Sitting with Naoki at a table near the door, Gray curiously observed the layout of the entire restaurant.
"It feels... unlike a Japanese restaurant."
Most of it used red as the main color; the walls, decorations, and even the tableware were red. Although she had never been to other places in Japan, Gray instinctively felt this place must be different from most restaurants in Japan.
"By the way, earlier Brother and the restaurant owner were talking... was that Japanese?"
"No, that was Mandarin. Since I first learned that the restaurant owner had trained in China and could speak Mandarin, I've always communicated with him in Mandarin. This is also good for me; if I keep speaking Japanese all the time, I'm afraid I'll forget Mandarin one day."
Naoki said while pouring two glasses of barley tea.
"In a certain sense, compared to Japanese, I'm actually more proficient in Mandarin."
"How many more things about Brother don't I know?" Gray asked after sipping the barley tea, "Every time I feel like I know Brother well enough, Brother always brings out something else I don't know."
"When will I be able to fully understand Brother?"
Hearing that, after a moment of silence, Naoki smiled, "There will definitely be a time, right? But sometimes, there's no need to fully understand someone; after all, everyone has secrets they don't want to tell others."
"Does Brother have them too?"
"Of course."
Naoki's biggest secrets were three: the existence of Sajyou Manaka, the fact that he had once reached the Root, and his identity as a transmigrant.
In special situations, the first two secrets might be revealed, but the last one, except for those with EX-rank Clairvoyance who could peek at the script at any time, Naoki wouldn't tell anyone.
"Well, for the current Gray, saying these things is still too early. One day you will understand too." Naoki stroked Gray's head.
"I don't quite understand."
"Not understanding is right; you're only eight years old, there's no need to understand many things yet, little kids just need to play quietly."
While saying this, Naoki poured a plate of edamame beans for Gray.
And just at that moment.
*CREAK...*
The restaurant door opened again, the sound of footsteps could be heard, it seemed there were two people.
Seeing the people who came in, the restaurant owner, who was busy in the kitchen, immediately greeted them with a smile, "Yo, today special guests are coming one after another, Emiya."
Emiya?!
That unexpected family name made Naoki stunned for a moment, then he quickly turned around, three figures—one tall and two short—immediately caught his eye.
The tall figure was a somewhat haggard middle-aged man. Whether due to malnutrition or not, his body was quite thin, and he also used a cane, looking listless.
And the two short figures behind him—one a very calm red-haired boy, and the other a snow-white-haired girl like a snow fairy.
Naoki instantly froze in place.
Emiya Kiritsugu was still alive? He could still be alive after being hit by his Mystic Eyes? How was that possible? And the two children behind him, if he wasn't mistaken, that was Emiya Shirou and Illya, right?
Emiya Shirou didn't need to be discussed, but why was Illya here?
One question after another kept popping up in Naoki's mind. And just at that moment, after greeting the restaurant owner and ordering food, Kiritsugu, who noticed someone was watching him, also turned his gaze towards Naoki.
Then, he was also stunned.
After a long time, Kiritsugu finally said with a wry smile, "Indeed, a special guest. I didn't expect to meet you here, Saber Master."
"Emiya Kiritsugu... you—"
"Let's move somewhere else." Kiritsugu interrupted Naoki's words, "I don't want Shirou and Illya to hear these things, you don't either, right?"
"Alright."
Sighing, Naoki looked at Gray, "Gray, this uncle and I have something to talk about, you sit here for a while, you can also greet and play with those two over there."
"Eh? Brother—"
Before Gray could ask anything, Naoki had already stood up and followed Kiritsugu towards the back of the restaurant.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At a few tables in the furthest corner of the restaurant, after asking the waiter for a few bottles of Japanese sake, Naoki looked at Kiritsugu in front of him, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty.
"I didn't expect you to still be alive, I'm very surprised."
The Soul Eater Mystic Eye would erode the soul; for humans, it was a fatal wound. Even if they didn't die now, they would continue to live in suffering in the future, the damage at the soul level would continue to torment the human mind and will until they went mad and destroyed themselves.
Three years ago, in that Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu was hit by Naoki's Mystic Eyes several times. He thought the other party had died long ago.
"Caster saved my life." Kiritsugu explained after taking a sip of sake, "The relic I used to summon Caster was the scabbard of King Arthur's sword; it was a Noble Phantasm that could heal all wounds. Thanks to that and Caster's Age of Gods Magecraft, I barely managed to survive."
"Even so, my body also became very weak due to the damage at the soul level, almost the same as an old man in his seventies. As you can see, I even have to walk with a cane."
"I see..."
'Morgan saved Kiritsugu, this is truly unexpected. In my memory, she shouldn't be someone who would do something like this, is there a specific purpose?'
After pondering for a moment, Naoki looked at Shirou and Illya, "Those two children over there..."
"Shirou is my adopted son, Illya... is my biological daughter."
"On the day the Holy Grail War ended, because the Holy Grail was destroyed, Fuyuki City was engulfed in flames. I tried my best and only managed to save Shirou, one child, and because of that I almost completely died. As for Illya, after the Holy Grail War ended, I asked Caster to save her in Germany."
"Morgan huh..."
The name that came out of Kiritsugu's mouth made Naoki silent for a moment.
Although he had received news from Merlin that Morgan was still in this world, he knew nothing about what she had done after obtaining a physical body, at least Naoki didn't know at all.
'I didn't expect her to actually save Illya...'