IBHJ 1327

Gilgamesh cast a sidelong glance at Mordred. "Aren't you playing with those sheep today, Mordred?"

She licked her lollipop lazily. "It's the weekend, so there are no classes." She shrugged, twirling the candy between her fingers. "My mom and Gray are researching new cakes, and Arcueid is busy writing a book. No one to play with me, so I came out."

Shirou glanced at her with a curious expression. "Didn't Scathach invite you to practice in the countryside? Or there's always Kama."

"Training with Scathach would break my bones." she crunched her lollipop between her teeth and spat out the stick. "And following Kama around? I'd definitely become a test subject." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not stupid."

The trio continued their conversation as they walked, eventually stopping in front of a quaint flower shop. At the entrance, an older Aoi Tohsaka pushed a wheelchair with gentle care. Sitting in it was Tokiomi Tohsaka, the once-proud head of the Tohsaka family, now smiling warmly as he handed a delicate flower to a young couple.

Gilgamesh observed the scene with an unreadable expression, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly.

"How does it feel?" Shirou asked softly, watching Gilgamesh's face for any reaction.

"Hmph." Gilgamesh tilted his chin up. "What feelings could there be? Just a clown who claimed to be a subject but actually plotted against his king." A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched the wheelchair-bound man. "However, this pathetic state of his is quite amusing and entertaining."

Gilgamesh flicked his wrist dismissively and turned away from the scene. "I'm leaving," he announced, already walking in the opposite direction.

Shirou smiled knowingly. He reached for Mordred's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Let's go," he said, leading his daughter down another path.

As he was about to leave, Gilgamesh paused and glanced back at the flower shop. Tokiomi carefully selected a bloom and presented it to his wife standing behind him. She bent slightly to inhale its fragrance, and gentle smiles spread across both their elderly faces.

It seemed almost impossible that such an ordinary, tender expression could belong to Tokiomi.

"Hmph. Ridiculous." Gilgamesh turned his back and strode away.

"Hm?" Tokiomi tilted his head slightly.

"What is it, Tokiomi?" Aoi asked.

He shook his head gently. "Nothing, Aoi," he reassured her.

...

Shirou held Mordred’s hand as they stepped into the seaside park. The place had transformed completely since the '90s. The rows of stacked shipping containers were long gone, replaced by wide open spaces, trees swaying gently, and clean walking paths that stretched out toward the ocean.

Mordred glanced around, her eyes scanning the area with faint curiosity. “This where Mom first fought you during the Holy Grail War?”

He let out a soft chuckle. “Well, kind of. I didn’t really stand a chance against her. I had to rely on provoking her with words, just to stop her from going all out.”

She looked at him, a grin tugging at her lips. “You’re unbelievable. But if that happened now, you’d be in for it. Mom doesn’t fall for cheap tricks anymore.”

“Yeah,” he said, his smile turning a little nostalgic. “She’s changed a lot... especially after Brigid left.”

She leaned in slightly, her tone teasing. “But if you brought her back here now, I bet her face would be priceless. Honestly, I kind of want to see it.”

He laughed, then gently tapped her forehead. “You’re as mischievous as ever.”

Just then, a healthcare worker pushed a cart past them.

“Excuse me, please.”

Mordred stepped aside, but noticed Shirou’s gaze lingering on the elderly man riding on the cart. The man’s body was completely limp, his orange hair dull and thinning.

“Ryuunosuke Uryuu...” he muttered under his breath.

She glanced at him. “You know him?”

He nodded slightly and pointed at the old man with a faint smile. “He was your dad’s first, and strongest, enemy.”

She blinked. “You’re messing with me. That guy looks like he can’t even lift a spoon, let alone fight. And did you say strongest?”

“I’m serious,” he said, still watching the man as the cart rolled away. “Twenty years ago, he was a serial killer. He targeted cute kids... and back then, I happened to be the cutest boy in the world. So of course, I became his target.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “I mean, I believe the killer part, but you being the cutest boy in the world? Seriously?” She smirked, licking her lollipop. “Yesterday, our teacher taught us a new word. ‘Shameless.’ I think it fits you perfectly.”

He flicked her forehead again, making her flinch.

Rubbing the spot with a grin, she turned to watch Ryuunosuke being wheeled farther away.

“Too bad I wasn’t around back then. Would’ve been fun if he tried targeting me, right?”

He looked at her mischievous grin and shook his head, smiling to himself. Forget Ryuunosuke—how many people in the world could handle her?

He watched in silence as the healthcare worker pushed the cart toward the detention center. The man sitting on it, completely paralyzed, was no longer the monster he once feared.

But he wasn’t just looking at Ryuunosuke Uryuu. In that moment, he was also staring at his own past—the frightened, angry boy he used to be. It was strange. Everything felt so close, like it had happened only yesterday… yet more than twenty years had slipped by.

Later that day, he brought Mordred up Mount Enzou. As they passed by Ryuudou Temple, he noticed something that made him stop for a second.

Issei Ryuudou—now well into his thirties—had shaved his head and put on a proper cassock. The same guy who used to complain endlessly about the temple had become its head priest. He was standing at the entrance, calmly explaining Buddhist teachings to a group of visitors.

Shirou couldn’t help but smile at the irony.

But the moment of calm shattered with a piercing screech.

A giant thunder bird burst out of the forest canopy, wings crackling with electricity as it swooped toward the temple.

“It’s that monster again!”

“Help—!”

Panic spread instantly. Temple visitors screamed and scattered, some stumbling down the steps.

Issei tried to take control, motioning to the monks to lead the visitors away, but it was no use. Even the monks had gone pale with fear, frozen in place.

Then, without warning, a flash of black light cut through the air.

A thin, sharp streak of mud shot straight upward, slicing through the thunder bird in an instant. Its body split apart mid-flight. Before the pieces could hit the ground, the mud coiled around them, forming a tight net that wrapped everything up like a dumpling. Then, just as suddenly, it vanished.

The whole thing happened so fast, people barely had time to react. For a moment, it felt like they’d imagined the entire thing.

Issei, dressed in his cassock, paused for a moment as something crossed his mind. Without a word, he stepped out of the temple gates, his eyes scanning the area as if he were looking for someone.

“Master, is something wrong?” a young monk asked, hurrying after him.

Issei shook his head. “No, it’s nothing.” His voice was calm, but a smile crept onto his face.

He didn’t need to see him to know.

That man had come back.

Back to this land, back to this city.