Afternoon.
In the Tohsaka garden, Kamitani Yuu was chatting casually with Tohsaka Tokiomi.
After settling the matter of the adoption, Yuu did not immediately take Sakura away, choosing instead to stay at the Tohsaka residence for lunch, allowing her to spend a little more time with her family.
After lunch, Yuu and Tokiomi went to the garden to discuss magecraft, leaving the space to Tohsaka Aoi and her daughters.
"The Fourth Holy Grail War, is it scheduled to take place in six months?" Yuu brought up the topic that interested him.
"Precisely." Tokiomi nodded, then said elegantly, "Any magus residing in this land will be drawn by the Holy Grail and selected as a Master."
"And the Command Spells, which appear on the back of the hand like a Stigma, are the sign of being chosen by the Grail." Saying this, Tokiomi raised his left hand, displaying the three jewel-shaped Command Spells etched on its back.
"Speaking of which, as an excellent magus, Yuu-kun, you should also have the potential to be chosen by the Holy Grail."
As if he had thought of something, Tokiomi looked at Yuu with an inquiring gaze.
"Perhaps the Holy Grail simply didn't fancy me," Yuu said with a slight smile upon hearing Tokiomi's words. He then raised both hands, showing their clean backs as if to prove his innocence.
"Up until now, there hasn't been any trace of a Command Spell on me."
"If that's the case, then that's good news for me."
Tokiomi, whose mood was greatly improved after resolving the issue with Sakura, made a rare joke. "After all, if my opponent were Yuu-kun, I would find it quite troublesome."
"I have no interest in the Holy Grail." Yuu shook his head, then said softly, "I will be taking Sakura out of the city for a while before the Holy Grail War begins."
To be honest, Yuu had always kept a respectful distance from the corrupted Holy Grail.
After all, as long as Emiya Kiritsugu participated, the famous scene of Excalibur slicing the Grail was absolutely going to happen.
Unless Yuu could summon a Servant capable of purifying the Holy Grail, he would have no choice but to temporarily leave this city, which was prone to gas explosions, in six months.
Yuu: Time to run, run, run!
As dusk approached, the orange afterglow scattered across the entrance of the Tohsaka residence.
"Starting today, I am your father." Yuu half-squatted, extending his hand to the anxious Sakura.
"..."
Sakura, standing beside Tokiomi, flinched. She did not reach for Yuu's hand, remaining in place with a look of confusion and helplessness.
Although Aoi had explained everything to the Tohsaka sisters that afternoon, the still-young Sakura only understood that her parents no longer wanted her.
Anxiety and fear permeated Sakura's heart, but being resigned to her fate, she could only powerlessly accept her parents' arrangement.
"Sakura, go." Tokiomi's firm voice was filled with reluctance.
"..."
As if sentenced to death, Sakura silently lowered her head. The faint light in her clear blue eyes gradually dimmed, but her body obediently walked toward Yuu.
Looking at the black-haired little girl who had lost her inner light, Yuu sighed softly in his heart.
To be honest, he didn't want to break up someone else's family, but even if he didn't adopt Sakura, Tokiomi would have sought out another magus family.
If Tokiomi had passed Sakura on to the distant Edelfelt family, it would have been acceptable, but the fear was encountering a den of iniquity like the Matō family.
Having Yuu adopt Sakura now was a decent choice.
Moreover, he wouldn't have to follow the original plan of breaking into the Matō house to rescue Sakura.
With this thought, Yuu proactively took Sakura's hand, while his other hand gently stroked her small head, his voice soft and warm, "Don't worry. I will bring you back to the Tohsaka house to visit every year."
Feeling the warmth on her head and in her palm, Sakura subconsciously looked up. What met her eyes was Yuu's gentle gaze and handsome face.
In that instant, something seemed to dispel the anxiety in her heart, and the slightly dimmed blue eyes brightened once more.
"Mm..." Sakura nodded lightly, her response a faint whisper.
Seeing the harmonious scene between the two, Tokiomi also felt relieved.
However, before they left, he couldn't help but instruct Yuu, "Yuu-kun, I entrust Sakura to you from now on. As for your... your daughter's luggage, I will have someone deliver it to the Kamitani house tomorrow."
"Tokiomi, you can rest assured. I will look after Sakura as if she were my own daughter."
"But it's getting late now, so I'll take Sakura back."
After bidding farewell to Tokiomi, Yuu carried Sakura onto the black and red motorcycle. Accompanied by the roar of the engine, the two left the Tohsaka residence and drove toward Shintō.
Fuyuki City, Shintō.
Just as Yuu parked the motorcycle by the roadside, he felt a strong burning sensation coming from his right hand. He looked down and saw a cross composed of three bright red spears appear on the back of his fair hand.
These are Command Spells?
Looking at the three Command Spells that had suddenly appeared on the back of his hand, Yuu raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected the 'flag' he had just set to be overturned so quickly.
"However, since I've become a Master now, maybe I can summon a Servant who can purify the Holy Grail. The innocent people who died in the Fuyuki fire might still be saved." Yuu thought to himself as he helped Sakura off the motorcycle.
To be honest, if he truly hadn't been chosen by the Holy Grail, Yuu had planned to temporarily leave Fuyuki City with Sakura.
Although his strength had reached the level of a first-rate Servant, he had no way to purify the Evil of the World. Even if he stayed in Fuyuki City, he could only watch helplessly as the black mud leaked out.
Yuu: I can't do anything about it.
As for persuading the participants of this Holy Grail War to abandon the ritual, Yuu thought it was impossible to succeed. He didn't possess the "Talk-no-Jutsu" that was practically the strongest Genjutsu of a certain blond character.
After all, the magi participating in the Holy Grail War almost all had their own wishes, and he couldn't convince them to give up with just a few words.
"There are still six months until the Holy Grail War begins. I hope I can find a catalyst to summon Medea by then."
In Yuu's memory, there weren't many Servants capable of purifying the Holy Grail, and Medea was one of them. Moreover, she was the easiest to summon and the most likely Servant to help him.
Casters like Solomon, Morgan le Fay, or Merlin were either impossible to summon or were pure chaos-bringers.
In that case, let alone helping, he would be grateful if they didn't cause him trouble.
Although Yuu wasn't completely confident about purifying the Holy Grail, he could only try his best to save the people living in Fuyuki City from undeserved disaster.
No matter what, he had lived in Fuyuki City for decades and had some attachment to it.
But for now, they should go eat.
Yuu held Sakura's hand and strolled along the bustling commercial street. Soon, they arrived at the entrance of a restaurant.
He lifted the curtain and stepped inside, immediately hearing that familiar, pleasurable voice.
"...Welcome, customer. Would you like a bowl of our special Mapo Tofu Ramen?"