Chapter 60 Not a Pure White Maiden
Could it be that the one with the problem is actually me?
As he felt the body heat of the person in front of him from such close proximity, Shirou thought to himself in a daze.
There is a scientific basis for this. The argument is as follows:
Given: Although Shirou usually insists on the distinction between men and women and bathes separately—especially regarding Illya—it could also be interpreted that if Miss Illya were to truly pounce in the bathroom, Shirou would be profoundly shaken.
Thus: It is proven that Illya can indeed influence Shirou's state of mind.
However, if one were a true "blockhead" who genuinely didn't care about intimacy or boundaries, one would presumably attain inner peace.
The fact that he was flustered and unable to remain calm around Illya was, in itself, proof that... his thoughts weren't pure?
No, no, no, what am I thinking!
"Absolutely impossible......"
While muttering philosophical quandaries like "the higher the purity, the lower the purity," Shirou sought the path of karma and fell into a state bordering on nirvana.
Illya, having secured victory through her own "vertical and horizontal" diplomatic maneuvering, hummed a happy tune. Water flowed down her petite body, splashing loudly onto the floor.
Steam diffused through the room, coating the mirror in a layer of white mist.
As he helped Illya arrange her smooth silver strands, a strange thought suddenly struck Shirou: the castle where Illya used to live had a massive bath, yet here she was in this tiny room with him. It was actually quite a comedown for her.
But before the thought had lasted even a few seconds, Illya sensed it. She turned her head to meet Shirou's eyes and said nonchalantly:
"Onii-chan, please don't think about weird things. For me, this current life is the best. I even want to sell that castle—I'm serious, okay?"
Illya would call him "Onii-chan" when she was being mischievous or teasing, but usually, she called him "Shirou." One could tell her mood was indeed quite good.
"Normally speaking, the castle bath would be better, wouldn't it?"
Illya shook her head. "That's not right. The best thing would be being in the castle bath with Shirou."
There was no rebuttal.
Illya had bypassed A and B to choose the "best" option C, and she seemed to be right... if you ignored the premise that bathing with Shirou shouldn't have been the starting point!
The price of returning from logical sophistry was unexpectedly catching sight of the girl—eyes sparkling and utterly uninhibited—half-turning her body toward him. Shirou immediately severed all thought on the matter before his brain could even acknowledge the visual input.
What kind of ascetic training is this?
"......"
An ethereal voice echoed in the room. Illya giggled as if intentionally teasing him. Shirou, acting like a butler, performed his duties in silence.
Actually, he was more used to it than the last time, though he wasn't completely used to it yet. The water from the showerhead was still lukewarm on Shirou... it wouldn't turn into boiling water, right?
Illya's voice drifted over, shimmering with hidden meaning:
"Shirou... how do you think Alcides views me?"
The melody of her lark-like song still lingered. The bright lights remained as they were, and Illya's voice held a hint of playfulness. But merely mentioning that name caused Shirou's scattered thoughts to vanish. It was no longer the time to indulge in a hot-spring comedy routine.
After mentally reviewing the fight with the monster-class Heroic Spirit, Shirou said sullenly: "As much as I hate to admit it... to that guy, Illya is probably a key figure."
Even though Alcides had launched a sneak attack on Illya the moment he appeared, Shirou couldn't lie to his own intuition.
At that time, Shirou and Illya were together, yet only Illya was attacked from behind. If Shirou hadn't reacted at the exact same moment based on the signs of magical energy, Illya would have been killed by him.
However, in the act of saving Illya, certain issues he had wanted to keep hidden were leaked—to that man, Illya was a target of higher priority than other existences that "must be dealt with." He "valued" her.
Illya is the Hydra's venom to Alcides—a special existence that absolutely cannot coexist with him.
Normal Holy Grail War Servants aren't supposed to retain impressions of other Holy Grail Wars; it's illogical, even anomalous—but strangely, Shirou didn't remember ever participating in a "normal" Holy Grail War anyway.
A "logical Holy Grail War" is probably a species as rare as a Phantasmal Beast from the Age of Gods.
Compared to those who travel from the future, Servants who summon Servants to be Servants, those who have stayed in the world for ten years, or those who eat Servants as snacks... there's nothing left to fear. Once the reason is found, someone just needs to explain it to Shirou; for now, having the adaptability to deal with anomalies is the best way to keep things smooth.
Illya fell silent, staring motionlessly at the mirror that failed to reflect a clear image. Sensing the shadow beneath the light, Shirou wanted to end this dead-end topic and proactively rubbed Illya's head.
"I've finished washing your hair."
To his surprise, Illya didn't let the subject drop. On the contrary, she spoke: "Does Shirou think I'm sad because Alcides attacked me?"
The ethereal voice and ethereal expression made her seem to distance herself from the world, as remote as Princess Kaguya. The young girl looked as if she might fly away at any moment; in this setting, only Shirou could take her hand and pull her back down to earth.
"...Is that not it?"
"It's not."
Illya said: "Shirou, think back to the Fifth Holy Grail War. My purpose wasn't to make a wish, but to use the Dress of Heaven to open the Third Magic, right?"
"That's true."
Shirou realized the discrepancy. The difference between making a wish and opening the Third Magic is that a wish requires six Servant souls, whereas opening the Great Grail requires—seven.
"Even if I won the Holy Grail War, I would have needed Berserker to exit the stage himself. Of course, if that golden Heroic Spirit were there, it would be a different story. But if he were there, I certainly wouldn't have won without relying on Shirou, right?"
Illya said teasingly, wiping away a portion of the mist from the mirror. In the center of the mirror appeared Illya's face, Shirou's face, and her flawless body, but because the context was wrong, Shirou didn't have any stray thoughts.
Berserker would also have to disappear.
Or rather, from the very beginning, Illya had to enter the Holy Grail War with the resolve that when she vanished, Berserker would vanish with her.
Shirou didn't know her Berserker as well as Illya did, but he felt that as long as Illya called out, it would proactively fulfill her wish even without a Command Spell. Unlike the Master-Servant
relationships of Shirou or Sakura, the bond between these two was the most special of specials. Rather than supporting each other to survive together, it was closer to eventually melting into the wind and snow to disappear together.
Illya, who was not a "pure white" maiden, said:
"If Shirou wants me to live, I'll do my best to live... But even if that Heroic Spirit with memories changed his judgment after thinking seriously about it and wants to judge me in return, I think that would be fine."
The problem, however, was... that wasn't the reality.
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