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Individual Morality.
'The family is everything'
Day 3.
Takahiro Tohsaka observed the window and saw the first rays of sunlight beginning to cover the Shinto fortress. Sitting near the table, he expected his family to have breakfast with him. His wife came to the table, serving the dishes and bringing tea. Takahiro noticed that one of his children was not in there.
'What's wrong with Souji?' Takahiro asked, looking at his wife.
'He has been sad since he knew we have to travel to see my parents. By the way, why do you want us to make this trip?'
'We haven't been to visit your parents for a long time, even though I cannot go for work reasons. I think, they miss you and also have the right to see their grandchildren.'
Takahiro's wife was silent for a few seconds, maybe she suspected something.
'But all of this seems strange to me, you did not worry much about my parents and now you want us to make the trip, just when you have a lot of work.'
'Honey, I don't think it's something strange that wants to strengthen the ties of the family. Don't you think?'
Suddenly, Takahiro's daughter tugged at her mother's sleeve for attention. The girl asked for another type of cereal and Yuna explained that they were not have. Takahiro got up from the chair and approached his daughter, stroking his head.
'Grandpa will have your favorite cereal at home, sweetie.' Takahiro explained.
'Really, Daddy? The last time we went they had cereal with raisins, I don't like raisins. Do my grandpa and grandny have my favorite cereal?'
'They will have them, or mom will buy them during the trip' Takahiro smiled and winked at his wife.
The girl smiled tenderly.
'Well, you only have to convince Souji.' Yuna said. Takahiro approached his wife and kissed her. He understood that it was a confirmation from Yuna. Inside he thanked God for that.
'I'm going to talk to Souji, I'm sure he will go.'
Takahiro came to Souji's room, knocked on the door but his son did not answer. He warned that he was going to enter, but there was no response. He opened the door and saw Souji lying on the bed, did not even turn to look at him.
'What happens, son? Has something bad happened to you?'
There was no response, only the murmur of a conversation between mother and daughter that occurred in the dining room.
'Is there anything I can do to make you happy?'
'Can you go with us, dad?'
Takahiro did not know what to answer. He could not go with his family, he had to fight in the war for the Holy Grail. The trip was just an excuse to prevent his family from suffering the consequences of the conflict, whatever the outcome.
'Adults have many responsibilities, Souta. But I promise we'll make a second trip. If you want, we can go fishing, the river that is close to your grandfather's house is not contaminated with chemicals and recently, I knew there were fish in that place. Would you like to go fishing?'
There was no response from Souji. Takahiro thought of another way to convince his son.
'If i teach you magic. You will go?
'The magic doesn't exist, dad.'
Takahiro looked around; there was a glass of water. He walked to the door and closed it with the intention of minimizing the noise. He emptied the glass in the window of the room, his son watched him with dissimulation.
And he slammed the glass into dresser softly, trying to make as little noise as possible.
'We heard a noise, something happened?!' Said his wife, still in the dining room.
'I broke a glass. I clean it now!' Takahiro answered, hoping they did not enter the room to do that little demonstration to his son, without the rest of his family found out.
His son looked at the remains of the glass scattered on the floor. Takahiro guided his son's attention with his hand. He put the remains of the broken glass in one place, lifted a piece of glass to show his son and then left it with the rest.
He conjured a simple spell and repaired the glass. Souji could not believe it; Takahiro passed the glass to his son to check it out. Before Souji spoke, Takahiro held a finger close to his mouth gesturing for silence.
'Is magic, son. You don't have to tell anyone, and I'll show you everything I know of this.' Takahiro said, his son listening attentively and amazed at the same time. 'But only if you go to the trip.'
His son nodded quickly, Takahiro explained a little about the sorcery, answering the questions his son was asking him.
They returned to the table for breakfast. Everyone was in agreement with the trip, so Takahiro could relax a bit. His family would be safe outside the city and that took away a burden.
Before he could taste breakfast, they knocked on the door. Yuna got up but Takahiro held her back, he opened the door.
'Did you see the news?' Frank Brown asked. He was the mentor of Takahiro and Sayaka, the man in charge of the future of the Tohsaka lineage. He managed the Shinto fortress until Takahiro grew old enough to lead the city with the restrictions imposed by the holy Church.
'Hi Frank. News?' Takahiro replied, surprised by the excitement shown by his former mentor and now in charge of the Shinto Church.
'That's right, I'll show you.'
He entered and walked directly to the television. It turned on the TV and in doing so, a journalist was reporting on the attack in the central square. Takahiro's wife approached the television while her children continued to eat breakfast without paying attention to news.
'What happened?' Yuna asked.
'They just attacked us, but we don't know much about this attack,' Frank explained, clenching his fists tightly. 'These attacks always carry some kind of message, but we haven't found anything, no indication of who could have done it.'
Takahiro turned off the television and sat in his chair. His mind had blocked, he did not know what to do. Despite being in a state of constant alert, the criminal gangs were not a danger to the fortresses; Takahiro tried but could not understand the reason for the attack.
He went to his wife and asked her to start packing. After watching the news on television, his wife was worried, hesitant. Takahiro thought about reassuring her, he could not allow his wife to begin to doubt.
'Don't worry about this, nothing will happen. Go visit your parents and try to relax. This environment is not good for you or our children.'
His wife nodded accepting Takahiro's recommendation. She started packing; He regretted not being able to help her.
Takahiro would have to go to the emergency meeting. As they walked towards their former mentor's vehicle; Frank took the opportunity to ask him the reason why his wife was packing. Takahiro trusted Frank, he was almost like a father and did not hesitate to tell him about the trip.
'Do you want me to order some guards, for security?' Frank offered.
'Thanks but no. I want this to be discreet. It's not that I distrust people, but you never know what might happen.'
'It's true. It will be better while fewer people know it.'
'Family is everything.' Takahiro replied.
'That's right.'
Frank Brown started the vehicle.
The councilors of the fortress of Shinto were in charge of approving and executing the laws that Takahiro imposed, but for a law to be carried out, he needed the greatest number of votes of the councilors, so that the decisions of Takahiro were tied. He hoped that after this there would be a general consensus, at least to catch those who committed the crime.
After a long trip, they arrived at the governmental center. They parked in a designated space. They got out of the car and started toward the building.
'You know, I still cannot believe you convinced them to put those logos all over the city.' Frank said, as they walked. 'How did you do it?'
'I told them it was a political strategy. After initiating all those laws that cowed the thieves and criminals of crime, the total crime rate of the city decreased a lot, so I told them that if we had a logo that represented that justice, people would vote for them again. I proposed the invocation circle, it cost them to agree but in the end I managed to impose myself among other options.'
Frank could not help laughing.
'You're a fucking genius, I raised you well. You are like me!'
'It's your consolation prize to have raised someone like me.' Takahiro laughed along with Frank. 'By the way, did you know that the invocation circle has worked?'
While they were walking, Takahiro told him the details about the new Master and how weak it turned out to be in the confrontation. Takahiro considered Tatsuma a lesser rival to worry about.
The councilors were gathered around a large table to begin dictating the laws and the manner in which decisions were to be executed after the attack.
Frank and Takahiro took a seat. The person in charge of the debate of the laws opened the session and tried to manage the times of each councilor; its other function was to avoid discussions and direct the debate when divergences occurred.
'Gentlemen, in view of the fact that the highest authorities are present, we will begin the extraordinary session due to the attack suffered in the central area of Shinto.' The person in charge of the debate pointed to a subject dressed in the uniform of the police, a special uniform which denoted a higher charge. 'He is Commissioner James Aoki. He will be present to keep the steps to follow in this meeting.'
The person in charge of the debate began explaining that the attack would have been avoided if the guards had done their job. He held the guards responsible for severe breaches of his duties.
Four councilors voted to blame them in part for the attack, there was one abstention and two votes against, one of those votes was that of Takahiro. Then, the manager gave a list of things that were found in that place, among all these things, there was a chest that even the specialists of the fortress could not open. Takahiro was intrigued by that detail.
'A chest?' Takahiro asked Frank, discreetly so as not to interrupt the person in charge of the debate.
'Yes, they found a metal one that is impossible for them to open, I think you know what it can be, right?'
Takahiro had it clear; the chest was sealed and protected with sorcery.
'Do you know where they can have the chest?'
'They have custody, in the second quarter. Don't tell me you are going to go for the chest.'
'If I get it back, I'll be able to know who is the one who did this; and if I know, I'll be able to take action on the matter. Can you give me more information? I'm not sure where that place is.'
'I don't think the councilors give you special permission.'
'Well. They don't have to know it. Don't you think?'
Frank smiled. He gave him the details of the number of guards he could find, the location of the police quarter and the possible place where they guarded the chest.
The debate with the councilors continued with the details of the investigation. But Takahiro no longer cared much; he had a new goal, the chest and its contents.
At the end of the session, Takahiro waited for Saber's arrival from the vehicle while his former mentor continued inside the government building, gathering data.
He gave all the information to know about the place, the location and the details of where they kept the small metal chest.
In less than five minutes. Saber came back, handing the small metal chest to Takahiro.
'Go back to the mansion and try not to be seen.' Ordered Takahiro.
Saber nodded, disappearing from the place at great speed.
After almost an hour of waiting, he almost managed to fall asleep inside the car, but a few small knocks at the window woke him up. It was Frank.
Both started towards the mansion. Frank explained that the situation was the same. He did not get more information because there was not according to the council. But Takahiro's attention was in the chest with the intention of analyzing its contents.
Frank left him at home and had a brief farewell with Takahiro.
Upon arriving at his home, his children rushed towards him in an effusive reception. He kissed his wife and explained that they would have to leave the next day in the morning. He remembered how he had convinced them and smiled. Now he could fight freely for the honor of the Tohsaka line.
He explained to Yuna that he would have to write some reports due to the attack on the Shinto fortress, so he was going to do them in the basement because he did not want any noise. He asked his wife not to let the children go down to the basement. She nodded.
Takahiro carried the metal chest to the basement and took the necessary measures in case the chest contained a kind of destructive spell, something similar to the gems that his sister used.
He placed his hands on the object channeling his mana to the chest until it opened. Dubitatively, he opened the box, inside it contained a kind of document, and he could see the logo of Miyama's fortress.
Takahiro read the message, it was from Tetsuo Umehara was written in a hostile way. He did not understand the reasons why there was a message from the leader of Miyama's fortress in the chest; the only clear thing about the message was that Tetsuo demanded a duel to settle accounts.
The few times that Takahiro had to interact socially with Tetsuo because both fortresses traded each other, he was hostile towards him, he never understood that attitude; but after the attack suffered in Shinto he knew that the leader of Miyama's fortress was willing to do everything in his power to achieve his goal. If the conflict was not resolve quickly, everything would end in a war between fortresses.
