The Show Begins

It was a little after 9 a.m. when the Tohsaka mansion received a visitor.

A bald head, limbs as thin as a mummy's, and eyes sunken deep into his skull, gleaming with an unnatural sharpness. He was hunched over, with a diminutive frame, dressed in a dark blue and gray kimono, and leaned on a wooden cane.

His expression was twisted, dark, and sinister—clearly not a decent person. This was Zouken Matou, the head of the Matou family.

Today, he had come to the Tohsaka household to collect Sakura Tohsaka, a child with exceptional magical potential, whom he had long coveted.

In the study, Tokiomi Tohsaka was engaged in a conversation with Zouken Matou.

"Head of the Matou family, as one of the founding Three Great Families alongside the Tohsaka, I trust Sakura to your care. But I hope you will treat my daughter well in the future," Tokiomi said, sitting on the sofa, gently swirling a glass of red wine in his right hand, his tone solemn as he addressed the man sitting across from him.

"Rest assured, Lord Tohsaka. From this day on, Sakura will be my granddaughter. She will inherit the Matou family's magic crest, and I will spare no effort in cultivating her," Zouken Matou replied with a creepy laugh, a strange glint in his eyes. "But, after the adoption, wouldn't it be inappropriate for the Tohsaka family to still call her their daughter?"

"Of course. Once Sakura is adopted into the Matou family, she will have no further ties with the Tohsaka family," Tokiomi replied flatly, taking a sip of wine, his expression cold.

As a traditional magus, Tokiomi Tohsaka's lifelong dream was to reach the Root, and nothing else mattered more to him. He held an immense sense of pride and self-respect, never second-guessing his decisions. Once he resolved to adopt Sakura into the Matou family, he severed all fatherly affection for her.

Zouken shot Tokiomi a sinister grin but said nothing further.

Tokiomi elegantly finished the wine in his glass and then placed it gently on the table before him.

Turning to his wife, he instructed, "Aoi, bring Sakura here."

"Yes," Tohsaka Aoi nodded, then turned to leave, heading toward Sakura's room.

Though Aoi wasn't a magus, she fully understood her husband's reasons and loved him deeply. Although she still loved Sakura, she did not oppose the decision to adopt her into the Matou family.

It wasn't long before Aoi reached the door of a room on the second floor. She sighed softly, knocking lightly on the door.

"Sakura, Rin, I'm coming in," she announced before opening the door without waiting for a response.

Sakura Tohsaka and her older sister, Tohsaka Rin, had been ready for this. They immediately walked forward to meet their mother, while Eriri and Arifureta, who had been with them, quickly concealed themselves in the void, avoiding detection.

"Sakura, come with me to meet your future grandfather," Aoi said gently, stroking Sakura's head, though her words carried an unsettling finality.

"Mom, do we really have to adopt Sakura into the Matou family?" Rin tugged on Aoi's sleeve, unwilling to give up.

Even though Rin knew Sakura wouldn't be in any danger, the adoption still meant officially expelling her sister from the Tohsaka family, and there was no way Rin could remain indifferent to that.

"Rin, don't be willful. This is your father's decision. Besides, the Matou family isn't bad. Your Uncle Kariya is from the Matou family, and Sakura will surely live well there."

Hearing her mother describe the despicable Matou family so favorably, Rin nearly blurted out everything she knew about Zouken Matou. But before she could say anything, Sakura stopped her.

"Mom, let's go. I'm also curious to see what my future family is like," Sakura said with a light smile, suppressing her disgust and killing intent toward Zouken Matou for the sake of the plan.

Though Aoi found it strange that her daughter seemed so accepting of being adopted into another family, she didn't press further since it had been her husband's decision.

"Rin, you stay here and play for a while," Aoi instructed, not intending to take Rin to the study to avoid any disruptions.

"I don't want to. I'm going with you and Sakura to the study."

"Rin, listen."

Seeing her mother's serious expression, Rin opened her mouth, but in the end, swallowed her objections, though her face still showed her discontent.

"Sister, you should listen to Mom. Don't worry, this will all be over soon," Sakura said, holding Rin's hand, trying to calm her.

Sakura was worried that Rin might attack Zouken Matou when they saw him. Given her current strength, Rin could easily deal with the old magus, and that would ruin the plan.

"Alright," Rin finally relented, casting a reluctant glance at her sister, deciding not to follow them to the study.

After comforting Rin, Aoi led Sakura toward Tokiomi's study.

Not far behind them, Eriri and Arifureta exchanged a glance, their smiles identical, filled with excitement.

Hand in hand, they followed closely behind Sakura, leaving Rin standing alone in the room.

[Eriri (Level 8, Stage 5): The show's about to begin!]

[Arifureta (Level 4, Stage 2/Group Leader): Let's go!!!]

[Ding! Sakura Tohsaka (Level 3, Stage 9) has started a livestream.]

…

"Sakura, this is the head of the Matou family, your future grandfather," Tokiomi Tohsaka introduced Zouken Matou once Aoi brought Sakura into the study.

"From today, your surname will be Matou, and you will have no further ties to the Tohsaka family. Now, go and greet your grandfather."

Sakura nearly lost control of the murderous intent she had been holding back the moment she saw the grinning Zouken Matou. The stench of decay that clung to him was so foul that she almost vomited up her breakfast.

To calm herself, Sakura closed her eyes and hid behind Aoi, silently chanting Eriri's name over and over in her heart, recalling her face. Gradually, she managed to suppress the urge to lash out.

However, she couldn't bring herself to call this vile man "grandfather," not even for the sake of the act.

"Sakura?" Tokiomi frowned, noticing Sakura's silence.

Aoi was puzzled by her daughter's reaction. She had seemed cheerful earlier, but now, upon meeting the head of the Matou family, she had become quiet.

Still, Aoi didn't dwell on it, assuming Sakura was just feeling shy.

"It's alright, Lord Tohsaka. There's no rush. Once she's settled into the Matou family, I'll have plenty of time to get to know Sakura. I'm sure she'll willingly call me grandfather soon enough," Zouken said with a cackle, standing from the sofa.

"Since everything's settled, Lord Tohsaka, I'll be taking Sakura now."

"Very well," Tokiomi replied, standing as well, his face impassive as if his daughter's departure meant nothing to him.

With a hunched back and a rotting body, Zouken Matou hobbled over to Sakura, speaking in a seemingly gentle tone. "Sakura, come with me now."

He turned and began walking toward the door, and Sakura followed without resistance.

As she stepped out of the Tohsaka mansion, Sakura cast a final glance at her parents, knowing that once she crossed this threshold, she would no longer belong to this family.

A wave of sadness washed over her.

With a sigh in her heart, she turned away and stepped into the waiting black car alongside Zouken Matou.

Through the car window, she saw Tokiomi Tohsaka smiling faintly, clearly pleased that his younger daughter had secured a magical inheritance.

But what he didn't know was that his daughter was about to face unimaginable horrors.

After a short drive, the car arrived at the Matou mansion, which was just as grand as the Tohsaka estate.

Following Zouken Matou inside, Eriri, who had been discreetly following them, suddenly turned her gaze in another direction.

"What's up? Did you notice something?" Arifureta, noticing Eriri's shift in focus, also looked in the same direction but saw nothing.

"Interesting," Eriri said with a mysterious smile.

Moments ago, she had sensed a disturbance in space several kilometers away—the telltale sign of a world portal opening. She "saw" a beautiful young girl fall through the broken portal, and the aura emanating from the girl was not weak. At the very least, she was at the Surface Level.

The girl's appearance and attire were familiar to Eriri, stirring memories of someone from her past.

She then watched as the girl muttered something to herself before flying swiftly in the direction of the Matou estate.

Eriri was intrigued by this unexpected arrival. The girl's appearance and mention of a "system" piqued her curiosity, especially since the chat group had yet to issue any new group missions.

Moreover, the girl had uttered a line that was widely known in fan fiction from her past life, making it clear that this girl was a fellow transmigrator. Whether she was the person Eriri thought she might be was still uncertain.

"Little Skirt, did you sense that system that appeared just now?" Eriri asked in her mind.

Little Skirt's reply surprised her, though it was also within her expectations.

"Yes, Onee-chan. I detected the system," Little Skirt's sweet, childish voice echoed in Eriri's mind.

"Then why didn't you issue a group mission? Systems are your food for evolution, aren't they?"

After devouring two weak systems and a chat group of equal strength, Little Skirt had grown to her current level. It stood to reason that Skirt wouldn't pass up a chance to evolve further.

"That's true, but I'm a good girl! I don't randomly start fights, and that system and its host don't seem evil. Plus, they haven't caused you any harm, Onee-chan. Why would I start trouble with them?"

"Hmm, I see. So you only target systems or chat groups that are on the 'evil' side?"

"Exactly! But if anyone dares to mess with you, even if they're running a saint-making system, I'll smack them down for you!!!"

"Uh… okay then…"

Though Little Skirt's words made Eriri smile, she couldn't help but feel like Little Skirt was getting a bit too eager to please.

It was such a random thought that she accidentally voiced it aloud in her mind.

"It's not like that! This is my proof of love for you, Onee-chan!"

"Alright, alright. Whatever makes you happy." Eriri decided not to press the matter any further. "By the way, did you figure out the level of that system?"

"Of course! If I'm not mistaken, it's a High-Level Intermediate chat group, about the same level as me."

"And if you can sense it, does that mean it can sense us?"

Eriri was concerned. If the girl realized they were here, it would spoil the fun.

What she wanted was chaos—pure, unsuspecting chaos. If the girl knew what was happening, the entire show would lose its charm. If she joined in unknowingly, though, it would add layers to the entertainment.

"Don't worry, Onee-chan. They can't sense us.

In the vast multiverse, chat groups like ours are far rarer than systems, making us more advanced by comparison.

While chat groups can detect systems below Supreme-Level, systems can only detect chat groups that are weaker than them."

"I see. That's a relief." Eriri sighed in relief. Things weren't as bad as she feared. Otherwise, she'd have to intercept the girl before things got too complicated.

With that worry gone, Eriri beamed and hugged Arifureta, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Yue-chan, looks like our show is about to get some new cast members. The fun's just getting started!"