Magician in Type-Moon

Page 153

Based on this tiny bit of goodwill.

Matou Ike planned to take Kokutou Mikiya back to his residence so that the guy wouldn't have to sleep on the streets.

He will still be useful in the upcoming plans.

He might be able to help in some matters, after all, he's a man who can freely enter and exit the source.

Chapter 198 Initiative

"You're awake? Would you like some sugar?"

Kurogiri Mikiya had just opened his eyes when he heard this sentence.

Then something cold and icy was thrown into his arms.

People are usually quite dazed when they first wake up.

The same applies to the dried black tung tree trunk.

He casually answered, and his previously blurry vision finally made out what was in his arms—a box of Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream.

Still not fully conscious, Kurogiri Kanya held the cold ice cream cup in both hands, summoning all his rationality.

He looked at the man who had thrown the things to him.

He had dark blue curly hair, fair skin, and a slightly gloomy expression, and looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

He was leisurely scooping ice cream into his mouth with the spoon that came with the ice cream, looking completely at ease.

Kurogiri Kanya blinked, trying to make sense of the situation.

This man didn't take him seriously at all.

It makes sense, as Kokutou Mikiya still remembers what this man did, a scene that completely overturned Kokutou Mikiya's understanding of the world.

"...Hey, are you some kind of dangerous person?"

"Hahahaha!" Upon hearing my question, the mysterious man, who was about my age, burst into laughter.

"You're a strange person. I thought the first thing you'd do after waking up would be to make me go to the police station to turn myself in," the man said with a smile.

After a moment of silence, Kokutou Mikiya said, "...After all, you saved me, and...the people you killed seemed very strange."

"No way, you actually thought about making me turn myself in... Haha... Let me introduce myself, my name is Matou Ike."

Matou laughed earnestly, his unkempt blue hair shaking wildly, making him look like a dangerous person to Kurogiri Mikiya.

"My name is Kurogiri Mikiya, and I am a student at a high school in Kanbuko City that prepares students for higher education."

Kurogiri Mikiya still had many questions he wanted to ask, but since the other party had already revealed his name, he had to complete the formalities first, no matter how urgent the matter was.

"Hmm, Kurogiri, how did you end up being taken to that place? You don't look like someone who's on drugs."

The other party addressed Kurogiri Mikiya by his surname in a very familiar manner and asked a question first. Before Kurogiri Mikiya could even think of what to ask, he had already lost the initiative.

"I was trying to investigate the connection between the recent murders and disappearances, and when I finally found that place, I was caught by them."

Mikiya Kokutou answered honestly that although the other person seemed like a dangerous individual, he could sense that the other person was not the kind of brutal murderer.

"Truly worthy of being called a human Google..." Matou Ike murmured.

"What are you talking about, Matou-senpai? What Google?" Kokutou Mikiya asked, somewhat puzzled.

Matou Ike shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I was just praising you. By the way, did you find any useful information?"

"...That base is the most important source of information I found...and then..."

As Kokutou Mikiya spoke, his expression became downcast, as if something sad had happened.

"What is it? Can you tell me? This is very important." Matou Ike turned around and faced Kurogiri Mikiya, asking in a low voice.

Looking at Matou Ike who had changed his posture, Kokutou Kanya hugged his feverish stomach, unsure of what to say.

Although the man in front of me is not a heinous murderer, he is definitely the kind of person who will not show mercy.

Although this is an important clue, but...

"I heard a familiar voice in that place..."

Kokutou Mikiya finally mustered up the courage to answer, unaware of what would happen next after he revealed this information.

But he knows what is right and what is wrong.

Matou Ike remained silent, simply waiting for the other party to continue.

Although Matou Ike didn't think he had overlooked anything regarding what happened last night, listening to what others had to say was definitely the right thing to do.

"After we entered that strange place, the voice coming from inside sounded just like the voice of one of my seniors... who had recently dropped out of school."

Kurogiri Mikiya was somewhat frustrated; the fact that a trusted friend had been involved in such an incident was like a bolt from the blue for him.

Matou Ike nodded, realizing that he had indeed missed this important information.

At the time, he assumed that the man and the rest of the group had fought their way out together, and thus selectively forgot about it.

This is something that should never have happened.

Matou Ike frowned and asked in a low voice, "Is it that person named Shirasumi Rio?"

Kurogiri Mikiya was startled and somewhat incredulous, his suspicions confirmed at that moment.

"Matou-senpai, do you know him? Is Shiro-senpai really an accomplice of those murderers? And what exactly are those people?"

Matou Ike simply nodded without answering, only saying:

"It's getting late. Kurogiri-kun, you have classes this afternoon, right? Are you going back to school or going home to rest? Do you want me to take you? After all, something like this has happened."

Faced with Matou Ike's order to leave, Kokutou Mikiya understood that the other party did not want him to be too involved. This was the other party's good intention, and he could only accept it.

"No need, I'll go to school by myself... Matou-senpai, thank you..."

Kurogiri Mikiya stood up, bowed slightly to Matou Ike, and then left the room.

Before leaving, he glanced at the room number of the upscale hotel and memorized it.

"Tsk, I haven't eaten this ice cream yet..." Matou Ike ignored Kurogiri Mikiya's whereabouts and instead focused his attention on the strawberry ice cream that had been torn open on the ground.

"If he won't eat it, I will!" Angra Mainyu jumped out of the shadows and pounced on the ice cream. "By the way, was Shirai Junri really there at the time?"

“I should…” Matou Ike narrowed his eyes, recalling what had happened last night.

They thought they had simply cleaned up a fishing spot, but they hadn't expected to miss a big fish.

This feeling is a bit strange. A "pseudo-death apostle" who can maintain his rationality would not let someone escape so easily because of one person's negligence.

Moreover, this was something that both Matou Ike and Angela Mainyu overlooked.

This is strange.

"So what's next? Are we still going to clean up those guys' hideouts tonight?" Angela Manuel asked Matou Ike, popping the ice cream, packaging and all, into his mouth.

“This matter does need to be followed up, but just doing this makes me feel passive, like I’m being led by the nose.”

"What should we do then?" Angra Mainyu never wanted to think too much, since he had an external brain anyway.

Matou Ike simply shrugged and sipped the last spoonful of ice cream...

"Let's go see Aozaki Touko this afternoon. We need to get the initiative back first."

Chapter 199 Commission

This is the Hall of the Sangharama at dusk.

It was too hot, so Matouchi took a little shortcut and didn't set off during the day, but waited until after sunset.

But coincidentally, Aozaki Touko had to go out in the afternoon and didn't return to her magic workshop until near dusk.

The two happened to meet at the gate.

When Aozaki Touko saw Matou Ike, her eyes lit up, and without saying a word, she invited Matou Ike up to the fourth floor of the office.

Since there was no elevator, the two climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.

Upon entering the office, Matou Ike saw a junk piled up in the corner, resembling a garbage dump.

A dozen television stations were broadcasting news on different frequencies.

It has a very simple style.

Their owner, Aozaki Touko, was the same.

She had a cigarette in her mouth and was still dressed in simple clothes.

She wore sophisticated black trousers and a white shirt, appropriate for a funeral, and a single orange earring.

Matou Ike didn't understand why this person had such a strong preference for wearing an orange accessory.

He didn't bother to ask.

"What do you want from me? Or have you finally changed your mind and are willing to take a salary from me?"

Having just returned to the office, Aozaki Touko plopped down in the wooden chair behind her personal desk, crossed her legs, and asked Matou Ike.

“Uh…” Matou Ike had already forgotten about this and shook his head somewhat awkwardly.

"Is my place that bad? You've rejected me twice in a row, that's incredibly rude. So, what is it?"

Orange, who was behind the desk, glared at him.

"There are two things, one of which is that I want to commission you to make a 'doll'."

This was the first time Matou Ike had ever felt so awkward, even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

After all, this kind of place doesn't look like the kind of company that can afford to pay salaries.

"A puppet? I charge a lot, you little brat. Can you afford it?"

Although Aozaki Touko said that, the look on her face when she heard that she had an order to take was simply dazzling.

She did indeed have insufficient income for a period of time; the money she had earned from designing buildings had all been used to buy Mo Dao collectibles.

Money? That is indeed a problem. I don't have much money on hand, but my family should be able to support this expense.

"It's not human-shaped, but rather an animal doll. These are the design drawings."