At 7:13 in the morning, Kaelith left the Sajyou family residence in Tokyo's Suginami Ward.
At 8:03 in the morning, he slipped into a private home in Chiyoda Ward.
As an aside:
Although Asians in the real world are often said to look younger than western people, that rule absolutely does not apply in the world of 2D.
In the 2D world, foreigners with bright hair and eye colors tend to look even younger.
Standing before Rod now, Elza Saijo was the perfect example.
A Japanese German mix, she had blazing red hair like fire and vivid emerald eyes.
Even though she was nearly thirty and already a mother, her baby face looked about the same age as a high schooler.
"And her figure's also about the same as a high schooler's."
Muttering under his breath, Kaelith followed behind her through the entryway.
"Kaelith, dear, what was that you just said?"
Feeling a chill from ahead of him, Kaelith quickly shook his head.
"No, nothing."
Don't let her gentle smile fool you. Elza Saijo might seem warm and kind, but she was absolutely the type who could do what normal Masters couldn't.
In a parallel-world Tokyo Holy Grail War, Elza once dumped all three Command Spells on her Servant Arash at once, forcing him to fire Stella at NP 300 percent.
Though, that had been after she'd been mentally contaminated by Sajyou Manaka.
"Elza."
Kaelith sat down on the sofa, took a thick bundle of envelope-wrapped cash from his small bag, and placed it on the table.
"This is this month's share. I probably won't be able to come here for a while."
"Thank you for the trouble." Elza carefully gathered the money, then lowered her head deeply with a guilty expression. "Sorry. If I were more capable... if I could earn a little more on my own…"
"No. You're already doing more than enough. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm the one who pushed all this responsibility onto you."
Hearing that, Elza smiled brightly.
"I don't think of that child as a burden at all, you know? If not for her… I don't even know what kind of person I'd be now. I honestly don't know how to thank you, Kaelith. If it weren't for you..."
"Ah, the ATM's here… that's rare."
A girl's voice floated in from the adjacent room. Kaelith frowned and looked toward the door that swung open.
"You brat, who are you calling rare!?"
…That's the part he finds offensive?
Elza froze for a moment, then placed her hands on her hips with a pretend-scolding expression as she chastised the girl who'd entered.
"Caren, you shouldn't talk to Rod like that."
…
…
Snow-white skin like the first winter frost, deep golden eyes gleaming with intensity.
Soft silver hair in gentle waves, paired with a simple black home dress.
The little girl standing there wasn't so much a pretty doll as she was an angel removed from the mortal world.
Her name was Caren Hortensia.
One year ago, Kaelith had stolen this girl from a church somewhere in Southern Europe. She'd lived a tragic childhood.
Her mother had committed suicide, her father had deserted the church, and Caren had been raised by a strict priest.
Suicide was a grave sin in Christianity, and as the child of a sinner and a traitor, Caren had been relegated to household chores, not allowed any education.
Until she turned nine and manifested stigmata. Only then did the church value her, setting her on a path perhaps even harsher than that of ordinary people.
But thanks to Kaelith's impulsive crime, her original destiny was utterly derailed.
"Her body naturally attracts demons, and she purifies them after contact."
With a self-destructive desire to test it out, the Beast boarded a plane and flew across Eurasia to the church where she lived.
The result? Nothing happened.
To Kaelith, the girl standing before him was simply a quiet kid with a habit of giving adults a look of contempt.
As for why he stole Caren from the church? Pure impulse at the moment.
"Little girl, wanna come with me? I'll take you somewhere fun."
"..."
Caren silently walked to Kaelith's side and took his hand.
And that was how Kaelith brought her back to Japan.
In the end, two lines that were never meant to intersect somehow crossed.
Elza, a single mother whose five-year-old son had died years ago.
Caren, a five-year-old girl abandoned by her father soon after her mother's suicide.
Thanks to Kaelith's arranging, they were now like mother and daughter, relying on each other in Tokyo.
By the way, Manaka steals Holy Grails, Kaelith steals holy maidens.
Like mother like son, I guess.
"Kaelith, are you leaving Tokyo?"
Caren walked over and sat directly on Kaelith's lap.
Lifting her head, those magical golden eyes stared straight into his.
"My, my. Caren, this is unusual of you. Trying to make him stay?"
Caren shook her head, silver hair swaying beautifully.
"Kaelith, don't die. When you come back, take me to Disneyland."
Apparently, she thought Kaelith was someone who'd eat a Big Mac meal and then go look for death just to kill time.
Kaelith agreed immediately.
"Promise."
"…Okay."
A little light flickered in the depths of her golden eyes.
Silently, she hopped off his lap, plucked a 10,000 yen bill from the envelope on the table with practiced ease, and headed for the entryway.
Elza and Kaelith both looked at her in shock.
"Caren, where are you going?"
"I promised my friends I'd meet them at the sandbox in the park."
Caren-san, using money to buy friendship doesn't count, Kaelith thought with a wry smile.
Elza raised an eyebrow, displeased. "Caren, Kaelith doesn't come often. Can't you stay home longer today?"
"Seeing Kaelith alive is enough. It's not like he's the kind of man who abandons kids."
The five-year-old with terrifying self-management skills sat obediently by the door, kicking her little shoes as she continued without looking back:
"Besides, you two are going to the bedroom to 'get intimate' after this, right? If I stay home, I'll just be in the way. Elza won't relax either. The person in the way should leave."
"Wh… wh-wh-wh-what!"
In an instant, Elza's elegant face turned bright red, matching her scarlet hair. Lowering her gaze, she stammered,
"C-Caren, don't tease adults like that!"
"I'm leaving. Don't go into my room."
Watching her small back, Kaelith felt a chill.
…This kid's five?
The door shut with a thud.
Caren had barely stepped out before Kaelith rose from the sofa.
"Well, I should go too. My train's at 9:30."
After several seconds of quiet, Elza suddenly spoke.
"I'll drive you to Shintoshin."
Kaelith blinked.
"Huh? With gas prices? That'll cost a fortune."
"But… we can't disappoint that child's thoughtfulness." With a rosy expression, Elza grabbed Kaelith's wrist and pulled him sharply toward her.
Then the mother pushed the technically 3 year-old boy down onto the sofa.
Her tongue traced her lips lightly as she leaned in, warm breath brushing his ear.
"I've been waiting a whole month for this moment…"