1998, June.
Three years and six months had passed since the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
It had been about a month since Mikiya Kokutou intruded into the yet-to-be-officially-opened office of Garan no Dou. Currently, Mikiya has successfully become an employee of Garan no Dou and is the only official staff member besides the director, Touko Aozaki.
Sakura and Fujino, who were working part-time for compensation, were unaware of whether this always gentle and seemingly never-angry gentleman had any regrets. After all, this place couldn't be considered a legitimate company in any sense. It hadn't been registered with any government department, nor did it possess any legally recognized licenses. The dolls that Mikiya cared about didn't have specific prototypes; they were merely coincidentally sculpted based on Touko's inspiration. Mikiya himself had dropped out of a prestigious university that he had worked hard to get in, resulting in a big fight and nearly severing ties with his family. From the perspective of an ordinary person, it seemed like a completely unworthy endeavor.
Perhaps only Shinji, who possessed a god-like perspective, could understand Mikiya's inner thoughts. It was precisely because of this that among the several people who frequented the office, Shinji and Mikiya had the best relationship, despite their ten-year age difference.
"Shinji, you stayed up late again, didn't you?"
Mikiya, who was organizing documents on the coffee table, said to Shinji, who was lying lazily on the opposite sofa. His tone carried both concern and reproach.
"Yeah, you're right," Shinji lazily gazed at the ceiling. "If you have the time, make me a cup of coffee, the stronger, the better."
"Underage people shouldn't drink—" Mikiya helplessly shook his head, "Oh well, even if I say it, you won't listen. I know I can't treat you like an ordinary underage person, but please take better care of your health."
"Leave him alone. This kid won't have any issues even if he stays up for consecutive nights," Touko, who was lying on the table, half-heartedly raised her hand. "In a sense, he's no longer considered human. By the way, I'll also have a cup of coffee. Thanks. Without work, I'm so bored."
"Um, Miss Touko," Mikiya's helplessness escalated to a sigh, "Even without work, I have plenty of things to do, such as summarizing the office's income and expenses."
"That's your own choice. I'm just incredibly bored," Touko replied without enthusiasm.
Shinji turned over and looked at the first male friend he had made in this world: "Mikiya-san, let me give you a piece of advice. Forget about everything else, don't bother with financial summaries. After all, the money you earn will quickly be spent. Just keep an eye on your income and intercept your salary in advance so that a certain prodigal girl who can earn and spend more won't be able to get her hands on it."
"Um, isn't that illegal?" Mikya's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"This is an underground agency, not protected by the law," Shinji's statement immediately provoked Touko's dissatisfaction.
"It's such nice weather, I don't want to argue with you."
"Me neither. In my current state, I probably wouldn't be able to argue with you anyway," Shinji replied lazily.
The so-called argument wasn't just limited to verbal disputes; sometimes it escalated to physical altercations. However, the two of them had an unspoken agreement. Touko wouldn't use her dolls, and Shinji wouldn't use his Noble Phantasms. They would only engage in Rune magic duels.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Touko sat up, her eyes filled with curiosity. It was rare for this little troublemaker to back down voluntarily.
"I've been investigating something that caught my attention recently, and I haven't had a good night's sleep for several days," Shinji yawned listlessly.
"Do you want me to help? I'm quite confident in my investigative skills," Mikiya, the kind-hearted one among the three, was always willing to take on tasks.
"I appreciate the offer, but what I'm investigating is quite dangerous. It's better if you don't get involved to avoid getting hurt."
If it weren't for that, why would Shinji not utilize Mikiya, the expert investigator? After all, in his previous life, Mikiya was known as the "Ryouji Google," a humanoid search engine.
"I see. Then take care of yourself."
"Got it. I'll be careful."
After spending a lot of time with Mikiya, one could discover many hidden qualities in this seemingly ordinary young man. Besides his good temper and ability to get along well with everyone, he also possessed a remarkable ability to accept the extraordinary.
If someone else had heard Shinji's response, they wouldn't be as calm. This was probably one of the reasons why he could live so relaxed and at ease in the mysterious world, despite being an ordinary person.
"Don't worry about him. Although he may seem small, when he goes all out, few people in Japan can stop him. You should remind him not to cause too much trouble," Touko bluntly exposed the truth about Shinji's capabilities.
Shinji didn't get angry. He just smiled and said, "You're one of them, Miss Touko."
"I can't lay a hand on you," Touko replied sarcastically. "After all, you're my debtor."
"These days, the debtor is the boss."
"Then let the boss have a listen."
"You're a woman, so you should be called 'madam.'"
"Uh, that term is too malicious towards women. Let's forget about it," Touko gracefully retreated and changed the subject. "By the way, Mikiya, did you visit your friend? How is she?"
Mikiya scratched his cheek somewhat embarrassedly. "Well, she hasn't changed at all... It seems a bit unnatural."
"What do you mean?" Touko became interested.
"Well... Her body hasn't shown any changes in the past two years, as if it completely stopped growing. It's hard to believe, to be honest."
Touko let out a disdainful snort. "Only dead beings stop growing. No, even corpses grow with decay. The only things that move but don't grow are the automatons you recently activated accidentally."
"But what I'm saying is true." Mikiya lowered his head and nervously rubbed his hands. "There hasn't been any sign of her aging since then."
Touko noticed Mikiya's unusual behavior and lightly pushed her glasses. "What's wrong? Your expression seems less concerned about your sleeping friend and more like you're thinking about something else."
"Well, yeah, a little," Mikiya didn't deny it. "Sometimes I wonder if... she doesn't want to wake up."
"Friend, huh? Friend?" Shinji blinked his eyes rapidly, making Mikiya feel uneasy for a moment.
Touko also joined in with a mocking smile. "Seems like there's a story. Well, this is a rare opportunity, so go ahead and tell me to relieve my boredom."
"If you're just looking to relieve your boredom, I refuse," Mikiya turned his head, avoiding the two mischievous gazes. "Miss Touko, your straightforwardness can be quite problematic."
"Oh, come on, you were the one who brought up this matter first. Hurry up and tell me!" Touko tapped the table impatiently. "I didn't ask out of pure curiosity. Azaka-chan always mentions this name, Shiki, when she's on the phone. If I don't even know what kind of person she is, I won't be able to follow the conversation."
"I wanted to say this earlier, but Azaka is very innocent. Please don't corrupt her. She's at that restless age, you know."
Hearing Mikiya's words, the mockery in Touko's smile grew stronger. "Innocent... hehe, well, let's just call it innocence. Well, I won't meddle in sibling matters. You go make some coffee, and we can talk slowly."
And thus began the storytelling time for Mikiya Kokutou.