Are You Coming Tonight?

That morning, the Sakura household was bustling. Illya, the Master of Berserker, sat upright beside the living-room table.

The living room was warm, so Illya had taken off her purple coat and white scarf.

Her purple blouse and knee-length white skirt made her look even cuter.

Sakura Masayoshi had gone out for his morning training, so only Sasuke, Kaoru, and Illya were at the breakfast table.

No one knew what was special about the day—or whether it was because of Illya—but breakfast was noticeably more lavish than usual.

Three dishes and a soup.

Even the miso soup was unusually fancy.

Sasuke, however, had little to say about Illya's arrival. He only hoped she wouldn't cause trouble.

Kaoru was serving Illya rice when she asked, her face full of curiosity:

"Illya, you know Shirou Emiya-senpai too?"

Illya's expression was hard to read. She took the rice and replied:

"I've known about him for a long time. He only found out about me recently."

"Kaoru, what kind of person is Shirou Emiya, as far as you know?"

Kaoru wasn't sure how to answer. She scratched her head and said:

"Emiya-senpai is pretty famous at school, but honestly, if you asked me what kind of person he is, I wouldn't know how to describe him."

"To other people, Emiya-senpai is the school's unofficial handyman, the Brownie of Homurahara Academy."

"If you ask him sincerely, he'll help you no matter what."

"He gives you the feeling that... other people matter more to him than he does."

"But I can't say for sure. I've only seen Emiya-senpai a few times, and most of what I know about him is just hearsay."

Illya seemed thoughtful as she quietly ate. Her feelings were a little complicated.

Still, Illya clearly loved Kaoru's breakfast. The fact that she'd eaten two bowls of rice and nearly finished the miso soup showed how much she enjoyed it.

Looking at Kaoru, Illya smiled with happiness and contentment:

"Kaoru, thank you for making such a wonderful breakfast."

"This is my first time trying Japanese food."

Illya had heard about Japanese cuisine before, though she really didn't want to bring up that man...

As memories resurfaced, Illya's expression darkened. She looked furious.

Kaoru didn't notice any of that.

When Kaoru heard that it was Illya's first time eating Japanese food, she immediately looked regretful. She took Illya's slender, fair hand and said earnestly:

"If I'd known this was your first time eating our food, Illya, I would've made my specialty!"

"But that's okay, Illya. You live nearby, don't you?"

"Next time you want to eat, just come find me!"

"How about tomorrow at noon?!"

Before Illya could answer, Sasuke, who hadn't said a word until then, spoke up:

"Kaoru!"

Though Sasuke had only called her name, Kaoru immediately understood what he meant.

Kaoru didn't understand why her big brother didn't welcome Illya. Illya looked like such a cute little mixed-race girl.

It was already boring enough not being able to go to school.

Grandpa read books all day.

Her big brother was a taciturn lump.

Kaoru hoped Illya could keep her company during this dull stretch.

So, for once, Kaoru went against Sasuke's wishes:

"Well, Illya?"

"I promise you'll get to taste some amazing food!"

For a moment, Illya didn't know how to respond.

Illya might have looked like a girl of about nine, but the truth was extremely complicated.

In reality, she was eighteen this year; her appearance had simply been frozen at the age of nine.

Sasuke still didn't know about that, but the information his Shadow Clone had sent back yesterday made it clear that Illya wasn't a normal Magecraft user.

The previous night, using his Sharingan, Sasuke had seen Illya's enormous magical energy very clearly.

Her body was also somewhat different from that of an ordinary Magecraft user.

In short, Illya's situation was complicated. Even the Mangekyō Sharingan could only give Sasuke a rough idea.

Faced with Kaoru's invitation, Illya looked at Sasuke beside her, since he clearly didn't welcome her.

Thinking Illya was afraid of Sasuke, Kaoru promptly got up and went over to him. She draped herself across his back and said with a grin:

"Don't mind my brother's silence or his sour face. He's actually a pretty nice guy."

"He's kind of... well... all bark and no bite?"

"Big brother, you'll let her come, right?"

"Right? Right? Right?"

Faced with Kaoru clinging to him and begging, Sasuke sighed:

"Get off my back first."

From Sasuke's response, Kaoru knew he'd agreed. She immediately turned to Illya and asked excitedly:

"Illya, you'll come tomorrow at noon, right?"

Illya smiled, though it was obvious she felt a little conflicted.

Things weren't supposed to unfold like this.

But seeing the hopeful look in Kaoru's eyes, Illya relented and answered softly:

"Mm. I'll come tomorrow."

Kaoru was overjoyed. She rushed over and hugged Illya like a cat spotting catnip.

Kaoru Sakura simply couldn't resist cuteness.

It had been so long since anyone had looked forward to seeing her...

Feeling her emotions stirred, Illya pushed Kaoru away:

"But I should go home today..."

With that, Illya stood and put on her coat and scarf. She was about to leave when she turned to Sasuke with a faint smile:

"If you don't mind, could you walk me home?"

Sasuke stood up, his face expressionless. He'd known Illya wouldn't be so easy to get rid of.

Kaoru, however, had a different idea. In her mind, there wasn't a child or a girl who wouldn't be drawn to her big brother. Even boys were no exception!

The children and girls in the shopping district, for instance, all liked Sasuke, and some of the boys even looked up to him tremendously.

So to Kaoru, Illya was still just a little girl who must feel the same way.

But Illya clearly wasn't thinking that way. She was just teasing him.

All three of them had different thoughts.

With Kaoru speaking up for Illya, Sasuke knew he couldn't get out of it.

Even making an excuse about watching the shop wouldn't work, because Kaoru would definitely offer to take his place.

So he might as well see what Illya was up to.

Sasuke stood without saying a word, took his gray coat from the rack, and headed downstairs.

Illya understood and followed close behind.

After Kaoru waved them goodbye, Sasuke escorted Illya "home."

They walked all the way out of the shopping district without either of them saying a word.

At the next intersection, Illya suddenly spoke:

"Are you planning to go the whole way without saying anything?"

Sasuke looked down at Illya, who was much shorter than him, and replied without expression:

"What do you want me to say?"

Illya only smiled faintly:

"Sasuke, you're interesting."

"Are you coming tonight?"