Miyu Edelfelt, formerly Emiya, fidgeted nervously as Luvia completed her preparations and handed over her bags to their butler, Auguste, who was already done handling Rin's luggage as well.
Originally, Miyu wanted to act as Luvia's maid to earn her keep and repay the debt of saving her from being a homeless person shortly after arriving in this world's Mount Enzou. However, Luvia straight up refused it and treated her more like a little sister than anything.
An action that Miyu attributed to the strange melancholy she saw in Luvia's gaze once in a while when she thought Miyu was not looking, an action that she later learned originated from the loss of her real sister to the Stray Devil outbreak ten years ago.
Thinking about the monsters that she learned about recently, Miyu could not help but shiver in fright.
'It is a good thing that these kinds of things never existed in my world. I can't imagine how our humanity would have lived with these kinds of creatures roaming the world freely.'
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, Miyu clutched Sapphire's body tightly while watching Luvia and Rin discuss things seriously. The normal arguments and fights missing from their interaction, showing how serious this business was for them.
Whatever they were discussing came to an end as Rin entered the Limo, waiting for Luvia, who walked back to Miyu and patted her head with a smile.
"You remember everything I talked about?"
"Yes. I need to keep my phone close and stay with Illya-san until you and Rin-san return from your trip to the Clock Tower. If anything unexpected happens, I need to call you with the speeddial and inform you immediately."
Luvia nodded happily, then spoke.
"More importantly, take care of yourself, and don't fall behind Rin's brat, you got it?"
Miyu nodded seriously. She had no intention of losing to Illya, even if it meant asking for the girl's assistance with unlocking the mysterious power of flight that seemed to elude her even now.
However, despite the demanding tone, Miyu also know that aside from her hope for excellence, Luvia genuinely cared about her and was masking her concern in such a way, just like she was taught by her family.
A kind-hearted girl who acted tough, arrogant, and ruthless to protect herself. That is who Luvia Edelfelt was. That was the conclusion that Miyu arrived at in the past days she spent here.
"Alright then, we are off!"
Luvia jumped into the Limo that took off under Auguste's extremely skilled driving, leaving behind Miyu, who dragged her small suitcase to the house opposite the mansion that Luvia built for herself.
The Emiya home.
When she first heard of the name, she felt like her heart would leap out of her throat.
And when she first met a certain resident in the house, it really did feel like her heart would break.
Because the Shirou Emiya of this world felt just like her brother, with the only difference being their appearance.
Even the look in their eyes was the same, only the look of this Shirou Emiya was a bit warmer and less burdened compared to her brother, an attribute that might originate from his family situation.
The similarities were so uncanny that Miyu had accidentally called Shirou 'Onii-chan' when they first met under Luvia's insistence after she heard about Illya's relationship with the man.
And as expected of a version of her brother, Shirou accepted her right away with a warm and kind smile, encouraging her to continue calling him that if she wanted to. An offer that Miyu reluctantly declined.
In her heart, her 'Onii-chan' will always be her Shirou Emiya. A position that she will never replace, even if the person in question is a version of him.
Walking towards the door, she pressed the buzzer and waited for a few seconds for the door to open.
"Ah! Miyu-san. Come in, come in! Edelfelt-san has already left for her trip, then?"
Miyu bowed towards the silver-haired woman.
"Yes, Sella-san. I am in your care.'
"None of that now, come in."
The older woman opened the door and helped Miyu in by taking the suitcase from her.
As they walked in, Miyu felt a familiar scent that reminded her of home, as a voice from the depths of her dreams and nightmares rang out from the kitchen.
"Ah? Miyu is here? Wash up and get ready for supper. I am making a Western special today. Chicken Alfredo and Carbonara."
Miyu's heart twisted at the familiar sight that she knew she could never see again, yet she smiled to the best of her abilities and bowed, hoping that the teenager in front of her would not see her expression, which was probably a mix of despair and jealousy.
Yes. Miyu Emiya felt jealous. Jealous of the girl called Illya, who had such a picturesque life even in a world like this. A life where she had a loving father and mother in the form of this world's Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel, who was completely different from his version in her world, while the woman called Irisviel never even existed in Miyu's life.
She even had her own Shirou Emiya, who was just as loving as Miyu's own, along with two other women who cared for Illya like a sibling or a niece, which fuelled her jealousy even more.
Perhaps this jealousy was also part of the reason why Miyu saw Illya as a rival.
"Hello, Shirou-san. Thanks for having me."
Shirou Emiya smiled at the sight while his eyes hid the sadness he felt in his heart for the dimensionally displaced girl.
"Arlight, enough of the polite stuff. Get ready for food. Sella will guide you to the restroom."
Sella nodded and gently nudged the girl forward while Shirou absentmindedly swung his ladle down, smacking Liz's hand before it could reach the chicken.
"No stealing before it is served. Go and bring Illya down, Liz."
"Fine..."
The lazy woman pouted at the teenager before sulking off, heading up to Illya's room.
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Watching Liz walk out, I finally sighed and turned back to the stove, watching over the pancetta to make sure I don't burn them. Since the pasta was already boiled and the eggs were already whisked and ready, all I needed was the meat to be ready before everything went in.
Losing myself in the process of cooking, I let my mind wander.
When Luvia and Rin barged into the house in the morning, saying that they had urgent business to take care of and ran off quickly after Luvia asked us to watch over Miyu during the next week, I did not know what to think.
Especially the strange way those two behaved. I mean, who gives such strange gazes while blushing when asking someone for help?
Anyway, I had no problem looking after Miyu for the next week. A thought that Sella and Liz shared, given that some of the rooms in the house remain unused most of the time anyway.
However, the timing of this sudden departure is suspect.
It was just yesterday that I saved Issei from death at the hands of the Fallen, and maybe, just maybe, went a bit overboard with my attacks by overestimating her power.
I suspect those two are probably headed back to the Clock Tower to update Zelretch on the situation, not knowing that he already knows everything.
Meaning, they were going to waste an entire week now for nothing. I have no doubt that Zelretch will act ignorant and act as if Rin and Luvia had done a great job by bringing this 'important information' straight to him and keeping him in the loop.
He tends to do that as a way of encouraging initiative in his students, if only to make sure that his potential students survive the hell awaiting them in the future as his students.
Strangely enough, however, he chose to push off the burden of training Issei onto me for some reason.
A move that made no sense, given that I am more of an amateur in terms of this world's magic and can't possibly teach him better than Zelretch.
Whatever the case might be, the fact is, right now, I am swamped with all kinds of responsibilities and tasks, more than I can handle on my own.
'I wonder, is it possible for Zelretch to somehow bring Miyu's brother to this side as well? From what he told me, this world has no restrictions since it is far away from the Human Order. So, it should be a good place for this pair of siblings to live the rest of their lives in peace. And given his power that I've seen in my dreams so far, maybe he can help me share these burdens?'
'Then again, given Zelretch's personality, since he hasn't done this already, it must mean that he has his own plans, or there is something that requires the siblings to remain separate for now for the sake of the best possible outcome to take place.'
Thinking about the multiversal shenanigans and true magics, I could not help but sigh heavily.
'One thing at a time. For now, let's concentrate on the present. Since I've got Lancer after that fight and already have Archer with me, the next logical choice should be the Saber card since it is the last of the three Knight Classes. But given Zelretch's warning about Angra Mainyu choosing the servants of the Class Cards, I think it is prudent to start with the logically easiest opponent to fight right now. The Assassin Card, which should be near the river, from what I managed to scout out yesterday night after returning home.'
I heard multiple footsteps approaching the kitchen, alerting me to the arrival of my family, which forced my thoughts to a grinding halt.
Plans can be made later. First, concentrate on the present.
Seeing the stars in Illya and Miyu's eyes as they beheld the spread on the table while Sella gave me an annoyed yet proud look, I could not help but smile with pride.
As for Liz? She was already digging in shamelessly, not even waiting for us to sit down.
This is it. This is the beautiful and peaceful life I am fighting so hard to protect.
And soon enough, after having wrapped up hunting down those class cards, hopefully, I will have many more of these peaceful days to look forward to.
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Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1