Illya's Invitation

It began raining moderately in the evening.

The sky was blanketed in dark clouds, making it seem much lower, and night fell all the sooner.

As the rain grew heavier, many shops on the shopping street began preparing to close early.

Sasuke had been busy at Fish Fresh House all day, and he was no exception. He had already hung up the closed sign and was now checking the rooftop drainage system.

Fish Fresh House was an old building, and it had been a long time since it was renovated, so all kinds of things could go wrong. Sasuke had made many improvements since arriving, but the occasional minor problem still cropped up.

There was nothing for it. Such was the trouble of everyday life.

Wearing a black raincoat, Sasuke crouched to inspect the rooftop drainage system. Finding nothing seriously wrong, he was about to head downstairs.

However, someone was watching him from a distance.

The other person's observation was conspicuously obvious, as if it were deliberate.

Following his instincts, Sasuke looked over and saw Illya standing on the roof of a nearby high-rise apartment building, looking down at him beneath the night sky.

Sasuke wasn't surprised. He quickly scanned the area, and, seeing nothing unusual, immediately used the Shadow Clone Technique.

The white smoke produced by the Shadow Clone Technique was washed away by the rain in an instant.

Sasuke's Shadow Clone leapt into the air. As he sped through the sky, rain beat against his coat.

Using the rooftops of the surrounding apartment buildings, Sasuke soon reached the roof where Illya was.

Illya was still staring at Sasuke on the roof of Fish Fresh House.

But the real Sasuke had already been called downstairs by Kaoru Sakura, who was asking him what he wanted for dinner.

"So that's how you suddenly disappeared last night?"

Sasuke didn't deny it.

He had no intention of hiding the Shadow Clone Technique.

There was no need.

In this world, aside from him, no one should be able to understand how it worked.

Besides, the more people who knew about it, the safer Fish Fresh House would be.

After all, they couldn't be sure how many of him there were.

"If I remember correctly, tonight is when you Masters and Servants fight. Why did you call me here?"

Illya slowly walked to the balcony railing and held out her pale hand to catch the rain, gazing into the distance as she spoke.

"As a mage, aren't you curious about the wish-granting machine that can do anything?"

Illya's expression was calm as she spoke, though she seemed to have something on her mind.

But with Illya's back to him, Sasuke couldn't make out her expression.

The so-called wish-granting machine that could do anything was the Holy Grail.

It was the prize awarded to the winner of the Holy Grail War: the Holy Grail, said to have the power to instantly grant any wish, and fought over by seven groups of mages and Heroic Spirits.

That was just how it seemed on the surface, though. Most mages who didn't know the truth believed it.

Sasuke had learned a little about the Holy Grail from Rin Tohsaka, but he wasn't interested in it.

The old version of himself, consumed by obsession, might have fought tooth and nail for it.

But now, the so-called wish-granting machine couldn't interest him in the slightest.

Besides, whether it was granting wishes or gaining power, there was always a price to pay.

There was no such thing as a free lunch. Obtaining this so-called wish-granting machine might not be a good thing at all.

Sasuke answered Illya without changing his expression.

"I'm not interested in something like that, and I don't need it anyway."

"But since you asked me that, it sounds like you're very interested in it."

Illya fell silent at Sasuke's question. After a long while, she murmured:

"Not interested at all..."

Illya's answer took Sasuke by surprise, but he couldn't be bothered to ask more. Mages in this world were all strange.

Sasuke walked over beside Illya and leaned back against the iron railing, his expression calm as he asked:

"So you called me here just to ask me that?"

Illya smiled faintly.

"Yes and no."

"Something interesting seems to be going on with Caster. Want to come with me and take a look?"

The railing was covered in rust, and the rain beating against it made the sharp smell of iron rust rise into the air.

Sasuke turned around and looked at the shopping street in the rain with an expression as calm as Illya's.

"I told you, I'm not interested in your little conflict."

"If there's nothing else, I'm going back."

Illya didn't look at Sasuke. Instead, she twirled a strand of silver hair that hung beside her ear and smiled faintly.

"But what if I die tonight? Then I might not be able to see Kaoru tomorrow."

"It'd be such a shame to die before I could eat the delicious food Kaoru makes for me."

"If—"

Just as Illya tried to continue making her case, Sasuke cut her off, his voice calm.

"Shut up."

"Don't bring Kaoru into this."

With a Berserker like that, it would be pretty hard for Illya to die.

But Illya had already figured out what kind of person Sasuke was, so she was good at finding just the right way to get to him—and it worked remarkably well.

"Anyway, another you is at Fish Fresh House protecting Kaoru. What's wrong with you and the one here going to see something interesting?"

It was probably the most helpless Sasuke had ever felt. Watching Illya smile at him with her eyes closed, he couldn't even be bothered to say anything more.

Figuring that silence meant consent, Illya pressed on.

"But before we go find Caster, come somewhere else with me first?"

"We've got plenty of time tonight, don't we?"

Seeing that Sasuke still hadn't said anything, Illya skipped through the puddles.

Water splashed in every direction as Illya made her way to the center of the rooftop. She smiled faintly.

"Sasuke, I hope you can keep up."

"Berserker."

As soon as Illya finished speaking, Berserker, who had been in spirit form, appeared on the rooftop in his true form!

In an instant, the rain around them was scattered by Berserker's sudden appearance!

The next moment, Berserker carefully lifted Illya with his enormous hand.

Berserker bent his knees slightly. With a thunderous crash as he launched himself off the ground, he and Illya shot into the sky!

The tremendous noise Berserker made sounded like thunder, perfectly at home in the rainy night.

Sasuke vanished from the rooftop in a flash as well.

By the time Sasuke and Illya appeared again, they were on an empty road.

Since the area was high up, they could see almost all of Fuyuki City from there.

With the heavy rain and the late hour, there shouldn't have been anyone else out on the road.

But a blond young man holding a black umbrella was walking toward them in the distance, along the pedestrian path.