"Meru?" Sakura asked in confusion when she saw Meruem looking absentminded and wearing an expression she rarely saw. "Which guest is here?"
Meruem was a heroic spirit, and not even from this world. So normally it would be impossible for him to have friends come to visit, and Sakura, aside from that family of three blood relatives from the Tohsaka house, only had Meruem left.
Usually, aside from people coming to pick fights, basically no one would come calling.
"W-well, who could it be? Probably the delivery guy," Meruem said, not intending to tell Sakura that Tokiomi Tohsaka was outside the door. Sakura's emotions were in the middle of gradually stabilizing. Although she only became cheerful when she was with Meruem, it was still meaningful progress.
And if she saw Tokiomi at a time like this, who knew what kind of mess it would cause.
So Meruem played it off, trying to muddle through. Kids are easy to fool, right? Yeah, no. Everyone's been a kid before—do you think you were easy to fool back then?
Especially with an excuse as clumsy as what Meruem had just said.
"Meru!" Sakura stared at Meruem without saying a word. After spending this time together, the two of them already understood each other well. Kids are very sensitive—especially a thoughtful little girl like Sakura.
So Meruem's lie was exposed the moment it left his mouth.
"Sigh." Seeing Sakura's serious eyes, Meruem immediately caved. To be honest, he didn't want to deceive Sakura.
But it was Tokiomi, after all. After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka was Sakura's biological father. Even though he wasn't much of a father, and Meruem didn't like him one bit. If Sakura wanted to see Tokiomi, then there was no need for Meruem to play the villain.
At worst, he'd just spend more time with Sakura. Anyway, in this world he didn't really have anything else to do.
Looking over the entire Fate/Zero plot, Tokiomi Tohsaka could be considered the model of an excellent aristocratic magus. From any angle, he wasn't just capable—he had the full pomp and polish, too.
It's just that this guy was unexpectedly naive. Not only him—his best buddy, "Mapo," and Mapo's dad, Risei Kotomine, were also unexpectedly naive.
Yes—naive.
By normal logic, the script and plan the two of them designed were quite good. But they overlooked something.
Something important.
Human nature.
Human nature is inherently evil. Tokiomi took it for granted that Mapo, as his disciple and the son of his friend, would absolutely never betray him. He also ignored Goldie's twisted hobbies. He thought he had everything under control, when in truth he was just a chess piece. He believed that as long as he outwardly submitted to Goldie, he could grasp everything and make Goldie obey his commands.
But he overlooked one more thing: no matter how arrogant he was, Goldie was still the oldest of kings—how could he possibly listen to anyone else.
The catalyst really was powerful, and the Servant he summoned really was absurdly overpowered. But he overlooked compatibility. Goldie and Tokiomi Tohsaka were complete opposites, totally incompatible.
Rather than partnering with a Servant who didn't agree with his methods and was so overwhelmingly strong he was basically a ticking time bomb, it would've been better to summon someone weaker but perfectly in sync with him.
He also assumed that the Matou family, as one of the Three Great Families, was a thoroughly orthodox magus house. He didn't even investigate how, for several generations before him, the Matou family head was always named Zouken Matou, and every one of them looked like they had one foot in the grave. He assumed that since the Matou descendants lacked magecraft talent, and since the Tohsaka family couldn't have both daughters inherit the Tohsaka family crest, then "for Sakura's future in magecraft" he should adopt his biological daughter into a family he never truly understood—and then never ask about her again.
And Sakura was only seven years old! This idiot probably never even bothered to understand what kind of magus house the Matou family really was. Did he think every magus family was cut from the same "standard aristocrat" mold as the Tohsaka family?
Likewise, Risei Kotomine was the same. Sure, perhaps his level was high, perhaps his fist techniques surpassed Mapo's. After countless years of training, as an elder he truly was an impressive figure.
But unfortunately, in the end he was too confident, and he overlooked Kayneth (the Director) in that state—dying to a mere bullet ambush.
All the schemes and all the plans turned into bubbles.
If Risei Kotomine could be understood because years of ascetic practice shaped his temperament that way, then Tokiomi Tohsaka can only be explained as naive.
"It's Tokiomi—Tokiomi Tohsaka of the Tohsaka family, here to visit." In the end, under Sakura's gaze, Meruem helplessly said the name.
And the moment Sakura heard that name, her whole body trembled. Her smile froze there; she lowered her head and said nothing, falling silent in an instant.
I knew it. Meruem tenderly pulled Sakura into his arms and gently patted her back.
"Do you want to see him?" Meruem whispered softly into Sakura's ear.
Sakura didn't answer, only kept her head down.
After a long time, she gently shook her head, then nodded again.
It was impossible for Sakura not to miss her biological father at all, but it was that very biological father who had personally pushed her into the bottomless abyss that was the Matou family.
If not for Meruem, what would Sakura's future have been?
In FSN, you can see the answer: already broken.
She even came to interpret Shinji, who treated her like that, as "gentle," and in one ending even took care of Shinji for the rest of her life. Tragic.
Just thinking of those countless disgusting Crest Worms crawling over her back then, and what Zouken Matou wanted to do to her—Sakura shook with fear.
Sakura didn't even dare think too much about it. She'd already woken from nightmares countless times.
It was all Tokiomi's fault!
"Then, Sakura, stay here and watch. I'll go see what he wants. If you decide you want to see him, tell me."
Meruem took out a crystal ball and placed it in front of Sakura. It displayed the image of Tokiomi Tohsaka standing outside the door.
Ninja art *Far-Sight Lens Technique
"Mm." Sakura only nodded lightly, not saying another word.
Meruem brushed aside the hair on Sakura's forehead and gave her a gentle kiss. With a pained tenderness, he said, "Don't worry. I'll always be by your side, my little princess."
Then Meruem, dressed as a butler, appeared in front of Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was dressed like the textbook image of an aristocrat.
"Head of the Tohsaka family—what brings you here?"
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