Inside Chaldea, there is no concept of day or night.
To determine whether night has arrived, one can only judge based on the clock ticking at a standard pace.
Exactly at midnight.
*CREAK!*
As usual, Naoki's room door was opened from the outside by someone other than himself.
In some ways, Naoki's private room was considered a public area, as quite a few people could come and go freely. However, the person who came to him late at night was always the same one.
Using the faint light from the clock on the desk and relying on bodily memory, the person in the darkness smoothly made their way to the side of the bed, carefully observing it.
"Hmm? Only one person. Is Rei not here today?"
Under normal circumstances, there should always be two people lying in the bed, but now, unexpectedly, there was only one.
It was a bit surprising, but actually better.
Crouching beside the bed, the person reached out toward the bed, intending to shake the sleeping figure awake. However, as they moved—
*CLICK!*
The sound of a light being switched on came from the doorway. Instantly, the dimly lit room became brightly illuminated, revealing the figure in the darkness.
It was Olga Marie.
"Ugh…!"
The sudden brightness made Marie instinctively squint her eyes. Then, as she looked toward the door—
"Eh? Natsukawa? Why are you…"
"Why am I here?" Naoki smiled. "Because I was waiting for you. I thought you might come looking for me around this time, so I kept waiting. After all, fairies don't need to sleep."
"Then, the one in the bed…"
"Just a small illusion. Not on Merry's level, but good enough for a basic trick. You always barge in at night, so once in a while, I wanted to see your reaction when you came to an empty room."
As he said that, Naoki walked to the side of the bed, wrapped his arm around Marie's waist, and sat down.
"Eek—!"
Like she'd been shocked by electricity, Marie let out a strange yelp due to the sudden physical contact, jumping out of Naoki's lap with a flushed face, looking as if she'd been touched in a sore spot.
Naoki frowned in confusion: "What's wrong, Marie?"
"Uh… nothing, just… not used to it yet."
With her cheeks bright red, Marie sat beside Naoki like a shy girl: "T-this is enough. For now, this is fine…"
If any other woman saw this situation, they would immediately understand Marie's state.
Simply put, she hadn't fully adjusted.
After all, just a few days ago, she had ended her one-sided love and officially became husband and wife with Naoki.
For Marie, this change was very sudden—suddenly being told by Merry about Naoki's shrinking condition, suddenly being taken to Avalon, and then, while her mind was still in a daze, fulfilling her long-held wish…
The fact that she was now with the man she'd loved since childhood made Marie incredibly happy and satisfied. But because it all happened so abruptly, it gave her a dreamlike feeling.
That was why she reacted this way.
Unfortunately, Naoki didn't understand the nuances behind it at all.
"Are you feeling unwell? How about lying down and resting for a bit?"
As he said that, Naoki moved to help Marie lie down. Seeing him get closer, the extremely shy Marie froze double-time, her mind collapsing. She immediately scooted her hips to the edge of the bed!
This somewhat unusual action left Naoki even more puzzled.
"Marie?"
"Ugh—!"
Unlike the earlier call, this affectionate address sent Marie, who had been "floating on the sea's surface." plummeting straight to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
(Calm down, Marie, calm down. It's just a change in how he calls you, nothing to get excited about. Calm down. Show your Commander's dignity. Acting like a young girl like this is so embarrassing in front of him…)
Covering her chest and taking several deep breaths, after her heartbeat gradually calmed, Marie turned to Naoki: "Sorry, Natsukawa, you saw my immature side. I was a bit unsettled earlier. Now let's talk about serious matters."
"Yeah, I figured you had something to discuss with me."
Naoki nodded slightly: "Go ahead, what do you want to talk about tonight?"
"Ahem, ahem~~~! There's quite a bit to discuss. Let's go in order… First, about the final battle happening tomorrow—no, I mean today." Marie cleared her throat and said, "You, you'll definitely win."
There was a clear hint of anxiety in her words.
After thinking for a moment, Naoki spread his hands: "Who knows."
"Eh?"
"Things like winning or losing can't be fully certain until the fight actually happens. So I don't know if I'll ultimately win—but I can guarantee I'll do everything to win. After all, I can't afford to lose."
Yes, he couldn't afford to lose.
Having come this far, having waited ten years for this day. Whether for human civilization or for himself, he absolutely couldn't lose.
"Then… after you win, everything will be over."
The Human Order Incineration would end with Chaldea's victory, the human crisis would be resolved, and everything would calm down.
"No, it won't be over." Naoki immediately rejected Marie's idea. "It won't just end like that. Even if the Human Order Incineration ends, that doesn't mean all problems are solved. After all, after that, we'll welcome the true Tomorrow, won't we?"
The true Tomorrow.
No matter how severe the Human Order Incineration was, the world wouldn't stop functioning because it ended. The usual tomorrow would come. Everyone would greet a new future with hope.
And for Naoki, this was even more true.
"Besides, after everything's over, it's time for me to get married."
"Ma—"
Marie's expression froze instantly.
Married!?
Seeing her shocked expression, Naoki couldn't help but laugh: "What's so surprising? I'm almost forty, isn't getting married normal? Actually, if it weren't for the Human Order Incineration, I would've married ten years ago…"
Ten years ago, when Merry faced Naoki's proposal, she said—if he could win the Fifth Holy Grail War, she would marry him.
Although it was essentially Naoki's victory, due to his personal pride, he decided to wait ten years, until after resolving the Human Order Incineration and truly defeating Solomon, before getting married.
"Now, I can't just marry Merry alone. Merry, Aoko, Touko, Lia, Mordred…"
Naoki counted on his fingers, naming the candidates he would propose to.
And finally—
"Marie."
Naoki called Marie's name.
Marie was slightly startled: "M-me too?"
"Of course. There's no reason not to marry you." Naoki reached out and touched her cheek. "Or do you not want to?"
"No! I'm not refusing! Just… a bit surprised… I thought you… didn't have feelings for me."
*SMACK!*
A light flick landed on Marie's forehead. Naoki laughed and said: "Have a little confidence in your charm. If it was the younger you, that's one thing, but the you now has grown into a top-class beautiful woman. Plus, with our relationship spanning over eight years, do you think I'm some block of wood who wouldn't be moved by a woman as beautiful as you?"
"Don't underestimate yourself, and don't underestimate me."
Whether it was being called captivated by beauty or a member of the appearance fan club, Naoki did indeed like Marie, just as he liked Rei, Merry, Artoria, and the others.
Thus, after everything was over, Naoki would propose to them all.
This was something he had decided long ago.