Chapter 732: Interlude 54, Kunou’s Hogwarts Adventures 13 + Through the Looking Glass 10

"Fire Whisky?" Dumbledore offered.

"Thank you, Headmaster." The Headmistress of Mahoutokoro thanked him because she very much needed a drink right now.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow as she downed the glass in one gulp, but he also understood the mental weight she was experiencing right now.

He can't say he hasn't done the same as a school Headmaster too.

"May I ask…about these Youkai?" He started. "There seems to be some problem?"

The talk with Kunou earlier in the day clearly had her upset in some way. Dumbledore would have to be blind to miss the way her attitude changed after hearing what Kunou said.

"You don't understand, Dumbledore. While I can't just…assume the child's words are truthful, if they are…if they are, it is a significant matter. We thought there were only thousands of Youkai left across Japan. Perhaps no more than ten thousand if we were being generous. And now, I am being told that there are millions, all kept away, ruled by one person—one Youkai, the girl's mother?"

Dumbledore rubbed his beard. "She said they exist in a, what do the muggles call it, pocket dimension? Their own personal realm, yes? If there has not been trouble before, surely it isn't that distressing?"

"Would you feel comfortable knowing that your goblins have amassed millions of soldiers…millions of soldiers that can rip apart a full-grown wizard with ease?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips.

He can't say he didn't understand her standpoint either. Perhaps if there was suddenly that kind of threat looming over his own country, he may have had a different reaction.

"Youkai don't just come in one shape, Headmaster. We have Youkai of all kinds, equivalents to your giants, your monsters, and your dangerous beasts. But most of them have intelligence."

"Hmm." Dumbledore thought deeply on the issue. "Perhaps we can contact Kunou's mother? To help put you at ease? She was a very cooperative woman; she was kind and polite. I didn't feel like she was the type to… "He trailed off, but she didn't need him to finish.

The headmistress considered it but rejected it for now. "Maybe, but for now, I believe it's more prudent to…secure more information."

Dumbledore sat up in his chair. "I understand the complicated situation you find yourself in, Headmistress. However, regardless of what's happening, Miss Schweinorg is one of my students; I won't allow her to be...interrogated at your discretion."

The headmistress frowned. "Dumbledore –"

"Sumiko," Dumbledore said sternly. "This is not something I will relent on. The protection of my students, both physically and in their privacy, is my main priority. However, I will allow you to stay here for a period if you wish to…observe and interact with Miss Schweinorg in a proper manner."

"Stay?" She repeated the word as if to evaluate it. "I suppose I could manage a few months."

"We can call it a cultural exchange. I could even have you fill in for some of the teachers, giving them a break while giving you an opportunity."

"Ah, that is very generous of you, Professor." She smiled. "Would it be overstepping of me to request access to your monitoring system?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to reject that request. As Headmaster, I am beholden to certain rules myself. I'm not allowed to give anyone else access to the monitoring methods throughout the school."

That is, his connection to all the Portraits, his authority over the Ghosts, and the Wards themselves.

All of those were under the purview of the Headmaster.

"Where is… Miss Schweinorg, now?" She asked.

Dumbledore took out his wand and aimed it at a blank portrait on the wall. The white canvas changed to show a classroom full of students, Kunou one of them.

"Now, students. Today, we're going to be turning a block of wood into a mouse. Different than a matchstick, this will take more…force than finesse. However, if you think you can ignore the proper movements and skills that you learned with the matchstick, you are sorely mistaken."

"That is your deputy headmistress, yes?"

"Professor McGonagall, yes," Dumbledore answered.

The Deputy Headmistress was teaching Kunou's class at this time.

Kunou was sitting at the table with Luna as they were practicing their wand movements.

"Mmm, it feels like a lifetime ago that we learned such, does it not?" The headmistress found herself relaxing from the earlier anxiety. Watching the students practice the basic transfiguration methods.

Dumbledore chuckled, running a hand through his beard. "Yes, truly a lifetime ago."

"Professor, look, I did it!" Kunou shouted, jumping up onto the table in excitement.

"Miss Schweinorg! Keep your voice down and get off the table! ...However, excellent work." She sniffed, giving the girl a glare, but softened at seeing the good job she did.

"Kitsune are naturally capable of magic. They take to our magical lessons quickly, even back home." The Japanese headmistress informed him.

"Professor, what happens if I turn the table into a mouse?"

"Miss Schweinorg –"

"Mouse!" She performed the same spell on the table, and it…halfway turned into a mouse. A rather large mouse, much to the classroom's startlement.

Its legs were still table legs, but the body was indeed a mouse.

"Miss Schweinorg!" Professor McGonagall shrieks. "Turn it back right now!"

"More! Mouse, mouse, mouse!" She was pointing to the other tables, turning them into mice as well. Some of them better, some of them worse."

"Oh, let me try! Mouse!" Luna copied her; her spell was a tad worse off, but one of the tables certainly turned into what could be described as a mouse.

That is, as all hell broke loose in the room.

The mice, even if they weren't really mice, acted in the park, running around frightened, which made all the children also frightened as they screamed and panicked.

One ran out the door, and that was the signal for all the 'mice' to escape as well.

They all bolted out of the classroom and down the hallway.

"Miss Schweinorg, detention for the next two weeks!" The Deputy Headmistress screamed as she ran out of the classroom after the desks.

"..."

"..."

"Would you believe me if she weren't the first student to do exactly this?" He looked at her.

"I would be surprised if it were so."

She had her own share of…troublemakers at her own school.

"Dumbledore, I have a…request. I understand that as a guest, I may be overstepping, but I hope you will hear me out."

"Very well." Dumbledore knew she was trying to get more of a grasp on the situation, and if it was something unintrusive, he would be willing to be helpful.

She plucked a hair ornament from her hair and blew into it. The hair ornament transformed; a fluffy tail poked out of it first before it fully transformed into a little fox.

"This is my Shikigami, Gin. Meaning silver. It's customary for a master to give their Shikigami an exclusive name, as it's not his true name. But he is a young Kitsune, with only one tail, so it is his only name. I found him in the cold, almost dead. And I formed a contract with him a few years ago." She explained.

"A Shikigami?"

"Ah, it's a broad subject, but…perhaps you would understand more if I said he is my familiar?"

"Ah." Dumbledore's eyes brightened in understanding. "I see, I understand then." He looked at the little silver kitsune that was all but purring in her lap as she rubbed him. "And what is it you wish to ask me?"

"Would it be acceptable to allow my Shikigami to…watch her from a distance? Within the public spaces, that is, nowhere private."

Dumbledore's first reaction was to reject that out of hand, but after giving it a moment of consideration, he realized something. Was it any different than how she's currently being observed already?

There are moving. Paintings in nearly every room, there are ghosts wandering the halls. He can almost always find someone wandering the castle if he so chose.

All in all, it's not like the children had any real privacy within the public spaces of the castle.

"There are conditions." Dumbledore said pointedly. "Absolutely no spying within the House dorms. No bathrooms. No classrooms either. And only within the castle grounds. You will respect Miss Schweinorg's privacy in all matters and only observe, from a distance, in public spaces. The moment she goes somewhere for privacy, I expect that to be respected."

"That will be the only offer I receive, yes?" She asked, but his expression all but confirmed it, so she didn't try to haggle. "Very well, I thank you for your generosity, Headmaster. I will do my best to not abuse your trust."

"Thank you, Sumiko. Will your Shikigami understand these conditions?" He asked, looking at the fox.

She smiled, petting her fox. "He cannot speak yet, but he is fully intelligent, about that of a teenager, not dissimilar to Miss Schweinorg. The only difference is the…tails, as it is. They hold significance for a Kitsune. Only when a Kitsune achieves three tails will they be able to transform into a human form by themselves."

The fox yipped as if to confirm.

"You heard him, Gin. Respect Miss Schweinorg's privacy. Otherwise, you have observed her already; she is a Nine-Tailed Fox, be respectful. And do not engage; keep your distance and only watch and report back. Do you understand?"

The Fox let out another noise of confirmation.

"Will you need help concealing him?"

"No need; Kitsune are naturally very skilled in illusions. Gin here in particular is quite talented, more so than his peers." She let him go, and he disappeared into a haze.

"Oh my, you were kidding. I have to stress myself to notice his presence." Dumbledore acknowledged his prowess. "I opened the door for him."

"Thank you, Headmaster. While he goes and does that, how about we work out the details of my…cultural exchange?"

[Line Break]

The deputy headmistress could be seen running down the hallway, chasing after a half-mouse, half-desk monstrosity as it crashed into the walls, banging against everything in its path, trying to run away.

At this point, most of the school had seen it enough.

"Go, little mousy..." Kunou whispered in encouragement.

"Kunou, should we help? " Luna asked.

"Freedom for the mousey!" Kunou threw her arms up.

"Hmm, but they aren't technically living mice." Luna pondered but ultimately threw her hands up too. "We have detention for the next two weeks, though."

"Bleh, I already had detention." Kunou shrugged. "Can't have more detention on top of it!"

"Oh, you're smart, Kunou!" Luna perked up. "Do you want to go play, or do you want to go to the great hall and eat a snack?"

"Is Ginny out of class?"

"I think she's in her defense class still."

"Aww, I want Ginny to come play. Let's go eat until Ginny's done with her classes. We can go find a few more and play a game."

"We can go get Ginny's brother! And his friends! Oh, you know Fred and George asked to play the next time we started a new game of Extreme Dodgeball!" Luna perked up, rattling things off happily. "Is there anyone in your house that will want to play?"

Kunou pursed her lips. "I don't think anyone in my house likes me."

"Really? How come?" Luna tilted her head.

Kunou shrugged. "No idea."

"That's unfortunate. I don't think my house likes me either. Do you want to go find Mr. Squid to play? He loves to join in when we play games."

"Oh!" Kunou's eyes brightened. "That's a great idea, Luna!"

"Hey Kunou..." Luna tilted her head again as she looked down the hallway. The other students were walking about, unconcerned, going about their normal days, seemingly unaware of the Silver Fox sitting right on the tiled floor. "I don't want to be rude, but is that one of your family members?" She pointed at the silver fox.

"Huh?" Kunou whipped around to see where she was pointing. "Oh! Another Youkai! Hi, my name is Kunou! What's your name?"

The silver fox tilted its head. 'Hello, my name is Gin.'

"Oh, is it because of your silver fur? It's very pretty."

'Thank you.'

"Are they talking?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, he's talking in a way that's hard for humans to hear. His name is Gin; he's a youkai! A Kitsune, just like me!"

'Why do you have Nine Tails?'

"I was born this way. My momma had Nine Tails too, and she said that every firstborn of a nine-tailed fox also has nine tails." Kunou happily explained.

'Really? You were born like that?'

"Ya huh!"

'How…unfair.'

Kunou blinked. "I'm sorry?"

'I had to survive, scrape by, and fight for my life, and I barely got to where I am today. And now I hear that you were…born with the mythical Nine?'

The air got really chilly all of the sudden.

Most of the students had already cleared out of the hall, completely ignorant of what was happening.

The silver fox's nails scraped against the floor as it stood up and walked a few steps forward. 'I had to lower myself, pretend to be some…pet to survive, and you say that you reached the legendary pinnacle by virtue of your birth.'

"Luna, get behind me." Kuno stepped forward protectively in front of her friend.

The silver fox's shadow slowly twisted; what was once one tail now showed five.

'Tell me, little kit, what do you know of survival? I ate my siblings, and from that I gained my second tail. I eventually ate my mother, and that earned me my third tail. I found a four-tailed fox and devoured him too. I found an elderly matron, a five-tailed elder. I pretended to join their clan, earned their trust, and when the opportunity presented itself, I devoured her too.'

The silver fox transformed.

It was no longer a tiny little fox; it was now bigger than a dog, perhaps the size of a large bear, as it took up significant space in the hallway.

Its appearance elicited screams and cries of confusion and panic from the students as most of them quickly ran away in terror.

'How many tails do you think I will gain when I devour you as well?'

It had a wide smile on its face, accentuated by its sharp teeth.

It waited for a response; it wanted to see her look of despair. But strangely, it never came; she never revealed the same fear as the other children that it ignored in the hallway.

"Trash." Kunou said simply.

There was a beat, a moment where the silver fox heard the word and registered it before it lost itself to anger. Hearing a little kit that was handed nine tails, called it trash, when it already felt disdain towards it, was enough to set it off.

The large fox leapt at Kunou, mouth wide open, trying to devour her in a single bite.

It didn't expect Kunou to deliver a Touki-infused punch straight under its jaw.

The fox let out a strange noise, a mix of pain and confusion, as she sent it hurling towards the wall.

Perhaps it had let its guard down due to arrogance. The Silver Fix could admit it underestimated her, that a Nine-Tailed Fox was still a legendary existence, even if it were a child.

It stood up, spitting out a dislodged tooth.

It took a deep breath and let loose a silvery fire from its mouth.

Kunou responded in kind, "Fox Fire!"

Her golden fire met his silvery fire, neither of them winning in the collision.

"Hmph." Kunou put her arms up as the Fox narrowed his eyes.

"Kunou, do you need help?" Luna asked, concerned.

"It's alright, I can handle him. Go find a teacher."

The Fox grinned slightly, watching the human girl. He charged at Kunou, but just as Kunou punched at him, he disappeared in a haze, leaping against the wall to get around her and then raising his paw, claw out, aiming at Luna.

Kunou was about to fling a Talisman to save her, but someone else beat her to it.

"Excuse me. Miss Schweinorg. Would you kindly tell me what is going on?" Kuzuki caught the paw before using the fox's own momentum and flinging him across the hallway into another wall.

"Mr. Kuzuki!" Luna called out happily. "That Fox tried to hurt Kunou! I don't think it's very nice!"

"He's mean and icky. He wants to eat me." Kunou stuck her tongue out.

The Fox sat up. "Human." It spoke in plain English for him to hear. "Get out of my way—"

Kuzuki was already sprinting forward and punching out into the fox's snout. The fox was utterly baffled at how a human managed to slip through its perception like that and, likewise, didn't understand why he felt bones in his face snapping.

At the same time, he released a flurry of punches, each one aimed at a vital area of the fox, or at least estimated to be so.

Kuzuki had no knowledge of a fox's anatomy, so he was being generous in his estimations.

The fox leapt back from the onslaught, regaining its footing, before leaping at Kuzuki again, using its own illusion abilities to avoid several more punches.

"Die!" The fox roared as it was about to bite his neck.

Kuzuki didn't even react; his expression remained completely stoic as he jumped into the air, using both his elbow and his knee to pin the fox's mouth shut, breaking its jaw altogether.

The Fox hit the ground just as Kuzuki aimed his knee at the back of its neck, breaking its spine.

The fox went limp and unmoving.

There was shouting and a commotion as teachers all ran up the stairs, fearful students peeking out of classroom doors or from behind cover.

"Ah, Headmaster." Kuzuki greeted both him and the Japanese headmistress as they quickly appeared, looking at the scene in confusion and astonishment. "A wild beast made its way into the school; I have taken care of it."

He wiped the dust off his clothes.

Headmistress Sumiko stared there as she looked at the corpse of the apparent Five-Tailed Kitsune that was her Shikigami, having been beaten to death with bare hands.

Wasn't he supposed to be a muggle!?

She genuinely wondered now, what the heck was wrong with this school?

[Line Break]

Non-Canon Omake: Through the Looking Glass, Chapter 10

I never did like this date.

I finished putting flowers on Mom's grave after staying and talking with her a bit. As much as it usually cheered me up to visit Mom, this day in particular was difficult.

Was there any son who didn't feel melancholy on the day of their mother's death?

"I'm back." I walked into the house, calling out casually to whoever was home.

I didn't know who was in the house at the moment; I was about to just head upstairs and probably lay in bed, feeling tired. But I noticed several of them were sitting around the living room, as if waiting for me.

"Wilhelm, come sit down." Artoria told me.

I was honestly hesitant; the atmosphere was weird.

"The others aren't here right now, but that doesn't mean they won't be kept in the loop." Yasaka added. "It's nothing bad; come." She gestured to come sit next to her, so I followed along.

It was her, Scáthach, Artoria, Jeanne, and Jinn.

"You know, I'm the kind of person who likes the Band-Aid just ripped off." I said out loud to ease the weird tension.

"You know we love you." Jinn reached over and grabbed onto my arm.

"The more you beat around the bush, the more anxious I'm getting," I said honestly.

"Very well, if you wish for us to be blunt about it, we will." Scáthach spoke up. "When was the last time you went to visit your mother?"

"About an hour ago," I answered.

"Student." She gave me a look. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

I found myself looking away. "That's really what this is about?"

"We haven't brought it up because we know it's been difficult for you." Yasaka continued. "But the fact that you still haven't gone to visit her, especially today, means that you're probably never going to. Are you?"

I crossed my arms. "She isn't my mother."

"Wil." Jeanne's turn came. "Do you remember what you told me when I refused to see my mom?"

"That's hardly the same circumstances."

"Isn't it?"

"She's not my mother." I repeated. "She's his. I'm not that Takao; I'm not going to intrude on their lives anymore than I already have. I'm happy I got to meet another version of my mom after so long. That's it; it was nice. Now I get to move on with my life."

"Is that really how you feel, Wilhelm?" Artoria chimed in. "Do you need me to point out that you're not being fully truthful?"

I clicked my tongue because she could pick up on lies or people not being entirely truthful rather easily. "It's the only thing that matters. I'm some stranger wearing the face of her son; she took pity on me."

"That is a lie, student. Do not forget that I was there as well." Scáthach gave me a stern look.

"Wilhelm." Yasaka's tail creeped up and wrapped around my hand. "We love you. If you can't talk with us, who can you talk with?"

I let out a long sigh. "I'm not him. I'm not that Takao." I paused for a minute and reluctantly continued. "I'm not a good person. Her son is still a kid. An innocent naive kid who gets to grow up and be a good person. I've killed a lot of people. I've done a lot of things she wouldn't approve of. How am I supposed to stand in front of her like that? They don't deserve to have me coming over and fucking up their lives."

It's why when Kokabiel popped up over there, I didn't appear myself.

Granted, I thought it was hilarious to give that other Me Ruby. I also did that intentionally for reasons other than just for a laugh.

Ruby could keep an eye on them in my stead.

As annoying as she is, she knows what she's doing.

I tell myself that I'm doing it because I don't want to intrude on their lives. But truthfully, I think I'm just scared.

I'm scared at how she would have looked at me if I were actually to handle Kokabiel myself like I did my version.

What face would she have made?

Would she be frightened by my presence?

I don't know if I could handle it without my heart breaking.

"It's best to just leave it as I did," I said quietly.

They all looked at each other, and it was hard to guess what they were thinking.

"Wilhelm." Yasaka said softly, putting a hand on my arm. "Do you know what our most important job is? Collectively, as a group of women who share you. Do you know what we have to look out for the most is?"

"No?" I blinked.

"When you're being stupid."

"Eh?" I was taken aback by what she just said.

"Student, you're being stupid." Scáthach said it just as bluntly. "It has been a long time since you have visited your mother, and you have been worried about nonsense. You have let your negative thoughts fester in your heart, and now you wish to punish yourself by keeping your distance."

"I'm not punishing myself, I—" I wasn't; that's dumb. "It's more complicated than that."

"Then let's go see your mom," Jeanne smiled. "We can ask her if she feels the same way."

"That's going against the whole point."

"Do you remember, you ignored every protest I made, so I'm going to do the same to you~" Jeanne hummed happily.

"Will. I want to meet my mom someday." Jinn pouted at me. "I never had a mom. Are you going to take that away from me?"

"...That's a low blow."

Jinn's eyes just sparkled in response. "If you're going to be stupid, then I'm going to take cheap shots."

I felt my eye twitch at that. "You're all ganging up on me."

"Perhaps it's because you are in the wrong." Artoria offered her advice. "Wilhelm, you are not a foolish man."

"Debatable," Scáthach spoke.

"When he acts foolish, it is with clear intentions. This is not him acting; therefore, it is unbecoming of him and out of character." Artoria clarified as she got up and walked over to me. She put a hand on my cheek. "Wilhelm, you know very well that we are correct. You are being stubborn."

I looked away again. "I don't want her to hate me. It's easier this way."

"Do you think your mother is a foolish woman?" Artoria asked.

"No, of course not."

"Then look around this room. Do you think any of us are foolish or inept?"

"No, maybe Jinn."

"I deserved that." Jinn accepted without hesitation.

Artoria smiled. "Then consider this. If all of us care about you and we're all of sound mind, then why would you think your mother would be different?"

I didn't answer; I just dropped my head against her lap, and she ran her fingers through my hair.

"It's alright," she said quietly. "You do so much for all of us; it's our job to also take care of you."

"I miss my mom."

"We are only pushing you because we know that you're holding yourself back. If you truly didn't want to go visit her, then you know it's as simple as offering true words of rejection. If you don't want to go, we obviously would not force you." Artoria stated, putting a hand on my cheek.

…she was right.

I suppose they really do know me, huh?

"We didn't wish to overwhelm her, so we drew lots. Jeanne and I will be accompanying you this time." She added.

It was decided then, I suppose.

"We drew lots. I lost, unfortunately." Yasaka sighed. "But next time."

"I can't wait to meet Mom!" Jinn smiled brightly.

"Give me a few minutes to mentally prepare myself." I mumbled into her lap.

"You may take as long as you need." Artoria comforted me.

[Line Break]

I was a lot less apprehensive after arriving in Kuoh this time.

It's weird; it's been a while since the last time I've been here, and a lot has happened in my life.

After the whole rating game with Rias, I feel like a lot of my resentment has abated. I can admit that I was more aggressive and abrasive than I should have been the last time.

I mean, I'm still going to give my other self shit for dating her, but I was going to try and be nicer this time.

"Is this where you lived?" Jeanne looked around.

Artoria had already seen this place, but it was Jeanne's first time.

"More or less."

I don't know if I would ever call it a home, but I certainly lived here for many years.

Artoria tugged on my arm, as if to tell me I wasn't allowed to back out now.

I was happy, in a way. I could feel the anxiety causing my heart to beat quicker. But I think I was appreciative that I was being forced to come back.

I probably wouldn't have come back otherwise.

Well, no point in stalling any longer.

We walked up to the door, and I knocked on it.

I heard someone on the other side, a familiar voice, and the door opened.

"Hi, Mom," I said awkwardly.

Mom stood there, looking at me surprised for a moment before she grabbed me in a big hug. "Oh, my baby boy! I hadn't seen you in so long; I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," I choked out. "I was…busy."

"That was a lie," Jeanne chirped. "He was worried that he was intruding and didn't want to come back until we made him."

Mom pulled off of me, looking at Jeanne, and then gave me a mom glare. But that quickly turned from anger to an affectionate look. "My sweet boy." She spoke warmly. "You're always welcome back home."

I felt my eyes water as I held back some emotions I had been keeping to myself for many months at this point.

"Come in, come in." She grabbed me, pulling me past the threshold. "Are these my daughters too?" She paused, then turned to the inside of the house. "Takao, your brother is home!"

"Brother?" I repeated, blinking.

"Brother?" Takao, my other self, walked into the hallway with a certain glasses-wearing girl at his side. "You!"

"It feels easier just to say brother." Mom let out a breath.

I…couldn't argue with that logic.

"You're still with her." I pointed out.

"Do you have something to say!?" Sona put her hands on her hips, giving me a glare.

"Just a sec, I think I need to throw up."

"Wilhelm, I swear to your father in Hell, if I see you puke on my floor, you're going to be cleaning it up with your tongue!"

"Weird, I feel better just like that." I looked away.

I could see Jeanne and Artoria smiling.

"Now…" She put hands on my shoulders. "Introduce me to my daughters!" She couldn't hold back her excitement.

Jeez…

Not even five minutes back and it felt like all my previous worries were utterly silly.

Artoria stepped forward. "I am Artoria Pendragon; it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Wilhelm has spoken of you in great regard."

Mom all but squealed. "So cute!" She grabbed Artoria into a hug, making her let out a small yelp. "Call my mom!"

"M-mom?" Artoria got swept up in her momentum.

I scratched my cheek. "I mentioned her before."

"Wait, you're that one?" Sona pushed her glasses up. "...King Arthur?" She spoke skeptically, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Did you think I was lying?"

"Yes." She answered without hesitation.

"Ahem." Artoria cleared her throat. "That is correct; I went by Arthur when I hid my gender. I am the former King of Camelot."

Sona just stood there, mouth gaping.

"Does that make my boy a queen?" Mom asked.

Artoria just smiled. "Yes. Absolutely."

Mom clapped happily, clearly only caring about that detail above all others. "Did you ever hear the stories of when I took Takao to plays and how he wanted to be a knight when he grew up?" Mom asked, leaning in.

Artoria's eyebrows raised as she glanced my way. "I have not heard these tales."

"I'll make sure to share the stories later."

"Mom…" Takao sighed. "Can you please not?"

Mom puffed up her chest. "It's my duty!"

"Y-y-you're really King Arthur!?" Sona spoke in disbelief.

It's funny, my other self was taking it more in stride.

Artoria simply responded by taking out a familiar sword. Not her own, but the other one. She stabbed Caliburn into the ground in front of her, and the letters were easy to read. "Does this answer your question?"

Sona just continued to stare, dumbfounded.

"And what about my other daughter? You look like twins, almost." Mom looked over to Jeanne.

"Hello, Ma'am." Jeanne bowed her head. "My name is Jeanne d'Arc; Wilhelm is my boyfriend."

Sona let out a choked gasp. "That Jeanne D'arc!? The Saintess!?"

"Erm, well…" Jeanne fidgeted in place. "I never really considered myself a Saintess, and it feels awkward to claim that kind of title."

The thing is, Mom definitely recognized the names. Ironically, she was well educated and knew these kinds of historical figures despite being Japanese.

Even if by name or vague stories.

Mom just softened her gaze. "Call me Mom."

Jeanne flushed. "Mother…"

"Ah~ So cute!" She pulled Jeanne into a hug. "I love it; I have two new wonderful daughters."

My other self was staring too.

"Aren't you supposed to hate devils, though?" My other self pointed out.

"Takao, be nice," Mom chastised him.

"No, it's alright," Jeanne said calmly. "I understand how you may misunderstand." Instead, Jeanne reached for my hand. "I met Wilhelm awhile ago, before I knew he was a devil and…. He was very kind to me and sweet, and we spent some time together, and I started to like him before I found out. At that point, I didn't think it mattered; he was still the same person I knew."

"Truthfully, she seduced me," I stated.

"Neh!" She playfully hit my shoulder.

"Come on, sit down. I'm sure there's a lot we should talk about!" Mom grabbed both of them and pulled them inside.

Takao and Sona followed as Mom set them down at the table.

"Tell me how you met; I want to hear the details." She clapped her hands.

Artoria cleared her throat. "It is not a fanciful tale. I met Wilhelm while I was fulfilling my duty as a servant towards my master—the person I swore to serve. At the time, I did not have a perception of myself as a woman. Wilhelm spoke some words to me, expressing admiration. He let slip that he found me…pretty. I found the compliment in poor taste and thought he was simply speaking politely. He was adamant in correcting my views." She cast a warm gaze towards me. "We ended up on a date at his behest, and I had a wonderful time, and a small spark of interest emerged. It was only a matter of time from that point."

Mom was pushing her cheeks together as she let out a happy noise. "Who knew my little boy was so romantic!?"

Artoria, to her credit, was doing her best to not show how embarrassed she was. She wasn't the type to speak like this to someone she just met, but I knew she was doing it for my benefit.

"And what about you?" Mom looked towards Jeanne.

"Well…it's a bit more complicated. There was a war—"

"I briefly explained it to her the last time." I interrupted her slightly. "She knows the general outline."

"Ah?" Jeanne blinked. "That makes it easier. I was summoned to act as a moderator for the Grail War."

"The thing you said about summoning heroes from the past?" Sona asked.

"That's right," Jeanne answered.

"...That was real too." Sona muttered, as if her worldview were being flipped upside down.

I mean, I said all this truthfully. But I guess it's hard to believe when I said it in the same breath where I said I've killed gods.

I suppose, in hindsight, it's not very believable.

Jeanne puffed up as she looked at me. "The first time we met, he was bullying me! He would tease me relentlessly, then make jokes at my expense, and he tied me up and kidnapped me!"

Mom looked my way.

"Context is important."

"He also helped me a lot; he was kind and he was charitable. And…and when it was time for me to leave, he took me to see my home. He spent the day with me as he showed me the era after I died to see how my homeland fared after everything that happened. And in my last moments, he looked so sad that I was leaving. I felt my heart ache; I didn't know at the time, but I realized that it was because I already liked him."

She gave a very abridged version of what happened.

But even so…

Hearing it from her perspective was different.

"You're both with…him?" My other self pointed to me.

"That's right." Artoria confirmed.

"He really has a harem?"

Jeanne nodded this time. "Yes, they're all very nice." She smiled brightly.

Sona looked at him. "Don't be getting any ideas." She huffed indignantly.

"I'm not! I was…just curious."

Artoria looked at him curiously. "It is strange to see a younger version of Wilhelm."

Jeanne giggled. "But you can clearly tell it's still him. He still has the cute expression of his when he knows he's in trouble."

"Ah!?" Takao looked bashful at that.

"…it is cute," Sona begrudgingly admitted.

I made a choking noise, and Mom swatted at me from over the table. "Do you even need me to tell you why I'm hitting you?"

"I'm not apologizing."

"Wilhelm, be nice!" Jeanne pulled on my cheek.

I stuck my tongue out, but she pulled harder.

"You seem different." Takao spoke up.

It's weird that I seem to just automatically call him Takao in my head, despite us being the same person, technically.

"Different how?"

"I don't know. More steady? Maybe? Like you see a tree, then you come back years later, and it's taller and bigger."

I should say, as expected of me, he has good instincts.

"It's been awhile since I've been back. I've been through a lot, I suppose," I said vaguely. "But what's happened here in the meantime? Especially after the Kokabiel thing."

"Don't even mention that!" Takao threw his hands up. "Do you have any idea how much my reputation got destroyed because of you?"

"But you beat Kokabiel?"

"In a miniskirt! There are pictures of me online, upskirt pictures!"

I looked away, holding back a laugh.

"I'll kill you!" Takao tried to jump over the table, but Sona held him back. "You did it on purpose! And that stupid wand won't leave me alone! I only got it to stop following me around and being annoying by letting it watch anime in my room!"

"Well, the mid-life crisis magical girl might be happy to take Ruby off your hands—"

"Serafall offered to marry me if I gave her the wand as a dowry." Takao said point-blank.

"Oh wow." I blinked at that, and a glance at my mom told me that he wasn't exaggerating. "Well…it's an upgrade, right?"

Sona gave me a flat look. "I am not going to rise to your provocations."

"Yeah, whatever." I wasn't upset that she didn't take my bait.

Definitely not upset.

"Takao, be nice to Ruby. She may be…excitable, but she's been very helpful." Mom told him.

"That's easy for you to say; you don't randomly transform into a magical girl when she's bored!"

"You look cute in that outfit." Mom cooed.

Takao's head hit the table.

Sona pushed her glasses up. "After the Kokabiel incident, we took the…information you gave us more seriously. We found that Khaos Brigade you mentioned, and we were able to strike at them first."

"You mean the Satans struck at them first."

She rolled her eyes. "They were about to cause significant damage to that organization as they were not prepared for our sudden assault. I heard they had several gods among their numbers, but a few of their sub-organizations were forced to dissolve or scatter."

"And they haven't retaliated?" I asked, because they had been causing a lot of trouble back home.

"They have retaliated a few times, but nothing too bad." Sona replied.

Hmm

Maybe they were really crippled? It would have been a lot earlier that they got discovered; they might have gotten lucky and landed a fatal blow on them ahead of time.

"We—" I stopped.

I felt something familiar; the space around us shifted.

It was really familiar, and it clicked what was happening. This was the same feeling as when Soma used his Sacred Gear.

Artoria noticed, then Jeanne.

I stood up, and Mom recognized that something was wrong. "Wilhelm?"

"Someone's doing something. The space around us has been cut off." I answered. "Girls, please protect them if needed."

"Meiko Shimoda." A familiar voice rang out across the air. I remembered it because it had a really cocky tone to it. "Your home is surrounded and locked in another dimension. Please come out; we promise not to harm you if you cooperate."

It had been a very long time since I'd heard that voice.

I only remembered for a single important reason: it belonged to the previous owner of my spear.

The Hero Faction – Cao Cao.

[Line Break]

A/N

Looking Glass picking up a bit after the last one. Basically, this is Wilhelm as reflected at this point in time in the canon story, but now in the Looking Glass timeline, to sort of correlate the timelines a bit.

I'll do another Looking Glass next month or something like that. It won't be too long before the next update.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead of the regular chapter

If you want to read 1 chapter ahead of this omake, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name