Chapter 622

Chapter 622: The Hand You’re About to Hold Is No Longer Mine

When Hakuno smoothly barged in and dragged Sakatsuki away, the cafeteria fell into brief silence. People nervously eyed Leo, afraid he might fly into a rage and silence all witnesses on the spot.

But Leo did no such thing. On the contrary, he merely pondered for a moment before smiling faintly. "Interesting."

He recalled the girl’s expression—like a protective Manx cat guarding its territory. Usually gentle and sweet, yet the moment her domain was threatened, she bared her fangs and snatched away what she cared about, clutching it tightly.

In other words, just how important was that young man to Hakuno?

"My lord, this damages your reputation," came Gawain’s voice beside him. The knight, princely as ever, had remained in spiritual form by Leo’s side the entire time. "Please mind your conduct in the future and avoid acting outside the plan. Your honor is paramount."

The implication was a gentle reprimand for Leo’s earlier wall-pinning stunt.

"No harm done, Gawain. My authority isn’t so easily shaken," Leo replied nonchalantly, even with a hint of mischievous excitement. "Besides, seeing Hakuno like that was rather adorable."

"My lord..." Gawain sighed. His Master was exemplary in every way—except when he occasionally acted like a child, catching everyone off guard. "Our original plan was simply to make Hakuno aware of the crisis and have her re-recruit Sakatsuki as her Servant."

The Western European conglomerate had prepared thoroughly for the Holy Grail War. Though only a handful knew of Sakatsuki’s withdrawal from the team, Julius had pieced together the truth through subtle clues, along with Sakatsuki’s connection to Draco, and reported it to Leo.

To prevent Sakatsuki and Draco from forming an alliance—potentially the strongest duo—Leo’s solution was to have Hakuno step forward and invite Sakatsuki back herself.

Leo knew all too well the young man’s temperament. More than material gains, Sakatsuki valued bonds and emotions between people. And Leo, who shared little history with him, was clearly not within his considerations.

If so, why not use a proxy to achieve his goal?

Thus, Kishinami Hakuno became Leo’s target. Her movements—leaving her room and heading to the cafeteria—were all under the watchful eyes of Julius and Leo. The moment Hakuno arrived, Leo made his move, feigning an attempt to recruit Sakatsuki to provoke her into taking him away.

In other words, everything had gone according to Leo’s plan—except for that impulsive wall-pin.

"There’s no helping it, Gawain. I’ve wanted to try this for a long time!" Leo’s eyes sparkled as he spoke about it. "I read in a book that the kabedon move can quickly close the safe distance and significantly increase the chances of persuasion... Who knew a single action could have such a dramatic effect? It’s fascinating—look, even Sakatsuki hesitated!"

No, I think he was just stunned, like seeing someone suddenly strip on the street... Gawain facepalmed, finding it utterly bizarre how Leo could analyze such an intimate gesture in such clinical terms. "Let’s just hope Miss Hakuno succeeds."

"Don’t place your hopes on others, Gawain." The boy smiled. "This was just a casual move. When it comes to confidence in victory, I yield to no one."

It sounded like bravado, yet coming from Leo, it felt perfectly natural—an absolute pride forged through countless victories.

Gawain gazed at the radiant young man, forgetting all the admonishments he’d prepared earlier. After a dazed moment, he laughed in resignation.

A thousand years had passed, and the reason this sword was willing to swing for a human again was precisely because he saw in this boy the same brilliance as before.

My king...

Spiritron concealment hid Gawain’s smile as he bowed respectfully, murmuring in response:

"As you command, my lord."

————

First being kabedon’d by Leo, then experiencing the same treatment from Hakuno.

The same action, yet the feeling was entirely different.

At least his heart didn’t inexplicably race this fast.

He truly believed he owed her nothing...

With an inward sigh, Sakatsuki tilted his head slightly, his gaze tracing along the slender arm until it landed on the girl’s fluttering eyelashes and trembling pupils.

"You never lost your memories, Hakuno."

"I..." The girl bit her lip. She hadn’t wanted to expose herself so soon, but the incident in the cafeteria had crossed her tolerance threshold. "I’m sorry."

"There’s nothing to apologize for." Sakatsuki cut off her apology, but his next words chilled Hakuno’s heart. "I’m no longer your Servant. In this Holy Grail War, I have someone I must protect."

He didn’t speak the name, but Hakuno already knew who it was. A sense of grievance welled up inside her:

"Am I not worthy of your concern? We formed a contract too—were all those promises lies?"

"I won’t break the contract. I’ve already entrusted the Servant you summoned to you." Sakatsuki shook his head. "The hand you need to hold now isn’t mine anymore."

"But you never asked for my opinion!" Tears glistened in Hakuno’s eyes. "Every time—every single time—you make decisions on your own! When I... never wanted you to leave!"

Sakatsuki looked up in surprise, studying Hakuno carefully. That stubborn gaze made him realize something.

"Hakuno... You must have guessed—there’s someone I’ve been searching for." The young man spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words. "And you must have sensed how she outweighs everything else to me."

Kishinami Hakuno’s pupils contracted slightly. How could she not feel it? After spending so much time with Sakatsuki, how could she overlook the longing that flickered in his eyes whenever he gazed at the moon?

That emotion could never belong to her who stood by his side—it was reserved for someone far more distant, far more precious.

And now, that girl had returned to the young man’s side.

Yet even though she had anticipated this, when Sakatsuki acknowledged the truth, it still felt like needles piercing her heart, the pain so sharp it brought tears to her eyes.

Why—why was this happening?

"Your feelings have changed, Hakuno," Sakatsuki said bluntly. "This isn’t the kind of emotion that should exist between a Master and Servant."

Looking at the beautiful girl on the verge of tears, the young man suppressed his own emotions. He had always treated Hakuno like an immature younger sister, caring for her with that mindset and convincing himself that was all there was to it.

Now, the time had finally come to let go.

Gently prying Hakuno’s arms away, Sakatsuki spoke in a calm, detached tone: "But I already have someone I can’t let go of."

Those words shattered Hakuno’s already fragile heart. She violently shook off Sakatsuki’s hand and fled around the corner like a startled animal. Sakatsuki didn’t chase after her. He simply averted his gaze from the retreating girl in silence, watching as the broken string of pearls fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

After a long, long silence, a small silver-haired girl timidly peeked her head out from around the corner.

"Alice," Sakatsuki recognized her. Seeing she’d been spotted, Alice abandoned all pretense and came skipping toward him. "What’s wrong with March Hare? I saw her run away crying just now!"

Sakatsuki sighed in exasperation, choosing not to answer the question. Instead, he crouched down and booped the girl’s delicate nose. "You’re just a little brat—why are you worrying about that? Don’t you realize you and the others are the ones with the biggest problem? If things keep going like this, you’ll all die, you know."

"What’s ’die’ mean?"

"It means you’ll never see us again."

Alice’s small face immediately fell. "That sounds troublesome! We don’t want to say goodbye to the Mad Hatter and everyone else so soon."

Having become a cyber ghost wandering since her earliest memories, Alice didn’t truly understand the concept of death—and of course, Sakatsuki had no intention of letting her experience it firsthand.

"I have an idea, but I’ll need your cooperation," Sakatsuki said, his eyes glinting slightly. "If it succeeds, none of you will have to die, and Hakuno won’t be so sad anymore."

The young man remained crouched as he whispered with Alice for a long while. Alice nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice, then suddenly asked, "If the Mad Hatter wants us to do this, shouldn’t we get a reward?"

"Oh? That’s true..." Sakatsuki pondered. "So what reward does little Alice want?"

Alice thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she held up three fingers.

Sakatsuki shook his head and held up two.

Pouting, Alice changed to one finger. Sakatsuki rapped her lightly on the head. "Keep this up, and big brother will get angry, you know."

"Oww..." Alice rubbed her head but ultimately surrendered to Sakatsuki’s domineering presence, forming a six with her fingers instead. Only then did Sakatsuki show a satisfied expression and agree.

The deal was struck, and Sakatsuki left first. After the young man departed, the silver-haired little girl twirled around, her aqua-blue dress swaying, followed by the fluttering of a black dress. Alice with silver hair and crimson eyes wrapped her arms around Alice’s neck, listening to her Master’s somewhat resentful words.

"As expected, the Mad Hatter is much smarter than the March Hare. There’s no advantage to be gained at all."

Alice murmured softly, "That’s why he toyed with our elder sisters so easily..."

The two little girls exchanged glances and spoke in unison: "What a scoundrel."

They giggled and skipped away lightheartedly.

Alice in Wonderland and Alice of the Looking-Glass Land sang cheerful melodies, their voices as sweet as larks.

[The story shall go on forever]

[Turn back to the first page with slender fingers]

[Or pick up the second volume]

Behind them, Trump Soldiers stood in formation, crowding around the little queens of black and white as they ventured deeper into the fairy tale.

[Ah, this dream shall never end]