001 - What Makes it Hard to Go Home ?

A week had passed since Rei disappeared after taking Illya with him.

During that time, Echidna had been relentlessly searching for him but couldn't sense his presence no matter how many times she scoured the entire world. Even after consulting Gaia, the answer remained the same—Rei was nowhere to be found. With no other options, she decided to stay at the Tohsaka mansion, convinced that Rei would eventually return there. Once he did, she was determined to ensure he wouldn't slip away from her sight again.

Meanwhile, Fujino remained as calm as ever, staying with her Master, Ayaka.

Oddly, the Holy Grail War had been relatively quiet during the past week. No significant battles had taken place. The only notable incidents involved a few people being found unconscious, their Od drained, but not enough to kill them. The group speculated that Caster was responsible, but the issue was locating her—she was acting with extreme stealth, clearly avoiding discovery.

Assassin also remained elusive, with no sign of their presence.

Their search for Shinki had been equally fruitless. She hadn't been seen since the fight where Shirou injured her. It was likely she was still recovering from her wounds.

Saber, taking advantage of the situation, decided to visiting multiple fast-food restaurants, indulging in junk food daily.

As for Bazett, she said she had to return to the Clock Tower to report on the absence of an overseer in Fuyuki after Kirei's death. Before leaving, she tell everyone that she would return soon as she's still curious about Rei ability.

Rin, Sakura, and Shirou also agreed to take a break from school until the Grail War concluded. Their priority was tracking down Shinki, though the search so far had been fruitless.

---

Rin let out a long sigh as she sat on the sofa, staring out the window.

"Haaahhhhh..."

Suddenly, a voice startled her.

"What's wrong, Nee-chan?" Sakura's voice rang out, making Rin yelp in surprise.

"Ehkk!? Sakura, what are you doing?" Rin turned toward the source of the voice, only to glance at the clock. It was already 2 a.m.

"You're still awake?"

"I was thirsty, so I got up to get some water. But then I heard you sighing. What's going on?" Sakura said as she walked toward her.

Sakura sat down on a chair across from the sofa, placing a teapot filled with water on the table.

"So?" she asked.

"What do you mean, 'so'? Nothing happened. I was just... watching the scenery outside," Rin said, attempting to make an excuse.

"Nee-chan, you know your tsundere tendencies don't work on me," Sakura replied, shaking her head.

"I'm not a tsundere!!" Rin snapped defensively.

"Sure, sure. So, tell your little sister what's on your mind?"

"..." Rin could only stare at Sakura with blank eyes before letting out another sigh.

"Well..." She hesitated, unsure if she should actually say anything.

"You know, this reminds me of two weeks ago when we summoned him," Sakura suddenly interrupted.

"Hmm?"

"It's the same time and the same atmosphere. At 2 a.m., we summoned him in our basement."

"Who would've thought your plan to summon Saber would fail just because you messed with all the clocks in the mansion~" Sakura said with a small giggle, recalling the incident when they summoned Rei.

"Yeah... But I'm glad it happened. We both know what happened back then when we were kids, and where this necklace came from," Rin said, pulling out the necklace hidden beneath her clothes.

"It's still too bad we can't remember our time in the Sky Realm," Sakura added, also pulling out her necklace. "But it's not long now. Rei said that if Emiya doesn't deal with Shinki before he returns, then he'll take care of it himself."

She smiled softly and added, "It's also been fun having him here." Her expression turned into that of a girl in love.

Rin's eye twitched at her little sister's reaction, and she sighed again.

"Hahhh... By the way, how was your date with him the other day? I forgot to ask because I've been too focused on training with Sky Realm magic."

Hearing that, Sakura's face brightened, and she eagerly began recounting the details of her date with Rei.

As Sakura continued talking, Rin couldn't help but notice how happy her little sister looked as she recounted the story of her date.

From holding hands while walking through Fuyuki City to teleporting across countries—France, Japan, and even the Arctic—Sakura's excitement was clearly showing on her face.

"Wait, wait! Why did the date suddenly involve teleporting to other countries?" Rin interrupted, baffled.

"Well, Rei said there wasn't much to see in Fuyuki, so he decided to teleport us somewhere more interesting," Sakura explained casually.

"Damn him and his overpowered abilities," Rin muttered under her breath.

"So, why were you sighing earlier? I answered your question, Nee-chan. Now it's your turn," Sakura pressed.

"Did you miss him?" she added with a teasing smile.

"Miss him?! Who's missing that playboy with more than 30 fiancées?!" Rin snapped in panic, her face turning red.

"For someone like Rei, having 30 wives seems pretty normal, doesn't it? Like Solomon with his 700 wives and 300 concubines?" Sakura replied, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Rin stared at her blankly. When did Sakura start saying things like this? Since when was having 700 wives considered normal?

"How about this—when he comes back, why don't you ask him on a date? You've never gone out with him, just the two of you, right? Well, aside from those late-night patrols," Sakura said with a playful grin.

"Huh? Why is the conversation suddenly going in that direction?!" Rin stammered, utterly confused.

"Haha, it's fine! Come on, let's go pick out some clothes for you," Sakura said cheerfully as she stood up and grabbed Rin's arm, dragging her upstairs to their room.

"Wait, wait! I didn't even agree to this!" Rin's protests echoed through the mansion as Sakura gleefully pulled her along.

------

Meanwhile, with Rei and the others, the conversation with Liz seemed to have made a significant impact. The next day, both Liz and Sella's attitudes toward him had softened.

They no longer acted so guarded or scrutinized his every move, and they even stopped watching him with suspicion. Despite this, Sella made it clear that if Rei ever tried anything to harm Illya, she wouldn't hesitate to make him pay, even though she wasn't capable of fighting. Her words carried the weight of someone willing to sacrifice herself just to ensure Illya's safety.

A month had passed since that talk.

"Alright, Illya, we can start the experiment now," Rei said to Illya, who was lounging under the sun.

The two were at the beach, enjoying the cool breeze and the salty scent of the ocean.

"Hah? Finally! You've been putting it off for way too long," Illya said, sitting up from her beach chair.

"I was just giving you three time to adjust to this dimension. Like I said, there's no rush. I've already altered the flow of time between this dimension and yours," Rei explained.

Hearing this, Illya glanced over at Liz and Sella, who were also sunbathing in their bikinis. Both seemed unusually at ease, clearly enjoying the beach atmosphere.

"For some reason, they're having a lot of fun," Illya muttered.

"Shall we go?" Rei asked, extending his hand toward her.

"Alright," she replied, taking his hand without hesitation.

Before long, the two returned to the house and made their way to the basement. Rei turned on the lights, revealing a room that left Illya stunned.

"Rei..."

"Yeah?"

"This is the basement, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Then why the hell does it look like a five-star hotel?!" Illya shouted, her voice echoing through the room.

The "basement" was nothing like she had imagined. Instead of a dark, cramped laboratory, it was a luxurious space. A massive bed stood in the center, surrounded by high-end furniture: wardrobes, nightstands, chairs, sofas, and a polished table.

"What do you mean? Of course, it's comfortable. Did you think it'd be dark and filled with tubes like the Einzbern labs?" Rei said, shaking his head.

"Well... yeah, kind of..." Illya muttered, thinking of the cold, sterile environment that she remembered.

"Whatever. Just lie down on the bed," Rei instructed, guiding her over.

Illya followed and lay down. As soon as she did, she was struck by how soft and comfortable the bed was—far better than anything she'd used during her time here.

"How is it? Comfortable, or do you want me to adjust it?" Rei asked with a smile.

"It's really comfortable... Why don't you use this for all the rooms?" Illya asked curiously.

"If you want, I can upgrade your bed, and Liz and Sella's beds too," Rei offered casually.

"Then yes Please do it," Illya replied, her eyes lighting up.

Once their conversation ended, Rei began his analysis. Placing his right hand gently on her stomach.

"It tickles..." Illya whispered softly, feeling his touch.

Rei didn't respond, already focused on his task. His blue eyes start getting brighter, and Illya immediately felt something probing inside her body.

It was a strange sensation, as if her entire being was laid bare under his gaze. She could sense that nothing was hidden from him—not her magic circuits, the Holy Grail within her, or even her Command Spells.

It was as if Rei's power exposed everything about her, down to the smallest detail.

Rei didn't take long to finish analyzing Illya's body. Once he was done, he removed his hand from her stomach.

"How is it?" Illya asked curiously, noticing that he had finished.

"Well… how should I put this?" Rei muttered, looking thoughtful.

"Just say it," Illya urged impatiently.

"Your body is really bad. Your mother's homunculus DNA mixed with your magus father's has created a really poor combination. On top of that, your magical circuits have been tampered so much that they've become extremely unstable," Rei said bluntly.

"To be honest, I have a friend who can create homunculus bodies far superior to this—ones that are almost indistinguishable from human bodies and can be enhanced without the lifespan limit of 18 years."

Rei paused before adding, "I'm sure if Cagliostro were here, she'd be absolutely furious seeing the state of Liz and Sella, too."

"Huh?" Illya looked confused, expecting him to give her some profound analysis or conclusion about her body—not to badmouth it.

"What do you mean by that?! My body is not bad! It's stronger than a normal human's!" Illya protested indignantly.

"Well, that doesn't matter," Rei said dismissively. "By the way, we'll continue this tomorrow."

"Wait, we're not done?"

"Nope. I need more data, so we'll keep at it," Rei replied with a smile, patting her stomach casually.

"Whaaat?!" Illya exclaimed in frustration.