Having accidentally knocked down a girl she met by chance at a corner, Ritsuka, worried that the girl's hesitant silence meant the fall had caused some issue, had no choice but to apologize and forcibly pull her along to a clinic.
It would be terrible if any problems arose because of her mistake; she would feel uneasy.
In the clinic hallway, Ritsuka saw the girl coming out and hurriedly went to meet her. "How is it?"
"It's fine, it's just a scraped arm."
Matou Sakura chuckled softly.
Throughout the process, Ritsuka's anxious appearance was seen by the girl; the girl named Sakura felt a genuine sense of curiosity toward Ritsuka.
Leaving the clinic, the two walked on the road back to the residential area, and before they knew it, they began to converse.
Matou Sakura turned into a curious child, as if finding someone she could talk to as an equal for the first time; she chatted with Ritsuka on various topics, yet due to her personality, she often struggled to speak, requiring Ritsuka to guide the conversation.
She was a somewhat strange child; Sakura left a deep impression on Ritsuka's heart.
"So you just arrived in Fuyuki City, Emiya-senpai."
Sakura let out a sigh of realization as she walked along the roadside, looking at her bandaged arm.
During the fall, the scrape under her sleeve was somewhat severe, but at only this level, it didn't hurt much.
"That's right. I lived here for a while when I was very young, and later lived elsewhere with the person who adopted me."
Walking on the crowded street, the two Little girls, who had become well-acquainted due to the recent accident, chatted as they headed in a certain direction.
Since they both lived in the residential area of Miyama Town, they walked home together.
Naturally shy and a bit timid, the purple-haired girl before her earned Ritsuka's favor, and once the conversation started, Ritsuka spoke incessantly.
Walking side-by-side with her head lowered, Sakura looked at the shopping bag in Ritsuka's hand and was slightly surprised. "You're amazing, being able to go shopping independently at such a young age."
'No, no, no, I'm ten years old; buying things is quite normal.'
Ritsuka complained slightly in her heart.
Forget shopping, she had been running errands for a long time. After all, being stuck with a guy like Kiritsugu who was incompetent at housework, heaven knows how messy life would be if she didn't work hard herself.
Glancing sideways, Ritsuka carefully observed the Sakura before her; for some reason, she had a very strange feeling.
Even though they were strangers, they got along unexpectedly well. Despite Sakura being very shy, she could communicate normally with her, even if Sakura would dodge her gaze when their eyes met, appearing shy or timid.
It was a feeling that could be described as meeting a long-lost friend... no, it was more like it was meant to be. Perhaps the fate between the two was surprisingly great.
Ritsuka glanced at the bag in her hand and immediately extended an invitation to Sakura.
"Sakura, how about coming to my house as a guest today? I bought some kichiji fish and plan to have a housewarming celebration."
Having been processed by the shopkeeper auntie, the fresh kichiji fish lay in the bag. Ritsuka's eyes were full of confidence; with her talent for housework and cooking, preparing a small fish was naturally no problem.
Not only did she have a cookbook to assist her, but she also had the experience passed down by the auntie. To be honest, if she still couldn't do it well, she might as well find a noodle and hang herself.
Of course, there might be small flaws the first time, so a taste-tester was necessary. Ritsuka felt that Kiritsugu alone might not be enough, and feeling a bit of pity for her newly made friend... "I'm sorry, Senpai, I have to go back early today and can't stay out too long."
Sakura's face was full of apology as she helplessly declined Ritsuka's invitation.
Although she didn't want to return to that home from the bottom of her heart, and truly wanted to visit Senpai's house as a guest, she couldn't do it. On one hand, her grandfather would be angry because of her late return—
On the other hand, she didn't want to involve Emiya-senpai and the guardian named Kiritsugu because of herself.
The kind-hearted Sakura looked at the somewhat dejected Ritsuka with guilt in her heart, unaware that this polite refusal had averted a tragedy that Kiritsugu might have experienced next.
Of course, with good luck, it would still have been fine.
Let us pray for the self-sacrificing Mr. Kiritsugu, Amen... "Alright, if your family doesn't allow it, there's nothing we can do. Don't feel guilty, Sakura."
Ritsuka grinned and shook her head slightly.
She had seen some families with strict upbringing in her past life. Family situations varied; maybe Sakura was a young lady of a wealthy family?
Not knowing what she thought of, Ritsuka suddenly looked resentful.
The shameless Ritsuka complained loudly, glancing at Sakura beside her and teasing on purpose, "Ah, I suddenly really want a younger sister. It would be great if I had a cute sister like Sakura."
"Mu~ Senpai is being a bit mean. I'm going to get angry, I'm really going to get angry!"
Sakura's cheeks were slightly red, moist like a peach.
"Alright, no more jokes. Sakura, I'm home. I'll come find you to play when I'm free next time."
"Okay, goodbye Senpai."
Stopping before the massive residence, Sakura's expression was somewhat surprised, because a building of this scale was very impressive even in her eyes.
Compared to the Matou residence not far away, it was just a normal two-story detached house. To have such a large home in Fuyuki City, Ritsuka could be considered a young lady of a wealthy family, even if there were only two people in this home including her.
After saying goodbye to Sakura, Ritsuka stood at the door and watched Sakura walk away. At the same time, her gaze drifted to the high part of the courtyard wall; on the eaves of the entrance, a suspicious figure was lying there.
"Kiritsugu, what are you doing?"
Ritsuka lost all expression, looking coldly at the Kiritsugu hiding up high, staring intently at that spot.
Stare—
After a while, probably unable to bear Ritsuka's piercing gaze, Kiritsugu jumped down from the height and landed steadily in front of Ritsuka, his cool demeanor remaining unchanged.
"I think I should ask again, what are you doing?" Ritsuka asked with a stern face, questioning the silent man before her.
"..." Kiritsugu remained silent.
"Were you worried about me, afraid I'd be deceived by a new friend, or for some other reason?"
Ritsuka's gaze was somewhat dangerous, as if she could see through one's heart.
"..." A drop of cold sweat rolled down Kiritsugu's forehead.
Everything about the child Ritsuka was good—she was beautiful, good at acting cute, exceptionally talented, and a master of housework. The only thing not so good was that she was too mature, lacking the innocence a child should have. Of course, Kiritsugu believed this was all due to his decisions over the years.
Maintaining the pursuit of sufficient Mystery to achieve the vain proposition of saving the world, the two of them had spent these years traveling all over the world, and Ritsuka had been trained by him as an assistant.
Magecraft, Mystic Codes, Rituals, Science, Religion, Mythology, Legends, Folklore, Oral Traditions...
As long as there was a possibility, the means didn't matter. Unfortunately, the possibilities they sought were all in vain, to the point where Kiritsugu even had the thought: 'Is there simply no miracle in this world?'
Currently, there was one last possibility: the legend of the Divine Child that might be linked to the family named New Moon, even if the possibility of this legend was similarly extremely low.
The last straw in Kiritsugu's eyes... Looking at the incredibly serious Ritsuka before him, Kiritsugu finally raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, I admit, I went a bit too far. I'm sorry."
He admitted it; he was worrying like a foolish father and had even lurked up high to perform something akin to peeping. If Ritsuka had exposed him directly, he would have lost all face.
However, he hadn't actually started following her from the beginning. After a brief conversation with the local bigwig Fujimura Raiga, his brain had malfunctioned on the way back when he encountered them, so he chose this method to judge Ritsuka's new friend by following her.
After all, Old Man Fujimura had reminded him that those Matous... "I forgive you."
Ritsuka broke into a smile, no longer dwelling on Kiritsugu's improper behavior.
It was a good thing to have someone care about her. Having once had almost nothing and then losing everything again, she was already beyond satisfied to have someone love and be willing to take care of her after such ups and downs.