I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

This was a fact acknowledged by both Kiritsugu and her.

The sudden disappearance of the Tsukishiro family's barrier and the inexplicable annihilation of the entire Sakutsuki clan were definitely the result of deliberate actions. Another reason was the two strange individuals from that day, whose objective was likely to obtain Miyu, a being comparable to the Cauldron of All Wishes.

The ability to grant any wish indiscriminately was terrifying to even imagine.

As Ritsuka walked towards the commercial district, a touch of spring gradually appeared in their vision. Green, park-like buildings stood at the junction of the residential and commercial areas, with the new town further beyond.

—Fuyuki Park.

A place historically affected by a great fire, which, aside from the previous black mud incident, caused the greatest disaster in Fuyuki City and led to countless deaths.

Ritsuka had almost died in that fire.

The once scorched and barren Fuyuki Park had now been renovated and seemed to have regained its former vitality.

"What is that?"

Ritsuka was puzzled by a rather out-of-place facility in the park.

It resembled a high jump apparatus, with a large sponge mat behind it. The entire setup was bizarrely placed in the park, despite the unlikelihood of anyone actually using it.

The height appeared adjustable, and even children could try jumping without a pole, though they would surely crawl underneath. It was impossible to jump over from above, as even the most exaggerated Fuyuki children couldn't fly over it.

After a moment's hesitation, Ritsuka stuffed the notes into their pocket and ran into the park, faint blue patterns slowly creeping up their legs.

After a running start and a leap, Ritsuka, amplified by Reinforcement Magic, soared over the high bar, only to collide headfirst with the plastic pole.

The pole was knocked flying by their head, and Ritsuka landed face-first on the mat. The air suddenly became awkward, and Ritsuka just lay there, not daring to lift their head.

How embarrassing. The first time they tried to show off in this new life had ended in failure. Fortunately, no one had seen it...

"...Senpai?"

A soft voice sounded by their ear, like a gentle, warm breeze. The call, which should have been comforting, now felt like a manifestation of hell, causing unease.

"..."

Hallucinations. It must be hallucinations. Overwhelmed by embarrassment, they must have imagined someone passing by and seeing them.

The voice sounded so much like Sakura's. It was probably because they hadn't seen her in a while and were missing her. How could it be such a coincidence...

"Senpai, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

The phantom hearing recurred, tinged with a hint of anxiety. Then came the sound of something being placed on the ground, and a small hand gently shaking their body.

The situation was gradually becoming rather dire.

If the Sakura beside them was indeed real, their current behavior, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand when faced with danger, looked incredibly foolish.

Supporting their body with their hands, Ritsuka looked up and saw purple hair. Little Sakura stood there, offering a serene smile.

"I'm fine. I just underestimated the height and overestimated myself."

Ritsuka stared with dead fish eyes, feeling a sense of "might as well be dead." Being witnessed failing at showing off by someone they knew was too mortifying; their body and mind felt insulted.

They couldn't face anyone...

Composing themselves and patting their clothes, Ritsuka got up from the mat and looked at Sakura. "Sakura, what a coincidence. Seeing you makes me feel so much better."

"Hi, I'm happy to see you too, Senpai."

Honestly, Sakura's smile was incredibly cute and radiated healing energy, even with a hint of something else mixed in.

"Sakura, what are you doing out here alone? It's not good to be without an adult, in case you encounter danger."

A cute girl like Sakura, so small and delicate, would surely attract some unsavory characters who wouldn't mind taking risks, perhaps even considering prison time a worthwhile price.

She wore a small purple jacket and a pleated skirt, with a red ribbon tying back a lock of hair on one side of her head. The only imperfection was her slightly long bangs, which partially obscured her eyes, giving the cute Sakura a touch of a gloomy aura.

"I came out for a walk. Besides, aren't you out alone too, Senpai?"

Without minding Ritsuka's scanning gaze, Sakura offered a slightly troubled smile.

Being admired was a good thing, but such blatant scrutiny wasn't ideal. Yet, she didn't have the courage to refuse...

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened. Ritsuka reached out and gently stroked her head, speaking with a hint of worry. "You need to learn to say no. It's foolish to endure something you can't stand and pretend you're okay."

Looking at Ritsuka, whose actions were incredibly gentle and who was smiling, Sakura trembled slightly and lowered her head, her eyes welling up.

—This is the first time... the first time someone has placed a hand on her head... Her hair doesn't hurt...

"Senpai, what are you doing out here alone?"

Secretly wiping her eyes, Sakura forced a genuine smile.

At least to Ritsuka, it seemed incredibly real, a smile born from genuine happiness.

"My purpose? I can tell you, Sakura, but no one else~"

Ritsuka brought their right fist to their face and struck a cute pose, their mysterious demeanor piquing Sakura's curiosity.

"My adoptive father, Uncle Kiritsugu (Golden Lion King/scratch that), has adopted another child. I have a little sister named Emiya Miyu."

"I came out this time to buy her some daily necessities and clothes."

Looking at Sakura, who was close by and deep in thought, Ritsuka smiled broadly.

"A little sister? That's truly an enviable word."

Sakura smiled a little sadly. There was nothing unusual about her, but her smile was heartbreaking. Ritsuka had no idea what they had said wrong.

There was nothing they could do if they couldn't figure it out, so Ritsuka decided to change the subject—

"By the way, Sakura, do you want to go shopping with me?"

"No."

They were rejected so decisively!

Ritsuka knelt on the ground, looking bewildered and disbelieving. What had they done to offend Sakura? The answer was too absolute.

"Well, I was just kidding, senpai. It feels pretty good to reject you for the first time."

Her smile bloomed like a flower. A breeze blew away the bangs covering Sakura's eyes, and her sapphire-blue eyes reflected Ritsuka's image. She playfully put her right fist by her cheek and made a cute pose.

Meow~

Ritsuka clutched their chest, almost fainting from happiness.

The distance from Fuyuki Park to the shopping street wasn't far. After all, Fuyuki Park itself was the dividing line between the residential and commercial areas in Miyamachi.

After leaving the sparsely populated residential area, the entire atmosphere changed completely. Stalls selling snacks lined the street, and various shops adorned the commercial street with their unique colors, lively but not noisy.

The two young girls entered this area, becoming as inconspicuous as small splashes of water falling into the sea. But they could also simultaneously feel the vastness of the sea, and shopping with someone made it more enjoyable.

Cotton candy, taiyaki, and other street snacks were endless. Ritsuka watched Sakura's smile grow more frequent, and their mood, which had been a bit down due to Miyu and Kiritsugu, improved.

PS: I was playing Ark: Survival Evolved and forgot to update. My apologies.

Section 14, Chapter 14: A Proof of Friendship

Most of the buildings on the commercial street were not traditional Japanese architecture but rather Western-style buildings, making the entire Fuyuki City look a bit different.

With the Miyu River as the dividing line, the east side was the more developed and highly modernized new city. Miyamachi on the west side was still the same traditional Japanese architectural complex, including the Emiya residence, all in a very Japanese architectural style.

The new city always gave the impression of developing too quickly. After the great fire a few years ago, it had transformed completely.

Looking at the new city near the commercial street, which looked so different from her blurry memories, Ritsuka sighed with emotion, "It really is a bit unbelievable."

The area where she used to live was part of the new city. It had transformed from the same style as Miyamachi into a very advanced city. Time is a magical thing, always able to soothe some pain without us realizing it.

"Senpai?"

Sakura tilted her head, not quite understanding what Ritsuka meant.

Without understanding Ritsuka's past, she naturally couldn't grasp the reason for her sigh. No one could imagine that the place they once lived could change so drastically in just a few years after a catastrophic disaster.

"Sakura, actually, I lived in Fuyuki when I was little. It was a very ordinary, common, but beautiful memory."

She used to live alone in the world, sleeping in a basement rental room for a few hundred yuan a month, and no one even noticed her until she passed away. After all, she was just a drop in the ocean.

To be able to regain a complete family after that was an unimaginably satisfying thing.

Ritsuka smiled freely, turning her head to look at Sakura beside her.

"Do you know about the great fire in Fuyuki City about four or five years ago?"

Sakura nodded. The fire that burned nearly half the city back then was quite terrifying. Almost no one from Fuyuki City would forget it, though not many people remembered it now.

A significant portion of Fuyuki City's current population had moved in from other areas in recent years. Only a few people had heard of that massive fire.

And a few days ago, the towns near Miyamachi were engulfed by a black mist, and many people disappeared from Fuyuki City. Now, walking on the streets, one could no longer see any bustling crowds; it was a quiet, desolate scene.

"I lost my family in that fire, and I was severely injured. I only survived thanks to Uncle Kiritsugu."

"Do you want to touch it?"

Ritsuka chuckled and rolled up her sleeve, exposing the gruesome scars on her forearm to the air.

The injury that nearly crippled her left arm, the hideous, twisted scars, made Sakura's eyes widen. The marks, which clearly looked painful, covered her entire forearm, like a dragon tattoo, except this dragon was rather ugly.

"Senpai... does it still hurt?"

Sakura reached out and gently touched it, observing Ritsuka's expression to make sure there was no change before she relaxed.

These old scars had been there for so long that even if they had hurt terribly at the time, she had long forgotten. After all, time is a magical thing that can smooth over many pains without us realizing it.

Perhaps still a little worried, Sakura hovered her hands over Ritsuka's arm, then gently placed them on it and slowly moved them apart.

"Pain, pain, fly away~"

"...Pfft, Sakura, you're so cute."

It was a strange action, but it became lively because of Sakura's cute behavior. Little Sakura, with rosy cheeks, pouted at Ritsuka's laughter but still insisted on reciting the 'spell' again.

After completing the strange ritual, she released Ritsuka's arm, crossed her arms, and turned away, pretending to ignore Ritsuka.

"Hmph, I was helping senpai, and you still made fun of me... How annoying, I'm not talking to you anymore."

"Sakura, don't be angry. It was my fault."

Ritsuka clasped her hands together and lowered her head slightly. Seeing Sakura subtly cast a glance her way, she couldn't help but grin.

In this situation, she definitely had to coax her. Changing the subject after apologizing was a good idea. Ritsuka's eyes rolled, and she immediately thought of a good plan, "Sakura, what were you just doing? Can you tell me?"

"Yep, it's my own 'Ouchie Fly Away Magic.' It's super useful,"

Sakura quickly introduced it like she was offering a treasure. Honestly, Sakura found it hard to stay angry at anyone. She only acted that way because she wanted her senpai to apologize, to see what they'd look like when they did.

To be fair, a sincerely apologizing senpai is super cute...

"'Ouchie Fly Away Magic,' huh? Is the incantation 'Ouchies, ouchies, fly away fast'? Hmm... I've learned it."

Ritsuka gave Sakura a thumbs-up. This 'magic' Sakura created was similar to what she'd heard her mother mutter about before. It should really work, right?

Nodding with satisfaction, Sakura turned and headed towards the other side of the street first. Ritsuka quickly hurried to catch up.

The shopping street was livelier than the residential area of Miyamachi. There were customers coming and going in front of the shops. Ritsuka and Sakura blended in, completely disappearing from sight, happily experiencing their first outing with someone their age.

Throwing darts, scooping goldfish, eating takoyaki...

Along the way, the two tried almost everything. The smiles on their faces increased significantly. Sakura, who had been a bit reserved at first, also laughed a lot more.

Although there were times when they were utterly defeated by the games, like when the net for scooping goldfish was too thin and broke as soon as they used it, in the end, they had no choice but to admit defeat against Ritsuka's Clairvoyance (True): B amplified by Reinforcement Magic.

They scooped up all the goldfish in one go, but seeing the owner's tearful and sorrowful expression, the kind-hearted duo returned the goldfish to him.

After bidding farewell to the teary-eyed shop owner, Ritsuka and Sakura finally arrived at the clothing mall on the shopping street. Ritsuka then took out the note she had prepared beforehand, which indicated the clothing sizes Miyu needed.

The dazzling array of Japanese and Western-style clothing was overwhelming. Sakura was also at a loss in this situation and looked at Ritsuka, who was looking down and searching for the note.

"Senpai, what's our target?"

"Ummm, Sakura, wait a moment. Let me see."

Ritsuka set aside the note listing toothbrushes and shampoo, then found the one with Miyu's body measurements. She had measured it herself due to insufficient conditions.

Since Miyu had become her family, everything needed to be prepared completely. The note looked a bit exaggerated.