Shinji Matou at Your Service

— Information Construct Earth11, December 15, 1999.

Today, I visited the Emiya household. With Christmas and New Year's approaching, Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau returned from overseas to reunite with Irisviel and Illya. When I entered, they were sitting around the kotatsu, drinking tea.

Illya made the tea, learning the traditional German style from her mother, Irisviel. While drinking German-style tea in a classic Japanese setting might seem odd, no one cared about such details. After all, it was brewed by the little princess of the house herself.

The most important thing was that the whole family was together, well, except for Sigma, who was temporarily replaced by Taiga Fujimura.

Speaking of Taiga, you're the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss, the heir to the Fujimura group, and the famous Tiger of Fuyuki. Is it really okay for you to hang around the Emiya household like this for so long?

Damn, it doesn't even feel out of place. What happened when I wasn't around?

What? You eat at least one meal here every day, have a dedicated room, and can stay whenever you want... It looks like you've decided to stick around the Emiya household for good.

Speaking of which, seeing Irisviel's beauty and gentleness, Maiya's cold elegance, and her seamless cooperation with Kiritsugu, don't you feel a huge gap? Or is it because these two women get along so harmoniously that you think you have a chance to join in?

Girl, this idea is very problematic—of course, I, surrounded by the Five Jade beauties, have no right to talk.

I digressed a bit. Visiting the Emiya household today, chatting was secondary; my primary purpose was to see Illya.

First, I want her for taking care of me during my parallel universe travel, and second, I want my magic to address some hidden issues she has, mainly concerning her soul.

The problem of homunculi's short lifespan has already been solved by Touko. If nothing unexpected happens, she can live for at least a hundred years, and living up to two hundred like Touko might not be impossible—because her growth rate is much slower than ordinary people. This is an inherent deficiency, and unless she changes bodies, not even Touko can fix it.

Exchanging growth speed for lifespan is, of course, a good thing, but it also brings a hidden issue—the mismatch between the growth rate of her soul and body. Over time, a normally growing soul might adversely affect her slowly growing body.

Previously, Touko and Justeaze conducted dual adjustments on her body and soul to alleviate this situation. Now, having mastered new magic, I might be able to solve this problem in one go.

Based on today's initial attempts, the results are promising. The excessive soul power was guided out and sealed in a magic device left by Zelretch. Zelretch is also working on Illya's problem and has many ideas. Next time, I'll discuss with him whether we can maximize this power; we might create something astonishing.

Illya is also somewhat looking forward to it. She and Rin have always been competing in magecraft, and relying on my cheating power makes her a bit unhappy.

Ah, ah, it's been several years, and she's still sulking. She was the one who called me big brother, I didn't deceive her.

Indeed, a woman's heart is hard to understand, and girls are no different.

— Information Construct Earth13, December 18, 1999.

Today, I went to the Tohsaka household with Sakura.

Hmm, Tohsaka household, one day you'll become history.

Alright, the above is purely a personal fantasy with zero chance of realization. Even if Uncle successfully marries Aunt Aoi, Rin will still inherit the Tohsaka family, followed by Rin's children—whether biological or adopted, which is the most common way of succession among magi families.

However, while making it history is impossible, assimilation is still hopeful. Uncle practically runs to the Tohsaka household daily, and his relationship with Aunt Aoi has made significant progress. Both the mature Rin and the late-blooming Sakura don't reject this development. Although remarriage is still far off, it's something to look forward to.

Since Tokiomi's death, Rin has learned to be strong. Not only has she excelled in academics, magecraft training, and physical training, but she's also started helping her mother manage the family business, especially concerning the mystical world. Although Uncle helps, his abilities are limited, and Rin has suffered quite a bit.

She hasn't shied away from it, instead drawing strength from the experience and growing rapidly. Like a budding flower, though not fully bloomed, she already shows brilliant colors. One can imagine how stunning she'll be when she truly blossoms.

More gratifyingly, this brilliance isn't solitary, unlike in my memory.

A gentle mother, Aoi, a lovely sister, Sakura, a strict yet humorous Teacher, Kariya, and a rival in magecraft, Illya.

I can probably count as half, the annoying guy who stole her important sister, always bickering with her, the one without any grace.

Today, as soon as we met, we started bickering again, triggered by the fact that I grew taller and surpassed her height, making her dissatisfied. We don't hate each other; she's just tsundere, too proud to admit it, and envies my daily closeness with Sakura. As for me, it's simpler: I find teasing her fun and want to use this way to relieve her stress. Probably, only I can push her to the point of angrily scolding me face-to-face.

— Information Construct Earth17, December 24, 1999, Christmas Eve, and the wedding day of Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou.

The timing was a bit rushed, but it couldn't be helped. If we delayed any longer, we wouldn't be able to hide Shiki's belly.

Mikiya pulled it off, quietly pulling a "get on the train first, then buy the ticket" maneuver. Shiki is tough too; she didn't need to go to the hospital. As soon as she saw an increase in the lines of death, she knew there was a new life in her belly.

If nothing unexpected happens, this child should be Mana Ryougi. Being born in the millennium fits the description in The Garden of Sinners.

Hmm. It seems that I'm not quite the right age to be the child's godfather. How about taking her as my disciple? In a few years, I should be qualified to take on a disciple. A child born from Shiki, who is connected to the Root, would undoubtedly be the best uncut gem.

The Ryōgi family is a traditional family, so the wedding was naturally a traditional Japanese ceremony. It was a large-scale event; the entire Matou family showed up, as did the Tohno and Arima families related to Shiki, all to support Mikiya. The Ryougi family's public face is the yakuza, with many people, so Mikiya couldn't afford to lose face.

Fujino was on full alert, keeping an eye on her good friend Azaka to prevent her from causing any trouble. Unexpectedly, this girl, who is all about German-style sibling relationships, behaved unusually well. When asked, we found out she had the idea that a wife isn't as good as a concubine, and a concubine isn't as good as a mistress. Very impressive and strong, and it made me want to give her a hand.

No need to go into details about the process. We've had enough of their sparkly moments and the dog food they've fed us. Any more and we'd be sick of it. I wish them a happy and fulfilling life together.

...

— Information Construct Earth18, December 25, 1999, Christmas Day.

The whole family returned to Fuyuki, not a single one missing, including Touko and the newly joined Katou. Everyone together, preparing for the New Year, making the Matou household livelier and livelier.

...

— Information Construct Earth21, December 31, 1999, the last day of the 20th century.

Lorelei, far away in London, timed her call perfectly to welcome the new century with everyone.

I joked, saying she would have to welcome the new century twice.

She replied that I could too if I called her before 9 AM the next morning.

The time difference between London and Tokyo is exactly 9 hours.

...

— Information Construct Earth22, Mooncell32, January 1, 2000.

The first day of the New Year, the first day of the new century.

On this day, a new encounter arrives, in a fictional world's forbidden zone, where even light cannot reach.