My Brother-in-Law Is a Powerful Madman

The Bald Man's smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum as he answered loudly, "You got it, Mr. Chen Tian! Right this way. I'll get the paperwork taken care of immediately!"

The contract was spread out on the table.

"Sign here." Chen Tian pointed to the buyer's signature line and handed the pen to Kitagawa.

Kitagawa took it, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Seeing her name about to be tied to that dream sports car, she sniffed, and the corners of her eyes grew damp.

She blinked hard, suppressing the ache of emotion, then quickly signed her name: "Kitagawa Marin."

"Great!" The bald salesman gathered up the contract with a broad smile.

Once all the paperwork was done, Chen Tian pulled out the black card printed with strange, swirling patterns and casually swiped it.

The dealership would deliver a brand-new car of the same model; they couldn't hand over the test-drive car as a new vehicle.

On the way home, Kitagawa was unusually quiet, nothing like the chatterbox she'd been on the way there.

She just held tightly to Chen Tian's arm, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, occasionally breaking into a silly grin.

Chen Tian rubbed her head. "Come back to earth."

"Mm..." Kitagawa nuzzled against him, her voice muffled and thick with emotion. "Tian Jun..."

"It's nothing..." She shook her head and buried her face even deeper.

But inside, her heart bubbled like boiling water: Tonight... tonight I have to give my boyfriend a proper reward!

When they opened the front door, the familiar air greeted them. Kitagawa kicked off her shoes and padded across the floor barefoot, still feeling as if she were floating.

"Do I really... have a car now?" She turned around and looked up at Chen Tian as he changed his shoes, her wide eyes shining with disbelief.

Chen Tian had bought her plenty of things—handbags, jewelry, cosplay outfits, limited-edition game consoles...

But a sports car? That was on a whole different level.

"Wasn't your name on the contract?" Chen Tian changed into his slippers and teased her when he saw she still looked dazed. "Want me to call the dealership and tell them there was a mistake?"

"No way!" Kitagawa immediately pounced on him like a kitten guarding its food, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "Mine! My Little Red!"

Chen Tian chuckled and put his arms around her. "Then you'd better get used to it, future car owner Kitagawa."

He lowered his head and brushed his chin against the crown of her soft hair. "Want to give it a name? Calling it Little Red all the time makes it sound like a puppy or a kitten."

"Yeah!" Kitagawa nodded vigorously in his arms, then looked up, her smile blooming like a rose. The dampness in the corners of her eyes had turned to a brilliant sparkle. "A name... Let me think! It has to be the best one!"

She rose onto her toes, quickly pecked him on the lips, then blushed and scampered off like a kitten that had gotten away with stealing a treat. "I'm going to look up the fastest way to get a driver's license!"

Chen Tian watched Kitagawa bounce away, smiling as he shook his head before turning and walking into the kitchen.

He had just tied on the cartoon-print apron and was getting ready to prepare the ingredients when a little head peeked around the doorway.

"Boyfriend! Boyfriend!" Kitagawa's voice was excited, with a hint of bashfulness.

Chen Tian stopped with the knife in his hand and glanced over. "Mm? Why are you back? Finished looking up the driver's license stuff?"

Kitagawa slipped over to his side like a nimble little fish and wrapped both arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his apron-clad back and nuzzling it. "Hehe, I haven't finished yet. But, um... can I ask you something?"

Chen Tian raised an eyebrow, inviting her to go on.

"Could you... pick someone up for me tomorrow?" Kitagawa's voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Pick someone up? Who?" Chen Tian turned around and looked down at her.

"She's a distant cousin of mine." Kitagawa looked up, wearing a slightly troubled expression. "She just got back to the country. Her flight gets in here tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh?" Chen Tian understood. "Sure. Are you busy tomorrow morning?"

Kitagawa's shoulders slumped like a deflated balloon. "Don't remind me! I've still got that 'Demon Professor's' class tomorrow morning... He's super strict about attendance. There's no way to sneak out!" Thinking of the professor's icy gaze, she couldn't help shivering.

Chen Tian nodded in understanding. He'd heard about that professor's reputation too. "All right. Send me a photo of the person you're picking up, and give her a heads-up beforehand so she doesn't get startled."

"Mm-hmm!" Kitagawa nodded repeatedly, her face breaking into a big smile. "You're the best, boyfriend!" With that, she started to dash off again like a gust of wind.

"Wait," Chen Tian called out quickly, water droplets still on his hands. "You haven't told me your cousin's name."

Kitagawa skidded to a halt and turned around, patting her forehead in chagrin. "Ah! Right, right! Look at me, forgetting the most important thing!"

She stuck out her pink tongue and sheepishly tilted her head. "Her name's Tohsaka Rin! She just got back from an exchange at the Clock Tower in 'Britain'!"

"Tohsaka Rin?" Chen Tian memorized the name. "Got it. Go on."

"Okay!" Kitagawa was finally reassured. She answered cheerfully and bounced out of the kitchen like a frolicking little fawn, leaving Chen Tian alone by the counter.

Chen Tian watched her lively figure disappear through the doorway and smiled with affectionate resignation. Then he picked up his knife again and continued preparing the ingredients.

The knife made two cuts into the carrot, but before the slices could take shape, the blade suddenly stopped.

Chen Tian remained poised to chop, but his brows drew together involuntarily, forming a deep furrow.

"Tohsaka Rin...?" he murmured, repeating the name. "Fate...?"

My Brother-in-Law Is a Powerful Madman

At Tokyo International Airport, crowds bustled around the international arrivals exit.

One girl stood out from the crowd. Her black hair was tied in twin tails, its smooth strands glimmering under the lights.

She wore a well-tailored red turtleneck sweater, a plaid miniskirt, and sheer black stockings, with a khaki trench coat over them. Her figure was slender yet upright.

It was Tohsaka Rin, who had just flown in from London.

She pulled a small black suitcase with one hand and scrolled on her phone with the other, her brows slightly furrowed as she muttered under her breath,

"Honestly, Marin... I told her there was no need to trouble anyone to pick me up. I could've taken a taxi myself."

She looked at the last confirmation message Kitagawa had sent. "And she just had to send her boyfriend... What a hassle."

Rin put her phone away and looked up at the crowd waiting to meet arriving passengers.

Her gaze passed over one tired or eager face after another as she tried to find the "brother-in-law" who supposedly matched Kitagawa's description: "Super handsome! The kind you'd fall in love with at first sight!"

Naturally, it was no use. Her slender fingers lit up the screen again, and she reread the message with a helpless sigh, her fingertip lingering over the words "super handsome."

"Ugh..." That hopelessly subjective description really was so like Marin.

Her finger swiped, and the next image loaded—the photo of Chen Tian that Kitagawa had sent her.

It was a candid shot under blazing stage lights.

The man in the photo was slightly turned to the side, holding a silver electric guitar. A few white strands of hair hung over his forehead, and his focused, sharp gaze was fixed ahead, as if it could pierce through the camera.

Sweat slid along his jawline. He had a distinctive tension that was somehow both wild and composed.

Rin's gaze lingered on the photo for a few seconds, the screen's glow reflected in her ice-blue eyes.

"...Tch," she gave an almost inaudible snort, though the tips of her ears warmed slightly. "...He really is kind of..."

"Miss Tohsaka Rin?"

A low, clear male voice came from behind her, cutting off the judgment she hadn't quite finished voicing.

Rin's body instantly tensed. As she turned, she saw a tall figure wearing a black baseball cap, its brim pulled low. A medical mask hid most of his face, leaving only a pair of deep, dark eyes visible.

Those eyes... Rin's thoughts suddenly wandered for a moment.

Beneath the shadow of the brim, those eyes watched her with a hint of amusement.

Around 185 centimeters, she silently estimated, only to be startled by her own inexplicable thought. The tips of her ears grew even hotter.

"Sorry." The man's voice came through the mask, muffled but unmistakably amused.

His fingers hooked around the edge of his mask and slowly pulled it down. Rin's pupils contracted slightly.

It was the man from the photo, but he seemed even more... commanding in person than he had onstage.

Without the dazzling lights softening his features, Chen Tian's jawline looked especially sharp under the airport's cold lighting, though the smile at his lips was unexpectedly gentle.

"Sorry, this getup's a little rude." He casually took off his baseball cap, revealing a few unruly white hairs sticking up where it had flattened them. "But if I didn't wear it..."

Before he could finish, a chorus of shrieks suddenly erupted in the distance. Several girls were pointing in their direction.

Chen Tian quickly pulled his cap back on, his movements practiced, as if he'd done it countless times.

Rin immediately understood. A glimmer of comprehension passed through her ice-blue eyes.

She bowed slightly, her hair slipping over her shoulder. "It's all right, Mr. Chen Tian."

When she straightened up, she found that he had already taken her suitcase, his long fingers resting on the handle.

"This way." Chen Tian nodded toward the VIP passage and started walking ahead.

Rin followed half a step behind him, watching his little gestures closely.

Is he being a little too casual...? Tohsaka Rin watched Chen Tian pull her suitcase, but there wasn't much she could glean from it.

Under the parking lot lights, a sleek black Toyota Alphard sat waiting.

Rin's gaze swept over the Gojo Family crest on the driver's chest, its subtle pattern gleaming against his black suit.

The driver looked to be around forty, his stance straight as a drawn sword, yet when he opened the car door, he bowed with just the right degree of respect.

"Get in." Chen Tian stepped aside to let her through.

A faint scent of cedar drifted through the cabin.

When Rin climbed into the back seat, the hem of her trench coat brushed Chen Tian's knee. He took her coat and hung it up for her, his movements so practiced they seemed rehearsed a thousand times.

The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror, then quickly looked away.

"Is the temperature all right?" Chen Tian pressed the seat-heating button. "Xiao Meng always complains that I don't keep the heat high enough at home."

When he removed his mask, a few white strands of hair came with it. One stubborn strand stuck up above his brow. Rin stared at it for two seconds before suddenly realizing she'd been counting his eyelashes.

The sound of the driver starting the engine rescued her.

As the Alphard smoothly pulled out of its parking space, Chen Tian offered her a thermos. "Honey Yuzu Tea."

The cup was still warm from his palm. "Xiao Meng specifically told me to bring it. She said you never drink water on flights."

Rin paused as she took it. Honestly, Marin still treats me like a child.

Outside the car window, the airport terminal receded into the distance.

Chen Tian unlocked his phone. The lock screen showed a photo of Kitagawa making a face with foam curlers in her hair. "She'll be home at twelve." He turned the phone toward Rin. "She said she'd make you oyakodon."

The steam from the thermos rose through the quiet cabin.

After telling her about the oyakodon, Chen Tian lightly tapped the edge of his phone, and the screen went dark.

He said nothing more. Leaning back in the wide seat, he turned his head slightly toward the window.

The hint of warmth in his smile disappeared, and he grew quiet, as if he hadn't been the same man who'd greeted her warmly and offered her tea just moments before.

The air in the cabin seemed to freeze. The low rumble of the engine and the hiss of the heating vents grew several times louder, filling the sudden silence.

Tohsaka Rin held the still-warm cup. She wanted to say something to ease the tension, perhaps ask, "Has Marin gotten better at cooking?" or say, "Sorry for the trouble." But the words felt too contrived, so in the end she simply pressed her lips together.

The silence carried an invisible pressure that left Rin feeling inexplicably awkward.

She lowered her lashes and stared at the wisps of steam curling from the cup.

A faint but distinct tap broke the silence.

Chen Tian had curled his index finger and knocked lightly against the leather armrest of his seat.

Almost at the same moment, a faint electronic tone sounded from the driver's seat.

The soundproof partition behind the driver rose silently. Its thick material perfectly sealed off the front and rear of the car, shutting out even the slight sound of the engine.

Rin's heart skipped a beat.

She abruptly looked up at Chen Tian, confusion and a hint of wariness in her ice-blue eyes.

Why had he raised the partition? Being cut off like this so suddenly made her instinctively uncomfortable.

Chen Tian's gaze remained fixed on the city streets flashing past outside. In the dim light, the lines of his profile looked cold and distant.

His voice was quiet, yet it pierced through the last of the warmth in the cabin like an ice pick, reaching Rin's ears with perfect clarity.

"Miss Tohsaka Rin," he paused, still looking out the window. "Did you come to Tokyo to take part in the Holy Grail War?"

Every muscle in Tohsaka Rin's body instantly went rigid as iron!

An icy current shot from her spine to the top of her head. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks with shock and alertness.