The Adoption Contract, Signed Again

Last night, because Gilles de Rais had killed several police officers, the police concluded that the Serial Killer had accomplices. Not only was the alert not lifted, it was raised another level, causing many elementary and even middle schools to suspend classes outright.

Learning that she did not have to go to school for the time being should have been good news for a student, but Rin Tohsaka's little face fell when she heard it.

Broly had saved her yesterday, but because she had later run into Uncle Kariya, there had been many things she could not say to the boy. She had planned to properly ask him about them once she got to school today, only for the school to call and announce that classes had been suspended.

Rin Tohsaka was somewhat shaken by this, but fortunately, her mother suggested taking her and her younger sister to the Amusement Park, quickly lifting her spirits.

Over the course of the morning, they rode the Carousel, went on the Ferris Wheel, and played Bumper Cars. At noon, they had Ice Cream, Hamburgers, and French Fries.

Even after returning home, the good mood they had gained from Playing at the Amusement Park lingered in their hearts.

"Mother, next time, can Father come to the Amusement Park with us too?"

Faced with her daughter's hopeful question, Aoi Zenjou forced out a somewhat strained smile.

After vaguely agreeing, she hid in her room to call her Husband.

Tokiomi Tohsaka had only just lain down to rest when the ringing telephone woke him. Discovering that it was his Wife, he asked whether Aoi Zenjou had prepared either of their two daughters mentally for being sent to the Matou Family.

"No, Tokiomi, I haven't prepared either daughter yet. It's just that last night, I ran into Kariya Matou in Fuyuki City..."

"Wait, you went to Fuyuki City last night?"

"Rin ran over to Fuyuki City on her own because she wanted to find a friend..."

"Why didn't you keep an eye on her?"

"I..."

"All right, I didn't mean to blame either of you. As long as you and the girls are safe, that is all that matters."

Fatigue had weakened Tokiomi Tohsaka's control over his emotions. Realizing he had misspoken, he quickly regained his elegance and spoke gently to his Wife on the other end of the line.

"If there is something, just say it."

Tokiomi Tohsaka only wanted to end the call quickly and get some rest.

"I met Kariya Matou, and his Physical Condition has become terrible."

Aoi Zenjou continued.

"What does he have to do with us?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned. Hearing his Wife mention another man made even someone as elegant as him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"He protected Rin last night."

"Then we truly should thank him. If I encounter him later, I will do my best to spare his life."

"That isn't what I mean. He mentioned the Matou Family's magecraft. He said it was something that eroded one's life and body."

Without concealing anything, Aoi Zenjou told her Husband in full about Kariya Matou's condition when she had seen him last night.

"Continue preparing our daughter mentally. I will go ask Zouken Matou about it. If the Matou Family's magecraft is truly as unbearable as you described, then I will not push our daughter into a fire pit either."

After hanging up, Tokiomi Tohsaka returned to his Study Room and immediately wrote Zouken Matou a letter. He summoned a crow Familiar and had it deliver the letter to the Matou Family.

After receiving Tokiomi Tohsaka's letter, Zouken Matou flew into a rage and hurried into the Underground Worm Warehouse with his cane.

Inside the Bug Warehouse, Kariya Matou was enduring the gnawing of worms. This was how a Half-baked Mage maintained his mana.

"Kariya, do you think that telling the Tohsaka Family about your Physical Condition will stop them from sending their daughter back to the Matou Family?"

Zouken Matou spoke directly to the man amid the pile of worms.

"What do you mean?"

As Kariya Matou endured the pain of being devoured by worms, he only felt bewildered.

"Heh, playing dumb? Fine, I'll tell you. It is useless. The Tohsaka Family Head is a rational Magician. He has already decided to send the child who left the Matou Family back to the Matou Family!"

He waved the letter in his hand. Before Kariya Matou could see it clearly, Zouken Matou put it away and turned to leave the Bug Warehouse.

"No, Zouken Matou, you fucking bastard, explain yourself... Aah!"

The worms intensified their extraction of his life force. Kariya Matou collapsed, his consciousness passing out amid the excruciating pain.

"Matou Kariya!"

After leaving the Bug Warehouse, the old man found his Eldest Son in name.

"Father, what are your orders?"

Matou Kariya's face showed fear, but he still stepped forward to receive his instructions.

"Take Shinji and leave the Matou Family."

"Huh?"

"Go hide outside. A dangerous guest will be coming tonight."

In Tokiomi Tohsaka's letter, the other party had arranged to visit the Matou Family tonight with his Servant. He could not refuse. Though he did not think Tokiomi Tohsaka was likely to make a move, he still had to prepare for the worst.

On the surface, he was having Matou Kariya, an ordinary person, take his Grandson away from the Matou Family to take shelter. In truth, his real body would secretly leave with them, temporarily staying away from the Matou Family.

"Excuse my intrusion, Matou Family Head."

That evening, Tokiomi Tohsaka arrived as promised, having recovered his condition.

"Not at all. The Matou Family greatly welcomes a visit from the Tohsaka Family Head..."

Standing at the entrance, the old man answered with a polite, false smile.

"Then, regarding the doubts I raised in my letter, may I know whether the Matou Family Head can provide an answer?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka was smiling as well, but the way he held the Jewel Staff made it clear that if the answer failed to satisfy him, he would act.

"Of course. Please, follow me."

Zouken Matou seemed not to notice this. He welcomed Tokiomi Tohsaka and Gilgamesh, who had appeared behind him, into the house.

"What unpleasant mana."

After entering the house, Mr. Gold frowned and made that comment, then walked over to the Matou Family's Wine Cabinet on his own. He took out a bottle of wine, uncorked it, and began drinking.

"This Wine is better than the Wine at your home, Tokiomi. It is even better than the Wine at your disciple's place."

Watching Gilgamesh open a bottle from his Collection of Wine—a bottle that could even serve as reserve funds for the household—Zouken Matou's insect-made body had its eyelids twitch twice.

"What? Do you object to this king opening your Wine?"

"No, how would I dare? To receive praise from the King of Heroes is the honor of my family's Collection of Wine."

"A bunch of Insects, yet you do know how to talk."

Zouken Matou's body stiffened slightly. He had not expected his false body to be seen through so easily.

"For the sake of this Wine, this king will endure the minor filth here. Discuss whatever you have to discuss with my subject. But if you dare let that Rabid Dog hidden underground lay a hand on my subject, then do not blame this king for showing no mercy."

Gilgamesh remained in the Living Room to drink, while Zouken Matou led Tokiomi Tohsaka into the Bug Warehouse.

There, Tokiomi Tohsaka saw Kariya Matou. Zouken Matou had the worms hold the man up and explained to the Tohsaka Family Head why the Crest Worms were eroding Kariya Matou's life.

"After All, it is only because this disappointing son of mine suddenly returned to the family and wished to participate in the Holy Grail War. Left with no choice, I used such extreme Modification Magecraft on him, allowing him to gain the ability to contend with outstanding Magicians."

"A very exquisite method. Though his body and life have been eroded severely, the Magic Circuits stimulated at the cost of his life have produced a considerable amount of mana."

Ignoring the densely packed worms inside the Bug Warehouse, Tokiomi Tohsaka observed the Crest Worms stimulating Kariya Matou's Magic Circuits and offered lavish praise for the technique.

"Matou Family Head, you truly are an experienced Magician. On the path of magecraft, I am still far inferior to you."

"You flatter me. They are merely some unremarkable little tricks."

"Then how can I know that you will not use this method on my daughter as well?"

"What this Old Man wants is an heir to magecraft, not a tool like him. Naturally, I would not use such cruel modification methods on Your Esteemed Daughter. If the Tohsaka Family Head does not believe me, we can sign a Magecraft Contract as a guarantee."

Perhaps the title Tohsaka Family Head triggered a keyword. Kariya Matou, who had originally been rendered unconscious by the Crest Worms, opened his eyes at that moment.

"Tohsaka Tokiomi, why are you here?"

"You are awake, Kariya. The Tohsaka Family Head came to investigate the Matou Family's magecraft and discuss sending his daughter to the Matou Family again."

"D-damn it..."

Kariya Matou was currently controlled by the Crest Worms, and his consciousness was still unclear, but he nevertheless struggled to voice his question.

"Seeing me like this, do you still intend to send your daughter here?"

"You brought this upon yourself. You wanted to participate in this Holy Grail Ritual as a Half-baked Mage, which is why you ended up in this state. But the Matou Family Head has just assured me that he will not use cruel methods to modify my daughter's Magic Circuits."

Tokiomi Tohsaka paused, thanked Kariya Matou for helping his Wife and daughters last night, then asked Zouken Matou, "Matou Family Head, may we sign a new adoption contract now?"

"Of course."

Zouken Matou smiled somewhat eerily and said that his home had Contract Books provided by the Mage's Association ready for use.

"Ah, Tokiomi Tohsaka, you bastard, you are not fit to be a Father at all, Ber..."

Kariya Matou tried to call out to his Servant and launch an attack, but Zouken Matou swiftly commanded the Crest Worms to subdue him.

"You will regret this..."

Before the worms knocked him unconscious again, Kariya Matou spoke his final unwilling words.

"I am Rin and Sakura's Father. How I arrange my own daughters is the Tohsaka Family's private matter. Outsiders have no right to interfere."

Tokiomi Tohsaka was merely disdainful of this, though there was still some regret in his gaze toward Kariya Matou. As his Wife's Childhood Friend and also his own friend from childhood, this man's concern for his two daughters was genuine.

If this man could survive, then the daughter sent to the Matou Family would have someone who genuinely cared for and looked after her.

He sighed inwardly, but maintained his elegance outwardly. He left the Bug Warehouse with Zouken Matou, and using a high-level Magecraft Contract from the Mage's Association provided by Kariya Matou, they discussed the terms for adopting a daughter again. After confirming that the Adopted Child's life would not be harmed and that she would inherit the Founder of Magecraft, Tokiomi Tohsaka signed his name with mana.

"When can Sakura be sent back?"

After the Magecraft Contract was signed, Zouken Matou asked.

"My Wife seems very reluctant to part with our Younger Daughter."

"What does the Tohsaka Family Head mean?"

"I may send my Elder Daughter over as the Adopted Child instead. Does the Matou Family Head mind?"

"Haha, I do not mind. Whether you send the Elder Daughter or the original Younger Daughter, the Matou Family merely needs an outstanding heir to magecraft."

Of course Zouken Matou did not mind. What he wanted was merely a Mother Body with excellent aptitude. If Tokiomi Tohsaka sent the Elder Daughter instead, he would be even happier, because he could modify her mature womb earlier and turn her into a Mother Body for bearing the Matou Family's descendants.

Tokiomi Tohsaka left the Matou Family. Having confirmed the Matou Family's worm magecraft, he called his Wife after returning home and vouched for the Matou Family's magecraft, while urging her to quickly prepare one of their daughters mentally.

"If possible, I mean to still send Sakura over. Rin is older, after all. If something happens to me, she will be better able to stabilize the Tohsaka Family."

"But wouldn't that be too cruel for Sakura?"

"All right, Aoi. I will not interfere in deciding who goes. As their Mother, you make the decision. As long as you can persuade one of them to go to the Matou Family and continue as the Adopted Child who inherits the Matou Family's magecraft."

Tokiomi Tohsaka took a step back on this matter, handed the choice to his Wife, and hung up.

At the Fujimura Family home, Broly was somewhat relieved to have discovered something extremely important before being sent back to his own world.

That was, converting his wives' Happiness Value into Happiness Points required inviting them to join the Crystal Palace.

Broly had not noticed this at all initially. It was only after Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel entrusted their daughter to him at noon, causing the Crystal Palace to suddenly gain its first Official Member, that he pressed the Crystal Palace for answers and received a detailed explanation of how Happiness Points were obtained.

It could be said that if that Wife he had never met had not joined the Crystal Palace, he might have foolishly returned empty-handed without ever understanding the Crystal Palace's Happiness Point acquisition mechanism.

But now, after formally inviting Fujimura Taiga while bathing that evening and receiving her agreement, the Happiness Points in his account had surged to more than twelve thousand.

And aside from Fujimura Taiga, this high-quality stock that had already been converted into Happiness Points, he still had two other wives in this world with high Happiness Values. Thinking about how his Happiness Points would continue skyrocketing once he invited them to join the Crystal Palace tomorrow, Broly became somewhat excited.

If testing the Crystal Palace's exchange function had not taken some time and it had not become too late, he might have gone to invite the other two tonight.

I really hope tomorrow comes quickly.

"What, do you want to leave your big sister's side that badly?"

"Uh..."

"I'm teasing you. But after you go back, don't forget big sister."

"Mm. I won't forget. Fujimura-oneesan has been the best to me."

Fujimura Taiga hugged the boy. After using the Sub-system Module granted to Official Members by the Crystal Palace to exchange for a Vampa Spider leg, a specialty Food from Vampa, she had tried a mouthful of its thick yellowish-brown meat slurry and nearly Spit Out her stomach. Then she had listened to Broly describe his simple—absurd—Hunting Life on Vampa, making her pity the child even more.

On the night before their parting, Fujimura Taiga wanted to give this child motherly care. Her body was soft and her scent was fragrant, and Broly soon fell asleep in the Young Girl's embrace as she patted his back like she was soothing a child.