Fuyuki City is a famous tourist destination in the Type-Moon world.

Modeled after Kobe City in Japan's Kansai region, its name comes from the common perception that Kobe has a long winter. In reality, however, its climate is rather mild and rarely suffers from severe cold. You could probably dig two random holes and strike a hot spring.

Around the year 1800, the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri families, in their quest to reach the Root, chose this location to conduct a grand magical ritual, which they named the Holy Grail War.

From then on, Fuyuki City's local specialties underwent a few changes.

Once famous for its Kobe beef, salmon, and hot springs, Fuyuki was now renowned throughout the world for the "gas explosions" that occurred in a sixty-year cycle.

However, such matters did not affect Aozaki Aoko's mood in the slightest.

"Phew—the weather is surprisingly nice, isn't it?"

Pulling a suitcase behind her, the young magus remarked, feeling that the temperature in Fuyuki was considerably warmer than back home. She gazed at the new city district in the distance with a sense of wonder.

Even though it was already winter, the climate here was merely cool, not cold. It felt like one could have a pleasant time just by changing into some casual wear or a thin sweater.

This kind of weather was truly perfect for getting active.

The smile on the face of the Fifth Magus, who was already prepared to go all out, grew even brighter.

"That sort of thing is unimportant."

A considerably colder voice spoke up beside the energetic girl.

The source of the voice was a witch who seemed born from the night itself. Her shoulder-length black hair held the color of midnight, and her black pupils were just as frigid.

Unlike her companion, who was dressed in what was nearly autumn attire, she wore a black, fluffy overcoat, a black snow cap, and snow boots. She even wore jet-black gloves on her hands.

Her exquisite, doll-like face and figure, along with an aura that seemed stripped of all emotion, possessed a demonic charm.

This girl was hugging a small picture book, her icy pupils gazing into the distance.

That direction was where the estate of the family known as Matou was located.

The wanderer, a man deeply connected to her, had accepted a commission from the head of the Matou family long ago. Leading a top-tier Phantasmal Species named Beo, he had killed the Great Magus who had ruled that family for five hundred years.

Afterward, he took the family's Magic Crest, becoming the master of that prestigious Northern European magus house established in the Far East.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would likely make his appearance as the head of the Makiri family, one of the Three Founding Families.

A small smile lifted the corners of the fairy-tale witch's lips.

A fairy-tale witch naturally yearned for a sudden, fairy-tale-like meeting and reunion.

But before they met, there were some things that needed to be prepared.

So thought the girl, who was certain she loved that wanderer, but could not tolerate some of his habits.

For that, she had to obtain the Holy Grail.

The witch, clearly planning to use the Holy Grail to directly alter someone's views on love, hugged the picture book in her arms tighter.

It was a Phantasmal Spirit manifested from the collective concept of all picture books, the most compatible Servant for Kuonji Alice.

True Name: Nursery Rhyme

Class: Caster

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: E

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: EX

With Nursery Rhyme's help, even Aoko would be no match for her.

The witch, whose own abilities combined with Nursery Rhyme's were terrifyingly potent, thought to herself.

She and Aozaki Aoko had made a pact to seize the Holy Grail together, drag it back to their hometown for slow repairs, and then hold a Holy Grail War between just the two of them to determine its ownership.

But now was not the time to dwell on such things.

Kuonji Alice turned to her ally in the coming battle and spoke.

"I should go and establish my magical territory before everyone else arrives."

"You should also find a place and prepare to summon your Servant."

The book in her arms seemed to come to life upon hearing her words, fluttering its pages.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Alice."

Hearing the tight schedule, the magus named Aoko couldn't help but complain.

Compared to preparing for war right now, she would much rather go soak in a hot spring, then check out the shopping district to see if there were any nice all-you-can-eat buffets to wreak havoc on.

Doing such things before heading onto the battlefield might sound reckless.

But if it was Aozaki Aoko doing them, it was entirely logical.

As a special case who only came into contact with the magical arts after the age of sixteen, even if she poured all her effort into creating a magical territory, the result would be something that could be used as material for a "what not to do" case study in a Clock Tower classroom.

Furthermore, as the Fifth Magus, she herself possessed immense combat power; there weren't many Servants who could outfight her.

On top of that, Aozaki Aoko had inherited the Aozaki family's curse of poverty. She had no money to buy a catalyst and couldn't specify a famous hero for her summoning. She was planning to just gamble on her luck.

And the probability of using sheer luck to summon a Servant whose combat power could match her own as a half-baked magus was genuinely low.

Therefore, establishing a territory and summoning a Servant weren't particularly urgent matters for her.

"How about we go for a soak in a hot spring together?"

Aozaki Aoko, who was more inclined to have some fun before getting down to business, proposed to her teacher and housemate.

"We can talk about battle preparations after a nice bath and a good meal."

The response she received was a very cold glare from Kuonji Alice.

"You should start acting like a magus. A battle between magi is a life-or-death affair."

It seemed she wouldn't be able to drag Alice to a hot spring with her.

Seeing that stern expression, Aozaki Aoko instantly became more obedient.

"I get it. I'll go summon a Servant right now."

I wonder what kind of Servant I'll be able to summon.

Miss Aoko, who had no money and could only rely on luck, couldn't help but sigh at the thought.

To this day, she still couldn't understand why the Aozaki family, the premier magus family of the Far East, was so poor.

I really need to find a shota with good financial luck to marry into the family and save us from this ancestral curse of poverty.

The young magus, who was cut from the exact same cloth as Aozaki Touko in certain respects, felt her mind beginning to race.

For the sake of my future sexual bliss, the Holy Grail is a must-have!

With this thought, Miss Aoko followed her housemate towards the location they had previously chosen as their base.

Then, she drew a rather substandard summoning circle and awaited the Servant's arrival.

"Shinmen Musashi-no-kami Fujiwara no Harunobu..."

A tall swordswoman wielding two blades emerged from the summoning circle.

Her smile was bright and cheerful, reminiscent of a clear sky.

"Sorry, let me try that again! Servant Saber, Shinmen Musashi, at your service! A bit embarrassing, wasn't it, Master!"