"Achoo!"
"Heh heh, has the head of the Tohsaka family caught a cold?"
"My apologies."
The Matou Residence.
Tokiomi Tohsaka and Zouken Matou were discussing the upcoming Holy Grail War and the matter of adopting Sakura Tohsaka.
It was called a discussion, but the major details had long been decided. The matter of Sakura's adoption had been settled a long time ago. Tokiomi would give his younger daughter, Sakura, to the Matou family. From then on, she would be known as Sakura Matou, with no further connection to the Tohsaka family, but she would receive the Matou family's Magic Crest.
"Speaking of which, Tokiomi still has a question," Tokiomi said, recalling his shock when Zouken had proactively approached him about adopting Sakura while he was searching for a 'path' for his younger daughter. "Why does the Matou patriarch wish to adopt Sakura, instead of choosing someone from your own clan?"
"Heh heh, my Matou family is not as blessed with talent as the Tohsaka family. Kariya's generation is useless, forcing an old bag of bones like me to hold down the fort. And this younger generation has no one of worth either," Zouken wheezed. "If this continues, I fear the Matou family won't last another century. Our two families have known each other for hundreds of years. Rather than fade into obscurity, it is better to pass my family's Magic Crest to Sakura. This way, the Matou lineage can continue on."
Tokiomi knew this old demon wasn't telling the whole truth. There was definitely something wrong with the Matou family. But did it matter?
He was sending his daughter away. He claimed it was for her future, but in reality, it was more for the future of the Tohsaka family. As long as Sakura could become the heir to a magus family and inherit their Magic Crest, in a few decades, with Rin and Sakura's talent, the Tohsaka family was destined to become the number one family in the Far East. Even if he failed this time, victory in the Holy Grail War a century from now would be within their grasp.
As for what happened to Sakura after she was transferred to the Matous... The pain of adapting to the Matou's magecraft, the agony of modifying her Magic Circuits and attribute... what were a few hardships in her youth compared to the pursuit of the Root and the greatness of the Tohsaka family? No matter the process, when this old demon finally died, he would have no choice but to pass the Matou Magic Crest to Sakura.
"The old Matou patriarch is truly magnanimous. Tokiomi is impressed."
"Miss Rin, Miss Sakura, we're home."
"Thank you," Rin said politely to the driver responsible for taking her and her sister to and from school. She then helped her sister out of the car.
Entering the courtyard, Rin took out the house key tied to her school bag and stood on her tiptoes, trying to insert it into the lock. Although she was only seven, Rin insisted on doing everything herself. It was only because she was too young that her parents insisted on her being driven home.
As she was struggling with the key, wondering when she and her sister would be old enough to come home without an adult escort, Rin felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to see Sakura looking at her with a curious and confused expression.
"Sister, I think there's a sound coming from inside the door."
Rin paused and focused, listening carefully. Although the Tohsaka house was an old mansion, its soundproofing was excellent. Even though the sound seemed to be coming from the entryway—the genkan—Rin could only make out a muffled noise. No matter how she tried, she couldn't figure out what it was.
Could it be a burglar?
Rin felt a mix of worry and excitement. She was worried because her mother was still at home. If a burglar had really broken in, would her mother, a normal person with no means to defend herself, be harmed? She was excited because the martial arts and magecraft she had trained so hard in for years finally had a chance to be put to use!
Just you wait, burglar!
"Sakura, you go hide somewhere."
"Shouldn't we call Father or the driver? The car hasn't gone far."
"No need. Leave it to me. Sakura, you go hide where you can't be seen. Trust me!"
"Okay."
Although Sakura's eyes were filled with worry, she obediently listened to her sister and ran to a distant corner of the courtyard.
Once her sister was a safe distance away, Rin took a deep breath, shoved the key into the lock, and threw the door open with all her might.
"Don't mo—"
Like a duck being strangled, the threat that was about to escape Rin's throat died instantly. The expression on her face froze. There, in the genkan, less than a meter away from her, was the source of the noise.
There was no burglar.
There was only her mother and that boy who had just arrived yesterday.
"You... you two..."
Seeing the scene, Rin's mind went blank with a loud buzz. With the internet not yet widespread and having not yet had 'the talk', the young girl didn't know what this meant. But seeing the happy look on her mother's face, Rin still realized that something very important to her had been taken away by Lin Jiuan.
Moreover, Rin, who had been taught by her noble-born mother that girls must cherish themselves, remembered her mother saying that she must never show her body to any man other than her husband, let alone let them touch it. But now, her mother's entire body had clearly been seen by Lin Jiuan!
This wicked little Lin family brat is definitely doing something very evil!
"Rin?" Aoi snapped back to reality, looking at her daughter in panic.
Rin reacted, glaring daggers at Lin Jiuan. "Let go of my mother!" she shouted, striding forward and pulling the equally frozen Lin Jiuan away. "How could you hit Mother?!"
Hit her?
Hearing Rin's accusation, both Lin Jiuan and Aoi paused, then exchanged a look of relief. Thank goodness this idiot doesn't know anything.
"Rin, it has nothing to do with Jiuan."
"Eh?"
"I-It was Mother who asked Jiuan to... hit her."
"But why?" Rin asked, looking at Aoi, completely baffled.
"Because Mother wasn't feeling well, so I asked Jiuan for help."
"But I can help too!" Rin said, unconvinced. She desperately wanted to sleep with her mother too!
Lin Jiuan's lips twitched, fighting the urge to laugh. Oh, I can't wait. I'm already imagining bringing this up to Rin in ten years. Assuming, of course, I'm still alive to see the sun in ten years.
"Because Rin, you have more important things to do."
"Eh?"
"Rin, you are the future head of the Tohsaka family. Your daily studies are already very demanding. How could Mother bear to trouble you?"
"I can do it!"
"It's not a matter of whether you can or can't. It's that Mother would feel guilty, and your father would scold me."
"O-Okay..." Rin finally lowered her head, looking unconvinced but defeated. She then shot a provocative glance at Lin Jiuan. See? It's because you're not important to Mother that she wastes your time helping her with her 'illness'. I'm so important to Mother that she doesn't want to waste my time helping her or sleeping with her.
I can't. I'm about to lose it. Lin Jiuan struggled to keep his lips from breaking into a grin, putting on a childish expression that said, 'Fine, you win!'
Seeing that she had successfully fooled her daughter, Aoi breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Rin, you must not tell your father about this."
"Eh? Why?"
"If your father finds out that Mother is sick, he might divorce me."
Rin was shocked. "Father wouldn't do that, would he?"
"Rin..."
Seeing the pleading look in her mother's eyes, Rin began to doubt herself. What if he would? Her father's impression had always been one of sternness and distance, always either at work or on his way to work. That was why she worked so hard—only then would her father come closer and praise her. But no matter how hard she tried, the distance between them remained vast. In contrast, her mother, Aoi, who took care of them meticulously every day, was far more important to her and Sakura.
Although Rin felt it wasn't right to keep this from her father, what if he really did divorce her mother because of it?
"I understand. I won't tell Father."
Just then, Sakura peeked her little head around the doorframe. "Mother? Sister? Onii-chan? What just happened?"
"Nothing!" Rin shook her head like a drum. She was confident she could keep her mother's secret, but she wasn't so sure about her clumsy little sister.
"Go upstairs and change your clothes. Jiuan, you go take a bath too," Aoi said, having successfully managed the situation. She gave Lin Jiuan a suggestive little smile. "Mama will tidy up the room and then make dinner for you all."
"Okay!" Proud of having a 'grown-up secret' to keep, Rin felt she had finally shed her childishness. She marched upstairs, chest puffed out.
Lin Jiuan, suppressing his laughter, followed a short distance behind.
"Onii-chan."
After they had put some distance between themselves and Rin, Sakura suddenly quickened her pace to walk beside Lin Jiuan. In a hushed voice that only he could hear, she whispered, "Were you and Mother... doing that kind of thing just now?"
The smile on Lin Jiuan's face froze for a second. He turned to look at Sakura with a feigned expression of confusion. "Huh?"
"Onii-chan, don't try to fool Sakura," Sakura said, blinking her clear, jewel-like eyes at him. "You were doing grown-up things with Mother just now, weren't you?"
Lin Jiuan: "???"
A cold sweat was already trickling down his back. She's only seven! What kind of monster would teach a seven-year-old child this stuff? Whoever that bastard is, don't let me find you, or I swear I'll tear you to pieces!
"It's okay, Onii-chan." Sakura seemed to notice his tension. Her face blushed slightly. The warm, yellow light of the setting sun fell perfectly on her doll-like face. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a smile of angelic innocence.
"Sakura won't tell Sister or Father about this."
"Because... this is our little secret, okay?"
Looking at Sakura's angelic smile, Lin Jiuan felt as if he were hearing a completely different voice overlaying her words.
"Onii-chan, with this, Sakura can hold this over you for the rest of your life."
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