Rin went back to her room to shower. Aoi went downstairs to make breakfast.
Left alone, Lin Jiuan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Aoi Tohsaka's name on his system panel. "Well, the process and the target were both wrong, but at least I have my first 'target' now."
Lin Jiuan felt a little melancholic. He hadn't planned on infiltrating the Tohsaka household when he came to Fuyuki, and after getting in, he hadn't planned on conquering Aoi Tohsaka either. Was this the legendary "wrong process, right result"?
Regardless, what happened, happened. He couldn't just reject the reward out of some post-nut clarity. The reward for Aoi's initial fall was "Magecraft Knowledge (Basic)." Although it was just basic, as he absorbed the reward, Lin Jiuan could clearly feel a wealth of fundamental magus knowledge flooding his mind—the principles of magecraft, the basics of casting, and over a hundred common, general-purpose spells.
"This is a better result than I expected."
Lin Jiuan was never one to dwell on the past. Since it was done, even though it wasn't his intention, he could only go along with it. But...
"How do I keep Tokiomi from finding out?"
As Lin Jiuan pondered this, he suddenly felt a gentle poke on the back of his hand. The evil little boy, deep in his wicked thoughts, jumped, his body trembling violently. The sudden movement startled a girl next to him, who let out a small "Ah!" of surprise.
Lin Jiuan looked and saw Sakura Tohsaka sitting on the floor with a pained expression. Clearly, his overreaction had taken her by surprise, causing her to fall on her bottom.
"Are you okay?" Lin Jiuan quickly hopped off the bed and helped Sakura up. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Did I scare you?"
In his apology, Lin Jiuan was completely unaware of the lethal effect his face—the human form manifested by the Sixth Beast—had on the female sex. Gazing into Lin Jiuan's extremely close, apologetic, jewel-like eyes and his flawless, doll-like face, Sakura lowered her head. Her long eyelashes trembled, her cheeks blushing a deep red, even her small earlobes turning crimson.
"I-I'm fine, Onii-chan."
The girl's soft, sweet "Onii-chan" made Lin Jiuan pause. "What did you call me?"
"Onii-chan?" Sakura looked up in a daze, but her gaze met Lin Jiuan's close face, and she shyly lowered her head again. In a small, sweet voice, she said, "Mother said Onii-chan is part of our family now, with me and sister. So, I thought I should call you Onii-chan. D-did I do something wrong?"
Seeing the young Sakura's pitiful look, Lin Jiuan felt his heart melting. It's decided! Since I've already slept with Aoi, and Tokiomi can't fulfill his fatherly duties, then I'll be the dad from now on!
"No problem," Lin Jiuan said with a smile, reaching out to ruffle Sakura's soft, dark hair. "From now on, I'll be Sakura's big bro(d)ther(ad)."
No matter how tumultuous his emotions were, he still had to face the problem at hand. Sakura had come to call him down for breakfast.
Now, Lin Jiuan sat at the dining table, silently glancing at Tokiomi Tohsaka, who sat at the head of the table, before lowering his head. The tension this morning was as high as the excitement last night had been. He was currently just a "Beast" not even in its juvenile stage. Forcibly severing his connection with the Greater Grail had left him in an extremely weakened state. Logically, someone with his level of power should still be developing in their mother's womb; he was no match for Tokiomi.
If Tokiomi found out he slept with his wife...
"Hiss."
"Jiuan, what's wrong?" Aoi asked with a look of concern and worry.
"Nothing, I just bit my tongue." Madam, can you please not be so concerned about me in front of your husband?
Lin Jiuan, with an adult soul in a small body, nervously stole a glance at Tokiomi. He saw him just look up for a moment before returning to his meal, seemingly lost in thought.
The Tohsaka dining table was quiet, filled only with the sound of cutlery. But Lin Jiuan could feel the undercurrents swirling.
First, there was Tokiomi, the man he had cuckolded just last night. Who knew what he was thinking right now? Then there was Rin. The girl who had discovered her mother's "limp" this morning was occasionally shooting hostile glances at him. Finally, there was Sakura. The girl who had just acknowledged him as her brother was also stealing glances at him. The key point was, it's one thing to look at me, but why are you blushing and trying to hide a smile?
If Tokiomi found out that I not only slept with his wife but also won over his daughter... I'm a dead man.
"Aoi, I have something to discuss with the head of the Matou family today. I might be back very late."
Aoi replied obediently, saying softly, "Jiuan is also at the age to start school..."
It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned him. The moment she brought up Lin Jiuan, Tokiomi felt a surge of annoyance. He didn't know why, but he was annoyed. His mind was preoccupied with the upcoming Holy Grail War and the matter of 'adopting Sakura out' to the Matou family, so he didn't notice the strange behavior of his wife and daughters. He was simply annoyed by Lin Jiuan as a person.
"We'll talk about it after the important business is concluded." Tokiomi's tone was uncharacteristically cold. He had made up his mind. After this Grail War was over, he would get rid of Lin Jiuan.
Sensing her husband's distance, Aoi lowered her head sadly, whispering, "I understand."
After breakfast, the driver and servant were already waiting outside with the car. Aoi quickly straightened her husband's and children's clothes. It wasn't until she saw her husband and two daughters get into the car that the sorrow on her face could no longer be suppressed.
Her leg was injured and she couldn't walk properly—even a fool could see it. Yet Tokiomi, her own husband, didn't show the slightest bit of concern. Did he even have her in his heart anymore?
The shame of her infidelity, now faced with her husband's indifference, transformed completely into resentment and sorrow. If Tokiomi hadn't been so cold to her... It had been seven or eight years since Sakura was born, and they hadn't shared a bed. Last night, he had even harshly refused and reprimanded her for a perfectly normal request to sleep together. If he had just gently refused or even coaxed her a little, would she have cheated? Was she doing it on purpose?
It's all Tokiomi's fault!
"Madam, is your leg okay?"
Hearing his words, a warmth filled Aoi's heart. She turned, her gaze full of affection for Lin Jiuan. It didn't matter if her husband didn't love her. She still had Jiuan.
"Why are you calling me Madam?" Aoi said with a hint of resentment. "You were calling me 'Mama' just last night."
"Madam, please watch your words!" What kind of proper mother does something so depraved to a seven-year-old-looking child? Are you a Catholic priest or something?
Feeling Aoi's love-filled gaze, Lin Jiuan felt a chill run down his spine. "It's still daytime, and... and we already made a mistake last night. We can't do something that wrongs your husband again."
"Look at how scared you are." Aoi blushed slightly and smiled, casually tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Every movement exuded the charm of a gentle, beautiful woman.
She walked naturally to the table and bent over to pick up the remaining dishes. But as she straightened up, the chopsticks stacked on top accidentally fell under the table.
"Oh!" Aoi exclaimed. She placed the bowls she was holding on the table and crawled underneath to pick up the chopsticks.
Watching Aoi, whose back was once to him, now face him directly, her long hair tied into a ponytail, lingering under the table, Lin Jiuan closed his eyes in pain.
"I knew it."
Tokiomi, I've let you down!
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