One soul, two twins, the other half is Bronya

Bronya saw all of this, but she just smiled and continued playing her handheld game console, a rare moment of relaxation.

After the meal, the family took a short break and soon started the afternoon class at Bronya's place. Only Kallen was stopped by Bai Ye.

"Karen, do you want to go see that person?"

During these days at the Matou family, although Kallen didn't say anything, Bai Ye still noticed that she would occasionally stare blankly in the direction of the church.

"..., please, Bai Ye."

Having her thoughts touched upon, Kallen was silent for a moment, then tilted her head slightly and spoke in a low voice.

……

In the solemn church of Fuyuki Church, Kotomine Ri was dressed in a priest's robe, his face very kind. Although his hair had turned gray, his sturdy figure... was obviously still very healthy.

Although he was shot dead in the plot, his death was a bit hasty. But in reality, he was a true master of Bajiquan, and his boxing skills were even better than Kotomine Kirei!

"Two guests..."

Kotomine Ri was just noticing the arrival of Bai Ye and the other two, a gentle smile on his face. But then he noticed Kallen. That face... was so similar. "Hey, guest, who is this...?"

"You've figured it out, Father Risei. Her name is Kallen, Kallen Aldessia."

Bai Ye gently squeezed Kallen's hand and introduced her to Kotomine Rizheng, "This is Father Kotomine Rizheng, Kotomine Kirei's father. According to seniority, you should call him Grandpa."

Surprisingly, it really is...! For a moment, even Kotomine Risei lost control of his emotions. He took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down.

"Is she Claudia's daughter?"

Suppressing his trembling voice, Kotomine Rizheng left the reading platform and walked towards Kallen with slightly quickened pace.

"Yes...Grandpa?"

Having rarely seen him since she could remember, Kallen unconsciously leaned closer to Byakuya, her tone uncertain. Even so, Kotomine Risei was still beaming.

"Good boy, how have you been doing in the past? Tell grandpa, and grandpa will stand up for you."

This is a rare granddaughter! Even Kotomine Risei showed a certain bias at this moment.

But after all, they were unfamiliar with each other. Even though she knew that the other party was her grandfather and even though she had felt his pure kindness, Karin still preferred to stay with Bai Ye.

"Okay, Father Risei, give Kallen some time. I'll bring her to see you often these days."

Seeing that Karen seemed not to be able to adapt, Bai Ye still stepped forward to stand in front of Karen.

Only then did Kotomine Risei gradually come to his senses and finally noticed Bai Ye standing beside him. "You are... the new head of the Matou family, Bai Ye?"

"Ahem~ I'm not, Kariya is the head of the family." Bai Ye made a correction with a few dry coughs. However, everyone knew that Matou Kariya was just a front, and Bai Ye was the real leader.

"Yes, I understand."

However, Kotomine Lizheng had lived for so long that he understood the ways of the world, so he just followed Bai Ye's words and said, "Anyway, I'll leave Karen in your care."

"Of course, she is my family too." Since he has decided to change, Bai Ye will of course take good care of her.

Then, Bai Ye gave Kallen a few instructions, and casually constructed a smart device connected to the Heavy Bunny, handing it to Kallen. "Kallen, wait a moment. I need to talk to Father Risei over here."

"I understand. Hurry up, Bai Ye." Karen nodded and moved away obediently.

Magical energy flowed into the earth from Bai Ye's feet, silently creating a barrier to block out the sound. "Father Li Zheng, have you ever heard of... a medium being tortured?"

……

Not long after, Bai Ye finished his communication with Yanfeng Lizheng, briefly understood the internal suppression methods of the church, and then left with Karin.

On the other hand, Kotomine Risei. Even though he was loyal to the church, when it came to Kallen... he decided to keep it a secret! Being held hostage by a tortured spirit medium and handed over to the church would not end well.

But...

"That brat, he didn't even tell me he had a daughter! If I wasn't the head of the Matou family, I wouldn't have known about it. It seems I need to practice with him~"

So when Kotomine Kirei returned, Kotomine Risei suddenly asked to inspect his boxing skills, took him to the backyard, took off his priest's coat, and assumed a Bajiquan stance...

Yan Fengli's pursuit of self-cultivation and truth-seeking has almost brought his Bajiquan skills to the pinnacle.

And sparring, what's the point of using magic? Kotomine Kirei only used his fists to deal with it, and then... he was beaten badly, basically being beaten like a punching bag!

In addition, Kotomine Kirei also felt it - his father did it on purpose! But he couldn't figure it out, what on earth had he done wrong?

197. "Pleasure"

Another day of being beaten. Kotomine Kirei healed his injuries with a simple magic trick and came to a Chinese restaurant in the commercial street - Hongzhou Yansuiguan Taishan!

This shop only offers spicy and super spicy flavors, but it has to be said that the taste is very authentic. Kotomine Kirei only likes the mapo tofu from this shop, hence the name "Mapo Priest".

"Manager, same as always."

As a regular customer here, Kotomine Kirei greeted the store manager, walked to the window seat on the side with ease, pulled out a chair and sat down... He had always been in this seat and was used to it.

There was a hot smell coming from the kitchen, and I could feel the spiciness just by smelling it.

Not long after, a bowl of freshly baked Mapo Tofu was brought to Kotomine Kirei. The fiery red broth was like magma, and just looking at it made one break into a sweat.

However, this was just a piece of cake for Kotomine Kirei. He picked up the spoon without hesitation and began to taste it. The familiar spicy taste brought him a taste enjoyment.

After all, strictly speaking, "spicy" is a kind of pain.

Just then, another figure walked into the store. Bai Ye looked the store manager up and down, then knocked on the front desk with his knuckles. "Hey, store manager, do you understand Chinese?"

"Chinese people, it's really rare~"

It was rare to see a fellow countryman, so the store manager couldn't help but sigh, then greeted Bai Ye warmly, "What would you like to eat, young man? Let me tell you, the taste here is absolutely authentic!"

"Of course, I can tell just by smelling it." Bai Ye gave the store manager a thumbs-up. The spicy smell in the air was still there.

After a few more words, Bai Ye ordered a plate of the signature Mapo Tofu, note that it was the extra spicy version, and then sat down opposite Kotomine Kirei.

Noticing someone sitting down across from him, Kotomine Kirei also looked up... As a supervisor, he certainly knew some information, "The head of the Matou family, Byakuya."

"You look surprised. Why, can't I come here?"

Bai Ye just smiled, glanced at the mapo tofu on the table, and said meaningfully, "You know what? According to scientific research, spicy taste is actually a kind of pain."

"..., what do you want to say?"

Although he didn't understand what the other party meant, out of some intuition, Kotomine Kirei put down the spoon and looked at Bai Ye - the next words were very important to him!

"Don't be so serious, just treat it as a normal chat, just chat casually."

Bai Ye waved his hand, still wearing a gentle smile, "Also, mapo tofu won't taste good when it's cold. Anyway, I'm here and I won't run away, so we can just chat slowly."

Kotomine Kirei looked at Bai Ye deeply, and finally nodded silently, scooping up a spoonful of mapo tofu filled with fiery red chili oil and eating it.

"As expected of Father Mapo~"

Bai Ye sighed inwardly. With this level of spiciness, Kotomine Kirei only gasped slightly. His ability to handle spicy food was comparable to that of people from Sichuan and Shu.

At this moment, the store manager came over from the kitchen and placed a bowl of fiery red mapo tofu in front of Bai Ye. "Brother Bai Ye, this is the mapo tofu you asked for."

"This taste...is quite authentic! Thank you, manager~"

Bai Ye greeted the store manager and picked up a spoon to taste it. Suddenly, scalding heat mixed with spicy flavors rose up and quickly filled the entire store.

Compared to Kotomine Kirei, Bai Ye was sweating slightly and didn't look so calm, but this was exactly what he wanted!

After a while, with two "bangs", the bottoms of the bowls hit the table heavily, and the two bowls of Mapo Tofu were finished by the two people.

Kotomine Kirei took a short breath, his expression remaining unchanged. He turned his gaze towards Bai Ye, a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Can you tell me now?"

"Wait a minute, let me catch my breath. You can handle spicier food than me, that's impressive!"

After all, he was a fusion warrior, and his Life Atlas's adaptability was maxed out, yet he still lost to Kotomine Kirei. "How about I just call you Father Mapo from now on?"

Unfortunately... the other party was Kotomine Kirei. In response to Bai Ye's teasing, this guy didn't react at all and remained silent.

"Okay, okay~"

Bai Ye waved his hands, then interlaced his fingers and raised his hands, finally getting to the point. "Kotomine Kirei, you've never known what you want. The emptiness in your heart must be very uncomfortable, right?"

In an instant, Kotomine Kirei's eyes became sharp, and he almost instinctively wanted to take out the black key.

"Hey, hey, hey, pay attention to the occasion!"

Seeing this, Bai Ye quickly stopped Kotomine Kirei, "Really? Come to think of it, you used to be an agent, right? How long has it been? You still have this habit."

"Don't be so alert. As an excellent magus, it's normal for you to have some special information channels, isn't it?"

Kotomine Kirei thought about it carefully...it did make some sense, so he nodded and signaled Bai Ye to continue.

"It's not easy to understand a person. If you really want me to provide a targeted solution, it's very difficult. But..."

Bai Ye stretched out his tone, reached out and touched the empty bowl on the table, and turned it around casually a few times, "It's just a suggestion, you can try to give a bowl of mapo tofu to Tōsaka Tokiomi and see, maybe he will understand what you want."

"Anyway, let's give it a try first~"

That's about it. Bai Ye is just trying to guide them, whether they succeed or not doesn't matter.

After making the suggestion, Bai Ye patted Kotomine Kirei on the shoulder and left, leaving Kotomine Kirei in deep thought for a long time in the store... Finally, he stood up and walked towards the front desk, "Manager, please pack another portion of Mapo Tofu!"

……

"Kirei, why are you here?"

At the Tōsaka family, Tōsaka Tokiomi was teaching his daughter when he was suddenly told that Kotomine Kirei was coming to visit, and he and Tōsaka Aoi went to greet him together.

"Will it really work..."

"Kirei? Kirei!"

Recalling Bai Ye's previous words, Kotomine Kirei was a little distracted for a moment. It was only after Tokiomi called him several times that he responded, "I'm sorry, Master, for coming here so hastily to bother you. This is a gift I prepared for you."

"You're thoughtful, Kirei."

Tōsaka Tokiomi nodded gently and gracefully accepted the gift. However, when he opened it... a fiery red chili oil came into view, the heat mixed with a pungent spicy smell.

"Master, I made a friend at the restaurant today. He told me that good things should be shared with others. I thought of you and packed up a portion of your favorite mapo tofu."

Kotomine Kirei smiled slightly. It was no longer an empty smile simply out of politeness, but rather a smile that brought genuine joy from the bottom of his heart when he saw Tōsaka Tokiomi's distressed expression.

"I think I understand, Bai Ye."

Thinking of this, a hint of anticipation appeared on Kirei's face.

Tōsaka Tokiomi had no idea what Kirei was thinking. He just looked at his expectant expression and the Tōsaka family motto... and finally, with great difficulty, he scooped up a spoonful of mapo tofu!

And then...Tōsaka Tokiomi's face flushed red, almost spitting fire, and Kotomine Kirei became even more excited.

"Huhuhu~"

Tōsaka Tokiomi panted heavily, drinking bottle after bottle of water, finally able to dilute the spicy taste! And when he saw Kirei's expectant expression again...

——He started talking about Kirei's master! The Tōsaka family motto is to always maintain elegance. He managed to finish a whole bowl of mapo tofu!

198. The Eve of the Holy Grail

That afternoon, Tōsaka Tokiomi was sent to the local hospital in Fuyuki due to gastrointestinal problems. It was precisely this that brought Kotomine Kirei unprecedented joy!

A few days later, Kotomine Kirei met Bai Ye again at Hongzhou Yansuikan Taishan and expressed his sincere gratitude to him.

"Qili, I wonder if you're interested in learning Sichuan cuisine? When you retire, you can open a..."

As he was speaking, Bai Ye suddenly thought of something. He vaguely remembered seeing it in a certain fanfiction book, so he smiled playfully, "Kirei, I suddenly had a good idea."

"Oh, tell me."

Ever since Byakuya had taught him how to be happy, Kotomine Kirei had considered Byakuya his best friend. Now, upon hearing that Byakuya had a "good idea," he immediately became interested.

"Kirei, aren't you a priest? I remember... churches usually have confessionals, right? Since you're here to confess, you have to do something, right? Otherwise, how could such a good thing happen?"

“What a genius idea!”

Kotomine Kirei has understood what happiness is. He is no longer the empty-hearted person he used to be. He understood what Bai Ye meant almost immediately.

"So, Kirei, study hard, and you can also ask Tōsaka Tokiomi for comments from time to time. After all... he is your master~"

"That's right, isn't it the teacher's job to teach his disciples? So it's only natural for him to give some pointers."

As Kotomine Kirei continued speaking, he suddenly felt the future was bright. He looked at Bai Ye again, and a smile of mutual understanding appeared on his once serious face.

"Speaking of which, I have something good for you."