[MF] Ch 18: Night Raid on the Matou Estate

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After making arrangements with Touko Aozaki, Kaito set out to "raise" the funds needed for puppet construction.

Touko hadn't asked how he'd come up with that much cash. Still, she could guess—the money wouldn't be clean.

And this wasn't just suspicion. She already had evidence.

That evidence was the first batch of funding Kaito had given her: one million yen in cash, and four gold bars.

Touko wasn't exactly the ruling power of Mifune City, but for her own safety she always kept a close watch on the city's undercurrents. With her skills, it hadn't taken long to learn what happened just a few days ago: the city's largest yakuza group had been hit hard in a mysterious robbery, their criminal records leaked to the police.

Even more telling—Touko knew this incident had ruffled the feathers of Mifune's real overlords: the Ryougi family, one of the Four Demon Hunter Families of Japan. The yakuza group had been paying the Ryougi a hefty annual "protection fee." In practice, they were under the family's umbrella.

Now that umbrella had been shredded. The leaked evidence was suppressed quickly by the city's elites, but the damage to the Ryougi's reputation was done. They were furious and already investigating, determined to find the culprit.

And as a demon-hunting family, the Ryougi had their own supernatural tricks, becoming a fearful power. This was precisely why Touko had chosen Mifune as her base. With the Ryougi around, most magi wouldn't dare stir up trouble.

So when Kaito handed her those dirty funds, Touko knew right away he was probably the mysterious robber who had gutted the local yakuza. But she didn't care. She didn't say a word. In fact, she even covered for him, making sure the trail wouldn't lead the Ryougi his way.

Why? Because a collaborator like Kaito was rarer than rare. A perfect alignment of trust, shared goals, and mutual benefit—without the constant backstabbing that defined magus relationships. It was practically a miracle.

As she'd thought before: if someone could actually make her consider marriage, in the world of the supernatural that was a miracle-level find. 

Such a partner deserved protection. And since she was pushing thirty, while Kaito was barely twenty, wasn't it her duty to look after him?

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9 PM., Fuyuki City – The Church

Kirei Kotomine stepped out of the bathroom.

There was no doubt what he'd just finished doing, nor that it was not by choice. This was his seventh trip today.

The culprit? Lunch. Specifically, the extra-spicy version of mapo tofu he'd eaten at a Fuyuki restaurant.

Yes—after several days of hesitation, Kirei had finally followed the advice of that mysterious traveler who had given him "counseling." He had decided to try something new.

He couldn't make the trip to Sichuan, but he could at least ask the local chef for the "authentic extra-spicy" mapo tofu. Not the Japanese-style sweetened version, but the real thing.

And with that first bite, Kirei had entered an entirely new world.

The numbing heat crashed over him like a wave. For a man who had never eaten anything heavier than plain, mild food, the intensity short-circuited his senses. Endorphins and dopamine surged, chemicals his body had never felt in tandem. For someone like Kirei, who had never truly known joy or sorrow, it was a revelation.

Was it delicious? He couldn't say.

But he knew this: he wanted more.

So he devoured plate after plate, until he had inhaled three servings in total.

He didn't stop because he was full. Kirei trained his body. His discipline was flawless. His appetite could handle it.

No—he stopped because his stomach revolted. It simply wasn't built for that kind of shock. The rebellion had lasted all day.

Now it was nine at night, and he was staggering out of the bathroom for the seventh time.

To anyone else, the experience would have been hellish. They'd be in the hospital by now.

But not Kirei.

Weakened though he was, his eyes now gleamed with light. Gone was the lifeless, empty stare. He looked like a man who had glimpsed salvation, a pilgrim standing at the threshold of faith.

"Mr. Kaito was right," he whispered, lifting his gaze toward the night sky. "For someone like me, only the true spice can awaken the soul."

"This experience… these sensations… this stimulation… Ah… truly… beyond anything I've ever known."

"And the hotpot he mentioned… if the mapo tofu is like this, then the hotpot must be divine. And there are Phaal Curry and Vindaloo in the list."

He clenched his fists, face set with newfound devotion. A monk in search of enlightenment, already vowing to make his pilgrimage.

And then he froze. His eyes narrowed, focused on the distant suburbs of Fuyuki.

There—he sensed it. A surge of violent magical energy.

Something was happening.

After a moment's hesitation, Kirei turned back toward the church. He would inform his father, Risei, and then investigate. It was his duty. His teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka, had left for Europe that very morning to negotiate with the Edelfelt family about adopting Sakura. During Tokiomi's absence, watching over Fuyuki fell to Kirei.

And the disturbance was coming from the Matou estate.

The cause?

The mansion was under attack—by a figure clad in cutting-edge, futuristic armor.

Iron Man.

Or more precisely, Kaito, using the Tokiomi character card.

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