Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Celestial

Kayneth looked at the four Command Seals on the back of his hand with a complicated expression before leaving the Tohsaka residence.

He still had some matters to attend to tonight—like heading to the Fuyuki Bridge to retrieve that foolish student of his who had attempted to challenge a magician to a one-on-one fight.

Meanwhile, back at the Tohsaka household, Tohsaka Tokiomi was sprawled lazily on the sofa, like a deflated balloon, utterly drained of energy.

For years, he had worked tirelessly toward fulfilling his lifelong wish in this Holy Grail War. But, as with the Tohsaka family heads before him, all his efforts had proven to be in vain—a futile endeavor that yielded no results.

All he could do now was place his hopes in the wisdom of his descendants, he thought. Thankfully, Sakura's talent was exceptional.

Perhaps, he mused aimlessly, it was time to return to family life.

Tohsaka Tokiomi pondered his future plans in the aftermath of his failure in the Holy Grail War: devoting himself to raising Sakura as his successor and spending more time with Aoi, who had already sacrificed so much for the family.

Besides, this Holy Grail War wasn't entirely fruitless, Tokiomi thought, glancing at the shield on the coffee table that reflected the light from the lamp.

...

The scene shifted back to the Fuyuki Bridge, where the aftermath of a fierce battle lingered. After shooting down the assassin who had ambushed her from behind, Aoko Aozaki paid no further attention to the assassin.

Instead, her focus shifted to the young man in a suit lying face-down on the ground, unconscious—Waver Velvet, who appeared to have overexerted himself.

Aoko frowned, pulled out a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and poured it over Waver's head.

"Ugh! Stop, stop pouring…!" Waver sputtered as the cold water jolted him awake, soaking him to the bone. His long hair, now dripping wet, clung to his face. "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"One must always finish what they start," Aoko said. "And that means, since I started pouring this bottle of water, I have to finish it."

Waver struggled to stand, wincing as Aoko emptied the entire bottle of water over his head. Now thoroughly soaked, his suit was wet, and the chilly night breeze only added to his discomfort.

If it weren't for his pseudo-Servant constitution, he might have caught a cold by now.

"Alright, you've lost," Aoko said, tossing the empty bottle into the air, where it vanished. She continued, "Hand over your remaining Command Seals, and then you can go find your teacher, Kayneth."

"Uh…" Waver hesitated, "Can I take Ritsuka and Mash with me?"

"No," Aoko replied firmly. "You don't need to worry about Chaldea. Once they return, they'll just summon another 'you.'"

Left with no other choice, Waver sighed in resignation and extended his right hand, revealing two remaining Command Seals. His Servant, however, was no longer connected to him.

Aoko glanced at his hand and snapped her fingers. In an instant, the residual Command Seals transferred from Waver's hand to hers.

From the start, Aoko had used illusions to masquerade as a fake Master. Now, with three Command Seals in hand, she officially entered the Holy Grail War.

Her and Touko's current situation was highly unusual. Through Touko's research into the Grail and Command Seal systems, they had manipulated the contract permissions, redirecting them to Artoria. This exploit had essentially hacked the system.

This meant the sisters could provide Artoria with a total of six Command Seals. Even if Aoko didn't use her infinite magical energy (generated by her Magic Circuits' perpetual motion), they could still unleash six consecutive Excalibur blasts in a short span.

Waver rubbed the back of his hand and then used magic to dry his soaking clothes and hair.

"Once you return, do whatever you want—whether it's helping your teacher or not," Aoko said. "But if you sign a contract with him as a Servant and join the fight, the consequences will be yours to bear."

"…Understood, Miss Blue," Waver said solemnly. "I'll assist Professor Kayneth, but not as a Servant."

"Suit yourself," Aoko said nonchalantly, waving him off. "Speak of the devil—your teacher's here."

At that, Waver turned around and saw Kayneth and Lancer Karna descending from the sky.

"Hmph, still alive, are you?" Kayneth said. "I hope this reckless stunt of yours will leave you with a lasting lesson."

"Ah," Waver replied, "it's a lesson I won't forget."

"…Hmph. Where is Miss Blue?" Kayneth asked, glancing around.

"She's right—" Waver turned mid-sentence, only to find that Aoko and Artoria had vanished.

...

"Kiritsugu… are you alright?" A weak voice came from the bed where Irisviel lay. "How's Maiya…?"

"…Maiya's dead," Kiritsugu said, hesitating for a moment before revealing the truth. "She was killed by the magician, Aozaki Aoko during a mission."

"I see…" Irisviel's expression was filled with sorrow, but her gaze didn't rest on Kiritsugu.

Sitting by her bedside, Kiritsugu held Irisviel's hand, feeling her fragile body tremble slightly.

As more Servants perished, their souls were absorbed into the Lesser Grail within Irisviel, accelerating her dehumanization. This process caused her to gradually lose her human functions.

By now, Irisviel could no longer see. Her once bright, beautiful red eyes had grown dim and gray.

"Don't worry about me," Irisviel said with a faint smile, trying to comfort her husband. "If your dream comes true, then both Maiya and I will be by your side in the new world."

"And Illya," Irisviel added, struggling to lift her other hand and placing it over Kiritsugu's. "If you succeed, Illya will have a brighter future, won't she?"

For a moment, Kiritsugu couldn't bring himself to answer.

He wasn't even sure if the Grail could truly grant his dream of saving humanity.

Looking at his wife and thinking of his child, Kiritsugu felt a fleeting urge to abandon everything and escape with them to live an ordinary, happy life.

But harsh reality and his unique mindset mercilessly pulled him back.

"Yes," Kiritsugu said with determination. "I will succeed. We will go to that happy new world together."