She was a beautiful girl with chestnut-colored, waist-length hair.
She was also wearing the high school uniform—a dark gray blazer paired with a plaid skirt, with a bright red bow tied at the front, giving her a youthful and vibrant appearance.
Her delicate features were in no way inferior to Nero's, and she was even taller. Her legs were exceptionally straight and long, making them a sight to behold.
However, at this moment, her slender eyebrows were twitching, and her deep blue eyes were narrowed in displeasure. The soft contours of her face were slightly stiff.
She didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"Aozaki?"
Hearing Nero's way of addressing her, Eiji was suddenly stunned.
"The vice president… is you?"
No.
Wait a minute.
This is way too weird.
"Are you… the so-called god from the rumors?"
Seeing Eiji, Aozaki Aoko's expression also froze for a moment.
She had heard of the title "God."
People these days really don't know what they're talking about—she had always thought so. She never took the so-called "God" seriously and even scoffed at it.
It wasn't that she had anything against the person being called a god, but rather, she found such irresponsible rumors irritating.
But now, after meeting him just once—
I see. The shallow one was me.
Aozaki Aoko suddenly realized. She immediately understood why he was called a god.
There was an intimidating allure about this young man. Just by facing him, it felt as if even one's inner thoughts could be subtly altered. The slight restlessness in her heart was cleansed, and her mood unconsciously stabilized.
But immediately after, her expression tensed.
This shift in her emotions felt very wrong.
"Forgive my rudeness, but are you a transfer student this year?"
"Of course not."
Aozaki Aoko kept her expression stiff.
"I can understand that you can't remember every student in the school, but isn't it a bit strange to assume someone's a transfer student right away?"
For some reason, there was a hint of wariness in her eyes. The way she looked at Eiji also seemed somewhat strange, though she remained calm, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
However, her back was ramrod straight—anyone could tell that she wasn't fully relaxed.
Moreover, perhaps even she herself hadn't noticed, but there was a subtle sharpness in her tone.
Eiji didn't pay much attention to her guarded stance.
Instead, he felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.
Aozaki Aoko isn't a transfer student?
That's impossible.
For the past few years, he had checked the student directory of Type-Moon Academy annually, and there had never been any names like Aozaki Aoko, Emiya Shirou, or Tohno Shiki.
Of this, he was absolutely certain.
On top of that, places like Fuyuki City simply didn't exist in this world. He had once thought that these people didn't exist in this parallel world at all.
Yet today, Aozaki Aoko suddenly appeared.
What the hell?
Did she just get dropped in by some deus ex machina?
Is this some kind of gag manga world?
Someone who had never existed before suddenly appeared before him one day, assuming it was the most natural thing in the world.
Eiji glanced at Nero and Sheba. Their reactions were completely normal—they didn't find this odd at all.
It was as if someone had tampered with history itself.
The world line had shifted, and only he had noticed.
Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
At this rate, who knows what could happen?
Would I wake up one day and just… not exist anymore?
Ugh, headache.
Fortunately, this version of me is just a doppelgänger.
If he were to die, he would simply return to his main body, bringing all the powers he had obtained in this world back with him.
In fact, he could return to his main body at any time. His main body could recall this doppelgänger whenever he wished.
But the name of the Type-Moon world had already disappeared from the Black Door, meaning that Eiji could no longer access this world through it. The only one who could still move freely in this world was his doppelgänger.
If he returned now without gaining anything, it would be a massive loss.
So, his plan was to let this version of himself roam this world a bit longer. Once he had gathered enough, or found another way to travel between worlds, he would merge back.
That was Eiji's confidence.
His mind raced with countless thoughts, and for a moment, the conversation between him and Aozaki Aoko fell into an awkward silence.
She, too, seemed to have no intention of deepening their conversation and naturally averted her gaze.
The moment she looked away—
A strange reluctance surfaced in her heart. She even had the urge to keep talking to him.
But instead of doing so, her inner alarms rang louder, and her defenses tightened.
"Vice President, are you in a bad mood?"
"…It's nothing. Just my own issue."
"Really? Then how about coming downstairs to have some fun? It's a great way to relax. If my subordinates aren't in high spirits, I won't feel like working either!"
"No need. I have urgent matters today. Let's just finish the work."
***
"Brother—!"
At the school gate, after waiting for a short while, Okita Souji came running from the middle school division like a gust of wind.
"I heard another rich lady came looking for you! And you agreed?!"
She stared at Eiji with a worried expression, clearly anxious.
"What, don't you want a sister-in-law?"
"But… that kind of family is too far from ours!"
Souji pouted, her face full of uncertainty and distress.
She had a point.
Their family was an ordinary, unremarkable household… Well, except for her brother, who was definitely not ordinary.
But the Roman Financial Group was Japan's number one financial conglomerate, with assets in the hundreds of billions, recognized globally. Nero was also its next leader. The sheer difference in status was overwhelming, making her feel extremely uneasy.
"Relax. Here, want this?"
Eiji, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever.
He was used to living off rich women. So what if she was Japan's wealthiest heir? Wasn't the Totokubara Financial Group huge too? And wasn't Freya's faction even stronger?
With a casual flip of his hand, he made a black credit card appear in his palm.
"A b-b-b-black card?!"
Souji's eyes widened to the extreme, her tongue tied in a knot, and her pupils turned into dollar signs.
"Wh-where did this come from?"
"Your sister-in-law gave it to me. Want it?"
"Brother, you should introduce me to my sister-in-law sometime! No other reason—just so we can bond as family!"
"Souji, watch your facial expressions."
The siblings bickered playfully as they left the school gate.
Behind them, a long-haired chestnut-haired girl watched their departing figures. Or rather, she was only watching Eiji—his sister didn't register in her eyes at all.
Once again, confusion surfaced in her gaze.
The way these siblings interacted was far too natural, with not the slightest trace of anything out of place.
"…Just who is he?"
She was at a loss.
"…I should go ask Touko about this."
***
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