[The Holy Grail War that ended ten years ago continues to subtly influence Fuyuki City a decade later.]
[This influence is insidious, to the point that you're entirely unaware of how numerous destinies have been completely altered by your repeated interferences.]
[All of this is inextricably linked to you.]
Inside the Tohsaka residence.
"Phew—I'm exhausted."
Rin Tohsaka flopped directly onto the light green tatami mat. "It's been ages since I've walked around this much in one day."
Just as the young woman said, after leaving the shopping mall, she, Sakura Tohsaka, Vivian, and Ian hadn't gone straight home.
Instead, they had wandered around outside for quite a while longer. It was only when Rin declared she couldn't take it anymore and wanted to go home that the outing finally ended for the group.
"Sister doesn't seem very good at this, does she?" Sakura Tohsaka observed softly. "Usually... do you not have many friends to go out with?"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Rin Tohsaka shot upright, explaining with a blush of indignation. "Of course I have friends!"
"It's just... it's just that they wouldn't drag me around shopping for this long!"
This was a lie. Because Rin Tohsaka was simply too exceptional. Her "high and mighty flower" aura wasn't just effective on the opposite sex; it had a debilitating effect on her own gender too.
After all—no normal girl wanted to be merely a background character beside Rin Tohsaka. It would be too damaging to their self-esteem.
But what Rin didn't know was that, like her sister, her attempts at lying were quite clumsy.
However, Sakura Tohsaka had no intention of exposing this. She simply asked her sister a very gentle question:
"Um—"
"Sister, your feet must be very tired, right?"
"Do you want me to give you a massage?"
"Eh?!"
Rin Tohsaka blinked, her expression wavering. She had to admit her sister was spot on. After walking for such a long time, Rin's legs were thoroughly numb. If someone could massage them even a little, it would indeed bring great relief.
But—
Rin Tohsaka eyed Sakura warily. She had a nagging feeling that things weren't that simple.
"Sakura, tell your sister the truth."
"You... you're not trying to set some kind of trap to trick me, are you?"
"No, nothing like that," Sakura Tohsaka shook her head. "I... just wanted to ask sister a tiny question."
"Of course there is..."
Rin Tohsaka looked at her sister helplessly. That face, which shared a few similarities with her own, truly made her mood complex at the moment.
"It won't be some difficult question, will it?"
"No, it won't," Sakura Tohsaka gently held Rin's hand. "Sister, you'll definitely be able to answer this question."
"..."
Perhaps sensing her sister's urgency, or perhaps her legs were truly uncomfortably numb, Rin Tohsaka nodded after a moment of hesitation.
"Mm, I understand."
"Then, go ahead."
Finally given permission, Sakura Tohsaka immediately began to massage Rin's legs, while simultaneously asking the question on her mind.
"Sister."
"I want to know... why did you give Miss Vivian a paper rose?"
Sakura Tohsaka's thoughts were incredibly delicate. After receiving Ian's rabbit hairpin, she was somewhat happy. But at the same time, she noticed her sister, Rin Tohsaka, had given Vivian a paper rose. Intuition told Sakura that things were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
"Hm?"
Rin Tohsaka looked at her sister. "You saw?"
"Yes," Sakura Tohsaka nodded. "So, can sister tell me what happened?"
"..."
Perhaps feeling there was nothing to hide, Rin Tohsaka spilled the beans directly.
"Ian asked me to give it to her~"
"..."
Sakura Tohsaka's brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly suppressed the emotion. "Mr. Ian asked you to give it?"
"Yeah."
Rin Tohsaka didn't realize her words were an extreme depth charge for Sakura Tohsaka. "Before that, he also asked me to..."
Recalling the moment she touched Ian's firm chest, Rin Tohsaka suddenly blushed. That hard, solid feel was indeed wonderful. Rin Tohsaka was certain she would never forget it.
However—
This wasn't something she could just casually mention.
"Asked you what?" Sakura Tohsaka pressed.
"Nothing," Rin Tohsaka shook her head. "Anyway, he just asked me to deliver that paper rose."
"..."
Sakura Tohsaka fell silent. Her mood was complicated now. If Ian asked Rin Tohsaka to deliver the paper rose to Vivian on his behalf, it meant he didn't want her to know about it. In a sense, this showed he cared about her.
But if that was the case—
Why didn't he just not give it in the first place?
The more Sakura Tohsaka thought about it, the more conflicted she became, eventually worrying even Rin.
"Sakura, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing..."
[You are unaware of Sakura Tohsaka's current dilemma.]
[Because you have your own things to do.]
[That is, to do the housework for the Tohsaka family—you believe it is a Servant's duty.]
In the Tohsaka family kitchen.
"Are you truly capable of it?" Aoi Zenjou asked Ian, her face etched with worry.
"Please rest assured, Mrs. Zenjou," Ian replied politely to her doubts. "Although... I am merely a Servant."
"But when it comes to cooking, I still know how to handle it."
"Besides—"
Ian looked at Vivian beside him, gesturing. "Mrs. Zenjou, isn't Sakura's teacher here too?"
"With her here... you can surely be at ease, can't you?"
"..."
Aoi Zenjou first glanced at Ian, then looked at Vivian, offering a kind smile. "Alright, I understand."
"Then... I'll leave it to the two of you."
Silence returned to the kitchen. Only Ian and Vivian remained, gazing at the array of ingredients on the counter. These were all items Aoi Zenjou had personally bought—after all, her daughter Sakura Tohsaka had returned, so a celebration was definitely in order.
And Ian had indeed not lied. Although he didn't know why, he instinctively knew how to handle these ingredients.
"I really didn't expect you, Miss Vivian, to come help."
Ian chatted with Vivian while chopping vegetables with a knife. "You can both teach and work in the kitchen."
"Miss Vivian, if someone were to marry you, they would surely be very happy, wouldn't they?"
"..."
"..."
"Miss Vivian, what's with that expression?"
"N-nothing..."
Vivian turned her face away, muttering softly. "Um—"
"Actually, I can't cook."
"..."
[You knew Vivian wasn't joking—because her expression looked quite embarrassed.]
[But you felt a strange sense of inexplicable joy instead.]
[Because it meant that even though she knew she couldn't do it, she still chose to come into the kitchen with you.]
[For some reason, you really liked this feeling.]
[Even if it was indeed a little inexplicable.]
Vivian hadn't lied. She was a genius witch, but she truly had no idea how to cook. Even during her time at the Clock Tower, Vivian had never tried to cook herself. And the reason for this outcome was actually quite simple. It was because as a former British princess, she simply didn't need to do such things herself. Her attendant...
No.
To be precise, Ian would have arranged all these things for her. It wasn't until the man just picked up the knife that Vivian suddenly realized her understanding of him wasn't as deep as she had imagined. She had overlooked many things about him.
It must be because of that... that he would forget me as if in revenge, right?
Thinking of this, Vivian couldn't help but feel a little distressed. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke:
"I'm sorry."
"Ian, am I causing you trouble?"
"Not at all," Ian smiled faintly. "How could Miss Vivian possibly cause me trouble?"
"It's just—"
"I didn't expect you couldn't cook, yet still followed me in."
"So, Miss Vivian, would you like to wait outside?" Ian looked towards the kitchen door. "You can chat with Sakura, I can handle this alone."
At the mention of "Sakura," Vivian's expression instantly became a bit more serious. But she quickly composed herself, replacing her stern look with a smile, and shook her head.
"No, I won't go out."
"Anyway, I can't cook... so this is a good opportunity to learn."
"And—"
Vivian looked at him, familiar yet unfamiliar, her eyes holding a complex mix of emotions.
"You don't need to specifically call me 'teacher'."
"Just call me Vivian."
"...I understand." Ian nodded. "Vivian, then let's begin."
It must be said that while the witch knew nothing about cooking, her ability to imitate seemed quite good. Or rather—she knew how to transform the unknown into the known.
Chopping vegetables was the separation of raw materials after she collected them;
Seasoning was the addition of auxiliary agents when she concocted herbs;
Cooking was the stage where she melted everything together.
Everything, in fact, followed the same logic. With this mindset, Vivian ultimately achieved—a failed result.
Making tools was making tools.
Cooking was cooking.
Presuming to connect them so casually would naturally lead to nothing good. Faced with the messy kitchen scene before her, and that final bowl of black concoction, Vivian felt incredibly embarrassed. She had really wanted to show off her skills in front of him, to prove, in a way, that she could be a good wife. But the current outcome was completely counterproductive.
"Ian, I..."
Vivian hesitated, words caught in her throat, but Ian gently spoke first.
"It's alright, I already expected this."
"You don't need to feel guilty or anything—because learning to cook isn't easy in itself."
"Leave the rest to me for now. If there's an opportunity in the future, I'll teach you how to cook."
"For now... we still need to get dinner ready."
"Mm... I understand."
With the conversation concluded, Ian went to clean up the traces of Vivian's attempt. After tidying up, he began cooking anew. And Vivian, knowing she wasn't cut out for this, no longer tried to show off. The witch silently assisted him—this was the first time in her life she had acted as someone else's assistant.
This actually went against Vivian's proud bottom line. But at this moment, she felt no shame at all, only immense joy. Being with him in this smoky kitchen could make her so happy.
Was happiness really this simple?
What exactly was I pursuing before...?
An unknown amount of time passed until Ian's call brought a dazed Vivian back to reality. The man, who had finished all the dishes, looked at her with a hint of concern.
"Vivian, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
Vivian forced a strained smile. "Just feeling a bit dismayed by my poor cooking skills, and that I couldn't help you."
"Oh, right—"
Vivian looked at the man's sweat-beaded forehead, then pulled out a tissue from her pocket and drew one out.
"Let me wipe your sweat."
"Eh?"
Before Ian could even respond, Vivian had already extended her hand. She knew she couldn't give him another chance to refuse. The tissue moved gently over the man's sweaty forehead, one stroke at a time, as if everything had returned to that summer long ago.
"Thank you, Vivian."
"You're welcome."
Vivian's hand trembled, her voice tinged with a touch of sadness. She asked the question on her mind.
"By the way—"
"Why did you give me a paper rose?"
"..."
Ian looked at Vivian before him, a faint smile on his face. "Because I thought if you, Vivian, wanted to see a rose—"
"This would be the quickest way."
"But... you don't feel it's bad, do you? It's not a real rose after all; I was quite worried you wouldn't accept it."
"Not at all!" Vivian quickly denied his concern.
"I love it very much."
"That's good then." Ian's expression brightened with pleasure. "In that case, I guess I bought the right thing."
"..."
"..."
"Vivian, do you have anything else you want to say?"
"No."
Vivian released her hand, letting the tissue fall to the floor.
"I just wanted to thank you."
"Ian... can you lean a little closer?"
"..."
Although he didn't know what Vivian intended, Ian complied. The next second, he felt a sweet, moist sensation on his cheek. It was a mature yet somewhat fluttering kiss, like a first love. Vivian stood on her tiptoes, leaving her mark on his cheek.
The witch simply couldn't hold back anymore. Even if it was abrupt, she wanted to hint at her feelings this way.
She had to participate in the Holy Grail War—she had to win him back!
But what neither of them knew was that, just outside the kitchen door, Sakura Tohsaka, who had witnessed everything, was gasping for breath.
She knew she had to do something more.
"Miss Vivian, I... I will never give up."