Einzbern Castle, A Sudden Crisis

As she walked downstairs, Kaoru Sakura's expression was clearly unnatural.

After all, Kaoru Sakura had been somewhat impulsive just moments ago, and upon looking back and realizing her mistake, she felt utterly mortified.

Watching Sasuke as he processed fish in front of the shop, Kaoru Sakura still opened her mouth, intending to apologize:

"Um..."

But before Kaoru Sakura's apology could even leave her lips, Sasuke, holding a fish-killing knife, pointed calmly toward a small square table beside the shop.

A stack of money lay on the tabletop.

Having known her for so many years, Sasuke understood Kaoru Sakura's personality better than anyone. Although she would occasionally throw a small tantrum, she would quickly realize her own mistakes.

Compared to most people, this personality of Kaoru Sakura's was already quite rare.

Therefore, as her older brother, Sasuke naturally wouldn't take such a trivial matter to heart.

As for the stack of money on the table, it was naturally prepared by Sasuke for Kaoru Sakura.

Although Kaoru Sakura wasn't the type of girl to spend money recklessly, since she was going out to have fun, she should enjoy herself to the fullest.

"Have fun."

After saying this, Sasuke continued to calmly gut the fish.

This move by Sasuke only made Kaoru Sakura feel even more ashamed; for a moment, she didn't even know what to say.

"Big brother..."

"Anyway..."

"I'll bring you back something delicious when I return!"

Saying this, Kaoru Sakura grabbed the money from the table, took Illya by the hand, and ran out.

It wasn't until Kaoru Sakura thought they were out of Sasuke's sight that she stopped, panting as she smiled at Illya beside her:

"Illya, I take back what I said about my big brother earlier!"

Illya nodded slightly upon hearing this, and perhaps because she was in a good mood, the weariness on her face faded quite a bit.

Being with Kaoru Sakura allowed Illya to forget many of her troubles.

Speaking of the amusement park in Shinto, Kaoru Sakura hadn't been there many times; the last time she went was with Sasuke, which seemed to have been a year ago.

"Come to think of it, Illya, how old are you this year?"

"Are you going to attend elementary school here in Fuyuki?"

Walking on the way to the station, Kaoru Sakura suddenly asked this question.

Actually, Kaoru Sakura had wanted to know this for a long time, but because they hadn't known each other for very long, she felt a bit embarrassed to ask.

"18 years old."

Illya responded after only a brief moment of thought.

Hearing this, Kaoru Sakura nodded and chuckled:

"Oh, oh, so you're 18..."

"Wait..."

Kaoru Sakura stopped in her tracks, stunned on the sidewalk.

Kaoru Sakura, whose reaction time was a bit too long, no longer had that smile on her face, replaced instead by a look of utter shock.

Kaoru Sakura looked Illya up and down, then felt that doing so was impolite, covering her mouth to hide her expression.

But even so, Kaoru Sakura couldn't help but ask:

"E... eighteen?!"

Illya hadn't expected Kaoru Sakura to react so strongly.

But this couldn't be blamed on Kaoru Sakura; the contrast between her appearance and her age was simply too great.

However, Kaoru Sakura soon fell into deep thought. She carefully considered that the way Illya carried herself did indeed make her seem mature.

But Kaoru Sakura wondered if Illya becoming like this was really what she had wanted?

Although being able to maintain the appearance of a young girl forever sounded nice.

But what was the cost?

Illness, or something else?

Illya seemed to sense Kaoru Sakura's concern for her, her expression brimming with a smile:

"Kaoru, don't think too much about it. It's all from when I was a child; I'm better now."

"And actually, I think things are quite good as they are."

Half-doubting, Kaoru Sakura stared at Illya beside her:

"Really?"

It must be said that Kaoru Sakura's personality was truly something Illya liked very much.

Cheerful, lively, and considerate of others' feelings.

So, how could Illyasviel von Einzbern let Kaoru Sakura worry? She responded with a serious expression:

"Of course it's true."

"I have no reason to lie to you, do I?"

This was a white lie from Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Watching Illyasviel von Einzbern's expression, Kaoru Sakura chose to believe her.

However, the way Kaoru Sakura looked at Illyasviel von Einzbern changed in that moment.

Originally, Kaoru Sakura just thought Illyasviel von Einzbern was like a little adult, very cute.

But now that Kaoru Sakura understood Illyasviel von Einzbern was older than her, her gaze instantly turned respectful, even though Illyasviel von Einzbern was still very cute.

For a moment, Kaoru Sakura whispered to herself:

"Doesn't that mean I have to call you Big Sister Illyasviel?"

"It feels a bit strange, but it actually seems pretty nice..."

The roles of the two were instantly reversed, and it was Illyasviel von Einzbern who looked at Kaoru Sakura with a touch of gentleness:

"It's fine, just keep calling me Illyasviel."

However, Kaoru Sakura was clearly feeling playful and feigned a serious tone as she said to Illyasviel von Einzbern:

"Big Sister Boss, please give your orders!"

Illyasviel von Einzbern had no idea why Kaoru Sakura said that, but seeing her look so solemn was truly hilarious.

Seeing Illyasviel von Einzbern unable to hold back her laughter, Kaoru Sakura returned to normal:

"This is a plot point from the manga Delinquent High School Girl!"

"There's a line in there from a fangirl of the big sister boss that goes just like that."

Although Kaoru Sakura was a good student, she possessed a bit of a chuunibyou spirit, so she quite enjoyed reading that type of manga.

Although Illyasviel von Einzbern didn't quite understand, under Kaoru Sakura's vivid and expressive explanation, she became somewhat interested.

To this, Kaoru Sakura offered to lend the manga to Illyasviel von Einzbern.

The two chatted back and forth as they walked to a nearby bus stop, and before the bus to Shinto arrived, Illyasviel von Einzbern looked around.

Sasuke Uchiha should be nearby watching them, right?

Kaoru Sakura didn't notice Illyasviel von Einzbern's movements, but instead looked at a bus approaching the station not far away and said:

"Illyasviel, our bus is here."

Hearing this, Illyasviel von Einzbern, who couldn't sense Sasuke Uchiha, nodded and boarded the bus once it arrived.

In any case, Illyasviel von Einzbern figured Sasuke Uchiha would have his own ways of following them.

Once on the bus, Kaoru Sakura saw that the seats were empty and sat in the back row with Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Because the amusement park was built in Shinto, it would take quite a while to reach their destination.

However, Kaoru Sakura's next sentence put Illyasviel von Einzbern in a difficult spot.

"Illyasviel, can I go to your house today to see a real maid?"

Yesterday, while chatting with Kaoru Sakura, Illyasviel von Einzbern had accidentally let slip something about her maid.

Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Upon hearing the name, Kaoru Sakura felt that Illyasviel von Einzbern was some kind of foreign noble, so she was very curious about what the life of a noble young lady was like.

Illyasviel von Einzbern didn't refuse directly, but her expression looked conflicted:

"But aren't we going to the amusement park, and you also said you wanted to go to the mall..."

Kaoru Sakura scratched the back of her head with a silly smile:

"Then, how about we cancel the mall plans?"

Hearing this, Illyasviel von Einzbern's expression wavered.

Seeing this, Kaoru Sakura shamelessly began to act spoiled toward Illyasviel von Einzbern:

"Big Sister Illyasviel!"

"Please! Please! Please!"

Perhaps Illyasviel von Einzbern really should have refused, regardless of the reasons.

Although she hadn't spent much time with Kaoru Sakura, she had to admit that she liked this child.

Illyasviel von Einzbern felt that if she were a normal person, she would probably have become good friends with Kaoru Sakura.

But there are no "ifs" in this world, and Illyasviel von Einzbern didn't have such a noble character.

After all, even if she won this Holy Grail War, she would likely never see Kaoru Sakura again.

So, she would just satisfy her own selfish desire.

What's more, it was daytime, and Illya believed that Berserker was the strongest!

Even if some accident were to occur, she could still ensure the safety of Kaoru Sakura.

Taking a step back, even if something truly unpredictable were to happen, Sasuke—who was following them in the shadows—might not care about Illya, but he certainly wouldn't stand by and watch his own sister come to harm, right?

Watching the expectant look on Kaoru Sakura's face, Illya sighed as she gazed at the scenery outside the car window:

"If we're going to my home, we won't be able to go to the amusement park; otherwise, we might run out of time."

"Shall we get off at the next stop?"

It wasn't really that there wasn't enough time, but if they were delayed until nightfall, all sorts of things could happen.

Although Illya wanted to visit the amusement park, since Kaoru Sakura had already called her "big sister," she decided to indulge her.

Satisfied, Kaoru Sakura was overjoyed. Although she desperately wanted to pull Illya into an embrace, she reminded herself that Illya was older than her and that she should show more respect.

Even though that was what Kaoru Sakura thought in her heart, Illya still ended up being pulled into her arms.

It wasn't for any particular reason.

Although she had her brother Sasuke at home, whom she deeply admired, perhaps because that respect was so profound, she didn't dare to be too presumptuous even as his younger sister.

Thus, all of Kaoru Sakura's pent-up desire to rely on an older sibling was released onto Illya.

In any case, the two got off the bus at the next stop and subsequently hailed a taxi to head to the outskirts of Fuyuki.

Einzbern Castle was located in the middle of a sea of trees in the suburbs, and it took the taxi a full hour to reach the surrounding road, after which they still had to walk about a kilometer along a dirt path.

Being led all the way to the outskirts, Kaoru Sakura didn't feel a shred of danger, which made Illya feel that she was a bit too carefree.

The forest in the outskirts was covered by the Einzbern family's barrier; entry and exit were monitored, and various traps were set in place.

Upon entry, the higher one's magical power, the stronger the resistance they would face.

However, as an ordinary person, Kaoru Sakura couldn't feel it at all, and with Illya by her side, naturally, nothing would go wrong.

Illya was very curious about how Sasuke, who was following them in the shadows, would manage to get in.

Logically speaking, the barrier should have reacted violently to a powerful mage like Sasuke.

Yet, until Illya led Kaoru Sakura to the castle, the barrier surrounding the forest hadn't shown the slightest response.

"Could it be that he didn't follow us?"

"Impossible. With Kaoru here, he couldn't possibly ignore it."

"He must have used some method to bypass the barrier."

Just as Illya was thinking this, Kaoru Sakura beside her was already captivated by the castle before them.

Kaoru Sakura lived in Fuyuki, but she had never known there was such a massive castle here.

This was mainly because the Einzbern Castle located on the outskirts of Fuyuki was a separate space protected by layers of illusions and magical barriers; except for extremely rare circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for the outside world to discover it.

Only a very small number of mages knew of its existence.

In this sense, Kaoru Sakura could be considered the first person in history to see it.

"Illya-nee!"

"Isn't this... too exaggerated?!"

At first, Kaoru Sakura thought Illya lived in a villa in the suburbs, but she never expected it to be such a massive castle!

Kaoru Sakura had only ever seen such magnificent castles on television, and she was utterly stunned.

At the entrance of the castle, the head maid Sella and the maid Leysritt were standing on both sides of the gate.

Both maids were tall and possessed exquisite beauty, their deep crimson eyes particularly striking.

Their hair was wrapped in white headscarves, and they wore the black and white maid uniforms of the Einzbern family.

Just by looking at their appearance, it seemed impossible to tell them apart.

However, Leysritt did not wrap her hair up completely, leaving a lock of curled hair exposed, and her gaze appeared somewhat vacant.

The two maids bowed to Illya, and Sella spoke up:

"Young Lady, welcome back."

"And this is..."

As Sella spoke, she looked Kaoru Sakura up and down.

Kaoru Sakura instantly became reserved, not even daring to speak for a moment.

Seeing Sella act this way, Illya spoke up:

"Her name is Kaoru Sakura. She is my friend; you are not to treat her poorly."

Hearing this, Sella finally withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and bowed to Kaoru Sakura with an apologetic expression:

"My deepest apologies, Miss Sakura."

"On behalf of our Einzbern princess, I welcome your arrival."

Kaoru Sakura looked at Illya beside her with pure adoration; she wouldn't have dared to dream of such a scene.

The so-called Princess of Einzbern naturally referred to Illya.

Seeing the look of admiration in Kaoru Sakura's eyes, Illya smiled slightly and pulled her into the castle.

Once inside, Kaoru Sakura was even more stunned; the opulent decor of the building left her dazzled.

The midday hours were effectively turned into a sightseeing tour for Kaoru Sakura.

It wasn't until two or three in the afternoon that Kaoru Sakura's excitement was finally defeated by hunger.

Yet, Kaoru Sakura was soon captivated by the garden in the castle's courtyard.

Seeing this, Illya simply ordered two maids to set up a tea table in the open space at the center of the garden.

The scene before her left Kaoru Sakura intoxicated, with pink roses blooming throughout the garden.

The gentle afternoon sunlight shone upon the pink petals, making the surroundings appear exceptionally elegant and serene.

The air in the garden was filled with the fragrance of flowers, refreshing the spirit.

Kaoru Sakura and Illya sat by the tea table, quietly soaking in the wonderful scene while tasting the desserts and hot tea prepared by Sella.

This day should have ended as beautifully as it began.

But there are always those who cannot stand to see you happy.

At some unknown moment, a blonde youth clad in a black biker suit had perched on the castle roof, looking down at the center of the garden with a mocking expression.

Illya stood up abruptly, staring daggers at the blonde youth on the roof.

It was the very same blonde youth that Illya and Sasuke had encountered on that rainy night.

Sella and Leysritt, sensing the ill intent, immediately stepped in front of Illya and Kaoru Sakura.

"Sella, Leysritt!"

"Take Kaoru to a safe place!"

Sella and Leysritt's primary duty was to protect Illya, so Sella hesitated, wanting to object.

But before Sella could speak, Illya issued a firm command:

"Did you not hear what I said!?"

"Take Kaoru away!"

Kaoru Sakura, having no idea what was happening, was swept into Sella's arms and launched into the air the very next moment.