Shirō was browsing through the vegetable section when she noticed a familiar scene unfolding a few aisles away. Shinji, as usual, was speaking to Sakura in that same arrogant, condescending tone, his words laced with irritation and cruelty. Sakura, for her part, stood there quietly, her hands clasped in front of her, shoulders tense, eyes cast downward like she was trying to make herself smaller.
Shirō's grip on the shopping basket tightened.
That was enough.
She made her way over, stepping between them before Shinji could say anything worse. "Is there a problem here?" she asked, giving Sakura a reassuring glance before turning to Shinji with a cold stare.
Shinji blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Then his expression shifted—eyes scanning her from head to toe, a slow smirk forming on his face. "Well, well," he mused, tilting his head. "Who's this beauty?"
Sakura tensed beside her. "She's—she's Senpai's cousin," she quickly supplied, her voice quiet but firm. "Her name is Saber."
"Emiya's cousin, huh?" Shinji crossed his arms, his smirk widening. "I gotta say, I didn't know Emiya had such a gorgeous relative."
Shirō didn't react to the compliment. Instead, she met his gaze evenly and asked, "Why were you speaking to Sakura like that?"
Shinji's smirk faltered.
"That's none of your business," he said flatly.
Shirō's eyes narrowed. "Yes, it is."
Sakura tugged at her sleeve hesitantly. "Saber-san, please… it's fine…"
It wasn't fine. And Shirō wasn't about to back down.
"You shouldn't treat her like this," Shirō said, voice firm. "She's your sister."
Shinji's expression darkened, irritation flashing across his face. "Tch. Shut up, Saber-chan," he snapped. "I'm really pissed off right now."
Then, his smirk returned, eyes gleaming with something unpleasant. "But… if you go on a date with me, I might just forgive you."
Disgusting.
Shirō's expression twisted in open disgust. "Not a chance."
Shinji clicked his tongue in annoyance. Then, before she could react, he grabbed her wrist—his grip tight, possessive, like he thought he could force her into compliance.
Shirō's eyes darkened.
Big mistake.
She didn't hesitate. Twisting her arm slightly, she wrenched her wrist free from his grasp, her movements sharp and practiced. Shinji barely had time to register what had happened before she took a deliberate step forward, making him instinctively back away.
Her voice was calm but ice-cold. "Don't. Touch. Me."
Shinji's smirk wavered, but he scoffed, feigning indifference. "Tch. Whatever." He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away. "You're not even that pretty anyway."
Shirō didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she turned to Sakura. "Let's go."
Sakura hesitated but nodded quickly, following her as they left Shinji standing alone in the aisle.
Behind them, Shinji muttered something under his breath, but Shirō didn't care to listen.
She had more important things to do.
As they walked away from Shinji, the tension in Sakura's shoulders slowly eased. She glanced at Shirō, a small, grateful smile appearing on her lips.
"Thank you, Saber-san," she said softly. "You really are like Senpai… always stepping in to help."
Shirō nearly tripped over her own feet.
How can I say that I am Senpai?!
She forced a strained smile, trying to suppress the growing frustration inside her. This was getting ridiculous. No matter what she did, people kept comparing her to herself.
Ugh. Annoying.
Still, she couldn't exactly correct Sakura. So instead, she just gave a small nod.
"Yeah, well… he sounds like a good guy," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably.
Sakura's smile grew fonder. "He is."
Shirō felt like banging her head against the nearest wall.
Before she could stew in that thought any longer, she checked the time and sighed.
"Anyways, got to go," she said quickly, hoping to escape before anything more frustrating happened.
Sakura nodded. "Alright. Take care, Saber-san."
With that, Shirō turned on her heel and walked off—though, really, it felt more like fleeing.