["——I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand on the earth."]
The funeral ceremony proceeded quietly in the cold drizzle.
The funeral host was a young girl.
Originally, the host should have been the widow, Aoi Tohsaka, the girl's mother. However, Rin insisted on taking on the role, promising her father to inherit the family business and protect her mother. Understanding her daughter's feelings, Aoi agreed.
Rin did not show her sadness and anxiety on her face. Her expression was serious as she carried out her duties. Everyone praised her bravery and strength; no one pitied her or felt sorry for her.
The family that hosted the funeral had always been like this. The previous head of the family had always conducted himself this way and had educated the current successor to do the same. Everyone invited to the memorial understood this.
["And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me... Amen."]
The coffin was thus entrusted to the earth. After the prayer ended, the priest and attendees began to leave one by one, ultimately leaving only the young funeral host and those close to her in the silent drizzle.
"You did well, Rin. As your first task as the new head of the family, you performed excellently. Your father would be proud of you," Aoi said, hugging her daughter gently.
Rin nodded silently without speaking as if everything was as it should be. The once innocent girl seemed to have grown up overnight, but the cost of this growth was heartbreaking.
"Sister," Sakura, her eyes red from crying, held Rin's hand, full of concern.
Rin shook her head, a slight softness appearing at the corners of her tense eyes, signaling her sister not to worry. But the more Rin acted this way, the more worried Sakura became, seeing a strong resemblance between this Rin and the overly strong Shinji.
As Sakura struggled to find words, a young man in a black suit and a youth dressed in a gender-neutral style walked into the chilly cemetery in the early spring rain.
The young man glanced at the two girls holding hands and the man standing nearby, then approached the widow in a black kimono and asked softly, "Excuse me, is this the funeral of Tokiomi Tohsaka?"
Aoi nodded, "Yes, and you are—"
Waver's voice was inexplicably low, "I am Waver Velvet, affiliated with the Clock Tower. I am here to handle the inheritance of the Tohsaka family's ley lines and patents. Before that, please allow me to express my condolences."
"Mr. Velvet, please follow me," spoke Rin instead of Aoi.
"And this is?"
Waver looked puzzled. Aoi explained.
"This is my daughter Rin, the new head of the Tohsaka family."
A look of surprise crossed Waver's face, mirrored by Lorelei behind him. Without saying much, they followed Rin to Tokiomi's grave to pay their respects.
From a ceremonial standpoint, Rin's actions were undoubtedly more precise, but the emotion she invested in them was far less profound than Waver's.
Aoi, sensitive as she was, noticed this and asked after the condolences, "Mr. Velvet, did you have a connection with my late husband?"
"In a way, although we never directly interacted," Waver sighed. "You may not know, but both Mr. Tohsaka and I were participants in the Holy Grail War."
As members of the Three Founding Families who constructed the Holy Grail ritual, Aoi and Rin were aware, as was Lorelei, the head of the Mage's Association's Department of Policies. Therefore, Waver did not conceal the truth.
"Mr. Tohsaka was a remarkable magus and an outstanding Master. I had hoped to learn from him during this visit, but unfortunately, I arrived too late."
The intention to seek guidance had some elements of comfort, but arriving too late was entirely true. After getting off the plane, Waver and Lorelei rushed to the Tohsaka residence, only to be informed by the housekeeper that the head of the family had passed away and that the funeral was being held that day, so they hurried to the cemetery.
"Could you tell me about the details of that Holy Grail War when you have the time? My father never wanted to talk to me about it."
Waver's words caught Rin's attention. She had always been very concerned about the Holy Grail War that happened four years ago, believing it to be the cause of her father's death. However, Tokiomi had always been unwilling to discuss the details of the Holy Grail War. Even when she secretly asked Kariya, he also refused to speak. Now, finally, another participant in the Holy Grail War was in front of her, and Rin was determined not to miss this opportunity.
Waver hesitated for a moment before nodding. Although he had grievances with Tokiomi—or more accurately, with Tokiomi's Servant, Gilgamesh—the deceased was gone, and Waver wouldn't involve Tokiomi's family in those old grudges.
This action caused a complex look to flash in Kariya's eyes. Out of his love and protection for Rin, he didn't want her to be exposed to the Holy Grail War too early. He could control himself, but ultimately, he couldn't control the strong-willed girl.
It seemed he should find an opportunity to talk with Aoi about this, and also ask for Shinji's opinion.
Thinking about his nephew, Kariya's brow furrowed involuntarily.
What's been going on with that kid lately? He's been in London for so long without any news. Right, Waver Velvet—this name sounds familiar, like someone who has been to the house before. I'll find a chance to ask him about it.
"Uncle, Uncle," Sakura's call interrupted Kariya's thoughts. "Mom and Sister invited Mr. Velvet to our home. Should we go with them?"
Kariya patted Sakura's head and said, "You go ahead. I won't be going. Spend more time with your mom and sister. Also, find a chance to tell Mr. Velvet that I would like to visit him and ask when he might have time."
"Okay," Sakura agreed obediently and left with her mother, sister, and Lorelei who was looking at her with a strange expression.
Watching the group leave the cemetery, Kariya walked back to Tokiomi's grave. Ignoring the wet ground from the rain, he sat down heavily.
"In the past, I always hated you, resented you, thought you were unworthy of her, thought you weren't a good father or a good husband. But it wasn't until you died that I realized this was just my wishful thinking. No matter how much I don't want to admit it, I can't change the fact that you were better than me."
"In career, family, being a person, doing things, I couldn't match up to you in any way. Even in the one thing I thought I was better at—being humane—you weren't any worse than me."
"In the past, I was unwilling—unwilling to lose to you, unwilling to see you take away the most important person to me, even though I knew she was better off with you than with me."
"Now, I'm still unwilling. I finally had a chance to catch up to you, but you just left like that, without giving me a single real chance to defeat you."
"So what was all my effort for? By doing this, isn't it like you're saying I'll always be a loser? I won't allow you to do that, do you hear me, Tokiomi Tohsaka!"
"Come out, don't pretend to be asleep, come out and face me, come out!"
"Didn't you say I was irresponsible, a traitor worse than a dog? Now this traitor is mocking you, and you can't say anything. Doesn't that make you even less than me?"
"Tokiomi Tohsaka, answer me, answer me, answer me..."
His voice grew softer and was finally drowned out by the wind and rain.