The fading rays of the sunset fell upon Kaito Sora.
He was a strikingly handsome young man, the kind who could easily captivate any naive girl at first sight.
But.
To Medusa, he was nothing but terrifying.
In the first two days after she woke up, she sensed that her connection with her Master had been severed.
She had thought that Kaito Sora would come looking for her, that he would hunt her down.
But when he didn't, Medusa gradually let her guard down.
Perhaps he thought she was already dead.
He hadn't anticipated that she possessed the ability to act independently, to maintain her presence in the world even after her Master's death, and to replenish her magical energy by absorbing blood.
During this time,
she had begun to grow accustomed to the peaceful life with the Nishimiya family.
She enjoyed the tranquility.
She even fantasized about watching the two kind and lovely Nishimiya children grow up, imagining herself as a part of this family, living out her days in quiet contentment.
And then,
with the appearance of the man standing before her in the fading sunlight,
Medusa realized.
Her dream had shattered.
In the Nishimiya family's living room,
the space was small.
Aside from the elderly, it seemed no one else was home.
"Are you here to kill me?"
Medusa's fists clenched as she looked at Kaito Sora, who was leisurely surveying the room's layout. Her voice was dry and tense.
"Whether you believe me or not, I no longer wish to participate in the Holy Grail War. I just want to live a quiet life, so..."
"I believe you."
A glimmer of hope flickered in Medusa's eyes.
"But do you think you can simply quit after joining this game?"
Medusa's clenched fists loosened helplessly.
She let out a self-mocking laugh in her heart.
Of course.
Having joined the Holy Grail War, how could she, who had not achieved ultimate victory, ever hope to live a peaceful life here? What had she been thinking?
Had the Nishimiya family's influence made her weak?
At that moment,
the sound of the door opening echoed through the house, followed by the voice of a mature woman.
"Nori?"
"Why are there an extra pair of shoes here? Do we have a guest?"
Seeing Medusa's sudden tension,
Kaito Sora asked curiously, "Nori?"
"That's the name I gave them."
In the brief moment it took for the newcomers to reach the living room—given the small size of the house—three people appeared at the doorway.
A beautiful woman with flaxen hair, a young girl, and a boyish-looking black-haired teenager.
"Who is this?"
Nishimiya Yaeko scrutinized Kaito Sora with a wary gaze.
"Mrs. Nishimiya, you..."
Medusa wanted to tell Nishimiya Yaeko to take her daughters upstairs and not get involved in this matter.
But Kaito Sora had already risen to his feet.
"You must be Mrs. Nishimiya."
"Thank you for taking care of Medusa during this time."
Hearing this,
the Nishimiya mother and daughter's expressions turned noticeably colder.
When they had found Medusa,
she had been covered in wounds.
It was easy to imagine the torment she must have endured to escape.
"Please leave my house immediately!"
Nishimiya Yaeko demanded, "Or I'll call the police!"
Even though she had initially opposed her daughter Nishimiya Shouko's decision to bring Medusa home,
after spending a few days with her,
she had come to realize that Medusa was a kind and pitiable woman. She had grown accustomed to having her around and had even begun to think of her as part of the family.
"Madam, it's not what you think..."
Medusa was momentarily panicked,
fearing that Kaito Sora might lose his temper and harm the Nishimiya family.
But Kaito Sora merely glanced at her, and Medusa fell silent.
Though she could act independently without a Master,
she was only able to maintain a minimal level of existence, living like an ordinary person. In a fight, she might not even be able to defeat a third-rate Servant.
If she truly angered Kaito Sora,
even if she fought to the death, she wouldn't be able to protect the Nishimiya family.
Seeing this, Nishimiya Yaeko and Nishimiya Shouko confirmed that Kaito Sora was the one who had tortured Medusa, and they now saw him as a cruel and violent monster.
Nishimiya Yaeko immediately shielded her daughters behind her.
"Please leave my house!"
Kaito Sora ignored her undisguised hostility and instead walked up to Nishimiya Yaeko with a smile.
As he approached,
Nishimiya Yaeko tried to maintain eye contact, but it was clear that her confidence had waned.
"I'll go with you!"
Medusa blurted out, "Please, don't hurt them. They're innocent!"
Nishimiya Yaeko remained silent, clearly resigned to the situation.
She had realized that
this man, who had imprisoned such a beautiful woman and wore such expensive-looking clothes, was not someone she, a single mother, could stand against if he decided to harm her family...
"Your daughter has a hearing impairment, doesn't she?"
"What are you planning?!"
Nishimiya Yaeko immediately bristled like a lioness, glaring at Kaito Sora.
"If you have any issues, take them out on me! If you dare harm Shouko, I'll never forgive you, even if I have to become a ghost!"
"Don't you dare hurt my sister!"
Nishimiya Yuzuru stepped in front of her sister, glaring at Kaito Sora.
Nishimiya Shouko, too, was frantic, trying to say something, but all that came out were incoherent sounds.
Kaito Sora tilted his head, scanning the room.
He noticed that everyone was looking at him with a mix of tension and fear.
"Tch."
"Do I really look that much like a villain?"
The Nishimiya family was taken aback. Nishimiya Yuzuru gathered her courage and said, "You're the one who hurt Nori... Medusa."
"Well, it's hard to explain, but anyway..."
Kaito Sora thought for a moment but couldn't come up with a way to explain it to them.
Instead, he turned to Nishimiya Yaeko and said, "In any case, I can cure your daughter's hearing impairment."
"Really?"
Before Nishimiya Yaeko could respond, Medusa couldn't help but ask, "You can really cure Shouko?"
"Of course."
"But the condition is that you come with me."
Before Medusa could answer, Nishimiya Shouko shook her head vigorously.
She struggled to speak, but only incoherent sounds came out. Finally, she grabbed a notebook and quickly wrote something, holding it up for everyone to see.
[Don't go with him. I don't need to be cured.]
"It's alright. He won't hurt me anymore, Shouko."
Medusa's gaze softened as she looked at Nishimiya Shouko.
Then she turned to Kaito Sora, her voice firm. "Cure Shouko, and I'll go with you."
In the end,
after Medusa's persuasion,
Nishimiya Yaeko and Nishimiya Yuzuru reluctantly agreed to let Kaito Sora try.
Though Nishimiya Shouko was unwilling, she couldn't resist the combined insistence of the other three. Deep down, she also longed to have her hearing restored.
And so,
under the watchful and anxious gazes of Medusa and the others,
Nishimiya Shouko sat on a chair.
Kaito Sora stood beside her, placing his hands on either side of her ears.
The power of lightning surged.
Electric currents flowed into Nishimiya Shouko's ears, gently stimulating the nerves.
Nishimiya Shouko's hearing impairment was congenital, a neural issue.
Kaito Sora carefully used his lightning magic to stimulate the damaged nerves and unblock the meridians in her ears.
At first, Nishimiya Shouko was uneasy,
but gradually, she felt a soothing, tingling sensation in her ears, and her eyes closed in comfort.
"Mmm..."
It felt so good.
Seeing Nishimiya Shouko's expression,
the suspicion and tension in Medusa and Nishimiya Yaeko's eyes gradually eased.
[Conditions met. Triggering keyword!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the keyword: Sensory Deprivation!]
[Sensory Deprivation]: The ability to temporarily deprive others of their five senses. The duration depends on the difference in mental strength between the user and the target.
After about ten minutes,
Kaito Sora withdrew his hands.
"It's done."
Only then did Nishimiya Shouko realize the treatment was over, and a look of reluctance crossed her face.
But soon,
she froze.
She had removed her hearing aid for the treatment, so she shouldn't have been able to hear anything. Yet...
Noticing Nishimiya Shouko's confusion, Nishimiya Yaeko asked, her voice trembling, "Shouko, can you hear me?"
Nishimiya Shouko nodded, then shook her head.
She quickly grabbed her notebook and wrote something, holding it up.
[I can hear, but it's not clear from far away.]
"Her condition requires long-term treatment."
"I'll come back every few days to treat her."
"In a few months, she should be fully cured."
Nishimiya Yaeko's face lit up with excitement, but then she remembered something and her expression changed.
"What about the treatment fees..."
"No need. Medusa will cover it for you, right?"
Kaito Sora smiled as he looked at Medusa.
"Yes, I'll handle the fees."
Nishimiya Shouko grabbed Kaito Sora's sleeve, her eyes pleading.
"Don't worry."
Kaito Sora patted her head.
"I won't hurt her."
"I'll bring her to visit you often."
Medusa also spoke softly, "Don't worry, Shouko. Things aren't as you think. He's not a bad person."
Only then did Nishimiya Shouko let go of Kaito Sora's sleeve, her eyes filled with apology and reluctance.
[Thank you. I'm sorry.]
"No need to apologize, Shouko. If anything, I should be the one thanking you."
Kaito Sora didn't stay to watch the emotional farewell between the Nishimiya family and Medusa.
He left the Nishimiya house alone.
Standing on the street outside, he didn't have to wait long before Medusa emerged.
Kaito Sora said nothing.
Under the cold moonlight,
he walked along the lamp-lit street, with Medusa following closely behind.
Once they were far enough from the Nishimiya house, Medusa spoke earnestly, "I'll obey you from now on."
"Even if it means dying, I'll do it."
"But please, I beg you, cure Nishimiya Shouko. She's a good child."
"Don't worry. I'll cure her."
Kaito Sora stopped walking.
"As for you,"
"I've given you enough face with the Nishimiya family. Now it's your turn to give me some."
Medusa nodded.
Kaito Sora reached out and lifted Medusa's chin.
Under her puzzled gaze,
he kissed her.
At first, Medusa felt a surge of shame and anger.
If anyone else had dared to do this to her,
even if it meant abandoning the Holy Grail War, she would have killed them without hesitation.
But that thought lasted only a moment.
The image of Nishimiya Shouko flashed in her mind, and as she looked at Kaito Sora's handsome face, she ultimately didn't pull away. She allowed him to kiss her lips and embrace her.
The power of the Contract Kiss activated.
[Conditions met. Triggering keyword!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the keyword: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!]
[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]: The ability to see the end of life and concepts, and bring that end into the present.
A long time passed.
After the contract was complete, Kaito Sora took his time enjoying Medusa's soft, sweet lips and tongue.
Only then did he release her, leaving her breathless and dazed.
He activated the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Before him,
lines appeared all over Medusa's body, along with points where the lines intersected.
Not only were there lines that could kill Medusa,
but there were also lines representing her Mystic Eyes, her monstrous strength, her divinity, and even the contract formed by their Contract Kiss—all of them could be severed!
Medusa, on the other hand, felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
A terrifying aura of death enveloped her,
far more frightening than actual death. It was as if her very existence could be erased...
"M-Master?"
Kaito Sora retracted his gaze.
He saw the fear and nervousness in Medusa's eyes.
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.
"Mmm?"
Medusa's body tensed, but then she gradually relaxed, wrapping her arms around Kaito Sora's waist for the first time.