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Matou Residence.
Dining Room.
"Miss Irisviel... are you sure you're good at cooking?"
Medusa stared at the mysterious black blob on her plate, her eyelids twitching nonstop.
After dealing with Gilles, Minato and Medusa had returned to the mansion—just in time to catch Irisviel showing off her cooking skills.
At first, they were a little hopeful.
I mean, she sounded pretty confident.
And sure, she was a bit scary behind the wheel, but at least she didn't crash the car.
She seemed... mostly reliable?
But now, staring at this thing on the table, even Artoria had gone silent.
Sakura's face turned white. "Nope. We'll definitely die if we eat that."
Artoria nodded in agreement. "Miss Irisviel, maybe… stay out of the kitchen from now on."
"Eh!? Really?"
Irisviel looked shocked, eyes filling with tears. "Lord Minato, what do you think?"
"Well... it definitely needs more practice," Minato said tactfully. "So let's have Medusa cook tonight instead."
Artoria and Sakura immediately lit up.
Compared to Irisviel, Medusa was basically a Michelin-starred chef.
And with this contrast? Her cooking might as well be divine cuisine.
Irisviel pouted. "Even you, Lord Minato? I was really confident, you know."
Confidence doesn't cancel out total lack of skill…
Everyone glanced at the dish emitting black smoke and quietly held back their comments.
Being able to make food this horrifying… honestly, that's a talent in itself.
"I can cook."
Medusa suddenly stood up and leaned in close to Minato.
"But I just got out of a fight, and I burned through a lot of mana…"
She looked completely serious.
"I need a mana refill."
Her face was flushed, but her tone was firm.
Strong, handsome, and he appreciated her—this was the perfect master.
"Sure," Minato said without hesitation.
She was being this direct—how could he say no?
He gently cupped her cheek and leaned down.
"Mmph..."
Medusa's pupils shrank.
His mana... it was so warm.
"Th-that's shameless!"
Artoria clamped her hands over Sakura's eyes, her own eyes wide with shock.
Mana transfer like this... was way too bold.
And for some reason, her own face felt incredibly hot.
"You're surprisingly innocent," Irisviel said warmly. "You're also Lord Minato's Servant. If you're low on mana, it's okay to ask for help too."
"I-I would never do that!"
Artoria snapped, but her eyes were glued to Minato's lips.
"What are you guys talking about?" Sakura asked sweetly. "Sis, can I open my eyes now?"
"Nope, just a little longer."
"Okay."
A moment later.
Medusa took a step back.
Her breathing was shallow, her skin faintly pink.
A legendary monster, huh? Yeah, she's definitely different.
Minato looked at her dazed expression and gave her a silent thumbs-up.
Finally, Medusa snapped out of it. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, her whole body trembled.
She… she'd been way too bold.
What happened to being reserved?
Why did she blurt out something like that!?
And this guy—he couldn't even pretend to say no!?
But… if he had rejected her, wouldn't that have been even more embarrassing?
"Well, since Master refilled my mana, I guess I'll whip up dinner for everyone."
She tilted her head proudly, trying to act cool as she stiffly walked toward the kitchen.
Minato watched her go and smiled. "If you ever need a refill, just come to me."
"After all, topping up my familiars is part of the job."
Medusa stumbled, but then sped up, practically running into the kitchen.
"Ara ara~ Medusa-san is a shy one too, huh."
Watching everything unfold, Irisviel couldn't help but smile like a proud aunt.
On the other side, Artoria finally relaxed her stiff posture and slowly lowered her hand.
That scene just now… was a bit too much for her to handle.
Magical energy restoration… or rather, that kind of restoration!
Of course she knew what it meant.
If she ran out of mana, would her Master do that with her too?
But if it really came to that… what would she even do?
Refuse?
No, that wouldn't be right. It's for her own benefit, after all.
But if she didn't refuse...
Thinking about what Minato had said earlier—about wanting to date—her face flushed an even deeper red.
"What just happened?"
Sakura Matou raised an eyebrow, looking confused.
Why did the atmosphere suddenly get so weird?
"You'll understand when you're older, Sakura~"
Irisviel ruffled her hair and smiled gently.
"I'm not a kid!" Sakura pouted. "Pretty soon, I'm gonna be just like you, Sis—I'll become Demon-uncle's wife too!"
Artoria: "..."
Irisviel: "..."
What the hell are kids these days thinking?
"Hmph! I'm serious!" Sakura huffed and brushed Irisviel's hand away before storming off toward her room.
Meanwhile...
Minato froze for a second, then rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Damn, Sakura… that's a pretty ambitious goal. I like the confidence though.
"Master, don't you feel ashamed of yourself?"
Artoria turned to look at him with a complicated expression. "You should probably have a talk with Sakura."
"She's just a kid. She doesn't really know what she's saying."
"Master, that face you're making… you're totally brushing me off."
"Oh, so you noticed, huh."
"You actually admitted it?! Master, you're only about… 0.7 away from being a full-blown degenerate!"
Artoria facepalmed.
Her Master wasn't just some demon...
He was a top-tier, grade-A, hopeless scumbag.
Medusa was right about him, after all.
Wait a minute...
He's never even denied it once!
Watching Artoria's reaction, Minato couldn't help but chuckle.
Teasing the King of Knights like this is kinda fun, actually.
But suddenly, his expression turned serious.
"Master, someone's coming."
Artoria snapped to attention, standing tall. "One... two… no, wait—there's a lot. Why are there so many Servants?!"
There was a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
"No doubt about it. Tonight's gonna be pretty lively."
Minato smiled. "Looks like all the ruckus I caused finally made them lose patience."
"....."