze slightly when she saw the bank card. After a long while, she finally said, "Hehe, don't you think you're undervaluing me a little? You think you can dismiss me with a mere five million? Who do you think I am? I'm—"

Though she said that, her body was honest as she slipped the bank card into her pocket.

"Pounds."

"..."

"I'm not very familiar with the exchange rate for currency in the Far East, so I used pounds instead."

"Hiss... I knew it. How could my dear junior brother bear to make his senior sister work for nothing? Now that's more like it!"

After pocketing the card Rovey had handed her, Aozaki Touko's smile bloomed as brilliantly as a giant chrysanthemum. Even the way she addressed him changed in the end.

Senior sister, just how badly do you need money?!

Watching her behavior, which could only be called utterly shameless, Rovey could not help getting a headache.

"Go on, then. What exactly do you need my help with? For the sake of the pounds, I'll handle it for you."

After taking the money, Aozaki Touko's expression even became serious.

Seeing Aozaki Touko agree, Rovey nodded. He looked around, confirmed that there was no one suspicious nearby, casually cast a spell to drive away idlers, then lowered his voice and asked her through magecraft at a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Senior Touko, have you heard of the Holy Grail War?"

The Holy Grail War...

"I've heard a little." Aozaki Touko stroked her chin with a thoughtful expression. After briefly reviewing her memories, she finally dug out the information she had in mind.

"It seems to be some kind of magecraft ritual jointly created by the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families. It also seems to be related to Heroic Spirit Summoning."

"However, the concept behind that magecraft ritual was too absurd, so scholars in the Spiritual Evocation Department considered it pure fantasy. I remember that the Clock Tower has records of this ritual, in Yulifis's possession."

"Good. Knowing that much is enough. Senior Touko is indeed knowledgeable, worthy of being the only Gand Puppet Master around today."

"Stop kissing up to me and get to the point. What are you trying to do by asking about the Holy Grail War?" Aozaki Touko rolled her eyes at him.

"My request is simple. I want you to visit the Einzbern Family and investigate the identity of the Heroic Spirit they summoned in the Third Holy Grail War. You don't even need to find out their true name. Just tell me their class."

Rovey had now decided to take part in this Holy Grail War.

Since that was the case, it was undoubtedly important to investigate everything before the war began and obtain accurate intelligence.

What he suspected was whether the World Line he inhabited was truly the Holy Grail War he remembered.

Under Type-Moon's setting, there were countless World Lines and many parallel worlds, each with radically different developments.

For example, there was Magical Girl Illya, CCC, and the settings of all sorts of derivative works, but those could be set aside for now.

Even among broadly similar Type-Moon World Lines, there were many differences.

For instance:

In some worlds, Merlin was male and King Arthur was female;

In some worlds, Merlin was female and King Arthur was male;

In some worlds, there were no Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, and the Jewel Magician utterly defeated Crimson Moon;

In some worlds, there was no Holy Grail War;

In some worlds, the Holy Grail was completely intact;

In some worlds, the Holy Grail had been tainted by Avenger's malice;

In some worlds, the Holy Grail had been stolen in advance;

In short, Rovey remembered countless differences in setting alone, and the Holy Grail War was no exception.

Over the past two years, Rovey had sent people to gather intelligence related to the Holy Grail War.

However, apart from already-known and insignificant information—such as Emiya Kiritsugu marrying into the Einzbern Family, the Matou Family's magecraft lineage declining, the Tohsaka Family having two daughters, and the Fourth Holy Grail War about to begin—he had obtained nothing particularly useful.

That was why, with the war drawing near, Rovey had specifically sought out his highly capable senior sister, hoping she could investigate the inside story of the Third Holy Grail War for him.

Most importantly, he needed to determine what exactly the Einzbern Family had summoned back then.

Was it an ordinary Heroic Spirit? Had they summoned Amakusa Shirou Tokisada? Or one of those two troublesome entities, Angra Mainyu...

The results of this investigation would affect Rovey's attitude toward the coming Holy Grail War and his specific plans for dealing with it.

This world was truly a pain in the neck. It always loved creating so many possibilities for him and branching off into all sorts of chaotic parallel worlds.

After hearing Rovey's request, Aozaki Touko's expression shifted. However, when she saw his bare hand, she could not help asking, "Are you a Master in this Holy Grail War?"

"Mm."

Rovey nodded. "Strictly speaking, not yet. But I already know how to obtain a Command Seal and how to participate in this Holy Grail War."

"I see..."

"Fine, then. Going out once in a while isn't a bad thing. Besides, I've had my eye on the Einzbern Family's Homunculus Technology for a long time. This is a perfect chance to see it for myself."

Aozaki Touko put the last French fry on the table into her mouth. Having learned her objective, she no longer lingered. She rose directly to her feet and strode away with carefree ease.

Before leaving, she did not forget to remind Rovey behind her.

"You should be careful too. My intuition tells me this magecraft ritual isn't that simple. Don't get yourself killed by carelessness."

"Huh? Is Senior Touko worried about me?"

Rovey could not help feeling somewhat surprised.

"I suppose so. After all, if you die, I won't be able to find anyone willing to let me buy on credit."

"You..."

Watching Aoko's retreating figure, Rovey shook his head helplessly from his seat.

"What a woman, like the wind."

With an inward sigh, he looked at the pocket watch on his chest, then at the gray city outside, where snow had begun to fall once more.

I hope she finds something. On my end, I should only need to find one more person to ask for information.

All that remained was...

"The Holy Grail War... This really is something to look forward to."

He slowly rose from his seat, picked up the briefcase that still retained some warmth, and headed out into the gray city.

Mother of Mifune City (2/2)

—Even if you show evil people utmost kindness, their evil nature will not change.

A reunion after a long time apart.

After the meal ended, Rovey and Aozaki Touko had grown somewhat closer again.

Though he knew she was probably only doing it for the money, that did not matter to Rovey.

Whatever her motives, as long as Aozaki Touko completed the task he had assigned her properly, nothing else concerned him.

Watching Aoko's departing back, Rovey, having just finished his meal, tucked a sum of pounds far exceeding the meal's value beneath his tray, then left the fast-food restaurant and began searching the city for a certain mysterious existence.

According to the rules of the Mystical world, as an outsider magus, Rovey should have reported to the local family managing the Ley Line before entering another Ley Line territory, just as he had specifically informed Tokiomi Tohsaka when he arrived in Fuyuki City.

However, compared to the Tohsaka Family, which managed Fuyuki City, the Ryogi Family, which managed the Ley Line in Mifune City, was in truly poor condition. Because Mystery had declined and their inheritance had been lost, the once-proud demon-hunting family could not even find a demon hunter capable of succeeding the family. Though they still retained some magecraft records and knowledge of that world, they had already withdrawn from the Mystical world and were about to become an ordinary family in secular society. Naturally, they could not interfere with Rovey.

As for Mifune City...

It was also a highly extraordinary city. Though it could not compare in reputation to neighboring Fuyuki City, where gas pipelines were always exploding, it held no fewer hidden secrets than Fuyuki City. It was also a very important stage in Type-Moon's setting—Kara no Kyoukai