Summary: In the midst of finding the "Evil Ushiwaka," Kiichi Hougen watches the single Master in the room and wonders if she's taken. The sad thing is, she's not interested. Instead, Kiichi watches and learns more than she aimed to.

Note: This particular chapter takes place smack-dab in the middle of the Little Tengu event, inspired by my initial feelings playing through the story.

Since I've been slowly making my way through the Babylonia anime (haven't done so until now because a certain Lucha goddess actually reminded me too much of a friend I had to let go because that friend went too far in saying some things), it felt right to visit an event that covered one of my first three star Riders.

The theme for this chapter is the Reincarnation rendition of SMILE from Persona 4, because the anime as well as the game has been sucking me into the good feels lately. For an alternative? I recommend the song Kawaita Sakebi by the Field of View, the original theme for "Season 0" of Yugioh. Considering I've been rewatching it and GX in subs after work, it's been nice relistening to the song when writing. I even recommend ShadyVox's informal English version of the song on YouTube too — he did an amazing job with it.

Otherwise, please enjoy!

Day 58: Tengu's Lesson

"What is it with that Shana-oh? Going off into other places and making her old mentor move around…" Sure, Kiichi Hougen knew that in her current form, she wasn't one to talk about her former disciple's actions under the influence of the Mallet of Fortune, what with starting the whole mess. It was still interesting enough, thinking about her chaotic old pupil (who never knew the definition of "play" until it hit her right in the face) now adoring a tiny yet tired brunette girl leading the whole pack of Servants in the Wandering Sea to the point of said girl going on this quest in the first place. But that was the current situation, and even with the stray three additions of a red-haired swordsman claiming to be Senji Muramasa, the great Trojan War hero Achilles, and a green May King (who kept glaring at Kiichi for some reason), the girl that was Chaldea's only Master merely kept moving.

That was the more worrying part. Especially when she didn't have a hero's stamina. The Mages' Association Mystic Code that made up her uniform made her look all the more haggard too, cape and all.

"Master," the tiny Benkei said after a moment's pause from his place trailing along Robin Hood's boots, "shouldn't you take a break? You look tired."

"Mhm," Vy said absently, not even stopping her footsteps as she shouldered the backpack that the older Da Vinci had given her for the Rayshift. "Not now, Benkei. We haven't found your liege yet."

"Th-That's true, but Master—" Even on a shrunken figure, the face Benkei was making looked… well, constipated from Kiichi's perspective as the other Servants focused their attention on Vy in turn. "You just called upon BB's shadow to take on the changed Jeanne Alter and her aged up Santa Lily version and, forgive me for being rude, but aren't you exhausted? You even missed your daily nap time." Especially when asking for the help of one of your own worst enemies, was implied in his tone, but not articulated nonetheless.

Vy shook her head. "I'll be okay. This is par for the course by now, Benkei, daily naps or not." She still made a point to stop her walking pace and kneel down to the Lancer's smaller height with a smile, reaching over to gently pat his head. "Thankie for being concerned about me, though."

"If you say so…" Despite blushing at the headpats, Benkei looked less than convinced.

"If Master says she's fine, then don't push it," the tiny Cu Alter piped up in a squeakier voice, pointing his spear towards Medb once the Rider started smiling in a way that suggested nothing good towards him. "We can't keep waiting on shit forever. I hate being this small."

"Correction — it's less shit," Achilles interrupted dryly with a semi-threatening twirl of his spear for extra emphasis, "and more self-care, Alter. So shut it." Ignoring the tiny Berserker's glare in favor of pointedly glancing at Robin, the Rider muttered, "On three, Archer?"

"Why are we counting…?" It didn't stop Robin from nodding his head towards his Grailed Rider comrade in agreement, unclasping the connector to the No Face May King. "Ah well. On three, it is." To Muramasa, Robin muttered, "Get the riceballs ready, old man Saber, will ya?"

"Ohhhhh, that's what this is about." Muramasa uncrossed his arms from over his chest. "No wonder you two asked me to make them last-minute."

Vy blinked blearily. "What's this about 'three'—"

A loud calling of "AND THREE!" from Achilles interrupted whatever else the Chaldean Master had in mind, because Kiichi ended up watching in shock as — in quick succession, mind — Robin proceeded to take off Vy's backpack to toss in Jason's general direction (much to the smaller Saber's loud frustrated yells), wrap her up in his cloak, and promptly sit her down on the grass with him just as Achilles tossed off his scarf to bundle it around Vy's neck. It was finished off by Muramasa pulling out a small banana-leaf bundle from his haori sleeves to reveal a whole bunch of homemade riceballs, taking one to gently stuff in Vy's mouth when she tried to open it in protest.

If Kiichi didn't know any better, the scene she just saw would've reflected a sullen child being put into a corner for time-out. That was the best way to put it.

"…Mm," was all Vy got out past her mouthful of rice before carefully raising a hand to grab the riceball in her mouth to properly take a bite and chew. After a few moments, she swallowed, pulling the partially-eaten riceball back to smile sheepishly. "I… I guess this treatment means I need to take a break, huh?"

"Damn straight, Princess," Achilles said bluntly, plopping himself down next to Vy's side on the grass while extending a hand to fist bump Robin. "Because if our Grailed Saber was here, she'd be on our asses if we didn't facilitate it. Especially when the previous fights made us miss your nap."

"True that." Robin shivered much to Vy's visible confusion, giving her a wry smile once she turned to meet his gaze. "Would rather not deal with Excalibur giving me a bad shoulder again. Saber can be really brutal when she wants to be."

Achilles barked out a laugh. "Can't argue with that!"

Vy made a questioning Uuu noise, but obediently took another bite of her riceball once Muramasa and her two Grailed Servants gave her a look. "I guess…" Vy swallowed, "I shouldn't ask?"

Robin and Achilles shared a glance before meeting Vy's gaze with an equally deadpan voice of, "Nah."

"Just eat your snack, you workaholic brat," Muramasa proceeded to add with no heat, putting his hands on his hips while shooting a glare at the nearby Jason and Cu Alter when they took a few steps forward in what looked like their own protest. "The last thing we need is you collapsing now. We've got a long journey up ahead considering what that 'Evil Ushiwaka' has been up to with that darn fortune mallet."

Kiichi did her best to clamp down on the urge to wince once Muramasa shot her the closest to a discrete dirty look he could manage with Vy in clear earshot. It was definitely spelling out "This is all your mess that we have to fix." Barely hidden disdain and all.

"Okay…" Despite the resignation in her voice, Vy turned back to the food in her hands to take another bite, chewing carefully as color started to come back to her cheeks. She didn't seem to notice Achilles and Robin sharing a relieved smile over her head as she swallowed, continuing to eat slowly as she leaned back into Robin's chest. "Thankie, Big Robin, Achi, ông nội…"

It was a nice mood (Muramasa's previous glare notwithstanding), but Kiichi couldn't help herself. The stomach's growling couldn't be ignored forever, so she tried her luck. "Hey, Saber?"

"Ah?" Muramasa said pointedly, giving her one tired yellow eye.

Kiichi grinned sheepishly. He definitely didn't like her at this point in time. If what she was seeing wasn't the stink eye, she'd eat her own fans. Still, she said, "Got more of those onigiri for the rest of us~?"

Muramasa crossed his arms with a louder sigh. "Of course you'd ask," he grumbled, giving Vy another riceball once she finished her current serving, pointedly ignoring how the girl immediately offered a bite to Robin behind her with a blush on her face. Kiichi tried not to look at how Robin leaned over to take the offered bite with a grin too, choosing to focus on Muramasa instead (while inwardly noting Achilles' quiet huff of "Really? Here?" with some glee). Even a tengu such as herself would find that kind of flirting awkward. Despite his earlier disdain, Muramasa seemed to agree with Kiichi's internal thoughts once he pulled out a small yet sizable satchel from his haori sleeves with a shake of his head. "Snacktime it is."

The smaller Servants all got together with Kiichi and Medb to cheer.

"W-Wait! I'm not your enemy!" The shadow barreling away from the party after Cu Alter threw his spear in time with Robin shooting a poison arrow was as small as the other shrunken Servants, but Kiichi knew that voice.

Even with a tinier body, there was no mistaking her rowdy student.

Shana-oh's sheepish face hadn't even changed with the noticeable size difference, her cheeks puffing outwards from the absurdity of the situation as her equally tiny hands rested against her tiny hips. "I-It is I, Ushiwakamaru! I-I know what this looks like, but I am still Chaldea's Ushiwaka! Th-There's no need to fight me!"

The previously on-guard Cu Alter paused, lowering his mini spear just in time for Vy to take a step forward. "U…" Vy choked, giving Robin and the other Servants, including Kiichi, pause. "Ushi?"

The tinier Shana-oh closed her eyes, bowing her head in Vy's direction once she noticed the Master's presence. "…Yes, Master. It is I, your Ushiwakamaru. Much as it pains me for you to see me like this; I know how ridiculous I look right now. But please understand I didn't choose this!"

Before Vy could open her mouth, Robin reached over with one arm to pull her into his side (almost protectively too), letting the tinier Jason step up with a scowl. "Hey, Ushiwaka."

"Y-Yes?"

"Quit it with the sob story and get in line. Did you not realize you're the fourth one of us to be turned? Use your head." Not even being in a smaller, arguably cuter form seemed to deter the anger from Jason's expression, because Shana-oh wilted from her previous bowing position. "Or did you lose that when getting downsized?"

"Th-The fourth one?! Oh my goodness, you're right, Jason!" It didn't take long for Shana-Oh's gaze to whirl around and find a new target in Benkei, arms and legs tense even through her loose armor. "A-And you're one of them too, Benkei?! Wh-What in the world happened to you!? What's going on here?!"

Benkei, Cu, and Jason all grimaced as Medb and Kiichi found themselves shouting in unison, "WHY DON'T YOU TELL US?!"

Shana-oh wilted again, but it didn't stop Vy from taking a few more steps forward, slowly pulling herself away from her beloved green Archer. Heck, not even the other member of her closest Grailed seemed to be expecting what the Master did next, because Robin and Achilles both didn't get the chance to reach out to her once Vy fell to her knees and extended her hands in Shana-oh's direction.

"M-Master?" was all Ushiwaka had to offer once Vy's palms delicately cupped her puffy cheeks, raising her head from her previously defeated posture. "I-Is something the matter?"

"I-It's really you, Ushi, right?" The voice that left Vy's lips was hoarse and high-pitched all at once, making Kiichi suddenly remember the look on her face that surfaced at that other Shana-oh nearly slicing off her head. Back then, she was shocked too, right? But, right now, was Vy… was Vy close to crying? For someone as irresponsible as Shana-oh? "Chaldea's Ushiwakamaru, right?!"

Shana-oh's face slowly softened in spite of how tiny it got in the time Kiichi hadn't seen her, blue eyes warm with understanding as she nodded. Kiichi couldn't even remember if the Shana-oh she taught in life ever had that kind of face when they both were alive. "…Despite my outlandish appearance, it is still I, Master," she whispered, raising a small hand to press it against one of Vy's own. "Your Ushiwakamaru. Smaller stature and all."

A noise caught between a whimper and a sob was all that echoed in the air before Vy suddenly let go of Shana-oh's face to instead reach over and place her hands underneath Shana-oh's own, lifting her up to hug tight to her chest. Kiichi could see Shana-oh yelp from the movement, looking more like a child than Kiichi could ever remember as Vy snuggled her close, pressing her nose into Shana-oh's hair. "Ushi… Ushi, Ushi, Ushi…" Vy pressed a palm to the back of Shana-oh's tinier head, holding back another apparent heartbroken noise as the small Rider squirmed from the shock. "I-It's really you…!"

"M-Master, what—" Ushiwaka cut herself off once the first wet droplet hit the crown of her hair, blue eyes widening almost comically as her arms flailed in the air. "Master…?"

Robin and Achilles shared a look of fond exasperation, shaking their heads in unison once Kiichi gave them a questioning glance.

Vy's shoulders trembled through the mantle of her Mages' Association uniform, giving Shana-oh more pause as Muramasa was the first of their ragtag group to approach, beating Robin and Achilles to the punch of reaching over to rest a sturdy yet gentle hand on Vy's back. Shooting Shana-oh another look (this one seemingly more tame compared to the disdain Kiichi could still recall), he murmured to Vy, "You don't have to keep going back into one of those 'worry spirals' you've been in since we saw that other Ushiwaka, Be Vy. Thankfully this tiny Ushiwaka doesn't seem to want to go anywhere. So you could probably let 'er go about now."

Be Vy? Kiichi thought, the translation of the name flooding the back of her mind like cold water from a sink. Baby?

"…It is as Lord Muramasa says, Lady Vy," Ushiwaka finally gets out from her place tightly nestled between Vy's chest and neck from the hug. She raises a tiny hand — reminding Kiichi of her daughter for just a moment — to pat what exposed skin there was of Vy's neck past the collar of her Mystic Code that she could reach with such tiny limbs. "Even if I do not fully understand what happened, I know for certain that I'm not leaving you like my other self did in Babylonia. You do not have to cry." In a quieter voice to match the softness of her eyes, she adds, "I'm sorry if I worried you, Lady Vy."

"D-Don't apologize, Ushi…" Vy still sniveled, shaking her head while stubbornly keeping Shana-oh close. "J-Just… just let me hug you for a little while longer. I'm always gonna worry and I've seen way too much of that other Ushi wanting to kill me today and back in Uruk, nightmares and reality included, and, and I-I missed you, dammit." There's another sniffle. "I-I really, really missed you. This you."

"…Oh." Robin and Achilles proceeded to sit down on their knees to join Muramasa at Vy's side as the faint protesting light in Shana-oh's eyes faded at Vy's words. It was as if Kiichi was witnessing the moment Shana-oh was falling in love with the girl known as Vy Duong judging by the softness of her expression. A weak "…Alright," was all that preceded the other Servants reaching over to extend the hug into what was becoming an inevitable group hug, squishing Vy and Shana-oh both between a whole web of supportive arms as Vy continued to sniffle. From what little vantage point Shana-oh seemed to have past Vy's shoulder, she seemed almost regretful yet loving as she relaxed her muscles, closing her eyes and pressing her cheek against Vy's neck. "I missed you too, Lady Vy."

Watching Robin, Achilles, and Muramasa all embrace the crying Chaldean Master with Shana-oh still in the middle, Kiichi couldn't help but wonder what Chaldea had done to make her rowdy student this dutiful. Was it hiring Vy?

Or was it just Vy's capacity to care?

It was only when facing that other Ushiwaka that Kiichi finally understood (at least to a point) why Vy was so important. All it took was looking into the eyes of the ghost of Taira-no-Kagekiyo possessing the Spirit Origin of her former student. In more ideal circumstances, it would've made more sense for Kagekiyo to want to kill Kiichi — after all, Kiichi Hougen was the teacher to Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune. The one who gave the Heroic Spirit Ushiwakamaru the skills to kill.

But no. What Kagekiyo wanted, even as a phantom possessing Shana-oh's body—

"This Yoshitsune Spirit Origin derived from the Heroic Spirit Ushiwakamaru has proven quite stubborn." Even with a mask on, Taira-no-Kagekiyo seemed troubled, the purple lipstick on their lips accentuating their frown. "Even now, it continues to prattle on about how it refuses to aid me. Which is why I have no choice but to shatter its soul and break its spirit. And to do that, I must kill the one Yoshistune — that is, Ushiwakamaru of Chaldea — thinks of in the same manner as she once did for Yoritomo." The smirk that slowly formed on Kagekiyo's face was deadly even to Kiichi's experienced eye, and it was all directed at the one human in their group. "I speak, of course, of you, Vy: the Master of Chaldea."

Vy, to her credit, kept her stance in the center of the group, hugging the smaller Shana-oh tighter to her chest just as the Rider bristled in her arms to match the other Servants slowly moving forward to make a defensive line in front of them both. Robin, Achilles, and Muramasa were all pointedly manning the front of said line, with Medb and Kiichi lingering behind them with the other shrunken Servants otherwise. "So," Vy murmured softly. "That was it, huh?"

Had Kiichi herself not been mentally prepared by the event's previous shenanigans, she would've backtracked more at how nonchalant the Master sounded. Still, she found herself making a hum of understanding. "I see. Kind of like how a loyal dog loses its way after losing its master." And considering how the tinier Shana-oh didn't even try to fight her way out of Vy's arms after the previous group hug that announced her presence to their group, it made sense. Love and all notwithstanding for once. "If you kill Vy now, you expect Shana-oh to lose her spirit enough to disappear completely — leaving you the space to take over?"

Kagekiyo's smirk merely widened.

"Talk about dirty, underhanded tactics," Medb mumbled in response, tapping her baton-whip against her palm. "And that's amazing coming from me."

"Rich," Cu Alter deadpanned.

"If they can get away with it," Achilles growled, his spear materializing in seconds as Robin followed his example with a wide sweep of his arm to reveal the Yew Bow. "And none of us here are willing to let that happen."

"D-Definitely! Senpai is important to us, not just because she's our only Master!" Mash interjected through the comms, very put-off and in agreement. "She's our Senpai and we love her too much to let her die to you!"

"Achi… Mash…" Vy whispered softly.

"…I see. I wasn't planning on revealing this much, but no matter. At least it should save me some time." Despite their bravado, it didn't prepare any of them to hear Kagekiyo then sigh of all things, turning their gaze past all the Servants to look at Vy again. "Let me ask you this then, Master of Chaldea."

Past Achilles and Muramasa's protective arms and Robin's cloak, Vy tilted her head in Kagekiyo's direction instead of verbally responding.

"It would be all too easy to kill you right now. However…" Kagekiyo smiled. It wasn't a nice, pretty smile. "It would also be a waste."

Waste?

Vy didn't even flinch, steadily keeping Kagekiyo's focus on her instead as Shana-oh paused in her place raising the needle Kiichi gave her in the Avenger's direction from Vy's arms.

"For you see, this Spirit Origin still recognizes you as its Master. So I am offering you a deal, Vy Duong." Kagekiyo tilted their head back. "If you agree to serve me, I will spare your life. If you refuse… you die here and now."

The question was cliche. Expected to a point, really. Yet, Kiichi didn't even need Shana-oh's experience, or that of the other Servants for that matter, to know Vy's answer.

"…Well then." All the girl did was hug the little Shana-oh tighter to her chest while shaking her head, an eerily serene smile on her face to contrast the earlier heartfelt response she gave Achilles and Mash. "To that so-called 'tempting' offer, I say 'I'm sorry' and 'fuck no'!" In a softer, more sincere high-pitch, she then added, "What you're doing is still wrong, Taira-no-Kagekiyo, and I can't be a part of it. Especially when it involves a Servant I genuinely care about and their livelihood. One of my first Servants too." Keeping Shana-oh close to where her heart was, Vy shook her head. "And besides."

"Besides…?"

Kiichi felt the wind blow past her ears before she realized Robin, Achilles, and Muramasa were all getting up in Kagekiyo's face to exchange blows. When did—?!

The next smile on Vy's face was haunting even to Kiichi's tengu eyes as Kagekiyo lurched back with a scream of shock, blood flying from the first cut inflicted on their previously confident features. "My family is a lot scarier than you, so good luck in trying to go through them."

Considering the three Servants who followed Vy's every footstep from the very beginning of this mismatched journey, Kiichi had no choice but to agree, even when jumping into the fray with Medb to help.

If a Master like Vy could so fiercely care for a failed student like Shana-oh, why wouldn't Kagekiyo acknowledge it?

"Why—?!" The former ghost of Kagekiyo, now tossed out of Shana-oh's Spirit Origin and properly beaten down like the wicked Phantom Spirit it originated as, scowled at everyone it — no, they — could see as their collective form started to fade. "All I wanted was the destruction of the Genji…! To fulfill your regrets, Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune! So then why—?!"

Even after regaining her original Spirit Origin, Shana-oh's expression contained nothing but remorse and sympathy as she kept one hand on the pommel of her katana, the other extended outwards to keep Vy safely behind her as the allied Servants tensed. "…Even if I may have had regrets about how I served my brother, I do not plan to take them into this life. And for what it's worth, I am not alone, Taira-no-Kagekiyo. I never have been — back then, or even now. That hasn't changed."

The words were enough to make the ghost pause in their cries of their swan song, and it took Kiichi a moment too long to realize she was holding her breath too. What?

"Yoshi… tsune…" The specter raised a skeletal hand in Shana-oh's direction, fingers outstretched before they started to fade too.

Shana-oh — no, the Heroic Spirit Ushiwakamaru — merely took a few more steps back, shaking her head while keeping Vy safely behind her. "I always had someone with me, Kagekiyo." Her voice had gone softer, just like what Kiichi could remember of her tone with Vy, how she constantly dialed down any thoughts of "beheading" just for the petite Master who continued to look on in surprise over the Rider's shoulder. "Benkei. Kaison. Yoshimori. Yoshinari. Shizuka. Shishou. Kouju. Mother. Lord Hidehara." With a quiet nod of her head in Kiichi's direction, Shana-oh then met the fading specter's gaze with a steady eye. "And I have people with me now as well. Benkei. Lady Mash. Lady Da Vinci, my fellow Heroic Spirits, Grailed and not. Everyone back at Novum Chaldea." Not even Kiichi could miss the fond look Ushiwakamaru directed towards the one Master entangled in this mess. "And, of course, my Master, Lady Vy."

"Ushi…" Vy whispered softly. She carefully reached over with her left hand to rest her palm against the small of Shana-oh's back, Command Seals glowing faintly past her knuckles and even the pink ring sitting on her middle finger.

Kiichi couldn't define the glint in Shana-oh's eyes at that very moment when she smiled at the one Chaldean Master in return, but it must've done something because when Shana-oh turned back to look at the fading Kagekiyo, the specter seemed to be smiling too. More content, even, if Kiichi could call the look on its ghastly face such. "Then—"

"You don't have to worry about me anymore, Kagekiyo. I'll be alright." With a tiny smile, Ushiwaka let go of her sword in favor of raising a gloved hand in the specter's direction, resting the tips of her fingers against its fading cheekbones. "Go rest now." In a softer voice, she added, "I'm sure it's what your loved ones would've wanted too."

"Lord Yoshistune…" The reverted-to-size Benkei said softly from his place with the others in the peanut gallery.

"Oh, come on," the normal Jason retorted, shaking his head while placing his palm against his face. The exasperation seemed to be shared with Cu Alter at least, who kept his face pointed away from the whole spectacle. "Now you're crying too?"

"N-No, this is… um, sweat."

"Oh, brother."

Kiichi didn't have the heart to quip. Neither did the others for that matter (although it was hard to miss how Robin offered a corner of his mantle to the "sweating" Lancer, just in time with Muramasa pulling out a handkerchief).

Kagekiyo was still disappearing in the end. It looked almost pitiful if not for how it almost killed them a few times in the previous battle. "Yoshi… stune…" The specter's head was all that was left as it glanced between Ushiwaka and Vy for what seemed to be the last time. "You… are not alone?"

"No," Ushiwaka murmured in the same soft voice. "I'm not."

"Then… you will no longer… cry?"

Before Ushiwaka could say anything, Vy reached out past Ushiwaka's shoulder to touch the specter's other cheek with her own palm, nodding her head. "I'm doing my best as a Master to make sure she doesn't," Vy interjected kindly, a matching smile on her face as she rubbed the specter's cheekbone. "I can promise that much, Kagekiyo. So you don't have to hold onto your grudge for the Genji anymore. Take some time to wander the world for you for once."

Even with both Ushiwaka and Vy's hands on their face, Kagekiyo merely paused, everything but their head having faded from view. "…I see. Then I suppose this hatred was perhaps too much for your small Spirit Origin, or your Master, to withstand. I'll be sure to take it with me to the afterlife, then." Even with their jaw starting to fade too, Kiichi could see the hints of one last smile in Vy and Ushiwaka's direction. "Farewell, Yoshistune, Shana-oh… Ushiwakamaru… the child I saw that day. Farewell, Vy, Master of Chaldea. I will… hold you to that promise…"

Silver sparkles were all that were left of the specter once Kagekiyo finally disappeared, leaving Ushiwaka and Vy grasping at thin air. The Heroic Spirit of Yoshistune that Kagekiyo had used seemed to have faded along with the specter in the midst of the previous battle, leaving the group that came from Chaldea alone.

"…Forgive me, Lady Vy," Ushiwakamaru said softly, lowering her hand to clench it into a fist as she ducked her head. "For causing all this trouble, even if it was—"

"No." Kiichi didn't even get a chance to open her mouth once Vy interrupted her via wrapping her arms around Ushiwaka's waist from behind, pressing her forehead into the back of Ushiwaka's neck and squeezing tight. "Don't apologize, Ushi. Just don't." With a tiny sigh, Kiichi could see Vy lean into the taller Rider's figure, shutting her eyes past her glasses in frustration. "I never blamed you for all this. And, for what it's worth," there was a muffled noise. Was that a sniffle? "Welcome back, Ushiwakamaru. I missed you. Even if I liked hugging the tinier you, I still missed hugging this you too."

"L-Lady Vy…" A startled laugh left Shana-oh's lips as she leaned back into Vy's embrace, giving a sheepish smile to Benkei, Robin, Achilles, and the other Servants who chose to step closer and give smiles of their own back. "At least let me take some responsibility…"

"No way. Not this time." Vy still shook her head, keeping her cheek pressed into Ushiwaka's clothes as her arms squeezed the Rider's waist. "…If there's one thing you can take responsibility for, it's getting an undershirt for this armor, you dork. Your stomach's cold."

To Kiichi's surprise, red broke out across Shana-oh's cheeks as the words were processed, her jaw dropped soon after. "B-But Master, these garments are easy to move around in!"

"Not if it nearly exposes everyone to under-boob shots and easy katana stabbings, Ushi! You deserve better than that, especially when we might travel to another cold place like Russia or Scandinavia!" Vy's voice was coming out more childish and stubborn by the second, contrasting Shana-oh's growing embarrassment. It was enough of a spectacle to draw a surprised laugh from Muramasa and Achilles in unison as Jason and Robin sighed. Medb merely chuckled to herself, leaving Kiichi the odd one out when watching the whole thing. "So if you want a 'punishment,' we're going to Medea when we Rayshift back home to make you more clothes! You need more armor!"

"N-No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Master!"

"Ushi!"

From her place watching from the corner of the former arena that the temple made up around them, Kiichi found her heart softening.

So, Shana-oh… this is the family you chose? With Vy?

With the growing fondness in her old tengu heart, she really couldn't help herself. Even with Benkei and Jason turning to her suddenly to make cutting motions to their necks with growing dread on their faces. "…Vy, if you're willing to take care of my former student like that, will you be my bride? Or allow me to adopt you?"

The resulting atmosphere was quiet enough that a pin could've dropped. Heck, even Shana-Oh was giving her a weird look past Vy's arms to match the paling Benkei and Jason as Cu Alter proceeded to sit himself down on the ground, crossing his legs and dematerializing his spear to match the laughing Medb nearby. And… wait a second.

Why was Achilles and Robin suddenly materializing their weapons again? And what was with the dark aura around their heads?

Vy peeked her head out from Ushiwaka's back for the first time since Kagekiyo disappeared, cheeks aflame as her mouth gaped. Then, she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and untangling herself from the nearby Rider as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Um, Shishou?" The voice that called out Kiichi's new nickname was so much more high-pitched and embarrassed than before. Huh? "To the second question, yes! A-As for the first question, a-as much as it's sudden, I-I do appreciate the proposal, but I'm still sorry! I'm taken and I'm not one for sharing!"

…Huh? Kiichi's thoughts all came to a halt. What? Then, a beat later, what graced her mind was, Why is she saying it like a businessperson?

"Besides," Muramasa interjected with a tired huff, rubbing the back of his head, "For one of the most famous onmyouji to not notice the matching rings amongst her own group of allies, I'm amazed you tried." In a louder voice, he went on to say, "Oi, Rider, Archer! Don't kill her! We could use her for possible wedding plans later if your Grailed Saber in King Arthur has anything to say about it!"

Ignoring Vy's loud cry of, "W-W-Wedding plans, ông nội?!", Kiichi racked her head. Rings? Yes, there was the pink flower ring that Vy was wearing, but—

Once Robin was pointing his crossbow her way with a raised, very unamused brow, Kiichi caught a glimpse of silver on his middle finger.

Well, shit.

"…New Servant initiation then, Archer?" Achilles said in clear earshot, twirling his spear with a menacing smile.

Without moving a muscle of his aiming hand, Robin raised one hand to a pack on his leggings — a quiver — pulling out one poison-tipped bolt to load the Yew Bow with. "Yep." The word was marked by very, very sarcastic laughter. "New Servant initiation it is, Rider. Because I'm becoming very tired of Divine Spirits and literal Gods staking claims on my little sparrow's life."

"Same here, and I'm the one left in the dust! Plus…" Achilles cracked his knuckles. "I do recall a certain onmyouji admitting how they could've recovered the Mallet of Fortune sooner but didn't because they wanted to see how we would do, and I've never been good with taking tests…"

Well, shit.

Not even Shana-oh's remorseful shaking of her head near Vy's side helped Kiichi's bad feeling as she prepared her war fans.

W-Well then! More battles it is, then! I did want a challenge with the famous Grailed of Novum Chaldea!

Kiichi chose to ignore the mental image she had of Lady Scathach shaking her head like Shana-oh to leap at Achilles and Robin both with a wide grin. "I'll make sure to pass your initiation then!"

"TRY IT!"