It Had to Be a Compatibility Summon! / Best Strategy is to Attack the Heart, Star Gazing (Limited)

Chapter 23: It Had to Be a Compatibility Summon!

"Iri, you're back... Who's he?!" After standing at the entrance for half an hour out of guilt, Kiritsugu Emiya finally saw his family's... what kind of Mercedes-Benz 300SL was that?

Its elegant, classically styled curves carried the composure of a noblewoman, while the roar of its inline-six engine was as powerful as a beast. And the person driving this classic car at over a hundred kilometers per hour had hands on the steering wheel that were as slender as those of an aristocratic young lady.

As a Magus, Kiritsugu had excellent eyesight. Though he could not make out the faintly bulging veins on those delicate wrists, it was easy enough to confirm that the driver was his wife.

After hesitating for a moment, he prepared to step forward and greet her—then he saw a man sitting in the back seat. His heart immediately began pounding. This was love at first sight—no, he was scared out of his wits! Who was that guy?!

Whether it was intentional or not, that elegantly shaped car swept past him with great grace, just half a meter away. The gust it kicked up struck his face, giving him a perfect view of the man's face, as well as the two little girls beside him.

Rubbing salt in the wound, rubbing salt in the wound! Seeing this from the passenger seat, Fu Yuan suddenly felt a little sorry for Kiritsugu. Looking at the complicated expression on his face and using Emotion Perception, Fu Yuan could roughly guess what he was going through.

"Did something just pass by?" Iri drifted the car to a stop at the gates, then coolly pushed open the door and knowingly asked Fu Yuan in the passenger seat.

"...Did it?" Faced with this situation... of course Fu Yuan chose to play along! Him? He despised people like that most of all. So awful! He put on a puzzled expression and asked in return.

"I think it was Dad..." Illya actually raised her little hand and answered uncertainly.

"There wasn't, right!" Iri completely failed to hear Illya—or rather, she heard her but did not care.

Kids saw things wrong all the time, after all!

Kariya Matou felt like he might have gotten himself into trouble, though he still had not figured out what kind of trouble. After all, although he was no longer a boy, he really was currently single—the kind who had never even been married once.

All he felt now was that the Saber Group's family relationships seemed a tiny bit complicated.

But it did not matter. He would only be staying here for seven days anyway. Oh, six days.

Suppressing his emotions, he took Sakura's hand and gallantly pushed open the door, waiting at the side. Oh, Little Illya received the same treatment as well.

Then he was met with Kiritsugu's furious glare!

A strange man was welcoming his daughter in his own home with such gentlemanly manners, right after he had argued with Iri.

What was this? A provocation?! Fine, he accepted this challenge, bastard!

Kariya Matou: ???

"Madam, you've returned." Maiya, standing at the entrance, spoke with great respect. Perhaps out of guilt, she unconsciously used an honorific.

...Gah, this reaction is hard to deal with! Iri sucked in a breath as she looked at Maiya's response. What now? What now? She had no idea what to do!

That was not how it went in the novels! If she kept pressing this, would she not become the villain?

Mm... I'm feeling a little shut down. It's all Kiritsugu's fault! After realizing this crucial point, Iri suddenly glared at Kiritsugu in annoyance.

"Um, could we go inside before talking?" Kariya Matou suddenly suggested.

Logically, he should not have been the one to say that, but who knew why Einsbern Castle was so cold? He did not mind, but Sakura could not handle it!

So Kariya Matou saw Sakura suddenly shiver. Oh, and Illya too. He draped his coat over both girls and spoke somewhat rudely.

Turning a guest into the host, huh? You've got some nerve, bastard! Kiritsugu Emiya had clearly noticed that Illya—and that purple-haired little girl—were cold. But just as he was about to speak, that wild man beat him to it.

"Yeah, Iri, let's go home first. The children are cold."

Kiritsugu emphasized the words "go home," then smugly shot Kariya Matou a look. Hear that? My home!

"Maiya, it's cold outside. Let's go in first. And A Yuan, all of you come inside and talk!" As if she had not heard him at all, Iri suddenly called out to them. Then she turned and pushed open the front door, walking in without paying any attention to the thoroughly embarrassed Kiritsugu behind her.

Iri had thought about the matter with Maiya long ago. Previously, she had merely been unwilling to accept it. Seeing Maiya's somewhat humble tone, Iri no longer wanted to dwell on anything else.

But Maiya was Maiya, and a stinky man was a stinky man. For this, he would not be forgiven unless he knelt on durians for several days. Incidentally, kneeling on durians had been A Yuan's suggestion.

Worried about Sakura, Kariya Matou brought the two children inside as soon as Iri spoke. Fu Yuan followed closely behind.

As for Berserker, who had not been mentioned at all, there had not been enough seats in the car, so he remained in a Spiritronized state. Since Kariya Matou had not turned him back, anyone with insufficient magical skill would be unable to detect him.

Kiritsugu's pupils suddenly contracted. That man was far too familiar with the place! Bastard!

Then he took a deep breath. Deep breath. Once he calmed down, his entire body entered a state of maximum alert.

In the living room, Iri was entertaining Kariya Matou. Mm, and Maiya as well, since they might be spending a long time together in the future.

Fu Yuan, meanwhile, was coaxing Sakura. Mm... and Illya too.

Illya: ! She felt targeted!

It was not that he did not care about Little Illya. Sakura was simply far too pitiful and adorable, while Little Illya was too sensible, so he had become a little biased.

Faced with this situation, Fu Yuan had no good solution, so he could only forcefully change Sakura into another shape!

"On the other shore, flowers bloom beneath seven-colored skies; when flowers fall, one becomes immortal for a thousand years. The gates of the immortal mountain hide karmic fate; on the road of severing flowers, ask not of Heaven."

"Heaven or hell, whenever I wish to come, I come. Whenever I wish to leave, I leave. Who in this world can stop me?!"

"Fail to bow upon meeting the Emperor, and your true fate is lost. Your name is etched upon the Reincarnation Stele. With every step, bow once; upon the road to rebirth, half your sins shall be erased, and your true spirit protected."

Kiritsugu Emiya walked to the seat opposite Kariya Matou, pulled out a chair, and sat down heavily. Then he just stared at him.

"Pfft!"

Iri looked at the strange Kiritsugu in confusion at first. Then, as if she suddenly understood something, she burst out laughing—but she did not correct him.

Kariya Matou was not an idiot. If he still could not understand what was going on by now, he would have lived all these years for nothing.

He extended his right hand and politely said, "Kariya Matou, Berserker's Master. I just formed an alliance with Saber today."

As though responding to his words, a torrent of magical energy appeared in the living room, and Berserker's figure emerged from it.

Kiritsugu Emiya suddenly slapped his forehead. Damn it, he was the Matou Family's Master! He had not recognized him earlier.

Then his heart turned cold. Right, he did not know that I was Saber's Master, so why was he saying all this? Was it a provocation?! Was he trying to make me back off?! Why was even this guy competing with me?!

"What are you trying to say?" Kiritsugu Emiya suppressed the fury in his heart and demanded with forced calm.

Kariya Matou fell silent. Could they still have a pleasant conversation? Were these people sick?! Were they sick?!

He took two deep breaths and calmed himself down. What else could he do? He was already on this pirate ship.

Heh. According to the information that Old Guy had given him, the Holy Relic prepared by the Einzbern Family was that legendary scabbard. Yet judging from the current situation, Saber was obviously not King Arthur.

In other words, they had used a Compatibility Summon. He did not know whose compatibility had summoned Saber, but looking at Saber's unreliable behavior, Kariya Matou felt that he had already guessed the truth.

Kiritsugu Emiya's brain did not work properly. That was beyond doubt!

At that thought, Kariya Matou's mood suddenly improved. With a much more relaxed mindset, he politely explained to Kiritsugu once more.

"Saber's Noble Phantasm destroyed my house. I had nowhere to stay, and there are children with me. Since we're allies, I came here. Also, your wife seems to be very angry..."

"Ahem, ahem. Haven't you prepared dinner?" Iri suddenly coughed twice, interrupting Kariya Matou. Then she came up with an excuse she had long prepared.

"Dinner is ready, Madam." Maiya, who had not been able to get a word in, responded and prepared to head for the kitchen.

"I'll go!" Kiritsugu suddenly stopped Maiya as she was about to rise. There was no other reason; he simply felt awkward.

If he could go back a few minutes, he would definitely kill his past self. What the hell had that been?!

Was that really something he could have done? Had Saber possessed him or something?!

Fu Yuan, who was playing with the two little ones, raised his head and looked around in confusion.

Chapter 24: Best Strategy is to Attack the Heart, Star Gazing (Limited)

"This is thunder! Thunder sent down by Heaven!"

"Th-this... Is Heaven displeased with the Imperial Court?"

"Did something interesting happen?" Su Mei, holding Fu Yuan's little hand as she came downstairs, saw a crowd gathered beside the inn and felt a trace of curiosity.

"Mm, I don't know, but I don't think it's anything good." Fu Yuan narrowed his eyes at the crowd. He had an inexplicable sense of danger, though it felt faint, as though whatever threat lay there lacked any real follow-through.

Su Mei pulled Fu Yuan over to sit at a table. Feeling the nearly nonexistent Honkai energy from that direction, she was secretly shocked.

Eliminating Honkai was something that Old Guy had pursued for who knew how many years. Yet it had happened right beside her now. Coincidence? Or something else? If it was man-made, what was the purpose?

"Hey, mister, what happened over there?" Su Mei suddenly patted the Swordsman at the neighboring table on the shoulder and casually asked.

"What are you... P-Peerless Lady!" The passerby, who had been patted on the shoulder, turned around in irritation. After seeing who it was, his complaint died in his throat.

Cold sweat began to form on his body as he wondered whether he had offended this Yama recently.

Hearing this title, which had once made her very proud, Su Mei suddenly felt a little frightened. She glanced back at Fu Yuan, who seemed not to have noticed anything, then put on her usual smile and repeated her question.

At the same time, her gaze turned slightly cold. If the man before her failed to recognize what was good for him, she would not mind using some methods on this trash.

"I-I don't know. I heard people say it seemed to be thunder." Under her gaze, the Swordsman was visibly flustered. He began regretting why he had chosen to sit here.

"...You don't know? Then sorry to disturb you." After receiving that answer, Su Mei did nothing else. She simply returned to her seat without another word.

"Little cutie, sit here for a while. I'll go take a look." Su Mei gave a brief explanation and prepared to investigate. A method capable of eliminating Honkai—a method of immense value—interested her, Tai Xu Xiao Tu, greatly.

"...L-Little cutie..." Fu Yuan clearly did not hear anything after that. Blushing, he collapsed face-first onto the table. Th-this, mm...

"Kid, kid." The Swordsman from before came over and nudged Fu Yuan, whose condition was a little off, hoping to snap him out of it.

"Kid? Me?" Fu Yuan felt someone pushing him, so he looked up at the middle-aged man before him. Mm, looking at it this way, I really was a kid.

"Kid, why are you with that Witch? Did she trick you?" The middle-aged Swordsman thought he had a pretty strong sense of justice. His strength might not be great, and he had been quite cowardly just now, but he was still gentle toward children!

At the very least, he could not let such an adorable child fall into that Witch's hands!

"Witch? Senior Sister... isn't she an Immortal Disciple?" Fu Yuan was puzzled by what he heard. After all, that title sounded terrible!

Still, it felt like he might be able to learn about another side of Senior Sister! At that thought, Fu Yuan became a little excited and asked curiously.

"It's true that Peerless Lady is an Immortal Disciple, and she hates Demon Beasts too, but she... she... sigh! You only need to know one saying from the Jianghu to understand."

"Better offend Living Yama than offend Peerless Lady!"

Fu Yuan looked at the uncle's obviously fearful expression and slowly became confused. In his eyes, Senior Sister was a very gentle person, but in this uncle's eyes, it seemed to be the complete opposite?

"Why?" Fu Yuan made full use of his appearance advantage. He raised his little face and asked adorably.

"Killing someone is no more than making their head hit the ground, but she's different. When she kills, she..." The uncle, who clearly had endless things to say once the topic came up, became increasingly emotional. But halfway through, someone suddenly patted him, accompanied by an icy voice.

The uncle, who had been so animated just moments ago, instantly froze. Visible terror spread across his face.

"Hey! What~ are you telling my little cutie?" Su Mei coldly patted his shoulder, killing intent beginning to rise in her heart. After all, there were some things she was not ready to confess yet.

Seeing Senior Sister's reaction, Fu Yuan felt inexplicably pleased? Still, he promptly threw himself into her arms and looked at her with a dazed, adorable expression.

Otherwise, it felt like the uncle would end up in a very bad state!

The uncle clearly understood Fu Yuan's meaning as well. While Peerless Lady was not paying attention to him, he ran away—very quickly.

The meal was very quiet. Though Fu Yuan kept trying to find topics to discuss, Senior Sister's expression remained gloomy, and every conversation ended quickly.

A long, long time after they finished eating, Su Mei suddenly asked Fu Yuan, who was skipping ahead of her.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Hearing her voice behind him, Fu Yuan turned around. Looking at Senior Sister's uneasy expression, he tilted his head.

"Afraid of what?"

"I'm Peerless Lady! Peerless Lady, who's more terrifying than Yama." Su Mei spoke with a self-mocking tone, though that saying truly suited her perfectly.

"Mm, I'm not afraid."

Fu Yuan looked rather puzzled. After thinking for a while, he still could not understand why Senior Sister had suddenly become so lacking in confidence.

But he still gave his answer seriously. Seeing that Su Mei wanted to ask more, he jumped over and hugged her arm. His childish face put on an extremely serious expression as he said something very strange.

"I'm Senior Sister's little cutie!"

"...Is that so!"

Su Mei suddenly stopped speaking. Then she picked him up in a princess carry. She offered no explanation, but her face suddenly brightened again.

(Mm, the sorrow of being 158 centimeters tall.)