Describing it merely as physical management is too vague. A more specific description would be near-absolute behavioral control. And if that assumption holds true, the reaction just now becomes quite easy to explain.
Consciousness is controlled
↓
Leading to delayed actions
↓
Thus appearing hesitant
Thinking to this point, Atalanta breathed a sigh of relief. Good. It was because external magic was affecting his thoughts, not that her Master had lost interest in her. If it were the latter, Atalanta would be heartbroken right now.
After clarifying her thoughts, the little catgirl felt a bit better. However—once she calmed down, she quickly realized a new problem. Why would Tohsaka Sakura do this to Ian?
The two on the mirror stand were still continuing their activities. Looking at the constantly swaying ankles of the girl in front of her, Atalanta pondered the new question in her mind. First, it was certain that Tohsaka Sakura had feelings for Ian. Otherwise, she wouldn't have burst in at a time like this. But the key question was why she would cast such magic on Ian—more specifically, how she managed to cast such magic on Ian.
As Archer, Atalanta had very limited information. She could only proceed from what she knew to make reasonable deductions. Almost instantly, the clever catgirl thought of the Command Seals. That's right. If Tohsaka Sakura and Ian also had a Master-Servant relationship, then restrictive magic could be applied through the powerful Command Seals. The reason she thought this way was because Tohsaka Rin herself was a magus. If the older sister was a magus, then the probability of the younger sister also being a magus would naturally increase.
Atalanta, with little external information, accurately determined the relationship between Ian and Tohsaka Sakura on her own. This was the excellent observational ability of an Archer, and she was among the best.
So—now back to the first question. "Why do this?"
Atalanta first ruled out herself as the reason—after all, Tohsaka Sakura hadn't even noticed an extra person in the bathroom. That meant she had already cast this Command Spell on Ian before Atalanta was even summoned.
Hiss... Knowing just this is useless, isn't it? Catgirl Atalanta bit her lip, quite helpless. She truly didn't need much information to make a judgment—but that didn't mean she needed no information at all. The little catgirl could only place her hopes on the two above her, hoping they would reveal more.
And whether Atalanta was lucky enough, or the timing was just right, after the prana-filled liquid spread from the edge of the mirror stand, the two of them paused. Tohsaka Sakura, sitting on the mirror stand, hugged her Servant's neck. She exhaled a warm breath, then spoke in a very happy tone: "Mr. Ian. Today... we had fun many times."
"Yes," Ian responded to his Master. "I didn't expect you to be so interested in this, Sakura."
"I'm not interested in this," Tohsaka Sakura kissed Ian. "I'm interested in Mr. Ian. As long as I'm with Mr. Ian... I'm willing to try anything."
[You know that Tohsaka Sakura is not lying.]
[After all, back then, to see you, she dared to defy her parents' orders and sneak into the study in the middle of the night.]
[You can feel her resolve is as firm as ever.]
[But the more she is like this, the more you feel yourself hallucinating her as someone else.]
[That is... a very important woman to you.]
[You feel like your head is about to split open.]
"Mr. Ian, what's wrong?" Seeing that the person she cared about deeply had a very strange expression, Tohsaka Sakura immediately became nervous.
"Sakura..." Ian covered his forehead, revealing his current feelings. "My head hurts a lot."
"How can that be?" Tohsaka Sakura panicked. "Was I too willful just now and didn't let Mr. Ian replenish his prana?"
"Not at all." Ian reached out and gently stroked the girl's long hair, his tone as gentle as ever. "Sakura, how could I not have replenished my prana? I just... simply remembered some vague memories."
"Vague memories?" Tohsaka Sakura leaned closer—her collar slightly open at this moment, her body continuously emitting abundant prana due to the operation of her magic circuits. This should have been a somewhat embarrassing scene, but in front of him, the girl felt none of that mattered.
"Yes. It seems to be about the past."
"..." Even though it was her first Holy Grail War, Tohsaka Sakura knew what Ian's words meant. He was gradually recalling his true name. This should be a good thing! But—Tohsaka Sakura looked at the man covering his forehead, feeling deeply distressed. Why did he look so pained?
"Since that's the case—" Tohsaka Sakura looked at the Command Seals on her hand—having learned, she already knew they were extremely powerful. "Mr. Ian, why don't I use them all up to make you feel better?"
"Absolutely not!" Ian reached out to stop Tohsaka Sakura. "Sakura, this is very precious—it can't be casually used in such a place."
"But I don't think this is 'casually'." Tohsaka Sakura looked directly into Ian's eyes, with only him reflected in her gaze. "Mr. Ian, you are my everything. I cannot stand by and watch your pain."
"..."
[Realizing that if this continued, Tohsaka Sakura would truly use her remaining Command Seals on such trivial matters.]
[You realize that you absolutely cannot let her do that.]
[So, even though it's truly painful, you decide to endure it.]
"I'm fine now," Ian forced a strained smile.
"Mr. Ian, you're lying," Tohsaka Sakura quickly replied.
"I'm not." Ian immediately hugged Tohsaka Sakura, leaving a reluctant kiss on her forehead. "Master—please allow me to gain more abundant prana."
"Eh?" Although it wasn't the first time she had allowed him to do this, hearing Ian's proactive words still made Tohsaka Sakura a little embarrassed. However, she didn't resist her Servant but nodded slightly. "Mr. Ian, please feel free to take prana from me. But—please be a little gentle."
Listening to this blunt conversation, Atalanta, hidden in the shadows, blushed even more. She realized that their feelings for each other were already very deep. And in fairness, the little catgirl actually wished that the person doing this with Ian right now was herself. However—now was not the time to think about such things. The catgirl shook her head, dispelling the fantasies in her mind, then seriously analyzed what had just been said.
Ian's condition... seemed very bad? What exactly happened? Atalanta found that she was also very anxious, but there was nothing she could do. She wanted to know more!
Perhaps the catgirl had accumulated enough luck, as she once again heard crucial information. It was a question Ian asked after a prana replenishment, looking at the blissful Tohsaka Sakura on the mirror stand.
"Sakura. You said you argued with Rin... can you tell me what happened?"
"Eh?" Ian's mention of it made Atalanta realize she had overlooked this previously mentioned information. That's right. Her Master, Tohsaka Rin, had argued with her sister, Tohsaka Sakura, and it had happened not long ago.
"This..." Looking at the man in front of her, Tohsaka Sakura's expression became somewhat hesitant—a sign of struggling with whether to reveal the matter. However, in the end, she didn't hide it from her Servant but chose to confess everything.
"Mr. Ian. Sister... is also preparing to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War."
"..."
"..."
At these words, both Ian in the open and Atalanta in the shadows were stunned. The former because Tohsaka Rin had never shown any inclination in this regard before; the latter suddenly realized that her Master had actually been secretly acting all along.
"Then—" Ian, understanding, took Tohsaka Sakura's hand—he already knew why she had been so sad just now. "You feel deceived by her, and that's why you're upset?"
"Yes," the girl nodded without hesitation. "Sister never told me from beginning to end that she would participate, did she? This is deceiving me."
"..." Ian had always been partial to Tohsaka Sakura, not to mention the effect of the Command Seals now. "I understand. Then Sakura, what do you plan to do next?"
"Move out for a while first," Tohsaka Sakura looked at the man in front of her. "Mr. Ian, you'll come with me, won't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Ian bent down, leaving a knight's kiss on the back of Tohsaka Sakura's hand. "I am your Servant. No matter what, I must protect you. It's like this now, and it will be like this in the future."
Listening to these incredibly loyal words, Tohsaka Sakura revealed a genuine smile. That's right. Everyone else might betray her, but Ian absolutely would not. He was her knight!
"By the way—" Tohsaka Sakura once again proactively moved closer to him. At this moment, she had already decided that he was one of the few trustworthy people left in her life. "That girl named Arcadia, she's Sister's Servant. She—didn't say anything strange to you, did she?"
"Eh!" Atalanta covered her mouth. She suddenly realized that her current situation was no different from a lamb entering a tiger's den. After all, if Ian were to reveal everything to Tohsaka Sakura, given that the two had just had a fight, she might be killed right there in the bathroom.
However—Ian chose not to reveal Atalanta's presence. He shook his head and replied: "No. She didn't say anything strange to me—I just found her a little familiar, that's all."
"Master..." Knowing that Ian was trying his best to protect her, a warm feeling surged through Atalanta's heart. The bathroom returned to its initial state. The catgirl wagged her tail, quietly listening to her Master and the other girl repeatedly expressing their love for each other. She really wanted to join in—but she certainly couldn't right now.
More than an hour later.
Archer Atalanta, who had finally successfully escaped from the bathroom, quickly returned to her Master's side. This was another room in the mansion.
"You weren't discovered, were you?" Tohsaka Rin asked. She felt that she probably hadn't been—after all, if she had been, it wouldn't be this calm now.
"Mm." Atalanta nodded, the frequency of her tail wagging significantly less.
"What's wrong?" Tohsaka Rin, sensing that her Servant was a bit off, asked directly. "Did you find something out?"
"..." Recalling how Ian had protected her in front of Tohsaka Sakura, Archer Atalanta ultimately did not tell her Master everything she had heard. She also had to protect her Master. And the catgirl had a little secret wish of her own—she hoped that both sides could be more harmonious. In that case, she might even be able to attend a multi-person gathering.
"Um—Rin, you argued with your sister, didn't you? She... has decided to move out with Ian for a while."
"..." A hint of regret flashed in Tohsaka Rin's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "Alright. It's probably best to separate for a while—otherwise, I imagine we'd just keep arguing."
"Um—" Atalanta asked carefully. "Master, are you really planning to fight your own sister?"
"I don't know." Tohsaka Rin looked at the Command Seals on the back of her hand, her expression very complex. "But if she truly wants to fight, I won't hold back either. Of course—I definitely won't go for the kill... and if there's a chance, I'd still like to avoid that."
"By the way," Tohsaka Rin looked back at Atalanta. "Did you confirm Ian's identity? Is he... a hero from your era?"
"No," Atalanta replied. "And he also doesn't seem to remember me. The only thing that's certain... is that he and Sakura have a very good relationship right now."
"..."
"Alright then." Tohsaka Rin nodded. "If neither of us knows, then it's like neither of us has been exposed."
"Master, what do you plan to do next?" Atalanta pressed.
"What to do?" Tohsaka Rin sighed. "Internal support is out... so I'll just have to call in external help.
"External help?" Atalanta was a bit puzzled.
"Mm," Tohsaka Rin nodded. "I'll go look for that fake priest—he, like my father, participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Perhaps I can get some methods from him."