Chapter 458
The nobles of London held up their numbered tickets, waging a war without gunpowder but full of gunpowder.
And Shirou and Rin Tohsaka--
The two country bumpkins from the Far East island nation could only sit there staring at each other.
Rewind to half an hour ago --
Shirou: "What do you mean by not bringing any money?"
Rin: "Not bringing any money means not bringing any money, literally."
Shirou: "No, wait a minute... Isn't the Tohsaka Family a wealthy landowning family in Fuyuki? A prestigious family of Magecraft with a three-hundred-year history?"
Rin: "I don't know why you have that kind of perception, but I'm sorry, the Tohsaka Family went bankrupt during the Fourth Holy Grail War thanks to someone."
"In recent years, just breaking even has been difficult enough; there's no way we'd have money to buy collectibles, right?"
Shirou: "Sigh."
Rin: "Hey, Amamiya- kun, you didn't invite me to come along because you think my family is rich, did you?"
Shirou: "W-Why would you think that?!"
Rin: "Really not? Hmph~ Never mind, anyway, I don't have any money."
"If you want to borrow money, it's not too late now. How about you try to win Luvia?"
Shirou: "How could I possibly do something like that for money!"
Rin: "Hey~ Surprisingly, you're quite principled?"
"Let's hurry back. Even if we don't have money, there are still ways to enjoy an auction, aren't there?"
As a result, Shirou and Rin Tohsaka could only participate in the auction as spectators.
Sigh, what has all my hard work done so far amounted to?
"Can't you just copy the Mystic Eyes now? You should have copied those on stage too, right? So what are you fretting about?" Rin Tohsaka glanced at the sullen Shirou.
She had already heard about it.
Shirou's eyes are Mystic Eyes that can Projection all the Mystic Eyes he has ever seen; in terms of rank, they are at the "Rainbow" level.
"That was just something I 'recorded,' which is completely different from actually 'owning' it."
"What's the difference?" Rin countered.
Shirou said, "For example, having a picture of Van Gogh 'Sunflowers' Sunflowers' stored on your computer's hard drive is a completely different feeling from owning the original painting, isn't it?"
Rin Tohsaka tilted her head. "Excuse me, computer... Yingpan... what's that?"
"I'm sorry, pretend I didn't say anything."
This guy is truly unreasonable.
Only the style truly understands my craftsman's way.
While Shirou was still hesitating, Luvia and the others had already raised the figure to one hundred million dollars in order to attract attention to the product's Mystic Eyes.
Shirou was speechless, completely astonished that they were so wealthy.
I usually wait out from after school until 8 pm to find discounted vegetables.
Although Shirou really wanted to buy one or two Mystic Eyes to collect, it was more worthwhile to spend the same amount of money on a trip with everyone.
"Speaking of which, Amamiya... what happened in the forest?"
"Um?"
Rin Tohsaka turned to look at him and said, "Because you've been a bit down ever since you came back."
Shirou was somewhat surprised.
He thought he had hidden it well, but Rin still saw through his deception.
The Lion King — Artoria's cold words and lonely expression remained etched in Shirou's mind.
It's because of me that she became like that; I can't just let it go.
"..."
Rin Tohsaka sighed as she watched Shirou's reaction.
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."
"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't trust you, Tohsaka."
The girl with pigtails shook her head. "It's okay, I understand."
But Shirou, if you really encounter any difficulties, come and talk to me.
Tohsaka... thank you.
Rin and Shirou looked at each other, and for some reason, Rin suddenly froze for a moment before hurriedly turning her burning cheeks away.
"N-nothing! There's no need to be so serious."
I still owe you a lot of favors, and I want to pay them back as soon as possible, that's all.
And so, I enjoyed my last train journey with Rin Tohsaka.
After concluding his journey on the Mage's Eye Collection Train, Shirou stayed in London for two more days at Rin's request.
Although he really wanted to go back and treat Karen right now, he couldn't completely ignore Rin's request since he had asked her to accompany him.
Rin seems to plan to study in London after graduating from high school, so they visited the Clock Tower in advance over the past two days.
Luvia shares the same goal and plans to enter the Clock Tower in two years—it seems their ill-fated relationship will continue.
The ground floor of the Clock Tower is an academic city.
This is a town comprised of over forty student dormitories, hundreds of academic buildings, and a commercial district that brings prosperity to its residents.
The city streets, built of brick and stone, have preserved buildings dating back to the 12th century, presenting a landscape where medieval and modern society intertwine.
The Mage's Association divides the occult into twelve fields, and each department has its own unique buildings.
Over two days, Shirou, Rin, and Luvia thoroughly explored the town.
Olga Marie and Yvette accompanied her on the first day, and Leinys on the second day.
On the first day of his trip, Shirou was quite surprised to encounter Waver, Third-class Lecturer.
He was like a completely different person.
Not only did he grow more than 20 centimeters taller, but his appearance also became more serious and dignified.
Most importantly, the atmosphere was just like that of a weary office worker who had been working overtime for half a month straight.
Despite being quite young, deep wrinkles have already appeared between her brows.
Where did your signature bob go?
"Don't you dare talk about 'sister-style' hair!"
"Teacher! Did you used to have a bob haircut?"
"Hey? Do you have any photos? I want to see them!"
The students in the El-Melloi Classroom began to jeer, and Waver turned pale and looked embarrassed.
"Looks like there are still some things that haven't changed," Shirou thought happily after being kicked out of the classroom.
On the second day of the trip, I met Miss Sola.
She appears to have retired from her work as Magecraft and become a full-time housewife.
Gone is her former aggressive, spoiled princess attitude; she has become gentler and more feminine.
As for her husband Kenshinnes, he seems to be working hard to qualify for the Clock Tower Grand, so he hasn't been seen at all lately.
However, according to Mrs. Archibald, Kenshinnes was actually afraid of seeing Shirou.
"Kenshinnes may seem tough and assertive in front of others, but he's actually a coward."
"He would be very hurt if he heard that."
"Hehe, I even love that cowardly part of him."
Sola wore a silver wedding ring on her ring finger, which shimmered in the sunlight as if to show off.
"Compared to that, Shirou has also grown into an outstanding gentleman."
He was adorable as a child, but he looks great now that he's handsome too.
"Haha... Sola is the only one who would compliment my looks."
"How could that be? Shirou must be very popular with girls, right? I'm a woman too, of course I understand."
As Sola said this, she looked at Rin Tohsaka and Luvia, who were arguing not far away.
"So, Shirou, should we keep it a secret from Kenshinnes tonight...?"
How about we go to a nearby bar for a drink by ourselves?
Mrs. Archibald's eyes gleamed as she stroked Shirou's hand.
"No, this... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Shirou said guiltily.
She stole a glance at Leinys beside her, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face as well.
"Don't worry, I will keep it a secret from my elder brother."
Thank you, Leinys.
"Not at all, dear sister."
Leinys closed her eyes and said, "It's about time the Archibolt Family produced some outstanding successors."
Sola smiled and said, "Oh my, as expected of Leinys, she really puts her heart into it... Alright, I'll give it my all with Shirou tonight."
Shirou:"..."
I feel like I've been tricked by the two of them.
Thinking that this was probably Kenshinnes's daily routine, Shirou couldn't help but feel deep sympathy for him.
Just like I heard on the Mage's Eye Collection Train, Shirou is a very famous person in the Clock Tower.
Whenever he gave his name, he would receive strange looks from those around him.
"Look, look! Those are the Aozaki Sisters '..."
His gaze was filled with intense jealousy and resentment.
It seems that although Aoko is a carefree and irresponsible Aoko sister and Touko is a wanted fugitive (Sealing Designation), both of them have considerable popularity.
Do you prefer your younger sister or your older sister?
The next day, while visiting the Department of Archaeology building, Shirou was approached by a strange man in a very rude manner.
Archaeology, Collocuslote, the eleventh department, the weakest of the twelve faculties.
If the Department of Law in the 13th Faculty is an elite department for those aspiring to become politicians, then this is a gathering place for archaeologists who don't know how to make money.
The man who spoke to Shirou was a Germany man whose hair could be described as thick and bushy.
"Lev Lenore Flauros."
Clock Tower Encyclopedia – Leinys whispered in Shirou's ear, introducing this strange person.
Despite being known as the "lab bug" or the "chair man who never leaves the house," he was actually a prodigy who reached the Fes of Fes at the age of twenty and was highly regarded.
However, for five years after attaining the fourth rank, he remained in the eleventh rank of Astaire, quietly and steadfastly holding his position.
In Leinys's words, he was a reclusive eccentric.
He had no interest in power or money, and devoted himself entirely to archaeological research that yielded no financial gain.
"It's truly astonishing that someone like him would put aside his research and leave his office for Shirou."
This wasn't the usual flattery; Leinys was genuinely shocked.