My Wedding, Mash and Fou

As news of my wedding spread, the days of running back and forth between three places finally came to an end. At last, Shiki and Fujino had turned eighteen.

The Genji Estate was decked out in lights and decorations, with notable figures from all over coming and going. It was a traditional Japanese wedding. Aside from families large and small from across Japan, the guests included Kenneth, Waver, the four little ones, Marisbury and his daughter, and more.

Aozaki Touko, Araya Souren, and the others left after giving a few congratulatory gifts. After all, it was inconvenient for them to show their faces.

After Rin and Sakura learned that Aoi had borne me a son, they spoke with her for a while. When they came out, their faces were red, yet neither of them blamed me for anything. When I asked Aoi about it, she said nothing, only that I would find out eventually.

Although today was, publicly, a wedding between Shiki and me, and Shiki's name was on the marriage certificate, she and Fujino had already fallen in love, fought, and come to acknowledge one another without realizing it. Fujino also wore wedding attire today, though she did not appear before the guests.

The number of handshakes I exchanged today probably matched all the handshakes I had had since childhood. The gifts I received were practically piled into a mountain, ranging from alchemical materials to magical Mystic Codes.

All I had paid for were several dozen tables of food. I could not help sighing that this might have been the Genji Clan's most profitable venture so far.

Compared to all those tedious rituals, I truly just wanted to get to the end. At last, after seeing off every guest, I arrived at the bridal chamber, where Shiki and Fujino sat facing each other, waiting for me.

The fruit I had waited years for had finally ripened.

Looking at Shiki and Fujino, I thought of everything that had happened before. When we bathed together, we had only wrapped towels around ourselves; when we slept together, we had only held each other's arms. We had long since been open with one another and never avoided changing clothes in front of each other, but now that it had truly come to this, I was still a little nervous.

Shiki and Fujino even pushed the other forward, telling the other to go first. Not waiting for them to finish discussing it, I said, "Shiki is the older sister," then embraced Shiki.

In my previous life, I had always seen people say that Mikiya Kokutou was the only man who could freely enter and leave the Root. Now, that man was me. Beside us, Fujino covered her eyes with both hands, leaving a narrow gap to peek through.

In the end, none of us remembered when it had ended. We fell asleep in each other's arms, and even when morning came, my getting up failed to wake them.

Life continued happily like that until the system gave a ding. Shiki Ryougi and Fujino became pregnant one after the other. That meant twenty lottery draws were mine.

Shiki and Fujino's morning sickness was obvious. They knew they were pregnant within the first month, so there was no need for me to keep it hidden any longer. Good news like this should be known by the whole world.

Though the life of rotating between three places was still somewhat tiring, I was filled with happiness.

Shiki gave birth a week before Fujino. Just like in the original story, it was a daughter. I borrowed the original name, Mana, saving myself a lot of brainpower.

A week later, Fujino also gave birth to a daughter, whom I named Mio. I really was a naming genius. The reward of forty more lottery draws arrived, leaving me with sixty draws now.

The days passed one by one, and four years went by like that. Then one day, one of my people sent word that the animal that looked like both a rabbit and a cat had appeared.

I knew the walking ATK and HP had entered the stage. When Mash was five, I had taken her around near Chaldea instead of locking her in a sterile room like before, all in the hope of meeting Fou sooner.

After all, whether Mash could survive depended on him. Even with my medical skills, I could only extend Mash's life by around two years.

Now I could finally rest easy. I immediately set out for Chaldea with my secret weapon. Fou was someone worth relying on, so I had to take proper care of him.

Depending on the timeline, Fou had two identities. One was a beast that fed on competition and growth, jealousy and regret among humanity.

A Beast with the trait of being "stronger than its opponent," a calamitous beast that could theoretically never be defeated—Cath Palug. In another world, he was also known as Primates Murder.

His other identity was Merlin's familiar from Avalon Garden, the three-eyed cat demon.

A cat demon born from a boar demon in the legend of King Arthur, he had fought Artoria or her foster brother Kay. His true identity was Beast IV, the Fourth Beast, which governed the principle of "comparison."

At the end of the Final Singularity, he used magical energy accumulated over a hundred years to create the miracle that even magic had failed to reach: Perfect Resurrection of the Dead.

He completed the transfer of destiny, extending Mash's less than three days of remaining life to the lifespan of an ordinary person. He himself became an ordinary beast, losing his intelligence and characteristics.

Upon returning to Chaldea, I saw Mash chasing Fou all over the place. Seizing the right moment, I made a perfect entrance, picked Mash up, and said, "Did you miss me, Mash? Where did this little animal come from?"

When Mash saw that it was me, she said she had missed big brother very much. What an obedient child. In all of Chaldea, she was the only one who called me big brother; everyone else called me uncle. Wait, did that not make me a generation younger? No wonder they sometimes laughed so hard. I would remember this grudge.

Mash continued, "This is Fou. I picked him up outside. Big brother, you won't forbid me from keeping a pet, will you?" With that, she looked at me with teary eyes.

Mash was only five now, but with her pink hair and adorable appearance, her destructive power was truly astonishing.

In the original story, Mash had been an outgoing yet timid and active girl who was not good at expressing her feelings.

She had little life experience but abundant knowledge. Because she was quiet and rarely wasted words, with a cold attitude and manner of speaking, she seemed almost like a doll.

But in truth, she was merely an ordinary girl who was curious and proactive, only a little taciturn with somewhat unusual speech habits.

With my presence now, she displayed her outgoing and active nature to the fullest. There was not the slightest trace of timidity, giving me a sense of accomplishment.

I said, "Of course not. If Mash wants to keep him, then keep him."

Setting Mash down, I gave Fou a handshake gesture and said, "Mash will be in your care, Fou."

The aloof Fou swung his tail like a divine dragon, pointing it at me. That expression made me feel as though I were looking at Rin.

I continued, "Right, since Fou is going to live at Chaldea, he needs a home. I happen to have a little something here." It was a secret weapon I had specifically had someone make.

After I spoke, the small box was opened. It was about half the size of a desk and contained a pet house. However, there was a spatial barrier inside, making the interior roughly twice as large as it appeared, with doll-like punching bags covered in an illusion spell.

Anyone who saw them would inexplicably think of people they disliked. After Fou went inside, he immediately began beating up the punching bags. The only thing missing was a declaration that Merlin must die.

When he came out, he looked very satisfied, as though he were saying, "I accept you as my underling." I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

But one thing was certain: Mash's life had been saved.

"Mash, I may not have time to visit you for a while. I had worried that you might get lonely, but now that Fou is here with you, I can rest easy. You need to stay safe too, and don't make things difficult for Fou."

Mash protested, "I would never trouble Fou! How long will big brother be busy? When can you come next?"

"It will probably be a long time, maybe even several years. But once I am done, I will come back to see you right away. I will bring you gifts too."

After hearing that, Mash's eyes reddened. "Okay. Mash will be good and wait for big brother."

After finding Marisbury and arranging the follow-up work, I prepared to leave. There was something more important that I needed to do.