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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Touko Aozaki

Yubashiri: a black-lacquered ō-katana with an irregular, short-cross-section edge and an ornate scabbard—one of the fifty Ryo Wazamono.

'Feels like home.' She hefted the blade. yubashiri had been her first real sword in One Piece, the one she wielded longest. Her original navy-issued blade had shattered in the West Blue; unable to afford better, she'd bought yubashiri.

'Time to test the edge.' Blood-lust glinted in her dark eyes, a fierce smile on her lips.

'Only two points? Useless.' She flicked blood from the steel. At her feet lay two corpses—her mother and stepfather.

Killing them stirred nothing in her; she was Fujino, yet not Fujino.

yubashiri vanished into system storage—an ability that had once let her hoard food and never fear running out at sea.

She looted the house for cash, changed clothes—women's garments were softer; no wonder her old world had cross-dressers.

Task done, she left the reeking house, bought a map, and headed for Misaki City. Whether the events of Magician's Night had begun or not, she had to go; the system had issued the order.

Misaki was a short bus ride away. Looking like a child, she nearly got taken to the police; a hundred-point mass hypnosis let her board. Had killing not risked halting the bus she'd have slaughtered them all.

Coming from lawless seas to the rule-bound Type-Moon World grated; again and again she reached for her blade, then remembered blood no longer flowed every day.

'Hah... maybe I'm not me anymore.' Watching buildings flash past, she mocked herself. The endless killing in One Piece had erased the person she had been; now she lived as someone her past self would never have imagined.

"Hmm?" A lone figure caught Asagami Fujino's eye—a beautiful woman with short orange hair, green dress, and glasses, striking enough to draw every gaze. Yet no one stood near her; she sat in isolation like someone the world had forgotten.

"Magecraft? How interesting. To think I'd meet her here—Aozaki Touko. In that case, the events of Witch on the Holy Night must be about to begin." Fujino's jet-black eyes studied the distant Touko with open curiosity. Without magecraft cloaking her, men would already have lined up to speak with such a beauty.

Fujino's undisguised scrutiny soon drew Touko's attention. The moment their eyes met, Touko's body went rigid.

It was a gaze more crimson than fresh blood. Touko felt herself plunged into a world forged entirely from gore, a terrifying, pure murderous intent wrapping around the insignificant existence called Aozaki Touko.

"Impossible!" The ever-composed Touko's face drained of color, the mana within her shuddering wildly.

"How many people has she killed?!" She dared not meet Fujino's stare again; being surrounded by that killing intent was simply too frightening.

"Interesting." Fujino was suddenly seated opposite her. "To think I'd run into you here."

"Who exactly are you?!" Though Fujino looked like a mere child, Touko was convinced she faced an ancient monster who had lived who-knew-how-many years.

Every thought in Touko's mind was audible to Fujino. With peerless Observation Haki—perfected through the System—she could hear all things, glimpse the immediate future, and peer into hearts. The ability wasn't absolute; if the target's mental strength surpassed hers it would fail and even rebound.

"I'm no old monster, and I can hear what you're thinking," Fujino said flatly. Having lived far longer than Touko, she felt no irritation at the label.

Learning that her surface thoughts were exposed made Touko tense even more.

"Relax. I have no interest in the tedious secrets inside you. I don't pry at will, so rest easy." She hadn't even activated Observation Haki; long life meant she could read people without looking.

"Understood. May I ask why you have sought me out?" Calming herself, Touko asked cautiously, still wary.

"There is something I need your help with." Fujino studied her. She had wondered how to solve the problem—then fortune delivered Touko, saving her a tidy sum of points.

"What might that be?" The childish appearance clashed with the adult tone, leaving Touko unsettled.

Fujino spoke evenly: "I need you to open my Magic Circuits."

"Eh?!"

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