Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Are you all alright now?

"Ah... um... it's all over now."

Yu Si and I… Mother has fully recovered. I'm sorry to have worried you, brother.

Ilya stammered, showing no intention of rushing up to hug Shirou.

"...?"

Shirou frowned: Something feels off.

Alice and Ilya, mother and daughter, walked side by side in the mansion, and there seemed to be an indescribable eeriness between them.

They, who usually hold hands, now keep about half a meter apart.

Furthermore, Irisviel had been silent since the beginning, neither greeting nor saying anything, but simply staring intently at him.

Shirou: "Iris...?"

Irisviel: “…”

Ilya tugged at her mother's sleeve, which snapped her out of her intense gaze.

"Hello, Shirou Amamiya."

"what?"

Suddenly, I was called by my full name in a very formal way.

"Ah... Ahahahaha! I'm playing a game with my mother where we call each other by our full names."

Ilya stepped in front of her mother and said, "You agree, don't you, Irisviel von Einzbern?"

Irisviel nodded emotionlessly: "Yes, Illyasviel von Einzbern."

Shirou: "..."

"Okay, okay, that's enough... Brother!"

I took my mother to take a bath. Please let us use the bathroom first! See you later!

With that, Ilya forcibly dragged Irisviel away.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief—

"Wait a minute, Illya," Shirou called out to them.

"What...what happened?"

Ilya forced a smile, a bead of cold sweat trickling down the girl's cheek.

Shirou frowned and asked, "Is the person next to you really your mother, Irisviel?"

"..."

They've been exposed!

Ilya knew something was wrong.

The silver-haired woman now appearing in the corridor is none other than Justeza, who swapped clothes with Irisviel.

The "Winter Saintess" possesses a noble beauty and perfect figure that is almost a 1:1 replica of Irisviel, so much so that even Shirou cannot distinguish her from Irisviel.

This is to be expected, because ultimately, Irisviel is a copy of the prototype Justessa.

However, the identical appearance could not fool Shirou's eyes; he would never mistake his mother for someone else.

"Brother, who is she...?"

Ilya avoided eye contact.

Just when she finally decided to confess everything—

Justessa released her hand and quickly walked up to Shirou.

"This is truly speechless. If you say I'm not Irisviel, then who am I?"

Although the silver-haired, red-eyed android was half a head shorter than Shirou, it exuded a sense of looking down on him.

"...Are you Alice?"

Justise replied coldly, "I am Irisviel."

From a human perspective, this is an outright lie.

However, from the perspective of artificial humans, this statement is not wrong.

Long, long ago, the Einzbern family shared the same great soul.

As the Lesser Grail, Irisviel often heard voices in her dreams when she was a child.

That was the prayer and sigh of my compatriots who had been unable to fulfill their long-cherished wish for two thousand years, something like the collective unconscious of humanity (Alaya consciousness), forever accompanying Irisviel.

This is the fate and curse of the Einzberns; no one can escape it.

Once created as androids of their kind, they will dedicate their lives to their original dream (the Third Magic).

However, the appearance of Shirou Amamiya broke this fate.

He corrupted the Lesser Grail in the area, destroyed the Greater Grail at its source, and even gained the support of the Einzbern family.

That's why Yustissa wanted to learn more about him and what kind of human he really was.

The red-haired boy and the silver-haired woman locked eyes.

"It seems I made a mistake."

Finally, Shirou lowered his gaze first.

There's no problem with the wavelength of the soul; it's Irisviel herself.

But the mental state—the personality and the atmosphere—changed. Was it due to the influence of the cold?

He couldn't help but think that similar situations (malfunctions) had occurred before.

Well, things should be back to normal by tomorrow.

“Illyasviel”.

"Yes, Mother."

"Please leave for a moment, I need to speak with Shirou Amamiya."

"But……"

"It will pass soon."

Ilya glanced at Justessa, then at Shirou, and nodded before walking toward the bathroom.

"Shirou Amamiya, are you free tonight?" Justessa asked.

"Oh? Yes, there are."

"Understood. Please wait in the room. I will come over to chat with you late at night."

After saying this, Yustissa turned and left.

Shirou frowned and watched her figure disappear around the corner.

"By the way... Alice doesn't have Command Seals on the back of her hand."

……

……

That evening, "Irisviel" arrived as scheduled.

Good evening, Shirou Amamiya.

As soon as the "Winter Saintess" disguised as Irisviel entered the Japanese-style room, she curiously looked around in Shirou's room.

She picked up the group photo on the table and stared at it for a long time before putting it down.

Justeza approached Shirou and knelt down gracefully.

"So, where should we begin?"

She muttered to herself expressionlessly.

Shirou swallowed nervously: He had a feeling that Alice was a little scary tonight.

Do you have a girl you like?

"Varied…………"

"Amamiya Shirou is a healthy adult male, so he probably has one or two girls he likes."

"Can I not answer?"

Shirou muttered to himself: Why do I have to talk to Irisviel about this?

"Without an answer, there can be no dialogue."

Yustisa frowned slightly.

She was very confident in her ability to bring up topics, having spent a long time researching and preparing for today.

"Let me change the subject. Of the two girls who stayed for dinner tonight, which one is your true love?"

"........."

Yustisa pressed further, "Both of them? Neither of them? Ah, could it be that the one with the short hair is your true love?"

Shirou said speechlessly, "Why are you suddenly saying this? What's wrong with you today, Alice..."

Yustissa suddenly leaned closer, staring into the red-haired boy's eyes.

I want to know you better.

The pleasant body odor entered Shirou's nostrils, and his cheeks unconsciously flushed.

Irisviel was the second woman in Shirou's life.

If we're talking about the frequency of intimate acts, it's safe to say it's the first time she's had such a long break, and she even got pregnant with his child on her own initiative.

For Shirou, no matter how many times he's hugged Irisviel, she remains incredibly attractive, and...

I felt that she had a mysterious charm tonight that was completely different from her usual self; her indifferent expression and eyes were also very captivating.

"..."

Shiro swallowed hard.

"What are you doing, Shirou Amamiya?"

Justeza lowered her head—Shirou's right hand became restless.

"No, this was actually an accident..."

Although Shirou said that, he had no intention of stopping at all, and instead became even more demanding.

Compared to Irisviel's usual aggressive manner in pushing him down, Shirou's actions at this moment could be considered quite gentlemanly.

Yustissa said, "I understand. If I continue to let you manipulate me, will you be willing to answer my questions?"

“…Yes.” Shirou nodded.

Yustissa thought for a moment: "Alright, I promise you, but you have to answer my... questions honestly... um..."

Although the "Winter Saintess" maintained her icy demeanor, she couldn't help but let out a delicate hum.

If you look closely, you can see a faint blush on her fair cheeks.

"..."

Seeing the subtle changes in Justeza, Shirou felt a surge of accomplishment and superiority welling up in his chest.

No one knew Irisviel's every weakness better than him—

Shirou knows best how to let her experience the happiness of being a woman.

"Then let me ask you... hmm... what are your thoughts on the third and fourth magics..."

Justeza resumed asking questions, and Shirou answered them truthfully—of course, he wasn't just answering questions.

Observing the silver-haired beauty's expression, Shirou felt a sense of relief:

Although she has somehow transformed into a cool and aloof beauty, she is still the Alice I know and love—her sensitivity remains unchanged.