"Alright, alright, don't be mad," Xia Yu pinched Illya's cheek with a smiling face. "I just pointed out your conflicted little thoughts, why are you taking it so seriously?"
"Besides, isn't it great that we're right across from his house?"
"You can also observe this person properly. Illya, you're also very..."
"So annoying!" Hearing this, Illya interrupted her loudly, turning her head to the other side to free her cheek from Xia Yu's demonic clutches.
"I don't care about that at all! He'd better be a normal person and have nothing to do with the Holy Grail War! Otherwise, I won't show any mercy!"
"Mhm, mhm, our Illya is the best, so decisive and ruthless," Xia Yu reached out and grabbed a piece of cake. "Want some?"
"Not everyone likes sweets as much as you do!" Hearing this, Illya pouted. "I got sick of them a long time ago!"
"What?" Hearing this, a trace of disbelief actually surfaced on the normally expressionless face of Leysritt standing to the side. She lowered her head and walked out of the room heartbrokenly holding the plate in her hands.
She made this cake. As Illya's little personal chef, she was the only one here with this skill.
"Wait, Leysritt, I didn't mean it like that..." Seeing this, Illya reached out her hand toward her, but Leysritt acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, stumbling out of the room alone, radiating a desolate aura.
"Ahhh, it's all your fault!" Seeing this, Illya, flustered and exasperated, directly picked up a chair cushion and hurled it at Xia Yu.
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all my fault," Xia Yu smiled and reached out to catch the thrown cushion.
Leysritt's little act might work on Illya, but against her, it was still far too green.
This outwardly expressionless Homunculus was actually quite mischievous on the inside. In Xia Yu's perception, the moment she left Illya's line of sight, those heavy footsteps immediately turned brisk.
Such behavior was never seen back at the main Einzbern estate. As expected, did the rules of a Magus Family suppress their true natures?
In her perception, not just Leysritt, but even Sella had become a bit more lively. In the past, how could she have so easily agreed to live in the city?
Although her disagreement would've been useless anyway.
Perhaps they also knew their own destinies. As Illya's attendants, Sella was still okay, but Leysritt... she would probably die alongside Illya in this Holy Grail War.
If Illya, bearing the responsibility of the Lesser Grail, wanted to avoid ending up like her mother in the late stages—falling into a coma due to being unable to withstand the massive amount of Magical Energy entering the Lesser Grail as too many Servants were eliminated—the Dress of Heaven was an absolute necessity.
The main reason Irisviel wasn't equipped with a dedicated Dress of Heaven was that she didn't assume the duties of a Master. Emiya Kiritsugu was handling that aspect, so their plan could continue even if she fell unconscious.
But Illya couldn't do that.
Leysritt was precisely the component needed to form her Dress of Heaven. Tsk, these Magi really were... completely devoid of humanity.
Xia Yu narrowed her eyes, recalling Leysritt's sudden burst of liveliness. Perhaps she too knew that these were her final days.
Sella likely turned a blind eye to such petty willful behavior because she also knew these were Illya's final days.
Of course, the main reason was that they both felt Einzbern's trump card was invincible, providing a high margin of error for them to act this way.
"So annoying..." Illya slumped both arms on the table, burying her entire face in them. "Hey, Berserker, since you dreamed of my past, why can't I dream of yours?"
Still throwing a tantrum, Illya.
"Because you're too weak, Illya," Xia Yu chose to directly pierce her heart. "Not strong enough to dive into my Sea of Consciousness."
Of course, she was just sprouting nonsense; heaven knew why.
"I want to kill him," Illya suddenly spoke up.
"Why?" Xia Yu tilted her head.
"No reason, I just want to," Illya still didn't lift her head from her arms.
"This is why I say Einzbern's education is truly harmful," Xia Yu reached out and gently patted her head. "They never taught you what good and evil are. It's wrong to kill someone just on a whim, Illya."
"Good and evil? What's that," Illya's voice was muffled. "I am a weapon of the Einzbern Family. My body underwent constant adjustments while still in my mother's womb. My Magic Circuits far exceed those of an ordinary Magus in number. I am the masterpiece of the Einzbern Family."
"The price is that you will forever maintain this nine-year-old appearance, and even if you don't participate in the Holy Grail War, you won't live past a year," Xia Yu, hearing this, gently embraced her. "Rest assured, Illya, I will win the Holy Grail for you."
Well, just winning the Holy Grail. As for making a wish, forget it; the Black Mud is quite disgusting.
It's just that, Xia Yu was also distressed because she had no means to purify the Black Mud...
Wait, the Black Mud... has an evil attribute, right?
Xia Yu habitually rested her chin on the top of Illya's head. In that case, perhaps I can...
While Illya was throwing a tantrum, the nearby Emiya Residence wasn't peaceful either.
"Ah!"
Matou Sakura's hand was burned by the rim of the pot in front of her.
"Are you okay, Sakura?" Emiya Shirou hurried forward and grabbed her hand. Seeing her already red and blistered fingers, he quickly brought a small bowl of cold water and immersed her fingers in it.
"Ah, Senpai, that's a rice bowl," Matou Sakura hurriedly reminded him upon seeing this.
"Who cares about that at a time like this," Emiya Shirou was completely unconcerned. "I can just wash it later. But you, Sakura, is something wrong?"
A trace of worry hung on his face. "You've been distracted all day. If something's bothering you, tell me. I'll help you figure it out."
"It's nothing, Senpai," Hearing this, Matou Sakura lowered her head. "I'm just... just a bit too tired from studying today. I'll be fine if I rest a little earlier tonight. Oh right, Senpai, you went out earlier to..."
"Oh, that was Uncle Mizufune from across the street. He specifically came over to thank me," Emiya Shirou rubbed the back of his head somewhat sheepishly upon hearing this. "He said I introduced him to some major clients. It seems those people earlier were very generous with their money."
"Senpai, may I ask about those people..." The worry in Matou Sakura's eyes grew even more intense upon hearing this. "Did you really just bump into them on the street?"
She wouldn't be mistaken. That European appearance, the long white hair, the strong non-human scent wafting from those two attendant-like individuals, plus this specific point in time... Without a doubt, their identities were Einzbern, one of the founding Three Families of the Holy Grail War.
But wasn't there still a month until the start of the Holy Grail War? Moreover, Einzbern should have a castle outside the city. Why would they move into a place like this?
With no Magecraft Workshop and no prior preparations, this place was absolutely unsuitable as a stronghold. Then, there was only one possibility.
They were here for Senpai.
Matou Sakura couldn't find a second possibility. Her thoughts were exactly the same as Illya's.
How could there be such a coincidence in the world?
They were troubled over finding a place to rent, and then they just happened to encounter Emiya Shirou who knew about a place, and they just happened to rent the house right across from the Emiya Residence?
How could this be a coincidence!
One must know, Emiya Shirou and Einzbern... also shared some history together. And it was precisely because of this history that, under her grandfather's orders a few years ago, she had come to approach Emiya-senpai...
Is this point in time finally arriving?
Matou Sakura stared blankly at her fingers submerged in the bowl in front of her. The Matou Family's Magecraft bloodline could roughly be declared extinct. Her brother's Magecraft aptitude could only be described as... an eyesore.
And the true successor of this generation's Matou Family was her, Matou Sakura.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would be the one summoning a Servant this time... She just didn't know what Grandfather was thinking.
No matter what, I must protect Senpai!
"Sakura? Sakura?" Seeing her silent demeanor, Emiya Shirou gently waved his hand in front of her, interrupting her train of thought. "What's wrong? Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Senpai," Hearing this, Matou Sakura lifted her head and gave her sweetheart a gentle smile. "I was just... a bit zoned out."
"You go take a rest first, leave the rest to me," Seeing this, Emiya Shirou forcefully pushed her aside to rest without leaving room for argument, while he took the ingredients and started cooking.
"Senpai, I'm almost done making it. What are you..." Sakura was somewhat at a loss.
"Oh, we got new neighbors next door, after all," Emiya Shirou turned his head to explain upon hearing this. "Given the time, it's probably inconvenient for them to go out and buy ingredients. Besides, they just arrived in Fuyuki City and aren't familiar with the nearby markets."
"So just treat this as a housewarming gift for our neighbors. They still look like foreigners, so they might not be used to eating soba noodles. I don't know how to cook Western food either, so I can only fry some fish fillets to go with rice. Oh right, Sakura, I remember you still had some of the cookies you made yesterday, right?"
In Japan, this was a custom. Well, at least in Japan in 2004, there were still many customs like this. One would give housewarming gifts to new neighbors, typically traditional soba noodles, or things like cookies and cakes.
"...Yes, there are still some left." Hearing this, Matou Sakura remained silent for two seconds before speaking up. "By the way, Senpai, I noticed that the innermost wall of the storehouse in the back seems to have a hole in it. Once you're done cooking, you should go take a look first. It would be bad if it rains or snows tonight."
"As for the housewarming gift... I'll just go deliver it."
"Huh? The storehouse?" Emiya Shirou blanked out upon hearing this. "How come I didn't notice?"
"The hole is very small," Matou Sakura lowered her head. "Senpai, you'll find it if you look carefully. It's right behind the stairs."
"Will you be alright by yourself, Sakura?" Emiya Shirou was still a bit worried.
"Don't worry, I just got slightly burned, that's all," Hearing this, Matou Sakura raised her head and gave him a bright smile. "I'm already fine."
"Alright then," Emiya Shirou finished frying the fish fillets, packed them properly in a food box, and then carefully inspected Matou Sakura's hand. "Be careful then, Sakura. If you really can't, I'll go with you first..."
"Geez, there's no need, Senpai," Matou Sakura turned her head away. "I can do it alone. You should hurry up and go check it out."
Saying that, she pushed him towards the backyard.
"Alright, alright, I'll go take a look," Unable to win against her, Emiya Shirou headed toward the storehouse.
Meanwhile, Matou Sakura turned around, picked up the food box, went out the door, walked onto the street outside, and looked at the tightly shut gates across from her.
She took a deep breath, braced herself, and only then knocked on the door.
"Oh, it's you," Xia Yu opened the door, looking somewhat surprised to see Matou Sakura standing in front of her. "Miss Matou Sakura, right? How can I help you?"
"In Japan, people are accustomed to giving new neighbors a housewarming gift," The latter presented the food box in her hands and said, "Miss, you might not be familiar with this custom."
"Oh, please come in quickly," Xia Yu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Is this the food from the Emiya Residence? I didn't expect to get a taste right after arriving.
She led Matou Sakura all the way into the living room. "Come, have a seat. Don't be polite, make yourself at home."
"...Miss," Matou Sakura looked at the little girl lying motionless on the table, then turned to Xia Yu. "Senpai... he didn't seem to mention my name earlier, did he?"
"But we already knew your surname was Matou," Xia Yu nodded matter-of-factly. "Including the fact that your previous surname was Tohsaka. As the creators of the Holy Grail War ritual, our three families pretty much know each other inside out."
Hearing the word 'Matou', Illya snapped her head up.
"Your surname is Matou?!" Her suspicious gaze immediately locked onto Matou Sakura.
No, Illya, you...
Seeing this, Xia Yu slapped her forehead.
I just finished bragging about that to her!
Matou Sakura was clearly bewildered as well. She looked at Illya, then at Xia Yu, her eyes full of suspicion.
"Sorry to make a fool of ourselves in front of you," Xia Yu roughly rubbed Illya's head. "This child is just too lazy. Obviously, everyone has seen this intelligence, yet she was the only one fast asleep on the plane."
"Einzbern..." Hearing this, Matou Sakura fell silent for two seconds. "Isn't there still some time until the Holy Grail War?"
"We mainly wanted to come early to familiarize ourselves with the local customs," Xia Yu casually sprouted nonsense. "After all, think about it: the Holy Grail War only lasts seven days. If we arrived right on time and stepped off the plane only to find we weren't acclimated to the environment, wouldn't we be naturally at a disadvantage compared to the others?"
"Then what is everyone's intention in approaching Senpai?" Matou Sakura tried her best to exude the aura of a Magus Family. "I don't believe in coincidences!"
But her attempt at gathering her courage just looked incredibly cute to Xia Yu.
"Of course we chose this location on purpose," Xia Yu couldn't help but feel the urge to tease her, saying seriously, "After all, as the previous generation's Master for Einzbern, Emiya Kiritsugu gave up the Holy Grail at the very last moment. Einzbern simply can't figure out exactly what he did it for."
"So we wanted to come over and see if we could get any intel. Based on my understanding of Emiya Kiritsugu as a person, he's a sick fanatic. To make someone like that have no choice but to give up the Holy Grail..."
"Then there must have been an unusually massive problem."
Hearing this, the struggling Illya in her arms instantly went quiet.
Meanwhile, Matou Sakura across from her was extremely perplexed... She truly didn't know these secrets.
That Old Worm never truly treated her as one of his own. No, let alone one of his own, he hadn't even treated her as a human being.