After the talked with Caren—a conversation like a devil's whisper—Steve's mind felt clearer than ever. Over the next two days, with no further plans or contacts to make, he enjoyed a true retiree's peace—the calm before the great war.
He went shopping with Caren, watching her stare longingly at gothic dresses in store windows. He visited the arcade, joining the high schoolers at fighting games, astounded them with his overwhelming skills.
Before he knew it, Saturday arrived—the day for lessons.
On a clear morning, Steve arrived punctually at the Tohsaka Mansion on the other side of Fuyuki City. Time had cleansed the old Western mansion of all traces of conspiracy and bloodshed, leaving only the warmth of a happy family.
The instant Steve pressed the doorbell, the door swung open. Matou Sakura, her long purple hair and red headband flowing, hurried to greet him, dressed in clean loungewear. As soon as she saw him, joy sparkled in her violet eyes.
"Sensei, you're here! Please, come in!"
"Good morning, Sakura. I'm not late, am I?" Steve smiled.
"No, perfect timing!" Sakura quickly stepped aside to let him in and offered him slippers.
In the living room, Aoi had already prepared tea, its aroma wafting through the room. Delicate plates of sweets were laid out on the table.
"Thank you as always, Mr. Steve." Aoi bowed with her usual graceful demeanor—her noble composure unchanged after ten years.
"No, you're too kind, Lady Aoi. If anything, I'm the one imposing," Steve replied politely.
Just then, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Matou Kariya, in a casual suit and perfectly combed hair, with a briefcase in hand, descended.
"Ah, Mr. Steve—good morning." Kariya gave a tired but genuinely warm smile. "I have to finish some drafts, so I'll leave Sakura in your care."
"Don't worry, Kariya—travel safely," Steve replied.
"Take care, darling." Lady Aoi stepped forward, naturally straightened her husband's tie and brushed dust from his shoulder.
Kariya smiled sheepishly and hurried away—under his wife's watchful gaze.
The sight warmed Steve's heart, and he realized that none of this would exist had he never intervened.
After exchanging pleasantries, Steve followed Sakura down to the basement magus workshop. Once simple, now the room was expansive, bright, and immaculately clean after numerous upgrades. Intricate magical circuits decorated the walls; pure magic flowed thick in the air. This was the Tohsaka family's true stronghold—and Sakura's classroom.
"Let's pick up where we left off last lesson," Steve began. "How's your grasp of the basics of imaginary number magecraft, where you fix the result of observation as 'void'?"
"I've practiced a lot!" Sakura nodded seriously and began demonstrating her magecraft, her violet eyes shining with focus and intelligence.
The lessons proceeded methodically.
During a break, Steve offhandedly asked, "By the way, I haven't seen Rin around lately… Where is she?"
At the mention of her sister, Sakura tilted her head to recall. "Ah, sis got summoned by the Wizard Marshall a few days ago."
"Some strange incident involving the Second Magician at the Clock Tower required her to take a long leave of absence from school; she hadn't been home since."
"You mean Old Man of the Jewels himself?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm." Sakura stifled a giggle. "And the lady who came to pick up my sister was really weird, too. They arrived in a very impressive black luxury car, and out stepped this foreign lady with shoulder-length blond hair styled like drills. As soon as Rin saw her, they started bickering, which almost turned into a fight. They seem both close and not-so-close—I honestly can't tell."
Golden curly hair, a Finnish distant relative, Rin's eternal rival… Everything was fitting together. If a redheaded high-jumper showed up, it'd be perfect. In his mind, Steve instantly pictured the iconic ojou-sama, Luvia Edelfelt.
"Mother said that girl is a distant cousin of ours from Finland—so she's technically my cousin," Sakura added.
"I see." Steve chuckled at how strange the world was becoming. Why, of all times, would the Old Man of the Jewels pair up Rin and Luvia now—was he trying to solve cases or create bigger ones? Instinctively, Steve activated his future-sight simulation ability.
His consciousness expanded like a radar covering the whole Earth. Countless streams of information fed to him: ley line flows, magical constraints, secrets hidden deep in the world.
He quickly found his answer: there was no Ainsworth magical family, and no records of Class Cards—the inferior Holy Grail system.
Good… that was a relief. For a moment he'd feared the story had drifted off track.
With a sigh of relief, he turned his full focus back to Sakura's tutoring.
…
The day passed quietly, filled with teaching and practice. As the last rays of sunset shone through the workshop's skylight, the lesson ended.
Aoi and Kariya, both just home from work, again invited Steve to dinner, but Steve refused kindly, with a smile. As he was leaving, Sakura followed him to the door. In her beautiful violet eyes lingered a mix of girlish longing and a clear reluctance to part.
After hesitating, she finally whispered, "Sensei, can you come again next week?"
"Of course," Steve replied with a smile, ruffling her hair before turning to go.
But today, Steve didn't head straight back to his apartment. By nightfall, he was on the bullet train to Tokyo. City lights outside the window streaked past, forming a dazzling river of stars.
His destination: an ordinary residential district in Tokyo.
An hour and a half later, he stood in front of a typical two-story Japanese house, the nameplate reading "Fujimaru" in kanji.
Instead of stepping forward, he leaned quietly against a nearby telephone pole, blending into the night like a man waiting for someone.
He was waiting for a historical singularity.
About ten minutes later, a small, thin figure appeared at the end of the street—a boy of around six, with short black hair, blue eyes, and a red school backpack a little too big for his frame, walking home alone.
This was Steve's target—Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Over the past year, Steve had taken advantage of various coincidences to become acquainted with the boy: chatting in the park while reading, buying drinks at a nearby convenience store after school, sometimes just passing by and offering a friendly smile. To young Ritsuka, Steve was no more than the nice older brother he'd see once in a while.
As the boy drew near, Steve straightened up and stepped forward.
"Good evening, Ritsuka-kun. Did school finish late today?"
He greeted the boy in the warmest, most gentle tone—completely non-threatening.
…
PS: Somebody please call the FBI, there's a weird guy stalking a innocent boy here. lol
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
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