Outside the bathroom.
Toudou Kotoha pressed her ear tightly against the door, listening intently for any sounds from within the bath. But after straining her ears for a long time, not a single noise came through, leaving her utterly perplexed.
"Could they be deliberately suppressing their voices?"
The thought made Kotoha's fingers unconsciously tighten around the doorframe. Though she felt bittersweet about her daughter growing up so quickly, she was an open-minded mother! As long as Kirin was happy, that was all that mattered!
"What are you doing here?"
Toudou Seijirou arrived at the bathroom entrance carrying a basket of clean clothes, immediately noticing his wife clinging to the door in an undignified posture. His expression turned complicated as he asked.
"Oh, Seijirou! Your timing is terrible. Come back in an hour!"
Kotoha quickly turned around, smoothed her skirt, and flashed a perfectly ladylike smile as she pushed Seijirou away.
"Go for it, Kirin!"
Before leaving, she even pumped her fist toward the bathroom door, mentally cheering her daughter on.
Inside the bath.
The moment they confronted each other, both realized Kotoha was behind this scheme.
What's wrong with that woman? Is she afraid her daughter won't get married?' Roy massaged his temples as a throbbing headache set in.
While Roy might be a bit of a womanizer and a scoundrel, he did have standards. Kirin was only thirteen—no matter how desperate he felt, he wouldn't lay a hand on her. Even if her development made her seem older, even if his curse suddenly flared up right now, he'd rather endure it alone.
That said, since this was Kirin's mother's doing, Roy couldn't exactly complain.
Roy sat at one end of the bath, Kirin at the other. Both deliberately averted their eyes—whether out of restraint or embarrassment—avoiding looking at each other.
Fortunately, the mansion housed many people, so the bath was spacious enough to accommodate over twenty bathers simultaneously. The distance between them was more than sufficient to prevent accidental contact. As long as they maintained self-control, there was no risk of things escalating.
"I'm so sorry, Roy-senpai... This was all my mother's idea..."
Kirin's voice echoed softly in the quiet bath, dripping with mortification.
"No, it's fine. Having such a cheerful... no, straightforward... well, lively mother is a good thing. I'm sure she's been a great support to you. It's good to have someone you can rely on."
Roy struggled for a while before settling on a somewhat appropriate descriptor.
Kirin grew curious. "What's your mother like, Roy-senpai?"
"I don't have one."
"Eh?! Ah, I'm so sorry...!"
Kirin nearly shot upright in shock before catching herself, ending up in a crouched position instead. Though she avoided exposing anything inappropriate, she barely registered this fact, too busy apologizing profusely with palpable distress and regret.
She never should have asked such a question. The guilt would probably make her slap herself awake at night.
"It's alright. I'm used to it."
Roy's tone remained perfectly even. Across two lifetimes, he'd never had a mother—no, he'd never had family at all. He'd learned to rely only on himself long ago.
When did he actually get used to this?
Until recently, Roy had finally gained his first true family member—Illya, who could barely be considered his older sister. Since she treated him well, Roy reciprocated in kind.
Though he shared kinship with other homunculi, he couldn't bring himself to regard those without self-awareness as siblings.
"It's no good staying stuck like this. I'll head out first."
After a long silence, Roy rose from the bath and made his way toward the exit.
"W-wait, please!"
But then, Kirin suddenly acted on impulse.
She shot up from the water, grabbing Roy's arm as he turned to leave. The flush on her face, which had been fading, surged back violently. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it, her body temperature skyrocketing.
Roy looked at her in surprise—
Then immediately averted his gaze.
"...You could at least say that while crouching down."
"Senpai, you've always taken such good care of me, helped me so much... but I never knew what I could do for you in return. But now, I think I finally understand!"
Kirin's heart raced impossibly fast, her vision floating as heat overwhelmed her.
"Please let me become your family!"
"F-family...?"
Roy stiffened, stammering—a rare sight.
"You don't mean... the kind of family I'm imagining... right?"
"Yes!"
Kirin knew she wasn't thinking straight. Her mind was entirely ruled by feverish impulse, devoid of reason.
"Please let me be your bride! I'll make up for everything you've lacked before...!"
Come to think of it, Roy was never short of beauties around him. Claudia and Julis both held clear affection for him—especially Claudia, who often clung to him, their closeness undeniable.
Kirin felt she had no advantage left. Her swordsmanship had once been her edge, but now even that had been surpassed by Roy.
If she couldn't compete with Claudia no matter what... then she might as well stake everything on this gamble!
Except...
Why was her head spinning even more?
Had she soaked for too long...?
Even Roy's mind short-circuited for several seconds at Kirin's abrupt proposal. By the time he regained his senses, she had collapsed against him—
Completely unconscious.
For someone as shy as her, mustering the courage to propose in such a setting had probably drained a lifetime's worth of bravery.
"My first time being so thoroughly thrown off balance by a girl..."
Roy sighed deeply. This was the man who hadn't even flinched facing Gilgamesh—wait, had he actually flinched back then?
He retrieved a blanket from his imaginary space, wrapped Kirin in it, and carried her out of the bath.
Then, via runes, he summoned Kotoha and handed Kirin over to her smirking mother.
"Nothing happened between us!"
Under Kotoha's scrutinizing "future son-in-law" gaze, Roy couldn't help but defend himself.
While changing her daughter's clothes, Kotoha performed a quick check—
Then couldn't suppress some rather impolite doubts.
"...Is he even capable?"
***
The next morning.
"Um... I was too irrational last night. Please don't take what I said to heart, senpai!"
Kirin approached Roy with a demeanor that suggested she might flee at any moment, trembling nervously.
Roy stood there utterly bewildered.
Wait a minute, sis.
I just got proposed to, and then immediately dumped?
Are you messing with me or trying to gaslight me?
"I'll say those words again in a few years..."
Kirin stole a glance at Roy, but the moment their eyes met, she immediately averted her gaze like a startled fawn.
"...Please give me your answer then!"
With great effort, Kirin managed to finish her last sentence before hastily turning to run away, as if afraid of being caught and devoured by a wolf.
Roy scratched his head and shrugged.
What else could I say?