Is It an Illusion?

Aoi Tohsaka was a gentle and virtuous woman, like a well-bred lady from a respectable family—she was the epitome of a good wife and loving mother. She was graceful and elegant, and speaking with her felt like being bathed in the warmth of spring. It was no wonder she could raise such outstanding daughters as Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Tohsaka, and no surprise that Kariya Matou was so fond of her.

Tonight, Kaguya had intended to leave after dropping off Sakura, but Aoi, in order to show her gratitude, insisted that she stay. Faced with Aoi's warmth, Kaguya couldn't bring herself to decline, so she agreed to stay.

Looking at the beautifully prepared dishes, exuding mouthwatering aromas, Kaguya couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Tokiomi Tohsaka. It was a pity that someone as graceful as Aoi had married him.

Throughout the meal, Aoi displayed her gentle and virtuous nature. She thanked Kaguya sincerely, even going out of her way to pour coffee and offer pastries. Even though Kaguya was no longer a Servant and had a human body now, she still consumed a lot of energy. After using Infinite Tsukuyomi and fighting Berserker, her energy reserves were depleted, and eating was one of the few ways to replenish it.

However, for some reason, Kaguya felt a strange vibe from Aoi. Something seemed off. Although Kaguya couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, she could tell that Aoi had something on her mind and was somewhat distracted.

But since this was a personal family matter, Kaguya didn't pry further.

Later that evening, things became a bit tricky. The house they were staying in was meant for hiding, not for comfort. It was a relatively small place—just over a hundred square meters with three bedrooms and a living room. Though the furnishings were complete, simple, and elegant, it couldn't compare to the grandeur of the Tohsaka estate.

The main problem was the lack of space. There were only three rooms—one for Aoi, one for Rin, and one for Sakura. With Kaguya as a guest, a room had to be made for her. In the end, Rin and Sakura had to share a bed. Fortunately, both girls were young and small, so they fit on one bed.

As night fell and the sky filled with stars, the pale moon hung high, casting its soft light through the window, gently illuminating Kaguya's flawless face.

Kaguya, however, wasn't feeling sleepy at all. She was contemplating the recent strange events. There seemed to be an invisible hand stirring up the chaos, making the Holy Grail War even more unpredictable.

If she had to guess the main suspects, it would be Emiya Kiritsugu or Tokiomi Tohsaka. Only those two had the intelligence and ruthless determination to manipulate events to this extent. The others were either too simple-minded or solely focused on their own affairs.

But Emiya Kiritsugu had been present the other night, with an alibi, and as for Tokiomi, it didn't seem likely that he would use his own daughter for his schemes. Could it be Kirei Kotomine? That seemed possible—after all, Gilgamesh might have already influenced him, and it was only a matter of time before Kirei betrayed him.

This war was becoming more interesting by the minute.

Just as Kaguya was mapping out her next move, she heard the door creak open quietly.

Kaguya frowned. Could someone be bold enough to confront her directly? If they dared, Kaguya wouldn't hesitate to teach them a painful lesson.

But when she saw the small figure entering, she couldn't help but smile. It wasn't an enemy at all—it was little Sakura.

She watched as Sakura tiptoed over to Kaguya's bed.

Curious about what the girl intended to do, Kaguya pretended to be asleep, watching silently.

Sakura crept up to the bed and, seeing that Kaguya appeared to be asleep, gently lifted the blanket and slid in. Her small, soft arms wrapped around Kaguya, and she rested her head on Kaguya's shoulder, her delicate face showing a satisfied smile.

Kaguya was momentarily taken aback. She had been wondering what Sakura might do, but she hadn't expected this.

Sakura's subtle movements alerted Kaguya, and the little girl looked up like a startled rabbit. When she saw Kaguya's clear, bright eyes staring back at her, she froze and stammered, "I-I..."

"It's fine," Kaguya smiled softly, pulling Sakura's small body into her embrace. "What made you come find me?"

Sakura, seeing that Kaguya wasn't upset, relaxed and instinctively curled up in Kaguya's arms, as if seeking comfort.

"Were you scared earlier?" Kaguya gently rubbed her back, asking softly.

Sakura nodded slightly, wrapping her small arms around Kaguya and saying, "Mhm."

Feeling the soft warmth of Sakura's small figure, Kaguya smiled gently, allowing her to stay wrapped in her warm embrace.

At that moment, the door creaked again. Kaguya blinked and looked up, seeing another small figure quietly creeping toward the bed, hugging a large pillow. The moonlight revealed her delicate, beautiful face and twin-tails—it was Rin Tohsaka.

Rin carefully approached, lifted the blanket, and froze in surprise when she saw that Sakura was already in the bed. She blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

It turned out that when Sakura had left, she'd placed a pillow under her blanket to make it look like she was still there. Rin, in her haste, hadn't realized that Sakura had sneaked out.

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