Shirou made it home just before dinner.
"Pardon the intrusion, Amamiya."
A clear female voice came from the living room.
So that Tohsaka was here again today, just as expected.
Homurahara's number one black-haired beauty was sitting in the living room as if it were the most natural thing in the world, drinking tea and eating snacks.
"Senpai~!"
Sakura ran over with a pitter-patter like a newlywed wife and took his bag and the uniform he had removed. No matter how many times it happened, Shirou still thought it was over the top.
"Why are you glaring at me?" Rin Tohsaka frowned and bit into a rice cracker.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that Miss Honor Student sure has a lot of free time. Are your studies really all right?"
Shirou spoke irritably.
To him, Rin Tohsaka was like some blond punk who had suddenly shown up uninvited in his home while he was away on business.
Not only was her appearance outstanding, she was also good at Chinese cooking, something Shirou was not especially skilled in.
Her Magecraft ability and knowledge were also above his, so it was only natural that he felt a sense of rivalry and competition toward her.
"Unlike a certain someone, I don't need Fujimura-sensei worrying about my studies at all."
"Guh...!"
Right. Her grades were better than Shirou's too.
"That's not quite fair, Tohsaka. Shirou may be awful at studying, but he's the best in the class at English."
The short-haired woman in the living room, Taiga Fujimura, spoke up.
After graduating from college, Fuji-nee had returned to her alma mater. She now worked at Homurahara High School as an English teacher and the adviser for the Archery Club.
She had cut off her signature ponytail and now wore her hair in a capable, composed office-lady style, though her personality was still as hopeless as ever.
"I've always thought it was so strange. How is your English so good, Shirou? It's even better than Tohsaka's."
The deeper implication of that comment was that Shirou's grades were actually only average, but Fuji-nee clearly had not thought that far. She was simply praising him.
As for Shirou's English ability... that was naturally a byproduct of his time in the Fairy Kingdom.
He had even learned German for Iri and Illya, though it was a completely useless skill in a Japanese high school.
"It's not that strange for even me to have one or two subjects I'm good at, is it?"
Taiga Fujimura covered her mouth and grinned mischievously. "Oh my, oh my. Could it be that you were secretly studying English so hard for my sake? Wow, what a dishonest child~ But big sis is so happy~"
"Ugh... Fuji-nee, you're so annoying."
Shirou pushed Taiga Fujimura away as she clung to him, then swept his gaze around the living room.
No wonder he had felt like something was missing today.
Normally, the moment Shirou stepped into the entryway, Illya would call out "Shirou-nii-san" and come bouncing over to hug him.
"Where are Iri and Illya?"
When Shirou asked, Taiga Fujimura's smile faded.
"Master and Illya... said they weren't feeling well, so they won't be eating dinner with everyone today."
"Huh? Is that so?"
Shirou immediately stood up, intending to go check on them.
At that moment, Rin Tohsaka, who had her chin resting on her hand, spoke up. "I checked on them just now. It's only a normal cold.
They've already taken medicine and are resting in their room. Sella-san is looking after them too, so let's not bother them for now."
Shirou said, "I'll just take a look. I won't disturb them."
Irisviel had long since exceeded the lifespan limit of a Homunculus, and Illya was the child of a Homunculus and a human. Even a minor cold was not something he could take lightly.
"I said they're fine. Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you, Tohsaka, but..."
Rin Tohsaka sighed. "That's not the point.
No girl wants a man to see her when she looks worn out, right?"
"You're right. I didn't think it through." Shirou nodded.
If it were him, he would not want that mother and daughter to see him at his weakest either.
Since Tohsaka said there was no problem, then there probably was no problem. She was a better Magus than he was.
"Here... Senpai, please have some tea."
"Thanks, Sakura."
Shirou accepted the cup of green tea from Sakura Matou.
"Is something wrong?"
Sakura Matou noticed Senpai staring at her and tilted her head adorably.
Shirou quickly shook his head. "No, nothing... I just suddenly thought that you've changed a lot these past two years, Sakura..."
"That remark just now could be considered sexual harassment, you know," Rin Tohsaka pointed out bluntly.
"Tohsaka-senpai...!"
A faint blush rose on Sakura Matou's cheeks.
Even if Tohsaka accused him of verbal sexual harassment, Shirou had no way to argue. After all, for one instant, he had indeed looked at Sakura from a sexual perspective.
At some point, the introverted, unassuming little girl in Shirou's memories had disappeared completely.
Sakura Matou had grown into a graceful, refined, pure beauty.
She could be called the very embodiment of a Yamato Nadeshiko. Not only that, but in terms of figure, she was undoubtedly the best in Homurahara.
Even though she was still only a middle schooler, she already had a miraculously mature figure that easily defeated the upperclassmen in the high school division and drew the eyes of boys her own age...
Of course, the owners of those restless gazes were later taken to task by Fuji-nee and Shinji.
"I'll go help in the kitchen. Sakura, you can stay seated."
Feeling that staying here any longer would only give Tohsaka more chances to tease him, Shirou found a random excuse and slipped into the kitchen.
Leysritt was in charge of dinner today.
"That smells good. What is it?"
Shirou walked beside the taciturn Homunculus girl and curiously looked into the pot where the food was stewing.
"This is wild boar meat," Leysritt answered.
Wild boar meat?
Shirou frowned. "That's odd. Did the shopping district start selling wild boar meat recently?"
Leysritt replied expressionlessly, "In the forest near the castle, I hunted a wild boar."
"That's pretty impressive," Shirou said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Whenever Leysritt was on duty, Shirou often got to eat rare ingredients that were hard to come by in everyday life.
That king crab from last week, she couldn't have gone and caught it herself, could she?
...
...
After Leysritt finished in the kitchen, she went to help Sella as well.
So tonight's dinner guests were only Shirou, Taiga Fujimura, Sakura Matou, and the uninvited Rin Tohsaka.
Even without the Einzberns present, the atmosphere at the table was still fairly lively.
After dinner, he washed the dishes with the Tohsaka sisters, chatted for a while about school, and then asked Fuji-nee to take Sakura home.
By the time all that was done, it was nearly eight in the evening.
Shirou decided to go check on the supposedly sick Irisviel and Illyasviel.
"Ah..."
"Shirou-nii-san?"
He ran into Irisviel and Illyasviel in the hallway.
"Are you two feeling better now?"
"Ah... um... we're fine now.
Jus... Mother and I have fully recovered. Sorry for worrying you, Shirou-nii-san."
Illya stammered, showing no intention at all of rushing over to hug Shirou.
"......?"
Shirou frowned. Something felt strange.
Iri and Illya were walking side by side through the mansion, mother and daughter, yet there was an indescribable oddness between them.
Normally, the two of them were always holding hands, but now there was about half a meter of distance between them.
And Irisviel had been silent from the moment they met. She had neither greeted him nor said anything, merely staring fixedly at him.
Shirou said, "Iri...?"
Irisviel: "..."
Illya tugged at her mother's sleeve, and only then did she snap out of her focused stare.
"Hello, Shirou Amamiya."
"Huh?"
For some reason, she had suddenly addressed him by his full name in an unusually distant way.
"Ah... Ahahaha! I'm playing a game with Mother where we call each other by our full names."
Illya stepped in front of her mother and said, "Isn't that right, Irisviel von Einzbern?"
Irisviel nodded without emotion. "Yes, Illyasviel von Einzbern."
Shirou: "..."
"A-all right, that's enough... Shirou-nii-san!
I'm taking Mother to the bath, so we'll use the bathroom first tonight! See you later!"
With that, Illya forcefully dragged Irisviel away.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief.
"Wait, Illya," Shirou called out to them.
"Wh-what is it?"
Illya forced a smile, a drop of cold sweat sliding down her cheek.
Shirou frowned. "The one beside you, is she really your mother, Irisviel?"
"..."
They had been exposed!
Illya screamed inwardly that this was bad.
The silver-haired woman standing in the hallway now was none other than Justeaze, who had swapped clothes with Irisviel.
The [Saintess of the Winter] possessed noble beauty and a perfect figure that could be called a near one-to-one replica of Irisviel's. Even Shirou could not distinguish them by appearance.
That was only natural, because in the end, Irisviel was a copy of the prototype that was Justeaze.
However, identical appearances could not fool Shirou's eyes. He would never mistake his own mother for someone else.
"Shirou-nii-san, she's..."
Illya's gaze darted away.
Just as she finally decided to confess everything.
Justeaze let go of her hand and strode over to Shirou.
"How absurd. You say I am not Irisviel, then who exactly am I supposed to be?"
Although the silver-haired, red-eyed Homunculus was half a head shorter than Shirou, she gave off the impression of looking down on him from above.
"......Are you Iri?"
Justeaze answered with an icy expression. "I am Irisviel."
From a human perspective, this was an outright lie.
From a Homunculus perspective, however, that statement was not incorrect.
Long, long ago, the Einzbern clan shared one immense soul.
As the Lesser Grail, Irisviel often heard voices in her dreams when she was young.
They were the prayers and sighs of her kin, who had failed to fulfill their long-cherished wish for two thousand years. Something akin to the human collective unconscious (Alaya), forever accompanying Irisviel at her side.
This was the fate and curse of the Einzbern family. No one could remain untouched by it.
As long as one was created as a Homunculus of that clan, their life would be devoted to the original dream, the Third Magic.
However, Shirou Amamiya's appearance had shattered that fate.
He had bewitched the Lesser Grail of this land, destroyed the Greater Grail at its source, and even won the support of the Einzbern main family.
That was why Justeaze wanted to understand him better. She wanted to know what kind of human he truly was.
The red-haired boy and the silver-haired woman stared into each other's eyes.
"Looks like I was mistaken."
In the end, Shirou was the first to lower his gaze.
There was no issue with the wavelength of her soul. It was Irisviel herself.
But mentally, her personality and aura had changed. Was it because of her cold?
Something similar, a malfunction, had happened before, so he could only assume that was the case.
Never mind. She would probably be back to normal tomorrow.
"Illyasviel."
"Yes, M-Mother."
"Leave us for a moment. I want to say a few words to Shirou Amamiya."
"But..."
"I'll come right away."
Illya looked at Justeaze, then at Shirou, before nodding and heading toward the bathroom.
"Shirou Amamiya, are you free tonight?" Justeaze asked.
"Huh? Yeah."
"Understood. Please wait in your room. I'll come by late tonight to talk with you."
After saying that, Justeaze turned and left.
Shirou frowned as he watched her disappear around the corner.
"Come to think of it... there weren't any Command Spells on Iri's hand."
...
...
That night, "Irisviel" arrived just as promised.
"Good evening, Shirou Amamiya."
The [Saintess of the Winter], disguised as Irisviel, began looking around Shirou's tatami room with curiosity the moment she entered.
She picked up the group photo on the table, stared at it for a long while, then set it back down.
Justeaze came before Shirou and knelt with perfect elegance.
"Now then, where should we begin?"
She murmured to herself, her face expressionless.
Shirou swallowed uneasily. Iri felt a little scary tonight.
"Is there a girl you like?"
"Wh..."
"Shirou Amamiya is a healthy adult man. Surely there must be one or two girls you like."
"Can I not answer that?"
Shirou muttered, why did he have to talk about this with Iri of all people?
"If you don't answer, then there can be no conversation."
Justeaze's fine brows drew together slightly.
She was quite confident in her ability to draw out a conversation. She had spent a long time researching and preparing for tonight.
"Then let me change the question. Of the two girls who stayed for dinner tonight, which one is your true choice?"
"......"
Justeaze pressed on. "Both of them? Neither of them? Ah, could the short-haired one be your true choice?"
Shirou was speechless. "What are you suddenly talking about? What's wrong with you today, Iri...?"
Justeaze suddenly leaned in and gazed into the red-haired boy's eyes.
"I want to understand you better."
Her pleasant scent entered Shirou's nose, and his cheeks flushed on their own.
Irisviel was the second woman in Shirou's life.
In terms of the number of times they had been intimate, she was far ahead of anyone else, and she had even taken the initiative to become pregnant with his child.
To Shirou, no matter how many times he had held her, Irisviel was still endlessly attractive. And...
Tonight, she somehow carried a mysterious charm completely different from usual. Her cold expression and gaze were strangely captivating too.
"..."
Shirou swallowed.
"What are you doing, Shirou Amamiya?"
Justeaze lowered her head. Shirou's right hand had started acting up.
"No, this was actually an accident..."
Although Shirou said that, he showed no intention of stopping. If anything, he grew even bolder.
Compared to the fierce momentum Irisviel usually showed when she forcefully pushed him down, Shirou's current approach could be considered gentlemanly.
Justeaze said, "I see. If I continue letting you do as you like, you'll be willing to answer my questions?"
"...Yeah." Shirou nodded.
Justeaze thought for a moment. "Very well. I accept. In that case, from now on, you must answer my... q-questions honestly... mm..."
Although the [Saintess of the Winter] still maintained her icy attitude, she could not help letting out a soft, alluring sound.
Looking closely, one could see a faint blush rising on her snow-white cheeks.
"..."
Seeing that subtle change in Justeaze, Shirou felt a strange sense of accomplishment and superiority well up in his chest.
No one knew Irisviel's every weakness better than he did.
Shirou knew better than anyone how to let her experience a woman's happiness.
"Then let me ask you... mm... What do you think of the Third Magic...?"
Justeaze began questioning him again, and Shirou answered honestly. Of course, answering questions was not the only thing he was doing.
Watching the silver-haired beauty's expression, Shirou felt a little relieved.
Though she had somehow turned into a cold, aloof beauty tonight, she was still the Iri he knew. Her sensitivity had not changed at all.
Justeaze bit her lip, her shoulders trembling softly.
Even so, she did not resist, continuing to fulfill her agreement with the red-haired boy.
Half a minute later, Justeaze's voice began to break.
"Is that so? You have no intention of... of using the Einzbern technology... Wait, that's... eek!"
Justeaze's cold expression had long since vanished, and her waist arched like a bow.
A voice that absolutely should not have belonged to a [Saintess] rang fiercely through the tatami room.
If he had not set up a soundproof Barrier beforehand, that voice probably would have echoed through the entire mansion.
Then, as if completely drained, Justeaze collapsed into the boy's arms.
Shirou held her shoulders and gently stroked her long silver hair.
Was it his imagination? She felt even easier to overwhelm than usual.
She had always been easy to overwhelm, but after all these years, she should have grown a little.
Well, it was probably because of the cold.
"All right, time to begin the examination."
Of course, Shirou had not done all of that for no reason.
His true purpose was to check whether Irisviel had manifested Command Spells.
If she had not, then Caren's claim that the [Holy Grail had appeared again] was complete nonsense.
Shirou carefully laid the unconscious Justeaze down on the bedding and removed the expensive dress, which cost about as much as a year of his living expenses.
"Huh? Wasn't she completely bare just a few days ago...? Did it grow back that quickly?"
***
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