Five days had passed.
Daylight spread over Fuyuki City and its surroundings.
During that time, besides gathering various information about the prospective Masters in the yet-to-begin Holy Grail War and the state of the city, Kuro also made a habit of checking in with the system every day.
Some of the rewards he received were… quite interesting.
First, five hundred thousand gold coins.
Second, a box containing one thousand low-purity gems.
Third, a box containing seven hundred mid-purity gems.
Fourth, a box containing three hundred high-purity gems.
Fifth, another five hundred thousand gold coins.
At present, all of these items were neatly stored within the Gate of Babylon.
Kuro was fairly certain that all of them could later be used as materials for magecraft, especially the gems.
Even so, for now, he hadn't studied the basics of magecraft at all.
Yet on the other hand, the very existence of these items made him think.
At first, he had thought the Gate of Babylon was given because he was in danger.
But now…
"…More like a warehouse, huh."
He drew a simple conclusion.
Most likely, the system had given him that ability so he would have a place to store all the rewards from his daily logins.
Besides that, over the past five days, Kuro had also gotten into the habit of using both the Gate of Babylon and the Sharingan.
From that practice, he began to understand how the two abilities worked.
Each Gate opened consumed two OD points.
Every time he launched something as a projectile, one OD was used.
If a damaged item was returned to the Gate, it would be repaired at the cost of one OD.
Even so, Kuro was fairly certain that the one-OD repair cost applied only to items of lesser value.
As for the Sharingan, using it consumed one OD every ten seconds, with an additional one OD for each relatively simple hypnosis.
With a total OD currently amounting to only twenty, he was well aware that he couldn't use these abilities carelessly.
He had to be truly efficient.
But for now, he set all of that aside.
Kuro was currently in the forest, sitting on a fallen log.
In front of him, he reopened and read through the status skill list he possessed.
__________________
> Special Abilities:
• Sharingan (1 Tomoe)
Description:
A dōjutsu that allows the user to perceive and understand movements and energy with high precision. The Sharingan can read an opponent's actions, predict movements in a short time, and instantly analyze attack patterns.
This eye also grants the ability to copy techniques within the limits of the body's compatibility, as well as create illusions to manipulate the perception and awareness of a target.
• Gate of Babylon
Description:
A Treasury-type Noble Phantasm that functions as a personal interdimensional vault with limitless capacity.
The user can summon or launch stored objects instantly as attacks in unlimited quantities.
All stored items become the user's absolute property; without permission, no one else can access them. Furthermore, each object can be restored to its optimal condition when returned to the vault.
> Passive Abilities:
• None
> Active Abilities:
• None
__________________
After reviewing the information about the Gate of Babylon and the Sharingan, he closed the display.
Kuro stretched his right hand forward.
The space around him rippled, forming a gray-colored Gate.
In the next instant, a branch shot out like a projectile.
JRASK…!!!
A tree in front of him was pierced, shattered, and immediately toppled to the ground.
"The destructive power is really impressive…" he murmured softly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He paused for a moment, his mind moving quickly.
"…But," he continued, "just branches and rocks won't be enough to survive the Fifth Holy Grail War."
His gaze narrowed slightly.
"Even if I try to ask for protection from the overseers… Kirei is there."
He exhaled quietly.
"That's not a good option…"
Kuro pinched the bridge of his nose, though he didn't really feel a headache.
"Having amazing abilities but a thin fuel supply is really frustrating…"
He then reached into the still-open Gate, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter.
He placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it.
Thin smoke rose slowly, blending with the surrounding air.
He inhaled it slowly, then exhaled.
"Let's see," he said flatly, "if the daily system check-in gave ammo, missiles, rockets, or nukes instead… way more useful than gold and gems."
He took another slow drag of his cigarette.
"Well… whatever."
He gazed up at the sky filtered through the leaves.
"It's already midday."
Kuro closed the Gate and stood up from his seat.
"Better take Yuki out for lunch."
Without saying much more, he walked away from the forest.
***
The clock in the restaurant showed two in the afternoon.
Inside, near the window, Kuro sat across from Yuki, who was enjoying a parfait as a dessert.
Yuki's appearance now looked far better than five days ago, thanks to the care Kuro had given her.
Kuro observed her while crossing his arms. In his right hand, he held a glass of red wine in a crystal glass that reflected the soft light of the restaurant.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a sip of the wine.
"Well… at least the gold and gems are useful. Can sell them for a lot of money," he said calmly. "Pretty decent for enjoying a luxurious life."
After that, he opened his eyes again.
He immediately noticed Yuki had gone quiet, only staring at the parfait in front of her, still half untouched.
Kuro's brows furrowed slightly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, this time in a softer tone. "Don't like the parfait? Want to try something else?"
Yuki immediately lifted her face.
"No…!" she replied quickly.
She flinched slightly, then lowered her head.
Silence.
It was as if there was something she wanted to say… but held back.
Kuro watched her for a moment, then thought aloud.
"Hmm… you're full and don't want to waste it?"
Yuki hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.
Kuro gave a faint smile.
"In that case, just give it to me. I'll finish it."
He leaned forward slightly.
"You'll feed me, Yuki, okay?"
Yuki remained silent. Her hand holding the spoon trembled slightly.
She looked at the parfait… then slowly glanced at Kuro.
Hesitant. Awkward.
"…Oji-san… really?" she whispered.
Kuro didn't change his expression.
"Yes."
A short answer.
But enough.
Yuki lowered her head again, gripping her spoon a little tighter.
A few seconds passed before she finally scooped a small bite of parfait.
Her hand was still stiff as she brought it toward Kuro.
Slowly… she offered it to him.
Her movements were careful, as if afraid of making a mistake.
"…Here…"
Without a word, Kuro opened his mouth and accepted the bite.
Silence for a moment.
Yuki immediately pulled her hand back, bowing her head further.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Yet after a few seconds, her shoulders were no longer as tense as before.
She took another spoonful.
This time… a little steadier.
And before they realized it—the atmosphere between them, though still awkward… began to feel warmer.
Moments later, outside the window, a man and a woman—familiar to Kuro—walked side by side, carrying shopping bags.
The man had striking orange hair, while the girl beside him had long purple hair.
Kuro glanced briefly at them.
His gaze lingered only for a moment, just long enough to confirm something in his mind.
"…Hoh."
A quiet murmur escaped his lips.
Without showing any change in expression, he turned his attention back.
He opened his mouth, accepting another spoonful of parfait from Yuki.
As if the scene outside the window wasn't particularly important.
Yet behind his calm gaze, his mind was still active.
"…No matter how you look at it, they really do seem like a couple…"
His voice was low, almost as if speaking to himself.
Yuki in front of him paused slightly.
Her hand froze in midair, the spoon she held dangling uncertainly.
"…Oji-san?" she called softly.
Kuro looked back at her.
"It's okay."
His answer was brief.
Flat as usual.
But this time… slightly gentler.
Yuki hesitated for a moment, then offered another small spoonful.
Her movements were still careful, but not as stiff as before.
Kuro took it without a word.
"…Just keep going."
Yuki nodded softly.
___
Author's note:
Hello everyone~
Thanks for continuing to read my story! I really appreciate you taking the time to follow along each chapter.
This chapter continues the journey, so I hope you enjoy the development—whether it's the characters, the interactions, or the direction the story is heading 👀
Things may progress slowly at times, but everything is building toward something bigger… so stay tuned 😏
As always, your support means a lot to me! If you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave a comment, add it to your favorites, or drop some power stones—it really motivates me to keep going!
See you in the next chapter~ ✨