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The international arrivals gate at East Tokyo International Airport was crowded with people.
One girl was particularly eye-catching—her soft black hair was tied in pigtails, shimmering faintly under the lights.
She wore a well-tailored, high-neck red sweater, a plaid mini-skirt paired with black stockings that subtly revealed the texture of her skin, and a khaki trench coat, outlining a slender yet upright figure.
It was Tohsaka Rin, who had just arrived from London.
She pulled a small black suitcase with one hand and scrolled through her phone screen with the other. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she muttered softly,
"Marin-neechan is ridiculous… she explicitly said not to bother anyone with picking me up, it's not like I can't take a taxi myself."
She looked at the last confirmation message Marin had sent, her fingertip lingering on the text: "Yet she insists on sending her boyfriend… truly troublesome."
Rin put away her phone and looked up at the crowd waiting for arrivals.
Her eyes scanned the faces, some expectant, some tired, trying to find the "brother-in-law" who matched Marin's description of "so handsome! The kind of handsome that makes you fall in love at first sight!"
The result was naturally futile. Her slender finger lit up the screen again, and she reluctantly re-read the message, her fingertip pausing over the words "so handsome." She sighed softly.
"Sigh…" This subjective description was truly Marin-neechan's style.
Her finger slid. The next picture loaded—it was the photo of Chen Tian that Marin had sent her.
It was a candid shot, the stage lighting intense.
The man in the photo was slightly turned to the side, holding a silver electric guitar. A few strands of white hair fell over his forehead. His eyes stared forward, focused and sharp, as if piercing through the lens.
Sweat beaded along his jawline, exuding a unique tension somewhere between wildness and composure.
Rin's gaze lingered on the photo for a few seconds, her icy blue eyes reflecting the screen's light.
"…Tsk," she let out an almost imperceptible scoff, but the tips of her ears felt slightly hot. "…He is indeed quite…"
"Tohsaka Rin?"
A low, clear male voice came from behind her, interrupting her unsaid evaluation at the perfect moment.
Tohsaka Rin's body instantly tensed. As she turned, her eyes met a tall figure wearing a black baseball cap. The brim was pulled low, and a surgical mask covered most of his face, leaving only a pair of deep, ink-black eyes visible.
Those eyes… Rin's thoughts suddenly drifted for a moment.
Under the shadow of the cap, those eyes were observing her with a hint of amusement.
About 185 centimeters tall, she mentally recited the measurement, then was surprised by her own bizarre thought, her ear tips heating up even more.
"My apologies." The man's voice, muffled through the mask, carried a distinct amusement.
His finger hooked the edge of the mask, and he slowly pulled it down—Rin's pupils contracted slightly.
It was the man in the photo, but his presence was more… aggressive than his stage persona.
Without the softening effect of dazzling stage lights, Chen Tian's jawline looked particularly sharp in the airport's cool lighting. The smile that curved his lips, however, was surprisingly gentle.
"My apologies, this attire is a bit rude," he casually took off his baseball cap. A few strands of his pressed-down white hair rebelliously sprung up. "But if I don't…"
Before he could finish, scattered shrieks suddenly erupted in the distance, and several girls were pointing in their direction.
Chen Tian quickly pulled the cap back onto his head, his movement practiced, as if he had done it countless times.
Rin understood immediately, a flash of realization in her icy blue eyes.
She gave a slight bow, her hair falling from her shoulder: "Please excuse my manners, Chen Tian-san."
As she straightened, she noticed the man had naturally taken her suitcase, his slender fingers resting on the handle.
"This way." Chen Tian gestured toward the VIP channel with his chin, walking ahead.
Rin followed half a step behind him, continuously observing Chen Tian's subtle actions.
Isn't he a bit too casual… Rin watched Chen Tian pull her suitcase, but there was nothing she could discern from his demeanor.
Under the parking lot lights, a pure black Toyota Alphard was quietly parked.
Rin's gaze swept over the Gojo Clan crest on the driver's chest, shimmering faintly against the black suit.
The driver, around forty, stood as straight as a drawn sword, yet bowed with a perfectly measured curve of respect when opening the car door.
"Please get in." Chen Tian stepped aside to let her pass.
The car interior carried a faint scent of cedar.
As Rin slipped into the back seat, the hem of her trench coat brushed Chen Tian's knee. He casually took the coat she was removing and hung it up, his movements so familiar it was as if they had been rehearsed a thousand times.
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, then swiftly averted his gaze.
"Is the temperature right?" Chen Tian pressed the seat heater button. "Marin always complains that I don't turn the heater up enough at home."
A few white hairs were pulled back as he removed his mask, one standing up rebelliously above his brow bone. Rin stared at that strand of hair for two seconds, then realized she was counting his eyelashes.
The sound of the driver starting the engine rescued her.
As the Alphard smoothly slid out of the parking space, Chen Tian offered her a thermos cup: "Honey citron tea."
The cup still held the warmth of his palm. "Marin specifically told me to bring it. She said you never drink water on the plane."
Rin paused as she took the cup. Honestly, Marin-neechan still treats me like a child.
Outside the window, the airport terminal buildings receded.
Chen Tian unlocked his phone screen—the lock screen was a photo of Marin pulling a face while wearing foam hair rollers. "She'll be home by noon." He turned the phone toward Rin. "She says she's going to make you Oyakodon (Mother-and-Child Bowl)."
The heat from the thermos cup steamed softly in the quiet car.
After mentioning the Oyakodon, Chen Tian lightly tapped the edge of his phone, and the screen went dark.
He said nothing more, leaning back into the wide seat, his head slightly turned toward the window.
The warmth of the smile he had worn moments ago vanished from the corner of his lips. His entire demeanor became still and composed, as if the person who had been speaking and offering tea with such warmth wasn't him.
The air in the car instantly solidified. The low hum of the engine and the hiss of the heating fan were amplified tenfold, filling the sudden silence.
Tohsaka Rin gripped the slightly warm cup. She wanted to say something to ease the tension, like, "Has Marin-neechan's cooking improved?" or "Thank you for the trouble," but the words felt too forced as they reached her lips. She ultimately just pressed her lips tightly together.
This silence carried an invisible pressure that made Rin feel a sense of inexplicable awkwardness.
She lowered her gaze, staring at the wisps of white steam rising from the cup.
A faint but distinct tapping sound broke the silence.
It was Chen Tian's curved index finger knuckle, lightly and deliberately tapping the leather armrest of his seat.
Almost simultaneously, an extremely faint electronic sound came from the driver's seat.
The soundproof partition behind the driver silently rose. The thick material perfectly isolated the front and back of the cabin, completely shielding even the faint sound of the engine.
Rin's heart skipped a beat.
She sharply looked up at Chen Tian, her icy blue pupils filled with confusion and a hint of alertness.
Why raise the partition? This sudden sense of isolation instinctively made her uneasy.
Chen Tian's gaze was still fixed on the rapidly passing urban streetscape outside the window. His profile looked cold and detached in the dim light.
His voice was very soft, yet it pierced the last of the warmth in the cabin like an ice pick, reaching Rin's ears clearly:
"Tohsaka Rin-san," he paused, his gaze still fixed on the window. "Did you come to East Tokyo to participate in the Holy Grail War?"
All of Tohsaka Rin's muscles instantly tensed like steel!
A cold current shot up her spine to the crown of her head. Her pupils contracted to pinpoints from shock and vigilance.
Her fingers gripping the thermos cup were white from the force. Her other hand, resting on her lap, unconsciously curled slightly, as if ready to form a hand seal at any moment.
The earlier sense of relaxation brought by the citron tea and the promise of family time was utterly crushed. Only a knife-sharp alertness and scrutiny remained in her icy blue eyes.
The cozy cedar scent in the car now carried a hint of danger.
Chen Tian seemed completely oblivious to Rin's tense body and the sudden, sharp chill in her gaze.
He even maintained his relaxed posture, only finally withdrawing his gaze from the car window and fixing it steadily on Rin's face, which was etched with wariness.
"Whether you returned for the Holy Grail War or not, Tohsaka Rin-san," His voice was still calm, even carrying a residual warmth from moments ago when discussing Oyakodon. "This matter," he paused, the corner of his mouth curving into a gentle arc, but with little amusement in his eyes, "don't let Marin know."
"…Good."
Tohsaka Rin's voice was very soft. Deep within her icy blue eyes, the vigilance remained, fixed intently, but she ultimately nodded slowly in agreement.
Her brain raced. Countless questions surged—How did Chen Tian know about the Holy Grail War? Who exactly was he? There were no Magecraft power fluctuations around him. Was he too well-hidden, or was he using some unknown method?
Or… did he not belong to the world of Magecraft at all?
Chen Tian got the answer he wanted. The gentle smile on his lips seemed to deepen slightly, but the scrutiny in his eyes did not dissipate.
"That's good," his tone became lighter, as if they were merely discussing the weather. "You're only briefly staying in East Tokyo this time, and will have to return to Fuyuki City soon, right?"
Chen Tian's finger casually tapped the armrest, his gaze returning to Rin's face with a near-certain probing look. "The location of this Holy Grail War… is still Fuyuki?"
This sentence was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, stirring up greater ripples in Rin's heart.
He not only knew about the Holy Grail War but also the specific operational location?
And he even used the word "this time"?
"…Yes." Rin's answer was even briefer, her voice suppressing a desperately controlled turmoil.
She was almost certain that this seemingly ordinary "brother-in-law" knew far more than he let on.
"That's good," Chen Tian's smile deepened, but a hint of detachment entered his deep eyes. "As long as you don't interfere with my life,"
He paused. "I won't interfere with your war."
The air in the car cabin seemed to solidify into a tangible, icy pressure.
Rin's fingernails were practically digging into the metal casing of the thermos cup.
Chen Tian slightly tilted his head, the subtle smile still playing on his lips. "Specifically, don't interfere with my life circle."
His tone was flat, yet held an indifferent conviction. "Otherwise,"
His ink-black eyes instantly locked onto Rin, the smile completely gone, leaving only the cold edge of emotionless steel.
"I will smash your Holy Grail to pieces."
Tohsaka Rin's heart felt as if it had been seized by an invisible giant hand, abruptly stopping for a second, before violently slamming against her chest.
A chill instantly shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her scalp prickle.
She didn't even have time to contemplate the seemingly preposterous statement of "smash the Holy Grail." A sense of extreme danger, stemming from a Magus's instinct when facing an absolute dominant entity, instantly gripped her!
Her body reacted faster than her mind—her entire Mana pool almost surged out of control, and the gems hidden in her pocket felt subtly hot.
Her icy blue pupils contracted violently from the sheer shock.
She could clearly sense—not hear, but perceive as if it were a physical reality—the destructive will contained in Chen Tian's words.
That was not the ignorant declaration of an arrogant person, but the absolute confidence and execution ability subtly revealed by an entity that casually announces the destruction of a miracle.
In that one instant, even before Rin's rational mind could analyze the absurdity of the statement, her battle-honed intuition had triggered the highest-level alarm:
This man, he can actually do it! And he will absolutely follow through!
The cold echo of the threat seemed to still reverberate in the car cabin. Tohsaka Rin's back was tense, and fine cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Every nerve in her body was on high alert, Mana almost overflowing from her fingertips.
"Heh…" A low, light chuckle broke the deadly silence.
The startling coldness on Chen Tian's face instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by a harmless, slightly apologetic smile. He even playfully raised his left eyebrow.
"Did I scare you? Tohsaka Rin-san." His tone became light and lively, with a soothing quality. "My bad."
Rin was completely frozen in place, like a statue encased in ice, her mind blank.
Chen Tian leaned slightly toward her, as if sharing a small secret, lowering his voice: "It's mainly because… some thoughtless person before," he shrugged, his expression helpless and slightly annoyed. "Completely ignored my warnings, and the result was…"
He spread his hands, as if talking about a trivial matter: "They demolished my little house. Tsk, it was quite inconvenient."
"So," he reverted to his kind, older-brother tone, looking at Rin sincerely. "My tone was a bit harsh just now, mainly because I'm afraid of that kind of upsetting thing happening again. It's not directed at you."
He even leaned forward slightly, with a hint of pleading: "Please, please don't tell Marin any of what I just said, okay? She'd definitely get angry if she knew I scared you. And if she gets angry, I'll have a headache for a long time~"
Tohsaka Rin: "..."
Her fingers gripping the thermos cup were still tight, but now it was not from tension or fear, but from the stiffness caused by the sheer shock.
Her icy blue pupils were filled with blankness and confusion.
One second ago, he was a terrifying entity radiating destructive aura, ready to smash the Holy Grail to pieces at a moment's notice. The next second, he transformed into an apologetic "brother-in-law" who was worried about his girlfriend getting angry, his tone gentle and even pleading?
This immense psychological whiplash made Rin feel like she was on a mad roller coaster.
The coldness hadn't entirely receded from her spine, but a new sense of the absurd had already filled her chest. She looked at Chen Tian's face, which was full of "sincerity" and "innocence." Her mind completely seized up.
He must be a lunatic, right?!
(Explanation of the timeline: Tohsaka Rin going to study in Great Britain should have happened after the Fifth Holy Grail War according to the original plot. It has been moved up here.)
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