Having finally clarified her future path and form of existence, and having resolved to live as Tohsaka Rin, the name Rin lost its meaning. From this point forward, her official name was changed to Rin.
Rin, who had resolved to be a good sister who would protect her younger sister well, immediately faced her first arduous challenge.
"Rin, Mama has things to do next. I'll entrust Little Sakura to you. Take her and play well."
Just as she had arrived silently and without a trace, she departed equally unnoticed. By the time Rin reacted, only the two lolis were left in the courtyard, staring wide-eyed at each other.
At this, Rin was dumbfounded. Playing with a Little Girl who had just turned one, what do you play? Mama! This was not taught by any teacher!
What can a Little Girl who just turned one and can't even walk steadily play with, having just moved beyond being an infant? Lift her high? That seems appropriate, but Rin doesn't have the prerequisite for that; not to mention whether her slender little arms have the strength, her height of just over 60 centimeters doesn't allow for much height to lift her to; swinging? If Rin played that with her one-year-old sister, she would definitely be labeled a sister abuser... "Uh, Sakura, what do you want to play? Sister will play with you." Rin racked her brains but couldn't come up with any good ideas, her beautiful hair disheveled like a bird's nest from her own scratching. Since she couldn't think of anything, she decided to ask the person concerned.
Little Sakura, however, smiled sweetly, raised a small hand, and said, "A walk."
"A… a walk?"
Yes, that was a good idea. The Tohsaka Family, which advocated classical and retro styles and whose family motto was to always maintain a noble and elegant demeanor, probably couldn't even find a single children's toy. At this time, the only suitable activity for Sakura was to breathe the outside air in the courtyard and stroll among the green grass.
"Then let's go, Sakura, Sister will accompany you." Holding Sakura's tiny hand, Rin held it firmly in hers, leading the slightly unsteady Little Sakura on a slow stroll through the verdant courtyard under the spring breeze.
Holding this tiny hand, Rin's heart was incredibly heavy. Looking at the innocent and naive Little Sakura at this moment, Rin knew how difficult the road ahead would be and how powerless she was. Not to mention distant matters, in five years, Little Sakura would be adopted into the Matou Family, and then, her life's tragedy would begin... No, I must quickly delve into the Tohsaka Family's magecraft, quickly master the power of this world. No matter what method I use, I must change it. Little Sakura absolutely cannot be adopted into the Matou Family, even if it means me going instead!
Perhaps Rin hadn't realized that she wasn't simply stuffed into the body of the young Tohsaka Rin; unconsciously, she had also been integrated with the factors of being Tohsaka Rin. That's why she felt such a strong protective urge for Tohsaka Sakura, whom she had only seen on screen in her previous life and had only just met in person—a powerful emotion to protect her even at the cost of her own sacrifice.
The Kohaku and Hisui sisters who would be sent to the Tohno Family within five years, Asagami Fujino who was secretly harmed by her stepfather since childhood, the Nanaya Clan which would be destroyed five years later, and Illya in the Einzbern family castle in Germany... There were simply too many people who needed saving, who she wanted to save, and time was running out. Yet, she was still just a two-year-old child, and whether she could even begin practicing magecraft was still an unknown... "Sister, I'm tired." At this moment, Little Sakura shook Rin's arm, pulling her back from her thoughts. After all, she was a child, and after a few steps, she felt tired. Rin could only smile and pull Sakura to sit on the lawn to sunbathe together.
Little Sakura leaned against Rin, giggling, and called out, "Sister, tell a story."
"Tell, tell a story!" Well, children, in this era where mobile phones and tablets haven't yet proliferated, besides wreaking havoc in toy piles or going for walks, what else is there but storytelling?
Speaking of which, Rin's current body was still at the age for listening to stories. Logically, for Rin, who possessed an adult soul and memories, telling a story should be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Rin lived in an era of electronic information explosion in her previous life, and she genuinely hadn't heard any children's stories.
Stared at by Little Sakura's teary, big eyes, Rin reluctantly pondered for a moment before suddenly thinking, "Sakura, how about I tell you a story about a wolf and a sheep?"
"Eh, but Mama seems to have told that story already."
"Don't worry, Mama's and Sister's stories are different, okay? Sister is starting to tell it now. In a very, very distant place, there was a place called Green Grassland, and a flock of sheep lived there…"
Thus, a certain 'Pleasant Goat' that had poisoned a generation in China was brought out by Rin decades early to coax her sister. Although it was a bit embarrassing, she didn't have to worry about anyone suing her for copyright infringement, so what was there to fear? Just like that, the entire morning passed with Rin's storytelling and Sakura's laughter.
As noon approached, Tohsaka Aoi's voice came, "Rin, Sakura, you two come back." From a distance, Aoi could be seen walking towards them with someone beside her. As they drew closer, Rin's expression instantly became complicated.
A tall, resolute figure, clad in a simple yet elegant red suit, holding a ruby-studded staff in his right hand, with a meticulously trimmed short beard on his chin. Every step he took, every gesture he made, exuded a classical, self-disciplined elegance. Aoi, by his side, seemed like the perfect foil.
This person was the beginning of Sakura's tragic life, the fifth head of the contemporary Tohsaka Family, the administrator of the Fuyuki ley lines, Tohsaka Tokiomi.
For Tohsaka Tokiomi, Rin found it difficult to give an accurate evaluation. As the fifth head of the Tohsaka Family, one of the "Three Founding Families," although his talent was not outstanding, he became an excellent Magus through hard work. His pure magecraft skill among the Masters in the Fourth Holy Grail War was second only to Kayneth, who was known as a child prodigy. He was a rare orthodox Magus and the only Master in the Fourth Holy Grail War who desired to reach the "Root" through the Holy Grail.
Due to his noble birth and early life experiences, he was arrogant and extremely self-confident, a "man of both pride and backbone." According to the original story, "Tohsaka Tokiomi spent half his life in hardship, silently licking clean all the bitterness he encountered along the way, transforming it all into self-esteem."
It can be said that Tohsaka Tokiomi was the most orthodox Magus in the Type-Moon World; his way of thinking and acting was impeccably perfect for a Magus.
He didn't possess extraordinary talent but achieved a prominent position in the magic world through his own efforts, revitalizing the Tohsaka Family's magic under his hand; as a Magus, he was undoubtedly qualified.
However, no matter what, he was the root of Little Sakura's tragic life; regardless of his reasons, she was handed over to the Matou Family by him, and a magical agreement was signed, stating that Little Sakura could never again step into the Tohsaka Family.
Transferring Little Sakura to the Matou Family was indeed because a child of magic needed the protection of a family's Magic Crest, otherwise, they would inevitably be suffocated by fate; the Tohsaka Family's Crest could only protect one, and the other, if they didn't want to be suffocated, could only be discarded, spending their life unrelated to the mystical side.
Transferring Little Sakura to the Matou Family was to avoid wasting Little Sakura's rare magical talent, using the Matou Family's Magic Crest to protect her.
However, this cannot absolve Tokiomi, because his purpose in transferring Little Sakura to the Matou Family was not simply for her to safely enter the realm of magic, but rather a contingency plan for a future Holy Grail War.
It was so that if he failed, the next Holy Grail War would have two Masters flowing with Tohsaka blood participating; no matter who won in the end, it would be a victory for the Tohsaka Family.
Therefore, Tokiomi was a Magus who had twisted his humanity; in his eyes, the Tohsaka Family's magic and the pursuit of the origin were above all else.
In the face of these two goals, nothing was too great a sacrifice.
So, facing this person she should call 'father,' Tohsaka Rin's heart was a mix of emotions at this moment: save him? Not save him? Or let nature take its course?
"Tokiomi, will you ever stop making mistakes..."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.