Ryuuto and Morgan arrived at the busy Tokyo Station during the quiet afternoon.
Before they could get their bearings, a voice rang out across the crowd.
"Hey! Over here!"
A young woman waved at them, standing tall among the passing commuters. She pulled off her sunglasses and flipped her long brown hair back, flashing a bright smile that caught him off guard.
"Ryuuto! Long time no see." She walked toward them with confident steps. "Bit late, but congrats on making Master in the Holy Grail War. We should celebrate—Roppongi's calling our name." She winked. "Your treat, of course!"
"You know her?" Morgan asked, glancing between them.
"Yeah," he nodded. "She changed her hair back to brown. Threw me for a second."
The woman's blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she approached. Her white T-shirt hugged her prominent chest, which bounced as she waved enthusiastically. The black skirt showed off her figure, creating a tempting gap between its hem and her knee-high socks that revealed her fair skin. Her London boots - the kind popular with Type-Moon heroines - clicked against the station floor with each confident step.
"...Who is she?" Morgan crossed her arms and studied the young woman while opening the team voice chat between Master and Servant.
In Morgan's assessment, this woman's magical aptitude wasn't particularly impressive. There was something unusual about her magic circuits, but nothing more. Yet... despite seeming so ordinary, she found herself unable to look away from her.
"Aoko Aozaki, 21 years old, and a Magician!" The woman planted her hands on her hips and announced it right there in the middle of Tokyo Station, loud enough for half the platform to hear.
He cringed inwardly. 'So much for keeping magic secret.'
Morgan froze. "You possess... the Fifth." Her voice dropped as she took a second, harder look at the woman standing before them.
Then she rolled her eyes and turned back to look at her Master. Her voice rang clearly in his mind. [Why is the Magician of the Fifth Magic greeting a Beast at a train station? Are you planning to destroy the planet?]
"Well... she's just here to mooch a free meal off me," he muttered.
"This young woman doesn't seem particularly clever," she said, giving Aoko another once-over. "Are you certain that's wise?"
"Yes," he nodded. "She might not look it, but she's someone I can trust."
For him, Aoko was basically a dining companion who saw him as a walking ATM. But since spending money was his greatest joy anyway, whether it went to hostess clubs or Magicians didn't matter much. Their relationship was an odd mix—part little-brother-big-sister, part sugar daddy and broke college student, part whale subscriber and cute streamer.
"Ryuuto! Come give your big sis a hug!" Aoko pounced like a predator spotting prey, arms wide open as she lunged for him. The boy stepped aside, leaving her grabbing at air.
"Good afternoon, Aoko."
"Well, I see you're still as cold to me as ever," Aoko said, recovering quickly from her failed hug attempt. She then noticed the woman standing beside him. "Wait a minute—Ryuuto! Who is this super~~~~~ beautiful woman next to you? Is she your summoned Servant?"
She sidled up to him, jabbing his ribs with her elbow before circling Morgan like a shark. Her eyes traveled everywhere—face, chest, waist, hips—taking in every detail with such unfiltered interest that she might as well have been an old man at a swimsuit contest.
"If I had known Heroic Spirits were such cute girls, I would have joined the Holy Grail War myself," she remarked. "So, what class is she? Caster, I'm guessing? And what's her true name?"
"That's classified information that I can't share," he answered.
Morgan, clearly annoyed at being examined so brazenly, spoke quietly: "Master... may I kill her?"
"No, we might need her help later."
"Hey Ryuuto, what are you and your girlfriend whispering about? Don't leave me out!"
"What girlfriend? Caster isn't my girlfriend. Don't make things up."
"Don't deny it so quickly—you'll hurt a girl's feelings, you know."
"I wasn't finished. What I meant was that Caster isn't my girlfriend, but if she were interested, I'd be happy to change that anytime."
Ryuuto and Aoko continued their lighthearted conversation as they walked toward the taxi stand.
Meeting for just moments before immediately finding somewhere to eat and drink—this was the usual routine between them.
Hmm... I feel like I'm forgetting something important. As he opened the taxi door, Ryuuto frowned slightly. What was it? It seemed like something really important... an appointment he absolutely couldn't miss. Oh well, whatever! Drinking comes first!
From the front passenger seat, Aoko glanced at the pair in the back through the rearview mirror. "So Ryuuto, is this your type? I always thought you preferred women like Alice."
He looked sideways at Morgan from the corner of his eye.
"A true gentleman appreciates all women equally," he said smoothly. 'Though Morgan's curves would give a man so much more to grab onto than Alice's modest body,' he thought with satisfaction. 'Alice has her charms, but variety is the spice of life.'
...
"What happened to that fancy sushi place in Roppongi?"
Aoko smacked the worn izakaya table, each slap echoing through the tiny Akihabara joint. The smell of fried food and beer hung in the air instead of the upscale sushi restaurant she'd imagined.
"If I knew we'd end up in some hole-in-the-wall, I wouldn't have squeezed you into my schedule right before heading to Clock Tower." She dropped her face onto the table with a thud, her voice muffled against the wood. "I can drink cheap sake anywhere."
She rested her face on the table with a sulky, disappointed expression.
"You're twenty years old already, stop trying to act cute," Ryuuto said as he poured the sake. "Be grateful I'm paying at all. Money's been tight lately."
He decided that as soon as he got home, he would contact his yakuza connections to sell Matou's property deeds for a good price.
Despite it being the middle of a weekday, the small izakaya was already busy and noisy. He wondered how some people had so much free time.
But it made sense—Japan was still feeling the effects of the economic crash from the early 90s.
Middle-aged men who had lost their jobs sat in wrinkled suits, drinking themselves numb while angrily blaming capitalism and the American government.
It was unusual to see young people like Ryuuto, Aoko, and Morgan drinking in public during daylight hours.
Ryuuto could enter adult establishments despite his youthful appearance because he carried a special Mystic Code created just for that purpose.
"If sake's not your thing, go order some liquor." He grabbed the bottle and filled Aoko's cup to the brim. "This place has plenty."
"I never said I wouldn't drink it," Aoko huffed, snatching up the cup while stuffing another piece of karaage in her mouth. "Why are you being so snippy today?"
He turned to Morgan, offering the bottle with a softer expression. "Caster, you should try this. Japanese sake's nothing like your Irish whiskey. There's a whole ritual to it here." He tapped the edge of the wooden cup. "These cups aren't just for show—the wood adds something special to the flavor. Makes it taste fresher somehow."
"...I see," Morgan replied, accepting the sake from him with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Holy crap! This is FIRE! GOAT-level stuff!" Aoko had already downed half her cup, her face flushed. "So good my legs are literally shaking!" She peppered her speech with slang she'd clearly picked up from him.
"Aoko, wait for everyone," he scolded, lifting his cup in the air. "Here's to good times together!"
"KANPAI!!!" Aoko thrust her cup toward the ceiling like she was summoning lightning.
"Kanpai!!!" He matched her energy, sake sloshing dangerously close to the rim.
Morgan lifted her cup a reluctant inch off the table, her face a mask of composure while her thoughts screamed, ...I want to leave.
...
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