By evening, Roy had returned home.
Utaha and Hayasaka had already prepared dinner—authentic Chinese cuisine that Roy loved. After several days of Roy's hands-on teaching, the two girls had managed to recreate about fifty to sixty percent of his skill.
"Oh right, Saber, come out and eat too."
After sitting down at the table, Roy suddenly remembered Miss Okita and called her out.
A flash of golden light appeared beside the table.
Under the astonished gazes of the two attendant girls, golden particles coalesced into the figure of a golden-haired girl wearing a haori. Though she looked only fifteen or sixteen, a sword hung at her waist, and her gallant demeanor made her appear both delicate and heroic.
"Master, Servants don't need to eat!"
"Then stop staring at the table like that."
"Ehehe!"
"Don't act cute. Sit down and eat."
"Yes!"
Miss Okita saluted before eagerly taking her seat.
"So good! Delicious! Ah, back when I was alive, I was seriously ill for years and couldn't eat anything this rich in oil or salt. Being able to eat my fill in life is such a huge satisfaction!"
Her voracious appetite was amusing, but the words she spoke carried a heavy weight, evoking sympathy.
"So this is a Servant? A hero from history?"
Utaha studied Okita Souji with keen interest.
"A fifteen-year-old girl swordsman? Was there ever such a figure in Japanese history?"
Hayasaka pinched her smooth chin, deep in thought as she tried to guess the girl's true identity.
Combined with the fact that she suffered from severe illness in life, there shouldn't be anyone who fits the description, right?
"Utaha."
"Yes, Lord Roy."
Roy suddenly spoke, and Utaha immediately straightened up, withdrawing her gaze.
She thought Roy had some instructions for her, but the words that came out of his mouth left her stunned.
"I'll be participating in the Holy Grail War soon. Life and death are uncertain. If I die, you should follow Touko. She might be unreliable, but at least she can ensure you live safely for the rest of your life."
"Lord Roy?"
Utaha's face was full of shock.
"Don't worry too much. It's just a possibility."
Roy took a bite of mapo tofu with rice.
"Rather than leaving things unsettled at the time of death, it's better to make arrangements now. That's all I'm thinking. Of course, I'll fight with everything I have to survive, but in battles like these, no one can predict the outcome."
Roy's expression was calm.
Even as he spoke of his possible death, there wasn't the slightest trace of fear on his face.
It was as if he had long foreseen his end, as if he were already accustomed to death, or as if he had prepared himself to die in this Holy Grail War.
Unshaken.
"...Can't you not participate?"
Utaha couldn't help but ask.
"No."
Roy refused without hesitation.
"I've waited here for three years precisely for this moment. There's absolutely no reason to back out now!"
His words were firmer than Utaha had imagined.
So firm that it bordered on stubbornness.
She had the feeling that no one could persuade him to turn back.
"If you can never return to your world and I die, then consider this place your home."
Roy suddenly smiled again.
His smile was like warm sunlight dispersing the winter chill, clearing away the heavy atmosphere at the table.
"Life is a journey of constantly searching for places to belong. If you're lost, start by adapting here first."
"Don't worry, you two! We'll protect the Master!"
Seizing the moment, Miss Okita flashed a bright smile.
"I, Okita-san, will absolutely protect the Master! Anyone who wants his life will have to step over my corpse first!"
Utaha fell silent.
Given her position, she knew nothing she said could change Roy's mind.
All she could do was guard this household for him.
And—
"Lord Roy, may you return safely."
"Thank you for your blessing."
After dinner, Roy went to take a bath.
Hayasaka and Utaha cleaned up the dishes.
After a while—
SLAM!
Hayasaka suddenly slapped the tiled countertop.
Under Utaha's stunned gaze, she roared—
"HOW COULD OKITA SOUJI BE A GIRL?!"
Utaha paused in thought.
Then, it hit her.
She was utterly shocked.
***
By the time Roy stepped out of the bath, night had fully fallen.
"Lord Roy."
Hayasaka, as if she had been waiting, called out to him at the bathroom door.
"Whoa! You scared me!"
Roy jolted in surprise, giving her an exasperated look.
Hayasaka, with skills like these, does your Lady Rin know about this?
"My apologies."
"It's fine. Did you need something?"
"I wanted to ask… will Lady Rin also be participating in this Holy Grail War?"
Deep worry surfaced in Hayasaka's eyes.
The Aozaki family had Roy and those two extraordinary sisters. To put it bluntly, even if Roy died, with his last wishes, the Aozaki sisters could take care of Utaha, ensuring she lived comfortably.
But Hayasaka was different.
The Tohsaka family only had Rin left.
If Rin died in the Holy Grail War, what would become of Hayasaka, a refugee?
Though she felt guilty toward Rin, Hayasaka's first concern was her own survival.
Remembering what she had learned about Aki Tomoya's fate, Hayasaka couldn't help but shudder.
She was well aware of her own beauty. If Rin, her protector, was gone, she would likely be targeted by magi.
No matter how skilled she was, she could never escape a magus' grasp!
Finding another kind of magus like Roy or Rin as a protector wouldn't be easy either.
"Rin will be participating too."
Roy nodded.
"We've formed an alliance. During this Holy Grail War, we'll be working together. She'll come here later to regroup. If you have something to say, you can talk to her then."
"I understand. Thank you very much."
Hayasaka nodded in understanding and quietly retreated.
"Speaking of which, where's Touko?"
Roy glanced around. From dinner onward, he hadn't seen Touko anywhere.
"Lady Touko has already left."
"WHAT?!"
Roy was stunned.
Without even changing his clothes, he rushed to the bedroom.
After rummaging through the drawers with a grim expression, Roy's face turned ashen.
"Lord Roy, did something happen?"
Hayasaka hurried to the bedroom door, her voice trembling at his terrible expression.
Had enemies already come knocking?
But then, she saw Roy holding up an empty cloth bag.
"My savings!"
"Gone again! Half a year's worth of savings! Stolen by her again!"
"Hayasaka, we'll have to tighten our belts for the next few days!"
"...Huh?"
Hayasaka stood frozen for a long moment before uttering a bewildered sound.
The wealthy Hayasaka couldn't comprehend it.
Why would a proper magus need to worry about money?
***
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