Shirou brought Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou back home.
They prepared and ate dinner as though nothing had happened.
After the dishes were washed and Taiga Fujimura had been seen off, Rin got straight to the point.
"Now then, Sakura. I'd like you to answer a few questions."
"Y-yes... Tohsaka Senpai."
In the Amamiya family's living room, Sakura Matou sat trembling in seiza, with Rider, the mysterious beauty of unknown origin, standing behind her.
Rin Tohsaka stood imposingly before Sakura with her arms crossed over her chest. Shirou was on her left, while Tiamat, no longer in Spirit Form, sat on her right.
The Einzbern family had gone to stay at their castle in the forest tonight and would not return until the weekend.
"Hey, Tohsaka... you don't have to be so harsh on her, do you?"
Shirou tried to speak up for Sakura, only for Rin to shoot him a fierce glare.
"She tried to set up a Barrier in a school full of ordinary people, you know? Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be strange for her to be declared a Witchcraft Magus on the spot. The fact that I'm willing to sit down and hear her out is already more than generous."
Sakura whispered, "Um, I checked it repeatedly. The Barrier wouldn't put any pressure on ordinary people..."
"That's not the issue. Do you understand?"
"Ah, yes..."
Rin cut off Sakura's defense without giving her any room to argue.
"Why exactly did you set up that Barrier at the school? And who is that woman behind you, Rider?"
The person who had set up the detection Barrier at Homurahara Academy was none other than Sakura Matou.
Rin Tohsaka finally understood why Shirou had acted as though the matter had nothing to do with him when she invited him to investigate the Barrier with her that morning.
He must have known from the very beginning that Sakura was the one who had set it up.
It was irritating enough that Shirou had recognized the culprit at a glance when she had failed to notice.
What annoyed her even more was that Shirou had actually covered for Sakura over something where right and wrong were so clear.
"Amamiya, once I'm finished questioning her, you and I are going to have a private talk."
"Uh..."
Shirou wore a complicated expression.
Rin suddenly leaned forward, fixing Sakura with an intimidating stare.
"Would you please answer my question?"
"...Y-yes, Tohsaka Senpai!"
Shirou was already accustomed to Rin like this, but it was Sakura's first time seeing such murderous intensity from her, and it frightened her badly.
"I set up the Barrier... because I wanted to help Rider-san find someone."
"Find someone? Come to think of it..."
Rin Tohsaka remembered the strange things Rider had said when she attacked her.
"Are you my Master?"
"It seems you're not my Master after all..."
In other words, Rider, despite being a Servant, was searching for her own Master?
"Explain exactly what's going on."
Sakura Matou nodded and began to explain.
She first told Shirou and Rin how she had met Rider.
"You found her in an alley after school?"
Rin Tohsaka was utterly dumbfounded, but Sakura Matou nodded earnestly.
Shirou said, "No, come on. That's too ridiculous. Can you really just pick up a Servant off the street...? Why are you looking at me?"
"When I look at Amamiya-kun's face, suddenly it doesn't seem impossible."
"Why?"
Considering everything that had happened to Shirou so far, Rin found herself accepting Sakura Matou's explanation.
Sakura Matou continued, "Rider-san has lost her memory. She can't remember her name or her identity."
"Huh?" Rin Tohsaka exclaimed.
Shirou considered it for a moment. "I think it may be because she wasn't summoned through the proper process, so her memories are in disarray. Rider, do you really not remember anything?"
Shirou turned toward the long-haired woman behind Sakura. Rider nodded without expression.
"I know what I am, and I know my purpose. But my name and my past are hazy. I can't remember them at all."
Rin Tohsaka fell silent.
At school, Rider had seemed like an alluring woman who radiated danger...
But once the setting changed to a warm living room, she instead came across as an elegant, gentle, quiet, and intellectual beauty.
She would probably look really good in glasses. And speaking of which... Shirou had been sneaking glances at her chest out of the corner of his eye this entire time! He was being way too obvious!
Shirou said thoughtfully, "So, to you, finding your Master is more important than remembering your own name or identity?"
"Yes."
Rider answered without hesitation, her refined, intelligent features showing not the slightest uncertainty.
Sakura Matou gathered her courage and said to Rin, "I wanted to help Rider, so I was the one who offered to form a contract with her and help her search for her Master. Setting up the detection Barrier at school was my idea too. Rider had nothing to do with it... I'm truly sorry for causing trouble for you and Senpai, Tohsaka Senpai!"
"......Ugh!"
Seeing her younger sister bow her head so deeply left Rin Tohsaka completely at a loss.
She had certainly been angry before, but ultimately, that anger came from worrying that Sakura might get caught up in something dangerous.
Now that she had calmed down and thought about it, perhaps she had been a little too harsh.
Unsure what to do, Rin Tohsaka shot Shirou a pleading look.
"Sakura, raise your head."
"Yes, Senpai." Sakura Matou bit her lip.
Shirou said, "If anything like this happens again, talk to me or Tohsaka first."
"Mm."
"It's not that we don't trust your abilities, but when something like this happens, it's safer to consult someone you trust, right?"
"Mm."
"When Tohsaka discovered the Barrier at school this morning, the first thing she did was come talk to me about it too."
"Tohsaka-senpai...?"
Sakura Matou, who had done nothing but nod until then, finally reacted.
She looked at Rin Tohsaka in surprise. Rin immediately became embarrassed.
"I-it's not that strange, is it...? Besides, I didn't come to you because I trusted you! I just wanted to sound you out and see whether you were the one behind it... Don't get the wrong idea!"
Rin Tohsaka's face turned bright red.
"Even Tohsaka-senpai..."
Sakura Matou had always believed that her perfect older sister could handle anything by herself.
Learning that even Rin relied on Shirou suddenly made Sakura feel relieved.
Tohsaka-senpai and I really are sisters after all... the girl thought quietly.
"I understand. From now on, I won't hide things from everyone and act recklessly on my own."
"Good."
Shirou looked at Rin. "You don't have any objections now, do you, Tohsaka...? Sakura's a good girl who admits when she's done something wrong and fixes it. Let's forgive her this time."
"Fine. But there won't be a next time... Wait a second! I ended up playing the bad guy the entire time! You got to say all the nice things!"
"That's because your face looked like a demon's just now, Rin. Haven't you ever looked in a mirror?"
"Hehehe... Amamiya, you just said something very interesting, didn't you?"
Sakura's laughter swept away the heavy atmosphere in the living room.
Sakura Matou went to the kitchen to boil some water, then brought everyone freshly brewed tea.
Rin Tohsaka had already decided to help Sakura and Rider with their search. Blowing gently over her steaming teacup, she asked, "Rider, do you have any clues about the Master you're looking for?"
The intellectual beauty with long purple hair shook her head.
Her Master was clearly extremely important to her, but she genuinely could not remember anything.
That was why Sakura had come up with the idea of collecting portraits of everyone living in Fuyuki City and showing them to Rider, hoping she might recognize someone.
"That's an insane amount of work! How could that possibly be practical?" Rin complained helplessly.
"So it really won't work? I'm sorry."
Sakura looked dejected and immediately sank into a spiral of self-pity.
"I'm not very smart, and I can't do things as well as you and Senpai... This was the only idea I could come up with."
"Ah, that's not what I meant... Sakura..." Rin hurriedly tried to comfort her younger sister.
Shirou took a sip of tea. "Speaking of which, Sakura, you've gotten a lot better at setting up Barriers."
"Really?"
The girl's attention was immediately drawn away, pulling her out of her negative spiral.
Shirou nodded. "Yeah. You've been studying for less than three years, but you can already set up a Barrier over such a large area. That's really impressive... Right, Tohsaka?"
"Y-yeah... That's right. I nearly failed to disable the fulcrum myself."
Remembering the Magic Crest on the school rooftop, Rin said with a trace of guilt, "You've really been working hard, Sakura."
Sakura Matou smiled happily. "It's all thanks to your teaching, Senpai. Please keep guiding me in Magecraft from now on."
"Sure. If you ever have any questions, just ask."
Sakura Matou set her teacup back on the table.
"Senpai, I actually have a question right now."
"What is it?"
The purple-haired girl shifted her gaze away from Shirou's face and toward the seat beside him.
There sat the woman who had been there since the interrogation began, watching over their conversation the entire time with a compassionate smile.
"Who is the woman beside you?"
"..."
"..."
Tiamat proudly puffed out her ample chest and announced who she was.
Sakura's brows knit slightly. "Senpai's... um, wait, isn't Irisviel-san his mother?"
Tiamat shook her head. "Iri is also Mother's child."
Sakura looked utterly baffled. "Uh... because she looks so young, I never even considered that possibility. So... are you Senpai's grandmother?"
Tiamat shook her head again. "I am Shirou's."
"I'm sorry... what?"
"Starting today, Sakura is Mother's child too."
"...???"
Thrown into complete confusion, Sakura Matou looked to Shirou and Rin Tohsaka for help.
With no other choice, Shirou repeated to Sakura what he had already explained to Rin.
"Tia-san is the Goddess of Creation from the world of the Incineration of Humanity..."
After hearing the story of the Seventh Singularity, Sakura Matou's mind only became even more muddled.
Tiamat gently stroked her head. "It's all right. Sakura only needs to think of Mother as your mother~ There, there, what a good girl~"
Because Shirou's explanation had taken a full hour, it was already close to nine at night.
Shirou stood up.
"It's getting late. I'll walk you home, Sakura. Or should I ask Byakuya to come pick you up?"
"It's all right, Senpai. Rider is here to protect me."
Shirou accepted Sakura's reasoning. "True. Rider does seem really strong. Doesn't leave much room for me to do anything."
"Honestly, could you at least pretend to insist a little?" Rin rolled her eyes.
"Senpai, why don't you walk Tohsaka-senpai home instead?"
"Huh?"
Sakura's words left both Shirou and Rin stunned.
"Um, I'm fine, really."
"Exactly. The kind of man who'd dare attack Tohsaka hasn't even evolved yet... Ow!"
Shirou clutched the foot she had stepped on.
Sakura Matou smiled. "Everything that happened tonight was my fault. I put Tohsaka-senpai in danger... So, as an apology, I'll give Tohsaka-senpai the chance to have Senpai walk her home."
"Are you sure?" Rin Tohsaka asked.
"Yes." Sakura nodded earnestly.
"All right."
The two of them looked at each other in the Amamiya household's entryway, then exchanged smiles of quiet understanding.
Shirou cut into the touching atmosphere between the sisters and protested.
"Hey, shouldn't you two be taking my wishes into account? I'm not a prize for you to hand around!"
"Oh my. Are you really that unwilling to walk me home, Amamiya-kun?" Rin covered her mouth and giggled.
"It's not that I'm unwilling. I just don't think it's necessary. Tohsaka, you don't need anyone protecting you."
"How is it not necessary? Every girl has times when she wants to be treated gently... Come on."
Rin Tohsaka grabbed Shirou by the wrist and forcibly dragged him out of the house.
After that, Shirou, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou said their goodbyes and headed toward their respective homes.
Acting as her escort, Shirou walked Rin all the way to the foot of the hill below the Tohsaka Mansion.
Along the way, they talked about all sorts of things they usually never brought up, like school, the Kyudo Club, the Student Council, and so on.
It felt like... the distance between him and Tohsaka had gotten a lot smaller.
By the time he got home, it was almost bedtime.
Since Irisviel had taken Illya and the others to stay in the forest, Shirou didn't have to wait in line to use the bathroom.
A lot had happened today. He should get to sleep early.
He returned to his room, only to find, to his surprise, two futons laid out side by side on the tatami.
And sitting quietly beside them, waiting for Shirou, was his newlywed wife.
"Tia...?"
"We agreed that we would sleep together tonight."
"Oh, right."
Because Irisviel had declared, "Even if you're married now, Shirou is still a high school student, so he can't sleep together with Tia-san," Tiamat had been made to sleep alone in the guest room whenever she stayed at Shirou's house.
Tonight, with Irisviel and the others away, that restriction was gone.
Tiamat's long-awaited chance to sleep together with Shirou could finally come true.
"Come here, Shirou~ Let's sleep~"
Tiamat spread her arms wide.
Was she telling him to dive into her arms, or to get under the covers?
Shirou hesitated for just a moment, then decided to follow his instincts.
"...Ah."
Tiamat let out an adorable little sound as Shirou tackled her down onto the soft bedding.
"You really do like being spoiled, don't you? It's all right. Be as spoiled as you want."
Tiamat hugged Shirou tightly.
She was wearing a nightgown provided by Taiga Fujimura. It was supposed to be loose-fitting sleepwear, but on her, it was stretched round and full.
She had nothing on underneath, probably because they simply couldn't find anything in Tiamat's size.
If he went looking in Irisviel's or Leysritt's room, he might be able to find something that fit her.
But Shirou wasn't obedient enough to go that far.
He could go with Tia to Shinto tomorrow and buy some. But for tonight, he would enjoy this all-natural embrace to the fullest!
The two of them rolled around on the futons for a while.
Thinking that it was just a child playing around, so a little mischief was fine, Shirou got somewhat carried away.
At first, the Goddess of Creation laughed and said, "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" But before long...
"Shirou, that tickles~"
Her breathing grew quick, and the sounds slipping from her beautiful lips went from gentle to alluring.
"Don't, Shirou..."
"Do you not like it, Tia?"
"No... I do... I love Shirou the most, but... mm~"
"My head feels a little dizzy... I feel like I'm going to turn strange..."
That was probably enough mischief for tonight. He had to get up early for school tomorrow.
Thinking that, Shirou let go of Tiamat before his own reason could begin to waver as well.
"Hah..."
There were tears in the corners of the Goddess of Creation's eyes. As she regained her composure, a faintly regretful expression crossed her face.
"Let's sleep, Tia."
"Okay."
Shirou was just about to lie down when something suddenly caught the corner of his eye.
"?"
At some point, Tiamat's nightgown had gotten stained.
"What's this?" Shirou asked.
Tiamat shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.
"Did Shirou drool?"
"I did not! But..."
Shirou leaned in and sniffed. Hmm. It had a sweet fragrance.
It reminded him of several years ago, not long after Illya had first come to live in this house.
Shirou had tasted it once back then, so the memory had stuck with him.
In other words, this was...
Shirou explained the situation to Tiamat and told her what had happened to her body.
"This is...!"
After hearing him out, the Goddess of Creation's starry pupils widened slightly.
In Tiamat's long life of hundreds of millions of years, this was the first time such a thing had ever happened.
A miracle born from love.
As a goddess and a Dragonkind, Tiamat did not originally possess that kind of function. Yet because she doted on Shirou so much, she had evolved.
Tiamat looked both happy and embarrassed, completely at a loss.
"Shirou... what should we do?"
"Even if you ask me..."
Shirou was just as flustered. All he knew was that if things stayed like this, neither of them would be able to sleep properly.
"For now, let's get some tissues and clean it up."
Just as Shirou got up and started rummaging through the cabinet...
"..."
Tiamat looked bashfully at her beloved child, then suddenly asked,
"Um... Shirou, would you like to...?"
"!"
Shirou froze where he stood, as if struck by lightning.
"...Is it okay?"
Tiamat gave him a shy, gentle smile.
"Of course it is."
Under the boy's gaze, the Goddess of Creation slipped the straps of her nightgown from her shoulders.
***
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