The next day. Early morning.
At the Tohsaka family dining table.
Even though it was the weekend, everyone was up early.
"Aoi, I've settled things with the Matou family."
As everyone was quietly enjoying the breakfast Aoi had prepared, Tokiomi suddenly spoke. "Help Sakura pack today. Tomorrow, I will send her to the Matou household. From now on, Sakura's surname will be Matou."
"Why?!" Rin blurted out. Her mind had been consumed with the question, 'What illness is Lin Jiuan treating for Mother?' Hearing that her sister was being sent away, she spoke without thinking. Now, seeing her father's frown, she felt a pang of regret. But what was done was done. Rin steeled herself and asked, "Father, why are you sending Sakura away?"
"This is a decision for adults."
Tokiomi naturally wouldn't explain to his daughter that this was 'to seize the Matou family's Magic Crest'. She was too young to understand even if he did. "You will understand when you grow up."
Rin fell silent. She wanted to say more but lacked the courage. Instead, she shot a resentful glare at Lin Jiuan. In her eyes, this was all Lin Jiuan's fault! Otherwise, why would Father decide to send Sakura away just two days after he arrived?
Lin Jiuan: "?"
Feeling Rin's furious gaze, Lin Jiuan was completely bewildered. Although he knew it was best for a newcomer like him to stay quiet in this situation, he still whispered, "Is it because of me?"
I'm such a master of manipulation, Lin Jiuan thought, cringing at himself. But he had to see it through. "If it's because of me, I can leave."
He had no choice. Rin was already looking at him with hostility. If he let her imagination run wild, she might come to truly hate him. If he had actually done something, fine, but this had nothing to do with him. Lin Jiuan had no desire for Rin to blame him for every future problem with a cry of, "It's all Jiuan's fault!" This was a burden for Tokiomi to continue shouldering.
Did I misjudge him? Seeing Lin Jiuan step up to take responsibility, the hostility in Rin's gaze lessened, though she was still very unhappy.
Meanwhile, Sakura, who had been on the verge of tears since her father's announcement, looked up at Lin Jiuan with deep gratitude. Onii-chan...
"No!"
It was Aoi who spoke up. The same Aoi who hadn't dared to say a word when Tokiomi announced he was sending her daughter away now spoke out urgently.
Tokiomi frowned at his wife, his expression clearly displeased. "Aoi?"
He realized that ever since Lin Jiuan's arrival, his wife, who had always been so satisfactory, was becoming more and more disobedient.
"I'm sorry." Aoi lowered her head, murmuring.
Tokiomi gave a cold snort, not thinking too much of it. It was impossible for him to imagine that a seven-year-old child could possess a power that an eighteen-year-old African teenager could only dream of. He just shot a displeased glance at Lin Jiuan. "This has nothing to do with you."
Did he think I didn't want to send him away? Tokiomi would have loved to send Lin Jiuan to the Matous along with Sakura. However, on one hand, he considered how much Aoi valued this child. If he insisted on sending both away, it might cause some turbulence with her. On the other hand, Tokiomi worried that Lin Jiuan's Magic Circuits might be of a quality comparable to Sakura's. If he were sent to the Matous, their Magic Crest might end up in Lin Jiuan's hands.
Although Tokiomi didn't believe an orphan could have such high-quality Magic Circuits, the boy was just too handsome. His beauty suggested infinite possibilities, making you feel he could achieve anything. It was a risk he had to guard against. The Holy Grail War was about to begin, and Tokiomi didn't want to create unnecessary trouble.
"Aoi, after breakfast, come to my study."
With that, Tokiomi put down his utensils, stood up, and left the dining room. With Sakura's departure hanging over them, no one else had much of an appetite. Once Tokiomi's footsteps faded, Aoi silently got up and went upstairs.
"I'm full." Sakura said dejectedly, then also left the room with her head down.
This left Lin Jiuan and Rin. The moment Lin Jiuan looked at her, the girl turned her head with a "harrumph," hopped off her chair, and pattered upstairs.
"Are the Grail and the Root really that important?"
Looking at the dining table, once filled with the warmth of a family of five, now with only himself left holding a half-eaten bowl of rice, Lin Jiuan lost his appetite. He sighed, and the guilt he had felt for cuckolding Tokiomi lessened considerably.
"Tokiomi, you deserve to have your family destroyed."
"How can I make him let Sakura stay?"
Rin desperately wanted to talk to her father, to beg him not to send Sakura away. But she didn't dare. She could only watch as her mother left her father's study with a dejected expression, while she herself stood staring at the study door, unable to enter.
"Father must have his reasons for doing this."
In the end, Rin managed to convince herself. "I should go check on Sakura."
Silently turning away from the study door, Rin soon spotted her sister from a window. Sakura was crouched by a large tree in the garden, her shoulders trembling. Just as Rin was about to go find her, she saw Lin Jiuan walking toward her sister.
What does he want? Rin couldn't help but stop, watching them secretly.
"Alright, Sakura, don't be sad." Reaching Sakura, Lin Jiuan crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Onii-chan." Sakura looked up, her beautiful eyes blurry with tears, and gazed at him pitifully. "I don't want to leave home. I don't want my last name to be Matou."
"Don't worry." Lin Jiuan reached out and pulled Sakura into his arms, gently stroking her smooth, long hair. "Big brother is here. I won't let you go to the Matou house."
"But... it's Father's decision," Sakura sobbed. Her temperament was similar to Aoi's—the gentle, submissive type, with only a hint of playfulness. Rin, though strong-willed, feared and revered their father, Tokiomi. Coupled with Aoi's submissive nature, which had never once opposed him, the entire Tohsaka household was effectively Tokiomi's dictatorship. Sakura couldn't imagine how anyone could change her father's mind. She didn't dare, and her mother dared even less. If her sister insisted on her staying, it might be possible, as their father valued her greatly. But Rin, who craved her father's approval, would never do that.
"Trust me. Since you call me 'big brother', if I let you get sent away, wouldn't you have called me that for nothing?"
"Onii-chan," Sakura whispered, looking at Lin Jiuan with immense gratitude. In the girl's world, their father, Tokiomi, was the heavens. And Lin Jiuan was willing to defy the heavens for her. At that moment, her beautiful eyes were filled with nothing but the image of Lin Jiuan.
After comforting Sakura for a while longer, Lin Jiuan took her hand and led her back into the house. He went upstairs, and not long after reaching the second floor, a voice called out to him.
"Jiuan."
Lin Jiuan followed the voice and saw Aoi looking at him with a downcast expression, her eyes filled with suppressed desire. Apparently, it wasn't just men; women also liked to play a round when they were in a bad mood.
Lin Jiuan nodded. Seeing the look of joy on Aoi's face as she turned and entered her bedroom, he let out a long sigh and followed her in with the resolve of a man marching to his death.
"Sakura, your big brother... has sacrificed so much for you."
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