Recently, Lusté Trambellio had taken an unusual interest in Irisviel. He was constantly hanging around her, to the point that she found it incredibly annoying.
Shirou Emiya found the situation rather amusing. From the way Irisviel described it, it was obvious to him—Lusté probably had a crush on her.
"Kids these days… they're way too precocious," Shirou muttered to himself.
Among the younger students of the Clock Tower, most were around ten years old. Shirou, at seven, was the youngest. Irisviel was also on the younger side, while many others were around eleven or twelve—just old enough to begin developing romantic awareness. For early bloomers, behavior like Lusté's wasn't all that unusual.
Of course, Shirou wasn't bothered by it. It was just childish flirting.
And besides, Irisviel had the backing of the Animusphere family—one of the Twelve Lords, just like the Trambellios. With her mischievous, little-devil personality, the one who should be worried was Lusté, not her.
---
Looking down at the neatly packed dorayaki and takoyaki in his hands, Noka felt like his brain was starting to short-circuit.
Every time his master headed for the Far East, he'd bring food with him.
So… was the master's real purpose just to have a change of scenery to eat in?
That was just way too bizarre. Could it be that he had some strange fetish for eating in the blizzardy snow outside the Einzbern Castle?
Did the cold make the food taste better somehow?
Shirou, of course, paid no attention to whatever nonsense Noka might be thinking.
---
Einzbern Castle.
Shirou had made a promise with Illya—he would visit her every two days.
As a result, Illya now spent every day looking forward to his arrival, often standing by the window and staring longingly at the snow-covered forest.
Her unusual behavior didn't go unnoticed.
Irisviel had begun to suspect something but couldn't think of any plausible reason for her daughter's new habit.
As for Kiritsugu, he was completely tied up in preparing for the Holy Grail War. Unless the blizzard stopped and the weather improved, he wouldn't be able to take Illya out to fulfill the promise he'd made to her. Under normal circumstances, he barely had the time to check on her at all.
Irisviel had brought up Illya's strange behavior with him before.
All he said was, "Got it." He didn't seem particularly concerned.
---
"I'm going to build a snowman!"
Like clockwork, once two days had passed, Illya shouted this to her mother and ran off toward the castle's front doors.
"The snow is heavy today. It's cold outside. Why don't you go out another day instead?" Irisviel looked out the window at the blizzard raging outside, her ruby-red eyes full of deepening concern.
Illya tilted her head, surprised by her mother's reaction. She paused to think—but the promise of delicious treats was too powerful.
She had been waiting two whole days. She couldn't wait to see what big brother would bring this time.
Shaking her head firmly, Illya said, "No! No! Illya's not afraid of the snow!"
And with that, she ran out the door.
---
The blizzard outside was truly intense. Illya's tiny body looked like a fragile sapling swaying in the wind, seemingly on the verge of being blown away at any moment. She worried whether her big brother could make it safely in such weather.
The meeting place was still the same: the forest just beyond the castle, now scattered with the remains of four or five toppled snowmen, blown down by the storm.
"Big brother?" she called out tentatively, but the howling wind swallowed her voice completely.
"Is it because the snow is too heavy… that he didn't come today?"
Illya lowered her head, visibly disappointed.
---
"What's wrong, my adorable little princess Illya? You don't look too happy today."
A familiar voice broke through the wind. Illya's head shot up immediately, her sadness vanishing in an instant. A beaming smile spread across her face, and her eyes curved into perfect crescent moons.
"Big brother! You came, you really came! Illya thought you weren't coming today!"
Overjoyed, Illya leapt into Shirou's arms.
Shirou caught her gently, shielding her completely from the biting wind and swirling snow.
Feeling the warmth of her tiny body in his embrace, Shirou made a silent vow: no matter what happened, he would protect this precious girl.
Even if she looked like a little sister, Illya was actually a year older than him. But none of that mattered.
This time, no one would hurt Illya.
Not anyone.
Not even Gilgamesh himself. If that man ever threatened her, Shirou would risk everything to take him down.
---
Then came Shirou's favorite moment: watching Illya eat.
Feeding adorable little girls with delicious food—it was a wholesome joy unlike anything else.
Watching Illya happily munch on the snacks he brought, Shirou suddenly asked, "Illya, do you want to go see the outside world with me someday?"
"The outside world?"
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
She was deeply curious—yearning to know what lay beyond the snow-covered forest. The outside world was something she had always dreamed of.
---
Just then, Shirou's expression darkened.
In the next moment, he moved with lightning speed, pulling out a black cloak and a black cat mask from the small pack on his back. He threw on the disguise, wrapping himself in the robe.
His worst fear had come true—someone was approaching at high speed.
He could sense it—an intense magical presence rapidly closing in. Whoever it was, they were headed directly for his location.
He had never underestimated Kiritsugu Emiya, but it seemed the man was even more dangerous than Shirou had anticipated.
The winner of the previous Holy Grail War… truly a terrifying opponent.
His intellect, his hidden cards, his absolute ruthlessness—anyone would be terrified to face an enemy like that.
---
"Big brother?"
Illya looked at the cloaked figure before her, confused. Her wide eyes were full of questions. She clearly didn't understand why her big brother was suddenly dressed like that.
A shadow flashed past.
"RATATATATATATA!!"
A submachine gun roared to life, firing bullets at a terrifying speed.
The cloaked figure shielded Illya in his arms and leapt into the air, narrowly evading the barrage of gunfire.
"Put her down."
Kiritsugu Emiya's voice rang out, cold and emotionless.
This scene was beyond anything he had expected.
He had thought Illya's strange behavior was due to some anomaly in the area—but he never imagined there would be another person here. A mysterious figure who had been luring his daughter out over and over again.
What was this person's goal? Why approach his daughter?
It was far too suspicious.
The cloaked figure didn't look big. He seemed about the size of a child.
But judging from that precise and agile movement just now, there was no way this was just some kid.