Chapter 25: 10:30 AM

"What a farce," the blonde, red-eyed boy muttered internally.

He knew everything: the true nature of the seemingly retro coffee shop, and the bizarre phenomenon where people who should never meet or converse were doing exactly that, without anyone feeling any sense of unease.

The boy knew it all, and thus, he declared it a farce. After all, the sight of people from the Mystery side and monsters continuously entering the shop and relaxing amicably was something that should be fundamentally impossible.

And these weren't just the second- or third-rate individuals of the modern era. The shop was being visited by people with powers on a level comparable to those from the time the boy himself had lived.

For example, the bespectacled young man sitting at the table that had been quite noisy just now looked like an ordinary student at first glance.

However, the glasses he wore were a first-rate "Mystic Eye Killer," and in those eyes, the boy sensed something faintly reminiscent of the gods from the Age of Gods. To top it off, there were two such individuals sitting at the same table, and the woman was a being who embodied a different kind of miracle.

The existence of miracles wasn't limited to just one person. Among the three girls sitting across from them, the black-haired girl was believed to be a recreated "Cup of Miracle." The remaining two—the pale, silver-haired girl was an Artificial Human, and the tanned, silver-haired girl was a being made of Magical Energy—a truly diverse group.

A slight shift of the gaze revealed a Human Leech—or rather, a Vampire—devouring curry with single-minded focus. The fact that it was eating curry instead of sucking blood piqued the boy's curiosity. After all, despite having defeated countless evils as a hero in the past, he had never encountered such a wildly unconventional being.

Moving his gaze further, he saw other figures: a one-armed young man, a plain girl wearing glasses, a pair of purple-haired girls, and a duo consisting of a chestnut-haired boy in a school uniform and a red-haired girl with twin tails.

A truly varied cast of characters was assembled.

The boy knew the true identities of all of them and knew that they were things that shouldn't be together in a place like this.

It is commonly said that "Evil attracts Evil" and "Mystery attracts Mystery," but this was clearly beyond the limit. Honestly, the boy was astonished that a killing spree, or rather, a 'killing match,' hadn't broken out in this very spot.

"Well, I suppose everyone is enjoying it, knowing the full story."

And the boy thought: most likely, everyone present was aware of this abnormal situation. But at the same time, they knew it was something akin to a dream or an illusion. That's why they were prioritizing spending and enjoying this time without unnecessary conflict.

"Gil-kun?"

"It's nothing, Yukika."

He was the same. Therefore, he would simply enjoy this comedy for now. Gilgamesh, the King of Ancient Uruk, the oldest hero, and the King of Heroes, was currently in the form of a child due to the medicine of the Age of Gods. While it was entirely possible for him to destroy this situation even in his current state, he chose to prioritize enjoying this single day at Ahnenerbe.

Amidst the chaos of the Ahnenerbe coffee shop, a particularly prominent group—Ryougi Shiki, Tohno Shiki, Illyasviel von Einzbern, Chloe von Einzbern, and Miyu Edelfelt—were, as usual, chatting away.

"So, we've confirmed the fact that the two protagonists of Type-Moon are Lolicons. Ah, don't come near me, you Lolicon Hyper-Sexed Glasses."

The protagonist of Fate, Emiya Shirou, and the protagonist of Tsukihime, Tohno Shiki, are the representative protagonists of Type-Moon and star in many fan fiction stories (SS). Official opinion holds that the two are very incompatible, but today, they happily discovered a common point: they are both Lolicons.

"I-It's a misunderstanding! Ryougi-san!!"

"That's right! My Onii-chan isn't a Lolicon; he just loves me! Ah, but Tohno-san, please don't come closer, or rather, please don't talk to me."

"Agreed. Don't talk to me."

"W-Why are you doing this to meeeeee!!"

Tohno Shiki, who had been completely branded as a "Lolicon Hyper-Sexed Glasses," had no allies.

However, realizing that further Lolicon discussions were pointless, Chloe opened her mouth.

"It's fine that Tohno-Onii-chan is a Lolicon; I'll just despise him. But what does everyone think of the new PV that just came out for the Remake Fate coming this autumn?"

She brought up the Ufotable remake of Fate/stay night, scheduled to air this autumn, as the topic of discussion.

[Ufo Version] Fate Stay Night PV2

[parts:eNoztDJkhAMmJvNECwsLSzOD4lwjY1MDcxNDEwBAFgUE]

"It was amazing! And my Onii-chan looked so cool!!"

"Shirou-san's clothes were also new... I have high expectations."

Since the conversation involved their beloved Onii-chan, Illya and Miyu jumped in, in that order. Expectations were high, as the production was handled by Ufotable, the studio responsible for the critically acclaimed The Garden of Sinners and Fate/Zero.

"For me, the fight between Archer and Lancer was the best part. Since the combat depiction in Zero was so great, I'm really looking forward to scenes like that again."

The Archer vs. Lancer scene appeared for only a few seconds in the PV. However, how many anime staff members must have been sacrificed to create those few seconds? It was such a detailed and perfectly realized depiction that Shiki's expectations for the future swelled.

"Wait, now that I think about it, Ryougi-san has always appeared in Ufotable productions, right?"

"Hmm, ah. Now that you mention it, yes."

Illya suddenly voiced a question. If you consider it, everyone present has appeared in an anime at least once. However, the only one who had appeared in a Ufotable production was Ryougi Shiki.

"But mine lacked the flashiness of Zero, like slaying a monster with a Holy Sword or deploying a Reality Marble."

"The battle scenes were far more realistic and action-packed than most anime out there! Not to mention, you had a silver-screen debut right away!! ...Damn, is this the composure of a silver-screen heroine...?"

Chloe retorted fiercely to Shiki's words. While it certainly wasn't as flamboyant as Zero, the Type-Moon world was perfectly recreated, and the careful depiction, which deeply satisfied the fans, successfully concluded all seven chapters to great acclaim.

"It's okay, Chloe. Tohno-san was that 'thing,' so we still have hope."

"...Ugh, you're right. Thinking about that, I'm quite blessed."

"That was tragic."

"The Type-Moon world setting is difficult..."

With Illya's comfort, Chloe confirmed just how blessed she was. Miyu and Shiki, in turn, recalled Type-Moon's "dark history" and turned sympathetic and pitiful gazes toward Shiki, the Tsukihime protagonist.

"Ah, yes. Illya-chan, and everyone else, I know what you want to say, but being called 'that thing' is secretly hurtful. Also, please don't look at me with pity. Please stop."

Tsukihime was actually animated before Fate. However, it ignored original settings—for example, Ciel-senpai ate spaghetti instead of curry.

There were many depictions that the original fans found unacceptable, and the original staff was not involved in the production. Furthermore, the director had a stance of often taking his own path with anime based on original works, which caused a storm of controversy.

Nevertheless, considering the technical standards and the quality of anime adaptations of original works at the time, it wasn't particularly bad. The sheer volume of content made it impossible to fit everything into a single 12-episode cour, meaning not everything could be depicted.

Certain shortening and alterations are common in anime based on original works. Furthermore, in communities of people who hadn't experienced the original work, as well as overseas, it was highly regarded as a standalone anime with a quality soundtrack.

However, it remains a fact that original fans were unsatisfied. The Type-Moon world is known for its detailed world-building, which the anime destroyed.

Consequently, coupled with the original fan base's purist nature, it has been treated as a "dark history" today, with the common phrase being, "It was never animated."

"Since 'The Garden of Sinners,' 'Fate/Zero' in 2010, and this autumn's 'Fate/stay night' are all handled by Ufotable, perhaps Ufotable will eventually remake Tsukihime too."

"I hope so, Ryougi-san, but in my case, I'd rather have the PC remake first."

"But, Tohno-san, Kinoko is busy with Dark Souls, so I think it will be a while."

As if to crush Shiki's wish, Illya presented a merciless reality. The fact that the original author was busy with the game Dark Souls 2 was revealed in the April Fools' joke radio drama "Alleyway Radio," where Yumizuka Satsuki muttered, "He's busy with Dark Souls, he's surrounded by three Golden Golems, so he's just going to dump it all on Yumizuka-san again?" The original author, the "Creator God," is currently devoting himself to his hobby.

In the first place, the original author wrote the following back in January:

Well, even so, I'm diligently working on Tsukihime, so please bear with me. The Garden of Sinners is finished, and specifically, the ratio is about five days a week for Tsukihime and two days a week for Fate. It's true. ...There are things like recording for Hollow and EXTRA stuff, but I'll manage... if I could somehow... increase the week to nine days...

"You say that, Kinoko! What are you going to do if Dark Souls 2 is released!?"

"In that case—I'll just laugh it off."

Is he the only one who wants to cry out, "Get to work, you bastard!"?

"Well, all we can do is wait slowly. Postponing things is nothing new, especially with 'Mahoutsukai no Yoru' (Witch on the Holy Night)."

"We've already been waiting for years! ...Damn, is this the composure of a heroine who has completed her series!?"

Shiki couldn't help but interject at Shiki's relaxed attitude, given that Future Gospel clearly gave her a happy ending.

"But, Tohno-san, you also have a manga version, just like us, and it's completed."

"Ah, Miyu. You mean Sasaki Shonen's! That was really good, wasn't it?"

When Miyu brought up the manga version of Tsukihime, Chloe expressed her agreement. Typically, manga versions of anime, light novels, or games are often canceled midway, but thanks to the original author, Sasaki Shonen, who used to draw Type-Moon fan fiction, his love for the original work helped him complete the series with great success, and it remains highly acclaimed today.

Despite criticisms that the pacing was slow due to its faithful recreation of the original, it satisfied core fans and reached a level of quality that even the original staff praised. The fact that he was later involved in drawing the manga version of Type-Moon's "Tsuki no Sango " after successfully completing Tsukihime after seven and a half years was certainly no accident.

"But, while we are appearing in a 3DS game this summer, it's a fact that Tsukihime is not getting a new game."

Miyu's single statement once again made Shiki realize the reality of the social gap, plunging him back into the abyss of despair. Although Tsukihime has a spin-off in Melty Blood, there hasn't been a new game based on Tsukihime itself since Kagetsu Tohya. Sadly, the current flagship product of Type-Moon is the Fate series, and coupled with the original author's slow work pace, there are no talks of a new Tsukihime title. Moreover, Shiki appears normally in Extra, and Arcueid appeared as a Servant, but Tohno Shiki's name hasn't even been mentioned.

"...Uh, well. Hang in there."

Shiki offered comfort, but it was far from helpful.

And so, this time, too, was the usual rambling, joke-filled tea party at Ahnenerbe.