This was the most comfortable sleep Scathach had in the past decade.
She felt like she had found the world's best pillow—soft and wide.
The only flaw was that something was poking her head, feeling like a hard lump.
But, in any case, the pillow's performance was quite excellent.
Scathach then realized it had been a long time since she had such a good rest.
She slowly opened her eyes, looking once more at this world she had arrived in through the Holy Grail summoning.
Wait a minute!
Something wasn't quite right, was it?!
Opening her eyes, Scathach found that she was still on the rooftop.
In an instant, she recalled drinking with Ian there last night.
Also, the clothes covering her looked a bit familiar.
It was... the one Ian was wearing yesterday!
Where was he, then?!
Didn't he drink with her?!
As Scathach was still disoriented, Ian's voice reached her ears.
"Misaya, are you awake?"
"Huh?!" she responded, surprised.
The voice came from above.
Scathach looked up and saw Ian, who had a helpless expression on his face.
Zira!
The Queen of the Land of Shadows recalled more fragmented memories.
After drinking last night, she had apparently fallen asleep directly on Ian's lap!
Wait a minute!
So, that thing she had just touched, that somewhat poky thing, was...
Scathach's face immediately flushed crimson as she realized the correct answer.
She sprang up from Ian's lap like a recoiling spring.
Holding onto a last shred of hope, the Queen of the Land of Shadows glanced at the spot where she had just slept.
Right there, not off to the side, but precisely in that awkward position.
Scathach's face grew even redder; it was the first time in her life she had been so shy.
She turned around and mumbled haltingly, "You... why didn't you wake me up?!"
"Don't you think sleeping on the rooftop is dangerous?" she asked.
"Of course, it's dangerous," Ian replied, looking helpless. "But Misaya, do you know how much you drank last night?"
"Just a few cans!" Scathach answered, her face still red. "Wasn't that it?"
"A few cans?!" Ian picked up the empty cardboard box from nearby and brought it in front of Scathach.
"Misaya," he explained, "a full box of beer, and I only drank one can. The rest, it all went down your throat."
"What?" Scathach's eyes widened, unable to believe what she had just heard.
But she quickly realized he had no reason to lie about something like that. After all, if she remembered how much she drank, he would instantly be labeled as "dishonest" if he lied. Thinking from this perspective, it had to be the truth.
"Did I really drink that much?" Scathach frowned slightly. "How come I don't remember anything?" she wondered.
"That's how it is when you've had too much to drink," he explained.
"..."
Scathach really couldn't refute his words, as she would certainly know how to answer him now if she hadn't been drunk.
After a moment's thought, she handed the coat draped over her back to him, who was only wearing thin clothing.
"Here, put it on quickly," she said.
"Mm," Ian nodded, taking back his clothes.
Watching him put it back on, Scathach then continued to ask, "By the way, did you use your clothes as a blanket for me last night?"
"Hmm... something like that," Ian nodded, answering nonchalantly. "Since you were asleep, I couldn't just leave you uncovered, could I?"
"What about you, then?" Scathach looked at the white, snow-covered ground below the rooftop, where a few empty cans lay, presumably left by her last night.
"It snowed all night, didn't it?" she observed. "Were you... not cold?"
"It was fine," Ian smiled slightly. "It wasn't too cold at all."
He wasn't trying to be tough. As a Servant, he could use his magic to ward off the external cold. The magical energy consumed by this was almost negligible.
"Rather, Misaya... you must have slept well last night, right?" Ian asked. "I feel like you haven't had proper rest in a long time."
"..."
Ian's words indeed hit home for Scathach. Since the Fourth Holy Grail War ended ten years ago, she had been dedicated to finding her successor. Her daily rest time was also severely squeezed due to her role as a Spearmanship club instructor.
Of course, theoretically, Scathach, having obtained enough magical energy from the "black mud" flames of the Holy Grail, didn't need to sleep. However, to maintain her "human" aspect, she continued to adhere to a regular daily routine. This resulted in her body feeling no fatigue at all, but her mental state was very poor. In current terms, it could probably be classified as a "sub-healthy" condition.
However, last night was an exception. Scathach not only truly fell asleep but also had a good dream. In her dream, she was successfully killed, ending her endless fate.
"It was okay," Scathach said, turning her face away.
"But..." she added, "compared to usual, I definitely slept better."
"..."
[You realize this is Misaya's way of agreeing with you.]
[It seems that due to her status as a teacher, she will never fully affirm someone's statement.]
[Words like these, where she doesn't deny, are actually her way of expressing affirmation.]
[You're quite happy – after all, it means your efforts weren't in vain.]
"Is that so?" Ian's spirits lifted considerably. "That's good," he said. "I was worried you might feel uncomfortable."
"..."
Hearing this, Scathach turned back.
She looked at the man in front of her and voiced the question in her mind.
"By the way," she began, "did you just watch over me all night?"
"Not at all," Ian quickly denied Scathach's statement. "I also caught some sleep."
[However, this statement is a lie.]
[With Misaya sleeping in such a dangerous place, you dared not let your guard down at all.]
[So, the actual situation is very close to what Misaya said – you indeed took care of her all night.]
[But you don't intend to confess this.]
[Firstly, you're afraid of causing Misaya to misunderstand.]
[Secondly, you don't want Misaya to dwell on it too much.]
[After all, this is genuinely not a big deal for you – at least not a situation that requires an urgent response from her.]
[However, what you don't know is that Misaya's observational skills are far more terrifying than you imagine.]
Ian was lying. Scathach almost instantly judged this to be the truth. This was due to her excellent observational skills as the Queen of the Land of Shadows, the guardian of the pathways between worlds.
That's right. This guy had watched over her all night.
But on second thought, he would indeed do something like this. After all, if someone were sleeping in a place like this, a normal person would definitely worry about them falling off.
However, Scathach looked at the man in front of her, and a hint of tenderness entered her red eyes.
He chose not to wake her up but to quietly guard her by her side like this. Now, he didn't even intend to treat this act as something worth boasting about.
In a way, this proved that Ian's true nature was much better than she had imagined.
Thinking this way, she truly was lucky. It only took her ten years to meet a suitable candidate.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows looked at the spot where she had just slept and had an idea.
"I see," Scathach said, not intending to expose Ian's well-intentioned lie. "Let's go back to the room now."
"Okay," he agreed.
[You and Scathach made some effort to tidy up all the things left on the rooftop last night.]
[Including, but not limited to, the fallen cans.]
[You took all these things back to the previous room.]
[You handled it very well—no one would ever know you had drunk on the rooftop.]
"Phew~" Ian put the box full of empty cans on the floor of the dwelling. "Finally back," he said.
"..."
Scathach sighed. "Ian, I really should have listened to you and drunk inside the room last night," she remarked.
"Perhaps," Ian shrugged. "But there's no point in dwelling on that now, is there?"
"Besides," he added, "the stars looked really nice last night. That's a beautiful sight you definitely can't enjoy indoors."
"..."
Scathach knew Ian was trying to give her an out. After all, they hadn't discussed stars at all last night; they had just drunk can after can of beer. No, to be precise, he had watched her drink can after can of beer. However, she also felt too embarrassed to expose anything—after all, it was her fault for drinking too much.
"Oh, right," Ian said, looking at the club equipment still not repaired on the floor. He suddenly realized something. "Misaya, do we not need to go to the club today?" he asked.
"No," Scathach quickly replied. "It's a holiday now, not a teaching period. I only allowed them to train there because it was empty anyway."
"Besides," Scathach said, pulling at her collar, "I smell like alcohol right now. How can I go there? It would be better to just rest today."
"Indeed," Ian nodded, agreeing with Scathach's undeniable point.
"Alright," Scathach said, raising a hand. "I'm going to take a bath first and get rid of this smell."
"Mm," he affirmed.
Clang!
The bathroom door closed.
However, less than two minutes later, the bathroom door swish-ed open again.
Scathach poked her head out and, looking embarrassed, said to Ian outside, "Ian... do me a favor!"
"Uh... what is it?" he asked.
"Go to my room and get the set of underwear I need to change into!" she requested.
"..."
"..."
"Hurry up!" Scathach urged.
"But I don't know which set," he said.
"The one from yesterday!" Scathach said, growing even more embarrassed. "The black lace set!"
"...Alright," he responded.
[Following Misaya's request, you went to her room.]
[After some rummaging, you finally found the black lace underwear she had casually thrown on the sofa yesterday.]
[It must be said that up close, this set of underwear was indeed quite sexy.]
[But at this moment, you had no such thoughts.]
[Because Misaya was constantly urging you from outside—"Hurry up!"]
Outside the bathroom door, holding the black lace underwear he had just found, Ian returned.
He knocked on the door and then said inside, "Misaya, I have it."
"Mm," she hummed in response.
The door opened a tiny crack.
Scathach's hand reached out from inside and said, "Give it to me."
"Okay," he replied.
Ian handed the sexy black lace underwear to her and then intended to just go back to the living room outside.
But before he could take two steps, Misaya's voice came from inside the bathroom again. And this time, the content was even more thrilling.
"Hey!" she called out. "Ian, can you come in for a moment?"
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"Hurry! I need you!" she pleaded.
"..."
[Although you knew it wasn't ideal to do so,]
[Hearing Misaya's incredibly anxious tone, you decided to do as she said.]
[However, the actual situation didn't seem as thrilling.]
[Of course, that was only "seemed."]
"The bra clasp is stuck?" Ian said, looking at Misaya in front of him, his expression somewhat speechless.
She was currently facing away from him, her hands struggling to pull at the metal clasp behind her, but she couldn't undo it no matter how hard she tried. Ultimately, it seemed to be because her bust was too large and she was too impatient, leading to this situation.
"Yes!" Scathach's anxious voice came through. "Hurry up and help!"
Although it was awkward, Misaya was indeed facing a problem at the moment.
Ian didn't think too much and simply went to work. This was naturally a piece of cake for him, as he could clearly see Scathach's back.
But the matter was far from over there.
"Done," Ian said, gently unclasping the metal buckle that had been troubling Misaya. "I'm leaving now."
"Don't go yet!" Scathach grabbed Ian with one hand, while her other hand reached for his vital area.
"Misaya, what are you doing?" he questioned.
"Don't be so nervous," Scathach said, her hand gently stroking him, her expression appearing somewhat pained.
"Ian, I was pressing down here all night, wasn't I?" she asked.
"..."
"No answer means yes," she murmured.
"I'm sorry," Scathach said, feeling the heaviness of the object, her face completely flushed. "I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry."
"It's fine, Misaya, you don't need to apologize for something like this!" he insisted.
"No," Scathach shook her head. "It's necessary."
"Because," she continued, "I'm worried this will affect your attitude when answering my next question."
Scathach stood with her back to him, her fingers moving more gently, as if she were handling a precious treasure. It was an apology for her drunken behavior last night, and also preparation for the bargaining chip in their upcoming negotiation.
"Ian," she began, "are you interested in participating in the Holy Grail War with me?"