"Iri…!?"
Shirou's eyes widened. He instinctively reached out to help her, but then remembered he was still tied to the chair and couldn't move.
"…What are you doing?"
Irisviel knelt at the boy's feet in a deep bow, elegantly folding her knees and pressing three fingers together. Though she'd learned the gesture from television, the way she pressed her forehead firmly against the floor was exemplary, it could even be called a sincere act of submission.
This was the first time Irisviel had ever knelt before another person. The Einzbern family had no such etiquette, and as the "Lesser Grail," she had grown up in a life of luxury and privilege.
And yet…
The former princess of the Einzbern family, now their queen, was kneeling at the feet of a human boy.
"Please, Shirou… let me bear your child."
She… she'd said it!
To Shirou, she'd uttered the ultimate line of flattery, shameless and completely abandoning a woman's dignity.
Irisviel's face flushed crimson, her head spinning with a dizzying haze of exhilaration.
It's over. My life is over… After tonight, how could I possibly have the face to live with him anymore…
She felt both humiliated and exhilarated, ashamed and filled with regret. She could almost hear her own heartbeat, thunderous and relentless, accelerating with each pounding thud.
The turmoil in her heart surpassed even the state of mind she'd surrendered to the aphrodisiac the night before.
"Irisviel…"
Shirou's voice came from above, strained as if squeezed from his throat.
What kind of expression does he have right now?
Irisviel couldn't help but wonder. Would he look down on me?
As she imagined Shirou's contemptuous gaze, she didn't feel sad at all, instead, she grew even more excited.
Ugh, I might just be a complete pervert.
"Shirou, please have mercy on me…"
Irisviel maintained her humble, prostrate posture, wiggling her ample hips as she spoke.
"I really, really want to live. I don't want to die…"
She switched into full-on begging mode (though it was really just an act).
"Do you really want to watch me waste away and die? You're the only one who can save me…"
Right now, Irisviel looked like a defeated female knight who had accepted reality. The noble glory and proud dignity she once held had been completely discarded like trash; she was merely begging her enemy to spare her life, willing to let him do whatever he wanted to her. Her pleas were even laced with flattery.
"Shirou, I want your genetic material~♡"
"..."
She heard the boy's sigh.
"Iri, please lift your head," Shirou said.
Irisviel didn't look up, replying, "If Shirou doesn't want to save me, I'll stay kneeling like this forever."
Shirou said, "How could I possibly stand by and watch you die, Iri? If it means keeping you alive, I'm willing to do anything."
Irisviel thought to herself: Hmph, that kind of talk won't fool me!
Anyway, no matter what he says, he'll still refuse to hold me in the end. Shirou, you stubborn, big dummy!
Irisviel said defiantly, "Since you put it that way, then help me, let me become a mother."
"I understand."
See? He really doesn't want to, does he! That's exactly why you, Shirou, are… Huh?
Irisviel blinked, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.
"Shirou, what did you just say?"
"I'll make Iri… a mother."
The moment Irisviel heard those words, it felt as if something had pierced right through her heart.
She slowly straightened her back and looked up at Shirou, who was sitting across from her. She had expected him to be flushed and embarrassed like she was, but instead, his expression was serious and resolute.
Irisviel asked instinctively, "Shirou… did you promise me?"
The boy nodded. "Yes, I promised you."
Irisviel froze. Feeling uneasy, she continued.
"No, you mustn't go looking for other men, okay? I won't agree to something like that! I don't want to be impregnated by a man I don't even know, not even if it kills me. Shirou, if you dare hand me over to someone else, I'll hate you for the rest of my life…"
The boy interrupted angrily, "How could I possibly do something like that! Iri is my woman—I won't hand her over to anyone else!"
"..."
Irisviel's face, which had just cooled down, suddenly grew scorching hot again.
Am I… Shirou's woman? Waaah!!
The silver-haired noblewoman shyly lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the patterns of the carpet.
"W-why did you suddenly change your mind? You were so resistant just this morning…"
Her voice grew softer and softer.
"And what do you mean by 'your woman'… Shirou, have you always been looking at me that way…?"
Shirou spoke calmly. "Iri, I have to apologize to you."
"Hm?"
"It was I who wanted you to live in the first place. You accepted my wish, so I should have been happy. I said I'd do anything to keep you alive… but when the moment of truth finally came, I found myself hesitating."
"Shirou…"
The boy spoke with a bitter expression. "Ah… I truly wanted to preserve the relationship we've had until now; I didn't want to destroy it. To me, Irisviel was once an irreplaceable family member."
The word "once" pierced Irisviel deeply.
"But compared to the joyful fact that 'Irisviel can live'… our past relationship doesn't matter at all. I was simply too fixated on the past, such a simple truth, yet I only finally realized it just now. This is clearly a responsibility I should have shouldered properly."
Shirou apologized earnestly. "I'm sorry. It was my stupidity, immaturity, and lack of awareness that drove Iri into a corner, even to the point of making her do something so shameless."
"Something so shameless…"
Irisviel glanced down at her attire and her posture, kneeling on the floor at Shirou's feet, and was instantly overcome with shame, unable to find words to respond.
"I-it's not exactly that shameless… Haha, this outfit is actually quite normal…"
Shirou effortlessly broke free from the silver alchemical threads binding him and stood up from the chair.
"S-Shirou…!?"
Irisviel's heart skipped a beat. Watching the boy walk toward her, she suddenly felt an instinctive wave of fear.
Irisviel tried to stand, but the moment she put weight on her legs, they went numb, clearly from kneeling too long, and she stumbled, collapsing back onto the floor. Her two slender, beautiful legs were now wide open and completely exposed, as if inviting someone in.
"Ugh… Don't look!"
She felt an urge to bang her head against the wall and covered her face in embarrassment.
Shirou walked up to her and placed his hand over hers.
"Iri."
"Shirou…"
The silver-haired Homunculus lifted her head and saw the boy's face mere inches away; her heart began to race even faster.
"If this continues, the relationship we've built up until now will be ruined."
"I'm—I'm sorry…"
The red-haired boy smiled at her words. "Iri, you don't need to apologize. I said it just now, this is a responsibility I should bear."
"Shirou…♡"
A seductive gleam flickered in Irisviel's moist red eyes. For the first time, she felt something new toward Shirou beyond just "how cute."
Irisviel no longer viewed Shirou as a "boy," but as a "man", and the result was, Shirou looked "so handsome" tonight, like a grown-up, real man.
No, not "like." Shirou is a real man, because he's about to make me a woman♡
Irisviel quickly fell back into a state of distraction but was soon shaken back to reality by Shirou.
"Listen to me, Iri."
"I'm… I'm listening! I wasn't daydreaming!"
Shirou said, "After tonight, our relationship will be completely ruined, won't it?"
Irisviel nodded slightly, a touch of melancholy in her voice. "Mm-hmm."
"But—that's okay."
"I-it's okay!?"
"Yeah, it's okay."
Shirou smiled. "Because I've finally realized what I truly feel. What our relationship is doesn't matter, as long as I can keep living with Irisviel from now on."
Irisviel's eyes widened.
Shirou interlaced his fingers with hers and said softly, "As long as I'm with you, Iri, even if our original relationship can't be maintained, I'm sure we can build a new one, that's what I believe."
"Shirou… I…"
Tears welled up in Irisviel's eyes. She wasn't sure if they were tears of happiness or emotion. Perhaps they were tears of relief.
Who was it who said, "Homunculi are not beings born under God's blessing"?
Irisviel felt she must be the luckiest woman in the world. Being able to meet Shirou was the greatest fortune of her life.
"Waaaaaah! Shirou, you've grown up!"
Irisviel threw herself into the boy's arms, clutching his clothes tightly, and began to cry uncontrollably.
"Shirou, Shirou, Shirou, Shirou… I…!"
Right now, she looked just like a newborn baby.
Shirou wrapped one arm around her shoulders, while with his other hand he did exactly what Irisviel had done to him countless times before, gently stroking her long silver hair.
After a long while, perhaps from sheer exhaustion, the sobbing gradually subsided.
Irisviel fell asleep nestled in Shirou's arms. Her flawless, delicate face bore a smile of happiness, streaked with tears.
Shirou gently carried her back to the bed.
"So, what should I do next…"
Looking at the completely defenseless Irisviel before him, Shirou was at a loss.
Now that she was asleep, this was the perfect opportunity. If he did it now, he could minimize future awkwardness.
But… should he really do this while she's asleep?
No.
Shirou no longer wanted to run away. This should be done while both were fully awake.
Should he let her sleep and continue tomorrow? That was out of the question!
Shirou decisively climbed into bed.
"Iri, wake up. It's not time to sleep yet."
He shook her shoulders and called softly, but received no response.
Shirou sighed helplessly and moved to her pillow. Then, a rustling sound filled the room.
"?"
Irisviel furrowed her brow slightly: Was that the sound of clothes being removed?
That's right, Irisviel wasn't asleep; she had been pretending to sleep from a moment ago.
After calming down from her earlier sobbing, recalling her actions made her too embarrassed to face Shirou. She reasoned: Shirou is a boy, so I'll leave it to him… and began pretending to sleep with a clear conscience.
I wonder how he'll treat me… hehe♡
She waited, but after Shirou climbed into bed, there was no movement. She could hear him undressing, yet he didn't act.
Hurry up, Shirou! How long do you expect me to wait?!
Irisviel was about to peek through a slit in her eyelids when—
"Stop pretending to sleep, Iri."
"!"
…He actually caught me!
Irisviel gritted her teeth and decided to keep pretending to sleep—
"—Smack!"
A sharp, numbing pain stung her cheek.
Huh? Did Shirou… hit me?
Even if he wanted to wake me, he didn't need to hit my face!
Irisviel opened her eyes angrily, ready to scold him, but—her view was blocked.
"...Huh?"
What is this???
Her vision went black, and her mind went blank.
Although she had bathed with Shirou years ago and laughed, saying, "Even when you're little, you're cute"…
It wasn't "cute"! Only "brutal" would describe it!
She finally realized she had seriously underestimated Shirou all this time…
"Oh, finally stopped faking sleep?"
Shirou roughly yanked her hair, completely different from the gentle boy from moments ago.
Irisviel was terrified. "Wait a second. Shirou, spare—"
"—Smack!"
Her right cheek was struck again. Though not very hard, it nearly knocked her out.
After a long while, she finally came out of her daze.
"Iri, what are you still standing there for?" Shirou urged impatiently.
"S-sorry, I'll do it right now…"
Obeying the instinct Shirou had awakened in her, Irisviel slowly parted her lips and extended the tip of her tongue.