Rin Tohsaka naturally had no intention of changing the plan, so they headed west together, arriving at the Tohsaka manor's living room.
"Lord Su Mo, can Father and the others not see you?"
Su Mo was walking openly at the very front, and after reaching the center of the main hall, both little girls followed behind him. A presence of his level should have been impossible to ignore.
Yet for some reason, both Tohsaka Tokiomi and Matou Zouken merely glanced in their direction before continuing their conversation as if they were completely unaware of Su Mo's living, breathing person.
After a moment of surprise, Rin ventured a guess.
"Is it a hypnosis spell?"
Given Tokiomi's and Zouken's mastery of magecraft, even a spell cast by an ordinary Servant might not be enough to delude their minds. But Su Mo was a being who transcended even gods. What was impossible for a regular Servant was no issue for him.
"No, it's just a simple cognitive interference," Su Mo shook his head. "They can see me, just as they can see the sky above them. But precisely because my presence is so strong, it's paradoxically harder for them to notice me."
If a top-tier existence like a Paladin were here, they might be able to see through the conceptual thaumaturgy Su Mo had deployed. But the two magi present lacked that level of mastery.
To them, Su Mo was like the elephant in the room. It wasn't that they couldn't see him; it was that even if they did, they couldn't form a concrete cognition of him in their minds. It was as if his presence there was perfectly natural and unremarkable.
"No wonder Father isn't reacting at all, even though I'm talking to you like this," Rin marveled.
Even now, despite clearly hearing her conversation with Su Mo, neither Tokiomi nor Zouken showed the slightest sign of concern, as if they hadn't heard a thing. Such terrifying power, yet it was something Su Mo had accomplished with casual ease.
Before long, the conversation between Tokiomi and Zouken drew to a close.
"Sakura, from this day forward, you are no longer my daughter. You will completely cast aside the Tohsaka name and become the heir of the Matou family! You must not let your magical potential go to waste in the future!" Tohsaka Tokiomi instructed his younger daughter with a serious expression.
The words sounded incredibly cruel, but in reality, they were not entirely without warmth. To become the Matou family's heir, Sakura could not be too attached to the Tohsaka family.
The more heartless he acted now, the more at ease the Matou patriarch would be with Sakura, which would in turn benefit her future growth.
However, even so, it was too much to expect a little girl to understand the hidden meaning behind such cruel words.
At this moment, Sakura had only one thought in her mind.
Ah, so it's true. Mommy and Daddy don't want me anymore.
Although she had long known she would be given away, until this day arrived, a small part of her still clung to a sliver of hope. Now, that fantasy was shattered. She was now a person with no home to return to.
She lowered her head slightly, like a kite with a broken string. She didn't cry, nor did she make a fuss.
"I understand."
In the end, that was all she could say. No one was going to ask her to stay, anyway.
Just as she was thinking this, the twin-tailed girl holding her hand suddenly squeezed it tight, for the first time directing a glare of anger at her own father.
"Father, how could you say something like that?!" Rin's voice was practically the roar of a lioness.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the meaning behind Tokiomi's words, but she didn't believe the pain those words inflicted on Sakura could be equated to some vague, uncertain future.
"Rin..."
Hearing his elder daughter's voice, Tokiomi's body stiffened for a moment, but he still shook his head forcefully.
"You're still too young. When you grow up and become a true magus, you will understand."
Whether as a magus or as a father, he believed he had already made the best possible choice.
Rin wanted to say more, but she felt her sister squeeze her hand in return.
"Sis."
Sakura silently shook her head, telling her not to argue anymore.
Rin also understood she couldn't convince her father. After a few seconds of silence, she gave up the argument.
"Father, you old stubborn fool!" she finally muttered sullenly.
Then, a dry laugh, like the chirping of insects, rang out.
"Heh heh! What a display of sisterly affection!"
The incredibly sinister-looking Matou Zouken stared at the two children before him as if they were rare treasures. Then, a look of immense anticipation spread across his face.
"Since the adoption has been settled, then Tohsaka Sakura—no! It should be Matou Sakura now—you will follow me to your new home!"
He deliberately used his words to sting the young child. Seeing the light in her eyes dim once more, Matou Zouken turned and walked away, seemingly unconcerned that Sakura wouldn't follow.
And indeed, after a few seconds of hesitation, Sakura did lift her foot to follow.
However, before she could take a single step, a large, warm hand grabbed the back of her neck, lifting her back like a kitten. She looked up and saw that the one who had brought her back was Su Mo.
Before she could even ask a question, Rin started scolding her.
"Are you stupid?! He tells you to go, and you just go?"
This little sister was giving her no peace of mind. Could it be that being abandoned by her father had left her so heartbroken she was starting to give up on herself?
Thinking this, Rin couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her sister. If she had known her father would say that, she should have just put laxatives in his tea and snacks.
However, to Rin's surprise, upon hearing her question, Sakura simply blinked and asked in return, "Didn't you say we were going to follow this old man, Sis?"
If she didn't follow him, how were they supposed to trail him?
"Huh?" Rin was taken aback. Her sister still had the presence of mind to think about that? It seemed she was doing alright.
In truth, it was impossible for Sakura not to be heartbroken by her own father's declaration of disownment. But right now, she hadn't reached the state of "grief so great that the heart dies" as in the original story.
The key factor was Rin's unwavering, never-give-up attitude, which was backed by Su Mo's support. For Sakura, those were two life-saving straws to grasp.
For a human, as long as there is hope, as long as there is a final straw to clutch, they will not give up. And that was Sakura right now.
So, she wanted to try and overcome her fear of Matou Zouken, follow him, and cooperate with her sister's and Lord Su Mo's unknown plan.
Understanding Sakura's thoughts, Su Mo shook his head.
"There's no need to put yourself in danger. I've already arranged for a substitute."
Hearing this, Sakura looked quizzically in Matou Zouken's direction.
Then, she saw what looked like an incredibly crude scarecrow, huffing and puffing as it followed behind the sinister old man like a mischievous child.
Sensing her gaze, the scarecrow suddenly turned its head and gave her a terrifyingly wide smile.
More chilling than that, however, was the fact that the gazes of Tohsaka Tokiomi, of Aoi Tohsaka from the second-floor window, and even the corner of Matou Zouken's eye, were all directed at that scarecrow—as if that incredibly crude, bizarre scarecrow was the real Sakura.
For a moment, Sakura trembled slightly, feeling as if her very existence was being bizarrely usurped.
Fortunately, Su Mo provided an explanation in time.
"Don't worry. That's a substitute created with Ushimairi Thaumaturgy. [T/N: Ushimairi, or the 'Ox-Hour Shrine Visit,' is a traditional Japanese curse ritual involving nailing a straw doll to a tree.] It's mainly for your safety, and it will also let us see what the Matou family is truly planning."
"Don't be scared! Lord Su Mo and I can both see you!"
Rin also noticed Sakura's anxiety and squeezed her hand again.
Feeling the attention of both Su Mo and her sister, Sakura finally let out a full sigh of relief.
"Mm! I believe in you, Sis, and Lord Su-Mo!"
Everyone else was irrelevant to her now. As long as her sister and Lord Su Mo remembered her, it would be alright.
Seeing Matou Zouken leave with the scarecrow substitute, completely unaware, Su Mo and the others immediately followed.
Soon, they arrived at a Japanese-style courtyard residence—the Matou Manor.
Looking at the vast estate located in the city center, and after some of her resentment towards her father had dissipated, Rin remembered her plan and began to salvage her father's image in Sakura's mind.
"Actually, even though Father is stubborn, he really loves you, Sakura. He only said those things earlier because he had no choice. And don't just look at how ugly that old man from the Matou family is; their family's circumstances are very good. It must have been the result of Father's careful selection."