"Good afternoon, Sakura."
She didn't specifically try to please him; after a normal greeting, the young girl stopped, dragging her suitcase, and stared directly at Kirei with her large eyes. They had known each other for three years in this house, but the girl's gaze at Kirei still showed no familiarity.
"Good afternoon, Kirei-sensei."
Sakura, though very young, replied with a somewhat stiff voice but a dignified and proper attitude. She possessed much of her mother's grace, and the beginnings of a lady's demeanor were already evident in her every move. She was none other than Tohsaka Tokiomi's daughter, and it was only natural that she was completely different from other elementary school students her age.
"Are you going out? That's quite a large suitcase."
"Yes. From today, we'll be staying with the Zen family for a while, and I'll take the train from there to school."
As the Holy Grail War was about to begin, Tokiomi decided to have his family temporarily move to the adjacent town—his wife's maiden home.
He couldn't expose his wife and daughter to the Fuyuki battlefield; it was far too dangerous. Of course, this was a perfectly reasonable arrangement.
However, Sakura, as the daughter, seemed quite displeased about it. Although she remained polite and proper, her calm, downcast expression clearly indicated her unhappiness. Despite being a budding lady, she was still a child, after all. One couldn't expect her to perfectly maintain that composure.
"Kirei-sensei, you're staying by Father's side and fighting with him, aren't you?"
"Yes, that is my duty as his disciple."
Sakura was not an ignorant child. As the official successor to the Tohsaka School of Magecraft after Rin, she had already received Tokiomi's elite education. She possessed a certain level of basic knowledge about the impending Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
She understood the reason for seeking refuge at her mother's family home as a valid one, but her dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that once she left, she wouldn't be able to see her sister immediately upon her return. Sakura's admiration for her father, Tokiomi, was extraordinary. Under Tokiomi's patient guidance in Magus ideology, Sakura had also inherited the qualities and self-awareness of a Magus. Precisely because of this, compared to Sakura, the legitimate successor at this time, if it were her sister, it would be one thing, but Kirei, who had "become Tokiomi's disciple first and followed him to learn magecraft," still caused Sakura some displeasure.
"Kirei-sensei, can I trust you? Will you protect Father until the end and bring my sister back? Will you make this promise with me?"
"That's impossible. If this war were peaceful enough for me to make that promise with you, then there would be no need for you and Madam to seek refuge, would there?"
Kirei Kotomine was unwilling to offer empty words of comfort, so he simply stated the facts plainly. Sakura's gaze grew even colder as she stared at her "shameless" senior disciple who had rejected her.
"...Indeed, I still can't bring myself to stop disliking you, Kirei-sensei."
Only when she expressed such dissatisfaction with him did Kirei feel a liking for this young girl.
"Sakura, never say such rude truths in front of others in the future. Otherwise, people will question the character of the father who educated you."
"It has nothing to do with Father."
Seeing him drag her father into it as a shield, a clear layer of anger already flickered across Sakura's calm young face. This was precisely what Kirei wished to see.
"Kirei-sensei, if Father gets hurt due to your mistake, I swear I will never easily forgive you, I—"
At this moment, at what could be called a perfect timing, Aoi's figure appeared in the entrance hall. She was already prepared to go out. She must have come out to check because Sakura hadn't come over yet.
"Sakura, what are you talking about with Kirei-sensei?"
"—Ah, well, I—"
"She came to encourage me before our departure, Madam."
Kirei feigned calmness and deliberately spoke well of Sakura, but Sakura's expression did not improve at all. However, she couldn't say anything in front of her mother and simply turned her head away.
"Let me help you with your luggage, Sakura. That suitcase is too heavy for you."
"No, thank you, I can carry it myself!"
Sakura dragged the suitcase with even more force than before, thus getting into an even more intense struggle with it, but somehow, she managed to get out of the entrance hall.
Although Kirei knew full well that he wasn't acting like an adult, he couldn't help but want to see Sakura's flushed little face from the exertion whenever he had the chance.
Aoi, who remained behind, gracefully bowed to Kirei.
"Kotomine, I entrust my husband to you. Please help fulfill his long-cherished wish."
"I will do my utmost, please rest assured."
Even in Kirei's eyes, Tohsaka Aoi was a perfect wife. Dignified and cautious, meticulous in everything, understanding her husband yet never interfering, valuing loyalty and fulfilling her duties more than love—she was practically the epitome of an ancient virtuous wife and good mother. In an era where the women's liberation movement was beginning to permeate society, she was like a fossil. Indeed, Tokiomi had chosen the most compatible person as his spouse.
Kirei stood in the entrance hall, watching the mother and daughter depart. Not in a taxi, but in a private car, with Aoi at the wheel. Not only the driver but all the servants had been dismissed since last week. On the one hand, this was to avoid implicating the innocent, and on the other, it was an extremely cautious counter-espionage measure. Tokiomi wasn't careful enough to be wary of the servants; this suggestion was made by Kirei, and he almost forced Tokiomi to implement it.
Kirei watched them drive away, then returned to the empty mansion, where only two remained.
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