Becoming Aozaki Touko

However, Aozaki Touko's brow furrowed.

"Hadon, what is this?!"

Before her stood a girl like a snow spirit, her ruby-like pupils utterly hollow, as if she were a doll without emotion.

"This is normal... It'll be fine after a while!"

Hadon's voice was flat. "Even if enough information is input, it still needs external stimulation to fully catalyze."

"...Is that so,"

Hearing this reply, Aozaki Touko nodded slightly, thought for a moment, then walked up to Irisviel and lifted her chin with her right hand, making their eyes meet.

"Do you know who I am?"

"...Who?"

Irisviel's ruby pupils showed a hint of confusion, yet her voice remained colorless. Though her tone was as pleasant as a mountain spring, it still evoked a sense of regret.

"I am a participant in the Holy Grail War!"

Aozaki Touko's gaze sharpened as she said seriously, "Representing the Einzbern... going to Fuyuki City in Japan to participate in the war. Can you understand that?"

"But... you're a woman?"

Hearing this answer, Irisviel's mind was in turmoil.

Before emerging from the amniotic tank, her brain had already absorbed the relevant information—that she was a tool for the Holy Grail War, that she was to marry a participant who married into the family. She had understood all of this.

But according to the basic knowledge input into her, a husband and wife should be of opposite sexes.

"Hadon... proceed with the original plan!"

Aozaki Touko turned her head and said with a light smile, "I am now 'her' husband. Tell Irisviel that!"

"...Are you sure?"

Hadon paused briefly, then calmly confirmed.

He didn't care who Irisviel's wife was. As long as they could win the Holy Grail War, having a same-sex son-in-law was a completely trivial matter.

"I'm sure!"

Without any hesitation, Aozaki Touko answered decisively.

"Irisviel von Einzbern, the woman before you now is your lifelong husband. You must serve her well."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Mm, get to know each other."

Hadon nodded slightly, then turned and left.

Seeing this, Aozaki Touko smiled gently, brushed a strand of hair with her slender hand, walked to the other side of the sofa, and said with a warm smile, "My name is Aozaki Touko. Now, Irisviel, you should know who I am, right?"

"Aozaki Touko, my husband."

This time, Irisviel answered without hesitation.

Though she still didn't fully understand everything, one thing was clear: the woman before her was her husband.

"Then, I look forward to working with you."

Aozaki Touko tilted her head and said with a sly smile, "Irisviel von Einzbern, I hope we can have a pleasant time together, my good wife."

"...If that is what you wish."

Irisviel nodded slightly, a glimmer of light appearing in her hollow eyes. "I will strive to be a good wife and satisfy you..."

"Then... in return, I will fulfill my duties as a husband. I'll find a way to extend your life, and I definitely won't let you die."

Aozaki Touko replied with a light laugh.

Such a precious wife—if she were to die as a Lesser Grail, how heartbreaking would that be? So before the Holy Grail War, she would deal with the Lesser Grail that threatened Irisviel's life.

Well, it was foreseeable that the days ahead in Einzbern wouldn't be boring. After all, raising a perfect wife was definitely a thrilling and enjoyable thing to do!

Chapter 5: Indeed, Let's Have a Child!

Time flew by.

A month later, Einzbern was shrouded in a blizzard. In the castle room, flames burned in the fireplace, and the firewood crackled with occasional bursts.

At this moment, Aozaki Touko sat focused at the desk, holding a quill and writing line after line on parchment. The content mostly consisted of insights into Einzbern's homunculus technology and speculations on how to improve it.

In just four short months, she had absorbed knowledge like a sponge, growing at an astonishing rate.

Crack.

The door was gently pushed open.

The Einzbern maid stepped in carefully, and Aozaki Touko, as if sensing her presence, turned her gaze toward the entering maid.

"What is it?"

"A letter arrived from Japan."

"Bring it here."

"Yes."

Aozaki Touko took the envelope, opened it, and looked at the familiar elegant handwriting. A faint smile touched her lips as she silently read the contents.

The letter was from Kuonji Alice, though her sister Aozaki Aoko had also contributed. The content was simple—just catching up and asking when she planned to return.

There was nothing particularly substantial in the letter, but reading it brought immense comfort.

"...Looks like I need to keep working hard!"

She put the letter away, let out a long breath, then turned to the maid: "Could you bring me a cup of red tea? My throat feels a bit dry..."

"Of course, Miss Touko~"

The maid turned to brew the tea. Watching her, Aozaki Touko leaned back in her chair, a hint of exhaustion showing on her delicate face. High-intensity study was no easy task, and now she truly felt tired.

"Moderate rest is better for research, you know..."

A steaming cup of red tea was set on the table. The maid's crimson eyes carried a trace of concern. Her voice was soft and gentle: "Besides, if Miss Irisviel saw you like this, she'd be quite worried too!"

"...I just got a little impatient~"

Aozaki Touko picked up the teacup, took a sip, and chuckled lightly: "Suddenly I saw a promising path ahead, and I couldn't help but start testing it myself..."

"...A promising path?"

"Do you know about Adam and Eve?"

"Of course."

"I want to use Dollcraft to create the original human body, then elevate the leaden human soul into a golden soul like that of an angel!"

"Miss Touko... do you want to become a god?"

"Humans are gods in the making. Through self-discipline, self-elevation, and self-liberation, one can become a god."

Hearing this, the maid was silent for a long moment before fixing her gaze firmly on Touko. Her delicate face bore a gentle smile:

"If that person is you, Miss Touko, then I believe you are a god in the making, and one day you will become the master who rules over all of us."

"Only after winning the Holy Grail War~"

Aozaki Touko tilted her head, a sly smile spreading across her face. The maid's crimson eyes glimmered with amusement as she nodded matter-of-factly and said softly:

"Isn't this just the trial before your ascension? I believe you, Miss Touko, will surely overcome this small obstacle and become our god!"

"Looks like I have to work hard then!"

Aozaki Touko sighed softly and buried herself in her work again.

The maid smiled gently, brushed back her silver hair with slender fingers, and quietly left the room, softly closing the door behind her.

Meanwhile.

On the other side, Irisviel was holding a book, reading with intense focus. The cover read The Complete Wife—a title that would offend feminists everywhere.

It had been a month since she emerged from the culture tank. During that time, eager to meet her husband's expectations, she had read extensively on how to be a good wife.

In that short month, perhaps because her prototype was Sefirot, Irisviel's learning ability was extraordinary, and she was now indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

"...Hmm~"

Looking at the illustration of a family of three in the book, Irisviel frowned slightly. Her hand instinctively touched her abdomen, then she stood up, pushed open the door, and ran toward Touko's room.

Though she often spent time with Aozaki Touko, they hadn't yet lived together as a married couple. According to Touko, three years minimum, maximum death penalty—so they'd have to wait a while.

At least... until it felt right morally...

---Knock knock

A knock sounded.

Then Irisviel pushed the door open. Aozaki Touko put down her pen.

She looked at Irisviel, a hint of confusion in her voice: "What's wrong, Irisviel?"

"Something very important!"

Irisviel threw herself into Aozaki Touko's arms. Her face, full of elegance and princess-like dignity, was flushed red. Her voice, like a mountain spring, said:

"Touko, a married couple really should have a child. Let's have one, okay?!"

"...Huh!"

Aozaki Touko's eyes widened slightly. She was suddenly at a loss, her face gradually turning red, her body frozen in place.

Chapter 6: I've Already Thought of the Child's Name

Having a child.

This is an utterly normal thing.

Nothing to be ashamed of.

However, when the subject is a fourteen-year-old girl and an android who emerged from a cultivation tank only a month ago...

It becomes rather peculiar.

"..."

Aozaki Touko suppressed the surging emotions in her heart. After a long silence, her expression somewhat odd, she asked, "...Irisviel, why do you suddenly want to have a child?"

"...Since you, Touko, have defined our relationship as husband and wife!"

Irisviel's crimson eyes shimmered with tenderness, her face alight with anticipation. "Then wouldn't it only be natural to have a child as the fruit of our love?"

If Aozaki Touko had become her spouse, then bringing forth a child to carry on their shared lives—wasn't that perfectly reasonable...?

Outside the window, snow flew wildly; inside, silence reigned.

"..."

Aozaki Touko gazed at Irisviel, so close before her. That delicate, elegant face brimmed with hope—this was no expression worn merely to fulfill the role of a wife.

Irisviel truly wanted a child of her own.

"Though, with the technology I currently possess, combining our life factors to conceive a child is something I could accomplish without any difficulty at all!"

"But, my lovely wife!"

"You're only one month old right now... Are you truly ready to bring a child into the world? Do you have the confidence to raise her well as a mother?"

"Bearing a child is no trivial matter!"