Several hours later…
More than half a day had ticked by since the mission countdown started.
Frankly, if Jaeger hadn't obliterated both the Matou clan and that festering old pervert in a single move, the whole team might have actually lost—not to a powerful enemy, but to a time-out screen. Pathetic.
How indulgent could you get?
The whole point of hopping to different worlds was to level up, not to drown yourself in the local bathhouse every arc.
But, honestly, what else was there to do? The Fourth War hadn't started yet. No Heroic Spirits, no flashy Noble Phantasms lighting up the night. Not even Zouken the Worm had managed to cough up a single deadly move before he got deleted.
Utterly disappointing.
Maybe he should go hunt down some Dead Apostle Ancestors just to keep himself entertained? At this rate, he'd be running side quests just to stave off boredom.
With a smirk and a lazy stretch, Jaeger finally emerged from the bedroom, looking like he'd just finished a particularly satisfying main quest.
As he stepped into the hallway, he almost collided with Aoi Tosaka, who was just coming up the stairs.
She was a picture-perfect, elegant wife: long, shining dark hair, soft green dress, black stockings—basically, someone you'd see on the cover of a romance light novel, probably with sparkles in the background.
"Good afternoon, ma'am," Jaeger greeted, flashing that practiced, disarming smile.
"A-Ah… G-Good afternoon, Mr. Jaeger…" Aoi stammered, gaze darting away in classic "flustered wife" style.
Her eyes flicked nervously past him, toward the (firmly closed) bedroom door. Jaeger instantly read the situation like a master tactician.
Ah. She probably caught a glimpse of Kasumigaoka Utaha's dragon form through the door and is still trying to process it. Fantastic.
He stifled a sigh. Utaha's lack of shame truly knew no bounds.
But keeping up his best 'model guest' expression, Jaeger asked, "Is there something I can help you with, ma'am?"
"Um, actually… yes," Aoi managed, clutching her hands together. "My husband… he wishes to speak to you. He said it's quite important."
"Tokitomi Tosaka, huh? Understood," Jaeger replied smoothly.
His curiosity piqued.
Was this guy already having premonitions of getting speedrun'd out of the Holy Grail War? Was he about to hand over his wife, his daughter, and his family savings just to save himself the trouble?
Now that would be worth sticking around to watch.
Amused by the thought, Jaeger started down the stairs—then paused with theatrical timing.
"Oh, one more thing, ma'am."
"Y-Yes?"
Aoi flinched, caught off guard, but managed to stand straight.
Jaeger flashed his signature, disarming grin. "Please take care of my girlfriend while I'm out. I'd appreciate it."
Aoi blinked, then—realizing he was being sincere—visibly relaxed.
"O-Of course, Mr. Jaeger! I'll look after Miss Kasumigaoka."
But even as she reassured him, a strange, tangled feeling bubbled inside her—a pinch of disappointment mixed with a dollop of relief.
Jaeger was the kind of man who tamed dragons and called down storms. In all the stories, men like that collected wives—they didn't ask for help with their girlfriends.
Her cheeks went pink, and her mind flashed back to the strange thing Tokitomi had whispered in bed last night—
"If you truly wish to protect our daughters' future… earn Jaeger's favor. Even if it means—"
No, no! Aoi shook her head.
I'm just overthinking things… This is all Tokitomi's fault for planting weird ideas!
Determined to fulfill her hostessly duties (and not think about what her husband meant by "even if it means—"), Aoi pushed open the bedroom door.
Immediately, she froze.
"Ah—!"
The gasp slipped out before she could slap her hand over her mouth.
There, stretched out across the king-sized bed in utter, majestic exhaustion, was a giant, pastel-pink dragon: Kasumigaoka Utaha, scales gleaming softly in the light, her enormous tail curled up, surrounded by a mess of rumpled sheets and soft pillows.
Aoi stood stock still, brain buffering.
Okay, yes, I suspected Miss Kasumigaoka was a dragon, but… to remain like this after… after…
Aoi's blush deepened as she tried not to imagine what "after" entailed.
Wait. Is this how legendary heroes always subdued monsters and divine beasts? Is this in the epics?
Still blushing furiously, Aoi tiptoed forward and began carefully tending to the disheveled dragon-girl, channeling all her flustered energy into housewifely diligence.
With a warm towel, she began to wipe the tired dragon's glimmering scales. That's when her fingers brushed something… odd—a slick white stain streaked across the dragon's flank.
"…Honestly, Mr. Jaeger, you're far too reckless…" she muttered. "How does someone even get milk on Miss Kasumigaoka like this…?"
But even as she grumbled, Aoi's hand stopped in mid-wipe.
Wait. We didn't bring any milk for Jaeger.
Then… where did this come from?
Her face turned crimson.
Her mind went blank.
For the rest of the afternoon, Aoi Tosaka worked in silence, the air filled with nothing but the soft sounds of a dragon's sleepy breathing—and her own mortified heartbeat.
--
Meanwhile, Jaeger strolled at a leisurely pace toward the Tosaka family's magic workshop, hands in his pockets, still smirking over Aoi's reaction.
"Come in, Lord Jaeger," called a calm, measured voice from within.
He nudged open the door with a faint creak—only to pause and take in the scene.
Inside, Tokitomi Tohsaka sat in the guest's seat, flanked by his two daughters. The main chair at the table, conspicuously empty, was clearly meant for Jaeger.
"Jaeger-nii!"
Sakura's eyes lit up when she saw him—hopeful, bright, almost childlike for a fleeting moment.
But her joy faded in an instant. The smile dimmed. A shadow clouded her face.
She wasn't a little kid anymore. Not entirely. She knew exactly what the group chat had been gossiping about.
And she knew what it meant when Jaeger and Utaha stayed locked in that bedroom for over ten hours.
Her heart squeezed tight with jealousy and something worse: a dull ache of betrayal, here, in her own home, in the very bedroom her parents had prepared for them.
She glanced at her father—the man who'd given her life—and a bitter resentment bubbled up:
Why did you allow this…?
As for Rin Tohsaka—
The pint-sized, future queen of tsunderes, puffed out her cheeks and fixed Jaeger with a sharp glare, only to switch gears and skip over with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Good morning, Jaeger-san—lover of high school girls!"
"Huh?"
Jaeger blinked, caught completely off guard. For a split second, he processed nothing, then—
"…You were eavesdropping on my conversation?"
He narrowed his gaze at this tiny, feisty version of Rin, already brimming with attitude. She looked away—classic "caught in the act" style—and Jaeger couldn't help but smirk.
"Wh-what do you mean eavesdropping?! This is my house! I was just… passing by! At night!"
Red-faced and huffy, seven-year-old Rin stomped her foot. Whether she was flustered, embarrassed, or mad, even she couldn't tell.
"S-Sister… Jaeger-nii was just joking,"
Sakura murmured, tugging Rin's sleeve, peeking up at Jaeger through long lashes, as if asking him not to tease her little sister too hard.
"Ahem…"
Tokiomi Tohsaka's practiced cough cut through the awkward tension like a knife, immediately pulling all three pairs of eyes to the gentleman seated at the head of the table.
His expression a perfect mask of refined dignity, as if absolutely none of the previous chaos had ever occurred.
"It's good to see that Lord Jaeger gets along so naturally with my daughters. That alone puts my heart at ease."
Tokiomi's smile was faint—warm, but laced with exhaustion and a subtle weight that had nothing to do with age. He reached beneath the table and produced a folder, sliding it toward Jaeger.
"This is a contract. Technically a scroll, though it's not magically binding, nor does it hold any legal power. In the end… it's just paper."
Jaeger took the document, curiosity shading his expression. As his eyes traced the lines of text, confusion slowly shifted to surprise—and then to outright disbelief.
It was blunt, almost heartbreakingly simple:
[In the event that Party A (Tokiomi Tohsaka) perishes, is incapacitated, or otherwise unable to care for his family during the Fourth Holy Grail War, all his patents, properties, land, and wealth shall transfer to Party B (Jaeger).
Party B, in return, shall take in and care for Party A's daughters, Rin and Sakura Tohsaka, as well as his wife, Aoi Tohsaka.]
Jaeger's grip tightened ever so slightly on the scroll. No seals, no curses, no hidden traps—just trust. Pure, unadorned, and unexpectedly heavy.
Is this guy seriously pushing his entire family onto me…?
He'd seen every type of scheme, betrayal, and selfish calculation in this world, but this—this was almost alien in its sincerity.
"…Isn't this a bit too much trust?" Jaeger asked, voice halfway between awe and incredulity.
Before he could get a real answer, Rin lunged forward and snatched the scroll from his hands.
"Father! What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Her voice cracked, trembling between outrage and heartbreak. Face flushed, eyes bright with unshed tears, Rin shook the scroll at her father as if she could undo its meaning with sheer willpower.
"You were going to give Sakura away before! I thought you'd changed after Brother Jaeger destroyed the Matou family, but now you're just—just handing all of us over like we're burdens? Like you're already gone?!"
Tokiomi's lips pressed into a thin, pale line. He stared at the table, refusing to meet her eyes. Silence hung around him like a heavy cloak—filled with guilt, fear, and a desperate kind of love that words could never explain.
Sakura, meanwhile, stood quietly beside them. She wasn't angry. In fact, a subtle, fragile hope glimmered in her violet eyes. She unconsciously leaned a little closer to Jaeger, as if drawn to the warmth of the sun after years in shadow.
For her, this wasn't abandonment—it was a promise of rescue.
Before Rin could let loose another storm, the workshop door opened with a gentle creak.
Aoi Tohsaka entered, wrapped in a soft green dress, her presence soothing the air like a spring breeze after a long winter.
"Rin," she said softly, her voice wrapping around her daughter like a hug, "this was your father's decision—and mine. It's not giving up. It's our last measure of safety, for you and Sakura."
She didn't even glance at Jaeger—not once. Her attention was wholly on her daughters. With the faintest smile, she gently brushed a hand through Rin's hair, smoothing away her frustration.
"Please don't blame him. Try to understand."
Rin bit her lip. Her small fists trembled at her sides.
"…Do you really think… the Tohsaka family will fall that far?" she asked quietly, her voice trembling at the edges.
Tokiomi finally looked up, meeting his daughter's gaze. "It's not certain," he admitted, voice gentle but steady. "But it is a possibility. The Holy Grail War is never predictable."
He drew a deeper breath, shoulders squaring as he faced reality.
"I'll be summoning a king—an ancient one. Even so, there are no guarantees. My duty as your father is to prepare for every outcome, no matter how painful."
His attention turned to Jaeger, and his words grew heavier.
"And if I lose… I can't imagine anyone better to watch over my family than you."
Jaeger blinked, his composure slipping for a split second. What the hell is this? Is he… seriously making me the Tohsaka heir?
No tricks. No fine print. Just open, trusting vulnerability.
Even if I were a villain, Jaeger thought, he'd still leave me everything…?
He muttered, almost to himself, "Even if I were a villain, you'd leave your whole damn estate to me?"
Tokiomi gave a tired, but genuine smile. "I've seen how you treat Sakura. You're no villain to her. That's all the proof I need."
You old fool…
Suddenly, Rin stepped forward, cheeks wet but chin high.
"Fine. If that happens… then I'll be the head of the Tohsaka family."
Jaeger looked down, surprised by the steel in her voice. Little Rin—so small, yet standing so tall, eyes shining with pride and unshed tears.
"I'll protect my sister. I'll protect my mother. And if you'll help us, Jaeger-san… then please—sign it."
She held out the contract, arms stretched, hands trembling but unyielding.
"…Please."
For a long moment, Jaeger simply stared at her.
Then—he smiled.
•••
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