To become a king and a magician

The Holy Grail War in the Imperial Capital... or so?

A moment later, Xia Chuanhu murmured these words.

He couldn't think of any other possibilities, since there was only one that met the criteria, but if it were the Holy Grail War in the Imperial Capital...

I have a feeling that it will be fun to solve this problem when the time comes—though it depends on the specific situation.

"It seems that Natsukawa-kun already knows, so I don't need to explain anything further."

"Yes, I'll start working on it once we've investigated this thoroughly. So... Roman, come sit here, I'm going over there."

The bust of Natsukawa Torato, which appeared in front of Ryougi Shiki, stood up after speaking, and Roman was then pressed into his position.

【What are you doing, Natsukawa? By the way, where are you going? ——Over there, of course. Well, I'll just consider it going back to see Atalanta and Shiki. Anyway, it's almost time. I'll come back with Fujimaru and Mash then.】

Is Xia Chuanhu coming to my side?

Ryougi Shiki raised an eyebrow slightly. On the Chaldea side, it seemed that he had failed to stop Natsukawa Torata at all. Roman helplessly lowered his hand and turned to look at Ryougi Shiki.

[Nice to meet you, Ms. Ryougi. I'm sorry, Natsukawa said he has to go somewhere...]

“It’s alright, I know where he’s going. More importantly… you’re a doctor now, aren’t you? That’s a very suitable identity for you, Mr. Romani Archman.”

To others, Ryougi Shiki's words were simply a compliment. After all, it was common knowledge in Chaldea that Roman had studied abroad and knew Natsukawa Torama long before coming to Chaldea. Therefore, it was not incomprehensible that Ryougi Shiki, who had a close relationship with Natsukawa Torama, knew him.

But to Roman, those words froze him completely.

[Thank you for your kind words, Ms. Liangyi.]

"You're welcome. In the future, during the restoration of humanity, Natsukawa-kun will likely need your help in many ways, so please take care of him then."

Are you taking care of Natsukawa Tora?

After considering his personality and circumstances, Roman couldn't help but smile wryly.

It should be said that I'm the one who's been taken care of by him, and right now, all I can do is give orders and handle logistical matters from here.

Who can blame Roman for no longer being the Magic King, and even his last trump card, the ring, has been confiscated? The ring is still inside Sajou Rei's body, and Natsukawa Torato will absolutely not return it to him until the Humanity Burning is over.

Therefore, Roman can only do what he says he can do now. Of course, he has no complaints about this situation; in fact, he is grateful to Natsukawa Tora. If it weren't for him, the pressure on Roman would probably be doubled.

【Well then, Ms. Ryougi, that's the end of the communication. I'm cutting off the connection now. Please remember to return the device to Fujimaru afterwards.】

"Ok, I know."

After she finished speaking, Roman's bust disappeared in front of Ryougi Shiki.

Looking at the now-dimmed bracelet, [Ryougi Shiki] pondered for a moment, then picked up the bracelet, stood up, and walked out of the dojo.

——————————————————————————————————

The guest rooms at Ryougi's house are quite large.

This is a fact that Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu realized when Angelica led them to see the room.

The personal rooms in Chaldea were large enough in Fujimaru Ritsuka's opinion, but those in the Ryougi family were even larger. After all, the personal rooms in Chaldea were just a type of dormitory, while the rooms in the Ryougi family were decorated to the highest standards to accommodate important guests.

The two are not even on the same level.

However, although it's said to be used for entertaining guests, very few guests have actually stayed overnight at the Ryougi residence over the years. Since Ryougi Shiki took over as head of the family, her handling of various affairs can only be described as swift and decisive. In addition, the entire Ryougi family is run by her, which has resulted in the Ryougi family's astonishingly fast efficiency.

Therefore, there will not be a situation where a business deal falls through and needs to be continued the next day.

Over the years, only two people have ever stayed overnight at the Ryougi family's house: Atalanta and Natsukawa Tora.

Now, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu have become the third and fourth.

Even so, the two only planned to stay here for one night. Fujimaru Ritsuka had originally come back to visit her parents, and her current situation at the Ryougi residence was completely unexpected.

"When I tell my parents about this later, they'll be so surprised, hehe~~~"

Leaning against the window, looking at the scenery outside the Ryougi family's courtyard, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and muttered to herself.

Mashu, standing to the side, asked with some curiosity, "What kind of people were your parents, Senpai?"

"Huh? Why do you ask that?"

"Well... since we might be meeting later, I'd like to find out more beforehand so I can be prepared."

“I see.” Fujimaru Ritsuka thought for a moment. “They say what kind of people they are… but actually, my parents aren’t anything special. They’re just an ordinary couple, the kind you see anywhere, just like me. When we meet again, Mash, just be yourself. I’m sure they’ll really welcome you.”

Whether it was Mashu's imagination or not, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to be in a very good mood, and the smile on her face was more vibrant than usual.

Is it because you went back to your hometown?

"You seem to be very happy."

"Hehehe, you figured it out... Although I've only been gone for about two weeks, it feels like I've been gone for a long time. I guess I've just experienced too much during this time."

For Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was once just an ordinary person, this period of time was undoubtedly like a dream.

Humanity's burning, King Solomon, Goetia, singularities... She never imagined she would experience these things one day, and even now, she still feels some pressure.

Fortunately, she can now temporarily ignore these pressures.

"Then, Mashu, let's go outside!"

"Huh? Go out?"

"Okay, let's go out!" Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile. "Let's go shopping! I want to take Mashu to see all the places I've been to before!"

68. It was quite awkward to run into a teacher when I returned to school.

After saying goodbye to Angelica, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu left the Ryougi family.

Logically speaking, given the location of the Ryougi family, the best way to get to Kanbuko City would be to take a taxi. However, Fujimaru Ritsuka was penniless, and taxis in Japan were ridiculously expensive. So, in the end, Fujimaru Ritsuka had no choice but to hire a rickshaw—Mashu carried her to Kanbuko City.

And now, on the streets of Kanbushi City.

Standing at a crossroads, looking at the bustling crowds and towering buildings around her, Mashu immediately showed a surprised expression.

"This is...modern society?"

"Hmm, Mashu, you didn't know?"

Mashu nodded: "This is my first time in the outside world. Although my body is fine now, there is really no opportunity or need to go out while staying in Chaldea. So I have only been able to learn about modern society through the internet and books."

The crowds of people shoulder to shoulder, the towering buildings like a jungle, the cars speeding on the road, the incessant honking and music... Compared to Fuyuki City and France, which Mashu had visited before, the scene presented to her by this city of Kanbuko was something she had never seen before in a real sense.

Is this the normal world outside Chaldea?

She's just like a country bumpkin coming to the city for the first time—Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly had this thought. But considering Chaldea's geographical location, she's more like a remote, isolated region than a country girl.

Antarctica is arguably the most remote place in the world.

Moreover, Mash has been living a secluded life within Chaldea until now, and the minister mentioned before she came that this was Mash's first time in the outside world.

(No wonder the minister told me to bring Mashu here...)

Realizing what Natsukawa Torato was thinking, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said, "How about we take a walk around here first, Mashu? I know this area very well. If there's anywhere you'd like to go, I can take you there."

"No, I can't trouble you, senior. You must have somewhere you want to go, right? I'll just go with you."

Mashu quickly shook her head.

However, Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed her hand and said, "It's okay! It's on the way anyway, so it's fine to go there a little later. Besides, I haven't been back for a while, and I'd like to see more of the place—Mashu, you can just keep me company! Let's go there first!"

After pointing to a street across the road, Fujimaru Ritsuka pulled Mashu along and jogged over.

"Wait, wait a minute, senior, there are too many people here, you can't run in the street..."

"It's alright, it's alright! Just come with me!"

Looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka leading the way, holding her hand, Mashu was momentarily stunned before smiling with a slight blush on her cheeks and quickening her pace to catch up.

"Then... I'll leave it to you, senior."

"Okay! Leave it to me!"

——————————————————————————————————

Modern society is a rapidly developing society, with all sorts of changes happening every day.

Shops that were open a few days ago might be closed in a couple of days. The TV programs on TV also change every day... As Fujimaru Ritsuka dragged Mashu along for a walk, she wondered if some unfamiliar changes had occurred in Kanbuko City during the two weeks or so she had been away.

Fortunately, no.

Although there were indeed some changes, such as the milk tea shop she used to frequent having added several new flavors, some shortcuts that she used to take being blocked off, and the shop that was under renovation before she left having already opened... these changes did not make Fujimaru Ritsuka feel unfamiliar; on the contrary, they gave her a lot of novelty.

Even though she has experienced a lot, in essence, Fujimaru Ritsuka is still just an ordinary high school girl of only seventeen years old, so it is normal for her to react in the same way as a normal high school student.

As for Mashu, what she experienced was a gradual sense of novelty. Every place that Fujimaru Ritsuka took her to was a place she had only read about in books or seen on a computer before.

Text and images are undoubtedly one of the means of understanding, and each has its own advantages, which is beyond doubt.

But no matter how vivid the words or how realistic the pictures, they are ultimately just imitations of reality. Some things can only be truly felt by seeing them with your own eyes.

In addition to the physical objects, the behavior of the crowds gathered in various places was also something that Mashu found novel.

Female students gathered in the mall discussing the latest trends, office workers in suits making phone calls, store managers busy serving customers...

If Mashu was a blank sheet of paper until now, then everything she sees at this moment is the paint left on that blank sheet. Although she doesn't know what kind of painting these paints will form on this blank sheet, Mashu has no resistance to being stained with these paints. In fact, she can be said to be satisfied.

Before Mashu knew it, she snapped out of her reverie and found herself led by Fujimaru Ritsuka to a sparsely populated slope. At the end of the slope, a building could be faintly seen.

"here it is......?"

Mashu stopped in front of the building and looked at a sign hanging next to the gate: "[Kanbuko Municipal High School]...Is this the place you wanted to come to, Senpai?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded: "Yeah, I used to go to school here. If I hadn't gone to Chaldea, I'd probably still be going to school here now. Besides home, this is the place I want to come to the most. It's so great that it's the weekend today. There's no one at school. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to explain if I ran into class time."

"Senpai...why did you want to come here?" Mashu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I just wanted to come and visit, nothing more. Graduates all want to go back to their alma mater, right?" Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile. "Although I haven't graduated yet, since I went to Chaldea, I'm actually on leave of absence."

"I feel really bad, senpai. Your studies must be very important to you, right? But you had to have to stop because you came to Chaldea..."

Hearing Mashu say that, Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly waved her hand: "I'm not blaming you, Mashu. Going to Chaldea was my own choice. Although I was misled at the time, I did have the idea of ​​going to Chaldea."

"Besides, it's not impossible to pick up our studies again after everything else is over. Right now, it's definitely more important to prioritize solving the Human Order Burning incident—but now's not the time to talk about that, is it?"

Halfway through her sentence, Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly burst into laughter.

"Let's go in anyway, Mashu."