"Dad! You're back! Are you okay?"
"Onii-chan, you're not hurt, right?"
The moment Shichen stepped into the hotel, Illya and Sakura rushed over and clung tightly to his legs.
He gently let go of Irisviel and the others, crouched down, and wrapped his arms around the two girls. "I'm back~ Daddy's a total badass. Not even a scratch~"
"I knew it! Dad's the best!"
"Onii-chan's the strongest!"
Even though the two girls had only a vague understanding of the Holy Grail War, they trusted Shichen completely. Still, it was only natural they'd worry.
Being trusted was one thing—but knowing they were worried about him? That hit different. Shichen smiled, rubbing his face against their soft, pudding-like cheeks.
Kids really did have the smoothest skin.
"Hehe~"
The two giggled sweetly, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Ilya, not worried about your mom anymore?" Irisviel teased, pretending to be jealous.
"Of course I'm worried! But with Dad around, there's no way anything would happen to you," Illya replied confidently.
"Oh? So now you're just finding new ways to hype up your dad?"
"Wha—no I'm not!"
Saber stayed silent, watching the scene quietly.
Shichen was so kind, so gentle with them. He didn't look anything like the cold, forceful man she'd seen earlier.
It was like he was a completely different person.
Why was he only cold to her?
Didn't Irisviel say he liked her?
Because it sure didn't feel like it.
If anything… it felt like he didn't respect her at all—as if being a girl made her less.
"Where's Frieren?" Shichen asked, still oblivious to Saber's thoughts. He picked up both girls in his arms.
"She's in her room."
"Probably reading manga again," they replied in turn.
"She's not even a little worried about me? I'm definitely giving her a piece of my mind."
"We're coming too! We wanna see!"
"Alright, let's go."
He carried them off toward Frieren's room.
Irisviel and Saber stayed behind, settling into the living room with nothing to do. Seeing Saber spaced out, Irisviel leaned in curiously.
"Saber, something on your mind?"
"…No, it's nothing," Saber replied quietly, shaking her head.
"Hehe~ still thinking about how Shichen cornered you earlier, huh?"
Saber pressed her lips together, not denying it.
"I think he only did that because he cares about you. Don't be too hard on him," Irisviel said kindly.
"I know… I should've been ready for that kind of thing."
"Then why are you still upset?"
"…It just felt like he really looked down on me," Saber finally admitted.
"He looks down on you? No way," Irisviel chuckled.
"Then why does he treat me so differently? Like he's always targeting me…"
"I already told you—he likes you."
"But he knows who I am. He knows my personality. So why still push me like that?"
"That, I can't say. But why not just ask him?"
"He'd never give me a real answer," Saber said, shaking her head.
"Well, I can't help you there. But I do know this—he doesn't look down on you. Not one bit."
"…You really think so?"
"You already forgot how pissed he was when you got hurt? And how he went out of his way to get revenge for you?"
Saber thought back. Yeah… he really had been mad. He even grabbed her hand and bonked her on the head like a child. No one had ever treated her like that.
"So just trust him, alright? You two are Master and Servant—you're partners. Don't start doubting each other." Irisviel gently took Saber's hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
Thinking back on everything, Saber nodded. "Alright. I get it now."
…
By the time they'd taken care of Lancer's Master, it was already evening. After messing with Frieren for a bit, it was dinner time.
With how much chaos they caused during the day, there was a good chance someone was already tailing them. So Shichen decided not to go out.
The hotel was relatively safe for now—there were still normal people around.
After all, the Holy Grail War was supposed to be kept secret.
Given how eye-catching Irisviel and the others were, even if the hotel was full of plain-faced guests, they'd still draw attention. So Shichen put up a small barrier to keep things peaceful during dinner.
The hotel dinner was solid—steak, seafood, all-you-can-eat.
Cost a fortune, though.
Back at the castle, meals were usually Shichen's homemade Chinese cooking. Saber had never tried Western food like this before.
So yeah… she kinda went wild.
Even though she ate quietly and politely, savoring every bite, her side of the table had somehow accumulated a mountain of empty plates.
"Saber really is a big eater, huh?" Illya blinked at the growing stack.
"Ugh…" Saber looked a little embarrassed and slowed down.
"Eating well is a blessing," Shichen said, ruffling Illya's hair while sticking up for Saber.
"But Saber's a girl. Isn't eating that much kinda… not ladylike?"
"Says who? Equality, remember? She can eat as much as she wants. It's not like she'll get fat. And I don't mind."
"Ohhh, true."
"You should eat more too. You're still growing."
"I will! I wanna grow up fast—just the way Daddy likes!" Illya said proudly, patting her chest.
Cough cough!
Shichen nearly choked. "Illya… what did you just say?"
"I said I'm gonna grow up healthy! I'll work hard!"
"Illya!" Irisviel snapped.
"…Who told you that?" Shichen asked, his smile twitching.
"No one! It's just that whenever we take baths, Daddy always stares at Mommy."
"Huh?" Irisviel blushed and looked at him. She hadn't even noticed.
"…Yeah," Shichen muttered, looking awkward.
He had no idea Illya had caught on. But seriously, could anyone blame him? She was stunning, and they were bathing together. He wasn't made of stone.
"I can back her up," Sakura said quietly.
"…You saw too?" Shichen slowly turned toward her.
Sakura nodded shyly. "I-I'll work hard too, Onii-chan…"
"I…"
"You damn perv!" Frieren shouted from the side.
"Oh, your butt itching for a spanking again?" Shichen rolled his eyes at her.
"Nooo! You just hit me earlier—it still hurts!" Frieren cried, clutching her butt.
"Then sit down and eat like a good girl."
"…Okay," she said meekly, genuinely scared.
He didn't just hit hard—he did it in front of the kids. Painful and humiliating.
"Shichen, you're totally corrupting them," Irisviel scolded.
But she wasn't mad. In fact, she looked a little happy. At least she knew he still found her attractive.
"Hey, that's on you. You're just too hot," Shichen said, glancing at Saber.
Thankfully, Saber was too focused on eating to hear him.
"Ugh…" Irisviel blushed and looked away.
"No flirting with Mom at the dinner table, Dad!"
"I wasn't flirting… and you two—no more comments. Just eat."
"Then tell us—do you want us to grow up or not?" Illya asked innocently.
Sakura blinked up at him with the same question in her eyes.
"You two… wanna end up like Frieren?"
"Ew! No way!"
"Then eat your dinner."
"Okayyy… Sakura, I think that means yes."
"Mmhmm."
After dinner, Shichen didn't take them out for a walk. They just watched TV in the living room.
Saber wanted to go scout—most Masters probably knew who she was after today's fight with Lancer.
But Shichen said no. She'd been fighting all day and needed rest. Plus, with him around, there was no need to scout. He already knew what they needed to know.
Nothing good was on TV. Even the cartoons sucked. The news was all reporting the same thing.
["…According to investigators, over 40 children have gone missing in Fuyuki City. Police have no leads…"]
"Shichen, don't tell me…" Irisviel looked uneasy.
"Yeah. It's the work of a Servant," Shichen nodded.
Not every Master was a proper mage. Some were just random filler candidates the Grail picked.
And he knew exactly which Servant was behind this one—a bloodthirsty monster with a trash excuse for a Master.
"A Servant did this? Then… Shichen, should we—?" Saber asked.
"Yeah. Let's go take out the trash."
"Right behind you!" Saber smiled.
~~~
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