Chapter 23: 9:23 AM

The girls were walking along the road.

If it were just that, it would be a sight seen anywhere, but the girls stood out.

This was because, although the three girls still retained the childishness appropriate for their age, around the upper grades of elementary school.

Two of them had the appearance of "Gaijin-san" (foreigners), possessing silver hair, which is rare in this country.

Moreover, all three had looks that suggested a promising future, making people on the street notice them even more.

"Oh, come on, let's go to the coffee shop, the coffee shop!"

The dark-skinned girl, Chloe von Einzbern, muttered as she looked up at the sky. Then, Chloe's orange eyes turned toward the silver-haired girl next to her.

"Even if we say that, we don't have any money, Chloe."

The silver-haired, red-eyed girl at whom the glance was directed, Illyasviel von Einzbern, immediately rejected the suggestion. This was because as elementary school students, their available money was limited, and Chloe, remembering this fact, choked on her words.

However, the black-haired girl, Miyu Edelfelt, who had been watching the exchange between the two, contradicted Illya's statement.

"It's okay. Luvia-san gave me spending money."

"Eh, we have money... Seriously?!"

"Wait, what is this?!"

They were suspicious of Miyu's words, but they were astounded by what entered their field of vision. The so-called spending money was a thick wad of Yukichi Fukuzawa bills (Japanese 10,000 yen notes), packed tightly into a wallet. The amount was one that even adults might not easily possess, causing Illya and Chloe to involuntarily swallow.

Then, Chloe turned to Illya with a solemn expression and said, "Don't you think it's important to have a rich friend, Illya?"

"I said something similar in the past, but this is the absolute worst—!!"

Illya, who had firmly established her role as the straight-man in Prisma Illya, shouted out.

"So, there’s no problem with going to the coffee shop."

"Then let's all go eat cake! It's settled!"

"Wait up! Chloe!"

Chloe joyfully grasped Miyu's hand and ran towards the coffee shop, with Illya chasing after them.

“Oh...?”

"What is it, Ruby?"

After passing through the door of the coffee shop named Ahnenerbe. Ruby, the natural artificial spirit who is also a joke-making machine and shares the voice of a certain apron-wearing girl, voiced a question mark.

“Well, it feels somewhat amusingly... No, no, I just sensed a hint of a joke-related atmosphere, so Illya-san doesn't need to worry.”

"That sounds like a terrible premonition for me, Ruby!"

Illya lamented that she was going to be dragged into something again by Ruby's statement, but it was already too late. They had already entered the Ahnenerbe, where one would involuntarily think, "There are already gags and jokes here."

"Once again, congratulations on your marriage and pregnancy, Ryougi-san."

"Even a devil like me will bless the birth of a new life."

"Ah, yes. Thank you... Somehow, being blessed by you guys feels strange."

Shiki Ryougi awkwardly accepted the renewed words of congratulations. In a sense, it couldn't be helped, as one was a person of mutual self-loathing whom she had once tried to kill, and the other was a devil, a demon she ought to be exterminating.

"But seriously, after saying 'Tsukihime is erotic (with a straight face)' repeatedly in the drama CD Ahnenerbe's Day, Shiki, who did the deed, is plenty erotic herself, isn't she?"

"Bwuh—You!!"

At Avenger's remark, Shiki spat out the cold water she had just drunk. It couldn't be helped, as what she had said before was now coming back to bite her.

"Hehehehe. Speaking of which, I did it from behind with Caren in the church, is that how it was for you too?"

"S-shut up!"

Avenger made a completely sexually harassing remark, asking a woman about sexual positions. Usually, Shiki would have physically cut him down with a cold stare, like looking at pigs in a sty.

However, because she had a memory of it, her face turned red, and she became flustered, unable to stop her agitation. The devil, noticing this, wore a mean-spirited grin and attempted to press his attack further.

"Isn't that rude, Shirou-kun? Or rather, Avenger in this case. To say such a thing."

Just as he was about to say something more.

However, Shiki Tohno urged Avenger to stop. Shiki Ryougi was grateful that, despite being a Murderer, Tohno still possessed that level of common sense.

"Besides, girls, like Arcueid for example, love being intimate, and I love it too. In other words, there's no distinction between men and women when it comes to loving intimacy. So, Ryougi-san is just normal!"

"That lecherous four-eyes over there is picking a fight. Is that it? Remember this. Next time we meet, I'll give you plenty of what you asked for."

Shiki's sharp, murderous glare was directed at the two protagonists.

"...Haa. So, you guys didn't bring Saber and the ditzy vampire with you?"

If she pursued this kind of conversation any further, she would only be teased again. Knowing this, Shiki mentioned the two heroines who had accompanied the protagonists when they were last here.

"Yes, I think they'll be here soon. After all, we don't carry cell phones or anything."

"Same here. Well, the perpetually hungry King of Knights will show up eventually, so there's no problem."

Shiki Tohno answered leisurely, and Avenger replied with a look that suggested he was exasperated.

"Speaking of which, you guys don't carry cell phones."

Shiki was only now realizing that they didn't possess this indispensable convenience of modern life.

"Well, Tsukihime is newer than Mahoutsukai no Yoru, but it's set in a slightly older era, alongside Kara no Kyoukai. The one Kohaku-san uses for work is a black, sturdy one."

"That's so meta, man."

"As for me, thanks to being set barely in the 2000s, the Justice Freak isn't entirely without one, but he doesn't usually carry it around. It's a hand-me-down from his older sister figure, only for calls and texts, and it's not connected to the internet."

Japanese cell phones are often pointed out as a symbol of Japan's Galapagos technology and culture. Although they are now being pushed aside by smartphones, the world's first ringtones started in 1996. Also, in 1999, Kyocera released the world's first camera-equipped phone. And in 2001, they began to connect to the internet, making them technologically cutting-edge at the time.

"Well, since the Justice Freak's outfit is set to change in the Fate that will probably be released in the autumn of 2014, that might change as well."

"Oh, that's right. Congratulations on the remake, Avenger-kun."

"Hehehe, this time Ufotable, who were also well-received in Zero, is in charge, so it won't be like DEEN. With this popularity, if Hollow gets animated as well, I'd be satisfied, as I've only ever appeared in the games."

"A remake... Fate is still Type-Moon's cash cow. Ah, but don't talk about DEEN. It was enjoyable at the time..."

Ufotable originally received high praise for the faithfulness of their adaptations, rather than for creating original anime, and has been highly rated for Kara no Kyoukai and Fate/Zero. On the other hand, DEEN is generally mediocre and is often compared unfavorably to Ufotable and severely criticized.

"Like the cool pose?"

"That, well. Yeah, you got me, yeah..."

Shiki, remembering Archer's cool pose (unconvincingly) shown in the fight against Berserker, conspicuously averted her eyes and fell silent.

"But Fate is great; it even has spin-offs. My Tsukihime is supposedly getting a remake, but there's nothing at all."

"Isn't it fine to be quiet? I've been busy with movie appearances and extra roles. Well, Mahoutsukai no Yoru was eventually released, so you'll have a chance to appear sometime."

"What is this self-satisfied attitude of a movie star, huh?"

Shiki gave advice to Shiki Tohno's lament as an experienced person. But Avenger interjected, as Shiki's remark clearly sounded like that of a blessed actor who gets plenty of roles.

"And you, waiter with the full-body embroidery, how long are you going to make the customers wait with all this chitchat?"

Shiki looked at Avenger again with a sharp glare. She had forgotten, but Avenger was an employee of the coffee shop "Ahnenerbe" in this setting. He had completely forgotten his duty to serve the customers and was engrossed in conversation. Shiki was holding an empty glass of cold water, so it seemed she wanted a refill.

"Gyahaha, that's right. I completely forgot myself, my customer who had a shotgun wedding."

"Do you know? Pregnant women are prone to emotional turmoil. —Hey, can I cut him into 17 pieces?"

"Hold on! Ryougi-san, hold on! It's his persona, his schtick!"

Shiki, unable to contain her irritation at Avenger's provocative style, reached for the knife in her pocket. Shiki Tohno, as a last resort of conscience, desperately tried to persuade her to stop, to prevent a murder committed by a pregnant woman.

However, Shiki Ryougi seemed serious, her eyes glowing blue. Her center of gravity shifted forward, and in the next moment, it looked like she would lunge to attack. I might need to stop her with all my might, Shiki Tohno realized. At that very moment, salvation came from outside.

"Excuse me, waiter! Do you have cake?"

The door's bell jingled, and an adorable girl's voice echoed through the shop. Shiki, who realized that bloodshed in front of people was a bad idea, put away her knife at the sound of the voice. This was especially true because the new arrival was a young girl.

"...A silver-haired girl, no, both of them together are not ordinary humans, are they? And there's a strange presence with them. Ahnenerbe is really becoming a den of demons," Shiki muttered, furrowing her brow. Even without that, she immediately saw through the true nature of the silver-haired, oddly well-featured, dark-skinned girl and the black-haired girl, and sensed that they were some kind of inhuman entity. She also saw through the presence of the artificial, natural spirit who was a joy-making machine.

Shiki's murmur seemed to have been heard by the girls. The black-haired girl flinched and trembled her shoulder. The dark-skinned, silver-haired girl meaningfully glanced at Shiki and said, "Oh, a devil, a Murderer wearing human skin, and an empty vessel. This place is oddly lively."

"Hmph, you talk a big game for your age—for a copy."

An unpleasant tension hung in the air. I was supposed to be relaxing at a coffee shop, so how did it come to this? Shiki Tohno lamented, but once again, salvation arrived from outside.

"Wait up, Chloe! Wait, Onii-chan!? No, who are you!"

The silver-haired girl, Illya, who entered the shop a moment later, pointed at Avenger and shouted. Shiki looked at the noisy arrival with annoyance, and Avenger shook his head in resignation, realizing he seriously needed to start serving the customers.

And Shiki Tohno felt a premonition that the chaos was about to deepen further.