At first glance, Illya could be taken as the kind of person who gets up from her bed quickly and energetically, but this rarely happens. She was as susceptible to sluggishness and lethargy that haunted many others as any person. However, if she did wake up quickly and with joy, this pointed to a special, exciting occasion. Ever since arriving in Fuyuki, those occasions grew more common, and today was yet another to add to the list.
As soon as she was ready, Illya rushed out of the house and made her way to the school. As agreed, Sakura would meet her there, and the two would have a friendly archery contest. Of course, Illya knew this was going to be a fun and exciting activity, but if she got lucky, she would get an opportunity to learn something more about Sakura's home life. Illya was adamant about saving her friend from Zouken as soon as possible, but it was not a task she could approach carelessly. Her grandfather looked old and pale, but his considerable power emanated from his magic. All of those were topics to consider…But she also did not want to miss out on having some genuine fun.
As Illya approached the dojo, she heard a familiar voice ringing out from behind her.
"Oh, hey, Illya." She turned around and saw Issei Ryuudou following the same path as her.
"Hiya!" The girl smiled. "Coming to see the competition?"
"The archery one? Yeah, why not…A lot of people are gathering around, so I might join in as well." Issei smiled. "I wonder if they allow non-members to participate…I'd try myself out at a bowman." The young man spoke with emerging curiosity in his voice.
"You? Bowman? I never took you for one, but who knows…" Illya chuckled. "Maybe you have a spirit of Heracles in you."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far. I'm just open to possibilities and new things to try out." Issei said with assurance. "By the way, how was your 'tour'? Did you like the temple and the park?"
"Yes, it was very pretty!" Illya said, speaking purely from the heart, but there was another question she wondered about. "Say, that place looks pretty…I don't know, empty? You didn't have any strangers wander around and try to break into the temple, did you?" She said, puzzling Issei by this question.
"No…And why do you wonder?"
"Just cautious about thieves. You know what they say, gotta be responsible."
"Yeah, that's true." Issei nodded. "Don't worry; my father takes all the necessary precautions." So, Sasaki hasn't shown those people such a 'privilege' to know that Illya and Sakura were special.
Either way, he won't disturb them here.
With that soothing thought in her mind, Illya finally reached her friend.
Sakura was standing at the middle of the dojo with a bow which she held tightly in her hand. She unleashed an arrow just as Illya and Issei approached, hitting her target directly almost at the very middle.
"Nice shot!" Another familiar voice echoed from the side, Taiga was really excited by Sakura's success. The same could be said for Ayako, the girl stood nearby and nodded with clear approval. The whole 'team' was here, which made this day even more of a fun accasion.
"Thank you, Fujimura-Sensei." Sakura smiled as she turned around and noticed Illya. "Oh, hi there!"
"Hello, hello! I hope I'm not too late!" Illya waved.
"No, not at all, I was just practicing with Ayako! And Fujimura-sensei decided to hang out with us, as well!"
"Good to hear…" Illya smiled smugly. "There will be more than enough people to witness my perfect performance!" She rubbed her hands playfully, preparing for a 'tournament.'
"I hope you prepared better than last time." Ayako taunted her. "Shooting arrows at the floor is not exactly how you do it." As the two bickered, Sakura looked at Issei.
"Welcome, Issei-san. Did you want anything?"
"No, just decided to hang around with Illya," Issei explained. "You've become a really good shot, Sakura; Shirou would've been proud."
"Hey, don't bring that madman up here!" Taiga joined in. "He could've spent the Summer with all of us doing something actually sane and fun, but he only takes the hardest possible way out, it seems!" She scoffed.
"It's fine," Sakura spoke softly. "Shirou-senpai just needs some time to discover himself. We can't blame him for that."
"Anyway, we have other things to do and talk about, right?" Taiga wondered, and Illya joined in immediately.
"Oh, that we do! Haven't you heard? Issei wants to try himself at archery!"
"Oh, really, now?" Ayako smiled. "Be my guest. We always welcome newcomers."
"Yeah, I thought I would give it a try with how popular it's getting around the school," Issei explained and began to examine the bow.
"Did you have any training?"
"Eh…I read books about it."
"Why don't you give it a try, then?" Ayako invited him.
"Sure, give me a moment." Issei grabbed the bow and aimed at the target before him. It took a few seconds for him to aim before finally shooting. As Illya expected, the arrow landed far away from the center.
"Oh, well, maybe I got ahead of myself when I talked about Heracles." She couldn't help but say in a slightly mocking tone. "At least you hit the target, I guess…
"Come on, Illya, don't be so mean!" Sakura shook her head. "No one's perfect from the start; Issei just needs some practice."
"Yes, exactly," Issei said with support. "I'm sure I did better than many on their first try."
"I can teach you later," Ayako said in a reassuring tone. "That said, I thought Sakura and Illya wanted to give it a try, right?"
"With pleasure!" Illya grabbed the nearest bow and stood beside Sakura. "You ready?"
"Always…Let's do it!"
The two girls stood before their targets, both aiming at their very center. This time, Illya cared enough to actually aim as well as she could; her competitive spirit would not allow her to simply give in. They shot one arrow after another, taking turns until both of their quills were completely empty. Illya was quick to get the hang of things; her precision increased naturally. At first, she only hit the outer edges of the platform, but eventually, the arrows reached deeper into the circle, eventually narrowing it down. Sakura's aim remained consistently good, as she managed to hit very close to the center multiple times.
"Not bad at all!" Ayako said with pride after the arrows were extinguished. "But alas, the winner is still clear as day…Well done, Sakura!" She announced, followed by an enthusiastic clap from Taiga.
"Thank you." Sakura smiled before looking at Illya. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have tried that hard…"
"Don't worry about it! It's all just a bit of fun." Illya smiled and reassured her. "You don't need to blame yourself for winning, especially when your skills are just better."
"I…Yes, maybe." Sakura was about to challenge Illya's assertion but quickly decided to give in. Illya wanted to help her friend gradually build her self-esteem, even if it was going to be difficult.
"Illya is right, it's fun." Taiga smiled. "We should meet up like this more often, add some spice to our summer and all that."
"Yeah, you're right," Illya said and pondered for a moment. "Hey, Fuji-nee, what do you think about a sleepover at our place?"
"Huh?"
"I was thinking we could invite Sakura over for dinner and a sleepover!" Illya said with excitement, overtaken by her new idea. "Maybe we could invite Ayako and Issei, as well! A little bonding experience, you know."
"Hey, first of all, that's MY place, not ours!" Taiga crossed her arms. "And second of all…Why not?! It's been incredibly dull those last few evenings, and I'm sure that with someone else around, I am less likely to try and strangle you, Illya."
"Perfect!" The girl smiled before looking at others. "So, what do you say?" She asked, and Ayako was the first to respond.
"I'm afraid my evenings are very busy, so you'll have to do without me. Have fun, though!"
"And you, Issei?"
"Hm, If we're going today…Yes, I'm relatively free. I heard Fujimura's cooking has a nice flavor to it." He said, making Taiga sigh.
"Sakura?" Illya looked at her friend, who reflexively turned her eyes toward the floor, unsure of how to respond. "It's fine if you're busy. We can do it some other day…" Illya didn't think her idea through before blurting it out. After all, Sakura didn't have the privilege of having an understanding caretaker. However, Sakura looked up and smiled.
"It's alright, I'll come over, I promise."