I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

Amid bickering and laughter, the family walked along the road at the foot of the mountain and onto the shrine.

It didn't take long before I saw the iconic mountain gate of Ryudou Temple. It had withstood hundreds of years of wind and rain, and it still stood firm after four Holy Grail Wars.

In a sense, this can be regarded as the oldest witness of Fuyuki City, older than Fuyuki City itself.

Shenji stopped and wiped away a section of snow on the pillars of the mountain gate with his hands, revealing the weathered stone pillars. There is an obvious mark on the stone pillar, which runs diagonally through most of the pillar. Although the marks have been worn away by time, they are still relatively new compared to other fine marks on the stone pillars.

Stretching out his index and middle fingers, moving from one end of the mark to the other little by little, Shenji closed his eyes and whispered:

"Happy New Year, Master."

This mountain gate was the place where the last remaining two servants fought at the end of the Holy Grail War in the winter of 1994, and this trace was left by the vermilion spear in Scathach's hand during the battle.

Whenever he comes here, Shenji will stop here for a moment, remembering the woman who had the greatest influence on his life, and the woman who made his heart beat for the first time in this world.

After doing all this, he looked up at the intersection between the pillar and the gatehouse. There was also an obvious mark there, which was caused by the sword pressure of the other person in the final battle.

"Happy New Year to you too, Saber, no, Artoria Pandoragon."

Just as Shinji was immersed in memories of the past, a crisp voice came from above.

"Ah, you are looking at the mountain gate again, Matou Shinji."

Looking up, a girl with twin ponytails and a red jacket stood on a higher step, with her hands on her hips and her chin raised high. Her turquoise eyes were particularly dazzling in the ice and snow.

"Happy New Year, Rin."

Shinji smiled and walked towards the girl who was the same age as himself. She is Tohsaka Rin, Sakura's biological sister, and one of the few people Shinji feels guilty about.

"Don't scream so affectionately! I'm not familiar with you!" Even though she was on the same level as Shenji, Rin still didn't change her condescending attitude.

Shenji was not angry: "You and I are not familiar with each other, but I am very familiar with you. Who told us that we all have a sister in common?"

"Ah, how dare you say that!" Rin became angry when she mentioned this matter, and her hanging twin ponytails trembled.

"Sister, sister--" Sakura saw that the atmosphere was not right and quickly ran between the two of them, "--don't quarrel with your brother, okay?"

"Sakura, please leave it alone, this is between me and Matou Shinji!" Rin hummed and bypassed her sister's obstruction.

"So, don't call me this way again." Shenji shook his head helplessly.

"Hmph, I want you to take care of it." Rin turned his head and a ponytail almost hit Shenji's face.

"Rin, don't be rude."

Hearing this gentle female voice, Rin's "arrogance" suddenly weakened.

"mom, Mom, Mom."

The only person who can control her arrogant daughter is the gentle mother Tohsaka Aoi, a woman who makes it difficult for everyone in the Matou family to find fault, and Yamato Nadeshiko, who is increasingly rare in modern Japan.

"Happy New Year, Aunt Aoi, and Uncle Tohsaka."

Shinji naturally bowed to Tosaka Aoi and Tosaka Tokiomi, who was supported by her. Because they were in suits, it was a Western etiquette.

Along with Shinji, there was Sakura. To this day, she was able to call out such unfamiliar names naturally in front of outsiders.

Seeing the brother and sister's courtesy, Tokiomi and Aoi secretly nodded, once again confirming that their choice to send their daughter to the Matou family was right.

Although the Tohsaka family studied Western magic, they were an orthodox native Japanese family and had no shortage of etiquette and customs that they should abide by. In the past, they would have stayed in front of Ryudouji Temple until the New Year's bell rang. However, after the Fourth Holy Grail War, Tokiomi Tokiomi's body was eroded by the curse of black mud and was not as good as before. He could not stay up late and had to retreat. And seek the second best. Of course, the reason for not wearing kimono is because the Tosaka family's family style is more Western than that of the Matou family, even though the Tosaka family is authentic Japanese.

Although Tokiomi Tosaka fell to this point because he was too obsessed with the Holy Grail and brought it upon himself, Shinji's contribution was also indispensable. Regarding Tosaka Tokiomi himself, Shinji had nothing to say. They were all participants in the Holy Grail War. If he didn't kill you, he was showing mercy for Sakura's sake.

But for the gentle Aoi and the innocent Rin, Shinji couldn't pass this test in his heart, and this is where the guilt came from. Therefore, no matter how angry Rin is or how venomous his tongue is (how can a daughter trained by Aoi be so venomous?), Shinji will never get angry and will only face it with a smile.

It's the same now, and he even said nice things to Rin, for example, Rin wasn't rude, it was him who couldn't hold it back and took advantage of his words. Little did he know that the more Shinji behaved like this, the more Rin felt it was fake and the angrier he became. Also, it was difficult to have an attack in the presence of his parents, so he could only hold it in alone.

Sensing this, Shenji patted his sister on the shoulder, motioned for her to say a few more words to her biological parents, and then quietly returned to his family.

Also retreating like him was his uncle Kariya, who retreated into the snow outside the shrine. Before leaving, he asked Orange for a lighter and cigarettes. Kariya doesn't usually have the habit of smoking. He only feels like smoking when he sees Aoi taking good care of Tokiomi. Although I always choke and cough, it is still better than watching my sweetheart make love with another person.

I also thought about forgetting Aoi, and I also thought about finding someone to live with for the rest of my life. But in the end, he found that the beautiful image that had been rooted in his heart since his youth had not been diluted by time and experience, but was like an old wine that became more and more mellow with the passage of time, and its taste became deeper and deeper.

Maybe I can only watch her like this for the rest of my life. Even if Tokiomi Tohsaka passes away, the chance of her choosing me is slim.

Seeing his younger brother choking and blushing till tears came to his eyes, his elder brother Tsuruya couldn't bear it. He turned his head and asked the two authorities in the family: "How long can Tokiomi Tokiomi last?"

"There isn't much time left." Justisa showed a hint of sadness, feeling sad for the end of another member of the Yusan family.

"Yes." Cheng Zi nodded and confirmed, "This year, we will definitely not see the sun of the new century."

"That's right." He also narrowed his eyes, looking exactly like Shenji did when he was making up his own mind.

"Dad." Shen Er called out calmly.

"What?"

"I know what you are thinking. There are some things that you just want to think about, but if you really put them into practice, it may be counterproductive."

No one knows his father better than his son, and no one knows his son better than his father.

"Have you thought about it too?"

"Yeah, but for a woman like Aunt Kui, those methods are useless. I'll tell you something when I get back and you'll understand."

"Well, that's a shame."

Crane sighed unwillingly, the two prodigal sons of the Matou family, the elder brother turned back, hoping that the younger brother could also get his own happiness.

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

"Not yet. There may be a chance of survival when Rin and Sakura are older."

External forces cannot affect Aoi, a woman who is soft on the outside but strong on the inside. Only those close to her can influence her.

Regarding the question raised by a book friend at the end of the previous chapter, it was indeed the third personality who committed suicide, and it was none other than Lawrence himself. This guy felt that his mission was to do the Human Incineeration launched by his boss Goetia. No, that’s why he committed suicide. In other words, no matter which world he is in, this guy is still an idiot to Goetia.