[It was a wonderful night.]
[You and Sakura Tohsaka had an unforgettable experience.]
[But for some reason, you felt a little uneasy, causing you to wake up early in the morning.]
Ian opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was the canopy above the bed. Just like many years ago, it was still spotlessly clean. As he stared, the man's thoughts gradually drifted far away—he didn't notice that the flow rate of magical energy in his body had increased. Some residual but unclear images echoed in his mind, finally converging into a single name.
"Ian Pendragon."
It was an incredibly familiar yet somewhat strange name. Ian racked his brain, but he couldn't recall its connection to him.
Just then, the man felt his hand being taken. He turned over and found that Sakura Tohsaka had woken up at some point. The young woman, who had given her virginity, was now gazing adoringly at her beloved Servant.
"Mr. Ian, good morning~"
With just that one sentence, Ian was pulled back to reality. He smiled slightly: "Sakura, you're awake?"
"Mm~"
Sakura Tohsaka moved her body closer to the man, as if afraid he would escape from her side. "Because it's my first time sleeping with Mr. Ian, I feel so excited... so I slept very lightly."
"I see." Ian reached out and gently stroked Sakura Tohsaka's fair and smooth cheek. "Then it seems I've done something wrong."
"Not at all!" A shy Sakura Tohsaka immediately refuted Ian's statement. "Being able to sleep with Mr. Ian is a very happy thing."
"Oh, right—"
Sakura Tohsaka's hand fumbled under the covers, then stopped as the man shivered slightly. She licked her lips and asked a question with a maximum embarrassment level.
"Mr. Ian, how was my performance last night?"
"Did I meet your expectations?"
"..."
At this moment, Sakura Tohsaka was like a little devil. But Ian didn't dislike her this way. He didn't answer the question directly, but gently kissed Sakura Tohsaka's forehead. This was a more meaningful action than any answer. The young woman understood immediately, and her courage naturally grew.
"Then, Mr. Ian—"
"Shall we continue~"
"..."
Ian's eyes held a unique indulgence for the young woman. "Alright, if you like it, then we can."
And so—
Rin Tohsaka, who had been agitated for most of the night due to Ian's divine intervention, finally falling into a deep sleep at dawn, soon heard the sound that made her hallucinate again. It was like a nightmare.
Rin Tohsaka sharply opened her eyes and immediately found herself in an 18+ scene. The young woman's fair cheeks rapidly heated up to the extreme, looking like freshly picked apples. Her fingers waved up and down, her tone quite anxious.
"Wh-what are you two doing?!"
"Doing this first thing in the morning, the bed frame will collapse!"
Hearing her sister's warning, Sakura Tohsaka temporarily released Ian's lips. Her face flushed, she responded with a breathless voice. "I'm sorry, Big Sister."
"I just couldn't help it."
"..."
Rin Tohsaka was at a loss for words for a moment. In a way, she could actually understand Sakura Tohsaka's actions at this moment.
However—
Understanding did not mean approval. Rin Tohsaka knew she absolutely could not indulge this satisfaction casually.
"Stop it right now!"
"You still have to go to school today. How can you carry on like this?!"
"Mm~" Sakura Tohsaka reluctantly stopped.
"Then—"
"I'll go get changed first."
[Sakura Tohsaka left your side.]
[But you knew that if Rin Tohsaka hadn't dissuaded her, she might genuinely have spent the entire day with you like this.]
[Of course, you definitely wouldn't let that happen.]
[After all, you came to Fuyuki to win the Holy Grail War, not to live such a shameless life.]
[However, you didn't dislike doing so either—after all, Sakura Tohsaka truly found the happiness she desired in such acts.]
[But just then, Rin Tohsaka leaned close to you.]
Taking advantage of her sister changing in front of the mirror, Rin Tohsaka quietly moved her body closer to Ian, then nudged him with her elbow, asking in a low voice:
"Ian, you... you didn't tell Sakura about that thing, did you?"
"That thing?" The man looked puzzled. "Which thing?"
"Just..."
Rin Tohsaka turned her face away, pointing to inside the duvet. "The thing you helped me with last night!"
"..."
"Uh..." Ian frowned slightly. "Of course not."
"Why?"
"Rin, do you want me to tell Sakura?"
"Of course not!" Rin Tohsaka pinched Ian's hand fiercely. "If you dare to tell her, I'll definitely make you wish you were dead!"
"Are you threatening me?" Ian asked helplessly.
"Not a threat, a warning!"
"Isn't that the same?" Ian looked speechless. "Rin, don't worry—I know what to say and what not to say."
"I'll keep this secret well."
"..."
Although it was just a verbal promise, Rin Tohsaka found herself feeling much more at ease. Thinking about it carefully, it was probably because this man was truly trustworthy. This wasn't the young woman talking nonsense or making subjective conjectures.
After all—
When this man helped her with her self-pleasure last night, he truly delivered on his initial promise of "just helping." As soon as she had her climax, he immediately withdrew.
"Alright, I'll trust you this once," Rin Tohsaka responded to Ian.
"Sister." Sakura Tohsaka, now dressed, turned around. "What are you and Mr. Ian talking about?"
"Nothing, just some unimportant things."
Rin Tohsaka cleanly ended the topic. "Now it's my turn to change."
[With last night's experience and the recent conversation, Rin Tohsaka elevated your position in her mind a little—she didn't mind being more open in front of you now.]
[She cleanly changed out of her sleepwear and into her outdoor clothes in your sight, seemingly without any psychological burden.]
[However, you felt this was not bad—after all, constantly avoiding it would actually be very troublesome.]
[Being able to get along in such a subtle balance as now was rather something to be grateful for.]
[Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.]
[But that was only how it seemed.]
After a quick wash.
"Let's go~"
Rin Tohsaka tossed her hair, regaining her usual confidence. "We need to leave quickly—it's best to get things done today."
"Yes, Big Sister / Mm." Ian and Sakura replied.
However—
When they arrived downstairs, the trio received unexpected news from Aoi Zenjou.
"Eh?" Rin Tohsaka blinked. "Vivian said she had something to do and left early this morning?"
"Mm," Aoi Zenjou nodded. "Teacher also seemed to have taken some things out with her."
"But I didn't ask in detail—that would be too rude."
"This..."
Rin Tohsaka was a little angry. After all, they had just agreed last night to report to Homurahara Academy today, but now she had left alone. This was quite untrustworthy. Normally, Rin Tohsaka knew she would have been furious and would never have given Vivian any chance to make amends.
However—
Although Vivian and Sakura Tohsaka had a relationship akin to "love rivals," at the end of the day, they were still publicly teacher and student. Rin Tohsaka felt that just lashing out like this wasn't right. The young woman finally decided to pass the problem to others. She looked at Sakura Tohsaka and Ian behind her and asked:
"What do you think? Should we contact her?"
"..."
"..."
[You noticed Sakura Tohsaka's expression.]
[She looked quite uneasy.]
[You quickly realized something—that she didn't want to contact Vivian, but at the same time, she was hesitant because of you.]
[You decided to take the matter upon yourself.]
"In that case—"
Ian's gaze swept over the Tohsaka sisters before him. "I think it's probably better not to contact Vivian for now."
"After all, she's usually quite steady; she probably wouldn't forget what she needs to do today."
"I think she must really have something urgent to do, that's why she left like this."
"What could possibly be so urgent?" Rin Tohsaka pouted. "Forget it."
"Since you've said so, Ian, then we'll leave her alone for now."
"Let's hurry to school!"
"Mm."
Sakura Tohsaka nodded quickly. The young woman felt warmth in her heart—because she knew he was expressing her thoughts for her. This feeling... was so blissful.
[You and the Tohsaka sisters temporarily put aside Vivian's departure.]
[You left the house and headed towards Homurahara Academy.]
[Along the way, Rin Tohsaka acted like a tour guide, recounting some things.]
The Tohsaka residence was not far from Homurahara Academy. So, Ian and the others chose to walk. However, although it wasn't far, it wasn't a distance that could be covered in an instant. Walking down the snow-covered streets, Rin Tohsaka, feeling a bit bored, decided to say something.
"By the way—"
"Since you two are here to participate in the Holy Grail War, you should be very familiar with the one from ten years ago, right?"
"..."
"..."
"Sakura, what's that expression?" Rin Tohsaka was somewhat surprised. "It's understandable if Ian, as a Servant, doesn't know, but you don't either?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
Sakura Tohsaka admitted this with great shame. However, it couldn't be entirely blamed on her. After all, even the Clock Tower's knowledge of the Fourth Holy Grail War came solely from Kirei Kotomine's relics before his death and Waver Velvet's recollections afterward. Not to mention there was a lot of hidden information within that. It was definitely not something someone of Sakura Tohsaka's level could fully comprehend.
"Sigh," Rin Tohsaka sighed. "Alright."
Honestly, if it weren't for her mother Aoi Zenjou's words, she would absolutely not want to help Sakura Tohsaka. After all, Rin Tohsaka herself was a participant in the Holy Grail War. The more confused her opponents were, the more advantageous the situation would be for her. But since her mother was so expectant, she couldn't just pretend nothing happened. With that thought, Rin Tohsaka began to divulge the information she knew.
"The Holy Grail War ten years ago, at its conclusion, caused a fire that lasted almost a day due to some unknown reason."
"Fuyuki City as you see it now is actually very different from how it was back then."
"Is that so?" Sakura Tohsaka heard about this for the first time.
"Mm," Rin Tohsaka nodded. "That fire caused a lot of destruction."
"Unfortunately, not only were houses burned, but also descendants died in this disaster."
"For example, the Matou family, whom Father knew, their grandson named Shinji was burned so badly that his body couldn't even be found."
"As for those entire families who perished in the fire and whose names couldn't be recorded, they were countless."
"This..."
Sakura Tohsaka's expression became tense. She tightly gripped Ian's hand beside her, appearing quite concerned by her sister's recent words. Ian understood Sakura Tohsaka's thoughts and quickly retorted:
"But there must have been survivors, right?"
"..."
Ian's words made Rin Tohsaka realize she might have described it too horrifyingly. She quickly added: "Of course, there were still quite a few—otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to rebuild Fuyuki, right?"
"Anyway, that's the situation."
"Oh, right—!"
Rin Tohsaka stared at Ian and Sakura Tohsaka's intertwined hands, quickly changing the subject. "When you two enter the school later, don't hold hands like that."
"After all, you'll be posing as a teacher and a student then; if others see you, it'll cause a lot of trouble."
"Mm, Sakura and I will be careful."
"Then—" Ian looked at Sakura Tohsaka beside him.
"I know."
Sakura Tohsaka withdrew her hand, her face slightly red. "Let's wait until there's no one around~"
[The rest of the journey was silent.]
[You arrived at Homurahara Academy.]
[Rin Tohsaka directly reported the idea of keeping Ian there to Class A homeroom teacher Soichiro Kuzuki.]
"I see."
"You want to find a job at the school?"
Soichiro Kuzuki adjusted his glasses. "However, I cannot make that decision—this is not something a homeroom teacher like me can decide."
"Then... whom should we seek?" Rin Tohsaka couldn't help but ask.
"Let me think."
Soichiro Kuzuki thought very seriously, then gave his answer. "Then I think you might be able to find the teacher of the Kendo Club."
"I hear they're expanding their recruitment now."
"Expanding recruitment?!" Rin Tohsaka was startled. "Is it that popular?"
"Mm," Soichiro Kuzuki adjusted his glasses. "Because she's truly amazing."
"So far, no student or teacher has successfully touched her with a sword during practice."
"What?!"
Due to her position as vice president of the student council, Rin Tohsaka usually didn't attend club activities much, so she naturally didn't know there was such an incredible Kendo Club teacher. However, this was an opportunity. Rin Tohsaka quickly followed up: "Then, what is this teacher's name..."
Before Soichiro Kuzuki could answer, a voice came from outside the door.
"Misaya Reiroukan."
A mature woman with long red-purple hair appeared at the office doorway.
"That's my name."
"You two, what do you want with me?"