Early morning, just before sunrise.
On the walls of Orario, the sound of clashing blades echoed continuously.
Bell, who was training with Ais, was immediately sent flying with a kick.
"Hahaha, that was terrible, Bell."
"Don't laugh at me, Mr. Emiya!"
"But it really was terrible!"
Looking at Bell's face, now covered in bruises, Shirou couldn't help but laugh.
It was the second day after that battle. Shirou and Ais, keeping their promise, had come here to train.
Not only them, but Lefiya had come along as well.
However, since Lefiya had been far too exhausted to even stand yesterday, her combat training was canceled today, allowing her to focus only on swordsmanship.
That left Shirou with nothing to do, so he simply watched Bell get beaten up in all sorts of ways.
"All right, that's enough for today. Time for the breakfast you've all been waiting for."
"Awesome! Thanks, Mr. Emiya!"
"Yes, thank you, brother!"
Bell and Lefiya were so excited that they almost jumped for joy when the training ended.
After a tiring workout, any meal tasted divine.
Especially one cooked by Shirou.
Watching the two devour their food, Shirou smiled, took a pancake for himself, and walked a few steps away to admire the rising sun.
As he became lost in the beauty of the scene, footsteps gradually approached from behind, growing clearer with each step.
"Ais, is that you?"
"Yes."
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
"…Compensation."
"Compensation? What kind of compensation?"
Confused, Shirou turned around, looking at Ais with a puzzled expression.
Seeing that, Ais hesitated slightly before speaking shyly. "On the tenth floor… I said I wanted to do the mission alone."
"Ah, that." Shirou understood immediately.
He and Ais had planned to train together in the dungeon, but things hadn't gone as expected.
First, they rescued Bell, and then got caught up in another mission.
While Shirou was away, Ais had planned to go off alone.
When he caught her in the act, she jokingly said she would "make it up to him" later.
Unexpectedly, Ais had taken that promise quite seriously—and was bringing it up now.
"I was just joking. How about we forget about that?"
Ais stared at him silently, expression firm. "No, I need to make it up to you."
"Seriously? You can't just forget it?"
"No!"
Faced with her stubbornness, Shirou felt completely helpless.
He couldn't think of any way to be "compensated."
Prompted by Ais's expectant gaze, Shirou began looking around for inspiration.
When his eyes fell on Bell, a certain unforgettable image suddenly flashed through his mind.
The next instant, that image was engraved in his thoughts—impossible to erase.
After a brief silence, Shirou hesitated, then whispered his "request" into Ais's ear.
The moment he finished, Ais's face turned bright red.
"Is… is that okay?"
"Yes."
Ais nodded slightly, then slowly knelt down, her cheeks glowing as she gently placed her hands on her thighs.
Seeing that, Shirou nervously lay down and rested his head on Ais's lap.
A lap pillow!
That soft sensation… this was the taste of pure happiness.
Inspired by Bell from the original story, Shirou had borrowed the same "reward idea"—and Ais had agreed.
Resting his head on her lap, feeling her warmth, Shirou closed his eyes peacefully, immersed in that blissful moment.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after finishing their delicious breakfast, Lefiya and Bell were calmly sipping the clear soup Shirou had prepared, savoring the lingering flavor.
Looking up just before taking another sip, Lefiya suddenly caught sight of the two in front of her—Shirou resting on Ais's lap—and immediately dropped her cup in shock.
Her expression turned utterly horrified.
Startled by her reaction, Bell nearly dropped his soup as well.
"Did you… see something terrifying?"
Driven by curiosity, Bell turned his head—and the moment he did, his cup slipped from his hands, crashing to the ground.
With faces twisted in disbelief, both of them stared blankly at the scene before them.
"Who am I? Where am I? What am I even doing?"
On the way back, Bell and Lefiya were completely out of it.
Ais, standing nearby, looked utterly confused.
What was wrong with those two? They'd been fine a moment ago!
Shirou, of course, knew the reason—but he didn't care. After all, he was the one who benefited the most.
After enjoying Ais's lap pillow for a while, Shirou's heart burned with quiet contentment.
Upon returning to the Familia's home, Lefiya quickly ran off. She needed to talk to her best friend and figure out what to do next.
"So, what are your plans now, Shirou? Are you heading back to the forge to continue studying blacksmithing techniques?"
"Me? I plan to go into the dungeon later—to explore and train."
"The dungeon? I'll come too!"
The moment Ais heard that, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
They could explore the dungeon together again.
"All right, then. Let's rest a bit first, and then head out."
"Okay!"
With that agreement, the two headed back to their dormitory.
In the days that followed, Shirou and Ais explored the dungeon together after their daily training sessions with Bell and Lefiya.
The constant time spent side by side, along with their joint explorations, only deepened their growing bond.
What began as a simple lap pillow had become an essential part of their daily routine—one that stirred something warmer between them.
Of course, that also meant Bell and Lefiya had to endure the daily display of affection every morning after breakfast, turning their days into a quiet kind of torment.
As time passed, Fels finally completed his mission.
After hearing Lulune's report, he remained silent for a long while before handing her two keys.
In the storage room Fels mentioned, Shirou and the others found the chests that matched the keys.
When they opened them, they were stunned—the chests were filled to the brim with jewels and various rare treasures.
Beyond the countless gemstones, there were gold and silver rings, decorated unicorn horns, and even a few grimoires.
Both Ais and Shirou were shocked by the sheer amount of wealth before them.
In the end, aside from one magic book Fels had left specifically for Shirou, Ais donated the rest of the money to the Familia, which had been struggling financially in preparation for the upcoming expedition.
Having grown up with few material desires, Ais had no real interest in wealth.
What she wanted—more than anything—was the expedition itself.
As for Shirou, being a blacksmith, money was hardly a concern.
Things had gone just as he hoped; with that newfound fund, the Familia's financial troubles were quickly resolved.
That very night, during dinner, Loki stood up and announced proudly that in eight days, the Loki Familia would once again embark on their next great expedition.
(End of Chapter)