In his real daily life, Ryuya's upcoming days were actually quite simple. It was nothing more than accompanying Yukino to school when he had nothing else to do, then going home to be with Souji.
During dinner, Haruno would return to join them, and sometimes Kaguya would also come over for a meal.
Besides that, there was Eriri.
"I'm telling you, Yukino, we agreed on tomorrow's date, alright? You are absolutely, positively not allowed to stand me up!"
In the clubroom, Eriri looked seriously at Yukino. This girl had already stood her up for over a week, and if it continued, she would get really angry.
"Okay, okay, Eriri, I get it."
Clasping her hands together in an apologetic gesture, Yukino, who had truly been immersed in a haven of tenderness lately and was obsessively indulging in being by Ryuya's side, finally realized what she had forgotten recently.
She promised to definitely go shopping with Eriri tomorrow, no standing her up!
…
The next day, weekend, morning.
"Yukino, is it really okay for me to come along? Isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
Looking nervously at Yukino, Souji felt very awkward.
Clearly, today was supposed to be a shopping trip for Yukino and Eriri. What was she, this older woman, doing tagging along?
"Souji-nee, it's fine! We're good sisters, aren't we?"
Among the people she could get along with in the Snowfield City of the Fourth Holy Grail War, especially surrounded by Servants, Yukino, Haruno, Kaguya, and Souji, this group of four, had established a solid foundation of friendship.
Declaring that they would all go out to have fun today, except for Haruno and Kaguya who had daily work commitments, Yukino, Souji, and Ryuya were all going out together.
"Chiyo, don't think about those things. Just take a day off today and let Tengu and the others handle matters."
Dressed in a light yellow linen T-shirt, a red plaid jacket over it, and simple jeans on the bottom.
Ryuya didn't particularly like this kind of outfit, and he preferred monochromatic outfits from head to toe.
But unfortunately, this set of clothes was bought for him by Yukino and Haruno together, so he didn't mind.
"Onii-chan is so handsome."
Her exquisite, doll-like beauty had matured under Ryuya's influence, and Yukino was now beginning her own period of development.
Wearing light makeup, she believed that Ryuya was really handsome.
"Stop fooling around, you two. Let's get ready to go. If we keep making Eriri wait, she'll probably go crazy."
Sighing, remembering the thousand-plus loops during the time of the Clow Card cycle where he had stood up Eriri and Yukino many times, Ryuya thought it was best to make it up to them now when possible.
It was a refreshing morning.
Although it was midsummer, the weather in Tokyo today was exceptionally pleasant, cloudless with a delightful breeze blowing, the cool wind brushing against the four of them.
Eriri, Yukino, Ryuya, Souji… this was the order in which the four walked side by side.
In terms of height, Yukino wasn't tall, but she was currently undergoing a second growth spurt, breaking through the 1.65-meter mark.
Souji was similar, close to 1.64 meters.
With both of them sticking close to Ryuya, who was a full 1.85 meters tall, the three of them looked really well-matched.
In contrast, Eriri, who was 1.58 meters in high school, had somehow shrunk after entering university and was now only 1.55 meters.
She wasn't the least bit surprised that Yukino would come out with Ryuya, as Eriri had long seen through this bro-con. However, Souji's presence puzzled her.
'This girl's name is so strange, calling herself Okita Souji... Well, having the same name as a historical figure is normal, but what is her relationship with Ryuya and Yukino?'
Hearing Yukino call Souji 'Souji-nee', while Ryuya called her 'Chiyo', this difference in address, coupled with the intimate actions between the three, made Eriri feel that she might be the extra third wheel.
She spent the whole journey racking her brains about what was going on, and suddenly began to regret coming out today, 'If I had known earlier, I might as well come out alone.'
Thinking this, she suddenly noticed people doing promotions along the street, advertising the latest cosmetics.
"Beautiful ladies, this is our company's newly launched maintenance face mask. It will definitely make your skin better."
"Please stop for a moment, everyone. I have skincare products here that aren't even available on the market yet. You might be interested."
About ten or so young women in uniforms and black stockings were promoting the use of cosmetics.
They stopped Yukino's group, verbally promoting their products, but their eyes frequently glanced towards Ryuya.
It couldn't be helped… Ryuya's appearance and figure were just too striking. Originally enhanced by the Sun King's blessing, after experiencing the Fourth Holy Grail War and possessing the All the World's Evils, he had gained a certain devilish charm that made many girls feel like going to the bathroom just from one look.
Politely declining the promotions from those young women, Souji, Yukino, and Eriri, all with unpleasant expressions, quickly pulled Ryuya away, as if they had achieved some kind of goal.
"What's wrong? Aren't you interested in cosmetics?"
Not quite understanding women's minds, Ryuya noticed the three of them looked somewhat upset.
Yukino: "Those women were staring at you, clearly with ill intentions. You could smell the sluttiness on them even through their clothes!"
Souji: "They said they could make our skin better. Isn't that indirectly saying our current skin isn't good?"
Eriri: "Exactly! What do they mean by 'we maintain well'? I am naturally beautiful! Did they think I couldn't tell they were implying we're old?"
Ryuya: "So that's how it is. This is the secret code among women? I see, I see."
Looking at the furious Yukino and the others, even the Beast of the Apocalypse, the Lord of the End, the Sun-Crowned King had to admit he couldn't comprehend it. He completely failed to understand how the promoters' words could have contained so many hidden meanings. Ryuya found women's thought processes truly strange… he wondered just how did their train of thought work?
And so, continuing their shopping somewhat indignantly, they bought the paints Eriri wanted and the plush toy Yukino desired.
Then, the four of them arrived at the women's clothing floor.
Once there, they completely forgot their earlier displeasure, declaring they would shop to their hearts' content here today.
Although Yukino, Eriri, and Souji had completely different personalities, at this moment they all exuded the sharp, formidable aura usually seen only in knights heading to the battlefield.