"You promised to help me hide my identity!" Prisma Illya tugged frantically at Jiang You's collar, on the verge of tears. How had he blown her cover so soon after they'd made that agreement? "Now Sella and the others will find out my secret!"
"I don't think being a Magical Girl is anything to be ashamed of..." Jiang You whispered, making sure only Prisma Illya could hear. He tried to soothe her agitation, pointing out that it wasn't a big deal for a Magical Girl to emerge from the Einzbern family of Magus. If Acht were still alive, he would likely smile with satisfaction—at least it still involved "magic."
"Besides, I only brought someone from a Parallel World here; I didn't reveal your identity. You were the one who blurted it out."
"Eh?"
Prisma Illya's expression shifted, realizing he was right.
"Illya, what other identities do you have? Tell your Sister," Sella said, seizing on the key phrase. She yanked Prisma Illya back, keeping her away from Jiang You while simultaneously restricting her escape. "Have you been keeping too many secrets lately?"
"Waaah..." Prisma Illya let out a plaintive wail, glaring resentfully at Jiang You.
"Let's put Illya's matters aside for now."
Jiang You subtly covered for Prisma Illya, gesturing toward Sella on his side. "Aren't you curious about your parallel world counterpart and her experiences with the Einzbern family?"
"... Impossible not to be curious."
The Sella from the other world wore a perpetually stoic expression, radiating an air of cool composure. After a long moment of contemplation, she finally decided to listen to their story. After all, if her other self was calling Jiang You "Master of the House," something significant must have transpired. "Come in, but our living room is a bit small. We'll have to squeeze together."
"So, this is where the timelines diverged?"
After recounting Kiritsugu's experiences in Illya's timeline, Sella couldn't help but marvel.
The eight of them were now crammed into the Emiya household's living room. The originally spacious sofa was packed to capacity, and since there weren't enough seats, Illya had settled on Jiang You's lap. The intimate gesture made Prisma Illya cover her face, earning both of them sharp glares—one from Sella on Prisma Illya's side, and the other, naturally, from Minamoto no Raikou.
"So, in this worldline, Kiritsugu survived, right? And he blew up the Einzbern family for Mother..."
Illya agreed, having learned about her own experiences in the Prisma Illya World. She gazed enviously at Prisma Illya, noting the stark contrast between this Kiritsugu and the one from her own timeline—practically polar opposites. After meeting the Kiritsugu from the Fourth Holy Grail War, she had finally come to terms with herself, but now her yearning for a father's love had been rekindled, making Prisma Illya feel uneasy under her intense gaze.
"Don't be sad, Illya..."
The shared name and identical appearance made Sella hesitate slightly.
"Kiritsugu and Irisviel here are also your family. Irisviel is so gentle; she'll definitely accept you."
Jiang You wholeheartedly agreed. Even Chloe, aka Kuro, had been embraced by the madam of this world.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I've already met my mother from another Worldline..."
Illya's earlier wish had been for Jiang You to summon her mother as a servant, hoping to fill the void of familial longing. However, after communicating with her mother from a decade earlier, she abandoned the idea. That timeline also had an Illya who needed her mother's warmth, and she couldn't bring herself to take that away. Besides, what she had always truly wanted was her own mother.
"I see..."
Sella's gentle gaze suddenly froze when it landed on Jiang You. "You're the one who took Illya there, aren't you?!"
"Not me," Jiang You retorted, genuinely baffled. "Unless you think it was the Old Man of the Jewels?"
He couldn't understand why Sella was getting involved in this Illya's affairs.
"The world over there also has an Illya, right?!"
Sella grasped the core of the issue. Jiang You seemed to be gravitating toward Illya. "You've made a move on her there too, haven't you?!"
Jiang You felt this was a slander. He was merely a simple lecher, not someone who only liked Illya. While Illya had been the person he'd interacted with most since the beginning, his feelings for her were indeed deeper.
"Don't talk nonsense! The Illya over there is only eight years old! How could I possibly make a move on her?!"
This was true. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Jiang You had only played with that Illya for a short while, and their encounters were rare. He had mostly been acting alongside the Illya beside him. Though their appearances were similar, that Illya felt far too young.
Another question lingered: Why had Mrs. Einzbern, who was only nine years old at the time, seemed so mature? Had she been given some kind of growth accelerator?
"Then the Illya here is only ten years old!" Sella blocked Jiang You's gaze toward Prisma Illya.
"I haven't made a move yet, okay?!"
"Not yet, huh?!"
Sometimes women—even artificial humans—defy logic. But one had to admit, a woman's intuition was remarkably sharp.
"You've clearly laid your hands on this Illya right here! You scum! You'd prey on any Illya you could get your hands on, wouldn't you?!"
"No, no, hold on! This Illya might look similar to the one from here, but she's already an adult! She's even older than Shirou in your world!"
Jiang You and Illya's relationship was on the verge of breaking through that thin barrier, but Jiang You needed to confirm a few things first, so he couldn't take the next step just yet.
"Besides, this Illya of yours is actually eighteen years old, even if her mental age is only eight."
"No... My mental age is at least ten, right?" Prisma Illya retorted.
"Moreover, I'm clearly a complete elementary school student! Where's anything remotely adult about me?"
Prisma Illya deeply admired her mother's form, eagerly anticipating her own growth. If she couldn't mature properly in a few years, she'd definitely burst into tears. Little did she know that she was destined for a future where she would remain unchanged for six millennia.
"It's because your parents here love you so much. To ensure you could grow up like a normal child, they repaired the flaws in your body and put you into a deep sleep until now."
Jiang You had mentioned this briefly before but hadn't explained it in detail to Prisma Illya.
"Of course. Actually, your physical condition and mental age are both ten years old, no different from a real ten-year-old. You don't need to worry too much about it. Just remember what your parents did for you."
As he spoke, Jiang You stroked Illya's head, comforting her. He had brought Illya here with the intention of letting her pretend to be Prisma Illya for a few days, so she could experience a world where she could be happy too.
"Let's drop this topic for now. The real reason I came here was to ask Sella and your sister Leysritt for a favor."