Zouken Matou.
Not even Kariya Matou knows his true age.
No one knows how many centuries this old man has lived.
An immortal Magus who prolonged his life again and again through unspeakable, horrific means, the progenitor of Kariya Matou's bloodline, a living monster that has survived into the modern era.
This is Zouken, the man Kariya Matou hates more than anyone else in his life.
And yet now, he had turned into a rubber duck bath toy.
Kariya Matou stared dumbfounded at the little yellow duck on the table, listening as it spoke in a voice that carried both authority and an eerie chill.
"Kariya, you swore back then that you would never show your face before me again… did you not?"
"Well… even if you say that…"
Kariya Matou was at a loss for words.
No matter how much hatred, disgust, and contempt he had held for that voice over the course of his life, the moment he saw the duck's absurdly cute appearance, all of it simply dissipated.
He glanced at the red-haired boy beside him. From Shirou's expression, he couldn't tell what the boy was thinking at all.
"You… are you really Zouken Matou?"
"Zouken Matou… that is indeed one of the names I once used. However, my current name is 'Magical Terminal Makiri.'"
Magical Terminal…
Though he had never seriously studied Magecraft, Kariya Matou could vaguely grasp what that implied.
The very foundation of Zouken Matou's existence, his body and soul, had already been completely destroyed.
What remained within the toy was his mind, his personality.
"Ugh…!"
Kariya Matou suddenly covered his face.
The target of his hatred had been destroyed on a physical level, yet his memories lingered like a curse that refused to fade…
That strange mix of relief and suffocating frustration left him unsure how to feel.
It took him a long while to steady himself. When he finally spoke again, there was a cold sneer on his lips.
"The immortality you were so obsessed with is now out of reach. So how does it feel, 'Father'?"
"Feelings… I no longer possess any function that could be called emotion. If I must give an answer, then… relief."
Kariya Matou frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
"Relief? Don't tell me you still think you can be considered 'alive.' Don't make me laugh."
"Looking back now, the reason I so desperately sought immortality… at its root, was my inability to endure the decay of my body."
The little yellow duck spoke slowly.
"How to preserve a body and soul that were steadily rotting, this question plagued me for a long time, eventually becoming an obsession.
At some point, I found myself thinking only about how to continue existing at all costs.
But now, having lost both body and soul, that greatest concern no longer exists.
Instead, I am able to think far more calmly… is that not, in its own way, a kind of relief?"
The little yellow duck let out a dry, rattling laugh, though there was no real emotion behind it.
"…Hmph."
Left with nothing to say, Kariya Matou changed the subject.
"Why did you adopt the Tohsaka family's daughter?"
The little yellow duck replied,
"To ensure the continuation of the Matou family… If I were still Zouken Matou, that is the answer I would give you, followed by a harsh condemnation of your betrayal.
Of course, the true purpose was the Holy Grail. The continuation of the Matou family was never of any real importance."
As it spoke, "Magical Terminal Makiri" shifted into a tone far closer to that of the old Magus.
"The sixty-year cycle is approaching, yet the Matou family has no pieces to enter the Fourth Holy Grail War.
With Byakuya's level of Mana, he simply cannot control a Servant. We can only give up this time, but sixty years from now, I will still have a chance.
That daughter of the Tohsaka Family possesses limitless potential. Her womb will surely produce an outstanding Magus. Of course, she must first undergo thorough 'training'…"
"Smack!"
Kariya Matou finally snapped. Unable to hold back any longer, he hurled the little yellow duck at the wall in a burst of fury.
The duck hit the wall, then bounced back from the impact and smacked straight into Kariya Matou's face.
"Ugh…!"
"You're still as impatient as ever, Kariya. If you keep this up, you'll suffer for it eventually."
"Don't put on that fatherly act now. I don't want to hear it!" Kariya Matou roared.
The yellow toy dropped quietly onto the carpet, its upturned beak seeming to sneer.
"Well, whatever happens to the Tohsaka Family's daughter is already a matter of the past."
"True, as you are now—"
"That's not what I meant."
"Magical Terminal Makiri" cut in.
"Sakura Matou is no longer of any use. We've found a prodigy who far surpasses that little girl."
Kariya Matou instinctively turned his head and looked at the red-haired boy sitting on the sofa, happily watching what could only be described as a twisted display of fatherly affection.
"Me?"
Shirou pointed at himself, tilting his head with an innocent expression.
The little yellow duck let out its usual eerie chuckle.
"The talent hidden within this child is something even I cannot fully see through, nor can I understand it.
If it were him… this child who killed me, it would not be strange at all if he were the one to obtain the Holy Grail."
Although Zouken Matou no longer desired immortality or the Holy Grail, the Magus instinct to pursue the unknown had left him deeply interested in Shirou Amamiya, the one who destroyed him.
His power, his nature, his very existence…
To witness him obtain the Holy Grail and record the outcome had now become the core directive of "Magical Terminal Makiri."
Shirou frowned, clearly displeased.
"Hey, don't go deciding things for other people, Makiri. Who said I'm joining the Holy Grail War?"
"Oh? Not participating this time?"
The little yellow duck's widened eyes seemed filled with delight.
"Shirou Amamiya, are you planning, like I once did, to place everything on the next one?"
"The child you have with Sakura Matou will surely be exceptional enough to shake the entire world of Magecraft… how exciting."
"I told you, don't make decisions for me."
Shirou stepped down on the toy yellow duck, shutting down the Magical Terminal's functions.
"Kukuku… so you're not denying it…"
Zouken Matou's voice slowly faded away.
"..."
Kariya Matou once again stood there, completely dumbfounded.
"Kariya Uncle?"
"Ah!"
Startled by the boy's face suddenly close to his own, he fell backward onto the floor.
Shirou reached out a hand with a gentle smile.
"Are you okay, Uncle?"
Kariya Matou understood in that moment.
Despite the boy's polite and friendly demeanor, he was something far beyond even Zouken Matou. A monster.
"I… I'm not going to trust you!"
Kariya Matou slapped Shirou's hand away.
He might look like a harmless, cute boy, but anyone who could casually converse with that old monster like an equal… there was no way he could feel at ease entrusting Sakura to him.
Shirou nodded.
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that."
"What?"
"From today on, Uncle Kariya, you'll stay at the Matou house and train as well, together with Sakura and Shinji."
Kariya Matou clenched his teeth.
"Why?!"
"You're too weak. No matter how tough you sound, it's just empty bluster. I've seen plenty of people like that.
If you want to protect Sakura, then try gaining strength with your own hands.
Losing to me doesn't matter, but don't end up losing to Shinji too."
After saying only that, Shirou left the stunned Kariya Matou behind and walked out of the room.