"Ah, sorry, I couldn't sleep earlier, so I went out for a stroll. Kept you waiting."
Sakura was yawning repeatedly by now, clearly having waited for Mydei for some time.
Though Mydei hadn't lingered during his trip and had resolved matters quickly, Sakura had still noticed his absence from the room.
"It's alright. Grown-ups all have their own busy matters, Sakura understands. And, the things you worry about are beyond me, so you don't need to explain them to me."
Sakura smiled understandingly.
What a good kid...
Watching Sakura, who was so sleepy she could barely keep her head up but still responded with a bright smile, something stirred in Mydei's heart.
In that moment, he seemed to grasp the meaning of his journey. As a traveler of worlds, wasn't his purpose to change the tragedies of various worlds, to save those who deserved saving?
"Alright, off to bed now. I won't go out again. Tomorrow, I'll take you to buy some new clothes."
Mydei smiled and ruffled the little girl's fluffy hair. Under his touch, Sakura showed a slightly shy smile.
Then she gently nuzzled against his hand in response.
But instead of returning to her room, she softly lifted her hand and grasped Mydei's wrist.
"Big brother, you won't abandon me, will you...?"
A trace of panic flickered in Sakura's eyes. Mydei's sudden disappearance had plunged her sense of security to a very low point.
After all, in Sakura's own eyes, she was just a useless burden, a bother who needed looking after. Her father had wanted to send her away, and Zouken Matou had tried to push her into the worm pit.
Even though Mydei had saved her, after those two earlier experiences, shadows still lingered in Sakura's heart.
Even though she'd been adjusting well these past couple of days.
Witnessing Mydei's departure earlier had still eroded her sense of security.
"Of course not. Sakura is so adorable. I always really wanted a little sister just like you."
Mydei instantly recognized the source of Sakura's unease and comforted her.
"Believe me, Sakura, I would never abandon you. If I wanted to, I could have just left without a word."
"Mm, I believe you."
Hearing Mydei's explanation, Sakura nodded with a happy smile.
Only after he had completely lulled Sakura to sleep did Mydei quietly leave the room.
It was normal for a child who'd been through so much to feel a sense of crisis. And when it came to dealing with children, Mydei's patience was fairly ample.
Of course, that was limited to well-behaved children like Sakura. If it were some rowdy brat, he'd probably feel like kicking them to death.
After all, annoying kids could be truly detestable.
--+--
The next day, Mydei woke up bright and early.
This body's physical condition was exceptional; he didn't even need rest.
In a way, sending Mydei to the Absolute Demonic Front would be perfect. With his ability to defy death, he could even replace Gilgamesh on his 'throne'—if he died, he could just speedrun the underworld.
He didn't think Ereshkigal's authority could restrain him. How could this world's underworld possibly manage an outsider like him?
"Good morning, big brother..."
After Mydei finished washing up, Sakura emerged slowly from her room, her sleepy eyes barely open.
Having waited for Mydei the previous night, she had lost an hour of sleep and still seemed a bit drowsy.
Her pale little hands kept rubbing her eyes, trying to wake herself up.
"You can rest a bit longer."
Seeing Sakura wasn't quite herself, Mydei couldn't help but suggest.
"No, no. Big brother is already up. Wouldn't it be shameful if I kept sleeping? Besides, it's not early anymore. If I sleep any longer, the sun will be shining on my bottom..."
Sakura quickly shook her head. As she spoke, she trotted off towards the bathroom in her cute little slippers, making a pitter-patter sound.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
Seizing the opportunity, Mydei tidied up the room.
Then he waited for Sakura in the living room.
He had promised to take Sakura out shopping and fun yesterday, and Mydei naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
Moreover, he wasn't worried about encountering other Masters during the day. The Holy Grail War was conducted at night; during the day, the Masters maintained an unspoken agreement to preserve the mystery of magecraft.
Mydei didn't plan to tell Sakura about what happened last night.
After all, telling her would only add to her worries.
Even though Sakura had been saved by him, a knot still remained in her heart.
And now that Sakura had become his Master, whatever plans he had could wait until the Holy Grail War was over.
The top priority was to fight his way through the Holy Grail War and find a way to deal with this corrupted Grail.
It was a pity this world still couldn't accommodate Tiamat. Otherwise, he could just feed this Grail to her and be done with it.
With Tiamat's digestive abilities, a corrupted Grail like this would at most give her a bit of indigestion—hardly a big deal, a bit of exercise would sort it out.
Speaking of which, when he left Uruk last time, one of the rewards from the system was Tiamat's soul.
As long as he found a suitable world to craft a body for her, he could bring Tiamat back to life at full strength.
But Tiamat was simply too powerful. Most worlds genuinely couldn't contain her. So, Mydei had been searching for a world with sufficiently high specifications, one high enough to accommodate Tiamat.
One where she could even move about freely in her true form without issue.
But such worlds were far too rare. Mydei didn't know when he might encounter one.
Before long, Sakura emerged from the bathroom, her temples slightly damp.
Clearly, she had just washed her face.
"Let's go, we'll grab some breakfast outside." Mydei looked at Sakura and spoke.
But he didn't get a response immediately.
Sakura was staring straight at Mydei, then suddenly broke into a smile.
"What is it?" Mydei was a bit puzzled.
"Nothing, wait for me a moment, big brother." Sakura said, then hurriedly ran back into her room.
Though he could have found out what she was doing by going in, this was a girl's room after all. Even if Sakura was just a little kid who hadn't grown all her feathers yet, he still had to respect her privacy.
Soon, Sakura reappeared from the room.
And she had already changed her clothes.
But what caught the eye most was the right side of her forehead.
A neatly braided strand of hair extended from her forehead, carefully placed in front of her ear.
"This is..." Mydei was momentarily stunned by the small braid beside Sakura's cheek.
"It matches big brother's. Yours is on the left, mine is on the right." Sakura looked at Mydei with a beaming smile, a hint of shyness on her face. "This way, we look even more like siblings, don't you think?"
"Mm." Mydei nodded gently. So that's what the little girl was up to.
He shook his head helplessly, then took Sakura's soft, small hand and headed for the door.
Logically, since arriving in this world, Mydei had no local currency. But for some reason, certain punks who clearly had plenty of money but still enjoyed robbing people seemed to spawn like fixed NPCs in every world.
After thoroughly beating up a few thugs that night, Mydei found a large amount of cash on them. The sight left him speechless.
Seriously, guys, you're out here robbing people, but why are you carrying so much cash?
Honestly, watching the three thugs kneel on the ground, holding up their fat stacks of yen, begging for forgiveness, he found it hard to keep a straight face.
How considerate of them, knowing he'd just arrived in this world with empty pockets, to deliver it right to him.
Speaking of which, Mydei's luck was pretty good. The place he and Sakura found to stay was near a commercial district with several breakfast shops. He even spotted a Chinese breakfast place.
The owners were a middle-aged couple, the wife being from next door, so the two had opened a small shop together.
Seeing douhua and hulatang in a parallel world Japan was quite heartening for Mydei.
The only thing he couldn't quite accept was that some items on the menu seemed a bit... blasphemous.
Sweet douhua and zongzi with salty fillings made Mydei frown.
He silently ordered a bowl of hulatang and a few youtiao. After all, eating was just a habit; he could manage a few bites and be done.
Sakura, however, ordered a bowl of sweet soy milk and two baozi, happily eating away.
"Big brother, you wanted to try a zongzi earlier, why did you change your mind?"
Swallowing her food, Sakura looked at Mydei curiously.
"Salty zongzi is absolutely unacceptable."
Mydei made an 'X' with his fingers and said seriously.
"Is... is it that serious?" Sakura was puzzled.
It was just a zongzi, wasn't it?
"Of course it is. It would warp my very perception, an absolute terror. I've grown up eating sweet zongzi my whole life. I can't even imagine the taste of fatty pork in zongzi... No, just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable..."
"Is it as uncomfortable as when I saw those worms?"
Sakura thought hard for a moment but couldn't come up with a better analogy, so she used the earlier incident.
Oh, my dear, you're already using that as a metaphor? Is your psyche that strong now?
Mydei broke into a slight cold sweat at her comparison.
"Si... similar, I suppose." Mydei nodded.
"I see. If that's the case, then it really is a terrifying thing..." Sakura nodded vigorously beside him.
"But, is it okay to use that kind of metaphor?" Mydei still asked with concern.
"Of course it's okay. It didn't actually happen, right? And, as long as big brother is with me, I won't be afraid of anything!" Sakura said, raising her arm and clenching the air with her chubby little fist, shaking it in front of Mydei.
"Heh, don't worry. I'll knock down anyone who tries to hurt you!"
Seeing the girl's innocent, radiant expression, Mydei couldn't help but laugh. He flexed his arm, showing off his muscles.
However, since Mydei was wearing a fitted sweatshirt, the contours of his muscles weren't very prominent.
After breakfast, Mydei took Sakura to the largest department store in Fuyuki City.
As a small city, Fuyuki wasn't very big. The most bustling area was this commercial street built around the supermarket.
But since it was still early, the streets weren't crowded yet. Even the supermarket had just opened.
A chill hung in the air, bringing a slight coolness to Fuyuki. One reason Mydei brought Sakura out was to buy her some warmer clothes.
Along the way, Mydei's golden hair attracted many glances.
Quite a few young women looked at him with eager interest, but upon seeing Sakura beside him, they held back.
In the eyes of passersby, Sakura was likely Mydei's daughter.
Having a daughter meant he was taken. Few people willingly tried to be a homewrecker.
Even though Mydei looked quite young, it was normal for some people to age well these days.
Soon, Mydei brought Sakura to the third-floor women's section of the department store. Besides women's clothing, there was also a children's section nearby.
The two sections were adjacent, connected only by an aisle.
Even though she was just a little girl, Sakura already displayed a natural talent for shopping.
Looking here, looking there, trying this, trying that.
Not even ten years old, yet her energy was astounding.
Just moments ago, she had looked a bit tired after the short walk from the car, but now she was brimming with excitement.
"How is it, big brother?" The fitting room door opened, and Sakura slowly stepped out.
A white beret sat atop her black hair.
Underneath, she wore a small white blouse with a black ribbon tied at the collar. Over it, she had a red knitted cardigan.
Below, she wore a simple black long skirt, with her calves in black tights extending from beneath the skirt.
On her feet were a pair of brown round-toed leather shoes.
Framed by her delicate little face, Sakura looked incredibly adorable, giving off a feeling that made one want to hold her close and cherish her.
Truly, just too cute!
While marveling inwardly, Mydei cursed: Damn Tokiomi Tohsaka! How could you bear to send away such a lovely little daughter? And not even bother to properly investigate the family situation before sending her off?
Even if the Matou family are old friends, did that old worm even look remotely like a good person?
But even as he mentally ripped Tokiomi to shreds, Mydei's face showed no trace of it.
"How is it? Big brother..."
A faint blush on her delicate face, Sakura looked at Mydei's somewhat fixed gaze, seeming a little shy.
Her small hands, hidden in her sleeves, fidgeted nervously with the hem of her clothes, and she avoided meeting his eyes.
"It's very cute, Sakura. Super, super cute." Mydei gave a thumbs-up, not stinting on his praise.
"Hehe, I'm glad big brother likes it." Hearing Mydei's praise, Sakura's face lit up with happiness.
"Please pack these up." Mydei said to the store attendant nearby.
"Iri... we can't stay out too long..."
Just as Mydei spoke, a somewhat resigned voice came from behind him.
"I know, just a little while, just a little while is enough. I've never been out before. Can't you even grant me this small wish?"
Another, more mature voice followed. Though the voice was mature, the tone held a surprisingly girlish playfulness.
"Wow, what an adorable little girl! If only Illya were here, that would be perfect! This is wonderful!"
As she spoke, the owner of the gentle, mature voice exclaimed in admiration, her voice drawing closer to Mydei.
"Iri..."
The stern voice behind held a note of helplessness, but she indulged the one called Iri, following closely behind her like a loyal knight.
"Sir, is this your daughter? How wonderful. I have a daughter about the same age, but I can't bring her out... such a pity."
The stunningly beautiful woman with pure white hair walked up to Mydei. She looked at Sakura, a maternal smile gracing her face.
"No, she's my little sister." Mydei replied, then raised an eyebrow as he looked at the two before him.
What a coincidence, running into them here...
Irisviel, and Saber, Artoria.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.