Sasaki Kojiro had been one of Renji Kuroda's favorite anime characters since childhood—a Servant of the Assassin class.
He liked Kojiro's personality and speech style, which was archaic yet eloquent. Renji found it amusing and unique.
In the Fate setting, the catalyst for Kojiro's summoning was the main gate of Ryūdō Temple. Since he was bound to that gate, he couldn't leave the temple entrance and thus came to be known respectfully as the "Old Man Gatekeeper."
That said, Sasaki Kojiro's overall power wasn't particularly impressive—his true strength lay solely in his swordsmanship, which had been honed to the level of "magic."
"The total points are 5950, and Swallow Reversal, the pinnacle of Kojiro's swordsmanship, alone costs 5000 points…"
Renji broke out in a cold sweat. Every item in the shop was ridiculously expensive. He couldn't afford much at all.
After thinking it over, he decided to purchase a weapon for self-defense first.
He chose Sasaki Kojiro's weapon—the laundry pole.
This sword, also known as Bitchu Aoe, was sometimes referred to by the inscription Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu. Its scabbard and hilt were entirely blue, and the blade itself gleamed like frosted steel—cold and radiant. At over five feet long (1.5 meters), it was a daunting weapon. Only someone like Kojiro, who practiced secret sword techniques, could wield such a blade with true skill—especially to perform the Noble Phantasm Swallow Reversal.
Ordinary people wouldn't be able to use it, but since Renji had already mastered the foundational concepts of swordsmanship, that didn't matter.
The system deducted 50 points, and in the next instant, a 1.5-meter-long nodachi with its scabbard appeared in Renji's hand.
In Japanese culture, terms like sword and katana are often used interchangeably, encompassing a wide range of curved blades such as tachi. Techniques using them fall under the umbrella of swordsmanship, which was exactly why Renji had chosen to specialize in this field, rather than more generalized bladed arts.
As soon as the laundry pole touched his palm, Renji felt an immediate connection, like a subtle link had been forged—spiritual resonance.
He focused his thoughts.
The sword responded, dissolving into shimmering blue light particles that faded into the air. When he summoned it again, the blue lights reassembled, reforming the sword in his grip.
With a flick of his wrist, he gently unsheathed it. The curved blade danced fluidly in the air, drawing graceful arcs that stirred faint breezes.
Then, Renji turned toward the kotatsu.
With a flash of steel, a teacup resting atop the table vanished from sight—and reappeared, balanced delicately atop the sword's edge, the tea within only lightly rippling.
"Hmm. Not bad. It's even better than I imagined. And thanks to the spiritualization effect, I don't have to lug it around all day."
He took a sip from the teacup and replaced it, then spiritualized the laundry pole once more with a thought—it vanished like mist.
632 points total. 582 points remaining.
Looking at his remaining balance, Renji opted not to invest in raw power skills like Mana Burst. Instead, he chose a more strategic utility skill:
Sasaki 's Insights – 500 points.
This unique skill ensured that his techniques wouldn't become predictable, even if used repeatedly against the same enemy. Its effect was essentially:
"Unreadable swordplay."
Each clash would feel like the first encounter, no matter how many times it happened. Opponents couldn't memorize or adapt to his techniques.
With a ding, the purchase completed. Renji took a deep breath, feeling a quiet but undeniable shift—his perception sharpening, his thoughts more aligned.
"Still have 82 points left… I'll save those. Time to rest and prepare for tomorrow."
Satisfied, Renji headed to the bathroom to take a shower. After drying off, he returned to bed and pulled back the covers—only to be hit by a strange smell.
His brows furrowed.
The center of the bed was… soaked.
"Huh? When did this happen?"
He didn't remember spilling anything, nor did he have any water bottles in bed. Could it have been…?
"Did I… wet the bed?"
Impossible.
"No… Hayakawa Aki lay on this bed earlier."
Renji froze.
A sudden memory flashed in his mind—Hayakawa Aki, curled up in his blanket, trembling and shaking slightly beneath the sheets.
And then...
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's heavenly emotions! System rewards 50 points!]
That system voice had been distinctly more enthusiastic than the others.
"No way? Was she really doing that back then?"
Renji Kuroda extended a finger and gently touched the wet, viscous spot, dabbing at it lightly. Then, pressing his index finger and thumb together a few times, he slowly pulled them apart.
A distinct, glistening thread of slight stickiness stretched between his fingertips.
He brought it under his nose and sniffed.
Yes—it had the scent of the ocean.
Then, he licked it.
"Hm... not bad. Hayakawa Aki must've been eating a lot of fruit lately—especially apples."
…
…
Somewhere in Tokyo.
As dusk descended, in a quiet rural town on an unremarkable street, a short-haired blonde woman walked slowly toward her home, looking worn down and dispirited.
A strange little dog trailed after her.
The woman's golden hair was messy and fluffy, radiating a wild and untamed aura. Yet her face was strikingly delicate, carrying a peculiar kind of purity.
One of her eyes was injured—she wore a black eye patch—but even from her remaining eye, one could see signs of hardship, deepening her melancholy expression.
She wore a simple white top and denim shorts, her long, fair legs fully exposed. Despite the cool air, she had only thrown on a worn green coat. The coat looked old and tattered, especially at the bottom where it was oddly cut short at the waist, adding to her destitute appearance.
The dog beside her was even more bizarre: orange in color, and hardly resembling a real dog. A strange chainsaw blade protruded from its head, a black handle stuck out, and its tail was a long chainsaw zipper.
—Beep! Beep beep beep!—
Just then, a car horn blared. A vehicle rolled up slowly behind her and stopped at her side. The window slid down, revealing a face with a mischievous smile and a half-smoked cigarette dangling from their lips.
"Hey, Denji, you stinky mutt—if you eat this cigarette, I'll give you a hundred yen."
Denji's eyes lit up.
"Really?! Then I'm on it!"
She snatched the cigarette, tilted her head back, opened her mouth, and swallowed it whole.
The woman in the car burst into laughter, amused beyond reason that Denji actually went through with it.