"Never thought I'd witness such a spectacle tonight."
Scáthach, dressed in the sa office lady attire she wore during the day, approached the two, adjusting her glasses as she gazed at Aoko with undisguised admiration.
"Even I rarely get the privilege of witnessing True Magic, let alone modern magic whose essence far surpasses that of ancient tis."
She even felt a faint itch to spar.
But that would truly be bullying the younger generation—hardly appropriate. So she dismissed the thought.
"Scáthach-sensei, are you saying you're aware of this world's anomalies?"
"Of course. I've known since the day I arrived here nine years ago."
"Nine years ago?! Why didn't you ntion it?"
"You never asked."
Eiji fell silent.
Indeed, having lived in this world for over a decade, he had assud all Heroic Spirits here lacked mories of their past lives—even considering this a codic world at one point.
"What exactly is going on here?"
Unable to contain her doubts, Aoko spoke up first.
"Patience."
But Scáthach rely waved a hand, her expression utterly composed.
"You're currently under the effects of magic. Once its influence fades, all temporal anomalies will be corrected—and your mories of these events will likely vanish as well."
"Is that so?"
Eiji looked startled, turning to Aoko for confirmation.
Her nod confird it.
This was one of the flaws of the Fifth Magic. Even as its wielder, Aoko couldn't control it—it manifested as the world's inherent will to reject magic.
She could defer present anomalies to the future, but erasing them entirely ant opposing the world itself. Yet the world possessed its own restorative power, and all irregularities would eventually be rectified.
Otherwise, if Aoko could permanently retain a century's worth of future magecraft expertise, she'd have long been invincible.
Even so, tampering with spaceti violently disrupted the planet's natural order. In simpler terms, the formula of "entropy" had been thrown into chaos—an enormous latent threat that might one day trigger catastrophic disasters for Earth.
Having activated the Magic in a mont of impulse, Aoko now bore the responsibility of resolving this looming crisis.
"I dislike repeating explanations."
Scáthach shrugged casually. "For now, just know that the current anomalies are the world's natural selection. There are no downsides, but the trials ahead will only grow greater."
"I'll summon you tomorrow morning. We'll discuss the rest then."
As swiftly as she arrived, Scáthach departed.
Before either could protest, her figure lted into the void, vanishing before their eyes.
She seed to have genuinely been drawn by the Magic, making a whimsical visit to witness the Magician before taking her leave.
Only as she left did she wave a hand, collecting dea's corpse from the ground.
"What the hell is even happening?"
Eiji massaged his temples in frustration.
Riddlers should get out of Kinoko City!
"Hey, Eiji."
Just as his headache peaked, Aoko's voice called from beside him.
"Hm?"
He turned—
Only for a wave of floral fragrance to envelop him, crimson hair fluttering across his vision.
Soft warmth crashed into his arms.
"Thank you."
Eiji blinked, then smiled gently.
"Don't ntion it."
Aoko lingered in his embrace.
An inexplicable sense of security washed over her—like a long-voyaging fishing boat finally finding a warm harbour. The feeling was addicting, making her reluctant to pull away.
What a sha.
Such a damn sha.
Why did this guy have to get involved with President Nero first?
In the distance.
A girl resembling an elf of the night stood silently amidst the trees.
She glanced down at herself, then at the embracing pair afar, her expression pensive.
"Maybe now isn't the best ti to show up?"
She felt oddly excluded.
Like being force-fed dog food as a single pringle.
Chirp chirp!
A blue robin fluttered onto her shoulder, wings patting as if comforting her lonely heart.
Only to be rcilessly flicked away.
The night stretched on.
The trio's path ho extended into the distance.
***
Early Friday morning.
Aoko cheerfully prepared breakfast.
Tied in a teal apron, she skillfully flipped three golden-brown sunny-side-up eggs in the pan, her movents practiced.
"Oi, Eiji, Alice! Breakfast is ready!"
Once everything was set, she carried three plates to the living room, shouting toward the east and west wings.
Soon after—
Alice erged from the west wing, Eiji from the second-floor guest room. Both were freshly washed, though sowhat sleep-deprived.
After all, the trio had been busy until dawn, getting only three to four hours of rest.
"Eiji, did you call ho last night?"
"Yeah. Got told not to 'accidentally create new lives' too."
Yawning, Eiji plopped onto Aoko's designated sofa.
Last night's commotion had been massive.
As the current overseers of Kinoko's spiritual lands, Aoko and Alice had cleanup duties.
Eiji pitched in as well. Since it was so late, he'd used the Kuonji residence's phone to inform his family he was staying at a classmate's place.
The latter half was his own addition.
Must you spew such trash talk?
Given his substantial rent paynts and last night's lucrative "transactions," Alice held her tongue, protesting only through her glare.
"You really don't rember what happened last night?"
"I rember dying."
"I rember you blocking many magical beams for ."
Aoko stole a glance at Eiji but quickly averted her gaze.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her usually tranquil heart stirring faintly.
mories up until the Magic's activation remained vivid, but everything after was a blank.
The only certainty they retained was the knowledge that Aoko had invoked the Fifth.
"Honestly, you retaining mories is what surprises ."
Alice nibbled her eggs, studying Eiji intently.
Unlike their erased recollections, he rembered everything crystal clearly—even calculating Aoko's future cup size from their decade-later reunion.
"I've got resistance in that area."
Eiji dodged the topic, unwilling to elaborate.
Truthfully, the world's corrective force exceeded even his [Swordsman's Indomitable Spirit]'s limits. The reason he recalled last night was by syncing mories with his "Fate/Requiem" counterpart—essentially backing up data to another self before restoring it.
But does Aoko still rember this world's anomalies?
The question lingered in Eiji's mind.
After breakfast—
The trio left the mansion one after another.
Descending the slope, they parted ways at the crossroads.
***
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