The sight before him made Tokiomi Tohsaka stop questioning and furrow his brow.
How rude.
How had Sakura become like this? Where was the sense in opening a gift before even welcoming a visitor inside?
In merely a few months, Sakura had become so ill-mannered... The Matou Family's upbringing was truly worrying.
Just as Tokiomi Tohsaka lamented that his younger daughter had already been "ruined" by others—
Sakura, who had opened the gift Tokiomi Tohsaka brought and taken out a bottle of expensive premium red wine, made an even more shocking move.
"This wine wasn't cheap, was it? Honestly, you only earn that little bit in patent fees each year, yet you still brought something this expensive. Are you trying to put on a brave face, Tokiomi Tohsaka?"
"You..."
If she had been his own daughter, Tokiomi Tohsaka naturally would have given her a thorough scolding and lesson...
But now that Tokiomi Tohsaka had already adopted Sakura into the Matou Family, he no longer had the status or standing to do such things.
Looking at the utterly unfamiliar Sakura before him, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not know what he should do for a moment, aside from pointing at her and managing a single word: "You."
"Enough with the 'you.' Come in, head of the Tohsaka Family."
Having broken Tokiomi Tohsaka's elegant composure, Sakura carried the wine in one hand and gestured for him to enter with the other, quickly ushering the frowning Tokiomi Tohsaka into the Matou Family.
Once the frowning Tokiomi Tohsaka had sat down in the reception room of the Matou Residence—
Sakura casually set the wine on the floor beside the room, then sat directly across from him under his puzzled gaze.
"You're confused, aren't you, head of the Tohsaka Family? There's no need to be surprised... There's nothing wrong with me sitting here, because... Shinji, Tsuruno!"
As though to make her claim more convincing, Sakura lightly clapped her hands together. The father and son soon pushed open the door and entered the reception room carrying tea and pastries, setting refreshments before Sakura and Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"Tell the head of the Tohsaka Family who calls the shots in the Matou Family now."
Without the slightest hesitation, Shinji—whom Orochimaru had effortlessly brainwashed—immediately gave a formal bow with a fanatical expression and shouted.
"Of course it is Lord Sakura!"
Immediately afterward, Tsuruno followed Shinji's example, making the same gesture and saying the same words.
If it had only been Shinji, Tokiomi Tohsaka might have thought it was a joke. But Tsuruno had said the same thing.
Then Sakura becoming the head of the Matou Family was undoubtedly true.
Naturally, Tokiomi Tohsaka could not possibly imagine how Sakura had seized the position of Matou Family head.
At that moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka's guess was... Zouken Matou had died.
After all, only that would have been reasonable... by a magus's standards.
In a magus's worldview, Sakura, who possessed magecraft talent and might even have already learned magecraft, inheriting the Matou Family after Zouken Matou's death was entirely reasonable, even if she was only five years old.
As though she had seen through Tokiomi Tohsaka's thoughts, Sakura spoke again and cut him off just before he could offer his condolences.
"Head of the Tohsaka Family, don't make wild guesses. Zouken Matou isn't dead. He's still alive and well..."
Regret and a Sisters' Reunion...
Sakura had become the head of the Matou Family.
With her own power, she had seized the family head position from Zouken Matou.
And in only a few days, she had solved the problem that had plagued her...
Still reeling from the shock he had received at the Matou Family, Tokiomi Tohsaka's mind was a complete mess and his face looked utterly haggard as he unknowingly returned home.
After sending away his concerned wife and daughter, Tokiomi Tohsaka returned to his study. With his mind full of questions, he stared blankly at the magecraft phonograph sitting on the desk before him...
"I actually personally sent a treasure like Sakura to the Matou Family... What a catastrophic mistake..."
But no matter how much he regretted it or doubted his life choices—
Tokiomi Tohsaka could not return to the past and change the present. Thus, he quickly composed himself again.
The pallor on his face was replaced by his former radiance.
After sorting through the thoughts in his mind once more—
Tokiomi Tohsaka, once again the magus he had been, could not help recalling Sakura's recent proposal—the proposal that could restart the Holy Grail War...
"If I lend out authority over Fuyuki City's ley lines, the Holy Grail War can proceed as scheduled... What a ridiculous claim."
Magus were prideful. Naturally, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not believe Sakura's claim that if he lent her authority over the ley lines, she could ensure the Holy Grail War would take place as scheduled.
The mana the Great Holy Grail lacked was not something the ley lines, which had now ceased flowing, could resolve.
Tokiomi Tohsaka was extremely certain of that.
"Still... it was a request from my former daughter... I couldn't very well refuse it!"
A trace of difficulty appeared on his face. He seemed to be speaking to himself, but he was actually saying it for Rin Tohsaka, who had been peeking and listening through the crack in the study door.
Sure enough, after hearing Tokiomi Tohsaka say that—
Rin Tohsaka, who was holding the study door and peering through a narrow crack at Tokiomi Tohsaka, abandoned her sneaky little act. She pushed open the study door and rushed straight inside.
"Father, was it Sakura? You were talking about Sakura just now, weren't you?"
Looking at his "beloved" daughter—
The expression on Tokiomi Tohsaka's face instantly shifted into the gentleness of a loving father.
"Yes, that's right. It was Sakura. Father visited the Matou Family today and saw Sakura... She..."
Faced with Tokiomi Tohsaka's hesitant performance—
Rin Tohsaka, who had been thinking about her younger sister ever since Sakura left their home, hurriedly asked in concern.
"What happened to Sakura, Father? Is she all right?"
"Sakura... She's doing very well. But she's no longer the Sakura who used to run after you..."
"Um... I don't understand. Isn't Sakura just Sakura?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka raised a hand and rubbed Rin Tohsaka's silky black hair. Then, looking at his innocent-looking daughter, he smiled and continued.
"What has changed about Sakura? Rin, you'll understand once you see her."
"But... Father, didn't you say that Mother and I were forbidden from seeing my sister ever again?"
"That has changed. That prohibition no longer has any meaning, Rin... If you want to see Sakura, go find your mother and have her take you to visit."
Although she did not know why Tokiomi Tohsaka had lifted the ban on seeing her sister, Rin Tohsaka happily smiled upon hearing that she would be able to see her sister again.
"That's wonderful! I can see Sakura again... Father, you're the best father in the world."
Looking at Rin Tohsaka, whose face was full of smiles like a blooming flower—
Tokiomi Tohsaka undoubtedly felt healed in that moment.
The gentle smile on his face was no longer false, and the large hand resting on Rin Tohsaka's head began to feel warm.
"However, before you see Sakura, Rin, you must obediently finish your magecraft practice first."
"Mm, I'll definitely do it properly. Then Father, can we start today's magecraft practice now?"
"Of course. Rin, go wait for me in the Basement first. Today, we'll learn how to control Fuyuki City's ley lines..."
"Then hurry up, Father!"
What a loving father and dutiful daughter...
Though it might have been even better if Tokiomi Tohsaka had put fewer calculations into it.
Learning ley line control was no easy task.
Especially for Rin Tohsaka, who had only recently begun learning magecraft.
Rin, who had thought she would soon reunite with her sister, ultimately studied from late midsummer until the depths of winter before barely mastering Fuyuki City's ley lines...
More than four months had passed since Tokiomi Tohsaka visited the Matou Family.
Four months... It was neither particularly long nor particularly short.
Those four months had been enough for many things to unfold and get on track...
A stretch of coast beside the Miyou River in Fuyuki City.
The freezing sea wind blew fiercely along Fuyuki City's natural bay, crossing Fuyuki City Bridge and sweeping over the desolate banks of the Miyou River.
However... for certain people, no matter how cold the sea wind or seawater was, it could not quell the warmth in their hearts.
On the private beach before a seaside villa, two tiny figures braved the frigid sea wind, stepping barefoot across the icy sand as they cheerfully splashed biting seawater at each other.
"Hahahaha, Sakura, take this!"
"Don't mess around, Sister Rin... You'll catch a cold later!"
"No, I won't! Sakura, I've already learned magecraft, you know. Later, I just need to go boom, and I can summon a ball of fire. I'll warm right up!"
"All right..."
Sakura nodded somewhat helplessly.
Not wanting to spoil her sister's fun, Sakura could only accept Rin's willfulness.
Thus, a water fight in the depths of winter soon began in the freezing seawater...
As for the outcome, it was entirely unsurprising.
When the two young girls, cold and shivering, clung to each other as they returned to the seaside villa the Matou Family had purchased not long ago, both little ones were frozen stiff.
But compared to Sakura, who had long practiced the Yellow Court Scripture and could use Qi to drive away the bitter cold, Rin Tohsaka was clearly much worse off.
If Sakura was merely shivering, Rin Tohsaka was clearly already ill.
Even so, Rin did not forget that she wanted to show Sakura her boom magecraft...
"Achoo~ Sakura, could you... could you get my bag for me? The gems I need to cast magecraft are in it."
Helplessly looking at Rin beside her, who still wanted to share her excitement despite being in such a state—
Sakura turned on the heater, brought Rin towels and clothes, then once more headed for the room next door in her soaking wet clothes.
"All right, Sister..."
Sisters at Play...
Inside the Matou Family's seaside villa—
After Sakura forced Rin to pinch her nose and drink a large bottle of foul-smelling, terrible-tasting magic potion—
Rin, whose eyes had become watery with tears, almost immediately recovered her health.
When Rin wanted to build sandcastles by the sea like they used to, Sakura had people bring them to the seaside villa.
When Rin wanted to play in the water, Sakura accompanied her in a water fight in the freezing sea.
When Rin wanted to demonstrate her boom magecraft, Sakura disregarded her own soaking wet clothes and fetched the gems for Rin...
Without question, in Rin's eyes, Sakura's behavior was no different from the Sakura she remembered.
Sakura was still Sakura...
Yet when Sakura returned once more and placed a large bottle of bitter, spicy magic potion before her—
From that moment on, Rin knew that the Sakura before her was no longer the adorable, obedient little sister who had always clung to her.
"Drink up, Rin. Your fate awaits!"
"Then what is the price, Sakura?"
"All of this..."
All right, none of that conversation actually happened. The magic potion Sakura brought was not demon blood that glowed like thick nuclear wastewater.
It was merely a magic potion Sakura had made while practicing.
Before you continue