Izumi's forehead twitched.
What the hell was that surname supposed to be?!
"Since when is your family name Izumi, you idiot?"
He jabbed a finger toward the girl.
"Your name is Illyasviel von Einzbern!
When did you decide your surname was 'Izumi'?!"
Izumi actually started laughing from how absurd it was.
Becoming someone's father out of nowhere—he absolutely wasn't signing up for that.
Sure, Illya was cute.
Adorable, even.
But Izumi had zero desire to be her dad.
Having been called out so directly, Illya's face flushed red.
She fidgeted, clearly embarrassed.
"U-uh… I forgot."
…
Off to the side, Chloe buried her face in her hands.
Unbelievable.
How do you forget your own surname?
But because of Illya's silly blunder, the oppressive tension that hung over the group finally eased.
Ruby and Sapphire, seeing the situation safely defused, dispelled Illya's transformation and fluttered over with curiosity lighting up their jeweled eyes.
Sapphire, polite as ever, hovered before Izumi.
"Um, Sir Izumi. Earlier you said you were the holder of the Second Magic.
Was that… true?"
Izumi nodded without hesitation.
"It's true. I am the current wielder of the Second Magic.
Do you have a problem with that?"
Sapphire shook her head frantically.
"N-no! Not at all!
It's simply… astonishing."
"After all, our creator was Lord Zelretch—himself a wielder of the Second Magic.
To suddenly encounter another Second Magician…
It defies expectation."
She gave him a tentative glance, as if fearing she had overstepped.
Izumi just smiled, unconcerned.
"I know of that old man.
He even glanced my way once."
"We haven't met, but I'm aware of the circumstances."
Ruby perked up immediately, wings fluttering with excitement.
"Ehh?! Really?!
Zelretch actually looked at you?!"
"He hasn't shown up in forever!"
Izumi shrugged.
"It happened when I used the Second Magic.
I drew his attention."
He did not bother elaborating.
Instead, he turned toward Illya, intending to continue asking about Irisviel—
—but Luvia stormed over before he could speak.
"Hey!
Will someone explain to this lady what just happened?!"
She jabbed a finger at Rin, expression contorted in confusion.
"Where did the other one go?"
First there were two Tohsaka Rins.
Then one vanished.
And now only one remained.
Before Izumi could answer, Rin cut in.
"It's world convergence."
"All parallel versions of me have begun to fuse together.
I am Tohsaka Rin, and Tohsaka Rin is me."
"Nothing has really changed—just consolidated."
"And soon, it'll be your turn too.
Not just me—you as well."
Luvia's eyes widened.
Izumi nodded.
"She's right.
This world is undergoing convergence."
"When it's done, you'll end up with one, maybe two, maybe three surviving timelines."
"But your identity won't change.
You'll still be you, just with additional memories blended in.
And you'll perceive that as perfectly normal."
"Nothing to panic over."
"Your world has always been made from countless parallel layers anyway.
Now they're collapsing into one another."
"You'll get used to it quickly."
What he didn't say aloud:
More likely, you'll simply forget this ever felt strange and accept it as reality.
Izumi had no idea what long-term consequences this convergence would create.
But the people being merged would likely never question it.
If Luvia hadn't personally witnessed two versions of Rin fuse together, she never would've believed it.
The group collectively fell silent, minds overloaded with information.
No one ever expected something so monumental.
And yet—moments later, the topic shifted as if nothing had happened.
Their expressions relaxed, their memories blurring.
Izumi felt his brow twitch.
Alaya intervened.
Only for an instant—but he noticed.
He chose not to push the subject further.
Instead, he turned to Illya.
"Illya.
Take me to your mother."
Illya blinked.
"To my mother?"
Then hesitated, troubled.
"U-um… Onii-chan, you said you're not my dad, right?"
"So why do you want to see my mom?"
…
Izumi stared at her, exasperated.
"Do you want me to be your dad that badly?"
"Do you have some weird fixation or something?"
"I never thought you were that kind of Illya."
"Besides—isn't it better if I'm not?"
Illya's face went scarlet.
"O-of course not!
Don't say nonsense!"
"I'm just curious why you want to see my mother!"
No way was she admitting anything embarrassing.
Yes, the handsome older boy made her heart flutter.
But she wasn't fantasizing before knowing who—and what—he was.
Izumi chuckled.
"I've got business with her.
But forget it for now."
"Judging by your face, you don't even know how to return home yet."
"After you finish your affairs here, I'll bring you back."
There was no point pressuring them.
Coming here was already a miracle.
Getting back home would require someone like him.
Illya's eyes widened.
"You mean—you can take us home?"
"Really?"
"That's wonderful!"
Relief flooded her face.
Though she liked this world—Miyu's world—she still longed to return home.
Izumi nodded.
He had no reason to deny it.
From there, the rest unfolded smoothly.
With Izumi's arrival, the crisis had come to an end.
Shirou—ever the hero—approached to offer his thanks, then invited Izumi's group to stay at his home.
This world, ravaged by the Ainsworth family, had few survivors left.
Seeing people on the streets was rare.
So Izumi accepted the offer and took up residence in the Emiya household.
After settling in, and with a bit of deliberate probing, Izumi confirmed something important:
There was no Matou Sakura in this world.
Or rather—
Sakura no longer existed.
Izumi didn't even need to guess.
Timeline convergence had erased her.
And this world's Shirou had never known a Sakura to begin with.
Holding the little Sakura he had rescued, Izumi actually felt satisfied.
Maybe…
maybe this convergence wasn't entirely a bad thing.