Chapter 58 – Sakura Adorable

Irisviel startles slightly at my shout. She looks down at me, her gaze tracing my face.

She stays quiet for a few seconds, her hands nervously gripping the fabric of her skirt.

"I'm sorry, Rikka," Irisviel finally murmurs, her voice wavering a little. "I was just... looking at you, and thinking about my daughter. Illya. She is exactly your age."

"You told us the truth about the Grail system. About Angra Mainyu and the black mud inside it," Irisviel continues, her expression crumbling into pure despair.

"If this war is meaningless... if there is no miracle waiting at the end... then I am going to die for nothing. And Illya is trapped back in a cold castle in Germany with my grandfather, Jubstacheit."

Tears well up in her eyes, though she tries hard to hold them back.

"He will just use her for the next war. He will turn her into a vessel just like me, and she will suffer the exact same fate."

A tense silence falls over the living room.

Artoria's expression tightens with clear sympathy, her hands clenching into fists at her sides as she listens to the story.

From the armchair, Gilgamesh lets out a cold, mocking scoff. It doesn't sound aimed at Irisviel, but rather at the sheer audacity of Jubstacheit thinking he can endlessly toy with lives from his snowy castle.

Lady Ava, meanwhile, just takes another slow sip of her tea, her eyes watching the drama with quiet interest.

I look at Irisviel. Seeing her look this completely defeated is just depressing. Jubstacheit really is a piece of trash.

"We'll figure something out," I tell her simply. "But right now, we can't save anyone if we let Manaka hatch a Beast and wipe out the city. We have to deal with her first."

"Thank you, Rikka," Irisviel says, clearly touched. Her tears start flowing, so I just step forward and hug her. She hugs me back tightly.

A few moments later, after she calms down, we let go and I stand up from the sofa.

"Auntie Irisviel, I need to go," I tell her. "I have to check on my friend first to see if she's okay or not. We will probably be back by evening."

"Then let me walk you to the front," Irisviel says, standing up as well.

I look toward the others. "Let's go Saber, Archer, Caster!"

All three of them stand up without saying a single word. It is a really weird feeling. I have never felt anything like this before-just me giving a command and having people instantly follow it. Is this how my manager felt when he was ordering us to do things back in my previous life...?

We head to the front doors and walk out of the castle. The moment I step outside, I spot a car parked near the entrance. It's the same sleek car I saw during the first night of the Holy Grail War, the one Saber and Irisviel used so often in the anime.

Hmm. I think it would be better if we borrow that instead of having Artoria carry me all the way into Fuyuki City. Driving takes longer, sure, but it is much more comfortable...

Wait, how is this car even here when we didn't use it to return yesterday?

"Rikka? Why are you suddenly so quiet?" Irisviel asks, shaking my shoulder lightly.

"Ahh, no, I'm just curious about something..." I say, pointing ahead. "Auntie, can we borrow the car?"

With Irisviel's permission, we manage to borrow the car and use it to drive down to Fuyuki.

It's going to take a couple of hours longer than just running there while being carried by Artoria, but at least this way doesn't make my stomach feel like I'm going to puke.

With Artoria driving, Lady Ava in the front seat, and me sitting next to Gilgamesh in the back, I just look out the window and enjoy the scenery passing by.

"To think you are satisfied riding in this car," Gilgamesh scoffs from beside me, sounding genuinely unimpressed by the luxury car. "If you desired transport, you only needed to ask. My treasury holds the Vimana, a soaring throne of gold, and even a ship of light capable of crossing the stars. Yet you subject yourself to this crawling pace."

"Yeah, well, a flying golden ship would probably attract way too much attention right now," I answer casually, keeping my eyes on the trees outside. "This is fine."

Gilgamesh just hums, crossing her arms, though she doesn't actually seem mad that I turned down her Noble Phantasms.

About an hour goes by in comfortable silence. At first, looking out the window was nice, but staring at the exact same trees and road for an hour straight gets old really fast. I let out a long yawn, completely bored out of my mind by the repetitive scenery.

Gilgamesh glances down at me.

"Hmph. Look at you, yawning from sheer boredom like a stray animal," she says, her tone haughty but surprisingly soft. "Do not embarrass yourself by slouching against that window just because you have nothing better to do."

She shifts slightly on the leather seat and pats her lap. "You may rest your head here. Consider it a supreme honor."

Spoiler

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I stare at her for a second. Wow, she is actually offering. Now that I think about it, Artoria and Lady Ava have already let me sleep on their laps before. Gilgamesh is technically the last one left on the list.

"Thanks," I mutter, carefully leaning over and resting my head on her lap.

The moment my cheek settles against her thighs, I actually freeze for a second. It is ridiculously comfortable.

The texture, the firmness-it is literally perfect. I guess it makes sense, considering her body was basically forged by the gods themselves to be the very peak of humanity.

And she smells amazing. It is a faint, incredibly luxurious scent, like expensive perfume mixed with something natural and sweet that I can't even name.

It is just way too comfortable. Between the smooth rocking of the car and this literal divine lap pillow, the boredom completely washes away. Within minutes, I am already drifting off to sleep.

~~~

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"Rikka-neechan!"

"Sakuraaa!"

After a couple of hours in the car, we finally arrive in the city. The moment I knock on the Sajyou house's front door and it swings open, Sakura immediately throws her arms around me.

We hug each other tightly.

"Rikka-neechan, I missed you," she mumbles into my shoulder. "Why didn't you come here for the last few days?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I've been really busy, and I'm still going to be busy for a bit, so I can only stay for a short time today."

"Ehh? You're going to leave again?" .

Hearing that, Sakura starts sniffling, looking like she is about to cry. "But I missed you... there is so much I want to show you."

"I promise, as soon as I finish all this stuff, I will come over again." Using my finger, I gently wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

It has been a whole year since I saved Sakura from the Matou mansion. Since then, we have grown so close that she naturally calls me 'nee-chan,' even though she has Rin as her actual older sister.

I used to visit her all the time, but for the last month, I've been completely busy-especially with setting up the bounded fields to protect my orphanage, and crafting a certain something just for her.

"Actually, I came here with a gift." I pull a small box from my pocket and pop it open. "Ta-da! A necklace, just for you."

I hold it up to show her. The necklace features a delicate silver chain, holding a beautifully crafted pendant shaped like a cherry blossom. The petals are made of a smooth, pale pink gemstone that catches the morning light perfectly, with tiny silver accents detailing the center of the flower.

Sakura's eyes go wide with pure amazement, her earlier sadness completely forgotten.

"It's so pretty..." she whispers.

"Rikka-neechan, can you put it on me?"

"Of course."

She quickly turns around, using both hands to brush her hair out of the way so I can reach her neck. I carefully drape the silver chain around her and clasp it securely in the back. Seeing her look so happy as she holds the little pink flower against her chest, it really feels like we are actual sisters.

"There, all done~" I say after putting it on her properly.

She immediately turns around to face me. She gently touches the pendant with her fingers, trying to get a good look at it. But then, suddenly, she grabs my hand and starts dragging me deeper inside the house.

"Waah, Sakura!?"

I keep getting pulled by Sakura up the stairs and straight into her room. Well, technically it is Manaka's room, but since Manaka is rarely ever home, Sakura has just been using it. Manaka doesn't really care about Sakura taking over the room anyway.

She finally stops when we arrive in front of a tall mirror. She stares at her reflection, admiring the necklace resting against her chest.

"Wow... this is beautiful..." Caught in the sunlight streaming through the window, the gemstone petals seem to glow and shine even brighter.

"Thank you so much, Rikka-neechan!" She throws her arms around me again, but this time she hugs me so tight I can't even breathe properly.

"N-no problem, Sakura..." I wheeze out, gently patting her back as I struggle to get some air into my lungs.

After that, I end up spending a whole hour with Sakura. At first, I only wanted to stay for half an hour, but seeing her sad puppy-dog eyes made me cave, and I ended up staying longer.

During my visit, Sakura excitedly shows me a lot of stuff she has been doing with Ayaka. She shows off the little plants they are growing together, a bunch of drawings she made, and even some new clothes that Ayaka's father got for her, which is honestly pretty surprising.

I also ask where Ayaka and her father are, since Sakura seems to be home alone. She tells me that Ayaka went out with her friends, and Ayaka's father already left this morning, probably for work.

"See you later, Sakura," I say, waving at her as I start walking away from the house. "Don't forget to lock the door!"

"I know! See you later, Rikka-neechan!" Sakura waves back at me happily with both of her arms.

After walking down to a different street, I arrive at where Artoria parked the car. I see all three of them waiting around the vehicle for me.

"Are you finished, Rikka?" Lady Ava asks me with a soft smile. "Your friend is really adorable. I didn't expect the person you were talking about to be cute like that."

"I know right? She's really adorable~"

All of us then get back into the car. From the driver's seat, Artoria looks back toward me.

"Where to next?"

"Before that, I need to explain my plan to you three," I tell them, my tone turning a bit more serious. "Please hear me out."

"We're heading to the warehouse district," I start explaining, looking around at the three of them. "There is an abandoned factory over there where Lancer and his Master are currently hiding out. My plan is to meet up with them, heal his crippled Master, and get them to work together with us."

Gilgamesh immediately frowns, leaning back against the leather seat. "And why exactly are we wasting our time with them? You already have me by your side. Asking another Servant for help when my treasury is at your disposal is just ridiculous."

"I'm not doubting you, Gilgamesh," I answer quickly. "But Manaka is completely unpredictable. If she really is trying to hatch a Beast, we need as many people on our side as possible. We need numbers, because I have no idea what crazy thing she might pull next."

Gilgamesh just scoffs, looking away toward the window, but she doesn't argue anymore. Artoria nods in agreement from the driver's seat, keeping her focus on the road.

A short while later, Artoria parks the car near the edge of the empty warehouse district. We step out into the quiet street and look at the massive, rundown factory right in front of us.

Lady Ava smiles, stretching her arms above her head. "Gilgamesh and I will stay in spirit form for now to keep a low profile."

Gilgamesh just crosses her arms, and in a swirl of golden particles, she disappears completely. Lady Ava cheerfully waves before fading away right after her, leaving the street surprisingly quiet.

Now it's just me and Artoria. We walk side by side, stepping through the entrance and making our way inside the factory.