Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"..."

She and the red-haired boy exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. Shirou is a guest today, so Irisviel and I will help you with your bath.”

"Why!?"

Shirou was taken aback.

Irisviel is one thing, but why would Saber accept such an indecent suggestion?

“Okay, then Shirou will sit here.” Irisviel patted the empty seat next to her.

"Did either of you consult me?" Shirou protested sternly.

As a result, it would have been better if he hadn't protested; the moment he did, Irisviel got even closer, eager to get involved.

"We've caught Shirou!"

Irisviel excitedly embraced the red-haired boy.

Although she does this all the time, the destructive power she unleashes in the bathroom is completely different.

The sweet, fragrant, and soft sensation almost caused Shirou's thoughts to short-circuit.

"Gurgle... Irisviel! Stop this, let me go!"

"Ugh, Shirou, stop moving... It tickles... Hmm?"

"Don't make any strange noises, Alice!"

"That's because Shirou was moving around!"

The silver-haired android gripped the back of the boy's head tightly and said resentfully:

"Even Saber has agreed, Shirou, so stop resisting! Be a good boy and let us give you a bath!"

"……Well."

Shirou was surprised by the heavy yet soft texture, but something still felt off—

Shirou, who had finally managed to get out of sight, discovered that there was a white cloth floating on the water.

"Towel! Irisviel! Your towel slipped off!!"

"Ah, really. It's all Shirou's fault for fidgeting and pulling my towel down... you naughty boy."

"Don't blame others for your mistakes... Wait, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and wrap yourself up!"

"...Shirou, please help me?"

"Wrap it yourself!"

In the end, Shirou had no choice but to obediently agree to let them wash him.

After all, if they disagree, who knows what outrageous things Irisviel might do.

"Saber, do you want to wash the front or the back?"

According to Irisviel, she and Saber would each be responsible for washing one side of the toilet.

Artoria thought for a moment, then said, "I want to help Shirou wash his back."

"Alright, then I'll take charge of Shirou's front."

And so, they surrounded Shirou from the front and the back.

From Shirou's vantage point, one can enjoy a panoramic view of Mount Einzbern, which is shrouded in a bath towel.

Unfortunately, after the series of events just now, he no longer reacts in any particular way to seeing things he shouldn't have.

"Okay, time to start washing?"

"please."

Irisviel and Saber lathered their hands with shower gel and then began to carefully wash the boy's body.

"Come on, Shirou, raise your arms."

Shirou nodded obediently: "...Yes, sir."

While Shirou was being served by two stunningly beautiful women with a sense of utter despair, he heard Saber murmur in surprise and delight.

"Shirou's back... is so small, it's unbelievable."

She gently ran her fingers along the boy's back, as if trying to feel Shirou Amamiya's presence.

It seems that Artoria wanted to take this opportunity to study Shirou's body, which is why she offered to wash Shirou's back.

I'll wash it myself here.

Shirou grabbed Irisviel's hand as she reached under her towel.

……

……

"So comfortable..."

After taking a bath, Shirou staggered back to his room.

There's still a while before we're supposed to leave.

It seemed that Irisviel and Saber would also take quite a while to change their clothes, so Shirou stayed in the room to pass the time.

"Is Big Sister Avalon coming out with me today?"

Shirou looked into the void beside him.

Whether it was yesterday's dream or the time spent together over the past few days, Shirou can now vaguely sense where the spirit-formed Servants are.

"Ugh~ No way~ Why should I be a third wheel for Master?"

Ms. Avalon said she would continue her old job of housekeeping during the day, and then disappeared from the room.

Shirou took out a small communicator and tried to contact Hyakko Hassan.

"Oh, finally it's connected."

"You sound so relaxed, while I'm swamped with work."

"What happened over there?"

Shirou asked curiously, as he heard a lot of noise coming from Assassin's side.

Hassan then explained to Shirou the battle that took place at the Fuyuki Bridge the previous night.

"Just as you predicted, the enemy ambushed Irisviel on the Fuyuki Bridge."

"Just as I thought." Shirou said smugly.

"Yes, yes, you are amazing."

Hassan scoffed dismissively: "But even Shirou probably never expected that guy's true identity is actually a Servant."

"Servant?"

"That's right, the eighth Servant of this Holy Grail War, another Assassin besides 'us,' has appeared."

Shirou asked, "So, is he one of your seniors?"

Maric once said in his Holy Grail class that the Assassin class could only be held by Hassan al-Sabah.

Bai Mausole replied, "No, he is not any of the old men of the mountains in history."

"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Shirou asked suspiciously.

Hassan Baimao affirmed, "Yes, I can say with certainty that I have fought against him."

He was the eighth Servant, not Hassan-i-Sabah's assassin.

Shirou accepted reality: "So how was last night's battle? Are you getting used to using my 'sword'?"

Late last night, the entire Hundred-Faced Hassan team mobilized and used a mysterious artifact to repel the enigmatic assassin.

Those were the sword-shaped treasures projected by Shirou.

"Base", "Strange Arm", "Swift", "Treachery", "Kite Shadow"...

For the assassin group of eighty-eight people, Shirou carefully prepared a suitable weapon for each of them.

The eighty-odd projections alone exhausted all of Shirou and Lady Avalon's magic power, which is why he didn't participate in the battle when he was attacking the Hyatt Hotel last night.

The tactic had already taken shape in the boy's mind the moment he first saw Hundred-Faced Hassan.

Hassan the Hundred Faces' "skill count," plus his own "sword-forging count"—

The combination of the two will surely create a powerful fighting force.

The results of the battle were in line with Shirou's expectations; Assassin easily defeated the mysterious assassin last night.

"Hmph, no wonder you tried so hard to recruit me back then."

Assassin let out a mocking sneer.

"Do you regret it?"

"You know perfectly well it's impossible."

Hassan the Hundred Faces abruptly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, because 'our' actions last night were too conspicuous, Tokiomi Tohsaka has inevitably come to know of the existence of the eighth Servant."

Shirou said, "It's alright, so be it. It's good for him to suffer a little more."

"You're really malicious."

Assassin's voice sounded cheerful: "Tokiomi Tohsaka was throwing a tantrum first thing this morning—"

"How many more unexpected situations are there in this Holy Grail War! Damn it!"

That's why I was so busy this morning; the man ordered "us" to gather intelligence again in Fukayama Town and Shinto.

Shirou said, "I know you're very busy right now, but I still have something I'd like to ask you for a favor today."

"what?"

Hassan's killer instincts, as an assassin, allowed him to keenly sense something.

Shirou then revealed his schedule for the day to her:

"I will be going out with Saber and her Master this afternoon."

Don't you think... this is a perfect opportunity to kill Irisviel?

--------

Volume 1, Chapter 72: Shirou: King of Heroes, could you perform that again? (laughs) (Refreshes previous chapter)

"I'm going shopping this afternoon with Saber and her Master."

Don't you think... this is a perfect opportunity to kill Irisviel?

Hearing the boy's words on the other end of the communicator, Bai Mao Hassan paused for a moment—

Perhaps her tension had eased, for she chuckled.

"Shirou, what kind of crazy idea are you coming up with now?"

"The time is ripe, and we can implement the plan we formulated earlier."

Shirou said, "Tonight—"

Let us offer our "performances" in accordance with the script to Tokiomi Tohsaka, Kirei Kotomine, and the self-important Golden King.

Bai Mao Hassan suppressed his smile and nodded solemnly: "...I see, I understand."

"Let's do as Shirou said before. I'll cooperate with you. Let's proceed according to plan."

"But... is it okay?"

Shirou asked Hassan Hyakami for a final confirmation: "Didn't Assassin-neechan always refuse?"

They said this plan was pointless. Maybe we should just forget about it and think of another course of action?

"........."

There was a few seconds of silence on the communicator before Hassan's calm and resolute voice came through.