A policy, it was called—but there was nothing particularly grand about it.
Maintain a stance for peace.
The goal was to comfortably enjoy a life reclaimed from the brink of death.
It was a shame I wouldn't see the world after the Human Order Restoration, but...
This was more than enough.
'The mood is nice.'
Mentioning something so sentimental for a moment had caused a lull in the conversation.
It was peaceful and pleasant.
"I want to say thank you once again. Everyone accommodated me, allowing us to enjoy this kind of peace."
I wrapped up with a heartwarming sentiment.
The somber atmosphere warmed up immediately.
As a result, the other Servants showed signs of becoming lively again.
This was good, too.
While a calm atmosphere was nice, staying too quiet made things sluggish.
And when things get sluggish, they turn depressing.
In that case, it was better to be a little excited.
'Kenjaku's body should have been quite useful, right?'
The corpse of a jujutsu sorcerer is like a ninja from Naruto.
It means it's packed with all sorts of information.
Dissecting it to that extent would certainly be helpful.
Since Gojo and Geto were there, the cleanup would be meticulous.
And as a bonus, it would serve as a good way to establish discipline.
"Then we'll have to change the duty rotation. With two more added, six days a week will be empty."
While everyone was gathered around the dining table.
Shuten-douji, drinking sake instead of tea, drew everyone's attention.
'Duty' referred to the day's escort.
To put it in gaming terms, it was the My Room Servant.
"Hmm. That's true. Master, would you like to decide? It's better for the owner to choose directly so there's no room for complaints."
Koyanskaya of Light, the Assassin, spoke while looking at me.
There was no room for rebuttal.
I made eye contact with the Servants, who were all nodding in agreement.
It seemed no one had any objections.
"Since one day a week is left over, should we just have that day rotate normally?"
When I asked casually, everyone fell silent.
They looked bored by the suggestion.
'Oh boy.'
I rolled my eyes as I looked at the expectant Servants.
I racked my brain.
As I did, a pretty plausible idea came to mind.
In times like these, it's best to leave it to fate.
"I'll spin a roulette every day, and whichever Servant it lands on will be the one on duty. It might feel uncomfortable if it feels like losing a bet, but..."
"No, that sounds great."
Koyanskaya of Darkness, the Foreigner, had a sparkle in her eyes.
She looked genuinely amused by the prospect.
"Big sister agrees. If I'm lucky, I might even get picked multiple times in a row, right?"
"Ibuki-douji-sama. Isn't that being a bit too greedy...?"
"Hm? Don't tell me you're secretly hoping for the same thing, Raiko?"
Ibuki and Raiko, sitting side by side, conversed.
Their massive bosoms bumped against each other.
The conversation was warm, and the sight was... equally warm.
It was a nice sight to behold.
"In any case. Now that we have more cows around, My Lord's eyes won't stop wandering. What are we going to do with you?"
Shuten smirked with a sidelong glance.
Her sharp smile felt like a dagger piercing my heart.
Moreover, I drew the gazes of Raiko and Ibuki as well.
They were favorable gazes, but decidedly predatory.
"Oh my. Master. If you missed these breasts, you should have just said so. Should Big Sister give you a taste?"
"No. Feeding a child is both the duty and the right of a mother. Naturally, it's only right that I step forward."
Ibuki and Raiko faced each other, their eyes narrowing.
Their breasts pressed together and flattened firmly against each other.
It was a light battle of nerves.
That was only possible because of their size.
Otherwise, it would have been a head-butting match ending in a fistfight.
"Goodness. Since we've added two more, the ruckus has more than doubled. Is this what they call an exponential increase?"
"It's no different from the days at Chaldea."
When Shuten spoke, Ushi-gozen responded with a disinterested air.
Her calm appearance gave off a sense of stability.
"Then, today's duty goes to Ushi-gozen."
"Pardon?"
I designated her on the spot, and Ushi-gozen's eyes went wide.
She probably didn't expect to be picked right here.
"It just so happens today is Saturday. We'll decide by roulette starting tomorrow, but today, please take care of it, Ushi-gozen. I know tomorrow's duty should be a roulette too, but let's give it to Raiko since it's her first summoning."
I reached a quick conclusion.
This was tidy enough.
Ushi-gozen was an unpopular character.
Consequently, users who raised her Bond level were rare—but I was one of them.
A dangerous personality.
The fact that she was the same person as Raiko, just with a different persona, appealed to me.
"You are as unique as ever. You're likely the only one who would feel reassured by keeping a monstrous being like me by your side."
Ushi-gozen stood up with a smirk.
She remained composed even as jealous gazes converged on her from all around.
"Will we be going out? Or will you be staying at home? I will follow you anywhere, so please, feel free to give your orders."
"Let's go out for a bit. I'm just going to walk around the neighborhood, so the rest of you don't have to come out."
"Yes, Master."
Leaving Ushi-gozen for a moment, I prepared to head out.
A child-sized coat, clothes, wallet, and phone.
After grabbing only the essentials, I stepped out with Ushi-gozen.
'She's big.'
Was it because Raiko herself was so large? Even in her younger form as Ushi-gozen, she was quite statuesque.
"Hold on. Are you taking your little brother for a walk? What a good big sister."
As a result, delinquents often tried to hit on her.
Just like now.
"Master. Shall I kill them?"
Ushi-gozen whispered into my ear.
Her already frightening eyes looked even more terrifying.
An abyss, a void.
Her pupils seemed to contain something even deeper.
"I'm sorry. If possible, just scare them off."
"Ah. Understood."
Ushi-gozen replied in a flat voice.
She immediately flipped the atmosphere.
Chilling, eerie.
She radiated a pressure that stimulated primal fear just by being near her.
To put it simply, it was killing intent.
To be more detailed, it felt like a mixture of a Servant's unique pressure and demonic aura.
"U-Uh...?"
The man who had been eyeing Ushi-gozen began to tremble.
He instinctively recoiled in fear.
Then, he ran without once looking back.
Like a person who had seen a ghost in the dead of night.
"What a truly fragile human."
Ushi-gozen withdrew her aura.
She seemed remarkably indifferent.
"Are you not dissatisfied with just letting him go? You used to love breaking things."
Ushi-gozen was a demonic entity that thrived on destruction.
She had restrained herself since forming a contract, but her true nature hadn't vanished.
So, I had her release it in other ways.
Or I resolved it by designating targets she was allowed to pour that desire onto.
Because of that, she was deemed dangerous even among Servants.
I had delayed her summoning until the very end.
Shuten had a similar disposition, but she couldn't even be compared to Ushi-gozen.
She was just someone who indulged in occasional whims.
"Master is right, but I have already come to know a pleasure far too great."
Ushi-gozen murmured as she walked along the street.
I quickly kept pace beside her.
"If it's pleasure... you mean that?"
"You are quite lewd. Of course, the secret trysts sharing skin with Master are part of it, but I am talking about the Human Order."
Ushi-gozen was a Servant who joined after the Incineration of the Human Order.
Therefore, she had only experienced the compilation of the Human Order.
In other words, the 'Human Order' she spoke of referred to the pruning of the Lostbelts.
"You mean the Bleached Earth?"
"Yes. The world was destroyed due to the Human Order. You, I, and everyone else joined forces to crush that ruined world. I was not the only one who accomplished it, but..."
"I'm sufficiently grateful, and you were a help. You should be proud."
"Thank you. At any rate, from various Lostbelts to a bleached Earth... After a journey of destroying worlds, ordinary destruction no longer catches my eye."
Ah, so that's why?
I finally realized why Ushi-gozen had been so docile.
She had been quiet since the first time we met in the dream with everyone...
It seemed she was suffering from a sort of post-climactic burnout.
"Is that why you were so indifferent?"
"Yes. And I think the current peace is quite alright. Peace may not suit me, but protecting a settled world is also the role of a warrior."
"I appreciate you understanding. I like spending time with you too."
"I feel the same. However, that means the only joy left is the pleasure of entwining my body with Master's..."
Tight. Ushi-gozen squeezed the hand she was holding.
It was just enough to feel a moderate pressure.
With her grip strength, she could have crushed my hand into pulp if she had a mind to.
Even leaving my hand in hers, I didn't feel anxious.
She wouldn't hurt me.
It was thanks to the trust that she wouldn't cause me harm.
"I hope you grow up soon, Master."
However, seeing Ushi-gozen's insidious gaze made the back of my neck tingle.
It had been a while.
"I want that too."
"To do that, please eat a balanced diet without being picky and go to bed early. I'm sure that Raiko person would wish for the same."
"It seems Raiko likes me just as I am now, though?"
"Well, she does have a fondness for young things."
Ushi-gozen shook her head with a sigh.
Since she herself was also Raiko, she seemed to find the whole thing absurd and frustrating.
"She's probably crying by now, right?"
"Perhaps. However, she might also be holding it in, looking forward to tomorrow."
It could be this, or it could be that.
Raiko was truly unpredictable.
She was the type to be uniquely obsessed with the player, the protagonist, in the game.
She was also a member of the Chaldea Lava Swimming Club, after all.
Buzz. Buzz.
Around the time we stopped at a local park, my phone vibrated.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. When are you going to give me my present? My birthday is next month, so I'd like it as soon as possible."
A noisy voice came through as soon as I answered.
It was Gojo.
"Ah... a present?"
"Yeah. You just tossed a weird corpse at me and left, but not that. I'm talking about something more useful and gorgeous."
"Do you mean something expensive?"
"Not that, something special that only you can give. Don't you have anything like that?"
I did, technically.
I couldn't make them myself, but would a Mystic Code be enough?
"I've overheard, but what a truly rude person. Shall I cut him down?"
Ushi-gozen whispered, her lips right against my ear.
The sensation of being seduced by a gloomy voice was hair-raising.
I shook my head slightly.
Killing him was out of the question.
'A gift, huh.'
I had certainly caused him trouble, and he had helped with the test.
I did need to give him something in return.
But giving it for free felt a bit... unappealing.
It was ambiguous in many ways.
I racked my brain as I sat side-by-side with Ushi-gozen.
A suffocating silence hung in the air of the deserted area.
"Hello? Where did the person who picked up the phone go? Was... asking for a present over the line?"
Three minutes of silence passed.
Unable to bear the tension, Gojo spoke first.
I had organized my thoughts during that time.
I spoke my conclusion.
"So you want a special gift?"
"Ye-Yeah. I do, but why are you lowering your voice like that? It's scary. I was wrong, so please spare my life just once."
"No. I should give you one. Let's meet tomorrow when you have time. Somewhere without people would be good."
"Somewhere without people...? Hey! You're not planning to dump me in a river, are you? Please, have mercy!"
Gojo shouted in an urgent voice.
He was still being a bit playful, but most of it had drained away.
Maybe 20% playful, 80% serious?
Something like that.
"I'll let you live. Just live. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, so just send me a pin. The afternoon would be best. Understood?"
"Are you serious?"
"I am. Make sure to contact me. For sure."
I emphasized the 'for sure' and hung up.
A good gift had just occurred to me.
"Master. Have you had an epiphany? Looking at you, it doesn't seem like you intend to just give him a simple gift..."
Ushi-gozen asked cautiously.
"Ushi-gozen. If it ends up being good for the person, it's a great gift, right?"
"Eh? Yes. I suppose it would be."
"Then that's that. Let's go with Raiko tomorrow. This works out perfectly."
Raiko and Ushi-gozen.
Both possessed superb combat techniques honed through war and subjugation.
Double Koyanskaya, Shuten, and Ibuki.
All four were excellent in terms of raw power, but they were somewhat lacking in the technical aspect.
I meant that relatively, of course.
In absolute terms, all six were extraordinary.
'It's a good thing.'
Endurance is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
That was the kind of gift I should give.