"..."
"..."
Hearing Fujimura Taiga say that, Ian and Tohsaka Sakura exchanged glances, both their expressions growing a bit awkward. Especially Tohsaka Sakura. She couldn't shake the feeling that Fujimura Taiga had tricked her.
"Um—" The girl's voice softened a bit, sounding like she was already reconsidering. "Is there really... such a difficult old person living nearby?"
"..." Seeing Tohsaka Sakura's hesitation, Fujimura Taiga immediately realized her words just now might have deterred them. She quickly waved her hand, explaining: "No, don't misunderstand! I meant... he gets up every morning to practice that Bajiquan, it's just a little noisy!"
"..." Tohsaka Sakura didn't respond to Fujimura Taiga, but she took a step back, looking like she no longer wanted to live in this place.
However—Ian, at this moment, took the girl's hand and gently patted her shoulder, signaling that she didn't need to worry with him around. He looked at Teacher Taiga in front of them and continued: "I understand. Besides this, there shouldn't be any other problems, right?"
"No, no!" Fujimura Taiga quickly replied. "There's water, electricity, everything! You just need to tidy up a bit and you can move in!"
"Alright, I see." Ian took Tohsaka Sakura's hand—it was getting late, and he couldn't let her run around anymore. "Please give us the keys."
"Eh, okay!"
[You and Tohsaka Sakura moved into the house rented by Fujimura Taiga.]
[It turned out that the English teacher from Homurahara Academy was quite honest.]
[The house indeed had everything, but it definitely needed a good cleaning before it could be lived in.]
[To allow Tohsaka Sakura to rest, you decided to get to work immediately.]
Inside the house.
"So much clutter." Ian remarked, looking at the scene before him, then placed their luggage aside. "Sakura, wait for me here. I'll call you when I've tidied things up."
"No." Tohsaka Sakura shook her head and then took Ian's hand. She looked at the man who had accompanied her all day, her eyes filled with emotion. "How can I let you do all the work alone? Mr. Ian, let me help you clean."
"..." Seeing Tohsaka Sakura's demeanor, Ian knew he couldn't stop her, so he nodded. "Alright, we'll clean together."
It must be said that Tohsaka Sakura's housekeeping skills were quite excellent. And the speed at which two people cleaned was indeed much faster than one. After a while of bustling, Ian and Tohsaka Sakura had tidied up enough space for them to rest tonight. Although the surroundings were still a bit messy, it at least somewhat resembled a "residence."
"We'll do the rest tomorrow," Ian stopped—he didn't mind where he slept, but Tohsaka Sakura needed a place to rest.
"Mr. Ian, a tissue," Tohsaka Sakura offered a tissue.
"Thank you."
"Mr. Ian, you're all sweaty now," the girl said softly, looking at the man. "Do you want to take a bath?"
"I was just thinking that," Ian replied.
"Mm..." Hearing this, Tohsaka Sakura licked her lips, then made a remarkably bold statement: "Then let's go together. If two of us go together—we can save a lot of time."
"..." Ian completely understood Tohsaka Sakura's intentions, and he certainly wouldn't refuse such a request.
"Okay."
Inside the bathroom.
The tap was turned, and hot water sprayed from the showerhead like a fine mist, landing on the white tiles of the floor. Warm mist permeated the bathroom air, blurring the outlines of other objects into an indistinguishable haze. In the center of this haze, Ian tightly embraced Tohsaka Sakura.
The two could now hear each other's heartbeats, the most primal of stirrings. The man looked at the shy girl in his arms, his words and actions becoming more cautious. This was a necessary preparation for prana replenishment.
Prana replenishment wasn't just about forcing it—it required both Master and Servant to actively participate, their consciousnesses aligning. Otherwise, the quality and speed of replenishment would be greatly diminished. Because he wanted to be considerate of Tohsaka Sakura, Ian was often the one responsible for correcting any deviations. He constantly adjusted the gap between their souls, fearing that some unforeseen issue might lead to an absurd outcome.
Tohsaka Sakura was very cooperative, and their compatibility reached an unprecedented level—this was the best and fastest time for prana replenishment. And just as the man was about to proceed, Tohsaka Sakura initiated a kiss. Yes. She was actually looking forward to this. This was proof of their mutual affection, and a demonstration of their understanding of each other. Without any surprises, amidst the sweet kiss, a perfectly simple prana replenishment ritual concluded. Everything was unsaid.
In the bathroom, there was now a pair of Master and Servant who understood each other.
After who knows how long.
Tohsaka Sakura held the showerhead, happily rinsing her Servant Ian's back. Her expression was so engrossed and joyful that she didn't look at all like someone engaged in such an intimate act. No. It should be said that even though the girl felt shy, she was still enjoying the feeling—she didn't want to miss a single moment of intimacy with him.
"Mr. Ian~" The girl scrubbed the man's incredibly firm back with a towel, her words and expression conveying the feeling of a young wife. "You seem very happy tonight... you're usually not like this."
"Because I feel like you need me to be, Sakura," the man replied with a smile.
"I... need you to be?" The girl blinked.
"Mm," Ian nodded. "After all, Sakura truly cared about my feelings just now... if I didn't react, it would be quite a letdown, wouldn't it?"
"..." Tohsaka Sakura's face flushed, but she didn't deny it. And from the even gentler pressure of her hands, she seemed quite pleased that Ian had discovered the little imp living inside her.
"Doesn't Mr. Ian like this?"
"Of course I do." Ian turned around, gently brushing back Tohsaka Sakura's long black hair, a hint of tenderness in his eyes. "But I always feel like you have something you want to say, Sakura—can you tell me now?"
"..." Tohsaka Sakura's hands paused. Looking at the "treasure" in her hands, her expression was shy. But she was very happy that Ian had noticed her thoughts. However—her tone was still cautious. "Mr. Ian... I'm afraid if I say it, you might find it a bit awkward, and then get angry."
"But you haven't even said it, so how would you know I'd feel awkward?" Ian's hand gently caressed Tohsaka Sakura's cheek—the man felt a little sorry for her personality, so overly afraid of causing trouble for others. "Besides—I don't think I've ever gotten angry at you without reason, have I, Sakura?"
"That's true~"
"Then—" Tohsaka Sakura temporarily put down the showerhead, sat beside Ian, and then snuggled next to him. She took the man's hand, as if holding onto some important promise. "Mr. Ian. I actually feel... like we've moved out together as if we're married. I'm so happy~"
After saying that, Tohsaka Sakura quickly lowered her head—it was clear she knew her words were far too unrealistic, even a bit excessive. Just moving to a temporary place, and she was already imagining such things. Surely... he'd say it was a strange thought, right?
But even so, Tohsaka Sakura still held onto a tiny bit of hope and asked the question. However—things were moving in a good direction. Tohsaka Sakura soon heard the man's reply, which seemed completely unrelated to her concerns.
"Then—Sakura, is there any place you like?"
"Like, a place I like?" Tohsaka Sakura looked up, not quite understanding what Ian meant. "Does that have anything to do with it?"
"Of course it does," the man tightened his grip on the girl's hand. "Knowing what kind of place you like will help us pick out a good spot for our wedding photos, right?"
"Eh—!" Tohsaka Sakura instantly reacted. This was Ian agreeing to what she had just said—he didn't mind marrying her!
"Mr. Ian, you're not joking, are you?!"
"I'm not joking," the man replied very seriously. "If my Master wants to marry me, isn't that something I should agree to without hesitation? But—before that, I think we must win this Holy Grail War. You understand that, right, Sakura?"
"Mm!" Tohsaka Sakura, having received the promise, wiped the corner of her eyes. "We must win!"
"Mm, good." Ian picked up Tohsaka Sakura. "Now, let's complete the first step—getting out of the bathroom."
"Wait a minute!" Tohsaka Sakura, still in his arms, leaned into Ian's ear and quietly asked something.
"Oh?" The man looked at the girl in his arms, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Do you want to sleep holding each other tonight?"
"Mm... no problem."
[You and Tohsaka Sakura spent a night like newlyweds.]
[Having received the promise, she appeared happier than at any other moment.]
[You never expected a girl to be so proactive.]
[But seeing Tohsaka Sakura's joyful expression, you realized it was all real.]
[You finally relaxed after a long time—you felt like you hadn't experienced this in ages.]
[You were able to truly savor the girl's most genuine feelings.]
[You completed many more prana replenishments.]
Morning.
Ian woke up early. There it was again. So many fragmented past scenes coming back to him. He was commanded to kill a certain white dragon—but who gave such a command? Ian held his forehead, unable to get the latter part of the answer.
And just then—
"Hmph—!"
"Ha—!"
Ian heard the strong, resonant sounds that matched Fujimura Taiga's description. The man glanced at Tohsaka Sakura beside him—after a night of activity, she was still immersed in a sweet dream. Best not to wake her.
Ian dressed, and trying his best not to disturb Tohsaka Sakura, he tiptoed to the window. Fortunately, due to the varying heights of the buildings, the spot Ian was at allowed him to perfectly see the courtyard of the house across the way. And he quickly discovered the source of those "hmph-ha" sounds.
It was an elderly man with graying hair. He wore a long red Chinese jacket and small, round glasses, like those of a blind fortune teller. Although he seemed quite old, Ian could feel that his spirit was still very vigorous, completely unlike someone his age.
What was his name again? Right. It was Li Shuwen. Fujimura Taiga had mentioned that name yesterday.
At this moment—Li Shuwen was facing a wooden post, performing what looked like morning exercises.
"Hmph—!"
"Ha—!"
With two full-bodied shouts, the old man's palm directly struck the wooden post in front of him. Ian remembered Fujimura Taiga saying this was a martial art called Bajiquan.
Crack! The wooden post made a crisp sound—a phenomenon that only occurred when struck with considerable force. Ian could feel that this old man named Li Shuwen definitely possessed extremely profound martial arts skill. If that was the case, it was a bit tricky. People of such caliber usually had eccentric temperaments, and communicating with them would certainly not be as simple as imagined.
But even so, Ian knew he would have to talk to him eventually. After all, he and Tohsaka Sakura might be living here for quite some time. If this went on every morning, conflicts would likely arise. Ian didn't want Tohsaka Sakura, whom he cared about, to experience such unnecessary bother.
Just as Ian was thinking this, Li Shuwen once again performed his Bajiquan. And this time, the result was even more shocking.
"Hyaah—!"
With a single burst of power, Li Shuwen's palm struck the training post, splitting it clean in half across the middle.
Snap—! The wooden post broke into two pieces in front of the old man. One piece stayed in place. And the other flew out.
"..." Ian felt that something was a little off. The strength this old man named Li Shuwen possessed seemed completely disproportionate to his age. Was this really reasonable?
Before Ian could fully ponder the answer to this question, something even more unexpected happened. A red figure of a girl appeared in the courtyard of the house next door. It was... Tohsaka Rin?! How could she be here?