"Halloween."
In the afternoon, during a break at the Clock Tower, Naoki and Waver sat under a tree.
"What about it? Naoki, why Halloween?"
"No, it's just that this is my first time seriously celebrating Halloween. I don't really understand what to do during Halloween—Ah, I know a few related activities, like kids going door-to-door for candy, or dressing up as ghosts to scare people, but if I had to do it myself…"
"Why not just do it? By the way, does Japan also celebrate Halloween?"
Mentioning that, Naoki couldn't help but sigh. "Rather than saying we celebrate Halloween, it's more accurate to say we use the excuse of 'Halloween' to hold large entertainment events and boost store sales."
Naoki didn't know about other places in Japan, but in Fuyuki City, although not very big, the city government did hold an event last year, mainly in Shinto, while the shopping district and Ryudou Temple collaborated to have fun.
Additionally, Homurahara Academy also held a festival using Halloween as a theme, but Naoki didn't participate at all. At the time, he was busy with part-time work.
Plus, Halloween in his previous life was just another day, so this is actually his first time seriously celebrating Halloween.
"Well, you don't need to feel burdened. After all, it's just a festival, so relax. Besides, I think the Halloween party Miss Mary mentioned this time is really just the four of us having a big meal in the apartment."
"I think so too, because our apartment's location… has no neighbors at all."
Naoki smiled resignedly. But that's also good. If there were too many people, Gray, who's still shy, might get scared and hide in her room, refusing to come out. If it's just the four of us, the atmosphere will definitely be more relaxed.
"But speaking of Halloween, Naoki, you should be careful that night." Waver suddenly said, "Although for ordinary people, Halloween is just a regular commemorative festival, for Magi, Halloween holds extraordinary significance."
"About the origins of Halloween, there are two common explanations. The first is that the ancient Celts celebrated the harvest with feasts, which eventually became a fixed tradition. The second is that according to legend, on the night before Halloween, various ghosts and demons appear in the human world, and the dead also emerge and roam around. Halloween is actually an activity to ward off ghosts."
Naoki narrowed his eyes. "So, on the night before Halloween, ghosts really do come out?"
Waver nodded. "But calling them ghosts isn't entirely accurate. More precisely, they're various kinds of 'fairies.' You must know about the existence of the Fairy Realm, another space located within the planet. Every time Halloween approaches, the conceptual barrier between the Fairy Realm and the real world becomes fragile for a while, similar to the tides."
"And taking advantage of this fragile period, some fairies lost in the Fairy Realm will come to the material world, and for various reasons, they'll cause big or small problems. The Clock Tower also gets busy every year around this time. Additionally, as you mentioned, ghosts… evil spirits or the like will indeed appear, because on Halloween, the boundary between life and death becomes blurred."
At this point, Waver sighed casually. "But that has nothing to do with me. With my combat abilities, it'll be a long time before I can handle problems caused by fairies."
"You really know your place."
Naoki smiled, though he touched his Mystic Eyes. "So, according to you, I should avoid wandering around lately. If something happens and my Mystic Eyes are discovered, it'll cause big trouble."
"Exactly. How about I give you a big assignment so you don't have time to go out during Halloween?"
"Get lost, you Spartan teacher!"
Naoki immediately smacked Waver's head in annoyance.
And as the two were discussing Halloween—
*DING-DING-DONG!*
The urgent sound of the bell echoed through the Clock Tower.
After a brief pause, Naoki and Waver immediately stood up.
"It's time for class. Seriously, can't the break be any longer?"
"Stop complaining, hurry to class."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, 'Teacher.'"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time.
The streets of London, at a certain intersection.
Morgan was dressed in very modern clothing, styling herself like a beautiful young girl, blending into the crowd and observing her surroundings.
"It's truly built magnificently, London. Compared to this, even Camelot at its peak was far less developed than now."
"If you see Britain so prosperous, will you still hold onto that naive thought? Artoria."
Thinking of that, Morgan couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it's still too early to meet her again. I'll patiently wait a few more years. What's more important now is that boy's matter."
As she said that, Morgan recalled the scene of Naoki jumping out of the car a year ago.
Although it was just a moment, Morgan did see a light similar to Artoria's in Naoki—He should have been a hero. If only he hadn't been born in this era, but in the past, he should have been a hero whose name was etched into history.
Someone with such talent, if buried by the times, is truly a pity. So Morgan wanted to try.
Just as Merlin did with Artoria in the past, Morgan also wanted to try, to see if she could train Naoki into a 'Hero,' to fully mature the young heroic light she saw in him a year ago.
"By the way, it's almost Halloween… What perfect timing."
Thinking that, Morgan looked up and saw a large screen in the distance displaying the weather forecast for the next few days—In the coming week, there will be three or four days of thunderstorms.
"Halloween, thunderstorms, crossroads, fairies… Hehehe, seems like it can be arranged. It's also a good chance to see how much that boy has grown since the Blackmore incident."