Emiya viciously grabbed Acheron's soft, delicate foot and took a bite. The taste was simply like the sweetest, most delicious pastry in the world, and he instinctively wanted to take another bite.
'Shit, how the hell did I turn into some kind of pervert!'
Snapping back to awareness of his pervy behavior, Emiya broke out in a cold sweat, bit the tip of his tongue to force himself to stay calm, and firmly shoved Acheron entirely into the covers, then decisively walked out of the room.
That whole mental trial had been far too torturous for an old soldier like him. Emiya felt that what little energy he had left had been completely drained.
But just as he was about to head straight into his own bedroom to lie down, he felt a powerful gaze fixed on him.
"Vera, did something happen?" Emiya's heart tightened. Even though Vera's expression was as cold and indifferent as always, he could feel her irritation inside.
"I just carried her in, I didn't do anything, I swear!"
"Heh, is that so." Vera pursed her lips, neither agreeing nor denying. "I'm turning off the lights. Lord Emiya, you should rest early too."
Barely keeping up her usual demeanor as she walked back into her room, Vera finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Her small fists clenched tight, her teeth ground audibly, her face full of frustration.
Everything had lined up perfectly, heaven's timing, the right place, and the right people. Emiya and Acheron clearly liked each other too.
Vera just couldn't understand why Emiya didn't make a move, why he insisted on forcefully suppressing his feelings.
As a woman, Acheron's allure, never mind men, even Vera as a fellow woman found herself jealous. Once they left this planet, they would encounter thousands, tens of thousands of people. Surely countless powerful figures would pursue Acheron.
Of course, Vera didn't think there existed a man in the world better than her own Lord Emiya. But unless Acheron was properly married into the family, there would always be variables.
Whether it was because she finally realized there was a man in the house now or something else, from then on Acheron never again wore a yukata. She even avoided short sleeves and shorts as if they were poisonous.
She went out of her way to buy a huge pile of sportswear, and for the whole summer bundled herself up tight.
Vera had dropped hints more than once, both openly and subtly, that it was the peak of summer, and even the Junkman F4 had switched into cool summer outfits. But Acheron was abnormally stubborn, no matter who told her, she wouldn't listen.
Emiya, however, was quite pleased with this outcome. No longer having to live every day on edge, dreading sudden tests of his self-control, he felt life had gotten much better.
———
Time flew, and the Emiya household welcomed their very first Christmas Eve on Azure Star.
The three of them had been preparing for this day for a long time, drawing up a full plan.
In the morning, they went on an outing to watch the snow.
At noon, they ate seafood buffet. In the afternoon, they watched a newly released Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster.
Then they went home early, joining the Kobayashi family to busily prepare a lavish dinner together.
By evening, the Junkman F4 finally arrived, carrying expensive red wine and all kinds of pastries, along with their children who had at last managed to come home for a visit.
The celebration went on late into the night before everyone reluctantly dispersed.
Emiya carried the already exhausted Vera and the drunken Acheron into the house, tucked them both in, then took half a bottle of wine himself and staggered up to the rooftop.
Looking at the now-familiar mountain scenery all around, watching the big snowflakes drifting down from the sky, Emiya felt a sudden swell of satisfaction.
"Haah, I've always heard that a woman's embrace is the graveyard of heroes… and even a coward like me can't resist temptation, huh."
He gulped down the rest of the wine in one go, muttering as he drifted into sleep, "Tomorrow when we go to the hot springs, I really can't drink. Vera almost got influenced today, and Acheron even encouraged her to drink… irresponsible…"
When he woke up again, Emiya found himself lying in a warm bed.
Vera was sitting at his side quietly knitting a sweater, while Acheron leaned back on the soft carpet at the foot of the bed, wearing headphones and watching a trashy palace drama with great interest.
"You're awake. I'll go get you some water."
"No need, I'm not thirsty." Emiya rubbed his temples, still feeling the hangover, and turned over, intending to sleep a bit longer.
"Does your head still hurt?" Vera knelt by his side, extending her soft, delicate hands to gently massage his temples.
"Not only did you drink heavily last night, you also slept out in the snow. I hope after this you'll properly reflect on yourself."
"Sorry, it won't happen again." Emiya felt a bit relieved, if Vera were an ordinary child, she would've long since been spoiled rotten by the two unreliable adults she lived with.
The bed was so warm, and Vera's touch so soft, that Emiya smiled foolishly and drifted back into a muddled sleep. But not long after, Acheron's loud voice jolted him awake.
"Get up, your phone's ringing again!"
Fuming, Acheron shoved the phone into his face. On the screen was a string of over 180 missed calls, half from last night, and half ringing off and on since six in the morning.
"It's the deputy manager from the supermarket. I'll take it outside!"
As Emiya's hurried footsteps rushed downstairs, Acheron suddenly pounced on Vera, pinning her to the floor, straddling her, and grabbing her slightly baby-fat cheeks.
"You knew all along it was Emiya's deputy manager, didn't you? Why didn't you let me answer? Tell me, what are you plotting!"
That deputy manager was very beautiful, and for every big and small holiday she always prepared exquisite gifts for Emiya. Their relationship was clearly not normal.
Finally catching this chance, Acheron wanted to declare her claim of ownership, but Vera had stopped her, not letting her answer the call.
"Since it was the deputy manager, of course it was to call Lord Emiya in to work overtime. But hadn't we already booked to go to the hot springs together tonight?" Vera stared straight at Acheron, frank and steady.
"I remember Emiya handed in his leave request last Monday, didn't he? And that delivery team leader promised to cover for him, right?" Acheron remembered clearly. To get someone to cover, Emiya had even paid out of his own pocket with a day's wages.
"That's true, but at the time the deputy manager was away on a business trip. The one really in charge of the supermarket is her."
"Wait, why do you know so much detail?"
"In my world, there is only Lord Emiya. Of course I know everything about him." As Vera spoke, her hand slipped into Acheron's pajamas and pinched the soft flesh at her waist, making Acheron jump sky-high in fright.
Knowing she's anxious about outside women, that means there's still hope.
Vera sighed inwardly. She had noticed that in front of Emiya, Acheron never showed a trace of girlish modesty, always behaving rough and careless.
She had thought that after last time's intimate encounter with Emiya, Acheron would realize something. But instead, Acheron had armored herself up, putting on a shell.
Since then, Acheron's way of living had grown even more unrestrained. Not only had she stopped bothering with her appearance, she'd even gotten sloppy at meals.
Every time she ate, she gorged herself wildly, then sprawled on the sofa watching dramas. Her slim waist had visibly grown rounder.
The once youthful, glamorous ice queen seemed, without anyone realizing, to be drifting toward the image of some sloppy, unkempt man.
Vera was worried that if this went on, the fragile little sprout of love Emiya had finally begun to feel for Acheron would, without them noticing, morph into just a buddy-buddy relationship.
That kind of bond was dangerous, once it solidified, it was nearly impossible to reverse.
Before long, Emiya came back inside, still holding the phone. From the apologetic look plastered all over his face, Vera immediately knew she had guessed right.
"What did the deputy manager say about how long you have to work?"
"She said business at the store is too good, and asked me to help from twelve to six o'clock."
Emiya's face was full of hesitation. The deputy manager had always looked after him, and he'd feel terribly guilty to refuse at a time like this. But to break his promise about their hot springs trip, there was no way he could do that.
"It's fine, after all, we booked the hot springs for the evening. It won't be delayed." Vera took out a velvet suit from the wardrobe and handed it to Emiya.
"After you finish work, change into this. We'll be waiting for you at the snack street next to the supermarket."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.