Reborn in Type-Moon: Starting by Adopting Sakura - Chapter 20

Even Manaka, whose gaze met those cyan eyes without flinching, felt a flicker of unease pulse in her chest. Artoria, too, stiffened slightly, though she couldn’t have said why. A chill passed through her spine—nothing aggressive, just a quiet sense that something didn’t quite belong.

“Are you here to have a relic appraised?” Manaka asked, recovering her tone. “If it’s a high-grade one, we charge extra. Just so you know.”

Before she could elaborate, the sound of soft footsteps came from the corridor behind her.

Yuu stepped out from the back room, coat lightly dusted with ash, sleeves half-rolled as if he'd just come from handling something fragile.

The moment Irisviel laid eyes on him, her whole face lit up. Whatever composure she had melted in an instant.

“—Mr. Yuu!”

She dashed forward, all elegance forgotten, like a bird about to leap from a branch—but caught herself just in time. She stopped half a meter away, her shoes clicking lightly on the wooden floor, her cheeks glowing with excitement.

Artoria blinked. She’d never seen Irisviel like this before. Not once.

And she understood why.

This was a woman made to serve a purpose—created in a flask, raised in seclusion, given a fate not even the kindest god would wish on someone. A homunculus who’d never expected joy, never been taught to chase it. It wasn’t cruelty. It was design.

And yet here she was—smiling like someone who’d finally seen the sky for the first time.

But then—

“…Who are you?”

Yuu looked at her plainly, his tone mild but distant. Not cold, just unfamiliar. Definitely not what Irisviel wanted to hear.

She froze, lips parting in disbelief.

“…Mmm~” she pouted, puffing her cheeks. “You don’t remember me at all? Not even our promise?”

Yuu tilted his head, examining her again. Silver-white hair, pale skin, red eyes—not quite human. And the figure beside her radiated a presence no ordinary person could possess…

A Servant? And that would make her...

“…Iri?”

“Hmph!” The woman turned her head with a sniff, hair swaying as she did. The effect might have been almost regal—if she weren’t so clearly pouting.

Yuu smiled faintly. “You’ve gotten so tall.”

The last time he’d seen her at the Einzbern castle, she was just a little thing—barely up to his waist, about Sakura’s age back then. And now, barely five years later, she stood before him like this: composed, graceful, and clearly grown up.

He studied her a moment longer… then frowned.

Something felt off.

There was a faint disturbance inside her body. Not immediately dangerous, but enough to make the moment feel heavier than it should’ve. Whatever joy he felt seeing her again dulled under that quiet alarm.

His tone shifted slightly. “Iri, can I take a look at your magic circuits?”

“…Huh?”

There was a soft sound—barely a breath—as Manaka turned her head toward them.

Her gaze, which had been neutral until now, had gone cold. Sharper. Like frost creeping across a windowpane.

Sunlight spilled softly across the floorboards of the bookshop. Three pairs of eyes—each carrying a different emotion—rested on Yuu.

Irisviel stood frozen for a second, then lowered her gaze, cheeks blooming with color. Her voice was quiet. “Mr. Yuu… what are you even saying...?”

Not here. Not like this.

In the Einzbern manor, her magic circuits had always been treated as sacred architecture—nothing exposed casually. They were embedded across her entire body, an intricate design that only her maids had ever been allowed to handle, and only during carefully controlled maintenance. To hear a man say something so direct, out in the open—

She hadn’t been ready for that.

Yuu blinked. Right. That phrasing had definitely sounded worse than he meant. Asking a woman you hadn’t seen in years to “let you examine her body” wasn’t exactly subtle. He rubbed the back of his neck, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his face.

Still… the pattern of her circuits lingered in his mind’s eye. Spiraling upward, winding in a design that looked almost ceremonial. Like a staircase meant to ascend. Or an altar. Something crafted not just to hold something, but to be offered.

His lips pressed into a thin line.

He didn’t speak. But someone else moved.

A quiet presence stepped closer.

Artoria came to stand beside Irisviel, saying nothing. No rebuke, no protest. She didn’t even look at him. Just stood there—tall, composed, and sharp-edged, like a blade turned upright.

Truthfully, she hadn’t objected to the exchange between Irisviel and Yuu. Her presence at Iri’s side wasn’t to interfere—it was protective, almost reflexive. She’d positioned herself just enough to block the line of sight between her Master and the girl in the maid uniform, the one watching too closely.

She didn’t know why, exactly. But something about that girl had put her on edge. A quiet kind of warning hummed at the base of her thoughts.

“Oh—right.” Irisviel suddenly remembered. “This is Artoria.”

Yuu glanced at the woman beside her, then offered a mild smile. “Yuu. Nice to meet you.”

He could tell the Servant wasn't exactly the friendly type, so he kept his hands to himself instead of offering a handshake. Smart move. Artoria gave him a single, curt nod and then went back to standing there like a palace guard.

Irisviel let out a soft giggle and turned her head slightly, almost shyly.

Yuu narrowed his eyes. “Iri?”

“It’s nothing,” she said, smiling. “Don’t worry about it.”

That was definitely something.

He sighed. “You always say that when you're hiding something. Come on, out with it.”

"I was just thinking about how you actually remembered me," Irisviel said, her voice getting a little softer. "I mean, I know I look different now, but you still knew who I was right away. It made me happy, that's all."

“Of course I did,” he said. “You’re beautiful, Iri. Once someone’s seen you, they don’t forget.”

The compliment brought a genuine smile to her face, and she clasped her hands together. "You really haven't changed a bit, Mr. Yuu. But I'll take the flattery anyway."

From somewhere behind them came the aggressive sound of sweeping—scrrrrrch, scrrrrrch. Manaka was attacking the floor like it had personally offended her, working her way from the doorway toward the shelves where they stood.

"Excuse me," she said in a tone that was anything but polite. “Please make way.” The way she wielded that broom made it pretty clear she was hoping to sweep these unwelcome visitors right back out the door.

Yuu glanced at her, and then at Irisviel, who was watching the younger girl with undisguised amusement. Crimson eyes narrowed in a foxy smile.

“Say, Yuu,” she said sweetly. “Do you still remember the promise we made that snowy night?”

Yuu felt the conversation taking a dangerous turn and jumped in quickly. "Maybe we should head upstairs where we can talk more comfortably. Manaka, we're getting low on tea—would you mind picking some up for us?"

Manaka reluctantly set down her broom, clearly torn between following orders and staying to eavesdrop. "Yes, Master," she said through gritted teeth. But her mind was racing. What promise was this woman talking about? And what was with her anyway? She looked younger than Manaka, but somehow managed to be infuriatingly... developed. A whole new kind of jealousy was blooming in Manaka's chest, and she didn't like it one bit.