[MF] Ch 30: Kariya Matou

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A few days after Kaito obtained his first puppet avatar, the number of residents in the Tohsaka household officially hit a new achievement: minus one.

That's right—Tokiomi Tohsaka had sent his younger daughter, Sakura Tohsaka, to be adopted by the Edelfelt family.

After the Edelfelt family head arrived in Fuyuki City with Tokiomi, she met Sakura in person and was immediately struck speechless. Sakura's talent as a magus was even greater than Tokiomi had claimed—her magic circuits were of exceptional quality, and she possessed the rare 'Imaginary elemental affinity'.

With such talent, many old mage families would have fallen over themselves to adopt her, especially those in decline seeking revival. They would pour all their resources into her education, placing their family's future on her shoulders.

Even if Sakura couldn't personally restore a family to greatness, she could still serve as a powerful vessel to bear exceptional heirs.

In other words—no matter how she was used, Sakura was an incredibly valuable asset.

Yes, used. In the Mage's Association, humanity was a flexible concept at best. Many magi didn't even consider themselves human, let alone others.

So if Sakura had been adopted by one of those families, her fate would've been grim. That was exactly why Tokiomi sought a safer option for her.

Handled poorly, her end might have been no better than if she'd gone to the Matou family.

Thankfully, the Edelfelts were one of the rare few who still valued familial bonds.

Perhaps it had to do with their Sorcery Trait "Sisters," which required emotional closeness—but whatever the reason, they were one of the few ancient mage families with a genuine sense of warmth.

For that reason, the entire Edelfelt household treated Sakura with great care. They saw her as the equal of the family head's own daughter, Luviagelita Edelfelt—both were now considered the family's future. The Edelfelts would train them together, provide them every resource, and encourage them to become true sisters in every sense of the word, the heirs to the family's Magic Crest.

To Tokiomi, that knowledge lifted a huge weight from his heart. With Sakura in safe hands, he could focus entirely on the Fourth Holy Grail War—on fulfilling his family's long-cherished dream of reaching the Root.

He was confident this time. After all, even the war's referee was his friend and secret ally, and he'd already secured the relic needed to summon the strongest Servant.

All the pieces were in place. Victory was within reach. As Tokiomi liked to tell himself in that prim, composed tone of his: "For now, everything is proceeding according to plans."

Yet despite that confidence, thoughts of his "other self" crept into his mind—followed by a surge of irritation.

That other Tokiomi (Kaito) had saved him from making a colossal mistake, preventing Zouken Matou's vile scheme from succeeding… and yet, the man still made his blood boil.

After all, being humiliated and beaten by your own counterpart tends to leave a mark. 

Kaito had stomped on everything he stood for—his pride, his elegance, his dignity—until nothing was left.

"Damn it… why is he so strong? And what even is that ridiculous steel armor of his?"

Tokiomi muttered under his breath, the embarrassment still burning deep inside.

It wasn't just wounded pride—it was the pain of seeing his ideals dismissed as worthless by another version of himself. Worse, that version really was superior: he'd created technology beyond comprehension, mastered advanced magecraft, and even achieved dimensional travel—something only the wielder of the Second Magic was supposed to be capable of.

If he could do that, could he also reach the Root itself?

Tokiomi refused to admit it, but deep down he knew the answer: yes, that man probably could.

And yet, the other Tokiomi still existed—meaning he hadn't gone to the Root, since no one who reached it ever returned.

He could go, but chose not to. That, more than anything, was what Tokiomi couldn't stand.

Fueled by that tangled mix of resentment and obsession, his fixation on the Holy Grail War only grew stronger than ever. After sending Sakura away, he devoted himself entirely to preparation, neglecting his wife and remaining daughter in the process.

Aoi Tohsaka, ever understanding, knew her husband's ideals and stubbornness well. Though she was heartbroken and anxious over parting with her younger daughter, she never let it show in front of him. Instead, she focused on comforting her elder daughter, Rin, who was just as devastated.

That day, Aoi took Rin to the park to play with several of her kindergarten classmates.

She hoped that spending time with friends would lift Rin's spirits, even a little. As for her own sadness… she could swallow that down.

Then, amid that quiet afternoon, a familiar, gentle voice called out to her—

"Aoi, I thought I'd find you here."

Startled, Aoi turned toward the sound. A man in a navy hoodie and track pants approached with a bright smile, his short hair tousled in the breeze.

Seeing his face, Aoi's eyes softened with a touch of surprise but also inevitability. "Kariya. It's been a while—when did you get back?"

"Just a few days ago," said Kariya Matou, grinning with open warmth. "I had some things to take care of first, so I didn't drop by right away."

Yes—this was that Kariya Matou. The tragic figure of Fate/Zero, who had once sacrificed everything to save little Sakura, enduring unspeakable agony under Zouken Matou's worm experiments before dying in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

But now? Zouken was gone. Sakura had never entered the Matou household.

Everything had changed.

And so had he.

Kariya's smile now was radiant—his whole demeanor lively, full of vigor, as though he'd been reborn.

Having grown up with him, Aoi noticed the difference instantly.

The Kariya she once knew always carried a shadow between his brows, like someone crushed under invisible weight. Even when he smiled, there was sorrow underneath—an air of melancholy that never quite went away, keeping others at arm's length.

Despite their childhood closeness, that brooding darkness had ultimately kept them apart.

But the man standing before her now radiated light and warmth—the carefree brightness of a "sunny big brother" type.

He looked like someone who had found peace after years of struggle, the kind of man who had finally paid off his debts, quit his soul-crushing job, and was ready to live freely.

The change was so striking that Aoi couldn't help but wonder—was this really the same Kariya Matou she used to know?

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