The next morning—
Ren slowly opened his eyes before stretching lazily on the bed.
"…What a troublesome night."
For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then memories from yesterday slowly resurfaced.
After sealing the Holy Grail, Ren immediately transported the entire thing into one of the Foundation's containment zones.
Afterward, he talked with Aesc for a while.
More specifically, about the promise between them.
Then her body gradually turned into countless specks of light.
Before disappearing completely, she glanced toward Ren one last time.
"Don't forget your promise, Sensei."
Ren only laughed lightly.
"I said I'd help. I'm not backing out now."
Then she vanished.
After that, Ren looked toward Kiritsugu and Saber.
The atmosphere between the two was painfully heavy.
Neither of them spoke.
Kiritsugu simply stood there silently while Saber lowered her gaze quietly.
The determination and hope she carried throughout the Holy Grail War were no longer there.
And honestly, Ren understood why.
Artoria had joined the Holy Grail War for one reason.
To save Britain.
To redo the fall of Camelot.
Yet in the end—
The miracle she desperately chased after turned out to be nothing more than a cursed trap.
A scam.
Artoria slowly lowered her gaze before letting out a quiet sigh filled with exhaustion and disappointment.
For that wish, Artoria even made a contract with Alaya before her death.
In exchange for obtaining the Holy Grail, she agreed that after she finally died, she would become a Heroic Spirit.
Because of that contract, the Grail summoned her directly from the moment before her death at Camlann instead of summoning a normal Heroic Spirit from the Throne.
So unlike ordinary Servants, Artoria wasn't truly dead yet.
The Saber standing here was the real King Arthur herself.
That was also why she couldn't turn into spirit form like other Servants.
Once the contract ended—
She would simply return to her own timeline.
Back to the hill of Camlann.
Back to her final moments.
Then her body gradually began turning into countless specks of golden light.
The contract had ended.
Before disappearing completely, she briefly looked toward Kiritsugu one last time.
But in the end—
She said nothing.
The next moment, the King of Knights vanished completely.
Silence filled the cave afterward.
Kiritsugu remained standing there quietly for a while before finally walking toward Ren.
"…Thank you."
His voice sounded tired.
"If you hadn't warned me back then… I don't know whether I could've made the right decision after seeing the Grail."
Ren only shrugged casually.
Kiritsugu then continued after a brief pause.
"If there's anything I can do to repay you…"
Ren was about to refuse out of habit, but then something came to mind.
"…There is one thing."
Kiritsugu looked toward him.
Ren stared at him silently for a moment before speaking.
"Be a good father."
Kiritsugu froze slightly.
"Your daughter needs a father more than the world needs another self-sacrificing hero."
Ren's tone remained calm.
"Stop chasing impossible ideals."
"Live for your family instead."
"For the family Irisviel left behind."
"For your daughter."
"Just this once… choose them first."
"If you can't...I'll just kidnap your daughter so she can live happily" said Ren as a small grin slowly appeared on his face.
Kiritsugu stayed silent, he didn't ask why Ren know his daughter.
But...For the first time in a long while, he genuinely didn't know what to say.
His ideals.
His dream.
The thing he had pursued his entire life—
Ren was telling him to let it go.
After a long silence, Kiritsugu slowly lowered his gaze.
Then he quietly turned around and walked away.
His back looked strangely heavy.
Melancholic.
Meanwhile Ren simply yawned tiredly.
"…Man, I need sleep."
Then he casually opened a portal and walked straight into it.
=========
(end of flashback)
"system, I choose to sign in."
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for signing in! You have received: SCP-3108 - The Nerfing Gun (Anomalous Rank: Apollyon-Class)]
[Please choose whether to summon the SCP or receive its traits.]
"Woah… now that's a good reward."
Ren's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
After all, this thing was ridiculously broken.
SCP-3108 was an anomalous toy gun resembling a Nerf blaster. Anything shot by it would become a weaker, safer, or more childish version of itself according to the idea of the shooter.
And the scary part was—
The effect wasn't merely physical.
It worked conceptually.
Dangerous objects, creatures, even anomalies themselves could be "nerfed," as if reality had suddenly received a balancing patch update.
The Foundation once tested it on SCP-682, temporarily turning the nearly unkillable monster into a far less dangerous state, although the effect didn't remain permanent.
However, if the target's anomalous level was lower than SCP-3108 itself, the nerf effect could become permanent.
"System, I choose to summon SCP-3108."
Plop.
An orange Nerf blaster suddenly popped into existence and landed directly in Ren's hand.
Seeing this, Ren immediately became excited and aimed the gun toward the wooden table nearby.
Swoosh—
The foam bullet struck the table.
Then, almost like magic, the anomalous effect activated instantly.
The entire table suddenly transformed into a plastic table that you can find at kindergarten.
Ren's eyes widened.
"So cool!"
Then he casually tossed the gun onto the containment zone.
"Anyway, breakfast first."
Ren took out a small silver handbell before ringing it lightly.
Ding.
A few seconds later, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"You can come in."
The door slowly opened.
A middle-aged man dressed neatly in a butler outfit entered the room.
He is none other than Mr. Deeds, the butler summoned through SCP-662, Butler's Hand Bell.
"Good morning, sir," Mr. Deeds said politely while bowing slightly.
"Is there anything I may assist you with?"
"Ah, can you make breakfast for me and Sakura?"
"Gladly, sir. Please wait a moment."
"Oh right, can you wake Sakura up after breakfast is ready?"
"Certainly, sir."
Mr. Deeds gave another gentle bow before quietly leaving the room.
Meanwhile, Ren stretched lazily before heading toward the bathroom to wash up.
======
Morning sunlight quietly entered through the dining room windows.
Ren sat lazily at the dining table while eating breakfast, meanwhile Sakura quietly sat beside him while swinging her legs slightly.
On the table were pancakes, eggs, toast, warm milk and a cup of coffee neatly prepared by Mr. Deeds.
Honestly, the butler's cooking skill was terrifyingly good.
Sakura then looked toward Ren curiously.
"Big Brother."
"Hm?"
"The uncle who woke me up earlier… who is he?"
Ren immediately understood who she meant.
"Oh, him? That's Mr. Deeds."
"The butler of this house."
"If you need anything while I'm busy, you can ask him for help."
Sakura nodded obediently.
Then she looked around the dining room for a moment.
"…Where is Sister Aesc?"
Ren glanced toward Sakura briefly before answering casually.
"Your sister went home for a while."
Sakura blinked slightly.
"…Home?"
"Yep."
Hearing that, Sakura's expression visibly became a little disappointed.
After all, Aesc wasn't just her magic teacher anymore.
Somewhere along the way, Sakura had already started seeing her as an older sister.
Seeing Sakura's reaction, Ren couldn't help chuckling softly.
Then he gently patted her head.
"Don't make that face."
"Sister Aesc just went back to get something."
"She'll come back later and continue teaching you magic."
Sakura immediately looked up toward him.
"Really?"
Ren nodded casually.
"Really."
The gloomy look on Sakura's face disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a bright smile again.
Meanwhile Ren silently thought—
Children really were easy to cheer up sometimes.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke again.
"Oh right, after breakfast, go prepare yourself."
Sakura tilted her head slightly.
"Prepare?"
Ren nodded.
"We're going somewhere later."
"Where?" Sakura asked curiously.
Ren took a sip of his coffee before answering.
"To meet your mother and your sister."
"We're going to say goodbye before leaving Fuyuki."
The moment Sakura heard that, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Really?!"
Ren nodded casually.
"Yep."
Sakura instantly became excited and quickly started eating her breakfast much faster than before.
Seeing this, Ren immediately frowned slightly.
"Slow down."
"You're eating breakfast, not fighting for your life."
A few minutes later, Sakura finally finished her breakfast.
Then she quickly climbed down from her chair excitedly.
"Big brother, I'll go prepare first!"
Ren waved his hand casually.
"Alright, don't rush too much."
Sakura nodded before immediately running upstairs toward her room.
The moment her footsteps disappeared from the second floor, Ren suddenly looked toward Mr. Deeds.
"Mr. Deeds."
"Yes, sir?"
Ren leaned back slightly on his chair.
"I need a favor."
Mr. Deeds immediately bowed politely.
"If it is within my capabilities, I shall gladly assist."
Ren nodded.
"I need you to go "grab" some people."
The moment those words left Ren's mouth, Mr. Deeds became silent.
"…I beg your pardon, sir?"
Seeing his reaction, Ren quickly realized how suspicious that sounded.
"Ah, wait, I forgot to explain properly."
Ren rubbed the back of his head slightly before continuing.
"I'm not asking you to randomly kidnap people."
"What I want is for you to go investigate some people."
"People who committed crimes horrible enough to deserve death, yet still walk freely under the sun like nothing happened."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Murderers."
"Human traffickers."
"Child abusers."
"People like that."
The atmosphere inside the dining room became quieter.
Then Ren calmly continued.
"Once you confirm it…grab them then throw them into the MTF Program building."
For a brief moment, Mr. Deeds remained silent.
Then—
A faint smile slowly appeared on the butler's face.
"I see."
"In that case, I would be more than happy to assist, sir."
Seeing him agree so easily, Ren immediately took out a black card with the Foundation logo engraved onto it before handing it over.
Mr. Deeds accepted it carefully.
"With that card, you can directly open a portal connected to the MTF Program building."
Mr. Deeds looked at the black card briefly before bowing once more.
"Understood, sir."
Then he calmly adjusted his gloves.
"I shall begin immediately."
=========
(a bit of time skip)
A while later—
Ren and Sakura could be seen walking through a park quietly.
Originally, Ren planned to visit the Tohsaka residence directly.
But after checking their location, it turned out Sakura's mother and Rin were currently outside.
So here they were.
Sakura walked beside Ren while humming softly, clearly excited.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes widened.
"Mom!"
Without waiting another second, Sakura immediately ran forward excitedly while calling out loudly.
Not far away, Sakura's mother and Rin instantly turned toward the familiar voice.
The moment her mother saw Sakura running toward her, her eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"Sakura?!"
The next moment, Sakura threw herself directly into her mother's arms.
Rin quickly joined the hug as well.
For a brief moment, the three of them simply held each other tightly.
Tears slowly formed in Sakura's mother's eyes.
After all, no matter how calm she tried to appear, she had missed Sakura dearly.
Especially after suddenly being separated from her.
Meanwhile Sakura simply buried her face against her mother happily.
"…Mom."
Her mother gently held Sakura's shoulders before slowly pulling back slightly to look at her carefully.
Then relief slowly appeared on her face.
Sakura looked healthier.
Brighter.
Far different from the gloomy child she remembered before she went to Matou house.
Seeing that, her mother finally smiled softly.
"How have you been, Sakura?"
"Are you alright over there?"
Sakura immediately nodded happily.
"Mhm!"
Then Sakura suddenly remembered something important.
"Ah! Mom!"
Her mother blinked slightly.
"Hm?"
Sakura immediately grabbed her sleeve excitedly.
"I live with big brother now!"
"Big brother said I don't have to go back to Matou House anymore!"
The moment those words came out, both her mother and Rin froze briefly.
Then, like a child finally finding someone she could complain to, Sakura immediately started pouring everything out at once.
She talked about the Matou mansion.
The dark basement.
The insects.
The terrifying atmosphere inside the house.
And the things she saw there.
The more Sakura spoke, the paler her mother's face gradually became.
"…Insects?"
Her expression stiffened slightly.
The Matou family's magecraft should've been water-based.
At least...That was what she remembered.
So why was Sakura talking about insects?
Meanwhile Sakura continued speaking innocently, completely unaware of how heavy the atmosphere was becoming.
"If big brother didn't come save me… I don't know what would happen to me there…"
Hearing that, her mother's hands trembled slightly.
Then slowly—
She turned her gaze toward Ren.
Not far away, Ren simply stood there quietly with his hands inside his pockets.
The moment their eyes met, he only gave her a small gentle smile before casually waving toward her.
Ren slowly walked closer afterward.
"What Sakura told you is true."
His tone remained calm.
"I know it sounds hard to believe coming from a complete stranger."
"Especially the insect part."
Sakura's mother remained silent while tightly holding Sakura's hand.
Then Ren continued.
"If you want proof, go find Matou Kariya."
"He knows what's happening inside the Matou house."
The moment Kariya's name was mentioned, her expression immediately shifted slightly.
After a few moments of silence, she slowly lowered her head toward Ren.
"…Thank you."
Her voice sounded slightly shaken.
Not just because Sakura was safe—
But because she was slowly beginning to realize what kind of place she had sent her daughter into.
Then she looked back toward Sakura again.
This time, her expression softened completely.
"Sakura…"
"Do you want to come home?"
The moment those words reached her ears, Sakura's body stiffened slightly.
The word "home" immediately brought back memories of her father's cold expression and the way he handed her away without hesitation.
As if she was something that could simply be transferred elsewhere.
Sakura unconsciously tightened her grip.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"…I don't want to."
Her mother froze slightly.
Sakura lowered her gaze.
"I'm scared…"
Her small voice trembled slightly.
"What if father sends me away again…?"
"I don't want to go back there anymore…"
The park suddenly became quiet.
Even Rin remained silent after hearing Sakura's words.
Hearing Sakura's trembling voice, her mother instinctively wanted to say something.
To reassure her.
To tell her everything would be alright.
But the words never came out.
Because deep down—
She understood.
Inside the Tohsaka household, the one who held authority was her husband.
Even if she opposed the decision back then, Tokiomi still would have made the decision himself.
That helpless realization only made the guilt in her chest feel heavier.
After a long silence, she slowly looked toward Sakura again.
"…Are you happy with your big brother?"
The moment Sakura heard that question, her gloomy expression disappeared almost instantly.
"Yes!"
A bright smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Big brother is super nice to me!"
"He brings me outside to play all the time!"
Then Sakura suddenly grabbed Ren's sleeve excitedly.
"Big brother, phone!"
Ren blinked once before handing it over casually.
The next moment, Sakura happily showed the photos inside the phone to her mother.
Pictures at amusement parks.
Pictures at shopping malls.
Pictures of Sakura wearing all kinds of beautiful dresses while smiling brightly at the camera.
There were even several blurry photos clearly taken while Ren got dragged around unwillingly.
Meanwhile, Sakura continued talking excitedly beside her.
"And this one!"
"And this too!"
Seeing those photos, her mother slowly smiled.
A genuine smile.
For the first time in a long while, she could clearly see that Sakura was truly happy.
Then, after quietly watching Sakura for a few more seconds, she slowly turned toward Ren.
"…Please take care of Sakura from now on."
Her voice carried both gratitude and guilt.
Ren remained silent briefly before answering calmly.
"I already treat her like family anyway."
Hearing that answer, her tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.
Not long after, Sakura and Rin quickly ran off together to play nearby, leaving only Ren and Sakura's mother behind under the quiet afternoon sunlight.
Time slowly passed.
Before anyone realized it, the sky had already begun turning orange as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon.
Eventually, it was time to leave.
Sakura tightly hugged her mother and Rin one last time.
"…I'll miss you."
Her mother gently stroked Sakura's hair while holding back her tears.
"We'll miss you too."
Meanwhile Rin puffed her cheeks slightly while trying to act strong.
"You better not forget about us."
Sakura immediately shook her head repeatedly.
"I won't!"
Seeing the atmosphere becoming heavier again, Ren suddenly spoke up from the side.
"Oh right."
The three of them looked toward him.
"We'll be living in Tokyo from now on."
"So if you want to meet Sakura again, you can always come visit."
Sakura's mother looked slightly surprised.
"Really?"
Ren nodded.
"And if you miss her, just video call."
Then he casually took out his phone.
A few minutes later, both of them had already exchanged contact information.
Seeing that, Sakura's mother visibly relaxed slightly.
At the very least—
This didn't feel like a permanent separation anymore.
Then, just before leaving, Ren's expression became slightly more serious.
"There's one more thing."
Sakura's mother looked toward him quietly.
"For now… don't tell your husband that Sakura is living with me."
Her expression changed slightly.
Ren sighed softly.
"Tokiomi's way of thinking is… stubborn."
"I don't know how he'll react after hearing all this."
"But whatever happens, I doubt it'll be anything good."
Especially before she learned the full truth behind the Matou family.
After a brief silence, Sakura's mother slowly nodded.
"…Understood."
Ren gave a small nod back.
Then not long after, both sides finally bid each other farewell under the evening sky.
======
Author's Note:
Hello everyone~
I want to let you guys know that I won't be updating this fanfic until next week because it's Golden Week here! I'll be going on vacation, and this weekend I'll also be attending the Comifuro event.
So yeahhh—
See you all next week! Eheheh~