Her fingers tightened around the thermos until her knuckles turned white. Her other hand, resting on her lap, had unconsciously curled inwards, as if ready to form some kind of hand seal at any moment.
The ease she had felt just moments ago, brought on by the yuzu tea and the promise of family, was utterly crushed. All that remained in her ice-blue eyes was sharp, knife-like vigilance and scrutiny.
Even the warm cedar fragrance in the car now carried a hint of danger.
Chen Tian seemed completely unaware of Tohsaka Rin's tense posture and the sudden chill in her sharp gaze.
He even remained in the same relaxed position as before. Only now did he turn his gaze back from the window and let it settle steadily on Rin's wary face.
"Whether or not you came back for the Holy Grail War, Miss Tohsaka Rin." His voice was still calm, still carrying a trace of the warmth left over from their earlier conversation about oyakodon. "Just don't let Xiao Meng know about this." He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting in a genial smile, though there was little laughter in his eyes.
"...All right."
Rin's voice was very soft. Vigilance still lingered deep in her ice-blue eyes, but in the end, she slowly nodded in agreement.
Her mind raced, a flood of questions surging through it. How did Chen Tian know about the Holy Grail War? Who was he, exactly? She couldn't sense any magical energy from a Master on him. Was he hiding it too well, or had he used some unknown method?
Or... did he not belong to the world of magecraft at all?
Chen Tian got the answer he wanted. The genial smile at the corner of his mouth seemed to deepen a little, but the scrutiny in his eyes remained.
"Good." His tone lightened, as if they'd just been talking about the weather. "You're only staying in Tokyo for a short while this time, right? You'll have to go back to Fuyuki City soon?"
His fingers tapped casually on the armrest. His gaze returned to Rin's face, probing with near certainty. "This Holy Grail War... is it still taking place in Fuyuki?"
His words were like a stone tossed into a still lake, sending even greater ripples through Rin's heart.
He knew not only about the Holy Grail War, but also where it was being held?
And he had even said "this time"?
"...Yes." Rin's answer was even shorter, her voice suppressing the turmoil she was struggling to control.
She could be almost certain that this seemingly ordinary "brother-in-law" knew far more than he let on.
"Good." Chen Tian's smile deepened, but a trace of aloofness entered his dark eyes. "As long as you're not here to disturb my life,"
He paused. "I won't interfere with your war, either."
The air in the car seemed to solidify, pressing down with a cold weight.
Rin's nails nearly dug into the metal shell of the thermos.
Chen Tian tilted his head slightly, the faintest hint of a smile still at the corner of his mouth. "To be precise, don't disturb the people in my life."
His tone was calm, but carried an indifferent firmness. "Otherwise,"
His dark eyes locked onto Rin. The smile vanished completely, leaving only a frigid, emotionless sharpness.
"I'll smash your Holy Grail to pieces."
Rin's heart felt as though an invisible hand had seized it and squeezed hard. It stopped for an instant, then pounded violently against her chest.
A chill raced from her feet to the top of her head, making her scalp tingle.
She didn't even have time to consider the absurdity of "smashing the Holy Grail." A primal instinct, the kind a Magician felt when confronted by a being of absolute superiority, seized her with an overwhelming sense of danger!
Her body reacted faster than her thoughts. The magical energy within her surged almost beyond her control, and the gems hidden in her pocket grew faintly hot.
Her ice-blue pupils contracted sharply with sheer terror.
She could clearly "feel" it—not hear it, but sense it as if it were something tangible—the will to destroy behind Chen Tian's words.
It wasn't the ignorant boast of an arrogant man. It was the absolute confidence and resolve of someone who could casually declare that he would destroy an object of miracles.
In that instant, before Rin's rational mind could even analyze how absurd his words were, her battle-honed instincts had already sounded the highest-level alarm:
This man in front of her really could do it! And he would absolutely follow through!
The chill of his threat seemed to linger in the car. Rin's back was rigid, and tiny beads of cold sweat had appeared at her temple. Every nerve in her body was on high alert, the magical energy at her fingertips nearly spilling out.
"Heh..." A low chuckle broke the silence.
The chilling coldness on Chen Tian's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a harmless, faintly apologetic smile. He even playfully raised his left eyebrow.
"Did I scare you, Miss Tohsaka Rin?" His tone turned light and cheerful, carrying a hint of reassurance. "Sorry about that."
Rin remained frozen in place, like a stone statue encased in ice. Her mind had gone completely blank.
As if sharing a little secret, Chen Tian leaned slightly towards her and lowered his voice. "It's mainly because... there was this thoughtless fellow before," he said with a helpless, slightly exasperated shrug. "They completely ignored my warning, and, well..."
He spread his hands as though recounting something trivial. "They tore down my little house. Tch, what a pain."
"So," he continued in that warm, big-brotherly tone, looking at Rin earnestly, "I was a little harsh just now because I don't want that kind of trouble again. It wasn't aimed at you."
He even leaned forward a little, his expression almost pleading. "Please don't tell Xiao Meng what I said just now, okay? If she finds out I scared you, she'll get mad. And when she gets mad, I'll be in for a long headache~"
Rin: "..."
Her fingers still gripped the thermos tightly, but now it wasn't from nervousness or fear. She had simply stiffened from the sheer shock.
Her ice-blue eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
One second, he was a terrifying being radiating an aura of destruction, ready to smash the Holy Grail at the slightest provocation. The next, he was a "brother-in-law" worried about making his girlfriend angry, speaking gently and even acting a little spoiled.
The staggering contrast made Rin feel as if she'd just ridden a roller coaster gone out of control.
The chill had barely receded from her spine, and a fresh sense of absurdity already filled her chest. She stared at Chen Tian's face, so full of "sincerity" and "innocence," and her mind completely short-circuited.
He was definitely insane, wasn't he?!
(A note on the timeline: in the original story, Tohsaka Rin went to study in Britain after the Fifth Holy Grail War. I've moved that earlier here.)
Marin Wants to Become Rin-chan's Guardian?
The car glided silently into the quiet residential street and finally stopped in front of Chen Tian's house. The driver quickly got out and respectfully opened the rear door.
Chen Tian stepped out first, and Rin followed. Her steps were hesitant, and a hint of lingering confusion and scrutiny remained in her ice-blue eyes as she secretly studied his profile—
As if trying to determine whether he really was the way she'd imagined: someone with a split personality...
"Thanks for your hard work." Chen Tian nodded slightly to the driver, his tone calm.
"You're too kind, Young Master Chen." The driver bowed deeply again, every movement precise. "Please let me know if you need anything."
The driver got back into the car, and the black Elfa quietly drove away.
Chen Tian turned to Rin, wearing that same warm, harmless, practically perfect "brother-in-law" smile. "Come on. Your cousin Marin—"
He pointed at the closed front door, from inside which came faint sounds. "She should be back already."
Rin looked at his face for a moment, then finally nodded. "...Okay."
They walked to the entrance. Chen Tian had just opened the door—
A strange smell, a mixture of burnt food, immediately hit them.
At the same time, a series of loud clatters came from the kitchen, accompanied by the frantic feeling of someone scrambling around.
Rin stopped in her tracks. A look of understanding—and deep helplessness—flashed through her ice-blue eyes.
The smile on Chen Tian's face paused subtly, then turned into a helplessly indulgent one. "Tch, looks like making oyakodon has been... quite an intense process."
The sound of the door unlocking and their footsteps alerted the person in the kitchen. A golden ponytail suddenly poked around the doorframe.
Kitagawa Marin had smudges of soot on her face, splatters of sauce on her apron, and a spatula in her hand with some unidentifiable burnt substance stuck to it.
"Rin-chan!" Her eyes lit up at once, and she rushed over in three quick strides, her apron strings fluttering behind her. She casually shoved the spatula into Chen Tian's hand and threw herself at Rin. "I missed you so much!"
The impact made Rin stumble back half a step. The scent of burnt caramel and soy sauce filled her nose.
She instinctively reached out to catch her cousin, the corners of her mouth lifting without her realizing it. "It's only been six months..."
"Six months is 182 days!" Kitagawa clung to Rin like a koala, rubbing her head against Rin's neck like a kitten and taking a deep breath. "Ah~~~ Rin-chan smells so nice~"
A muffled thud suddenly came from the kitchen.
Chen Tian stood amid the mess, while a knocked-over bottle of mirin rolled across the counter.
He held the charred frying pan in one hand and a half-cooked egg in the other, looking rather helpless.
Kitagawa immediately let go of Rin and ran over barefoot. "Tian Jun~ My oyakodon!"
"Theoretically..." Chen Tian prodded the burnt rice with the spatula. "This should be called 'charcoal-grilled parent and child'?"
Kitagawa stuck out her tongue at Chen Tian and said coyly, "Tian Jun doesn't like runny eggs, does he? So I thought I'd fry them until they were cooked through, but... I left them on too long."
Chen Tian shook his head helplessly, then took a tissue from the dining table and dampened it with water. He gently lifted Kitagawa's chin with his left hand and carefully wiped the soot from her cheek with his right.
Kitagawa tilted her little face up, her eyes curving into crescents like a well-behaved kitten.
"There." Chen Tian put the tissue away and ruffled her hair. "Go keep your cousin company. I'll take care of this."
"Mm-hmm!" Kitagawa nodded cheerfully and skipped out of the kitchen. As she passed Rin, she even winked smugly. "Tian Jun's cooking is super delicious!"
Rin stood in the kitchen doorway, looking a little stunned.
Through the glass door, she saw Chen Tian deftly tie on an apron and clean up the mess on the counter with practiced ease.
The man who had radiated danger in the car was now calmly sorting through the ingredients, selecting what could still be used. He seemed like a completely different person.
"He... really can cook?" Rin blurted out without thinking. "Should I go help?"
Kitagawa grinned and hugged Rin's arm, pulling her towards the living room. "Don't worry, Rin-chan. Tian Jun's cooking is amazing!"
The two sank into the soft sofa. Kitagawa pinched her cheek. "Look, I've even gained weight since I started living with him."
"Wait..." Rin suddenly sat up straight. "You two... are living together?"
"Mm-hmm!" Kitagawa's eyes curved into crescents. "Three months and seven days~"
The cushion in Rin's hands nearly fell to the floor. "Your dad... didn't say anything?"
"Dad?" Kitagawa swung her feet. "At first, he came by to check on me every day. Once he even knocked on the door at three in the morning." She burst out laughing. "Then he saw Tian Jun making me brown sugar ginger tea, and never came back after that."
The faint clatter of a spatula came from the kitchen, and the aroma of food gradually drifted over. Kitagawa suddenly lowered her voice. "Actually, Dad really likes Tian Jun now. Last week, he even secretly asked him when he was going to marry me."
Rin nearly spat out the tea she'd just taken a sip of.
"I'm kidding~" Kitagawa stuck out her tongue, then suddenly turned serious. "But Tian Jun really is so thoughtful. He remembers when I'm on my period even better than I do."
In the kitchen, Chen Tian sprinkled chopped scallions over the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The apron strings were tied into a neat bow behind his waist.
Chen Tian worked quickly. Before long, three dishes, a soup, and pan-fried dumplings were neatly arranged on the dining table.
The scrambled eggs with tomatoes looked appetizing, the shredded pork with green peppers was tender and glossy, and the stir-fried lettuce was crisp and green. The pan-fried dumplings were golden and crunchy, and steam rose from a bowl of simple seaweed and dried shrimp soup.
"Miss Tohsaka, sorry," Chen Tian said apologetically as he untied his apron. "We didn't have many ingredients at home, so I could only prepare something simple."
Rin quickly waved her hands. "You're too kind. This is already a feast." She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the shredded pork with green peppers.
The next moment, Rin's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
The flavor was savory and well-balanced, and the pork was so tender there wasn't a hint of gaminess. The heat had been controlled perfectly, leaving the meat just right when she bit into it. The sauce had distinct layers of flavor and coated every ingredient perfectly.
This was... far beyond ordinary home cooking.
She took another bite of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The eggs were fluffy and tender, with a rich egg flavor, while the tomatoes were sweet and tangy. The two blended seamlessly, without the slightest eggy taste or rawness from the tomatoes.
Even the simple stir-fried lettuce was crisp and tender, with that hint of wok hei, and just the right amount of garlic.
Rin was an accomplished Chinese cook herself, so she knew how difficult it was to bring these everyday dishes to such a high level of mastery.
Her fingers loosened around her chopsticks. Just how many sides did this man have...?
"Tasty, right?" Kitagawa said smugly, stuffing a pan-fried dumpling into her mouth. With her cheeks bulging, she spoke indistinctly. "Rin-chan, hurry up and eat too!"
Rin nodded without saying anything more, quietly picking up food and eating.
The sweet-and-sour scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the savory shredded pork with green peppers, and the crisp lettuce were all just right. Even the ordinary seaweed soup tasted naturally delicious.
Watching Rin get absorbed in her boyfriend's cooking, Kitagawa's big eyes curved into a bridge as she looked smugly as if to say, "Hurry up and praise my good taste in men."
Half an hour later, the three of them put down their chopsticks. Their plates were almost empty.
"I'll do the dishes." Rin stood up and started gathering the plates.
"Oh, Rin-chan, you're our guest!" Kitagawa hurried to stop her.
Chen Tian spoke up as well. "Miss Tohsaka, just leave them to me."
Rin shook her head, efficiently stacking the plates. "You worked hard cooking. It's only right that I wash the dishes."
Her tone was gentle but left no room for argument. Kitagawa and Chen Tian exchanged a helpless smile and let her do as she pleased.
The sound of running water and dishes clinking crisply came from the kitchen.
Before you continue