To become a king and a magician

As he and Mordred walked off the Shinkansen together, dragging their suitcases, Natsukawa Torato immediately spotted Atalanta standing not far away. Judging from her waving gesture, she seemed to have something to say.

"what happened?"

"Did you notice it when the station's announcement came on just now?" Atalanta asked seriously. "I asked the others, and apart from Gray and me, it seems no one else noticed it."

Aside from Atalanta and Gray?

Natsukawa Torato and Mordred exchanged a glance: "If that's the case, then only magicians... or rather, people who can use magic, can sense it, right? Mordred and I sensed it too, but our bodies didn't feel anything unusual. What about you and Gray?"

"Same."

"Let's wait and see for now. Keep a close eye on Grey's condition. Mo and I will try to investigate. As long as everything is alright before we leave tomorrow, that's fine."

Atalanta nodded, then quickly caught up with the children who had already walked quite a distance. With a Servant following along, Gray's safety was no longer a concern.

Watching her leave, Xia Chuanhu turned around and grabbed Mordred's collar, who was looking around curiously. "Alright, stop looking around like a husky. Mordred, let's go upstairs. Let's find a place to stay first."

"Don't pull my collar, Master! Who else is a husky?!"

Don't you look like it?

[You vixen, stop for a second!]

Suddenly, Natsukawa Torama heard Sajou Aika's voice in his mind.

(What's wrong? Why are you talking to me again? Didn't you say you'd never talk to me first?)

I'm not in the mood for jokes today. Stop and look around when you're about to exit the station.

This is a very rare occurrence.

Since we met, Sajō Aika, who always teases me whenever we talk, is surprisingly serious today, even sounding somewhat earnest.

(Is this a case of homesickness? Speaking of which, the Sajō family is a famous magic family in Tokyo, right? I wonder if there's a Sajō family here? Would you like me to help you look for them later?)

No need... I can already feel it.

(Huh?)

You've already sensed it? What does that mean? Does it mean you sensed my presence here?

Is there Aika Sajou here too?

[It's not me here, it's just... I have a very familiar feeling. You should be able to see it when you walk out of the station. Your so-called knowledge from the source will definitely allow you to recognize it immediately.]

Can you recognize it immediately?

In other words, it's another familiar stranger? But Tokyo is such a place...

(Who could I possibly know?)

With these questions in mind, Natsukawa Tora and Mordred headed towards the station exit. But as they stepped out of the station, Natsukawa Tora's heart suddenly began to pound fiercely, and Arthur's usually silent power surged!

Even Arthur reacted?

And at that very moment—

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Natsukawa Tora?"

As a gentle breeze swept over him, a person uttering these words came into Natsukawa Tora's view.

It was a black-haired girl who looked somewhat similar to him. She was young, probably around eighteen years old, and wore a pair of slightly outdated black-rimmed glasses. At first glance, she seemed quiet and melancholic, exuding an aura of little self-confidence.

"You are......"

【really......】

"It seems so, just like in the photo." Seemingly confirming Natsukawa Tora's appearance, the girl bowed slightly to him. "Hello, I am Sajou Ayaka, the magician who currently manages Tokyo. During your two-day stay in Tokyo, I will temporarily replace Rin Tohsaka as your monitor."

"Please give me more advice."

92. Something's not right about Tokyo.

Inside a coffee shop near Tokyo Station.

Mordred was seated alone at another table, while Natsukawa Torato and Sajou Ayaka sat facing each other at a window seat.

Looking at the girl in front of him, to be honest, Natsukawa Tora was filled with surprise.

(Is it really there?)

Ayaka Sajou.

Natsukawa Torato doesn't know the situation in this world yet, but as far as he knows, in another parallel world, she is Sajou Aika's younger sister and his former Arthur's Master, making her arguably the original heroine of Type-Moon.

Meeting her was unexpected for Natsukawa Tora. Although Rin Tohsaka had told him about the temporary change of the monitor before coming to Tokyo, she didn't say who it was. Natsukawa Tora thought that it was only for two days anyway, so it didn't matter who it was, and he didn't ask any further questions.

(I never expected it to be your sister... Looking at it this way, you two do look somewhat alike.)

【...】

Sajō Ayaka did not answer. Ever since Sajō Ayaka appeared, she had remained silent as if she had been silenced by Arcueid.

Fortunately, Natsukawa Torato was already used to her resurrected behavior and immediately turned his attention back to Sajou Ayaka.

While he was sizing up Ayaka Sajou, Ayaka Sajou was also sizing up Torato Natsukawa.

(Is he the magician that both the association and the church fear?)

In the past two weeks, after learning that Natsukawa Torama was indeed coming to Tokyo, Sajo Ayaka had learned a lot about him from Hiel. In addition, she had also been told some things about him when she temporarily handed over the reins to Tohsaka Rin. Therefore, Sajo Ayaka believed that she knew him to some extent.

First of all, just as the intelligence said, he's a real handsome man. If he were to participate in a televised talent show, he would probably win by a landslide. In fact, even Ayaka Sajou is a little afraid to look into his eyes right now; under the midday sun, they seem to sparkle and shine too brightly.

Secondly, according to Rin Tohsaka, although he is a monster who can pull down the moon with ease and beat Servants, he is actually a very easy person to talk to. He will not make things difficult for people or do anything reckless. At most, he will sometimes do some incomprehensible things on his own.

(I remember Rin Tohsaka telling me that the secret to surveillance was...)

Setting down her coffee cup, Ayaka Sajou said to Torata Natsukawa, "Mr. Natsukawa, regarding the surveillance... is it alright to follow the same method as Ms. Rin Tohsaka?"

"Rin Tohsaka's method... ah, it's just calling you every day, right?"

"Yes. Rin Tohsaka said that's fine. Besides, I don't actually have much time. I have a lot of things to do and can't keep an eye on you all the time."

Actually, Ayaka Sajou's initial idea was to have Torata Natsukawa follow her around, so that she could monitor him while doing her own thing.

But that's obviously unrealistic; she can't expect others to do things her way.

To Ayaka Sajou's relief, Natsukawa Torama simply nodded: "That's fine, I'll only be in Tokyo for two days anyway. I know what the association and the church think of me, and I'll try my best not to cause you any trouble."

"Whoo~~~~"

Just as Rin Tohsaka said, she's a very easy person to talk to.

"Here's my phone number. Just call or text me anytime today. Please try to avoid doing it at night if possible." Ayaka Sajo wrote down a number on a sticky note on the table and handed it to Torato Natsukawa.

"What? Do you have something planned for tonight?"

Ayaka Sajou nodded slightly: "There are some things... Recently, there have been some paranormal events happening in Tokyo. In order not to affect the community, I will handle them at night."

Paranormal events?

Natsukawa Tora recalled the strange feeling he had experienced on the Shinkansen.

(Could it be related to that?)

Frowning, Natsukawa Tora asked, "Are you handling this alone?"

"There's also a fellow church member. If the two of us work together, we can basically solve the problem."

"Is there no one else?"

Ayaka Sajou shook her head: "It's been a long time since any magicians have come to Tokyo. Since the other local magic families declined one by one a few years ago, this place has gradually become a wasteland in the magic world. Now, apart from me, the only other place in Tokyo related to magic is the church."

There are only two people in the magic world in the entire Tokyo? And Ayaka Sajou is only one magician?

What's happening here?

Is this what Tokyo is like in this parallel world?

(No, no, no, even if there are differences between parallel worlds, there can only be one real magician in the entire Tokyo, that's too much... and according to her—)

"Excuse me, Ms. Ayaka Sajou, do you have an older sister?"

“Sister? Do you know my sister?” Ayaka Sajou was somewhat surprised. “My sister passed away eight years ago.”

......

......

"Aha?"

After a brief silence, Natsukawa Tora couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Sajō Ayaka died in this world? What kind of new-century joke is this? According to the records, no Holy Grail War ever happened in Tokyo, which means Sajō Ayaka never met Arthur—so how did she die?

"Are you someone my sister knows?"

"Uh... well, I'd say I've heard of the Sajō family's prodigy."

"Oh, that was a long time ago. After all, my sister only studied magic for half a year, and she hasn't been exposed to magic since she was ten."

Ayaka Sajou's tone carried a hint of nostalgia. Unlike her, her older sister was a true genius who could quickly master any magic system and surpass their father in a short time of learning magic. Someone like her would probably never catch up with her sister's pace in her entire life. Even now, she didn't think that her mastery of black magic had caught up with her sister's.

"Ding-dong--!"

A bell rang outside the window.

After tidying up her things, Ayaka Sajou stood up and said, "Well then, I have to go to school this afternoon, so I'll be going now. If you need any help, you can call me directly, and I'll do my best to help you."

Okay—be careful on your way to school.

"Huh?"

The sudden admonition from Natsukawa Torata startled Ayaka Sajou, and Natsukawa Torata, realizing his rudeness, quickly waved his hand, "Sorry, I say that every day when my sister goes to school, it just comes out unconsciously..."

"Oh, I see. You're such a good brother. Well then, goodbye. I'll pay for your coffee."

Ayaka Sajou, carrying her schoolbag, left quickly.

Xia Chuanhu picked up his coffee, took a sip, pursed his lips, then tapped his chest, stood up, and went to Mordred's side: "Alright, Mordred, let's go."

"Huh? Where to?"

"Originally I wanted to go to Akihabara, but now I've changed my mind—we're going to the highest point in Japan."