Shirou's clones number 30 million

Some of the buildings on the street are unfamiliar and brand new, while others are exactly the same as those in my memory.

'Wasn't another version of myself summoned by Nero? Come to think of it, someone befitting this era would no longer be a stable boy, but rather a royal consort, wouldn't they?'

A familiar roadside stall on the street made Shirou stop in his tracks.

Sakura, who was following closely behind, involuntarily bumped into Shirou's back, pulling him back to reality from his memories.

Looking at Sakura's empty and lifeless eyes, Shirou sighed inwardly.

The wicked Zouken Matou, in his past life, it took him two years to gradually heal the wounds in her heart. In this life, who knows how long it will take?

“Sakura, let me take you to a place that is the most beautiful place in all of Rome.”

"Hmm." Sakura nodded blankly.

……

The surrounding environment suddenly changed from the living room of her home to an ancient Western city, which made Rin Tohsaka panic at the same time, but also a little excited.

When the projection appeared in the sky and she heard about the three competitions Nero mentioned, her eyes lit up immediately.

In the two tournaments other than the Heroes of the Fallen, the prizes were right in her strike zone.

She desperately wanted everything, from the fountain of life and the golden apple to a ton of gold.

Moreover, since Emperor Nero claimed to be an artist comparable to Apollo, his singing must have been very beautiful, and she was somewhat interested in hearing it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't alone; her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, was also brought into the situation.

"Mom, this is Rome from two thousand years ago! Let's split up and explore."

"No! Such a bizarre thing has happened so suddenly, we must meet up with Tokiomi as soon as possible."

"Dad must be very busy right now, so let's not bother him, shall we?"

"Does Rin want to participate in the competition?"

"Why……?"

The fact that her thoughts had been seen through startled Rin Tohsaka, but it also gave her a glimmer of hope.

"That……"

"No! We must meet up with Dad first; that's the most important thing right now."

"How could this happen..."

Rin Tohsaka pouted in disappointment, took her mother's left hand, and walked a few meters when two children in the distance suddenly came into view.

She didn't recognize the red-haired boy, but he seemed very mature.

The girl behind him was his long-lost younger sister, Sakura Tohsaka.

However, compared to before, Sakura had become very gloomy, staring blankly at the ground, giving people a very bad feeling.

It's obvious that she's not doing well right now.

Watching her younger sister from afar, Rin Tohsaka tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered:

"Mom, it's Sakura, she was pulled in too."

"what?"

Aoi Tohsaka was startled and instinctively followed her daughter's gaze.

Looking at her youngest daughter following behind the red-haired boy not far away, she couldn't help but hold her breath and unconsciously took a step forward.

Upon receiving her mother's "signal," Rin Tohsaka immediately broke free from her hand and ran quickly over.

"Sakura, you're here too! Long time no see. How have you been?"

Sakura involuntarily took a step back, hiding behind Shirou, looking down at the ground, remaining silent.

Shirou sighed again. Unlike Matou Kariya, whose life had come to an end, her body was not in any major condition. After drinking the life-giving spring water given to her by Nero, she had recovered completely.

Even her hair color has returned to the same black as Rin Tohsaka.

However, physical wounds are easy to heal, but emotional wounds are difficult to heal and may even accompany one throughout life.

Chapter Twelve: Tokiomi Tohsaka, No Longer Elegant

Chapter 12, Section 12: Tokiomi Tohsaka, whose elegance has faded.

"Rin, we're going to the most beautiful place in all of Rome, shall we come?"

Who are you? Why do you know my name?

"My name is Shirou, so I'll just call me your classmate."

"What's your relationship with Sakura? Why is she ignoring me but being so nice to you?"

"In this situation, shouldn't you reflect on your own problems, Rin?"

"Don't call me that so intimately, we're not even that close. Besides, I'm the one asking you this!"

Aoi Tohsaka, who had already walked behind Rin, gently patted her shoulder and said with a smile:

"Xiao Lin, you can't be so rude."

After reprimanding her eldest daughter, she turned her gaze to her youngest daughter.

Looking into Sakura's dull and lifeless eyes, she felt inexplicably lost in thought, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke:

"Sakura, are your parents coming along? If you're not busy, how about you go shopping with your mom and sister?"

"I... I don't have a mother or a sister now," Sakura said softly.

These words dealt a heavy blow to Aoi Tohsaka, who fell silent for a moment.

Indeed, Sakura is no longer their own child.

To be honest, when she asked Sakura if her family members had come over, she actually wanted to question her, implying that Sakura wasn't doing very well.

But now, she can't utter a single word.

He wanted to apologize, but after opening his mouth, he hesitated and stopped himself from speaking.

Shirou looked back and forth between the three of them and sighed helplessly.

After transmigrating in her previous life, Aoi Tohsaka had become a vegetable.

Therefore, although Shirou had visited the Tohsaka family many times, he had never spoken to her.

However, in retrospect, she seems to be a woman with little opinion of her own.

"Sakura, we're going..."

Before Shirou could finish speaking, a new projection suddenly appeared in the sky.

In the projection, Matou Kariya, leaning on a red cane, is glaring angrily at Tohsaka Tokiomi, who is a few meters away.

Unlike Matou Kariya's anger, Tohsaka Tokiomi remained calm and composed, appearing quite elegant.

Although their voices couldn't be heard, it was clear that they had been talking for quite some time.

What followed was Nero's highly recognizable voice:

"Registration for the Master Tournament has closed. As of just now, a total of six Masters have registered to participate."

"I hereby announce that the first match of the Master Tournament, between Matou Kariya and Tohsaka Tokiomi, has officially begun!"

This sudden situation instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Shirou looked up at the two figures in the projection, his heart filled with astonishment.

Sakura and I just left the palace, right? It's only been about ten minutes. How come the Master Tournament has started so soon?

All six Masters other than me have participated in the competition. What's going on?

Putting aside Kariya for now, how could someone like Emiya Kiritsugu be willing to participate in the competition instead of hiding and plotting against others?

At the same time, pedestrians on the street began to move.

Some stopped by the roadside to watch the race, but many more started running, rushing to register for the citizens' race.

"It's started so soon! Registration for the citizen competition shouldn't be closed yet, right?"

"Damn it! I have to make it! This is an unprecedented supernatural event, I must win first place and get those two prizes!"

"Hurry...we have to get the prize! This is a chance to turn back the clock and a meal of gold!"

The rushing crowd startled Aoi Tohsaka, who quickly pulled her three children to the side of the road to avoid being hit by pedestrians.

The crowd lasted for almost a minute before disappearing.

In the blink of an eye, the streets became deserted.

Meanwhile, in the sky, the two figures projected on the screen had already begun their battle.

"Why are Daddy fighting with Uncle Kariya?" Rin Tohsaka hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Go Daddy! Defeat Uncle Kariya!"

Sakura turned her head and glanced at her, then whispered:

“Uncle Yanye will win; he made a promise with me.”

Is Sakura angry with her dad? Yeah, I would have complained about my dad for years too.

Realizing this was an opportunity, Rin Tohsaka leaned closer to Sakura and smiled:

"In that case, how about we make a bet? If Daddy wins, Sakura will have to play with me like before."

"I'm sorry, things can't go back to the way they were."

"Does Sakura hate me?"

"Ah."

"Why……?"

Unexpectedly, she honestly admitted it, leaving Rin Tohsaka stunned and unable to recover from the shock.

In her memory, she had never done anything that made Sakura dislike her.

However, upon closer reflection, perhaps it is precisely because they did nothing that they are disliked?

……