I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

Gu Ye kept his eyes closed, his mind a complete mess.

He assumed she had come for the glass of milk.

"Um... I really don't know how to make milk..."

"I didn't come here to ask about the milk formula."

Irisviel interrupted him.

Upon hearing this, Gu Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not that problem, it's fine.

He fumbled for the school uniform jacket draped over the back of the chair, stood up, walked to the bedside, and without a word, draped the jacket over Irisviel's shoulders.

Only after doing all this did he dare to slowly open his eyes.

The coat was a bit too big for the petite Irisviel, but the masculine aura and warmth enveloped her, giving her a sense of inexplicable peace.

She raised her head, her eyes fixed on Gu Ye in the dim light, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she were quite pleased with his gesture.

However, the next second, she reached out her fair hand, took the coat off her shoulder, and gently placed it aside.

"..."

Gu Ye froze.

"I came here this time so that you could see enough."

Irisviel spoke calmly, as if stating something utterly ordinary.

She gazed intently at Gu Ye and asked seriously, "Gu Ye, what do you think of me?"

Here it comes, the classic unfolding.

Gu Ye's heart skipped a beat, unsure how to answer.

He turned his head away again, avoiding her overly direct gaze.

"Ms. Irisviel... is a very good person. Gentle, kind, and very elegant."

He chose some of the most foolproof, formulaic compliments.

"is it?"

Irisviel didn't seem satisfied with the answer and pressed on, "Then...am I a good mother?"

"of course."

Gu Ye answered very quickly this time.

From any perspective, her love for Ilya is beyond question.

Irisviel leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, and the fragrance entered Gu Ye's nostrils more clearly.

"So……"

She paused, a hint of anticipation in her eyes, "Do I... look beautiful?"

"……beautiful."

Gu Ye blurted it out almost without thinking.

This question doesn't require any thought at all.

Whether as a perfect creation of an artificial human or as a charming mature woman, her beauty is impeccable.

Something's not right, this plot is really weird.

Gu Ye felt sweat starting to appear on his back.

These three questions sound just like the key options for entering a character's route in a visual novel.

As expected, after receiving an affirmative answer, Irisviel's face showed a smile that was a mixture of shyness and determination.

She mustered her courage and asked that earth-shattering question.

"Then...would you like to love me?"

"???"

Gu Ye's brain completely shut down. He turned around abruptly, staring at Irisviel in disbelief.

It's turned! The problem suddenly takes a sharp 90-degree turn here!

How was he supposed to answer that? Agree? What a joke! The other person was Ilya's mother, a married woman, and his nominal elder.

Chapter 156 Alice teases Ilya.

His silence, in Irisviel's view, was the most direct form of denial.

The light in her eyes dimmed little by little, and her long silver eyelashes drooped down, concealing her disappointment.

"Is that so... it really doesn't work after all..."

She murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly, "In your words, I'm so good, so qualified, so beautiful... but you don't like me. Why is that? Is it just because... I'm Ilya's mother?"

Sister, you know you're a married woman, yet you still ask me such a crucial question!

Gu Ye was internally ranting, but outwardly he had to give a reasonable explanation.

“Ms. Irisviel, you misunderstand. I have great respect for you, but…”

"Just respect, right?"

Irisviel looked up and interrupted him. She suddenly adopted a self-righteous expression and uttered a set of fallacies that left Gu Ye speechless.

“It’s alright. Anyway, Ilya doesn’t have a boyfriend yet, so as her mother, I’ll find her a good stepfather so she can experience the fatherly love she’s been missing. Is that not okay?”

Gu Ye felt his worldview being severely shaken, and he almost blurted out, "I'm already dating Ilya!"

"Just dating."

Irisviel waved her hand dismissively. "Isn't it normal for young people to break up and get back together? Maybe you'll break up in a few days. If that's the case, why not just choose me? I'm more mature and know how to take care of people than Ilya, don't I?"

These remarks finally broke Gu Ye's composure. He took a deep breath and decided to play his final card, extinguishing her hopes completely.

"It's impossible between us! Ilya and I... we've already slept together!"

He thought that these words would make her back down, or even provoke her anger.

However, Irisviel's reaction once again exceeded his expectations.

"Nothing is impossible."

Her expression became unusually calm, with a hint of self-mockery in it.

“I wash Ilya’s clothes every day. Do you think I would leave them untouched?”

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Gu Ye. "I saw everything you and Ilya did in that place called 'Thousand Worlds One Journey'."

Gu Ye felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his whole body stiffening.

“Not just Ilya,”

Irisviel continued, each word like a nail driven into Gu Ye's mind, "That girl named Kitagawa Kaimu... I also saw the scene of the three of you together."

It’s over.

Only these two words remained in Gu Ye's mind.

He looked at Irisviel in disbelief, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Since...since you already know everything...then why are you saying these things? Are you...testing me?"

With her daughter's friends, with her daughter... I'm afraid in her mind, I've long been labeled a 'scumbag' or a 'scoundrel'?

Gu Ye slowly lowered his head, giving up all attempts to defend himself.

Fine, let her hit and yell at me. After all, no matter what, it's my fault.

He was prepared for a storm.

However, the expected beating and scolding did not occur.

A soft, warm body, exuding a captivating fragrance, gently nestled into his arms.

Irisviel buried her head in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I can accept that."

Her voice came through in a muffled tone.

"I can accept Ilya, and I can accept Kitagawa Kaimu... I can accept everything about you."

She looked up, her tear-filled eyes fixed on him, and asked the final question.

"I can accept it... then, will you accept me?"

These remarks were something Gu Ye had not expected.

The soft touch of a mature woman in my arms, the intoxicating fragrance lingering around my nose, the pleading confession in my ear…

Irisviel's body visibly trembled, and her cheeks flushed instantly, but this time, she did not back down.

Shyness, curiosity, and a long-suppressed desire overcame her last shred of reason.

She reached out her hand, trembling.

Has he...accepted me?

This idea gave her unprecedented courage.

She looked up at Gu Ye's face, its features clearly defined in the dim light.

Then, she made a decision that shocked even herself.

She slowly released her grip and lowered her noble head.

Gu Ye: !

He wanted to stop her, to pull her up, but the woman's determination was clearly conveyed through her clumsy yet devout movements.

At this moment, she was no longer the homunculus of Einzbern, no longer the vessel of the Holy Grail, and no longer Illya's mother.

She was just an ordinary woman who abandoned all her identity and dignity in pursuit of love.

Seeing that he didn't push her away, Irisviel grew bolder.

"Um……"

Irisviel's fighting skills were not entirely raw.

She did practice countless times with those cold props, simulating every angle and every technique in her mind. But theory and practice are ultimately two different things.

"Alice...it's okay now..."

Gu Ye's voice changed slightly, "My fighting style is very open and aggressive, you might not be able to adapt to it!"

Irisviel shook her head and prepared to meet the attack head-on.

"Well……!"

That is……

That was the taste of the specially blended milk that she had been searching for, that Ilya kept to herself, and that she herself longed for.

In that instant, all the mysteries were solved.

Irisviel froze, then slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with sudden realization.

She looked at Gu Ye, her lips slightly parted.

I see……

So this is the "specialty" that can soothe the soul and bring ultimate happiness.

No wonder Ilya had such a happy expression, no wonder she refused to reveal the recipe.

Irisviel didn't ask any more questions, and Gu Ye didn't explain either.

Some things, once made clear, lose that tacit ambiguity.

They simply gazed at each other silently, everything understood without a word.

A warm current rose from her stomach and quickly spread to her limbs and bones. She could clearly feel a vast and pure magical power repairing and nourishing her body, which served as the vessel for her.

No wonder... no wonder they like it so much...