Reborn in Type-Moon: Starting by Adopting Sakura - Chapter 21

Once they got upstairs, Yuu noticed Irisviel hadn't touched any food yet. He rummaged through the fridge and came back with two portions of tiramisu.

"Thank you," Artoria said quietly.

It was the first time she'd actually spoken to him, and Yuu couldn't hide his surprise. Here was someone who'd probably lived through centuries of history, yet she wasn't nearly as intimidating as he'd first thought.

"Don't mention it," he said, setting the plates down. "There's more in there if you want seconds."

Irisviel slipped off her white coat and draped it over the back of her chair. The violet dress underneath showed off her figure perfectly, and the black tights made her pale legs look even more striking. She picked up a silver spoon and drew little patterns in the cream on top of her dessert. "So tell me, Yuu—are you much of a sweet tooth these days?"

"I can take them or leave them, honestly. But Sakura goes crazy for anything with sugar, so I try to keep some around for her."

"Sakura?" Irisviel's spoon paused halfway to her mouth.

Yuu realized he'd stepped into potentially awkward territory. The Tohsaka and Einzbern families weren’t exactly on good terms right now. "She's a girl I've been looking after," he explained. "Sort of an adoption situation."

"Oh." Irisviel's face went through several different expressions in rapid succession. Her hand actually started shaking a little. "So… you're a father now? You have a daughter?"

"Well, she calls me 'Onii-sama,' so it's more like being a big brother, I guess."

"Ah, okay..." Irisviel let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Of course it would be something like that—adoptions and arrangements between magical families happened all the time. Still, she couldn't resist puffing out her cheeks in an exaggerated pout. "But you know, even with all that going on, you haven't forgotten what we talked about before, have you? That promise we made to each other, about creating a new life together?"

Irisviel's red eyes gleamed with mischief as she brought up creating new life together, her expression dancing somewhere between innocent and deliberately provocative.

Yuu set down a cup of green tea in front of her, trying to keep his voice level. "You really shouldn't put it like that—anyone listening would get completely the wrong idea. We were talking about life-based magecraft, remember?"

Especially considering how young Irisviel had been back then, if someone overheard her now, people would think he was some kind of degenerate.

"Fufu." Irisviel had been smiling almost nonstop since they'd reunited, and it didn't look like she planned to stop anytime soon.

Interestingly enough, she hadn't mentioned anything about examining her magic circuits again. Instead, she moved on to more practical matters. "The Holy Grail War won't start for a while yet, so I was thinking I might stick around and see what this city has to offer."

Before Yuu could even think about objecting, she held up a finger. “And don’t even think about turning me down! That spell I taught you back at the castle should more than cover any rent.”

As if to emphasize her point, she plucked a single silver strand from her hair. The hair twisted and coiled through the air, reshaping itself into a delicate bird. The little creature flapped its wings once and settled on her shoulder like it belonged there.

"Of course you can stay as long as you want, Iri," Yuu said. "I've got more space than I know what to do with."

Meanwhile, Artoria had been quietly working her way through her tiramisu. Every movement—lifting the spoon, taking a bite, setting it back down—looked like it had been choreographed. There was something almost meditative about watching her eat.

By the time Yuu and Irisviel finished their brief exchange, the King of Knights had somehow managed to clear her entire plate.

"Want another slice?" Yuu asked, turning to her. He had to admit, for someone with such a slender frame, Artoria could certainly put away food. He found himself wondering where it all went.

The whole situation still felt surreal to him. He'd always figured the Einzberns would summon King Arthur—that part he'd seen coming. What he hadn't expected was discovering that the legendary king was actually a woman.

Still, none of this really surprised him anymore. He'd stopped treating history books like gospel a long time ago. Reality had a habit of turning everything he thought he knew completely upside down, and he'd learned to roll with it.

Artoria didn't say anything in response to his offer. She just sat up a little straighter, her expression as unreadable as ever.

"..." When the silence stretched on, Yuu figured that was as close to a yes as he was going to get. He went back to the fridge and brought her another slice.

"Thank you," she said quietly, the same two words she'd used before. Then she picked up her spoon and went back to eating.

Irisviel watched the whole exchange with obvious amusement. "Lancer really has quite the appetite, doesn't she?"

"Maintaining proper energy levels is essential for combat readiness," Artoria replied.

"Makes sense," Irisviel said, nodding along. "Sweets are packed with calories—probably the most efficient way to refuel."

"Oh!" she suddenly clapped her hands together, her face lighting up. "We should go shopping, Yuu!"

"Shopping?" Yuu raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yes! We just got here, and we don't have any of the basics yet. Toothbrushes, extra clothes, all those little things you don't think about until you need them."

Yuu shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

Artoria started to get up from her chair, but Irisviel reached over and gently pushed her back down. "You don't have to come with us, Lancer. Why don't you take some time to relax? Yuu and I will be back before you know it."

"That would be inadvisable," Artoria said, her tone sharpening slightly. "Your safety is my responsibility—"

"This is Tokyo, not Fuyuki," Irisviel interrupted with a wave of her hand. "The war hasn't even started yet."

Yuu had to agree with her on that one. Besides, bringing Artoria along would probably draw way more attention than they wanted. The woman had this intense, intimidating presence that could clear a room just by walking into it.

"There's more cake in the fridge if you get hungry," Yuu told her as he headed for the door.

"We'll be back soon," Irisviel added cheerfully.

Artoria thought about it for a moment, then settled back into her chair. Actually, this worked out perfectly. She'd been wanting some time alone anyway—time to figure out exactly what was going on with that maid girl.