'Stupid' Sister

Morning, Miyama Town shopping street, Fish Fresh House.

The weather today was exceptionally fine; the azure sky was cloudless, and the gentle sunlight warmed the bodies of the people below.

Everything seemed to have returned to peace, and today was another day of Sasuke waking up early.

Most residents had already finished buying their groceries early in the morning, so after the bustle of dawn, this part of the morning was considered a relatively quiet time.

And this was the time Sasuke usually spent butchering fish.

Whether it was his originally exquisite knife skills or the experience gained from nearly three years of butchering fish at Fish Fresh House, Sasuke had reached a level of perfection.

He precisely stunned the fish, scraped off the scales, slit open the belly, cleaned out the internal organs, and removed the gills.

Finally, after washing them with clean water and slicing them, he portioned and weighed them into disposable containers, applied the price tags, and placed them into the refrigerated display case filled with ice.

If nothing unexpected happened, today would be another busy yet stable day for Sasuke.

But things always go against one's wishes.

For instance, right now, a familiar figure appeared on the shopping street.

She was dressed in a purple dress, layered with a purple coat, and wrapped in a white scarf with that Cossack-style hat.

Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Illyasviel walked along, looking around, but her expression was calm, even carrying a hint of drowsiness.

Finally, Illyasviel's footsteps stopped in front of the Fish Fresh House.

Sasuke didn't seem surprised by Illyasviel's appearance; he just continued butchering fish with a flat expression.

Illyasviel stood in silence for a good while before walking into Fish Fresh House.

"I didn't come to see you."

"Kaoru... wanted me to come find her..."

Actually, Sasuke could have guessed that even without Illyasviel saying it. He really wanted to tell his 'foolish' younger sister what kind of existence Illyasviel was.

But that was impossible.

However, it was daytime now, and according to the rules of their Holy Grail War, nothing unexpected should happen.

As long as Illyasviel left before nightfall, it would be fine.

Before Sasuke could say anything, Kaoru Sakura ran down from the second floor with a "thump-thump-thump," as if she had some kind of radar installed.

She was even holding a textbook in her hand.

After all, even while resting at home, Kaoru Sakura was very self-disciplined about her studies.

Much like last time, Kaoru Sakura gave Illyasviel a hug upon seeing her, but upon closer observation, she noticed something amiss.

Kaoru Sakura noticed that there seemed to be a hint of drowsiness in Illyasviel's eyes, so she stopped playing around and asked with a serious, concerned look:

"Illyasviel, did you not sleep well yesterday?"

Illyasviel was slightly taken aback by this, then rubbed her eyes and offered a smile to Kaoru Sakura:

"Mm, I was reading late last night."

"It's okay, what are we doing today?"

Kaoru Sakura thought for a moment, then said to Illyasviel with an excited look:

"An amusement park!"

"Although it's not as lively as on a day off, there will be fewer people, so the experience will be great. After all, we can play on many interesting facilities without having to wait in line."

Illyasviel's heartstrings were touched, as she had never been to such a place.

In Illyasviel's perception, an amusement park was a place for adults to take children to play.

Carefree fun and frolicking were not a life she could possess.

However, it would be okay to relax once in a while, right?

On the other hand, as long as she left before nightfall, it would be fine.

Thinking this, Illyasviel glanced at Sasuke, who was still silently butchering fish over there.

After all, Sasuke might stop Kaoru Sakura.

And the next moment, Kaoru Sakura misunderstood Illyasviel's intention and chuckled:

"My brother definitely has to go too!"

"After all, after the amusement park, I want to take you to the mall in Shinto to buy clothes!"

"If we buy too much, wouldn't it be troublesome if there's no one to carry our bags?"

"Right, brother?"

Sasuke, who was busy butchering fish, couldn't even be bothered to lift his head, and replied in a flat tone:

"I have to watch the shop."

Kaoru Sakura seemed to have expected Sasuke to say this, and huffed:

"The old man called last night and said he's going fishing with Hirata for a few days."

"I took the liberty of getting you a day off today."

"Well? Don't you think you should thank your great sister for securing this vacation for you?"

Sasuke sliced the fish, his expression unmoved:

"Compared to your so-called rest, I find work more suitable for me."

"Besides, there are still so many sliced fish left to sell today."

"Don't just blurt out whatever comes to mind; you need to have a plan..."

Before Sasuke could finish, Kaoru Sakura grabbed Illya's small hand and headed toward the second floor, muttering unhappily:

"No good deed goes unpunished."

"Suit yourself if you don't want to go."

"All you know is how to sell fish all day; I don't see what's so interesting about that..."

An angry Kaoru Sakura went upstairs with Illya, while Sasuke continued to process fresh fish in the sink, though he eventually let out a sigh.

Even if Kaoru Sakura and Illya went out, Sasuke would definitely follow them secretly to protect her.

Sasuke could indeed choose to close the shop and follow Kaoru Sakura, but if he did, the fish sliced today would likely go unsold.

Sliced fish couldn't be kept to sell the next day.

If only Kaoru Sakura had mentioned it before he started killing fish in the morning, he might not have refused.

Judging by Kaoru Sakura's demeanor, it was likely an idea she had come up with on a whim.

But Kaoru Sakura was only 16 years old today; perhaps it was too much to expect her to make orderly plans?

For a moment, Sasuke began to doubt himself.

Was he really being too harsh on Kaoru Sakura?

He couldn't exactly leave a Shadow Clone to watch the shop; if any flaws were exposed, it would be hard to explain.

However, siblings bickering was normal, and it wasn't the first time Kaoru Sakura had been angry with Sasuke.

Inside Kaoru Sakura's bedroom on the second floor, as she picked out clothes from her wardrobe, she complained to Illya:

"Illya, my brother is just like this, don't mind him."

"He didn't refuse because he didn't want to go out with you."

However, the more Kaoru Sakura spoke, the more indignant she seemed:

"He's just rigid!"

"When it comes to stubbornness, even Grandpa can't beat him!"

"And here I was, seeing how tired he is every day, wanting him to have a day of rest!"

"Does he really think I'd make him carry a bunch of stuff?"

"Am I that heartless?"

Listening to Kaoru Sakura's angry words, Illya sat in the room, sipping the warm tea Kaoru Sakura had poured for her, not quite sure what to say:

"Um..."

"Kaoru, I feel like your brother is actually really good to you."

Kaoru Sakura put on black pantyhose, pulled up her black pleated skirt that reached above her knees, and pulled a light gray low-cut sweater over her head.

Finally, she put on a stylish white knitted cardigan and adjusted her outfit in front of the floor-length mirror.

With her long black hair draped down, Kaoru Sakura looked truly cute and pure. Although she still looked unhappy—much better than before, but still—she let out a cold snort:

"Indeed, but he's just too stubborn."

"And... I was wrong too..."

"Enough about my brother, Illya, let's head out!"

"Today is definitely going to be an interesting day!"

Just as Kaoru Sakura said, her experiences today would indeed be incredibly astonishing.