The bird glided high above the street in a straight line, threads of light glimmering in the sky. It could pass for a reflection sliding across the windows if anyone bothered to look up.
I kept my pace brisk. Running would draw eyes, and Illya’s familiar wasn’t flying that fast anyway.
Sakura should be at school by now, starting homeroom. She'd nodded when I sent her ahead, but the smile hadn't reached her eyes. My stomach gave a small, sour turn at the memory.
I'd make it up to her.
The bird banked left at the intersection.
Right. Focus.
I crossed with the light and followed it onto the bridge. The river wind cut straight through my jacket, carrying the smell of winter and exhaust, and I stuffed my hands deeper into my pockets.
Should’ve grabbed that scarf.
The bounded field at school should’ve vanished too. Even if it hadn’t, Rider wouldn’t trigger it on her own. Sakura was there too.
I walked faster.
The buildings on the far bank rose up in a blend of beige and grey, with more people milling about. A taiyaki stand on the corner was setting up, and the first hit of warm batter smell reached me from ten meters off.
Would Illya like it?
The bird swerved past a department store and vanished behind the corner.
I rounded it and slowed.
A park. A small one, wedged into the gap between buildings. A few benches, a swing set, and a slide with the paint gone dull. One bare tree stood in the middle, branches spread out empty against the sliver of sky.
The bird circled once above the lot, then glided down, and perched on a low branch.
Then it just… sat there.
I stepped past the low fence and swept the place with a careful look.
Empty.
I walked to the middle of the park, gravel crunching under my shoes, and stared up at the bird.
Was Illya on her way and sent her familiar ahead?
The stork had gone still, its glow gone completely. It looked like a wire ornament on the branch.
So... I should just wait?
I stood there for a moment, feeling stupid, then gave up and picked the bench with a view of both entrances. The chill soaked through my pants the moment I sat down. I leaned back and looked up.
Between the buildings, the sky was a dull grey, packed with cloud from edge to edge. The dry air prickled at my face like the tip of a knife, and I pulled my collar higher. It might even snow at this rate.
My eyes drifted across the park.
Illya…
I had so many things to tell her. So many things to talk about.
Where to even start? The Grail? Kiritsugu?
She'd been so sad and lonely and she'd suffered so much…
Could I even make up for that? Could I even—
I shook the thought away.
No. I had to.
I'd help her no matter what. I'd carve a future where she lived; a future where they all lived. I'd save everyone and cut down anyone who stood in my path.
The wind picked at my collar, and I hunched deeper into my jacket.
Minutes crawled by like that, my hands going stiff in my lap. I blew some warm air on them and rubbed them together before digging out my phone.
8:31.
Ten minutes since I got here, and still no sign of her.
I slid the phone back into my pocket and slipped my hands into my jacket.
The familiar was still there, on the same branch.
I frowned at it.
How much longer was this gonna take—
A sudden thought hit me, and I stood up, hands dropping at my side.
Was she messing with me?
She could go invisible or something like that, right? Like a presence concealment but not really. Some kind of perception filter?
I walked up to the tree and glared at the bird.
"Illya, this isn't funny. Where are you?"
I was freezing my ass out here.
"Illya?"
Still nothing. The bird kept lying there like a statue.
I let out a sigh and turned around—
My legs froze.
They wouldn't move. They didn't budge at all. I couldn’t twitch a finger. My whole body felt like it turned into stone.
My vision blurred. The park stretched like a tunnel, the tree and everything around it smearing into long streaks that bent away from me.
A wave of vertigo rolled through me, and my pulse jumped into my throat. My vision floated like I was watching the world through a camera, controlling myself in a video game.
…Caster?!
Cold flooded down my spine. Paralysis, mental interference, that was her whole—
I was going to die.
I should've brought Saber with me.
The command seal. I could summon her—my mouth didn’t move. I couldn't even see who did this, let alone move, and—
A blur of white and purple popped into the corner of my vision like a jumpscare.
"Did I surprise you?" A sweet, cheerful voice reached my ears after another moment. "You were so defenseless, I had to tease you."
Illya?!
This was a prank?
My vision snapped back in place like a rubber band, the shapes and colors of the park slamming home around me.
Illya skipped in front of me and twirled, tongue poking out along a cheeky smile. She leaned forward a little, hands clasped at her back, and peered up at my face like she was checking a cake through an oven door.
"Oh, you're back to normal. I guess contacting you through vision isn't that strong."
…huh?
Air moved in and out of me, rough and too fast, and blood pounded in my ears.
"Ill…ya?"
The word came out slurred.
I took a deep breath and waited for whatever this was to pass.
"But you're no good if you can't dispel magic using your own powers." Illya closed her eyes with a slow shake of her head, like a disappointed teacher. "Your future looks bleak if you need help to snap out of something so simple."
I rubbed my eyes and stared at her, mouth agape.
She was lecturing me?
I stepped closer and glared down at her. "Illya, what the hell? This wasn't funny!"
Illya straightened herself, arms resting at her sides as she tilted her head. "Maybe not for you, onii-chan." That gleam of mischief returned to her eyes. "I guess you can take it as a life lesson."
This cheeky brat.
The staring contest stretched on. She stood there like a little angel, weathering my glare with an innocent smile. My shoulders slumped with a sigh.
I couldn't stay mad at her. One round with those eyes, and I folded like a cheap metal sheet.
"Were you here the entire time?"
"Yeah," she said, tone airy, rocking back on her heels. "I was even sitting next to you for a while."
I glanced at the bench, then back at her smiling face, a thin, quiet breath draining out of me.
Her magecraft was something else.
"I didn't notice a thing."
Something to fix going forward. If I could.
Illya looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "I was hiding a bit, but you're still too careless. You didn't notice my presence at all, and you couldn't break out of a spell that only uses direct magical energy contact. I'm starting to wonder if Projection and Reinforcement are the only things you're good at."
Yeah…
But maybe I could also do proper magic detection?
"Thanks for reminding me that I have the magic awareness of a sea cucumber," I said in the driest tone I could muster, and Illya smiled again.
"You're a Master, so you should keep a better watch on your surroundings."
Easier said than done. Maybe she could help me figure it out?
"I'll do that."
"It's good if you understand."
She gave a satisfied little nod, every bit the teacher wrapping up a lesson, then turned around and skipped away across the gravel. Two hops, three, and she planted herself on the same bench I'd been warming, swinging her legs as she looked at me.
I walked over and sat down next to her.
For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then Illya turned towards me with an impish smile. "You came here pretty quick. Were you looking forward to see me that much?"
Teasing me again?
"Yeah." I smiled back. "I was really happy when I saw your bird earlier."
Her smile dimmed, and she watched me with those bright doe eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah."
Her expression softened, and she looked away, staring somewhere in the distance. A few strands of hair came loose from her shoulder, gleaming like silver in the morning light. Sitting there quiet like that, her small hands folded in her lap, she looked like a fairy.
"By the way, onii-chan." She faced me again, cheerful smile back on her lips. "Aren't you going to tell me your name? You already know mine, so it's only fair."
I paused, blinking.
…huh?
Wait, I didn't?
I stared past her shoulder, chewing at my lip as I thought back to yesterday. Berserker's roar splitting the clearing, storks like silver bullets, the taste of blood, her small hand in mine…
Huh. I really didn't. I marched to her castle with a makeshift banner and a prayer and never told her my name.
What the hell?
"You're making a funny face, onii-chan. You acted so cool yesterday, but you forgot to even tell me your name."
My face heated up despite the cold.
"It's Shirou. Emiya Shirou. You can call me Shirou."
"Shirou…" She said the name as if testing it. "Shirou, huh?" Then a bright smile lit up her face. "It's a nice name. I like it. It suits you, Shirou."
"Thanks…"
I looked away and scratched at my cheek. The tips of my ears warmed even though it was just my name and—
A small weight pressed into my side.
Illya leaned over and grabbed my arm into a hug, both arms wrapping around it and cheek settling against my sleeve.
I froze, spine going stiff as a surprised breath escaped me. I sat there, unsure what to do.
Illya glanced up, ruby eyes glittering with mischief.
She looked so small and fragile next to me.
I threw a quick glance around the park and sank into my seat. At least there was no one else around here… I didn't need people spreading weird rumors about me.
I breathed in slow, ignoring the way my ears burned. "So uh, you don't mind if I keep calling you 'Illya,' do you?"
"No, I don't," she said, and snuggled deeper into my arm.
My stomach twisted with an awkward feeling.
Has she always been so clingy?
I could shake her off, but I didn't want to make her sad. I’d let her have it her way for a while.
"Hey Illya, about yesterday…" I spoke up, mostly to give my brain a job.
Illya tilted her head against my arm, looking up at me in a way that should be illegal. "What about yesterday?"
"We need to talk. About the Grail War and about the—"
"Shirou."
I frowned at the sudden interruption, but Illya flashed me a strange smile and hopped off the bench. She stood in front of me, hands behind her back, watching like a cat ready to pounce.
"Let's play!"
And then she tackled me, small hands grabbing my arm again and tugging. I stared at her, brows drawing together.
“…play how?"
She’d dodged the topic, it was obvious, but I couldn’t find it in me to refuse that happy smile, and the Grail wasn't going anywhere in the next half hour. It could wait.
Illya pointed at the swing on the right and skipped towards it. She sat down and gripped the support chains in her tiny hands, legs swinging as she looked back at me. "Come on, Shirou! Push me!"
I shook my head with a smile and walked up to the swing. The chains were the cheap galvanized kind, rust creeping in at the links where the coating had flaked, and the crossbar bolts had a lazy quarter-turn of play in them. Not the best, but it would hold a girl who weighed less than my kitchen table.
I gripped the chains with both hands and looked at Illya.
"Ready?"
She gave an excited nod. "Yeah!"
I gave it a push.
Illya let out a surprised laugh as the swing carried her forward.
I stepped aside and waited for her to come back, then gave the swing another push. And then another, the rhythm of it settling into my hands.
"Harder!"
Her voice rose on the third one, and I put my shoulder into the next swing.
"Harder, Shirou! I wanna go higher!"
I obliged.
A smile settled on my face as I watched her swing back and forth, her laughter filling the park. It took my mind off the war and other troubles, and all I could focus on was the happy little girl in front of me.
"Wheee~!"
It didn't take her long to figure out how to pump her legs and drive the swing herself, though a nervous tendril coiled in my stomach as she kept going. On the upswing she bounced clean off the seat, hanging weightless for a beat before the seat caught her, and the arc kept climbing. She was leaning her whole body into it, hauling on the chains, laughing and squeeing while the swing swept up parallel with the ground, her hat pinned to her head by nothing but luck.
The bolts had a quarter-turn of play in them.
My circuits flared awake with a quiet warmth under the skin as Od threaded through my body. I moved away from the swing's path and planted myself out front, eyes on her.
I'd catch her if anything happened.
"Wheee~!"
Then, as the swing came forward, Illya let go of the chains and jumped.
What the hell?!
She soared through the air in a wide arc, coat flaring, and my feet were already moving, eyes gauging the distance—three steps, turn, arms up and she hit my chest. I folded around her, taking her weight across both arms, spinning a half-step with the momentum. A shrill laugh rang out right against my collarbone, silver hair fluttering like snow across my jacket as her hat gave up and fell off behind us.
For a beat, we stayed like that. She looked up at me from the cradle of my arms with a big smile, cheeks pink from the wind, not one gram of fear anywhere on her.
Then reality caught up, and I lowered her back to her feet with a glare.
"Illya, what the hell?! Don't jump like that from a swing! You could hurt yourself!"
Illya kept smiling. "But you caught me, Shirou."
That wasn't an excuse. That wasn't even close to an excuse.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't do reckless stuff just because I'm here. What if I couldn't catch you? What if you broke something?"
"I knew you'd catch me."
What silly logic was this? She'd known me for one day. You don't bet your ankles on one day.
I frowned down at her. "That's not the point, Illya. You could've hurt yourself really bad."
Her smile slipped away. "Like you're one to talk, Shirou." She jabbed a finger towards me, gaze narrowing. "Forgot what you did yesterday when we fought? You can't call me reckless when you do something like that."
Her words gave me pause, and the memory surfaced like the molten metal in a forge.
But that was different. It didn’t matter what happened to me. I didn’t want to see her get hurt.
But Illya didn’t seem to understand that.
My gaze slid sideways as I sighed. "I guess you got me there."
Illya puffed up and stuck her tongue out in triumph.
Little brat…
"Let's keep playing, Shirou!" Her gaze flickered to the swing before she flashed me an innocent smile.
Nice try.
"No more swing. Pick something else."
She deflated with a disappointed sound, shoulders drooping. "Okay..."
"The slide, tag," I listed a few, sweeping my hand around the park. "Hide and—"
I paused, mouth clicking shut. Nope, no hide and seek. She could sit on my lap, and I’d file a missing persons report. Scratch that one.
Illya seemed to think about it, finger to her chin, then took a step back and held her arms out towards me with a smile. "Spin me~!"
That worked too.
I leaned down and hooked my hands under her arms, lifting her up as she giggled.
"Ready?"
"Yeah!"
She nodded with a big smile, and I swept her around me in a wide arc, another giggle slipping loose. Then I planted my feet and started spinning her around me like a helicopter, her laughter chasing itself in circles around the park.
I stopped when I started to get a little dizzy, swaying in place as I set her down.
Illya stood there for a moment, then she went still, both hands flying to her head. She looked around for her missing hat and trotted over to pick it up, dusting it off with a few pats before setting it back like a crown.
I returned to the bench and lowered myself onto the cold slats, watching with a smile as she skipped back. She took her seat on my right, hands folded in her lap, and looked up at me with a small smile.
"Thanks for playing with me, Shirou. I had a lot of fun."
"Anytime."
But there was a strange look in her eyes despite the smile. Wet at the corners, like she was about to cry.
Did I do something wrong?
I ran back through the last ten minutes and found nothing.
Illya looked down at her lap and went quiet. The silence didn't feel as awkward as before, but I still couldn't relax into it. Not when she'd looked so sad out of a sudden.
I wasn't sure what I could do to help. Should I hug her, or—
"Hey, Shirou?" Illya broke the silence, still staring at her lap.
"Yeah?"
She looked up, her bottom lip quivering as our eyes met.
"Did you mean it?"
I blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"What you told me yesterday." She looked away as she frowned, small delicate fingers curling into her coat. "When you called me family."
Ah. So that was it.
I gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "Yeah. Absolutely. I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't." I reached over and patted the back of her head, soft hair under my palm. "I'll do everything I can to help you."
She stared at me, eyes wide. Then her gaze slid down to her lap, a rosy red spreading over her pale cheeks like a watercolor stain.
"I'm the older sister here…" she said, voice barely above a whisper.
A smirk twitched on my lips. "I guess you are. It's easy to forget when you're so tiny."
Her gaze snapped back toward me and narrowed. I held her glare with a small cheeky smile, but then she pinched my side and turned around with a huff.
"Jerk."
I chuckled. "Cute."
I couldn't see her face, but the tip of her left ear was cherry red.
Cute indeed.
She stayed like that for a while, arms crossed and sulking. Then she settled back into her seat with a quiet huff. She sent me a sideways glance and adjusted her hat with both hands.
"So, you wanted to talk about the Grail War?" That teasing smile returned to her lips, but it did her little good when I'd watched her blushing like a ripe tomato not even a minute ago. "You were really desperate to talk to me yesterday."
"Yeah. There's some stuff I need to tell you, but we should go somewhere else first."
Her castle or my house, it didn't matter much. We needed to pick Saber up, though. I shouldn’t do this without her.
"Let's go to your house, Shirou," Illya said in a chipper tone. "I want to see where you live."
I had a feeling she already knew but I wasn't going to refuse her. My house was much closer than her castle anyway.
"Sure."
I sat up, and then paused, one hand still on the bench as I stared off into space for a beat.
"Wait, before that, there's something you need to see."
Illya tilted her head. "See what, Shirou?"
"The place where the last Grail War ended. There's something you should see there."
She rose to her feet, brows drawing together as she patted down her coat. "Wouldn't it be easier to just tell me?"
"It's better if I just showed you. Come on, it's not too far from here. We can buy some snacks on the way."
That did the trick.
"Okay!" Illya nodded with a smile, and we got moving.
<[]>
A shiver crawled up my spine as we slowed to a stop.
Fuyuki Central Park spread out in front of us, quiet and empty like a graveyard.
Illya stood next to me, nibbling at her taiyaki with small quiet bites. My own piece sat half-eaten in its paper bag in my jacket. My appetite had stayed outside the park with the rest of the living world.
My eyes drifted back to the empty patch of land ahead.
We were the only people here, and it felt just as awful as the last time I'd stood here.
Would this place ever return to normal?
The wind pushed at my collar, and a heavy sigh drew my attention back to Illya.
She'd paused her eating and met my gaze with a flat look. "Did you bring me here just to show me a cursed park?"
I blinked at her.
That… wasn't the reaction I expected.
"It's the Grail that's cursed." I swept a hand around to emphasize. "This is where the Grail appeared in the last war before Saber destroyed it. This is just from a few curses spilling out. If anyone makes a wish on this tainted Grail, it'll cause Angra Mainyu's rebirth."
Illya's gaze stayed on me, steady and unreadable.
"How certain are you of this?"
"Fully." I looked her in the eye with as much gravity as I could muster. "Kiritsugu saw it, and that's why he chose to betray the Einzbern and destroy the Grail. And these curses are the reason why he couldn't come for you. Angra Mainyu cursed him, and he wasted away until he died."
Her gaze slid away and she went quiet, the half-eaten taiyaki forgotten in her hands. Her jaw moved and settled into a small frown.
An uneasy feeling coiled in my stomach as I watched her.
Did I do something wrong?
No, she just needed the whole picture.
"I didn't realize it back then, but it's obvious now why he went abroad so many times. He was still trying to bring you back. He went on his own, but he was too weak to—"
"Are we done here, Shirou?"
Her frosty tone gave me pause.
There was no trace left of the sweet little angel I'd played with earlier in the park. Only a frown and cold red eyes.
Illya…
What did I do wrong?
"Yeah…" I said with a weak nod.
"Then let's go somewhere else."
Illya turned away and started walking at a slow pace, leaving me there with the whole speech I'd prepared dying unspent in my chest. I caught up in a few strides, and we headed for the exit in awkward silence.
I stole a glance at her from the corner of my eye. She was nibbling at her taiyaki again, but her teeth were tearing into the dough with quick, sharp bites as she stared off into the distance.
What got into her all of a sudden?
Was it Kiritsugu?
No, that made no sense. I'd just told her he never abandoned her. That was the good part. It was supposed to be the good part. Maybe it was too much at once. Maybe I should've waited—
Another set of footsteps reached my ears, my attention snapping on reflex to the path ahead.
A person dressed in black and white was coming from the other side at a leisure pace, hands in his pockets. A dark casual jacket over a dress shirt, golden blond hair, sharp foreign features, and striking red eyes—
Cut him down.
I froze mid-step, stomach dropping as my pulse kicked up.
What the fuck was he doing here?!
Cold sweat broke out all over my back as we made eye contact across the path. Recognition moved through his face, and the man smirked like he was privy to some inside joke.
"I suppose the world has a sense of humor."
The hell was that supposed to mean?
"A Servant?" Illya spoke from my left, gaze narrowed. "Are you here to pick a fight?"
Gilgamesh slipped his hands out of his pockets, lip curling with a sneer as he slowed to a stop across from us. "Do not presume to know my motives, doll."
This was bad. This was so bad.
Illya's frown deepened, her chin coming up, and I grabbed her arm and gave it a firm squeeze before she could say anything that'd get us killed.
"Illya, he's dangerous. Don't provoke him."
Cut him down.
My weight had shifted onto my toes at some point, but I planted my heels back down.
We couldn't fight him. We didn't even have Berserker with us.
I couldn’t beat Gilgamesh with kitchen knives and Gáe Bolg. He’d bury me in a pile of Noble Phantasms before I even got close enough to use that spear.
I’d have to summon Saber, but he could still skewer me at the slightest surge of mana. If it came down to the worst, I’d just have to buy Illya enough time to summon Berserker and—
"Hoh?" Gilgamesh's brows quirked a fraction. "So, the mongrel recognizes he's in the presence of the king?"
"You've left a powerful impression in the last war. Anyone who saw that would never forget."
The golden bastard scoffed.
Cut him down.
"It seems like history will soon repeat itself." His gaze drifted past us, and that haughty smirk returned to his face like an awful fixture. "I do wonder what decision she will make this time. I may be a magnanimous king, but there won't be a third chance."
The ground tilted a under me as he spoke. He was talking about Saber like she was an unsettled debt.
"She'll make the right choice."
Gilgamesh threw his head back and laughed, a rich, ringing sound, and every note of it scraped down my spine. "How amusing." He propped a hand on his hip, looking down his nose at me. "Your faith in her would be admirable if it wasn't so foolishly misplaced, mongrel. That girl doesn't even know what it means to rule."
A flash of heat lit up above my stomach and spread through my chest.
He was right.
My hands clenched at my sides, and I stood still for a beat, breathing through it.
"She has more to learn about what it means to be a king, but nobody’s perfect,” I said once I could trust my voice again. “We all keep learning as we live, and sometimes even after."
The mocking smile slid off his face like a mask.
"You dare question me?" His tone dipped to a dangerous note. "Do you think yourself wiser than the king?"
I stared at him, dumbfounded, for one long, dead beat.
What the fuck triggered him?!
My heart pounded behind my ribs as I opened my mouth. "No, but even a king might sometimes learn something from a peasant."
My stomach sank as the air thickened with malice, the taste of hot metal creeping up the back of my throat. Next to me, Illya stiffened.
I screwed up. He was going to kill us.
I had to buy time.
Trace—
Gilgamesh let out a scoff, head tilting back with a sneer. "And what can this peasant speak about royalty?"
—huh?
The sheath vanished from my mind's eye as I paused, limbs strung tense.
He didn't attack?
Cut him down.
My left hand twitched.
Should I summon Saber? Would she get here in time? Could we hold him off until—
"I won't ask twice."
His cold voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Words from another life spilled past my lips before my brain even caught up with my mouth.
"Royalty is a continuous cutting motion."
A beat of silence. And then the bloodlust lessened.
I glanced at Illya from the corner of my eye. She was glaring at Gilgamesh, face blank. My stomach twisted into a knot. If she summoned Berserker now, there was no going back—
A loud scoff broke the tense quiet.
"A continuous cutting motion, you say?"
Gilgamesh tilted his head, one brow arched. "Do you understand your own words, or are you just speaking nonsense?"
I frowned.
Wasn't it obvious?
"Royalty is unceasing. The power to cut infinity with the blade of Want. The constant exercise of Will, where all obstacles are discarded. A continuous revolution and self-transformation where stagnation is the enemy."
A beat of silence.
Gilgamesh was quiet, red eyes studying me with piercing intensity. Then he let out a slow, thoughtful breath.
"You're not just another Faker, are you?"
Huh… it worked.
Cut him down.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The words slipped out.
I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Why the fuck did I say that?!
My blood ran cold as the air rippled like a golden wave behind Gilgamesh. I tensed, a rush of ice washing down my spine as my vision narrowed to a tunnel. The command spell, I had one chance—
Nothing came out of the Gate.
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, and the golden shimmer settled.
"Tread carefully, mongrel."
I stood still, heart hammering inside my chest.
"You wanted the truth, didn't you?"
I held my breath through the silence that followed.
Gilgamesh tilted his head back with a scoff. He slipped his hands into his jacket, then resumed his walk. "I suppose I'll wait and see for myself." Smirking, he gave me a sidelong glance as he passed by. "Rejoice, mongrel. I find myself in a good mood, so I won't have your head for this audacity."
A shiver crawled up my spine as the words drifted from behind me. I stood there stock-still, listening to his footsteps move further down the path. When I felt it safe enough, I glanced over my shoulder. Black and gold, growing smaller against the dull grey of the park.
I let out a relieved breath.
What the fuck just happened? What did he even—
I shook my head. No. That wasn't important right now.
Illya stood quiet next to me, watching the direction he'd vanished off to with a frown, the taiyaki bent in her grip.
I grabbed her hand, the skin soft and cold to the touch, and hurried us out of the park, my steps just short of a jog. The gates passed overhead and living sounds came back one by one on the other side, but none of it loosened the nerves in my stomach.
Maybe I shouldn’t leave the house without Saber anymore.
After a few more steps, Illya gave my hand a little tug.
"What's going on, Shirou? You were talking with that jerk like you knew each other."
I looked over my shoulder again. Empty sidewalk.
"Not here."
We’d talk once we got somewhere safe.
"Let's hurry back home."
<[]>
The gate clicked shut behind us, and some of the weight riding my shoulders finally slid off.
I opened the door and stepped inside, the familiar smell of the house folding around me. I stopped in the entryway to take off my shoes and looked behind me.
Illya stood at the threshold, taking her sweet time. She peered down the hallway and let out an intrigued hum.
"So that's where you live, Shirou? It looks pretty cozy."
Despite her smile, my stomach twisted in unease.
Of all the people we could've met, it had to be Gilgamesh…
What the hell was he even doing? Taking a morning stroll through the city?
"Shoes off, and welcome in."
Illya slipped out of her boots and placed them next to mine, toes lined up neat on the tray. I hung my school bag on the hook next to the keys and gestured for her to follow inside.
We crossed the short hallway, her head still swiveling like she meant to memorize the floor plan, and walked into the living room.
Saber sat in her same spot at the table, posture straight like a sword. In front of her, a large pile of orange-colored peels lay there like clues in a crime scene.
Her head turned towards us, a half-eaten tangerine resting in her hand.
"I thought you were going to school, Shirou."
Her gaze swept over Illya, but she didn’t offer as much as a greeting.
I gave Saber a sheepish smile as I walked up to the table, one hand rising to the back of my head. "That was the plan, but something came up…"
I gestured at Illya as she sauntered up to my left, a mischievous smile blooming on her face. "I—"
"He wanted to spend more time with his wonderful sister." Illya puffed up with pride, one hand pressed to her chest. "Poor Shirou really can't help himself."
…huh?
I stared at her, mouth agape, while she shook her head with a dramatic sigh.
"A shame that blonde prick showed up and ruined the mood."
The tangerine stopped halfway to Saber's mouth. She placed it down on the table and fixed me with a flat stare.
"I'd like to hear more about this."
Goddammit, Illya.
A quiet breath slipped out through my nose as I caught Illya's playful gaze. This brat was doing it on purpose…
Fine.
"I'll make some tea first."
Good thing I’d stocked up on snacks last night. Saber took bad news better with food in reach.
I walked past the table, shoulders sagging, and went to the kitchen.
This was going to be another long day.
Author's Note: Next update will be the Kurama SI, then I'll do another one for Swordmaxxing.