Having lost the chance to beat Tohsaka Tokiomi senseless, Fu Yuan clicked his tongue in slight disappointment before saying to the man who had narrowly escaped disaster, "Then, until you figure things out, I'll take Sakura in."
"I assume you have no objections."
"..." Tohsaka Tokiomi looked at Matou Sakura, who was pressed tightly against Fu Yuan's side. The moment she heard Fu Yuan's words, joy immediately bloomed across her little face.
Seeing Sakura like this, no matter how unwilling Tokiomi was, he could not bring himself to say it.
"Although I do not trust a mysterious stranger like you, ...I'll leave Sakura in your care for a while," Tokiomi said.
Leaving Sakura with someone of unknown background who possessed such formidable power—was Tokiomi not worried that Fu Yuan might harm her?
Tohsaka Tokiomi did not think so.
If Fu Yuan had intended to harm Sakura, he would have acted long ago. After all, Sakura and Rin often went to Fu Yuan's home to play.
Although Tokiomi's response did not fully satisfy Fu Yuan, at least he had not insisted on sending Sakura to the Matou family. That was already a good outcome.
So Fu Yuan gave Tokiomi, who was preparing to head to the Matou family, a "kind" reminder. "If you're going to the Matou family, watch yourself. Don't go getting yourself killed there."
"..."
What a truly kind reminder.
Seeing Tokiomi at a loss for words, Fu Yuan said to Sakura, who was sitting beside him, "Sakura, let's go. Come stay at my place for a few days."
"Okay! Brother Fu Yuan, let's hurry!" A bright smile spread across Sakura's little face.
The lingering fear and timidity in Sakura's heart were overwhelmed by the joy of being able to stay at Fu Yuan's house. If she could, she truly wanted to remain there forever, protected by this gentle older brother.
But little Sakura knew she could not make such a request of Fu Yuan, because it would only trouble him.
She was clearly so young, yet far too mature for her age.
Fu Yuan retrieved his belongings, took Sakura's little hand, and rose from the sofa with her. Seeing the two preparing to leave just like that, Tokiomi hurriedly asked, "Who exactly are you?"
Fu Yuan turned his head toward Tokiomi and answered as casually as if it were nothing. "Just as you told Matou Zouken earlier, I'm merely an ordinary person who settled in Fuyuki City three months ago."
"...Ordinary people do not possess such terrifying power." Tokiomi's face twitched as he pointed at the phone in Fu Yuan's hand.
He was probably referring to the Lightning Marks in the recorded video. How could an ordinary person possess the power to instantly wipe out tens of thousands of Magic Crest Worms?
"Then just think of me as an ordinary person with a little power. See you around." Not wanting to reveal anything about himself, Fu Yuan waved and left the quiet Tohma Family home with Sakura.
Watching Fu Yuan and Sakura depart, Tokiomi let out a deep sigh. "It seems Sakura was truly traumatized by the Matou family. She left without even saying goodbye."
No... wasn't Sakura treating you this way because of what you had done?
You were the one who sent Sakura to the Matou family.
You personally severed your father-daughter relationship with Sakura, so why were you, the pot calling the kettle black, sighing here?
After lamenting his lost relationship with Sakura, Tokiomi took a Jeweled Staff and headed for the Matou family.
Now, Tokiomi needed to verify the situation at the Matou family. Hearing was not as reliable as seeing, and since he was not very familiar with phones, he had to visit the Matou family himself to determine whether Fu Yuan's information was true.
Perhaps Tokiomi had already believed Fu Yuan's information. Otherwise, he would not have deliberately brought the Jeweled Staff with him.
The Jeweled Staff was a Magic Crest crafted by Tohsaka Tokiomi.
At the top of the Jeweled Staff sat an enormous ruby, within which was sealed the magical energy Tokiomi had refined through a lifetime of effort.
With the Jeweled Staff in hand, Tokiomi could skip the cumbersome process of casting magecraft, consume the magical energy stored within it, and instantly cast his magecraft through the staff.
If Tokiomi still trusted Matou Zouken, he might not have brought this Magic Crest with him.
The hurried Tokiomi entered the Matou family estate, where the building on the left, already collapsed into ruins, was impossible to miss.
"This was originally the Magecraft Workshop established by Matou Zouken. It was simply destroyed by him..." Tokiomi muttered, gripping the Jeweled Staff.
This collapsed building looked exactly like the scene Tokiomi had seen earlier in the video on the phone. So the information Fu Yuan had told him was all real?
Reaching Out to a Sleeping Little Girl
Fu Yuan returned home with Sakura. At the shoe-changing area by the hallway, Sakura naturally took out a pair of indoor slippers from the shoe rack beside her and changed into them.
If someone unaware of the situation saw this, they would probably mistake the place for Sakura's home, she was so familiar with it.
Well, that was because Tohsaka Rin and Sakura often came to Fu Yuan's house to play.
After Sakura changed her shoes, Fu Yuan glanced at her as she continued standing there and said in surprise, "Sakura, go on in once you've changed your shoes. It's not like you've never been to my house before."
"I want to go in with you, Brother," Sakura said in a soft, sweet voice.
Many terrible things had happened to Sakura that morning. First, her biological father had sent her to the Matou family. Then, she had seen the disgusting swarm of insects at the Matou family estate. Finally, there had been Matou Zouken's plans to alter her...
But Sakura was fortunate. Fu Yuan had rescued her from that hellish place, so now she did not want to leave the side of the kind older brother who had saved her.
Seeing how dependent Sakura was on him, Fu Yuan smiled gently and stroked her little head. "Sakura, do you want me to carry you again?"
"Mm!" Joy shone in Sakura's eyes as she opened her slender, fair arms toward Fu Yuan.
Smiling, Fu Yuan bent down and picked up Sakura, who had her arms spread open. The little girl's body was so soft and comfortable. It was wonderful!
Fu Yuan then carried Sakura into his home, walking down the hallway and into the living room.
And what about Tohsaka Rin, who had stayed at Fu Yuan's house since that morning? She was still there, lying on the sofa in his living room.
Rin lay on the sofa with her eyes closed, steady, rhythmic breaths leaving her little mouth. Her still-undeveloped, flat chest rose and fell with each breath.
The twin-tailed little girl was asleep.
Nestled in Fu Yuan's arms, Sakura spotted Rin sleeping on the sofa and whispered in surprise, "Brother, why is Sister here too?"
"She was troubled over you being sent away, so she came to me. That was how I learned you were going to be sent to the Matou family. So Little Rin deserves some credit for saving you too," Fu Yuan explained.
"I see." Sakura looked at Rin with affection in her eyes. The two sisters had always been close, and if she could, Sakura truly wanted to remain sisters with Rin for the rest of their lives.
"Let's tease her a little." Fu Yuan gave Sakura a mischievous smile, then set her down and silently approached the sleeping Rin on the sofa.
Fu Yuan's wicked fingers slowly reached toward the sleeping twin-tailed little girl, while Rin remained completely unaware and continued sleeping peacefully.
Fu Yuan's outstretched fingers tickled the soles of Rin's feet. The smooth sensation of her black stockings passed through to his fingertips.
"Mmh..." The ticklish feeling in her feet made Rin let out a small whimper, but she did not wake up. She merely drew her slender, stocking-clad feet together.
"Hehe." Seeing that Rin had not woken up, Fu Yuan chuckled and said to Sakura, who was standing behind him, "Sakura, come over. You should tease your sister too."
Before you continue