In truth, Shinji didn't tell Waver everything. Or more precisely, he didn't tell him the whole truth.
Aside from the reasons he mentioned, there was another, more important reason he hadn't disclosed—the girls around him, the ones with whom he had complicated emotional ties, seemed to have reached some kind of mutual understanding without him knowing.
The evidence was in their scheduling: their plans never overlapped, and it was rare for more than one of them to seek him out at the same time unless something urgent came up.
In the past, even something as simple as going grocery shopping with Sakura would have attracted a tagalong, like Arcueid, Justeaze, Kirie, and sometimes Artoria, with Altera occasionally joining in—because, as Altera (the second daughter) said, "Cooking is a good civilization."
Based on the time of their creation, Jack was the eldest daughter, Altera the second, Gaia and Alaya were born simultaneously and were considered twins. Given that Gaia, the planet's Counter Force, was created earlier than Alaya, the human Counter Force, Gaia was the third daughter, and Alaya the fourth.
However, Alaya, who inherited humanity's competitive nature, wasn't happy with this and frequently quarreled with Gaia over it. Whenever that happened, Shinji would step in and suppress them forcefully: "I turned you both into lolis so you could get along and find a path of harmonious development and mutual prosperity, to ultimately avoid the Land of Steel ending. If you keep fighting, everyone's doomed."
There was no need to doubt Shinji's power. As a Magician, an enemy of the world, he could carve out a piece of the Counter Force and personify it, so naturally, he had ways to control it.
If Shinji wasn't around, the task of maintaining order fell to Altera. As another enemy of the world, with her inherent anti-world abilities, she could easily subdue her two sisters, each possessing world-level authority, and then teach them: "Sisters should love each other; we are family."
Shinji's long years of patient guidance weren't in vain. Out of all his daughters, Altera was the most obedient. Even Jack, who was generally well-behaved, occasionally threw tantrums over Rikudou Reika. From Jack's perspective, she wanted her favorite mom and dad to love each other, but Shinji and the Reika of this world had their reservations, so progress had been slow.
As for the other women, they had indeed reached some kind of agreement.
After the Holy Grail War ended and everything had settled down, Lorelei Barthomeloi quietly took the initiative to meet with all the women who had ambiguous (ahem) relationships with Shinji.
The proud Queen admitted that she couldn't live without this man for the rest of her life.
Publicly, he was a Magician, someone who had mastered the path to the Root. To win him over, any family, including the Barthomeloi, would stop at nothing. In fact, after news spread of the Third Magician's birth, many within her family had subtly hinted that they should try to bring him into the Barthomeloi fold, ideally leaving some of his bloodlines within it.
Privately, his bold intrusion into the Lords' Meeting, coupled with the straightforward declaration, "You protected me for seven years, I'll protect you for life," had utterly shattered any hope of her marrying into another family, as well as breaking down her rational defenses.
Perhaps Shinji hadn't thought much of it when he said those words, but Lorelei had fallen. The Barthomeloi upbringing couldn't suppress humanity's innate desires. Her pride and stubbornness as a queen were no match for the deepest longings of the human heart.
When the Queen made a decision, she acted swiftly. She wasn't like those shy little girls—once her feelings were clear, she took action right away.
One by one, or sometimes in groups, she approached everyone to tell them, "I've set my sights on this man. I hope you'll step aside. Of course, this is just my wish; I know you won't listen, so there are two options: war or peace."
War: Everyone competes for him, and whoever wins gets him. But keep in mind, he's no longer the man he once was. Every move he makes will attract the attention of the world of mystery. The consequences of such a competition are unpredictable and could provide an opportunity for malicious forces, possibly causing a major upheaval.
Peace: In short, we share him. Cough cough, not in the physical sense, but in terms of time. We ensure that someone is always by his side, giving him no room to exercise his woman-attracting aura—although the laws of our countries stipulate monogamy, in the world of the Magi, complicated relationships are the norm. The line of people wanting the Magician's genetic material could wrap around Buckingham Palace.
As for the issue of formal titles, I'm sorry, but I cannot compromise. I am the most suitable woman to marry the Third Magician. A union between the Barthomeloi and him would secure us against most prying eyes.
As compensation, I will use my influence to create false identities for him in various countries—such as Levi Ackerman, John Smith, Saiki Kusuo, or Haruki Kitahara—so you can marry him under those names. This is a common practice among the old Magus families.
By this point, the choice was obvious. Choosing war would mean putting the man they loved on the line, and most of the girls around Shinji had already suffered enough. While some, like Justeaze, Artoria, Arcueid and Touko, didn't care about human ethics or marriage, they were perfectly content just being near the person they liked.
There were some amusing hiccups during the meeting. The ambiguous relationships were determined solely by Lorelei's judgment, and she followed a policy of erring on the side of caution, casting a wide net. This led to some confusion, like when Rin and Luvia initially claimed they had nothing to do with Shinji, only to later admit they did, just to start bickering with each other, leaving Lorelei baffled.
Thus, Shinji's schedule was set: for now, he would enjoy a culinary tour with Artoria, then return to Japan to spend time with his daughters, and then take a trip with Justeaze to visit the Einzbern family. As the Third Magician, Shinji could have rightfully taken control of the family, but he hadn't. The homunculi had developed their own will, and he didn't want to stifle that. As long as they lived according to their desires, he and Justeaze were content to act as protectors and guides.
This was on Earth, but Shinji hadn't forgotten the Spiritual World either. The giant gods of the dark Temple, Fiore and Jeanne waiting at the central core—although he still didn't know how to obtain the Kingship, he had managed, through the core's power, to establish a connection with a parallel world, where he visited Jack and Reika in their spirit forms. This was his responsibility, one he couldn't escape. He couldn't abandon everything in this world, but he would still contribute to the other world in his way.
...
In the blink of an eye, five years had passed, and Shinji had officially transitioned from a young man to a man.
It's worth noting that although the relationships between the women around him had gradually stabilized, and there was no risk of a major blow-up, and although Shinji had reached the legal marriage age in various countries, he hadn't married any of them. Before stepping into the realm of marriage, there was one last thing he wanted to do—something that carried a certain amount of risk, a final indulgence before settling down.
With this in mind, he stepped through the portal that Zelretch had opened and arrived at the gates of the Land of Shadows, speaking the words he had longed to say since childhood, youth, and now adulthood—words he had held in his heart for over ten years.
"I'm here, Shishou."
PS: Finally, we've reached this point. Despite the various flaws in this fanfic and the fact that some parts were rushed due to the sheer number of characters involved, we've somehow stumbled along to where we are now. After this battle, it will truly be the end. Thank you for your company, and let's finish this journey together.