"Grandpa?" Shinji blinked.
Shirou replied in a flat tone, "Of course not. Shinji is my friend."
Zouken Matou said, "Is that so... I'm sorry about earlier. This old man was rude, treating a guest so inhospitably.
"Ah, Tsuruno has already agreed to let you stay, hasn't he? If you like it here, you can stay as long as you want. There's no need to worry about this old man."
Shirou asked, "Does the old man live here too?"
Zouken Matou replied, "Yes, but as you can see, this body has already withered away. All I can do is stay quietly in the depths of the residence and wait for death, day after day.
"...Then I'll take my leave, Shirou Amamiya. Get along well with my grandson."
The old man vanished into the depths of the corridor's darkness with surprisingly brisk steps.
The Matou Residence returned to silence.
Not only did the voices stop, even the irritating chirping of insects ceased.
"Hey, Shinji, your grandpa—"
Shirou turned toward the seaweed-haired boy beside him, only to find him looking deeply moved, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.
"Shirou... I'm your friend... Sniff..."
Clairvoyance.
Unlike Mystic Eyes, which tended toward the practical application of magecraft, it was a latent ability innate to the human body.
Throughout history, many great warriors whose names had been recorded in history possessed Clairvoyance—
Low-level Clairvoyance granted powerful static, dynamic, and long-distance vision. It was an ability limited solely to combat.
Shirou Amamiya also possessed the potential for Clairvoyance. The rank of his Eagle Eye was C... or at least, it should have been.
However, in another Britain, Shirou had spent every day facing betrayal, deception, malice, and the like from the fairies... His eyesight had undergone training beyond anything the Pan-Human History could possibly imagine.
Combined with the magical modification carried out by a certain genius witch, the final result was this.
Boundless Mage's Eye.
Shirou Amamiya's eyes could trace things back to their source, reaching all the way to the "end" of causality—in other words, the "origin" of all things.
From Shirou's perspective, the world's assessment of Shinji's grandfather as a "vampire" might not have been wrong after all.
Despite his outward appearance having withered to such a state, the corruption within him was even worse.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been perfectly natural for him to have broken down completely. Yet this old man still retained his reason.
He had continued to rot and deteriorate through reincarnation after reincarnation, yet he still retained the ability to think.
What kind of overwhelming obsession was required to reach such a state?
Did he still remember his original "purpose"?
"Humans really are incredible..."
Shirou Amamiya thought this as he sank his head into the soft, unfamiliar pillow.
For now, he had at least found a place to live, but the path ahead remained shrouded in confusion.
Where should he go next?
What was the "purpose" of Shirou Amamiya, this human being?
As he gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar starry sky outside the window, Shirou suddenly felt a little lonely.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Someone knocked on the door.
"Shirou! Are you still awake?"
"I'm not asleep yet."
Hearing that, Shinji Matou pushed the door open and entered.
"What's that?"
Shirou noticed the seaweed-haired boy proudly clutching a brick-shaped object.
"My new game console. Want to play?"
"Give it here."
Shirou rose from the bed and snatched the toy from Shinji's hands.
Whatever... Before deciding what to do with my future, I might as well enjoy this rare second childhood first.
And so, a week passed at the Matou household.
Living off someone else, eating and drinking for free, and doing no housework at all was not Shirou Amamiya's style, but GameBoy was simply too much fun.
What terrifying human civilization!
One morning, Shinji suddenly charged into his room in excitement.
"Shirou! Shirou! Wake up!"
"Hm? Let me sleep a little longer. Don't bother me."
Shirou buried his head under the blankets.
He had stayed up until after four in the morning the previous night.
Shinji tugged at the blankets while shouting excitedly.
"Shirou! Get up! I'm going to have a little sister!"
"No, wait, what does that have to do with me..."
Volume One 005: Sakura Matou
Shinji Matou's new little sister was named Sakura.
She was not Shinji's biological sister, but had been adopted from another family.
The family that had given up their daughter was the Tohsaka Family, located on the mountaintop. The Tohsakas and the Matous seemed to have been acquainted for many generations, old family friends.
At that moment, Shinji Matou was kneeling outside the living room, observing the situation through the crack in the door.
"Come take a look, Shirou... That's the Tohsaka Family's second daughter. She'll be my little sister from now on!"
He tugged at the boy's sleeve. Shirou looked through the crack in the door with great impatience.
There were four people in the room.
Zouken Matou was sitting on the sofa.
Tsuruno Matou stood respectfully behind him like a secretary.
When he had first moved in, Shirou had already realized that Tsuruno's position as head of the family was merely a front. Zouken was the true head of the household.
"And sitting across from Zouken is..."
A middle-aged gentleman in fine clothing, with elegant manners and a goatee, was conversing with Zouken.
"That's Tokiomi Tohsaka, the current head of the Tohsaka Family."
Shinji explained warmly.
"And sitting beside him is Sakura Tohsaka... No, she should be called Sakura Matou now!"
The boy hiding furtively behind the door grinned foolishly with delight.
Was gaining a little sister really worth being this happy about? Shirou was an orphan, so he didn't really understand.
The fairies of "Britain" could not reproduce, but they still formed families.
These families were not bound by blood, but by "duty." Morgan had been raised as a daughter by other fairies.
Looking at Shinji's beaming face, Shirou suddenly felt a little annoyed and kicked him in the butt.
"Ah... Ah!?"
Shinji stumbled forward. He crashed into the half-closed door and sprawled flat on the floor.
"Then, Sakura will be in your care..."
Tokiomi Tohsaka and Zouken Matou stopped talking, and all four people in the room looked toward the doorway in unison.
"Shinji! What are you doing there?"
Tsuruno Matou's roar rang through the living room.
Shinji Matou was scared out of his wits. He lay on the floor, waving his hands and trying to explain.
"N-No, Dad... It's... It was Shirou..."
"You must be Shinji-kun. You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you."
Tokiomi Tohsaka smiled at the boy who had interrupted their meeting.
"Yes, yes, this is my good-for-nothing son, Shinji Matou."
Tsuruno Matou lowered his head apologetically. "His mother died young, so he's always been this mischievous. I'm truly sorry."
"It's nothing. Children his age should be lively."
Though it was extremely subtle, Shirou still noticed the contempt and disdain that flashed through Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes as he looked at Shinji.
The gentleman patted the head of the girl beside him. "Sakura, go and greet your future brother."
"Yes."
Sakura Tohsaka—or rather, Sakura Matou—jumped down from the sofa and walked over to Shinji, then obediently bowed.
"Brother, I look forward to getting along with you."
"Oh, oh! Likewise! I'm looking forward to it, little Sakura~"
Shinji Matou lay on the floor, grinning foolishly.
He still seemed unaware that once Tokiomi left, his father would beat him until his skin split.
Sakura Matou then looked at Shirou Amamiya beside her and bowed again. "Brother, I look forward to getting along with you."
No, no, I'm not your brother.
Shirou thought to himself: If we're counting actual age, I'm old enough to be your grandfather.
Tokiomi Tohsaka also noticed the red-haired boy and asked curiously, "Elder Zouken, who is this...?"
"He's Shinji's friend and has recently been staying at my home... Well, he's a somewhat precocious, strange child."
Tokiomi Tohsaka's attention did not linger on Shirou for long before he turned back to the adults.
"Then I'll leave Sakura in your care."
"Heh heh heh, leave her to this old man." Zouken Matou spoke in a cheerful tone.
Tokiomi Tohsaka called his young daughter over once more, gracefully knelt on one knee, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura, from today onward, you're a child of the Matou Family. You must listen to Grandpa, understand?"
"Yes, Father... Uncle Tohsaka."
Seeing Sakura Matou obediently nod, Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded in satisfaction as well.
"Always remain elegant, no matter when or where." This was the family creed passed down through the Tohsaka Family for generations.
She was not yet seven years old when she was separated from her parents and sent to a stranger's home. Even so—little Sakura did not cry or make a fuss. She quietly accepted everything.
There was no doubt that this was the result of his successful education, and Tokiomi Tohsaka felt especially proud of it.
"Then I'll take my leave for today."
Before you continue