To become a king and a magician

Taiga and Otoko nodded.

It's the same every year. Two years have passed since they graduated from high school. Although the three of them try to contact Xia Chuanhu before each gathering, Xia Chuanhu didn't leave his contact information with anyone before going to England, so the three of them have never been able to reach him.

"Well, everyone has their own ambitions. The fact that he hasn't come back means he's been busy with things in England and can't come back."

Busy with work?

"It's possible! Xia Chuan is a super hard-working soldier!"

Dahe remembers it clearly; it was around the second semester of his senior year of high school when Xia Chuanhu worked every single day of the week.

After opening a bottle of baijiu and pouring himself and the other two a full glass, Ryuudong Zero raised his glass: "Well then, let's start this year with a toast—wishing our friend Natsukawa Tora all the best in England. Cheers."

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

——————————————————————————————

Just as Fujimura Taiga and his two friends were having their usual year-end party, Natsukawa Tora, who was the center of their conversation, appeared on the streets of Shinto with Gray.

Dragging her suitcase and looking around, Grey exclaimed in amazement, "This is Japan... It feels completely different from London, like stepping back in time."

“Well, the Clock Tower is located in the suburbs of London. Although we are staying in the city, it is quite close to the suburbs. It is considered an old town, and most of the buildings are old-fashioned,” Natsukawa Tora explained with a smile. “This is the new capital of Fuyuki City. Simply put, it is a new urban area that has been redeveloped to adapt to modern society. Everything is new.”

"I see." Gray nodded timidly. "Then, brother, where are we going now?"

"Find a place to stay."

As he said this, Natsukawa Tiger scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Although I'm from Japan, I always lived in rented houses when I was there, and that house was vacated before I left. So, in order to avoid sleeping outdoors tonight, we need to find a place to stay now."

"Oh, I see. No wonder when I was packing my luggage, my brother only asked me to bring a week's worth of clothes."

"After all, our main purpose in coming back this time is to find someone. Returning to Fuyuki City is just my personal selfish reason. I won't be staying in Japan for long. Grey, just treat it as a vacation."

That being said, there's not much to see in Fuyuki City. If I had to pick one... the Holy Grail War ruins?

"Oh, right—"

Suddenly remembering something, Natsukawa Tiger clapped his hands: "Grey, after we find a hotel, could you come with me to... the cemetery?"

cemetery?

Grey tilted her head in confusion: "Brother, are you going to sweep someone's grave?"

"Well... I guess so. There was someone who used to take good care of me. Before I left Japan, I would visit her several times a week. It's been two years since I last went. I'm back now, so I'm going to see her."

she?

Grey's heart skipped a beat.

(Is the person my brother is going to see a woman?)

4. Tomb sweeping

Finding a hotel didn't take much time. Neither Natsukawa Tiger nor Grey were picky about their accommodations; they had stayed in rented rooms and places like Blackmorea. Basically, they could sleep anywhere as long as they weren't sleeping outdoors.

After booking the hotel and dropping off all their luggage, Natsukawa Tora took Gray to the cemetery in Fuyuki City.

Although it had been two years since his last visit here, incredibly, Natsukawa Tora still remembered the location of that tombstone very clearly.

[The outermost one in the third row from the front, at the very back of the cemetery]

Following the location he remembered, Xia Chuanhu arrived at the tombstone.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Chuanhu placed a bouquet of white flowers in front of the grave and said softly, "Oh, I've come back to see you, Linglong Pavilion."

【Linglongguan Misa Night】

This is the name engraved on the tombstone.

“I haven’t been back for two years. Before I came, I was worried that I might have forgotten where you were, or that your place had been moved while I was in England. But thankfully, I can still find you.”

"I'm sorry, things were a bit hectic back in England, and I couldn't save up any money, so it's been two years since I last came to see you. Please don't curse me from the afterlife."

Standing behind Natsukawa Toramaru, watching him talk to the tombstone, Gray couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

In the two years since they met, this was the first time Grey had ever seen her brother speak to anyone other than herself in such a tone. Whether it was to Merry, Waver, or even the monarch El-Melloi, Natsukawa Tora's tone, though humble, had never been so gentle.

Reiryūkan Misa Night.

"Brother, who is this?"

“Linglongguan is someone I… have a very close relationship with, but whose circumstances are somewhat similar to mine,” Xia Chuanhu said with a smile. “By the way, let me introduce you. Linglongguan is Gray, my adopted sister from England, and you could also say she is my attendant.”

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Linglongguan, I am Grey."

Although it was a little strange, Grey still bowed slightly to the tombstone.

Just as she bowed, Gray's body suddenly trembled, as if a memory had been forcibly inserted into her mind, and a scene quietly appeared before her eyes.

It seemed to be in a hotel room, where a boy and a girl were sitting on the bed. The girl had the boy pinned to the bed and was gently biting his neck.

Furthermore, whether it was Gray's imagination or not, she always felt that if the boy changed his hair color to blonde, he would look almost exactly like Natsukawa Tora.

"Grey?"

Seeing that Grey was stunned, Natsukawa Tora waved his hand in front of her.

"Grey? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Ah...no, I'm fine."

Grey blushed slightly and shook her head, glancing at Natsukawa Tora's face before quickly lowering her head again.

(They really do look alike, which means... that's the older brother?)

If that's the case, then who is that girl? And why was she doing that kind of thing with her brother in bed?

Grey's childlike curiosity was immediately piqued.

Unable to resist, she glanced at Natsukawa Tora again, her gaze lingering on his collarbone area. Gray's small hands clenched slightly.

Just then, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

"Hehehe! You say she's in a similar situation, but actually she's your ex-girlfriend, right? Dude."

Ad's obnoxious voice made Grey's heart skip a beat.

Ex-girlfriend?

It doesn't seem impossible, otherwise why would Xia Chuanhu specifically erect a tombstone for her? And his attitude...

"Really? Brother?"

Looking at Grey's eyes, which were filled with a mixture of curiosity and worry, Natsukawa Tiger couldn't help but smile wryly: "Yade, stop talking nonsense. I've always been single and have zero romantic experience. Besides, Linglongguan's personality is terrible. Dating her would be pure torture."

"but....."

Natsukawa Torara touched his collarbone—the spot where Reirōkan Misaya had placed a mark on him three years ago, on the eve of his final battle with Sajō Aika. She called it a curse. If he were killed by Sajō Aika, she would immediately turn him into her familiar.

With a chuckle, Natsukawa Tora said, "However, if she were still alive, I might actually pursue her—well, she's been dead for three years, so there's no point in saying that now."

"Hmm, I see. So you're this kind of person, bro—that's great, you silly Grey, your strongest competitor has already left the stage."

"Yad! Shut up!"

With her face flushed red, Grey started swinging the birdcage with all her might.

"Aaaaaaah! You idiot Gray, stop shaking! It's going to break! It's really going to break!"

"Alright, alright, this is a cemetery, let's keep it quiet." Xia Chuanhu chuckled and patted Gray's head to calm her down. "Okay, now that we've already visited the graves, let's go back. It's almost evening, and I know a good Chinese restaurant nearby. How about we have dinner there?"

"Ah, okay."

After putting away Yad, and taking one last look at the tombstone engraved with the name "Reirōkan Misaya," which she deeply memorized, Gray quickly followed Natsukawa Tora.

——————————————————————————————

The Chinese restaurant [Hongzhou Banquet Hall · Taishan].

This is a highly-rated restaurant in Fuyuki City. Although it is a Chinese restaurant run by Japanese people, the taste is quite authentic because the owner has specially gone to China for training. Even Natsukawa Tora, a former Chinese, could not find any fault with it. He was even moved to tears when he first came here to eat.

Being able to eat hometown food in a foreign land can be considered a luxury in some ways.

Therefore, after visiting this place once, Natsukawa Tiger would patronize it whenever he had some spare cash. As a result, he had a good relationship with the manager and staff. Even though he hadn't been back for over two years, the moment Natsukawa Tiger walked into the store—

"Oh! Look who's here? What a rare guest!"

This is a sentence spoken in Chinese.

Looking at the store manager who was greeting him, Xia Chuanhu smiled and replied in his native language, "It's been two years, and your voice is still so strong. It seems you're still in good health, store manager."

"Hahaha! Being a chef requires good health! Speaking of which, I haven't seen you in the last two years. Where did you go after graduating from high school? And who is this?"

“She’s studying in England. This is Grey, the daughter of my host family in England. She’s like my adopted sister. I brought her to Japan for a visit.”

"Wow, what a beautiful girl. By the way, why did you dye your hair blonde?"

"It's fashionable, isn't it? Oh right, let's order—"

"Pickled fish with garlic clams, right?" the manager blurted out before Xia Chuanhu could speak.

Xia Chuanhu was immediately surprised: "Manager, you still remember?"

"You come here just for these two things, maybe add some spicy blood curd at most. I'd remember you even if you hadn't been here for two years," the manager said with a smile. "So, little sister, what would you like to eat?"

"Uh... I..."

Because the store manager spoke Chinese, Grey couldn't understand a word he was saying.

Xia Chuanhu chuckled and said, "Put less spice in my sauerkraut fish, and make the portion bigger. Two bowls of rice... no, four bowls."

"Oh ho? Your appetite has increased?"

"Absolutely. There aren't many dishes in England, and every meal is the same. I'm so tired of it."

"Alright! I'll make sure you have a good meal today. Sit down and have some tea. It'll be ready soon."

5. ​​An Unexpected Reunion

Grey sat down with Natsukawa Tora at a table near the entrance and looked around the store with some curiosity.

"It doesn't feel like a Japanese restaurant."