Chapter 148: I Could Call You "Mom" Too, You Know

The moment Jiang You pushed open the door, a katana was pressed against his neck.

"Seriously? You know your attacks won't work on me, right?" Jiang You raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "I'm here to see Illya."

"You've been here so long, and only now do you come to find me? I thought you'd forgotten about me."

Illya signaled Minamoto no Raikou to maintain her stance. "Don't lower the sword."

Jiang You had actually sent Hundred Faces to find Illya earlier, but she had flatly refused.

"I won't see you now. Since you broke our promise, we're enemies! I'll defeat you in your own game!"

Illya had declared her intention to defeat Jiang You in a Shadow Game, after which he would be bound to honor their agreement and never lie to her again.

"Didn't I stay away exactly as you asked?" Jiang You protested, insisting he had scrupulously followed her instructions, not taking a single step closer before the finals.

"You!" Illya suddenly flew into a rage and kicked Jiang You sharply on the shin.

Though the kick barely stung, Jiang You knew the drill. He immediately bit his lip, contorting his face into an exaggerated expression of excruciating pain that he was desperately trying to suppress—a trick he often used to pacify his younger relatives.

Minamoto no Raikou watched Jiang You's performance in silence, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on her face. She knew Illya's kick couldn't possibly inflict real pain on a servant, and Jiang You was clearly faking it. He understood how to charm women, but his understanding was incomplete.

Illya's earlier statement, while ostensibly forbidding Raikou from visiting Jiang You, hadn't explicitly prohibited Jiang You from coming to her. Had he understood this nuance, Illya wouldn't be acting this way now.

Naturally, as an extremely possessive servant, Minamoto no Raikou had no intention of helping Jiang You explain himself. The more Illya rejected him, the happier Raikou became. After all, during their time together, Illya had constantly talked about Jiang You, even though Raikou was her officially summoned servant.

"Speak," Illya said, having vented her anger. "What's so important?"

She was actually quite curious about what Jiang You would say, given his hasty arrival. Reluctantly, Raikou withdrew her weapon.

"There's something wrong with Shinji Matou," Jiang You began, explaining his concerns. He had been observing Shinji's behavior since his defeat. "He seems to be waiting for our duel to begin, but that's not like him. If it were the real Shinji, he would have already slunk home to cry in shame. Once the duel starts, there's no easy way out. I need you to help me put on an act."

"You came to me just for this?" Illya asked, surprised.

While Illya was pleased that Jiang You had come to her for help, she found his explanation deeply unsatisfying. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was only seeking her out for another man's sake. "Why don't you just kill him outright?" she suggested. "Shinji Matou is nothing special. Even that old worm Zouken Matou from the Matou family is already..."

Her words trailed off as she realized Zouken Matou likely wouldn't die so easily. "Then it's almost certainly Zouken's doing, probably for the Soul Crystal. That should be easy enough for you to handle, right?"

"But he's already gone this far. I need to understand his full plan. If I suppress him now, I'm afraid he'll lash out desperately."

The real reason, of course, was that the plot had already been set in motion, making it impossible to ignore. Jiang You continued his twisted logic: "I'm worried this might turn into a repeat of the Fourth Holy Grail War. If we let him detonate his trap now, we'll be at a serious disadvantage later."

Illya was clearly swayed. Even if she cared little for the lives of ordinary people, she couldn't bear the thought of another Beast-level catastrophe. Still, she refused to back down so easily.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang You produced a piece of meat imprinted with a Command Spell—the result of his "slimming" Atrum. "This Command Spell binds me to your service," he said. "I'm a little late, but I've come to fulfill our agreement, my Master."

"No! I am Illya's Servant!" Minamoto no Raikou shouted before Illya could respond. Her possessiveness burned fiercely; how dare Jiang You try to steal Illya away from her?

Illya's hand froze halfway to Jiang You. Torn between Raikou's feelings and her own earlier words, she hesitated.

Jiang You had anticipated this scenario and already had a plan. In a way, Raikou was rather easy to manipulate. "If you'd like, I could call you 'Mother' too, just like Illya does."

"Call me... Mother?" Raikou's expression faltered, but what followed was beyond Jiang You's expectations. Instead of delight, an inexplicable rage erupted. Dōjigiri Yasutsuna crackled with thunderous energy as it crashed down upon Jiang You's head.

Instinctively, Jiang You tried to catch the katana barehanded, but his combat skills were practically nonexistent. The blade slipped through his fingers and slammed into his head.

Only the protection of his Noble Phantasm prevented him from being cleaved in two.

"Minamoto no Raikou... why?" Jiang You stammered during the one-minute cooldown period before he could issue another Duel challenge. According to her character profile, Raikou was supposed to be easily manipulated—a simple "Mom" should have resolved most issues.

"How dare you! How dare you lay a hand on Illya! She's still so young!" Raikou roared, intensifying her assault and unleashing her full magical power. Rampaging lightning enveloped Jiang You completely, but it proved utterly ineffective against his Noble Phantasm. All attacks were nullified during this one-minute window.

Calling me "Mom" = wanting to marry Illya.

This faulty logic successfully activated Raikou's EX-level Mad Enhancement.

"Actually, I'm almost an adult," Illya retorted. Of course, she knew Jiang You hadn't meant it that way; she understood that if you dissected his brain, you'd probably find nothing but his Noble Phantasm Cards.

To be precise, Irisviel had given birth to her when she was only about a year old. Age wasn't the issue; it was Kiritsugu Emiya's existence that had soured her view of the word "husband." Besides, how could a Master possibly marry a Servant?

Realizing the implications of Minamoto no Raikou's thoughts, Jiang You quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"I just wanted to call you that, Raikou-mama!"

He was promptly slammed to the ground.

Minamoto no Raikou's anger flared.

Jiang You couldn't entirely be blamed for his knee-jerk reaction. As a Fate/Grand Order player, he was used to the protagonist sharing a Master-Servant bond with Raikou, similar to the one between Illya and her Servant. Even during the Heian-kyō arc in FGO, Raikou had never allowed her Master to call her "mama." Her maternal affection had always been reserved solely for children with whom she shared a deep bond.