After a certain someone suffered divine punishment for withholding the instruction manual, the entire group dispersed like unleashed Servants, rushing back to their respective cottagesâgearing up for lunch prep while also scheming to uncover what other black-hearted tech Sakatsuki had secretly buried in those kitchens.
Incidentally, the three villa arrangements were as follows:
Wafuu Courtyard: Sasaki Kojirou, CĂș Chulainn, Diarmuid, Tamamo-no-Mae, Kiyohime, and Mordred. Since they each had their own quarters, things were relatively peaceful... for now.
Western Villa: Illya, Miyu, Kuro, Artoria, Mash, Ritsuka, and Fou. Strangely, the Magical Girls seemed reluctant to share space with Ahoge King, leaving Artoria in a quiet, melancholic funk.
Chinese Courtyard: Sakatsuki and Draco. Though the smallest group, their supplies wereâsuspiciouslyâthe most luxurious.
"So? Whatâs Your Majesty want for lunch?" Sakatsuki sighed dramatically as he rolled up his sleeves, peering into the pantry. "Make it quick. Iâve still got to go dig farmland, plant veggies, raise livestock... This is a straight-up unequal treaty."
Sunlight spilled through the window, warm and clear. Draco sat demurely in the living room, head tilted, watching Sakatsuki intently.
The young man had tied on a warm-toned apron and was methodically examining ingredients in the cabinets, sleeves rolled up. The easy smile at the corners of his lips didnât seem to fade.
Even a mundane scene like thisâa man preparing a simple mealâcarried a quiet, magnetic charm.
Golden light painted the redwood furniture in soft halos. It was the kind of image that didnât need the lens of memory to make it beautiful.
A phantom bell seemed to tollâreverberating in her chest.
Draco, stunned, sat motionless on the sofa, her amber eyes drinking in only him.
This worldâjust the two of them.
Her ephemeral dream.Her fantasy holiday.
"I wish to go on a picnic," Draco finally said, leaning against the intricately carved armrest. Her voice was flat, composedâan effort to hide the tremor inside. "And you will accompany me."
"But I still have fields to till..."
"Postpone them." A beat. Realizing sheâd barked too hard, Draco softened. "...Please?"
Sakatsuki paused with his hand on the black sesame jar, surprised. "...Wait. Was that you... being cute?"
"Mmngh." Dracoâs cheeks flushed. She grabbed a cushion and stuffed her face behind it.
To Sakatsuki, it was unbearably adorable.
"As you will." He stepped forward, gently taking her hand and placing it to his forehead. "My liege."
The pillow fell to the floor. Draco turned her head away in a panic, trying not to look at his handsome profile.
Onlyâher tail betrayed her.
Soft and slow, it wrapped around his thigh... then looped around his waist.
From dragging him into the Second Singularity, from trying to escape her fate, from dying as a beast, from returning as a dream.
Now, she remained.
For the first time, Draco found herself feeling something beyond greed, wrath, lust, or pride.
Something so precious it made her hesitate to touch it.
That feeling was calledâ
BANG BANG BANG!
A thunderous knock shattered the silence. Draco blinked. In the next instant, she leapt away like a startled cat, bolting from Sakatsukiâs side.
Back to reality.
And thenâthe horror dawned on her.
Her lips... had been this close to his cheek.
"Impossible. Thereâs no way Iâ! Iâm not that kind of frivolous woman, am I?!"
"Why are you just standing there?! Go open the door!"
Face burning, Draco didnât even glance at Sakatsuki. She jumped from the couch and bolted up the stairs like a fleeing fox.
"I have urgent matters. Entertain the guest yourself!"
"...Right."
What Draco didnât see was the blank look on Sakatsukiâs face.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
That movement just nowâwas she... about to kiss me?
By the Throne above, he didnât even notice the passage of time. Last he remembered, he was just holding a tiny red dragon, and thenâ
What the hell just happened?!
No. No, this had to be sabotage. Aoko, this smells like you! Did she splice out five minutes of his timeline?! A Fifth Magic user pulling that kind of shady trick?
"I SWEAR IâM NOT INTO LOLIS!"
Grumbling furiously and mentally blaming it all on Aoko, Sakatsuki opened the doorâface dark as a storm cloud.
"Hello, sorry to bother youâwhoa!"
The moment Illya opened the door, she found herself face to face with Sakatsukiâexpressionless and silent. His golden eyes practically radiated pressure, and she instantly took a step back in frightâshoving Miyu forward like a meat shield.
That had been her and Kuroâs agreed-upon strategy. Based on Sakatsukiâs prior behavior, Miyu clearly held a higher affection rating in his eyes than the two of them combined.
"Nn." As expected, the moment he saw the black-haired girl standing before him, Sakatsuki snapped out of his earlier daze, inhaled deeply, and gave them a warm smileâthe same one he always wore.
"Ladies, can I help you with something?"
Miyu hesitated, then asked softly, "Um... Mr. Sakatsuki... would you happen to be free this afternoon?"
After learning about Sakatsukiâs true identity from Ritsuka, Miyu had shared the revelation with her two closest companions. They hadnât brought it up during yesterdayâs game of Werewolf, but this morning, theyâd rushed overâwanting to have a proper conversation with Sakatsuki about who he really was.
If not for Ritsukaâs timely insight, none of them wouldâve figured out that the two versions of Sakatsuki theyâd met were actually the same person!
"This afternoon?" Sakatsuki, oblivious to the girlsâ scheming, suddenly felt a tremor from the Imaginary Number Shadowâan unmistakable warning from a certain Empress. "...Unfortunately, Iâve already made plans with Draco. Weâre going on a picnic."
"Picnic?" Kuroâs eyes lit up like stars. "Can we come?"
"Of course. The pastries still need time to finish anywayâcome on in."
Sakatsuki agreed immediately. Curiously, the Imaginary Shadow didnât reactâwas the little red dragon silently approving? Or just... indecisive?
Either way, Sakatsuki had made up his mind: He wasnât going to be alone with Draco again.
If anything were to happen, Draco should at least be in her Third Ascension form, right?
Otherwise...
Thatâs a minimum sentence of three years!
"Yay!" The three girls, still unsure what to do for lunch, instantly cheered and burst into Sakatsukiâs house, their curiosity piqued.
"So this is a traditional Chinese-style house? Itâs nothing like our home!"
"Isnât it just the two of you living here? Itâs so... empty."
"Mmm... itâs quiet too. And best of allâno Miss Artoria..."
At this point, all three suddenly fell silent.They exchanged subtle glances and stared cautiously at Sakatsuki.
The real reason they didnât want to be near Artoria?
Because someoneâwearing Saberâs faceâwiped their team out in one swing.
"What is it?" Sakatsuki still hadnât connected the dots.
"Nothing, nothing at all! Right?"
"Y-Yeah, thatâs right! Hahaha..."
"You three are super suspicious," he said, eyeing them. But in vacation mode, he really couldnât be bothered to dig deeper. "Whatever. Just stay off the second floor. Her Majestyâs in a mood."
Thump! A low rumble from the ceiling punctuated his words.
Sakatsuki just chuckled and returned to his preparations, unaware of the odd looks Illya, Miyu, and Kuro were exchanging.
Her Majesty?
Whatever was going through the girlsâ minds, minutes later, Sakatsuki stepped out of the courtyardâbasket of steaming fresh pastries in hand, humming a tune.
Trailing behind him were Illya, Miyu, and Kuroâwith Draco hanging far in the back, tail flicking in agitation.
"I smell something delicious!"
Wild Artoria has appeared!
Before the Ahoge Queen could even speak, Sakatsuki nonchalantly tossed her a piece of pastry. The golden-haired King of Knights caught it midair without thinking, took a biteâand froze.
This taste...
She chewed slowly, her eyes going wide with realization. Snapping her head up, she looked around for Sakatsukiâ
But the young man had already vanished into the forest, disappearing like a phantom.
Rather than chase after him, Artoria suddenly turned and ran toward the Wafuu Courtyard.
BANG BANG BANG!
"Diarmuid! Diarmuid! Lancer! Get out hereâI need to ask you something!"
***
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