Fuyuki City's Miyama Town shopping district.
Fish Fresh House.
Eleven at night.
In the living room on the second floor, Kaoru Sakura was slumped over the table, still bleary-eyed.
Kaoru Sakura only remembered going to the amusement park with Illya. She couldn't remember what they'd done there.
The carousel, the pirate ship, the roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, or maybe the bumper cars?
Or had they gone on all of them?
Either way, by the time they were done, they were both exhausted.
Illya had even fallen asleep on the spot.
Just after waking up, Kaoru Sakura only felt incredibly hungry. She couldn't be bothered to think about anything else.
If Kaoru Sakura knew what a legendary day she'd had, she probably would've thought it was all a dream.
Only the living room and kitchen on the second floor were still lit.
The warm yellow light cast a gentle glow over the living room, making it feel like a quiet, cozy haven.
The room was peaceful. Wrapped in a blanket, Kaoru Sakura sat comfortably by the table, holding a cup filled with hot tea.
Steam curled upward, filling the living room with the faint fragrance of tea.
The pitch-black sky outside was speckled with stars and a bright full moon. A gentle breeze stirred the window curtains, and the chirping of insects in the distance all spoke of the night's tranquility.
Before long, Sasuke emerged from the stuffy kitchen, wearing a black apron and carrying a bowl of ramen.
Sasuke set the ramen down on the table in front of Kaoru Sakura, his expression calm.
"Eat."
Since it was so late and there weren't many ingredients on hand, Sasuke had just made Kaoru Sakura a bowl of ramen.
It was only a simple bowl of miso ramen, but Kaoru Sakura was so hungry that she dug in with gusto.
After all, she hadn't eaten in nearly a whole day.
As she ate, Kaoru Sakura seemed to remember something. She turned around and pulled her little bag off the sofa and over to her.
"Big brother, I think Illya paid for everything when we went out today."
"I don't think I spent any money..."
Kaoru Sakura studied the stack of bills in her hand. She'd only taken a nap, so how had her memories gotten so hazy?
But she didn't dwell on it. She pushed the money toward Sasuke, who sat across from her, though she looked a little reluctant.
Kaoru Sakura knew it was all her big brother's salary, after all.
Seeing her reluctance, Sasuke rested his chin on his hand and said casually, "Keep it."
"I have no use for it."
Sakura Masayoshi paid Sasuke a generous salary every month, but honestly, money was no use to him.
There was nothing he needed to buy, aside from the occasional essential household item.
As for clothes for each season, he could give Kaoru Sakura the money and let her pick them out.
So money wasn't all that important to Sasuke.
Kaoru Sakura looked delighted. Without a second thought, she took the money back and grinned. "Thanks, bro."
It wasn't easy to get Kaoru Sakura to say the words "thank you."
Maybe that was just what having a little sister was like.
Still basking in the joy of getting the money, Kaoru Sakura muttered under her breath, "Next time we go out, I definitely won't let Illya pay for everything."
As if she'd just thought of something else, Kaoru Sakura looked at Sasuke with a mysterious expression.
"By the way, big brother, guess how old Illya is this year."
Sasuke replied calmly, "Not interested."
But Sasuke's lack of interest didn't dampen Kaoru Sakura's enthusiasm. She continued, "Eighteen!"
"That's why I call her big sister Illya."
"Aren't you surprised, big brother?"
How could Sasuke be surprised by something like that? He wasn't even interested.
"Just eat your noodles."
Seeing that Sasuke really wasn't interested, Kaoru Sakura stuck out her tongue at him to show her slight displeasure.
But Kaoru Sakura wasn't the type to stay quiet for long. Soon, she asked, "By the way, where's Grandpa?"
Sasuke, who had been resting his chin on his hand with his eyes closed, answered, "Didn't I tell you already?"
"Grandpa's going fishing with Old Man Hirata for a few days. He probably won't be back for a while."
Sakura Masayoshi always said he'd be back in two or three days, but he usually stayed for at least a week. Sometimes, he didn't come back for ten days or even half a month.
But Sasuke always had a Shadow Clone following him in secret, so nothing would go wrong.
"Oh, right."
Kaoru Sakura nodded, blew on the steaming broth, and took a happy sip.
She also thought it was a shame Illya had fallen asleep. Missing out on a midnight snack like this was a true tragedy.
After eating her fill, Kaoru Sakura finally asked about the important thing.
"Big brother, can Illya stay with us for a few days?"
When Kaoru Sakura had first woken up, Illya hadn't been asleep yet.
Maybe it was because they'd played so much that day, but Kaoru Sakura thought Illya looked exhausted.
Illya had said she was fine.
She'd also said she wanted to stay at Kaoru Sakura's house for a few days.
Illya hadn't explained why, because she didn't know how to.
But Kaoru Sakura didn't care about the reason and had readily agreed.
Hearing this, Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced at Kaoru Sakura's hopeful expression, then closed them again.
"It's up to you."
With that, Sasuke stood up, picked up Kaoru Sakura's empty bowl, and headed for the kitchen.
Kaoru Sakura was overjoyed. Now she wouldn't be bored at all. She went off to wash up with a spring in her step, ready to share a bed with Illya.
A short while later, the light sound of Kaoru Sakura closing the door after washing up faded, and the whole house once again fell quiet.
After washing the dishes and tidying the kitchen, Sasuke took off his apron and prepared to rest.
But with Illya, the Holy Grail's vessel, at Fish Fresh House, how could Sasuke possibly enjoy any peace?
Trouble always came one thing after another.
Just as Sasuke, exhausted from a busy day, was about to return to his room and rest with his eyes closed, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
The next moment, a gust of wind swept by, and Sasuke vanished from the living room.
When he appeared again, he was already on the rooftop of Fish Fresh House.
The cold midnight wind stirred Sasuke's clothes, and his bangs swayed over his forehead.
Aside from the bright moonlight shining over the shopping district, there wasn't another light in sight. Everything seemed eerily still.
But Sasuke, his Mangekyō Sharingan already activated, stood on the rooftop of Fish Fresh House and gazed coldly at the figure before him.
"If you don't have a good enough reason to convince me,"
"Archer,"
"I'll make sure you vanish without a trace."
The visitor was none other than Archer, who had been caught in Sasuke's genjutsu at the Emiya Residence earlier that day.
Though Sasuke had lived a few peaceful, uneventful years in this world, his personality hadn't changed at all.
If Archer's reason couldn't convince him, Sasuke would kill him tonight.
How could Archer not know that Sasuke never went back on his word? He stared at Sasuke with a grave expression.
"What if I told you that I am Shirou Emiya?"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Would that interest you?"
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