Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

According to Kenneth, this person possesses talent no less than his own… Even the arrogant Kenneth said so, so it can’t be wrong, right?

If Shirou were to use a prosthetic limb made by an ordinary magician, he might lose his special magical talent after changing his body.

However, if it is a prosthetic limb made by Aozaki Touko—this person—Shirou can continue to use projection magic without any obstacles in the future.

Because of his experience of modifying his body in the Fairy Kingdom in his previous life, Shirou did not have much psychological resistance to changing his body.

He was instead surprised by the talent of this woman named "Aozaki Touko"—

Back in the Fairy Kingdom, Shirou had asked Morgan if he could extend his life by changing his body.

the answer is negative.

When a soul is transferred from one container to another, the soul itself will deteriorate more rapidly due to a rejection reaction, so this is not a good choice.

Shirou didn't have much of a sense of reality before, but after returning to Fuyuki, he saw a living example—Zoken Matou.

In the process of constantly changing his physical body, his soul rotted and deteriorated, turning him into a monster who would stop at nothing to survive.

...If what Kenneth said is true.

The magician Aozaki Touko is truly capable of creating prosthetics (containers) that do not corrupt the soul.

Shirou gasped.

In the area of ​​"doll making" alone, she may have surpassed Morgan and Lady Avalon, reaching the realm of the third magic.

But now there's a problem.

Aozaki Touko seems to have disappeared and has not appeared in the public eye for many years.

Kenneth had met her several times when she was studying at the Clock Tower.

Later, Aozaki Touko returned to Japan, supposedly to fight her sister for the family fortune—but that was several years ago.

Aozaki Touko has always been unpredictable, and even with the Clock Tower Monarch's intelligence network, they still can't figure out where that person is.

Although he couldn't help Shirou contact Aozaki Touko, Kenneth pointed him to another path.

——Misaki City.

If we go there, we might be able to get more accurate information about Aozaki Touko.

Shirou immediately decided to take advantage of this holiday to visit Misaki City.

After explaining to everyone and preparing for a day, Shirou finally declined the offer of company and boarded the Shinkansen alone.

Misaki City is a newly developed city located on the outer edge of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Until ten years ago, this place was full of pastoral charm, with fields and forests everywhere, but after the mayor set a long-term plan, the city was rapidly modernized in just a few years.

It is said that there were many voices against development at the time, so the mayor said, "If other places all agree, then let's keep the places we want to preserve."

Today, Misaki City presents a unique urban landscape where one half is filled with modern high-rise buildings, while the other half still retains its natural features.

Shirou's destination is an isolated hill located in the center of the city.

The asphalt road stretched on and on, soon becoming obscured by dense forest, and then turned into a path resembling a mountain trail.

For a moment, Shirou felt as if he had traveled back hundreds of years, with only the vending machines placed on both sides of the road reminding him that he was still in modern Japan.

Shirou walked up the long road and eventually arrived at the huge mansion located on the mountaintop.

The mansion is comparable in size to the Amamiya residence, and its courtyard is far superior to Shirou's garden.

Tall iron fences stood all around, covered with thorny vines.

Despite the bright sunshine of the day, a sinister atmosphere pervaded the air, and Shirou recalled the vampire movie he had watched with Irisviel the previous night.

but--

It seems that it's not just a matter of "the atmosphere being somewhat similar"; a real witch lives in this mansion.

"Not all witches are as cute as Morgan; witches throughout human history seem to be mostly wicked old women with hooked noses..."

Shirou swallowed hard and rang the doorbell.

About two minutes later, the door was opened.

"........."

For a moment, Shirou thought that a doll would greet him when the door opened.

The girl had thick, short black hair and skin so white it was almost translucent.

Her face, so beautiful it seemed otherworldly, showed neither sorrow nor joy; one could not sense any human emotion in her.

Like a landscape painting, the girl has a dreamlike quality, as if she was born in this form from the very beginning.

"..."

With just one glance, Shirou concluded that she was indeed the real witch as rumored.

The girl, dressed in a black uniform that resembled a nun's robe, stared at Shirou with extremely cold eyes.

"A prank? Don't do that again."

The girl left those words behind and then turned to close the door and leave.

"..."

Although four years have passed, Shirou is only 12 years old now.

She must have mistaken me for a primary school student who heard rumors about a haunted house and came to explore, randomly ringing doorbells.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Kuonji Arisa?"

These words made the girl stop in her tracks.

The witch from the mansion turned around and scrutinized Shirou with a suspicious look.

"you are?"

Her tone was full of vigilance.

She probably switched from "young lady mode" to "magician mode" in an instant—she knew that in the world of magic, you can't judge someone's age by their appearance.

"My name is Amamiya Shirou."

"never heard of that."

"..."

The conversation could not proceed at all.

Shirou reluctantly stated his purpose directly, attempting to move the other party with sincerity.

"I want to find Ms. Aozaki Touko and ask her to make me a prosthetic limb."

I heard you are her friend, which is why I took the liberty of visiting you to ask for your advice…

"------"

The moment Shirou uttered the name "Aozaki Touko," the atmosphere around Kuonji Aratsuko changed drastically.

The lovely witch cast a fierce glance at her.

Shirou felt a jolt of realization: Had he said something wrong?

He forced himself to continue, "Ms. Aozaki Touko hasn't shown her face for many years. Do you know anything about her?"

After a long silence.

The witch of the mansion lowered her long eyelashes and spoke softly.

"Of course Orange can't show her face, because she's already dead—"

Eight years ago, she was murdered by her own sister.

Volume 2, Chapter 119: The Day the Witch Was Shot Down?

"...Ah this."

Shirou was somewhat dumbfounded.

On his way here, he imagined many scenarios, but he never expected that the person he was looking for was already dead.

They say he was killed eight years ago...

Eight years ago, in the first year of the Heisei era (1989)?

At that time, Shirou was only 4 years old.

"That's how it is... The Aozaki Touko you're looking for is dead."

I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing.

After saying that, Kuonji Yuju was about to close the door again.

"...Please wait a moment!"

Shirou reached out and grabbed the door frame.

"Feel sorry."

He noticed that Yuju Kuonji was frowning, so he quickly let go of her hand.

"May I come in and sit for a while?" Shirou asked with a smile.

"Why?" Kuonji Yuju asked, her expression displeased.

"It seems she's the same type as my Lyricalite, the kind who wears her anger on her sleeve," Shirou thought to himself.

"I came from Fuyuki City. I took the Shinkansen early this morning and then walked all the way here from the station."

Then it took almost half an hour to climb from the foot of the mountain to the top, so…”

Shirou said, "If it's alright, could I come inside and rest for a while?"

He wanted to add, "There isn't even a convenience store around here," but he wasn't sure if the witch in front of him knew what a convenience store was...

Kuonji Yuju looks like she just stepped out of the Middle Ages, with not a trace of modern atmosphere.

"........."

After Shirou explained the reason, Kuonji Yujuki stared at him coldly from the doorway for a long time.

"come in."

The girl said something softly, then left Shirou behind and walked into the house.

"excuse me."

Shirou took two steps at a time to catch up.

The mansion not only looked very dark from the outside, but the interior was also gray.

Perhaps it's the designer's quirk, but there are no lights from the entrance hall to the stairs.

The only source of light was the sunlight filtering through the high courtyard.

It's a bright and sunny day outside, but the room is gloomy. On a rainy day, it would probably be as dark as before nightfall.

But incredibly, Shirou really liked the house—it had a witch's house feel to it.

"Wow, what a wonderful house!"

He was even a little moved, looking around like a child.

"From the floor to the furnishings... they must all be quite old; you can feel the texture of history."

"Miss Yuzhu must take great care in maintaining this house, right?"

"Once you see it, you'll understand that preventing insects and moisture must be very hard work, it's really not easy."

"..."

Kuonji Yuju remained silent throughout, only nearly bumping into a corner as she turned the corner in the corridor.

Shirou was then led to the bright living room.

"Wow... what a huge TV! It must be at least 30 inches!"

My TV is only 21 inches; it was repaired after being towed back from a junkyard.

Kuonji Yuzu glanced at the direction of the TV: "This was left behind by my former roommate without permission."