To Become a King and a Magician

At a coffee shop near Tokyo Station.

With Mordred seated at another table, Naoki and Ayaka sat across from each other by the window.

Looking at the girl in front of him, Naoki was honestly filled with surprise.

(Is she really here?)

Sajyou Ayaka.

Naoki didn't yet know the state of this world, but from what he understood, in other parallel worlds, Ayaka was Manaka's younger sister and the former Master of Arthur, essentially the first heroine of Type-Moon.

Meeting Ayaka was beyond Naoki's expectations. Although Rin had mentioned a temporary change in supervisor before he came to Tokyo, she hadn't specified who it would be. Naoki had figured it was only for two days, so it didn't matter who it was, and he hadn't asked further.

(I didn't expect it to be your sister… Now that I look closely, you two do share some similarities.)

[...]

Manaka didn't respond. Since Ayaka appeared, it was as if Arcueid had silenced her, and she hadn't made a sound.

Fortunately, Naoki was used to her sudden appearances, so he quickly shifted his attention back to Ayaka.

As he observed her, Ayaka was also observing Naoki.

(This is the Magus feared by the Mage's Association and the Church?)

In the past half-month, after learning that Naoki would be coming to Tokyo, Ayaka had gathered a lot of information about him from Ciel. Additionally, during the temporary handover with Rin earlier, she had been told a few things about him, so Ayaka felt she already knew him fairly well.

First, as the information suggested, he was an exceptionally handsome man. If he auditioned for a TV show, he'd likely win by a landslide. Even now, Ayaka found it hard to meet his gaze—under the midday sunlight, his eyes seemed to sparkle, almost too dazzling.

Second, according to Rin, despite being a monster capable of easily bringing down the moon and defeating Servants decisively, Naoki was actually easy to talk to. He wouldn't trouble others or act recklessly. At most, he might occasionally do strange things on a whim.

(I remember the supervision tips Tohsaka Rin gave me were…)

Setting down her coffee cup, Ayaka said to Naoki, "Natsukawa-sama, regarding the supervision… Can we follow the same method as Tohsaka-san?"

"Rin's method… Oh, you mean calling me every day?"

"Yes. Tohsaka-san said that's sufficient. Besides, I don't have much time with all my responsibilities, so I can't constantly monitor you."

Initially, Ayaka had considered asking Naoki to follow her around so she could handle her tasks while keeping an eye on him.

But that was clearly unrealistic—she couldn't expect someone else to comply with her schedule.

To Ayaka's relief, Naoki nodded simply. "Alright, I'm only in Tokyo for two days anyway. I know how the Mage's Association and the Church view me, so I'll try my best not to cause you any trouble."

"Huh~"

(Just as Tohsaka Rin said, he's indeed easy to talk to.)

"Here's my phone number. You can call or message me anytime today. If possible, please avoid late at night." Ayaka wrote her number on a memo on the table and handed it to Naoki.

"Why? Got plans at night?"

Ayaka nodded slightly. "Some matters… Lately, there have been frequent spiritual incidents in Tokyo. To avoid affecting the public, I handle them at night."

Spiritual incidents?

Naoki recalled the strange sensation he felt on the Shinkansen.

(Is it related?)

Frowning slightly, Naoki asked, "Are you handling them alone?"

"There's one colleague from the Church. Between the two of us, we can generally resolve everything."

"No one else?"

Ayaka shook her head. "It's been a long time since any Magi came to Tokyo. A few years ago, local Magus families began to weaken one by one, and this place has slowly become a desert in the mystic world. Now, in all of Tokyo, aside from me, there's only the Church when it comes to magic-related matters."

All of Tokyo with just two people in the magical world? And Ayaka as the only Magus?

What kind of situation was this?

Was Tokyo in this parallel world really like this?

(No, no, no. Even with differences in parallel worlds, an entire city with just one true Magus is too… And based on her words—)

"Sorry to ask, Miss Ayaka, do you have an older sister?"

"Older sister? You know my sister?" Ayaka was slightly surprised. "My sister passed away eight years ago."

"…"

"Huh?"

After a brief silence, Naoki couldn't help but let out a shocked exclamation.

Manaka in this world was dead? What kind of new-century joke was this? According to records, there had never been a Holy Grail War in this Tokyo, meaning Manaka never met Arthur—so how did she die?

"Are you acquainted with my sister?"

"Uh… Sort of. The prodigy of the Sajyou family—I've heard of her."

"I see, that was a long time ago. Besides, my sister only studied Magecraft for half a year. After she turned ten, she never touched Magecraft again."

Ayaka's tone carried a hint of nostalgia. Unlike her, her sister was a true genius. She could master any Magecraft system quickly. Not long after starting to learn magic, she had surpassed their father. Someone like her could probably never catch up to her sister's footsteps in a lifetime. Even now, Ayaka didn't feel her mastery of black magic had caught up to her sister's.

*DING-DONG—!*

The sound of a bell came from outside the window.

Packing her things, Ayaka stood up. "Well, I have classes at school this afternoon, so I'll head off. If you need help, feel free to contact me, and I'll do my best to assist you."

"Alright—be careful on your way to school."

"Huh?"

Naoki's sudden remark caught Ayaka off guard. Realizing his mistake, Naoki quickly waved his hand. "Sorry, I say that to my little sister every day when she goes to school. It just slipped out…"

"I see, you're really a good big brother. Well then, see you later. I'll cover the coffee."

Ayaka grabbed her school bag and left quickly–

Taking a sip from his coffee cup, Naoki pursed his lips, tapped his chest, then stood and approached Mordred. "Alright, Mordred, let's go."

"Huh? Where to?"

"I was planning to go to Akihabara, but I've changed my mind. We're going to the highest place in Japan."