A Troublesome Family (Kara no Kyoukai Arc Continues) / The Spiral of Contradiction: Beginning

"I'm sorry, Emiya, Master seems to be in a bad mood today."

Upon arriving at the office building, Fujino Asagami immediately apologized to Irisviel for her earlier rudeness towards Touko Aozaki. However, Irisviel didn't seem to mind at all.

"It's alright~ I'll let you know on the phone before my next visit."

Thank you for your understanding.

Fujino Asagami, relieved, completely failed to notice the smug look on Irisviel's face, as if she had "discovered something."

"Shirou, what's wrong?"

When Fujino Asagami finally focused her attention on Shirou, she found him staring at a spot around the street corner.

"Fine."

After hearing Fujino Asagami's words, Shirou turned around and smiled at Fujino Asagami. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he glanced back at that spot—

Recalling what had just happened, Shirou quietly memorized the face of the man who had been standing on the street corner with a troubled expression.

Chapter 300. A Troublesome Family (Sequel to the Empty Realm)

The fiery red sunlight illuminated the Spiral Tower.

In the orange-red world of the approaching sunset, Aozaki Touko stepped into the apartment building.

The leather coat she wore, which resembled lizard skin stained brown, was not suitable for her slender figure. The coat didn't resemble clothing; instead, it exuded an aura of armor.

She glanced up at the apartment building, then picked up her orange suitcase with one hand and went inside. After passing through the atrium covered in green fur, she entered the apartment lobby.

The lobby, paved with glass, was indeed bathed in the crimson light of the setting sun. The floors, walls, and even the elevator pillars leading to the upper floors all appeared as vibrant red as if they existed within the sun's rays.

Just as Touko Aozaki was about to take a step after quickly taking in the apartment's surroundings, a rather sharp voice, by male standards, rang in her ear—

"I'm really surprised, I didn't know you were in such a hurry!"

Touko Aozaki slowly raised her gaze. On the stairs leading to the second floor, which stretched out in a gentle diagonal line, stood a man in a red coat.

"Cornelius Alba..."

Upon hearing Touko Aozaki call his name, Magecraft Cornelius Alba smiled happily and gave a deep bow with an exaggerated, theatrical gesture.

"However, this is also a joyous thing. Welcome to my hell, the strongest puppeteer..."

That voice, which sounded like a sob, eventually carried a real killing intent.

" --Aozaki Touko!"

Winter has quietly arrived.

Like a fleeting summer, autumn was also short for this city this year. However, the atmosphere inside the Garan no Dou was much milder than the bleakness outside.

"Eh, has Mr. Ming already left?"

Having just returned from his hometown in Nagano after obtaining his driver's license Mikiya Kokutou learns from Touko Aozaki that Wang Xiaoming had already left before he returned.

"It's not like you're not coming back, what's with that look on your face?"

Touko Aozaki, sitting at her desk, was happily slacking off while gazing at the street scene through the office window. After hearing Mikiya Kokutou's words, she turned her head and saw his regretful expression, which made her both amused and exasperated.

"After all, Mr. Ming has helped me a lot."

Mikiya Kokutou scratched his head and then said to Touko Aozaki.

Onboarding guidance such as "[Managing the firm's cash flow always starts with deducting your own salary]" effectively saved Kokutou from eating instant noodles a lot of times thanks to Wang Xiaoming's words.

"That guy..."

Upon hearing Kokutou's answer, Touko Aozaki got up and stretched, looking somewhat bored. Her bones cracked and popped as if trying to shake off her laziness.

"Anyway, even if he comes back, he won't stay here for long. If you want to have a get-together, you should wait until he gets back as soon as possible."

Sensing something ominous from Touko Aozaki's words Mikiya Kokutou wisely stopped talking and continued cleaning.

Immediately, a photograph displayed in front of the cabinet caught his eye, causing Kokutou to stop what he was doing again. He picked up the frame and asked Touko Aozaki:

"Miss Touko Aozaki, this photo..."

The photo in Kokutou's hand showed a Clock Tower that looked like something out of a movie. Against this backdrop, the three of them stood side by side under a gloomy sky where snow could fall at any moment.

--Two men and a girl.

Both men were very tall; one appeared to be Japan, while the other seemed to blend into the surroundings like a local resident, appearing quite natural.

The girl stood between the two men.

Her orange-red hair resembled a quietly burning flame, making the presence of the two people beside her seem somewhat diminished. Her waist-length hair was less like long hair and more like some kind of overly beautiful ornament.

Although the girl's serene face still retained the innocence of adolescence, it was also stunningly beautiful enough to captivate. And her signature orange hair allowed Kokutou to recognize the girl even through the photograph.

"Oh, this is a photo I took when I was studying abroad."

Touko Aozaki, who walked up behind Kokutou, took the photo frame from his hand, examined the photograph, Touko Aozaki said in a tone that was not nostalgic:

"They are old acquaintances of mine. I only took their photos out of the album because I couldn't remember what they looked like. But getting to know them is one of the few mistakes I've ever made in my life."

"Studying abroad, is it in London?"

Kokutou, who recognized the location by the Clock Tower in the background, asked.

"Um."

Touko Aozaki nodded, but seemed unwilling to discuss it further. "You go ahead and get to work."

However, Kokutou, you're too out of touch, so I'm just giving you a heads-up. No matter what, don't go near the man in the photo...

Ring ring ring~

The sudden ringing of the phone interrupted Touko Aozaki's next words. Touko Aozaki walked to her desk, casually placed the photo she was holding on it, and then picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Aozaki."

"..."

"Irisviel, is something the matter?"

"..."

"... I understand. Do you know where that little guy is right now?"

"..."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Then, Kokutou saw that Touko Aozaki, after hanging up the phone, didn't say a word, picked up her coat from the chair, and walked straight out the door.

Not long after--

Touko Aozaki's distinctive footsteps came from the stairs outside the office.

Immediately afterwards, Kokutou, who remained at the agency, saw Touko Aozaki reappear there, and...

"Shirou?"

Seeing Touko Aozaki being dragged into the room by the neck by Shirou, Kokutou was somewhat surprised. Upon seeing Kokutou, Shirou had been tossed onto the sofa by Touko Aozaki, greeted him somewhat awkwardly.

"Brother Mikiya Kokutou."

Since Shirou and Sakura had stayed here for a while, Kokutou, as Touko Aozaki's only employee, naturally knew the two children.

Moreover, because of Kokutou's kind nature, the rather impulsive Shirou quickly became friends with him.

However, in this situation...

After glancing at Touko Aozaki, who exuded an aura of a great demon king, Kokutou could only choose to ignore Shirou's pleading gaze.

"Alright, even if you bring your dad here today, it won't make a difference."

Touko Aozaki, back in her seat, looked at Shirou was still fooling around, and laughed in exasperation.

The phone call just now was from Irisviel. Irisviel told Touko Aozaki that Shirou has been coming home quite late lately.

Somewhat worried, Irisviel asked Maiya Hisau to secretly follow her and check it out. They discovered that the girl had been wandering around Touko Aozaki's office, as if she were looking for someone.

In response, Irisviel contacted Touko Aozaki directly. Touko Aozaki, having just come downstairs after learning of this, spotted Shirou peeking out from the street corner...

"Tell me, what have you been up to outside the firm lately?"

Having failed to get help, and facing the "Great Demon King" exuding a chilling aura, Shirou had no choice but to confess honestly:

"Looking for someone."

Who should I look for?

"It was a monk with a distressed expression. I happened to see him seemingly watching this area, so I wondered if I could catch him."

Upon hearing Shirou's answer, Touko Aozaki subconsciously frowned and reached for the photo on the table, asking Shirou to identify it.

Is this the man?

"Eh, is this someone Miss Touko Aozaki knows?"

Shirou was somewhat surprised to find that the man he had seen earlier was in the same photo as Touko Aozaki.

"Yes, he is my friend."

Touko Aozaki nodded in response to Shirou, then placed the photo face down on the table and continued speaking to him:

"So that's the end of it. There's no need to investigate further. I'll have Irisviel come pick you up later."

"Oh well..."

Looking at Shirou, who seemed to understand but not quite, Touko Aozaki sighed inwardly:

What a troublesome family!

(New cover source: Illustrator: Vieny (pixiv id=2859192) This work pixiv id=66944751)

Chapter 301. The Spiral of Paradoxes. Beginning

"Sorry, I'm late!"

When the clock struck nine, Mikiya Kokutou and looked up to see Touko Aozaki and Shiki Ryougi waiting for him.

Tell me, what's the reason you're late today?

Touko Aozaki, sitting at her desk, asked in a lazy tone, while Shiki, leaning against the wall, cast a concerned glance at Mikiya Kokutou.

"Yes, because you asked me to investigate [Ogawa Apartments], Miss Touko Aozaki, I was working on it all night. By the time I came to my senses, it was already broad daylight."

As he spoke, Mikiya Kokutou took a stack of documents out of his bag and placed them in front of Touko Aozaki, only to be met with a speechless expression from her. "I remember I just asked you to do this yesterday..."

After seeing Shirou off yesterday, Mikiya Kokutou, received a request from Touko Aozaki.

[Investigation of Ogawa Apartments]

Now, looking at the stack of documents in front of her, Touko Aozaki could only sigh and take them.

"You're really born to be a hard worker."

Perhaps mistaking Touko Aozaki's words for a compliment, Mikiya Kokutou shook his head and declined:

"I'm sorry, the investigation process was still a bit tricky. However, we've gathered most of the information we had on the residents of Ogawa Apartments, as well as their general circumstances."

Touko Aozaki listened to Mikiya Kokutou's explanation while flipping through the documents. However, when she turned to the first page, she discovered that her name was also printed on it.

"The Ogawa Apartments are considered one of the top-tier buildings in the Chimihama area. Construction took place from 1996 to 1997, and the project was jointly contracted by three companies. I also discovered that Ms. Touko Aozaki was actually responsible for designing the lobby of the east building of the apartments."

Looking at the document in her hand, the detailed contents made Touko Aozaki increasingly alarmed. After flipping through a few more pages, Touko Aozaki looked up at Mikiya Kokutou a helpless expression.

"... Mikiya Kokutou, why don't you just become a private investigator?"

In response, Mikiya Kokutou shook his head seriously:

"That's not enough. This time, we only surveyed about half of the residents."