The bell signaling the end of class rang. The teacher didn't drag things out and promptly left the room, giving the students their break time.
Before long, a crowd had gathered around Tobiichi Origami's seat—everyone was clearly curious about the cute transfer student. Surrounded by her new classmates, Origami looked a little overwhelmed.
Seeing this unfamiliar scene made Itsuka Shidou smile quietly to himself.
If this were the Origami I used to know… she'd probably have just sat there, completely unfazed.
"Hey, Origami, who's this character? From an anime?"
"So cute! Where did you buy it? Can you tell me?"
The curiosity was understandable.
During class, Shidou had already noticed—not just the keychain on her backpack, but the strap on her pencil case, the drawing on her notebook cover, even the badge sewn into her jacket lining—they all featured the same silver-haired girl clad in blue armor.
It was obvious that Origami adored this silver-haired knight. No, worshipped might be a better word.
"Ah… this isn't something I bought."
She waved her hand a little awkwardly and kept up a polite smile as she explained, "I made all of these myself."
That answer earned a chorus of surprised gasps.
Sure, illustrations and badges could be DIY if you had some drawing skill—but she made the charms too?
The students around her all marveled at her craftsmanship.
"So this knight is a fantasy character you came up with?"
"I didn't know Origami-chan was so creative!"
"It's so well made! Could you maybe make one for me? I'd pay for it!"
"Does your fantasy knight have a name?"
Everyone was trying to get closer to their new classmate, and naturally, the best way to bond was through shared interests. Origami's "imaginary friend" had become their entry point.
And the curiosity and admiration they showed wasn't faked. The girl who'd asked first really did seem to envy Origami—and genuinely wanted a charm just like hers.
When they brought up her "imaginary partner," Origami blushed and murmured shyly:
"She's… my knight onee-sama."
---
Meanwhile, in the Spirit apartment's living room, Melusine sat in a circle with Yoshino, Natsumi, Honjou Nia, and Izayoi Miku.
They were in the middle of a game when Yoshinon suddenly threw out a question:
"Hey, Lancelot—do you fear anything?"
At first, Melusine answered confidently, composed as ever.
"There is no foe before me. Nothing in this world inspires fear in one such as I… wait a moment."
She suddenly frowned, rubbing her chin as if she'd recalled something unpleasant.
"Hmm… if I really had to name one thing I might be afraid of, it would probably be… that line."
"Line?"
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
What kind of line could possibly be scary?
"'Mashu, it's Daddy~ Now, come pat me lovingly, Fou!'"
As she quoted it, Melusine's face darkened, and she visibly shuddered.
The room fell into stunned silence. They racked their brains, but couldn't recall ever seeing Melusine make that face before.
Oh no. Lancelot's gaze just went completely dead!
"Uh… sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up psychological trauma."
Yoshinon quickly apologized, while Nia—though unsure what was going on—patted Melusine's shoulder with a complicated expression and murmured, "You've been through a lot, huh."
"Okay! Next question! Who's up—?"
"Me, me, me! Let me go!"
Miku shot her hand up, eyes sparkling as she looked at Melusine.
"Lan-chan! Lan-chan! What can I do to make you fall in love with me?!"
"Foul! That question's disqualified!"
Nia whipped out a red card from… somewhere.
"Your turn is void. Next!"
"Aww, come on! Then at least tell me what I need to do to get a date with you!"
"Silence, you shameless flirt! Natsumi's next—Natsumi, please ask Lan-chan a question!"
Now it was Natsumi's turn—but the moment attention turned to her, she froze stiff with panic. When Melusine looked at her, she felt like her throat had closed up.
"I-I-I… I forfeit! I don't have anything I want to ask…"
"What?! You're giving up this rare chance to question Lancelot?!"
Yoshinon threw a fit, flailing in protest.
"It took us over thirty rounds to finally beat her once, and you're just gonna throw that away?!"
Miku immediately jumped in.
"If Natsumi doesn't want it, then give it to me! I still have so many questions—like—"
"This is not your turn!"
Nia forcefully palmed Miku's head and shoved her aside.
"Anyway, I get the next question."
She looked straight at Melusine.
"Hey, Lan-chan, since so many people like your Master… why did she end up marrying Morgan? Was it just because Morgan was super strong?"
"Hmm… not just that."
The question caught Melusine off guard a little, but since this was her truth-or-dare challenge, she rubbed her chin and gave it some thought.
"Her Majesty Morgan is incredibly strong, and I definitely suffered because of her unique 'anti-fae' attacks… but I think the reason she became Master's wife had a lot to do with… her wealth."
That's… shockingly honest.
"Come to think of it…"
Melusine suddenly seemed thoughtful.
"When they first met, Morgan gave Master a ridiculous amount of money. I remember it made quite the impression."
A woman who casually tips 100 million QP really is something…
At the time, Melusine had assumed it was just flavor text in the game. Then she returned to Chaldea and found her Master's balance had mysteriously jumped by 100 million.
"You said a lot of money… how much, exactly?"
Nia scratched her cheek.
"Let's see…"
Melusine did the math. For a Servant, 5 million QP was enough for ascension if you didn't level skills or buy outfits.
"So, enough to comfortably support twenty concubines."
"!!!"
"And that same summer, Her Majesty bought a private island, built a vacation villa for their honeymoon, gave Master a huge allowance, and even said—publicly—that she was giving Master a castle as a wedding gift."
"!!!!!!!!"
This… this was peak capitalist insanity.
A private island?! A private villa?! Spending money that could support twenty lovers?! A castle as a dowry?!
These sounded like fantasy novel nonsense—but apparently they were real.
They'd assumed Melusine calling Morgan "Your Majesty" was just an expression—maybe she was like one of those anime "Demon Lords" with no army and no kingdom.
But no.
Morgan was actually royalty.
Castles? Villas? No problem. And she handed out wealth like candy.
Why can't I meet a rich older woman like that?
Everyone in the room felt their envy reaching critical levels—especially Nia, who'd already been through the harsh reality of adulthood.
"It's Morgan's fault," Melusine pouted. "She set the bar so high that now, anyone who doesn't have money or construction skills isn't even qualified to pursue Master. She once said, 'In this modern age of materialism, if you can't provide even the bare minimum of comfort, what right do you have to claim you'll make her happy?'"
Melusine sulked.
"Artoria and Ereshkigal both let out huge sighs of relief when they heard that. Artoria at least has her Noble Phantasm Castle. Ereshkigal's real estate may be in the underworld, but at least it's huge… Me? I'm broke and only know how to dig holes…"
The remnants of the Albion dragon wept bitter, invisible tears.
Just then, the front door burst open—and the voices of three very distinct girls filled the apartment.
"Announce my glorious return with fireworks!"
"Rejoice. We're finally home."
"Shidou! I'm hungry!"
Following the trio's energetic chaos came Shidou's helpless voice:
"We just bought kinako bread, remember?"
So Tohka had eaten something on the way back?
At this point, Melusine was seriously wondering where all the food even went. Girls in Uma Musume would at least get bloated after overeating and only slim back down thanks to superhuman digestion.
But she'd never once seen Tohka's stomach get round.
"Oh! Yoshino, what are you guys doing?"
Tohka skipped into the room, seeing Melusine and the others seated in a circle.
"We're playing a game! The loser has to choose truth or dare."
Nia helpfully explained.
"Lancelot lost the last round~"
"Beating Lancelot even once was a miracle… took over thirty rounds just to win once."
Yoshinon sighed dramatically.
"Wh-What?! You were playing such a fun game without inviting me?!"
Yamai Kaguya pouted.
"We've been suffering under waves of schoolwork, and you were playing games?! That's not fair!"
"Correction. Kaguya's statement is inaccurate."
Yamai Yuzuru spoke flatly.
"Yuzuru finds school enjoyable. Classmates are good people."
"Ugh… well… you're not wrong."
Kaguya puffed out her cheeks but didn't argue.
Shidou, still standing off to the side, had his gaze fixed on Melusine, deep in thought.
Until something hit his knee.
"Ow!"
He winced and turned toward Kotori.
"What was that for?!"
"Don't block the hallway."
The black-ribboned commander sucked on a lollipop, her tone sharp.
"What are you brooding about now?"
"Huh?"
"Don't give me that. 'I have something on my mind' is written all over your face. Even someone as naive as Tohka could tell. If something's bothering you—ask. You think thinking about it alone will solve anything? Don't be an idiot."
Kotori's harsh words made Shidou scratch his cheek awkwardly.
Was I really that obvious?
"Honestly, I don't get it. Why do girls like Tohka, Yoshino, and Miku fall for someone as dense as you?"
Kotori sighed—then muttered under her breath:
"Even I…"
"Huh? Kotori, what did you just say?"
"I said, if my idiot brother keeps being this dumb and naïve, I'm going to lose my mind! We still have several Spirits unsealed, and who knows when new ones will show up. But that can wait. You've got something you need to deal with first, don't you? Get moving."
She gave him another kick—gentler this time.
"Thanks, Kotori."
"Hmph. I don't want your thanks."
She folded her arms, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"If you really want to thank me, then work harder on sealing Spirits."
"I was planning to, anyway."
With that, Shidou approached Melusine and pulled her aside.
He needed to talk—about Tobiichi Origami, the new transfer student at their school.
He still wasn't sure what was going on, so he wanted to keep it from the others for now.
But from the outside, this looked strange.
"Is it just me, or has Shidou been pulling Lancelot aside a lot lately?"
"Yeah… something about their relationship feels way too close now."
"Are they… hiding something from us?"
Both Shidou and Melusine were people they all cared about deeply.
Which made this feeling of being excluded sting all the more.
---
T/N: btw uhhh in patreon we are at like chapter 700 or something
Every 100 Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
100ps = 1 chp
200ps = 2 chp
300ps = 3 chp
etc.