Fate/Magus Path

Volume 3: Tsukihime

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Around 9 a.m.

A hotel in Misaki Town.

Thanks to the excellent ability of young people to fall asleep immediately, being in the prime age of middle school students, it's not uncommon to have a habit of sleeping in.

The next morning, Shiki opened her sleepy eyes, glanced at the warm sunlight streaming into the room through the gaps in the curtains, and slowly sat up in bed.

Her head felt heavy...

Looking up at the clock hanging on the hotel room wall, she realized she seemed to have overslept.

This time was considerably later than her usual wake-up time of around seven at home. Since she usually had to go to school, her daily routine was typically quite regulated.

Today, it was rare for her to sleep in, likely because she had only fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning.

Yesterday, it had already been late when she arrived in this city, and then there was the time spent looking for a place to stay, buying daily necessities, and settling in.

By the time everything was done, it was already past midnight.

At this time, they should have been up for a while.

No, except for Touko.

With her style, she would definitely sleep in until well past noon before crawling out of bed.

It had always been like this in Mifune City; usually, they had to send Fujino to her room to wake her up.

"Ugh..."

Rubbing her somewhat messy hair, Shiki jumped off the bed, still showing signs of fatigue, with dark circles under her eyes, looking like she hadn't had enough sleep.

However, at this point, she had no intention of going back to sleep.

This was a rare trip, and she couldn't waste time lying in bed.

"First, I'll go take a shower."

Shiki tidied up the blankets, then took out a clean set of clothes and a roll of new binding cloth from her suitcase, heading toward the bathroom.

When she opened the room door, the figure sitting in the living room was indeed Roy.

At this moment, he was dressed casually, sitting at the dining table. Sandwiches and hot coffee on the table were still emitting steam, indicating that he must have gotten up early.

"You're quite diligent…"

Shiki couldn't help but say.

He was clearly the one who had stayed up the latest.

Rather than saying he was diligent, he had actually not slept at all the entire night.

After all, the essence of sleep is merely a physiological behavior for restoring the mental state of the human brain. For someone like him who doesn't feel fatigued, such physiological behavior has lost its practical significance.

If it were a usual day, he might have actively gone to sleep, but not in Misaki Town.

No one knew what dangers lurked in the darkness, and having him keep watch made things a bit safer.

Last night, he had also made appropriate magical modifications to the rented hotel room.

Seeing Shiki just getting up, Roy greeted her, "Good morning, Shiki. How did you sleep last night?"

"Good morning."

Shiki yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"It was okay, except for being a bit sleep-deprived."

"Is that so? Do you want some coffee to wake you up? Breakfast is the sandwiches delivered by room service."

"No, I'm going to take a shower." After saying that, she walked toward the bathroom.

"Oh, then let's eat breakfast after you're done."

"By the way, take your change of clothes with you, and remember to lock the door. I don't want anything cliché happening like in animes where a guy barges into the bathroom and sees a girl's body."

Roy didn't forget to remind her.

"Stop being so annoying."

Suddenly, Shiki's expression changed.

...

Misaki Town.

Today, it was rare for Touko Aozaki not to sleep in as she navigated through the crowded streets of the city.

After more than a decade, this city had undergone so many changes, differing significantly from her memories.

Returning to this familiar place stirred something in Touko Aozaki's heart.

The streets were still recognizable, and the iconic buildings of Misaki Town remained standing.

However, the shops in the middle of the street had changed hands numerous times, with new skyscrapers, bus stations, and shopping malls sprouting up, along with a multitude of new and interesting things appearing in the city.

The small town she remembered had now transformed into a modern metropolis.

In this era of rapid economic development, such changes were inevitable. Years can alter so much, making many things unrecognizable.

But now, she had no time to dwell on these feelings.

This return to her hometown surprised her; she hadn't expected the enemy Roy was looking for to be hidden in her old home, which was why he had asked her to accompany him.

Even though she had left this city for over a decade, Touko Aozaki still had quite a few capable contacts in Misaki Town. Bringing them in to help would certainly save a lot of effort.

For this reason, Roy had entrusted her to use her connections in Misaki Town to assist him.

Similarly, Touko Aozaki, needing help, personally took action and diligently completed Roy's requests.

So, early in the morning, she visited old friends she hadn't seen in many years, asking them to investigate the comings and goings of people in Misaki Town recently and compile a list of any suspicious individuals.

They needed to keep a close eye on the movements of the Holy Church and also not forget to mention the Dead Apostles, even the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, mingling in the city, urging them to be cautious during their investigations.

After paying the appropriate rewards, this little task was wrapped up in just a morning, and she was now ready to go back to familiar places to collect some things.

Moreover, besides finishing the tasks assigned by her superior, she also heard some exhilarating news.

That was the Magician of the Fifth Magic, Aoko Aozaki, who had returned to Misaki Town some time ago.

This was truly great news!

At this time, Aoko had actually come back.

What a timely arrival!

She had originally planned to find a way to trick Aoko Aozaki back after finishing her business.

Now, that effort was saved, and she could take the opportunity to resolve two matters at once.

This thought lifted Touko's spirits.

In order to deal with her personal vendetta, she had invested heavily this time. Compared to the last challenge, the power she prepared this time had taken a qualitative leap.

"If I count myself in, they probably have four... no, it should be five trump cards."

The unfathomable Magician of the Third Magic was her hidden ace, followed by the girl with the legendary Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Shiki, the Magus Killer Emiya Kiritsugu, and the ancient Phantasmal Species, the Gold Wolf, steeped in two thousand years of mystery. Add to that her own deep understanding of Aoko Aozaki.

This lineup was definitely foolproof.

Even if Aoko were to ask that witch for help, it wouldn't make a difference; their side's combat power was overwhelmingly strong.

Her primary task now was to recover her important combat familiar... Gold Wolf, Lugh Beowulf.

This was a phantasmal species she had found deep in the mountains of Europe many years ago, with two thousand years of mystery to its name, and it was a genuine ancient monster. Its outstanding mobility and lethality were not even its best traits; the fact that it was immune to modern magecraft made it a natural enemy of magus.

To deal with Aoko Aozaki, she had paid quite a price to contract it as her partner.

However, unexpectedly, despite having come this far, she still couldn't defeat Aoko back then.

Aoko's power, or rather, the power of the Magician of the Fifth Magic, far exceeded her expectations. Though many unforeseen events had occurred, a loss was still a loss.

Even carrying a legendary phantasmal species like Beowulf hadn't allowed her to defeat Aoko, resulting in her being shamefully chased away, and later, Beowulf dissolved their contract and stayed here.

But upon parting, Beowulf had said.

"If you ever need help, you can always come to Misaki Town to find me, Touko. We are still partners."

Even after being hunted by the Clock Tower and living a tumultuous life all these years, Touko hadn't thought of going to find Beowulf.

The reason was that those idiots were simply not worth her serious consideration; it was better to avoid them.

Now, however, she felt it was time to challenge her sister again, and the opportunity to use her strongest combat power had arrived.

"Aoko, my foolish sister, I hope you enjoy the gift I've prepared for you…"

With determined steps, Touko headed toward the old school building she had once used as a base, which was now Beowulf's nest.

...

The gray sky began to drizzle, creating a layer of mist that resembled a gossamer veil.

A gust of wind swept through, causing the veil to flutter away as raindrops splashed against the puddles on the street, sending up sprays of water.

Aoko Aozaki stepped through the splashes, holding a red umbrella and wearing boots, walking along the dim, rain-soaked streets while contemplating what to eat for dinner tonight.

It was a rare opportunity to return to her hometown; she couldn't miss the chance to explore. Her cohabitant didn't like going out, so she usually ended up eating dinner alone and sometimes had to bring food back for her.

Speaking of which, the development of Misaki Town was quite impressive. The last time she returned, there were not as many high-rise buildings; it was still a backward small county town. This time, various new and interesting shops and facilities seemed to have sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain. While it wasn't as grand as the big cities she had visited during her travels, it was still remarkable.

Recalling her early days, they were far from this leisurely.

Due to her sister's elopement, she had been summoned back by her grandfather, who dumped all the mess onto her.

Moreover, she had to cohabitate with a difficult person and learn magecraft from her... forcibly pulling her to the hidden side of this world.

As a member of the Aozaki family, she knew of the existence of that world but had never considered stepping into it.

After all, that was her sister's affair; it should have been Touko Aozaki who inherited it and faced the other side of the world.

She just wanted to study hard, get into a good school, and find a chance to explore the big city.

But through a series of mishaps, all of it ended up on her shoulders. From inheriting the Aozaki family's legacy to learning magecraft, she didn't know how much she had experienced during that time.

Because of her identity as a ley line guardian, she began to face numerous external magus' prying eyes, protecting Misaki Town, and eventually even engaged in a death battle with her sister, Touko Aozaki.

That's how she arrived at the present, having grown to this point, fully safeguarding Misaki Town while continuing to pursue her dream of exploring every corner of the world.

This time she returned because she wanted to see what her hometown had developed into. She wanted to casually visit old friends who had helped her so much and see how they were doing.

But it seemed like she was as usual.

To think they wouldn't even provide her with a meal! How could they expect a guest like her to buy dinner?

*Ding* *Ding* *Ding*

As the door swung open, a cheerful sound of wind chimes rang in her ears.

Aoko Aozaki stepped into a ramen shop.

"Welcome, miss."

Seeing Aoko enter, the shop owner at the counter politely greeted her.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Two large bowls of bone broth ramen, one for dining in and one for takeout, please."

"Sorry, miss, but we're currently full inside. If you're okay with sharing a table, I can ask other guests for you."

"Sharing a table…"

Upon hearing this response, Aoko frowned. But remembering the wet weather outside, if she walked back, who knew what her ramen would turn into?

She was an advocate for enjoyment.

Food should be savored at its most delicious moment.

So, she nodded and politely replied, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

"Alright, I'll go ask the other tables for you."

"If needed, you can come to our table, beautiful miss."

In the interval of the shop owner's inquiry, a gentle male voice came from the opposite side.

"Eh?"

Aoko turned to look and saw a young man wearing a black trench coat sitting at a spacious table alongside a middle school girl.

Father and daughter? No, given their ages, they should be siblings.

But had they found a spot so quickly? She felt quite lucky.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you."

She quickly expressed her gratitude.

"It's no problem, just a small effort."

Roy made space for Aoko Aozaki to sit across from him.

Only after sitting down did Aoko finally get a good look at the young man's appearance.

He looked quite young, probably in his early twenties, tall with black hair and slightly gray eyes, dressed in a dark trench coat that gave him a melancholic vibe. The cool colors of his outfit lent him an air of maturity that didn't match his age.

The girl next to him appeared to be in middle school, but her outfit... a kimono paired with a red jacket... was an odd combination that gave off an indescribable feeling.

She even had a premonition...

This combination was meant to be.

However, staring at her kind-hearted rescuer who had arranged a spot for her was quite impolite.

So, Aoko quickly shifted her gaze and turned her attention to the rainy scene outside the city.

'I wonder if Alice is waiting anxiously?'

Oh well, who told her not to provide me with food?

Just as Aoko Aozaki was enjoying the rain scenery, her thoughts wandering, a cup filled with a light yellow liquid and steaming hot was pushed toward her from across the table.

"Would you like to have some? Miss, meeting is fate; on a rainy day, a cup of hot tea can warm you up."

"Eh?"

Aoko Aozaki looked at the young man sitting opposite her, somewhat incredulous.

This scene...

Could it be a pickup line?

___

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