To become a king and a magician

Therefore, he had noticed some of the changes in Artoria's behavior since her appearance.

That's why he left the space to the two of them, and the changes brought about by Artoria could only be handled by her—although Natsukawa Torato felt that it shouldn't be a particularly serious problem.

But compared to what happened on their side, there is now an even more serious problem facing him.

"This will really take a lot of time to clean up..."

The last time Natsukawa Tora came to his parents' bedroom was when Sajo Aika came to help clean it, which was about two weeks ago. That was enough time for the room to accumulate a layer of dust, not to mention that the room was also crammed with a lot of relics sent back from England. There wasn't much space left, and just moving things around would be exhausting to clean.

"Let me see... I remember this is a fragment of King Arthur's Round Table, and this is an antique bottle excavated in Rome that is suspected to be from the Arthurian era... What are all these things?"

The room was filled with relics, most of which were related to King Arthur, and the remaining small portion could also be related to King Arthur or the Knights of the Round Table in some way.

In the past, Natsukawa Tora would have always been dismissive of the story of King Arthur, after all, he was a legendary figure, and legends are generally false or nonexistent. But after what happened yesterday, even he had to start to doubt the authenticity of King Arthur.

That might actually be a real person.

"If that's true, then all this stuff in the house would be incredibly valuable... Well, I doubt Mom and Dad would even consider selling it for money."

Those were research fanatics who valued studying King Arthur more than their own son. These relics were found or unearthed by the two of them through all sorts of means, and there was no way they would sell them.

"I'll discuss it with them when they get back... Huh? What's this?"

His gaze was drawn to a stone placed in the corner. Xia Chuanhu bent down, picked it up, and examined it. It was an orange crystal that appeared to be uncarved, with a white outer shell and a pair of wing-like decorations.

"This...is also from the time of King Arthur? Let me see, it's labeled...[Unearthed in Italy, Relic of the Angel]."

"Angel?"

Xia Chuanhu frowned. How could something completely unrelated to King Arthur appear in his parents' collection?

Did it accidentally get mixed in and get sent back together?

After thinking for a moment, Xia Chuanhu threw the stone back into the pile of collectibles.

"Forget it, let's keep tidying up and try to get it done before they get back. This is a huge undertaking."

14. Who is the person who understands you best?

Meanwhile, inside the supermarket.

"Shh-!"

Having changed out of her school uniform and into a white shirt and blue long skirt, Artoria emerged from the fitting room. She seemed a little uncomfortable, pressing down on the back of her skirt, her face slightly flushed as she looked at Ayaka Sajou: "Um... Sajou-san, I'm done changing. Do you really want to buy this outfit?"

“Yes, it looks great, Pendragon.” Aika Sajou said with a smile. “Indeed, Pendragon suits this simple style much better than those ornate clothes.”

"Thank you for the compliment, Sajou-kun, but isn't this skirt a bit too over-the-top?"

"That's how the skirt is. How about trying this one instead?"

Sajō Aika walked over with another outfit, but this one was less like everyday wear and more like a formal gown for a banquet. It was entirely white, sleeveless, and instead had two long gloves, so it would probably leave the chest and above bare if worn.

Artoria quickly waved her hand: "Sajō-kun, this is a bit... I think what I'm wearing is fine, there's no need to buy any more."

"One set of clothes won't do; a girl's wardrobe should have at least a dozen outfits."

"Do we need that many?"

“After all, we girls need to wear different clothes for different occasions, unlike boys who only need two or three outfits.” Aika Sajo laughed. “I also have quite a few clothes in my wardrobe. Although I usually only wear two or three pieces, I always keep the others on hand.”

"Keep them on hand? Are they for some special situation?"

Sajou Aika nodded: "Yes, some are what I wear when I go out with Tora on weekends, some are what I wear when I go to New Year's shrines with Tora during the New Year, and some are what I wear when I attend banquets with Tora."

"It seems that Sajou-kun and Natsukawa-kun are really inseparable. You two have a really good relationship."

"It's good... well, but it's just good."

Putting the clothes back on the hanger, Aika Sajou gazed at Artoria: "Pendragon-kun, since Toranosaki has given us this rare opportunity, and he's not here, I'll tell you some of my true feelings..."

If Natsukawa Tora were here, Sajou Aika would never have said these words, but now she is willing to say them to the person in front of her who is about to replace her in less than two days.

“Pendragon, I like tigers, I really like him.”

This is something that Aika Sajou has never told anyone other than herself. She has had these feelings for someone since they met ten years ago, and they have continued to grow over time.

Artoria wasn't particularly surprised by this. After all, a girl who's willing to cook three meals a day for you, spends most of her time with you, and can't see anyone else in her eyes—what else could this be but love? Hatred?

But why would she suddenly say something like that to herself?

"Pendragon, do you like tigers?"

"Huh?"

My thoughts suddenly paused.

Ask yourself if you like your Master?

【Oh wow~~~~~ It seems this is a crucial choice that will determine the direction of the plot from here on out. What do you say, Lia?】

[Father and Master... that doesn't sound bad!]

Mordred, be good, don't talk nonsense, go get some candy—Grey, watch your sister for a moment.

Before Artoria could even think, the voices of Meryl, Mordred, and Morgan echoing in her mind threw her into disarray.

(Let me think about this carefully...)

First and foremost, it's certain that Artoria doesn't have romantic feelings for Natsukawa Tora. While he is indeed an outstanding man, seemingly impeccable in every aspect, his flaws—such as laziness and being a womanizer (?)—make him all the more relatable. If he were to interact with ten women, probably eleven would fall for him.

Putting herself in her shoes, Artoria thought she would also feel some affection for him.

But right now, she has no such thoughts.

“I don’t have any feelings for Natsukawa-kun, Sajou-kun.” Artoria shook her head. “Indeed, he is a very outstanding boy, but I’ve only known him for less than two days. Even if I were to fall for him in such a short time, it would only be because I like his appearance. I don’t think that’s true love.”

"Can't liking someone just because they look good be considered true liking?"

Saya Aika muttered for a moment, then nodded as if in agreement: "Yeah, I think so too. There were some girls who confessed to Tora after only knowing him for a day or two, just because he was handsome... Those kinds of people are not good enough for Tora at all."

"So... Sajou-kun, the reason you asked me this question was to confirm my opinion of Natsukawa-kun? Then you can rest assured, I have no plans to fall in love with anyone right now, and on the contrary, I will fully support your relationship."

"Really?!"

Sajō Aika's eyes lit up immediately, then she patted her chest with a sigh of relief: "That's great... To be honest, I was really nervous. If Pendragon had said you liked tigers... I really wouldn't have known what to do."

"why?"

"Because... I have a feeling that the two of you are doing something behind my back, as if there is a unique relationship between the two of you—this may sound a bit strange, but I'm sorry, you don't need to take it to heart."

"Ah."

(It seems they've noticed something? They haven't given themselves away, so it's just a deduction based on the changes in the relationship between the Master and me?)

Just as Natsukawa Torara could deduce from Sajo Aika's behavioral changes that she might have encountered some problems caused by Artoria, Sajo Aika could also infer some things between Natsukawa Torara and Artoria from the changes in their relationship.

Even if the memories and experiences of the past ten years were fabricated, and neither of them had any memories of the real world, they had indeed spent ten years together. Apart from Arthur, they were the people who had accompanied each other the longest, and the people in the world who understood each other the most.

Only the two people involved can immediately perceive what's happening to each other—of course, this is on the premise that it's not related to feelings. A blockhead like Natsukawa Tora, who is only interested in one-sided feelings, would never be able to perceive changes in someone else's feelings for him.

"You two really have a good relationship."

Artoria suddenly said this out of the blue.

"Huh? Pendragon, what did you say?"

"No, it's nothing. Do we need to buy more clothes? I think two outfits are enough."

"No, buy four more sets."

"But money... I don't have that much money."

"I'll pay. Tiger gave me his card at noon today."

15. Who is the person you are close to and important to?

When Aika Sajou and Artoria returned to the Natsukawa family home, they saw Natsukawa Tora sprawled on the sofa watching TV as soon as they entered.

Upon seeing the two return, Natsukawa Torama turned off the TV and stood up: "You bought it? Is what Pendragon is wearing now what we bought? Not bad."

A white shirt and a blue skirt—this was the outfit Artoria had tried on before, and it suited her perfectly. Looking at her like this, Natsukawa Tora felt a strong sense of agreement for some reason, as if Artoria should dress like this.

"Yeah, the clothes that Sajou picked out for me are all really nice."

"I should say that Pendragon looks good in anything—Tiger, is the room all cleaned up yet?"

“I’m already sitting here, what do you think?” Natsukawa Tora walked over and took the dinner ingredients from Sajo Aika’s pocket. “Pendragon, you can go upstairs and put your clothes and stuff down first. You can use my parents’ blankets and stuff. Aika, you come to the kitchen with me and help me out.”

Artoria nodded and quickly went up to the second floor.

After walking into the kitchen with Ayaka Sajou and placing the ingredients on the cutting board, Natsukawa Torato said as he took out the kitchen utensils, "Looks like everything's alright?"

"Huh? What do you mean no problem?"

"You didn't seem to be in a good mood today, and I was wondering if you and Pendragon had some kind of conflict... but it seems there's no problem now."

I knew it!

Sajō Aika smiled and said, "There was no conflict to begin with. I was just overthinking things. I can just talk to Pendragon about it. But I'm quite surprised that Tiger is so concerned about me."

"I'm going to get angry if you say that."

Natsukawa Torato lightly tapped Sajo Aika's head with his soup spoon: "You're the closest person to me. If I don't care about you, who will I care about? Idiot."

Saya rubbed her head and said coquettishly, "Who's the idiot? My grades are better than yours. Also, you can't just say 'I'm the closest person to you' casually, or your aunt and uncle will be unhappy."

Although she was really happy to hear him say that.

"They only come back for half a month a year, so it would be a miracle if I could get close to them. In comparison, you, who are with me every day, are definitely closer and more important... Well, if they are tied for first place in terms of importance, you would be second."

"So, it's only natural for me to care about you. Don't ever say anything like 'I care about you and that it surprises you' again, or I'll knock you on the head."

Are you willing to do that?

Snapped!

With a light chop to the head, Natsukawa Tiger laughed, "Of course I'm willing. Help me wash and chop the vegetables, I'll handle the meat—buying such a big piece, you really don't hold back when it comes to spending my money."

"After all, with Pendragon's appetite, small pieces are simply not enough for him."

"really."

————————————————————————————————————————