-Three years later-
In an apartment a little big for two people, located in the city of London, UK, a nine year old girl is practicing cooking by looking at the recipes in a book her mentor had bought. Actually that man, Waver Velvet, bought the recipe book for himself, as he wanted to learn how to cook more dishes so he could feed them to Sakura, but since he doesn't have much free time, he hasn't had the opportunity to practice.
As for Sakura, she has just turned nine years old. She has grown a little in height and her look is more relaxed and cheerful. Although she has gone through many strange situations together with Waver, she certainly had fun and was able to let go of her shyness a little.
"Although it's not good to blow up the ruins of an ancient Babylonian tomb."
She recalled the moment she escaped together with Waver and Melvin from that strange prison. The three of them worked as a team to blow up the place and escape safely.
After that, thanks to Melvin's money, they were all able to return to London.
'Melvin-san is quite strange, but he's also too generous. I have a feeling that Waver-san is taking advantage of that.'
More than just a hunch, she is sure that Waver-san is taking advantage of Melvin's kindness, as this apartment was a gift from that guy in question. However, that aside, since they returned to London, life has been more peaceful and everyday.
Sakura has not had to go to school, as she has Waver himself as her tutor. She not only learns magic, but also many things about society and the common sense of the Magus, since that common sense is very different from that of humans.
Click. The lock of the door resounded behind Sakura. She turned her gaze and, leaving everything she was doing, peeked through the kitchen door to see who it was. A faint smile on her face showed when she saw Waver arrive.
"Welcome, Waver-san."
Waver noticed the presence of little Sakura, who still had her apron on. In fact, the apron was quite dirty, stained from the ingredients the little girl used to make lunch.
"Hi. What are you doing?"
"Cooking."
"Uh, I see."
Waver replied rather relaxed, but soon realized what this little girl had said to him.
"What!"
He walked over to the girl and looked at her hands.
"Silly girl, you've got cuts on your fingers!"
Sakura's eyes widened a little shocked as Waver raised his voice quite a bit, but then she smiled understanding that this guy was just worrying about her. She watched as Waver walked around the house going through boxes and cupboards looking for band-aids for wounds. He looked like a headless chicken the desperate way he was pacing back and forth.
"I'm sorry."
She said from the depths of her heart.
"Don't apologize. Next time, if you're going to do something like this, you have to let me know. I'll help you, that's for sure. I am your teacher, after all. My job is to guide you, making you learn more than just magic."
"I understand. That's what I'll do."
Sakura nodded as Waver used the band-aids he found in a box. He held her hands and made sure to clean the cuts with alcohol before putting the band-aids on.
"There. It won't get infected anymore. Hm..."
Waver smelled something in the air.
"It smells burnt..."
Sakura smiled nervously before the two, in a second, ran to the kitchen. There they found a pot set on fire. Waver took off his jacket and wet it before covering the pot with it.
"Sorry."
"Haa... you already apologized. I'm not mad. But now we'll have to clean up this mess."
"I'll help you."
"Haha. No. I'll help you."
They help each other, like a real family...
***
Later, through the enigmatic streets of London, Waver and Sakura go hand in hand looking for the perfect place to do their weekly shopping. Obviously, it's all on the mighty account of the naive Melvin Waynez, who is delighted to help his best friend and little Sakura.
"I should buy you new clothes. The one you're wearing is already outgrowing you."
"You think so?"
"Yes. Aren't you going to stop growing? You're getting taller and taller."
"I'm still very young. I'm going to keep growing. I just hope that onii-san can recognize me."
"Yes... I hope so..."
Waver looked at the road with a shadowed gaze. Somehow Sakura also has the same desire as him. While he searches for a way to bring Iskandar back, Sakura hopes to one day be able to meet Toru again.
'Due to the magical circuits flowing within her, Sakura-chan is too closely tied to the Matō family. Because of this, since the past war for the Holy Grail didn't have a winner, it is likely that she will be chosen for the next one...'
When Fuyuki's leylines are completely healed, the Holy Grail will once again choose seven Masters who will duel to the death. Waver could not imagine Sakura in that situation. If this girl is chosen by the Grail in the future, it will only make her suffer.
"Waver-san..."
'There's also a chance that she won't be chosen, but she's also a Tōsaka. That only increases the possibility'
"Waver-san..."
'What should I do about it?'
"Waver-san!"
"Uh, what happened?"
"You just stared at nothing. It looked like your brain disconnected from your body."
"What kind of analogy is that?"
He said. After realizing how silly that all was, they both started laughing.
Suddenly, a sleek black car pulled up near them. Two burly men in black suits got out of it with a black cloth bag, which they used to cover Waver's head. He did not have time to react, for as hard as he tried to free himself, his physical strength was too little.
Sakura watched all this without understanding what was going on, but after seeing how Waver was kidnapped, she rushed at one of the men and punched him with a closed fist as Toru had taught her three years ago. Even so, although she managed to cause the man some pain, he himself held her by the arm. But unlike Waver, who was treated like a sack of potatoes, the man carried Sakura in his arms and carefully put her on the back seat.
"What are you doing, release my teacher!"
She shouted, but then the soft modest laughter of someone beside her caught her attention.
Sakura looked to her side and there she found her. Holding a cup of tea very carefully not to spill anything on the vehicle's carpet, a blonde, blue-eyed girl stood. Her eyes burning with determination and a hint of danger looked at Sakura, only to let out the voice of an eight year old girl.
"Matō Sakura"
She said, to which Sakura responded with a resounding silence. Seeing the confusion on Sakura's face, she only smiled silently at him, at the same time as Waver squirmed in the front of the vehicle.
"My name... who are you?"
She snapped defensively and the blonde girl understood this. She snapped her fingers and one of the men previously holding Waver came around one of the seats in the limo. He pulled a thermos from a compartment between the seats and a mug from the same place.
"Would you like some tea? I also have sweets, if you're interested."
That girl's voice sounded a little smug, but it was still the voice of an ordinary girl.
To Sakura, in front of her eyes was an elegant and strange girl who just kidnapped both of them in this place.
"Hm... What's wrong, don't you like tea?"
Sakura didn't answer. She put both her hands in front of her face and clasped them together, preparing to cast her basic magic.
"Who are you, why are you doing this to Waver-san?"
The girl turned her gaze forward confidently.
"My name is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Matō Sakura. As for that boy. There are some things I want to talk to him about."
"You could have called him..."
"Had I called him, he would have run away. It's better this way. So don't worry, we're not here to hurt anyone. I just want to talk, nothing more than that. In fact, how could I hurt Waver Velvet? I'm his biggest fan. That includes you. I took the trouble to investigate the girl that boy brought with him from Japan. Yep, you really look like a Japanese girl. The description I got hit the nail on the head, but your hair..."
Sakura frowned.
"Something must have happened during your stay at the Matō house. I'm not going to talk about it, though. Maybe that topic might be a bit sensitive for you. I don't want to make my guest of honor feel uncomfortable. Now, ask more questions. I will answer you, for later it will be Waver Velvet answering my questions."
Looking all around the vehicle, making sure of possible escape routes, Sakura shook her head. There was nothing to be done. Even if she uses her beginner magic, she wouldn't get out of here alive. Though Reines has no intentions of harming her, but she doesn't know that.
"Don't be quiet. Since it's already tea time, join me in this. Eat a cookie and ease your mind. It will do you good, for this tea can be considered the best of the best. You'll like it, I assure you."
Obviously there was no way Sakura could trust her. Reines' actions and words made her suspicious.
"Look at nothing else. We're here."
The ride to their destination was quite short. Sakura looked out the window and her eyes widened in amazement. When they got far enough away from the road, a large mansion in pure European style showed itself in the landscape. It was there that the vehicle made its stop.
As the vehicle stopped, the two men got out and opened the door for both girls.
"You can run away at any time. I'm not kidnapping you or anything like that. This is just a demonstration that you can trust me. Oh, guys, leave it at that place."
Finishing her sentence, Reines ordered the men to take Waver inside the mansion.
"Do you want to take a walk?"
"I'm not understanding anything..."
Sakura said. Reines this time was going to explain to her what was going on.
"My brother died a tragic death in the War for the Holy Grail. I wanted to ask some related things. It seems that your master bought my brother's school and was filled with debts, but I guess that's something you didn't know."
"Debts... so that's why he's almost always busy..."
"Don't blame him. His excessive naivety and kindness led him to this. It's not a sin to be kind, but it's a crime to be an idiot."
"And you, Reines-san, you speak Japanese and know about me. how?"
"I know because of your family, a rather well-known family. And as for the languages I speak, for now there are only five. I'll learn more in time."
"That's amazing... Waver-san has been teaching me English, but the pronunciations are very difficult."
"I know. The Japanese accent when speaking a language other than Japanese is funny."
Reines stopped near some flowering bushes.
"I have to go do what I already mentioned to you. You can explore the place if you want. I'll bring your master to you in one piece, I promise. Until then, I'll see you later, little sister..."
After those strange words from Reines, Sakura watched as she walked away while one of those bodyguards stayed to guard her.
***
Inside the mansion, Waver felt his blood rush to his head. Right now he was tied upside down with a black bag covering his entire field of vision.
"Where am I, where's Sakura?! Get this off my head!"
He said. A girl's voice was heard after that.
"Good afternoon, Waver Velvet, how are you feeling, upside down?"
When the girl's voice was heard, someone finally took the bag off his head.
"Who are you?"
Waver asked. So the strange girl who appeared before him answered the question.
"A great admirer of yours. I am Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. My brother participated in the same war as you. His name was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, he was the man who saved your life."
That name shocked Waver.
"I'm really his niece, though. Anyway, if you think I brought you here for revenge, you're wrong. Well, it's not a bad idea either, but I have no use for the corpse of a tortured guy. What I do want to know, what I want to get from you, is nothing less than a little information. My brother died tragically in that war, you know?"
"That I know. That I was able to escape was pure luck."
"Whether it was luck or not, I'm interested in what you did afterwards. Not only what you did with my brother's El-Melloi school, but also who you brought with you. Do you know that what you've done with Matō Sakura is practically what I've done with you? Do you know how easy it is to take that girl away from your side?
"You... you can't do that. I have a pact to keep."
"So you take care of Sakura basically because she's a bargaining chip in your pact with who knows who? That's pretty cruel, Waver. Imagine how she tried to defend her master by beating up one of my lairs. You can tell she thinks quite highly of you. How will she feel knowing she's nothing more than an object in your pact?"
"She is not an object. She is my first student. She is intelligent and kind. She is always striving to improve herself and is hopeful that someday she will be able to get what she wants. That is my pact. May she achieve what she desires most."
Reines was quiet in thought. She looked Waver in the eye and realized the boy wasn't lying.
"Well, this didn't turn out the way I imagined. Haa... in my mind it sounded better. I'll leave the matter of Matō Sakura for later. Now I want to know why you bought my brother's school. I have the right to know, don't I?"
Waver had no choice but to answer this girl's demands. With the worry that Sakura may be in danger, escaping this imbroglio is the best option. The less time this takes, the better it will be. It was so this boy told him everything that happened in the ruins of Babylon, he how everything ended up asking Melvin for money to buy that school and the guilt for Kayneth's death that sometimes brings him nightmares.
"I didn't want to take the opportunity away from other students like me. So I kept that school afloat ever since, because it was because of my stupidity that the teacher of that same school died. Even if I had the relic, I was not able to be the Master of that great conqueror."
Reines was silent after hearing that. Well, inside she was laughing, but it would be in bad taste to wipe the determined expression off Waver's face.
"And I know at this point it's too much to ask and even disrespectful, but let me live...it's all I need right now."
"You know it's my right to kill you, don't you, why should I let you live?"
Waver clenched his fist tightly and, with determination etched on his face, said:
"Because I want to fulfill my promise to that king of old and the pact I formed with the Servant who wished to live with great fervor; the Servant who told me that I must protect Sakura until the day of her return."
Right now Reines was very impressed by Waver's very brave words. A satisfied smile showed on her small face, as a lot of ideas came to her mind, but there were some that shone brighter than others.
Taking advantage of Waver's guilt, she asked him to take care of the large debt that the El-Melloi family owes. Waver agreed without complaint. In fact, what disturbed Reines a bit was that Waver also agreed to repair the El-Melloi family's Magic Crest that was almost lost to Kayneth.
Now, since the El-Melloi family was also left without their Lord, which was part of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, Waver was to accept the position until Reines comes of age.
"The latter you should already know, but that girl's family, who is waiting for you out there, can claim her at any time."
"That's something I had already thought of... In fact, it's a miracle that in these three years they haven't appeared to take her back to Fuyuki..."
"Well, I'll give you a suggestion."
"What would that suggestion be?"
***
He left the mansion a bit confused. It seems like out of nowhere that girl has become something like his younger sister. In the end, he has so many things to accomplish that he might run out of time for Sakura.
"Waver-san... You're alive!"
Speaking of her...
"Hahaha. Yeah, I think so."
"What did Reines-san tell you?"
Waver looked at Sakura before taking her by the hand to leave that place. Then, walking back home, he told her:
"Nothing important. I told her what we saw in Babylon."
"I understand. I'm glad nothing bad happened."
"Yes, I know."
There was something Waver was thinking at that moment. Related to Reines' last words. That girl's witty suggestion.
'Adopt Sakura-chan, huh...'
A real family...
To be continued...