Some questions, if calmly thought through, quickly yield answers. Rin Tohsaka was in just such a state.
That's right. If her sister, Sakura Tohsaka, was competing with her teacher, Vivian, for Ian. Everything could be explained. Because of the competition, there was rivalry between them. Because of the rivalry, there was such strong rejection. It was no longer just a matter of not getting along. It was about finding every possible way to prevent the other from taking him away.
Rin Tohsaka pursed her lips.
Come to think of it—
Her sister had mentioned a related question. It was, "How do I get closer to a boy?" At the time, she hadn't given it much thought, but now, it seemed likely that the "boy" in question was Ian. This meant...
She had fallen for the Servant she had summoned?
Rin Tohsaka felt her head buzzing. And even worse—if she followed this logic, Vivian's objective also seemed clear. She, too, had fallen for the Servant her student had summoned?
This doesn't seem right at all?!
Rin Tohsaka felt that things were definitely not as simple as she had observed. Behind this... there must be a deeper logic.
The Tohsaka heiress, having thought this far, completely lost her appetite. She glanced at Vivian and Sakura, who were still competing across the table, and felt her scalp tingle. After a moment of thought, Rin shifted her body, leaned closer to her mother Aoi Zenjou's ear, and whispered a question.
"Mom, can you step outside for a moment?"
"..."
Though she didn't know what her eldest daughter wanted, Aoi Zenjou didn't refuse her.
"Excuse me for a moment."
After Aoi Zenjou's simple apology, mother and daughter stepped outside.
"What is it, Rin?" Aoi Zenjou asked gently. "You rarely ask me to come out during dinner."
Rin Tohsaka thought for a moment, then decided to express her thoughts subtly. "Mom... don't you think Sakura's attitude towards Ian is a little off?"
"..."
Although she hadn't been a mage for many years, Aoi Zenjou still had a faint understanding of magecraft. Especially after Tokiomi Tohsaka's death, she spent more time looking at those books. In this state, she naturally understood that Ian was the Servant Sakura Tohsaka had summoned using her husband's relics.
"Rin, just say what you're thinking," Aoi Zenjou said.
"Well—"
Probably realizing she couldn't communicate with her mother if she kept it hidden, Rin Tohsaka directly told Aoi Zenjou her inner thoughts. "Mom, I think Sakura really likes Ian... not just a normal kind of like."
Rin Tohsaka had expected her words to greatly shock her mother, Aoi Zenjou. At the very least, there should have been some reaction. But to her surprise, the result was completely the opposite—her mother was not agitated, but rather quite calm.
"Rin, you noticed it too?"
"Too?"
Hearing that word, Rin Tohsaka realized the situation seemed a little off. "Mom, what do you mean by 'too'?"
"Could it be... you already knew?"
"More or less," Aoi Zenjou's expression remained calm, seemingly undisturbed.
No.
It couldn't be said that it was completely undisturbed. At least, there was a hint more sadness in her brows than before.
Aoi Zenjou's gaze fell on Rin Tohsaka. "Rin, you should know Sakura's purpose for returning this time?"
"To participate in the Holy Grail War."
Rin Tohsaka quickly gave the standard answer—this wasn't just Sakura Tohsaka's choice, but hers as well.
"That's right," Aoi Zenjou nodded. "She, like you, is going to participate in the Holy Grail War."
"If—"
"Sakura can truly make that Servant named Ian fall in love with her, then perhaps she can survive this Holy Grail War."
"..."
Rin Tohsaka was stunned. Because it was a direction she had never considered.
Yes. If Ian truly fell in love with Sakura, then, putting aside everything else, her safety would definitely be strongly guaranteed. After all—she had personally tested his magical energy strength. It was a power so immense that if he were summoned, he would absolutely be worthy of the Saber class.
If he truly regarded Sakura as his beloved, even if they didn't win in the end, he would surely prioritize her survival to the greatest extent. This was a perspective that Rin Tohsaka, as an older sister, found hard to grasp, but her mother, Aoi Zenjou, could immediately realize.
This was not a sudden whim. After all, for Aoi Zenjou, she had been the one to go to Fuyuki Bridge to retrieve her husband's body amidst Kirei Kotomine's sorrowful words. At this moment, this mother was powerless to stop her daughters from participating in the Holy Grail War, so she could only find a way to secure their chances of survival.
As if her hidden worries had been stirred, Aoi Zenjou continued:
"Rin, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Eh?"
Rin Tohsaka quickly nodded. "Mom, we don't need to use words like 'favor' between us... I'm your daughter, whatever you ask me to do is only natural."
"Then—"
Aoi Zenjou looked towards the dining room. "If possible... could you perhaps help Sakura a little?"
"Help Sakura?" Rin Tohsaka couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of this sentence. "Mom, are you asking me to..."
"I don't know how to say it... but I just hope you can help her," Aoi Zenjou's expression was quite complex.
"After all—"
"We, especially you... actually owe her a lot."
"..."
Rin Tohsaka didn't actually know what her mother meant by "owe." But as her only living Parent in this world, she knew she had to trust her.
"Understood."
"I... I'll figure out a way to help her."
"Good, then I'll go rest." Aoi Zenjou still trusted her eldest daughter very much.
"Alright."
[You are unaware of this conversation between Rin Tohsaka and Aoi Zenjou.]
[Because your attention has been completely captivated by Sakura Tohsaka and Vivian.]
[The conflict between them seems to have intensified to a certain degree.]
"Ah—~"
"Mr. Ian, please open your mouth."
"You're doing it wrong, Sakura. Let me."
"No, Teacher, I can do it."
Seeing the two still struggling, Ian couldn't sit still. He spoke directly:
"Um—"
"I truly appreciate your enthusiasm—but this is ultimately dinner time, and it's really not appropriate to do this."
"Look—"
Knight Ian looked across the table, where it was already empty.
"Miss Rin and Mrs. Zenjou were both scared away by us."
"..."
At Ian's words, Vivian and Sakura Tohsaka finally noticed that only the three of them remained in the dining room. The situation immediately became awkward. Especially for Sakura Tohsaka, who, having calmed down, realized she had done some inappropriate things.
However—
Sakura Tohsaka felt no regret. Because she knew that if she didn't do these things, she would definitely be even sadder later. She absolutely couldn't let go of Mr. Ian! Sakura Tohsaka held this thought in her heart.
Of course.
Vivian, on the other side, held a nearly identical understanding. Master and student had reached a high degree of ideological unity at this moment, but their actual behavior could not be unified.
However—
Both Vivian and Rin knew that continuing this standoff wouldn't lead to any results. At least not now. The two of them, with unspoken understanding, each took a step back, maintaining a slight distance from Ian. This was a safe position where, even if the other tried something, they could "counter" at any time.
Finally, there was an opportunity for communication, but Ian didn't know what to say. Looking at the table full of dishes, he thought for a moment and adopted a relatively neutral, conciliatory approach.
"Miss Vivian—"
Ian picked up a chopstick-full of food and placed it into Vivian's bowl.
"This is from Sakura, for you."
"Sakura—"
Ian picked up another chopstick-full of food and placed it into Sakura Tohsaka's bowl.
"This is from Miss Vivian, for you."
"Both of you."
"It's a shame to waste such a wonderful meal after all the effort... we really should finish it."
"..."
"..."
Although Ian didn't explicitly state it. His meaning was clear—he hoped the two people beside him would temporarily stop and enjoy their meal.
Sakura Tohsaka glanced at the food in her bowl, then at Ian, and finally nodded. "Indeed."
"If we don't finish it... Mr. Ian's efforts will be in vain."
After saying this, she formally began to enjoy the dinner Ian had personally cooked.
And Vivian, seeing Sakura Tohsaka's demeanor, realized that if she continued, she might displease Ian. If it were before, it might not have mattered.
But now—
She couldn't be like that anymore. He no longer remembered her. If he genuinely became displeased, it would be equivalent to pushing Ian towards Sakura Tohsaka.
To think I would have such a difficult day...
Vivian chuckled self-deprecatingly, then temporarily set aside her stubbornness and began to eat the meal before her. But as she tasted it, she felt everything was salty.
Did Ian not pay attention to the seasoning?
No. He wouldn't do that—those were her tears. The more this situation, which should have been filled with his favoritism, unfolded, the more wronged Vivian felt. She used to always think everything was a given.
But in reality—
There was no such thing as love being a given; there was only her own complacency.
However—
Fate had not completely extinguished all of Vivian's hope. A familiar touch came, a warm and reassuring feeling. Vivian glanced to the side and saw Ian, while talking to Sakura Tohsaka, quietly took her hand in Sakura's blind spot. That slightly rough knight's hand now tightly enveloped the exquisitely maintained hand of the princess, like a guardian, as if saying, "Don't be sad."
Just this simple gesture was enough to make Vivian's eyes sting—he remembered nothing, yet he still came to comfort her. The witch responded to his hand, her thumb rubbing against his palm, gently tracing the sweet words she could think of.
That was one of Vivian's rare moments of peace.
Even if—
He was actually just being kind, and didn't know what the witch's finger movements represented.
But not long after, Rin Tohsaka returned. She looked at the scene before her, somewhat surprised.
"Oh?"
"You guys actually started eating seriously?"
At Rin Tohsaka's words, the previously somewhat ambiguous atmosphere instantly vanished. Ian's and Vivian's hands instinctively separated, making all traces disappear. The man looked at Rin Tohsaka, noticing the empty space beside her.
"Miss Rin, where's Mrs. Zenjou?"
"Just call me Rin," Rin Tohsaka corrected Ian's address. "Adding 'Miss' always makes me feel old."
"As for my mom, she felt a bit unwell and went to rest."
"Oh, right—"
The young woman's gaze swept over the three present. "Have you thought about how to disguise your identities next?"
"Disguise identities?" Sakura Tohsaka didn't quite understand what her sister meant.
"Yeah."
Rin Tohsaka sat on the tatami, continuing to eat—she actually quite liked Ian's cooking. "Aren't you two participating in the Holy Grail War?"
"It's not time yet."
"If you don't disguise your identities and get discovered as Masters beforehand, that'll be troublesome."
"This..." Sakura Tohsaka frowned slightly; it was clear she hadn't considered this question.
"I knew you hadn't thought about it," Rin Tohsaka pouted.
"Then how about this—"
"Hmm... how about you both pretend to be a student and a teacher?"
"A student and a teacher?" Sakura Tohsaka blinked. "Sister, what does that mean?"
"It means," Rin Tohsaka laid it out plainly. "You two come to Homurahara Academy, the private school I'm currently attending."
"Anyway, they really are expanding their staff and teachers recently, so if Ian and Vivian put in a little effort, they should be able to get in."
"As for you, Sakura—"
"Just be a transfer student or something."
"This way, no one will suspect you're here to participate in the Holy Grail War."
"I see," Sakura Tohsaka nodded thoughtfully.
"Then—"
The young woman cautiously looked at Ian and Vivian. "What are your opinions...?"
"I have no objections," Ian quickly replied. "If you think it's okay, then it's okay."
"I... don't either," Vivian also agreed. "After all, I'm already a teacher."
"Then it's decided," Rin Tohsaka concluded crisply.
"Get some rest early. I'll take you there tomorrow."
A whirlwind of activity. Things seemed to be moving in a relatively stable direction.
But—
This was merely superficial.
Sakura Tohsaka, carrying the bowls, was about to go into the kitchen to wash them when she found her sister already there.
"Sakura."
"Wha-what is it?"
"Nothing, just wanted to tell you something."
Rin Tohsaka whispered to her sister. It was the answer she had thought of after her mother Aoi Zenjou's words.
"Tonight—"
"Sister wants to sleep in the same room as you and Ian, is that okay?"