[209] New Goods

"Hi~~ How have you been lately?" Touko Aozaki pushed open the door with one hand, carrying her luggage with the other, and waved with a smile.

There were some changes compared to the last time he saw her, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what was different.

Aura, appearance—she had changed overall.

Her hair was dyed orange, a color he had never seen in all the images of her... It almost made her unrecognizable.

"I've been okay recently, just busy with anime and manga-related matters." Kazuya stood up, pointing to a chair while walking and saying, "Want some coffee?"

"Yes, coffee." Touko Aozaki sat down, placing her suitcase beside her.

"I heard you recently had another encounter with the Sealing Designation Enfocer. I thought you wouldn't come over in such a short time." Kazuya prepared the coffee and placed it in front of Touko Aozaki.

"Oh, that... Well, I can't let personal matters delay business, can I? Even though I encountered some trouble. But I still rushed back from halfway around the world. How about it? Will you pay me extra this time?" Touko Aozaki said, clicking open her suitcase.

"Take a look. This is the merchandise you ordered."

Kazuya walked over, first seeing fingerless gloves. But this time, as he had specified, the length extended up to the elbow.

Two of them, for both hands. After all, these items could not only conceal the command spells on the back of the hands but also serve as protective gear.

Revealing the fingers was for better handling a pen. This way, even when drawing manga, there would be no interference.

Next—golden ropes.

The ropes were as thick as fingers, over ten meters long, made of the same material as the gloves...

They had the effect of conducting one hundred percent ripple and amplifying it by fifty percent, in other words, a one hundred and fifty percent effect. Quite a formidable protective gear.

There was also a three-meter-long scarf made from the same material...

It was probably made from some mythical creature, maybe a golden wolf. He wondered if it was shed or cut off...

It should have been cut off using some method... he seemed to recall seeing an entire golden wolf without a single strand of hair...

But despite that, to him and other magus, this hair was a treasure. However, to that golden wolf, it might be something that could regrow immediately after being cut.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen the familiar by Touko Aozaki's side. Where did she keep it? Or did she release it altogether?

Even in the subsequent works featuring Touko Aozaki, including those within the Kara no Kyoukai, there was no trace of that phantasmal beast, which was a bit disappointing.

And then—

"I never thought you'd even get your hands on Holy Relics..." Kazuya sighed.

"The Holy Grail War... you really are going to participate. But it seems you're on the side of independents rather than the Mage's Association?" 

"Yes, that's correct." Kazuya nodded.

"Sigh~~ You're so straightforward. Aren't you afraid I'll leak this information? Don't forget, I'm a magus too. I don't like to see the decline of the magical source either."

"Do you believe that yourself?" Kazuya smiled and put on the gloves, satisfied with the effect. Although he hadn't used the ripple, he could already feel the fitting effect.

It could resist some cuts and stabs on its own, plus with his ripple...

In the upcoming Holy Grail War, he also had his own combat power... If he had this equipment when he fought Diarmuid earlier... it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

Touko Aozaki also casually smiled. "So, how's the price? For a pair of gloves, a scarf, a rope, two Holy Relics—Lionheart King's Armguard and The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven Oda Nobunaga's Severed Sword."

"Can you confirm that they are authentic?" Kazuya exhaled.

"Of course, they're genuine," Touko Aozaki said with a smile. "Anyone who appraises them will say the same. These are authentic."

Kazuya nodded in satisfaction. That was good.

With this, he now had four Holy Relics in his possession... his choices had expanded.

"So, name your price. How much for all these?" 

"Fifty billion yen, how about that?" Touko Aozaki suggested.

"Thirty billion yen," Kazuya countered.

Touko Aozaki paused for a moment, then slowly furrowed her eyebrows. "You... actually learned to negotiate??"

"Can't help it." Kazuya sighed. "I've been a bit short on money recently... Proper negotiation is necessary, isn't it?"

"It's really rare. Did something go wrong with the company's operations? No, according to my calculations, you should have a lot of money now, right? Didn't you just make a big profit not long ago?"

"You know about that?"

"Of course." Touko Aozaki smiled. "I also made a small profit in the trend. Now it seems the storm is about to pass. I'm planning to wrap things up in a while."

"But forget it, let's make it fifty billion..." Kazuya sighed. It was good enough. With this, he could still find her if something happened next time. An extra twenty billion wasn't a big deal.

Saying that, he took out a check and placed it in front of Touko Aozaki.

"Really generous! You—" Touko Aozaki snapped her fingers, satisfied, and picked up the check to confirm. "Well then, this is for you."

Touko Aozaki placed an envelope on Kazuya's table. "The usage is the same as last time."

"Yes, I know." Kazuya sighed inwardly. If he had negotiated the price just now, even if she agreed to sell him the items, he doubted she would leave them behind.

How stingy.

"By the way, are you selling that phantasmal beast?" Kazuya pointed to his gloves. "The one that created these gloves."

"Oh, that one." Touko Aozaki smiled. "It's gone now. That guy. But don't worry, he left a lot behind for me. I can still make things like these at least once more. However, it'll only be enough for one more time. If you need it again next time, remember to find me."

With that, Touko Aozaki stood up, finished her coffee, walked to the door, pushed it open, and walked out. Then, she turned around from the doorway and said, "Well then, bye-bye. I'll be waiting for your next visit to Touko's Shop."

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