Chapter 59: Degradation

Making his way into the living room, Shirou ran his unbandaged right hand through his hair as he replied, "I was hoping to discuss this much later on. But I guess now is as good a time as any..."

After reaching a more comfortable conversing distance, Shirou looked around, meeting the gazes of everyone present before settling on Illya as he revealed, "The reason we haven't gone out to sea in the past year and a half isn't because of my injuries. Once my body reaches 51% corruption, I will cease to exist..."

As she was well aware of Shirou's condition, Illya couldn't help feeling confused, asking, "What do you mean? I know you've been borrowing the power of your 'future' self, but it's still you, right? Even if your skin and hair change color, you wouldn't just cease to exist."

Shaking his head, Shirou replied, "You're wrong. While Heroic Spirit EMIYA and I are connected, we possess distinct egos. His is much stronger than mine, so once he takes control, everything I am will become a part of his 'memory.'"

Before Illya could interrupt him, Shirou raised his right hand to silence her, revealing, "It's alright, Illya. Miyu is already aware of my condition, and we both came to terms with it years ago. That's one of the reasons we've been loitering her for the past year and a half. If I have to fight someone like Kizaru again, that's probably the end for me..."

Tearing up, Illya replied, "That can't be true..." in a faint, sobbing tone. Then, as if a switch had been flipped inside her brain, she became serious and resolute, loudly asserting, "There has to be a way to save you! With the power of Magic, anything is possible...!"

Instead of attempting to refute Illya's words, Shirou nodded, adopting a wry smile as he replied, "You're right. With the power of the Holy Grail and the Heaven's Feel Ritual, it's possible to separate mine and EMIYA's egos anew. We could also transfer my consciousness to a body without Magic Circuits, preventing his encroachment at the cost of my ability to manifest his power. There are plenty of ways to save me, but they all involve giving up the ability to fight..."

Directing his attention to Thomas, Shirou asked, "I know this is asking for a lot, but will you help us? I have always been willing to die for our cause, but I don't want to make my sister sad..."

Though he was a little overwhelmed by the severity of the discussion, Thomas didn't have to consider his response, stating, "I already agreed to hand over any Install Cards we came across. If you need anything else, it will have to wait until I've reached my goal and helped a few other people attain their dreams. After that, I don't mind lending you a hand. I may be a selfish asshole, but I'm not a monster."

Disagreeing with Thomas's words, Vivi furrowed her brows and asserted, "You're not a selfish person, Tom. If you were, you wouldn't be working so hard to help others and keep your promises."

Smiling wryly, Thomas decided not to argue with Vivi. Instead, he held Shirou's gaze as he added, "It will be three years at the earliest. Until then, I can arrange to have the Doctor I summoned take a look at you. With the proper ingredients, he can even cure death and make people immortal. Stabilizing your condition shouldn't be an issue."

Blinking in surprise, Shirou asked, "You summoned a Doctor? That's the first time I've heard that classification for a Heroic Spirit..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas revealed, "The nine Class Cards I was given were a little unorthodox. Instead of the usual seven Classes, they were positions associated with seafaring. More specifically, I summoned a Captain, First Mate, Second Mate, Cook, Doctor, Navigator, Shipwright, Sniper, and Musician."

Still seated atop Thomas's head, Ruby exhaled an exasperated sigh as she remarked, "That certainly sounds like something my Creator would do..."

Continuing where he left off, Thomas explained, "The Doctor I summoned is Asclepius, the Greek God of Medicine. He's off doing his own thing right now, but if your condition deteriorates, I can summon him using one of my Command Spells. He won't be happy having his research interrupted, but once he hears about your condition...let's just say he's very devoted to his work..."

Adopting a faint smile, Shirou replied, "I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to waste a Command Spell on me. So long as I don't overexert myself against a powerful opponent, I'll be fine. The condition of my body isn't worsening or anything."

"Well, the offer is on the table," replied Thomas, adding, "My Command Spells regenerate at a rate of one per month, and I don't really use them for anything else."

Shaking his head, Shirou insisted, "It's fine. You're already helping us by agreeing to hand over any Install Cards you find. I don't want to become too indebted to you without a chance to return the favor."

Inserting herself back into the conversation, Chloe asked, "Speaking of which, are you ready to form a contract? The sooner we get it out of the way, the sooner we can eat lunch and discuss which Install Cards we'll be lending you."

Adopting a deadpan expression, Thomas replied, "I don't mind, so long as it doesn't involve kissing or anything lewd..."

Flinching like a kid that had just gotten caught trying to perform a prank, the smile on Chloe's face became awkward until Shirou pointed out, "Our world is part of the fiction in Thomas's host reality. He was able to identify me on sight and knew each of your names before he met you."

To prevent any misunderstandings, Thomas promptly pointed out, "Yeah, but I never watched the anime you originate from. In my world, we have something called the Nasuverse, which includes a ton of interconnected anime, manga, and video games. I know about you, but I'm not aware of the 'plot' of your world."

Pointing to Chloe, Thomas added, "As for this one, she appears as one of the Heroic Spirits in a game called Fate Grand Order. One of her skills is called 'Kiss Demon,' so she's fairly famous within various communities..."

Adopting a deadpan expression of her own, a now-recovered Illya gave Chloe a sidelong stare as she muttered, "I believe it..."

Clicking her tongue, Chloe crossed her arms and asked, "What's the big deal? It's just a Mana Transfer utilizing mucous membranes. Besides, while we might look like this, we're old enough to be high schoolers, you know?"

Not finished with what she had to say, Chloe met Thomas's gaze, smiling as she added, "Also, you can't tell me you're not at least a little attracted to me. You can dispute it all you want, but you can't deceive 'these' eyes. They can discern the true nature of people, objects, and even the Mystic Codes of Heroic Spirits..."

Furrowing his brows, Thomas didn't immediately respond to Chloe's accusation. The truth was that most of his 'knowledge' of Fate Kaleid and its characters came from a website whose logo resembled an n with pink devil wings. He had delved into quite a few 'questionable' tags on the site, but there was a difference between fapping to a 2D image and having an actual preference for little girls, even if they were 'legal.'

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Having convinced himself, Thomas surprised Vivi by pulling her closer as he replied, "I won't lie. I find you cute, and your promiscuous nature has its charms, but I'm not a lolicon. I prefer strong and beautiful women with big tits and shapely asses."

While Vivi blushed fiercely and covered her face, Chloe pointed to Astolfo, contesting, "Then what about this one? She may be a full head taller than us, but her tits and ass are even smaller than mine and Illya's. She almost looks like a boy."

Before Astolfo could reveal the truth, Thomas pulled her closer, asserting, "Astolfo is an exception." in a firm tone.

Shrugging her shoulders, Chloe replied, "Then I don't see why there can't be more. Besides, it's not like I'm suggesting we have sex or anything. It's just forming a contract and transferring Magical Energy. It's not really that big a deal. Here, watch this."

Without waiting for Thomas to respond, Chloe abruptly pushed Illya onto the sofa, eliciting a startled, "What do you-" before she promptly sealed her fair-skinned counterpart's lips. Illya tried to break free, but Chloe had learned all her weaknesses, effortlessly bypassing her defenses to drain her Magical Energy.

As Chloe constantly needed to resupply her Magical Energy, Shirou just exhaled a sigh in response to common sight while Thomas, Astolfo, and Vivi observed with wide, unblinking stares.

After nearly a full minute, Chloe released Illya from her clutches, leaving the latter with a red face and panting as she sat up, wiped her mouth, and turned to face Thomas, stating, "See? It's not a big deal."

"..." x 3

Undaunted by the trio's silence, Chloe narrowed her eyes, adopting a catty smile as she asked, "Did that excite you, perhaps~?"

To 'expose' Thomas's true nature, Chloe slid her right hand under the hem of Illya's blouse, pushing it up to expose her navel. Thomas's gaze didn't wander, but Chloe could sense the elevation in his tensions, compelling her to tease, "Look at you, getting all flustered..."

Retracting her hand from the still-dazed Illya, Chloe caressed her own exposed abdomen, appending, "Mine and Illya's bodies are pretty much identical. Maybe you have a preference for innocent and bashful girls...?"

Closing his eyes, Thomas exhaled through his nose and said, "This is why I refused your request to accompany us. I don't need the added stress of a second legal loli trying to tempt me. Like, I get that you're not a kid, but it doesn't change the fact you look like one..."

Shrugging her shoulders, Chloe reiterated, "Once again, it's not like I'm suggesting we have sex or anything. Kisses don't mean anything unless you think they do, and there's no harm in simply staring. I don't mind, so why make a fuss?"

Without waiting for Thomas's response, Chloe looked to Astolfo and Vivi, questioning, "What do the two of you think? Do you think my appearance is that big an issue?"

As she originated from a time and place where 'meaningful' consent was a mere seven years of age, Astolfo replied, "I don't really see the issue, but I respect Tom's reservations. If he feels your appearance is an issue, then it is. At least to him."

Though she had encountered girls in their late teens and early twenties who were even smaller than Chloe, Vivi's expression became awkward as she replied, "My response is similar to Astolfo's. I wholeheartedly support whatever decision Thomas makes..."

Clicking her tongue, Chloe was about to ask Vivi how old she was when Thomas interjected, stating, "I know it's possible to transfer Magical Energy without kissing. Establishing a contract should be the same. If you're going to keep trying to force the matter, you can forget traveling with us..."

Shrugging for the nth time, Chloe replied, "I'm not trying to 'force' the matter. I'm just trying to get you to accept that you're making a big deal over nothing. If you want to establish the contract another way, I don't have a problem with it. It's just a lot of additional effort for no 'justifiable' reason."

Inserting himself back into the conversation, Shirou said, "Either way, it can wait until after lunch. We're having tonkatsu rice, panko, miso soup, and salad. We should hurry before it gets cold."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Shirou took the initiative to leave the living room. He was used to Chloe's 'obstinance' after three and a half years, so he didn't bat an eye at her behavior. The most important thing, at least from his perspective, was that Thomas wasn't the one trying to take advantage of the situation. If Chloe was the one to take the initiative, it was perfectly fine. Much like how student-teacher relationships worked back in his home country...

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(A/N: Different cultures have different rules, and morals change drastically with time...)

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