Becoming Aozaki Touko's Life

If she were in charge of the reception for Aozaki Touko, many trivial matters could have been avoided, and her research at the Clock Tower could have been completed more smoothly.

Chapter 42: The Order Issued

Umbrella Corporation.

In a secret underground room.

The air was hot, and the lights blazed. An iron chain hung from the ceiling, suspending a woman in mid-air. Blood had stained her clothes red, pooling at her feet before dripping to the floor.

"...Who sent you?"

Across from her, Emiya Kiritsugu sat on a wooden stool, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his tone cold as he questioned her. He looked at the young woman as if she were dead meat, showing no mercy simply because she was an attractive female.

"I don't know... I just took the money."

The woman weakly lifted her head, her voice hoarse as she said, "Emiya Kiritsugu, I know you're a Mage like me. You should know I took an anonymous job."

"Not planning on telling the truth?"

Emiya Kiritsugu sighed slightly, then stood and walked in front of the woman. He lifted the edge of her shirt, gently brushed away the damp bloodstains with his hand.

"What, are you interested in my body?"

The female Mage let out a seductive yet mocking smile. "Sure. Whatever position you want, I'll cooperate as long as you let me go."

"Don't misunderstand. It's just that the blood might put out my cigarette."

Emiya Kiritsugu shook his head, then pressed his lit cigarette against the woman's stomach, slowly grinding it in. The woman's body tensed instantly, and she suppressed a low groan of pain.

"You have two choices now. Either I torture you to death using various methods, or you sign a contract and pay Boss Touko 200 million US dollars in compensation."

"You're crazy! If I had 200 million dollars, why would I be stealing data?"

"It's fine. You can slowly repay it through work."

"I couldn't repay this even if I died!"

"It's fine... if you die, then you won't need to repay it."

"200 million dollars is too much. It should be reduced to a more acceptable amount. This is really demotivating."

"No, if you don't sign, you die!"

"Who would sign this? Isn't this a slave contract?!"

The female Mage roared her refusal. She didn't want to be a plaything in someone's hands for her entire life, toyed with until she died.

If that were the case, she would rather bite off her tongue and die than suffer such humiliation.

"Are you sure?"

Emiya Kiritsugu shook his head coldly, flicked away the cigarette in his hand, then drew a pistol from his waist and aimed it at the female Mage, about to pull the trigger.

"Wait! It's not impossible!!!"

Seeing that the man was really going to kill her, the female Mage immediately caved. "It's just a 200 million dollar compensation, I'll sign it!"

"Mm~"

Emiya Kiritsugu nodded, then turned towards the door and said, "Release this woman, and bring the 200 million dollar contract Aozaki-sama prepared."

As his voice fell, the iron chain began to lower, allowing the female Mage, who had been exposed to the fluorescent lights for a day and a night, to finally touch the ground. The sound of shackles being unlocked followed.

"I won't surrender obediently!"

The moment the shackles were released, the female Mage's eyes turned fierce. She pushed off the ground and lunged at Emiya Kiritsugu, only to be met by a sudden, powerful force to her abdomen.

Emiya Kiritsugu kicked her in the stomach, sending her rolling across the floor before crashing heavily into the wall.

"You bastard... you're really strong!"

The female Mage curled up in the corner, the intense pain rendering her immobile. She had originally intended to take this man hostage and force Umbrella Corporation to let her leave.

However, it now seemed impossible.

"...So cliché. Do you think this is a movie, where you can just kidnap an executive and escape like a protagonist?"

Emiya Kiritsugu shook his head.

"This is terrible!"

The female Mage cursed hatefully, her expression contorted. If it weren't for the fierce battle and the subsequent brutal interrogation, she would never have been in such a sorry state.

"Another uncooperative one?"

A werewolf walked in. He glanced at the woman writhing in pain and sneered, "Honestly, these guys who don't know their limits keep showing up every few days."

Many people came to steal data, but none managed to leave successfully. Some, with considerable strength, signed compensation contracts worth 200 million dollars, while others, deemed not valuable enough, ended up as corpses.

"Who knew there'd be a bunch of werewolves watching this place."

Emiya Kiritsugu gave a wry smile, then took the contract from the werewolf and threw it at the female Mage. His tone suddenly turned sharp again:

"Sign it quickly, then we have a mission to go on."

"..."

The female Mage looked at the contract paper floating towards her, her voice grim. "Even if I have to sign... at least give me a pen."

"Just use your blood to write it."

Emiya Kiritsugu said calmly.

"..."

The Female Mage was momentarily stunned, then she dipped her bloodstained finger onto the contract paper and wrote her name.

"Hmm... Aoyama Aohana, is it."

Glancing at the name written down, Emiya Kiritsugu nodded, then said in a calm tone, "Let's go. Accompany me to collect some things. The boss will need them soon."

"Collect what?"

Aoyama Aohana clutched her stomach, standing up with difficulty.

"Hmm... Probably collecting things related to Nordic Rune magic. Preferably items that can effectively aid in Rune research."

Emiya Kiritsugu shrugged and turned to walk out of the secret room.

"Rune magic... Isn't the foundation for that magic already in decline?"

Seeing this, Aoyama Aohana frowned, then clutched her stomach and followed him with difficulty.

Chapter 43: An Unplanned Meeting

Fuyuki City.

The night sky was like a curtain draped across the heavens, with stars gathering into a river adorning the firmament. The city was now empty and silent, as if the traces of humanity had vanished from it.

And at this very moment.

A little girl pushed open her front door alone, and without anyone accompanying her, she walked alone into the distance against the wind and snow.

Leaving behind only a small trail of tiny footprints.

A very strange sight; in the biting cold of winter, the little girl was out alone.

Was this a child mischievously leaving home?

No, this little girl's identity was not simple; she was the heir to the prestigious Ryougi family. By all rights, she should have been under strict protection.

However, it was as if no one was paying attention to her.

Or perhaps, they were simply unable to see her.

"Getting closer and closer, this feeling is truly wonderful~"

Strolling along the snow-covered road, the little girl, dressed in a kimono, looked up at the distance. A gentle smile appeared on her young face, a smile like the symbol of the perfect woman.

Saying this, she continued to walk along the street, gradually approaching a park.

"...Aren't you afraid of being kidnapped?"

On a park bench, Aozaki Touko held a cup of warm canned coffee, her gaze filled with a smile as she watched the approaching girl, as if she had known her for a long time.

"Hmm, didn't you ask me to come out?"

The girl in the kimono tilted her head in confusion, displaying a very cute, bewildered expression that made one want to hold her close, nuzzle her, and shower her with affection.

"Yes, I did want to see you."

Aozaki Touko smiled as if she understood, then took out a can of coffee from her Reality Marble and handed it to the girl across from her, whose small face was flushed red from the cold.

"It's so cold, have some hot coffee?"

As she said this, magic flowed through her palm, and the coffee, which had long since cooled, became warm again in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you."

The girl smiled gently, took the coffee, and sat down on the bench. This was her first meeting with this young woman, and they hadn't exchanged more than ten sentences.

Yet, they felt very familiar with each other.

"I was even thinking... whether I should sneak into your house."

Aozaki Touko tilted her head, watching the girl sip her coffee, and smiled with a hint of amusement, "But I didn't expect you to come out to meet me."

"Hmm... You underestimate yourself a bit."

The girl in the kimono said in a soft voice, "If I had approached you with a purely observational attitude from the start, what would the future have become?"

"You know my future?"

Aozaki Touko seemed surprised.

"Rather than 'future'... it's more like deduction."

The girl in the kimono chuckled lightly and threw away the empty coffee can. At that very moment, the world seemed to stop, and an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Their surroundings changed in an instant.

It was like a film reel being cut and spliced with another reel.

The original park completely disappeared, replaced by rows of towering black buildings. Several autonomous dolls were cleaning the streets.

It was a bizarre yet technologically advanced world.

"This is the world I deduced you would create in the future~"

A gentle maiden's voice sounded from the side.

Aozaki Touko turned her head, and saw that the girl had transformed into her younger self, her appearance overlapping with how she remembered her.

"What kind of world is this?"

She asked with interest.

"...Hmm, this is a world of puppets."

The girl in the kimono said with a sigh, "This is the world after you completed the Third Magic and attempted to save the world. All of humanity had their souls materialized, but you quickly discovered that even soul materialization couldn't save the world."

"So, you turned all of humanity's souls into supercomputers, with each supercomputer independently calculating a world, and then made everyone the protagonist of their world, allowing any wish to be fulfilled."

Gentle words, yet they spoke of extraordinary things.

Aozaki Touko's expression turned strange as she listened. Looking at the towering black skyscrapers, she couldn't help but remark, "It's hard to imagine me doing something like saving the world. I feel a subtle sense of shame; this kind of thing really isn't my style."

"Well... one's mindset can change."

The girl in the kimono chuckled lightly, covering her mouth.

"Is that so."

Not moved by these words, Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes, gazing at the rows of black skyscrapers, then shifting her gaze to the dolls on the street, and finally looking up at the sky.

There existed an invisible yet grand will, supreme like a deity, connecting all things, like the unchanging Heavenly Dao.

All the laws of this world were under the control of that will.

It was the future version of herself, calculated into existence, a being like God, with everything in this world under her control.

Yes... she was practically like God.

"Hmm... it seems my future is quite important."