Bold Even When in the Wrong

Fu Yuan felt someone shove him twice. He reluctantly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.

Kiritsugu Emiya and Kariya Matou were discussing something, seemingly in the middle of an argument.

Maiya dutifully took notes beside them, chiming in from time to time.

Berserker stood blankly nearby, no red light spilling from his helmet. He seemed to be sneaking in a nap.

Illya and Sakura were lying on top of him, sleeping soundly.

Irisviel, Irisviel was the one pushing him. Ah-ha! She was the culprit who had disturbed his sleep!

Fu Yuan looked at Irisviel with some dissatisfaction, hoping she could give him an explanation. Otherwise... otherwise, he would get angry!

"A Yuan, Kiritsugu and the others are discussing the battle plan going forward. I was wondering if you wanted to go over and offer some suggestions." Irisviel looked at Fu Yuan, who clearly had some morning grumpiness, and spoke awkwardly.

She was genuinely awkward. After all, while Kiritsugu and the others discussed matters, the children were sleeping. No one cared about Berserker's situation, and since she could not get a word in herself, things were rather embarrassing.

So she chose to wake A Yuan. At least she had already thought of an excuse: brainstorming!

"A battle plan? Do I have to write a report?" Fu Yuan had not heard those words in a long time. Still half-asleep, he asked in a rather foolish tone.

Then he gradually woke up. Upon hearing that all-too-familiar term, Fu Yuan jolted upright. Was this a joke? He absolutely did not want to write that kind of thing.

"A report? Why..." Irisviel looked at him in confusion, unable to understand why he had suddenly thought of that.

"No!! I'm not writing one!!!" Fu Yuan suddenly shouted, then fell into a depressed stupor, clearly recalling his days writing battle reports at St. Freya Academy.

"No, A Yuan, calm down." Irisviel was at a loss as she watched Fu Yuan suddenly become so emotional.

"Wah... Irisviel, I don't want to write reports." Fu Yuan suddenly looked at Irisviel with teary eyes and pleaded pitifully, looking utterly wronged.

"Irisviel, what did you do to Saber?" Kiritsugu Emiya was drawn over by that scream. Looking at Saber, who was clearly about to cry, and at the flustered Irisviel, several question marks seemed to pop up over his head.

Irisviel was completely at a loss in this situation. This... this was not something she had expected! It was far too sudden!

"I don't know either! I only wanted to ask A Yuan if he had any thoughts about the future battle plan. Why did it turn out like this? I want to know too!" Irisviel fell into confusion. Had she said something wrong just now?

"You were just asking for my thoughts? I don't have to write a report?" Fu Yuan lowered his voice as he looked at the two little girls, who were about to wake up, still asking in a pitiful tone.

Watching this, Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if he had seen something similar in some Eastern country before. Yes, among high school students, though their reactions had not been nearly as intense as Saber's.

"You don't have to write a report! Don't cry, A Yuan." Irisviel instantly caught the keyword in Fu Yuan's words and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.

"Oh." Fu Yuan realized he had made a fool of himself. He lowered his head in embarrassment, his eyes still red and making him look especially pitiful.

After that incident, Fu Yuan no longer felt like sleeping. He simply sat there gloomily, listening to them discuss the plan.

Hey! Looking at it this way, Irisviel had at least achieved her original goal! Irisviel, you scoundrel!

"So, we should first conceal our alliance. At the very least, we need to catch Archer by surprise." Kiritsugu frowned as he spoke. After Saber's explanation earlier, he had specifically looked into the King of Heroes, and the intelligence he found had alarmed him.

"Mm, fine. I have no objections to that." The moment Kariya Matou heard that this was aimed at Tokiomi Tohsaka's Heroic Spirit, he immediately became interested.

"Wait, I think fighting should only be the last resort!" Once Fu Yuan's eyes were no longer so red, he suddenly voiced his own thoughts.

"Hm! Saber, you actually have an opinion?" Kiritsugu Emiya looked at him in shock. This... this was unbelievable!

"Ugh~ Master, what kind of look is that!" Fu Yuan sensed their surprise and felt a little sad. This was not the kind of surprise he wanted, damn it!

"Then what is your idea, Saber?" Kariya Matou asked curiously. He was still extremely curious about these heroes who existed only in legends, especially since Berserker could not satisfy that curiosity.

"Hmph! Of course! Military Strategy says: attacking people is the inferior strategy, attacking the heart is the superior strategy! Naturally, the main goal should be psychological warfare!" Fu Yuan wiped his eyes and spoke with a proud expression.

He stood on the chair, tipped his head toward the ceiling, and used magic to scan the surroundings. Unfortunately, he could not find a fan. But that was fine; he could temporarily project one with magic.

A world-famous painting—Star Gazing: Durandal, the Shorty Staring at the Sky, Fu Yuan Limited Edition.

Irisviel cooperatively applauded.

Kiritsugu Emiya's pupils suddenly shrank. Of course he understood that principle, but he had no idea how to carry it out. Now Saber had actually brought it up, leaving him utterly stunned. It was like a dream—it was not realistic!

Kariya Matou also looked at Fu Yuan in shock. As expected of a legendary hero! Though Saber was usually somewhat unreliable, he would never be careless in matters like this. It somewhat fulfilled Kariya's childhood fantasies.

Wonderful! This was exactly the look of admiration he wanted! Give him more!

"Then what are the specific measures?" Kiritsugu Emiya suppressed his slightly hurried breathing and stared at Fu Yuan with burning eyes, waiting for him to voice his thoughts.

"I don't know! (No typo, definitely.)" Fu Yuan looked confused after hearing the question. Wasn't this brainstorming? Wasn't he supposed to raise an idea, and they were supposed to fill in the details?

"...? You just said you don't know?" Kiritsugu Emiya suspected he had heard wrong. Fu Yuan had been so confident, so arrogant just now, yet now he was saying he did not know? What exactly was going on in his head?!

"Yeah, isn't this brainstorming? I just gave my own opinion!" As Fu Yuan watched Kiritsugu's gaze gradually turn hostile, his voice slowly weakened. In the end, he sat back down and sprawled across the table without showing his face.

Mm, before sitting down, he had patted the chair and brushed off the dust on it.

Kariya Matou looked at Fu Yuan in confusion. Was this some new kind of game? Then he looked at Kiritsugu Emiya, who seemed as though he had eaten shit, and had no choice but to admit with difficulty that Saber really was... how should he put it? Very special. Extremely, extremely special.

Kiritsugu Emiya looked at Fu Yuan's confused expression and confirmed that he truly did not know. He slapped himself for his stupid fucking move.

He had actually thought this Saber would be useful?

So close, just so close! His intelligence had almost been dragged down to Saber's level.

He silently warned himself to be careful. He could not panic. At most, he would just talk to him less in the future.

Mm, Irisviel could chat with Saber more often and contribute to family harmony in the future.

This wave? This was making use of waste!

Fu Yuan suddenly sensed malicious intent. Mm, it was coming from that stupid fucking Master. This time, Fu Yuan could not even be bothered to raise his head. He was used to it anyway.

Reasonless, Yet Righteously Indignant

After waiting for a long time, they were still discussing things. Judging by the situation, their debate had already reached a fever pitch, and they paid no attention at all to their surroundings.

Fu Yuan dejectedly raised his head, gave them a gloomy look, and silently headed back to his room. His movements were light, as though he were trying his best to erase his own presence, looking somewhat humble.

Seeing this, Su Mei within the Stigma suddenly became dissatisfied. She frowned and silently used Soul Impact.

"Hurts." A soft cry went unnoticed amid the argument between those people. Fu Yuan lowered his voice as much as possible so as not to disturb them, quickening his steps. The bedroom door was right in front of him. As long as he pushed it open, he could return to his little nest, safe from wind and rain.

However, the ever-observant Kariya Matou saw this and suddenly could not bear it. He felt he should do something, so he reached out to stop him.

"Saber, put Sakura down!"

The massive hand formed from the energy controlled by Void Sword Qi abruptly stopped moving, as did Fu Yuan, who had been quietly heading upstairs.

Fu Yuan noticed that everyone in the living room had turned their eyes toward him. There was no point hiding any longer, so he canceled the Conceal Breath he had comprehended from Void Sword Qi's Five Aggregates.

He put his hands on his hips and glared at Kariya Matou in dissatisfaction. Why was this guy so annoying?!

"Do you have a dog's nose or something? Don't you understand I'm treating her injuries?!" Fu Yuan spoke with no real justification but plenty of confidence. There was even a faint pained look on his face. Senior Sister had truly not held back at all just now.

"I understand the logic, but why does it have to be at night? And why are you taking Sakura to your room? You bastard!"

Kariya Matou looked at Saber, whose momentum seemed to be overwhelming him, in utter confusion. However, his years of life experience helped him react quickly, and he immediately lowered his voice in dissatisfaction.

"Ugh~ Don't you understand time is urgent? Do you know what it means to use time efficiently? Do you understand saving time?!" Fu Yuan faltered guiltily for a moment, but quickly continued with righteous confidence. Hmph, technical personnel were confident.

Kariya Matou choked. Why was this thing like this?! Did Saber take him for an idiot?

He had already experienced the treatment's effects today, yet Saber was saying time was urgent! If he was going to lie, he could at least come up with a better excuse!

Kariya Matou took two deep breaths. Though that was true, he could not use it as an argument. After all, Fu Yuan was the one treating them now, and whatever counted as reasonable was entirely up to his mouth.

Seeing Kariya Matou fail to react immediately, Fu Yuan proudly raised his head. Hmph.

But in the next moment, he bent over and clutched his head, his expression twisted as if he had put on a mask of pain.

'Hmph!'

"...Then treat me first tonight." Kariya Matou suddenly said in sorrowful indignation, looking as if he were about to march heroically to his death.

Kiritsugu Emiya, Irisviel, and Maiya watched the farce before them in surprise. They wanted to intervene but had no idea where to begin.

After quite a while, Fu Yuan weakly straightened up. He held his head, clearly suffering from lingering pain.

Then his mind slowly began processing what Kariya Matou had just said. He analyzed it horizontally, vertically, and deeply. In the end, his entire little face stared at Kariya in shock.

'Is this guy insane?' That thought suddenly surfaced in Fu Yuan's mind.

Then he looked reluctantly at Sakura, who lay beside him with a peaceful expression, and struggled inwardly.

Very soon, he bent over again and held his head. This time, he finally could not endure it and let out a pained groan.

"Hurts, hurts, hurts! I was wrong, Senior Sister, I was wrong."

After another long while, Fu Yuan slowly stood while supporting himself against the wall. Looking down at the people below, he gritted his teeth in "sorrowful indignation" and spoke word by word. It was not that he was unwilling, it simply hurt.

"No. Need."

The large hand made of magic began sending the little princess down, finally floating her before Irisviel.

Kariya Matou looked at Saber, who had suddenly changed his tune, in confusion. After all, whatever happened was entirely up to Saber's mouth. Kariya did not understand it himself, but Saber had suddenly backed down. Had he found his conscience?

But judging from Saber's gritted-teeth expression, it did not quite seem that way.

Regardless of the reason, the outcome was still good. Kariya Matou naturally moved to catch Sakura, but Fu Yuan, who was about to enter his room upstairs, caught sight of it from the corner of his eye and suddenly said in dissatisfaction.

"Don't tell me you want to sleep with Sakura too? Are you a pervert?!"

He had completely forgotten what he himself had just been doing and spoke with utmost righteousness. His expression was only a little strange: thirty percent envy, fifty percent jealousy, twenty percent dissatisfaction, and ninety percent pain.

After saying that, he weakly stumbled into the room, and the door was shut by some unknown force.

Still in the living room, Irisviel suddenly hugged Sakura tightly and watched Kariya Matou approach with extreme vigilance, as though guarding against a thief.

Kariya Matou silently greeted Saber's family in his heart and awkwardly scratched his head. What else could he do? What else could he do? In this situation, there was no way he could take her.

"Ugh~ What is everyone doing? Why is Mommy holding little sister Sakura?" Illya, who had been forgotten on the sofa, was awakened by the arguing. Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the people in the living room in confusion.

Irisviel suddenly froze, awkwardly unsure what to say. Hiss! How had she forgotten Little Illya just now?! She truly was an incompetent mother.

Then she looked guiltily at Kiritsugu, thinking that she had not been very competent either, so she should forgive him for now.

Then she saw Kiritsugu looking equally dumbfounded, and the corners of her mouth twitched. Too hasty. She would not forgive him after all.

Kariya Matou, who was close to Illya, suddenly reached out and patted her head. He said nothing, but his expression was strange.

Illya blankly looked at this uncle she had only met today, unable to understand. At the same time, she shook her head in dissatisfaction.

At her current age, Illya could not really understand that expression called pity.

"Then Sakura and Illya can sleep with me first. The three of us will sleep in the master bedroom." Irisviel suddenly spoke, then proactively came over, took Illya's little hand, and led her upstairs.

She then tightly locked the bedroom door, leaned back against it, clutched her chest painfully, and took deep breaths of air.

'It still hurts so much!'

Then she quickly composed her expression and caught up before Illya could realize that her mother had fallen behind.

She gently patted Illya's little head. Looking at Illya's confused expression also eased her mood somewhat.

"It's nothing. Go to sleep."

Little Illya had clearly not slept enough in the living room earlier. Though she did not understand why her mother seemed strange today, she obediently lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

In the living room, Kariya Matou looked at the two remaining people in complete confusion. These waters ran deep. Their relationships were truly like those of a wealthy family!

Listening to the clearly deliberate sound of the door locking, Kiritsugu fell silent. He habitually wanted to take out a cigarette from his pocket, only to remember that he had smoked them all that afternoon.

Everyone in the living room suddenly fell silent. In the end, Maiya broke the quiet.

"Go rest, Kiritsugu."

Maiya's voice suddenly became gentle. Her originally cold expression turned somewhat shy. Though her eyes wandered around, they occasionally glanced at the melancholy-looking man.

Kiritsugu Emiya suddenly wanted to slap himself. At a time like this, why was he still letting his thoughts run wild? Could he possibly tell Irisviel that he only loved her? Was he going to act like a whore and demand a monument to his chastity too?

Then he decisively went over, wrapped an arm around Maiya's slender waist, and prepared to walk toward her room.

"Ahem!" Kariya Matou suddenly coughed twice, reminding them that someone was still here.

Kiritsugu Emiya's gathered momentum instantly deflated, and he looked at Kariya resentfully.

"Um... where am I staying?" Although he knew this was rather immoral, compared with being immoral, Kariya Matou was even less willing to sleep in the living room!

Kiritsugu Emiya's resentful expression instantly froze. He laughed awkwardly twice, then spoke to make amends.

"Other than the occupied rooms, all the rooms on the second floor are prepared. They aren't locked. Just push the door open and sleep. The keys are inside."

Einsbern Castle was truly enormous, so there was no shortage of vacant rooms, much less any shortage of money for maintaining them.

"Then I wish you two a pleasant time." After getting the answer he wanted, Kariya Matou relaxed and began teasing them.

As for why he did not say something more elegant, he was miserable! He was still single!