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It was a bright spring day—almost unreasonably so. Aoi, who had accepted her lover Tokiomi's invitation to "accompany him to his sister's wedding," felt somewhat out of place amidst the grand ceremony taking place at the Tohsaka family estate. It wasn't just the scale of the event that made her heart flutter. The commotion caused by black vehicles packed tightly outside the Manhattan suburban mansion, blocked by gothic iron gates beneath high stone walls— "Who the hell are you people? FBI warrant? Get lost! This is a private family event!" "There are women and children in there, back off!" "Put those damn cameras away before we make you!" The aggressive behavior of men in suits who would violently snatch paparazzi cameras, smash them to the ground, and then carelessly toss bills matching the value of the destroyed equipment made Aoi fidget uncomfortably as she watched from her table. However, most family members continued their celebrations as if such incidents weren't worth their attention.
And what of the man standing alone by the mansion wall, muttering, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Tohsaka. We are always grateful for the kindness you bestow upon us"? The Tohsaka family head was presumably greeting guests inside, and this man appeared to be nervously rehearsing his greeting. Noticing Aoi's anxious glances around the venue, Tokiomi spoke to her with his characteristically elegant and refined smile, though his expression was somewhat more serious than usual.
"This is what it means to be a Tohsaka."
At these words, Aoi gazed into Tokiomi's calm eyes. At that moment, squeals of delight erupted from the celebration as Gilgamesh, the rising Hollywood star known as the Golden Man, made his spectacular entrance. Dressed in a gold suit, he was believed to have some connection to the Tohsaka family. He kissed the bride's hand in her wedding dress, remarking that it was a lovely smile he hadn't seen in a while, and sang a song wishing for her happiness. The women couldn't help but swoon at his confident smile and stage presence that bordered on arrogance. The warm air, carrying the fragrance of the garden and champagne bubbles, danced along with each step and intoxicating note of the young star's performance.
Aoi looked back at Tokiomi. The eternally courteous man. One skilled at inspiring trust in his own sincerity. Those unwavering eyes extended an invitation. After Gilgamesh's performance, as the party gathered for photographs, Tokiomi turned to Aoi.
"Care to join?"
It was an invitation into this moment, this destiny, presumably. Aoi steeled herself and took Tokiomi's hand. Spring love demanded a certain kind of completion. In the Tohsaka mansion's garden bathed in sunlight, Aoi smiled at the camera while holding Tokiomi's hand. With the click of the shutter, her fate was eternally captured within the Tohsaka family's film.
Shortly after, newspapers carried adjacent articles announcing the marriage of Tokiomi, the eldest son of the Tohsaka family—central to the underworld—and his succession as the family head.
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"Let's stop by the store briefly; I need to buy fruit that Aoi and the children like."
Kirei nodded once and turned the sedan toward the shopping district. Glancing briefly at his master in the passenger seat, he saw Tokiomi sitting properly in his usual well-tailored suit. Outside the window, the peaceful afternoon scenery stretched indifferently, and today he seemed particularly content, wearing a trace of satisfaction as he gazed at the view. Though it was usually difficult to discern beneath his dignified expression, from Kirei's long observation of Tokiomi, it was definitely contentment. He must be thinking about his family. Whenever Kirei observed such tender expressions from him, it felt as though that smile lodged in his throat. An inexplicable yearning for his master's way of life—should he call it yearning? Or perhaps reverence? Perhaps it was something akin to nostalgia for the family life he could have had with his own wife, who had already passed away. Added to this was a kind of weariness toward his self that couldn't even clearly affirm its own emotions. As their vehicle passed under a bridge, the shadow cast by the front door reflected the cross hanging on his chest in the sedan's windshield. For some time now, that cross had been responding coldheartedly to Kirei's prayers. Or perhaps he himself had lost the fervor to receive those answers.
Unaware of Kirei's inner thoughts, Tokiomi maintained his noble smile while gazing out the car window at the passing streets. The scent emanating from the leather seats blended with his sandalwood perfume, suggesting that this elegant and comfortable space was undoubtedly his domain. Despite being involved in the city's darker business dealings, Tokiomi always maintained an attitude of absolute certainty about his life—wielding power for the family and taking meticulous care of its members and those around them. That dignified and refined gaze was proof of his self-confidence. The sophistication of an ancient mage family and the vice of society's underbelly—he possessed an admirable dignity as the embodiment of authority and principle maintaining order between these two worlds.
As for Kirei himself, he harbored an unstable heart, unable to gauge whether it would ever again be possible to truly love others and live for them. As the black armored vehicle quietly crossed through the city where everyone moved at their own pace—children from school to playground, wives to shopping streets, elderly and idlers to parks—Kirei thought of his departed wife. What is happiness? He had married Claudia to find the answer to this question, and just when that answer seemed within reach, he was left grasping only emptiness.
Since then, Tokiomi, who had consistently provided balance and direction by his side, was truly a master worthy of the title. Beyond simply teaching magic or strategy, he exemplified an ideal attitude worth emulating about how one should proceed to live a life considered rich and noble. However, when Kirei tried to superficially imitate this, he felt an unidentifiable void. It was like a kind of hunger that his wife had once discovered in him.
The awning of the fruit shop now obscured the gradually dimming sky above the street. While Tokiomi selected fruit, Kirei waited in the car. As he was thinking how the wind had grown colder with the changing season, suddenly a gunshot rang out. Kirei's gaze darted like lightning toward the fruit shop as he leaped out of the vehicle, and the sight of his master falling seemed to play out like an old film reel before him. The fruits Tokiomi had been selecting scattered across the floor. Red and yellow apples rolled through the pooling red blood. Cherries were crushed underneath, their juice bursting to mix with the blood puddle. Kirei quickly surveyed the surroundings, but the perpetrator had vanished without a trace.
Kirei runs through the heavily settled air. He lifts his master's bloodied body in the silence. As he quickly presses against the car frame for cover, an overwhelming emotion—something incomprehensible yet undeniably genuine—washes over him and shakes him to his core.
This feeling... such has never before existed within me.
A sensation more primal than the grief of losing one's master, surpassing it entirely. Witnessing his master's life slipping away, Kirei discovered what was stirring within himself. Yes. Ecstasy. And he shuddered at this realization.
"Ki...rei... I entrust... the Tohsaka... Aoi and..."
Red-soaked shirts of both men, cold street bricks, the gradually fading pulse in the body he held, his own heart pounding violently against it, rapidly cooling skin. Expression contorting in pain. The magical energy that once enveloped his body like an aura gradually dissipating.
Rage wells up. Within the fury of a disciple losing his master, the twisted ecstasy and self-loathing of one confronting his true nature screamed out its centrality. The possessive satisfaction of witnessing his final moments from such intimate proximity wore a gratified smile. Was he a monster? Perhaps a demon? Though he couldn't understand why, he felt that such a liberated heart brought its own painful satisfaction. No, freedom wasn't the right word—he knew with certainty that he would never be able to shake this desire from his soul. He was absolutely sure. From now on, he would eternally chase this pleasure. Such a premonition overwhelmed Kirei.
"I will certainly find the culprit, my master."
This statement contained two truths: first, the vow to avenge his teacher, and second, the desire to find the one who had helped him confront his true nature.