"Night? What's there to say? Just another round of draining Kuro to death. If I'm not mistaken, Spear Bro is gone too, right?"
Sakatsuki's fingers glided through silky golden hair, his expression gentle. The same hands that had been wielding blades mere minutes ago now moved deftly, weaving an elegant braid.
"So that means the Lancer must face punishment?"
Draco half-closed her eyes, basking in Sakatsuki's attentive care, nearly leaning against him for a nap.
"No helping it. A sacrifice for the greater good," Sakatsuki shrugged. After securing the final knot, he admired Draco's refined appearance and nodded in satisfaction.
For safety reasons (in every sense), Sakatsuki had long banned Draco's overly revealing bikini. The simple red dress had also been swapped out, replaced by a cool summer outfit in gold and red.
Ignoring the little red dragon's displeased expression, she now looked like a pretty young girl.
"Mhm, today's Majesty is especially adorable too."
Skilled at boosting Draco's mood with compliments, Sakatsuki chuckled to himself—only for his next words to reveal his true colors.
"After all, today is your punishment day~~"
On this island, only Sakatsuki would eagerly anticipate Draco's punishment. Watching this arrogant emperor endure retribution... Well, no matter how you thought about it, it was thrilling!
Yet, instead of responding to Sakatsuki's teasing, Draco simply stared at him intently before suddenly breaking into a radiant smile.
Like a millennium-old glacier finally melting, like a long-awaited night-blooming cereus finally unfurling, Draco's usually mocking eyes softened with a warmth akin to dawn, brightening the entire world.
"Y-You smiled?" Sakatsuki froze, panic inexplicably overshadowing his awe. "Uh, Majesty, what's this about? Why are you suddenly smiling at me?"
Draco: Struggling to smile.
Knock knock knock!
The wooden gate of the courtyard rattled as Ritsuka's voice rang out with the morning, interrupting their moment.
"Hey, Sakatsuki—rise and shine! The sun's up! No slacking off today—we agreed to upgrade the base, remember?"
"Got it!" Sakatsuki called back before turning to Draco with a grin.
"Well, I'm off then?"
Though they'd spent time together, Draco still preferred solitude over mingling with the other Servants, choosing instead to tend to her and Sakatsuki's little nest in the courtyard.
By now, the little red dragon had retracted her eerily dazzling smile, silently nodding as she watched Sakatsuki descend the stairs and join the bustling crowd outside. Only after a long pause did she finally look away, puzzled as she touched her cheek.
Was her smile... really that scary?
The fact that her first attempt at smiling had startled Sakatsuki so much left Draco somewhat disheartened. She plopped onto the sofa in a seated sprawl, hugging a pillow as she curled into a ball.
Well, whatever. Sakatsuki had said he'd love her no matter what, and besides...
As if struck by a thought, Draco's lips twitched uncontrollably into another unsettling smirk.
Besides, her 'punishment' was coming soon.
***
"I think we should upgrade the house—boom!"
"I agree with Tamamo-no-Mae too! Let's go~!"
The statements from Kiyohime and Tamamo-no-Mae marked the beginning of today's infrastructure plan.
"Courtyard, pond, vegetable fields, grain fields, pasture, roads, waterways, bridges..."
Mash looked at the unfolded blueprint and nodded in agreement:
"Given how far the island has developed, I can definitely understand this idea."
"After all, cramming so many people into one courtyard is just too crowded—though of course, a certain couple's love nest is an exception."
Ritsuka shot a deadpan look at Sakatsuki, her tone dripping with sarcasm—whether because she couldn't snuggle with her waifus or for some other reason, it was hard to tell.
"Ahaha..." Sakatsuki laughed awkwardly, swiftly changing the subject. "So, what do you all think the courtyard should be expanded into?"
Tamamo-no-Mae was the first to raise her hand. "We naturally think a samurai-style residence would be best! With a spacious courtyard and... maybe even a storehouse?"
"A bigger house? That just sounds like a castle to me," Illya, the little princess of the Einzbern family, said matter-of-factly. To her words, Artoria nodded in agreement.
"I concur. When speaking of a king's dwelling, a castle is only fitting. It should be that way from the start."
"Mmm, as a proud Japanese wife and shrine maiden, I wanted to recommend a samurai residence, but..." Tamamo-no-Mae's enthusiasm visibly waned as two people immediately supported the castle idea. "As a summer noblewoman, I'm starting to think a castle might not be so bad either..."
Sakatsuki waited for a while, then looked around in surprise.
"That's it? Just two proposals? Isn't the usual pattern three? Where's Mordred? Why isn't she voicing her opinion?"
"Sakatsuki, have you not noticed that Sir Mordred is already missing?" The group fell silent, with only Artoria smiling as she took over the conversation. "Of course, I have no idea where this troublesome knight has gone. Perhaps she was exiled to the sea? Or knocked out and buried in the dirt... Not that I did anything or saw anything, of course?"
"...."
Faced with the smiling King of Knights, Sakatsuki took an uncharacteristic step back, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
For some reason, he had a feeling he'd develop PTSD from smiling expressions for a long time...
"A-Anyway, let's get started."
Desperate to change the subject, Sakatsuki quickly manipulated his projection magecraft and began a new creation.
With increasingly refined construction skills, a nearly 500-square-meter samurai residence replaced the original Japanese-style courtyard, standing firmly on the leveled ground.
"My mission is complete!" With a relieved shout, Sakatsuki wore a construction helmet and held a shovel, dramatically wiping sweat from his brow. On his shoulder, the snow-white Fou wore a matching yellow helmet, his expression identical to the young man's.
Miyu, dressed in a maid outfit, hurried over with a towel and water, offering service to her dear brother.
"You're just using magecraft to solve everything... Why the act?" Ritsuka muttered under her breath, unaware that behind her, a certain little snake's Madness Enhancement was flaring up again.
"Ah, what a magnificent samurai residence! To think you built this for me... Thank you so much, Master! This must all be because of love, right?"
Kiyohime's eyes sparkled as she spoke, completely ignoring the builder Sakatsuki and advancing step by step toward Ritsuka... Then Mash stepped forward, blocking the space between them with a forced smile:
"Indeed, this should be an excellent living space. Let's go inside and take a look."
"Mhm, let's start with the garden!" Tamamo-no-Mae quickly interjected, dragging little Kiyohime away.
As they opened the much wider door, everyone filed in one by one, arriving at the courtyard decorated with a dry landscape garden and looking around.
"Fou!" Fou jumped down from Sakatsuki's shoulder and rolled around on the leaf-covered lawn.
"Hmm... This feels strangely nostalgic."
Artoria carefully sat down on the walkway, her expression softening as she took in the scenery: "One could say... it brings a sense of peace. That building ahead must be the storage shed, right? If we could pile up more broken junk there, it would be even more calming. Yes."
Was she remembering the scenery of the Emiya household?
Sakatsuki watched his beautiful king silently with a knowing smile.
He had to admit—during the construction process, he'd subconsciously mimicked the Emiya residence's design. After all, he also carried the memories of the great hero.
"Brother." Miyu, who had also grown up in the Emiya household, walked over and gently embraced Sakatsuki. "I really like this house."
"Me too." Sakatsuki picked up the little maid and sat down beside Artoria. "Otherwise, why would I have built it?"
Whether it was Miyu, Sakatsuki, or Artoria, they all found themselves lost in memories within this familiar yet different courtyard.
While Sakatsuki and the others lingered outside, Kiyohime and the rest ventured further in.
"The interior decor is quite elaborate too... Huh? For some reason, I feel like striking an attacking pose with my spear here would be really satisfying..."
Cu Chulainn glanced around, inexplicably itching for action—only to be met with Kiyohime's icy glare.
"If it's just posing, I'll allow it. But if you actually start wrecking the sliding doors, I won't listen to any excuses before burning you to a crisp, understand?"
After touring most of the place, Ritsuka finally found herself seized by Kiyohime, hand in hand, being led deep into the house.
"Come, come, Master, this way please." Kiyohime beamed, starting to shoo the others away. "This is a very private area, so everyone else should go look somewhere else."
Since this grand house had been proposed jointly by Tamamo and Kiyohime, the others didn't think much of it and obediently followed Tamamo-no-Mae elsewhere.
The moment the group left, Kiyohime immediately turned back, gazing at Ritsuka with barely contained eagerness:
"I need to make some preparations, so please allow me to enter this room first. Master, wait about five minutes before coming in, okay? I'll take my leave now."
"Huh? Hey—!" Before Ritsuka could respond, Kiyohime slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving the bewildered Master standing alone.
"What's going on...?"
After a while, figuring enough time had passed, Ritsuka opened the door.
"It should be fine now. I'm coming in."
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes landed on the large bed at the room's center.
"This is... a bedroom? And right in the middle of the room..."
As Ritsuka stared, the bedding on the bed began to squirm, accompanied by heavy, ragged breathing.
"This is the Master's bedroom. A very important place, so I believe it's necessary to test-sleep here first. The futon is already laid out—please fully experience how it feels to sleep here. Come, come~~"
Before the petrified Ritsuka could respond, the 'futon' answered its own question:
"As for me? Why am I here... hehe, please don't mind it."
"..."
After a long silence, Ritsuka turned her head to look at the snow-white little beast strolling over.
Fou: "Fou?"
"I'll let Fou have the privilege of first sleep..." Muttering this, Ritsuka grabbed the scruff of Fou's neck and stuffed it into the futon as a living sacrifice.
Immediately, the futon began to stir as if a trap had been triggered, accompanied by the love-filled moans of a certain woman:
"Ahhh~, Master~, ahhh~! You've finally accepted my love! Hug!"
"Fouuu!?"
"Ahhh, Master~, you're unexpectedly furry, so fluffy and soft, full of wildness, so wonderful~!"
"Enjoy yourself slowly..." Forcing a dry laugh, Ritsuka retreated step by step before finally fleeing the dangerous scene without looking back.
"Fou~uuu~!!!"
***
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