As Shirou climbed the familiar slope leading up to his front door, Ye Sizhen, who was lying against his back, faintly regained consciousness.
Her head and body felt unbearably heavy.
She could not form a coherent thought. She did not know who she was, where she was, much less what had happened.
It felt as if she had just woken from a nightmare.
The sensation had been like being sealed in concrete and thrown into the depths of the sea, suffocation and falling stealing her breath away.
But when Ye Sizhen woke from that nightmare.
That overwhelming discomfort had vanished.
Her chest still hurt terribly, and her hands and feet were still numb, as if frozen stiff.
And yet, she felt safer than she ever had before.
It was warm and bright like the sun, and nostalgic like home.
Ye Sizhen felt as though she were wrapped in an indescribable gentleness.
Only then did she finally realize that she seemed to be lying on someone's back.
The sense of peace she now treasured so much had most likely been given to her by this person.
He was probably a man... right?
Ye Sizhen was not entirely sure. She had never been carried on a man's back before, but by a man's standards, this back seemed a little too small.
It was small, yet somehow it felt broad and sturdy. In short, it was deeply reassuring.
Ye Sizhen thought happily that if she stayed here, she would not have to worry about nightmares anymore.
"Whoa... it's Sella... She's still at the door at this hour?"
The man (?) carrying Ye Sizhen spoke.
"Let me see. It should be around here... got it!"
Shirou took out the talisman he had borrowed from Touko Aozaki.
It was a Mystic Code with an effect similar to a Barrier that repels people. As long as the user held it without speaking or moving, it could completely erase their presence.
Of course, Shirou was not trying to hide himself. He slipped the talisman into the right hand of the woman on his back and closed her fingers tightly around it.
Explaining where this woman had come from to Irisviel and the others would be troublesome, and it would probably cause unnecessary worry.
After thinking it over, Shirou decided to secretly bring the injured woman back to his room, heal her, and then ask her to leave.
"..."
In her haze, Ye Sizhen felt her hand being held.
His hand... is about the same size as mine.
His fingers are slender and long, and the part of his palm near the base of his fingers is a little rough. Is that from physical labor?
After equipping the woman he had picked up with the protective charm, Shirou walked toward Sella.
"Shirou, welcome back."
"Yeah. Nothing happened at home while I was gone, did it?"
"Nothing in particular... but the lady is looking for you."
"Mm, got it... I'm going back to my room first. It might take a little while."
Sella blinked. "Is something wrong?"
Shirou forced himself to stay calm. "Nothing's wrong... Anyway, just tell Iri to wait a bit! I'll be right over!"
"Very well. Understood." Sella nodded, then disappeared into the courtyard.
Shirou let out a breath of relief.
Ever since Irisviel became pregnant, she had moved from the Japanese-style room to the guest room so that Sella and Leysritt could take care of her more easily.
Because of that, the room next to Shirou's was now empty.
If Irisviel were still living next door, he would never have dared hide an injured woman in his own room. She would definitely have found out.
As expected of an item made by the Grand Puppeteer, the invisibility charm worked perfectly.
With Ye Sizhen on his back, Shirou returned to his room without anyone noticing.
He lifted the woman down from his back and gently laid her on the tatami.
In truth, Shirou had already given her the bare minimum of emergency treatment while they were still outside.
Her condition had been genuinely dangerous. If he had not treated her, she might have died on his back, and then there would have been no explaining it.
Shirou poured himself a glass of water to quench his thirst, then studied the woman lying in his room.
She was close to thirty, around the same age as Aoko and Alice, or perhaps slightly younger.
That was the answer given by the "Mystic Eyes of the End."
A Magus' appearance meant nothing. Judging by looks alone, she seemed to be in her early twenties at most.
She had short black hair that reached her shoulders, and her delicate features carried a cool, alluring charm.
She wore an extremely ornate blue off-the-shoulder cheongsam. It was sensual yet elegant, perfectly showing off her pear-shaped figure. The slit in the skirt revealed two long, fair legs.
But something stood out even more than the cheongsam: the tattoo that stretched from her collarbone all the way to the tops of her full breasts.
Shirou had seen this pattern on Fujino's kimono before. It was called Higanbana.
In Buddhism, because it grows along the road to the underworld as a flower that guides the dead, it is also known as the Higanbana.
"Mm... Are you awake?"
Shirou noticed that the woman still seemed to have a trace of consciousness left.
Keeping her awake would probably only make her suffer, so Shirou comforted her with, "Leave the rest to me," and cast suggestion Magecraft.
"..."
Ye Sizhen did not resist. Reassured, she slipped into sleep.
After putting the injured woman to sleep, Shirou began the treatment.
At a time like this, Shirou really should have called Professor out to help.
Unfortunately, Lady Avalon had left Fuyuki half a month ago to set off on her annual journey.
"Unlike my brother, who's trapped in a tower by a witch, I'm a Magus of Flowers who travels forever!
Not even my beloved Arthur can stop my journey of self-discovery, so goodbye~!
Staying in one place too long will make you go bad, so you should go out more often too!"
After tossing out that frivolous remark, Lady Avalon vanished on the wind.
"..."
With no other choice, Shirou had to continue the treatment himself.
There were no cuts or tears anywhere on the woman's cheongsam, but a large amount of bright red blood had bloomed across her chest.
Based on the emergency treatment he had done earlier, he judged that her heart or lungs must have suffered a penetrating wound. Yet there was no damage to her clothing at all.
What exactly was going on?
In any case, without a more detailed examination, he could not know the truth, nor could he treat her.
"Excuse me. This is to save your life."
As he spoke, Shirou reached toward the woman's impressive chest, which still had a powerful presence even while she was lying down.
Come to think of it, do people wear Western-style underwear under a cheongsam?
Shirou swallowed. With kimonos, it depended on the person.
A traditional Yamato Nadeshiko like Fujino Asagami would not wear underwear under a kimono.
Shiki Ryougi would. She belonged to the reformist faction.
Traditional Chinese women's underwear... was it called a doudou?
Shirou had seen pictures online.
At the very least... please be wearing a doudou underneath, lady!!
Praying and praying, Shirou undid the buttons.
"..."
The boy sucked in a sharp breath.
This woman was half reformist, half traditionalist.
Her upper body was traditionalist (No bra), while her lower body was reformist (Pants).
Those large, bewitching fruits were freed from their restraints, swaying like pendulums under their own elasticity.
The sight of Higanbana blooming on a snowy mountain was one Shirou would likely never forget for the rest of his life.
After that, he frantically carried out the rest of the treatment.
By the time he finished, it was already eleven at night.
"Oh no! I completely forgot my promise with Irisviel!!!"
Shirou's face changed drastically. He hurriedly settled the patient, then rushed out of the room.
Waiting for him there was a grim-faced Irisviel, followed by a lecture that lasted a full half hour.
...
...
"Mm..."
When Ye Sizhen opened her eyes again, it was already the afternoon of the following day.
The slanting afternoon sunlight gradually brought the Thought Magus, lying beneath the blanket, back to consciousness.
This was... an unfamiliar Japanese-style room.
Ye Sizhen looked around, but there was no one else there.
The room was neat and orderly. Someone clearly lived here, and from the way it was kept, the owner seemed to be a serious, meticulous person.
She said nothing, only stared blankly at the wooden ceiling.
Last night...
So that really wasn't a dream...
At that thought, a small joy began to bloom in Ye Sizhen's chest.
She had fought the Land Steward of Fuyuki, misjudged her opponent's strength, and suffered a fatal wound.
Ye Sizhen had already prepared herself to die in a foreign land, and yet... she had been saved by someone she had never even met.
Immersed in the relief of having survived, Ye Sizhen tried to recall being carried back here last night, but unfortunately...
She could not remember any of the details.
Naturally, she could not recall the man's appearance either.
But...
There was one thing she was certain of.
He possessed a gentle presence that could calm Ye Sizhen's emotions and steady her heart. He was an incredibly mysterious person.
What kind of person was he?
For now, all she knew was that he was male.
The Thought Magus wrapped herself in the blanket and could not help imagining what the man who had saved her might look like.
She felt she ought to prepare herself mentally before meeting him.
"...Hm?"
Ye Sizhen frowned, her fine brows drawing together.
For some reason, she felt strangely cool beneath the blanket.
The smooth, bare feeling of skin brushing against skin. This was...
She slowly sat up and lifted the blanket covering her.
"..."
Ye Sizhen stared in shock. She was not wearing anything.
No, that was not quite right. It was only that her cheongsam was gone.
Her lower body was properly covered with panties, while her chest had been wrapped in bandages.
Now that she thought about it, she had not worn a bra when she went out.
After all, that cheongsam was a Mystic Code in itself, with multiple functions including protection against blades, explosions, and accidental exposure, so...
"Ugh!"
Ye Sizhen's face instantly turned bright red.
He had seen everything.
He had seen her body.
Even if it had been for treatment, a man she had never met before had seen her body!
"Ah... I want to die."
For one sudden instant, she almost wished she had not been saved last night.
After staying depressed for a while, she finally calmed down a little.
Although she had yet to see what that person looked like, Ye Sizhen was certain he was not the kind of man who would take advantage of a woman in a vulnerable state.
She searched the room for some time but could not find her cheongsam. Had he taken it to be washed?
Ye Sizhen wrapped the blanket around her half-naked body and tiptoed toward the door.
Before she even got close, she faintly heard voices outside.
Driven by curiosity, she slid the door open a crack and looked out.
A red-haired boy stood in the Japanese-style garden.
Although she could only see his profile from a distance, Ye Sizhen knew at once. This was the boy.
The lifesaver who had brought her back here last night.
To see him more clearly, Ye Sizhen pressed her eye closer to the gap.
The boy's age... hm, he was probably around fifteen, a full twelve years younger than her.
Although his face still carried traces of youth, he had a mature, composed air that contrasted sharply with it. Ye Sizhen found herself staring, almost entranced.
Across from the boy stood a white woman speaking with him.
Was she a maid working in this mansion?
"...Ah."
Ye Sizhen's serious injuries had not fully healed, and her legs suddenly gave out. Her whole body pitched forward.
At the last second, she caught herself with one hand on the floor and barely avoided falling.
"Smack!"
Shirou and Leysritt heard the noise from the hallway and turned around at the same time.
"..."
Shirou's mouth fell open.
The woman he had hidden last night was now standing in the doorway of his room, wrapped in a blanket with her snow-white shoulders exposed.
"W-wait, Liz! This isn't what you think. There's a very deep reason behind this... Let me explain!"
Shirou hurriedly tried to defend himself.
What should he do?
Option one: bribe Liz and have her keep the secret.
Option two: admit his mistake and prostrate himself before Iri in apology.
The correct answer should be.
"Explain what?"
Leysritt tilted her head and blinked innocently. "Did something happen?"
"Huh?"
Shirou realized it. Could it be... Liz couldn't see this woman?
When he looked again, the beauty he had picked up gave him a mysterious, alluring smile and raised her right hand.
In her hand was the invisibility charm Shirou had given her last night.
...
...
After parting with Leysritt, Shirou returned to the Japanese-style room.
He closed the sliding door and applied Magecraft to make sure it could not be easily opened from the outside.
The moment he turned around, Ye Sizhen walked up to him.
She covered her left fist with her right hand and gave him a formal cupped-fist salute.
"I am Ye Sizhen of the Spiral Manor's Watchtower of Possession. I am deeply grateful to Your Excellency for saving me last night.
I shall keep this kindness in my heart and never dare forget it."
Seeing her thank him so solemnly made Shirou feel a little embarrassed.
The only Chinese person Shirou knew, Miss Batsu from the Koushuuensaikan Taizan, had never once made this gesture, so seeing it in person moved him for some reason.
"Ah, it's nothing. I just did what I could, so don't worry about it.
More importantly, are you able to get up already?"
"Mm."
Ye Sizhen turned her gaze aside. "Before that, could you tell me your name?"
"I'm..."
Just as Shirou was about to answer, his gaze fell on the tattoo engraved into the woman's skin.
The foreign Magecraft underworld, huh...
Getting involved with that would be bad, wouldn't it? There's a pregnant woman at home.
Shirou hesitated, but in the end, he could not refuse her sincere gaze and gave his name honestly.
"...My name is Shinji."
***
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