"Eh?"
Sakura Tohsaka, holding the bowls, was utterly taken aback by her sister's words at that moment. But she quickly realized that Rin was there to help her.
"Sister, you mean..."
"Well, it's like this..."
Rin Tohsaka leaned close to her sister's ear, speaking carefully. "Sakura, what do you think?"
"Eh—?!" Sakura Tohsaka's face flushed crimson. "Sister, you knew?"
"Of course," Rin Tohsaka rolled her eyes at her sister. "I'm not blind, I can definitely see it!"
"But, but wouldn't that be bad?!" Sakura Tohsaka's gaze flitted about, nearly dropping the bowls she was supposed to wash. "It's too embarrassing."
"Embarrassing, it will definitely be embarrassing," Rin Tohsaka crossed her arms. "But the reward is very high, you know."
"After all, if he doesn't object, then it's a done deal."
"..."
Sakura Tohsaka felt her head buzzing. Finally, the young woman nodded. "Mm, I understand."
[You are unaware that Sakura Tohsaka and Rin Tohsaka have reached some kind of agreement at this moment.]
[Because Vivian found you while you were washing dishes.]
[She had something to tell you.]
"Ian."
Vivian uttered the man's name.
"Hm?" The knight turned his head. "Vivian, is something wrong?"
"Nothing much."
Vivian looked at Ian, her beautiful eyes filled with a touch of caution. "Um—"
"Do you remember what you promised me?"
"If... I mean if, if I gave you a heads-up, then I could thank you in that way, right?"
"..."
[You knew that Vivian's way of thanking you referred to kissing you on the cheek.]
[Normally, this wouldn't be a method to readily accept.]
[But you could feel Vivian's expectation for your permission.]
[And deep down, you indeed felt a stirring desire to respond.]
[So, even if it might not be entirely appropriate, you still decided to slightly alter your actions for her.]
[Of course, this was a selective alteration.]
"I understand."
Ian closed his eyes. "Vivian, I respect your choice."
"..."
Although she knew Ian closing his eyes was a sign of respect, the more Vivian recalled their past intimate experiences, the more her heart twisted in pain. She shouldn't have been in such a pathetic state. But everything was already too late. The witch, who had traversed a thousand years, only hoped her actions could awaken a faint memory that might still exist deep within him.
However—
Nothing happened as Vivian wished. Even though she kissed him with such profound affection, with such sincerity. For Ian at this moment, it was merely a superficial gesture of apology. And if it weren't for her identity as Sakura Tohsaka's teacher, such contact might not even have existed.
After a long while, perhaps realizing this method was futile, Vivian released Ian's cheek. "Thank you, Ian," she said, carefully hiding her heartbreak.
"It's nothing."
Ian responded with a smile to the incredibly mature older woman before him. "However—"
"Vivian, why did you want to thank me this time?"
"..."
Vivian managed a strained smile, then used the answer she had prepared. "Well—"
"I felt the hand you held was very warm... so I wanted to thank you for that a little."
"Oh?" Ian was somewhat surprised. "So that's it... I thought you'd be put off by that—after all, it really seemed like a crude move."
"But I truly didn't want to see you cry, which is why I resorted to that last resort. I'm truly sorry."
"No need to apologize," Vivian shook her head. "You did very well."
"..."
[You wanted to ask Vivian the reason for her sadness.]
[But you realized something—since she hadn't brought up the reason herself, it meant this wasn't a part to delve into.]
[You decided to suppress this curiosity—until she was willing to bring it up herself.]
[This was out of respect for Vivian, and also an acknowledgment of that familiar feeling within you.]
"That's good then."
Knight Ian accepted her compliment very frankly. "Vivian, if there's nothing else, then I'll..."
Before the man could finish, Vivian directly interrupted him. "Wait a moment!"
"Ian, I have one more question for you."
"Hm?" Ian looked at Vivian. "What question?"
"It's—"
Vivian's throat visibly moved. It was clear she wasn't very confident about the answer she would receive to the question she was about to ask.
"If you and Sakura truly win the Holy Grail War, what kind of wish would you make?"
"..."
Honestly, Ian had never actually thought about this question. He decided to tell the truth: "Vivian, I... I still don't know what kind of wish I'd make."
"So perhaps I'll have to consult your opinion then."
Hearing this, Vivian paused. "My opinion?"
"Mm," Ian nodded. "Your opinion is very important to me."
What the man didn't know was that his simple sentence had completely solidified Vivian's resolve.
That's right.
I am a very important person to him!
Yes, I must participate in this Holy Grail War.
And the first thing to do was to summon a powerful Servant.
Tomorrow... no, I'll start researching tonight!
"I see," Vivian feigned an air of calm on the surface, but internally, countless undercurrents were already swirling. "I understand."
"Then—"
"I wish you success in advance, that your wish may be granted."
[You and Vivian ended this meeting.]
[You could clearly feel the atmosphere at the end was a bit off—Vivian seemed to be plotting something.]
[You didn't know if this was good or bad.]
[But now there was no time for you to think.]
[Because after Vivian left, Rin Tohsaka came to your side.]
"Mr. Ian."
Sakura Tohsaka looked at Vivian's receding back, her expression somewhat tense. "What did you and Teacher talk about?"
Knowing there was an irreconcilable conflict between Sakura Tohsaka and Vivian, Ian thought for a moment, then chose to omit certain details.
"Nothing much."
"She just asked me... what kind of wish I would make if we won the Holy Grail War."
"Eh—!"
Sakura Tohsaka asked with considerable interest. "Then, Mr. Ian, what is your wish?"
"I haven't decided yet," the knight politely answered his Master's question.
"However—"
"Before thinking about that kind of question, I believe it's better to focus on how to win."
"Besides... I think even if I had a wish now, it might still change later."
"That's true..." Sakura Tohsaka nodded thoughtfully. "After all, people's minds do change very easily."
"Oh, right—!"
The young woman took Ian's hand. "Let's hurry back to the room!"
"..."
Although he didn't know why Sakura was so eager to pull him back to the room, Ian knew there was no need to doubt her.
"Mm, let's go."
However, just as the man was about to step forward, Sakura Tohsaka pulled him back again. She looked at her knight with a shy expression, her voice softer.
"Um—"
"Mr. Ian, can I make a small request?"
"What request?"
"It's—!"
Sakura Tohsaka looked towards the stairs leading to the upper floor of the residence in the distance down the hallway. "Mr. Ian, can you carry me upstairs?"
After saying this, the young woman probably felt her request was somewhat demanding and unreasonable, so she quickly added a few more sentences. "I mean... if Mr. Ian is in a good mood, could you carry me upstairs?"
"If Mr. Ian doesn't want to, then just pretend I didn't say anything!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Sakura Tohsaka felt her feet leave the ground. By the time the young woman reacted, Ian had already scooped her up in a princess carry, holding her entirely in his arms.
"Is this uncomfortable?"
"Eh..." Sakura Tohsaka blushed and shook her head. "Not at all~"
"That's good."
Ian looked at the young woman in his arms and smiled. "Then, little princess, off to the room we go."
[You carried Sakura Tohsaka towards the room.]
[Throughout the entire process, her hands remained tightly clasped around your waist, looking as if she had no intention of letting go.]
[And her expression was one of immense happiness, her head resting much closer to your body.]
[Watching Sakura Tohsaka like this, you felt a touch within your heart.]
[You chose to slow your pace, allowing her to enjoy this feeling a little longer.]
[A journey of a few minutes, yet you made it feel like a spacewalk.]
Before Sakura Tohsaka's room door.
"We're here," Ian said, holding the young woman.
"Mm~" Sakura Tohsaka, enjoying the knight's princess carry, spoke with even more shyness than before. "The door's not locked."
"Mr. Ian, just push it open."
"Alright."
Ian extended his foot and gently tapped the door. As Sakura Tohsaka had said, the door was indeed unlocked. With the knight's gentle push, it swung open directly. He carried her inside.
Click.
The door closed.
[The room's decor was still exactly the same as before.]
[For a moment, you even felt as if you had returned to ten years ago.]
[However, Sakura Tohsaka in your arms reminded you that time had not gone back—everything was different from before.]
"It feels just as tidy as before," Ian remarked, looking at the room's decor. "Has Mrs. Zenjou been cleaning it all this time?"
"Probably," Sakura Tohsaka replied uncertainly. After all, she was essentially no different from Ian; she hadn't been back here for a very long time either.
"That's nice," Ian sighed, genuinely. He gently placed Sakura Tohsaka onto the soft bed, then looked around. "Mrs. Zenjou really has it tough... cleaning such a large residence all by herself."
"It's not that exaggerated, big sister definitely helps her." As she said this, Sakura Tohsaka instinctively looked towards the closed door.
"What's wrong?" Ian started to look in that direction, but Sakura Tohsaka pulled him back.
"Um—!"
"Mr. Ian, could you sit over here?"
"..."
Despite his many questions, Ian sat down as Sakura Tohsaka asked. And no sooner had he sat than the knight received his Master's second command.
"Mr. Ian, please close your eyes."
"..."
The knight complied without question. Immediately, he felt some soft pressure on his lap—Sakura Tohsaka had sat on him.
"Sakura, what are you doing?"
"Please, please don't make a sound!" Sakura Tohsaka's voice was shy and nervous. "It's embarrassing."
Embarrassing?
Ian suddenly realized something. But constrained by Sakura Tohsaka's words, he could only temporarily suppress the various confusions in his heart.
Another sound came from the room—the rustling of clothes against skin. From time to time, there was also the faint breeze caused by Sakura Tohsaka's deep breaths.
Plop.
Ian knew something had been thrown onto the bed beside him, creating a small gust of air. The man's throat moved slightly, but he tried his best not to think in strange directions.
However, things were not that simple. The sounds from inside the room only grew louder. Faint, mosquito-like whispers could even be heard.
"Why isn't it coming off yet?"
"Because I can't feel the clasp..."
"Then how do you usually put it on?!"
"Luvia-nee helps me usually..."
"..."
After quite a struggle, everything finally settled down. But Ian could feel that the situation was no longer the same—at least, Sakura Tohsaka, sitting on his lap, was definitely not dressed as she was before. And the man's premonition quickly became reality.
Sakura Tohsaka, extremely shy, finally spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
"Um—"
"Mr. Ian, no matter what happens next, please don't be surprised, okay?"
"...Mm." The knight quickly agreed to his Master's request.
"That's good then."
No sooner had she spoken than Ian felt his hand being taken by Sakura Tohsaka. After a moment, he felt himself touching something indescribable. It was a very soft, wonderful sensation, like wading through cotton candy.
But Sakura Tohsaka's guidance continued. The final resting place, in addition to the initial feeling, had an added roundness that made his fingertips tingle.
"Mr. Ian~"
Sakura Tohsaka, under Rin Tohsaka's gaze from behind her, slowly leaned close to the man's ear. Recalling her sister's whispered plan, she shyly but eagerly informed him of the final action.
"To secure victory in the Holy Grail War."
"Tonight—"
"Please let's practice how to replenish magical energy properly~"