Tohru, Sayu Ogiwara, and Megumi Katou had gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone, leaving only Irisviel still lying drowsily in bed.
These past few days had been incredibly comfortable for her—far more so than her time in the Einzbern Castle.
Though the Einzbern family had treated her well in terms of material comforts, she had always felt like a tool to them.
Gentle by nature, she had never voiced her feelings, but deep down, she had always felt like a caged canary within the walls of the Einzbern Castle.
So when she had disguised herself as Artoria's Master and left the Einzbern family with her for Fuyuki City, it had felt like liberation.
And now, after coming to this new world with Shin, the people around her treated her even more like a human being—not some tool.
After all, not everyone was like the Einzberns, whose obsession with homunculi had stripped them of their humanity.
"Mmm..."
Still lying in bed with her eyes closed, Irisviel let out a soft moan as if sensing something, then slowly opened her eyes.
She had thought it was Illya coming to wake her up, but when she looked, she saw that the person sitting beside her wasn't her freshly washed daughter—it was Shin.
"Awake?"
Shin smiled at her. Given her habit of lazing around even back in the Einzbern household, Irisviel was always the last to wake up in his home.
After all, aside from magecraft, Irisviel had no particular skills, and Shin didn't expect her to work—just to live comfortably here.
Lately, Illya had been the one to wake her up, as she didn't want her mother to remain so lazy.
Earlier, Illya had even come to Shin's room to rouse Irisviel, but he had gently ushered her out—so when Irisviel finally opened her eyes, it was him she saw.
"Baa-ji..."
Irisviel gazed at Shin with a happy smile, stretching out her arms so he could pull her up from the futon.
Then she hugged him, pressing her ear against his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat before murmuring contentedly,
"Shin, why did you stay behind to wait for me today? Is there something you want to tell me?"
Normally, Shin would wake up, wash up immediately, and head straight to the dining room for breakfast—especially since he had school.
Usually, Irisviel would only see him at the table after leaving her room, so waking up to him right beside her was a rare and pleasant surprise.
"There is something, actually."
Shin chuckled—the reason he had sent Illya away earlier was precisely because this wasn't something she could know about yet.
Namely, the matter concerning Sitonai.
After all, he had already tested it: by dragging others into his "Ionai Hetairoi" Reality Marble, he could effectively transport them to other worlds.
And after taking Garou to Planet Vegeta, Shin had confirmed one thing—Garou couldn't leave the planet, meaning he was confined to the range of the Reality Marble.
So if Shin were to bring Sitonai into this world, she would only be able to move within his house, unable to step beyond its walls.
Unless, of course, he expanded the boundaries of "Ionian Hetairoi" to cover a larger area.
Still, this was already significant progress—at the very least, Sitonai could finally meet Irisviel.
The only complication was that this would mean two Illyas under one roof: the Illya from Prisma Illya and the Illya from Fate/stay night, now a Servant under the name Sitonai.
Shin didn't mind—raising one daughter or two made little difference to him. Money wasn't an issue, after all.
But what did Irisviel think? Was she prepared to have two daughters?
"I see... two Illyas..."
After listening to Shin's explanation, Irisviel was surprised but quickly accepted the idea.
After all, she had already been brought to this world by Shin and had even met an Illya from a parallel universe.
So if Shin could now bring the Illya from her original world as well, it wasn't that hard to believe.
"...I never thought the Einzberns would become so extreme."
Upon learning that the Illya from Fate/stay night had become a Servant under the name "Sitonai," Irisviel couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.
Without hesitation, she looked at Shin and made her request:
"Please, Shin—bring her back. I don't want her to suffer the same fate as I did."
Though the Einzberns had already been wiped out by Sitonai's rampage, meaning no one could command her anymore...
Her body was still a vessel for the Lesser Grail. If she remained in that world, she would inevitably walk the same tragic path Irisviel once had.
"Since you've asked, I'll bring her back tomorrow."
Seeing the earnest look in Irisviel's eyes, Shin nodded.
He had already been considering it, and now that Irisviel agreed, he could head to the Fate/stay night mission world tonight to retrieve Sitonai.
But that left one problem unresolved—if the Lesser Grail was taken away, how would the Holy Grail manifest in that world?
He'd have to ask Sitonai about it later. Perhaps she had a solution—after all, she and her two maids had taken all of the Einzbern family's assets with them.
Among those resources, there might be technology related to the Lesser Grail that could prove useful.
"Still, while I've agreed to bring Sitonai here... it'll be your job to manage both Illyas and help them accept each other."
Of course, after promising to retrieve Sitonai, Shin didn't forget to remind Irisviel of her responsibilities.
He didn't want the two Illyas clashing under the same roof, so this task would fall entirely on Irisviel's shoulders...
To be continued…