Throne of Heroes

CHAPTER 1.7 - TOHSAKA RIN

Tohsaka Rin, the heiress to the ancient line of the Tohsaka family of magi, was livid. She wanted to scream, cry, and strangle a certain fake priest all at the same time. Her blood boiled as she glared murderously at the old antique telephone in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she put the telephone back to her ear.

"What do you mean by that?! Tell me this is just another one of your sick jokes, you damn fake priest!" she exclaimed.

A voice from the other end of the line responded, "Unfortunately, no. I tried managing your family's savings by investing in the stock market. It didn't work out."

"Well, no shit!" Rin shouted.

"Oh my, I never taught you to curse like that, Rin."

"Whose fault is it? I can't believe you managed to burn forty percent of my family's savings in a single night! Who told you to dabble in stocks anyway?" Rin stomped the floor in frustration.

"Your father entrusted me to manage your family's money until you became an adult, which included growing it as well," Kirei explained.

"And the opposite happened! So shut up for a moment before I walk to the church and personally shoot Gandr at your face, Kirei!"

Kirei, on the other side, chuckled with a tinge of amusement. "You've already mastered the Gandr, Rin? I'm proud of you."

"Screw your fake compliments, Kirei!" Rin was now growing weary of talking to Kirei. "Listen, from now on, don't do anything with my money."

"But Rin, what about the funds needed for your magecraft lessons?"

"Ugh, j-just take the bare minimum amount necessary," Rin reluctantly agreed.

"Very well, I'll contact you again later if I need to. Good evening, Rin."

"Screw off!" Rin slammed the telephone down. Click, the call ended.

Rin pinched her forehead in frustration. She seriously wanted to kick that damn fake priest, preferably down there. Her father's death, the recent Fuyuki Fire, that damn priest, her mother's need for medical care, mismanagement of her family's money, and the damn priest again—Rin could only sigh in frustration. Nobody had told her that the first few weeks of being the second owner would be this hectic. Maybe it was all a dream, and she would wake up to a bright, beautiful morning where none of these things had happened to her. Rin scoffed at the thought.

"Rin?"

Rin turned and saw her mother sitting in her wheelchair, looking worried. "Is there something wrong, dear?"

Tohsaka Aoi, Rin's mother, was an unfortunate woman. After the war, she had suffered a brain injury that left her reliant on a wheelchair. Rin's gaze softened, not wanting to worry her mom, so she simply shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong, Mom," Rin reassured her.

Aoi stared at Rin for a moment before smiling. "Is that so? Okay, then, Rin, can you call your father and Sakura? It's almost time for dinner."

Rin forced a smile and nodded. "Sure, Mom."

As Aoi left, Rin's smile slowly faded.

"Father is dead, and Sakura is no longer with us, Mom," Rin muttered to herself.

Rin then followed her mom to help prepare dinner for just the two of them. While helping her mother, Rin racked her mind, searching for a way to prevent her family from going bankrupt. Selling some old unused items? Rin pondered for a moment. Of course, there was no way she would sell any magecraft-related items, but she did have some old antiques scattered around that might fetch a good price. She made a mental note to consider it for later.

"Oh, Rin," Aoi called.

"Yes, Mom?"

Aoi peered inside their fridge. "It seems we're running low on groceries. Would you be able to do some grocery shopping tomorrow?"

"Sure, Mom."

With school on break, Rin still had some time to spare. She needed to check for sales anyway, perhaps she could find some cheap groceries. She also realized the importance of strict budgeting from now on. Every yen counted. Rin sighed, life sure was difficult at the moment.