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MMMS 7
🕑 Added 2025-03-18 23:02:01 +0000 UTC"Sakura is out playing with the neighborhood kids right now. She won't be back until dinner, so you'll have to wait for a while," Zouken said, then smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, Kariya came to see this old man again yesterday. Still going on about the same things—insisting he wants to join the war as the second Master for the Matou family."
Just like in the original "Fate/Zero" story, news of Sakura's transfer from the Tohsaka family to the Matou household had reached Kariya Matou's ears almost a year ago.
As the second son of the Matou family, Kariya knew exactly what kind of magecraft his family practiced. That's why he'd approached Zouken, volunteering to fight for the Matou family with one condition: if he managed to get the Holy Grail, Zouken would have to let Sakura go.
But Zouken had already signed a contract with this outside monster of a magus, so he didn't need someone as useless as Kariya anymore. The old man turned down Kariya's request without even thinking twice about it.
Since then, Kariya had been showing up at the Matou family's doorstep every few days, still hoping the old worm might eventually change his mind.
He'd actually run into Ryuuto once before, and they'd only exchanged a few words.
...
"Are you a magus?" Ryuuto had asked him.
"I think I am," Kariya replied.
Ryuuto just shook his head with a cold smile and walked into the Matou mansion without another word.
…
"What do you think, Ryuuto? Even though my worthless son Kariya never had proper magical training, he does meet the minimum requirements to be chosen by the Holy Grail. And he's agreed to have crest worms implanted in his body, which would at least give him some power as a Master." For Zouken, this was probably the closest he'd ever come to tasting the Holy Grail.
"He's been seriously planning for the Fourth Holy Grail War lately," the old magus continued casually. "If we let Kariya join the war, we'd not only eliminate one competitor, but he could also serve as your meat shield. Don’t you think it sounds like a good plan?"
Ryuuto crossed his legs and stared at Zouken. "Makiri, have you lost your mind?"
Zouken's body stiffened. "...Huh?"
"How many worm-infested Masters has the Matou family thrown into each Fuyuki Holy Grail War? And what's changed? Nothing. They're all just losers." Ryuuto sat up straight on the sofa, his lip curling. "Do you have any idea who I represent? I come from Tokyo's elite black magic family—descendants of British witches. And what's your pathetic descendant supposed to be? You call that weak excuse for a man a magus? And you expect me to babysit him?"
Zouken was stunned. The normally elegant, laid-back, somewhat playful young man had completely transformed right before his eyes, hurling insults in the Matou family's own living room.
"What's the Matou family even worth these days? Just a bunch of leftovers, and your son thinks he can be a Master? Can he actually pull it off? Of course not! He doesn't have what it takes—you know that better than anyone." Ryuuto let out a heavy sigh. "He'd probably lose to some amateur magus, or hell, even to some random serial killer off the street."
"Well," Zouken cleared his throat, "my original plan was for the Matou family to get a head start on preparations for the Fifth Holy Grail War..."
"Just leave everything to me," Ryuuto cut him off with a dismissive wave. He looked at the old magus with an expression somewhere between disappointment and pity. "Like I've told you before, your Matou bloodline's magical potential dried up ages ago. Can you honestly guarantee that in the Fifth Holy Grail War, sixty years from now, your family would stand a chance? How do you expect to practice real magecraft with these bugs of yours?"
Zouken: "..."
Indeed, having Ryuuto's support was probably the luckiest thing that had happened to Zouken in the past hundred years. Even though his family was being criticized and called worthless, he didn't dare say a word in their defense.
Ryuuto glanced at the pathetic old bug and let out a deep sigh. "Be realistic here. Just hand the entire Fourth Holy Grail War over to me."
"...Right. I understand," Zouken conceded with a nod. "Next time that boy shows up, I'll send him away."
"Is Ryuuto-niisan here today?!"
Suddenly, a cheerful girl's voice echoed down the hallway into the guest room, followed by rapid footsteps on the old wooden floor. Moments later, a cute girl with short black hair and dark eyes pushed open the door.
With a bright smile on her face, Matou Sakura reached up to adjust the pink ribbon tied to one side of her hair. It was a birthday present Ryuuto had given her a few months ago—she usually kept it safely in a drawer, not wanting to wear it out.
The 7-year-old girl had grown a bit crafty lately. Suspecting Ryuuto might visit the Matou house soon, she'd been wearing the ribbon every day for almost a week.
Now she was putting on this cute display—a bit mature for her age—just so he would notice she was wearing his gift.
"Sakura, mind your manners," Zouken scolded harshly. The girl's shoulders tensed up immediately at his voice.
"Yes... Grandfather. Good evening, Ryuuto-sama."
Ryuuto waved his hand playfully. "Oh come on now~ Sakura's just a kid, and this isn't the Tohsaka house. No need to follow all those stuffy noble rules here."
The old magus stood up slowly, leaning on his cane. "Well then, I'll head down to the basement to get things ready."
"No, Makiri. You take Sakura to the basement first—I'll be down in about five minutes."
Ryuuto walked over to Sakura and placed his hands on her small shoulders. "Starting today, Sakura will officially begin learning magecraft. Are you scared?"
"Learn magecraft? Is Ryuuto-niisan going to teach me?" Sakura's eyes widened with curiosity.
At her age, she had started to understand a few things about her family. She knew Ryuuto was Zouken's ally—an incredibly powerful magus despite his youthful appearance. If Ryuuto taught her magecraft, wouldn't that mean they'd get to spend more time together? The thought made her heart leap with excitement.
"No, I won't be the one teaching you magecraft... but I'll stay right by your side."
"Then I'm not scared at all! Ryuuto-niisan, I promise I'll try super hard!"
"What a good girl. Work hard at your magecraft, and when you grow up, you'll make your sister see you in a whole new light." Ryuuto smiled warmly as he gently stroked her head.
Behind them, Zouken watched their interaction with cold, calculating eyes. 'I see what he's doing. He wants me to take Sakura down to the worm pit first and explain her future fate. Then, when she's drowning in despair, he'll make his grand entrance. She'll naturally think he's come to save her, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This brother she adores isn't an angel—he's a demon who's come to deliver her death sentence and savor her misery. First falling from the human world into hell, then catching a glimpse of heaven while in hell, only to be thrown into the deepest pit of despair.'
The old magus was thoroughly impressed with Ryuuto's scheme. 'Hehehe... as expected of a demon. If only this young man were my grandson,’ he thought with a sigh as he pushed open the guest room door.
"Let's go, Sakura."
"Yes, Grandfather. Ryuuto-niisan, see you soon~" Sakura bounced out of the guest room.
