C22

"Uh..."

With a pain-filled cry, Shirou was kicked out of the dream.

Scathach, who acted like a big sister to him, didn't get angry when he made the rude request. Instead, she simply smiled and refused. In her words - "You really are a pitiable child. But even though I really want to help you, unfortunately, I cannot manifest in the physical world."

And then under the pretext of training, Scathach subjected Shirou to a brutal beating, hammering his body until it was as tough as iron. In total, she killed him 41 times before finally, just as dawn was breaking, she kicked him out with a swift kick to the butt.

Violence!

It was a truly violent experience!

Shirou really wants to cry. Despite her gentle exterior, Scathach's true nature was that of a terrifying demon of violence!

But that's not even the worst part. The thing that truly made Shirou's head throb was the realization that he was being watched by that tax thief maniac!

No wonder that guy was so willing to provide information to Shirou and come to his aid when he was about to be killed by Spartacus. It was because Shirou had become the object of amusement for Mr. Gold!

Could this be the result of his luck, which was almost as good as Lancer's E?

Shirou couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Big brother, did I keep you from getting a good night's sleep last night?" Sakura asked guiltily. She had held onto Shirou throughout the night and thought that might be the reason for his lack of rest.

"No, Sakura, you're worrying too much. Let's get out of bed, wash up, brush our teeth, and have breakfast," Shirou said, pulling back the blankets.

"Okay." Sakura nodded.

After they washed up, Shirou and Sakura went downstairs to find that Mrs. Fujimaru had already prepared breakfast, which included a poached egg and milk.

"Huh, we are not having sandwiches today?" Shirou asked curiously.

"I watched a health program last night, and the expert said it's not good to eat greasy food in the morning," Mrs. Fujimaru said with a smile, clearly pleased that she had gained some new health knowledge.

Shirou knew that his mom liked to watch those domestic care programs on a daily basis. In an effort to be a competent housewife, this tough and detail-oriented mother was also working very hard.

"Oh, right, Shirou. Your dad said he'll be off work in two days. Do you have any place you'd like to go and play?" Mrs. Fujimura asked.

"No," Shirou shook his head.

"What about you, Sakura? Do you have any place you'd like to go?" Mrs. Fujimura asked, turning to Sakura.

"No, Aunt Chiyo," Sakura answered politely.

"Oh dear! That's a problem. Where should our family go on vacation? Abroad is too expensive, and going to a nearby city doesn't have the feeling of novelty," Mrs. Fujimura said, looking a bit troubled.

It seemed that she, being lively and energetic wanted to go out and play. It was a reminder that even as adults, the desire to have fun and relax is still present.

It's just that -

Shirou laughed bitterly. Originally, he had planned a family vacation to avoid the Fourth Holy Grail War, but because of Mr. Gold, he had to put it on hold.

At the very least, he can't go out with the Fujimaru family, otherwise, as his mentor said, that extremely self-centered chuunibyou will surely bomb the transportation vehicle they're riding in.

Reality can be really funny. Originally, he just wanted to be an ordinary wealthy man, but in the end, he was still dragged into the war of magi. He had wanted to avoid the Fourth Holy Grail War, but in the end, he was drawn in deeper and deeper, until now, when there's no way to avoid it.

However, things also have two sides. If that chuunibyou hadn't seen Shirou as an object of amusement, Shirou might have already died at Spartacus' hands.

And now, Shirou has to consider how to face this Holy Grail War.

...

Fujimaru Narita hung up the phone with a tired expression and leaned back in his chair. He glanced at the photo frame on the table, which contained a picture of him and his family. Fujimaru picked up the frame and looked at it for a moment before smiling and setting it back down.

"Keep up the hard work!" he encouraged himself as he stood up and stretched. He then retrieved some real estate documents from his desk drawer. Just then, a colleague called out, "Narita, someone is looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Fujimaru wondered. "Who is it?"

Narita trailed behind his colleague, curious as to who could be seeking him out. When he laid eyes on the man, he was taken aback by his appearance. The man was decked out in a luxurious red suit and carried a staff adorned with sparkling jewels, exuding an air of Western aristocracy. His neatly groomed beard and poised demeanor only added to the image of an elegant gentleman.

Narita couldn't shake the feeling of unease as he wondered what a person of such high standing could possibly want with him, a small-time real estate agent. He cautiously approached the man and inquired, "Excuse me, may I ask who you are?"

"Hello, Mr. Fujimaru. My name is Tohsaka Tokiomi and I am Sakura's biological father," the man said with a smile. He glanced at Narita's hands and noticed that he had no charms on them.

Narita's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Sakura. "Excuse me, Mr. Tohsaka, but may I ask what brings you to me?"

"I heard that my daughter, Sakura, has been staying with you, Mr. Fujimaru. That must be quite a burden for you," Tokiomi said with a graceful smile. Sakura had a charm from him that made it easy for him to locate her, and he had learned last night that Sakura had been brought home by Shirou.

"Oh, no, it's no burden at all, Mr. Tohsaka. You're too kind," Narita said, waving his hands and adopting a humble posture. As a small-time salaryman, he knew he was no match for someone as influential as Tohsaka in the city of Fuyuki.

"I also heard that you and your family were planning a trip, is that correct?" Tokiomi asked.

"Yes, Mr. Tohsaka, you have excellent information. But please rest assured, we have no intention of taking Sakura with us. In fact, I tried to bring her back to your house yesterday, but it was already late. And as you know, Fuyuki hasn't been very peaceful lately..." Narita said. In his view, Tohsaka had come to reclaim Sakura.

"No. Mr. Fujimaru, you seem to have misunderstood. The reason I came here was to ask you to take Sakura on your trip." Tokiomi said.

"Ah--?"

Fujimaru Narita was momentarily confused.

Tokiomi gave a slight smile. After the confrontation with the Matou family last night, Tokiomi had come to understand the Matou family's situation and why Sakura was so rebellious.

Unfortunately, the Holy Grail War has already started, making it difficult for Tokiomi to send Sakura to Finland at this time. Instead, he decides it would be best to have the Fujimaru family take Sakura on a trip to avoid the conflict of the war.

"Here is a token of my sincerity. I hope you will accept it, Mr. Fujimaru," Tokiomi said as he handed Fujimaru Narita a stack of bills.

"Oh, this is too much, Mr. Tohsaka!" Fujimaru Narita exclaimed, flustered.

"Please, there's no need to be so formal. My only wish is for my daughter to have a happy trip," Tokiomi replied with an elegant smile.

"In addition, there is one more thing I would like to ask Mr. Fujimaru," Tokiomi said, his expression becoming somewhat serious.

"Yes, Mr. Tohsaka? What is it?" Fujimaru Narita inquired.

As he spoke, Tokiomi's eyes lit up slightly, and he used "Suggestion" on Fujimaru Narita. Raising his arm, he revealed the seals on his skin and asked, "Is there anyone in your family with this mark?"

"Yes." Fujimaru Narita answered, with a dazed expression.

"Who?" Tokiomi pressed for an answer.

"My six-year-old son..." Fujimaru Narita answered mechanically.

"So that's how it is..."

Tokiomi nodded to himself, deep in thought. 'Could it be that there really is a problem with the Holy Grail? For a child to become a Master... Well, this is one less opponent to worry about. But was the person in the black cloak last night that child's Servant? The aura is somewhat different from a normal Servant's.'

As he came to this conclusion, Tokiomi lifted the "Suggestion" and said to Fujimaru Narita, who had returned to normal, "In that case, I entrust my daughter to you, Mr. Fujimaru. In exchange, I will also take good care of your son."

"Ah...is that so? Thank you, Mr. Tohsaka."

"There is one more thing, please don't tell my daughter about this."

"Understood, Mr. Tohsaka."

Fujimaru Narita, unaware of the manipulation, was overjoyed at the prospect. From a normal, ordinary person's perspective, this could be seen as the Fujimaru and Tohsaka families forming a relationship, which would certainly be beneficial for their future prospects. However, it is unfortunate that this is the thinking of a normal, ordinary person, rather than the truth of the situation.

To a magus, the way of thinking of a normal, ordinary person is abnormal, and to a normal, ordinary person, the way of thinking of a magus is also abnormal.

Fujimaru Narita would definitely not think that the "care" mentioned by Tokiomi was not the "care" he thought it was, but rather--