"Have I changed that much?"
'Way too much—practically a different person.'
Two years ago, she couldn't have pictured the stiff, cold research maniac she'd known sitting across from her, casually eating fries. To put it bluntly, he seemed like an entirely different person now.
'Such a drastic change….had something happened to him?'
She knew about the unfortunate deaths of his parents, the former heads of the Crowley family. She even had insider details others didn't. At the time, she'd been in the same region, also targeting that powerful Phantasmal Species. Unlike the Clock Tower's team, though, she'd acted alone, without mercenaries or backup magi.
Using specialized tracking methods, the Clock Tower's group, including Alex's parents, had located the legendary creature first and tried to capture it. The outcome was predictable: modern magecraft, weakened and diminished, stood no chance against a top-tier Phantasmal Species steeped in thousands of years of mystery. The hunters became the hunted, and the entire team was wiped out. Touko herself had retrieved his parents' bodies from the primeval forest and returned them to the Clock Tower.
That's how she'd first connected with the Crowley family and Alex.
"…I see. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing. You could say it's the growth I've gone through," Alex said calmly. He carried the memories of those events but never brought them up himself.
"Your growth is ridiculous, like you've swapped personalities," Touko quipped, her words sharp yet insightful. Noticing he was dodging the topic, she decided not to dig deeper.
She suspected he might have adjusted his personality, much like she had, but that was his business, not hers. Magi always had their secrets, prying without permission was akin to declaring war, no matter how close they were.
With enough trouble already, she didn't want to alienate one of the few people willing to help her despite her Sealing Designation. Still, she couldn't help wondering why a Clock Tower noble like him would leave his mansion to come here.
Her eyes narrowed playfully as she stretched out a hand. "What, did you hear your senior's been strapped for cash and came to bail me out?"
"If you'd pay back the materials you borrowed from me, I might consider helping you more," Alex shot back, swatting her outstretched hand away with a scowl.
"Stingy…" Touko muttered, retracting her hand. She reached for a cigarette but stopped when he pointed to the no-smoking sign nearby. Sighing, she grabbed another fry instead.
"Alright, enough joking. You didn't call me out here just to share fries, right?"
"Obviously not."
"Then spill it. What's so urgent that you came all the way to Japan to find me? Need a custom puppet for something specific, or are you in some kind of mess? Come on, tell your senior, give me something to laugh about."
'This woman… Even after years on the run, her personality is as infuriating as ever. Can't the Enforcers pick up the pace?' Alex thought, a vein pulsing on his forehead as he watched her smug, teasing grin.
But she was right, he did need her help.
Without further ado, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a bank card, and slid it across the table. "There's five million in here, password 777777. That should be enough to hire you for one job."
Touko stared at the card, momentarily stunned. "Heh, do you think I'm that cheap? Five million to brush me off? Who do you think I am? I'm—"
Despite her protests, she swiftly pocketed the card.
"British pounds," Alex clarified.
"…Oh. Well, that makes sense. I knew my dear junior wouldn't let me work for free!"
With the card secured, her smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum, her tone turning syrupy sweet.
'Senior, just how desperate are you for money?!' Alex thought, exasperated by her shamelessness.
"So, what do you need me to do? For the sake of pounds, I'll take the job."
Her demeanor shifted to serious now that payment was settled. Alex nodded, scanned the room for prying eyes, and cast a spell to repel bystanders. Leaning in, he lowered his voice to a whisper only they could hear.
"Senior Aozaki, have you heard of the Holy Grail War?"
'Holy Grail War…'
"A little," Touko replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully. After a moment, she pieced together what she knew. "It's some magical ritual cooked up by the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families, tied to summoning Heroic Spirits.."
"Good. Knowing that much is enough. As expected of the current [Grand] Puppet Master," Alex praised.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere. What's this about the Holy Grail War?" She gave him a sidelong glance.
"My request is simple: I want you to investigate the Einzbern family and find out who or at least what class, the Heroic Spirit they summoned in the Third Holy Grail War was. You don't need to dig up their True Name, just the class will do."
Alex had resolved to participate in the upcoming Holy Grail War. To prepare, he needed solid intelligence. He suspected this world line might not match his prior knowledge, given the myriad parallel worlds in the Type-Moon universe—each with its own quirks, from Merlin's gender to the state of the Holy Grail itself.
Over the past two years, he'd gathered some details, Kiritsugu Emiya marrying into the Einzberns, the Matou family's declining magecraft, the Tohsakas having two daughters, the Fourth Holy Grail War approaching but nothing beyond what he already knew. Nothing useful.
That's why he'd sought out Touko, his highly capable senior, to uncover the truth of the Third Holy Grail War. Specifically, he needed to know what the Einzberns had summoned: a standard Heroic Spirit, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, or the troublesome Angra Mainyu. The answer would shape his strategy.
Noticing his bare hand, Touko asked, "Are you a Master in this Holy Grail War?"
"Sort of," Alex nodded. "Not officially yet, but I know how to obtain Command Seals and join the fight."
"Fair enough," she said. "Guess it's not a bad excuse to stretch my legs. I've been curious about the Einzberns' homunculus tech for a while—this is a good chance to see it up close."
She popped the last fry into her mouth, stood up, and strode off briskly. Before leaving, she tossed a warning over her shoulder. "Be careful, though. My gut says this ritual's not as simple as it seems. Don't screw up."
"Huh? Is that concern I hear, Senior?" Alex blinked, surprised.
"Call it that. If you die, I'll have no one left to mooch off."
"You…"
Watching her retreating figure, Alex shook his head helplessly. 'She's like the wind….impossible to pin down.'
He glanced at his pocket watch, then out at the snow-dusted, gray city. 'Hope she finds something useful. Next, I just need one more person for intel.'
The Holy Grail War loomed ahead—a prospect that, despite everything, filled him with anticipation.
Standing up, he grabbed his still-warm briefcase and stepped out into the cityscape.