Chapter 523: Father

On the rooftop.

A Xing ignored the sounds from below.

In her eyes, there was only the person in front of her.

Salted Fish slashes again!

Ailixiya sidestepped the attack, but this time she didn't completely evade—Salted Fish's edge brushed her skirt!

"Sizzle…"

The skirt hem instantly melted, revealing a strip of fair calf.

Ailixiya's mouth corner twitched.

"Is this clothing designed by Yidian?"

She said, her tone tinged with a bit of pity.

"If this keeps going, will I have to go back naked?"

A Xing gave no answer.

She simply raised the Salted Fish again.

Ailixiya looked at her hollow eyes and suddenly laughed.

"How persistent!"

She stepped back a few paces, standing at the edge of the rooftop.

"That's enough fun for today~ Shall we continue next time?"

A Xing stepped forward.

Ailixiya leaned back—

Her whole body fell from the rooftop edge!

A Xing rushed to the edge and looked down—

There was nothing.

The figure with purple hair had vanished without a trace.

Only the wind blew across the rooftop, stirring a few fallen leaves.

A Xing stood in place, the hand holding the Salted Fish trembling slightly.

Below, the students' screams continued.

"When will this smell dissipate!"

"I want to complain about the school's sanitation!"

"Is there anyone to take care of this—!"

A Xing lowered her head and glanced at the Salted Fish in her hand.

Then she put it away.

She turned and left.

Perspective shift.

Rin quickened her pace ahead, her steps growing faster.

Two people followed behind—Saber silently guarded her rear side, Tengcun Lixiang jogged to keep up—could feel the restless aura around her.

San Yue Qi couldn't be reached over there.

Sakura also couldn't be reached.

Rin bit her lip, countless possibilities flashed through her mind, each making her uneasy.

"Um…"

Lixiang spoke cautiously, "Tohsaka classmate, although I don't know what happened, seeing you like this... perhaps you should stop and catch your breath?"

Rin gave no reply.

She kept walking—

Suddenly she stopped.

Her whole body seemed petrified by Stone Petrification Magic, frozen in place.

Lixiang didn't brake in time, nearly colliding with her back.

She followed Rin's gaze forward, then was stunned herself.

A black limousine was parked by the street, its body gleaming with restrained yet luxurious shine under the sun.

The car door was open, and a person stood beside it.

A burgundy suit was impeccably crisp, its matching vest under a snow‑white shirt, and a black tie tied meticulously.

The person had short, jet‑black slightly wavy hair, neatly groomed, and a signature patch of small beard on the chin trimmed just right.

Ice‑blue eyes stared here now, the gaze carrying an indescribable pressure.

Yuanban Shichen.

Saber stood behind, looking at the figure, and a scene from ten years ago flashed in her mind.

A dim alley, a man wailing on the ground, and some gruesome part behind him.

The image was so vivid that when Saber now saw Shi Chen, her first reaction wasn't "He's Rin's father" nor "He's a participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War", but—

(Did that part get healed later?)

Saber silently thought to herself, her face still bearing a solemn expression, but her thoughts drifted ten thousand miles away.

(Back then... um... never mind... but with a Magus's methods, it should be curable, right? Probably?)

Tengcun Lixiang blinked, feeling the person before her looked somewhat familiar.

She searched her mind for a while, then finally recalled—this is Sakura's father, right? Uncle Tohsaka!

I had seen them a few times when I went to the Tohsaka house before, and although they didn't say much, the feeling they gave was very…

Uh, very poised.

Then she suddenly realized a problem.

Sakura's father, isn't that—

Fujimura's gaze slowly shifted to Lin, seeing Lin's rigid silhouette.

She just stood there, facing that man, her whole body as if under a Petrification Spell.

"Father… father?"

Lin's voice stammered, completely lacking the usual aristocratic haughtiness.

Yuanban Shichen said nothing.

He just stood there, his ice‑blue eyes looking at Lin, his expression revealing neither anger nor any other emotion.

It could only be described as not handsome, even a bit… gloomy.

He turned around, walked toward the black limousine, his stride neither hurried nor slow, each step carrying an unmistakable "follow me" intent.

Lin took a deep breath, forced herself to follow.

Fujimura stood in place, rubbing the back of his head, unsure what to do.

"Fujimura, you also come over."

Yuanban Shichen's voice came from the car, calm yet unquestionable.

Fujimura's body stiffened for a moment, then he grimaced and looked at Saber.

Saber said nothing, just stepped forward and followed.

Fujimura had no choice but to force himself to keep up.

The three of them slipped into the car and sat in the spacious back seat.

Yuanban Shichen sat opposite, his posture elegant as if attending a noble tea party.

The car doors closed, the vehicle started slowly, the engine's faint hum standing out sharply in the quiet cabin.

Silence.

Awkward silence.

Very awkward silence.

Fujimura curled up in his seat, eyes fixed on his own knees, pretending to study the folds of his school uniform.

Lin's back was straight, but her palms were already sweating.

Saber leaned against the window, gaze outwards, her expression inscrutable.

Finally, Yuanban Shichen was the first to speak.

He turned to Saber, slightly bowing, his tone bearing just the right amount of respect.

"Saber, it's been a long time. The last time we met was ten years ago."

Saber turned her head, gave him a brief nod.

"Tohsaka Patriarch."

Just those three words, then she shifted her gaze back to the window.

Shi Chen didn't mind, merely smiling gracefully, then his eyes landed on Lin.

He pulled something from his pocket—a mobile phone. His slender fingers swiped the screen a few times, then placed it before Lin.

The screen displayed a local Dongmu City news page, the front‑page headline accompanied by a photo.

The photo showed a familiar house, now completely unrecognizable.

The walls were split by several huge cracks, the windows shattered, the door blown three meters away, and the kitchen side reduced to charred blackness.

Alert Lines surrounded the area, firefighters spraying water inside.

The headline read: "A residential house in a certain district suspected of a gas explosion, no casualty report yet."

Lin's pupils dilated instantly, she froze right there.

"Explain, Lin."

Yuanban Shichen's voice was calm, but something was clearly churning in his ice‑blue eyes.