"Bazett, although I wasn't followed, I was detected by Archer. So our base…" Rider hesitated.
"There's no need to move for now. This peculiar barrier, although its principle is unclear, can't be seen through by anyone unfamiliar with this place."
"Did he set it up?"
"Uh-huh." Bazett's face showed a hint of discomfort, but she quickly explained, "It's a barrier completely different from magical barriers. It doesn't use any magic, yet it can deceive the six senses. It's a very practical barrier."
Seeing the awkward look on Bazett's face, Rider felt a strange emotion stir within her, almost like… jealousy?
Late at night, Bazett was sitting in front of the sofa, fiddling with a puzzle Shinji had played with earlier, while Rider sat by the window with her back to Bazett, quietly reading a book.
"Rider, what are you reading?"
"A novel that Sakura said Shinji wrote."
Rider pointed to two books stacked on a nearby table, but she didn't take her eyes off the pages in her hand, fearing that without her Mystic Eye Killer, she might accidentally petrify Bazett with her eyes.
"He wrote novels too?" Bazett was surprised. She got up and examined the covers of the two novels titled The Three-Body Problem Part 1 and Part 2. "Can I take a look?"
"Sure." Rider nodded slightly.
And so, the two of them spent the entire night immersed in Liu Cixin's imaginative world.
Back at the Matou residence.
Hearing the dull sound of the clock, Shinji, who had been engrossed in his laptop, looked up at the clock in the corner showing midnight. He then glanced at Sakura beside him.
This girl was perfect in many ways, but she was too clingy. After her bath, she didn't go to sleep but instead stayed quietly beside him for two hours. What was she always thinking about?
"Sakura, it's midnight. Go to bed early."
Shinji smiled, pulling out his arm that had gone a bit numb from being leaned on.
Sakura pouted and clung to his arm again.
Seeing this, Shinji decided to use a gentle approach to persuade her.
"Sakura, are you interested in traveling abroad?"
"Traveling abroad?" Sakura perked up, clearly interested.
"Yes, in a few days. I plan to travel for a few days. Would you like to join me?"
"Yes!"
Sakura responded eagerly. Traveling with Shinji sounded like a dream she couldn't refuse!
"Alright, then let's prepare. We'll go after finishing up here." Shinji smiled, then thought of something and looked around the living room. "Speaking of which, Sakura, how about we renovate the house while we're away? It feels a bit too dark. Even with the curtains open during the day, it's not very bright. The entrance is always so dark when we come back home."
"Sure, whatever you decide, Brother." Sakura smiled sweetly, looking satisfied.
Shinji began counting on his fingers as he looked around.
"We can repaint the walls, install one or two large windows on the sunny side to brighten the living room, and replace the chandelier with a big crystal one that lights up the entire hall.
"We also need to redesign the hallway and deal with the overgrown trees and grass in the yard blocking the sunlight.
"We should also replace the wallpaper, carpet, appliances, and furniture. Speaking of appliances, don't worry about the water heater in your bathroom. Use another bathroom for now, and we'll replace it during the renovation."
"Okay. By the way, will my room be renovated too?"
"What do you want?"
Shinji asked, as he skillfully searched for images of princess-themed rooms.
Sakura's eyes lit up. "This pink one is so cute!"
"Should we go with this style?"
"But this white Snow White theme is also adorable!"
"How about the white one then?"
"But the Smurfs theme is cute too!"
"You like those little blue guys? That's an unusual preference."
"No, it's just cute! Geez!"
February 2nd, Saturday.
The day Shirou Emiya meets Saber.
At 7 AM, Shinji finished his morning training in the basement, which used to be Zouken's workshop.
Without the bugs, it was now just an ordinary basement, perfect for morning exercises.
In front of the dining room.
"Sakura."
Creak—
Shinji opened the dining room door and saw the breakfast laid out on the table. He muttered to himself, "She left me breakfast and went to school for morning club activities? Such a considerate child. Well, time to wash up."
In the bathroom, Shinji pulled open the door and froze at the sight of Sakura soaking in the bathtub.
Sakura, equally stunned, covered her chest and stared at Shinji. The air in the bathroom seemed to freeze.
"S-sorry, I didn't know you were in here. I'll use another bathroom."
Shinji quickly closed the door and fled, leaving behind an awkward apology.
Feeling both embarrassed and confused, he wondered why these motherly, accidental encounters kept happening to him, a side character.
Seriously, what's with this?
Cough! I mean, what's with this situation?
"Sorry, Sakura, today was my mistake. I'll be more careful next time. Let's just pretend it never happened."
On the way to school, Shinji spoke awkwardly.
Sakura smiled. "It's okay, it was just an accident."
"I'm glad you understand." Shinji sighed in relief. "I'll be more careful from now on. I'll use my dad's old bathroom for the time being."
"Okay," Sakura responded softly, remembering the morning's scene, and tightened her grip on Shinji's arm.
"Sakura! You're bleeding from your nose! Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?!"
At noon, the door to Homurahara Academy's infirmary was opened.
"Sakura, Emiya is here to see you."
Shinji entered first, announcing teasingly.
"Sakura, are you feeling better? Shinji said you weren't feeling well today."
Following closely behind, Shirou entered, looking concerned. Seeing Sakura flustered, he asked, "Sakura, were you just...?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Sakura quickly composed herself, adjusting her hair. "Thank you for your concern, Senpai. I just have a bit of a heatstroke."
She really can't hide her feelings. Seeing Emiya made her so flustered.
Shinji mused.
What Shinji didn't know was that Sakura had been trying to hide an old manga titled Miyuki, Miyuki that she had been reading all morning.