Under the lazy midday sun, Rhode and Morgan arrived at the bustling Tokyo Station.
As soon as they got off the bus, they noticed a young woman who looked to be around twenty years old standing with a dignified posture.
“Oh—!! Over here, over here!”
She tossed her long brown hair, took off her sunglasses, and flashed a dazzlingly beautiful smile at a bewildered Rhode.
“Good afternoon, it’s been a while, Rhode. Although it’s a little late, congratulations on becoming a Master in the Holy Grail War. This is truly a day worth celebrating; let’s go to Roppongi for an Advanced buffet to celebrate. Of course… you’re paying!”
“Do you know her?” Morgan asked curiously.
“Yes, I didn’t recognize her at first because her hair color changed back.”
The woman waiting for Rhode at the station had impeccably refined features and beautiful blue eyes, with soft brown hair cascading down her back, and her impressive, ample chest swayed violently up and down as she waved.
A white casual T-shirt paired with a black short skirt outlined a slender, voluptuous, yet youthful perfect figure.
Her long legs were encased in over-the-knee socks, forming an absolute Domain with the short skirt, revealing ivory skin, and on her feet were a pair of London boots, a staple for Type-Moon heroines.
“…Who?”
Morgan crossed her arms and scrutinized the young woman before initiating an internal voice chat between Master and Servant.
In her eyes, this was a woman whose magic crest was not particularly outstanding.
Although her magic crest was somewhat peculiar, that was all there was to it.
But… despite being a very ordinary person, Morgan’s gaze seemed to be drawn to her, unable to leave her.
“—Aozaki Aoko, 21 years old, and a Magician!”
In front of the bustling station, the successor of the Fifth Magic proudly put her hands on her hips, announcing her identity as if no one else was around.
What about the secret rules?
“You are… of the Fifth.”
Morgan re-examined Aozaki Aoko.
Then she rolled her eyes and looked back at her Master.
A clear voice echoed in Rhode’s mind.
“Why is ‘Fifth of Order’ at the station to welcome Beast? Are you plotting to overthrow the planet?”
“Emmm… she just came to mooch a meal off me.”
“This child doesn’t seem very smart, is that really okay?”
“Well, for now, she’s someone I can trust.”
Regarding the relationship between Rhode and Aozaki Aoko.
In a high EQ version: Aozaki Aoko is my meal buddy.
In a low EQ version: Aozaki Aoko treats me like a wallet.
Anyway, for Rhode, spending money is his greatest interest, and there’s no difference between spending it on hostesses or on a Magician.
Thus, they formed a complex relationship: shota and big sister, Sugar Daddy and College Student, Top Gifter and Female Streamer.
Like a lion hunting a rabbit, Aozaki Aoko suddenly spread her arms and pounced on Rhode, who nimbly dodged her attack with a turn.
“Good afternoon, Aoko.”
“Oh, still the same, you’re only cold to me.”
Aoko, whose intimate greeting was dodged, remained calm as if nothing had happened, turning to look at the woman beside Rhode.
“Eh, what? Rhode! Who is this su~~~~per beautiful girl next to you? Is she your Servant?”
Aozaki Aoko walked up to Rhode, bumped his shoulder, and then circled around Morgan.
From top to bottom, from face to chest, from abdomen to buttocks, every inch of Morgan’s skin was bathed in Aoko’s rather lewd, uncle-like gaze.
If I had known Heroic Spirits were such cute girls, I would have participated in the Holy Grail War too, Aoko said.
“Speaking of which, what’s this child’s Class? Is it Caster? What’s her True Name?”
“That’s a classified secret,” Rhode replied.
Beside him, Morgan, who was being stared at so brazenly, was very displeased: “Master… may I kill her?”
“No, this guy might be useful later.”
“Rhode, what are you and your girlfriend secretly talking about? Let me in on it too?”
“What girlfriend, Caster isn’t my girlfriend. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Don’t deny it so quickly, that would make a girl very sad, you know.”
“I haven’t finished speaking yet. I mean, while Miss Caster isn’t my girlfriend, if she has the inclination, I’m always happy to oblige.”
Aozaki Aoko and Rhode babbled on as they walked towards the area where taxis were parked in the distance.
Meeting for five seconds and then finding a place to eat and drink was the unspoken understanding between Rhode and Aozaki Aoko.
Hmm…
I seem to have forgotten something.
Rhode frowned slightly as he opened the taxi door.
What was it?
It seemed to be a very, very important…
absolutely unforgettable appointment.
Never mind!
Drinking is the most important thing!
Aoko, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at the shota and the big sister in the back through the rearview mirror and spoke without reservation.
“Speaking of which, Rhode, is this the type you like? I thought you liked someone like Alice.”
“——”
Rhode glanced sideways, catching Morgan in his peripheral vision.
“Perhaps, they are the same type.”
…
…
“—What about the Advanced Sushi in Roppongi that was promised?”
In a corner of a small Izakaya in Akihabara, Aozaki Aoko slammed the wooden table with a ‘pa-pa’ sound, her face filled with grievance.
“If I had known this, I wouldn’t have made a special trip to see you during my busiest time before going to the Clock Tower. I can drink at an Izakaya every day.”
Aozaki Aoko rested her face on the table, pouting with a resentful expression.
You’re already 20, stop acting cute, Rhode said, opening a bottle of Sake.
“It’s good enough that I’m treating. I’m a bit tight on cash lately.”
He decided that the first thing he’d do after returning home was to find his underworld acquaintances and sell Zouken’s properties and land deeds for a good price.
Even though it was still a weekday afternoon, the small Izakaya was already bustling with noise and excitement.
He really suspected how idle some people were.
But it was understandable; the aftershocks of Japan’s economic recession in the early 90s had not yet dissipated.
Unemployed middle-aged men in disheveled suits drank themselves silly, cursing capitalism and the US government.
It was rare to see young people like Rhode, Aoko, and Morgan drinking during the day.
Incidentally, the reason Rhode, despite his child-like appearance, could freely enter adult establishments was because he carried a Mystic Code for countermeasures.
“If you don’t like it, don’t drink it. Go drink American wine!”
Rhode said, picking up the Sake nearby and filling Aozaki Aoko’s cup.
“—Hmph, I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it. Why are you being so fierce?”
Aozaki Aoko chewed on some Karaage Fried Chicken as she took the Sake from his hand.
Rhode then turned to Morgan with the bottle and cup.
“Caster, this is Japanese Sake. It doesn’t taste like Irish Whiskey. Try it.”
He said with a solemn expression.
“Drinking this Sake is very particular in Japan. You drink it from a wooden cup, and it has a fragrant taste.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Looking at the boy who was introducing it so earnestly, Morgan somewhat confusedly took the Sake from his hand.
“Gah… ha! Help! It’s absolutely amazing! YYDS! So delicious it makes my toes curl!”
Aozaki Aoko, next to them, had already started drinking, muttering the Mysterious Phrases she had learned from Rhode.
“…Aoko, you rascal, wait for the others.”
Then, Rhode uttered the fixed line that signaled the start of the banquet.
“What you love, is your life.”
Aozaki Aoko: “Cheers!!!”
Rhode: “Cheers!!!”
Morgan: “…(I really want to go back)”