"Ooooh, so this is the legendary taxi!"
"I'd only ever seen them in movies, but to think you can really just raise your hand and stop one~"
Once they'd escaped the crowd's attention, Irisviel calmed down noticeably.
However, once her nerves settled, her boundless curiosity swiftly took over again. As soon as she got in the cab, she eagerly looked all around.
Though outwardly elegant and refined like a proper lady, her actions revealed a childlike curiosity, like a little explorer. The sight even made today's new blond-haired driver chuckle.
Of course, not every blond driver in this world is a cuckold enthusiast—some might be Heroes.
Watching Irisviel's behavior through the rearview mirror, Auram sighed to himself. Surely, this was fate's arrangement.
After dealing with Caster and Ryuunosuke, Auram hadn't expected to run into other Holy Grail War participants so soon. He had only been driving idly through the streets, savoring the thrill of speeding in a modern city again, and maybe picking up some fares on the side.
Noticing Irisviel had been pure coincidence.
"Miss, is this your first time in Fuyuki City?"
Since Irisviel was already someone of interest, once Auram noticed her, he naturally wasn't going to miss the chance to make contact.
Feigning the part of a friendly blond driver, he struck up a conversation, and Irisviel nodded brightly.
"Yes, yes! Driver, do you know any local specialties around here? Recommend me something~"
"I'd love to recommend something... though sadly, I only just arrived in this city myself. I don't know it that well."
"Eh, really? You too?"
Irisviel blinked in surprise. Only then did she notice, reflected in the mirror, how young the driver's profile was. Short, golden hair, gem-like bright eyes, features with a touch of Northern European, Germanic heritage—he even softly resembled some of her Einzbern ancestors.
Unexpectedly, she had run into a foreign driver!
"Your Japanese is good, isn't it?"
"Same goes for you."
At that, they shared a smile.
As the saying goes, when you meet a fellow countryman abroad, tears fill your eyes. Though technically Auram and Irisviel weren't from the same homeland, they looked like one was close enough. Meeting such a familiar face in distant Japan gave Irisviel a sense of closeness.
And of course, there was another important factor.
Handsome people simply earn a girl's favor more easily~
And so, chatting idly as they drove, the two gradually grew more familiar.
"So, guest, are there just two of you visiting this city?"
"No, no. I'm with Kiritsugu—Ah, that's my husband. The three of us came together, but Kiritsugu is busy today." Irisviel added, "Since Kiritsugu is Japanese, we thought we'd come back to his hometown this year."
"Wow, guest, you're so young, and already married!"
Kiritsugu Emiya—the moment that name appeared, a certain fact was laid bare.
Bad news: Irisviel is already married! She's a wife, uhhh...
Good news: Irisviel is already married! She's a wife, hehehe~
Why are the good and bad news the same?
Because the same fact, seen from different angles, can mean entirely different things.
Auram wasn't necessarily into cuckoldry; even so, he had to admit—compared to a youthful maiden, a graceful married woman had her own unique charm.
What's that, you say? Maiden + wife combo? Deadly.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk.'
'My Cuckold Deck is already itching to go (ahem)!'
"Ahem, and the one beside you is?"
"You mean Lancer? She's a friend from my homeland~"
For Auram, it was no small gain to confirm Kiritsugu was also in Fuyuki, and that Irisviel's relationships were basically the same as in the original work.
Though Irisviel seemed even more naive than expected, she wasn't stupid. As an outsider, he'd already gotten about as much intel as he could. So Auram's gaze drifted, slowly landing on a certain white expanse of chest.
The lady was the same Irisviel he knew. That said, this companion… was this really the all-A-parameter King Artoria he knew?
When did your pectorals become so extravagant?!
Lancer Artoria, the grown knight king, had quietly stayed at Irisviel's side since boarding, saying not a word. Even so, her proud "northern hemisphere" made her presence impossible to ignore—her existence was overflowing.
Auram wasn't deeply familiar with Type-Moon lore, but the Nasuverse was famous enough in his circles. Back in his past life, his online friends often posted related fanart.
So even if he'd never played things like Fate, Tsukihime, or Kagetsu Tohya, just from fanart and certain unspeakable doujin books, he could recognize most characters.
A White Lance Saber who once reigned supreme in the doujin scene—of course, Auram recognized her.
Albeit according to Fate/Zero's plot, Irisviel's Servant should have been the franchise's poster-girl Saber with the ahoge. Perhaps because Auram had taken the Saber class, Artoria had appeared this time as a Lancer instead?
Well, that was fine too.
If the chest isn't ample, how can you gather people's hearts?
Because of a certain participant (name withheld for privacy), so far the female cast of this Holy Grail War had been, in terms of bust size, tragically flat.
If not for a king-level figure raising the average, this would risk becoming less a Holy Grail War and more a Flat War.