New Chaldea – Steve's Private Quarters, Morning
Human awakening is usually a gradual process.
First, hearing returns, and you begin to catch the faint sound of air flowing through the ventilation ducts. Next, touch comes back, and you feel the softness and warmth of the bedding.
But for Steve, the process of waking this particular morning was accompanied by an unusual heaviness.
It was not a heaviness born of mental fatigue.
Last night's miracle had not actually drained that much of his magical energy.
This was purely physical exhaustion.
It felt like some huge, warm koala was clinging to him, pressing against his chest and making it hard to breathe.
At the same time, a familiar, delicate scent drifted around the tip of his nose.
It was a cool, refreshing fragrance, mixed with the sweet note of a shampoo called Violet, the scent he associated more than any other with his days in Chaldea.
"…"
Steve slowly opened his eyes.
What entered his field of vision was not an unfamiliar ceiling, but a cascade of long, silky purple hair, spilling down like a waterfall.
Lowering his gaze a little, he found a defenseless, sleeping face right in front of him.
Sion Eltnam Sokaris.
The genius alchemist of Atlas was wrapped around him like an octopus.
The pale lavender lace slip she had so deliberately changed into last night had become slightly disheveled from a whole night of lying in wait; one of the spaghetti straps had slipped off her shoulder, exposing a wide expanse of translucent, jade-like skin.
One of her legs was draped around Steve's waist in a rather immodest fashion, her cheek pressed against his chest. He could even feel her warm breath rhythmically fanning against his collarbone.
"...Let's just say this."
Steve sighed and gently poked her soft cheek.
"I understand you were quite devastated about missing your target last night, but using this sort of surprise attack tactic is a bit underhanded, don't you think?"
"Mmm… huu…"
The figure in his arms let out a drowsy little whine like a kitten whose nap had just been disturbed.
Sion's long lashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her amethyst irises were cloudy with confusion at first, but the instant they focused on Steve's face, they quickly regained their usual rational light or rather, her usual pretense of rationality.
"…Good morning."
Instead of screaming or leaping away like an ordinary girl, she naturally tightened her arms around him and rubbed against him a little.
"According to Trismegistus II's calculations, your REM sleep cycle ended exactly three seconds ago."
"By waking you at this point, I can minimize morning irritability and maximize the excitability of your cerebral cortex."
"And this is your excuse for breaking into… no, for illegally entering the servants' quarters?"
Steve frowned and tried to sit up, but Sion held him down firmly.
"Please correct your terminology. This is not illegal entry."
Sion hurried to defend herself, though the suspicious flush on her cheeks told a different story.
"I am your superior and hold the highest administrative privileges for this room."
"Furthermore, taking into account that you did not come home all night even if it was for the sake of saving the world, I have a contractual obligation to verify that your body has not suffered any damage and that your magic circuits are functioning normally…"
She trailed off, her gaze beginning to wander.
"And… to replenish the Master Energy that has been lacking due to our prolonged separation."
"Master Energy—what is this, some kind of special nutrient?"
Steve couldn't help letting out a laugh.
He reached up and, almost by reflex, slipped her fallen shoulder strap back into place.
The moment his fingertips brushed her warm skin, Sion's body gave a noticeable shiver.
"Stop joking around, Sion. Get up. We still have a lot to do today."
"The Shadow Border refit plan hasn't been finalized yet, and Ophelia's Mystic Eye of Prolongation still needs testing…"
"No."
Sion's tone suddenly turned firm.
She pushed herself upright and placed her hands on Steve's shoulders, looking down at him from above.
Her long purple hair cascaded down like a curtain, forming a small, enclosed space between the two of them.
"A sound mental state is a prerequisite for work efficiency."
"At present, I am suffering from a severe deficiency of energy."
"If I am not given an emergency recharge, my current computation error rate will increase by 300%."
"And therefore…"
She slowly leaned down, until their noses were almost touching.
Steve could see his own reflection in her eyes, and even each slight tremor of her eyelashes.
The mood shifted, in an instant, from light, bantering farce to something heavy and ambiguous.
"I am therefore entitled to request morning service."
Sion's voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost a whisper.
Her gaze fixed on Steve's lips; her throat moved in a tiny, nervous swallow.
Steve watched her.
This was the same girl who, across countless parallel worlds in FGO, had sacrificed everything to save humanity—and here, in this world, she was clumsily trying to seize her own happiness.
The laughter slowly faded from his eyes, replaced by a deep, gentle warmth.
"When it comes to you, I really don't stand a chance… my dear Master."
He stopped resisting and instead raised a hand to cup the back of Sion's head, his fingers combing tenderly through her soft hair.
"Orders from my superior, after all…"
The distance between them steadily shrank.
Their breaths mingled, and for a moment, it felt as if the temperature in the room had risen by several degrees.
Sion closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly, waiting for the kiss she had longed for all night.
At that very instant—
Click.
The un-locked doorknob turned with a crisp sound.
The door swung open with great confidence a heartbeat later.
"Steve! Good morning! Mash made some really delicious pancakes, so she sent me to come wake you u—eh?"
Fujimaru's bright, energetic voice rang through the pink-tinted atmosphere like an 8 a.m. alarm clock.
For a second, it felt as if time had stopped.
Ritsuka remained frozen in the pose of midway-pushing-open-the-door, one foot still lifted off the floor. Her bright orange eyes went wide as copper bells, and her stare shot straight across the room to the two figures entangled on the bed.
The image that greeted her was, to put it mildly, spectacular—and overloaded with information.
Sion, her clothes disheveled, was straddling Steve's back.
Steve's hand was still cradling the back of Sion's head.
Their faces were so close that anyone with functioning eyesight could predict very clearly what was about to happen next.
"…"
"…"
"…"
The deathly silence lasted precisely three seconds.
Sion stood there as if petrified, the flush on her face visibly spreading from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears—as if steam might start rising at any moment.
Steve reacted swiftly: he calmly withdrew his hand from her hair and tugged the blanket up to cover Sion's somewhat exposed back.
"Well, good morning, Ritsuka."
He greeted her with a natural smile, like a man who had just run into his neighbor at a park.
"Pancakes? Sounds great."
"Ah… um… I…"
Ritsuka's face turned bright red in an instant. She flailed her hands wildly as she babbled:
"N-no, I didn't see anything! Really! I just happened to be passing by! Sorry to bother you, I'll go have some babies— Wait, what am I saying?! Aaaaaahhh!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut with such force that even the painting on the wall tilted from the shock.
Frantic footsteps echoed down the corridor outside, retreating rapidly. Along with them came Ritsuka's panicked, incoherent shrieks:
"Mash! Oh no! No, I mean—I can't! The adult world is way too complicated!"
The room fell silent once more.
But the ambiguous atmosphere from earlier had been utterly obliterated.
Still half-hovering over Steve, Sion stared at the closed door with the empty gaze of a doll whose soul had left its body.
After a long moment, she slowly, mechanically turned her head toward it—and let out a cry of pure despair.
"Uwaaah… She saw us…"
She buried her face in Steve's chest, her muffled voice thick with shame and regret.
"Ritsuka saw… my dignity… my dignity as her senior… It's all… gone…"
"She's probably more worried about whether someone is actually going to die in here than she is about preserving your authority."
Steve couldn't help teasing her a little, patting her back in a comforting rhythm.
"All right, now that we've been discovered, there's no way we can pick up where we left off. Sion, up."
"...No."
Still clinging to him, Sion's voice took on a spoiled-kind of whine.
"Let me hide for five more minutes… I'm too embarrassed to face anyone right now."
"Five minutes from now, we're both expected in the cafeteria."
"If the only two people who show up late are us, explaining this is going to be a nightmare."
"...Aaah!"
Sion suddenly jerked her head up. Her face was as red as a ripe tomato, but reason had finally returned to her eyes.
"You're right! Sociologically speaking, the best approach in situations like this is to be more open and honest! As long as I insist I came for a morning test of magic transfer, that innocent Ritsuka will absolutely believe me!"
"...You're serious?"
"Of course I am! Absolutely! Without a doubt!"
Sion scrambled out of bed, hastily straightening her wrinkled nightwear and mussed hair.
She took a deep breath, clearly trying to reassemble her usual persona as a calm, collected alchemist—but the slight tremor in her fingers gave her away.
"Then… I'll wait for you outside."
"Hurry up and get ready, Steve."
With that, she whirled out of the room like a whirlwind of purple hair, leaving behind only the faint trace of her scent in the air.
Steve stared around his now-empty room and could only shake his head helplessly.
"A morning magic transfer… Even Fou wouldn't buy that."
He threw off the blanket, climbed out of bed, and walked over to the window, pulling up the blackout curtains.
Artificial sunlight poured in, ushering in a brand-new morning.
It might have started off with a bit of an accident, but it was a morning brimming with life and a gentle sort of peace.
Compared to the relentless tension of the Lostbelt, it was this clumsy, laughter-filled everyday life that he truly wanted to protect.
"All right, a new day begins."
Steve stretched and smiled.
"Time to go face all those prying, gossip-loving eyes."
…
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