บท 63: 58. Really Good Plan

"Why do we need to buy the ingredients? You know I can just create them with my power, right?" Rei asked Sakura, who was walking beside him, carrying a shopping bag.

"Well... um... it's just that I want to walk sometimes, go outside, and enjoy the morning air," Sakura answered after taking a moment to come up with an excuse.

After Rei and Echidna had finished gazing the sky together until morning, Shirou realized he needed to buy more ingredients due to the number of people staying at the house, not to mention Saber's large appetite.

Sakura then suggested she could go shopping since they had kindly let her stay the night. But when Rei was about to offer his powers to conjure up the ingredients, Rin quickly stomped on his foot.

With a glance, Rin signaled him to keep quiet and just go along with Sakura. So now, Rei found himself walking with her to the shopping district.

As they continued walking, Rei glanced at Sakura, noticing how she occasionally seemed lost in thought. Her earlier excuse about enjoying the morning air didn't seem quite right to him. He decided to break the silence.

"You know, Sakura... you don't have to pretend around me," Rei said softly, his tone gentle but firm.

Sakura blinked, caught off guard by his words. "Pretend? W-What do you mean?"

Rei glanced ahead before returning his gaze to her. "I can tell you're not just doing this because you want to get some fresh air."

Sakura flinched slightly at his words. She tightened her grip on the shopping bag, her face softening as she looked away. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sakura," Rei continued, his voice calm but full of understanding. "You don't have to hide it."

Sakura slowed her pace, the weight of his words sinking in. "I'm fine. Really." She whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, then I'll just ask Rin later," Rei said, walking ahead of her.

Hearing that, Sakura panicked and quickly grabbed Rei's hand before he could leave. "Wait, wait! Don't ask Onee-chan! She'll just make up random stuff to tell you!"

Rei raised an eyebrow but stopped, letting her hold onto his hand. After a brief moment, they found themselves at a park and sat down on the swings. The silence between them lingered for a bit.

Rei looked at her, waiting patiently for an explanation. Sakura shifted uncomfortably, clearly nervous, and took a deep breath. She seemed to be carefully choosing her words, trying to find the right way to say it.

"Well... Last night, I saw Saber going into your room..." she finally started, her voice quiet and hesitant.

After seeing Saber enter Rei's room, Sakura couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. Something tugged at her, urging her to find out what was happening. She hesitated for a moment, then quietly approached the door, just enough to peek through a small gap.

What she saw made her heart drop.

Inside, Saber and Rei were close—too close. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched them kiss, their lips meeting softly, yet filled with a tender intimacy that felt too personal to witness. Rei held Saber gently, his hands steady as if he'd done this countless times. Saber's face was flushed, her eyes half-closed as she melted into the moment.

Sakura's breath hitched, her chest tightening painfully. She couldn't tear her eyes away, but every second she watched felt like a needle piercing her heart. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm the ache, but it only grew stronger. Jealousy flooded her, an emotion she wasn't used to feeling so intensely.

biting her lip to keep from making a sound. A part of her wanted to turn away, to stop looking, but another part couldn't help but stay—because deep down, she wished it was her. She wished she could be the one Rei held like that.

She quietly stepped away from the door, her mind swirling with a mixture of pain and confusion. Her heart raced as she walked down the hall, unsure of what to do with these feelings that were growing stronger inside her.

Rei fell silent after hearing Sakura's confession. First, he hadn't expected her to peeking on his room like that, and second, he was confused as to why she felt so jealous.

He know he hadn't spent much time with Sakura since arriving here. Most of his time had been with Rin, and the memories both of them shared about the Sky Realm were still locked away due to the power of the primal beasts.

Meanwhile, Rias and Ingvild had quickly shown their affection for him, but they were devils—creatures more easily drawn to someone with immense power. Their feelings developed rapidly, almost naturally, because of who and what they were.

But Sakura… she was just an ordinary human. For her, feelings took time to understand and fully acknowledge, unlike the supernatural beings he knows. Her jealousy, though subtle, revealed something deeper that she was only just beginning to comprehend.

Rei felt a pang of guilt. Had he been too distant, too preoccupied with other things to notice how she felt?

"I see..." Rei muttered quietly, as if deep in thought.

"Well, I was just rambling, don't worry about it too much. And sorry about last night, I didn't mean to peek." Sakura stood up from the swing, offering him a soft smile.

But before she could say anything else, Rei vanished.

"Eh? Rei?" Sakura looked around, searching for him. Then, she noticed something strange—the grocery bag she had been holding was gone. Even more surprising, her clothes had changed. She was now wearing a beautiful, neatly tailored outfit, and her hair had been styled into a side tail.

"You're beautiful in that outfit, Sakura," she suddenly heard Rei's voice, drawing her attention to him.

He had undergone a transformation too. His clothes were now elegant, perfectly complementing his figure. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight, giving him a refined and striking appearance that made him look even more handsome than before.

"Rei?? What happened?" Sakura was utterly confused by the sudden changes, so much so that she hadn't even had time to respond to his compliment.

"I decided to change today's activity to spend the entire day with Sakura," Rei said with a warm smile, walking toward her.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "Eh? W-what? With me?" Her face flushed a deep shade of red, and she instinctively took a small step back, trying to process what he had just said.

Rei chuckled softly at her reaction. "Yes, with you. I thought it might be nice to spend some time together, just the two of us."

Sakura could feel her heart racing. "I-I didn't expect this... You didn't have to go through all this trouble," she stammered, looking down shyly as her cheeks continued to burn with embarrassment.

"It's no trouble at all," Rei reassured her, his smile gentle as he closed the distance between them. "I want to."

Sakura glanced up at him, her eyes filled with both surprise and warmth as her blush deepened.

Rei extended his hand toward Sakura, waiting for her response.

Seeing this, Sakura hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out to take his hand. Their fingers touched, and soon they were holding hands, the warmth between them undeniable.

"S-Sure, I'd be glad to spend the day with you," Sakura replied shyly, her voice soft and filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

With that, they both began to walk, no longer heading toward the shopping district but instead turning toward the city, ready to enjoy the day together.

Meanwhile, back at the Emiya residence...

"Ahhh, I'm so tiredddd..." Rin groaned as she sprawled across the floor in the living room.

After putting away the groceries that Rei had conjured up for her, she collapsed, completely worn out.

"What's wrong with you?" Echidna asked, her expression showing a hint of irritation.

Rin turned her head toward Echidna, who was sitting by the small table. "Hah!? It's your fault for not helping! How could you live for thousands of years and still not know anything about fashion?!"

"Because I don't need those things."

Rin was speechless for a moment... She forgot she was dealing with a sheltered, ancient vampire princess who never bothered to go out.

"You know what, never mind!" Rin huffed, turning away and deciding to ignore Echidna.

"Rin? Why are you screaming like that?" Saber suddenly entered the room after hearing Rin's shout.

"Oh, Saber, you're here. Are you done training with Emiya?" Rin sat up, greeting her.

"Yes, we're finished with the kendo training. But what about you? Why do you look so exhausted?" Saber asked as she sat down in front of Rin.

"Well, it's because of..." Rin began explaining her frustrating experience from earlier.

"Why didn't you let me go with Rei? It's my job to watch over him," Echidna interjected, still annoyed that Rin had stopped her from following Rei and Sakura.

"They need some time together. Just let them be for now," Rin insisted.

"If I'm not with him, he's going to do something that could endanger the Earth."

"No, he's not. He's not like that. Just trust me on this, okay?"

As Rin and Echidna continued their bickering, they both suddenly felt something off. The wind stopped, the sound of birds ceased, and everything around them froze in place—except for the two of them.

"Something's happening!" Echidna immediately grew serious, her instincts flaring up.

But before she could react, someone appeared beside them.

"Hey, Rin! I need your help!" Rei suddenly showed up, casually interrupting both of them conversation.

"Rei?? Why are you here?? What happened to Sakura??" Rin asked in shock.

"You did something, didn't you?" Echidna quickly interrogated him, not wasting a moment.

"Huh, Echidna? You can still move? Looks like I didn't use enough power to fully stop time... but whatever, I still need your help, Rin."

Rei then explained the situation—what had happened between him and Sakura and his plan to spend the entire day with her.

"So, let me get this straight—you need my help to change Sakura's clothes to her favorite outfit, and then get her ready for your date?" Rin asked, trying to process the absurdity of the situation.

"Yes, exactly. I don't know what her favorite clothes are or anything about her style. That's why I need your help as her sister!" Rei replied, clearly serious about his request.

Rin sighed, looking at him incredulously. "Wait, this frozen time... is your doing?" Rin asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Yes," Rei replied proudly, nodding. "I stopped time so Sakura won't realize what's happening. It'll be a surprise for her."

Rin and Echidna both stared at him in silence. Who uses such an overpowered ability like stopping time just to plan a date?

"Well, sure... This is actually what I had been planning anyway," Rin finally said, nodding as if it made sense. "After interrogating Sakura last night when she came back from the bathroom looking all depressed."

"Wait, what? This was your plan?" Rei looked at Rin in confusion.

"Of course!" Rin crossed her arms smugly. "I noticed Sakura's mood and realized something was up."

"Well... What about you Echidna?"

"I'm gonna follow you so you don't do anything more stupid than this!"