Chapter 95: Life Without Sakura
Ryuunosuke's ability to escape was not just talked. After the children fled, he quickly left the scene. When the police followed the clues provided by Kotone—yes, Rin's friend, who bravely led the police to apprehend the culprit—it was already too late. Ryuunosuke was already on the Fuyuki Bridge, enjoying the breeze.
The diligent Fuyuki City police force sealed off the crime scene and began their investigation, which was the usual procedure for major cases. However, this greatly hindered Scathach's ability to track down the culprit.
Scathach, an Assassin-class Servant with a high magic level, needed approximately five minutes to weave her spells to track the target using residual traces. During this time, she had to remain corporeal at the scene and couldn't be disturbed.
But now, there were about ten technicians gathered in the small underground bar, and numerous police officers were patrolling and searching the streets outside. There wasn't even a five-second window, let alone five minutes, unless she incapacitated everyone nearby.
Thinking about this, Scathach chuckled to herself. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, but if she took down all of them, the traces at the scene would also be disturbed. The underground bar wasn't Ryuunosuke's base; it was just a temporary place to store his "sacrifices." Moreover, if dozens of police officers were knocked out near the crime scene, the aftermath would be troublesome to handle.
Upon learning of the situation, Shinji had no choice but to order the abandonment of the pursuit.
And so, the commotion that started with Rin Tohsaka's adventure came to an end. Although the outcome of the incident was not entirely satisfactory, it wasn't terrible either. Rin saved her friend and even reunited with her sister.
Aoi found Rin and witnessed Sakura's growth, which brought her great relief. Although she didn't say it aloud, Aoi's heart had always been concerned about Sakura. After all, how could a mother not truly love her child?
Sakura was overjoyed. Her sister was safe, her mother was safe, and they could live together like before. It was truly wonderful.
At this moment, the mother and daughters lay together on a bed, whispering quietly.
In contrast, Shinji and Kariya weren't as happy.
Leaving the Public Park, the two continued to separate and explore the sewers. Those disgusting monsters had threatened the safety of the people they cared about. How could they just ignore it? What if they encountered danger again and couldn't arrive in time?
They spent the whole night cleaning up. Not only did they clear the heavily affected areas west of the Fuyuki Bridge, but they also searched through Miyama Town and Shin-Tsu District. After what happened last night, no one dared to underestimate Caster anymore.
And so, their "difficult" life had just begun.
During the Holy Grail War, the Servants had their day off, and Sakura and Byakuya took care of the household chores while Shinji and Kariya focused on dealing with the Holy Grail War. Byakuya mainly handled errands and shopping, while Sakura managed all the affairs of the Matou household. Of course, Sakura's main task was cooking, while other tasks such as cleaning and laundry could be assigned to the two familiars. It was worth praising the Einzbern family's alchemy, especially in terms of intelligence and automation—it was truly innovative and ahead of the world by many years.
However, Sakura's familiars were not like Irisviel, who had an independent personality and soul. Once they were separated from their master, they only had pre-programmed basic routines and minimal survival instincts. They couldn't think or obey commands from others.
In other words, the two of them had to handle all kinds of daily chores themselves.
And so...
"The noodles are too hard."
"Yeah, they don't taste as good as the ones Sakura makes."
Near the train station, the uncle and nephew looked at each other and sighed helplessly.
This was their breakfast. It wasn't that Sakura's cooking was better than what they could buy outside, but they felt that it was missing a little taste of home.
...
"Ah, I'm so annoyed. Laundry is such a hassle."
In the Matou family's bathroom, Shinji grumbled as he rubbed his clothes. Although they had a washing machine at home, anyone who had washed clothes knew that it was difficult for the machine to remove stubborn stains. Clothes that went down the drain without being scrubbed wouldn't be much different from unwashed ones even if they were thrown into the washing machine.
"If only I had given 'Crystal Cat' and 'Ryūga Rat' a higher level of intelligence."
"Crystal Cat" and "Noble Rat" were the names Shinji gave to Sakura's two familiars. Although their meaning was somewhat unclear, they sounded good and were accepted by the whole family.
"That would put too much pressure on Sakura. Higher intelligence requires more magical energy," Kariya shook the water droplets off his hand. "We didn't create familiars because we didn't have enough magical power, remember?"
"That's true... I guess we can't do without a woman in the house. So, uncle, you should find a wife quickly."
Hearing his nephew's words, Kariya rolled his eyes. "Why are we talking about this again? And when you say 'woman,' isn't Sensei a woman?"
"She's the queen. Do you want the queen to help you with laundry?" Shinji also rolled his eyes, and the two of them exchanged eye rolls.
"Forget it, I don't want to get beaten to death." Kariya vigorously rubbed his clothes. Compared to being beaten to death, doing laundry was much easier.
"Yeah, I heard you."
A deep, emotionless voice sounded behind them. Scathach had entered the bathroom without them noticing.
The uncle and nephew both felt a chill run down their spines and in the next second, they turned around and bowed deeply, loudly saying, "Please spare us!"
Seeing the two disciples in a neat and uniform posture, Scathach's lips curled slightly, and the slight displeasure in her heart dissipated.
"Shinji, accompany me for a trip later."
"No problem." Shinji nodded in agreement. As long as Sensei wasn't angry, anything was fine.
The so-called "trip" was actually going out to buy ingredients. There were only a few eggs and a small bag of flour left in the refrigerator, not enough for a full dinner.
The Matou family resided in the most upscale residential area in the entire Fuyuki City, and the surrounding facilities were naturally complete.
Supermarkets, vegetable markets, and various shops were concentrated on a pedestrian street. Although it didn't have the prosperity of Shinjuku, it had a unique living atmosphere.
Scathach liked such places. They had a vitality that the Shadowlands didn't possess. Strolling amidst the various shouts, her steps unconsciously became light.
The third shop on the left was a seafood store, famous for its mackerel.
The fifth shop on the right sold various seasonal snacks, which were very popular among girls.
Twenty meters ahead was a stall selling grilled food, which Sakura liked to eat.
Behind the stall was a liquor store that sold a variety of alcoholic beverages. Byakuya was a regular customer at this store. Scathach herself didn't have a particular preference for alcohol, so she didn't plan to linger too much.
In a fleeting glance, she saw someone.