Sitting in the car on the way to Ryougi's house, Kurotogi Kan'ya remained silent.

The rain outside the window had stopped, but there was still a chilly breath coming in through the slightly opened window.

Since three years ago, he particularly hated winter.

Because this is the season when he lost Shiki.

He couldn't help but recall the last time he saw Shiki before he fell into a coma.

"——I want to kill you."

The girl in a red dress said this and stabbed him in the throat with a dagger.

It was a merciless blow.

Even now, Kurotogi Kan'ya understood this. If it weren't for the man who suddenly jumped out and kicked Shiki from the side, he would really die in Shiki's hands.

However,

Shiki, who was stopped, did not attack him again after all, but chose to rush towards the bright headlights in front of him.

Even though so much time has passed, he still felt incomparable pain when he recalled that moment.

There is no way that anything

can surpass the sadness at that time. Even when Shiki suddenly disappeared, Kurotogi Kan'ya only thought about how to find him.

"We're here."

Aozaki Orange's voice and the sound of the wheels stopping pulled Kuroto Kan'ya back from his memories.

In front of him was the entrance to Ryougi's house.

Just like three years ago, the quiet road seemed to swallow up everyone who entered, but when he thought that this was Shiki's residence, Kuroto Kan'ya had nothing to fear.

He followed Miss Orange and walked forward, thinking about what to say when he saw Shiki's parents and what to say when he saw Shiki, and he began to get nervous again.

In the end, the words he had thought of now were meaningless.

Because when Ryougi Shiki suddenly appeared in front of him, his mind was blank.

There were two people standing in the bamboo forest on the side of the road.

The dark night made it impossible to see their faces clearly, but the familiar voice of the girl kept drilling into his mind.

"When I was a teenager, I often cut bamboo here for fun." Shiki seemed to be introducing something to another person, "Because things at home can't be destroyed at will, here, it doesn't matter how you cut, huh? There are still traces here, and the others have grown again..."

This is Ori.

Listening to the cheerful voice, Kurogiri Kan'ya confirmed this in his heart.

"Someone is coming."

Along with a deep male voice, a soft halo appeared out of thin air, and the dark environment suddenly became bright.

And Kurogiri Kan'ya finally saw that person.

Porcelain-like skin, deep black eyes, and neutral appearance, all of this has not changed, but the messy short hair that was left to the shoulders has become smooth long hair, simply tied at the neck.

"Shiki..."

Kurogiri Kan'ya's throat could only spit out this one word.

"I am Ori." The girl had a hearty smile on her face, "Long time no see, Kurogiri Kan'ya."

"Long time no see."

Kurogiri Kan'ya stretched out his hand and pinched his thigh hard in a place where no one could see, and then he got rid of the indescribable emotion.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart .

Fortunately, it was Ori in front of him.

If it was Shiki, there would be no way to behave as usual.

"You seem to have changed a lot." Zhi glanced at Aozaki Touko beside him, and his eyes seemed to light up, "Is this your lover?"

"No, it's my boss." Kuroto Kan replied very straightforwardly.

"Is this?" Zhi seemed a little disappointed, then put his arm around Shen He and pulled him over, "This is me, no, it's Shiki's lover."

"..." Kuroto Kan did not speak either.

I don't know if it was because he couldn't speak because the thing he had guessed long ago was confirmed, or because of the powerlessness that surged in his heart.

He had never expressed his love for his friend named Ryougi Shiki. He

was the indirect culprit who caused Ryougi Shiki to fall into a deep sleep.

I don't know what to say, especially in the face of Ryougi Shiki's smiling face, even the blessing that should have been said out of politeness can't be said.

"Are you Chinese?"

Aozaki Touko beside him lit a cigarette and walked out of the shadow of the halo.

"......Shen He." Shen He stretched out his hand to her, a little surprised. "How did you guess it?"

"Aozaki Orange."

The woman in the orange coat shook hands with Shen He gently. Her palm was very strong. Except for the slender bones and soft skin, it didn't look like a woman's hand at all.

"Because I lived in that country for a while. Although we are of the same race, we can still see a lot of differences." Aozaki Orange asked casually, "Although there are many exorcist families in China, there are no Shens. I wonder which family you belong to?"

"I don't have a master." Shen He's mouth twitched slightly, "I was just an ordinary person in the past."

Shen He regretted being careless. He should have been prepared.

Although this world is not the world of Altria, it belongs to the Type-Moon system after all. This

can be seen from the previous Holy Grail War.

Most of the participating magicians have their own heritage and origins. After all, this is a world that inherits magic in the form of "magic imprints". Magicians without origins are basically weak.

"Oh?"

Aozaki Touko's lips curled up into a gentle smile, but it made Kuroto Kaneko, who was familiar with her, feel a chill down her spine.

"In the past, it meant ordinary, which means you are not an ordinary person now."

"That's right." Shen He was a little confused about her thoughts.

During this period, Aozaki Touko should have lived a life of anonymity and self-degradation. She met Kuroto Mikiya, an ordinary person, purely because of fate, and she left quietly after the murder ghost incident.

Thinking in this way, she should not interfere too much in the affairs between Ryougi Shiki and Kuroto Mikiya.

"Do you know what happened in this city recently?" Aozaki Touko asked.

"Are you referring to the murder ghost incident?" Shen He didn't know why the other party suddenly asked this.

"That's right." Aozaki Touko shrugged, "This pitiful silly boy in my company seems to be involved, but the information he has found out seems to be related to Shiki." What Aozaki Touko

thought was actually very simple.

Even as a top puppeteer, she couldn't see the depth of the person in front of her. If the other party didn't want to say anything, it would be nice to test him with an incident.

Moreover, it was a pity that she emphasized the word "pitiful".

Is she going to stand up for Kuroto Mikiya?

Shen He thought for a while and understood what the other party meant. After all, his behavior could be regarded as stealing someone's love.

In this case...

"Reinhard."

Shen He called out this name.

The knight with an admirable demeanor appeared beside him in an instant. His handsome face with fiery red hair and clear blue eyes made it difficult for people to take their eyes off him. His upright posture and correct sight made people appreciate his cultivation and dignity like an ancient noble. But

such a young man knelt on one knee with a sword in his hand.

"My Lord."

Even such a humble move seemed to be a matter of course for Reinhard to do, and it would not make people despise him even a little.

During this period, he learned a lot from the books that Shen He gave him.

Although there are some things that he cannot do as a knight, he is no longer confused and is full of confidence in saving his country.

Similarly, he is grateful to his master Shen He.

"In this city, there is a gangster who enjoys killing people." Shen He raised his hand and pointed slightly in a direction, "Bring him here, don't involve irrelevant people."

"Yes, my Lord--"

Without asking the reason, nor asking more, just obeying the absolute order, Reinhard's figure disappeared silently. Only

Aozaki Orange could sense the huge pressure brought by the other party.

There was unparalleled determination and confidence in that humble look, and she had only felt such pressure from her grandfather who was the fifth magician.

——What a great man.

"Since you have made a decision, let's wait quietly for good news." Aozaki Orange sighed in her heart, glanced at Zhi again, and then prepared to leave.

However, Kuroto Kan'ye did not move.

"Although it is a very rude request." He gritted his teeth and bowed suddenly, "I want to meet with Heshiki."

"..." Shen He patted Zhi's shoulder gently.

"What?" Zhi seemed a little unhappy, "I finally got to come out once."

Although she said this, she still switched her personality. She only lost her consciousness for a moment, and her temperament changed.

Zhi fell into a deep sleep. Now it was Shiki who stood in front of everyone.

"I'm out." Shiki looked at Kurogiri Kan'ya calmly, "Do you have anything to say?"

"Yes!" Kurogiri Kan'ya's body trembled slightly, and he kept bowing without raising his head, "I'm sorry!"

"......Is that what you want to say?" Shiki's voice was a little low.

Shen He, who was familiar with her, understood that this meant that she was not very happy now.

"Yes!" Kurogiri Kan'ya seemed to be unable to notice it at all, "Three years ago, because of me..."

"That was not your reason at all, it was just my own choice." Shiki interrupted the other party rudely, and the corner of his mouth seemed to be curled with a sneer, "Don't you understand? As a murderer, I want to get the warmth of ordinary people from you. This is ridiculous."

It was probably because Zhi had returned.

Shiki now can probably experience some of the emotions of that time.

The will that can only be fulfilled by killing people, and the will that does not want to abandon the warmth of ordinary people, the two keep killing each other.

But the sharp contradiction at that time, now seems a little ridiculous.

Extraordinary people also have extraordinary warmth. She fights and lives with Shen He. She does not have to be contradictory about her own murderous tendencies, nor does she have to be lonely because she is away from ordinary people. Those "partners" are not the same kind of killers, but they are also extraordinary companions who try to enjoy the warmth of ordinary people.

Shen He's side is where she should be.

"But..."

Kurotogi Kan'ya raised his head suddenly, as if he wanted to say something.

But Aozaki Touko's hand was on his shoulder.

"Go back."

A simple sentence, but it suppressed Kurotogi Kan'ya's words.

In the end, he could only look at Ryougi Shiki deeply and turn around lonely.

The two stood together, looking at their backs, Kurotogi Kan'ya really realized that the distance between him and Shiki from this moment on became unprecedentedly far away.

"Silly boy." Aozaki Touko's palm was still on Kuroto Mikiya's body, as if this could give him some comfort, "Once the valve of the taboo is opened, there is no going back. Ryougi Shiki has completely abandoned her identity as an ordinary person. Now she is in a different world from you."

"..." Kuroto Mikiya didn't say anything either.

He didn't quite understand what Aozaki Touko meant, because in his opinion, Shiki's appearance was not far away from ordinary people, but closer.

Even the daunting coldness between her eyebrows has dissipated a lot.

She is not a murderer at all.

Even now, Kurogiri Kanye is very convinced of this.

"Miss Orange." He suddenly stopped, "I want to go somewhere."

"�G——" Aozaki Orange made a helpless sound, but finally said, "Okay, today I will accompany you, a silly boy who has lost love."

"Thank you." Kurogiri Kanye showed some gratitude.

Since he met Miss Orange by chance a year ago, she has taught him a lot.

Magic, ghosts, alchemy...many ordinary people may never be able to touch the truth of the world. These things did not make him obsessed, but made him feel that he was close to some kind of world.

Finally, under the guidance of Kurogiri Kanye, the car came to an industrial area surrounded by the sea.

There is a wooden apartment that is almost a ruin.

"Is this the result of your investigation during this period?" Aozaki Orange looked around, "It is indeed a place where inhuman things like to stay."

"Most of the victims who died recently are related to a new drug. This is where the seller of the new drug lives." Kurogiri Kanye narrated the results of his investigation in a calm tone at considerable risk.

"Even if I don't come with you, you plan to explore this place by yourself, right?" Aozaki Touko lit a cigarette and inhaled it mixed with the damp and decayed smell.

This silly subordinate of hers had no talent for practicing magic, but he was surprisingly sensitive in intelligence gathering, especially in finding people.

However, the things he was involved in were becoming more and more dangerous.

Kuroto Mikiya did not reply, pretending not to hear him and stepped into the abandoned apartment. Every room was locked, and it seemed that no one was here.

"This one."

Aozaki Touko went straight to the room in the corner of the second floor, stretched out her hand and easily broke the door lock of the room.

Kuroto Mikiya's lips moved.

Forget it, now is not the time to deal with such trivial matters.