Tohsaka Rin naturally had no intention of changing the plan, so they went downstairs together and came to the living room of the Tohsaka residence.
"Ryuga-sama, can't father and the others see you?"
Even though Ryuga was walking openly in the front, and the two little ones were following behind him after arriving at the main hall.
This level of presence shouldn't be possible to ignore.
But for some reason, whether it was Tohsaka Tokiomi or Matou Zouken, they only glanced in their direction once, then continued their conversation as if they completely hadn't noticed Ryuga, a living person.
After being surprised, Rin speculated.
"Could it be a hypnosis technique?"
Given Tohsaka Tokiomi and Matou Zouken's magical accomplishments, even ordinary Heroic Spirits' techniques might not be able to deceive their minds.
But Ryuga was a powerhouse above even gods - what ordinary Heroic Spirits couldn't do, for him it wasn't a problem.
"No, it's just simple cognitive interference."
Ryuga shook his head.
"They can see me, just as they can see the sky above their heads, but precisely because the presence is too strong, it's not easily noticed by people."
If a top-tier existence at the level of a Holy Knight were here, they might be able to see through the conceptual technique Ryuga had set up, but neither of the two magi present had accomplishments at that level.
In their view, Ryuga was like an elephant in the room - not that they couldn't see him, but even if they saw him, they couldn't form concrete recognition in their minds, as if it was perfectly natural for him to be there.
"No wonder even when I talk to you like this, father shows no reaction at all."
Rin sighed.
Even now, even though they clearly heard her conversation with Ryuga, neither Tohsaka Tokiomi nor Matou Zouken showed any sign of caring, as if they hadn't heard anything at all.
Such terrifying power was just something Ryuga did casually.
Before long, the conversation between Tohsaka Tokiomi and Matou Zouken approached its end.
"Sakura, from today onward, you are no longer my daughter. You will completely abandon the Tohsaka surname and become the heir of the Matou family! From now on, you must not disappoint the magical aptitude within you!"
Tohsaka Tokiomi seriously instructed his younger daughter thus.
These words sounded incredibly cruel, but actually weren't completely without warmth.
If she wanted to become the heir of the Matou family, then Sakura absolutely couldn't be too nostalgic about the Tohsaka family. The more ruthless he was now, the more at ease the Matou head would be about Sakura, which would actually be good for Sakura's future development.
However, even so, expecting a little girl to understand the cruelty behind these words was too much to ask of her.
At this time, Sakura had only one thought in her mind.
—"Ah, as expected, neither mama nor papa want me anymore."
Although she had known she would be abandoned, until this day came, she still harbored small hopes in her heart.
Now that her fantasy was shattered, she had become a homeless person.
She slightly lowered her head, like a kite with a broken string. She didn't cry or make a fuss.
"I understand."
In the end, that was all she could say.
After all, no one would ask her to stay anyway.
Just as she was thinking this, the twin-tailed young girl holding her hand suddenly tightened her grip on her sister's hand and for the first time showed angry eyes toward her own father.
"Father, how can you say such things?!"
Rin let out what could be called a lioness's roar.
She wasn't unaware of the meaning behind Tohsaka Tokiomi's words, but she didn't think the harm these words caused to little Sakura could be equated with that vague future.
"Rin..."
Hearing his eldest daughter's voice, Tohsaka Tokiomi's body stiffened for a moment, but he still stubbornly shook his head.
"You're still too young. When you grow up and become a true magus, you'll understand."
Whether as a magus or as a father, he felt he had made the best choice.
Rin wanted to say something more, but noticed that her sister had gripped her hand back.
"Onee-chan."
Sakura silently shook her head, telling her not to argue anymore.
Rin also understood that she couldn't persuade her father. After several seconds of silence, she gave up the argument.
"Father is such a stubborn old man!"
She finally grumbled in frustration.
Then, a dry laughter like insect chirping rang out.
"Heh heh! What touching sisterly love!"
The extremely sinister-looking Matou Zouken looked at the two children in front of him with the gaze of someone looking at rare treasures. Then, he showed an extremely expectant smile.
"Since we've agreed on the adoption, then Tohsaka Sakura - no! It should be Matou Sakura, you should come with me to your new home!"
Deliberately using words to hurt the young child in front of him, and seeing the other party's eyes dim again, Matou Zouken turned and left, seemingly not worried at all that little Sakura wouldn't follow.
And in fact, after hesitating for several seconds, little Sakura indeed lifted her foot to follow.
However, before she could take a step, she was grabbed by the back of her neck by a large, warm hand and lifted back like picking up a kitten.
She looked up and saw that the one who had lifted her back was Ryuga.
Before she could ask, Rin started scolding.
"Are you stupid?! He tells you to go and you really go?"
How could this sister be so carefree?
Could it be that because she was abandoned by father, she was heartbroken and starting to become self-destructive?
Thinking this, Rin couldn't help but feel sorry for this sister.
If she had known father would say such things, she should have directly put laxatives in his tea.
However, what Rin didn't expect was that after hearing this question, little Sakura just blinked and asked back.
"Didn't onee-chan say we should follow this old man?"
If she didn't follow, how could they track him?
"Ah?"
Rin was somewhat stunned.
She still had the mind to consider this matter, so it seemed her sister was in good condition?
Actually, facing her biological father's declaration of severing ties, little Sakura couldn't possibly not be sad, but currently, she hadn't reached the state of "despair greater than heartbreak" as in the original story.
The key factor was that with Ryuga's backing, Rin showed an attitude of never giving up.
For Sakura, those were two life-saving straws.
For humans, as long as there was still hope, as long as there was still a last straw to grasp, she wouldn't give up, just like little Sakura now.
So she wanted to try to suppress her fear of Matou Zouken, follow him, and cooperate with her sister and Ryuga-sama's unknown plan.
Understanding little Sakura's thoughts, Ryuga shook his head.
"No need to take risks personally. I've already arranged a substitute."
Hearing him say this, Sakura looked puzzledly toward Matou Zouken's direction.
Then she saw an extremely crude-looking scarecrow following behind the sinister old man, humming and hah-ing like a mischievous child.
Noticing her gaze, this scarecrow suddenly turned around and showed her an extremely terrifying smile.
More horrifying than this was that whether it was Tohsaka Tokiomi's gaze, or Tohsaka Aoi's gaze from the second-floor window, or the corner of Matou Zouken's eye, they were all focused on that scarecrow.
As if that extremely crude and eerie scarecrow was the real little Sakura.
For a moment, little Sakura trembled slightly, feeling like her existence was being eerily stripped away.
Fortunately, Ryuga provided an explanation in time.
"Don't worry, that's a substitute made using the Ox-Hour Worship technique. It's mainly for your safety, and it can also let us see what the Matou family really wants to do."
"Don't be afraid! Both Ryuga-sama and I can see you!"
Rin also noticed little Sakura's unease and gripped her hand tightly again.
Feeling the attention from both Ryuga and her sister simultaneously, little Sakura finally breathed a complete sigh of relief.
"Mm! I trust onee-chan and Ryuga-sama!"
Anyway, everyone else was already unrelated to her. As long as onee-chan and Ryuga-sama still remembered her, it would be fine.
Seeing Matou Zouken leave completely obliviously with the scarecrow substitute, Ryuga and the others immediately followed.
Soon, they arrived at a Japanese-style courtyard - the Matou residence.
Looking at this vast courtyard located in the city center, after her resentment toward her father dissipated somewhat, Rin remembered her plan and began to restore her father's image in little Sakura's heart.
"Actually, although father is stubborn, he still loves Sakura very much. What he said before was just out of helplessness. Don't look at how ugly that old man from the Matou family looks - the Matou family's conditions are still very good, and it must be the result of father's careful selection."
To be continued…
Guys, why do I have to tell y'all to drop your power stones?