Chapter 59: Day 11 ③

Once again, I had a dream.

A dream where I was simply playing with a young girl in a Western-style room. That was all—a dream of pure, simple happiness.

There was nothing special about it. Just a little girl, like any other, playing house and chatting. I was dreaming of a scene that could be found between any pair of sisters.

The two of them were so ordinary that it brought peace to my heart as I watched the younger sister from the perspective of the elder. Watching that tranquil world, I was suddenly struck by a sense of loneliness. I didn't know why. There was no reason for it. Even though the girl before me looked truly happy, I felt an underlying anxiety.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position on my futon and dazed off for a while. I didn't realize it until I woke up and thought about it calmly, but that dream was likely Rin's. It was surely her past. The girl who appeared was the same crying child I had seen in a previous dream.

I had never heard Rin mention having a younger sister. There were no traces of one in the Tohsaka mansion where we lived. Whether that sister had gone somewhere unreachable or for what reason, Rin’s sister was not with her now.

That was all I knew. However, of that much, I was certain. Having seen the two of them so close and happy in the dream, their current separation felt like a painful, galling reality.

Feeling my mood sink, I took a deep breath, muttered a quick "Right," and stood up all at once.

I put on my usual blouse and skirt and quickly tied up my hair. Finally, I tied a red ribbon—matching my hair tie—at the collar of my blouse and checked my reflection in the full-length mirror.

I spun around in front of the mirror, checking my appearance from behind at the last moment. Centrifugal force caused my skirt to flutter upward.

—OK. Today, except for the finer details, I looked just like Saber.

Then, I came to a sudden halt. Come to think of it, somewhere along the line, had I completely lost my resistance to wearing a skirt?

Today’s breakfast duty was supposed to be Rin’s. ...Or rather, it was supposed to be, but in the mornings, whoever woke up earliest usually ended up making it instead.

Rin likely woke up quite early compared to an average student, but compared to the inhabitants of this mansion, she was inevitably one of the late risers.

I was the first to appear in the living room. Having nothing particular to do, I headed to the kitchen and began the prep work for breakfast to make it easier for Rin to cook. The clock read 5:30 AM.

Ten minutes later, Shirou arrived in the kitchen to help, offering a morning greeting. From there, the two of us worked together to prepare breakfast for six people while chatting. At this point, we had forgotten the premise of "just doing the prep work" and had entered full-scale cooking mode. The rule of whose turn it was had already slipped our minds.

Now, regarding the cooking—when it came to Japanese cuisine (Washoku), my coordination with Shirou was perfect.

While I peeled the burdock root and prepared the nimono (simmered dish) side, Shirou was grilling the main dish, salted salmon, on the rack.

By the time I finished the nimono, Shirou had timed the boiling water and the Dashi (broth) so he could finish the miso soup at the same moment. Incidentally, we hadn't discussed the menu beforehand.

The fact that we could immerse ourselves in cooking without getting in each other’s way was likely because we were originally the same person.

From the seasoning and the rhythm of cooking to the procedures and even the inspiration for the menu based on available ingredients—I understood Shirou as if he were an extension of myself. Because I understood him so well, it actually startled me whenever he managed to exceed my expectations.

Having cooked this much, I finally remembered that the one on duty was Rin. Once before, I had inadvertently stolen Rin's turn to cook in the morning. That time, I was unconscious of it and only realized it after Rin woke up.

This time, I remembered a bit earlier, but a proper Japanese breakfast menu was already sitting regally before my eyes.

...In the first place, it might be that Shirou and I just wake up too early.

Rin usually wakes up around 6:00 AM on her cooking days, but by then, everything is mostly finished, and it naturally ends up with Shirou and me having made it.

For the sake of her reputation, it would probably be better to wake up later, but since becoming a Servant, I no longer require much sleep, and my body naturally wakes up at this time.

When I wake up early and think, "I might as well do the prep work," I somehow end up finishing the whole thing.

Either way, we should probably change the cooking rotation. As I was thinking that, it was just past 6:00 AM, and Rin and Lia woke up.

"Good morning, Shirou, Alto."

"Morning~. You two are as close as ever, I see."

Lia, whose Prana was fully replenished, looked sharp and alert. Rin spoke while rubbing her eyes and swaying slightly from drowsiness.

"T-Tohsaka. What do you mean 'as ever'?"

Shirou was the one who reacted excessively to Rin’s casual comment. He replied with a flushed face, trying to play it cool.

Good grief, he should know by now that Rin just likes to tease Emiya Shirou. I wondered what Rin was thinking as she looked back and forth between Shirou and me with a face that practically said, "This is entertaining."

"Fufu. No, it's nothing. I must have still been half-asleep. More importantly, you two are way too fast at making breakfast. It's fine even if you start after 6:00, so just wait for me next time."

Peeking into the kitchen and seeing that everything was mostly done, Rin seemed to give up. She muttered a small complaint about having woken up early for nothing and let out a sigh.

"Ah, sorry about that. I thought I’d just get the prep work done so we could start right away, but I got carried away."

Shirou, like me, had intended to only do the prep work, and he scratched his cheek looking awkward. As expected, we think exactly alike.

As I watched the two of them with a wry smile, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to find Lia leaning in close to my face. Surprised by the proximity, I was about to step back when I noticed her complicated expression. Sensing it was something difficult to talk about, I leaned in as well, and Lia whispered softly into my ear.

"Good morning. ...Alto, have you perhaps revealed your true identity to Rin?"

My brain, which had been a bit dazed while watching the others, came to a grinding halt. After realizing I was speechless, my thinking capacity finally returned. I hurriedly opened my mouth.

"...Y-yes. I didn't know if there would be another chance to tell her later. I thought it best to do so while we have some leeway."

As far as I could tell, Rin’s treatment of me was the same as usual. I felt a sense of admiration for Lia in my heart; she was very perceptive.

"I see."

Lia said only that, her complicated expression deepening. Was it confusion? Or perhaps... it felt like she was lamenting something. Among the mix of emotions, I could see a faint trace of joy.

"————Well then, I shall go wake up Illyasviel."

As I watched her, Lia seemed to pull herself together, her expression clearing as she turned on her heel toward the room assigned to Illya.

In the end, I never found out what Lia was thinking. I've always been poor at reading subtle emotions from someone's face.

Afterward, Shinji woke up, and by the time Illya and Lia joined us, breakfast was ready. Although all that was left was letting the flavor soak into the nimono, it timed perfectly with Illya getting ready.

"Mmm! ...It's delicious."

Illya’s face beamed as I pulled the chopsticks away from her mouth. Seeing her chew with a smile was so adorable that it made me happy enough to smile back. If I were to be greedy, it would have been better if we weren't in this situation.

Because of her shoulder injury, Illya couldn't hold her utensils, so for some reason, I was the one feeding her.

Initially, Illya had tried to get Shirou to feed her, but she gave up after Lia's fierce opposition. When Lia volunteered herself, saying "Then I shall do it," Illya flatly rejected her, saying, "I'm bored of Lia taking care of me."

While I was calming the indignant Lia, I was personally nominated by Illya herself. ...Well, at least I’m glad she liked the food. As a cook, seeing someone enjoy their meal is the greatest reward.

Now that breakfast was over, it was time for a discussion. Returning to the living room after finishing the dishes, everyone was seated around the large table.

We needed to summarize our current information and plan our next move. We had obtained new information from Shinji yesterday, but what we knew was still less than I had hoped.

The most troublesome visible threat was Gilgamesh.

His Master was unknown. We didn't even know if he required a Master. His base of operations was a mystery. His goal seemed to be Illya, but we didn't know what lay beyond that.

If it came to a battle, it would be a hard fight. However, if Lia and I teamed up while Rin’s Prana was fully restored, we might have a chance.

Lia’s mana supply was perfect thanks to Illya, and I knew I could hold my own against that "Rain of Swords" (Gate of Babylon) for a while. The only thing I couldn't think of a counter for was that Noble Phantasm called Enuma Elish.

Next was the Shadow that had attacked Caster.

Regarding its true identity, we didn't even know if it was a Servant or something else entirely. Its purpose was unknown. According to Caster, it seemed to be targeting Servants, but even so, it was vague and intensely eerie.

We still didn't know the Shadow's method of attack or any effective way to strike back. Since I hadn't seen it personally, I couldn't say much, but if we were attacked now, our only option would be to retreat. No countermeasures had been established.

And then, there was Matou Zouken.

If I were to prioritize emotion—Shirou, Rin, Shinji, and especially I—he was the one we wanted to defeat first. If he had taken over Sakura, who was said to be a Master, then his goal was either the Holy Grail or something related to it. There was no doubt it was connected to this Holy Grail War.

We had an idea of where he was. Since we would be invading Zouken’s stronghold, we naturally wouldn't have the Geographic Advantage.

As for the battle—or rather, the nature of his Magecraft—it was heavily biased toward the Water Element, and the spells passed down in his lineage had a strong tendency toward "Absorption."

Shirou and I, who lack knowledge of Magecraft, didn't understand much from that description, but Rin was different. While she didn't call it perfect, she had already suggested several countermeasures.

Furthermore, against a single Magus, we had two Servants, two Magi, and one Spellcaster. In terms of pure combat power, we had an overwhelming advantage. Even without that, there was no doubt that Matou Zouken’s combat skills as a Magus were inferior to those of a Servant. Even in his own territory, we wouldn't lose easily.

The problem was Sakura being taken over. Based on what I heard last night, I think we can manage if we remove the "foreign object" from within her, but...

"...Is invading the Matou residence our best course of action?"

"I suppose so. Matou Zouken is the only one whose location we know and for whom we can prepare countermeasures."

"We even have the floor plan of the mansion that Matou-kun drew for us, after all," Rin said, smiling at Shinji.

In response to that smile, Shinji snorted and turned his face away from Rin.

"Right... we strike this evening. I’ve heard Matou Zouken isn't fond of sunlight. While midday might be pushing it, let's do it while there’s still a bit of daylight left. We’ll be going in with all our available forces, but until then, I’ll work out a more concrete plan. Our goal is the elimination of Matou Zouken, who is interfering with the Holy Grail War, but I’ll also try to find a solution for Sakura. —Illya, can I borrow your wisdom for a bit? This seems a bit much for me to handle alone."

"I guess it can't be helped," Illya said with an exaggerated nod. Despite her words, she didn't seem to mind being relied upon.

"I’ll have everyone check the plan before we leave. If anyone has concerns, please speak up. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, understood," Shirou replied.

I followed suit and nodded. Rin, seeing everyone agree, flashed a satisfied smile.

"Then let's have a strategy meeting in my room immediately. Illya, come with me. Ah, Alto, you assist Illya."

"You heard her. Come, Alto. Let's go."

"Understood. Illya, please follow me."

Leaving Shinji, Shirou, and Lia in the living room, I led Illya toward Rin’s room.

As I walked, I pictured the smile of Sakura, who had been like a younger sister to me. She had stayed by the side of a wanderer like me and supported me. It was because Sakura was there smiling that I was able to be as reckless as I wanted.

My only concern was whether Sakura was safe. If Matou Zouken had suppressed Sakura’s personality and surfaced, then Sakura’s original consciousness was either forcibly sealed away or, at the very least, severely weakened.

Since she had apparently spoken a word to Shinji, I didn't think she had been completely erased, but that might not still be the case. Surely, even at this very moment, Sakura must be suffering.

Emiya Shirou lived his life having been saved by Sakura in no small way. If so, then we absolutely have to save her.