*[Your family has arrived in the city of Fuyuki by train.]*
*[As your original Sajyou residence has not yet been formally relocated, your family can only temporarily live in a house that has been purchased for the time being.]*
*[But these trivial matters of daily life are not important. What is important is that as magi, now that you have come to another's land, it is imperative to first greet the local ley line manager.]*
*[Otherwise, there is a high probability that you will be seen as an outside magus who has come with hostile intent.]*
*[Your adoptive father, Hiroki Sajyou, immediately makes the necessary arrangements and sets a date to meet with the family that manages the local ley lines.]*
*[And you learn from your adoptive father that the family responsible for the ley lines of Fuyuki City is named "Tohsaka"...]*
***
"Welcome, Mr. Sajyou. Is this your esteemed daughter and son? They are truly fine-looking. If only my Rin could be as beautiful as your daughter in the future."
At the highest point of Miyama Town in Fuyuki City, in front of a two-story Western-style house with a courtyard, a man dressed in a fine red suit and wearing a bow tie, his face adorned with a meticulously groomed mustache, stood at the entrance with an elegant smile, welcoming the three members of the Sajyou family.
The man's name was Tokiomi Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka family and the person in charge of Fuyuki's ley lines.
"You are too kind. In the world of magecraft, appearance is not everything. My son and daughter are still far from adequate in this regard and will likely have to trouble you for your guidance in the future, Mr. Tohsaka."
Hiroki Sajyou wore a polite smile, but because his personality was not one to easily show emotion, the smile on his face looked slightly stiff. However, his words carried a hint of sincerity.
"Heh, you are being too harsh. But we can discuss these matters later... Please, come in. My wife has already prepared dinner. I hope you will all enjoy it."
Stepping aside to invite his guests into the mansion, Tokiomi Tohsaka's every move carried a sense of elegance, like that of a classical nobleman.
Although when he had first actually seen the adopted son of the Sajyou family and his blind state in a wheelchair, he had indeed been somewhat shocked in his heart. But with his good upbringing, he did not show any unusual emotions.
However, for appearance to not matter in the world of magecraft... At this level, that kind of appearance can almost be considered a natural charm, can't it...
Such a thought couldn't help but flash through his mind, but Tokiomi Tohsaka understood that this effect was not something the young man was deliberately doing, but merely the unfortunate result of reality. He didn't dwell on it and, leading the way, he chatted with Hiroki Sajyou about some interesting recent events in the world of magic while guiding his guests to the dining room.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the two were old friends who had known each other for many years.
But the reality was that when he had first heard the news that the prestigious Sajyou family, which should have been rooted in Tokyo, was moving to Fuyuki City, Tokiomi had frowned and worried about it for a good while.
After all, Fuyuki City was the Tohsaka family's territory. And now, for a magus from another region to be moving in, coupled with a certain ritual that was going to be held in the near future, he had to be extra cautious in this regard.
And tonight's dinner was specially prepared by him precisely because he wanted to probe the purpose of this somewhat reserved middle-aged man beside him.
Listening to the trivial talk between the two men up ahead, Aozaki Rin sat in his wheelchair and did not choose to whisper with Manaka Sajyou, who was slowly pushing his wheelchair from behind. Although he had been a little surprised at first when Tokiomi had suddenly said his original name, he had quickly realized that it was just a coincidence of having the same name.
The two of them quietly followed behind Hiroki Sajyou, moving forward slowly.
However, just as they were about to pass a staircase leading to the second floor, the sound of a somewhat noisy argument suddenly came from upstairs.
"Rin, where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Sakura! You all sent Sakura to Finland without even telling me, so I didn't even get to see her one last time!"
"That's because your father... Tokiomi knew that you would probably lose control of your emotions, which is why he planned to tell you after Sakura had been taken away. Besides, for Sakura... this is the best choice. And the Edelfelt family are our relatives anyway. Sakura will call to contact us in the future."
"But even so, you shouldn't have hidden it from me! I'm going to go argue with Father!"
"Wait, Rin, there should be guests downstairs right now, you can't be so impo—"
However, before the woman's anxious dissuasion could be finished, a girl with black twin-tails had already run down the stairs headfirst in a huff, and was about to collide with the wheelchair Aozaki Rin was sitting in.
But fortunately, before the girl's body could touch the wheelchair, Manaka Sajyou had already stepped forward and blocked her.
"Ouch..."
Subconsciously bumping into the girl, Rin Tohsaka felt a sharp pain in her nose and only then realized she had caused trouble.
Ignoring the urge to rub her nose, she looked up at the girl who was gently holding her shoulders and quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now. Please forgive me!"
"It's fine, but be more careful next time, okay?"
Manaka Sajyou didn't seem to mind, a lovely smile on her pretty face. But looking at her smile, Rin Tohsaka inexplicably felt a chill and instinctively took a step back.
This older sister's smile is so scary...
But Manaka did not keep her gaze on the girl. Instead, she turned her head and looked at the young man in the wheelchair with some concern.
"Ren, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. If anything, she's the one who might have gotten hurt."
After all, he hadn't been hit, and even if he had been, the wheelchair was of a rather sturdy and stable type. If anything, it might have been the other party who was injured. Aozaki Rin shook his head to signal that his sister needn't worry, and at the same time, he faced Rin Tohsaka's direction with some concern and smiled.
"Are you alright? Your name is Rin, right? My name is Ren Sajyou, and this is my sister, Manaka Sajyou. From today on, we can be considered 'neighbors' in Fuyuki City. I hope we can make progress together in our study of magecraft in the future."
Not wanting the girl to worry too much about the accident just now, Aozaki Rin quickly changed the subject and introduced himself.
But the girl did not respond to his words. Instead, she stood there in a daze, staring blankly at his face.
It was only when Tokiomi's somewhat stern, low voice sounded that Rin Tohsaka came back to her senses.
"Rin, you are being very rude. Apologize to our guests at once."
"Th-That, I'm sorry for my rudeness just now. Please forgive me, Sister Sajyou, Brother Sajyou. Also, my name is Rin Tohsaka..."
Rin Tohsaka lowered her head, somewhat ashamed, unable to help but feel that her daze just now was very foolish.
But thinking back on it now, she still felt that the young man in the wheelchair was very pitiful, but also... very "beautiful."
Just then, the girl suddenly felt a cold gaze on her. Her whole body shivered uncontrollably, and she quickly looked up to check her surroundings, but only saw her father apologizing to an unfamiliar middle-aged man, while Manaka Sajyou was talking softly with the young man as if nothing had happened, making her think that what she had just felt might have been her imagination.
And although there had been a small incident, the dinner process was still very relaxed and pleasant.
But at the end, Tokiomi Tohsaka still couldn't suppress his confusion. After leaving the others in the living room, he went outside with Hiroki Sajyou for a quiet, private conversation.
"The Tohsaka family welcomes the Sajyou family's move to the land of Fuyuki. But, Mr. Sajyou, please allow me to be rude and ask a direct question... Your reason for leaving Tokyo and coming here specifically, is it purely for relocation? Or is it for..."
Not holding any ill will toward the middle-aged man before him, who, like himself, had a pursuit for the path of magic, Tokiomi Tohsaka hesitated for a moment before continuing with the next few words.
"—The Holy Grail War?"
Hiroki Sajyou was silent for a while. His gaze subconsciously shifted to the girl who was now sitting at the dining table, mostly concerned with Aozaki Rin, occasionally chatting and laughing with Tokiomi's wife, Aoi. He recalled the few requests his daughter, Manaka, had made to him as if she were a normal person, before the decision to move was made.
He couldn't help but feel that his decision to adopt Aozaki Rin on that rainy day back then was the right one.
And so, he paused, and then answered without much concealment.
"The former is the main reason, but the latter is also one of our objectives."
"I see. In that case, the Tohsaka family will have to compete fairly with the Sajyou family."
Having received a definite answer, Tokiomi Tohsaka, on the contrary, felt a sense of relief. Because an enemy with an ambiguous attitude was more difficult to deal with. And since everything was now out in the open, all that was left was to fight like magi.
After all, in Tokiomi's view, Hiroki Sajyou was likely a traditional magus like himself and would not resort to any petty tricks. In that case, the matter between them could just be treated as a competition.
Besides, holding that certain Holy Relic, he had enough confidence in his heart.
"Mhm."
Not refuting Tokiomi's words, Hiroki Sajyou nodded lightly.
However, as to who would ultimately participate in that ritual, Hiroki himself was actually not sure.
Because his daughter, although she had become like a normal person in some ways, was still someone whose thoughts were hard to guess.
The man couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.
I hope you can hold your sister back properly, and not let her walk down the wrong path, Ren...
-------
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