Finding a hotel didn't take much time. Naoki and Gray weren't picky about accommodation. They had even lived in rented houses and neighborhoods like Blackmore, so basically as long as they weren't sleeping on the streets, they could sleep anywhere.
After booking a hotel and putting in all their luggage, Naoki took Gray towards the Fuyuki City cemetery.
Although it had been two years since he last came here, strangely, Naoki still clearly remembered the location of the tombstone.
[The deepest part of the cemetery, third row from the front, outermost]
Following the location in his memory, Naoki arrived in front of the tombstone.
Taking a deep breath, placing a bouquet of white flowers in front of the grave, Naoki whispered softly, "Yo, I'm back to see you, Reiroukan."
[Reiroukan Misaya]
That was the name engraved on the tombstone.
"It's been two years since I came back, before coming I was worried if I had forgotten where you were, or if during the two years I was in England, your position was moved by someone else. But thankfully, I could still find you."
"Sorry, things in England were a bit hectic, plus the money didn't accumulate, so it was only two years later that I could come see you. Don't curse me over there."
Standing behind, watching Naoki talk to himself in front of the tombstone, Gray unconsciously felt a little surprised.
Having known each other for more than two years, this was the first time she had seen her brother speak in this tone to someone other than herself. Whether it was to Merlin, Waver, or Lord El-Melloi II, although Naoki's tone was polite, it was never as gentle as it was now.
Reiroukan Misaya.
"Brother, who is this?"
"Reiroukan, you could say... someone whose relationship wasn't very deep, but the situation was a bit similar to mine." Naoki smiled, "Oh, let me introduce you, Reiroukan, this is Gray, my adopted younger sister whom I adopted in England, and also you could say my follower."
"N-nice to meet you, Miss Reiroukan, I'm Gray."
Although it was a bit strange, Gray still bowed slightly in front of the tombstone.
And just as she bowed, Gray's body suddenly trembled, as if a memory was forcibly inserted into her mind. A silent scene appeared before her eyes.
It seemed to be in a hotel room, a young man and a girl were sitting on the bed. The girl straddled the young man on the bed and gently bit his neck.
And, whether it was just Gray's illusion or not, she always felt that the young man, if his hair color was changed to blonde, looked almost exactly like Naoki.
"Gray?"
Seeing her stunned, Naoki waved his hand in front of her eyes.
"Gray? What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"Ah... no, I'm alright."
Gray shook her head, her face slightly flushed, glanced at Naoki's face and then quickly lowered her head again.
'They really look very similar, does that mean... that was Brother?'
'Then, who was that girl? Why was she doing something like that with Brother on the bed?'
Little Gray's childish curiosity was instantly piqued.
Unconsciously, she looked again towards Naoki, her gaze fixed on the area around his collarbone, her two small hands slightly clenched.
And just at that moment, a rather ill-timed voice suddenly sounded.
"Hee hee hee! You said someone whose situation was similar, but this is actually your ex-girlfriend, right? Brother."
Add's suddenly annoying voice made Gray's heart skip a beat.
Ex-girlfriend?
It didn't seem impossible, otherwise why would Naoki specifically make a tombstone for her? And his attitude...
"Is that true, Brother?"
Seeing Gray's gaze mixed with curiosity and worry, Naoki unconsciously smiled bitterly, "Add, don't talk nonsense, I've always been single, my romantic experience is zero. Moreover, Reiroukan's character was terrible, dating her was just asking for trouble."
"But....."
Naoki touched his collarbone—the place where Misaya had implanted a mark on him before her final battle with Sajyou Manaka three years ago. In his opinion, it was a curse on him. If he was killed by Manaka, then she would immediately turn him into her familiar.
Chuckling softly, Naoki said, "But, if she were still alive, maybe I would really pursue her—well, she's been dead for three years, there's no point in talking about this now."
"Hmm hmm, I see, so Brother is this kind of person—thank goodness, foolish Gray, your strongest rival has left the arena."
"Add! Shut up!"
Gray, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, immediately swung her cage with all her might.
"Ya—aaaaaa! Foolish Gray, don't shake me! I'm going to break! I'm really going to break!"
"Alright, alright, this is a cemetery, be a little quieter." Naoki smiled while patting Gray's head to calm her down, "Okay, since we've visited the grave, let's go back. It's almost evening, I know there's a delicious Chinese restaurant nearby, how about we have dinner there?"
"O-okay."
After putting Add away, and taking one last look at the tombstone with the name [Reiroukan Misaya] engraved on it, Gray deeply remembered the name and then quickly caught up with Naoki.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Chinese Restaurant.
This was a quite popular restaurant in Fuyuki City. Although it was said to be a Chinese restaurant opened by a Japanese person, because the owner had specifically trained in China, the taste was very authentic, even Naoki, who was a [former Chinese person], couldn't find fault with it. The first time he ate here, he was even moved to tears.
Eating hometown cuisine in a foreign land could be considered a luxury in a certain sense.
Therefore, after coming here once, every time he had extra money, Naoki would come to visit. Because of this, the owner and the waiters here had a good relationship with him. Although it had been more than two years since he last came, when Naoki entered the restaurant—
"Oh! Look who's here? Our honored guest!"
That was a sentence spoken in Mandarin.
Seeing the restaurant owner who greeted him, Naoki also smiled and replied in his mother tongue, "Two years since we last met, your voice is still so energetic, it seems you're still in good health, owner."
"Hahaha! This chef profession can't do without a strong body! By the way, it's been two years since I last saw you, where did you go after graduating high school? And who is this?"
"Went to university in England. This is the daughter of the family I stayed with in England, Gray, you could say my adopted younger sister. This time I brought her to Japan to play around."
"Wow, such a beautiful girl. By the way, why did your hair turn blonde, young man?"
"Fashion, order food—"
"Spicy Salted Fish and Garlic Clams, right?" The restaurant owner preempted Naoki.
Naoki was immediately surprised, "Owner still remembers?"
"You only come here to eat those two? At most add Ma Po Tofu, even though you haven't come for two years, I still remember." The restaurant owner laughed, "Then, little sister, what would you like to eat?"
"Eh..... I..."
Because the restaurant owner spoke in Mandarin, Gray didn't understand what he was saying at all.
Naoki smiled and then said, "My Spicy Salted Fish, don't make it too spicy, make the portion bigger. Two bowls of rice... no, four bowls."
"Yoho? Your appetite has grown?"
"Definitely, there's nothing good in England, every meal is the same, I'm already tired of it."
"Alright! Today I'll make sure you're full, sit down and have some tea first, it'll be ready soon."