Naoki was unaware that Morgan had directly attacked Touko and the others. Even if he had known, he likely wouldn't have been able to get there.
"Come on, Naoki, aaahh~"
"Riddell, are you treating him like a child? Naoki, do you want to eat this?"
Seeing Riddell and Aoko flanking him on both sides, serving him food and practically spoon-feeding him, Naoki felt for the first time, how painful eating could be. He desperately wanted to say he had hands and could eat on his own, but even if he did, the two women beside him probably wouldn't listen.
The two of them were currently locked in fierce competition.
The group was having lunch at Rei and the others' base in Miyama City. Although the hotel provided lunch, to protect Riddell, who had lost her Servant, Naoki and the others decided to return here for the meal.
Watching this scene, Rei couldn't help but shake her head in resignation. "Master is really popular, but I truly wish you'd be a bit more considerate of our feelings. The lunch Gray worked so hard to prepare is going uneaten."
"You think I want this… Riddell, Aoko, I can eat by myself, don't do this."
"No way, think of this as practice for when we go to my place later. If we don't get closer, those old folks won't believe us." Riddell said, feeding Naoki a piece of fish.
Seeing this, Aoko didn't wait for Naoki to swallow, flipping her hand and feeding him another piece of fish.
"Puufff—"
Mordred couldn't hold back her laughter. Seeing her usually dominant Master under such pressure from women was a novel experience for her. Beside her, hearing Mordred laugh during the meal, Artoria immediately frowned. "Sir Mordred, please be calm while eating. Have you forgotten your etiquette?"
"I know, I know, Father's such a nag—Ah! I wanted that steak! Father, leave some for me!"
"The dining table is like a battlefield; you must always be vigilant while eating, Sir Mordred. You're too careless—Rei, please get another bowl of rice. A big one."
"Then I want more too! Rei, add some rice for me!"
"Alright, alright, Mordred, sit down first."
Calming Mordred, whose fighting spirit had flared up, Rei took both of their rice bowls. Just as she was about to turn around to serve more rice, she noticed Gray beside her, still holding her bowl of rice without touching a single grain.
"Gray? What's wrong? You haven't eaten at all. Not hungry?"
"Ah—!"
When Rei said this, Gray jumped and let out a small yelp, then apologized. "Sister Rei, what did you just say? I didn't quite hear."
"I said, why aren't you eating? You haven't touched your food at all. No appetite?"
"No… I was just thinking about something."
Gray's voice was soft, and everyone present was perceptive enough—even Mordred could tell that Gray was currently preoccupied with something heavy. This wasn't her usual self.
Swallowing the two pieces of fish in his mouth, Naoki asked with concern, "Is something bothering you, Gray? If you don't mind, can you tell me? I'll see if I can help you sort it out."
"If something's making you uncomfortable, you have to say so, Gray. If you're unhappy, Master will get worried too." Mordred added, trying to comfort Gray in her own way.
"Big Brother, Miss Mordred… um, I'm really fine, no need to worry too much." Gray smiled and shook her head. "Oh, right, Miss Atalanta is still keeping watch on the roof. I need to bring her some lunch."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gray hurriedly left the dining table, rushed to the kitchen to grab a lunch box, and headed up to the second floor.
Watching her leave, Naoki couldn't help but frown, turning to Rei and asking, "Rei, did something happen while I was gone? Gray, she…"
"You don't need to worry about her business, Master. After all, every girl has her own little secrets. Just interact with her as usual. If there's a problem, I'll help Gray."
"You're right. You're all women, so in some ways, you understand Gray better than I do. I'll leave her to you then."
He hoped Gray was truly okay.
Seeing Naoki's worried expression, Riddell and Aoko exchanged glances through him, each catching something in the other's eyes. Then Riddell stood. "I'm going to the bathroom. Naoki, where's the bathroom?"
"Just up the stairs."
"Thanks."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Second floor.
Near the bathroom, by the stairs leading to the roof, Gray walked down slowly, sighing softly with furrowed brows.
"Thinking about your brother, little Gray?"
Riddell's unexpected voice suddenly came from the side. Startled, Gray turned to see Riddell leaning against the wall, waving at her as if she'd been waiting for a while.
"Sister Riddell, why are you here?"
"Going to the bathroom and also giving some advice to a sweet little sister who's feeling confused." Riddell smiled. "It's been a few years since we last met. I thought we could build a good relationship with the beautiful young woman Gray has become, but it seems things aren't going so well. Is it because we haven't seen each other in years, so you feel a bit awkward with me?"
"No, it's not like that…"
[Well, a big sister you haven't seen in years suddenly becomes your potential sister-in-law. For silly Gray, that's quite a big deal, you know.]
Add's playful voice came from under Gray's cloak.
[Besides, the problem lies with this girl's own thoughts. She's hesitating to act, so her position got taken. Haaa, I've told her so many times to be more decisive—]
"Add, don't talk nonsense!"
Gray quickly cut off Add's chatter, but what Add revealed was enough for Riddell to grasp Gray's thoughts. She gave a faint smile. "Hmm, so that's what little Gray's thinking?"
"No, Add's just talking nonsense."
"Come on, don't be stubborn. That dense brother of yours might not see it, but we women probably can. I had a slight hunch about this when you two left back then, but I didn't expect you to have grown up so much…"
"Little Gray, you love your brother, don't you?"
Gray: "!"