In the Tohsaka study, silence was the Cambridge of the evening.
After making his astonishing statement, Tohsaka Tokiomi watched Kamitani Yuu with nervous anticipation, awaiting his reply.
The Kamitani and Tohsaka families had been close for hundreds of years. Although Yuu was only a few years younger than himself, Tokiomi had essentially watched him grow up and was very clear about his character.
Furthermore, through some connections at the Clock Tower, Tokiomi had learned about Yuu's profound skill in Rune magecraft and his strength as a magus. Even though the Kamitani family had no inherited Magic Crest, Tokiomi still hoped he would adopt his daughter, Sakura.
This was because, according to the diary of their ancestor Tohsaka Nagato, the Kamitani family's "Divine Body" would most likely be fully restored during this Holy Grail War.
If Sakura became an adopted daughter of the Kamitani family, she might be able to inherit the Kamitani family's "Ancient Shinto."
Even if his daughter did not possess the aptitude for it, Yuu's strength alone would be enough to shelter her until she grew up.
"I don't understand what you mean, Tokiomi." Yuu's expression also became serious, and he chose his words carefully.
No matter how good his relationship with Tokiomi was, the matter of a child bride was unacceptable.
After all, he was still young and didn't want to end up eating pork cutlet bowls at the police station.
"..."
Hearing Yuu's words, Tokiomi's eyes immediately dimmed. In his view, his friend had rejected his request.
However, this was only natural.
Whenever it concerned their family's magecraft lineage, any magus would turn into a demon to fiercely protect it, not allowing even a shred of the family's secrets to leak out.
This was especially true for a magecraft lineage like "Ancient Shinto," which involved the Age of Gods.
Tokiomi subconsciously clasped his hands together, sweat seeping into his palms from tension, but his gaze gradually became resolute.
If Yuu refused to adopt Sakura, Tokiomi actually had one last fallback—to pass Sakura on to the Edelfelt family, her aunt's family, but this was not an ideal choice.
Due to some events that occurred during the Third Holy Grail War, the Tohsaka and Edelfelt families had been estranged ever since.
However, if Tokiomi were to proactively humble himself and apologize to the Edelfelt family, they would still be willing to adopt Sakura.
As for the now-declined Matō family, Tokiomi had no intention of passing Sakura on to them.
Based on the contents of his ancestor's diary, Tokiomi had long harbored suspicions about the Matō family, and over the years, he had also gathered some intelligence, further solidifying his belief that the Matō family was problematic.
Therefore, even though Matō Zōken, the head of the Matō family, had repeatedly requested to adopt an heir from Tokiomi, he had always politely refused.
"Yuu-kun, are you familiar with the Sealing Designation?" After calming his internal tension, Tokiomi regained his composure and asked in a steady tone.
"I know a little about it." Yuu glanced at Tokiomi with some curiosity, then answered softly.
He was also aware of the Mage's Association's Sealing Designation.
After all, the founder of the modern Rune magecraft that Yuu had studied to cover up his Primordial Runes was a magus who had been given a Sealing Designation.
"If that's the case, then you should know about the Mage's Association designating magi with rare aptitudes but no protection, sealing them, and preserving them in formalin as specimens, shouldn't you?"
Before Yuu could respond, Tokiomi continued, his expression complex.
"I don't know whether it's fortunate or unfortunate, but both of my Tohsaka daughters possess rare aptitudes equivalent to a miracle. Rin's attribute is the Five Great Elements, while Sakura's is the even rarer Imaginary Number attribute."
"Both sisters meet the criteria for a Sealing Designation, yet the Tohsaka family's protection can only be granted to one of them."
"The child who does not become the successor will either fall into various strange incidents due to her own magical nature, or be discovered by the Mage's Association and sealed under the guise of protection."
At this point, fatigue and sorrow appeared on Tokiomi's face. "As a father, I cannot bear to give up either Rin or Sakura, but for their safety, I can only beg you, Yuu-kun..."
"Tokiomi, I can understand your feelings, but even so, I—" Yuu straightened his body, attempting one last persuasion.
Thud!
But Tokiomi suddenly stood up, the loud impact interrupting his words.
As Yuu looked on in astonishment, Tokiomi bent over, bowing ninety degrees toward him. Aoi, standing beside him, performed the same action. Then, the couple spoke in unison:
"Please, Yuu-kun, grant our request and allow Sakura to be adopted into the Kamitani family!"
"...I still can't marry her." The latter half of the sentence was swallowed back by Yuu.
"—Eh? Adopted?"
Having clearly heard the content of Tokiomi's request, Yuu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He then couldn't help but grumble internally, So I wasn't wrong in the beginning! It's all Tokiomi's fault for saying things that are so easily misunderstood.
Yes, everything is Tokiomi's fault.
"If it's just adopting Sakura into the Kamitani family, I accept." After shifting the blame to Tokiomi, Yuu readily agreed.
"Ah?"
Tokiomi was stunned, not expecting Yuu's attitude to change so abruptly.
"Don't look at me so surprised, Tokiomi." Yuu waved his hand, speaking in a gentle tone. "If it weren't for you back then, I wouldn't have been able to arrange my parents' funeral, nor would I have had the chance to study magecraft at the Clock Tower."
"So, don't worry. I will do my best to teach Sakura. Of course, if you miss Sakura, you are welcome to visit the Kamitani house. I would be very happy to have you."
Looking at the sincere expression on Yuu's face, Tokiomi truly didn't know what to say to express his gratitude. In the end, his thousands of words converged into one heartfelt thank you: "Truly—thank you, Yuu-kun..."
Aoi tightly covered her mouth, her pale blue eyes slightly red, and tears could be seen welling up at the corners of her eyes.
It was well known that in magus society, adopted children had to completely sever ties with their birth family. No form of contact was allowed. Only by doing so could the heir's absolute loyalty to the family be ensured.
After all, loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal.
The decision Yuu made today completely violated the common sense of magus society.
However, despite what was said, it was likely that the Tohsaka family would consciously maintain a distance from the Kamitani family until Sakura came of age.