"—I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the eand up oh."
The funeral ceremony was conducted quietly in the cold drizzle.
The chief mourner was a young girl.
The person who was supposed to serve as the chief mourner was the girl's mother, the widow, Tousaka Aoi, but the girl insisted on serving as the chief mourner on the grounds that she had promised her father to inherit the family business and to protect her mother. The mother, understanding her daughter's feelings, had no choice but to agree.
The girl did not show her sadness and anxiety on her face. Her expression was serious and she carried out her task. Everyone praised her bravery and strength, and no one sympathized with her or felt sorry for her.
This was the way the family that held the funeral was. The previous head of the family used this as a habit and used it to educate the current successor. Everyone invited to the funeral ceremony also understood this.
"And after my skiroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes----I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me... Amen."
The coffin was thus dedicated to the earth. After the prayer was over, the priest who performed the ceremony and the attendees began to leave one by one. Finally, in the silent drizzle, only the girl who served as the chief mourner and those who were close to her were left.
"Thank you for your hard work, Rin. You've done a great job in your first job as the new head of the family. Your father will be proud of you." Aoi hugged her daughter and spoke softly.
Lin nodded silently without saying anything, as if all this was as it should be. The once innocent girl seemed to have grown up a lot overnight, but the price of this growth was heartbreaking.
"Sister." Sister Sakura held Rin's hand, her red eyes full of worry.
Rin shook her head, a hint of tenderness appeared in the corners of her tense eyes, signaling her sister not to worry. But the more this happened, the more worried Sakura became. This kind of Rin was very similar to the stubborn Shinji.
Just when Ying didn't know what to say, a young man in a black suit and a girl dressed in a neutral style walked into the cold cemetery in the early spring drizzle.
The young man looked at the two girls holding hands, then looked at the middle-aged and young man standing on the side, and finally walked up to the widow in a black kimono and asked in a low voice: "Excuse me, is this Mr. Tosaka Tokiomi's funeral?"
Aoi nodded: "Yes, you are-"
Weber's voice was inexplicably low: "I am Weber Velvet from the Clock Tower. This time I am here to deal with the spiritual veins and patent inheritance of the Tosaka family. Before that, please allow me to express my condolences."
"Mr. Velvet, please follow me." The person who spoke was not Aoi, but Rin.
"Who is this?"
Waver looked puzzled, and Aoi explained.
"This is my little girl, Rin, the new head of the Tousaka family."
Waver showed a hint of surprise on his face, and the girl behind him had the same expression. Without saying anything more, the two followed Rin to Tokiomi's grave to pay their respects.
In terms of etiquette, the girl was undoubtedly more standard, but the emotions she poured into her actions were far less profound than those of Weber.
Aoi, who was very thoughtful, noticed this and asked after expressing her condolences, "Did Mr. Velvet have any past with my late husband?"
"I guess so, although we haven't had any direct communication." Waver sighed, "Madam may not know that Mr. Tokiomi and I are both participants in the Holy Grail War."
Aoi and Rin were one of the three great families that constructed the Holy Grail ritual, and Lorelaia was the Lord of the Law and Politics Department that managed magicians. They were all insiders, so Waver did not hide anything and told them the truth.
"Mr. Tokiomi is an excellent magician and a brilliant Master. I had intended to take this opportunity to learn from him, but I was a step too late."
Asking for advice and learning was somewhat comforting, but being a step late was not false at all. After getting off the plane, Waver and Lorelaia went straight to the Tousaka family, but the servant who was left behind told them that the master of the family had passed away and that a funeral ceremony would be held today, so he hurried to the cemetery.
"Can you please tell me the details of the Holy Grail War when you are free? My father has been unwilling to tell me."
Waver's words caught Rin's attention. She had always been concerned about the Holy Grail War that took place four years ago, believing it to be the culprit that took her father's life. However, Tokiomi was unwilling to mention the details of the Holy Grail War, and secretly asked Kariya, but Kariya refused to tell her. Now that another participant in the Holy Grail War had finally appeared in front of her, how could Rin give up
Waver hesitated for a moment and nodded. Although he and Tokiomi, or more precisely Tokiomi's Servant Gilgamesh, had a grudge, the dead were gone, and Waver would not involve Tokiomi's family in this grudge.
This action caused a complex flash in the eyes of Kariya who was watching from the sidelines. Out of love for Rin, he didn't want her to be exposed to the Holy Grail War too early, but he could control himself, but ultimately he couldn't control that stubborn girl.
It seems like I should find an opportunity to talk to Aoi and also ask Shinji's opinion.
Thinking of his nephew, Kariya's brows unconsciously frowned.
What happened to this kid recently? How come there is no news at all after being in London for so long? Oh, Webber Velvet, this name sounds familiar. It seems he has been to my house. I'll find a chance to ask him about it.
"Uncle, uncle." Sakura's call interrupted Kariya's thoughts, "Mom and sister invited Mr. Velvet to their home. Should we go together?"
Kariya ruffled Sakura's hair and said, "You go. I won't go. Stay with your mother and sister. Also, find a chance to tell Mr. Velvet that I want to visit them and ask him when he is free."
"Got it." Sakura agreed obediently and left with her mother, sister, and the girl who was looking at her strangely.
After watching the group leave the cemetery, Kariya walked to Tokiomi's tombstone again and sat down on the ground, ignoring the rain-soaked ground.
"I used to hate you and think you were not good enough for her. I thought you were not a good father or husband. But it was not until you died that I realized that this was just my wishful thinking. No matter how reluctant I am to admit it, I can't change the fact that you are better than me."
"In terms of career, family, personality and work, I can't compare to you in any aspect. Even the only favor I think I'm better than you in is actually not worse than me."
"Before, I was unwilling to accept it - unwilling to lose to you, unwilling to accept that you took away the most important person in my life, even though I knew that it would be much better for her to follow you than to follow me."
"Now, I still can't accept it. I finally had the chance to catch up with you, but you just left like that, without even giving me a chance to really defeat you."
"Then why have I worked so hard for so long? Isn't it like you are saying that I have been a loser all my life? I won't allow you to do this, do you hear me, Tousaka Tokiomi!"
"Come out, don't pretend to be asleep, come out, come out and fight me, come out!"
"Didn't you say that I was irresponsible and a traitor worse than a dog? Now this traitor is laughing at you, but you can't say anything. Aren't you worse than me?"
"Tousaka Tokiomi, please speak, speak, speak"
The sound became quieter and quieter, and was finally drowned out by the sound of wind and rain.
PS: If we dance on the grave, maybe Shichen will get up.