"Damn it—what is that old worm even planning? Why did he suddenly order me to come back and take Shinji away?"
"Did something happen to the Matou family?"
"Ritsuka… please don't tell me you're in trouble too…"
In the gloomy forest, a handsome man with a backpack hurried along at a near-run. He wore a black tracksuit, and the dark bangs over his forehead couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.
This was Kariya Matou—the most talented heir the Matou clan had produced before Ritsuka.
Because he loathed the family's filth, he chose to abandon magecraft entirely and leave home. That was why Matou Tsuruno—under Zouken's orders—had been forced to search outside for a successor to replace Kariya.
And that was also why, when Kariya saw Ritsuka—who should've lived a carefree life—dragged into the Matou hell to "take his place," he'd been eaten alive by guilt and pity.
The last time he returned, witnessing Ritsuka's condition shook him to the core. Conscience and remorse drove him to propose something reckless: that he would replace Ritsuka and fight in the Holy Grail War himself.
Zouken rejected him outright—and mocked him for it.
To Zouken, Kariya's suggestion was laughable.
Kariya had abandoned magecraft and wasted years of his youth. Compared to him, Ritsuka's talent and potential were on an entirely different level. Not just the Mystic Eyes—his circuits, his mentality, his adaptability… the gap between them was the distance between sky and mud.
Why would Zouken allow such a useless descendant to do something so absurd?
And beyond that—Zouken had placed something far more important on Ritsuka. Whether it was the Grail War or something else, Ritsuka was the irreplaceable core of it all. Kariya, thinking he could "take Ritsuka's place," was so delusional that even Zouken couldn't help laughing.
Kariya's ending after that was predictable.
He was ridiculed, slapped away like trash, and warned to drop the idea.
But then Kariya thought of an even more desperate plan: secretly take Ritsuka overseas and hide him.
Needless to say, he couldn't outplay Zouken.
Zouken caught him mid-attempt, flew into a rage, drove him out, and ordered him never to return.
And yet, today—
Kariya, now working as a reporter in Misaki City, received a fax from the Matou household out of nowhere.
It said: Come tonight and take Matou Shinji away.
The moment he read it, dread crawled up his spine.
When something is abnormal, there's always a scheme behind it. If Zouken was suddenly sending messages like this with the Grail War approaching, it had to be connected to that "Holy Grail War"—and the first person Kariya thought of was Ritsuka.
In Kariya's mind, this was Zouken preparing to do something irreversible to Ritsuka.
So that very day, Kariya boarded the fastest route back and rushed home like his life depended on it.
Even knowing hope was thin, he prayed—desperately—that Ritsuka and Shinji would be safe.
After many years, Kariya returned once more to the city where he'd grown up, a place packed with memories.
As he passed a park, he stared at it for a moment.
That park was where he'd first met the girl who became his first love—Aoi.
But for countless reasons, he'd been forced to let that love go.
Now, revisiting the place, old scenes replayed in his eyes.
He didn't linger.
There wasn't time to mourn the past. He pushed forward, racing toward the Matou estate—because more than anything, he needed to know what had happened.
And then, when Kariya arrived on the outskirts of Fuyuki and entered the Matou grounds alone…
The moment he pushed open the gate, he froze.
Because—
"Over here, over here—move that too and sell it."
"Hm? You're asking if I really want to sell this statue that's obviously hundreds of years old? Yeah, yeah—sell it. Sell everything."
"Hello? Who's this…? Oh, Fuyuki real estate developer? You want to discuss buying the Matou forest land? Sure, sure. Yes, I'm selling at the lowest price. Bring cash."
"Ritsuka-niisan… are we moving?"
"Yes, Shinji. You're moving. I'll send you to a better city."
"Oh… then what about you, Ritsuka-niisan?"
"Me? I'll probably go too… eventually."
Ritsuka rubbed Shinji's seaweed-like hair and smiled.
"What are you doing? I said don't leave anything behind. Those antique paintings on the walls—dump them all at clearance prices. Leave nothing in this place."
Sitting in the courtyard, holding a bullhorn, commanding hundreds of people as they stripped the Matou estate—trees, flowers, collectibles—clean…
Was Ritsuka.
Actively selling off the family assets.
"…."
Kariya went blank.
His emotions twisted into something too complex to name. He hesitated, then convinced himself he must have opened the door wrong—or he was so exhausted he was hallucinating.
So he silently closed the gate.
Then opened it again.
It was still just as lively.
He closed it again…
Ritsuka: "…?"
"Don't do that, Uncle Kariya. No matter how many times you try, it'll be the same. You won't see what you think you should see."
"As you can tell—there's only me here."
Ritsuka stood, tossed the bullhorn to Shinji, and—absurdly thoughtfully—buckled a construction safety yellow helmet onto the boy's head before speaking to Kariya.
Even after hearing it, Kariya still felt like he was dreaming. But he could only stand there and accept the ridiculous reality in front of him.
Because he understood this family—and that monster—better than almost anyone.
He knew exactly how terrifying Zouken's control and cruelty were.
And compared to last time, Ritsuka's eyes had changed. Massively.
Over the years, Kariya had imagined Ritsuka being tortured into a ruin.
But now…
Ritsuka's once cold, repressed gaze had regained color—and he was lounging in the courtyard, casually directing workers to dismantle the Matou estate?
Had he gone insane?
Or had the world gone insane?
And where was Zouken?
With that creature's personality, how could he possibly allow Ritsuka to do any of this?
Kariya cautiously swept his eyes across the courtyard, half-expecting Zouken to appear out of a shadowed gap at any moment.
"Alright, stop standing there like you're about to get stabbed, Uncle Kariya."
"That old worm isn't here—and he won't be coming back for a while."
"I'm the one who sent you that fax."
Noticing Kariya's fear, Ritsuka walked up to him. The smile on his face was comfortable and light—completely natural, not forced at all.
He was genuinely happy.
Zouken getting humiliated had clearly been satisfying.
"So there's no need to be on edge."
"Right now, the 'family' here is just you, Shinji, and me. Three people."
"Enjoy this moment—for once."
"And also…"
"Welcome to my Matou household, Uncle Kariya."
Ritsuka's smile sharpened into something sincerely bright.
"Though it'll be history soon enough."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter35)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter35)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter35)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter35)
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin