Shichen definitely didn't want Illya to end up liking someone else, dating someone else, or marrying someone else.
That wasn't even something he was willing to entertain.
At the end of the day, Illya had always existed in her own right—she wasn't someone "created" because of him. She was born from a fragment of divinity, and she was Irisviel's daughter.
Even though Shichen had already broken through the mental barriers he used to have with girls like Yoshino and the others… he still hadn't fully untangled that knot when it came to Illya.
With her, the difficulty level was just on another tier.
Even if he knew—truly knew—that Illya was Illya, the adorable girl he'd always known… things had changed because he had entered her life. Because he existed here now.
And he couldn't pretend that didn't matter.
"Hehe~ So you really do like me way too much," Illya said, looping her arms around Shichen's neck, rubbing her head against him, her face blooming into a radiant smile.
"Isn't it normal for me to like you?" Shichen replied as if it were obvious.
"There you go again, playing dumb. Careful—if you keep this up, I'll really go off with someone else~"
Shichen had no comeback.
"Hehe—kidding. There's no one in the world better than you. I'm not running off with anyone," Illya said, laughing brightly when she saw him get stuck.
"Illya… you've seriously learned to tease people," Shichen sighed, shaking his head.
"And whose fault is that? The sisters were right—you're way too passive."
"Hm? The sisters?"
"Yeah. Everyone says so."
"I…"
So his "doesn't take the first step" reputation was that well-known now?
"Relax," Illya said, smug as can be. "Since you're too shy to be proactive, Illya will do it. And you're not allowed to reject me, okay? You wouldn't want Illya getting closer to someone else, would you?"
"Illya, you're… seriously something," Shichen muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching.
She'd learned that kind of rhetoric now too. Who could even withstand that?
"Hehe~ See? Super easy to pin down. Sakura, you wanna try it too?" Illya teased, proudly trying to recruit Sakura.
"I… I'll pass," Sakura said. She looked tempted for a second, but she still refused.
"Really? Chances like this don't come often. If you don't take the opportunity to be honest, who knows how passive you'll end up being—ow!" Illya yelped, clutching her forehead before she could finish.
"Talking about me like that—are you asking for trouble?" Shichen flicked her forehead, annoyed.
"W-well, I'm just stating facts! And you wouldn't want Sakura getting close to someone else either, right?"
"…Still pushing it?" Shichen glared at her.
"Do you want that to happen?"
"Okay, you really are asking for it."
Shichen shifted Illya and pinned her over his knee in one smooth motion.
"Wait! W-what are you doing?! There are people here—don't!" Illya pleaded loudly.
"It's fine. Rin isn't exactly a stranger," Shichen said.
"I knew you had thoughts about her!"
"Still talking?" Shichen's eyebrows jumped, and his palm came down.
A crisp smack rang out.
"Ow! That hurts! You actually hit me?!"
"You thought I was kidding?" Shichen said, and brought his hand down again on the other side.
She was small, but there was still that unmistakable bounce.
"Ow!" Illya arched her back, legs straightening reflexively. Her ruby-bright eyes watered instantly.
"Still want to joke around with me like that?" Shichen threatened.
"You're just embarrassed! All you do is bully me!" Illya protested stubbornly.
"And whose fault is it you've got no sense of boundaries?"
"I'm telling the truth! You're the one who keeps hiding things!"
"Still talking?"
"I'll keep talking! Sakura, save me! Mom!"
"Onii-chan, don't hit Illya anymore," Sakura said quickly. "And Illya, stop provoking him. I'm happy with my life right now—I'm not going to go looking for anyone else."
"Sakura…" Shichen didn't even know what to say.
The way Sakura phrased it—whether she meant to or not—backed him into a corner completely.
Sakura was so well-behaved… she probably didn't even realize how lethal that line was.
"This household… what even is this?" Rin asked, staring, completely dumbfounded.
"Isn't it relaxing?" Irisviel said with a bright, playful smile. "No rigid rules at all~"
"…I guess," Rin said weakly.
"So if you join this family later, you won't have to hold back either~ Just do what you want."
"W-wait—'join' what? I never said anything about joining!" Rin immediately corrected herself.
"Hehe~ what a little tsundere."
"I-I'm not a tsundere!"
"Tsunderes never admit they're tsunderes."
"I'm not a tsundere."
"Yep, definitely a tsundere."
Rin clamped her mouth shut.
"Oh, so you're admitting it."
"..." Rin stared. "Iri—uh, Irisviel… you kind of… have a mean streak?"
"Oh my~ not at all~" Irisviel replied innocently.
"Rin, don't listen to her," Artoria said. "Iri can be surprisingly wicked."
She'd experienced Irisviel's "innocent" mischief firsthand.
"Um—just 'Rin' is fine," Rin said. For some reason, she felt an odd sense of affinity toward Artoria. "Artoria."
"Then you can just call me by my name too," Artoria replied.
"Okay… Can I ask you something, Artoria?" Rin asked hesitantly.
"Go ahead."
"Are you… foreign?"
"Mm. By my identity, yes."
"I knew it…"
"And not just foreign," Irisviel cut in with a grin. "Artoria is also a hero from history."
"Huh?" Rin froze.
"Iri… you mean—?"
"Yup. Artoria is a Heroic Spirit—King Arthur herself."
"A Heroic Spirit?! King Arthur?! A—and she's a woman?!" Rin's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Artoria.
"Irisviel is right," Artoria confirmed with a nod.
"Then… you were Shichen's Servant?"
"Not anymore," Artoria said, shaking her head.
"What… do you mean?"
"I was Shichen's Servant in the previous Holy Grail War."
"So you've been here the whole time? You got a body?"
"You could say that."
"I see…" Rin looked genuinely moved. "King Arthur… and you're this cute… that's incredible…"
Being a mage and seeing a legendary figure in the flesh—there were very few things more overwhelming than that.
And King Arthur, of all people.
Rin couldn't help thinking: If only I'd summoned Artoria…
She'd be a perfect match—regal aura, noble eyes, unmistakable knightly spirit.
So why did she summon Shichen?
Shichen was way too much trouble.
"Thank you…" Artoria said, a little embarrassed by the praise.
"Wait—earlier Illya said everyone here is Shichen's woman. Does that include you too?" Rin suddenly remembered and asked.
"…Yes," Artoria admitted softly. "I'm Shichen's woman too."
"…" Rin's brain briefly stalled.
Her flawless "lifesaver" image of Shichen had just acquired a lot of… extra details.
Everything she'd learned today was so far beyond her common sense that she was honestly struggling to keep up.
"Onee-chan," Sakura said gently, "don't lose faith in Onii-chan, okay? Besides the fact that he's… well, popular, he's genuinely wonderful."
"Is that so…?" Rin muttered.
If someone's that "popular," can they still be called "perfect"?
"And being 'popular' is actually good," Sakura added. "If he weren't, you wouldn't be able to join in."
"That… makes sense—NO IT DOESN'T! I never said I wanted to join!" Rin snapped.
"You keep saying that. But sooner or later, you'll fall for him."
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible," Rin declared firmly.
Sakura didn't argue. In her mind, she'd already seen through her sister completely—Rin's feelings were just too obvious.
Still, they both tended to be a little passive… so maybe she should give Rin a tiny nudge.
"Sis, want to sleep together tonight?"
"Sure," Rin agreed immediately. "I still have so much I want to talk about with you."
"Me too."
"Oh—Sakura, you became a Master too, right?" Rin asked. She'd been noticing the Command Seals on Sakura's hand.
"Yeah." Sakura showed her.
"So it really is a Command Seal… and Illya has one too?"
"I do too!" Illya chimed in, now sitting comfortably back on Shichen's lap and showing hers off.
"…Three Masters in one household," Rin muttered. "How is anyone else supposed to play?"
"Four, if you count you," Shichen said with a grin.
"…You still haven't summoned a Servant, right?"
"We're planning to do it tonight. But first—dumplings. Sella and the others finished making them."
~~~
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