บท 346: Chapter 346: Are You Willing?
"Sakura-chan, come here."
Hearing Shinji's call, Sakura glanced timidly at her mother and then at her father. Seeing no objection from her father, she cautiously walked over.
Seeing the girl's cautious demeanor, Shinji felt somewhat helpless. She was no longer his sister, her hair and eyes no longer that familiar shade of purple.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a monster that eats people." Shinji tried hard to make his smile more friendly.
The girl blinked, and the tension on her face eased a bit.
Shinji secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke gently, "Let's continue our previous conversation. You asked why your sisters can't get along?"
"Yes, yes, sir, you said it was because of the similar personalities tend to clash." Talking about this topic immediately drew Sakura's attention.
"Don't call me sir, it makes me sound old. Just call me brother; I'm younger than your dad."
The moment he said this, Tokiomi's expression became strange. He thought, you hold yourself so high before me, but act like this with Sakura. Could it be that this guy has some special fetish, or does he just like to act young?
Regardless of the reason, Tokiomi didn't dare to refuse before Shinji showed any malice.
This time, however, Sakura didn't seek her biological parents' approval. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and finally called out softly, "Brother."
Hearing this familiar address, Shinji squinted his eyes, as if he had returned to his world. He reached out, intending to stroke his sister's long hair as he used to.
"Good girl, Sakura-chan."
Unfortunately, this world was not the world he was born in, and Sakura was not his sister. The girl instinctively took two steps back, like a frightened little rabbit.
Shinji awkwardly retracted his hand and touched his nose. This scene made Tokiomi even more puzzled, but it reassured Aoi. With a woman's intuition, she could feel that the mysterious young man of unknown origin genuinely cared for Sakura.
"Let's continue about the similar personalities tend to clash. With your attentiveness, you must have noticed that your two sisters are very alike, not in appearance, but in personality."
"Yes." Sakura nodded. This was one of the reasons she got along so well with Luvia.
"Your two sisters are both strong, independent, competitive, and not straightforward. They both have sharp tongues. I can irresponsibly predict that there must have been moments when they acknowledged each other in their hearts but refused to admit it verbally. If you exposed them, they would shake their heads, wave their pigtails, and keep saying 'No way, no way, no way.'"
Shinji spoke while watching the two girls, who were almost in a catfight state, with an increasingly cheerful smile.
"Yes, yes, it's exactly like Brother said." Sakura admired Shinji greatly. "How do you know, Brother?"
Shinji, of course, wouldn't mention that these two would be punished by the Clock Tower many times in the future for their quarrels. Even without such facts, he could make this judgment. He had seen enough tsunderes, like Shana, Asuka, and Louise.
"It's simple. Their personalities are typical tsundere. It's strange if two tsunderes don't have these kinds of conflicts. If they were as sensible as you, it wouldn't be like this."
"No, no, I'm far behind my sisters." Sakura smiled shyly.
"No need to be modest about this. In terms of being sensible and understanding the big picture, they're not as good as you. Your mother's Yamato Nadeshiko-style education and the Edelfelt family's noble lady education—they only learned the surface, while you grasped the essence. To put it plainly, their obedience, sensibility, elegance, and nobility are all an act, whereas yours is genuine."
Sakura knew Shinji's evaluation was true in her heart, but since her sisters were still her sisters, she wouldn't admit it in front of outsiders.
Shinji continued, "I'm not saying their personalities are problematic. This kind of personality, though deviating from a lady or Yamato Nadeshiko, is more suited to the harsh world of magecraft. In this regard, you're not as strong as they are. I guess they noticed this and thought they should protect you, each believing they were the best person to do so, which led to their conflicts."
"Is that so?" Sakura, being only eleven years old, couldn't fully understand Shinji's words.
"Don't believe me? You can ask your mother."
Sakura turned to look at Aoi, who nodded helplessly. She didn't understand why Shinji was being so blunt.
"In my opinion, they'll continue like this—acknowledging each other in their hearts but not verbally, arguing whenever they meet, escalating to fights. Ten years, twenty years, thirty years... Well, from a personal growth perspective, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A worthy rival is both a pressure and a motivation. However, their personalities are too impulsive. When you see them fighting with red eyes, disregarding everything, it's easy for problems to arise. Whether it's causing harm to those around them or hurting each other, it's not a good thing, right?"
Shinji wasn't the only one who noticed this; Tokiomi did too. Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing by, ready to intervene if necessary.
"Then, what should we do?" Sakura asked worriedly.
This was the question Shinji was waiting for. "At times like this, someone needs to calm them down, and you are the best person for the job."
"Me?"
"Yes, you!" Shinji affirmed. "With your sisters' talent and diligence, they will surpass your father and the elders of the Edelfelt family within ten years at most. Moreover, the elders can't look after them forever, but you can!"
"I can't. I'm not as outstanding as my sisters."
"No, you can."
Shinji, in contrast to his earlier gentle demeanor, pressed Sakura with urgency.
"Rin Tohsaka has forty main magic circuits, thirty auxiliary magic circuits, and possesses all five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and void. Luvia Edelfelt has over a hundred magic circuits and the earth attribute. By magus standards, they are among the top hundred of their generation, indeed excellent."
"But you are no less impressive. You have forty-two main magic circuits, twenty-four auxiliary magic circuits, and the imaginary number element. You too are among the top hundred of your generation! You lack confidence and are too timid, which is why your sisters worry about you. Do you understand?"
"Answer me, Sakura-chan. Do you want things to continue like this? Do you want to watch your sisters fight until they're covered in wounds, while you can do nothing? Do you want to live your whole life under your sisters' wings?"
Shinji's imposing demeanor frightened Sakura, making her shrink back.
"I, I—"
"Raise your head, look at me, and answer my question—are you willing?"
Despite feeling a bit sorry, Shinji increased the pressure.
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