When his injuries had mostly healed, Sakatsuki strolled out of his room and headed toward the kitchen.
At the moment, he wasn't at the church, nor did he plan to go there. Instead, he had returned to Illya's home.
"After days of marching and fighting, my mouth feels like it's about to grow mold. Tonight, I'm definitely cooking something good to treat myself." Humming a tune, Sakatsuki couldn't help but recall the events of escaping the Singularity.
If one only looked at the results, this mission had been an overwhelming success—he had walked away unscathed and even managed to snatch the Holy Grail. "Murder, arson, and golden riches"—the ancients certainly didn't lie.
The "Crown-ranked Bomber" guy was probably so angry he was about to self-destruct.
But by Sakatsuki's own standards, it had been a crushing defeat. If not for the trump card of returning to Illya's world, he might have lost everything, down to his underwear.
Having absorbed the bloodlust of ten thousand souls, the pseudo-Servant Sakatsuki of the Second Singularity had risen to the ranks of top-tier Servants. Even the Demon God Pillars were no match for him and could only watch helplessly as he made his escape, left with nothing but impotent rage.
That last-ditch counterattack had been the pinnacle of Sakatsuki's solo combat prowess, yet the Beast had effortlessly blocked it.
"Truly a Beast… even in its juvenile form, it's terrifying…" Shaking his head with a sigh, the priest's lips curled not in frustration but in the excited grin of a hunter who had spotted his prey.
Nothing was more exhilarating than encountering an obstacle at the end of a wide-open road.
Even if thorns barred the way, boulders fell, storms raged, and lightning struck—once overcome, the thrill and satisfaction would return tenfold, a hundredfold.
Even if battered and bruised, the sight of sunlight and morning dew would bring a contented smile to one's face.
"Moreover, after fusing with the Moon Cell fragment, the Fate Compendium's rank has significantly improved. It actually managed to pull me back from the Beast's grasp."
Back during the Fourth Holy Grail War, even King Hassan had been able to block the Fate Compendium's information.
"I wonder what the next fragment to upgrade the Catalog will be." Muttering to himself, Sakatsuki entered the kitchen.
"Ah, Mr. Sakatsuki." The fridge door closed, and Sella, her hair styled in a matronly updo, looked surprised at the child-sized priest who barely reached the table. "Are you here to cook? My apologies, but we've run out of ingredients at home. I was just about to head to the store with Liz."
"I see." Though disappointed, Sakatsuki could only nod and turn to leave. But Sella seemed to remember something and suddenly called out to him.
"Ah, Mr. Sakatsuki—"
***
Illya's Room.
"With Liz and Sella out shopping and Shirou at school, the role of temporary babysitter has fallen to me."
The child-sized priest sat by the bed, wringing out a towel before placing it on Illya's forehead.
"Mmm… Sella's just too overprotective. I don't need this much care." The silver-haired girl lay obediently under the covers, pouting. Her cheeks were flushed under the sunlight, making her look sweet and utterly tempting.
Sakatsuki averted his gaze. "Consider it the worry of happiness. How are you feeling now, Illya?"
Though several days had passed in the Second Singularity, in Illya's world, it had only been a day since their battle with Saber and Caster.
The previous night, Sakatsuki—posing as a church priest—had single-handedly defeated Caster before transforming into Saber and forcing out Illya's alternate personality, Kuro. After defeating her, he had gleefully hauled the unconscious magical girls back home.
Now, due to magical energy overuse, Illya had entered an "overload" state, manifesting as a low-grade fever and general weakness. Thanks to this, she was spared from school for the day, but Sella's overprotectiveness meant she was confined to bed. Whether this was better or worse was debatable.
Lost in thought, Sakatsuki pulled a chair to the doorway and pretended to read a book.
Of course, he had no intention of actually reading—it was just a pretense to mull over his next moves in the Second Singularity.
Nero had undoubtedly given up on him by now, and with the Holy Grail secured, he no longer needed to scheme for that Command Seal. He was free to act as he pleased.
The shadow of the Beast was rising. Though it had broken free from the Void's grasp, the seal Emiya had placed wasn't so easily undone. Sakatsuki could sense the countermeasures left behind, but activating them would mean a fight to the death…
And picking a fight with the embodiment of humanity's primordial evil? Sakatsuki figured he might as well start deciding whether he wanted a sliding or flip-top urn.
Just why had that Beast drawn him into the Second Singularity and challenged him in the first place?
"Hey, Sakatsuki-nii, do you know what happened last night?"
Illya's question snapped him out of his thoughts. At some point, the girl in pink pajamas had sat up, her ruby eyes fixed on him with undisguised curiosity.
Thanks to Sakatsuki's unique position, Illya could openly discuss supernatural matters with him.
"I think I passed out after running into Saber… I don't remember anything after that. Did Miyu defeat Saber?"
That was Illya's assumption—only by defeating Saber could they have escaped.
Little did she know that the guy who had stabbed her blackened alternate self to death, then taken her place to mess with them, was sitting right in front of her, listening with an amused grin.
"0-2… Even if someone took the Rider Class Card, Miyu's already beaten two Servants, right? It feels like she's the one who ends up solving everything."
Ruby chose that moment to chime in: "True, her calm and bold decision-making is impressive. She doesn't seem like an amateur at all."
"Mmm…" Illya buried her face in her knees, sulking. Unbeknownst to her, the priest across from her nodded approvingly.
'Keep praising her. I love hearing this.'
Suddenly, an unusual light flickered in the priest's eyes, and his tone shifted to something far more mature: "I'd prefer if she could be more like you, Illya. All maturity comes from hardship… If possible, I'd rather see her wear a carefree smile too."
"???"
Illya looked up in confusion, only to see Sakatsuki blink as if surprised before laughing it off. "Ah, don't worry about it, Illya. You're friends, right? You should be happy your friend's so reliable."
"Yeah, you're right." Illya nodded earnestly, her gaze drifting to the sliver of sky visible through the curtains.
Just a short walk downstairs, across the street—Miyu was right there in that absurdly extravagant mansion.
But… there was no way Sakatsuki-nii would let her leave the room in her condition. Being sick meant strict bed rest.
"I wonder what Miyu's doing right now?"
"Why not just ask her?" Ruby, ever the instigator, perked up at the opportunity. With a mechanical click, her hollow pentagram ornament transformed into something resembling a radio.
"Wha—whaaa?!" Illya's ahoge stood on end. "What even is that form?!"
"A secret function of mine—phone mode!"
"You really have everything…"
Just then, Sakatsuki interjected flatly, "What's the point of a call? Awkward small talk? Why not just video chat?"
Clearly, this troublemaker was stirring the pot again.
'Let's skip the boring dialogue. What I want to see after coming back for some R&R is something far more… entertaining.'
"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Ruby, as mischievous as Amber, cheered. "Switching to video call mode now!"
With a click, Illya instinctively played the straight man: "Did you just turn into something else again?!"
"It's a projector! It can livestream whatever Sapphire's seeing right now."
"Seriously, so many functions and none of them useful…"
But then, Ruby's end suddenly transmitted a panicked voice: "Huh? Video call? W-Wait, what are you—?!"
"And we're live~!" Ruby crowed excitedly.
"Eh? Huh? W-Wait, this is— Eek?!"
A startled cry, a hand lunging at the screen—and then, the projection stabilized.
There, sitting cross-legged on her bed in pink pajamas, was a stunned Illya.
And leaning against the wall, waving with a grin, was the child-sized priest.
And on the other end—
"A maid outfit?!" Illya shrieked.
The frilled apron, the ribbon-tied collar, the lace-trimmed skirt—the classic black-and-white maid uniform looked both pristine and delicate. Miyu's black hair was tied up, topped with the traditional "Katyusha" headdress.
"Uh, um…" Flustered, Miyu turned her face away, cheeks tinged pink. The girl known for her icy composure in battle now squirmed awkwardly, her hands fluttering helplessly. The contrast was equal parts adorable and strangely alluring.
"My, my, what interesting tastes you have," Ruby teased.
"N-No! It's not like that!" Miyu hurriedly defended herself. "This isn't… my preference or anything…"
By the end, the black-haired girl had buried her face in her hands, tears welling in her eyes. "Big Sister Luvia made me wear this…"
[Illya's internal monologue: At that moment—click—a strange switch flipped inside me.]
Sakatsuki, watching from behind, saw it all—Illya's entire aura shifted. Still in her pajamas, she lunged forward, gripping Ruby with unprecedented strength, as if trying to channel some primal urge through the screen at the defenseless girl on the other end.
"Miyu."
"Y-Yes?"
"I want to see you. Right now."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"I mean I really want to see you in person!"
"Ah, wah—"
Even Sakatsuki was taken aback by the dark aura radiating from Illya, seriously wondering if some cursed mud from the Holy Grail had leaked out.
"Come here. Now! Immediately! In that outfit! You're just across the street, right? Run here!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!!!"
The girl's tearful, coerced reply echoed through the empty mansion.
***
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