Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files

Or rather, there is nothing on the menu except Sichuan cuisine. It is a pure Sichuan restaurant.

"Well, give me one portion of twice-cooked pork, one portion of spicy chicken, some rice, and a large glass of ice cola." Qingzi ordered the food skillfully in Chinese, and suddenly she had the illusion of returning to her 'previous life'.

"? I've got it. Twice-cooked pork, spicy chicken, rice, and a large iced cola." The boss was a little surprised at first, then he immediately wrote and drew on his notebook, noting down all the dishes that Qingzi ordered. "Sir, your Chinese is really good. Are you Chinese?"

"...I learned it in college," Qingzi smiled and answered irrelevantly, feeling a little lost in her heart, "Boss, are you from Sichuan?"

"No," the boss laughed and shook his head, denying, "I'm from Jiangxi, and I sell Sichuan cuisine simply because Sichuan cuisine is more famous abroad."

Hearing this, Qingzi could not help but become alert. Because judging from her memory, Sichuan cuisine may only be spicy on the surface, but the spiciness of Jiangxi cuisine is very deceptive on the surface.

She looked up at Father Mapo again and found that he was trembling slightly while eating Mapo tofu.

Is this because it's too spicy and I feel pain and pleasure? !

After waiting for a while, the boss brought the food Qingzi ordered. After she thanked him, she couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and start eating.

In this life, Qingzi doesn't actually eat spicy food that often (because Yuzu and Chengzi don't like it), but in her memory of her previous life, she was a person who particularly liked spicy food, so when she saw the red food, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Qingzi put a piece of twice-cooked pork in her mouth and chewed it for a while, then took a small mouthful of rice and nodded secretly. It seems that this restaurant is not one of those restaurants that claim to sell Chinese cuisine. In fact, it sells fake Chinese food that is heavily localized. (Similar to General Tso's Chicken)

Qingzi was very satisfied with the Sichuan cuisine at Hongzhou Yansuiguan Taishan. The twice-cooked pork tasted very authentic and the spiciness was just right... no wonder!

As Qingzi ate more and more food, she discovered that the boss definitely used some Jiangxi cuisine techniques when making Sichuan cuisine!

This results in the dishes being much spicier than they appear, and the spiciness is so strong that diners need to savor it carefully to notice it.

Fine beads of sweat began to appear on Qingzi's forehead, but she continued to eat without slowing down. It must be said that this might be a common problem for people who like spicy food.

Capsaicin actually stimulates the nerves to some extent, and the pain sensation produced goes directly to the brain, thereby releasing endorphins.

This is a more scientific explanation. To put it in more popular terms, it is the so-called "benign masochism" theory, which means that people can enjoy the dangerous feeling brought by the pain of spicy food under safe conditions, thereby bringing great pleasure. Usually, people who like adventure like to eat spicy food.

There were only two customers in the small Sichuan restaurant, separated by only a table, but their situations were so similar: sweating profusely, but the movements of teaspoons and chopsticks never stopped.

Kotomine Kirei, who arrived at the restaurant earlier than Aoko, had almost finished his meal at this time. He carefully wiped the red oil from the corners of his mouth with a tissue, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. As a result, when he looked up, he saw Aoko eating with relish.

Kotomine Kirei definitely has a deep understanding of the spiciness of this store. The customers who frequently come to this store are definitely not ordinary gourmets, or it can be said that each of them is a person who has a strong obsession with spicy food.

Of course he recognized that the woman in front of him was Saber's master, Aozaki Aoko, one of the top magicians in the world of magic, but would even a person like that have such a preference?

The reason why Kotomine Kirei likes spicy food is very simple, that is, he likes the feeling of pain. This kind of pain allows this nihilistic person to feel the illusion of being alive for a short time to some extent.

But what was the magician's motivation? Was it simply because he liked spicy food?

No, that was impossible. Kotomine Kirei knew very well that the spiciness of this boss's dishes had long exceeded the level of "being able to bring enjoyment to people" and had reached the standard of punishment, but the woman in front of him seemed to be enjoying the food very much, which he really couldn't understand.

Kotomine Kirei suddenly fell into some kind of philosophical speculation. He stared blankly at Aoko's eating movements, as if thinking about strange questions like "Is it pain that made me who I am?"

However, Aoko didn't care at all about the priest who might be very happy. She now immersed herself in the ocean of spicy food and even secretly used healing magic to relieve her mouth which was slightly injured from eating too much spicy food.

After a struggle, Qingzi finished all the food, breathed a sigh of relief, and then drank ice-cold happy water in big gulps.

What is happiness? This is happiness, simple and pure.

Just as Qingzi paid the bill and was about to leave, a voice called her.

"...Ms. Aozaki, do you like these foods?" Kotomine Kirei asked.

"Father Kotomine's question is very strange," Aoko turned around and said, "If I didn't like it, would I come here to eat?"

"Such a spicy taste can only bring pain to people," Kotomine Kirei said with a frown, "then why does Miss Aozaki like it?"

"This question is very simple, Father Kotomine," Aoko said simply, "It's the so-called 'comparison'."

"Comparison?" Father Kotomine asked in confusion, "How should this be understood?"

"The characteristic of Sichuan cuisine is that it amplifies the umami flavor of other ingredients through pain," Qingzi said without thinking, "In other words, it makes people 'compare' the pain caused by the spiciness and the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves."

"The reason why a person feels unhappy is because he has not found a suitable reference point," Aoko shook her index finger and said, "All human "pleasure" is actually relative. This is the so-called "comparison" principle, Father Kotomine."

Kotomine Kirei didn't say anything, but he was obviously shocked by Aoko's twisted theories.

Looking back on his life, has Kotomine Kirei ever found the "comparison" target that made him feel happy?

While Father Kotomine was daydreaming, Aoko turned around and left the Sichuan restaurant. After all, she had no interest in teaching a mentally challenged guy what happiness was.

Chapter 127 Explosion

Semiramis possesses a special skill called "Double Summoning".

This skill allows her to possess the abilities of both Assassin and Caster at the same time, and can be regarded as a Caster with breath blocking, which Kiritsugu Emiya regards as the key trump card for his team's victory.

Emiya Kiritsugu took advantage of this and asked Semiramis to make several props for him using the magician's method. Among these props, in addition to the poison of the nine-headed snake Hydra, what Emiya Kiritsugu was most interested in was the cloak he was wearing.

This ceremonial dress made by Semiramis allows Kiritsugu Emiya to move under the noses of the Heroic Spirits without being discovered.

In a sense, it is equivalent to Semiramis replicating the ability to block her own breath onto this ceremonial dress.

At this moment, Kiritsugu Emiya was hiding in a room of an apartment, observing the top floor of a luxury hotel through the scope of a sniper rifle.

As the most upscale hotel in Fuyuki City, the guests of Hyatt Hotel all have high social status.

Moreover, the location of this hotel is also very good. At least from the hotel window you can see the scenery of the most prosperous section of Fuyuki City.

But the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel seems a bit strange, because all the windows on this floor are tightly covered with curtains, and there is no window that can see the view inside the room.

According to the information previously obtained by Emiya Kiritsugu and his assistant Hisau Maiya, the ruler of the Clock Tower's Mineral Department set up his and his disciples' workshop in Fuyuki on this floor.

If viewed purely from a magician's perspective, Kenneth's position setting can be said to be impeccable, which is in line with his character as the genius monarch of the Clock Tower.

However, from the perspective of Emiya Kiritsugu, the magician killer, Kayneth's move was full of loopholes, and he could find dozens of ways to break through the monarch's fortress.

The servants of Master Kenneth undoubtedly possess very powerful top-level combat power. If they choose to face the enemy head-on, Kiritsugu Emiya has no confidence in his own Empress Semiramis. After all, "that" is not ready yet.

However, the reason why he, Emiya Kiritsugu, was called the "Magician Killer" was because he never fought head-on with magicians. He would not hesitate to use any means to kill a magician, among which assassination and sneak attacks were commonplace.

As for the type of people like Kenneth and his apprentice who play it safe and steadily and whose servants have magic furnaces to supply power, Kiritsugu Emiya's strategic choice is to cut off the source of the problem.

He wanted to send this duo up to the sky in one breath from the dark, so that they would learn the lesson of looking down on modern technology.

Both Emiya Kiritsugu and Hisau Maiya had been preparing for this assassination for quite some time. One of them would often be responsible for keeping watch at a distance while the other would sneak into specific locations at the Hyatt Hotel to install explosives and surveillance equipment.

Although most of the cameras near the top floor had been removed by Waver Velvet, the explosives installed by Emiya Kiritsugu on the outside of the Hyatt Hotel building and on the load-bearing walls had not been discovered.

Waver Velvet did make up for some of Kenneth's lack of knowledge about modern technology, but he still seemed inadequate in front of Kiritsugu Emiya, a "professional".

After observing that the King of Conquerors' chariot landed on the top floor of the hotel and did not leave again, Emiya Kiritsugu could basically confirm that Kenneth was definitely in his workshop.

Even if the master and disciple had secretly left the workshop by some means, the magic furnace they carried with them must be inside the workshop.

The servants of Master Kenneth and his apprentice are very powerful, but all powerful servants have a common problem, which is huge consumption commensurate with their combat power.

Emiya Kiritsugu believed that the worst result of his attack would be to cut off the magic power supply of the two. In this way, in the subsequent battles, the Lancer in golden armor and the King of Conquerors Iskandar would find it difficult to use their maximum combat power, and Kayneth's own strength would also decline due to the huge amount of magic power consumption.

This is a business that is sure to make money.

“Maiya, we can retreat to the designated location.” Emiya Kiritsugu contacted his assistant through the intercom.

"Understood." Hisau Maiya answered very straightforwardly, and retreated immediately after receiving the order.

Kiritsugu Emiya opened the trigger guard of the remote-controlled detonator in his hand and looked at his watch.

He did not confirm whether Hisau Maiya had retreated to a safe location, because the two of them had already confirmed the timing of the action, and he trusted his assistant.

At the same moment when the watch hands reached the predetermined time, Kiritsugu Emiya pressed the trigger of the remote detonator without hesitation.

Coming from the direction of the Hyatt Hotel was a series of explosions. The sound was not very loud, but rather quite rhythmic. A series of explosives placed in specific locations exploded one after another in a specific order, destroying all stress structures of the building in a very short time.

Kiritsugu Emiya watched the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel building intently through the scope, not missing any details. He wanted to confirm whether Master Kenneth and his apprentice were affected by the explosion.

However, until the explosion and collapse ended and the surrounding smoke dissipated, Kiritsugu Emiya did not see Master Kenneth's servants rushing out.

Were the two magi killed in the explosion? Emiya Kiritsugu wondered with some confusion, or were they not in the workshop at all?

Lancer and Rider are not Archers with the ability to act independently, and they cannot exist for long without their Masters.

If the servants disappear due to loss of magic power supply, their souls will definitely enter the Holy Grail.

Thinking of this, Emiya Kiritsugu quickly packed up his equipment and returned to his wife.

He judged whether the two servants were dead by the changes in his wife's physical condition.

"These despicable and shameless magicians!" Kenneth's forehead was bulging with veins, and he said angrily, "They abandoned the honor of all magicians and actually used such despicable means in the Holy Grail War!"

"Teacher Kenneth... Fortunately, we moved the workshop underground," Weber said with fear, holding his chest, "otherwise, we would definitely be in danger."

"I have to commend your judgment this time, Weber," Kenneth said after a snort, "Although this despicable sneak attack is unlikely to kill me, if I hadn't been prepared in advance, I'm afraid the magic furnace would have been destroyed."

"I didn't expect that the other party would ignore the other ordinary guests in the hotel..." Weber felt disgusted.

He could already imagine the dead bodies of ordinary people buried above him.

"Magicians are just hyenas that eat carrion!" Kenneth said, "They don't care about the lives of ordinary people."

After saying that, Kenneth stood up from his seat with a sharp look in his eyes. The golden Lancer reappeared from his spiritual form, and the King of Conquerors, who was reading a book nearby, also put the huge beer bottle in his hand on the table.

"Lancer, Rider! It's time for us to set off!" Kenneth said, "I'm Kenneth El-Melloi.

Archibald is not the kind of coward who won’t fight back! "

Chapter 128 Revenge

"It looks like Emiya Kiritsugu has taken action," Aoko said, holding the remote control and watching the emergency news program on TV. "I thought this guy might be shameless, but I didn't expect him to be this shameless."

"That magician?" Orange frowned and said, "Although we can barely be considered allies, this is too disgusting!"

According to a report from Fuyuki City TV, although it was the off-season, there were still more than 400 guests in the hotel. The unexplained explosion caused the entire hotel to collapse completely, and judging from the situation at the scene, it was unlikely that there would be any survivors in the entire hotel.

"I hope that Kenneth doesn't die so easily," Aoko commented, "I want to see the fun of seeing that Emiya Kiritsugu being retaliated by him."

"Massacre of innocent civilians is undoubtedly the most despicable behavior!" Artoria's face was as cold as ice. "Master, should we continue to form an alliance with such people?"

"The target of our contract is Einzbern," Orange said with a blink, "not him, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"Okay, Altria, don't be angry about that lunatic," Aoko comforted, "Unless Tohsaka Tokiomi and Emiya Kiritsugu form an alliance... Well, there is no such possibility, right?"

"No, I think this possibility is still quite high," Orange said, "No matter how conservative Tōsaka Tokiomi is, he is still one of the three great families, right? Compared to outsiders like us, isn't it natural for him to form an alliance with Einzbern?"

"Hmm, that makes sense," Aoko crossed her arms and thought, "I am a little prejudiced. Let's temporarily consider Tousaka Tokiomi and Emiya Kiritsugu as being in the same camp. This fits with Emiya Kiritsugu's double-faced image."