a hollow perception (Fate/Zero × Demon Slayer)

third: the significance of meaninglessness

I may or may not have been making some shit up and probably bullshitting some elements regarding some certain things in Nasuverse but I hope you'll forgive me for that. Or beat me up, or yell at me I guess. And also, this chapter got lots of dialogues, in other words, info dump.

Expect some one or two familiar faces from Demon Slayers/Kimetsu no Yaiba here in this chapter.

This is the longest chapter in this fic. Enjoy!

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third: the significance of meaninglessness

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"Her examination has been halted?" Kirei said in surprise when his master told him what had Tsuyuri Kanao reported to him. After Rin gave him an 'advice' to be a 'good friend' earlier, Kirei went to his master's study as per routine told him that whenever Kanao was done with her report, he will go to his master's side to hear what she had stated.

"Yes. I also received a letter from the Mage's Association." His master presented the letter to him. As Kirei began to read it, his master continued, "It doesn't seem the case they were done examining her, someone requested to halt it for the time being which is quite strange."

"A Lord requested to stop her examination?" Kirei said. It was indeed strange.

"A Lord of Clock Tower did, as you have read the letter," Tohsaka Tokiomi agreed and took the letter from Kirei to re-read it. "It's quite strange, why would a Lord requested it? Compassion? Sympathy? Pity?"

"Or perhaps, with an agenda regarding about her?"

"That is also possible." His master stared at the letter quietly.

"This Lord, if I may ask," Kirei asked after a moment of silence, "does this Lord stated in the letter who requested to halt her examination—is he a man of hidden intentions?"

"Every mage always have motive," his master refuted, "especially in Clock Tower. Have I told you it was common to have an internal fighting between mages?"

"You've told me, master, that it was common for master and apprentice to have an enmity between them. Isn't that our plan when my Command Seals will allegedly appear months later and I will break my apprenticeship from you?"

His master smiled approvingly. "It is. Regarding our plan for you to leave me, I'll tell you another time." He returned his attention to the letter. "A man of hidden intentions...? I'm not quite sure. From time to time, there are rare exceptions that, perhaps this man—this particular Lord—who requested halting her examination was doing this for Kanao's sake. She told me she may have met this man before the sudden call to stop her examination."

"She did?"

"She thought so. To be accurate, she met two men before the sudden call. Both of them never introduced themselves, they simply talked with her. The first visitor, she'd told me, was a handsome young man. A bit unnerving man, she said, but she answered every question he had enquired from her." And then Tohsaka Tokiomi paused.

"What kind of question did he ask?" Kirei asked eventually, when his master went silent for a long time with a contemplated look on his face.

"Her connection to the organization," Tohsaka Tokiomi finally replied. "He asked the same questions that was asked to her before and she replied the same answers to him. Though, I have a feeling Kanao wasn't exactly being truthful about it," his master added skeptically.

"You mean their conversation between her and this man?"

"That's right. And as for the other visitor..." his master's word trailed off, and then he murmured silently, "It can't be possibly him..."