IBHJ Chapter 864

Thanks to Shirou's peacemaking skills, Salter and Mo-chan eventually calmed down, letting everyone else finally enjoy their meal. Even "regular" folks like Mash, Chloe, and Gray got to eat alongside the two golden troublemakers.

The dinner was quiet, but as soon as it was over, Mo-chan and Salter were at it again, this time with a full-blown pillow fight. Chloe and Mash quickly joined in, turning the whole thing into a chaotic free-for-all. Shirou was the only one left out, holding baby Miyu and watching the mayhem with a wry smile.

He glanced down at Miyu, who was beaming up at him. She giggled, her tiny hands reaching for the skirt "Artoria" was wearing.

Shirou poked Miyu's chubby cheek with a finger, thinking how adorable she was. Did Mordred look this cute when she was this little? The thought brought a twinge of bittersweet regret.

He looked up, smiling at the chaotic scene of the girls playing. It was all so lively and wonderful.

Then, whap! A pillow hit him right in the face.

Shirou: "......"

Chloe and the others sheepishly ducked their heads, then cautiously peeked up at the scowling King of Knights on the sofa. Their pillow fight had gotten a bit out of hand, and they'd managed to hit Artoria. Of course, if that was all it was, the girls wouldn't have calmed down so quickly. The real reason they were apologizing was because, after being hit, "Artoria" had handed baby Miyu to Gray and joined the pillow fight herself. With lightning-fast reflexes and a surprising amount of agility, she single-handedly defeated all four of them.

But that wasn't the main issue – the real problem was...

Chloe glanced up at the stern "Artoria," then quickly looked down again. The King of Knights's presence was intimidating, especially with that serious frown. It reminded her of the Eternal King's stern expression!

So intimidating! Chloe shrank back a bit. Even though Shirou was sitting and they were standing, his eyes still carried an overwhelming sense of authority.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other, arms folded, studying the four bowed heads before him. "Do you understand your mistake?"

Chloe carefully asked, "For accidentally hitting you in the face with a pillow?"

He gave her a sideways glance, and she immediately straightened up and lowered her head again.

"That's not the main issue. The point is Miyu was in my arms. She can't defend herself, her bones are so fragile. It's lucky it only hit me - what if it had hit her instead? Were you trying to kill her?" he questioned sternly.

"Uu..." The four hung their heads, realizing that in their excitement they'd put the baby in danger.

Seeing they understood, his expression softened. "If you want to play, it's best to make sure there's no one vulnerable around who could get hurt."

Chloe looked up at him. "So if Miyu wasn't here, we could go all out?"

"Ah? Y-Yeah, I guess."

"That's good then," Chloe smiled in relief.

Seeing her smile, a bead of sweat rolled down Shirou's brow – he had a feeling he'd just agreed to something he shouldn't have.

But his worry was unfounded. Chloe and the others didn't cause any more trouble, instead gathering to reminisce about old times.

And amidst the giggling and chatter among the girls, he also learned how Artoria had spent those years when he was missing.

She had become Gray's legal guardian, living in Fuyuki City while waiting for Shirou to return. But instead of his return, the Fifth Holy Grail War began.

Artoria had hoped to use the Grail to bring Shirou back, so she threw herself into the war, only to lose to Solomon and Marisbury. Luckily, Marisbury was only interested in money and didn't want to hurt anyone. So no one was hurt – he just got the Grail and wished for a massive fortune, with Romani becoming his right-hand man.

As for how the Fifth Holy Grail War even happened in the first place, he learned from Chloe and Gray that it had spilled over from a parallel world.

Hearing all this left Shirou feeling conflicted. He had promised Artoria he would be back soon, never imagining she would wait thirteen long years, filled with constant disappointment—a wait that might have led her to put her faith in the Grail again.

But that was all in the past now.

He – had returned.

Of course, his current state was rather bizarre, and there was no telling when the vortex's effects would wear off and stop helping him. He sighed inwardly.

The girls chatted and laughed together like old friends at a casual tea party.

This simple, warm atmosphere put him at ease, letting him relax and forget his troubles for a while as he joked around with the girls.

But he knew he couldn't truly let go. He wasn't like them – he knew too much, and was caught up in far too much trouble, all because of the vortex.

Until he dealt with the Council for good, he could never fully enjoy this peace.

While the girls giggled amongst themselves, Salter wasn't interested in joining. Instead, she'd borrowed Artoria's embarrassing King's Notebook and plopped onto a nearby couch, munching chips as she read. At some point, she dozed off without even realizing it.

"Huff...huff..." Her breathing was soft and even.

"She actually fell asleep!" Mash blinked, staring at Salter's sleeping face.

"Quick, Mordred! Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" Chloe urged Mo-chan to prank the sleeping Saber, like a little devil.

"Well..." Mo-chan hesitated.

Even though she often talked about beheading Salter, it was all bark and no bite. After spending time with Artoria and Mordred, the violent part of her had calmed down a lot. Could she really attack a defenseless Salter?

Shirou got a blanket from the room and handed it to Mo-chan. "Cover her up, we don't want her catching a cold."

"Huh?" Mo-chan crossed her arms and turned away with a pout. "Why should I cover that woman up? I'm not her...her anything!"

Seeing her reaction, he smiled knowingly – Mo-chan was just being stubborn. So he said, "We're all blind right now and can't see anything."

With that, he turned his head away, and Mash and the others followed suit with amused smiles, making Mo-chan's face turn bright red.

Mo-chan grumbled, embarrassed, before taking the blanket from Shirou.

She walked over to Salter and carefully draped the blanket over her sleeping form.

"Even though you don't acknowledge me, don't like me...I still like you, Father," Mo-chan murmured softly before turning away with her head down.

What she didn't notice was that the moment she turned away, Salter cracked one eye open to glance at her, quickly closing it again.

As a seasoned warrior, she was incredibly alert – she had already woken up when Mash and Chloe were whispering, and had just been pretending to sleep.

After a while of fun, it was time for everyone to rest. But instead of heading to their own rooms, they were getting ready to sleep in Artoria's room. The casual way they decided this suggested it wasn't the first time. This made Shirou feel a little down. Artoria's place was always so lively, while his room was cold and empty.

Aside from Artoria's frequent visits, only Gilgamesh would occasionally stop by to annoy him. How could his room ever compare to Artoria's?

Of course, this was also due to Shirou's personality. As a kid, he loved being around others and having fun. But now, while he enjoyed the quiet solitude, he also craved the warmth of company. It was a contradictory feeling, a kind of stubbornness.

Shirou didn't know how he'd developed this strange personality. Maybe it was the enemies he'd faced and the hardships he'd endured that forced him to adapt, becoming used to the chill of loneliness.

The strong are often alone, but who knows how much of that is by choice?

In the world of the strong, the weak who intrude will die!

Maybe that was the reason for his awkward personality.

The girls all took baths, laid out futons, and chatted through the night, calling for Shirou to hurry up and join them. But he shook his head and instead used the time while everyone was bathing to cook some dishes, heading outside.

"Oh my! Going to oniichan's place again, she really likes him, doesn't she?" Chloe said with a smile.

This wasn't a sarcastic jab, just Chloe's way of teasing.

"Indeed, the King of Knights seems quite fond of Mr. Shirou," Mash nodded. In Chaldea, everyone saw each other all the time, so there was no need to purposely visit each other's rooms. Yet Artoria went to Shirou's room almost every day. This already said a lot.

"I hope this doesn't make oniichan dislike her," Chloe turned over.

"Why do you say that?" Mo-chan looked at Chloe, puzzled.

Even she could see that Artoria liked Eternal King. And she really liked this Artoria, so she was worried about her.