Aozaki Touko

Magicians are divided into seven ranks based on their magical attainments, from lowest to highest: Bottle, First Son, Opener, Sacrificial Seat, Seat of Regalia, Color Rank, and Grand Magus, seven ranks in total.

Currently, the only known Color Rank magician is Lord Ken, who was first cuckolded by Lancer, then crippled by Kiritsugu, and finally finished off by Saber.

As for Grand Magus, the only known ones are Aozaki Touko before Shirou and the others, and Darnic, who appeared in "Fate/Apocrypha" and bit the dust alongside the Great Duke.

Speaking of Darnic, one thing to add is that magician rank isn't absolute—Darnic and Aozaki Touko are both Grand Magi, but Darnic doesn't actually have the magical skill of a Grand Magus.

Touko, though, is nothing like that fraud Darnic. She has the technique to create dolls identical to herself, always keeping a dormant copy ready.

Once the living Touko dies, her memories transfer into the prepared body and she awakens. The revived Touko then makes another dormant body. Since the created flesh is indistinguishable from the original, even Touko doesn't know which one is the original. So, by Schrödinger's cat logic, every self is the real self.

In other words, unless you destroy every single "Aozaki Touko" at once, she'll never die.

It's precisely because of this ability that Kiritsugu sought out Aozaki Touko, hoping she could adjust Illya and the others' bodies. Honestly, the Einzberns are just too much of a letdown. Not to mention the stupid stunt they pulled in the Third Holy Grail War, even their homunculi only have a lifespan of less than twenty years.

"I wouldn't come knocking without a reason. If you've got a request, just say it—I'll take it. I just left the Clock Tower, so I'm strapped for cash."

That was the truth. Touko had barely finished paying off her debts when she got put on the Sealed Designation list for creating a doll identical to herself. She really was broke.

"Ms. Aozaki, can you adjust a homunculus's physical condition?" When it came to business, Kiritsugu rarely wasted words, cutting straight to the point.

"Hmm... that depends on what kind of homunculus. I work with dolls, but homunculi and dolls have a lot in common," Touko said.

"They're Einzbern homunculi. Heard of them, Ms. Aozaki?" Shirou asked.

"Is that so? Einzbern... I haven't heard that name in a long time. Brings back a bit of nostalgia," Aozaki Touko said with some emotion.

Einzbern was once a workshop founded by the disciples of the Third Magician, and she, Aozaki Touko, had been raised as a "Magician's Egg."

Originally slated to inherit the Aozaki family's magic, she was rigorously trained by her grandfather from childhood, and her eyesight deteriorated from trying too hard to meet his expectations. But at eighteen, her grandfather suddenly decided to make her younger sister Aoko the heir instead. So she killed her grandfather, who was also her teacher, and cut ties with her sister and the entire Aozaki family. You could say her past was nothing short of tragic.

"Phew—" Touko let out a long breath. "Alright, I'll take this job. I don't have their technology, so I can't make homunculi like the Einzberns, but adjustments I can handle."

"Then name your price, Ms. Aozaki. We don't have anything to pay with besides money, so money isn't too big an issue." It wasn't Kiritsugu speaking, but Shirou. Though Kiritsugu was the head of the family, his principle was: if you can handle it with a 98k, don't bother arguing. So when it came to eloquence, Kiritsugu was no match for Shirou.

"My fees aren't cheap. Even just adjustments would run close to ten million yen. Are you planning to pay in installments? Let me be clear, I don't accept that."

"No, even if you did, we wouldn't have the patience for it. And for the record, it's not one homunculus you're adjusting—it's three."

Shirou gestured toward Illya's direction: Illya, Sella, and Lizelotte—three in total.

"You sure? Paying an eight-figure sum upfront would be tough even for a big corporation."

"Correction again: you said 'corporation.' We're a family of five."

As he spoke, Shirou pointed at Kiritsugu, proving they had a moneybags on their side.

Kiritsugu had worked as a bounty hunter with his godmother Natalia, initially targeting valuable research results. A few years later, Natalia was sent to the sky by his bullet, and his targets shifted to commissions from the Magus Association. The target changed, but one thing never did: making money!

"Oh my, oh my, I was overthinking it. If I'd known, I'd have asked for more to bleed you dry," Touko said with a laugh.

"Uh... you can think that all you want, but did you have to say it out loud?"

"Haha, see, I like you, kid! I wonder how Emiya Kiritsugu raised a son like you."

"We can talk about that later. Since you're taking the job, sign this!" Shirou didn't follow Touko's lead—they were there for business, not chit-chat.

Seeing the tan parchment Shirou handed over, Touko's face instantly fell.

"You two really are father and son. A Self-Geas Scroll again? As the saying goes, 'birds of a feather flock together'—that's you two, isn't it?"

"Can't help it. None of us in the family have experience negotiating with magicians. To avoid accidents, we have to use this dumb method!" Shirou gave a broad, honest smile that made it hard to doubt him.

"Is my professional integrity really that untrustworthy?" Touko forced a bitter smile. No magician liked Self-Geas Scrolls, especially those bad at wordplay.

"With all due respect, Ms. Aozaki. When it comes to a magician's credibility, you, as an orthodox magician, should know better than me, a heretic."

This was why Kiritsugu wasn't always suited for conversation—his words were just too blunt. Either he said nothing, or he left you speechless.

"Fine, fine, you win. I'll sign, alright!" Touko said helplessly.

"If I've offended you in any way, please forgive me. The ones who need adjustments are our family, even if they're not perfect," Shirou added from the side.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're afraid I'll leave some trick behind during the adjustments and use your family's homunculus ladies to threaten you!" Touko had run into this before—it was common among magicians.

"Heh, I do trust your professional integrity, Ms. Aozaki," Shirou said with an awkward chuckle.

"Next time, say that earlier. At least before I sign the scroll."

"Well... it's already dinner time. Would Ms. Aozaki be interested in joining the Emiya Family for dinner?"

"Tch! You've got me in a bad mood now. Watch me eat you out of house and home!"