(Shirou POV)
Feeling a wet sensation against my chest, I slowly opened my eyes, only to find a baby lying right on top of me.
My eyes shot wide open. I quickly touched my shirt and groaned. "Out of all places… she had to pee on my chest. Now both of us are soaking wet."
"Shirou?" Iroha's sleepy voice came from beside me.
I turned my head and saw her rubbing her eyes, still half-asleep.
"Good morning. Huh? You're wet?" she asked, noticing the obvious stain on my shirt before looking down at the baby. "How did she even climb onto you?"
"I have no idea," I muttered.
She leaned closer, pressing her hand lightly against my chest as if inspecting the damage. Then she blinked. "You have abs."
I leaned closer to her ear and whispered teasingly, "Are you sexually harassing me right now?"
I paused dramatically before adding, "If you keep touching me like that, I might take it as a sign to climb the ladder of adulthood together with you."
Iroha froze.
Then her entire face turned bright red.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered, quickly grabbing a pillow and lightly hitting me with it. "It's too early for that! We just started dating!"
We're dating?
The words almost slipped out of my mouth, but I swallowed them back down.
If I said something stupid right now, she might get embarrassed and avoid me for the rest of the day.
The baby suddenly let out a soft, satisfied giggle, completely unaware of the chaos she had caused.
I sighed. "First things first, we need to buy some diapers."
I carefully lifted the baby off my chest and stood up. My shirt clung uncomfortably to my skin.
"I don't have any clothes to change into, but luckily I have a hoodie," I said. "Can you prepare some clothes for her?"
Iroha nodded quickly, still flustered. "Y-Yeah, leave it to me."
As I walked toward the bathroom, I couldn't help but think.
Dating, huh, my heart felt strangely warm.
But at the same time, there was a strange feeling inside me, like I wasn't ready to date as I am right now, like I had left something important behind.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
"I hate my condition of not knowing my past," I murmured with a deep sigh.
When I came back wearing my hoodie, Iroha was kneeling on the floor, carefully changing the baby's clothes.
We worked together in silence.
Every now and then, our hands brushed against each other while adjusting the diaper.
Each time our hand brush against each other, we flinched.
Once we finished, the baby clapped her tiny hands proudly as if she had accomplished something great.
"She's way too energetic this early in the morning," I muttered.
Iroha nodded in agreement. "She really is."
"I'm going to ask for leave," she said, taking out her phone and dialing someone.
I sat down beside her while she waited for the call to connect.
Then suddenly she burst out, "Eh? You saw us? No, we didn't do that. Please stop teasing me."
She turned bright red and looked at me with a pout.
What did I do? I stared at her, completely confused by her sudden reaction.
"I told you nothing happened," she continued, trying to defend herself. "Okay, have a good day too. Bye."
She ended the call and let out a long breath.
"What happened?" I couldn't help but ask.
Iroha massaged her forehead. "Our boss saw our date yesterday. Now she's teasing me."
I couldn't help but smile wryly. I was probably going to receive constant questions during my shift too.
"So she approved?" I asked.
"She said I should behave responsibly and not start making babies before filing marriage paperwork," Iroha replied flatly.
I slowly turned to look at the baby.
The baby blinked back at me innocently.
"I feel like I'm being falsely accused," I said, hugging the baby lightly and making her giggle.
"You're not helping," Iroha muttered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
I stood up and stretched. "Well, if our boss loves teasing us, I mean even her own daughter gets dragged into it too."
"That's your fault." She pointed her finger at me accusingly.
"How is that my fault?" I replied, rolling my eyes.
She opened her mouth to argue, then suddenly stopped. Her face turned red again.
I smirked slightly.
Getting annoyed by my smirk, she lightly kicked my leg. "Let's go buy some clothes for this baby."
The baby suddenly raised her arms toward Iroha, as if responding to her voice.
Iroha blinked. "What."
"She wants you to carry her," I said.
"Why me," she muttered in confusion.
"Maybe because she likes you."
She hesitated for a second before carefully lifting the baby into her arms. But the baby immediately grabbed the front of my hoodie and rested her head against my chest instead.
I froze. Iroha and I were standing too close, so close that I couldn't even understand where this baby got the strength to pull me like that.
When I noticed Iroha quietly staring into my eyes, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. My face grew hotter by the second.
"You look natural," she said with a soft smile.
"With what," I asked.
"With this," she replied. "It feels like you've been a father before."
I looked down at the baby giggling between the two of us.
"I feel like we suddenly became a father and mother," I said.
Iroha blushed, but she slowly nodded in agreement.
For a brief second, neither of us spoke.
The baby's soft laughter filled the silence.
"We should go buy diapers before she destroys my clothes," I said.
Iroha gently adjusted the baby grip on my clothes and handed the baby to me.
She grabbed her bag while I fixed my hoodie and made sure the baby was secure in my arms.
As we headed toward the door together, a thought crossed my mind.
"Our neighbors might start spreading rumors. We're both still students, and we're holding a baby. They might mistake us for irresponsible parents. Worse, your reputation might get damaged."
Before I could finish, she pressed her finger against my lips.
"I don't care," she said firmly.
Now that I think about it, I still need to make a few adjustments before using the Memory Implant Sword on Iroha.
That's the name I gave it, a sword that allows me to store my knowledge within it and transfer that knowledge to anyone I choose.
It's far more efficient than giving long explanations. It's a literal knowledge transfer. Still, some refinements are necessary. Creating a miraculous sword out of nothing is not exactly simple.
I was deep in thought when I felt someone tap my shoulder.
I turned to my left.
A girl around our age stood there, pushing a stroller.
She had long, dark-purple hair that shimmered softly under the morning light, her bangs framing a delicate, idol-like face. Her large eyes sparkled unnaturally bright, each one adorned with a distinct star-shaped pupil that made her gaze almost hypnotic. Even in casual clothes, she carried overwhelming charm, like someone born to stand on stage.
Inside the stroller were two babies.
The first was a baby boy with soft blond hair that looked almost golden under the sunlight. His features were surprisingly refined for his age, small nose, neat brows, and calm, observant eyes.
Even as a baby, there was something unusually sharp about his gaze, as if he were quietly analyzing me.
Beside him was a baby girl with lighter blond hair, softer and fluffier, framing her round cheeks. Unlike the boy's composed demeanor, she looked strangely annoyed. Her tiny brows were slightly furrowed, and she stared at me with intense focus, almost like she was judging me.
What is wrong with this baby. Are they some kind of alien babies too.
"Good morning, are you taking your baby for a walk too," the girl who tapped my shoulder asked warmly. "Ah, where are my manners. I'm Hoshino Ai, nice to meet you."
"Emiya Shirou."
The moment I introduced myself, I felt a sharp killing intent from behind me.
When I turned around, I saw Iroha clenching her fist.
"Oh my, Shirou. I just took my eyes off you for one second and you're already flirting with another girl," Iroha said, glaring daggers at me.
The baby she was carrying mimicked her expression, puffing up her cheeks as if she understood the situation.
Instead of feeling scared, I felt more amused.
"Must be nice being popular. Hahaha."
She laughed in a way that was clearly not amused at all.
"Her name is Hoshino Ai, and she just introduced herself to me. Maybe she wants to talk about parenting," I whispered, subtly pointing at the twins in the stroller.
As if realizing something, her anger instantly disappeared.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were getting hit on again."
"Hey, I'm not always getting hit on. You might be talking about yourself," I shot back.
Iroha crossed her arms and answered in a sarcastic tone, "Every time we go out together, the moment I leave you for a second, I come back and see you surrounded by girls."
"Where did that cute and shy Iroha from yesterday go," I said, pointing at her accusingly.
"Too bad. This Iroha woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
Ai, who had been watching the entire exchange, couldn't help but laugh.
I immediately straightened up and bowed slightly. "Ah, I'm sorry for showing something embarrassing."
Iroha quickly bowed as well.
"It's nothing," Ai said with a gentle smile. "Actually, I'm a little jealous. My partner and I can't really act like that. Right now, I'm taking care of these two alone."
For a brief moment, her eyes carried a lonely look, as if she were reminiscing about something painful.
But just as quickly, she brightened up again, her cheerful expression returning as if that loneliness had never existed.
"Well," I started to say something, but no proper words came to mind. I wasn't good at comforting strangers.
"If you ever face any problems, just tell her or me. We'll gladly help you."
Iroha nodded in agreement. "Yes, we will."
Ai blinked in surprise, then smiled softly.
"Then, can you accompany me to buy some baby clothes and other things for my children," she asked, slightly blushing.
"What a coincidence," Iroha replied. "We're also on our way to buy similar things."
I glanced at the twins again.
The baby boy continued observing me calmly.
The baby girl was still staring at me like I had committed a crime in a past life.