As I expected, Kiyohime called me Anchin and 'husband'.
Well, she falls in love easily, after all. Of course, she doesn't fall for just anyone.
Ritsuka was judged to be Anchin, maybe because she seemed like a good person from her actions, or maybe because she accepted Kiyohime.
Why was I judged to be Anchin?
"Would you mind telling me why I'm your husband, this person called Anchin?"
"Ah, that's obvious, of course. It is because you possess all of Anchin-sama's characteristics! First, your skin, as fair as this Kiyohime's, if not more so!"
"No, I'm just pale."
"And your eyes, the same as Anchin-sama's, and the deep dark circles under them that speak of fatigue! Just like him when he walked the pilgrimage path to Kumano!"
"That's just from overworking. Though the first time I got these dark circles was from pulling an all-nighter gaming as a student, and they just never went away."
"And your hairstyle! Anchin-sama was a monk, but his sect did not require the young ones to shave their heads!"
"I think that's a real coincidence, and I'm not religious."
"And most decisively, that handsome-yet-ordinary face!"
Now this is just unfair. Of course, by the standards of my past life, my current appearance could be considered celebrity-level handsome. But that's by my past life's standards.
By the standards of this world, I'm average. In fact, back in my school days, there were plenty of guys more handsome than me. Sure, there were also rugged-looking guys with different features, but they were probably judged as being handsome in a different category, like Orion.
It makes sense, since this is a world where even Diarmuid is considered incredibly handsome. I mean, he is handsome, but I always wondered if it was to *that* extent. I used to think it was just a difference in art style, and that Gawain or Tristan were far better looking.
And this is a world with many beauties like the Prince of Lanling. In other words, in this world's context, my face is also average.
In my past life, I might have gotten some perks with this face, but here, there was nothing of the sort. This is what you get in a subculture world.
"Sorry, but I think you're looking through rose-colored glasses. Are you saying you see me as Anchin based on appearance alone?"
"Your voice is similar, too!"
Hmm, this is a checkmate.
"Alright, alright. So the conclusion is, you've fallen for me. Is that it?"
"Yes! Because, you are my Anchin-sama!"
Well, experiencing it firsthand, I get it now. She's not seeing me; she's seeing Anchin.
It makes sense, since we've only just met. How could she fall in love so fast? The Kiyohime from my original world at least developed feelings for Ritsuka through their interactions before falling in love and, like Brynhildr, equating her with Anchin due to her madness.
In the end, it was still an 'Anchin judgment,' but at least there was a reason she fell for her before making that judgment. But with me, it's completely baseless praise.
It was, to put it mildly, some serious reaching. So much so that even Báthory was looking on from behind with an incredulous expression.
For now, I'm very concerned about the fallen Siegfried, but if I don't deal with Kiyohime, she'll probably cause a rampage. I wonder if I have immunity to flames.
I've never seen that Ryuuji guy get hurt by fire or other supernatural abilities, so I can't tell if it would work or not.
And Ritsuka and the others might get caught in the crossfire, so I have to resolve this with Kiyohime first.
I smiled brightly and held out my hand.
"Then, please make a contract with me, Kiyohime. I need you, too."
"Fufu, that is the truth. As I thought, we were destined to be eternally connected, even through the cycle of reincarnation!"
It's a little sad, maybe, that she only sees Anchin and not me. I bet Ritsuka must have been quite disappointed, too. In the last timeline, Kiyohime showed a will to resist for a long time.
I don't know if that was a good thing or not. Did the Kiyohime of that timeline ever see Ritsuka as Ritsuka?
As I shook her hand, the contract path connected. Just like with Jeanne and Atalante, I felt a sensation like an electric current, and I could feel her Saint Graph changing.
Kiyohime looked down at her hand in surprise. Then, she looked up at me with sad eyes.
"Could we... speak alone for a moment?"
"Sure. Before that, BB. Could you heal him?"
Speaking alone is fine. But I can't just leave Siegfried as he is.
[Hmm… It's honestly a pain, but since you're asking, Senpai, I suppose I have no choice!]
"So you can do it?"
[If Da Vinci is a universal genius, I'm pseudo-omnipotent, you know?]
[As a universal genius, this is quite troublesome, you know? She's the type to do most of the things I say I'll do.]
[That's why I asked you to be my assistant, right?]
To think she could undo a curse by herself that would normally require two Saints. As expected of BB. I left the situation in BB's hands and followed Kiyohime for a moment.
When we were a certain distance away from the group.
Kiyohime bowed low before me.
"Ki-Kiyohime?"
"I am sorry. I... once again confused you with Anchin-sama and saw you as him."
I never expected such a sincere apology.
"No, please raise your head. You don't have to apologize like that."
"No, I must. Even though I was clearly speaking with you, Master, I was projecting another person onto you. That is a great discourtesy. I swore to love you, not Anchin-sama anymore. What a disgraceful display."
"…But that was the you of this world, who doesn't know me."
"Even so, the base is the me from here. A mistake is a mistake, no matter how many times. It is only right that I apologize."
Is it because she's from a noble family? She's so formal and strict about these things. I was a bit disappointed, but it wasn't something she needed to apologize for.
This 'replacement' thing... I should probably do it as soon as possible. Since my Servants who get replaced are ones with Bond 10 or higher, I guess it's not strange for them to be like this.
"Alright. I accept your apology. So please, raise your head. I don't want you to be like this."
"…You are truly merciful."
Kiyohime raised her head with a faint smile, and a breeze blew, rustling her hair. I could feel a sense of a noble lady's grace that I hadn't felt before.
"First, may I hear about your current situation, my husband?"
"Of course."
I explained everything to her. And about the laws of this world. I also told her about the previous timeline.
I told her things I hadn't told Atalante, Jeanne, or Yu Miaoyi. She hated lies. She had noticed I was hiding something and pressed me about it, so I told her.
"How vile. This world... it imposes yet another harsh trial upon you, my husband. Something no one ever wanted."
"Well, the victim is Ritsuka more than me."
"But you were in pain watching it all, weren't you?"
Kiyohime gently caressed and held my hand with her warm touch.
"You haven't told the others this fact, have you?"
"Since I've told you, I suppose I should tell the others who were with me."
"Yes, they probably haven't said anything, but they must have felt you were hiding something. They were likely waiting patiently for you to tell them yourself. I'm not sure about Lady Yu, though."
"Ahem."
That sounds about right for Yu. She's the type to say, "If you don't want to talk, then don't."
"You can take your time. No one will blame you for revealing it late or for keeping it hidden."
I nodded at Kiyohime's words, feeling a sense of relief. It wasn't something to be proud of, but keeping it hidden was just suffocating for me. A truth only Ritsuka knew. They had a right to know it too.
"Hey, Kiyohime. There's something I'm curious about. Do you see me as different from Anchin?"
"Fufu, that's right. I should probably tell you again, my husband. Yes, I do."
She looked up at a butterfly fluttering nearby, chuckled, and held out her hand. The butterfly landed on her finger.
"Anchin-sama was certainly my one and only love, my first love, in life. But because it was my first love, I was still young and made a mistake. Yes, even setting aside the night-crawling."
"You're setting that aside."
Is night-crawling something you can just set aside?
"Because it was my first love, I made countless mistakes, burned Anchin-sama to death, and then took my own life by fire. Then, I became a Servant, and in my second life, I equated you with Anchin-sama. It certainly started as a simple fondness, and I came to adore you. Then I came to believe that you were the reincarnation of Anchin-sama."
As she made a sad expression, the butterfly flew high into the sky and disappeared.
"It was a fleeting spring dream. Seeing the various couples in Chaldea, especially Lady Brynhildr and Sir Sigurd, I believed that I, too, could continue my love in the life after death. No, I wished it were so. But not everyone can be like that, can they? They had fulfilled their love in life and had a relationship that deep. But I... I was nothing to Anchin-sama."
A blue flame flickered to life in her hand. She tossed the shimmering fireball into the sky.
"Yes. It was just a one-sided love, a childhood first love. Many people taught me that first loves are often like that, and you told me so as well, my husband. At first, I couldn't understand. It's love, a love so passionate it makes my heart burn, so how could that be? But I came to understand. Seeing Lady Marie and Sir Amadeus, I was able to understand. A first love doesn't necessarily have to be fulfilled. That alone can be a turning point in one's life."
That's right. Amadeus was a man who overcame his destiny through his first love.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who loved Marie Antoinette and confessed to her, only to be rejected. He was originally from a family of magi and was supposed to become a magus.
Moreover, his family inherited Solomon's Magic Crest. He was fated to become a vessel for a Demon God Pillar, but through the heartbreak of his first love, he had an epiphany and chose the path of a musician.
That is why he left his name in history as one of the greatest musicians in human history, a genius of music.
First love is like that. It's great if it works out, but it doesn't always have to. And it is through the heartbreak of an unfulfilled love that people learn and grow.
"Every time I called you Anchin-sama, you always had a sad smile on your face. Until then, I was committing a great discourtesy. This Kiyohime has decided to see you as you. Because I... adore you."
The flame that flew high into the sky scattered, exploding into the shape of a heart before vanishing.
"Thank you. And, Kiyohime? There's something I have to tell you."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I, um. I have a girlfriend now."
Better to say it now than get screwed for saying it late. Kiyohime's expression instantly hardened. She glanced over at the group in the distance.
"Is it Miss Mash?"
"No, it's Ritsuka, the one I mentioned earlier."
"I see. If it were Miss Mash, I honestly would have tried to accept it, but her... my heart is complicated. This Kiyohime thought that as long as I was the main wife, I wouldn't mind if you had a harem, my husband. As time passed, I even thought I could yield the main wife position to Miss Mash. But to think it's someone I've never even met."
Kiyohime stared quietly at Ritsuka. Then, she let out a small laugh.
"Very well. I will let it slide for now."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Honestly, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that it's not me, who has been by your side for so long, nor Miss Mash, nor even any of the others, but someone I don't know at all. But it is your decision, my husband. I'll let it slide for now, but I'll be watching, you know? If she's not even as good as Miss Mash, I'll be taking that main wife position for myself."
"Letting it slide, even if just for now. You've really changed, Kiyohime."
"Fulfilling a maiden's love is very important, of course. But more than that, wishing for your happiness, my husband... that is what true love is."
Was Kiyohime always this mature?
I can't help but feel that Kiyohime is amazing and respectable. To think she's grown this much.
"Thank you, Kiyohime. Ritsuka... I think you'll be able to trust her too. She's a good kid."
"I certainly hope so. I can't just give you away to someone with no proper background, my husband. Of course, I have no intention of giving up on you either. Even as a concubine, my goal is to marry you. Fufu, or perhaps I should take your first time?"
"Ah, if you're talking about my first time, Ritsuka and I already did it."
Kiyohime's joking tone made me speak lightly without thinking.
"Hah?"
Yep, a person's mouth is always the problem.
Am I going to get stabbed in the gut and go straight to a 'Nice Boat' ending?