Chapter Three: Three Little Girls Are Lying in Bed, While I Sleep Alone on the Floor / Chapter Four: Even the Great Sage Has a Heart That Loves Little Girls

"Tea time!"

Jack and Gretel cheered. Little Jeanne said awkwardly, "I don't miss Chaldea's food at all."

But the way she stared fixedly at the lunchboxes betrayed her true feelings.

They came to a spacious room with several very plain dining tables. It was where everyone usually ate.

Emiya had prepared everything carefully, even using insulated lunchboxes. The food inside was still warm, and the moment they were opened, a rich aroma filled the air, making everyone swallow hungrily.

They gathered around and ate happily. The scene was warm and cozy, and the delicious food eased the worries of reality.

After the meal, Yuxian told them about what had happened at Chaldea.

When he mentioned forming contracts again, Jack eagerly jumped onto Yuxian and wanted to make a contract right away.

No one refused to form a contract. Though Atalanta looked somewhat hesitant, she ultimately trusted Yuxian and renewed her contract with him.

Yuxian understood her concerns and said seriously, "Atalanta, I'll respect your choice. I won't force you to leave this place."

Atalanta nodded and looked apologetically at Yuxian. As a Servant, she knew this was inappropriate, but there were too many bonds here. She could no longer obey orders as she had back at Chaldea.

Yuxian did not mind. He would never treat the Servants who trusted him as tools. They all had their own thoughts and principles.

He could understand them, and he tried to get to know each and every one of them.

Once all the contracts had been completed, Yuxian looked at the glowing panel on the back of his right hand.

Command Spells: Special commands may be issued to Servants by consuming Command Spells. One mark of consumed Command Spells is restored every day at midnight.

Effect One: Enhancement. (LV2)

Effect Two: Recovery. (LV2)

Effect Three: ???

Current number of contracted Servants: 8

It had leveled up.

The third use of the Command Spells was still unknown, but the first two had both become LV2.

Yuxian did not know how much stronger LV2 was than LV1, but getting stronger was always a good thing.

This change also made him realize that the level of the Command Spells increased along with the number of contracted Servants. If he found all the Servants of Chaldea, he wondered what level the Command Spells in his hand would reach.

PS: In recent years, Japan's annual number of newborns has probably been under one million. The Tokyo Area is densely populated, so assuming two hundred thousand newborns, after the appearance of the Gastrea, the population fell sharply to one-tenth. There would be around twenty thousand newborns each year. Over ten years, two hundred thousand children would be born, half of them girls, making one hundred thousand. The probability of being a Cursed Child should be below 5%; assuming around 3%, the total number of Cursed Children in the Tokyo Area would be around three thousand. Adding those who died young after suffering mistreatment, fewer than two thousand should be a reasonable number.

Chapter 3: Three Little Girls Lay on the Bed While I Slept Alone on the Floor

That night, before Yuxian had gone to sleep, Jack hurried into his room, jumped onto the bed without a word, and burrowed straight under the covers.

"Jack!"

Yuxian had just been about to scold her when Jack poked her head out from beneath the covers and looked at him with wide eyes. "Mommy?"

Jack's bright eyes stared at Yuxian, making him swallow the words that had reached his lips. Faced with such innocent and adorable eyes, he simply could not bring himself to refuse her.

"Jack is so sneaky! Alice wants to be with Master too."

Gretel came in from outside, pulling Little Jeanne along with her. She kept complaining about Jack, but her face wore an expression that said everything had gone according to plan. Clearly, this had all been part of her script.

The clever Gretel knew that if all three of them came together, Yuxian would definitely send them back to their own room.

So she had sent Jack, Yuxian's favorite, ahead to test the waters. Using Jack's cuteness to soften Yuxian's heart, she made him agree.

After that, Yuxian could hardly refuse them or play favorites by demanding that they leave.

Little Jeanne, dragged along by Gretel, said nothing. She looked like she had been forced into this, but her feet had not lagged behind in the slightest.

The moment Yuxian looked at her, she immediately clenched both hands into fists and assumed a defensive stance, warning him not to try anything funny.

Yuxian quickly raised both hands in surrender. Only then did she climb onto the bed with Gretel and hide beneath the covers.

Watching the three little ones lie side by side and completely occupy the already small bed, Yuxian helplessly walked over and tucked the blankets around them.

Tonight, he would be sleeping on the floor.

The next day, Yuxian and Mash set off for the city.

Jack and Gretel immediately asked to go with Yuxian. Little Jeanne struggled with the decision for a long time, but in the end, she followed along as well.

Only Illya was left behind in the outer district. She was upset that she could not go out and play with everyone, and only after Yuxian patiently comforted her did her mood improve somewhat.

She had red eyes, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, she could only stay out of the city for the time being.

Yuxian's first goal for this trip was to find the Tendo Civil Security Company.

This obscure little company had been founded by two high school students, and their identities were far from ordinary.

Kisaragi Tendo was the granddaughter of Kikunojo Tendo, the chief administrator of the Tokyo Area. Rentaro Satomi was Kikunojo Tendo's adopted son.

Rather than searching for their target, the group was more like they were strolling around and having fun. They lingered for a long time everywhere they went.

Yuxian was in no hurry. Since he had rarely brought them out, he naturally wanted them to have as much fun as possible.

The prosperity of the city stood in stark contrast to the desolation of the outer district. They were practically two different worlds.

As they walked through the streets, surrounded by bustling pedestrians and rows upon rows of shops, this modern city showed not the slightest sense of urgency despite being constantly threatened by Gastrea.

In an inconspicuous corner, Yuxian finally found the pitifully small civil security company.

Knock, knock, knock!

After he lightly knocked on the door, the crisp voice of the company's president, Kisaragi Tendo, came from inside. "Come in!"

Two adults and three children entered the office, making the already cramped room feel even more crowded.

Rentaro Satomi and Enju Aihara stopped playing around and looked curiously at Yuxian's group, unsure of why they had come.

"Do you have a commission for us?" Kisaragi Tendo warmly greeted Yuxian. Her company rarely had visitors, and upon seeing them, her face broke into a broad smile as she signaled Rentaro with her eyes to behave properly.

Yuxian asked, "We'd like to join the Tendo Civil Security Company. Would that be possible?"

"Huh?" Rentaro and Kisaragi Tendo looked at each other, both staring at Yuxian in utter confusion.

"You should think this through. This company is already so poor that it can't even pay salaries—"

Bang!

Before Rentaro could finish, Kisaragi Tendo grabbed a book from the desk and smashed it into his face, cutting him off.

"No problem!" Kisaragi Tendo immediately agreed to Yuxian's request, afraid that he might change his mind.

Rentaro hurriedly pulled Kisaragi Tendo aside and whispered, "Are we really going to keep them?"

Kisaragi Tendo said confidently, "It's fine. Their salaries can come out of completed commissions. If there are no commissions, we won't have to pay them. Once the company has new members, our strength will increase, and we'll be able to take on more commissions."

Yuxian smiled as he watched them whispering. He did not interrupt and quietly waited for them to finish discussing it.

Once they had finished their private conversation, Kisaragi Tendo straightened up and turned around, pretending to cough twice. "From now on, you are members of the Tendo Civil Security Company. I'm your president, Kisaragi Tendo, and this is Rentaro Satomi."

"I'm Rentaro's fiancée, Enju Aihara!"

Before Kisaragi Tendo could introduce her, Enju Aihara beat her to it. After introducing herself, she grabbed Rentaro's arm and hugged it tightly, declaring her claim over him.

Feeling the strange looks from Yuxian's group, Rentaro hurriedly tried to pull his arm free, but Enju held on tightly and did not let him escape.

Yuxian kept smiling. Enju's liveliness made him like her.

This little girl had crimson hair tied into adorable twin-tails. As a Cursed Child, it was especially rare for her to remain so optimistic and cheerful.

"My name is Yuxian. This is Mash, Jack, Alice, and Little Jeanne." Yuxian introduced them one by one.

Rentaro asked doubtfully, "Why are there three children? Shouldn't Initiators and Promoters come in pairs?"

"They aren't Initiators." Yuxian shook his head.

"They aren't Initiators?" His answer only made Rentaro more confused.

"We're Mommy's children!" Jack quickly answered.

"Mommy?" Hearing Jack's words, Rentaro and the others shifted their gazes to Mash's face.

Mash's face flushed red under their stares. She hurriedly raised both hands and waved them in front of herself. "Not me, not me!"

Yuxian picked Jack up and rubbed her little head. "The mommy this child is talking about is me."

"Huh?"

"You'll understand later."

Yuxian ignored their surprise. Rentaro and Kisaragi Tendo did not press the matter either. They guessed that Jack might be a Cursed Child abandoned by her mother.

Jack had indeed been abandoned by her mother. She had not even been allowed to be born.

Her true identity was a collective of babies who had not been allowed to be born. Compared to her, even Cursed Children who had been brought into the world were far luckier.

But now she had Yuxian as her Master, and he would give her the maternal love she lacked.

Yuxian sat down in the office and chatted with Rentaro, learning some information about the current situation from their conversation.

The children quickly became close. Enju Aihara began promoting her "Tenchu Girls" to the three little ones.

Jack was very energetic and ran around the office. She unexpectedly got along well with Enju, and the two played noisily together.

Gretel sat in a chair like a little lady, but from time to time, she directed Jack's movements, saying this was wrong and that was not right.

Little Jeanne stood off to the side, wanting to join them but hesitating because of her concerns.

In the end, Jack pulled her into it, and she finally began playing happily with them.

Time passed quickly. The sky gradually darkened, and by dusk, Yuxian prepared to leave.

They had yet to find a place to stay in the city and needed to return to the outer district, so they said goodbye to Rentaro and the others.

Enju was reluctant to part with the playmates she had finally found, but when she thought about how they would see each other every day from now on, her mood brightened again. She waved goodbye to Jack and the others.

Chapter 4: Even the Great Sage Had a Soft Spot for Little Girls

After returning to the outer district, they spotted Chiron in the distance, holding a little girl by the sea.

The little girl wore ordinary cloth clothes. They were somewhat old, but clean and tidy.

Her white hair fell loose around her, half-covering her face. The sea breeze blew toward her, scattering her hair and revealing a white cloth band tied over her eyes.

She sang in Chiron's arms, her voice melodious and pleasant as it drifted into Yuxian's ears from afar.

Her singing was clear and without a trace of impurity. Like the girl herself, it was pure as water, containing neither resentment nor unwillingness toward fate.

She was a child who still believed in goodness even when faced with a cruel destiny.

Chiron held her and quietly listened to her song, tenderness and affection filling his gentle gaze.

Yuxian thought of the legends surrounding Chiron.

Chiron had never received his parents' love as a child. Born a centaur, his mother Philyra was so repulsed by nursing him as a monster that she transformed herself into a linden tree.

After ascending as Sagittarius, he deeply regretted it and wanted to recover the only bond between himself and his parents.

He must have loved his parents deeply, even though they had abandoned him.

This little girl's experience was so similar to Chiron's. Perhaps it was because he saw his younger self in her that Chiron cared for her so deeply.

Yuxian quietly listened to the pure heavenly melody without disturbing them. Only after the song ended did he slowly walk over.

Seeing that Yuxian and the others had returned, Chiron set down the little girl in his arms and had her go play with Jack and the others.

"Teacher Chiron."

Chiron nodded in greeting, then asked Yuxian, "How did it go? What are your thoughts?"

Yuxian remained silent. He looked directly into Chiron's eyes. There was no way this Great Sage did not know how the entire Tokyo Area currently viewed Cursed Children.

He wanted to see what Chiron's attitude was toward such a situation.