As she went downstairs, Kaoru Sakura's expression was noticeably uneasy.
After all, Kaoru Sakura had been somewhat impulsive just now. Once she realized her mistake, she felt so ashamed she hardly knew where to look.
Looking at Sasuke, who was preparing fish in front of the shop, Kaoru Sakura opened her mouth to apologize:
"Um..."
But before she could get the apology out, Sasuke, holding a fish knife, calmly pointed to the small square table beside the shop.
A stack of money sat on the table.
After all these years, Sasuke probably knew Kaoru Sakura's personality better than anyone. She occasionally acted a little spoiled, but quickly realized when she was in the wrong.
Compared to most people, Kaoru Sakura's personality was already quite rare.
So naturally, as her older brother, Sasuke didn't consider a little thing like this worth worrying about.
As for the stack of money on the table, Sasuke had prepared it for Kaoru Sakura, of course.
Kaoru Sakura wasn't the sort of girl who spent money recklessly, but if she was going out to have fun, she might as well enjoy herself.
"Have fun."
With that, Sasuke calmly went back to preparing the fish.
Sasuke's gesture only made Kaoru Sakura feel more ashamed. For a moment, she didn't even know what to say.
"Big brother..."
"Anyway..."
"I'll bring you back something delicious!"
As she spoke, Kaoru Sakura picked up the money from the table and pulled Illya along as she ran out.
Only after Kaoru Sakura thought she was out of Sasuke's sight did she stop. Gasping for breath, she smiled at Illya beside her:
"Illya, I take back what I said about Big Brother just now!"
Illya gave a slight nod. Perhaps because she was in a good mood, the weariness on her face had faded quite a bit.
Being with Kaoru Sakura helped Illya forget many of her worries.
Speaking of the amusement park in Shinto, Kaoru Sakura had only been there a few times. The last time, she had gone with Sasuke. That must have been a year ago by now.
"By the way, Illya, how old are you this year?"
"Are you going to elementary school here in Fuyuki?"
As they walked toward the station, Kaoru Sakura suddenly asked.
Kaoru Sakura had wanted to know for a while, but they had known each other for such a short time that she hadn't felt comfortable asking.
"Eighteen."
Illya replied after only a brief pause.
Kaoru Sakura nodded and giggled.
"Oh, so you're eighteen..."
"Wait..."
Kaoru Sakura stopped in her tracks and froze on the sidewalk.
Her reaction was a little slow, and the smile had vanished from her face, replaced by utter shock.
Kaoru Sakura looked Illya up and down, then realized that might be rude and covered her mouth, trying to hide her expression.
But even then, she couldn't help asking:
"E-eighteen?!"
Illya hadn't expected Kaoru Sakura to react so strongly.
But it was hard to blame Kaoru Sakura. Illya's appearance and age were so different.
Before long, Kaoru Sakura fell into thought. Thinking it over carefully, she realized Illya's manner really did seem mature.
But surely Illya hadn't wanted to end up like this, had she?
Being able to keep a girl's appearance forever sounded nice.
But what was the price?
Illness, or something else?
Illya seemed to sense Kaoru Sakura's concern. A smile spread across her face.
"Kaoru, don't worry about it. That was all in the past, when I was little. I'm fine now."
"Besides, I actually think things are pretty good as they are."
Kaoru Sakura studied Illya beside her, still uncertain.
"Really?"
There was no denying that Illya really liked Kaoru Sakura's personality.
She was cheerful and lively, and knew how to be considerate of other people's feelings.
So how could Illya let Kaoru Sakura worry? She answered her seriously:
"Of course it's true."
"I don't have any reason to lie to you, do I?"
That was Illya's well-intentioned lie.
Looking at Illya's expression, Kaoru Sakura chose to believe her.
But now Kaoru Sakura looked at Illya differently.
At first, Kaoru Sakura had thought Illya was like a cute little adult.
But now she understood that Illya was older than her, and her eyes immediately filled with respect, though Illya was still just as cute.
For a moment, Kaoru Sakura murmured under her breath:
"Does that mean I should call you Big Sister Illya?"
"It'd feel a little weird, but I guess it wouldn't be so bad..."
Their roles had suddenly reversed. Illya, in turn, gazed at Kaoru Sakura with a hint of tenderness.
"It's all right. You can just keep calling me Illya."
But Kaoru Sakura was clearly getting carried away. She put on a serious face and said to Illya:
"Boss, please give me your orders!"
Illya had no idea why Kaoru Sakura said that, but the sight of Kaoru Sakura looking at her so earnestly was hilarious.
When Illya couldn't help laughing, Kaoru Sakura returned to normal too.
"That's a scene from the manga Delinquent High School Girl!"
"One of the boss's fangirls says something just like that."
Kaoru Sakura was a good student, but she did have a bit of a chuunibyou streak, so she quite liked reading this kind of manga.
Illya didn't quite understand, but Kaoru Sakura described it with such vivid detail that she became a little interested.
Kaoru Sakura said she could lend Illya the manga.
The two chatted as they walked to a nearby bus stop. Before the bus to Shinto arrived, Illya glanced around.
Was Sasuke Uchiha nearby, keeping an eye on them?
Kaoru Sakura didn't notice what Illya was doing. Instead, she looked at a bus approaching the stop and said:
"Illya, our bus is here."
Hearing her, Illya, unable to sense Sasuke, nodded. When the bus pulled up, she got on.
Illya figured Sasuke would have his own way of following them.
Once aboard, Kaoru Sakura saw that there were plenty of empty seats, so she and Illya sat toward the back.
Since the amusement park was in Shinto, they still had quite a way to go before reaching their destination.
But Kaoru Sakura's next question left Illya at a loss.
"Illya, can I come to your house today and see a real maid?"
The day before, while chatting with Kaoru Sakura, Illya had accidentally let slip that she had maids.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.
As soon as Kaoru Sakura heard the name, she thought Illya must be some kind of foreign noble, and she was curious about what life was like for a noble young lady.
Illya didn't refuse outright, but her expression turned conflicted.
"But weren't we going to the amusement park? And you said you wanted to go to the mall..."
Kaoru Sakura sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Then how about we cancel the mall?"
Illya looked hesitant.
Seeing this, Kaoru Sakura shamelessly started pleading with her.
"Big Sister Illya!"
"Please! Please! Please!"
Illya probably should have refused, no matter how she looked at it.
They hadn't known each other for long, but there was no denying that Illya liked this girl.
Illya thought that if she were a normal person, she and Kaoru Sakura would probably have become close friends.
But the world didn't offer that many "what ifs," and Illya wasn't that selfless.
After all, even if she won this Holy Grail War, there was a good chance she'd never see Kaoru Sakura again.
So she could indulge her own selfish wish a little.
Besides, it was daytime, and Illya thought Berserker was the strongest!
Even if something unexpected happened, she could keep Kaoru Sakura safe.
And even if something truly unforeseen did happen, Sasuke was following them in secret. Though he might not care about Illya, surely he wouldn't just stand by while his little sister was in danger.
Looking at the hopeful expression on Kaoru Sakura's face, Illya gazed out the window and sighed.
"If we go to my house, we won't be able to visit the amusement park. We might not have enough time."
"Shall we get off at the next stop?"
It wasn't really that they wouldn't have enough time. It was just that if they stayed out until evening, all sorts of trouble might arise.
Illya did want to visit the amusement park, but since Kaoru Sakura had called her Big Sister, she would indulge her.
Kaoru Sakura was delighted. She wanted to pull Illya into her arms, but Illya was older than her, so she should show a little more respect.
That was what Kaoru Sakura thought, anyway, but she still ended up hugging Illya.
It wasn't for any other reason.
Although Kaoru Sakura had an older brother she admired so much at home, Sasuke, perhaps because she respected him too much, she didn't dare act too freely around him, even though she was his little sister.
So she let all her longing to rely on an older sibling out with Illya.
In any case, the two of them got off the bus at the next stop. Then they took a taxi to the outskirts of Fuyuki.
Einzbern Castle stood in the middle of a forest on the outskirts. It took the taxi a full hour to reach the road nearby, and then they still had to walk about a kilometer through the woods.
Kaoru Sakura had been brought all the way out to the suburbs, yet she didn't seem the least bit wary. Illya thought she was a little too carefree.
The forest on the outskirts was protected by barriers belonging to the Einzbern Family. Anyone entering or leaving would be watched, and all kinds of traps had been set.
The greater a person's magical power, the stronger the resistance they would face when entering.
But Kaoru Sakura was an ordinary person, so she couldn't sense any of it. And with Illya by her side, nothing was going to happen to her.
Illya was curious how Sasuke, who was following them in secret, would get in.
Normally, a barrier should react strongly to a powerful mage like Sasuke.
Yet even after Illya led Kaoru Sakura all the way to the castle, there wasn't the slightest response from the barriers around the forest.
"Could he not have followed us?"
"No, he wouldn't leave Kaoru here without looking after her."
"He must have found some way to get past the barrier."
Just as Illya was thinking this, Kaoru Sakura had already been captivated by the castle before her.
Kaoru Sakura lived in Fuyuki, but she had never known there was such a huge castle here.
That was mainly because Einzbern Castle, located on the outskirts of Fuyuki, was in a separate space protected by layers of illusion and Magecraft barriers. Except under exceedingly rare circumstances, it could never be discovered from the outside world.
Only a very small number of mages knew about it.
Kaoru Sakura could be considered the first person in history to stumble upon it like this.
"Big Sister Illya!"
"This is so, so, so, so... outrageous!"
At first, Kaoru Sakura had thought Illya lived in a villa in the suburbs. She hadn't expected it to be such a huge castle!
Kaoru Sakura had only ever seen such a magnificent castle on television. She was completely stunned.
At the castle entrance, Sella, the head maid who served Illya, and the maid Leysritt stood on either side of the door.
Both maids were tall and beautiful, with striking dark red eyes.
They both wore white head coverings over their hair, along with the Einzbern black-and-white maid uniforms.
At a glance, it was hard to tell them apart.
But Leysritt hadn't completely tucked away her hair. A curled side lock peeked out, and her eyes looked somewhat vacant.
The two maids bowed to Illya. Sella spoke up:
"Welcome back, milady."
"And who is this...?"
As she spoke, Sella looked Kaoru Sakura up and down.
Kaoru Sakura immediately grew self-conscious and hardly dared to speak.
Seeing this, Illya spoke up:
"Her name is Kaoru Sakura, and she's my friend. Don't treat her disrespectfully."
At that, Sella finally withdrew her scrutinizing gaze. She bowed to Kaoru Sakura with an apologetic expression.
"My sincerest apologies, Miss Sakura."
"On behalf of our princess of the Einzbern Family, I welcome you."
The so-called Princess of Einzbern was naturally Illya.
Seeing the admiration in Kaoru Sakura's eyes as she looked at her, Illya smiled faintly and led her into the castle.
Once inside, Kaoru Sakura was even more stunned. The lavishly decorated rooms dazzled her.
The rest of the morning was spent entirely touring the castle.
By two or three in the afternoon, Kaoru Sakura's excitement had finally given way to hunger.
But then she was captivated by the garden in the castle's central courtyard.
Seeing this, Illya simply ordered two maids to set up a tea table in an open space at the heart of the garden.
The sight before her left Kaoru Sakura entranced. Pink roses bloomed throughout the garden.
The gentle afternoon sunlight fell upon the pink petals, lending the surroundings an especially peaceful air.
The garden was filled with the fragrance of flowers, lifting the spirits.
Kaoru Sakura and Illya sat quietly beside the tea table, taking in the beautiful scene as they sampled the sweets and hot tea Sella had made.
The day should have ended just as beautifully.
But there was always someone who couldn't stand to see you happy.
At some point, a blond young man dressed in black motorcycle gear had perched sideways on the castle roof, gazing down at the center of the garden with a mocking smile.
Illya sprang to her feet and stared intently at the blond young man on the roof.
He was the same blond young man Illya and Sasuke had encountered that rainy night.
Sella and Leysritt knew the newcomer meant trouble and immediately stepped in front of Illya and Kaoru Sakura.
"Sella, Leysritt!"
"Take Kaoru somewhere safe!"
Sella and Leysritt's first duty was to protect Illya, so Sella immediately tried to object.
But before Sella could speak, Illya issued her order in a firm voice:
"Didn't you hear me!?"
"Take Kaoru away!"
Kaoru Sakura had no idea what was happening when Sella swept her into her arms and leapt into the air the next moment.
Before you continue