During the Holy Grail War, no matter how close friends were before, once the war began, they were enemies—this was generally the most logical mindset and the correct course of action.
However, for Naoki and his group, there was no reason to follow that.
"I didn't expect to run into Kouhai-kun here—what a coincidence."
Aoko casually sat next to Naoki, taking up two seats alongside Merry, and immediately wrapped her arm around his neck. "You came to Japan without telling me. Were you trying to surprise me?"
"I haven't even had the chance to ask about your return first. You came back without saying a word—at least let us know."
"It's because I had some business here; it's not a big deal. By the way, where are Gray and the others? It's rare for you two to be apart."
"Take a guess."
Seeing Naoki start to play riddles, Aoko couldn't help but smile. "Alright, so you're getting playful now?"
"Takes one to know one." Naoki said, glancing behind Aoko. Though he couldn't see it, he could feel a gaze constantly watching him.
(Aoko's Servant is Scathach… I'm a bit surprised she's targeting me.)
Scathach had her sights on him, likely for two reasons: either she saw Naoki's potential as a fighter, or she felt he could kill her.
[You're already booked by her, you vixen, and yet so many women are still drawn to you.]
(You call this women's charm? Then aren't you the same?)
[Hmph, be careful, or all the women around you will tear you apart.]
Manaka's jab made Naoki smile wryly. Across the table, seeing the rather good—almost intimate—relationship between her student and her younger sister, Touko couldn't help but frown. "Naoki, since when did you and Aoko get so close?"
"Well… Oh, Sensei doesn't know yet." Naoki said while placing another large piece of steak on Artoria's plate. "For the past five years, I was in a parallel world. About six months after arriving there, I ran into some trouble. At the time, Merry predicted I might die in that incident, so she asked Aoko to come help me."
"Since neither the Princess nor the Noble could be reached, we had to rely on Aoko, the third most dependable—here, Lia, ahhh~"
Seeing the meat offered to her mouth, Artoria felt it was a bit impolite to be fed like that, but with food right in front of her, not eating it would be a waste. So, she decisively took a big bite.
(Being fed like this… Lia as a little pet is just adorable!)
"Hey, Naoki, this succubus."
"Not used to her yet, Sensei?" Naoki replied with a wry smile. "Well, after that, Aoko stayed there with me and Gray. She only recently came back on her own without telling us."
Living together there for four years?
Touko's gaze toward Aoko grew colder.
"Though it seems unlikely… Aoko, you didn't do anything outrageous, did you?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because you always have those borderline criminal ideas, don't you?"
"Touko, you dare talk to me like that?" Aoko glared at her older sister. "Outrageous things… if you push it, I guess there's nothing like that. Besides, I was traveling every day there. The time I actually spent with Kouhai-kun was probably only about six months."
This statement was half-true, half-false. The latter part was true—Aoko indeed didn't spend much time with Naoki. Most of her time was spent traveling. Every time she returned, she'd stay for a week before leaving again, making people wonder if she was an untamable stray cat.
But the first part was a complete lie.
The real situation could be directly asked of the biggest victim, Manaka, the spirit in the background. Every time Aoko returned, she suffered the most. Afterward, whenever Aoko came back, Manaka would consciously shut herself up.
Hearing Aoko's words, Touko felt relieved. If something had happened between her sister and her student, that relationship would be impossible to describe—but then again, her sister was already a thirty-year-old "auntie" with a reckless personality. Who would be interested in her?
"By the way, Touko-sensei, Shiki, how are Angelica and Pandora doing?" Naoki suddenly asked. "I mean the two dolls I sent you."
"Pandora was killed by Shiki. Angelica is in my workshop. She's a doll herself, so I want to study her."
Was Pandora really killed?
Naoki pursed his lips. Though they had lived together for four years, Pandora… How to put it, Pandora had long lost all her emotions. She never spoke or actively interacted with others. Aside from assisting with Naoki's research, she usually just stared blankly in her room.
Like a lifeless doll.
(Well, her wish was to be killed. That kind of ending was probably what she always prayed for.)
"Sensei, you haven't dismantled Angelica, have you? I quite like her, so please be careful."
Touko waved her hand. "No need to worry about that—you know my expertise… By the way, this is quite an unfunny situation."
"What do you mean?"
"The three of us are Masters in the Holy Grail War, but now we're gathered at the same table, eating, with no tension of war at all."
After Touko said this, Naoki and Aoko realized it too, and both gave wry smiles.
"I just reflexively greeted you guys when I saw you—I didn't think about that part. Speaking of the Holy Grail War, there's something I've always wanted to ask Aoko and Sensei. You two aren't the type to be interested in the Holy Grail, so why did you suddenly decide to participate?"
As soon as this question came up, Merry, who was feeding Artoria, froze and quickly signaled to Touko and Aoko.
Seeing Merry's reaction, the two sisters, who were about to blurt out their reasons, paused.
(She doesn't want it revealed?)
(This Merry, still keeping it a secret even now?)
"Huh? What's wrong with you two?" Seeing them not answering, Naoki couldn't help but ask in confusion. Was it a difficult question to answer?
"Stomachache?"
"No, you're right, the reason… maybe because I had nothing else to do?" Touko laughed. "Garan no Dou has been open for a while. I wanted to find something else to do, and since I got a Command Spell on the back of my hand, I decided to come here."
Joining the Holy Grail War out of boredom?
"Sensei, you're really that bored. What about Aoko?"
"Hmm… I'm going to the restroom first. I'll tell you when I get back."
"Huh?"
Before Naoki could show his confusion, Touko and Merry also stood up.
"Me too."
"I drank too much earlier."
What was originally a lively table of six was suddenly down to three.
Naoki sat in his place, blinking.
"Shiki… do you women always go to the restroom in groups?"
"I don't."
"Master, I'm done eating. I want to get another serving—no, ten servings."
Artoria seemed completely oblivious to the situation.