Giving a Gem as a Gift

"As far as I know, the Matou Family is also participating in this Holy Grail War."

Kirei Kotomine frowned as he spoke.

"I know what you are worried about, but Kariya Matou, who represents the Matou Family in the war, is merely someone who gave up on magecraft halfway through.

Although the Holy Grail War places greater emphasis on the strength of the summoned Heroic Spirits themselves, if the Magician serving as Master is only a half-baked amateur, then even the strongest Servant will be useless, because the Master themselves will become a weakness.

Still, we must remain vigilant. That is why I called you here.

Kirei, I need you to use the power of your Servant, Assassin, to investigate this matter.

Whether this is a scheme by the Matou Family or Sakura was truly abducted by some unknown force, I want you to get to the bottom of it.

Then bring Sakura back as safely as possible."

"Understood, Tokiomi-sensei."

"This is a photograph of Sakura."

Tokiomi Tohsaka took a photograph from his pocket. It showed two little girls—his two beloved daughters.

The younger one, back when she was still called Tohsaka Sakura, had smiled with such innocent happiness.

"She truly is an adorable child, not the least bit inferior to Miss Rin."

Kirei Kotomine offered the polite remark without changing his expression.

"Sakura's talent is indeed no less than Rin's, but unfortunately, the Tohsaka Family has only one Magecraft Inheritance. No matter which child inherits it, the other, unable to inherit the family magecraft, will suffer misfortune brought about by her rare talent."

Tokiomi Tohsaka sighed as he spoke. This was also why he had not refused when the Matou Family proposed adopting a daughter from the Tohsaka Family to become the future inheritor of Matou magecraft.

"All right, Kirei. Move quickly. I am worried about that child's safety."

Tokiomi Tohsaka lifted his wineglass, signaling that his disciple could begin.

"Your child has gone missing, Tokiomi? Why did you not come to this king for help?"

After Kirei Kotomine left, a blond man walked in from the balcony. He possessed crimson, slit-pupiled eyes like those of some reptilian creature. Who else could he be but the future enthusiastic Fuyuki City resident, Mr. Gold? He looked utterly bored, as though searching for something to do.

For this former fifth king of Uruk, helping a retainer find his missing daughter was merely something to pass the time.

If Tokiomi Tohsaka were to kneel and beg him with sincere reverence, Gilgamesh would help him, treating it as a way to satisfy a retainer's request during a dull moment.

"How could your subject dare trouble the great King of Heroes with such a matter? This is merely a private affair of mine."

Faced with his Servant's goodwill, Tokiomi Tohsaka spoke with utmost respect.

"Hmph. What a dull fellow."

Seeing his respectful manner, Gilgamesh immediately lost interest. It was like a tyrant suddenly wanting to do a good deed, only for those beneath him not to believe he could possibly mean well. Yet, constrained by his noble status, they dared not object, instead putting on the same impeccably respectful attitude Tokiomi Tohsaka now wore to deal with him.

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "..."

If this had been anyone other than the haughty and arrogant King of Heroes, he would have long treated the other party like an ordinary Familiar.

He could use his remaining two Command Spells to force the other party to obey, but if he wasted a Command Spell on such a trivial matter, how was he supposed to fight the Holy Grail War afterward?

Was he meant to use Jewel Magecraft himself and face those monstrous Heroic Spirits head-on?

Just as Tokiomi Tohsaka answered the King of Heroes' assessment with silence, Kirei Kotomine suddenly returned from outside the Study Room.

"Why have you returned?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka broke the silence and asked.

"Teacher, there is no need to look for your daughter. She is outside."

Kirei Kotomine's expression was somewhat peculiar as he answered.

He had just taken the photograph and prepared to go out looking when he encountered three people at the door who were about to ring the bell.

One of them was the little girl in the photograph.

"Hm?"

Hearing that, Tokiomi Tohsaka froze for a moment before asking for the details.

"I did not ask, but there were two people who brought your daughter home, Teacher. One was a boy around your daughter's age, and the other was a young girl carrying a bamboo sword. The latter looked rather aggressive, but she was an ordinary person."

As Kirei Kotomine described what he had seen, he followed Tokiomi Tohsaka outside.

"Father!"

As soon as Tokiomi Tohsaka reached the Entrance Hall, he heard his younger daughter cry out in delighted surprise. Yet it was only a cry.

Young Sakura stood uncertainly outside the Tohsaka Family home, not daring to step inside.

"Sakura..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka's gaze softened, but before he could say anything, he was greeted by the Type-Moon World's 1988 version of T0.

"You are this child's father, right? I never imagined that a rich man living in such a huge mansion would abandon his young daughter!"

Fujimura Taiga immediately began berating him. Her bamboo sword pointed straight at Tokiomi Tohsaka's nose. Seeing Young Sakura shrink back and not dare enter her own home had filled her with anger.

What had this child suffered in this house? She had reached the door, the door had already been opened, yet she still stood outside, afraid to go in.

"A bastard like you who abandons his daughter calls himself a man? Calls himself a father?!"

The scolded Tokiomi Tohsaka: "..."

Kirei Kotomine's lips twitched beside him, while Mr. Gold behind them wore the expression of someone eagerly watching a spectacle.

"Today, she is coming into this house whether you want her to or not! If you do not want me to punch you out of this house, you had better have the sense to let her come home!"

After Fujimura Taiga finished her opening barrage, Broly stepped forward as well, raising his little fist and striking a threatening pose on Young Sakura's other side.

The two of them, one on each side, looked like street Yakuza intimidating a shop that dared refuse to pay sanitation fees.

Except the ones doing it were a bright, youthful middle school girl and a shota boy who looked like he was still in the oldest kindergarten class. Thus, the actual result was a scene of Kanna's Dragon Roar.

Tokiomi Tohsaka had considered that his younger daughter's disappearance might be part of a scheme the Matou Family had concocted for this Holy Grail War. He had also considered that some other despicable Master might truly be plotting against both the Matou Family and the Tohsaka Family.

But he had never imagined that the day after receiving news that his younger daughter had been abducted, she would show up at his door with people like these.

One had immediately hurled foul insults at him for being an unfit father, while the other, despite his young age, dared raise his fist and threaten him.

For a moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka found himself facing life's three great questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

"My daughter was supposed to have been abducted from the Matou Family, correct?"

After recovering somewhat, Tokiomi Tohsaka asked his disciple.

"If what you said when you informed me through a Familiar was correct, then yes."

Kirei Kotomine answered expressionlessly.

"Then can someone tell me what exactly is happening before my eyes?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka asked, but Kirei Kotomine could not answer, because he did not know what was going on either.

"Foolish retainer, would you not understand if you simply asked your daughter?"

Mr. Gold gave his guidance like a beacon lighting the way.

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "..."

Only then did he step forward, stopping a short distance away at the Entrance Hall, and ask the girl, "Sakura, can you tell Father what happened? The Matou Family came yesterday and said that you had been abducted."

"No one abducted me. I was rescued.

After I went to the Matou Family, 'Grandfather' threw me into a Basement full of worms.

Those worms crawled all over me. It hurt so much.

Brother Broly suddenly appeared and rescued me from the pile of worms."

Young Sakura gathered her courage and told her father about what she had experienced in the Matou Family.

Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned deeply as he listened.

The Matou Family did indeed possess magecraft for controlling insect Familiars, but he could not understand why they would throw his younger daughter, who had been adopted to become their magecraft heir, into a Basement full of worms.

"Why did Zouken Matou throw you into a Basement full of worms?"

He asked.

"Grandfather said he wanted to alter my Magic Attribute."

Young Sakura answered honestly.

Magic Attribute... But the Matou Family's Magic Attribute was water. Could it be...?

Tokiomi Tohsaka formed some guesses, but did not voice them.

"Then who are they?"

He instead asked about the two people beside her.

"This is Brother Broly. He rescued me from the House of Worms.

This is Fujimura-oneesan. She took us in last night when we had nowhere to go."

Young Sakura introduced them.

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "..."

Nowhere to go. What a phrase.

Coming from his younger daughter's mouth, it was unbearably ironic.

"There may be some misunderstandings here."

Tokiomi Tohsaka took a deep breath and broke the standoff at the door.

Fujimura Taiga had still been thinking about worms and Magicians when Tokiomi Tohsaka called it a misunderstanding, causing her to explode immediately.

"What misunderstanding could there be? Just look at her—she does not even dare step through the door of her own home. That tells me exactly what kind of irresponsible father you are!"

Tokiomi Tohsaka was scolded again, but since the young girl before him was an ordinary person who had also sheltered his younger daughter, the Elegant Gentleman could not lose his temper. He could only patiently explain that his daughter had been adopted by another family.

Naturally, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not mention the Magecraft Inheritance. He merely explained that the Tohsaka Family and Matou Family were old family friends.

In his heart, he had already dismissed the possibility that his younger daughter had been abducted by a Heroic Spirit. He instead believed that she could not endure the alteration of her Magic Attribute and had run away from the Matou Family, with the boy named Broly beside her as her helper.

"Then why will you not let her return to her real home?"

Broly asked.

"It is not that we would not let her return home. It simply involves inheriting the family estate. After the adoption was completed, we had to make a clear separation. That was unavoidable. But once Sakura grows up, if she wishes to return here, there will be no problem."

Ah, so this is how wealthy families handle adopted children?!

Fujimura Taiga sighed inwardly. From what she had heard, the Tiger of Fuyuki had already imagined an entire drama involving two wealthy families and an adopted child.

Broly, however, did not possess her rich imagination. Tokiomi Tohsaka's words only left him confused.

He shook his head and asked the man at the Entrance Hall, "So can she go home now or not?"

"Of course she can."

Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded.

Young Sakura's eyes lit up, though she still hesitated.

"The separation and distance before were under normal circumstances of adoption. But the current situation is no longer normal. Therefore, Sakura, you are still my child."

The Elegant Gentleman opened his arms to his younger daughter.

"Otou-san~"

Young Sakura could not hold back any longer. She ran into the house and threw herself into her father's embrace.

"Waaah..."

She could not stop herself from crying. Her father's embrace was still so broad and warm.

Surely, if Father had known what she had suffered in the Matou Family, he would have come to take her home.

That Evil Grandfather must have deceived her father and kept him from knowing what she had truly endured in the Matou Family.

That was why her father had not come.

Young Sakura found an excuse for why her father had not rescued her.

And with that excuse, she quickly forgave the man who was her father, continued to regard him as an important person to rely on, and gradually found an emotion called peace of mind in him.

Matou Sakura Happiness Value was steadily rising.

"Although we have cleared up that this was a misunderstanding, I still have to say this: you handed your daughter over to be abused without even looking into the circumstances of the family adopting her. You are still an irresponsible and terrible father!"

Fujimura Taiga continued scolding him. Tokiomi Tohsaka had no way to refute that, so he could only say, "It was indeed my negligence. I thank you both for helping my daughter."

After thinking for a moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka took out two high-quality Gems from his pocket.

"The Tohsaka Family deals in jewelry."

With that, he held out the Gems in his hand toward the boy and young girl before him.

"These two Gems are nothing precious. Please accept them as a token of my gratitude."

Fujimura Taiga had wanted to scold him a few more times, but the man before her was offering far too much.

Broly only glanced at them. When he discovered they were stones rather than Food, he lost interest in the blue stone.

Shimmering Gems were a common Item for increasing the Happiness Value of the opposite sex. Their primary use was as gifts.

However, the reminder that Appeared in the Crystal Palace in his mind changed Broly's dismissive attitude toward the Gem.

"This is for you."

He unceremoniously took the Sapphire from Tokiomi Tohsaka's hand, Turned Head, and stuffed it into Young Sakura's hand beside him.

"Eh!?"

Young Sakura froze after being given a Sapphire, instinctively raising her head to look at her father beside her.

"What does this mean?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka asked in astonishment, frowning slightly.

"I gave her a stone. Do you have a problem with that?"

Broly's blunt retort left Tokiomi Tohsaka speechless.