Chapter 160: Observing Mifune City (Bonus)

This is a city similar to Fuyuki City.

It's not a big city, not well-known, and doesn't have any famous tourist attractions. It's just an ordinary small city.

This city is located in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Japan.

Tokyo Metropolis and the capital city Tokyo of Japan are different concepts. The former is equivalent to a province in China, although it's not as large, while the latter is equivalent to a city in China. The easiest way to understand this is by comparing it to Jilin Province and Jilin City in Northeast China (even though Jilin City is not the capital of Jilin Province). In this analogy, the city in question would be similar to Tonghua City or Liaoyuan City, which are under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province.

The name of this city is Mifune City. Don't overlook its existence just because its name is not easy to remember. It is a very important stage in the Type-Moon world, where the story of "Kara no Kyoukai" takes place.

In the last month of 1994, a Mercedes-Benz car with out-of-town license plates entered this small city with the difficult-to-remember name.

The driver was a woman in her thirties of Japanese-German mixed heritage. She had shoulder-length red hair, and a beautiful face, and was dressed in a classic Chanel suit, complemented by Cartier crystal jewelry. She wore a pair of semi-rimless glasses that combined both traditional and fashionable elements. She was a typical urban white-collar worker, or rather, a gold-collar worker.

Her name was Elza Sajyou. Well, she might be the same person as the Master of Archer in "Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver" (the Fourth Holy Grail War in a parallel world), or maybe they just share the same name. But that's not important. What matters is that she currently serves as an assistant to Matou Byakuya and is an indispensable partner in his career. The Matou family's secular industries have grown rapidly within a year, and Miss Sajyou has played a significant role in this.

The only person who would have Elza Sajyou as their driver is Byakuya. Currently, he sat in the passenger seat, resting his eyes.

Yes, the passenger seat. In Japan, the seating etiquette for cars is "higher in the back, lower in the front, higher on the right, lower on the left." Byakuya sitting in the passenger seat meant that the two people in the back seats, who held a higher position in the Matou family, took the back seats.

On the right rear side was the family's little princess, the cherished jewel of everyone's eyes, Sakura Matou.

On the left rear side was the person who had the most persuasive power in the family, the eccentric individual whose mental age did not match his physical age, Shinji Matou.

The two children leaned against their respective windows, watching the scenery outside rapidly receding.

However, Sakura was full of excitement and innocence, while the mature Shinji's eyes were hollow, lacking focus as if he was immersed in his world.

The surrounding traffic gradually became dense. As they drew closer to their destination after passing three consecutive traffic lights, Elza Sajyou spoke in a moderate tone, "Turn at the next intersection and pass two more traffic lights, and we'll arrive."

Byakuya made a soft "Hmm" sound and opened his eyes.

"Are we finally here?" Sakura revealed a sweet smile and reached out to tug at Shinji's sleeve. "Brother, brother."

Shinji snapped back to reality and looked around in confusion. "Ah—oh—"

Seeing his son's reaction, Byakuya rubbed his temples in distress. "Shinji, I only brought you and Sakura here because you insisted. Why are you so listless now?"

"Maybe he's tired from the long car ride. After all, he's still young," Elza explained, trying to console Byakuya.

Byakuya could only force a smile in response, saying, "Heh, maybe."

What else could he say?

Could he admit that his son had more energy than he did?

Although Elza was one of the few people outside the family who was close to them, she didn't know the true nature of the Matou family, and Byakuya had no plans to let her know for the time being.

Shaking off his scattered thoughts, Byakuya continued speaking.

"Shinji, Sakura, tonight we will be attending a reception hosted by the Asakami family. Although they have fallen from grace, they are still a prominent family in Mifune. We mustn't neglect our manners."

"Understood, Father," Sakura obediently nodded. "I will be careful."

"Such a well-behaved girl, Sakura—"

"Don't worry, I'm good at acting obedient. It's my specialty."

Shinji patted his cheek, stretched lazily, and loosened his stiff body from sitting for too long, returning to his usual carefree demeanor.

"Look, apart from Aunt Elza in the company, no one knows I'm pretending. They all say I'm well-behaved and understanding, that you've raised a good son."

"You, well—" Byakuya had always been at a loss with his son, so he scratched his head out of habit.

"Don't scratch your head. You're the guest of honor tonight; your hairstyle mustn't be messy. And don't mess up your clothes either; it's embarrassing to have wrinkles."

With Shinji stopping his small movements one after another, Byakuya could only scratch the window; at least this wouldn't affect his appearance. Helplessly giving in, his defeated expression made Elza and Sakura burst into laughter.

Tonight's reception was a formal occasion. Byakuya, Shinji, and Sakura were all dressed in tailored formal attire. Elza also brought her dress, but she would change it after discussing business matters.

The car soon passed two traffic lights, and the Mercedes-Benz turned into an underground parking lot of an office building.

After the car came to a stop, the group of people didn't immediately get out. Instead, they took one last look to see if there were any inappropriate details in their appearance, mainly the women inspecting the men. Elza, who was secretly referred to as the "Matou Group" butler, and Sakura, who had inherited the true teachings of the Tohsaka family, both paid great attention to their grooming. Only the casually dressed Byakuya and Shinji needed someone to help them tidy up.

Watching Elza carefully adjust Byakuya's tie, Shinji's eyes began to twinkle, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips that didn't fade until they got out of the car.

"Hey, that's going too far," Byakuya intentionally stayed behind and glared fiercely at his son.

"It's not me who's going too far, it's you," Shinji whispered, lowering his voice. "I've always suspected whether Elza Auntie likes you or not, and now I finally understand. It's not just liking, it's being wholeheartedly devoted. Dad, if you meet such a good woman, you should marry her."

Byakuya paused in his steps, his expression changing several times before finally sighing.

"Just wait a little longer, just a little longer."

"The decision is yours. I'm just reminding you not to wait until you lose something before you regret it. You're luckier than Uncle; the Matou family now isn't as dirty and dark, and you have nothing to worry about." After speaking, Shinji quickened his pace and walked alongside Sakura.

"Regret... worry..." Byakuya lowered his head, lost in thought.

When he lifted his head after sorting out his emotions, Shinji and Sakura had already walked far ahead, and the woman who had been his assistant for over five years was still waiting for him, just like the countless times she had sent him home when he was drunk.

"What were you talking about with the child?"

"Oh, he said he wants you to be his stepmother."

Elza's face immediately turned as red as her hair. "What are you saying? Don't joke about the child."

Byakuya inexplicably felt a twinge in the corner of his eye.

A joke? He had made too many jokes, and when it came time to be serious, no one would believe him.

Perhaps it was time to gather his thoughts.

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