No matter what kind of product it is, customizations for individuals will always come at a higher price than mass-produced items. This is an undeniable truth in the business world, and it applies to the dolls created by Touko Aozaki as well.

Well, if she were to make an exception, Shinji would have a headache. In his view, the more valuable Touko's dolls are, the more the Emiya family and the Matou family will owe him. It would be best if they were indebted for a lifetime.

Therefore, Shinji waved his hand with boldness and said, "Name your price."

Touko found herself unable to understand the little boy in front of her.

The boy has a "young master vibe," the self-imposed forced testimony, and the sealing fee of 500,000 yen—these all indicate that he was a shrewd person. But why would such a shrewd person adopt an attitude that resembled an ignorant rich kid?

If it was a disguise, then it was a failed one. Or could it be that he, like herself, had a dual personality?

The doubt in her mind did not affect Touko's response. "First, let's talk about how you plan to pay."

"Depending on your needs, I have money, materials, and skills prepared," Shinji said, crossing his legs and looking more and more like a foolish son from a wealthy family.

"Will it be an all-inclusive package, or should I provide the materials?"

"It's better if it's all-inclusive. If we need to prepare the materials, the cost will be deducted from your compensation based on market prices."

"Straightforward," Touko smiled faintly. "Since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush either. The starting price for a custom-made doll is one billion yen, and it can go up depending on the unique characteristics of the soul. Under normal circumstances, it won't exceed 1.5 billion yen."

"You mentioned giving us a discount," Shinji said, interlocking his hands and propping up his chin.

"This is already the discounted price," Touko said without changing her expression. "If no discount, then add at least 10 million yen."

"One to two billion yen, huh? It's a bit high, but it's acceptable. Deal."

Touko's custom doll service is a rare find and completely a buyer's market. While there might be room for negotiation and bargaining, the amount of money involved is trivial compared to Touko's favorability.

"How will the payment be made? How much is the deposit? Money, materials, and skills?"

"The deposit will be 20 million yen, and both checks and bank transfers are acceptable."

Shinji glanced at his sister, Sakura, and signaled to her with his eyes.

"Got it, big brother."

Sakura obediently took out her checkbook and signed a 20 million yen check with her unique cursive handwriting inherited from Scáthach. She even stamped it with the seal of Kiritsugu Emiya, as if she were Shinji's secretary.

"It's a Mitsubishi Bank check, and it can be cashed anytime."

Touko skillfully dialed Mitsubishi Bank's phone number and, after verifying the authenticity of the check, extended her hand to Shinji.

"The commission is officially accepted. Let's have a pleasant cooperation."

"Pleasant cooperation."

Shnji shook Toukop's hand. Truly, she deserved her title as a master puppeteer. These hands were more delicate than anyone else's, exuding a unique sensation. Perhaps only these one-of-a-kind hands could create unparalleled puppets in the world.

"What about the remaining payment?"

"The remaining payment is not limited to money. As for the rare materials or techniques you mentioned, any sudden withdrawal of a nine-digit figure would have a significant impact on any organization."

Touko's answer didn't exceed Shinji's expectations. For any qualified magus, money was only a guarantee for magical research. Most of the time, they would choose to trade materials and techniques.

"If this young lady could disclose information about the Third Magic, it would be the best."

Shinji shook his head and refused, "That's not possible. The Third Magic of the Einzbern family wasn't inherited; it was an accidental creation. If I could learn it, I would have done so long ago. I'll offer you a different technique—one that you won't be able to refuse."

His confident expression and tone piqued Touko's curiosity. "Oh? So confident? What technique is it?"

"Sakura," Shinji snapped his fingers, "Freezing."

"Okay, big brother."

Sakura extended her finger and carved a rune resembling the letter "i" onto her water cup.

"Rune magic?" Touko's eyelids twitched slightly. "There aren't many people willing to learn that kind of magecraft nowadays."

Blue magical energy overflowed from the rune, and the air temperature rapidly dropped. The water in the cup gradually froze, and Touko's gaze became increasingly serious.

"I've heard that Miss Touko specializes in rune magic at the Clock Tower, so you should be able to see the difference," Shinji blinked, and the smile on his lips started to resemble that of a cunning canid.

"The complete... foundation."

To outsiders, this was merely low-level rune magic, but to a rune magic expert like Touko, it held tremendous significance.

The decline of rune magic was due to the loss of runes, resulting in an incomplete foundation. Besides her expertise in puppetry, Touko's greatest contribution to magecraft was the analysis of existing runes and the magical regeneration of the foundational twenty-four common runes, which saved the rune magic system.

However, Touko was well aware that regeneration was not the same as restoration. Despite standing at the pinnacle of magi, she was still unable to fully restore "rune magic" on her own. The power of the regenerated rune magic she had accomplished did not exceed fifty percent of the original.

But now, a six-year-old girl was displaying the original rune magic, giving Touko hope and a glimpse into the future of rune magic.

"Young Lady, could you use another rune? Hmm... Algiz (Protection), let's use Algiz."

Sakura looked at Shinji, understanding that her brother was engaged in something important, and she didn't want to cause any trouble for him.

Shinji ruffled Sakura's hair and then looked at Touko, who was blatantly filled with anticipation. He decided to bring out another bombshell.

"What's Algiz? Sakura, use EIHWAZ."

"What—?" Touko's exclamation was cut off halfway by Sakura's immediate action.

EIHWAZ and Algiz both belong to the runes with protective powers, but the former belongs to the original runes, while the latter is a derived and weakened version. They are not in the same league.

Sakura was not as relaxed as before. Her purple eyes widened, and her right hand was meticulously traced on the table. It seemed like she exerted a great amount of effort, and with just a few strokes, beads of sweat formed on Sakura's forehead.

Attentive Touko quickly took out a handkerchief and waited until Sakura's hand moved away from the coffee table before wiping the sweat off for her.

Sakura sweetly said, "Thank you, Touko-neechan, big brother. I'm done."

"You're amazing, Sakura." Shinji praised her first, then gestured towards Tōko, "Miss Touko—"

Touko pushed up her glasses, and Shinji could sense a change in the refractive index of the lenses. This change caused Touko's gaze to converge.

At the same time, a peculiar radiance illuminated Touko's eyes, the characteristic of her Mystic Eyes when activated. At this moment, Touko was completely absorbed in the runes on the coffee table, completely forgetting the existence of others.

After an unknown period of time, a faint sound broke the silence in the room. Looking toward the source of the sound, Shinji noticed a distinct crack in Touko's glasses. This crack obstructed Touko's vision, bringing her back from her world.

"It really is the 'original rune'."

The voice sounded calm at first, but beneath that calmness was deliberately suppressed emotion, like boiling water kept frozen.

"I suddenly feel like capturing you all for thorough research. The 'Contract of Geis' doesn't have any restrictions against attacking the employer."

"You can try."

Shinji spread open his left hand, holding a unique golden artifact.

Noble Phantasm, Indra's Thunder, Rank B+.

=====

Support Me At Patreon.com/AbsoluteCode