In this villa, Noka had already set up several magical barriers.
Normal people wouldn't approach the villa easily, and even Sakura wouldn't be able to sneak out.
That was exactly why Shirou Emiya felt safe leaving Sakura at home.
"Sakura washed the bento boxes properly! I was really good today!"
Sakura picked up the empty lunch containers from the table, clearly proud of having cleaned them herself.
"You really are a good girl, Sakura. But… how did you wash them? You still can't reach the sink, can you?"
Shirou found Sakura to be well-behaved and quite thoughtful. Of course, even if she hadn't washed the bento boxes, it would've been fine—Noka or the other mage from the Yorifis family could've done it instead.
Those poor mages… nobles from the prestigious Yorifis lineage, now reduced to household chores like washing dishes and cleaning the house.
Still, they wouldn't dare show even a hint of discontent.
"Sakura stood on a stool to wash them! What do you think, senpai? Aren't I clever?"
"You are. You're very clever."
Over the past few days, Sakura had gradually gotten used to life here. She no longer cried about going home—perhaps partly thanks to getting hooked on television dramas.
In the days that followed, Shirou frequently traveled to the Far East.
The Clock Tower had already sent the books on magecraft and bounded fields he had requested.
And today—he had finally succeeded in fully decoding the magical barrier surrounding the Einzbern Castle.
"Noka, go buy a taiyaki. Then we're heading to the Far East."
Shirou called out.
Noka was a little confused, but nonetheless left to get the taiyaki.
Everything had been fairly normal these past few days—his master had been studying bounded fields. But this taiyaki situation… he just couldn't understand it.
For someone like his master to buy taiyaki just to eat? That didn't seem right.
No, perhaps the taiyaki held some secret? Some hidden mystery even someone like his master couldn't ignore?
"Two taiyakis, please!"
Standing in front of the stall, Noka made his decision.
His master only needed one taiyaki—but Noka bought two. One was for himself. He intended to investigate it.
The vendor handed him the two taiyakis. Noka took one and examined it closely.
"Smells rich and buttery, looks crispy… no! What am I thinking? This taiyaki must hide a secret—something even the master is curious about!"
He scratched his head, then cautiously took a bite.
"Hm? Not bad… actually, it's quite good."
After finishing the taiyaki, Noka sighed. "I guess I'm too shallow. I can't figure out what the secret is…"
Maybe Noka wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
If Shirou had seen this, who knows what he would've thought…
Why was Noka overthinking everything?
The taiyaki… was just taiyaki. There was no secret.
---
Far East
Same asphalt road as before. Shirou Emiya stepped out of the car.
The snowstorm today wasn't as heavy as the last few times he'd come.
"No need to worry about time. There's dry food in the car. I'm not sure when I'll be back."
He left those words with Noka and headed into the snow-covered forest.
His boots crunched softly in the deep snow. This was a path he had taken several times already. Before long, he arrived at the edge of the bounded field.
He chanted a complex incantation, and a magical array flared briefly on his body—then vanished.
His magical signature dropped to almost nothing. Carefully, he continued forward.
He was extremely cautious.
He chose not to wear a black cloak or mask—because appearing suspicious might scare Illyasviel.
He couldn't let Kiritsugu see him, of course. But he still decided to appear before Illyasviel like this—as himself.
---
The ancient castle stood quietly, its age reflected in every stone.
"Looks like my luck's holding out."
Shirou's eyes settled on the forest clearing in front of the castle—where a small figure was building a snowman.
"With my current sensory ability, I should be able to detect any magical fluctuations in the vicinity."
He made up his mind—he would approach.
It was a rare opportunity. Illyasviel seemed to have slipped away from Kiritsugu and Irisviel's watch for a moment.
They were likely busy preparing something related to the Holy Grail War.
Which meant Illyasviel was left all alone… building a snowman.
Her snowman was small, about half her own height.
She carefully picked out branches she liked and stuck them into the snowman's sides to serve as arms.
Throughout the entire process, her tiny face remained adorably serious—but that only made her even cuter.
---
"Who's this little cutie building a snowman all by herself?"
A sudden voice startled Illyasviel.
"You—! Who are you?!"
But when she got a good look at the person in front of her, there was no fear in her eyes—only curiosity.
Before her stood a boy dressed in thick winter clothing, with short red hair and a soft, boyish face.
He was about a head taller than her. But perhaps because they were both still children, Illyasviel didn't feel threatened at all. In fact, she was intrigued by this new presence.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shirou. It's really nice to meet you."
Shirou smiled gently.
This was his very first time meeting Illyasviel—something he had dreamed of for so long.
She was even smaller than he had imagined, like a perfect little porcelain doll. Long eyelashes framed her big, bright eyes, and her ruby-red irises sparkled like jewels. She was so cute… it nearly melted his heart.
"Big Brother Shirou? Illyasviel von Einzbern—that's my name!"
Illya stepped closer and circled around him, her wide eyes full of curiosity.
"How come I've never seen you before?"
"Because I'm from the outside world."
Looking at her—so small, so pure—Shirou couldn't help but feel an overwhelming urge to hug her.
"The outside world? What's that like? I've never been outside before~"
Because they were both kids, Illya had no wariness toward Shirou. No fear, no suspicion—only excitement and wonder.
It was the first time she had ever met someone her age.
And it was a boy.