Tohsaka Tokiomi also stepped out the door.
[Tohsaka Tokiomi was actually quite a good father.]
[As a mage, Tohsaka Tokiomi knew his daughters could never live like normal people. There was really nothing wrong with giving one up for adoption.]
[The Matou Family was too depraved.]
[Although he'd been out of the loop before, he was a real man now.]
[He wasn't even removing his arm anymore. Was he planning to stop being human?]
[What an incredible father!]
[Bullshit, he wasn't that great. All mages were scum.]
Matou Kariya stood behind the others.
He silently watched the two of them.
His heart was filled with indescribable emotions.
But...
Did someone who was no longer human still have the right to receive Tokiomi Tohsaka's love?
"Kariya."
Kariya silently prepared to leave as well.
But at that moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka called out to Matou Kariya.
She bowed to him.
"Thank you so much for everything you did for Sakura."
Tokiomi Tohsaka raised her head.
Matou Kariya did not dare look at her face.
Yet he could not help looking at her.
It was the gentle smile he knew so well.
"Kariya. I like you," Tokiomi Tohsaka said.
"But—I love Tokiomi."
Like and love.
Sometimes, liking was love. Sometimes, it was not.
But when the two concepts were distinguished separately, their meaning was already self-evident.
"Ah. I like you too." Kariya did not feel particularly sad. Instead, he felt a faint, subtle sense of relief in his heart.
"Thank you very much for liking me." Tokiomi Tohsaka bowed to Matou Kariya again.
It was a love he could never have.
He turned around and left the castle as well.
Once outside, Matou Kariya saw Tohsaka Tokiomi.
The other man had not gone far. He had been waiting for him all along.
"Tch. I