"You want me to turn into a fox?"
"Yeah."
"I only did that to make it easier for you to carry me, you know?"
"Yeah."
"Even if you look at me like that, I absolutely won't turn!"
"Yeah."
"No, really!"
"Yeah."
"Say something besides yeah!"
"Yeah."
"Ah! Seriously, why do you give Tamamo such trials!"
"Yeah."
In the end, Tamamo turned into a fox.
"Come here."
『Ugh... this is the worst experience of Tamamo's life!』
And I stroked her fluffy fur.
Tamamo was trembling, whether from shame or something else, but she accepted the petting while making 'kiiiing' sounds.
"So fluffy."
『Do you happen to like furries?』
At Tamamo's words, I shook my head.
"No, it's just that there are too many humans and no animals."
『Well, everyone here is top-tier in looks... but did it have to be me!』
"Since neither Tamamo Cat nor Tamamo Aria are in the Holy Grail War, it can't be helped."
『How do you know those names!?』
"And Koyan probably exists in the modern era too?"
『Ehhhh?』
"So, in honor of that, Tamamo, you'll have to become my pet from now on. You're a fox, but being a companion dog isn't bad, is it?"
『I am not a beast! Well, technically I am, but as someone who has grown into a human, living as a fox is a bit... not right...』
Pat, pat.
『Ah, a little higher... yes, yes, there~ Hah! Tamamo is in a crisis! If this goes on, I'll really degenerate into a talking beast!』
"It's okay. I'll take responsibility. As a companion animal."
『Hiaaat!? That sounds like a confession, but it's not what I wanted to hear! I may be a part of the Nine-Tailed Fox, but I didn't want to be treated like a common fox either!!!!!』
And I rubbed Tamamo's belly.
『Ang♡ Right there. Ah~ paradise is... Hah! I feel like I've reached a place I shouldn't... Master... please stop. If this goes on, I'll really become like a beast, just like Tamamo Cat♡』
"It's okay. From the moment I picked you up, I brought you here with the feeling of 'I picked up a fox~'."
『No! Kiing~』
And so, after petting Tamamo for an hour. Tamamo turned back into a human, twitched, and said:
"I've been thoroughly messed up... Heuk♡"
But nearby, Artoria was watching with a flushed face.
"Ahem, Akira, you seem to have had fun. For some reason, I want to touch her too, but that would be rude."
"It doesn't matter if you touch her."
"Tamamo is broken..."
Looking at Tamamo's current state, she had reached a point where she couldn't use her transformation ability.
Convulsing all over, with a look of pleasure in her eyes and drooling, it was a sight that would make anyone believe she had been modified. Artoria cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"It seems the appearance of an injured Caster means the Holy Grail War has begun, right?"
"Yeah, I confirmed a long time ago that everyone has finished summoning. Among them, I could observe the name of Gawain, who belongs to the Round Table."
"Gawain..."
Artoria continued with a lonely expression.
"He was my loyal knight, but I couldn't meet him in the end..."
Stare...
Feeling an intense gaze, I turned my head. There was Tiamat.
"Shall I pet Tiamat too?"
"Mama isn't a child, but if Akira wants to, it's fine."
But her body naturally leaned closer...
It seems she got jealous seeing the fox Tamamo.
The way she puffed out her cheeks was proof.
Meanwhile, Artoria didn't know how to take this situation, so the conclusion she reached was...
"Would you like to pet me too?"
She thrust out her large chest as she spoke. It sounded like she was asking if I wanted to stroke her chest.
'Is my hand going to catch fire at this rate??'
I felt like if I petted her for too long, a scene where my hand caught fire might occur, but anyway, I ended up petting Artoria's head and Tiamat's horns.
Unlike Tamamo's reaction, Artoria showed a somewhat shy expression, and Tiamat exuded a gloomy atmosphere of 'Don't forget me. Love me.'
'What did Tiamat say at the end of the singularity...'
[I nurtured countless lives.
I was loved by countless lives.
But the children step on me and leave far away.
I want to love them forever.
I want to be by their side forever.
Is my 『Love』 wrong?
Don't leave me behind.
Don't ever love me again.]
Those were Tiamat's last words.
She was the beginning and loved by many, but to move on to the next generation, Tiamat's corpse was torn in two to create the sky and the earth, serving as the ritual for the creation of the human world.
As time passed, rather than relying on Tiamat, I spent more time honing my own abilities, so it wouldn't be strange if Tiamat fell into depression.
'Come to think of it, is it my fault?'
I was able to reach this point because Tiamat was with me, but conversely, I don't know why I met Tiamat of all beings.
I wasn't from this world, and thanks to the mysterious smartphone, I easily won the Holy Grail War and came this far. But the question still remains unanswered.
"Mikon, looking at it like this. It feels like a family."
"Yeah... family."
"Family, is it?"
"Family..."
It's not wrong.
Not connected by blood, but comrades who fought together, a family.
Well, the first meeting was the worst, but no one particularly regretted that meeting.
Considering that, everyone got a happy ending.
Lancelot wanted to be judged by the King, but confessed to Artoria's true feelings and got neutered.
Artoria blamed herself for Britain, but in the end, she put down all her burdens and lives as a girl, not a king.
Diarmuid didn't betray his lord but was acknowledged as a lord through a deal, and avoided the suicide Command Spell.
Medea would have been betrayed by her Master normally, but she was never betrayed once, becoming kind but timid.
Waver Velvet... to pay off the 20% debt (honestly, if he hadn't received and sold the immortality potion, it might not have been 20%). He became a London Star and was teaching students. Well, remembering the heartbeat in his chest at Rider's last moments, maybe he became a teacher who helps others advance into the unknown like him, but anyway, it was a happy ending.
For reference, I heard he obtained a girl who resembles Artoria...
I had no business meeting her right now, and no reason to visit, so I just remembered her existence.
"Well, comrades. It feels like family, but Tamamo is destined to become a pet in the end, so it doesn't matter, right?"
"Mikon!? Can I not escape being a pet!?"
"Yeah, if more people join, it'll be tough... there will be more, but anyway, Tamamo suits the fox form better. You have fluffy fur, isn't that nice?"
"Of course, a fluffy fox is the best! But this isn't what I wanted!!!!!"
As Tamamo screamed in despair, Artoria smiled and said:
"It's easier if you give up."
"Who are you to tell me to give up!"
"Then don't give up."
Artoria's smile said, 'You'll give up eventually,' so Tamamo started to get angry!
"Don't be sarcastic. Tamamo knows how to read people's expressions too!"
Nod. Artoria didn't even answer Tamamo's words, just nodded.
Seeing that, Tamamo just got pissed off.
"Tamamo? Do you know how to manage assets?"
"What? I know how to, but I got burned badly in the past with this kind of witchcraft, so I don't really want to do it. To put it simply, 'if you get too greedy, you'll be ruined' would be appropriate."
"So you manage it with witchcraft?"
"No, I can't say witchcraft manages it, but I use witchcraft to cast a lot of divinations to check... To explain in detail, I judge by things like Great Blessing (Daikichi), Middle Blessing (Chukichi), Small Blessing (Shokichi), Blessing (Kichi), Half-Blessing (Hankichi), Ending Blessing (Suekichi), Ending Small Blessing (Sueshokichi), Mixed Blessing and Curse (Kichikyousohan), Average (Taira), Curse (Kyou), Small Curse (Shokyou), Half-Curse (Hankyou), Ending Curse (Suekyou), Great Curse (Daikyou) and invest."
"Ohh? So you can make money?"
"Yes... it's possible, but I don't want to..."
"Then what about divining people?"
"Hmm... it's possible, but divination witchcraft requires a lot of preparation and involves a lot of troublesome things... so consider it impossible. My Territory Creation is C, and it seems it doesn't fit my personality at all. Unless it's a territory like a Fox Shrine, divination is impossible."
In conclusion, she can't do Territory Creation herself, but conversely, it meant that if preparations were made, it was entirely possible.
"What about in the case of Amaterasu, where all 9 tails are gathered?"
"Hmm... if we all gather as one, well... that's on the level of a Holy Grail. Each of our tail individuals has a different personality and disposition, so the possibility of us uniting as one can only be described as a divine miracle. There are Tamamos who hate uniting as one, but some peculiar Tamamos might say they don't care."
"Got it. Now turn into a fox and accept the petting!"
"No! I'll break! Do you really intend to make me a pet!? Master!"
"Yeah."
In the end, when Tamamo wouldn't use her transformation, I had Medea help force her into fox form.
After that, Tamamo was petted thoroughly.