Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

As he grumbled about Gilgamesh's unreliability, Shirou carefully positioned himself in ambush, his entire focus trained on the Matou residence.

October 3, 1993, Sunday, around 3 pm.

A black Honda Accord approached slowly from a distance, and an old man with a cane emerged from the gates of the Matou mansion. As soon as Shirou saw this old man with a cane, he fixated all of his attention on him.

Before setting up his ambush, Shirou used [Concealment] in an attempt to minimize his presence as much as possible. In theory, there should be no possibility of being discovered, but Shirou was not sure how effective it actually was in practice.

Since the information about Sakura came from Gilgamesh, it is likely that he knew that Shirou was lying in ambush nearby. However, since Gilgamesh was willing to provide the information to Shirou, it seems that he does not plan to interfere with Shirou's actions, right?

... No.

According to the Type-Moon setting, Gilgamesh has a unique set of values that is different from that of ordinary people, making it difficult to understand his actions using an ordinary person's mindset. However, Shirou was unable to come up with any corresponding countermeasures. All he could do was do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Shirou's gaze was fixed on the black Honda Accord, and using the [Clairvoyance] inherited from his Saint Graph, he was able to almost immediately see the situation inside the car.

It appeared that Rin Tohsaka was not present, and Sakura and her mother were sitting in the back seat while Tokiomi Tohsaka sat in the front passenger seat. The driver was a young man with distinctive blue hair and a face that resembled a grown-up version of Shinji Matou. It was likely that he was the current head of the Matou household, Matou Byakuya.

And in fact, Shiro had not guessed wrong. That man was indeed Matou Byakuya.

The car arrived at the Matou mansion, and Matou Byakuya asked the three members of the Tohsaka family to get out of the car. He then stood behind Matou Zouken and appeared to be completely allowing him to do as he pleased.

"It's been a long time, Tohsaka family head," Matou Zouken said with a creepy smile.

"It's been a long time, the old head of the Matou family," Tokiomi replied with a graceful smile.

"Is that Sakura? The Imaginary Numbers is truly a good seed. Unlike the offspring of our Matou family, whose talents have withered, we have no choice but to request the succession of a child from the Tohsaka family head," Matou Zouken sighed, appearing troubled by the lack of competitiveness of the Matou family offspring.

"But this might also be the root of the Tohsaka family head's worries. Two excellent offspring, but the Tohsaka family's magic crest can only shelter one, and the other has a very high possibility of being sealed by the Clock Tower's bigwigs with a [Sealing Designation], right? After all, it is such an excellent talent. And being sealed with a [Sealing Designation] as though being 'protected' feels like being pickled in formaldehyde, hehehe..." Matou Zouken let out a creepy laugh.

"This is indeed my worry, Matou family head," Tokiomi replied calmly and gracefully. "Then, I ask again as the head of the Tohsaka family. Will you, the Matou family, truly nurture my daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, as the successor?"

"This is of course," Matou Zouken laughed, "Without an excellent successor, the Matou family will only continuously weaken and eventually disappear in the river of history. This is the reason we came here to request it. The Matou family will naturally nurture this child as the successor. It's just that the Matou family's magic attribute is 'water', so the Matou family needs to make some changes to this child's magic attribute. Of course, since it is being nurtured as a successor, there will be some pain during this change, but it will definitely be beneficial for her. And for the sake of this child's life and future, the Tohsaka family head believes that you will be able to accept it?"

"May I ask, what kind of changes will be made?" Tohsaka Aoi asked Matou Zouken as she gently patted the head of crying Sakura. Matou Zouken remained silent and turned to Tokiomi, inviting him to speak on the matter.

"Aoi!" Tokiomi scolded.

Aoi hesitated for a moment before ultimately remaining silent.

"I apologize, my wife was just worried. I'm sorry, Matou family head," said Tokiomi, bowing apologetically.

"No, no, it's okay. Lady Aoi is not from a magus family, so she doesn't understand our customs. As an old man, I can understand that," Matou Zouken said with a laugh.

Tokiomi nodded gratefully.

Among magus, it was an unspoken rule that if an outsider tried to learn their secrets, it was considered a declaration of mutual extermination. This was the way of the magus.

Tokiomi looked at Aoi, who knew it was time.

She moistened her lips and patted Sakura's shoulder, saying, "Sakura, go."

"Liar," Sakura said, standing in place, tears streaming down her face. In a soft and gentle voice, she continued, "Mom is a liar."

Aoi's body shook and her heart ached at her daughter's words.

Tokiomi turned to Sakura and crouched down in front of her, saying, "Sakura, I've made a decision. You are no longer a member of the Tohsaka family. Instead, you will join the Matou family and be known as Matou Sakura from now on."

Cruel, heartless.

A father speaking such cruel words to his children.

In an instant, Sakura felt a suffocating pain.

Her own parents had abandoned her.

Tokiomi felt a pang of pain as he saw the hurt in his daughter's eyes. However, he knew that his decision was necessary for her future and that the pain he was causing her was insignificant in comparison.

Both of Tokiomi's daughters were exceptionally talented, but the Tohsaka family only had one magic crest, which could only protect one of them. If the other daughter displayed her magical aptitude, she would likely be targeted by the Clock Tower and subjected to the "Sealing Designation," which was a cruel form of imprisonment for talented magi or those who had violated certain taboos. These individuals were confined and treated like specimens in a jar of formalin for the rest of their lives, which was considered worse than death by many magi who saw magic as their life's work.

Tokiomi couldn't even begin to imagine the excruciating pain of such torture, and he didn't want his daughter to have to endure it. Both Rin, with her five-element magic attribute, and Sakura, with her imaginary attribute, would be targeted by the Clock Tower. However, the Tohsaka family's magic crest could only protect one of them, so he had to make a difficult decision.

Tokiomi loved both of his daughters equally, but he knew that he might not return from the battlefield. Therefore, when considering the future of his family and the succession of the magic crest, he believed that Rin, with her outgoing personality and strong will, was the best choice. It was a difficult decision, but one he had to make.

Therefore, he chose Rin and abandoned Sakura.

No.

It couldn't be called abandonment, Tokiomi had already set Sakura on a path toward developing her magic abilities. He had done what he could to provide for her future and ensure her success as a magus.

Initially, Tokiomi considered sending Sakura to the Edelfelt family in Finland, who were bitter enemies but also related to them through kin. However, the Edelfelt family already had an heir, and the relationship between the two families had always been strained due to some problems. While sending Sakura there would protect her, it was likely that her life would be difficult and challenging.

That was when the head of the Matou family approached Tokiomi and offered to adopt Sakura, promising to treat her as an heir and cultivate her magic abilities, as well as cooperate in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Tokiomi couldn't resist the temptation, and he believed that Sakura's life would be better with the Matou family, who were willing to invest in her future as an heir, rather than with a family that had a long-standing grudge against them.

Most importantly, being adopted by the Matou family would allow Sakura to inherit their magic, which would be incredibly beneficial for her future as a magus. For these reasons, Tokiomi was happy to agree to the adoption.

"You are no longer a member of the Tohsaka family. Go, Matou Sakura," Tokiomi said to his child in a heartless and cruel tone that was difficult for him as a father to utter.

Sakura's tears flowed endlessly as she took hesitant steps toward Matou Zouken.

"Hehehe... good child, Grandpa will definitely take good care of you. Hehehe..." Matou Zouken let out a creepy laugh.

Tokiomi didn't think much of it and, after sending Sakura off, he and Aoi left in the car.

"Dad, Mom..." Sakura's words faltered and tears flowed like a river. She knew that from this moment on, her world no longer had a father and mother.

"Come inside," Matou Zouken said, walking into the Matou courtyard. Matou Byakuya also took Sakura's hand and led her into the mansion.

Sakura walked into the gloomy Matou mansion with hesitant steps, her body trembling with fear at the foreboding atmosphere.

At this moment, Sakura remembered everything from her life at the Tohsaka household: her western-style room, the stuffed dolls on her bed, the loving sister, a gentle mother, and a strict yet kind father.

All of it was gone now.

She passed through the large iron gate that closed behind her, saying goodbye to that warm world.

"Let's take her inside first. Hehehehehe..." Matou Zouken let out a delighted laugh, which, combined with the gloomy atmosphere of the Matou household, was unsettling.

Matou Byakuya, who obediently followed orders, was even more rough and unsympathetic, lacking any sense of consideration or warmth.

In contrast to these new relatives, Sakura couldn't help but think of the place where she had lived for half a month.

The aunt Sakura lives with is very kind and enthusiastic. She is different from Sakura's gentle and quiet mother, but she is energetic and shows her love for Sakura in a way that can sometimes come across as scolding. Despite this, she works hard to maintain the family and takes good care of Sakura, who left home and was feeling lost. It's clear that the aunt cares deeply for Sakura and wants the best for her.

The uncle is also very kind. He is different from Sakura's elegant and steady father, but he is a busy man who follows his wife's lead at home and seems to lack masculinity at times. However, he is full of love for his family and is very reliable in critical moments, supporting the family like a pillar. He takes extra care of Sakura, who suddenly joined the family and has no history with them, and is always there to help her.

The older brother is also very kind. He is different from Sakura's strong and extroverted sister, appearing cheerful but actually seeming melancholy and conflicted about something. Despite this, he immediately accepted Sakura into the family and showed her care and concern. Every night when he is half asleep, he holds Sakura a little worriedly, but it is not annoying. It seems that the older brother cares deeply for Sakura and wants to protect her.

It's just that all of it -

The moment when her father told her that her name was Matou Sakura,

All of it...

Was no longer related to her!

What is her future in this gloomy Matou family?