Chapter 172 – 172: She’s Not!

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Fuyuki City, Ōita Prefecture.

At dawn, around 6:00 am, Haru stood on a bustling street in Fuyuki’s new city district, a look of mild annoyance on his face as he spoke to—someone.

Natalia, walking close behind, watched him curiously. ‘Who was he talking to?‘

She moved closer, straining her ears to listen.

“I understand. There’s no need to remind me. I won’t damage the planet.” Haru’s voice was laced with impatience.

“And no, I’m not going to wipe out humanity. Why would I do something so ‘boring‘?”

He was speaking to two powerful wills that permeated the very air in this world, they were known as Gaia, the will of the planet, and Alaya, the will of humanity.

Together, they were referred to as the [Counter Force] by those familiar with the supernatural.

Haru, having arrived in the [Fate] universe without undergoing reincarnation or any other method of establishing a—legitimate presence, was essentially a foreign object.

Naturally, both Gaia and Alaya had detected him the moment he arrived.

This was expected.

How could he avoid the notice of two such omnipresent entities?

But Haru wasn’t worried about being eliminated.

After learning about this world from Natalia’s memories, he’d entered with a certain degree of confidence.

As the inheritor of the bloodlines of all the Earth Mother Goddesses from the Campione! world, he was essentially—a son of the Earth.

Moreover, several of those Goddesses—Pandora, Lilith, Nüwa, were also considered Mothers of Humanity.

Gaia and Alaya, sensing this connection, had readily accepted him.

He was now both a Son of Gaia and a Son of Alaya, titles bestowed upon him shortly after his arrival.

And now, his two new mothers were fussing over him, reminding him of the—rules of conduct in their world.

Natalia, overhearing snippets of their conversation “human extinction,” “planetary destruction”—looked at Haru, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Who—who were you talking to just now?”

Haru glanced at her, then continued walking, his voice casual. “Two overprotective mothers who keep nagging their son about being careful. You wouldn’t understand. Think of them as—Gaia and Alaya.”

“….”

Natalia paused.

Gaia and Alaya—familiar names… A sudden realization struck her. “The Counter Force!” she gasped.

She stared at Haru’s retreating figure, her expression a mix of awe and apprehension. She’d stumbled into a world far more dangerous than even the world of magic.

But now that she was here, she needed to find a way to survive.

As a mercenary familiar with the supernatural, Natalia knew one couldn’t simply walk away after encountering such powers.

Once exposed, the world of the extraordinary would forever be a part of her life, and with it, the ever-present threat of—untimely demise.

And this—God, this being who could casually converse with the [Counter Force]—he was clearly someone worth clinging to. “A golden ticket to survival Please, Master—let me be your loyal servant…”

Haru walked through the streets of Fuyuki, observing the city that would one day host the Holy Grail War.

According to the information he’d gleaned from Gaia and Alaya, the materialized soul of the Third Magic, the Heaven’s Feel, could potentially fill the—void within his own soul.

…

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard a voice, choked with emotion.

He looked up and saw a yakitori stand, a mobile food stall. More accurately, he heard the conversation between the stall owner and a man in a trench coat.

“You’re drinking quite a bit tonight, Yanagi. And alone, too. Where’s Aoi?”

“She’s—getting married…”

“What?! Today?! Then what are you doing here…?”

“She’s marrying—Tokiomi Tohsaka.”

“The new head of the Tohsaka family? The wealthy, influential Tohsaka? I see—My condolences.”

Kariya Matou looked at the wedding invitation in his hand, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. When Aoi had given it to him, her eyes filled with a desperate plea, he’d understood her unspoken message.

She’d wanted him to confess his feelings. After all, Aoi, his childhood friend, knew that his family, the Matou, were as influential as the Tohsaka.

If he’d spoken up, if he’d used his family’s power, he could have broken the arranged marriage between the Zenjou and Tohsaka families.

But he hadn’t. He’d been afraid.

He knew the consequences of using his family’s power to steal Aoi away. She would be forced into the Matou’s—den of horrors, into Zouken Matou’s clutches.

Zouken, his grandfather, was also his biological father. And the relationship between his supposed father and his mother? The implications were clear. Women who married into the Matou family became Zouken’s—playthings.

He couldn’t condemn Aoi to such a fate. So he’d accepted the invitation, his heart heavy with Aoi’s unspoken disappointment.

And now, on her wedding day, he couldn’t even bring himself to attend the ceremony. He’d sought solace in this small yakitori

 stand, a place he and Aoi frequented.

Kariya looked at the invitation, then tossed it aside, his voice choked with emotion. “I don’t care anymore. I’m going to drink until I forget everything.”

“I’ll stay open late tonight. Join me,” the stall owner said, his voice filled with sympathy.

“Kawakami-san—why is life so—painful?…”

“Do what you want to do, kid. Don’t hesitate. Even if it means defying the world’s rules. Be brave. The Lord is with you.”

Haru, picking up the discarded wedding invitation, a strange look on his face, said, “—I Am, Actually…”

…

…

In the Fuyuki City church, Kirei Kotomine looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka, dressed in a crimson suit, and Aoi Zenjou, radiant in her white wedding dress.

“Aoi Zenjou, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, until death do you part?”

BOOM!

The church doors burst open, and a voice—filled with righteous fury—roared,

“SHE’S NOT!!!“

Aoi’s eyes widened, and she turned towards the voice, a look of joy—of relief—on her face.

She dropped her bouquet.

As Tokiomi Tohsaka’s face turned an ugly shade of green, Aoi, tears streaming down her cheeks, rushed into Haru’s arms.

A ‘smile‘ twisted Haru’s lips.

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