"Achoo!"
At that moment, Samael, far away at the Tohsaka residence, suddenly felt a chill for no apparent reason. His nose itched, and he let out a heavy sneeze.
Strange. Everything was clearly under control, so why did he keep having this bad feeling?
The ancient serpent shook his head, dispelling the stray thoughts in his mind. He glanced at Fuyuki City beneath the night sky and muttered to himself.
Right, judging by the time, Kirei should have received the gift I sent him by now.
Meanwhile, at the harbor.
An ocean liner docked beneath the thick night. As its doors opened, Kirei Kotomine stepped ashore carrying a heavy suitcase. He wore a neat black clerical uniform, his long hair draped over his shoulders, a Golden Cross hanging from his chest. His face had grown far more mature and steady.
Since he had yet to eat dinner, Kirei Kotomine headed straight for a nearby Sichuan restaurant. He casually took a seat in a corner, promptly ordered a plate of mapo tofu, picked up a spoon, and dug in.
The spicy heat split into two currents. One churned in his stomach, bringing real pain and intriguing spasms. The other rushed straight to his brain, forming rising vapor. Beads of sweat rolled down both sides of his forehead, while his clothes gradually grew sticky.
Without changing expression, Kirei Kotomine swallowed the final spoonful of mapo tofu. He poured himself a cup of warm water, then took out the medicine bottle he carried with him, tipped several kinds of pills into his palm, and swallowed them with the water.
The flavor was decent, though the ingredients were a little lacking...
The priest devoted to mapo tofu casually tugged open several buttons at his chest and gave his professional assessment.
The reason he liked