That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"Ah, that seaweed-haired girl," Rin Tohsaka, who overheard the conversation, exclaimed in surprise.

Aoi Tohsaka scolded softly, "Rin! Giving someone such a nickname is so rude!"

Rin Tohsaka stuck out her tongue. "Father, what's wrong with him?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "I can sense a strange aura from him, but he's not a magician... No, it's nothing, maybe it's just my imagination."

He only decided to adopt Sakura into the Matou family after hearing that the Matou family's magician bloodline was declining. If the Matou family had a son who could become the heir, there would be no reason to adopt Matou Sakura.

Besides the Matou family, they could also be adopted by the prestigious Finnish magic family, the Edelfeldt family.

The relationship between the Tohsaka family and the Edelfelt family is also unusual. Tokiomi Tohsaka is of mixed race, with half Western blood. During the Third Holy Grail War, a pair of twin sisters from the Edelfelt family participated. The younger sister stayed in Japan under the pretense of dying in the war and became Tokiomi Tohsaka's mother.

Even without this connection, the prestigious Edelfelt family would be more than happy to accept someone with excellent magician qualifications to improve their magical lineage. Moreover, the Edelfelt family is most famous for twin magic, so it is entirely possible for two people to inherit the magical legacy.

······

Matou Tsuruno can be considered a mediocre version of Matou Shinji, and even their experiences are very similar. Although he is seen by outsiders as a talented head of a large family, he only obtained the position of head of the Matou family after Matou Kariya left.

The Matou family is a renowned family of magicians, yet Matou Tsuruno has never received any magical education.

He was an ordinary person without any magical talent; if he had been born into another family, he might have lived a happy life.

"Shinji, then I'll trouble you to show Sakura around and introduce her to the family." Matou Tsuruno squatted down and rubbed Matou Shinji's head, glanced at Sakura, and said in a complicated tone, "From now on, you will bear the name of Matou. I hope your actions will be worthy of this surname."

Matou Sakura was adopted into the Matou family to inherit magic, and that alone makes it impossible for Matou Tsuruno to treat her with kindness.

"Yes."

The still innocent little girl couldn't understand the meaning of Matou Tsuruno's words. She vaguely sensed something was wrong from his tone and involuntarily leaned closer to Matou Shinji, seeking a sense of security.

In this unfamiliar environment, only the little boy Matou Shinji, who had just become her older brother, was someone she could trust.

Light footsteps approached, and Zouken Matou emerged from the shadows of the corridor, leaning on his cane. His black eyes and white pupils stared at Sakura Matou, and he chuckled: "The Tohsaka family really has a luxurious problem. Two successors with excellent magical aptitude have emerged in each generation."

The appearance of Matou Zouken made the atmosphere even more somber. Matou Tsuruno stood up and greeted him: "Father, the terms have been agreed upon. The specific contract is in the study."

Out of consideration for Matou Sakura's feelings, Matou Tsuruno did not explicitly state that it concerned the distribution of benefits related to the adoption.

"Well done," Zouken Matou nodded.

Matou Tsuruno breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave without looking back.

Sakura Matou trembled slightly, not daring to look at Zouken Matou. She lowered her head and hid behind Shinji Matou, clutching his clothes. She seemed to be terrified by Zouken Matou.

"Grandpa," Shinji Matou greeted politely.

"Shinji, it's your turn to teach her the rules of the Matou family."

"I see."

Shinji Matou pulled Sakura Matou away from the hall, feeling the little girl's right hand tremble slightly.

“He is an excellent magician, and as a family member… well, you can’t say he’s unqualified. From today onwards, he is also your grandfather.” Shinji Matou gripped the little girl’s right hand tightly.

"Ah."

After showing Sakura Matou around the mansion to familiarize her with the surroundings, and having dinner together, Shinji Matou escorted Sakura back to her room while he continued his in-depth research into magic.

Sakura Matou's arrival urges Shinji Matou to accelerate his magic research, as he must produce results before Zouken Matou throws her into the insect nest.

The Edelfelt family is the same family as the Golden Drill. As for the Golden Curly Hair, it appears in both "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya" and the finale of UBW.

In which work was it again? Matou Sakura was adopted into this family to learn twin magic.

Chapter Nine Experimental Assistant

Inside the room, most of the furniture was cleared out or moved to a corner. The empty floor was marked with a transmutation circle with a radius of several meters. The circle served as the base, the dots as the core, and the lines as the connections. The words gave the concepts and corresponded to the magic rituals of this world.

The transmutation circle glowed with a faint blue light, and Shinji Matou stood solemnly at its center.

After more than half a year of filtering work by Shinji Matou, the Gate of Truth was able to be integrated into the world's foundation, granting Shinji Matou the ability to use some of the alchemy from the Fullmetal Alchemist world.

The alchemical schools of the two worlds have a lot in common, and Shinji Matou's most proficient body transmutation technique can be performed without any hindrance.

Body transmutation and human transmutation may seem indistinguishable at first glance, but in reality, human transmutation is a taboo for alchemists, while body transmutation is widely used due to the needs of war, mainly for healing injuries and modifying the body.

The immortal alchemist Shul used body transmutation to transform his body into one that was no weaker than the artificial human, Gary (Greed), which enabled him to fight against President King Bradley.

Modifying the body is nothing new for magicians. Take the example that Matou Shinji is most familiar with: his grandfather Matou Zouken's body made of insects is a kind of modification. The androids of the Einzbern family, one of the three great families, are also involved in this field.

"Theoretically, magic circuits exist at the soul level. The simulated circuits that you create yourself theoretically have the same abilities as magic circuits, but they cannot fit your body and cannot function as a small source (yourself) to communicate with the large source."

"It is necessary to create a pseudo-circuit in one's own body to connect with it, but it sounds simple, and my concept of the so-called magic circuit is still rather vague."

Shinji Matou pondered intently, his gaze shifting slightly towards the door. He could hear faint footsteps, and the person hesitated before finally knocking.

"Knock knock~"

The transmutation circle marks on the floor quickly faded. Shinji Matou opened the door and, as expected, saw Sakura Matou standing in front of the door, wearing a white dress and holding a pillow. One side of her hair was tied with a red ribbon, and she was looking down, so her expression could not be seen.

"Is there a problem?"

Matou Sakura nodded first, then asked timidly, "Brother, can I sleep with you?"

Sleeping together?

These words came from the mouth of an innocent little girl. Shinji Matou naturally had no evil intentions. Considering that he still had to study magic, he asked, "Aren't you used to it here yet?"

Sakura Matou shook her head and then nodded: "I used to sleep with my sister. I can't sleep alone."

After hesitating for a moment, she mustered her courage and said, "I heard some strange noises, so..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, and her petite body trembled uncontrollably.

The strange noises weren't exactly an excuse for Matou Sakura. The manor itself was an insect nest, with thousands of insects kept in the basement. Nighttime was the active period for these insects, as they would hunt other creatures that entered the manor and act as guards.

After a moment's thought, Shinji Matou stepped back to make way and smiled, "Come in first."

"Thank you." Matou Sakura smiled warmly and nodded vigorously. She entered Matou Shinji's room and looked around curiously. It was simpler than the room prepared for her by the Matou family. The arrangement of the family's belongings was also strange, with a large empty space deliberately left.

Shinji Matou closed the door and asked gently, "Sakura, can you do me a favor?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Matou Sakura replied, "Okay, I'm willing to do anything you ask, brother."

The little girl was still very innocent and happy that she could help her brother.

"No need to exaggerate, I'm just assisting you as an assistant in completing a magic research project."

Sakura Matou's round eyes widened, and she exclaimed in a low voice, "Magic? My brother has already learned magic?"

"Just a beginner level."

“That’s amazing too. My sister wanted to learn magic several times before, but Father refused.” The little girl’s eyes sparkled. The education she received in the Tohsaka family constantly emphasized the special nature of magic. Being proficient in magic meant being as great as her father.

"Sakura, stand here." Shinji Matou pointed to the open space and ordered in a serious tone.

Magic circuits are common knowledge to magicians, but for Shinji Matou, who is just starting out in magic, it is a necessary skill to master. Sakura Matou, who has high-quality magic circuits, is the best subject for observation.

Shinji Matou needs to figure out the connection between magic circuits and the physical body, how magic circuits convert Kogen's life force into magic power, and how magic circuits specifically operate, etc.

Once he understood these things, Shinji Matou was confident that he could use Body Transmutation to create a similar pseudo-circuit within his own body, thereby accumulating magical power.

There are two conditions for becoming a Master in the Holy Grail War.

First: A strong desire to achieve something, that is, a mindset of yearning for the Holy Grail to fulfill one's wishes.

Second: Possesses magical reflexes that are superior to those of ordinary people.

"What do I need to do here after this?"

"You can sit down and don't move around. You might feel a tingling or numb sensation, but it won't make you uncomfortable. Just bear with it."

"Yes, I will try my best." Matou Sakura obediently sat down in the designated spot as instructed by Matou Shinji.

Shinji Matou crouched down, placing his palms on the ground. The transmutation circle, which had just disappeared, lit up again, and the structure within the circle began to change rapidly.

Pale blue lightning flashed and spread to Matou Sakura's legs. Her face turned pale with fright, but she still believed Matou Shinji's words and remained motionless. Just as Matou Shinji said, she felt a tingling sensation that made her limbs go weak.

The magic gathered into an ice-blue fluid, floating in mid-air. The manifestation of the magic was related to Shinji Matou's origin attribute and magic attribute.

The transmutation circle is reverse-analyzing Sakura Matou's body structure, exploring the magic circuits rooted deep within her body, and resonating with them.

About half an hour later, the transmutation circle disappeared, and Shinji Matou let out a weary sigh. Even Shinji Matou, who had awakened the Origin, was gradually unable to bear the consumption of magic power. Due to the lack of the ability to connect with the Great Source, the magic power used by Shinji Matou all came from himself, completely belonging to the Small Source, and was converted from his own life force.

Shinji Matou was very satisfied with the results of this unexpected experiment, and collected a lot of information about magic circuits.

Seeing the transmutation circle disappear, Matou Sakura rushed to Matou Shinji's side, who was swaying precariously, and asked with concern, "Brother, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, I just overexerted myself. I'll be fine after a rest," Shinji Matou waved his hand.

"Then I'll help you over there." Matou Sakura helped Matou Shinji to the bedside and found a water glass to fill a glass for him.

This girl is quite thoughtful...

Shinji Matou licked his chapped lips and drank the cold water in one gulp. In Japan, tap water doesn't need to be boiled before drinking.

Exhausted, Matou Shinji had no intention of continuing his research. He comforted Matou Sakura with a few words and then fell asleep on the bed.

Sakura Matou tucked Shinji Matou in, placed the pillow she had brought next to him, and snuggled into the covers, whispering, "Goodnight, brother."

Chapter Ten: Gift

Even an adult, suddenly being sent to an unfamiliar environment, unable to contact their family and completely unaware of their surroundings, will inevitably feel a strong sense of alienation and loneliness.

In the Matou family, Matou Shinji, who is the same age as her, is Matou Sakura's only support. Therefore, she spends most of her time following behind Matou Shinji, like a newly hatched chick observing the world.

Sakura Matou has a well-behaved and quiet personality. Although she is clingy, she is not annoying. When Shinji Matou is looking at magic books, she will consciously not disturb him, or sit aside in a daze, or read classic works to pass the time.

Shinji Matou was naturally delighted. She was an indispensable research material in his magic research. He used the transmutation circle to condense his own magic power into tentacles, which he then inserted into Sakura Matou's body to activate the magic circuits. He further observed and copied the characteristics of the magic circuits onto the pseudo-circuits he created.

In just one week, Shinji Matou made several breakthroughs in his research on magic circuits, successfully implanting a pseudo-circuit with a 90% similarity to the magic circuits into his own body.

Today, Shinji Matou continued his research. In the empty room, Sakura Matou watched with curiosity as Shinji Matou stood in the center of the transmutation circle, completing his magic task.

Shinji Matou, shirtless, placed his right hand on the ground, connecting it to the center of the transmutation circle. A continuous stream of azure magic flowed from the transmutation circle into Shinji Matou's arm, forming a peculiar stripe.

A straight blue light path was visible to the naked eye extending beneath the skin of the right arm, while two simulated circuits had already formed on the side.

"Ugh..." Shinji Matou gritted his teeth, his face was pale, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat. His body was enduring great pain.

The engineering of embedding pseudo-circuits into the body is tantamount to creating a new neural network for the body. The pseudo-circuits with mysterious concepts directly tear through muscles, invade cells, and integrate into bone marrow. For every centimeter that the light path spreads, Shinji Matou feels as if his arm is being bitten by millions of ants.

"Damn it, the pain is almost as bad as having my body reshaped by alchemy."