Chapter 371: Sleeping Together with Illya
After seeing Musashi off, Shirou turned around to find the silver-haired girl still standing in the main hall, her eyes fixed intently on him.
Shirou asked curiously, "Illya, aren't you going upstairs to check out the rooms? Or would you prefer a room on the first floor?"
"No! I'm sleeping in the same room as you, Shirou!" Illya declared.
Shirou looked at the girl with a troubled expression. "Eh? But Illya, you're a lady now, aren't you? So you shouldn't be staying in the same room as a boy."
Illya replied quite matter-of-factly, "Even for a lady, family is different! Besides, this is an older sister and younger brother sleeping together—what's wrong with that?"
"Awoo!" The big white bear let out a cry at that moment.
"Exactly, Shirou (the bear) wants to sleep together too!" Illya added.
"I really can't do anything with you. Fine, then," Shirou said helplessly.
Illya raised her hands high and cheered, letting out a bell-like laugh. "Haha! Tonight there are two Shirous sleeping with me!"
Afterward, Shirou went outside to boil water over a wood fire. He prepared hot bathwater for the girls and set out some changes of clothes in a basket on the cupboard before calling them to go in one by one.
Inside the shack's bathroom, he had built a wooden bathtub. As long as fresh spring water brought down from the mountain was mixed with boiling water, it was exactly like a modern bathroom.
When the girl finished her bath and came out wearing a yukata, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue and her skin tender and radiating steam, he led her into the room.
"I've decided to arrange the mattresses like this," Shirou said, taking out new mattresses and quilts in his room and laying them out on the tatami mats.
He moved his original bedding to the far left, placed the new bedding in the middle for Illya's sleeping spot, and the big white bear lay down on the right.
"Mmh!" Illya looked left and right; she was nestled in the middle, feeling very warm. The girl nodded in satisfaction.
In his past life, when he first met Illya, he was just a high school student who hadn't even crossed the threshold of being a magus. Now, he was someone who had walked through an entire lifetime and died once already. He had then been reincarnated into another world and lived for over a decade. Combined with the fusion of Pseudo-Servant summoning and his other self, he had experienced many lives.
But the girl seemed to have remained frozen in that moment, looking exactly as she did then. She possessed a devilish playfulness, a willful nature, and a lack of worldliness or common sense. Yet, regarding knowledge of the Holy Grail War, she was an expert second to none. According to the rules of the magus world, she could do cruel things with a smile; after all, she was born for that purpose.
Beyond that, however, she knew nothing. The "Grandfather" of the Einzbern family treated her only as a consumable for achieving the Third Magic. Aside from teaching and forcing her to learn magecraft for the Holy Grail War, combat techniques, and psychological warfare, he considered all other knowledge superfluous. In the end, that Grandfather was nothing more than a puppet terminal left behind by the disciples of the Third Magician.
She was the pinnacle of Einzbern homunculus technology, her sole mission to win the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. Outside of that, the world had nothing to do with her. Consequently, she was entirely ignorant of human social common sense, morality, and law. Like a newborn infant, she could not distinguish between good and evil and saw nothing wrong with killing; her baseline for action was entirely dependent on her own mood.
Although Illya was the child of a homunculus and a human, as an Einzbern, she had undergone modifications by the family as soon as she took shape in her mother's womb before birth. Thus, the majority of her internal structure leaned toward the non-human side. By the age of eight, she weighed less than 15 kilograms.
The Einzberns had decided Illya's life from the start. Her body and mind were designed for the sole purpose of the Holy Grail War, tuned with the best natural talents and produced as a spare for the Lesser Grail.
Had Kiritsugu successfully won the Holy Grail and completed the Einzbern experiment, perhaps she could have been readjusted into a body that could grow healthily and freely like a normal human.
But the moment Kiritsugu obtained the Grail, he betrayed the Einzberns and abandoned it. The girl was destined to take over her parents' duty and participate in the next Holy Grail War. Furthermore, as the daughter of a traitor, she was subjected to all kinds of harsh and cruel treatment. She endured the pain of despair and was transplanted with more Magic Circuits than any Master in the history of the Holy Grail War; from that point on, her body could no longer grow.
Living alone in a castle surrounded by ice and snow, the girl had never had contact with the outside world before participating in the Holy Grail War. Her only companions were fellow homunculi who were inferior to her in performance and forever expressionless. In the years following her eighth birthday, the only one she could communicate with in that cold, heartless castle was the wordless Berserker.
The girl's experiences meant she didn't know how to get along with others. she held complex feelings toward Shirou—resentment toward Kiritsugu for abandoning her, yet harboring expectations for her only living relative in the world.
She carried kindness in her heart but didn't know how to express it.
She had hesitated over whether to kill her younger brother, yet hoped he could stay by her side. Because the Holy Grail War was dangerous, she wanted to protect him; the only way she could think to do so was to use force to take him to her home and imprison him. Because she didn't know how to interact with humans and feared he would leave her like her parents did, her only solution was to turn him into a motionless puppet...
Of course, she didn't succeed. Afterward, Shirou and Artoria miraculously defeated Heracles, and Illya, unwilling to return to the Einzberns, took up residence at the Emiya household.
"It's really quite incredible, isn't it? To think I'd meet Shirou in this world," Illya said softly.
Shirou gave a slight smile as well and replied, "Indeed. I never expected us to meet again in this way. Say, Illya, if there was a way to let you stay forever, would you be willing... no, what I want to say is, Illya, I want you to live with me. I'll find a way to let you stay, using the Grail to obtain a true body, as a human and as my family. Come home and live with me."
Recalling her then, she was always alone, with only two homunculus maids to tend to her daily life and serve as her guards. Yet she was so lovable, with no one to rely on in this world except Berserker.
Yes, at that time, Shirou had not become Illya's pillar of support.
In his previous life, Illya lived at the Emiya residence, but he failed to protect her. Even though Saber destroyed the Grail at the final moment, Illya's body still suffered trauma from the magical energy of six Heroic Spirit-level beings. Homunculi naturally have short lifespans to begin with. After the Holy Grail War ended, Illya lived for less than a year before they were separated by death forever.
Following that, he followed Tohsaka to London to study magecraft, casting aside all bonds and embarking on the lonely path of an Ally of Justice, eventually dying in a nuclear power plant. He never regretted anything he did, but he felt a sense of injustice and regret regarding the misfortunes of those around him.
So, when Shirou met the Illya and Chloe of the magical girl variety in Chaldea—such energetic children—he felt surprised and delighted. He was happy she could have a joyful childhood and sincerely wished from his heart that she and Chloe could overcome all obstacles to find happiness.
But they were, after all, existences from another world with different experiences. The Illya he first knew had died.
Therefore, being able to meet the girl he knew again in a world like this made Shirou truly moved. If this was the case, Illya's life could continue through this special means.
Due to the mechanism of the Throne of Heroes, fallen heroes achieve immortality, allowing these Heroic Spirits to descend as Servants and establish deep bonds with the living people of this world, thereby continuing their legends.
This was a chance—a chance to start over.
He had hesitated at first, but as the words reached his lips, the meaning of what his heart wanted to say became clear. Shirou understood that the girl knew what he meant, so it was no longer a question, but a request. Shirou spoke directly, expressing his hope that Illya would live with him from now on.
He wanted the girl before him to eat delicious food, take her to Tokyo, and play at Disneyland. He wanted to introduce his parents, Komachi, and his companions to her, let her go to school, and meet interesting friends. He wanted to see her frequently show a brilliant, heartfelt smile—that was Shirou's current thought, wanting to do everything for her.
"A new home? Does Shirou have a new home now?" Illya asked curiously.
Shirou nodded and said seriously, "Yes. A lot of things actually happened to me; I'll tell you in detail later. Anyway, I have a very lively home now. Ah, Saber is there too, although she's a Heroic Spirit after death now, and in an Alter state."
"We can also go play at Chaldea. As long as we repair Chaldea's connection to the outside world and reconnect the full passage to the Throne of Heroes, I'm sure many Servants will return. Like Berserker Heracles—even Irisviel, the incarnation of the Holy Grail shards, is there. If you want to live there, we can stay for a while too." Shirou racked his brain, trying hard to persuade the girl.
"Mama! Shirou, have you seen her? Was she at Chaldea?" Illya grabbed Shirou's hand nervously and asked urgently.
"Yes. Before the anomaly occurred in the world, the Servants at Chaldea—" Shirou said. All of this was the result caused by the White God.
"Really, can I really see Mama?" Illya asked again to confirm.
"Yes. Although the state is different, she is indeed the Irisviel who possesses memories of being with you. After all, that's Chaldea; with technology that can summon multiple Heroic Spirits, there are infinite possibilities. Even Divine Spirits can be summoned exceptionally, and existences like us who are deeply entwined with the Holy Grail are easily summoned there," Shirou said with a nod.
In fact, Kiritsugu had also been at Chaldea. If he could return to Chaldea as well, the whole family would be reunited. Although that one was actually the same person from a similar
parallel world with different experiences. But Time Alter: Triple Accel, the time-manipulating Magus Killer—he was super cool!
However, since he wasn't sure if Illya would agree on that point, it was better not to mention it for now.
"Mmh! I'd want to go see Chaldea," Illya turned her head, but then thinking of the question, she showed a worried expression. "But Shirou's current home... will your family welcome my arrival?"
"Of course! I guarantee it," Shirou answered directly without even thinking.
Illya rolled her eyes and showed a little devil's smile, adding: "Well, even if they object, I'll still stay. Since Shirou has invited me so sincerely, how could I refuse? And... after all, I am Shirou's older sister; wherever Shirou is, I'll be there too!"
"Ahahaha, that really is your style, Illya. But I think that's an unnecessary worry. After all, Illya is so cute; it's impossible for my family to object," Shirou agreed with a laugh.
Illya turned red at the words and bumped her head against Shirou's. "Honestly! Shirou is still the same in that regard! But I'm looking forward to it. Because at the previous Emiya residence, I liked Taiga and Sakura! Rin was a bit annoying, but with her around, it won't be boring."
"Awoo!" The big white bear nearby heard the conversation, poked its head over, and nudged Illya.
"Shirou (the bear) says, can it go too?" Illya translated.
"...Yeah, it should be fine. As your familiar, using the power of the Grail, as long as it's by your side, it should be able to appear independently... I'll persuade my family!" Shirou felt a bit guilty but summoned his courage and agreed, thinking: 'I've already raised a dog; I'll just treat it as raising a slightly larger pet.'
"Great! Then it's decided! ...Haaaah~!" Having received Shirou's guarantee, Illya's mind relaxed, and she couldn't help but yawn.
"Right, it's late now, so let's sleep," Shirou said.
"Mmh. Then... help me cover up with the quilt, please~!" Illya lay down on the mattress, hid her hands behind her back, and acted spoiled.
"Yes, yes. Then I'm turning out the light." Shirou amusedly helped the girl cover up with the quilt.
"Mmh, so warm. Goodnight," Illya nuzzled into the quilt and agreed with a smile.
"Goodnight." Shirou stood up and extinguished the oil lamp on the small table.
The moonlight outside was clear and transparent, passing through the paper-covered windows and shining into the room, bringing a faint blue hue into the silent, dark space.
"Hey, Shirou," the girl said softly.
"What is it, Illya?" Shirou asked.
"I'm really, really happy right now," Illya said in a low voice, her eyes already closed and a smile playing on her lips.
"Mmh," Shirou replied softly.
The night gradually deepened. All that remained in the room was the sound of thin, steady breathing. The moonlight shining through the window emitted a white glow, as if bestowing a night of good dreams upon the man, the girl, and everyone in the house.
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