"Mother?"
Sakura didn't know how to react to that overwhelming surge of sorrow and regret coming from Aoi. It was suffocating.
Her hands began to tremble slightly, uneasy and uncertain about what she should do. It was as if she didn't know where to stand, what to do, or even what to feel. Her entire body felt stiff, and little by little, she started to struggle subtly, almost instinctively… trying to pull away.
Trying to return to the only place where she truly felt safe.
Aoi noticed.
Even immersed in pain, she felt her daughter's resistance… and that hurt even more.
Her arms, which had been clinging desperately, slowly loosened.
Without looking back, Sakura ran straight to Arthur's side, like a frightened little animal fleeing something it couldn't understand.
She grabbed onto the hem of his pants tightly, partially hiding her face behind his leg, peeking out cautiously as if he were a barrier between her and the world.
Even in front of her own mother, even in front of her own family—
Arthur was still the only one she truly trusted.
Although Sakura was still too young to put her feelings into words, the impact of everything she had experienced would not fade so easily.
The sense of abandonment, the fear, the helplessness.
The memory of it all was still there. Even after a full year, those emotions had not completely disappeared.
Love and pain, affection and resentment—everything mixed together, intensifying until it became a tangled emotion that was difficult even to recognize.
And at that moment, no one there could fully understand what was going on inside her.
Not even her older sister, Rin.
"Sakura!"
Rin's voice cut through the silence.
She stepped forward quickly, taking two long strides toward Sakura, approaching with a frown and clear irritation written across her face.
"Don't ignore me!"
"Big sister…"
Sakura replied timidly, shrinking even further behind Arthur.
But right after, she lowered her head even more, as if she wanted to disappear.
"What are you doing hiding behind him?!"
Annoyed, Rin reached out, trying to pull her away from Arthur as if it were the most natural thing in the world—as if that place belonged to her.
But Sakura reacted instinctively.
Her body moved before she could even think, dodging Rin's hands, stepping back, rejecting the contact.
She didn't want to leave.
In the end, Rin couldn't reach her.
Because before things could escalate into something more serious, Arthur intervened.
With a simple motion, he grabbed both of them—one in each hand—and lifted them slightly, like two quarrelsome cats about to scratch each other.
"I know you're both happy about this emotional reunion," he said with an amused sigh, "but let's save that for later. Iri and Artie will be here soon—we're going to have a small meeting."
He gently set them back down.
Rin huffed, crossing her arms, clearly dissatisfied.
Sakura, on the other hand, immediately returned to his side, staying close like a shadow.
"A meeting?" Kohaku asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
Beside her, Hisui also looked confused, her gentle eyes blinking softly as she tried to understand the situation.
Fujino remained silent, but her gaze focused more intently on Arthur.
Caren crossed her arms, observing everything with a faintly ironic yet interested smile.
Illya, meanwhile, looked from one person to another, clearly trying to keep up.
"Well, yes…" Arthur replied, letting out a small laugh. "I've already completed my main objective in this Holy Grail War."
---
A few minutes later, Irisviel and Artoria finally arrived, and a suitable room was quickly prepared for them.
Despite the emotional tension still lingering between Aoi, Rin, and Sakura, there was something almost… ordinary in the way everyone settled in.
Arthur sat down first, leaning back naturally and crossing his legs slightly, as if the place belonged to him.
And apparently, someone agreed.
Without hesitation, Rin stepped forward and, with decisive strides, went straight to his side and sat down firmly, occupying the space next to him as if it had always been reserved for her.
She straightened her posture, crossed her legs in a surprisingly elegant manner for a child—
Then picked up her glass of orange juice.
She raised her chin.
And assumed the exact same relaxed and confident posture as Arthur.
As if she were imitating him.
Or worse—as if she were competing with him.
"…"
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
Then Arthur let out a quiet laugh, clearly amused by her actions.
On the other side, Sakura immediately frowned upon seeing Rin take her spot.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the scene.
There was obvious discomfort.
She looked at the seat beside Arthur…
Then at Rin…
Then back at the seat beside Arthur.
Her lips pressed together slightly—she wanted to go there.
That much was obvious.
But after a few seconds of hesitation, and with a faint, almost inaudible grumble, Sakura turned away and reluctantly sat somewhere else, clearly dissatisfied.
And that did not go unnoticed.
Rin smiled triumphantly.
She took a sip of her juice with perfect calm, maintaining the same arrogant posture, as if she had just won the most important battle of her life.
The adults in the room simply watched and chuckled.
"You two really are cut from the same cloth…" Arthur commented, resting his cheek on his hand, clearly entertained.
Kohaku was the first to break the atmosphere, leaning slightly toward Hisui and whispering without any real attempt to hide it:
"Is this some kind of territorial dispute?"
Hisui, maintaining her calm expression, replied in an equally quiet tone:
"It seems… that way."
Caren let out a small snort of laughter, crossing her legs.
"She should know her place is at the end of the line."
Illya, sitting nearby, looked between them with wide eyes, as if she were witnessing something extremely serious.
"Should I… pick a side too?" she murmured, genuinely confused.
Fujino remained silent, but her eyes observed everything carefully, and for some reason, a faint glimmer of curiosity appeared in her gaze.
Aoi, on the other hand, looked completely lost.
Her eyes shifted between her daughters, then to Arthur… clearly unsure how to react to this strange dynamic forming before her.
Sakura, still sulking in her seat, looked away.
"Anyway…" Arthur finally said, straightening slightly and clapping his hands to get everyone's attention, though the smile remained on his face.
"Now that everyone's here—"
He paused briefly as all attention turned to him, and the atmosphere naturally settled.
Even Rin, still holding her juice with a victorious air, focused on him.
"As I said before, I've already completed my main objective in this Holy Grail War. Therefore, from now on, everything I do will be to support Irisviel von Einzbern," he said, officially beginning the meeting.
---
(End of Chapter)