"What?" Tohsaka Rin's sharp exclamation immediately drew the attention of the three people in front. Archer Atalanta, in particular, asked worriedly, "Master... what's wrong with you? What happened?"
"..." Tohsaka Rin glanced at Atalanta, then at Tohsaka Sakura, who had just confessed everything, and hesitated. Finally, she chose to act as if nothing had happened, shaking her head at Atalanta. "It's nothing. Archer, don't worry about it."
"..." Although she found it strange, Atalanta nodded, realizing that her Master, Tohsaka Rin, didn't seem to want to continue the conversation. "Okay, I understand."
Everything returned to normal. Atalanta continued to accompany Illya and Berserker, whom she was holding, looking quite happy. She just loved children too much. Meanwhile, Tohsaka Rin quietly leaned close to her sister, Tohsaka Sakura, and whispered in her ear: "We'll talk later... it's not appropriate to discuss this outside."
And so—the group returned to the Tohsaka residence. At the entrance, seeing Tohsaka Sakura re-enter the house, Zenjou Aoi's eyes showed a hint of emotion.
"Sakura, you're back." At that moment, deep within Tohsaka Sakura's heart, ripples began to form. "Mm," she smiled and nodded at her mother. "I'm back."
"It's good you're back... it's good," Zenjou Aoi said, then beckoned the group inside. Her gaze immediately fell upon Atalanta, who was holding two little lolis. The woman, whose hair already showed a few silver strands, covered her mouth, looking somewhat surprised. Zenjou Aoi knew Atalanta. But whose children were these two little ones in her arms...?
Perhaps sensing that Zenjou Aoi's gaze was a bit off, Atalanta wanted to explain properly. "Um—!" But halfway through her words, the cat-girl Servant suddenly realized it wasn't that simple—she didn't know how to explain the unclear relationship between herself and the Berserker group. She couldn't possibly say they had a fight at school and then just became acquainted, could she? Even Atalanta herself couldn't accept such a reason, let alone Zenjou Aoi!
But just as the little cat-girl was at a loss, Ibaraki-Douji, as the Berserker, helped her out. She leaned against Atalanta and then offered a piece of "proof" that no one expected.
"She's big sister~"
"..."
"..."
Everyone, including Zenjou Aoi, fell silent. Only Illya followed her Berserker's lead. Oh... she might not have followed along, but simply wanted to say it. "Big sister~" the little loli called out.
Although it was embarrassing and awkward, the two consecutive calls of "big sister" were enough for Atalanta to understand what she should do next. Holding the two little lolis, she earnestly explained the "big sister" title to Zenjou Aoi.
"Uh... Mrs. Aoi. These are my two little sisters."
"..." Zenjou Aoi glanced at Atalanta, then at Illya, and finally her gaze rested on the angry horns on Ibaraki-Douji's head. Her lips trembled slightly, seeming to want to say something. But in the end, she simply nodded and replied, "I see, I understand. Then—everyone, please come in."
And so. The Tohsaka residence became lively once more (referring to a large group of people eating). Although it was just a very ordinary greeting, Illya, who joined in, seemed very happy. The little loli apparently really liked this lively atmosphere—even though she had just commanded a battle not long ago.
And seizing this opportunity, Tohsaka Rin also learned some information she hadn't known. Artoria, the person Illya was looking for, had indeed participated in this Holy Grail War, and according to Illya's description—the one who summoned her was very likely Vivian. Based on their previous alliance, they should have been acting together.
However—after repairing the burnt-down castle, Vivian became a bit restless. This overly familiar scene made her so eager to win the Holy Grail War that she couldn't calm down to gather information. And so—one day, Illya woke up and found that the Rider group had left this new castle. And then, here was the current story.
Of course. These seemingly clear chains of action were not directly stated by Illya herself—as a child, she didn't understand any of this and didn't know how to express it clearly. Tohsaka Rin deduced it little by little from the available information.
However—after learning all this, her heart became anxious instead. Her sister had already been caught in a complex dispute, and she had known nothing about it.
After dinner. Tohsaka Rin, feeling more and more guilty the more she thought about it, asked Atalanta to take care of the two little lolis, then pulled her sister and hurried back to her room.
Click. The door closed. In the silent space, only the two sisters remained.
"Phew—" Tohsaka Rin took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, then looked at Tohsaka Sakura before her, and asked very seriously: "Sakura. Let's talk about what happened earlier.
"...Mm." Tohsaka Sakura nodded, but her expression still looked glum. "I understand."
"Then—" Tohsaka Rin restrained her emotions, afraid that if she wasn't careful with her words, she might inadvertently strike a raw nerve with her sister, Tohsaka Sakura. "Sakura, when and where did you give Ian that strange command? Tell me as much detail as possible!"
"..." Knowing that there was no point in hiding it anymore, Tohsaka Sakura nodded, then confessed the choice she had made back then. "I used the Command Spell on Mr. Ian at school, on the day I went to register with big sister."
"What?!" Despite being mentally prepared, Tohsaka Rin still felt her head go numb—she hadn't expected something like that to have happened that day.
"That was weeks ago?"
"Mm," Tohsaka Sakura nodded.
"..." "I understand." Tohsaka Rin suppressed a string of thoughts, then continued, "Can I see the current state of your Command Spells?"
"Okay." Tohsaka Sakura replied to her sister, extending her hand towards her. The back of her hand, which had originally been covered by three Command Spells, was now largely recovered.
"This..." Tohsaka Rin's heart trembled. "You've already used two Command Spells?!"
"...Mm." Tohsaka Sakura's voice grew softer. "Because Mr. Ian is indeed very strong—if I didn't use them like that, they probably wouldn't have had any effect on him."
"No, wait a minute!" Tohsaka Rin grew even more anxious now. "Why would you use Command Spells to give him such a strange order—you know how precious these things are, right?"
"I know," Tohsaka Sakura looked at her sister, her blue eyes showing an unconcealable sadness. "Precisely because they are precious. That's why I had no choice but to use them on Mr. Ian—otherwise, I would have lost him."
"Lost him?" Tohsaka Rin's tone was very confused. "Sakura, what do you mean?"
"Sister." Tohsaka Sakura took Tohsaka Rin's hand, her voice already tearful. "Do you remember Miss Misaya?"
"Uh... you mean the one who resigned from the Kyudo Club and might also be Lancer's Master?" Tohsaka Rin replied.
"Yes," Tohsaka Sakura nodded. "Do you know? She... had a physical relationship with Mr. Ian."
"What?!" Tohsaka Rin was shocked once again. She had indeed heard rumors about Misaya and Ian at school, but it was just a fleeting comment or two. Especially after the school year started and Misaya resigned, Tohsaka Rin hadn't considered it further. But now—! Tohsaka Sakura was telling her that it was all true?
"Did you see it?" Tohsaka Rin pressed.
"No," Tohsaka Sakura turned her face away. "But... their relationship was really intimate. They even slept in the same bed."
"What?!" Another bombshell statement. Tohsaka Rin had never imagined her sister was hiding something like this from her. However—the more explosive the situation, the faster Tohsaka Rin calmed down. Because her rationality told her that behind ridiculous events, there must be a reason for their existence.
Tohsaka Rin thought for a moment, then asked: "Sakura... could this be a misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding?" Tohsaka Sakura froze for a moment. "Sister, what do you mean?"
"It's just—" Tohsaka Rin looked at her sister, her eyes filled with heartache. "I think, given Ian's usual attitude towards you, he wouldn't intentionally betray you. And don't forget, Misaya is Lancer's Master—don't you think there might be something fishy going on?"
"..." As Tohsaka Rin said this, Tohsaka Sakura suddenly had a realization. "Sister. Do you mean... those things might have actually been staged by Miss Misaya for me to see?"
"I don't know," Tohsaka Rin shrugged. "But I think—do you think Ian is the type of person who wouldn't care about your feelings? He clearly takes such good care of you—even I, as your sister, can see that. I think that's enough to show your importance to him, isn't it?"
"But... he clearly has a very deep relationship with Miss Vivian." Tohsaka Sakura's expression was a little troubled. "I... don't have much confidence."
"But Sakura, don't forget," Tohsaka Rin's hand rested on her sister's head. "Ian didn't leave with this Vivian you speak of before, just leaving you alone. You—did you, from beginning to end, not believe that there was any feeling between you two? This way of handling things... it's almost like strangers."
"..." Tohsaka Rin's single sentence made Tohsaka Sakura, who was deeply entrenched in her thoughts, realize the truth. That's right... she and he had more than ten years of feelings. Why were they living together like strangers? Realizing her complete error, Tohsaka Sakura immediately wanted to make amends.
"Sister, then I'll use the last Command Spell to call him back now!"
"Don't do that." Tohsaka Rin stopped her sister. "You only have one Command Spell left now—remember, we still don't know who Assassin and Caster are. What if you need it and you don't have it? What will you do then?"
"But Mr. Ian still hasn't come back..." Tohsaka Sakura muttered softly.
"So you don't believe he'll come back?" Tohsaka Rin hugged her sister, gently comforting her. "Sakura, have a little confidence. Your position in his heart is truly very high; he would absolutely never disregard your feelings. Rest well tonight; perhaps... you'll see him back tomorrow morning."
"Sister..." Feeling Tohsaka Rin's embrace, Tohsaka Sakura felt a little more courage within her. It was an unprecedented emotional affirmation from another person. "I... I understand!"
"Mm, that's right!" Tohsaka Rin gave Tohsaka Sakura a thumbs-up. "That's how people from the Tohsaka family should be!"
What Tohsaka Rin didn't tell her sister was: she was actually also very worried that Ian wouldn't return—but she absolutely couldn't tell her sister that. If there was still no news tomorrow. Tohsaka Rin confirmed that she would immediately send Atalanta to investigate.
[With Tohsaka Rin's help, Tohsaka Sakura gained a little confidence.]
[She realized her position in your heart was very high—this indirectly prevented the use of the last Command Spell.]
[And Tohsaka Rin's prediction came true.]
[They indeed reunited with you the next day.]
Morning, Tohsaka Residence. Zenjou Aoi woke up early. Illya and Ibaraki-Douji's arrival yesterday had made this mother feel the joy of taking care of children after a long time. She recalled the days gone by. So—at this moment, Zenjou Aoi hoped to do something more for the children in the house. For example, breakfast.
But just then, the doorbell rang. Zenjou Aoi temporarily put down what she was doing and turned to open the door.
"So early... who could it be?" she wondered, and then, upon opening the door, saw unexpected people.
"Miss Vivian?"
"Ian?"
"And Miss Lily, who came last time?"