"...Mm."
Justeaze woke from her brief faint and was startled to find herself lying in Shirou's tatami room, completely naked.
Even the [Saintess of the Winter], who was known for her coldness among artificial lifeforms already thin on emotion, could not help being shaken by the sight.
Justeaze still vaguely remembered what had happened before she passed out.
How that human, Shirou Amamiya, had lured her in step by step.
At first, Justeaze had barely managed to maintain her reason, but afterward...
"!!!"
For the first time in the three hundred years since her birth, Justeaze experienced the intense emotions known as shame and anger.
The silver-haired Saintess's face flushed bright red, but fear soon welled up in her heart, and her complexion turned deathly pale.
"Could it be..."
Justeaze lowered her head and examined her body.
Her skin was smooth as white porcelain, without any trace that might suggest she had been violated.
That did not reassure her. She reached down and touched her flat, smooth abdomen.
She could not feel anything unusual.
It seemed Shirou had not taken advantage of her unconsciousness to go even further and defile her purity.
Even so, the fact remained that Shirou Amamiya had taken advantage of her vulnerability and made her... ugh, made her faint.
"...Despicable human."
Justeaze bit her lip in humiliation.
Because Irisviel, Illyasviel, Sella, and Leysritt all trusted him so deeply, she had let her guard down.
This was what came of trusting humans.
Justeaze finally remembered that humans were creatures who hid betrayal behind sweet words.
For example, her ally, and enemy, Makiri Zolgen.
He had forgotten the vows and faith they once held, degenerating into an ugly, pitiful bloodsucking monster in pursuit of eternal life.
Shirou Amamiya was no different.
He spoke beautifully, but in the end, what he wanted was Irisviel's body. He merely treated the Einzbern Homunculi as tools, did he not?
As the seventh head of the Einzbern family, I must protect everyone. I cannot allow Shirou Amamiya to act as he pleases any longer.
Thinking that, Justeaze clenched her fists.
She picked up the dress scattered nearby, intending to leave while Shirou was out. However...
The silver-haired Homunculus's fine brows drew together slightly. Why did it feel chilly?
Justeaze looked down and froze on the spot.
Upon the smooth, tofu-like plain, not a single blade of grass remained.
...
...
"Senpai, you seem to be in a good mood today."
"Well, I suppose I am... Can you tell, Sakura?"
"Yes, because you're very easy to read, Senpai ^_^"
On the way to school the next day, Shirou and Sakura Matou had this exchange.
Just as his underclassman said, Shirou was in an excellent mood.
Last night, he had carefully examined Irisviel's body from head to toe and found no sign of Command Spells.
Of course, that alone was not enough for peace of mind, so for the first time in quite a while, Shirou took the initiative to invite Illya to bathe with him.
Do not misunderstand. Shirou almost never bathed with Illya.
Illya was, after all, an artificial lifeform. Though her actual age was only four, her body and mind had already developed to roughly the level of an elementary school student.
As a high schooler, Shirou naturally would not bathe with an elementary school girl. Every time it happened, it was because Illya clung to him and pestered him until he agreed to keep her company.
But last night, in order to check for Command Spells, Shirou made an exception and invited her to bathe with him for the first time.
Illya was overjoyed.
"Ehehehe~"
"Could it be that Shirou has finally noticed Illya's charm? You're so slow, Shirou~"
"Sella said I'm not allowed to bathe with Shirou anymore, but if it's my brother, it's okay~ Let's go together without telling Sella~"
Illya smiled like an angel. No, she was an angel to begin with. Not the Metatron kind.
However, the innocent little girl did not know Shirou's true intentions.
While washing Illya's hair, he carefully checked her as well, and sure enough, there were no Command Spells.
That meant he could basically rule out the possibility of a Holy Grail War. How could Shirou not be in a good mood?
That woman from Fuyuki Church... Her name was Caren, right?
Shirou decided that when he had time over the next couple of days, he would go confront her.
There was morning practice for the Archery Club today, so after Shirou and Sakura Matou entered the school, they went straight to the archery range.
Just as they reached the entrance, someone came walking from the opposite direction.
With that uniform and those signature twin tails, there was no way he could fail to recognize her.
"Oh my... Isn't that Amamiya-kun and Matou-san? Still as close as ever. What an enviable model couple."
"Tohsaka-senpai! Please don't joke about that!"
The purple-haired girl blushed and let out an adorable protest.
Recently, Rin Tohsaka had started teasing Sakura Matou.
It was probably because she knew this sort of teasing would not actually make Sakura angry.
That said, seeing the two of them become close during that particular period when he had been gone still inevitably made Shirou feel like a useless husband.
And he was not the only one who thought that.
"What the hell is that woman doing?! Why is she suddenly getting so close to Sakura?! It's unforgivable, right, Shirou?!"
Shinji, whose position as her older brother was under serious threat, complained.
"What about you, Tohsaka? Are you here to join the club?"
"Well... Building a glorious legend after entering high school and earning everyone's admiration doesn't sound bad."
Rin Tohsaka said it half-jokingly.
She was really just here to see Sakura, Shirou thought. So early in the morning too... She sure was dedicated.
"Amamiya and Sakura are here. Oh... Tohsaka too? Come in, come in!"
The one who welcomed them was the Archery Club's new captain, Ayako Mitsuzuri.
"Good morning, Ayako. Don't mind if I do."
Ayako Mitsuzuri was the only person at this school whom Rin Tohsaka addressed by her given name. It seemed the two had formed a deep friendship, or perhaps a fated entanglement, back in elementary school.
The title of a Showa-style movie, Karate Girl vs. Bajiquan Monster, flashed through Shirou's mind.
"...You aren't thinking something rude, are you, Amamiya?"
"...You aren't thinking something rude, are you, Amamiya-kun?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri and Rin Tohsaka spoke in unison. Shirou hurriedly shook his head, while Sakura Matou covered her mouth and giggled.
"That Shinji skipped morning practice again," Ayako said with a frown.
"I'm very sorry, senpai... My brother has caused everyone trouble," Sakura Matou said, lowering her head guiltily.
"You don't need to apologize, Sakura. The one at fault is Amamiya, for bringing that guy in."
"What does that have to do with me...?"
Shirou felt wronged too, because Shinji had only joined the Archery Club after seeing Shirou join and copying him.
Unlike Magecraft, Shinji was surprisingly talented at Kyūdō. However, the young master of the Matou family could not endure the hardship of practice at all.
Needless to say, he had never once attended voluntary morning practice.
He was almost never seen at regular after-school practice either. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before he was expelled from the club.
"He's probably off mixing with girls as soon as school ends anyway," Ayako Mitsuzuri said unhappily.
Though Shinji had that careless, frivolous attitude, his grades were surprisingly good.
On top of that, he had decent looks and family background, so he could often be seen walking around campus surrounded by girls.
"Unlike me, Shinji is popular with girls."
The moment Shirou said that, the area around him fell silent.
Not only Ayako Mitsuzuri and the others, but even the other club members cast silent looks his way.
"Uh... Did I say something wrong?"
He could understand it from the others, but why was Sakura looking at him with contempt and disdain too?!
Ayako Mitsuzuri patted Shirou on the shoulder and tried to smooth things over. "Well, you might not know this... but quite a few kouhai in the club actually admire you, Amamiya."
"Is that so?" Shirou was startled.
Sakura Matou's expression turned serious as she pressed her lips together... It seemed it was true.
Rin Tohsaka tapped her chin and said, "But no one casually comes up to hit on Amamiya-kun."
"After all, he gives off this unapproachable feeling, unlike Shinji," Ayako Mitsuzuri analyzed.
"..."
For the first time, Shirou learned that in other people's eyes, he had a somewhat aloof image. It was a little shocking.
"Ayako, could you teach me a little?"
Watching the club members practice, Rin Tohsaka suddenly grew interested and rubbed her hands together excitedly as she asked.
"If I'm good enough..."
Rin Tohsaka frowned. "What kind of answer is that? Is there any instructor better than the captain herself?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri undoubtedly had talent in martial arts. Though she had only practiced Kyūdō for a few years, she had already reached the level of the national tournament and was the undisputed ace of Homurahara Academy's Kyūdō Club.
"Well..."
Ayako Mitsuzuri looked at Shirou.
"You have a true archery expert right beside you."
"Huh? Amamiya-kun?"
Rin Tohsaka looked genuinely surprised. She had no idea how skilled Shirou was at Kyūdō.
After all, from what she knew of the Fourth Holy Grail War's inner workings, Shirou specialized in swordsmanship.
This was a major intelligence failure!!
From the first time Rin Tohsaka had heard the name "Shirou Amamiya" from her father Tokiomi, she had sensed something like fate.
After Shirou defeated Tokiomi Tohsaka, whom she had once regarded like a god in her childhood, that sense of destiny only became stronger.
"Amamiya-kun, could you teach me archery? Why not shoot a few arrows right now and let me see?"
"Eh? Why do I have to do that...?"
Rin Tohsaka put on a fake customer-service smile. "Could I ask you to shoot for me?"
The school's number one beauty said a line that was far too easy to take the wrong way, while giving off an aura that would not permit refusal.
Shirou had once asked her to help investigate the cause of his forced Summoning, so he was in no position to refuse her request.
"...All right."
In the end, he shot to his heart's content.
...
...
After returning from Romania, Shirou felt that he had been crossing paths with Rin Tohsaka an awful lot lately.
During lunch break, just as Shirou was wondering what to eat, Rin Tohsaka appeared.
Perfect. I'll ask her about the forced Summoning.
With that in mind, Shirou followed after her, only for…
"...Thud!"
Rin Tohsaka collapsed right in front of him.
Even before falling, she had been swaying as if she had not fully woken up, and then she simply crumpled as though her power had run out.
"Hey!"
Shirou rushed forward and helped her up.
"Are you all right, Tohsaka... Huh?"
An astonishing heat came through his palm. Rin Tohsaka's body was burning hot.
"Ah... mm..."
Homurahara's Miss Perfect let out a dazed murmur.
Using Magecraft at school was not a wise choice, so Shirou picked her up and ran toward the infirmary.
The softness of the girl in his arms came through clearly, and the sharp stares of the surrounding students followed him, but he had no time to care about that now.
Perhaps she still retained a little consciousness, because Rin Tohsaka murmured with her eyes tightly shut.
"Ah... idiot, don't carry me... honestly..."
"Tohsaka? Are you all right?"
"Ah... mm... mm, a little... Shirou..."
After softly calling his name one last time, Rin Tohsaka completely lost consciousness.
...
...
Shirou laid Rin Tohsaka on the infirmary bed and pulled over a chair to sit beside her.
It was his precious lunch break, but he had no appetite.
About an hour later, the sleeping beauty on the bed opened her eyes.
"...Ah."
"Hey... Tohsaka, feeling better?"
Her complexion still looked poor, but she had clearly regained consciousness.
"Amamiya-kun... You still haven't gone to eat?" Rin Tohsaka asked in surprise.
"There's no way I could just leave you alone, right? My conscience wouldn't allow it," Shirou said as if it were obvious.
"Oh. Then let's go now... except the cafeteria's probably closed at this hour."
Rin Tohsaka sighed and sat up on the infirmary bed. It seemed the two of them would be going hungry at lunch today.
"...Thanks for earlier, Amamiya-kun."
"It's nothing. As long as you're okay, Tohsaka."
Seeing Shirou's calm expression, Rin Tohsaka suddenly felt like teasing him.
"You don't get many chances to carry me, you know. That was a pretty good deal for you, wasn't it?"
Shirou: "..."
"W-why aren't you arguing back?"
She had meant to tease him and lighten the mood, but she ended up blushing first.
Rin Tohsaka hid her embarrassment by turning to look out the window.
"What exactly happened?"
"Mm, the situation just got a little worse."
The twin-tailed girl spoke while stroking her arm.
"Your Magic Crest?" Shirou asked, and Rin Tohsaka nodded.
"Well... to put it simply, it's like the Tohsaka family's ancestors have been transplanted onto my arm."
"...That's an unsettling comparison."
Unsettling, but accurate.
A Magic Crest was not only the crystallization of technique, but also an obsession passed down through generations.
It meant implanting the lingering resentment of Magi from hundreds of years into one's own body, which was why an extremely high degree of blood compatibility was required.
"It happens often enough, and I've been used to it since I was little, but every so often... I'm really glad Shirou was there."
Rin Tohsaka smiled faintly. "Though I didn't expect to be carried to the infirmary like a princess."
Shirou scratched his cheek. "...There wasn't really another choice. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Oh, I didn't dislike it at all. I was just stunned that you picked me up without caring what anyone around us thought."
During the busiest part of lunch break, Shirou had carried Rin through the school. That bold move would probably become a hot topic very soon.
Rin Tohsaka looked slightly uneasy. What if that child heard about it...
That said, Shirou had really been cool back then.
Rin Tohsaka was the type who never let her guard down, no matter the situation, but when he held her in his arms, her whole body had relaxed.
The fact that she had recovered most of her energy after just an hour's rest was likely thanks in part to Shirou as well.
...It was far too embarrassing, so Rin Tohsaka would never admit the truth even if it killed her.
"I slept well just now, so I can focus on suppressing the Crest again.
Still, it'll take a little more time before I'm back to normal."
"That's good." Shirou looked relieved.
"Mm."
Rin Tohsaka said absentmindedly, "...I owe you one."
"It's nothing. I already owed you one before, didn't I? The investigation into the forced Summoning counts as paying back part of it."
Rin Tohsaka shook her head. "...No. I have to repay you.
Since I don't know when I'll need your help again, it'd be no fun if you cleared the whole debt at once."
It seemed she intended to hold onto that favor Shirou owed her for the rest of her life.
"All right, all right. I get it."
The twin-tailed girl showed a little devilish smile. "Then, Amamiya-kun... how about coming to my house this weekend?"
"What?"
"I made you miss lunch today, didn't I? As compensation, and as repayment... come to my house for dinner this weekend."
The Tohsaka house, huh...
"Uh, I mean... is that really okay?"
Rin Tohsaka chuckled. "Haven't you always wanted to learn Chinese cooking from me, Amamiya-kun?
This is the perfect chance. I might even be merciful enough to teach you a thing or two."
"I look forward to your guidance, Professor Tohsaka."
Shirou bowed deeply.
And so, they made plans for him to visit the Tohsaka house that weekend.
Just then, the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang.
"Can you get out of bed?"
"I'm fine now. You worry too much."
Rin Tohsaka refused Shirou's help and got out of bed on her own.
"Haa... I wonder what everyone's going to say about what happened earlier."
"Shouldn't I be the one worse off, since I was the one carrying you?"
"Is that so...? Then you can make it up to me on our weekend date."
Before leaving the infirmary, Rin Tohsaka smiled and bumped Shirou's shoulder.
"You'd better look forward to it, Amamiya-kun."
...
...
"Shirou~~~"
He came home early today. As soon as Shirou stepped into the garden, Irisviel ran out to greet him.
"Iri... Are you all right now?"
Shirou struggled to pull his face free from her soft embrace.
Irisviel blinked in confusion. "All right from what?"
Looks like she's completely forgotten what happened last night, Shirou thought.
"More importantly, Illya went out with Sella and the others."
"I see. No wonder it's so quiet."
With Irisviel clinging to his arm, Shirou walked into the entryway.
Sakura and Fuji-nee were still at the Archery Club, so the house felt strangely quiet.
"Yes. Oh, right... It's just the two of us at home today."
Irisviel hinted as hard as she possibly could, pressing herself tightly against him.
Ever since Illya was born, Irisviel's demands in certain areas had only grown stronger.
The red-haired boy sighed helplessly. It seemed she had no intention of letting him into the living room unless he paid the "toll."
Though he could feel the heat and affection coming from the silver-haired Homunculus, Shirou still pretended not to understand and asked coldly.
"What's wrong? It's hot when you cling like that."
"Shirou, you're so mean. You know exactly what I mean, and yet..."
"There's no helping you."
Shirou brought his hand down with a light smack. "I'm already tired after a whole day of classes."
"I-I'm sorry, but..."
"There's really no helping you, Iri... Fine. But you know what you're supposed to do, right?"
"Uu... Yes~"
Irisviel nodded and obediently knelt in the entryway.
She lifted her beautiful face and gazed up at the boy, her expression filled with adoration.
Though she normally treated Shirou as a child to pour her love into, in this moment alone... he was the master who ruled over her.
…
"?"
Hearing the commotion, Justeaze left her room.
She reached the living room, held onto the wall, and peeked out.
"!"
Although she had prepared herself to some extent, the shocking sight still made Justeaze's mind go blank for a moment.
Her noble, dignified daughter, Irisviel, was actually with a human boy...
"Shirou... I love you~ I love you most of all~"
That intoxicated gaze and fawning expression were impossible to reconcile with Irisviel's usual image.
The [Saintess of the Winter] clamped a hand over her mouth and collapsed to the floor.
Although she desperately wanted to flee, her eyes would not leave the two of them.
Justeaze unconsciously pressed her thighs together.