Chapter 5: Do You Also Want to Be My Wife?
After leaving the restaurant, Fujimura Taiga noticed two little tails following closely behind her.
"Hey, why are you two following me?" she asked, turning around with a puzzled expression.
"Ah… well…"
Child Sakura didn't quite know how to explain. She had seen Broly come out and instinctively followed him. Now, faced with the older sister's question, she felt a bit flustered but quickly thought of a polite reason.
"I wanted to thank you, Big Sister. Thank you for helping us."
Her quiet voice made her seem even more vulnerable and in need of protection.
"Haha, what a polite little sister. But there's no need to thank me. I just helped you on a whim," Fujimura Taiga said, bending down to gently stroke the girl's soft hair. Then she turned to the boy who was also trailing her.
"And you, little brother? Are you here to thank me too, Big Sister?"
Broly didn't fully understand what 'thanking' meant, but he answered seriously, "No, I'm here to find a wife."
"A wife?" Taiga blinked in surprise. Hearing such a serious statement from a young boy was unexpected.
"What does that have to do with you following me?" she asked.
"You're the new wife I'm looking for," Broly said, pointing seriously at her nose. According to the Crystal Palace, she was one of the figurine wives—a source of food for him.
"Is this some kind of scam?" Taiga was speechless but couldn't help smiling at the boy's earnestness. She pinched his cheek lightly.
"You're cute, but too young. If you want to be my boyfriend, you'll have to grow up for at least another ten years."
Compared to Taiga's teasing, Child Sakura was stunned by Broly's words.
"Aren't I your wife?" she asked.
"You are," Broly nodded. He hadn't forgotten the meal she had given him.
"Then why are you looking for another wife?"
"Can a husband only have one wife?" Broly countered.
Sakura was silenced by that question, though it seemed he wasn't wrong.
"Eh, so fickle at such a young age?" Taiga laughed and pinched Broly's cheek a little harder.
"Will you be my wife?"
Broly wasn't affected by her strength, which was well within human limits.
"Of course not!"
Taiga answered without hesitation, then immediately let go. She was careful not to hurt the child.
"Oh." Broly looked disappointed. This new wife didn't seem willing to keep feeding him.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Seeing the boy turn away with a disappointed expression, Taiga called out.
"It's evening. I need to find a place to sleep."
Broly replied honestly. On Wanpa Star, he was used to living by day and resting at night.
"Do you two have nowhere to sleep?" Taiga asked.
"No."
"There's a slope over there. I plan to dig a hole in it."
Broly was serious. The cave he lived in on Wanpa Star was dug by him and his father, Paragus. If the mountain was hard, he could blast an opening with energy instead, which was more efficient.
Taiga rubbed her temples. "If you're not afraid of people who look a bit fierce, I can take you back to my family's old home to stay."
"Eh, Big Sister, will you take us in?"
"I'm just worried about you two getting hurt by bad people."
Recently, a serial killer had been active in Fuyuki City, murdering many and remaining uncaught. Some victims were children.
Taiga knew this because her grandfather, Fujimura Rei-ga, who lived at the old family home, warned her to be careful going to and from school alone.
Rei-ga wanted to assign someone to escort her, but Taiga refused—partly because she trusted her martial arts skills, and partly because she didn't want to reveal her yakuza family background at school.
"Young Miss is home!"
"Welcome back, Young Miss!"
Because her family was the largest yakuza group in Fuyuki City, the Fujimura Group.
"Must this happen every day?"
"Boss ordered it, Young Miss. We're just being more enthusiastic."
Her grandfather was well-meaning but overenthusiastic. Since Taiga's father refused to inherit the family business, Rei-ga hoped to train her as the future head of the Fujimura Group. The problem was, Taiga didn't want to be the next yakuza boss either.
"Who are these two?" asked a scar-faced man—a gangster—when he saw the children following Taiga into the mansion.
"They're homeless kids I found wandering outside. I was worried about them, so I brought them here."
Taiga explained.
"Is the Young Miss finally assembling a core team of loyal subordinates to run the Fujimura Group someday?"
The scar-faced man was excited and loudly speculated.
"Not a core team, you idiot!" Taiga snapped.
"Boss Fujimura, Young Miss is finally coming around! She's willing to be your successor!"
The scar-faced man ran into the mansion to deliver the "good news," with Taiga close behind, ready to kick him for the ridiculous misunderstanding.
"What's all this commotion?" Fujimura Rei-ga frowned upon hearing the noise.
When the scar-faced man explained that Taiga had brought home two homeless orphans, the old yakuza leader smiled.
For a yakuza family, adopting orphans was a way to cultivate loyal subordinates from a young age.
The scar-faced man was himself one of Rei-ga's adopted orphans, and even now remained loyal to the Fujimura Group.
"Stop twisting my actions in front of Grandfather!" Taiga growled, delivering a flying kick that sent the scar-faced man sprawling.
"Taiga! We have a guest!"
Taiga stepped off the scar-faced man like a tigress stalking prey and softened her expression when she saw a mature man seated nearby.
"Emiya, I'm sorry. My granddaughter has a temper like mine."
"No matter. A fiery temper is a virtue in our line of work."
Emiya Kiritsugu said calmly.
"Regarding the mansion…"
"We'll go with your price, Emiya. The goods you ordered will be delivered to the adjacent warehouse tomorrow."
Emiya nodded, pushing a box of cash—the payment for the house and weapons—towards them.
Once a renowned Magus Killer, Emiya still had strong underworld connections.
Before the Holy Grail War began, he had arranged weapons through the Fujimura Group's channels.
"Don't you need to count the money?"
Seeing the Village Elder tell his subordinates to put the box away, Emiya asked.
"I trust Mr. Emiya's credibility," Rei-ga said.
Emiya left with the yakuza, but in the corridor, he stopped cold when he saw the two children.
"Mr. Emiya?"
He frowned slightly, puzzled.
Though he didn't recognize the boy, Emiya knew the girl—she was Tohsaka's younger daughter, now adopted by the Kimoto family.
Why was she at the Fujimura mansion?
"Could they have discovered my whereabouts? But if so, why send a child to approach me?"
Emiya pondered, preoccupied with suspicion.
---
"So, you're the two orphans my granddaughter brought home?"
Fujimura Rei-ga asked directly, looking at the children.
"Grandpa, I just saw they were homeless, and there's a murderer on the loose recently, so I brought them here. Don't scare them!" Taiga defended.
"Hmm, this little fellow is brave," Rei-ga said, nodding toward Broly, who was calmly inspecting the room.
Child Sakura shrank behind him, intimidated by the scar-faced man questioning them.
"Is there anything to eat?" Broly asked after surveying the room.
Matou Sakura's grandfather was generous and offered him insects immediately. Although it was a misunderstanding, Broly felt hopeful about the grandfather of his new "wife," Fujimura Taiga.
"Boy, how dare you be rude to the Group Leader!" the scar-faced man barked.
"Not full yet?" Taiga asked him.
Broly rubbed his belly and said to Taiga, "Not yet."
The scar-faced man felt insulted and was about to teach Broly a lesson.
"Stand down," Rei-ga ordered.
"It's good for a child to eat and ask for food," he said, then looked at Broly.
"But if you want to eat here, you must contribute to the Fujimura Family."
"What do you need me to do?" Broly asked. On Wanpa Star, he knew food only came through effort.
"You're still too young. For now, I only ask that you remember you're eating Fujimura Family food and that you stay loyal. Consider yourself one of us."
Education starts young. The Fujimura Group's strength came from raising orphans loyal from childhood.
"A part of, one of us—what does that mean?" Broly frowned.
"Do you know the Crystal Palace?" he asked inside his mind.
Retrieving. Based on context analysis, "a part of" and "one of us" are similar to the relationship of a wife.
Broly was stunned by the Crystal Palace's reply. Looking at Rei-ga, he asked boldly, "So, you want to be my wife too?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared at the innocent boy in disbelief.
"You're after not just me, but my grandfather too?!" Taiga muttered, shocked.
"What? He's after you too?" Rei-ga growled. His granddaughter was only fifteen, a middle schooler. Whoever tried to get close to her would get their legs broken!
But looking at the innocent child, he relaxed. After all, a young girl dating a younger boy wasn't a big deal.
"Did I say something wrong?" Broly asked.
"Host, please note that this Crystal Palace only accepts figurine wives at present," the voice in Broly's mind reminded him.
"So, I can't become one…"
Broly felt lost. If Rei-ga couldn't be his wife, then could he still eat here?
"Grandpa, this child has some cognitive issues. Don't argue with him," Taiga said, pulling Broly and Sakura from the room.
"Can I still eat here?" Broly asked.
"Of course."
"But you won't be my wife, and Grandpa can't either."
"You just want to eat, don't you?"
Broly nodded enthusiastically.
"If it's just that kind of wife, then I'll be your wife."
Taiga finally understood the boy's thinking.
"So, can I eat now?"
"Yes."
"Where do we eat?"
"I'll take you there."