Chapter 16: Illya Wants to Join
Then, the two of them lay down with a soft rustle of sheets. Inside the warm covers, Saber appeared somewhat cautious; if she moved slightly and touched him, she would pull back instantly as if struck by an electric shock.
After about ten minutes, Shirou was staring blankly at the grayish-white ceiling in a daze. Suddenly wanting to see if Saber had fallen asleep, he turned his face to the side. As it happened, his eyes met the girl's gaze directly.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet, Saber?"
"I... I can't sleep..."
Saber curled her body up under the quilt, her golden hair already untied and scattered across the pillow. At this moment, the girl was so beautiful that Shirou's breath hitched for a moment.
"Shirou, your eyes look very strange," the girl suddenly said.
"Is that so? Maybe it's just too hot." Even though it was winter, Shirou felt himself warming up under the blanket.
Shirou stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, and forced himself to fall asleep. Seeing the youth in front of her drift off, Saber finally felt drowsiness wash over her and slowly closed her eyes.
...
The Dream.
A crystal-clear sky, blue as if it had been washed, shone down upon a castle floating in the air. Shirou stood outside the gates of this magnificent white castle. There was no trace of anyone around; only the rustling sound of the wind blowing past.
Stepping inside, a throne stood directly ahead. But it was empty, as if waiting for someone's arrival.
"Where is this...?"
With a hint of confusion, Shirou looked around the deserted, pure white castle. He walked through the halls, observing everything.
This is a dream.
Shirou realized this almost the instant he entered the dreamscape. Whenever he was in the Type-Moon world, he always had seemingly strange dreams. Unlike the dreams of Saber's past he had seen before, no one else existed here besides the castle itself. Since that was the case, it likely meant this wasn't a memory-type dream.
After exploring the entire castle, Shirou still couldn't identify the location. He had no recollection of seeing this place before, so he had no basis for a guess. While speculating about his whereabouts, Shirou walked to the edge of the castle.
Looking down, he saw a boundless desert. Sand and dust storms raged incessantly, making it difficult to see the barren land hidden beneath. Just as Shirou was about to jump down to take a look, the dream shattered before his eyes like a bubble.
...
In the early morning, when Shirou opened his eyes, what he saw was a pretty face in close proximity. Golden hair was scattered across the white sheets. Seemingly sensing something, the girl's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
At first, she was a bit dazed by the situation, but upon noticing the face inches away from her own, Saber's eyes suddenly widened. Then, she shuddered like a startled kitten and hurriedly sat up.
"That... um... as expected, sleeping on the floor would be better!"
"We can just get another set of bedding, then this won't happen again," Shirou suggested.
Saber hesitated for a moment but finally nodded and agreed.
"We can think about that tonight. Let's go have breakfast first."
Hearing about food, the ahoge on Saber's head twitched, and she nodded obediently. "Okay~"
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Entering the living room, Sakura had also just woken up and was planning to wash up. However, she quickly spotted Saber following behind Shirou. The golden-haired girl's beauty was enough to stun anyone who saw her, and Sakura was no exception.
"This is...?"
To the confused Sakura, Shirou began to explain:
"Sakura, this is Saber, who fought alongside me during the Fourth Holy Grail War. She is the famous King of Britain from legend. I summoned her to this era last night."
Saber spoke up at the right moment to introduce herself. "Hello, Sakura. I am Artoria Pendragon. Please look after me."
"Ah... I am Sakura Orihara. P-please look after me too."
Although she had acquired related knowledge while living at Einzbern Castle, seeing a legendary figure in the flesh for the first time still left her utterly astonished. And...
"K-King Arthur is actually a woman?"
In Sakura's eyes, Saber's physique and appearance seemed almost the same age as hers, perhaps even a bit younger. Especially when her gaze shifted slightly downward, Sakura felt an instant surge of relief.
'Good, my advantage is as huge as ever.
Besides, since she's a Servant, she'll leave once the Holy Grail War is over, right?'
Thinking this, a smile played on Sakura's face. She then curiously began to ask Saber about the legends of Camelot and the deeds of the Knights of the Round Table.
"Were there other women among the Knights of the Round Table?"
Hearing Sakura's question, Saber rested her chin on her hand in a pensive expression, answering while recollecting: "Hmm... Mordred and Gareth were both..."
Mentioning Mordred caused a shadow to flicker in Saber's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. There was no time to mourn the past; she had more important things to do.
"Oh! It was really like that!?"
Sakura's mouth hung open slightly in surprise as she continued to chat with Saber. As they chatted and laughed, Shirou, standing alone to the side, suddenly felt the sensation that "the joys and sorrows of mankind are not shared." He shook his head slightly, walked into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and focused on cooking.
Shirou possessed an extremely high level of skill in cooking. However, during the Fourth Holy Grail War, he hadn't had the time, and in the world of Campione!, he was busy slaying gods and had no time to cook for himself. Now that he was back in his most familiar home, he finally had the leisure to make a meal. Even though he hadn't practiced this craft in a long time, if current Shirou truly set his mind to it, he could easily surpass the level of the world's top chefs.
He prepared a flavorful white miso soup, using minced sea bream, daikon, carrots, seaweed, green onions, garlic, and miso. A faint, fragrant mist hovered over the soup; in the haze, the ingredients stood out beautifully against the golden-yellow broth.
The side dish was grilled saury, with the heat timed precisely to the second. Once faint char marks appeared on the surface, he squeezed lemon juice over it, turning the slightly dry meat of the saury into something tart, tender, and vibrant. As for the staple, it was a sincere offering of hand-molded rice balls. The small rice balls were kneaded with gentle, rhythmic movements in Shirou's hands—he even shaped two cute cat ears on them.
A simple yet elegant breakfast was complete.
When Shirou carried the dishes into the living room, he suddenly discovered an extra person.
"Illya? Why are you here too?"
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