Just then, Shirou Emiya felt the vibration of a small cellphone in his pocket.
He pulled it out.
The caller ID read: "Cutest Lisephyr ♡".
Shirou let out a helpless sigh and answered the call.
"Moshi moshi, Shirou-kun~ Am I bothering you?"
Lisephyr's sweet, soft voice came through the phone.
"Not at all. Is something wrong, Lisephyr?"
Shirou asked patiently.
At that moment, Sakura cried out again.
"This isn't my home! I want my mom!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her sorrow tugging painfully at the heart. This—this was how a six-year-old should react after being taken from her parents.
Lisephyr, by contrast, was quite precocious for her age, already around ten. As for Shirou—though he appeared seven, his soul belonged to an adult.
"Wait a minute, Shirou-kun... was that another girl's voice I just heard?"
Lisephyr's voice sharpened instantly.
"…Lisephyr, I'll explain everything tomorrow, alright?"
Shirou felt a headache coming on.
He truly had no idea how to comfort Sakura right now. The last thing he needed was Lisephyr adding to the chaos.
"It's already late. So why is there a girl with Shirou-kun at this hour?"
Lisephyr's voice was dripping with jealousy and suspicion.
"If I have to explain now, well... it's complicated."
Shirou scratched his head.
"Hic...hic... You're a bad guy... Let me go... Sakura just wants to go home…"
Sakura sobbed, rubbing her tears away with her small hands.
"Shirou-kun… what did you do to her?!"
Lisephyr's voice now carried a mix of shock and disbelief.
She'd clearly heard everything—Sakura's tearful voice, her pleas, the crying.
And naturally, her mind began to run wild.
Did Shirou-kun use his magecraft to abduct a girl he liked and bring her home?!
No, no, no—Shirou-kun would never do that kind of thing!
After all, I'm the cutest one. If he liked anyone, it should be me, not some other girl!
Lisephyr's face turned bright red, like a ripe apple, as increasingly embarrassing and dramatic scenarios filled her imagination.
"Lisephyr, I'll explain all of this tomorrow. For now, get some sleep. Good night!"
Not wanting to fuel his headache further, Shirou hung up the call before she could say anything else.
Of course, he had no idea that precocious little Lisephyr was now sitting there, her overactive imagination running absolutely wild.
Meanwhile, in the room, Sakura was still crying.
Shirou stood silently, watching the little girl. She was adorable—soft purple hair, tear-streaked cheeks that made your heart ache.
And yet, he truly didn't know what to do at this moment.
Being separated from one's parents is traumatic for any child… but time is a terrifying thing. It can make people forget almost anything.
"Hey, Sakura. Have you ever heard the story that if you cry at night, monsters will come?"
Shirou whispered mysteriously.
Sakura immediately stopped crying, her large eyes staring at him.
Of course, to an adult that kind of story is laughable—typical nonsense to scare kids.
But to Sakura, who had never heard anything like it, the idea of monsters outside the window coming if she kept crying was... honestly frightening.
Seeing her quiet down, Shirou finally sighed in relief.
"You must be hungry. Want to go get some taiyaki with me?"
He patted his chest proudly.
Just as expected, the moment he said taiyaki, Sakura's eyes lit up.
Then she pouted.
"You're lying! You can't go out to buy taiyaki at night!"
Shirou blinked, then laughed as he realized what she meant.
"I'm not lying. Come on, I'll show you."
He opened the door and stepped outside, with Sakura trotting after him.
"Noka! Start the car—we're going to the night market."
Shirou called out.
Noka, waiting in the main hall, went to prepare the vehicle.
Looking at the curiosity and wonder in Sakura's eyes, Shirou knew: she had never been out at night before.
That's why, when he said they'd go buy taiyaki at night, she immediately assumed he was lying.
Fuyuki at night could be dangerous.
And someone like Sakura—still a small child—would never have been taken outside after dark, not by Tokiomi or Aoi.
"She really has never gone out at night before."
In the car, Shirou made conversation.
"Mhm. Mama said the outside is dangerous at night. She said there are monsters that eat people!"
Sakura nodded seriously.
Shirou mentally praised himself. That was pretty clever of me.
No matter how mature a child seemed, at six years old, they couldn't really understand complex logic—or lies.
But for a six-year-old, new things—fun, food, distractions—could ease their grief much faster than words ever could.
"Sakura, in a few days you'll be able to go home, okay? But because of some special circumstances, you'll have to stay here for now."
Shirou explained gently.
"Really?"
Sakura's voice perked up instantly, her sadness washed away.
"That's right. So be a good girl, and think of it like a new adventure!"
Shirou couldn't help but chuckle.
Honestly, this feels way too much like some shady old guy luring a little girl with snacks...
The difference being—he was just a kid himself.
"An adventure?"
Sakura was clearly intrigued.
"Exactly—an adventure."
Shirou nodded.
---
Fuyuki City at night, bathed in the glow of neon lights, showed a completely different side of itself.
Just standing near the food stalls, you could already smell the delicious aroma in the air.
It was Sakura's first time visiting a night market. Her mood lifted immediately.
That's just how children are. Give them something to smile about, and they'll forget all the pain—at least for a little while.
"Taiyaki!"
Sakura suddenly pointed at a small shop selling the sweet snack.
Shirou smiled and led her over.
He pulled out some yen from his pocket, only to realize—he was too short to reach the counter without standing on his toes.
"Two taiyaki, please!"
The shopkeeper wrapped them up and handed them over.
"Here you go, kids—your taiyaki!"
The shopkeeper looked around curiously. Where were their parents?
But before he could think too much, Shirou had already taken Sakura and walked away.
The sweet scent of the taiyaki filled the air.
Sakura was already munching happily, eyes closed, savoring every bite.