Summer, 1995.
Even by the sea, Fuyuki was stifling in summer. Still, once night fell, the ocean breeze would roll in from the coast and take the edge off the heat.
And every year, near the end of August, the Summer Festival was held.
That was why Morgan chose to remain in this era, attending a Japanese-style summer celebration as Shiomi's wife in name, and his Servant in truth.
"Are you done yet, my husband?"
Standing in front of the mirror, Morgan held her arms out to either side. Her yukata hung slightly loose at the collar, and the pale fullness of her chest was exposed to the air. She asked Shiomi behind her, a little impatient.
It wasn't that he was doing anything inappropriate. He was simply helping her get dressed.
This wasn't like the simple yukata you wore at a hot spring inn. A yukata meant for formal occasions was far fussier, and the worst part was the obi. There was no way the person wearing it could tie it properly alone. On top of that, Morgan had no experience wearing a yukata, so she couldn't even rely on a double to manage it for her.
So the job fell to Shiomi.
Even so, the sheer number of steps still caught Morgan off guard. Keeping her arms held out flat for so long was starting to make them ache.
"Don't rush. I'm almost done," Shiomi said.
His hands tightened and worked the obi into a clean, elegant knot. Then he straightened, patted the sash as if to say, There, finished.
"Morgan's figure is a little too outstanding. It's not easy getting a kimono to sit right."
"Of course." Morgan smiled, thoroughly pleased. "Your wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. You'd better remember that at all times."
Shiomi turned her to face him and pulled the loose front panels closer together, neatly drawing the collar into place. "Which is why we need to close this up. Otherwise, that 'beautiful view' is going to be on display for strangers."
"Other than you, no one gets to see it." Morgan lowered her arms. "So that's it? I thought it would be even more complicated."
"It's complicated enough. What exactly were you hoping for?" Shiomi asked.
"I read that there's a kind of kimono called the Jūnihitoe…" Morgan said slowly.
Shiomi's hand paused mid-adjustment. "That one really is elaborate. You only wear it for festivals or weddings… Do you want to try it?"
After all, they hadn't held a proper wedding—just set up a fake identity and registered it, making it easier to travel around the world. Especially with London coming up, having something official would spare them a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"I'm interested," Morgan said, her eyes warm with an ambiguous smile.
She looked serious, and yet it also felt like she was teasing him.
"I see." Shiomi was used to her style by now. "Then let me share another custom. When women wear a yukata, they usually don't wear underwear."
"Oh?" Morgan's brows lifted slightly, delicate as distant mountains. "Then does my husband want me to wear nothing under my yukata?"
"It's not about what I want."
"But I already know this 'custom' is really just personal preference," Morgan whispered, leaning in close to his ear as she exposed his joke. "It's not some strict rule at all."
Shiomi could only raise his hand slowly in surrender. "Alright. So you already knew."
"I'll take my point for this one." Morgan pinched Shiomi's chin and leaned in, clearly intending to kiss him. "I'll be looking forward to your next little piece of trivia, my husband."
To be honest, ever since returning to this era as a Servant, she'd been forcing herself to keep her feelings under control.
And seeing Shiomi—still a bit young, yet trying so hard to act like a proper adult—kept striking something soft inside her, like a gentle hit to the heart.
As Shiomi, unsurprisingly, fell in love with her even as a Servant, Morgan no longer needed to keep herself quite so restrained in their everyday life together.
He rested his hands on her shoulders, ready to accept the kiss.
Then a light knock at the door cut in.
There were still two children in the house.
Morgan didn't mind the interruption. She adored the two of them. The first time she saw them, she'd already wanted to pull them into her arms and spoil them.
And the way they called her "Mother-sama" was especially satisfying. No matter how many times she heard it, it never felt like enough.
It was more formal than calling Shiomi "Dad," after all.
It was also a show of respect for the name "Great Witch Morgan."
Even without any blood ties, Morgan understood she could become truly close family with those two girls.
Still, for Sakura to grow into someone so steady and attentive would take time.
Morgan was more than happy to watch over them as they grew, gathering up these memories that should have been hers from the start, like collecting seashells one by one along the shore.
"Dad, Mother-sama, when can we go?"
With Shiomi's permission, Sakura and Caren pushed the door open.
They were wearing yukata too, but theirs were much lighter than Morgan's, simplified modern styles made for convenience.
No complicated obi, hems that fell past the knee, and light wooden geta on their feet.
Sakura's was a pale violet. Caren's was white.
They didn't need Shiomi or Morgan to help. The two of them could dress with a quick hand from each other.
Since they planned to run around and enjoy the festival, they'd chosen outfits that were easier to move in.
"It's about time," Shiomi said, casually straightening Morgan's collar without making a show of it. "If we're late, we might not find anywhere to park. The kids can't wait. Shall we?"
"Before that," Morgan asked, "aren't you changing into a yukata?"
"Not great for driving." Shiomi shrugged.
He was the only one not in a yukata, dressed instead in light summer clothes.
His slightly pale arms were bare, and the clean lines of muscle caught Morgan's eye. She reached out, caught his arm in her hand, and toyed with it, turning it back and forth a couple of times.
Right then, Caren suggested, "Then how about using teleportation magecraft and just flying straight there?"
"No, no," Sakura hurried to stop her. "Magi have to hide their Mystery and avoid exposing it to ordinary people. That's basic Magus etiquette!"
Caren made a face like it was a hassle. "Magecraft… isn't it just a tool that's more useful than most?"
"That's true, but if we suddenly appeared near the Summer Festival grounds, we'd scare people."
"Wouldn't that be better?" Caren said, sounding almost excited to see the reaction.
"Nope," Shiomi said, laughing.
Shiomi scooped Caren up, then freed a hand to take Sakura's—only to find Morgan already holding it. So he took Sakura's other hand instead, and the three of them went out the front door together.
They got into the sedan waiting at the entrance to the garage.
Sakura immediately gave up on complaining about Caren and, instead, asked shyly about something else.
"Um… Dad. Today, will I get to see…?"
"Rin from the Tohsaka Family will be there too, with her parents," Shiomi said, understanding her at once. "When you see her, go ahead and join them if you want to play together."
"Mm!"
…
The Summer Festival grounds were in the outskirts upstream of the Mion River, the one that ran through Fuyuki before emptying into the sea.
With plenty of open space on both banks, it had long since become the fixed venue for Fuyuki's Summer Festival, growing livelier every year.
Last winter, the Holy Grail War had caused a minor incident along the Mion River, but it was ultimately handled cleanly. The Holy Church and the Mage's Association wrapped up the aftermath without any issues.
More than half a year had passed, and the people of Fuyuki no longer remembered what had happened here.
Just like always, they came out to enjoy this year's festival.
As expected, they ran into the Tohsaka Family on the embankment. The three little girls immediately clustered together, chatting and laughing as they headed for the rows of stalls set up along the riverside road.
Aoi Tohsaka hurried after them, making sure the three didn't get separated from the adults.
"Leave the children to Aoi and me," Tokiomi Tohsaka said. "It's not often we get a Summer Festival like this. Mr. Shiomi, please enjoy Fuyuki's festivities with the young lady… no, I should say, your esteemed wife. As the stewards of this land, it would be an honor if the two of you could truly take in its customs and atmosphere."
With that, he followed after his wife to keep an eye on the three girls, who were already bursting with excitement.
"So," Morgan asked with a smile, "they're being that polite and letting us wander off on our own? Or are you still not at ease?"
"I'm completely at ease, and it's not like we're going anywhere else," Shiomi said, taking her hand and pointing in the opposite direction. "To keep from overlapping with them, let's go this way. Then we can cross the bridge and take a look at the stalls on the other side."
"As you wish."
Morgan brushed back the hair at her temple, tightened her grip on Shiomi's hand, and followed him down the steps from the embankment.
As night settled in, the festival crowds only grew thicker. More than once, Morgan got so absorbed in inspecting the stalls that she nearly forgot to dodge the people passing by.
Luckily, Shiomi kept watching out for her. Little by little, Morgan relaxed completely and let herself focus on enjoying the celebration in front of her.
"Is it good?" Shiomi asked as she ate her apple candy.
"Not bad." Morgan blinked. "And since my husband bought it for me, it tastes even sweeter."
"That's a little over the top," Shiomi said. "There's still plenty of good food waiting for you."
"I know."
When they crossed the road along the embankment and stepped onto the bridge leading to the stalls on the opposite bank, Morgan glanced downstream toward the Mion River.
"I never asked," she said casually. "Why did my husband want me to stay?"
Shiomi looked genuinely confused. "Even though it's only been a few days, I ended up liking you without realizing it. And because I want to love you, I got greedy for more time. Isn't that answer enough for my wife?"
"No." Morgan shot him a sly look. "Besides that, there's a more practical reason too, isn't there?"
"Uh…" Shiomi went quiet, though he didn't exactly look shocked. "I can't believe you caught that."
"Let me say this up front." Morgan blocked his retreat with a smile. "If your excuse is that you want me to guide Sakura's magecraft studies until she becomes an excellent Magus, that doesn't count."
"Looks like I'll have to come clean," he said, breaking into a grin.
"Let's hear it." Morgan sounded genuinely interested.
"First, of course, I want Sakura and Caren to have a mother. As for the second…" Shiomi lowered his voice, a little embarrassed, and leaned in to whisper by her ear. "It's manageable right now, but as they get older… I'm a man. It won't be easy for me to handle the day-to-day things in their lives. That's why we need a woman in the house."
So it wasn't just personal feelings. That practical selfishness was part of why he wanted Morgan to stay.
"If I refused you and left, what would you do?" Morgan asked, her mouth half-hidden behind her apple candy as she stared at him.
Shiomi's eyes slid away, suddenly guilty. "Ah… well…"
"Like asking your master to help?" Morgan asked, her tone turning sour.
"Of course not. Master can't come anyway," Shiomi said.
"Then who would you ask?" Morgan pressed.
Shiomi gave an awkward little laugh and rubbed his nose. "I-I guess I might try reaching out to my ex-girlfriend… or something. Not that it would definitely work…"
"About that ex-girlfriend," Morgan said at last, finally letting him off the hook, "you can tell me everything later."
"…Are you mad?" Shiomi asked quietly.
"Who knows. Maybe not that mad." Morgan tightened her grip on his hand. "Even now, you still won't lie to me. That's what surprises me the most."
Shiomi froze, then let out a silent sigh. "Because I don't want to deceive you."
Morgan blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Why?"
"It's hard to explain." Shiomi lowered his eyes. "But in those dreams about you, I saw a lot. It was all hazy, and I couldn't sort out any of the details, but there was one thing I understood for sure."
He paused, as if choosing his words.
"Every one of those dreams felt unbearably bleak. And whenever I saw you smiling so warmly… I kept thinking. What does someone have to go through? How strong do they have to be… to accept pain so calmly, and still smile from the heart?"
His fingers gently traced the back of her hand as they stood on the bridge, looking at each other.
Around them, the crowd flowed shoulder to shoulder along both banks of the Mion River, noisy and restless, yet somehow just background all the same.
"I don't want to hurt you. Not even a little," he told her, speaking from the heart. "And I know it even better than you do. Compared to the truth, a lie that sounds beautiful is the thing that hurts you most."
Morgan suddenly laughed, meeting his eyes.
"It's not that I'm especially strong. I get hurt. I feel pain. I despair, and I'm afraid." Her voice softened. "But compared to all of that, being alone is always the most terrifying thing. It's because you're here that I can smile like that."
"Huh?"
For a moment, Shiomi couldn't quite connect the pieces of what she'd said.
"I actually understand you better than you think," Morgan said, still watching him. "I already know the answers to a lot of things, and yet I still want to hear you say them out loud."
She smiled, faintly mischievous.
"And somehow, every time you do, your words carry more weight than I expect."
"Morgan…"
"Come on," she said, tugging his hand. "Don't just stand on the bridge. You'll get in everyone's way."
Her eyes curved with a smile as she led him toward the opposite bank.
The warmth in his palm, the sweetness lingering on her tongue, the happiness swelling in her chest—every one of those things was real.
This wasn't some passing dream. It was something she could feel, right here and now.
"Oh, right. My husband." Morgan turned her head slightly, her gaze gentle as it fell on Shiomi. "You're always the one saying it, but my feelings are the same."
"…What?"
"I love you more deeply than anyone else in this world." Morgan's clear eyes reflected the festival lights, wavering softly, the gentlest place in this blazing, dusty human world. "Even if you looked across all of human history, there wouldn't be anyone whose feelings could surpass mine. Someday, you'll understand completely that those words aren't false."
"…Yeah," Shiomi said, nodding deeply, engraving her words into his heart.