When Shichen saw the little girl sitting alone in the basement, he finally let out a breath of relief.
He'd made it in time.
If he had arrived even a bit later and found her already swarmed by those disgusting bugs… he would've regretted it forever.
Coming to this world—at this point in time—had meaning only if he could save her.
Now that she was in sight, he didn't need to sneak around anymore. No more hiding his presence. He jumped straight off the platform, landing softly right in front of her.
The sudden appearance of a stranger made the little girl slowly look up. She didn't recognize him, but he was… really good-looking.
Like one of those princes from fairy tales.
"…Who are you?" she asked blankly.
Shichen frowned at the emptiness in her eyes. His heart clenched. He crouched down, gently meeting her gaze. "Don't be scared. I'm not a bad guy."
"Oh…" she responded flatly, as if it didn't matter either way.
She'd already been abandoned—by her own father. Her mother hadn't stopped it.
After being dumped in this cold, dark place, no one cared about her. The smell was awful, the meals were plain, and she was completely alone.
She didn't matter to anyone.
Shichen looked at the lifeless expression on her face and gently touched her cheek.
Ice cold.
Her name was Sakura. Originally Tohsaka Sakura. Now… Matou Sakura. And she looked a little different than he remembered.
In his memory, she was already a young girl. But now she was just five or six years old. Her hair was black instead of purple.
Still adorable though.
"Sakura… do you want to leave this place?" he asked softly.
"…Leave?"
A glimmer of light flickered in her dull eyes—but quickly faded. She shook her head. "No need."
"Why not?"
"Anywhere I go, it's the same. No one wants me. No one cares. No one… loves me."
"What makes you think that? You're so cute—how could no one love you?"
"But… my dad didn't want me…"
That was the tragedy of this world.
The Tohsaka family was a mage clan. Only one heir was allowed. But they had two daughters.
And both had talent.
So the family head made a choice—he gave the younger daughter, Sakura, to the Matou family.
And on paper, it wasn't the worst decision. The Matous were also a mage family, and they needed an heir.
But their head… was no longer human, not really.
Sakura's fate was sealed the moment she stepped into that household.
Maybe her father didn't know how bad it would be. Maybe he was just following the rules. But Shichen couldn't forgive how cold-blooded he was—handing her off like a transaction and never looking back.
That wasn't what a real father did.
And what made it worse?
That man's name was Tohsaka Tokiomi—which sounded exactly like Shichen in Chinese.
It creeped him out.
He wasn't even sure anymore if he should stop this man—he was Rin's father, after all.
But… whatever. Life and death were constant in this world. His job now was to stay by Illya's side and be a good dad.
"That's just your dad," Shichen said gently. "There are still people who'll love you. You're sweet and adorable—someone will definitely care."
"No, they won't." Sakura shook her head. "No one could ever like me."
Two or three days in that hellhole had already crushed her spirit.
She was born into a mage family—she understood more than most kids her age. She knew how cruel the world could be.
She'd hoped the Matou family would treat her kindly.
She was wrong.
Two days. That's all it took. The stench, the silence, the isolation, and the strange sounds in the dark… it was enough to break a child.
"Who told you that?!" Shichen suddenly raised his voice and grabbed her shoulders.
Sakura stared up at him in surprise.
He smiled warmly. "I'm right here, aren't I?"
"…You?" she whispered, confused.
"Yeah. Who else?"
"You… like me?"
"Of course I do. You're way too cute not to."
"…Really?" There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes again.
"I wouldn't lie to you," Shichen said seriously.
"Can you… prove it?"
"Prove it?" He tilted his head, then smiled. "How about this?"
He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"Eh?" Sakura froze—not from fear this time, but from genuine surprise.
"If I didn't like you, would I do that?" he chuckled.
Sakura slowly touched her forehead. She could still feel the warmth.
For the first time, she didn't feel cold. Her heart felt warm, like someone had lit a little fire inside her.
Her eyes shimmered.
"You really do like me?"
"Was that not enough proof?"
"…Can you kiss me again?"
"Of course." Shichen smiled and kissed her forehead again.
Sakura's face lit up. She stared at him, wanting to memorize every detail of his face. "Do you… need me?"
"Absolutely."
"You won't hate me?"
"No way. I love you too much for that."
"You won't… throw me away?"
"Why would I? If I could, I'd keep you by my side forever."
"Can I stay with you?"
"You're not going back home?"
"No!" she said firmly.
"You really want to follow me?"
She nodded hard. "Yes!"
"Even if I turn out to be a bad guy?"
"As long as you don't abandon me… as long as you still want me…"
"Alright."
Shichen pulled her into his arms. "From now on, you're staying with me."
"Okay!"
Wrapped in his warmth, Sakura's nose tingled. Her eyes welled up. And then—
She started to cry.
"Waaaah!"
"Cry it out," Shichen whispered, gently stroking her head. "Let it all out. I won't let anyone hurt you again."
"Mm…" Sakura sobbed, soaking his sweater with tears.
Her cries echoed through the basement—and, unsurprisingly, drew attention.
"…Who are you?"
A cold, raspy voice cut through the air. Shichen looked up.
It was an old man. Bald, wearing a black-gray kimono, leaning on a wooden cane.
His limbs were skeletal, his eyes sunken, and he gave off a terrifying aura like a living corpse.
No wonder Sakura had been so scared.
"Matou Zouken?" Shichen narrowed his eyes.
"So you know me?" the old man rasped. "You must be from the Einzbern family."
"My name is Shichen," he replied calmly, standing up with Sakura trembling in his arms.
"Shi…chen…" Sakura whispered, as if engraving his name into her soul.
"Don't worry. I've got you," Shichen whispered, patting her head.
"Mm!"
"Shichen… that's not a local name, is it?" Zouken eyed him suspiciously.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just know this—we're enemies."
"Enemies, huh? You're early. The Holy Grail War hasn't even started yet."
"Doesn't matter."
"What do you want with Sakura?"
"I'm taking her with me."
Zouken sneered. "She's part of the Matou family now. Who gave you the right?"
"Sorry. She's mine now. Her name's not Matou Sakura anymore—it's Shi Sakura."
"Shi Sakura…" Sakura repeated, stunned.
"You like it?" Shichen looked down at her.
"I love it!" she said brightly.
"Good."
"Hmph. You think it's that simple?" Zouken scoffed.
"Old man, you can't stop me. And I'm not in the mood to kill you yet."
"You're awfully confident, boy."
Zouken raised his cane—and suddenly, the room filled with a screeching noise. Swarms of black insects burst out from the shadows, surrounding them.
"A bug user? Gross," Shichen said, unfazed.
"Leave Sakura here, and I'll let you walk away."
"Oh? I don't need your permission, Zolgen."
"…What did you just say?" Zouken's eyes widened.