Starving to Death

"Boom!"

A small, shriveled old man was violently kicked away, blood spraying across the ground. After rolling several times, he finally came to a stop, twitching a few times before going completely still.

"Oh?" Kaguya gracefully walked over, planting her heel on his back. With a swift kick, she flipped his body over and stared down at him curiously. "Already dead?"

Matou Zouken's body was a wreck. Bones broken, blood seeping through his tattered clothes, his grotesque, skeletal face now even more hideous in death. His twisted corpse lay in a bizarre shape.

Kaguya wrinkled her nose in disgust, the stench of blood filling the air. "Even in death, you're revolting. It's better not to let something this filthy pollute the environment."

Her eyes glinted, and an invisible force surged from her pupils. A black flame ignited on Zouken's corpse. In moments, the flames of Amaterasu consumed the body, leaving nothing behind—not even ash.

Just as the fire died down, a lone insect wriggled out from the charred remains, desperately crawling toward a nearby bush. Before it could escape, a voice rang out.

"A leftover, huh?"

With a swift stomp of her heel, Kaguya crushed the insect beneath it. A squelching sound followed as green fluid splattered across the ground, filling the air with a foul stench.

Kaguya lifted her heel and grimaced at the sticky residue on it. Insects were truly disgusting, she thought. She couldn't help but admire people like Bear Grylls, who could stomach eating any bug in the wild. She certainly couldn't.

Suddenly, remembering something, Kaguya turned and spotted Matou Sakura crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around her head in a defensive posture. The sight amused her.

Kaguya approached and lightly tapped Sakura's shoulder, causing the girl to jump in fright.

"You—you are..." Sakura stammered, stepping back timidly.

"It's just me," Kaguya smiled gently. In a soft glow, her appearance shifted back to that of a silver-haired loli.

Sakura blinked in confusion, her eyes wide. She seemed dazed, unsure of what had just happened. She had closed her eyes and covered her ears during the fight, too scared to witness any of it.

Suddenly, Kaguya collapsed, falling onto Sakura, who was caught off guard and tumbled to the ground with her.

"W-what?" Sakura, panicked, tried to push Kaguya off. Seeing the silver-haired girl clutching her stomach in pain, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I... I'm starving..."

"..."

The fight had drained Kaguya of her magical energy. She was on the verge of magical depletion. If Zouken had lasted any longer, she might have fainted from hunger. As it stood now, Kaguya felt dizzy, weak, and unable to stand without Sakura's help.

"I need food," Kaguya groaned, feeling as though her entire body had turned into jelly, her limbs too weak to hold herself up.

"Food?" Sakura blinked, then quickly rummaged through her pockets, pulling out a small item. "I still have a piece of chocolate. It's not much, but—"

Before she could finish, Kaguya had already snatched the chocolate and stuffed it into her mouth, wrapper and all.

"Wait, you didn't even peel off the wrapper!" Sakura exclaimed, but it was already too late.

"Where can we find food?" Kaguya mumbled, her voice slurred with exhaustion.

Sakura hesitated before pointing toward the Matou estate. "There... there might be some in the house."

Despite her fear of the place, Sakura's kind heart couldn't bear to leave Kaguya in such a state, so she resolved to help her find food.

The mention of food instantly revived Kaguya's spirits. Her ears perked up, and her eyes gleamed like a starving wolf, drool practically threatening to drip from her mouth.

But just as they were about to head toward the Matou estate, a sudden explosion rocked the grounds. The grand mansion was obliterated in an instant, debris and flames shooting into the sky, engulfing the estate in a blazing inferno.

Kaguya's face fell in despair.

Sakura, equally shocked, froze. She had long dreamed of escaping that wretched place, but now that it had been destroyed, she felt lost and uncertain about where to go. She was no longer truly a part of the Matou family, but now with the estate gone, she had no idea where she could find refuge.

Before she could dwell on it further, Kaguya grabbed her hand, her expression serious. "Where's your real home? The Tohsaka residence—where is it?"

"M-my home?" Sakura stammered.

"Yeah, the Tohsaka house," Kaguya's eyes were sharp, fixed on her. "You know where it is, right?"

Sakura hesitated, then nodded quietly. She knew, but the thought of going back filled her with uncertainty.

"Take me there," Kaguya urged, holding her hand tightly.

"W-what?" Sakura was taken aback.

"I'm about to starve! You can't just leave me to die of hunger, can you?" Kaguya clutched her stomach dramatically, her voice filled with desperation.

"But..." Sakura hesitated. She had long dreamed of going home but had always been too afraid to return.

"Come on, let's go," Kaguya tugged at her hand impatiently. "I'm begging you!"

"But—"

"No buts! We're going!" Kaguya declared firmly.

"But you're going in the wrong direction," Sakura pointed out timidly.

"..."

By the time Kaguya and Sakura reached the Tohsaka mansion, dawn was breaking. The sky had lightened to a pale blue, the first hints of sunlight peeking over the horizon. Before them stood a large, opulent estate—grand, as one would expect from the prestigious Tohsaka family. Despite their extravagant use of gems in magic, it was clear they were far from impoverished.

As they approached, a voice echoed from within the mansion.

"Since you've come this far, why not come inside?"