"Fujino, where are you?" Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Illya slowly walked down the stairs, holding a white stuffed animal in her other hand.
"Who are you?" Illya looked at the girls in the living room she had never seen before, her eyes widening as the power within her subconsciously began to gather.
"Illya, they are your sisters." Noticing Illya on the stairs, Sakuya quickly used Time Stop to appear by her side and explain.
"Sisters?" Illya looked up at Sakuya in confusion. She didn't remember having sisters this big.
"Did you forget, Illya?" Sakuya smiled and stroked Illya's small head: "Fujino showed you a photo before, didn't she?"
When Illya was born, Sakura and the others were on missions in the reincarnation world, and it was at a critical moment, so Fujino didn't disturb them. She only had the Main God Space automatically send a message when they came out, telling them to come back and visit.
The photos Fujino had shown Illya were taken when Sakura and the others were still Little Lolis. Now that they had grown into young women, it was normal for Illya not to recognize them.
"Is this Big Sister Fujino's daughter, Illya? She's so cute!" Kallen looked at the adorable Illya, her eyes shining.
Seeing Kallen's intense gaze, Illya couldn't help but hug Sakuya's leg. Ever since she was subjected to a round of "cruel and unusual" teasing by Touko and the others, Illya had developed a bit of a shadow toward others. Kallen's gaze now reminded her of that shadow.
Seeing Illya trembling while hugging her leg, Sakuya sighed imperceptibly. She understood the shadow in Illya's heart; Touko and the others had gone a bit too far back then. She leaned down and gently stroked Illya's back to calm her down.
Sakura and the others watched this scene, their hearts full of confusion. Why did Illya seem afraid of them?
"What are you all doing?" Fujino walked out of the kitchen at this moment. Sakura and the others were back, so Fujino planned to cook something delicious for them herself.
"Illya, are you okay?" Seeing Illya, Fujino understood what had happened. She came to Sakuya's side, picked up Illya, and said gently: "Alright, it's okay now."
Illya responded softly from Fujino's arms. Fujino looked at Illya, then at Sakura and the others, seeing the confusion in their eyes. She said softly: "Let's eat first. I'll tell you what's going on in a bit."
Then Fujino looked at Sakuya: "Please, Sakuya, go call the others."
"Yes." Sakuya nodded and disappeared from Fujino's sight using Time Stop.
"Let's go." Fujino carried Illya and led Sakura and the others toward the kitchen.
After breakfast, everyone went about their business, while Sakura and the others sat on the sofa with Illya to bond.
"Big Sister Sakura." Illya lay beside Sakura. After a short time together, she had become very close to Sakura.
"Sakura is so amazing." Not far away, Kallen looked at the two of them with a bit of jealousy, puffing out her cheeks.
"Who told you to scare Illya just now?" Hisui, beside Kallen, couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't you think Sakura is like that?" Akiha leaned in from the other side, a smile all over her face.
"You mean that?" Kohaku seemed to think of the same thing as Akiha, a smile appearing on her face as well.
"What on earth are you two talking about?"
Kallen and Hisui looked at the two of them in confusion as they spoke in riddles.
"They're saying Sakura is like a mother~" Alice suddenly popped up from behind the girls, also wearing a smile.
"Sister Alice, don't just jump out from behind and scare people like that, okay?" Akiha said helplessly. Clearly, this wasn't the first time Alice had done this; she had done it plenty of times back when they were Little Lolis.
"The current Akiha really isn't cute at all~" Alice pouted, looking displeased.
"Alright, Sister Alice, stop playing around," Kallen, who was nearby, said. "Why do you say Sakura is like a mother?"
"Isn't she?" Alice smiled slightly and sat down, watching Sakura and Illya in the distance. "The current Sakura is just like a mother~"
"This..." Kallen looked at the two not far away and felt that it indeed seemed that way; the more Kallen looked, the more she felt it was true.
"Have you forgotten?" Akiha looked at Sakura. "When we were in the reincarnation world, Sakura cooked all the meals and washed all the clothes. We were no different from children being cared for by a mother."
At this point, a feeling of frustration welled up in Akiha's heart.
"Uh... it really seems to be the case..."
Recalling everything from the past, Kallen realized that everything was just as Akiha had said. They were like children, being cared for by Sakura in every way. In every sense, Sakura completely filled the role of a mother, so it was no wonder she bonded with Illya so quickly.
"How exactly does Sakura do it? Is it talent?" Kallen fell into thought, and she wasn't the only one; Akiha and the others were the same.
On the other side, in the Magecraft Workshop beneath the Western-style Mansion—which could be said to be the most powerful Magecraft Workshop in the entire Type-Moon World—after being reinforced by Touko, the others, and Fujino, the defense of the entire Magecraft Workshop was such that it could remain unscathed even if the world were destroyed.
"So amazing!" Sōjū Kazahana looked at the Magecraft Workshop in surprise. This was her first time here, and it wasn't hard for her to feel the powerful magical energy contained within it.
"Kazahana, I remember your ability is Ignition, right?" Fujino, walking ahead, turned back to look at Kazahana.
"Yes." Kazahana nodded, and a brown headgear appeared in her hand. "This was made for me by my teacher to help me control my ability."
Kazahana's Ignition ability doesn't involve using fire to burn the target, but rather making the target catch fire itself. There are various theories about spontaneous human combustion; Kazahana's is a hybrid of the human electricity theory and the electromagnetic wave theory.
It seemed decent, but to Fujino, it was too weak and had too many limitations.
However, Touko clearly looked after her disciple, Kazahana. Fujino had previously seen how Touko used her reincarnation points; Touko had bought many good things for Kazahana in the Main God Shop, such as a Fire Elemental Body and Flame Affinity. These were meant to increase Kazahana's control over fire. Touko's plan was likely for Kazahana to become something like a Fire Spirit in the future, possessing extraordinary natural control over fire, which was a good choice for future development.
But Fujino had a better method: the Fire Control Technique! Combined with Kazahana's original ability, it could offset some of the Fire Control Technique's weaknesses. Adding the power of a Mera Mera no Mi, Kazahana becoming a God of Fire Elements in the future wouldn't be too difficult. With Fujino's help, it might not even be impossible for her to become an existence that wields the very concept of fire.
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