The group made their way down the side hallway toward the storage room where Kiritsugu's old clothes were kept, Florence walking beside Shirou as the others trailed behind in pairs, still exchanging thoughts on the Maous' visit.
"Romani's is definitely Sloth," Achilles declared, tossing a grin over his shoulder. "I'm sure he would try to sleep through the apocalypse."
"I would be resting my genius," Romani said flatly. "Besides, I'm more efficient when horizontal."
Yan Qing snorted. "Sure. Sloth incarnate."
They laughed—until Shirou stopped walking as he remembered how, when he woke up in the ORC building, he saw that his Sin aligment was Lust. He wondered about that before, but now…
He blinked, then frowned slightly at Romani, his fingers twitching in the air as if reacting to something only he could see. A faint shimmer hovered at the edge of his vision, glowing in soft blue-green hues.
Solomon
Class: Caster (Devil) — Bishop
Strength: E | Endurance: E | Agility: B
Mana: A++ | Luck: A++ | NP: A+++
Personal Skills: Revelation B, Summoning EX, Solomon's Rings EX, Clairvoyance EX
Sin Alignment: Sloth
Shirou's breath caught in his throat. The interface hovered just in front of Romani, subtle and semi-transparent, like a sheet of mystical code overlaying reality.
Florence, noticing his sudden halt, turned. "Shirou?"
He didn't answer right away. Still staring at the stats, he slowly reached out with prana and thought her name instead.
A second shimmer flickered into being beside her.
Florence Nightingale
Class: Berserker (Devil) — Queen
Strength: B+ | Endurance: A+ | Agility: B+
Mana: D+ | Luck: A+ | NP: C
Personal Skills: Nurse of Steel A+, Human Anatomy Understanding A, Scream of the Angel EX
Sin Alignment: Pride
Florence blinked. "...You're staring."
Shirou looked up at her, lips parting slowly. "I can see them. Your parameters alongside your... Sin."
The others stopped too, sensing the shift.
"You're joking," Romani said, squinting. "You mean like our Servant stats?"
Shirou nodded, still trying to process it. "Romani's... it's Sloth. Yours," he turned to Florence, "is Pride."
Florence didn't even blink. "That sounds about right."
Romani raised a hand. "Excuse me, I object. I'm a functioning adult."
"You refused to get out of bed this morning," Florence said flatly.
"On principle."
Shirou looked between them all, still stunned. "I didn't think I could still do this after I transformed you into Devils. Maybe it's part of the King Piece… or the Lesser Grail. But I can pull up your Sin alignment like it's part of your profile."
The hallway now felt quieter, more intimate, the air charged with something unseen but undeniably real.
"Wait, you can see mine too?" Achilles asked, his eyes practically sparkling. "C'mon, hit me with it."
Shirou hesitated only for a second before focusing—and like before, a soft shimmer manifested in front of him. "Yours is Pride."
Achilles let out a bark of laughter. "Ha! Knew it. Totally nailed it."
Florence muttered behind him, "We all nailed it."
Next was Yan Qing, who leaned in like someone about to hear a fortune. Shirou's prana responded instinctively.
"Yours is Envy."
Yan Qing blinked. "…Huh."
Romani tilted his head. "Interesting."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yan Qing asked.
Romani's tone turned thoughtful. "You're a phantom thief, right? You exist to impersonate others—to take their place, steal their image, live in their shadow. Envy isn't malicious in your case. It's structural. Intrinsic."
Yan Qing raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to pretend that wasn't disturbingly accurate."
Then came Arjuna, who gave a slow nod as Shirou checked his alignment. And squinted at it. "… Wrath?"
Arjuna didn't react outwardly—but something in his gaze flickered, unsettled.
Romani hummed. "Even the calmest warriors carry rage, Arjuna. Your discipline contains it, but it's there, apparently."
Arjuna's voice was quiet. "It always was."
Shirou moved on to Karna, his breath stalling slightly as the parameters appeared. He blinked as he said, "Gluttony."
Florence looked surprised. "Gluttony?"
Romani's tone was immediately contemplative. "Not in the traditional sense, I guess. Karna is a vessel. He absorbs burden, pain, even battle without complaint. Spiritual Gluttony. You carry more than any man should, and ask for nothing."
Karna gave a single nod. "If that is so, then I will continue."
Then came Sigurd, whose screen shimmered forth with one word: "Greed."
Sigurd's lips parted slightly, brows furrowing.
Romani stepped in again. "Myth says your downfall came from cursed treasure. But I'd wager your Greed now isn't for gold—it's for something lost. Honor. Purpose. A role to play."
Sigurd bowed his head, quiet. "That… makes more sense than I wish it did."
Shirou exhaled again, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is… weird."
Romani offered him a half-smile. "You're hosting a pantheon of emotionally stunted mythological men. Of course it's weird."
"I'm emotionally stable," Achilles said, raising a hand.
"No," the group said in unison.
Florence's voice was dry. "You're very loudly unstable."
Achilles grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They were already halfway to the storage room when Achilles, still grinning, glanced over his shoulder. "Alright then, what about you, oh glorious king of weird powers?"
Shirou blinked. "Huh?"
Yan Qing smirked, folding his arms. "C'mon. If you can see ours, what's your Sin?"
Shirou's steps slowed as he looked to the side. "...Mine's Lust."
A beat.
Then two beats.
And then—Romani snorted into his sleeve.
Shirou flushed. "I don't get why! I mean—seriously. I've been told I'm dense. And I usually repress emotional intimacy. I'm not even— I don't even—!"
"Maybe that's not the only thing you're repressing," Yan Qing said with a sage-like nod.
Florence, utterly unfazed, tilted her head. "Objectively speaking, it does track."
"I beg your pardon?" Shirou squeaked.
"You were cursed by a goddess," Romani chimed in. "And we've all met you. You're the definition of a slow-burn disaster."
Achilles doubled over. "Oh my God. Lust. You poor thing."
Karna nodded solemnly. "It is unfortunate. And yet… poetic."
Arjuna, arms crossed, looked vaguely horrified. "I do not wish to imagine the ramifications."
Sigurd, in a moment of dry insight, murmured, "And you said that goddess called some gifts 'narratively spicy,' didn't you? This must be one of them."
"Narratively spicy—I hate that she called it that!" Shirou said, hiding his face with one hand.
Florence patted his back with clinical sympathy. "You'll be fine. Maybe. Probably."
"Probably?" Shirou asked, muffled.
Romani raised a finger. "On the bright side, your curse might be responsible for giving you the power to see Sins. I'm not saying lust equals clairvoyance, but it's certainly... revealing."
"That's not how magic works," Shirou muttered.
"That's exactly how devil magic seems to work," Romani replied with a smirk.
Yan Qing gave him a solemn thumbs-up. "We support you. Even if you're doomed."
Shirou groaned. "I hate all of you."
Achilles slung an arm around his shoulders. "Welcome to the club, Lust-chan."
Florence sighed. "That's not staying, Achilles."
"It is in my heart."
.
The door to Kiritsugu's closet creaked open, revealing an organized sea of neatly folded slacks, dress shirts, coats, and suits in various shades of black, gray, and the occasional charcoal blue. Minimalist. Efficient. Very… Kiritsugu.
Florence stepped in first, surveying the layout like it was a medical supply cabinet. "Serviceable."
Romani nodded. "Very spy-chic."
Achilles whistled. "Tidy old man style. Got it."
One by one, they began selecting garments with varying levels of enthusiasm. Some inspected fabric and texture. Others just grabbed whatever was closest to their size.
And then—
In a synchronized motion that could only have been either practiced or cursed, their armors shimmered and vanished.
In an instant, the sound of magical fabric displacement was followed by six flashes of skin and divinity as Achilles, Yan Qing, Karna, Arjuna and Sigurd were now shirtless or outright nude.
Shirou's brain skipped.
"WHAT—!" he choked, covering his eyes too late.
"You said to change," Yan Qing said, completely unbothered as he buttoned up a dark collared shirt.
"Not here! Not in front of everyone!" Shirou flailed, voice cracking. "Have some decorum!"
Florence glanced over, entirely unfazed. "I'm a medic. Naked bodies are biologically neutral to me."
Romani, not having changed from his regular coat and slacks, crossed his arms and sighed. "Ah. I forgot about Lust-chan's Sin."
Five pairs of eyes turned toward Shirou.
"Don't you dare—"
Achilles struck a pose. "Hey Shirou, how's this for emotionally scarring?"
Yan Qing gave a dramatic little bow, completely bare. "We live to serve."
Arjuna, meanwhile, calmly tugged on a white dress shirt. "This reaction is unproductive."
Karna remained composed, sliding into a sleeveless turtleneck. "You are overly flustered. Why?"
Sigurd, blushing faintly, had already turned to face the wall, clutching a folded pair of pants like a shield. "This feels improper," he murmured, but didn't protest aloud.
"You're exaggerating."
"You're all naked in my dead dad's room!" Shirou wailed, face bright red.
Florence tilted her head. "I don't see the issue. You summoned mythological warriors, not bashful schoolboys."
Romani helpfully added, "Look only at their faces, Shirou. You'll survive."
"Emotionally? Doubtful."
Achilles pulled on a fitted tank top and turned toward the mirror. "Yup. Repressed."
Yan Qing nodded sagely. "Lust-chan's Sin is working overtime."
Romani raised a hand. "I propose we refer to him as Master Lust in public."
"I WILL THROW YOU ALL OUT."
"You'd be throwing out six naked devils," Florence said evenly. "Bad optics."
"GAHH—"
Shirou was already cherry-red and holding on by the frayed edges of his sanity when Achilles, now shirted but still pants-less, walked over with a pair of black slacks in hand.
"Hey, Shirou?" he said casually. "Do you have a size up? This one's kinda—" he gestured vaguely toward his hips, "—tight in the front."
Shirou blinked.
Processed.
And then screamed into his hands.
"WHY—WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!"
Achilles blinked. "What? I'm just saying I've got too much legroom where I don't need it and not enough where I do."
"STOP TALKING."
Florence, ever serene, looked over. "It's medically relevant, technically."
"I SWEAR TO EVERY DIMENSION—"
Shirou fumbled toward the bottom drawer of the closet, yanked it open, and blindly flung a pair of loose sweatpants across the room. They hit Achilles in the face. He caught them with one hand and gave a triumphant thumbs-up.
Then—
Sigurd raised a hand. His face was pink, but his voice remained smooth. "I may require the same solution. These are… snug."
He coughed politely into his fist.
Shirou let out a strangled noise and hurled another pair of pants at him.
"Anyone else?! HUH?!"
Yan Qing raised two fingers lazily. "Yeah, I got standards too."
"GODS HELP ME."
Another pair—whoosh—smack—
Arjuna, standing completely dressed already, simply stepped slightly to the side as a pair of boxers flew past him.
Karna tilted his head. "Is this ritualistic?"
Romani, still at the edge of the closet doorway, was howling with laughter, arms folded, shaking with mirth.
Florence calmly walked over, gathered a pair of sweatpants for Karna—just in case—and followed a red-faced, muttering Shirou as he stormed out of the room with a cackling Romani.
.
They found him standing stiffly in the hallway, arms crossed, facing a blank wall like it had personally offended him.
Florence stopped beside him. "They are dressed now."
Shirou didn't respond, face still glowing.
Romani strolled up next with a grin, arms behind his head. "You alright there, Lust-chan?"
"Not. A. Word."
"Just so you know," Romani said, voice bright, "you summoned them. You made this family. Naked men and all."
Florence offered him a pat on the back. "At least none of them disrobed during breakfast."
"Don't remind me of breakfast."
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Also, if you want to support me and read chapters ahead, go to my p@treon: JorieDS
