The Corrupted Matou Shinji

"Grandpa, you're back!"

In the hall of the Matou mansion, a little boy with blue hair that looked like seaweed called out excitedly to Zouken Matou, then turned his curious gaze toward the girl behind him—Sakura Tohsaka.

"Shinji, this is your sister, Sakura Matou. Why don't you show her around the mansion?"

Shinji Matou's expression froze for a moment upon learning that this adorable girl was his sister. Then, a broad smile spread across his face.

"Alright, Grandpa."

He had already heard that their family was going to adopt a child. What he didn't expect was how quickly that day had arrived.

"So, you're my sister! Hi, I'm Shinji Matou, and I'll make sure to protect you from now on," Shinji said, grinning widely. He then jogged over to Sakura, excitedly saying, "Sakura, come on, I'll show you around our home."

After saying this, Shinji reached out to take Sakura's hand. But she easily avoided his grasp.

Sakura's quick dodge left Shinji standing there in shock. The smile on his face faltered as he couldn't believe she'd reject him like that.

As the eldest grandson of the Matou family, Shinji had always had a sense of superiority. Even though he felt insecure about his lack of magical talent, he still saw himself as more noble than this adopted outsider, simply because of his Matou blood.

"No need."

Sakura's cold response to Shinji's offer to show her around gave him no face at all. She rejected him without hesitation, her expression devoid of emotion.

Her personality had changed drastically from half a month ago. After all, she had experienced true combat and death.

In the Campione world, Sakura had personally killed an opponent. Since then, she had abandoned her formerly weak and submissive personality.

Because of Zouken Matou, she had no affection for the rest of the Matou family, not even Matou Kariya, whom she had previously held in some regard. So, even though Shinji seemed friendly, Sakura still felt no warmth toward him.

"Heh heh heh, since that's the case, let's not force it. Sakura, follow me. I'll show you the magic of the Matou family," Zouken Matou said with a sinister smile before turning to lead the way deeper into the mansion.

Sakura pursed her lips, knowing full well what awaited her. But she wasn't the helpless girl she once was. Now, with her strength, she could easily obliterate the entire Matou family.

Still, she was only five years old. Even with her newfound power, she couldn't shake the disgust and revulsion she felt for the worms that haunted her memories.

It wasn't fear—just an overwhelming sense of nausea and rejection.

But she also knew her beloved Eriri and Arifureta were nearby, and that the sisters in the livestream chat were watching and supporting her. Although she couldn't see them, she could feel their presence.

With this knowledge, Sakura had no fear. She followed Zouken Matou deeper into the mansion, leaving Shinji standing in the hall with an increasingly sour expression.

Shinji could already guess what his grandfather was planning to do with this new sister—give her the magic crest that he had long dreamed of inheriting.

But his own magic circuits were withered, making it impossible for him to become a proper magus.

He was jealous. He was envious. He hated her.

Shinji Matou's hatred for the girl who was about to inherit everything from the Matou family flared fiercely within him.

In the shadows, Eriri and Arifureta silently followed behind Sakura, only a few meters away, observing everything clearly.

The viewers in the livestream chat had a similar experience. Although they couldn't speak to Eriri or Arifureta, their viewing experience was nearly identical to that of the two hidden girls.

However, the chat couldn't see Eriri and Arifureta's concealed forms.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect Shinji Matou to be so twisted this early on. I thought he was a genuinely good boy at this age," Eriri sneered, her voice inaudible to anyone but Arifureta.

She had seen the jealousy in Shinji's eyes, and it was strong.

Because of how Shinji had treated Sakura in the original work, Eriri harbored immense disgust for him. Even now, facing the younger version of Shinji, her heart was filled with malice toward him.

In her previous life, some fans had attempted to redeem Shinji's character, claiming that he was a good person at heart, merely shaped by his harsh environment—that he was the true victim. Those arguments had disgusted Eriri to no end. In her eyes, Shinji was nothing more than irredeemable scum, the kind who should be smothered before he could even begin.

"It seems there are some differences between reality and the story," Arifureta mused, before her tone shifted. "Should we just kill him now?"

Her words were so filled with malice that Eriri couldn't help but feel that Arifureta's earlier sentiment was entirely fake.

"Let's watch the show first. After the drama's over, we'll just destroy the whole Matou mansion," Eriri said casually, as though deciding the fate of the Matou family was as simple as making small talk.

Arifureta nodded, fully agreeing with Eriri's suggestion. It was clear now—birds of a feather flock together. Arifureta's mindset had grown strikingly similar to Eriri's.

Sakura obediently followed Zouken Matou, winding through eerie hallways before finally arriving in the mansion's basement.

The basement was vast, at least ten meters high, resembling an underground arena. The walls were lined with square holes, and a large staircase led down to the floor below.

The space was devoid of clutter, but the air was filled with a foul, strange stench. Sakura covered her nose and mouth, her face wrinkling in disgust, though Zouken Matou, walking ahead, didn't notice.

Sakura scanned the room, recognizing it from the memory images she had seen. It was almost identical to the place where her future self had been submerged in a sea of worms.

The thought made Sakura's hand twitch, barely holding back the urge to act. The killing intent she had been suppressing surged back, directed squarely at the figure ahead—Zouken Matou.

"Hm?"

Perhaps her murderous intent had become too strong, for Zouken Matou turned abruptly, glancing at Sakura.

But by the time he looked, Sakura had already restrained her emotions, hiding her intent flawlessly.

Not detecting anything unusual, Zouken Matou assumed it had been a mistake and resumed leading her forward.

At that moment, Eriri and Arifureta stood by Sakura's side. Eriri bent down to whisper advice into Sakura's ear.

To Eriri, Sakura's performance so far had been subpar. Her expression had remained flat, lacking the sorrow of leaving her family or the fear of entering an unfamiliar place. It wasn't convincing at all.

Luckily, Zouken Matou was both arrogant and overconfident. To him, Sakura was just a five-year-old who had never been exposed to magic, so he let his guard down completely.

"Sakura, you've got to act better. Show some fear—can you pull off that expression?" Eriri advised, her tone light but firm.

She then remembered the girl who would soon intervene and added, "Also, there's going to be an unexpected guest soon. When she shows up, do exactly as I told you…"

Sakura nodded quietly, committing every word to memory.

With Eriri's voice in her mind, Sakura felt a surge of confidence.

At that moment, Zouken Matou turned to Sakura, his eyes filled with a fanatical light, as if he were looking at a tool—an instrument to fulfill his lifelong ambition.

Recalling Eriri's advice, Sakura summoned her emotions, allowing a flicker of fear to appear on her face for the first time.

But instead of pausing, Zouken Matou's excitement only grew at the sight of her fear. He chuckled darkly.

"Heh heh heh, Sakura, head down to the floor below."

Zouken Matou had already learned from Tokiomi Tohsaka that Sakura's magical attribute was "imaginary numbers," an extremely rare talent even in the world of magic. Her potential was vast.

However, the imaginary numbers attribute was incompatible with the Matou family's magic. To make her a proper vessel for their magic, her body would need to be modified.

This had been his plan all along, and now the time had come to put it into action.

"Why do I have to go down there? There's nothing down there," Sakura asked hesitantly, her acting now much improved.

Her timid demeanor was so convincing that even Eriri and Arifureta nearly believed her, let alone Zouken Matou.

"Heh heh heh, don't worry. Soon, you'll have plenty of friends to keep you company," Zouken Matou said, his voice dripping with malice.

Under his "encouragement," Sakura reluctantly descended the stairs, taking several minutes to reach the floor's center.

Her small frame curled in on itself, standing alone in the gloomy underground space, giving her a pitiful appearance.

But Zouken Matou showed no sympathy. Leaning on his cane, he watched from the top of the stairs with an eager gleam in his eye.

Moments later, countless disgusting worms poured out from the holes in the walls, swarming toward Sakura's position.

In no time, the floor was a sea of writhing insects, save for the small circle of space around Sakura. But even that was shrinking as the worms advanced.

The sight was so revolting that it made not only Sakura, Eriri, and Arifureta nauseous but also disturbed many of the viewers in the livestream.

[Chika Fujiwara (Stage 3, Level 8): Even though I saw the memory clip Eriri uploaded, it was only a few seconds long. This is way worse. Ugh, this old worm has to die!]

[Ruri Gokou (Stage 3, Level 4): Yeah, gotta say, it's disgusting. Lost my appetite for lunch.]

[Elaina (Stage 4, Level 1): I kinda want to wash my eyes now. I regret joining the stream. But since I'm already here, might as well finish watching.]

[Arifureta (Stage 4, Level 2): You're just being "tsundere," right?]

[Elaina (Stage 4, Level 1): What's that supposed to mean?]

[Chika Fujiwara (Stage 3, Level 8): It means 'You're saying no, but your body says yes.']

[Elaina (Stage 4, Level 1): …]

[Arche (Stage 4, Level 1): Bugs are every girl's enemy. They should be exterminated.]

[Kaguya Shinomiya (Stage 3, Level 1): Nee-chan, aren't you going to act? The bugs are getting really close to Sakura…]

[Sakura Tohsaka (Stage 3, Level 9): Eriri, can I move now?]

[Eriri (Stage 8, Level 5): Not yet. Someone's about to intervene. But if those bugs get within two meters, act immediately. Don't hesitate.]

Eriri wasn't here just to watch. She had no intention of putting Sakura in real danger.

In the original plan, Sakura would have acted by now, but with the unexpected appearance of a new player, Eriri had delayed the moment.

If the girl didn't arrive in time, though, they'd have to forego this extra bit of entertainment.

[Sakura Tohsaka (Stage 3, Level 9): Got it.]

[Eriri (Stage 8, Level 5): Sakura, do you remember what I told you earlier?]

[Sakura Tohsaka (Stage 3, Level 9): Yes, when she steps in to kill the old worm, I'll swoop in and steal the kill, right?]

[Eriri (Stage 8, Level 5): Exactly. That's the plan.]

[Chika Fujiwara (Stage 3, Level 8): Huh? Who are you talking about? Why all the mystery?]

[Kiss-Shot (Stage 4, Level 5): Sounds like someone not part of the original story is about to butt in.]

[Eriri (Stage 8, Level 5): Yep. Not long ago, a transmigrator entered Sakura's world, and she's headed this way to save her.]

[Kiss-Shot (Stage 4, Level 5): Seems like this transmigrator's a decent person, then.]

[Eriri (Stage 8, Level 5): Yeah… she's here now.]

Just as Sakura was about to make her move, the mysterious girl Eriri had sensed finally arrived.

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