As Rin followed Merry to the dining room, five people were already seated there.
Besides Artoria and Okita, whom she already knew, there were three others.
One was a silver-haired girl in a gray cloak, looking somewhat petite. Whether it was just her imagination, Rin felt that the faces of Artoria, Okita, and this girl were as if they were molded from the same template.
No two leaves in this world are identical. Even twins have slight differences in appearance. But these three in front of her—Rin genuinely couldn't spot a single difference in their faces.
Noticing Rin's gaze, the silver-haired girl smiled: "Hello, Big Sister Rin. I'm Gray."
"B-Big Sister? Uh…"
"Just let her call you that," Merry explained. "Little Gray is only 17 this year, the youngest among us, so it's fine for her to call you Big Sister."
Another reason was that she was used to it from a parallel world. Let alone Rin, who was only 19, Gray had even met a Rin in her twenties. The term "Big Sister" came naturally to her.
"Little Gray is one of the two head maids in our apartment. Every morning, she's also in charge of waking us up and preparing breakfast. Just a suggestion: don't even think about lazing in bed or going back to sleep after Gray wakes you. Your head will explode. Someone often gets bonked on the head for this."
"It's not my fault I can't get up in the morning. If it weren't for a certain incubus bothering me in my dreams every night, would I always be sleep-deprived?"
Hearing Merry's words, the man sitting beside her shot her an annoyed look before turning to Rin: "Long time no see—you probably don't know the situation. I'm Natsukawa Naoki, currently a martial arts instructor at the Clock Tower. I'm an old acquaintance of your father. Let's get along moving forward."
"Oh… Yes, nice to meet you."
(An old acquaintance of my father? This young?)
"Naoki's already thirty, you know," Merry added.
"Thirty?! No way?!"
Rin stared at Naoki with wide, shocked eyes—he looked like he was only seventeen or eighteen! Twenty at most! Where was the thirty-year-old in him?!
Could he be using a potion from the Department of Botany? Rin had heard that the Department of Botany was secretly developing an anti-aging potion. Rumor had it that even the Lord of the Department of Botany, from the Acherolette family, was leading the research.
Seeing Rin's shock, Naoki awkwardly waved his hand: "Well, I am turning thirty. My youthful appearance is due to some personal constitution issues. Don't let my looks fool you—I saw you when you were little. Remember New Year's '96? You weren't even as tall as my waist back then. After more than ten years, you've grown up well."
(An old senior who even met me when I was a kid?!)
Just being an old acquaintance of her father was shocking enough, but to think he had interacted with her as a child. New Year's '96…
(I think… I vaguely remember something? There was a blond man during New Year's…)
"Ah!"
The image in her mind gradually became clearer, and after comparing it, Rin's mouth opened wider without her realizing: "You… you… You haven't changed at all in over a decade?"
"My condition's a bit special—Oh, Rei, say hi to Rin too."
"Yes, Master."
On Naoki's other side, Rei stood and bowed respectfully to Rin: "First meeting, Miss Rin. I'm Master's puppet, my individual name is [Sajyou Rei], one of the apartment's [housekeepers]. Please guide me moving forward—Come on, Manaka, your turn."
Under Rin's stunned gaze, Rei suddenly paused for a moment, and her entire aura shifted slightly: "First meeting, Tohsaka Rin. I'm Sajyou Manaka. Think of me and Rei as having a split personality. I won't show up often, so you don't need to pay me much mind."
(A puppet? Split personality? This…)
"Is this puppet Magecraft? But the level of completion… It's definitely a self-aware puppet! Wasn't puppet Magecraft supposed to be fading?"
"It's a long story… Let's just say Rei is the result of various miracles combined. Her condition can't be replicated, so no need to worry too much."
(How can I not worry?!)
It was only her first day in this apartment, and Rin already felt her worldview crumbling. Three people with near-identical appearances were still somewhat acceptable. But Naoki, her father's old acquaintance who hadn't aged in over a decade, and Rei, a puppet so lifelike she was almost indistinguishable from a real human, were too much for her to process.
As both a normal person and a Magus, her worldview was utterly shattered!
(Did I just step into another dimension?)
Looking at it now, the kid named Gray was the most normal person in the entire apartment. She was only two years younger than Rin, practically the same age. Moving forward, Rin would definitely hang out with her more.
"Well then, everyone's introduced."
Merry said with a smile: "A few others aren't here, or it'd be even livelier. Rin's shocked expression just now was adorable—I've collected them all."
"Collected?"
"That's her bad habit, don't mind it. Just hit her twice with a sandal later," Naoki said with a deadpan face.
Hearing this, Merry pounced: "So mean~~~ Is that how a husband treats his fiancée? I'm not visiting you in your dreams tonight."
"You call that a date? Turning my dreams into a zombie-sieged city and making me carry you while fighting zombies—that's a unique way to date." Naoki pinched Merry's head and lifted her. "Do you know how many times I wanted to throw you into the zombie horde?"
"But I just wanted to feel protected! Being at the end of the world, running with the one you love to the edge of the earth, living and dying together—isn't that romantic?"
"Then why not just make it the Titanic?"
"Not thrilling enough, so pass~~~"
"Merry, how long are you going to stay on Master? Get down, it's time to eat."
"It's dinnertime, Big Brother, Big Sister Merry—Big Sister Lia, don't eat yet!"
"Sorry, I'm starving. Part-time work during the day was exhausting."
"Same here, pfft—"
"Miss Okita!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Watching the dining room suddenly burst into lively chaos, and seeing the five women surrounding Naoki, a thought crept into Rin's mind.
Could it be… this apartment is Naoki's harem?