Chapter Twenty-One: Nobody Won, but Nursery Rhyme Lost / Chapter Twenty-Two: No More Waiting ...

"Let's go. Don't keep the people ahead waiting too long."

At Tohru and Kanna's speed, they had probably already reached the finish line by now. They needed to catch up quickly and not make them wait too long.

After that little episode, the three boats continued downstream together without incident.

Section 81: Chapter 21: No One Won, but Gretel Lost

By the time Yuxian and the others reached the finish line, everyone else had already been waiting for quite a while.

Kobayashi stood calmly to one side, looking utterly unfazed. Only her hair, sculpted by the fierce wind and swept up behind her, revealed just how extraordinary the trip had been.

Little Jeanne sat there, still shaken. Kanna's speed had been a little too much for her. Although she had experience flying through the sky as Santa Claus, driving herself and being driven by someone else were completely different matters. She secretly resolved that the next time she used a sleigh, she absolutely would not fly that fast.

The rafting trip had gone fairly smoothly. Yuxian was just a little tired—far more tired than he had been at the beach. The beach was still better: there were beautiful girls to feast his eyes on, and it was much more relaxing.

The group slowly made their way back. The day had passed pleasantly, and everyone discussed their experiences with one another. Other than Martha, it had been everyone's first time doing something like rafting, so the novelty was still strong.

When they arrived at the parking lot, they prepared to take the car back.

Just then, several girls passed by them. They were also vacationing here, and one of them said, "Let's have a pillow fight tonight!"

A pillow fight?

The group heard them. Jack was a good child who asked whenever she did not understand something. "Mommy, what's a pillow fight?"

Yuxian did not know much about such things, but Kobayashi seemed quite familiar with them. She had probably played similar games when she was younger, so she explained it to everyone.

As soon as Tohru heard Kobayashi's explanation, she immediately raised her hand. "Kobayashi, let's have a pillow fight tonight!"

Kobayashi glanced at Tohru and said flatly, "I'm past that age."

She had no intention of having a pillow fight with a dragon. That was far too dangerous. Sleeping quietly was much more comfortable.

Tohru immediately wilted and began muttering to herself in disappointment.

Meanwhile, the children gathered together once again. They were interested in pillow fights too. Since the rafting teams had caused some disagreement, they decided to settle things once and for all with a pillow fight.

When the group returned to the lodging, the owner had already prepared dinner. No matter what anyone said, Yuxian refused to drink this time. He had not forgotten what happened last night. That state had been a little too awful. If he accidentally said something he should not say or did something he should not do, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

After dinner, Yuxian wanted to return to his room and rest, but several little ones quickly drove him out.

They had commandeered the room as a temporary battlefield. They were going to wage an earth-shaking war here.

Illya, Gretel, Jack, Little Jeanne, and Kanna—the five little girls watched one another warily, poised and ready.

Seeing this, Yuxian hurriedly backed out and shut the door. The combat power inside that room was a little too terrifying. If Martha and Mash joined them, they could practically start a Holy Grail War.

The instant Yuxian shut the door, Gretel struck first. She hurled the pillow in her hands at Little Jeanne and declared, "This time, I'm definitely going to win! Master is mine!"

She was very upset that she had not been assigned to the same group as Yuxian during the rafting trip, leaving her worried throughout the entire journey. Little Jeanne, who had proposed that so-called fair arrangement, was especially her main target.

Little Jeanne refused to back down. "You monopolized Master all that time while climbing the mountain, and you still have the nerve to keep hogging him? I won't allow it!"

"That's right. Master belongs to everyone."

Illya was also unhappy with Gretel's attempt to monopolize Yuxian. She formed a united front with Little Jeanne and surrounded Gretel. Two against one, Gretel was steadily forced back and soon fell into a disadvantage.

"Jack, come help me!" Seeing that things were going badly, Gretel immediately called for her good friend Jack, hoping to make it an even two-on-two fight.

Jack had originally remained outside the battle, but since Gretel had called her, she could not refuse and joined the fray.

Jack moved quickly, darting left and right as she helped Gretel draw away a great deal of firepower. Gretel's pressure quickly eased, and she began mounting an effective counterattack.

Kanna did not understand the relationships between them, but that did not stop her from joining the fight. She formed a faction all by herself and smashed anyone she caught, completely without purpose. As long as it was fun, that was enough.

The room formed a three-way standoff of two, two, and one. The battle was incredibly fierce, and Yuxian could clearly hear the repeated thumping sounds from outside.

It was not easy to make pillows sound that loud when thrown around. He figured he would probably have to apologize to the lodging owner tomorrow and pay for a few pillows.

As long as they were happy.

Yuxian simply moved over a chair and sat outside the door to stand guard for them.

The battle inside continued. By now, the few remaining pillows had all become tattered, and their stuffing drifted all over the room. Fluff filled the air like snow falling from the sky.

"I absolutely won't let you monopolize Master!" Little Jeanne declared righteously to Gretel.

"That's right! We won't let you get away with it."

Gretel did not care. She replied forcefully, "There could have been someone in the same group as Master, but you wasted that chance. I'm never listening to you again!"

"No means no!"

"Then let's settle this!" Gretel did not waste any more words. She picked up another battered pillow and resumed the battle.

Jack did not join the argument. She obediently supported Gretel from the side.

She did not really understand what they were arguing about. She had simply promised Gretel that she would help her.

She had never thought about monopolizing Yuxian. As long as she could stay by Mommy's side and listen to Mommy, she was satisfied. She did not know what they were fighting over.

Kanna cared even less. She did not have such worries when she was with Kobayashi and Tohru. Now she even had so many friends to play with. Compared to her life in the other world, her current life was simply too happy.

Yuxian grew a little bored while waiting outside and began yawning. After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened again, and Gretel walked out with her head hanging low.

"You lost?" Yuxian asked, blinking.

Gretel looked steadily at Yuxian for a while, then slowly walked away without answering.

The other children came out one after another. Judging by their expressions, no one seemed particularly happy either, leaving Yuxian deeply puzzled.

Who had lost and who had won?

In the end, Little Jeanne explained, "No one won, but Alice lost!"

Little Jeanne said seriously, "Everyone agreed that cheating was forbidden and that we couldn't use any other abilities. She broke the rules, so she counts as the loser."

Yuxian blinked. No wonder Gretel had looked so dejected. There had been no winner in this battle, but there was one sole loser.

Well done, Gretel!

Section 82: Chapter 22: No More Waiting

Seeing the room in such a mess, Yuxian had no desire to go inside and rest for the moment. After thinking about it, he left the house to look for Gretel.

The dejected expression Gretel had worn when she left worried him a little.

Besides, the look Gretel had given him earlier had made his heart tremble, bringing many things to mind. Combined with her cheating this time, Yuxian felt that he should have a proper talk with her and care about what she was thinking.

The children had been together for quite some time, but they were bound to have their own thoughts. As their Master, Yuxian needed to fulfill his role at times like this and make sure they got along harmoniously without any problems.

When Yuxian stepped outside, he found Gretel sitting alone on the steps in the courtyard, staring blankly into space.

Pale moonlight shone over her, casting a small shadow behind her. She looked very lonely.

Yuxian sighed inwardly. He walked over and sat beside Gretel, watching the moon and stars with her.

Gretel sensed Yuxian's arrival, but she did not speak. She remained silent as she gazed up at the starry sky, seemingly lost in thought.

Yuxian broke the silence and asked softly, "What is Alice thinking about?"

Gretel stared at the stars without blinking and answered quietly, "The stars in the sky are so beautiful, but they're so far away from us."

Yuxian did not understand what she meant. What did the stars being beautiful have to do with them being far away?

He fell silent for a while, unsure how to start the conversation. Yuxian had plenty of ways to play around with the children normally, but at moments like this, he felt somewhat helpless and did not know how to comfort Gretel.

Before Yuxian could say anything, Gretel continued, "Will Master be like the stars too, so far away from Alice?"

Yuxian chuckled. "I'm right beside you. How could I be far away? You can catch me with just one stretch of your hand."

Gretel turned to look at Yuxian and froze for a moment. Then she slowly leaned over, pressing her whole body against him.

Her body was so light that he could barely feel any weight on his shoulder. Yuxian simply picked her up and placed her on his lap.

He rested his chin atop Gretel's head, gently rubbing against it as he asked, "Why did Alice cheat while playing with her friends? Was it because you didn't want to lose?"

Gretel sat quietly on Yuxian's lap without moving at all, as still as a doll.

"Does everyone hate Alice?" Her tone was calm. She did not sound afraid, resentful, or guilty. It was more like she was stating a fact.

Yuxian comforted her, "Of course not. No one will hate you."

The little ones might be unhappy with what Gretel had done, but they definitely would not hold a grudge over it. Yuxian was certain of that. They were all little angels, not narrow-minded people.

Yuxian said seriously to Gretel, "What Alice did was wrong. Apologize to them, and you'll still be the best of friends afterward."

Gretel gently shook her head. "Alice isn't afraid of being hated by everyone."

Yuxian frowned slightly, unsure what to do.

Before he could think of the right words, Gretel continued, "Compared to being hated by everyone, Alice is more afraid of waiting."

"When Alice suddenly left Chaldea, Alice was so, so scared. Alice was scared she would never see Master again.

"Big Sister Atalanta and everyone else were there with Alice, but Master wasn't. Alice thought she would have to wait for a very, very long time again.

"Alice has had enough of waiting like that. Alice wants to stay by Master's side all the time, without leaving even for a moment.

"Whenever Master leaves Alice's side, Alice worries she'll never see Master again. Alice worries she'll have to wait a very, very long time before they can meet again.

"Alice hates waiting."

Hearing the faint sob in Gretel's voice, Yuxian's heart ached. He felt that he had not been a competent enough Master. He had failed to notice Gretel's feelings and had left her constantly anxious and afraid.

He gently embraced Gretel and said tenderly, "Master promises you that I won't make you worry anymore. I won't make you wait either. I'll always stay by your side."

He sincerely hoped to dispel Gretel's unease. He would also do everything in his power to keep that promise. Anyone who wanted to take them away from his side was his enemy.

"Thank you, Master. Alice feels so happy." Gretel finally smiled and spoke sweetly.

"I feel very happy to be with all of you too."

Yuxian and the girls had already become tightly bound together. This bond could not be severed easily. They had become Yuxian's family, his children.

"Actually, Alice knows Jeanne-chan was right, but Alice still can't help wanting to monopolize Master. Is that very greedy?" Gretel continued. Her tone had become much lighter now, no longer as heavy as before.

"So that's why you cheated? But you should have known you'd definitely be found out. With a smart little head like yours, how could you not have thought of that?" Yuxian teased Gretel with a chuckle.

In this matter, Gretel had made a very foolish choice. They were all Heroic Spirits, so how could she possibly hide her cheating from everyone? Yuxian did not know what Gretel had been thinking at the time. Maybe she had gotten carried away and acted recklessly.

Gretel blushed a little. Of course she had considered that, but everyone had been evenly matched, and no one could do much to anyone else. Jack was not particularly competitive, and Kanna had been causing trouble from the side. There was no way Gretel could win, so in her panic, she stopped caring about anything else.

Yuxian's laughter displeased Gretel. Embarrassed and angry, she said, "Master is making fun of Alice!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Gretel's words only made Yuxian laugh harder, but inwardly, he felt relieved. Gretel had returned to her usual self, which meant her mood had recovered and she would not keep overthinking things.

Dissatisfied, Gretel broke free from Yuxian's hands and jumped down from his lap. She stood before him with puffed-up cheeks, glaring at him with her eyes wide open.

Yuxian immediately stopped laughing, but he could not quite suppress the smile on his face, making his expression look slightly twisted.

Gretel's little face turned bright red, looking especially adorable beneath the moonlight. Yuxian raised both hands in surrender.

"All right, all right. I won't laugh anymore."

He stood up, rubbed Gretel's head, and said, "Since Alice lost, you need to accept your punishment. The room is a complete mess right now, so no one can sleep there tonight. Your punishment will be cleaning it up. Then everyone will forgive you for cheating."

"Really?" Gretel did not truly want everyone to hate her. She was more than willing to make up for it.

"Mm. Let's go back inside. I'll talk to everyone."

The two walked back into the house one after the other.

Section 83: Chapter 23: Failing to Learn From Experience

After returning to the house, Yuxian told the little ones about Gretel's punishment. No one objected. They all thought it was an excellent idea and nodded in agreement.

Gretel very seriously borrowed cleaning tools from the owner of the lodging.

She wore a kerchief cap on her head, an apron around her body, and held a broom in her hands, looking like a housewife.

However, with her tiny body, oversized apron, and broom taller than she was, she looked incredibly comical.

Everyone else stood at the doorway, peeking into the room. Seeing Gretel being punished gave them a strange sense of novelty.