The two Koyanskayas were in a foul mood.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the human brat calling for their Master was dripping with arrogance.
'Presumptuous little thing.'
The Koyanskaya of Light, the Assassin, did not hate humans. In fact, she loved the endless cycle of their successes and their wretched downfalls.
But her Master was different.
She wished for him to be happy forever; she desired a life for him where rock bottom simply did not exist. He was that special to her. He was her Master.
And yet, this child was radiating hostility toward him.
It was a cardinal sin, a transgression worthy of death. Was he a child? An adult? His age meant absolutely nothing to her.
"How incredibly rude of you."
In a blur of motion, she manifested behind the boy's back. She kicked him squarely into the room, followed him inside, and slammed the door shut.
The door was immediately sealed with Magecraft. Not just the entrance—every window was shuttered by a conceptual lock.
The Koyanskaya of Darkness, the Foreigner, moved in perfect sync, layering a soundproofing field over the space. The faint flicker of blue light that pulsed through the room was the only evidence of her intervention.
Not satisfied with mere silence, she deployed a Presence Concealment spell as well. It was a rudimentary boundary, but its effectiveness was absolute.
"Oi, what the hell do you think you're doin'?"
The boy scrambled to his feet, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl. Despite his youth, his bloodlust was remarkably thick.
However.
"You truly don't know your place, do you?"
From the front, the Koyanskaya of Darkness unleashed her killing intent. From the side, the Koyanskaya of Light did the same.
The Foreigner's temper was particularly short. First he acted out, and now he was directing bloodlust at her Master? Her hands were practically itching to subject him to a very thorough, very agonizing bout of 'education.'
"Ugh... gah...!"
The malice vanished from the boy's eyes as he stood. His throat constricted, his breath coming in ragged, desperate hitches. His chest felt heavy, as if his heart were about to burst under the pressure. The sheer aura radiating from the two Servants crushed him from both sides.
It was a crushing weight that felt like it would pop his very soul.
"Gah... cough!"
The boy collapsed to his knees, curling into a ball. It was humiliating. How could mere women do this to a man? For him, this was an unacceptable reality.
'But... are they really just women?' the boy wondered through his gasping breaths.
Until the moment the door had opened, they had felt ordinary. Maybe a bit alluring, but normal. But now? They were entirely different creatures.
A Cursed Spirit. They radiated a pressure that made him think of the 'Special Grades' he had only heard stories about. Even as he felt like he was dying, the boy understood the gap in their standing. He understood it, and it infuriated him.
"Master, shall I kill him?" the Foreigner asked, standing guard before her lord.
One word from him, and she would erase this brat without leaving so much as a speck of ash behind. Her Master was kind, but he was also cold—especially toward those he had branded as enemies.
"Hmm... no. For now, I'd like to have a little chat."
The Master sat on the bed and looked down at the curled-up boy. The difference in height was a direct reflection of their standing.
"As you wish."
The two Koyanskayas immediately withdrew their pressure and suppressed their presence. Once again, they appeared as nothing more than exceptionally beautiful women.
Meanwhile, the Master stood up. Surprise flitted across his features. 'It really is him.'
The piece of trash destined to be killed by Zenin Maki's mother and then finished off by Maki herself. The radical misogynist. The sorcerer. The face of Zenin Naoya, as seen in the manga, flashed through the Master's mind.
"Hey, what's your name?" the Master asked, crouching down to face the boy. Since things had turned out this way, he figured he might as well speak at eye level.
'Looking at his age, is he in his first year of middle school? Maybe late elementary? Or maybe older than he looks?' At that age, he likely already knew jujutsu, but it didn't matter. Koyanskaya would react long before the boy could weave a single technique.
"Who... who the hell are you? How are you keeping monsters like these harlots following you?"
"Don't call them that. They're my women."
Knowing the boy's personality, the Master pushed back hard. He also felt a genuine sense of indignation at the insult.
"Oh my, Master... ♥" The two Koyanskayas giggled in unison. It seemed they quite enjoyed that answer.
"Now that we've cleared that up, think carefully before you answer me."
"I... I got it," the boy replied, his face pale with fear. No matter how arrogant he was, a child was still a child. After being subjected to the killing intent of high-ranking Servants, fear was the only logical response.
"I'm... I'm Naoya. Zenin Naoya."
"Zenin? You have the same surname as Toji-san."
"T-That's right! I'm Toji-kun's relative! If you look at the family tree, I guess I'm his cousin or somethin'." Naoya's thick Kansai dialect came through as he spoke.
'My guess was right.'
"Oh, really? A relative? But I heard the relatives over there hate Toji-san..."
"Those people are all idiots, aren't they? Their brains must be in their dicks. Do they have any idea how strong Toji-kun is?!" Naoya's eyes sparkled as he spoke. His phrasing was crude, but his high appraisal of Toji was exactly like the original story.
Because of that obsession, he would eventually develop an intense inferiority complex toward Maki... but at least he knew how to recognize power. However, while he could recognize it, he didn't know how to respect it properly.
"I know that much too."
"Then who the hell are you? Why were you with Toji-kun?"
"You're curious about that?"
"I'm dyin' to know! So... just tell me already," Naoya pleaded, trembling. He looked as though he were about to be traumatized by fear.
"I'll tell you if you make a Binding Vow with me. You won't tell anyone what you hear from me unless I give you permission."
"A Binding Vow? I knew it, you're a sorcerer too? No, a Curse User?"
"I don't even know myself. Anyway, do we have a deal?"
Telling him was fine, but a loose tongue would be a problem. Killing him felt like a waste too. 'Of all people, it had to be this kid.'
If he had met an adult Naoya in this situation, he likely would have killed him or left him crippled. But right now, he was just a child. A kid who had just entered middle school. While his personality was mostly formed, it wasn't set in stone. There was room for improvement.
Meeting like this was a coincidence, but if he played it right, couldn't he save a lot of people in the future? 'I can't use Suggestion.'
Hypnotic Magecraft like 'Suggestion' was weak. It didn't last long. It was barely effective on civilians—on a jujutsu sorcerer? Their resistance due to Cursed Energy would make it a waste of Magical Energy.
"I-I'll do it! If I do, will you tell me everythin'?"
"Sure. I'll tell you."
"Then I'll make the Vow. Just... just tell me!"
The Master nodded at Naoya. Since he was still a child, he was willing to bet on the possibility of rehabilitation. 'He's desperate because he's a kid.'
If he were an adult, he would have approached this calmly, but right now, the boy's lack of composure was obvious. The condition of the vow—that he alone keep the secret—carried zero risk for the Master. If there had been a risk, he wouldn't have accepted the vow in the first place. Naoya probably sensed that instinctively... or maybe he was just so frantic he didn't care.
"First, about how I made Toji my 'slave'? We made a Binding Vow. I won't disclose the details because it's a personal matter."
"Hey! That's the most important part!" Naoya's eyes went wide. He was baffled that the very info he wanted most was being withheld.
"It's personal. There was no coercion involved."
"You're sayin' you didn't suppress him with force?"
"I could have, but it was a vow made with proper mutual agreement. Any other questions? No?"
As the Master sat back on the bed, Naoya pushed himself up as well. He seemed a bit less tense now.
"I... I have one. Those women, what's the deal with them? They definitely aren't human, but they don't feel like Cursed Spirits either..."
"You can feel that?"
"I can. So, can you answer me?"
"I won't tell you that either. Explaining it is too complicated."
"Why, you little...!" Naoya started to shout in anger but immediately pulled his shoulders back. One look at the Foreigner had him terrified again.
"Wait, if you do this, I don't know anythin' new! Why'd I even make the Vow?"
"That's fair, but I'm answering you as sincerely as I can."
"It's ridiculous, but... I can feel that you aren't lyin'. I guess sayin' you're bein' sincere isn't a total lie either." Naoya nodded obediently. It seemed the Master's sincerity had reached him.
"Anyway, why do you look down on women so much?"
"I mean, a girl who doesn't know how to walk three steps behind a man deserves to get a blade in her back and die, doesn't she?"
"Can you say that in front of these two?" The Master pointed toward the Foreigner, and Naoya's mouth snapped shut.
Even if he realized they weren't human, a woman was still a woman. He could clearly see the future where saying those words would result in him being ground into the dirt.
"You can't, right? You can't just ignore someone because they're a woman, and you can't just worship someone because they're a man. Do you understand now?"
"I... I get it." Naoya nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't truly convinced.
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
"Huh? No, I'm convinced! You're right!"
"Hardly. You're just saying that because you're in a losing position and want to move on. You're hopeless."
The Master sighed. It seemed Naoya needed a demonstration of power. He would only realize the truth if he saw it with his own eyes. Meeting him like this of all places... what a mess. He couldn't help but groan.
"Master. May I make a suggestion?" the Assassin standing behind him asked. It seemed she had an idea.
"Hm? What is it?"
"It appears this brat doesn't know his place."
At those words, a vein popped on Naoya's forehead. He was clearly dissatisfied but didn't dare speak. It must have been incredibly frustrating for him.
"That's my concern too. Is there a way?"
"There is." The corners of the Assassin's eyes crinkled into a soft smile. It was a look that was both sinister and chilling.
'Ah...' The Master caught on. He could imagine exactly what would happen to this half-rotten Naoya. Since ancient times, the 'rod' had always been the best medicine. Since Naoya had no one to keep him in line, he had just kept veering off course.
"It sounds like a lot of trouble, are you okay with it?"
"Of course. Master, you want this boy remodeled, don't you? As your secretary, I must step up."
"Thank you." The Master bowed his head sincerely. He was truly grateful that she was willing to take this on herself.
"Hmph. Discipline is my specialty. Shall I handle it?" The Foreigner chimed in, her eyes gleaming. Both were cruel, but the Foreigner was certainly the harsher of the two.
"W-Wait, what are you talkin' about? Discipline?" Naoya stammered. His face had turned ghost-white.
"It's all for your own good."
The Master sighed as he looked at Naoya. Having both the Assassin and the Foreigner handle it was a waste of resources. One would be enough. And he had already decided who it would be.
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