Epilogue: “I Love You” End

Once again, winter was coming to an end. A little over a year had passed since the Holy Grail War that had left so much sorrow and so many scars upon this city. There had been a few skirmishes afterward, but now things had finally settled down.

Shirou, brimming with excitement as he returned home with his university acceptance letter in hand, stepped through the door—and froze. Right there in front of him, a strikingly handsome man with distinctive blue hair and red eyes was polishing shoes.

“Yo, welcome back.”

“Ah— I’m home. Long time no see, Lancer.”

Lancer replied with a casual “Yeah,” his hands still carefully working the polish into the leather. It had been a full year since Shirou had last seen him.

After the final battle, Bazett had asked Caster to grant Lancer a flesh-and-blood body. The sudden request had left Shirou and the others stunned—and Lancer himself looked as if someone had splashed cold water over his head. Yet Caster, the one asked to perform the deed, accepted without so much as a blink.

They were already looking ahead. The Fuyuki Grail, corrupted though it was, still retained the power of a wish-granting device—one that, in the right hands, might even reach the Root. Dismantling such a thing would not be simple. Lancer was meant as insurance for that time.

But when they tried to begin dismantling after consulting with Sister Caren, the supervisor, the Clock Tower inevitably dispatched opposing magi. A fierce struggle ensued at the Tohsaka residence—not of brute force, but of politics and rhetoric.

It had nearly escalated into a conflict involving the entire Clock Tower. The crisis was only defused when the sole male survivor of the previous Holy Grail War and the Tohsaka family’s great patriarch personally intervened, forcing a settlement by sheer authority.

Shirou only knew fragments of this—he hadn’t been involved at all. The negotiations required a political acumen far beyond his reach; a novice like him had no place there.

After the dust settled, Bazett and Lancer had set off across the world, hunting down those branded with Sealing Designations.

“…Wait, don’t tell me I’ve been branded with a Sealing Designation!?”

“If I’d come to hunt you, Saber would’ve kicked me out ages ago.”

Relieved, Shirou couldn’t help but laugh at hearing that nostalgic name.

“What is it?”

“Nothing—it’s just, it’s been a while since I heard you call her Saber.”

“Ah, I see. Well, that’s still the name that feels right to me. …And, there, done.”

Finishing the last pair of shoes, Lancer stood.

“Is Bazett here too?”

“Nah, she’s with Caster. There was a kid who’d been messed with by some bastard we bagged on a Sealing hunt. She didn’t like the idea of him being used as a test subject at the Clock Tower, so she went to see if Caster could treat him.”

That made sense. Caster would surely save the child. Especially lately, she had grown so gentle toward children. Because—

“Still, I never thought she’d actually have a kid of her own.”

Caster had given birth to a baby. Using the Grail’s power when she incarnated, she’d apparently “tweaked” herself in various ways.

“Yeah… when Ami was born, it was a real shock.”

Though perhaps the biggest shock of all was how much Kuzuki-sensei had changed. He doted on Ami completely. His expression remained as stern as ever, but when a student asked him about his daughter during class, he had gone on at length about how cute she was. The sheer gap from his usual demeanor had left everyone speechless.

Admittedly, Ami really was cute. Shirou had once been allowed to hold her, and the way she laughed innocently was utterly endearing.

“Lately, Caster’s been coming by here a lot. Says she wants to properly learn cooking.”

“Bride training, huh? Ha! Imagine teaching a witch from the Age of Gods how to cook—that’s an honor if I ever heard one.”

“When you put it that way… yeah, it really is amazing.”

Still chatting, they walked down the hall toward the living room, where they found Illya, wearing an apron.

She had once been told she had only a few years left to live, but thanks to Caster’s adjustments, she could now live like any ordinary person. Inspired by that, she had thrown herself into learning household skills—cooking, cleaning, laundry, and all the basics.

When Shirou and Lancer entered, Illya’s face blossomed with a smile.

“Welcome home, Shirou.”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

Illya went to the kitchen and brought back tea, looking genuinely happy.

“You’re in a good mood, Illya.”

“Yes, I’m in such a good mood! Because—”

She stopped mid-sentence, then smirked mischievously.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. Anyway, today was your results day, wasn’t it? How did it go?”

“Perfectly.”

When Shirou showed her the acceptance notice, Illya’s smile softened.

“That’s wonderful, Shirou. Well, I knew from the start you’d pass.”

“Haha, thanks.”

Illya twirled around the room, overjoyed, and Shirou couldn’t help but smile back. Giving up magecraft to devote himself wholly to study had been worth it.

At first, he had intended to skip university altogether and find work right away. He’d wanted to become independent as soon as possible, to put her at ease. But in today’s world, a mere high school diploma might cause problems later. After much hesitation, he chose to continue on to higher education.

“Ilya, where’s Satori?”

“She was just cleaning the dojo.”

“Thanks.”

Satori—that was Saber. After the war, she had chosen to live under her true name: Hino Sato. Still, since “Satoru” felt too masculine, she pronounced it “Satori” instead.

Once, her golden hair and blue eyes had made her look the image of a Western woman. Now, she had black hair and black eyes. Her features still leaned Western, but the sense of incongruity was far less than before.

“Satori.”

Heading alone to the dojo, Shirou stepped inside. There, Satori was absentmindedly scrubbing the floor with a cloth.

“Hey, Satori!”

When she didn’t respond, he raised his voice, but she still seemed lost in thought.

Lately, this had been happening more often. What was wrong with her…?

“Satori?”

He approached, placing a hand on her shoulder. Only then did she finally notice him.

Startled, she flustered and bowed her head. “Welcome back.”

“Yeah, I’m home.”

Satori wrung out the cloth, put it back in the bucket, and stood up.

“S-sorry. I meant to finish sooner… Ah, the bath’s already ready! And dinner’s prepped, so I can serve it right away— which do you want first?”

It was clear now—something about her was off.

“What’s wrong?”

“Eh?”

“You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.”

When Shirou asked, Satori looked as if she were about to cry.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“No, I’m not blaming you. I’m just… worried, that’s all.”

“…Sorry.”

Damn it. That wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want an apology. But Satori immediately sank into her negative mode.

“…Anyway, let’s eat.”

“Right. I’ll get it ready right away.”

After hurriedly cleaning up and leaving the dojo, Satori walked off. Shirou sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead as he watched her go.

Something was obviously wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. And whenever he asked, all she did was apologize. For a moment he wondered if it was nerves over his university results, but if that were the case, she would have asked him about them the moment she saw him. So that wasn’t it.

“What on earth is going on…?”

Time passed without an answer. Even during dinner, Satori drifted off into thought again and again.

“Hey, what’s up with her…?”

Even Lancer had noticed her odd behavior and kept glancing at her.

“I don’t know…”

It didn’t seem to be illness. Even incarnated, Satori’s body was far beyond human standards. Unless she ingested some incredibly potent poison, she wasn’t going to catch a cold—hers was a “super body.”

“Whenever I try to ask, all she says is ‘I’m sorry’…”

“…Could be she’s got something she can’t say to you. Or maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe she’s fed up with you.”

Shirou’s face stiffened at the teasing jab.

“Hey, relax—I’m kidding. No way. That girl’s crazy about you.”

“But… what if she really is…”

“No, that’s not it.”

It was Illya who spoke, sipping her miso soup. She glanced at the absentminded Satori and gave a little shrug.

“I can say that much for certain. The rest is for you to figure out yourself.”

“If you know something, then just tell me.”

“Nope. Either Satori brings it up herself, or you notice it on your own. I’m not saying a word.”

“Why not!?”

“Because this is a husband-and-wife issue.”

“What kind of logic is that…?”

In the end, the cause of Satori’s condition remained a mystery. And really—calling it a “husband-and-wife issue” was ridiculous, since they weren’t even married yet…

After dinner, once everyone had helped finish the dishes, Shirou headed for the bath. Satori followed close behind. Ever since the first time they had shared a night together, it had become their custom to bathe together.

Most nights, that led naturally into “adult time,” but lately, with Satori out of sorts, all they did was wash each other’s backs.

Stripping down and sitting with his back turned, Shirou finally spoke as she scrubbed his shoulders.

“…Hey. What’s going on with you?”

His tone had come out sharper than intended.

“Uh… um…”

Satori faltered, unable to speak. Shirou let out another sigh.

“Why won’t you tell me…?”

“Because…”

He couldn’t understand her. Not what she was thinking, not what she was feeling.

Illya had said it wasn’t that she’d grown tired of him. But then why wouldn’t Satori say anything? What could possibly be so hard to tell him?

As he racked his brain, a sudden thought struck him.

“…Is it that you want to go back?”

“Huh?”

The more he considered it, the more sense it made. Homesickness.

Satori wasn’t originally from this world. She had died in another, and Shirou had forcibly summoned her as the Servant Saber. They had even gone to visit places that shared the same names as her hometown—but her house wasn’t there. The university bore the same name, but she had no records. Even her old apartment didn’t exist.

He remembered how sad she had looked back then. She hadn’t cried, but the pain was written all over her face. Three months had passed since. She had seemed to recover, but maybe she had only been forcing herself to hold it in.

“…I’m sorry. It’s my fault—for summoning you…”

He could never return her home. He had dragged her here against her will, and all he could offer now were useless apologies.

“N-no! That’s not it! That’s not why!”

Satori blurted it out in a fluster.

After wandering her gaze as though wrestling with herself, she finally drew in a deep breath and said:

“…Listen, I—”

Shirou nearly blacked out from the shock of her words.

He thought he must have misheard. Because what she said was far, far too unexpected.

“C-could you… say that again?”

“O-okay…”

Her cheeks flushed red as she spoke again, shyly.

“…I’m pregnant.”

This time the meaning sank into his brain, exploding through his body like a thunderclap.

“P-pregnant…?”

“…Yeah.”

“O-our baby? Yours and mine…?”

“W-who else’s would it be?”

Shirou twisted around sharply, his eyes darting to Satori’s faintly blushing belly.

“O-our baby’s really… in there?”

“…Yeah. About three months along, actually. Soon, my belly will start to show. Caster told me.”

“When did you find out!?”

“A little while ago. I felt strange, so I asked Caster to check… and then she told me.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me right away!?”

“B-because…”

Tears welled in her eyes. Shirou panicked, instantly regretting the sharpness of his words.

“S-sorry. But I was worried sick, you know…”

“…I was scared.”

“Scared…?”

When he repeated her words, she broke down, sobbing.

“Because—I used to be a guy, Shirou. And now I’m going to be a mom. It feels like I’ve done something really wrong somehow… and it terrified me…”

“Wait… Satori. Are you saying… you don’t want our baby?”

He couldn’t help asking the cruel question. Satori frantically shook her head, denying it with all her strength. Relief washed over him.

“I am happy… that I’m having your baby. I’m grateful Caster made my body able to carry one. And I don’t regret that night we spent together. Not at all. But…”

“You just… don’t have the confidence?”

She nodded faintly. Shirou smiled gently.

Looking closely, he realized her expression now was the same as back then—when she had discovered her old home didn’t exist in this world. When she’d nearly lost her sense of belonging. She hadn’t shed tears, but her face had looked so empty. He had been terrified she would vanish from his life. That was why, in his desperation to hold her close, they had first shared their bodies.

And after, she had looked at him with that very same expression, asking: “Was it really okay, with someone like me?”

“…Satori.”

Shirou whispered her name, gently cupping her cheek.

“I love you.”

“Shirou…”

“I’m happy we’re having a baby. Sure, I’m scared too. Honestly, I don’t even feel like a father yet. But I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to be one. And I want you to do the same—to become a wonderful mother.”

“But I—”

“I’ll be with you.”

Shirou’s voice was firm, unwavering.

“I’ll support you, so you can be the best mother you can be. If you’re afraid, lean on me.”

“…Shirou.”

Her hand drifted to her belly as she murmured:

“Do you think… I can really be a good mom?”

“You can. And you will. That’s why we have to work hard for it.”

“…You’re right. I have to try. Even change the way I talk, maybe…”

“That’s not—”

“I have to. If I’m going to be a mom, I don’t want our child to ever feel embarrassed. I’ll dress more feminine too. From now on… I need to fully become a woman.”

“…Satori.”

“Yeah. Somehow… I feel like I finally found the resolve. For everything.”

She wiped away her tears, and smiled.

"…We’ll need to think of a name."

"Yeah… I’ll have to put a lot of thought into it, really do my best…"

"Hey, Shirou."

"What is it?"

"I love you."

"Yeah. I love you too."