001 - What Makes it Hard to Go Home ?

And so, their daily routine began.

Even though Rei and Illya already spent nearly every moment of their day together, they now had another activity to share. Each night, Rei would analyze Illya's body for a few minutes, and afterward, the two of them would either talk or play card games in the room.

Sella and Liz never interrupted them during these sessions, allowing the two to do as they pleased inside.

For six months straight, Rei and Illya followed this routine until, at last, Rei was done with analyzing her body. Now, he could be seen holding some sort of golden cup in his hands.

"The Holy Grail, huh…" he muttered, gazing at the cup on his hand.

It didn't take long for Rei to fully understand the Holy Grail. After all, it was simply a vessel full of mana that granted wishes by utilizing said mana.

Of course, Angra Mainyu had been a nuisance. When Rei first tried scanning the grail, the cursed soul wouldn't stop its irritating rambling. In the end, Rei erased Angra Mainyu entirely, purging the tainted soul from the grail. Now, in his hands was a pure Holy Grail, cleansed of corruption.

"With Angra gone, Shinki's power will definitely weaken. That should make things easier for Rin and the others when they face her," Rei mused aloud.

"Hmm… I wonder if Angra still lingers in Shinki's body as the Lesser Grail? It's a possibility," he murmured thoughtfully.

Still, he wasn't too concerned. As its name implied, the Lesser Grail was much less potent than the Greater Grail.

Now, Rei was curious to test the grail's capabilities for granting wishes. Filling the cup with his mana, he watched as a blue flame suddenly erupted atop the grail.

"Too much?" he asked himself, lowering the mana output until the flame vanished, leaving the cup softly glowing.

Thus began his experiments. He tested various requests, from summoning random items like money to attempting to create a primal beast. Naturally, the grail couldn't create something as complex as a primal beast, but it was still capable of granting smaller, tangible wishes.

One notable feature of the grail caught Rei's attention: it could serve as a connection to the Root. This wasn't surprising, as reaching the Root was essential to acquiring True Magic in this world. The grail, after all, was designed to help magi attain the Third Magic.

But to Rei, such magic was entirely useless.

"I wonder if it can create weapons from the Sky Realm?" he mused. "Or maybe hijack the summoning system to call a Servant for myself… there's so much to test with this thing."

While he was lost in thought, footsteps echoed from outside the room. Seconds later, the door to the basement room opened, and someone ran inside.

Two arms suddenly wrapped around Rei from behind.

"Rei, when are you going to be done with that? You've been in this room for hours without coming out!" Illya whined.

"I've only been here for two hours," Rei replied, shaking his head.

"Same thing! Now, let's go out!" Illya insisted, still hugging his neck from behind the couch.

In response, Rei pulled her hands away and, in an instant, switched their positions.

Now, Illya found herself cradled in Rei's arms, sitting on his lap.

"Kyaa~!" Illya squealed happily.

With Illya now directly in front of him, Rei could see her appearance more clearly.

She had changed so much over the past six months. After Rei altered her body—along with Liz's and Sella's—all three of them were now fully human.

Illya had grown taller, likely as tall as Sakura now. Her long, straight white hair flowed past her shoulders, smooth and silky in texture. Her large, expressive red eyes shimmered, giving her an ethereal and mesmerizing look.

[IMAGE]

Not only had she grown taller, but her figure had also matured, her chest now moderately sized and proportionate to her slender frame.

"You've really become even more captivating, Illya," Rei said, running his fingers gently through her smooth hair.

Hearing that made Illya blush immediately. Even though she'd heard him say similar things countless times before, seeing him say it with such a serious expression still flustered her.

"You're still really cute too," he added with a teasing smile. "I can't believe you used to complain so much and wanted me to hurry up, and now look at you."

Illya puffed her cheeks in an annoyed pout. "Stop bringing that up! I already told you not to mention the me from seven months ago!" she said, punching his chest lightly in mock anger. Of course, Rei didn't feel a thing from her soft punches.

"Haha," he chuckled softly. With a wave of his hand, the Holy Grail floating in front of them disappeared. Then, still holding Illya in his arms, Rei stood up and began walking out of the basement room.

The two left the basement and headed upstairs until they reached the dining room, where lunch had already been neatly arranged on the table.

"Rei-sama, you've finally come out. Lunch has already been prepared," Liz said.

Unlike before, when she spoke with no emotion, Liz now expressed herself with warmth. Her red eyes, once dull and lifeless, now glimmered with light and vitality.

"Liz, Sella, you both should've eaten without waiting for me," Rei said as he walked toward his chair.

After sitting down, he gently released Illya from his lap so she could take her seat.

Instead of getting off, Illya shifted her position, staying on his lap and staring intently at the food in front of them.

"Illya-sama, please sit in your chair so Rei-sama can eat properly," Liz said, her tone polite yet firm.

"Nope," Illya replied bluntly.

"Illya-sama..." Liz sighed.

"It's fine, Liz. I'm used to eating like this," Rei reassured her, waving off the concern. He then glanced toward the kitchen. "Is Sella still not done in there?"

"She's almost finished," Liz replied with a small smile.

As if on cue, Sella emerged from the kitchen carrying several plates of freshly prepared food.

"Food is here~" Sella announced cheerfully.

Like Liz, Sella had also undergone significant changes. Now fully human, her appearance remained mostly the same, except for one notable request she had made—she asked Rei to increase her chest size. Now, her and Liz's proportions matched, boasting a striking B92 size.

Since then, Sella had developed a deep admiration for Rei, though it wasn't hard to see why...

The dining room was filled with the warm aroma of freshly prepared food. Rei sat comfortably at the head of the table, Illya perched on his lap with a satisfied smile. Illya showed no sign of moving to her own chair.

"Here, say 'ah,'" Rei said, holding a small forkful of food near her lips.

Illya blinked, her cheeks tinted a faint pink. "I can feed myself, you know," she muttered, though she obediently leaned forward to take the bite.

"You say that every time, but here we are," Rei teased gently, brushing a strand of her white hair aside. His tone carried a hint of affection that made Illya avert her gaze, her blush deepening.

Liz, seated nearby, watched the interaction with a subtle smile. "Illya-sama seems quite spoiled these days," she remarked, her tone soft and playful.

"She's just… expressing herself more openly," Sella replied, though her words carried an amused undertone. "It's… unexpected to see her like this. And Rei-sama enables her every whim."

Liz tilted her head slightly. "It's not a bad thing, though. She's happier now than I've ever seen her."

Sella nodded. "That's true. And, I suppose, Rei-sama has done quite a bit for us too. It's only natural we trust him now."

Rei chuckled, overhearing their conversation. "Oh? Is that praise I hear from Sella? Should I feel honored?"

Sella stiffened slightly but quickly recovered, her cheeks faintly red. "Don't let it go to your head, Rei-sama. I'm merely stating facts."

"Of course, of course," Rei replied, his smile widening.

Illya, meanwhile, was focused entirely on him. Her red eyes glimmered with a mix of admiration and warmth. "You're really annoying sometimes," she said, though her tone lacked any bite.

"And yet you're still on my lap," Rei shot back, tapping her nose lightly.

"Because it's comfortable," Illya replied with a huff, though the corner of her lips curled into a smile.

Liz and Sella exchanged a look, their expressions softer than usual. The once-distant dynamic between the four of them had transformed into something warm and familial. Liz spoke up, her voice gentle.

"I never thought I'd see Illya-sama like this. It's like she's finally found her place."

Sella glanced at Rei, her gaze lingering briefly before turning back to her food. "It's not just Illya. I think… we all have, in a way."

Rei raised an eyebrow, momentarily caught off guard by Sella's words. But instead of responding, he simply smiled and continued feeding Illya.

In that moment, with laughter and soft conversation filling the room, the four of them felt more connected than ever.

-----

Another month passed, and one day, Rei suddenly announced, "I'm going to revive your parents. I'll start with your mother, Irisviel."

"Why only my mother? What about Kiritsugu?" Illya asked, her tone more curious than concerned. Truthfully, she didn't care much if Kiritsugu was revived or not.

To her, Kiritsugu was a terrible father. After witnessing how bad Emiya Shirou was during the war, she couldn't help but think Kiritsugu's guidance had done more harm than good. If Shirou hadn't summoned Saber, Illya was sure he wouldn't have survived the first night of the Holy Grail War.

And then there was Kiritsugu's nonsensical teaching of magecraft to Shirou—if he didn't want Shirou involved in the world of magi, why told him anything at all?

"Because your mother isn't as irritating to deal with," Rei replied bluntly, casually summoning the Grail to his hand.

"Your mother simply transformed into the Holy Grail, so all I need to do is reverse the process to make her whole again. The tricky part is that your ancestors might reappear in the process."

"My ancestors? You mean Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern?" Illya asked, recalling the portrait she had once seen in her mansion.

"Yes. Reversing the Grail's transformation will likely bring her back as well since she's a core part of it, along with your mother." Rei paused, then added, "Or I can erase her, like I did with Angra Mainyu, if you prefer she doesn't appear."

Hearing that, Illya's expression turned thoughtful. Memories of her time as a homunculus surfaced—those moments when she had felt echoes of Justeaze's pain due to their shared model. At times, Justeaze had even appeared in her dreams.

"It's fine. Don't erase her if you can help it," Illya finally said, albeit hesitantly.

"Got it. What about you two? Any opinions?" Rei turned to Liz and Sella.

"We will follow Illya-sama's decision," both of them replied simultaneously.

"You don't have to do that all the time!" Illya exclaimed, exasperated. "You two can decide for yourselves!"

"As your maids, we'll always follow your lead, Illya-sama," Sella said with a gentle smile.

"Even if your requests are a little... peculiar," Liz added with a hint of teasing.

"What? I've never made weird requests!" Illya pouted.

"Yes, yes," they both replied in unison, though their expressions clearly suggested otherwise.

Rei chuckled. "Alright, let's head to the basement."

Moments later, the group arrived at the room where Rei conducted his work. For Liz and Sella, it was their first time entering, as they had always refrained from intruding during Rei and Illya's sessions.

"So this is the infamous basement," Sella said, her eyes scanning the luxurious decor. "I can see why Illya-sama kept saying this room is too extravagant to be a basement."

"See? Even Sella agrees with me!" Illya chimed in triumphantly.

"Alright, alright," Rei said with a small grin. Without much ceremony, he tossed the Grail onto the wide bed in the center of the room.

The mood shifted as Rei focused, prompting everyone else to fall silent. He muttered softly to himself, "Focus on Irisviel and Justeaze."

Suddenly, twelve pure white wings appeared from his back, their brilliance illuminating the room.

"White?" Illya murmured in surprise, staring at the radiant feathers.

"Illya-sama," Liz began, glancing at her, "didn't you say his wings were purple?"

"They were! During that school incident when he rewound time, his wings were definitely purple. Not white like this," Illya said, gently catching one of the feathers that had fallen.

Rei didn't respond, completely absorbed in manipulating the Grail. With his Astral and Primal Beast powers, including Deus Ex Machina's ability to manipulate souls, it didn't take long for the Grail to react.

The Grail began to vibrate, its glow intensifying.

"Transform," Rei commanded. The Grail shifted into a golden sphere of light.

"Separate," he continued. The single sphere split into two, hovering above the bed.

"Create." Slowly, the two spheres of light began to morph, forming silhouettes of sleeping women.

The glowing forms gradually cracked and broke away, revealing the women beneath.

Both women bore strikingly doll-like features, with faces too beautiful and refined to be real. Their fair skin and long white hair glistened under the room's light.

They looked nearly identical to the current Illya.