Shirō barely had time to process what just happened. One moment, she was having a perfectly good dream—something about a nice warm kotatsu, maybe some taiyaki—and the next, her entire bedroom exploded.
Wood, debris, and the faint scent of scorched tatami filled the air. Where she had been lying just seconds ago was now a crater, her futon torn apart by the sheer force of the attack.
She gasped, feeling an unfamiliar grip around her waist. Then she realized—she wasn't on her bed anymore.
She was in someone's arms.
She snapped her head up and came face-to-face with Archer.
Her face twisted in horror. "Are you trying to kidnap me?!"
Archer's eye twitched, his face contorting as if she had personally insulted his entire lineage. "Kidnap you?! Don't flatter yourself! I just saved your idiotic life!"
Shirō squirmed, pushing against him. "Put me down!"
"With pleasure," Archer grumbled, unceremoniously dropping her onto the floor.
Shirō landed with a grunt, just in time for a familiar, childish giggle to ring out.
"Big Sister, are you ready to die?"
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
Big Sister?
She turned her head, and there, standing amidst the wreckage of what had once been her bedroom wall, was Illya.
The tiny girl stood confidently, her red eyes gleaming with amusement. And beside her, hulking and monstrous, was Berserker.
The massive Servant loomed like an unmovable force, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. He barely seemed fazed by the destruction he had just caused—because, to him, it was nothing. A minor effort.
Shirō swallowed hard.
She had fought things tonight—monsters in the darkness, chains, magic users who could change their forms—but this? This was different.
This was a nightmare.
Archer sighed, rubbing his temple. "Great. And here I thought we'd get at least one peaceful night."
Shirō, still trying to process the Big Sister comment, finally snapped, "Now hold on a second! Since when am I Big Sister?!"
Illya's grin widened. "Well, I was calling you Big Brother before, but since you're a girl now…"
Shirō opened her mouth, then closed it.
…Fair.
Not that it mattered right now!
Because Illya was very much trying to murder her.
And she had brought a giant, indestructible monster to do that.