Sasuke's Headache

Kaoru Sakura laughed until she nearly choked; scenes where her brother was left speechless were far too rare.

Seemingly infected by Kaoru Sakura's mood, Illya turned to the side and covered her mouth to giggle, though her shoulders, heaving and trembling with laughter, were no less animated than Kaoru Sakura's.

Seeing the two of them so delighted, Sasuke's expression returned to normal in an instant, as if his previous awkwardness had been nothing more than an act.

Upholding his principle of not wasting food, Sasuke suppressed his revulsion and shoved the remaining half of the Taiyaki into his mouth.

Having grown somewhat accustomed to the taste, Sasuke ultimately managed to keep his expression from fluctuating.

The laughter of the two girls ceased at that moment, and they stared at Sasuke with looks of disbelief.

To successfully prank Sasuke, Kaoru Sakura and Illya had first prepared a test subject.

Just one bite had been enough to make that person lose their composure entirely.

And that was to say nothing of the fact that they had prepared a double-strength portion for Sasuke!

How could this be possible?

Seeing the two of them staring at him like that, Sasuke turned directly toward Kaoru Sakura and lectured her in a calm voice:

"Kaoru."

The way he called her name made the hair on Kaoru Sakura's arms stand up. Usually, this tone meant she had truly angered Sasuke, so she immediately sat up straight and replied with a trembling voice:

"Y-yes... yes... Elder Brother!"

Watching Kaoru Sakura strike such a pose, Sasuke felt a sudden headache, as if he were the villain in this scenario.

Sasuke sighed at this, slowly stood up, and spoke as if he were truly choked by the wasabi, his voice catching in his throat:

"If you... waste food again next time, you'll be eating my cooking from then on."

"I'm going downstairs to watch the shop."

After saying this, Sasuke glanced at Illya.

Although Illya looked harmless right now, playing with Kaoru Sakura like a pair of sisters, she was, regardless of anything else, a dangerous individual participating in the Holy Grail War.

However, with Kaoru Sakura present, Sasuke couldn't say much. Out of a desire to keep his peace of mind, Sasuke headed downstairs to continue watching the shop.

Kaoru Sakura naturally didn't know about such things, so after Sasuke left, she couldn't control her emotions and burst into laughter again.

"Ah—"

"It's been so long since I've been this happy."

"Even if this joy is built upon my brother's suffering."

"So, Illya, I've decided to go to the shopping street this afternoon to buy my brother a gift as an apology, and I'll make more delicious food for him in the future to make amends!"

"What do you think, Illya? You haven't had a good look around our shopping street yet, have you?"

"Would you like me to be your guide?"

Illya naturally had no reason to refuse; after all, it was daytime, and her presence wouldn't pose a danger to Kaoru Sakura.

Thinking this, Illya returned the smile:

"Then I'll trouble you, Kaoru."

Kaoru Sakura waved her hand dismissively, signaling that it was a small matter.

After Kaoru Sakura led Illya out, Sasuke quietly created a Shadow Clone to follow behind them.

The shopping street wasn't very large, and if it were just Kaoru Sakura going out, it wouldn't be an issue, but with Illya by her side, the nature of the situation changed.

Sasuke was doing this for the sake of Kaoru Sakura's safety.

As for whether he would be discovered by Illya, Sasuke didn't care, as long as he wasn't discovered by Kaoru.

After Kaoru Sakura and Illya left, the Fish Fresh House fell completely silent.

The shopping street was the same.

Between two and three in the afternoon on a workday, there weren't many people on the street.

This was the time Sasuke usually found most comfortable.

The sea-blue banners used as signs on either side of the Fish Fresh House fluttered in the light breeze.

It seemed that Fuyuki had been washed clean by yesterday's rain; today the sky was cloudless, a deep and clear azure, with the gentle, warm sun hanging in the center, illuminating the earth.

Although such a life might seem dull and boring in the eyes of some, for Sasuke, it was the best life possible.

Neighbors were harmonious, and there was no strife, let alone war.

Life was peaceful and stable.

This concept held true in any world.

It was just a pity that life always presented various unexpected events.

For Sasuke, the Holy Grail War and the concept of mages were just such an accident.

Fortunately, Sasuke possessed the ability to counter these things, so everything remained under his control; he simply felt that it was all a bit troublesome.

Time ticked away, second by second, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred during the day's work.

Evening arrived quickly, yet Kaoru Sakura and Illya showed no signs of returning.

With a Shadow Clone trailing them, Sasuke wasn't particularly worried, though he was curious: how could anyone spend an entire afternoon wandering through such a small shopping street?

Just as Sasuke was pondering this, two special guests arrived at Fish Fresh House.

Or rather, the moment they entered his field of vision, Sasuke locked onto them.

Not far down the street, Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka were walking together.

Shirou Emiya was carrying a bag full of groceries, clearly having come to the shopping street to buy food.

In truth, this wasn't the first time Shirou Emiya had come to the shopping street for ingredients over the years; he had even bought fish at Fish Fresh House several times, fish that Sasuke had caught himself.

It was just that, in the past, Sasuke hadn't paid any mind to such things. After all, he saw plenty of customers every day; why would he go out of his way to notice a student?

In fact, Shirou Emiya felt much the same way, only remembering today when he came to the shopping street to buy fish. He never expected that an ordinary fishmonger would be such a powerful magus.

Although Shirou Emiya still felt a lingering fear regarding Sasuke killing Shinji Matou, he ultimately concluded that it was Shinji Matou's own fault.

Thus, when they stood before Fish Fresh House, the atmosphere was somewhat peculiar.

Rin Tohsaka, standing beside Shirou Emiya, didn't care about any of that. She peered into the shop:

"Is Kaoru not in the shop?"

Sasuke, who had just been wondering why Kaoru Sakura and Illya hadn't returned yet, now wished they would stay out a while longer.

The mere thought of these two groups meeting made Sasuke's head ache.

"They went out."

Sasuke gave a perfunctory reply before looking at Shirou Emiya:

"Are you looking to buy any fish?"

Shirou Emiya nodded slightly, looked at the transparent refrigerated display case in front of the shop, and asked:

"Could you recommend something cost-effective?"

Sasuke thought for a moment, then spoke with practiced ease:

"How about the tuna?"

"It's cheap, delicious, and doesn't have many bones."

After hearing this, Shirou Emiya quickly searched his mental recipe book before nodding affirmatively:

"Then please give me two boxes of the pre-cut ones."

Most people preferred the convenience of buying pre-cut fish, so every day, Sasuke would cut up some of the best-sellers, box them, and place them in the refrigerated case.

Since Fish Fresh House never sold overnight fish, everything in the display case was fresh.

This was precisely why business at Fish Fresh House was so good.

Sasuke took two boxes of tuna that had been cut that afternoon from the display case and told Shirou Emiya the price.

But just as Shirou Emiya was about to pay and leave, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out from the distance:

"Senior Tohsaka and Senior Emiya!?"

That's right.

It was Kaoru Sakura and Illya.

Sasuke had already begun to develop a headache.