As an excellent magus, Tohsaka Rin quickly sensed her sister emitting prana. She quickly spoke to stop her: "Sakura, what are you doing?! If you have something to say, say it properly!"
"But I am speaking properly now." Tohsaka Sakura tilted her head slightly. Although her tone still sounded as gentle as usual, there was a distinctly different feeling at this moment, an indescribable coldness. "Sister, do you think I'm not speaking properly to you right now?"
"..." Tohsaka Rin was speechless for a moment. And Tohsaka Sakura showed no signs of stopping. She quickly pressed on: "Sister, you still haven't answered my question just now. Is that girl named Arcadia... really your Servant?"
"You... why are you suddenly asking such a question?" Tohsaka Rin guiltily turned her face away.
"Because—" Tohsaka Sakura took a few steps and finally stood directly in front of her sister. Her hand was slowly enveloped in a blue light—magic she had learned from her teacher, Vivian. "Arcadia's appearance looks very unusual. And she keeps staring at Mr. Ian—that's even stranger. If she isn't a Servant summoned by Sister, I don't think this discordant feeling can be explained."
Although Tohsaka Sakura's tone was gentle throughout, Tohsaka Rin felt utterly uncomfortable—after all, she knew that the other party was essentially expressing her inner dissatisfaction. Left with no choice, the girl could only nod and admit it.
"Alright, Sakura, things are as you think. Arcadia... is indeed my Servant."
"..." Tohsaka Sakura's eyes widened slightly. It was clear that even though she had prepared herself mentally, she still felt shocked upon learning this. "When did this happen? Where did you summon her?"
Since the topic had been opened, Tohsaka Rin no longer tried to conceal anything. She directly replied: "It happened today at school... she was just summoned not long ago!"
"What class is she?" Tohsaka Sakura pressed.
"Archer." Tohsaka Rin did not hide it.
"..." The blue light on Tohsaka Sakura's hand disappeared, replaced by confusion hidden in her eyes. "Sister. You... never said you were participating in the Holy Grail War before, did you?"
"Yes, no, I didn't," Tohsaka Rin admitted with some guilt—after all, she had indeed hidden it from her sister for a long time. However, she quickly found an excuse for herself. "Sakura—you should know that our father's long-cherished wish was to participate in the Holy Grail War, right? So, as the eldest daughter of the Tohsaka family, it's only natural for me to participate in the Holy Grail War."
"..." Tohsaka Rin's words, unintentionally, directly hit a sensitive spot in Tohsaka Sakura's heart. She looked at the sister who bore a slight resemblance to her, and let out a cold laugh. "That's right. You're the eldest daughter of the Tohsaka family... and I'm just an outsider sent to the Edelfelt family. My participation in the Holy Grail War doesn't mean the Tohsaka family participates. So—you have to join, right?"
Listening to Tohsaka Sakura's self-mocking words, Tohsaka Rin quickly realized she had said the wrong thing. She shouldn't have emphasized being the "eldest daughter of the Tohsaka family" in front of Tohsaka Sakura.
"Sakura, listen to me! It's not what you think!"
"But the facts are right here." Tohsaka Sakura looked at her sister, feeling a chill run through her heart. "From beginning to end, you never considered me a member of the Tohsaka family, did you?"
"..." Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin's face tightened. Her patience also reached its limit at this point. After about a few seconds, Tohsaka Rin quietly replied: "So... you think this is all my fault?"
"What did you say?" Tohsaka Sakura looked at her sister.
"I said!" Tohsaka Rin angrily shouted, "Do you think this is really my fault?! Did I ask to be the eldest daughter, or did I make Mom and Dad send you away?! I've been helping you with all my heart, and you still treat me like an outsider! What did I do wrong to have to bear this temper of yours?!"
After saying these words, Tohsaka Rin probably felt her words were too aggressive. She turned her head, avoiding her sister's gaze.
"You really said it after all, didn't you?" A bitter smile, as if she had seen through reality, appeared on Tohsaka Sakura's face. "Tohsaka Rin, you never truly considered me your sister from beginning to end, did you?"
Calling her sister by her full name—this was a very impolite act, contrary to the Tohsaka family's ancestral teachings. Tohsaka Rin's temper flared up instantly.
"So what—?" She put her hands on her hips. "Did you ever consider me your sister? If you did... you wouldn't be speaking to me in this tone right now, would you?"
"..."
"..."
The two, each holding their own arguments, stared at each other, making the atmosphere instantly extremely cold.
"I see." Tohsaka Sakura was the first to break the silence. "I understand. Since Sister thinks this way—then I can only see it through to the end." The girl who had returned to her hometown looked at her nominal sister, her eyes as cold as a stranger's. "Once the Holy Grail War officially begins, I will show absolutely no mercy. Of course. Sister, you don't need to show any mercy either. Yes, that's how it will be."
After saying these words, Tohsaka Sakura walked back into the house without looking back. Only Tohsaka Rin was left outside, enduring the cold wind. The girl covered her forehead, realizing she had completely messed up what her mother had instructed earlier. Things were about to get troublesome.
[You are unaware of the argument between Tohsaka Rin and Tohsaka Sakura tonight.]
[After all, a cute little cat is currently trying to please you.]
[However, you find that you don't have many ways to respond to her attempts.]
[Your emotions have been locked away in an almost distorted manner.]
Inside the Tohsaka mansion's bathroom.
Atalanta was a bit dejected at this moment. Although she had confirmed that the man in front of her was indeed the Master she had been longing for. But—he didn't seem too affected by her actions. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't completely unresponsive either. The little cat could feel that the object of her current service was indeed becoming lively. It's just—no matter what she did, she could never truly reach the true release of emotions. That strange feeling, as if someone had forcibly suppressed it.
There was truly no other way. Atalanta could only stop for a moment, looking at the man in front of her with a shy expression, then asked softly: "Um—was my performance not good enough?" The catgirl's fingers nervously rubbed her Master's thigh. "Or did Master feel this was too sudden?"
"Not at all." Ian's hand gently caressed Atalanta's head, as if he were tending to a little cat he had raised for a long time. "You performed very well. But—I genuinely have no intention of [climaxing]."
"Eh?" Ian's simple sentence made Atalanta, as an Archer, feel that something was gravely wrong. Given that she had confirmed he was her Master, Atalanta knew that her actions would definitely be within his "strike zone." It's just—Ian now said he felt nothing. Considering the two points together, it wasn't hard to conclude that Ian was likely under some external interference. And this external force was most likely magic.
But—who was it, and what kind of magic did they use, to cause such a situation? Little catgirl Atalanta was completely perplexed. However, before she could figure it out, something unexpected happened.
A faint, blurry figure appeared behind the closed bathroom door. Then, a careful inquiry came through: "Mr. Ian, may I come in?"
Wait—! Atalanta's two cat ears twitched. She recognized Tohsaka Sakura's voice! How could she be so fast?! Hadn't her Master promised to buy her more time? Overly trusting of Tohsaka Rin, Atalanta panicked at this moment; even her normally swaying tail now stood stiff with nervousness.
"..."
[Although you still don't understand why this girl named Arcadia calls you Master,]
[seeing her frantic state, you realize she is terrified of being discovered by Tohsaka Sakura.]
[Of course—the same applies to you.]
[After a moment's thought, you decide to help her a little—this is actually helping yourself.]
"Arcadia, don't rush." Ian comforted the catgirl in front of him, while calmly replying to the voice outside. "Sakura. I'm almost done showering. If you have something, can you wait for me outside?"
"..." Realizing Ian was helping her, Atalanta's expression showed a hint of small joy. This indicated that he at least had a place for her in his heart—so the earlier guess of "Master being restricted by magic" was even more plausible. After all—if she was still important to him, it would be impossible for him to have absolutely no such thoughts, right?
However, Tohsaka Sakura's next reply rendered this cover-up meaningless. She said: "Then if that's the case—Mr. Ian, please just consider it as accompanying me while I shower."
"..."
"..."
At this statement, both Ian and Atalanta realized that Tohsaka Sakura absolutely had to come in now. There was no other way. The man could only start looking for a place to hide the catgirl.
Soon—he found the spot he needed. It was under the bathroom mirror stand. There was enough space for someone to hide in—though it would require Atalanta to be a little uncomfortable. And because of its special location, it was unlikely anyone would specifically look there when entering the bathroom.
Of course. Even the safest place still had the possibility of being discovered. And how to avoid that possibility was something Ian had to consider himself.
After settling Atalanta, Ian then opened the door and welcomed Tohsaka Sakura in.
"Mr. Ian~" As soon as Tohsaka Sakura entered, she immediately threw herself into Ian's embrace. Her body was trembling slightly; she looked very sad. Facing such a girl, Ian did not immediately inquire about her condition but let her vent in his arms for a while before gently asking: "Sakura, what's wrong?"
"..." Tohsaka Sakura looked up, her blue eyes filled with sorrow. "Mr. Ian... Sister and I had a fight. Now—I want to do that kind of thing to relax, if that's okay?"
"..." Without any hesitation, facing his Master's request, Ian directly nodded. "I understand."
Having said that, the man directly picked up the sad-looking girl and gently placed her on the mirror stand. This was a blind spot—after sitting there, it would be difficult to discover the cute little cat hiding underneath, eavesdropping.
But correspondingly. The catgirl Servant Atalanta also couldn't see what was happening above. From her perspective, this hidden little cat could only see her Master's legs, and Tohsaka Sakura's constantly swaying lower ankles.
However—that was enough. The familiar and easily understood sounds were enough for Atalanta to imagine the entire scene. Her Master, in this steamy bathroom with Tohsaka Sakura, was doing some indescribable things.
The catgirl felt a little embarrassed—she didn't object to her Master having relationships with other girls. But, she recalled what had just happened. She couldn't, no matter what, make her Master achieve complete emotional release. So—could this girl named Tohsaka Sakura do it?
Atalanta nervously awaited the result. After shyly listening to the girl's sounds, which, if written in a book, would likely lead to "chapter review failed," the catgirl saw the reward she had been eagerly anticipating.
Drip.
It stretched into a long thread from the edge of the counter, finally landing on the floor. Atalanta reached out, gently dabbed a little, and then tasted it with her tongue.
That's right. It was indeed her Master's taste, just slightly mixed with a unique feminine fragrance. She really did it...
Wait a moment—! A flash of lightning crossed Atalanta's mind. She found that everything was actually quite simple to explain. She had already seen earlier that Tohsaka Sakura and her Master had a very close relationship—if he couldn't do anything with other girls, she would certainly be the happiest. Could it be that the magic restricting her Master was cast by her? Was she performing [semen retention] management on him?!