"B-Brother?"
Seeing Shinji stop and stare into a storefront window, Sakura also halted, her voice tentative.
Shinji's eyes remained fixed on the accessory shop's display, his tone icy.
"Go inside. Pick one you like."
...
Now clutching a pure white rabbit plushie to her chest, Sakura kept her head down, silently trailing behind Shinji once more.
"Thank—"
Before she could finish, Shinji cut her off, his words as cold as ever."It's only because I'm the Matou family's eldest son. I refuse to let anyone say the Matou heir forgot his own sister's birthday. It would shame the family."
"Oh... I'm sor—"
A soft, fearful apology began to escape her lips, but it died in her throat as she heard Shinji click his tongue in frustration and saw his fists clench tightly. She fell completely silent again.
For Sakura, who at just nine years old had already endured torments beyond most people's darkest imaginations, her brother's growing coldness over the past few years felt like salt in a festering wound, deepening her despair.
Yet, even so, she found she couldn't bring herself to hate this nominal brother of hers. Yes, he was distant and aloof. He would push his despised after-dinner desserts toward her as if discarding trash.
But at least those were some of the few normal, non-poisonous meals she ever got to eat.
And he never once forgot her birthday present. Sakura often tried to comfort herself with the thought that he must care, in his own way. But those cold eyes, which seemed to hold a growing resentment, repeatedly shattered that fragile hope.
The stark contrast in how he treated everyone else compared to how he treated her was a constant source of pain. At school, despite skipping class often, he was top of his year, the best athlete, humble and sociable with everyone. Everyone liked him.
Everyone except her. With her, he maintained an extreme, unwavering coldness. Even when they crossed paths at school, he would usually pretend not to know her, never speaking more than necessary.
...I really am someone that no one could ever want, aren't I?
Shinji could roughly guess what was going through Sakura's mind, but he felt he had no choice. He needed the cover for his training.
What he didn't anticipate was that his actions, while deepening Sakura's despair, were also laying the groundwork for a profoundly twisted affection to take root within her in the future.
Unbeknownst to him, the instigator of this change, the plot was already beginning to veer severely off its original course from Fate/stay night.
Shinji's plan, however, was simple: lie low in the most logical way possible, grow stronger, and deal with everything else once he had the power to back it up.
The pale moonlight and the sputtering, flickering old street lamp cast a cold, gloomy pall over the Matou residence, deepening its inherent air of decay.
Stepping inside, Shinji's eyes immediately found the two figures waiting in the living room: the middle-aged man who was his father in this life, Matou Byakuya, and the old man seated on the sofa. The latter wore a traditional kimono of navy and dark grey, his limbs withered like a mummy's. A hunched, slightly stooped figure with a bald head, his eyes gleamed with a sharp, unsettling light from within deep sockets—his "grandfather," Matou Zouken.
For a brief instant, a flicker of desperate hope flashed in Shinji's eyes.
"Grandfather! Father, I—"
Before Shinji could finish, Byakuya cut him off.
"Sakura, come here. Shinji, go to your room."
At the same moment, Zouken rose from the sofa. His gaze never once strayed toward Shinji, remaining locked on Sakura, who stood behind him.
Shinji's small fists clenched tightly. He bit his lip hard, bowing his head to hide his expression in the shadows.
The performance... was perfect.
Even after the two men had led Sakura away, Shinji didn't unclench his fists.
...
Back in his room, lying on his large bed, Shinji couldn't help but admire his own acting skills.
If I'd had this talent in my previous life, I'd have swept the Oscars.
System, he called out in his mind.
[Grandfather is here.]
Dammit! Freaking bastard, always taking advantage!
He cursed inwardly, then focused on the system panel.
The interface was divided mainly into a Task Menu and a Points Mall. The mall was still locked, his permissions too low due to his weak reiryoku control level.
Only the Task Menu was accessible.
It was subdivided into Daily Tasks, Main Quests, Normal Quests, and... Conquest Quests. Completing them yielded various rewards.
The Daily Tasks were the simplest, like today's training regimen, and usually rewarded just a trickle of reiryoku essence.
No Normal Quests had appeared yet.
There were two Main Quests.
[Main Quest 1: Within ten years, achieve the redemption of Matou Zouken (Makiri Zolgen). Difficulty: SSS]
[Hint: The greatest redemption for him is to help him remember all he has forgotten and send him on his final journey without regrets. Reward: ???]
[Quest Progress: 0.01%. Time Remaining: 7 years (Hurry up, Grandson! Saving the senile old man can't wait!)]
Just looking at this quest made Shinji's blood boil.
Damn it, this isn't what it said at the beginning! Initially, it hadn't been about "redemption" at all—it had outright and bluntly ordered him to eliminate the old worm within ten years!
The conversation with the damn system back then had probably gone something like this:
Dog System: Kill someone for me within ten years.
Shinji: Fine. Mana Stone + Reiryoku Flow Chart + Spiritual Vessel Blueprint + 200 drops of refined essence.
Dog System: Take it. This is the advance payment (Mana Stone + Flow Chart + Blueprint).
Shinji (inspecting and pocketing the goods): System, who do you want dead?
Dog System: The head of one of the three great families, the Matou house—Matou Zouken!
Shinji (feigning shock): Who?! System, don't you know he's my grandfather?
Dog System: Since when do you care about such things?
Shinji: System, you misunderstand. That man is my blood relative, my dear elder!
Dog System: ...
Shinji: The price needs to be higher.
And so, after that round of haggling, the main quest changed from
[Eliminate Matou Zouken within ten years]
to
[Grant Matou Zouken redemption within ten years.]
The price didn't go up a single point! The task itself hadn't changed one bit, only the wording!
This damn system really knew how to play games!
Next was the second main quest.
[Main Quest 2: Completely dismantle and eradicate the Holy Grail System. Difficulty: SSSS]
[Hint: The Fifth Holy Grail War, The Holy Grail System, The Einzbern Workshop. Reward: ???]
[Quest Progress: 0.003%. Time Remaining: 7 years.]
Each quest was more insane than the last.
Shinji sighed. He'd grinded for three whole years, doing those daily training tasks for meager drops of reiryoku essence, just to barely open the First Gate of Control.
To think he could accomplish these things by the next Holy Grail War—the Fifth War in seven years—was nothing short of a pipe dream.
But then—
[Grandson, these are all trials this King has set for you. This King believes you can complete them, which is why the potential rewards are set to the highest rank! Succeed, and the rewards will be beyond your wildest dreams!
Of course, there is a relatively small amount of risk involved—a 90% chance of becoming an unresponsive husk upon failure. However, this King is confident that as one who shares my bloodline, there is no possibility of you failing. Ganbatte, Oli Gei!]