"Eh? Little sister?"
Faced with Shirou's gaze-serious, focused, and carrying an unmistakable sense of expectation-Lefiya asked softly, almost shyly, "Is... is that really okay?"
She felt no resistance at all toward the idea.
In fact, she felt the opposite.
Lefiya understood very clearly how much care Shirou had shown her. There were nights when she lay awake, thinking about how she could repay him, even though he had never asked for anything in return.
Those feelings had already gone beyond simple gratitude.
They felt like kinship.
Like family.
"Of course," Shirou replied without hesitation.
"This is exactly what I was hoping for."
His tone was earnest.
Although the decision had been made on the spot, Shirou believed he had both the resolve and the ability to protect her.
That sense of responsibility had already taken root.
The responsibility of an older brother.
Lefiya stared at him, her staff held tightly in both hands. Her lips parted slightly, her expression wavering between nervousness and excitement.
"Onii-chan."
The moment she said it, Shirou felt something resonate deep inside him.
His body reacted before his mind could.
He reached out and gently stroked her head, his voice carrying an excitement he didn't bother to hide.
"I'll definitely protect you, Lefiya."
Things like what had happened to Miyu-
They would never happen again.
Never.
Looking at Lefiya standing before him, shy yet visibly happy, Shirou's eyes held nothing but resolve.
Absolute resolve.
"Eh?! Lefiya actually became Shirou's little sister?!"
Tione's voice exploded through the hall the very next second.
Her reaction was immediate and dramatic.
As if summoned by her shout, Familia members began appearing from who-knew-where, gathering in the main hall in no time at all.
Unlike Tione's exaggerated shock, however, most of them reacted with warm smiles and genuine blessings.
After all, once they entered the same Familia, they were already like brothers and sisters.
Shirou and Lefiya had simply taken that relationship one step further.
And during this period of time, everyone had come to understand one thing very clearly.
Shirou was good at taking care of others.
Not superficially.
But genuinely.
He helped his comrades whenever he could, never seeking credit, never making a fuss.
Because of that, no one felt anything but approval toward Lefiya becoming his younger sister.
"Congratulations, Shirou! That's an important family member!"
"With Shirou's personality, the two of them really fit that role perfectly."
"I wish I had a brother like Shirou too!"
Hearing the surrounding voices, Shirou smiled and scratched the back of his head, responding modestly to the flood of congratulations.
At that moment, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Riveria.
The atmosphere around Shirou shifted instantly.
His posture straightened, and his expression became serious.
As one of the pillars of the Loki Familia-and a Royal Elf-Riveria's opinion carried enormous weight.
More importantly, Lefiya was her chosen successor.
If Riveria didn't approve of this sibling relationship, Shirou knew things could become very troublesome.
Fortunately, Riveria was not someone unreasonable.
Looking at the two of them, she spoke calmly.
"With you taking care of her," Riveria said, "I feel very much at ease."
She had already come to understand Shirou's character through his actions within the Familia.
He was someone who acted first and spoke later.
Someone whose words carried weight.
Someone who would never betray the trust of others.
Riveria believed this firmly.
Hearing her approval, Shirou felt the tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying finally dissipate.
His serious expression softened, replaced once more by a relaxed smile.
"Thank you, Riveria," he said sincerely.
For a time, the Familia's main hall was filled with noise and laughter.
It was livelier than usual.
"By the way," Shirou said after chatting for a while, suddenly noticing something, "where's Loki? Something like this should be right up her alley. Why isn't she here?"
Now that he thought about it, Ais and the others were missing too.
"Loki went to attend the Denatus," Riveria replied with a faint smile.
"...The Denatus?"
Something clicked in Shirou's mind.
He quickly asked, "Riveria, the Denatus... that's the one where titles for newly advanced LV.2 adventurers are decided, right?"
"That's correct," Riveria answered. "That Denatus."
The moment he heard her confirmation, Shirou's body stiffened.
When an adventurer reached LV.2, the gods would gather at the Denatus to bestow their title.
Ais's "Sword Princess."
Riveria's "Nine Hell Princess."
Finn's "Braver."
All of them had been named there.
In Orario, a title was effectively a second name.
And unfortunately, the gods were not a professional naming organization.
They were fun-loving, whimsical, and often shameless.
As a result, titles varied wildly in quality.
Some were dignified.
Some were... deeply embarrassing.
Although the prestige of the Loki Familia would likely prevent anything outright humiliating, Shirou couldn't help feeling uneasy.
So uneasy, in fact, that the joy of gaining a little sister was significantly diluted.
After the crowd gradually dispersed, only a few people remained in the main hall, waiting for Loki's return.
As for Lefiya, after being praised by so many people, she had already fled back to her room, cheeks red, unable to handle the attention.
"Speaking of which," Shirou said, breaking the silence, "where are Ais and Finn?"
Tione let out an exasperated sigh.
"You really have the nerve to ask," she said. "Isn't this all because of your hypothesis?"
"...You mean limiting one's own strength?"
Shirou understood immediately.
To affect Ais, Finn, and the others at the same time, the only thing that made sense was the self-limitation training method he had proposed.
"Exactly," Tione replied. "Good thing you warned us in advance. Ais actually planned to go into the Dungeon alone to test it."
Shirou could already picture it.
After that, Tione continued, "She got scolded pretty badly. In the end, Finn and Gareth decided to accompany her into the Dungeon to test it properly. Tiona, Bete, and the others followed along too."
Shirou had anticipated this outcome.
That was why he had informed Finn and Riveria ahead of time.
The image of Ais being reprimanded made him want to laugh, just a little.
Riveria set aside the book she had been holding and spoke again.
"During this period, while you were focused on teaching Lefiya, Finn and I carefully discussed your hypothesis."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"We found it to be very sound. It aligns well with the observed patterns of strength improvement among adventurers."
"If it's proven correct," she continued, "then Shirou, you'll be a great benefactor to the Familia."
For Finn, Riveria, and Gareth-who had already reached LV.6-growth had become unimaginably slow.
If the practicality of self-limitation training could be confirmed, it would represent a massive breakthrough.
"These are things I should do," Shirou replied calmly.
He didn't feel pride over Riveria's words.
After all, it was still only a hypothesis.
Even so, there was something he had been wanting to ask.
"Riveria," Shirou said, "can you teach me concurrent chanting?"
Concurrent chanting.
The ability to chant spells while moving and fighting.
For mages, it was an extremely important technique.
In the original story, Ryuu Lion-the LV.4 adventurer from the Hostess of Fertility-was a master of it.
She could chant spells even while battling mutated Floor Bosses.
That level of control was exactly what Shirou needed.
When he chanted the incantation for Unlimited Blade Works, he was forced to remain stationary, relying on Rho Aias for defense.
If he could learn concurrent chanting-
His Unlimited Blade Works would become far more dangerous.
Riveria didn't hesitate.
"If you're willing to learn," she said, "then I'm more than willing to teach."
To her, Shirou was an important junior.
A pillar of the Loki Familia's future.
Even a potential candidate for future leadership.
As long as he wished to learn, she saw no reason to refuse.
"Then," Shirou said, bowing his head slightly, "I'm truly grateful to you, Riveria."
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter