Some time later.
"Nee-san, Oji-san, I'm coming in."
Yuki's innocent voice echoed as the bedroom door slowly opened.
Kama immediately shifted her body into her teenage form.
Upon entering, Yuki froze.
The room… was a mess.
The sheets were rumpled, pillows scattered, and a strange scent lingered in the air.
On the bed, Kama lay in her teenage form, staring lazily at the ceiling. She stayed on the dry part of the mattress, seemingly unwilling to move even slightly.
Yuki stared at her.
"Nee-san, you're awake?"
She sniffed the air once more, frowning slightly.
"What… is that smell? Why is the room such a mess?"
Kama didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes shifted slowly toward Yuki, still with a flat and slightly tired expression.
"…Already asking a lot of questions this early in the morning, huh," she muttered lazily.
She let out a soft sigh and turned her face slightly.
"…Just… consider it a side effect of last night's 'activities.'"
Her tone was casual, as if it wasn't something worth thinking about.
"…And the messy room?" she continued quietly. "That's not my problem."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"…The loser has to clean up… that's what they said."
Her tone carried a hint of annoyance at the end of the sentence.
Hearing that, Yuki walked closer to the bed.
"'Last night's activities'?" she repeated innocently, tilting her head slightly.
She looked at Kama, who lay there unclothed.
"Does that have anything to do with… not wearing clothes? Weren't you cold or embarrassed?"
Yuki then glanced at the messy sheets, her face showing confusion.
She sniffed the air once more, just to be sure.
"Is that why the bed's wet? Were you playing around and spilling drinks or something?"
Kama opened one eye slowly, staring at Yuki with a flat expression.
"…You don't need to know the details," she replied lazily.
She let out a soft sigh.
"…Just consider it the leftover of something not important for a child to think about."
Her gaze returned to the ceiling.
"…And about the clothes… I'm not cold."
Her tone remained casual, as if it were perfectly normal.
Yuki paused for a moment, then asked again.
"In that case… where's Oji-san?"
"Master-san went out on important business," Kama answered briefly. "He probably won't be back for a few days."
After saying that, Kama fell silent.
There was a brief pause.
For some reason, a faint, hard-to-explain feeling stirred inside her—like a small twinge of regret.
But, as usual, she didn't admit it.
Meanwhile, Yuki began tidying up the messy room. She picked up the scattered pillows and bolsters from the floor and placed them neatly not far from the bed.
Afterwards, Yuki walked toward the door. She paused for a moment and glanced back.
"Nee-san," she said innocently, "Oji-san said that if the room's messy, it has to be cleaned. You can't be lazy."
Kama rolled slightly, looking at Yuki with a lazy expression.
"I'm not a maid," she replied without hesitation. "I am someone who gives him love. Things like cleaning… don't suit me."
Yet, as soon as the words left her mouth, for some reason, an idea suddenly crossed her mind—a different way to "show love" to Kuro.
On the other hand, Yuki didn't fully understand Kama's meaning.
She just nodded slightly, choosing not to overthink it, and then left the room.
Not long after, she returned carrying a laundry basket.
Upon entering, she found Kama still in the same position, not moving an inch.
Yuki walked over to the bed and began removing the messy, damp sheets.
Even though she noticed a strange scent she didn't understand, she still placed the sheets into the basket to be washed.
***
Meanwhile, at Rin Tohsaka's residence—specifically in the magic workshop where she usually practiced magecraft—
The room was somewhat dim, filled with various magical items, from ancient books to experimental tools.
In front of the workbench stood a girl with black hair styled in twin tails, wearing a red outfit with a cross symbol on the chest and a short black skirt.
Kuro stood before her.
In short, Kuro had made a deal to learn the basics of magecraft and Jewel Magic from her.
In exchange, he provided a number of jewels: 500 of low purity, 250 of medium purity, and 50 of high purity.
All of these jewels were now neatly stored in a large black case placed not far from them.
Rin's blue eyes stared sharply at Kuro as she began her explanation.
"In magecraft," she said, "the most important things are the Switch—mental image—and the Activation Spell. Both make the process of activating magic much easier."
She lifted her chin slightly.
"My Switch is the image of a knife piercing my own heart."
Her tone remained calm.
"And for the Activation Spell… I use the word 'Anfang'."
Kuro nodded slightly.
"Yes," he said calmly. "Thank you for the explanation, Rin-sensei."
He paused for a moment.
"If I may ask… why didn't you go to school today?"
Rin didn't answer immediately.
She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Kuro with her sharp blue eyes—as if evaluating something deeper.
"…You," she murmured softly.
She closed one eye for a moment, then opened it again, still looking straight at Kuro.
"I didn't go to school because there was something more important to oversee."
Her tone remained calm.
"You."
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
"As someone teaching you, it's my duty to make sure you don't do anything foolish while practicing magecraft."
She let out a small sigh.
"I don't want my workshop to explode."
Her eyes glanced briefly at the case of jewels, then returned to Kuro's face.
"The quantity and quality of those… that's not something to take lightly."
Her tone remained flat, yet heavy with meaning.
"And I just want to make sure—you know what you're doing."
A brief silence.
"…That's all."
Kuro stood calmly, staring straight at Rin Tohsaka.
"I will not do anything foolish, Rin-sensei," he said evenly. "Haven't we already made an agreement? Should I read through the terms you gave me again?"
He paused for a moment, then continued without changing his expression.
"And if your workshop explodes, I'll cover the repairs. That's not difficult."
Silence.
"…Haaah?"
Rin frowned sharply, her eyebrows immediately rising in irritation.
"Tch…"
A short, sharp huff escaped her lips—light, but clearly full of displeasure.
She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step closer.
"You really are…" she murmured softly, as if restraining herself.
Her eyes locked onto Kuro.
"Do you think this is just about money?"
Her tone dropped—colder, sharper.
"This workshop isn't something that can be 'fixed' just by throwing a large number of jewels around."
She lightly gestured to the room—ancient books, magic circles, and experimental tools.
"Every arrangement here, every formula, every layer of bounded field… it was all built with time and precision."
Rin clicked her tongue softly.
"Truly insensitive."
She exhaled, then looked at Kuro again—this time with more weight behind her gaze.
"If you're serious about learning magecraft, then stop thinking like that."
A brief pause.
"As my student, what I need isn't a guarantee of compensation."
Her eyes pierced him.
"But a guarantee that you won't make mistakes from the start."
A short silence.
Then, her tone softened slightly—though still carrying irritation—
"…And don't make me have to keep watching you just because you're overconfident."
She turned her face slightly, her twin tails swaying gently.
"Hmph. Annoying."
Yet, unnoticed, the corner of her mouth softened just a little—a sign that, despite her annoyance, she would still teach Kuro seriously.
Kuro lowered his head, staring at the red jewel in front of him.
"Then, please demonstrate. Isn't practice supposed to involve a demonstration?" he said calmly. "I can't just be left in the dark…"
Rin opened her mouth, about to interrupt.
"And," Kuro cut in, "according to our agreement, for these three days I only want to learn basic magecraft practice and Jewel Magic directly. No need for theory like mathematical formulas."
A brief pause.
"I didn't hire you for a tutoring course in those subjects."
Silence.
Rin didn't answer immediately. She just stared at Kuro.
Her gaze was flat—too flat.
"…I see," she said.
Her tone was calm, but clearly restraining something.
She exhaled softly and crossed her arms.
"First," she said, "magecraft isn't something you can treat like an accelerated course."
She stepped closer, picking up a red jewel from the table.
"And second—"
Her eyes shifted back to Kuro.
"Don't mistake me for a regular paid tutor."
There was no excessive emotion on her face.
If anything, that made her presence feel even more pressing.
"If I only wanted money, I wouldn't bother teaching you myself."
A brief pause.
The jewel in her hand began to reflect a dim light.
"But… very well."
Her tone shifted—more focused now.
"You want a demonstration, right?"
___
Author's Note:
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