CHAPTER 2.5 - NEW BOND

Shirou and Sakura sat on a swing, enjoying a peaceful moment together. Shirou mentioned that he had actually come to the park with someone else.

"...so she's your babysitter?" Sakura asked.

Shirou shrugged. "I mean, more or less, yeah? She's closer to someone my mom told to watch over me than an actual babysitter."

Sakura inquired further, "And where is she now?"

Shirou muttered weakly, "Well... I don't know. She saw a store filled with idol merchandise and went off on her own to check it out."

Sakura thought the person who was with Shirou was rather rude. After all, they had been entrusted with a job and immediately failed to fulfill it. On the bright side, though, it had led to Sakura meeting and spending time with Shirou. He patiently stayed by her side, even when she struggled to keep up with the conversation. She considered it a loss on their part.

"What about you? Did you come here alone?" Sakura asked.

She shook her head and replied, "No, I came with my brother. He went to buy us drinks and hasn't come back yet."

"Really? That's weird. Haha, I guess both of us came here with someone but ended up being left alone," Shirou chuckled.

Sakura mustered a small smile and replied, "I guess so..."

"Wanna play on the slide? It looks like it's not too crowded anymore," Shirou suggested.

"I would love to," Sakura replied.

"Okay then, let's go," Shirou said, extending his hand once again. Sakura bashfully accepted it. His hand felt warm, and she cherished this feeling. She initially found it embarrassing to walk together while holding hands, but the embarrassment quickly faded, replaced by simple joy.

"Ah, there you are, Puppy!" an older girl exclaimed as she came running towards them. Her purplish hair swayed as she moved, and she wore an intricately designed frilly dress. She had a wide smile on her face as she approached.

Sakura wondered who she was. Did she know Shirou? Was she the one supposed to watch over him?

"There you are, Eliza," Shirou greeted her.

Eliza pouted. "Hmph, can't believe you actually ditched me back there, Puppy."

"You're the one who immediately rushed to that store and left me alone, Eliza," Shirou sighed.

"Ah! Speaking of that store, they were very rude. How could they kick me out? I just wanted to ask them about idols and sing a few songs!" Eliza grumbled.

Sakura noticed Shirou flinch a bit before forcing a smile and weakly laughing.

As the two of them continued talking, Sakura wondered why Eliza called Shirou "Puppy." Was it a nickname?

"Hm?" Eliza finally noticed Sakura. "Who are you, Kitten?"

Sakura instinctively tried to hide behind Shirou, but she saw his reassuring smile. He wanted her to introduce herself. And Kitten?

She mumbled slightly, "Sakura, Matou Sakura..."

"Are you Puppy's friend?" Eliza asked.

Sakura turned to Shirou, uncertain about the answer. Thankfully, Shirou spoke up for her.

"Yes, Sakura here is my new friend," he said without hesitation. Another smile formed on Sakura's face. She was smiling a lot that day.

"Okay then. Puppy here is my manager! So I want you to treat him well, okay, Kitten?" Eliza responded.

Manager? Shirou? Sakura was confused. Also, She called her Kitten again!

"Just play along. Eliza is a bit... unique," Shirou whispered to her.

Eliza turned her head and looked around. "Hmm, this park looks like the perfect place to practice my singing."

Shirou paled. "Eliza, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Nonsense, Puppy! Look at all the people here. I can train while also entertaining them. It's a win-win!"

"B-But, uhh, actually, you need to ask for permission first," Shirou stammered.

Eliza simply tilted her head. "Then I'll just ask. I don't see why you're so worked up, Puppy."

Once again, Sakura witnessed the two of them bickering. Eliza seemed determined to sing, while Shirou did his best to prevent it. Based on Shirou's reaction, She could only presume that Eliza's singing voice was not the best.

"So, you're saying that if I reveal my singing now, it might hamper my debut because people will already know me? You make a good point, Puppy," Eliza pondered.

"Y-Yes!" Shirou desperately replied.

Somehow, someway, Shirou managed to steer her away from singing her song out loud in the park.

"Ugh, fine. I won't sing in public, at least not until I debut as the best idol in the world!" Eliza declared.

Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.

"But that doesn't mean I can't do any practice at all," Eliza continued. She pointed at both Shirou and her. "You, Puppy, and Kitten will be my test audience and help me with my training! It'll be just the three of us, alone!"

"Say what?" Shirou was shocked.

Eliza smiled cheerfully, seemingly unaware of Shirou's concern. "Yup, be grateful that you two will listen to my song way earlier than the others!"

Shirou turned to Sakura, then to Eliza, and back to Sakura again.

"Uhh, Eliza..."

"Let's not waste any more time!"

Eliza was about to drag both Shirou and Sakura away when they heard someone shout, "Hey! What are you doing to my sister!"

A boy with wavy hair ran towards them, glaring at both Eliza and Shirou. It was her brother.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" Her brother asked.

"Y-Yes, I'm alright, nii-san," Sakura replied.

"You must be Sakura's brother," Shirou stated. "I'm her friend, Emiya Shirou."

Her's brother looked perplexed, but Sakura shyly nodded, confirming it. "I see. Name's Matou Shinji. Sakura's older brother. I guess I need to thank you for accompanying my sister."

"No need to thank me," Shirou said simply. "Although I was curious what took you so long. Sakura said you left to buy drinks for her, and it shouldn't have taken that long."

Shinji frowned visibly. "Ah, don't remind me. The vending machine broke, so I went to the nearest convenience store. Then, when I was at the cashier, they somehow failed to scan the drinks. It took them six damn tries for it to work."

"After that, there was a crowd outside the store with police sirens blaring everywhere. Something about a serial case or something. I had to take a longer route back to this park because they blocked the road," he continued.

"Sounds rough," Shirou sympathized.

"You have no idea," Shinji replied, reaching into the plastic bag he was holding. "Here's yours, Sakura. Sorry it took me so long."

Sakura accepted the can of orange juice and said, "Thank you, nii-san."

Eliza cleared her throat. "Now, can we start with my practice?"

Shinji turned to Eliza. "Oh yeah, kinda forgot you were there."

"How rude! You're looking at the future super idol here," Eliza declared.

"You? An idol?" Shinji scoffed.

A tick mark formed on Eliza's forehead. "It seems like I need to teach you a lesson, Pig."

"P-Pig?!"

Shirou was worried that Eliza was about to start a fight with Shinji. But then...

"I'll just show you my song, then," Eliza proclaimed.

Now, Shirou was even more worried, but for an entirely different reason. Eliza took a deep breath.

"Eliza, no—"

He was too late.