Type-Moon, but the Servant is Tom

"There shouldn't be anything about this." Listening to Tokiomi's words, Kirei took a moment to carefully consider the possibility of his assassin sneaking a drink from his cherished red wine.

The final result was clear: it was impossible. Setting aside the fact that he had only recently summoned the assassin and was focused on the practical interests of the Holy Grail War, there was simply no Servant who would sneakily drink alcohol.

Moreover, Kirei's own assassin was none other than the Japanese swordsman Okita Sōji, whose taste certainly wouldn't be drawn to Western spirits that Kirei favored.

As for his mentor, Tokiomi, although he had never explicitly stated it, Kirei was well aware that Tokiomi's taste in alcohol was subpar. Since Tokiomi wouldn't even sneak a drink from his own collection, let alone Tokiomi's own alcohol.

Upon hearing Kirei's response, Tokiomi felt a slight frustration. It was clear to him that his preparations for the Holy Grail War were foolproof. He had even gone to great lengths to obtain the First Magic Snake Skin from the Two Rivers valley, securing a winning position. But why did everything, including the summoning of his and his disciple's Heroic Spirits and the collection of intelligence, go awry?

First and foremost, Tokiomi was certain that the various mishaps were not his fault. Something must have gone wrong with this Holy Grail War again.

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To the point that Tokiomi began considering giving up and abandoning this Holy Grail War, focusing instead on preparing for the Fifth Holy Grail War for future generations.

However, just as he was about to make a decision, Tokiomi resolutely chose to continue the Holy Grail War. What if he won?

"How about it? Should I have assassin launch a surprise attack on Rider?" Seeing Tokiomi's silence, Kirei made another suggestion. "If it's now, we might be able to eliminate Rider in one blow."

Upon hearing this, Tokiomi's eyes revealed a strong sense of doubt. This distrust wasn't directed at Kirei; he had complete trust in him.

It was mainly directed at Kirei's Servant, the assassin, who wasn't even proficient in concealing their presence. If he sent her to assassinate Rider, there was a high chance that her life support system would malfunction, resulting in a sudden and debilitating illness, and an elegant beheading.

In that case, Tokiomi's advantage in the Holy Grail War would approach zero, and that was unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

"...No need. Assassin's task remains reconnaissance... as much as possible."

At this moment, on the other side, White Song had wrapped the tom around his neck again, as it was already downtown.

In comparison to the daytime, things were much better; at least the night was relatively colder. Tom didn't feel stifled as Bai Song treated him more like a companion, and surprisingly, it was rather cozy.

To be honest, when Tom remained still and slept, it was tolerable. However, once he started moving, it became evident that he was quite distinct from an ordinary cat.

Firstly, his face stood out. Setting aside the fact that his movements were far from typical for a cat, even a brief examination of his remarkably diverse and, dare I say, excessively exaggerated facial expressions revealed that this cat was unique.

Ordinary cats might exhibit expressions of ferocity, resignation, or negotiation, but Tom? Bai Song had no idea how many different expressions Tom could make.

One could even assert with utmost certainty that, in terms of facial expressions, Tom was the big actor of the feline world!

Next, there is Tom's behavior and logic. Sometimes he walks on all fours, but according to Bai Song's observations, it seems that Tom dislikes maintaining a quadrupedal gait. Most of the time, despite Bai Song's attempts to make him appear like a normal cat, Tom resorts to walking on two legs.

Particularly when they are walking side by side and Bai Song is speaking, Tom almost invariably stands up. Perhaps he finds walking on all fours too diminutive and speaking while doing so cumbersome?

Bai Song isn't entirely certain about this yet and needs further observation, but that's most likely the case.

In short, it seems highly unlikely that Bai Song will be able to walk the cat in public... Of course, it appears that Tom himself isn't keen on going out for a stroll; he prefers lounging around inside.

"...Can Ryuunosuke be any poorer?" Bai Song casually pulled out Ryuunosuke's wallet. As he looked at the meager amount of money inside, he felt as though a heavy stone had been hung around his neck, making it difficult to breathe.

Worries about food and drink were already present, let alone the fact that he had promised to treat Tom to some delicious food, which would require a significant amount of money.

Not only did he have no money before traveling through time, but now he was also burdened by financial troubles. What kind of miserable life was this?

Bai Song even regretted not swindling a large sum of money from Waver earlier and then releasing him. But upon careful consideration, Waver seemed to be quite poor as well, so he dropped the idea.

"By the way, why does it feel increasingly difficult to breathe... Tom?!" While walking, Bai Song started feeling rather uncomfortable, so he prepared to loosen Tom, who was wrapped around his neck. However, when he lowered his head and took a glance, he was instantly startled—Tom's head was missing!

Upon closer inspection, Bai Song realized that Tom's upper body was stuck to the glass window of the convenience store behind him. By now, Bai Song had walked about four or five meters, causing Tom's upper body to stretch several meters long.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one had noticed yet. Bai Song quickly walked while wrapping Tom's elongated body into a coil, successfully bringing him back.

Just as he was about to continue on, Bai Song noticed that Tom was tightly gripping the window, refusing to let go. "Tom, let go!" he exclaimed.

"Hush~~~ " Just as Bai Song was about to use his so-called 'culinary' persuasion on Tom, Tom placed a finger in front of his mouth and made a 'hush' sound. Then he pointed with his right hand to the discounted meal section of the convenience store.

At that moment, a store clerk was holding a stack of half-priced tags, about to stick them onto those meals!

"This... a chance for a bargain... oh, oh, oh!" Bai Song's eyes gleamed at the sight. He was just about to blurt it out when Tom quickly covered his mouth and gestured toward a few oblivious middle-aged women nearby.

Realizing that they couldn't let anyone else find out, Bai Song nodded in agreement. Tom finally let go, reassured, and proceeded to pretend to wear a scarf around Bai Song's neck.

The thought of grabbing those discounted meals not only to reduce their living expenses but also to pass them off as so-called 'culinary delights' to deceive Tom filled Bai Song with excitement!

There was no time to waste outside. Bai Song firmly and resolutely pushed open the door and stepped into the convenience store, heading straight for the meal section.

All because there lay the discounted meals that would allow him and Tom to continue surviving...