MMMS 74

Irisviel's cheeks flushed pink with excitement as she gripped the steering wheel. Her elegant high-heeled boots rested on the clutch and accelerator pedals, fingers drumming impatiently on the leather wheel.

‘Wait a minute...' He glanced down at her footwear with growing alarm. People shouldn't drive in high heels, right? He quickly fastened his seatbelt with trembling fingers. "Safety comes first, Iri. Drive carefully to avoid hurting your loved ones. Got it?"

"Don't worry, Lord Ryuuto!" she flashed him a dazzling smile. "My driving skills have been praised by Artoria!"

"...Really?" he turned toward Lancer, who stood beside the car door to see them off.

Hearing her name mentioned, Artoria crossed her arms beneath her ample chest and nervously averted her gaze, suddenly finding the garden extremely interesting.

"So it's not true after all," he muttered, his face paling.

"Well then..." Irisviel's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Let's GO!"

She stomped on the accelerator with terrifying enthusiasm. The six-cylinder engine roared to life, and the sports car shot forward along the garden path like a silver bullet.

In the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of Artoria's face—her expression a perfect blend of sympathy and relief that she wasn't the one trapped in the passenger seat.

"Lord Ryuuto, isn’t this amazing?" Irisviel beamed with pride as she gripped the steering wheel, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She glanced over at Ryuuto, who sat rigid in his seat with white knuckles. "Lancer said my driving reminds her of Llamrei in full charge!”

"I swear, the moment you touch that steering wheel, your entire personality changes," he muttered through clenched teeth.

The car hadn't even reached the highway yet but had already hit 110km/h. He nervously grabbed the hem of Irisviel's coat, his fingers digging into the fabric. "By the way, isn't Llamrei King Arthur's terrifying war horse?" His eyes widened suddenly. "Wait, wait, Iri! Where's your seatbelt!?"

"..."

She slowly turned her face toward him, tilting her head with an innocent blank expression. Her voice dropped to a whisper that sent chills down his spine.

"Lord Ryuuto, what's a seatbelt?"

"..." Ryuuto's jaw dropped, his face frozen in horror.

But she continued to stare at him, the corners of her mouth twitching upward as she struggled not to laugh.

"Just kidding, silly." She burst into giggles, her eyes never leaving his face. "You didn’t really fall for that, did you? Of course I know what a seatbelt is. Fufu."

Please spare me, he groaned inwardly, feeling like his soul had already begun ascending.

"Alright, alright, I know you're plenty capable..." He waved his hand in panic, pointing ahead. "But please, for the love of all that's holy, watch the road! Stop looking at me!"

"Ah, yes." she turned back to face the windshield, blinking innocently. "That's right, I need to watch the road when driving."

She nodded slightly as if she'd just made a minor mistake, then turned her attention back to the road.

He watched her every move with great focus, ready to grab the wheel if necessary. Unfortunately, this female driver seemed to misinterpret his vigilance as admiration for her supreme driving skills. Her expression grew even more animated, a dangerous gleam lighting up her eyes.

After living in Fuyuki for over half a month, Irisviel had finally mastered basic road signs under Lancer's patient coaching. She now understood that vehicles needed to drive on the left and stop at red lights, but he still doubted whether they'd reach their destination with their lives intact.

"By the way, where are we going next, Lord Ryuuto?" She took a sharp turn that sent him slamming against the door.

"To Tokiomi Tohsaka's wife's maiden home," he replied, rubbing his shoulder.

"Eh!?" Irisviel's eyes widened in shock, nearly missing a stop sign. "Lancer would definitely not approve of this!" She seemed to think Ryuuto planned to kidnap the enemy Master's family.

Please, he thought with a smirk. That's something only Kiritsugu would do. I, Ryuuto, have always conducted myself honorably, only ever stealing the hearts of other men's wives.

"It's just reconnaissance," he said aloud. "Aoi is my friend."

"Friend?" she repeated the word with obvious skepticism while speeding recklessly through a yellow light.

Using "friend" to describe the relationship between a thirty-year-old married woman and a teenage boy seemed rather suspicious, even to someone as naive as Irisviel.

"Lord Ryuuto!" she suddenly puffed her cheeks like an angry squirrel and shot him a suspicious glance. "You haven't forcibly kissed Tokiomi's wife, have you?"

"I would never do such a thing." he placed a hand over his heart in offense. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"The kind who hugs another man's wife for a French kiss in broad daylight, and forces her to sleep in the same bed with you at night." Irisviel rolled her eyes dramatically, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

The car swerved slightly as she took her eyes off the road to gauge his reaction.

After hearing that Ryuuto hadn't forcibly kissed Aoi, a small smile crept across Irisviel's face. Her earlier tension visibly melted away, replaced by a glimmer of satisfaction.

Without warning, her high-heeled boot slammed the gas pedal, pinning Ryuuto back in his seat as the Mercedes zoomed ahead with a burst of speed.

…

Tohsaka Aoi woke up while the sky was still dark, the early morning silence filling her childhood bedroom at the Zenjou family home. Her heart felt light with anticipation.

Just last night, she'd received a call from Ryuuto saying he wanted to visit her house today. The thought of seeing him again brought a smile to her face as she prepared for the day.

They had exchanged phone numbers during their chance meeting in Shinto. Aoi had tried calling him afterward to make sure he'd gotten home safely and to thank him again, but no one ever picked up. This was because he had already moved from his hotel to Einzbern Castle several days earlier. So when his name finally appeared on her phone screen last night, she couldn't help but feel a rush of happiness at the chance to see him again.

Morning sunlight spilled across the town as Aoi drove to the supermarket. She hadn't done a proper grocery run in ages, and today she filled her cart with more ingredients than she probably needed.

She tapped her fingers against the shopping cart handle, lost in thought. Normally, the servants handled all the shopping for the Zenjou household, but today was different. She wanted to cook everything herself—she had promised Ryuuto he could taste her cooking, after all.

She thought about how this was the first time she would be cooking for someone outside her family.

Her grip tightened on the cart as she browsed through fresh vegetables. A soft sigh escaped her lips, her beautiful face clouding over with a hint of sadness.

The reality dawned on her that her husband was the only man who had ever tasted her cooking before. She wondered what boys Ryuuto's age liked to eat, and if her cooking would suit his taste.

After loading the trunk of her car with bags of groceries, she drove back to the Zenjou house. The servants hurried out to help, but she only instructed them to carry everything to the kitchen. Instead of heading there right away, Aoi turned toward her bedroom.

The cooking could wait. Right now, she had something more important to do—choosing what to wear.

Aoi sat at her vanity, brushing her hair with slow, thoughtful strokes. She couldn't help remembering her late-night encounter with Ryuuto, their time at the love hotel, and how genuinely he had complimented her beauty. His words had awakened something inside her—a warmth she hadn't felt in over ten years.

Since marrying Tokiomi, no man had dared to comment on how she looked. Everyone was too afraid of her husband's influence to say anything about the Tohsaka family's mistress. But Ryuuto had spoken freely, without fear or agenda. He was just a boy who didn't understand anything, yet his compliments still made Aoi feel appreciated in a way she hadn't experienced in years.