A little past nine in the morning.
Tokyo, Nerima Ward.
Arthur carried Akashiya Moka in his arms as he returned home, landing in the courtyard.
The barrier around his body dispersed.
Instead of putting her down immediately, he kept holding her and walked into the living room.
Sitting down on the sofa, he lowered his gaze.
Moka tilted her face slightly upward, her delicate features still tinged with a faint blush.
Their eyes met.
Each saw their own reflection in the other's pupils.
Arthur leaned in—
capturing her soft lips in a kiss.
Moka closed her eyes, responding timidly as always, her hands still looped tightly around his neck.
It was five minutes before they separated.
Moka's expression was hazy, her cheeks flushed, her breathing unsteady.
As she gradually regained her senses, Arthur smiled gently.
"Moka, there's something I forgot to tell you before."
"What is it?"
"Before you, I already had a Servant."
"Eh?!"
Moka's eyes widened in surprise.
A strange emotion welled up within her chest.
A faint sourness, like jealousy.
She had thought she was Arthur's first, maybe even his only Servant.
But not only was she not the only one—
she wasn't even the first.
Meeting her gaze head-on, Arthur's tone grew solemn.
"Moka, listen to me."
"I know I'm greedy. I can't pretend otherwise. In the future, others will also become my servants."
"I won't make promises I can't keep."
"But there's one thing I can promise you."
"No matter how many Servants I have, Moka, you'll always be unique to me."
"I'll never abandon you."
"In my heart, there is no ranking—no first or second. All of you are equally important to me."
He chose honesty.
He laid it all bare—his philosophy of "all of you are my wings."
Perhaps it was unnecessary.
But he still decided it had to be said.
After all, for Moka and the others to truly become his Servants (wives), he had to be open with them.
"..."
Moka listened quietly.
Gazing into his eyes, she felt his sincerity.
Her own eyes wavered in silence, hesitation flashing briefly before vanishing.
She made her choice.
Rising, she straddled his lap, their eyes meeting at close distance.
Her gaze shimmered with watery ripples, her cheeks burning red.
"…Kiss me."
Though she couldn't be his only Servant, deep inside she knew one thing: she never wanted to be apart from Arthur.
The outcome was clear.
Besides, neither of them were ordinary humans. One was a vampire, the other… a superhuman.
Ordinary human values couldn't be forced onto them.
A single partner for life?
As far as she knew, her foster father, Issa Shuzen, didn't only have one partner—her sisters all had different mothers.
So she quickly accepted that Arthur would have many servants.
She was willing to trust him.
To trust his promise.
Because, in what he just said, Arthur had not told her, "You're the most important."
Instead, he had vowed never to abandon her.
Inside the cross's sealed space, Inner Moka—sharing this memory—frowned faintly.
Her crimson eyes flickered for a moment, then softened.
Since Arthur had already "conquered" her with strength—
as long as he didn't cast her aside, she wouldn't give him up either.
Seeing Moka's decision, Arthur's gaze softened.
Smiling gently, he captured her lips again.
Moka's arms circled his neck.
Though she slowly grew more proactive, she still wasn't as bold as Inner Moka.
"…Let's go to the bedroom."
Her face was crimson as she whispered it.
Her clear eyes rippled like a lake at dawn, shimmering with love so intense it seemed tangible.
At that point, with her already saying so, how could Arthur play the saint and hold back?
Supporting her pert hips with one hand, he rose and carried her upstairs.
Everything unfolded naturally.
The bedroom was sealed under a barrier.
Two and a half hours later—
Their "special training" came to an end.
Arthur cast Sky Magic upon Moka.
And then Inner Moka emerged.
Just like when she drank blood, her pupils turned crimson and her pink hair silver-white.
"Again!"
She shoved Arthur down in an instant.
Looking at her taking the initiative, Arthur's lips curved in amusement.
He closed his eyes, folding his hands behind his head, letting her do as she pleased.
Now, he didn't need to move a muscle.
After all, he had worked hard enough earlier. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself now?
Tokyo, Meguro Ward.
At that very moment—when Arthur carried Moka upstairs—
"…Hm?"
Yotsuya Miko, shopping with Yurikawa Hana, paused mid-step.
A strange feeling swept over her—
like something had suddenly appeared above her head.
But as quickly as it came, it vanished.
She didn't dwell on it, only furrowed her brows briefly before continuing on with Hana.
Just as Arthur had said, Hana's physique indeed attracted spirits easily.
And now, another spirit was tailing her.
Miko, expression calm, ignored the spirit as though she couldn't see it.
Suppressing the instinctive fear clawing at her heart, she carried on as if nothing had happened.
Time slipped by, and soon it was noon.
Instead of heading straight home, Miko and Hana stopped at a cozy-looking restaurant for lunch.
Half an hour later, finished with their meal, the two made their way toward Meguro Station.
"Wait…"
As they neared the station, Miko halted abruptly, as though something had occurred to her.
"What's wrong?" Hana looked at her with concern.
Miko smiled lightly. "Sorry, Hana. I just remembered something I need to do."
"You should go on ahead."
"What kind of thing?"
"Nothing big. You go home first—I'll head off."
Without giving her time to question further, Miko turned and walked away, as if she'd made a firm decision.
As she did, the spirit that had been shadowing Hana suddenly turned its gaze to Miko—
and followed her instead.
"…Haa."
Hana stood frozen for a moment, watching Miko's retreating back.
A strange heaviness stirred in her chest.
For some reason… she felt like there was now an invisible wall between her and Miko.
Like things weren't the same anymore.
Has something happened?
Was it because of Arthur?
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