As though to proclaim the day fair and cloudless, bright sunlight poured down upon the Emiya Estate.
Seated upon the engawa, sheltered from the direct glare, a young girl with twin-tailed hair gazed at the light filtering through the eaves.
Approaching her with a drink in hand, the orange-haired boy, Shirou Emiya, set the cup down upon the low table.
Rin Tohsaka accepted the tea he had brought and smiled.
"Thank you, Shirou."
"It's nothing, Tohsaka."
At Rin's words, Shirou merely gave a small shrug. Watching him, she spoke again.
"It's already been a year since that day."
"...It has."
For a brief while, Rin let her thoughts drift back into the past. Today marked exactly one year since the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War—the day they had stood against the King of Heroes of Babylon and destroyed the Holy Grail.
Remembering how she had walked beside Shirou beneath the rising sun after all had come to an end, Rin thought that time had passed far more swiftly than she had ever expected.
With such thoughts in mind, she looked upon the cherry blossoms blooming in the garden. Then, as her gaze shifted beneath the sakura tree, a peculiar expression crossed her face.
"...Even so, no matter how many times I see that sight, I cannot quite grow used to it."
"Ahaha..."
Still smiling at Shirou, Rin turned her head toward the garden and looked upon the scene there.
Shirou, wearing an awkward smile at her remark, also turned to see what lay before them.
"Berserker! A little higher, please!"
"Like this?"
"Higher!"
There, in the garden, stood Elius—the Berserker whom they had believed vanished on the very day the Holy Grail War ended—and atop his shoulders sat Illyasviel von Einzbern, Shirou's elder sister.
And beside them, smiling as she watched, stood Saber herself—Artoria.
At that sight, Shirou let out a helpless laugh, as though he shared Rin's thoughts exactly.
"Ahaha... yes. Truly."
One month ago, Artoria and Elius, whom they had thought long gone, had appeared before them once more.
According to Elius, he had somehow obtained the Holy Grail in another war and used it to grant Artoria a body of flesh.
And while he was at it, he had wished to incarnate here as well. Hearing that, Rin had thought only one thing: extraordinary men remained extraordinary to the very end.
"Shirou~!"
"Hahahaha..."
At last managing to pluck free a cherry blossom, Illyasviel waved the flower in her hand toward Shirou.
Shirou smiled and waved back. Seeing that, Rin too found herself smiling.
"...Still, well, this is rather nice too."
As that thought passed through her mind, Rin suddenly recalled the day from which this peaceful life had begun.
And with that memory came another. A mischievous smile bloomed upon her lips. Shirou, seeing the playful light in her eyes, looked at her with no small measure of unease.
"...What is it?"
Sip.
"Nothing much. I merely remembered how, when Saber came to visit, you tried to embrace her out of sheer delight—only for Berserker to stop you."
Pfft!
At Rin's teasing, Shirou, who had been drinking his tea, promptly sprayed it into the air.
He barely managed to turn his head aside and avert disaster, only to break into a fit of coughing.
Watching the startled Shirou, Rin smiled like a little devil. His reactions were still as entertaining as ever.
It had not been anything especially grave. When he and Saber had met again, Shirou had simply been so overjoyed that he had rushed forward, intending to embrace her.
Only, Berserker—hidden behind the door and thus unseen—had stepped in and blocked him.
Yet for Rin, who so dearly loved to tease Shirou, the incident was a treasure beyond price.
"Trying to embrace another woman—"
"...Ghk!"
"And doing so while your lover was standing right beside you—"
"...Kuhk!"
"What should we call that, I wonder, O aspiring champion of justice who dashed out to hold her?"
"Kuhhhk!"
Struck by that threefold assault, each word flying like a dagger, Shirou—whose heart was as fragile as glass in such matters—felt it crack at last and collapse entirely. Rin looked upon him with open amusement.
As always, his reaction was delightful enough that she considered pressing the attack still further, and so she opened her mouth to continue.
"Perhaps that is enough, Sister."
"Hm. Is it, though~?"
"Sis-ter."
"All right, all right. I'll stop, Sakura."
Yet at the restraint that came from beside her—from her younger sister, Sakura—Rin had no choice but to relent.
Sakura smiled faintly at Rin's response, then turned her gaze toward Shirou.
"You did not come when it was time to prepare lunch, so I stepped out for a moment. As expected, Senpai, my sister had detained you again."
As she said this, Sakura shot a sharp look at the seated Rin. Feeling that stare, Rin avoided her eyes and gave an innocent whistle.
"Ahaha... sorry, Sakura. We got carried away talking. I'll come help at once."
"I shall help as well, Sakura."
"Thank you very much."
At the words of Artoria, who had drawn near without anyone noticing, Sakura smiled and offered her thanks.
Amid that warm and cheerful atmosphere, Elius, watching the scene from behind, smiled quietly.
It had been well worth choosing to take flesh in this era.
This was the life he had wished for—a peaceful, lively everyday world such as this.