Chapter Twenty Three

Short chapter this time. Mainly slice of life. I felt like it was important to have a bit of a breather after everything that has happened so far, to get Arc 3 started right. Next chapter will contain some more serious discussions and some more serious "scenes" as well.


The sizzling of the pan was the only thing stress free about Shirou's day so far.

Last night had been a great success, and reuniting with Luvia while defeating Ilya without having to kill her meant that he didn't regret a single thing about what had happened. He didn't feel right complaining, but it had been a struggle. His body was still sore in places from exerting himself in the fight. Both his muscles and his circuits burned with agony.

It had been a difficult trip back. Ilya had been knocked out cold, and they hadn't been able to determine how her Heroic Spirits had managed to voluntarily leave her behind. Or how she'd grown into an adult. Or where her clothes had gone. Tying her to pegasus had been deemed far too dangerous, so Shirou had carried her back wrapped up in a blanket through the forest. Sakura had flown Pegasus back while Luvia called a taxi for the rest of them. On the ride back Rin and Luvia had been bickering the whole time, seeming to take an instant dislike of one another. And when they'd gotten home Shirou had cooked a very late meal only to find that everybody was asleep at the table by the time he was done. So he'd had to carry everybody to bed.

But still, he'd done the right thing. He would have suffered a thousand times worse than that for what he'd accomplished.

"Mmmph! Mmph!"

"Mmmmmmmmmph!"

Even if he'd wished the cleanup had been a little less painful.

"Master, the rice is done. I'll get the dishes." Sakura said. Shirou had decided to go simple today, so she was wearing her maid outfit again that Rin had built for her before. It seemed like a good choice for a day focused around cleaning and resting.

"Mmmmph!"

"Thank you, Sakura." Shirou said, with an open an honest smile. He shot a quick look to the corner of the room to quiet the others, and then passed her a plate. "I'll just finish up here. Can you set the table?"

"Yes, Master!" Sakura said, shooting him a quick salute. They both chuckled at the silliness, and then she skipped away to begin putting out the dishes and the utensils. This was lunch so Fuji-Nee wasn't here but they had two other mouths to feed which about evened out. Given that most people had been too sore for a heavy breakfast Shirou had decided to go all out and prepared a few more main courses than he normally would. It should be just what everybody needed.

After one last taste for seasoning Shirou scooped everything up into some serving platters and made sure to turn off the burners on the stove before he carried it over to the kitchen table. His stomach was already grumbling, and he'd been the only one to get some food last night. He couldn't imagine how everybody else was feeling.

Speaking of which, he should probably let them out so that they could eat.

Putting on his stern Master face, Shirou walked over to the tied up forms of Rin and Luvia that were currently both bound by simple rope. Their muffled attempts to speak had been going on for some time, but of course the ball gags in their mouths prevented that from happening. Shirou wanted to be drawn in by the sight of their lewd poses, particularly the excitement in their eyes and the way their maid outfits displayed their skin, but he couldn't. This wasn't a 'fun' punishment. This was the serious kind.

"Trace on." Shirou said. His circuits were still a little off, but each time he used them they seemed to only grow more stable. With practised ease he projected a riding crop into his hands. He didn't use it. He only needed them to see it. "Are you two ready to be polite?"

It was the tone of voice people used with children, and Shirou saw the way Luvia and Rin's cheeks burned with embarrassment at the tone of address. They both nodded at him, seeming to struggle to decide if they were more horny or ashamed of themselves.

Shirou dismissed the projections of ball gags that were in both of their mouths, and they both swallowed loudly as their mouths were suddenly free to move again. He gave them both an expectant look.

"Sorry, Master." Luvia said.

"Sorry, Master." Rin echoed only a second later.

Shirou nodded at them and dismissed the ropes as well. He sighed, as he beckoned them towards the table. "I don't mind you two being feisty in the house, but not in or after a battle. As your Master, it's my duty to teach you discipline like that. Just what made you decide you already hated each other anyways?"

The two of them glared at one another as they rubbed at their sore spots from the bindings. Shirou enjoyed watching them stretch and bend, but he made a point not to stare. Rin crossed her arms over her chest as she stuck up her nose. "It's just frustrating that she thinks she's already better at serving you than I am. She's not even been your Servant for a day!"

Luvia's nostrils flared up. "I've been preparing to serve Master for years! I can certainly teach you a thing or two! Nobody here is a better Servant than me."

"Master, there's something on your sleeve. Here." Sakura said. Shirou held out his arm to her and she began dutifully rubbing out a stain that he hadn't noticed. His apron hadn't protected him.

"Why you little – " Rin growled.

Shirou sighed and gestured towards the table. Still glaring at one another, Rin and Luvia sat on opposite sides while gathering their plates. While they were busy acting like they were still enemies, he and Sakura finished distributing the food. That at last seemed to break the two from their current pattern of behaviour.

"Master, this is amazing!" Luvia said, happily eating away. Shirou had not been sure if she would be accustomed to eating with chopsticks, but she used them just a elegantly as she did everything else. "To think that you would be able to replicate the meals of a four star restaurant with only a modest kitchen!"

"Four star?" Sakura asked, a little quietly. Shirou wasn't bothered. He certainly wasn't naive enough to think his cooking was as good as some kind of five star dining that Luvia must have been given. Sakura did seem a little more upset though. "Um... I think that eating Master's cooking is better than any kind of fine dining... after all, isn't it better to eat food made by um... with love?"

Sakura was speaking hesitantly, clearly unsure of how she should be acting around Luvia, but despite that her words were spoken with passion. Luvia hesitated for a second, but nodded enthusiastically after only a short pause. "Yes. You are certainly correct! For my entire life I have been served the highest of luxuries, but none of that can compare to the joy of receiving food prepared specifically for me by my Master!"

"Y- yeah!" Sakura shouted, getting caught up in the enthusiasm. "That's right!"

"Indeed, just because of that I shall happily declare this the best meal of my life!" Luvia cried out. Her eyes were practically sparkling.

"Laying it on a little thick." Rin said.

Luvia huffed. "I feel no shame in proclaiming my love for my Master!"

"That's right, Nee-san." Sakura said. Shirou wasn't sure when it had happened, but her and Luvia seemed to have formed a rather quick alliance. "Not everybody is a brat like you. It's good to be proud about belonging to Master!"

"I'm proud!" Rin shot back. She grimaced, seeming to realize what she'd just said. "That is... um..."

"Onii-chan!"

The argument died out instantly, as a new presence entered the room. "Illya!" Shirou cried out. He'd checked up on her constantly since she had fallen unconscious but she'd shown no sign of waking up ever since. He was overjoyed to see her awake again. "How are you feeling?"

i . im gur (dotcom) / i Il 8Z o p (dotpng)

She already looked far better than she had the night before. Whatever had been done to rapidly age her body had stopped after she'd reached her current form, and getting her out of the cold and into some clean projected clothing had done her a lot of good. Her smile turned a little twisted as she stepped into the room.

Ignoring his question, she gave pointed looks to each of the Servants in the room. All three of them were dressed in skimpy maid outfits that would normally only be seen in cosplay. "Geez, Onii-chan. Just what sort of perverted harem house have you dragged me into?"

"Illya..." Shirou said a little stressed. "That's not important. How are you –"

"O-ho-ho! It's our Master's right to dress us as he pleases!" Luvia said. She puffed up her chest with pride, which was noticeably barely contained within the low cut outfit. "And indeed for us Servants, it is thrilling to know that our Master desires us so."

"Yeah!" Sakura called out. Then her face went a little red and she repeated herself quietly. "Yeah."

"Illya!" Shirou called out, speaking over everybody in the room. "How are you feeling?"

She looked down at herself. It must have been strange to go from a child's body into an adult one so quickly, but she seemed more excited about it than afraid. She pouted a little. "Fine"

"Just fine? Do you know what happened?" Shirou asked. Illya sat down on his lap. Shirou felt a little thrill run down his spine, that was quickly followed by panic. "I-Illya!?"

"My Servants left me, that was all." Illya said. He could feel her warm body pressing down on him, slowly making his blood boil with excitement. No matter what though, he couldn't let himself grow hard. He couldn't! "They acknowledged your victory, and they decided to save my life. Previously I would have expired soon after the Holy Grail War's conclusion. But now... I've been given a new body that matches my own age and I've been given the chance to live a full life."

Shirou understood about half of that, but what mattered was that Illya was safe and happy. "I see. That's a relief."

"So Onii-chan, when are you going to put a ring on my finger?"

"WHAT!?" Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and Luvia yelled at the same time.

Illya just grinned, enjoying their reactions. "Oh? I'm not easy like these three, Onii-chan. If you want to take me to bed, you're going to need to put in the investment." As she spoke she slowly rubbed her bottom against him, clearly noticing the fact that his manhood was already beginning to grow hard.

"Illya!?" Shirou shouted. "Aren't you my sister!?"

Illya froze, but only for a second. Then a smile split over her face. "So? Aren't you a harem master with a stable of sex slaves? Marrying your sister should be common place for someone like you. Besides, we aren't blood related in the first place."

"That's – that's – that's – that's –"

"What makes you think you'll be the one he marries!?" Rin cried out. Luvia and Sakura looked more or less accepting of the notion, but Rin was bright red.

"Oh? Have you ever heard of somebody marrying their pet?" Illya giggled, holding Shirou close. "I'm looking forward to your answer, Onii-Chan!"

Conversation, arguments, and everything else broke out over the table while Shirou tried his best to at least finish his meal.

This was not the family somebody else might have asked for. But it was the one he had wanted. And he was going to do his best to defend it. As a Hero of Justice, and as a Master.