The girl's soft, delicate frame and the faint, refreshing fragrance that filled his senses seemed to weave a sweet, inescapable web of affection.
However, at this moment, Alvin couldn't muster the slightest romantic thought.
His eyes widened, staring at the girl in his arms as if he'd seen a ghost.
...Manaka?!
How did she get here so fast?
After a moment of bewilderment, Alvin quickly noticed the crowd's astonished gazes around them as he quickly snapped back to reality, and said.
"Let's get out of here first."
Without waiting for a response, he pulled Manaka Sajyou away from the corridor.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the classic English-style windows, casting a warm glow across the hallway.
The two navigated through the historic teaching building and soon left the Clock Tower, arriving at a small coffee shop nearby.
Alvin ordered two coffees and sat down in a corner by the window.
At this hour, most students were still on their lunch break, leaving only the shop's owner in the café.
Outside, tree leaves swayed in the breeze, and in the pure white sunlight, a white kitten yawned lazily, looking quite content.
Manaka Sajyou propped her snow-white chin on her hand, smiling brightly at the boy sitting across from her. "Why were you in such a hurry to pull me out? I haven't even reported to the academy's administration yet."
"That's exactly what I want to ask about." Alvin rubbed his temples with a headache. "When did you get to the Clock Tower?"
From leaving Fuyuki to returning to the Clock Tower, only a day had passed.
Even if Manaka Sajyou had left Fuyuki for the Clock Tower that very night... it shouldn't have been possible for her to join the Clock Tower this quickly.
Manaka Sajyou tilted her head, feigning innocence as she thought for a moment, then said with a smile.
"I arrived in England about three hours ago, I think. The Clock Tower's assessment took maybe half an hour, and the rest of the time was spent discussing enrollment procedures with one of your department's leaders."
Half an hour to pass the Clock Tower's assessment?
She basically just went through the motions... Alvin's mouth twitched as he said. "The Clock Tower's assessments take three days. Half an hour... that's barely enough time for a Magic Circuit test, right?"
Manaka Sajyou nodded matter-of-factly. "Before heading to the Clock Tower, I met an old man. After learning I wanted to enroll, he tested my magical energy."
"After checking my Magic Circuits, he wrote a recommendation letter for me to report to the Clock Tower."
An old man...?
There were plenty of old monsters in the Clock Tower, but the Lord of the Department of Policies was the deputy to the Clock Tower's dean and notoriously unapproachable.
Who could have enough clout to get Manaka into the Clock Tower through the back door?
Alvin instinctively looked at the golden-haired girl, who was deliberately playing coy.
"He's the Lord of the Department of Lore, I think his name was... Brishisan?"
Manaka Sajyou said.
'The name sounded unfamiliar, like someone he'd never encountered at the Clock Tower before...'
Alvin thought to himself.
But soon, he seemed to recall something important, his expression freezing for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, the Mage-King Solomon had two disciples: one was the Jewel Mage, whom Alvin had met in ancient Britain, and the other was the Jewel Mage's fellow disciple...
And that disciple's name was Brishisan.
The Jewel Mage occasionally visited the Clock Tower as an advisor to guide the younger generation, while Brishisan, his fellow disciple, was the dean of the Clock Tower.
Rumor had it that the dean was elusive, rarely seen, which was why the Lord of the Department of Policies served as the acting dean...
So where had Manaka met him?
As this thought crossed his mind, Alvin had a faint guess.
—Omniscience and omnipotence!
As long as it was something Manaka Sajyou wanted to know, she could obtain the information through this unique authority.
"You didn't meet him by chance, did you? You used your omniscience to locate the dean in advance, didn't you?"
Alvin asked.
Manaka Sajyou twirled a strand of her golden hair with her fingertip, saying casually. "The Clock Tower's entry requirements are too strict, and I didn't have the patience to go through all those tests."
Even without revealing her "connection to the Root," Manaka Sajyou's understanding and mastery of magecraft made it impossible for the Clock Tower to reject such a genius student.
Rules were always barriers for ordinary people, but for a girl like her, who shone brilliantly no matter where she was, the Clock Tower's so-called regulations naturally held no sway.
Though Alvin had known it was only a matter of time before Manaka Sajyou came to the Clock Tower, he hadn't expected her to arrive on the very day the Holy Grail War ended.
If he wasn't mistaken, the commotion in the corridor earlier... had probably already reached the ears of some of the Clock Tower's higher-ups.
At this thought, Alvin couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Both Kayneth and Aozaki Touko had told him to keep a low profile, and... he had been doing so.
But being seen with such a dazzling girl would inevitably draw attention, no matter what.
"What's wrong, Saber? Are you not happy to see me?"
Seeing Alvin's troubled expression, Manaka Sajyou's face showed a hint of disappointment. "Am I interfering with your normal life?"
Nearby, a staff member brought two cups of coffee to their table.
The pure white sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the girl's ethereal beauty.
At this moment, her hands were clasped on the table, a faint unease glimmering in her clear blue eyes.
Alvin lifted his coffee, taking a small sip, letting the bitterness spread across his taste buds as he spoke in a low voice.
"Manaka, you know my identity, don't you?"
Manaka Sajyou nodded.
"If the White Dragon's Core were exposed... if you were a Clock Tower higher-up, what would you do?"
Alvin continued.
Manaka Sajyou paused, pondering.
"I'd be intrigued?"
"If it was just curiosity, that'd be fine... but I'm afraid it wouldn't be that simple."
Alvin shook his head helplessly.
A White Dragon that had lived from ancient Britain to the present, possessing a complete White Dragon's Core... any magus would be intrigued, especially the researchers at the Clock Tower who were constantly conducting experiments.
Alvin didn't think they could pose a threat to him, but even if he could escape trouble, what about Kayneth and Reines?
What about his friends at the Clock Tower?
"So you don't want me to interact with you too much?"
Manaka Sajyou quickly grasped the underlying meaning in Alvin's words as she frowned slightly.
After all, she had come to the Clock Tower specifically for Alvin.
If she couldn't be around him, there was no point in being here.
"But it's too late for that, isn't it?"
Manaka Sajyou continued.
"A lot of students in that building saw us just now."
"We don't need to deliberately avoid seeing each other, and I don't want you to do that either."
Alvin reached out, taking the girl's soft, delicate hand, gazing at her earnestly.
"If anything, I just hope our relationship stays hidden from everyone else."
Since she hadn't officially enrolled yet, Manaka Sajyou was wearing an elegant, ornate long dress with a sash at her waist, accentuating her slender, delicate figure, her budding form quite captivating.
Her face, as flawless as a porcelain doll, was perfect from every angle, lacking the mature allure of an older woman but brimming with the pure, radiant charm unique to a girl her age.
Manaka Sajyou instinctively wanted to pull her hand back but was reluctant to let go.
The warmth of the boy's palm gradually brought a faint blush to her cheeks, her blue eyes shimmering as she said softly. "Our relationship hasn't even reached that point yet."
Girls her age often harbored rosy, romantic fantasies about love.
To Manaka Sajyou, only after a formal confession from Alvin would they truly be considered a couple.
"But since you want to keep it secret for now, let's maintain the status quo."
Manaka Sajyou continued.
...Nailed it!
Alvin let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, he wasn't just afraid of his White Dragon secret being exposed.
After all, he still had two "little fish" at the Clock Tower, and he had only recently started to grow closer to Gray.
If she were to run into Manaka Sajyou and learn about their history during the Holy Grail War... it would be like Mars colliding with Earth.
This damned CG system...if it weren't for that, he wouldn't be stuck in such an awkward situation...
Thankfully, Morgan and Lily weren't here... Otherwise, he'd need to start researching which plot of prime British real estate would make a suitable grave for himself.
After chatting for a bit, Alvin paid at the counter, then returned to the Clock Tower with Manaka Sajyou.
.
.
.
It was already 2:30 p.m.
In the Clock Tower's large classroom, a tall, blond, blue-eyed man was already taking attendance.
The Lord of the Mineralogy Department, Kayneth.
Since Manaka Sajyou was a transfer student, Kayneth first introduced her to the class before arranging a seat for her.
Meanwhile, Alvin had already settled into his own seat.
Reines, sitting nearby, immediately cast a glance his way, sizing him up with interest before saying.
"I heard about what happened this afternoon. When did you get to know this transfer student?"
Gray, sitting beside him, remained silent.
Normally, she would have joined Reines in casting curious glances, but today, for some reason, she kept her head lowered, her mood seemingly subdued.
Alvin cleared his throat and said.
"It's a long story..."
He briefly explained how he had met Manaka Sajyou in ancient Britain and later crossed paths with her by chance in Fuyuki.
Of course, he left out the part about being summoned as her Servant in the Holy Grail War.
"So, she's a friend of yours?"
Reines let out an "oh?" sound, eyeing Alvin meaningfully before the corner of her mouth curled slightly.
"But I heard that when she saw you at noon today, she threw herself into your arms."
"That's because we faced danger together in Fuyuki... We've got a bond forged through life-and-death."
Alvin's expression didn't falter.
His words weren't exactly false.
In the Holy Grail War, a Servant and Master indeed shared a life-and-death bond, their interests inextricably linked.
"Is that so?" Reines suddenly reached out and lightly poked Alvin's side, her eyes full of suspicion. "But in Japan, isn't it only people who are particularly close who call each other by their first names?"
Manaka Sajyou, under normal circumstances, even close acquaintances would call her "Sajyou."
It was rare for men and women to address each other by their first names.
"That's just because neither of us is too hung up on those conventions... Why do you have so many questions today?"
Alvin sighed helplessly as Reines glanced at Gray beside Alvin, smiling playfully. "Gray, don't you think this is awfully suspicious?"
After waiting for a moment, she received no response from the girl.
"Gray...?"
Reines called out again instinctively, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
Since they entered the classroom today, Gray had been in this distracted, dazed state.
What was going on with her...?
"Reines..."
From the front of the classroom, a man's authoritative voice faintly reached her ears.
Seeing no response from the girl, Kayneth raised his voice further.
"Reines—!"
Several students in the classroom turned to look, and only then did Reines snap out of it, hurriedly standing.
"Brother... I mean, Teacher, what is it?" Kayneth gave his sister a faint glance and said. "Switch seats with Manaka Sajyou."
Reines' expression froze, and she instinctively glanced at Kayneth, opening her mouth.
Though she wanted to explain something, she ultimately wilted under Kayneth's imposing and authoritative presence, lowering her head dejectedly.
"Yes..."
After Reines silently gathered her things and moved, the golden-haired girl walked over with light steps and sat down beside Alvin.
As soon as she settled in, she curiously glanced at the girl next to Alvin as a hint of surprise flickered in her clear blue eyes.
Alvin seemed to sense her confusion and explained in a low voice.
"Her name is Gray, and she's not related to Morgan."
"Is that so... She really looks like Princess Morgan in her youth."
Manaka Sajyou gave Gray a deep look, then broke into a smile and extended her hand toward her.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Gray."
The latter froze for a moment, her delicate, gentle face filled with fluster.
She hurriedly reached out to shake Manaka Sajyou's hand.
"Hello... Nice to meet you."
The golden-haired girl carried herself like a princess stepping out of a castle, her demeanor impeccably elegant.
In contrast to the radiant and dazzling Manaka Sajyou, Gray was more like Cinderella....unremarkable at first glance, but if she shed her plain gray clothes, she would shine like the fairy-tale heroine, outdazzling all others.
As the two girls' hands clasped, Alvin quietly sighed in relief, a faint satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He had been worried that Manaka Sajyou's personality might lead to hostility toward Gray, but it seemed he had overthought things.
At that moment, a notification quietly appeared before his eyes.
[You have completed the special CG: Reunion After the Fourth Holy Grail War, Part Two]
The scene depicted Manaka Sajyou and Gray shaking hands in the large classroom.
Alvin couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.
Strange... Haven't Manaka and I already reunited and triggered a CG? Why is there another special CG?
As this thought crossed his mind, another prompt suddenly appeared.
[A third party is observing your relationship with Manaka Sajyou. Next... aim for the Dark Room CG!]
Alvin: "?"