The living room was wrapped in a strange silence.
But Damian was relaxed, leaning back against the sofa with his legs crossed, the phone in his hand and the glow of the screen lighting his calm face.
He calmly slid his thumb across the screen, as if the little incident at the bedroom door had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Beside him, Marin had completely lost her natural ease. She sat upright, both hands on her knees, though her fingers nervously played with the edge of her skirt.
Her eyes one moment flicked to Rin's expressionless face and the next desperately sought Damian's gaze, pleading for help.
In front of them, Rin remained upright, her back straight and her eyes lowered. Her face showed no emotion, only the faint press of her lips revealed that inside she was not as calm as she appeared.
"..."
The silence stretched so long that Damian's tapping on the phone screen could be heard.
At last, Marin took a deep breath and dared to speak, "Rin-chan… just now… did you hear what we said?"
Rin slowly raised her head and let her eyes rest on Marin's face for a moment before nodding.
"Mm."
Marin's heart jolted violently.
"Ah… uh…" she stammered, feeling the words get stuck in her throat. Panic showed on her face without any filter.
By pure reflex, she stretched her arm and gave Damian a gentle nudge with her elbow.
He looked up from the phone unhurriedly, raising an eyebrow when he saw Marin's face silently begging for rescue. He let out a sigh, and his gaze seemed to say clearly: 'Weren't you the one who said you'd handle this?'
Still, he set the phone on the table and straightened a bit. He looked at Rin and spoke calmly, "Miss Rin, since you heard what Marin and I were talking about… I'd like to know what you think about it."
The phrase sounded simple but landed precisely on Rin.
Marin nodded immediately, clinging to that intervention, "Yes, yes, yes! Rin-chan, what do you think? You could… consider staying here for a while. You don't need to think too hard about it, right?!" Then she turned nervously to Damian for backup. "Damian-kun agrees too!"
Damian simply inclined his head, confirming with a calm gesture that what Marin said was true.
Rin lowered her gaze again, fixed on the floor for a few more seconds. Finally, she lifted her face, and in her eyes shone a spark of determination that hadn't been there before.
"I…" she began with resolve, "still want to return to Fuyuki."
"I don't just want to visit my mother's grave. I also need to see my sister."
As she said it, her eyes flicked briefly toward Damian.
"And, above all… I have something very important I must do."
Damian knew exactly what Rin meant: the Holy Grail War.
"Of course, Rin-chan!" Marin reacted at once, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "You should go see your mom."
She leaned forward and gently took her cousin's arm, her warm fingers holding on affectionately. "What if I go with you?"
!
Hearing that, Damian almost choked.
Rin also seemed surprised by the proposal, and her eyes widened slightly, "You… want to go with me?"
"Of course!" Marin nodded without hesitation. "I can help you pack, we can chat on the way… and besides, the local food in Fuyuki is delicious, we could go try it together—"
"Marin."
Damian's deep voice cut through her excitement just in time. He leaned slightly toward them. "Miss Rin is returning because she has important matters to handle." Then, without taking his eyes off Rin, he added with an implicit nuance, "And there are things… where it might not be wise to involve others."
Marin puffed her cheeks, "I'm not an outsider! I'm Rin-chan's cousin!"
The corner of Rin's lips shifted, and she glanced toward Damian, and the two of them understood each other's message without the need for words.
"Marin." Then Rin spoke. "Thank you for your good intention." Her eyes rested on her with a sincere gleam. "But this time… I really need to take care of some family matters on my own."
The response dimmed Marin's enthusiasm a little. Her mouth tightened as she unconsciously began twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers.
"It's just that I worry you'll go alone and end up being mistreated…" she murmured. "The last time we saw Auntie, the people from the Tōsaka family… weren't exactly kind."
Her voice trailed off little by little, until suddenly she lifted her face again with a spark of determination.
"If Damian-kun and I are with you, at least you'll have someone to back you up!"
Rin blinked, surprised by such pure loyalty. Something warm spread through her chest, "Thank you…" she said softly, "But I can handle it."
Marin looked at her for a few more seconds, and upon noticing the resolve in her expression, her shoulders sank slowly. "Alright, alright…"
Then she seemed to remember something and lifted her gaze with a bit of caution. "Ah… then… about the legal guardian thing…"
The atmosphere fell still again.
Rin didn't answer right away, and her eyes drifted downward.
Marin couldn't bear the awkwardness any longer and shifted restlessly on the sofa; she glanced at Damian with a silent plea and a clear look of "do something."
Damian let out another sigh and fixed his eyes on Rin.
"Miss Rin," he began with a calm but firm voice, "regarding the legal guardian matter… stop rejecting Marin."
Then he turned his face toward his girlfriend and gave her a reassuring look, "She really cares about you."
Marin nodded immediately with overflowing enthusiasm.
"Yes, yes, yes! Rin-chan!" she exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest and giving herself a little pat. "Don't overthink it! I'm already a rich woman!"
Rin lifted her gaze and met Marin's eager eyes, then the calm yet supportive expression Damian was offering her.
Deep within her pupils, a brief flash of inner conflict crossed.
Rin was not incapable of accepting the goodwill offered to her. She knew how to recognize warmth when someone gave it without restraint. Marin, with her clumsy and straightforward way, was like a ray of sun in the middle of winter, melting a frozen corner of her heart.
And Damian… although his words earlier had sounded cold, she could feel in him a clear intention to protect. His warning about "not involving outsiders" was not meant to exclude her; it was a way to keep Marin away from something he sensed as dangerous.
Precisely because of that, it was impossible for her to nod.
The Tōsaka family… the Holy Grail War… her father's suspicious death… none of this was a past already overcome, but chains still tightening around her.
Behind the calm she tried to display, turbulent currents roared without rest. She could not predict when the next danger would arise or what shape it would take; the only thing clear was that she would not drag Marin into a mire where a life could be lost without warning.
Her gaze, unintentionally, slid to Damian. There was something unsettling and at the same time reassuring about him, a duality she could not fully decipher. However, she knew immediately that he was perceptive.
Perhaps he did not know every detail, but without a doubt he had noticed that she carried problems far greater than she appeared to.
She would return to Fuyuki, yes, but not as a simple girl going back to visit her mother's grave. She would return as Rin Tōsaka, a mage, daughter of the former head of the clan, and someone forced to set foot on a battlefield.
She needed to uncover the truth about her father, no matter the cost.
Allowing Marin to become her legal guardian meant handing over an obvious weak point. And if she had learned anything in her family, it was that weak points come at a high price.
She took a deep breath, searching for words.
"Marin…"
"Ah, Rin-chan!" Marin, sensing the refusal forming, quickly moved until she was right beside her, almost clinging, and grabbed her arms with both hands. Her big eyes pleaded as she gently shook her cousin's shoulders.
"Don't overthink it!" she implored, her voice full of emotion. "It would just mean one more person worrying about you. Look, Damian-kun already agreed!"
As soon as she finished saying it, she turned her face seeking support, "Right, Damian-kun?"
Damian did not respond, he just looked at Rin. It was a gaze that seemed to see beyond the composed façade she was trying to keep.
He did not try to persuade her with the same urgency as Marin; he simply remained there.
Finally, he spoke, "Miss Rin, Marin wanting to take care of you is her decision. As for everything else…"
As he said this, he closed his eyes for a moment and sighed inwardly: "Ah, Marin…"
When he opened his eyes again, the softness remained, but deep inside there was a perceptible edge,
"I will take care of it."
Rin's heart shrank abruptly.
"Take care of…?" This crashed in her head with an echo that made her hold her breath.
Could he really… do what he said in the car and directly dismantle the Holy Grail?
An absurd yet striking thought escaped her control.
She felt the same weight as before, that impossible-to-describe pressure, closing in around her again; however, she forced herself to keep her face calm.
She could not accept it.
Fuyuki was a battlefield, and the Holy Grail War was a life-or-death game, and even she had no guarantee of coming out unscathed.
She could not allow Marin, just by taking on the title of "legal guardian," to become a target.
Looking into Marin's eyes, full of expectation, anxiety, and even a bit of complaint, the words of rejection rolled around on Rin's tongue several times, but in the end they turned into a phrase that sounded like a concession:
"Marin," she finally spoke, and her voice came out warmer than she intended, "wait a little longer, okay?"
Unintentionally, her eyes drifted toward Damian before returning to the blonde.
"When I come back from Fuyuki… we can talk about it."
The brightness on Marin's face immediately dimmed, and she murmured with a pout, "Wait again…" she muttered in discouragement.
Damian, who had not taken his eyes off Rin, stroked her hair, "It's okay, let's respect her decision."
His touch and his calm voice made Marin breathe a little easier. Though she still kept her brows furrowed and let out a sigh.
She lifted her head and looked at Rin, a trace of dissatisfaction in her eyes, but finally nodded, "Alright then… but when you come back, Rin-chan, we're doing the paperwork!"
Rin couldn't help the slight softening at the corner of her lips. She nodded silently, and some of the pressure she carried inside eased just a little.
…
A gentle knock on a door upstairs echoed, silencing any lingering conversation and wrapping the house in quiet.
Damian was still leaning back in the single armchair, one leg crossed over the other and his phone resting in his hand as he absentmindedly scrolled through something on the screen.
After a few seconds, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Marin appeared, but she didn't have her usual cheerful bounce; her slumped shoulders and the way she stared at the floor betrayed a subdued mood.
When she finally looked up and met Damian's eyes, they shimmered faintly. She took a few quick steps and threw herself into his arms without thinking.
"Um…" she murmured, burying her face against his chest with her lips pursed.
Smiling, Damian set his phone aside and wrapped one arm around her, the other hand slowly stroking her hair.
"Are you still upset?"
The head against his chest nodded firmly.
"I'm just worried about Rin-chan…"
She lifted her head, and her big eyes were full of concern. "I get along super well with Rin-chan. You can't imagine, when we were kids, every time she came to my house, I was the one who took her out to play."
She adjusted herself, pressing closer to his shoulder, seeking his warmth, and started counting on her fingers as she spoke,
"She was so shy at first… I would pull her to read my manga, braid her hair, take her to the store to buy ice cream. She didn't talk much, but I know she remembers all of it."
Damian didn't interrupt her; he just kept running his fingers through her hair, tying an unspoken knot of comfort.
"Over time she started to open up and even smile," Marin continued, her voice gradually lowering, full of nostalgia. "It was nice to see her change. But now… I feel like life has been so hard on her. Do you think this time, when she goes back, the Tōsaka family will give her a hard time?"
A long sigh escaped her as she frowned.
"I know Rin-chan keeps things she can't share. I met her dad a couple of times, and he seemed like a very kind man, but also… mysterious, impossible to fully understand. Like there was always something hidden."
Her arms clung tighter around Damian's waist.
He tilted his head slightly, brushing hers, "Don't worry so much, she's much stronger than you think."
The head against his chest moved, "But I'm still worried…"
Instead of answering, Damian gave her a few slow pats on the back, saying I know without words.
At that moment, the screen of his phone vibrated and lit up on the table. Damian reached out, took the phone, and as he read the message, his lips curved.
"Marin," he spoke, lowering his gaze, "I have a new concert scheduled."
"A new show?" Marin lifted her head right away, and the worry from before dissipated, replaced by curiosity.
Damian nodded and turned the phone to show her. On the screen glowed a message from his manager, Yayoi:
"Damian-kun, the venue for the new show is confirmed. Fuyuki Municipal Gymnasium."
"Fuyuki… Municipal Gymnasium?" Marin repeated aloud.
The instant she said it, her eyes lit up and all the gloom from just minutes ago vanished, replaced by pure excitement.
"Nooo, wait!" she exclaimed, snatching the phone and checking the message several times as if she couldn't believe it. "Is this real? Are you going to perform in Fuyuki?"
"Mm."
"Auuuuh!" she screamed, unable to hold it in. She jumped to her feet, spun all the way around, and her golden hair traced a shining arc around her.
"Awesome! Amazing!"
Without giving him time to react, she launched herself at him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked at him up close, her eyes so bright they seemed filled with stars.
In that moment, Marin understood.
It wasn't a coincidence.
He had seen her sadness, her worry for Rin, and had pulled strings to make this happen.
"Boyfriend-kun…" she murmured softly. Her eyes overflowed with gratitude and love, no masks. "Thank you."
"No need to, girlfriend-chan."
Marin's heart overflowed with happiness; laughing, she leaned in and planted a loud kiss on his lips.
As she pulled away, she blushed right away and, as if wanting to hide, buried herself back into his neck. Her warm breath brushed his ear as she spoke with a playful and slightly provocative tone:
"Hey… let's go upstairs, to the bathroom. Rin-chan surely won't come down…"
Her fingers traced small circles over his chest as she spoke, "To protect the environment and not waste water…"
"Do you want us to bathe together after?"
________
Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!
👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]
Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖