Chapter 191: Is Matou Sakura or Tohsaka Sakura?

Looking at Bai Ze's inexplicable smile, Tohsaka Rin was puzzled.

Before she could respond, Bai Ze whispered, “I’ll explain this later, but for now, I need you to cooperate with me—have Sakura transfer her Master authority to me…”

“Transfer it to you?”

Tohsaka Rin frowned slightly. “You want Rider?”

Bai Ze shook his head. “No, if I’m right, Rider is already dead.”

Tohsaka Rin tightened her brow. “Then I understand even less!”

Bai Ze whispered, “The Servant manifesting in this world is merely a fragment of the Heroic Spirit; their true form still resides on the Throne of Heroes. My Command Seals have been modified by Brother Lin, granting them special functions.”

“If Sakura transfers the authority to me, I can ‘revive’ Rider!”

What?!

Tohsaka Rin stared at Bai Ze with eyes like sapphires, disbelief etched on her face.

Bai Ze ignored her reaction and continued, “After reviving her, I’ll return her to Sakura. My magical energy reserves are limited—I can’t sustain two powerful Heroic Spirits…”

“...Why?”

Tohsaka Rin fixed him with a piercing gaze. “I don’t believe you’re this selfless.”

Bai Ze glanced at her. “Actually, I am this selfless!”

Tohsaka Rin still didn’t believe him.

Bai Ze sighed. “Fine, I do have my own calculations—but they’re for Sakura’s sake, and for the sake of our current alliance. Whether it’s giving Sakura, now left with nothing, someone to rely on, or adding another Heroic Spirit to our alliance, isn’t this beneficial to both of us?”

“...”

Hearing Bai Ze’s words, Tohsaka Rin fell silent.

Leaving aside the latter point, the former—“give Sakura someone to rely on”—struck a chord within her.

When she first found Sakura in the Matou mansion, she had noticed Sakura’s subtle distance and fear toward her.

It was natural. The Matou household had been Sakura’s home for over a decade; even if those years were hell, it was still a hellish home.

Yet they had destroyed the Matou household. Given Sakura’s nature, she must feel she’d lost her only refuge.

At this moment, Rider, as a Servant, was more of a true anchor than her own blood sister.

After a moment of hesitation, Tohsaka Rin sighed deeply. “I won’t help you, but I won’t stop you either.”

“That’s enough.”

Bai Ze smiled, then turned and walked to Matou Sakura.

“Sakura, has Tohsaka already told you what happened here?”

“...”

Matou Sakura’s eyes dimmed slightly as she gave a quiet nod.

Bai Ze sighed inwardly, then said, “I know this is abrupt, but... I still hope you’ll transfer your Master authority to me...”

“Bai, what are you saying?!”

Emiya Shirou frowned. “Rider’s already dead, isn’t she?”

Bai Ze glanced at him. “Then we can’t waste any more time!”

Both Emiya Shirou and Matou Sakura froze.

The latter seemed to grasp Bai Ze’s meaning. After a moment’s hesitation, she gritted her teeth and transferred the authority to him.

In that instant, Bai Ze saw a vision.

Faintly, he saw a sea of black and crimson mud, and beside it, a graceful figure...

“That’s... the corrupted Holy Grail?”

Bai Ze was stunned, then snapped to attention and immediately activated the power left by Lin Yu, summoning the figure back.

In an instant, the tall, elegant figure reappeared, her masked face showing faint confusion—as if startled by the scene before her.

Bai Ze had no time to explain.

The moment Medusa appeared, his magical energy began draining like a burst dam.

Without hesitation, he spoke aloud—before the shocked eyes of Emiya Shirou and Matou Sakura—and returned Rider’s authority to her true Master, Matou Sakura.

“Bai, you...”

Emiya Shirou looked at Bai Ze hesitantly.

Matou Sakura hadn’t anticipated this at all.

Feeling his magical flow slow, Bai Ze exhaled in relief and shook his head. “I know you have many questions, but now isn’t the time to explain.”

“Let’s just find another place to talk.”

Emiya Shirou and the Tohsaka sisters exchanged glances and nodded.

Soon after, the group returned to the Emiya residence.

Tohsaka Rin suddenly said she needed to speak alone with Sakura, then asked Bai Ze and Emiya Shirou to leave the room—even her own Servant, Red A, was ushered out.

In the courtyard, everyone—including the three Servants—exchanged uneasy glances.

At this moment, Bai Ze’s Shu Han team had shifted into Zhao Yun’s form; Zhao Yun possessed the strongest protective ability and was better suited as a permanent bodyguard than Guan Yu or Zhang Fei.

Emiya Shirou hesitated, then couldn’t help asking:

“Bai, do you know what Tohsaka wants to talk to Sakura about?”

“Who knows? Maybe she wants to convince her to return to the Tohsaka household...”

Bai Ze answered casually while opening his group chat.

Though he appeared indifferent, he was deeply curious about what would happen in the room—and even planned to try the group function he’d never used before.

【Group member ‘Bai Ze’ has started a live stream—come watch!】

【Su Haoming: Oh?】

【He Jing: Finally someone tries this feature!】

Instantly, members with free time flooded into the live stream.

【Su Haoming: Is this the Emiya residence?】

【Lin Lie: Hohoho, finally seeing the King of Heroes in person!】

【He Jing: But Zhao Yun beside him is the real focus!】

【Li Shimin: Excellent—reminds me of Uncle Zhao in his youth!】

The group members’ comments flooded the screen; Bai Ze was too embarrassed to adjust the camera.

After a moment’s thought, he typed a concise summary of events into the live stream.

【Su Haoming: I see!】

【Su Haoming: Then what are we waiting for? Go take a look!】

As the camera zoomed in, the view passed through the walls of the house and into the room.

There, Tohsaka Rin in a red dress knelt beside a low table, her expression earnest yet anxious as she gazed at Matou Sakura across from her.

Matou Sakura bit her soft lower lip, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she whispered faintly:

“You... want me to go back?”

“If you’re willing!”

“...”

Sakura lowered her eyes, her hand gripping the cup trembling slightly.

Tohsaka Rin sighed inwardly, then hardened her expression, leaning forward to place her warm palm over Sakura’s trembling hand, repeating with solemn sincerity:

“Will you come back, little Sakura?”

“...It’s too late.”

Sakura shook her head, her voice tinged with sorrow.

“It’s not too late!”

Tohsaka Rin leaned close to her sister, lowering her voice. “The Matou household is gone. Everything—including the memories you never want to recall—is buried beneath the ruins!”

“...”

Matou Sakura trembled, lifting her head in disbelief to stare at Tohsaka Rin, her voice shaking:

“You... you know?”

“Only the general outline.”

Tohsaka Rin sat back, her face filled with guilt. “Bai told me you suffered in the Matou household. Shinji, that bastard, envied your magical talent and constantly tormented you.”

“The Matou elders turned a blind eye...”

Tohsaka Rin continued, consumed by self-reproach, unaware that Sakura’s body had relaxed—her words had confirmed something, and Sakura’s heart eased.

“If I’d known you suffered in the Matou household, how could I have left you there?”

Tohsaka Rin grew more impassioned. “Eleven years ago, Father, for the ridiculous reason of ‘not wasting your magical talent,’ unilaterally gave you to the Matou household.”

“At the time, I couldn’t understand this ‘self-righteous concern,’ nor judge it.”

“But now, I understand—Father was wrong.”

“Sakura, I don’t want to keep making the same mistakes. I will never repeat Father’s error.”

Here, Tohsaka Rin took a deep breath and spoke words that surprised even the group members watching the stream:

“I want you to choose for yourself: remain in the Matou household as its sole heir, or return to the Tohsaka household and come back to me...”

“Whichever you choose, I will support you fully—doing what Father never did.”

"So, choose the answer you desire most—even if it’s the first one, it doesn’t matter!"

Words full of sincerity echoed through the room.

Members enthusiastically commented in the live stream.

【Su Haoming: Wow, that’s an unexpected answer!】

【Lin Lie: I thought she’d demand Sakura return to the Tohsaka household…】

【He Jing: I thought the same…】

【Bai Ze: If it were like that, what’s the difference from when Shi Jin did it back then?】

【Lin Yu: @Bai Ze, so was this your reminder to her?】

Bai Ze smiled and replied, “Only Brother Lin could see through that!”

Seeing this, Lin Yu, who had already reached the world’s outer edge, shook his head—he didn’t approve of Bai Ze’s approach.

Clearly, Bai Ze’s suggestion drew from Chen Duo’s experience next door, but unfortunately, Sakura Matou was not Chen Duo.

Chen Duo was a child of extraordinary talent, with high insight; she learned quickly at everything, and even with her skewed values, she still clearly knew what she truly desired.

But Sakura Matou was different—she was just an ordinary girl, gentle, kind, insecure, timid…

Compared to Chen Duo, she had no firm convictions of her own and easily drifted with the current; even if Tohsaka Rin gave her a choice, she struggled to see her own heart and muster the courage to choose.

“So let me help you.”

Lin Yu smiled faintly and activated the power he had left on Sakura Matou, across the world.

Back in the live stream’s scene, Sakura clenched her lower lip, her gaze rippling slightly.

“...Can I really start over?”

“Of course you can!”

Tohsaka Rin’s expression was firm and sincere; her warm palm gripped Sakura’s hand tightly, conveying her earnestness and warmth.

Sakura gazed at the warm palm covering hers outside the teacup, her lowered face filled with struggle and hesitation.

At that moment, a faint silver light flickered across her shoulder.

Suddenly, Sakura froze—she felt a surge of courage rising from deep within her heart.

Fear, insecurity, hesitation—all negative emotions vanished instantly; her spirit became utterly clear…

(End of Chapter)