Two hours after Roman left.
In his room, Naoki lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Though he had been lying there for half a month, during that time, Naoki's consciousness had actually been intermittently awake—awake for a few hours, then asleep for a few seconds. He hadn't gotten any effective rest, almost as if he'd been awake for the entire half-month.
Even as a Half-Fairy, not resting properly for half a month straight wasn't good. Plus, he'd eaten so much—he really should have been able to sleep soundly.
Yet, Naoki didn't feel the least bit sleepy.
"Who can nap in the middle of the day like this?"
Beyond the closed curtains, a clear sky stretched out. It was still daytime; sleeping at this hour was the height of laziness—but he didn't want to get up and move either.
He wanted to sleep, but not that badly.
Naoki was in that kind of ambiguous mental state. Of course, it wasn't just the environment causing it. His earlier conversation with Roman had also left him with some thoughts that could be called unnecessary.
For example, how to deal with the Incineration of Humanity—and things like that.
Without exaggerating, the current Naoki could slice his way from Fuyuki to the United States. For Singularities, he didn't need to worry about environmental impact. Smashing through with the Red Moon the whole way wouldn't be an issue. As for the Sixth and Seventh Singularities, with his information advantage and the number of allies on his side, he didn't think they'd be too troublesome.
As for the Final Singularity…
(If I remove the rings, Goetia's immortality would need to be destroyed some other way. Plus, with Anti-Summoning… Should I bring Shiki? Or use my Mystic Eyes?)
Over the past ten years, because he had sealed Manaka, the internal space of his Mystic Eyes had always been full. But now, with Manaka released, the sealing ability of his Mystic Eyes could be used again. Sealing all of Goetia within them wasn't impossible.
If he had to say, there were plenty of ways to deal with Goetia here.
"Ha, what am I even thinking about? The Incineration of Humanity is still ten years away; thinking about this now is pointless."
Rolling over and pulling the blanket over himself, Naoki closed his eyes, preparing to actually fall asleep. But the moment he closed his eyes—
*CLICK!*
The faint sound of the door opening reached his ears, followed by a familiar voice.
"Looks like he's already asleep."
It was Merry.
As if afraid of waking Naoki, Merry tiptoed toward the bed and sat beside him, who was pretending to sleep: "Phew~ Safe landing, not a sound. That's me for you. Though I used an illusion to block Naoki's senses since I thought he might still be awake, if he's already asleep, there's no need for it."
(What does she want to do?)
Perfectly feigning sleep, Naoki kept wondering about Merry's intentions. Sneaking into his room and even using an illusion to avoid detection.
She must be up to no good!
(Let's see what she does.)
The moment she acted, he'd spring up and catch her in the act—that's what Naoki thought.
But…
"Ssshh…"
A slight pressure came from his side. Lying very close behind Naoki, Merry immediately hugged him from behind, her arms carefully slipping around his, embracing him, her chest pressing against his back.
"—!"
The pressure on his back made Naoki's breath catch for a moment, and his thoughts froze.
(What… is this? Some new prank method? She… doesn't know I'm awake, right? She wouldn't be pretending not to notice I'm awake just to make a fool of me, would she?)
Just as Naoki's thoughts started spiraling, guessing at Merry's various intentions, Merry, still hugging him from behind, moved again. This time, she draped her thigh over his waist. If Naoki hadn't been lying on his side, she might have wrapped both legs around him, entwining his waist completely.
"…"
(W-what's going on?!)
Naoki was utterly confused. Why was Merry suddenly so proactive with physical contact? A prank? There had been episodes like this before, but the atmosphere this time felt different. At the very least, Naoki didn't sense any signs of a prank.
What… was Merry actually here for?
"You're sleeping so soundly, Naoki."
Merry suddenly spoke.
Whether she knew Naoki was pretending to sleep or thought he was truly asleep and wanted to say some honest things she rarely expressed, Merry's grip tightened slightly, her face resting on Naoki's shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his ear—
"No wonder. During the Holy Grail War, you barely rested at all. When you think about it, you fought almost every Servant once, three consecutive Servant battles, including an opponent like King Solomon. It's amazing you held up, even if it didn't take much out of you."
"Plus, after that, you were dragged by Manaka-chan to deal with her issues, resting less than two days before fighting for another half-month… You've really been through a lot."
"But honestly, it's too much. This Holy Grail War was supposed to have me as the protagonist, but rivals kept popping up one after another. My plan to trample everyone and rise to the top was completely shattered. Then I got rejected for a marriage proposal and ambushed by Manaka-chan, so I had no role left. All I could do was watch TV, seeing you, Lia, and Manaka-chan getting all cozy, so cozy…"
Merry's voice, initially normal, carried a hint of jealousy by the end—this woman could actually get jealous?
Could it be… she was really looking forward to a marriage?
"Once you have a bit of free time, you'll probably be running around again. Even during your downtime, you're surrounded by so many people. So… let me monopolize you for a bit, my King."
"Hahhh~"
After a brief pause, Naoki let out a sigh. That single sigh made Merry, who was hugging him from behind, freeze instantly.
Releasing her arms and legs and turning to face her, Naoki met Merry's stunned gaze and said, his eyes slightly drifting: "You… When you're this honest, it's kind of hard for me to get used to."
"Huh? Huh? The King's awake?"
"Yeah."
"Since when?"
"Since the start… when you came in."
"You heard… everything?"
"Yeah…"
Merry's face instantly turned bright red! In that moment, she looked like a teenage girl cornered and wall-kissed by her crush. Embarrassment must have flooded her entire heart.
"Y-y-y-you…"
"Just say it first—I didn't mean to. Who told you to sneak in like that? I thought you were up to trouble again, so I was ready to counterattack. Who knew you came to…"
"Ugh… You should've said something earlier…" Merry buried her flushed face in Naoki's chest. "Trying to see me embarrassed? The King's mind can be pretty dark sometimes."
"You dare say that?"
Even so, Naoki had no intention of bickering with her now. Merry, who rarely spoke to him so humbly, had completely filled his thoughts, his heart, and his eyes with her presence.
"If you wanted me to keep you company alone, why not just say it outright? Why sneak around like this?"
"Ugh… Someone would definitely interrupt—Manaka this, Manaka that, Manaka, Manaka, Manaka… Besides, that's not my style."
She was so honest just a moment ago, and now she was being stubborn again. But thankfully, Naoki had some experience dealing with stubborn people like her. After grasping her hand, he pressed their foreheads together.
"Then let's say I want to do it now."
"At the end of the Holy Grail War, consider this a substitute for a marriage proposal. Stay with me for a while, Merry."
"Just this once."
Before the Incineration of Humanity.