บท 239: Chapter 239: Defenseless Touko
Touko felt a wave of relief as if she had just unloaded a heavy burden from her shoulders. It all started with the message Shinji received.
"Shiki and a stranger man are living together."
Shinji knew that stranger man. His name was Tomoe, Tomoe Enjou and he bore a striking resemblance to the protagonist of "Fate/Stay Night," Emiya Shirou. He was a pawn dispatched by Souren Araya to lure Shiki to the Ogawa Apartments.
The cohabitation of Enjou and Shiki marked the beginning of a story called Spiral Paradox. Shinji received this information because he had stationed surveillance personnel near Shiki's residence (arranged by Touko as well). The surveillance target was not Shiki herself but rather any unfamiliar individuals entering and leaving her place.
In other words, Shinji was waiting for Enjou to appear.
Of course, Shinji also considered the possibility of Araya using other methods. But regardless of the means, the two points remained unchanged.
First, Araya's goal was to obtain Shiki's body.
Second, Araya couldn't make a move against Shiki outside of the Ogawa Apartments, as it would trigger the vigilance of the Counter Force and lead to various unexpected consequences—Counter Force would prevent anyone from reaching the "Root."
As long as he kept a close eye on Shiki, Shinji could grasp Araya's movements.
Once Enjou's presence was confirmed, Shinji began quietly setting up his plans. For example, he had people rent an apartment adjacent to the Ogawa Apartments for surveillance purposes, and he had individuals secretly tail Enjou.
All of these actions took place in the shadows, unknown to his closest sister, Sakura, and his strategist, Touko. The only ones aware of Shinji's actions were the ones providing him with manpower and financial support—Byakuya Matou.
As nearly a month passed, when Touko left the city of Mifune to go to Tokyo, Shinji had a premonition that something might happen. Using the excuse of personal matters that needed attending to, he requested leave from the Brigade and Kenneth and flew back to Japan, settling into a rental house just a street away from the Ogawa Apartments, hiding right under Araya's watchful eyes.
Just as Shinji had anticipated, Araya made his move. In his scheme, Enjou brought Shiki to the Ogawa Apartments and encountered Araya, engaging in a battle with her.
On the other hand, Shinji received news that Enjou and Shiki had gone out for a night excursion together, their first joint outing. This signaled the beginning of Shinji's final moves. According to his plan, once Shiki and Araya engaged in battle, he would initiate the prepared arrangements to destroy Araya's temple in one fell swoop. Afterward, whether Araya lived or died would be determined by Shiki.
Just when everything was in place and only the east wind was awaited, Touko's appearance disrupted Shinji's plan.
"I thought you would come back to the workshop first when you returned from Tokyo so that you could see the message I left for you. I didn't expect you didn't go back at all and start investigating directly. It seems I underestimated your determination regarding that forbidden name. It was my negligence that you got hurt, and I apologize to you."
As Shinji spoke, he traced healing runes on Touko's body.
Under Shinji's treatment, Touko's complexion gradually improved, and she let out a sigh.
"That name is a complete negation of my eighteen years of life. Even if you were relaying Alba's words, when I heard that name, I had the thought of killing you—it means we're even now."
"Yeah, we're even."
Watching Touko, who rarely showed vulnerability, Shinji felt a pang in his heart. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, bringing it to Touko's lips. He knew that this was what she needed most right now.
"I got it from a friend (Waver), British-made. It might not suit your taste, but make do with it."
Beneath her glasses, Touko's beautiful orange eyes first showed surprise but quickly transformed into an emotion that matched her irises—warmth.
The woman with a name that carried warm colors trembled at the corner of her eyes and took a deep drag of the cigarette.
"You still understand me."
After blowing out a smoke ring, she shook her head.
"No, it's only you who understands me. Otherwise, I would have been killed by Souren Araya. Well, it's also possible that I would prefer death over my current state."
Touko was genuinely angered when Alba spoke the "forbidden phrase," prompting her to rush back to the city of Mifune from the Tohno household. After conducting an investigation, she successfully located Alba's hiding place and also noticed the differences in the Ogawa Apartments, as well as the presence of Souren Araya.
This discovery made Touko abandon the idea of directly killing Alba. Touko was a rational person; she wouldn't do something without certainty. Just as she was preparing to return to the workshop and deliberate on a long-term plan, she saw Enjou confidently enter the apartment with Shiki by his side.
In that instant, Touko understood Araya's objective. After months of being together, she had already noticed the connection between Shiki's body and the "origin," which was the pathway that Araya had longed for. The apartment before her, which had already transformed into a different realm, existed solely for the sake of Shiki.
Although Touko's usual creed was to mind her own business and stay aloof, this time it wasn't someone else's affair; it was an event related to her. Ever since Touko made up her mind to get involved with Shiki, she had predicted that something like this would happen. She couldn't and didn't want to stand idly by.
In Touko's view, magus treats their disciples or loved ones no differently than themselves. Because they are like their own doppelgänger, they would risk their lives to protect them, and Shiki was no exception.
Therefore, Touko gave up on planning and, accompanied by the familiar she had prepared to deal with possible anomalies at the Tohno household, stormed into the Ogawa Apartments. The moment she stepped into the apartment, she had already prepared herself to die once. Her main objective had shifted from killing Alba to rescuing Shiki.
This scene was observed by Shinji, who had been monitoring the Ogawa Apartments all along, and he nearly panicked. Even the current Shinji didn't have the confidence to defeat Araya with the support of the Hounouden Rokujyuyonshou, let alone Touko, whose combat abilities were inferior to his.
Without any hesitation, Shinji directly changed his original plan. Regarding Shiki, protecting Touko became his top priority.
After all, Araya's objective was to capture Shiki, and Shiki wouldn't be in immediate danger. Besides, people prioritize their loved ones. Although it was a bit disrespectful to Mikiya, in Shinji's heart, Touko held a much higher position than Shiki. Even if he knew that Touko could "revive," he didn't want her to experience the pain of death.
So, Shinji put on the Hades cloak and followed Touko into the barrier. If he weren't detected, he would secretly guard Touko. If Araya discovered him, he would fight alongside Touko to break out.
Perhaps because both Araya and Alba were focused on their respective targets, Shinji never revealed himself. He hid in a corner, watching Touko defeat Alba, watching Touko fight against Araya.
Amid the battle, he also pondered how to maximize his gains using the current situation.
And the answer lay with Touko, who had become defenseless, and the two scrolls on the back seat.
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