"Shirou! Over here!"
As soon as he stepped out of the school gates, he saw the school's second-most beautiful girl—Ayako Mitsuzuri—waving at him from a short distance away.
Since classes were still in session, the school grounds were completely deserted, with only Sakura Matou standing beside her.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri shook her head and said, "No, we just got here ourselves."
Shirou looked at the girl beside her: "Sakura, is everything okay with your class?"
"Yes, Senpai. I properly asked the Professor for permission to be absent."
"I see. Well then, let's get going."
Shirou said this as he set off toward the Mion River Bridge in the direction of Shinto.
"Wait a minute!"
Ayako Mitsuzuri angrily grabbed the red-haired boy's shoulder. "Amamiya! Aren't you going to ask me? Or do you think I'm the type who doesn't care if I skip class?"
"I was just kidding."
"I never would've guessed you were the type to joke around. Hmph."
Ayako Mitsuzuri let go of Shirou with a huff.
Shirou Amamiya, Ayako Mitsuzuri, and Sakura Matou—there was actually a reason why the three of them had agreed to skip school today—
For the past three days, Rin Tohsaka hadn't shown up for classes.
Not only that, but it seemed she hadn't returned home at all since having dinner with everyone at Shirou's place that night.
That school idol, that perfectionist superhuman, Rin Tohsaka—the Record Holder for never being late or absent at Homurahara Academy—actually staying out all night and running away from home… No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible.
If this keeps up, I'm going to end up as a suspect in a criminal case.
With that in mind, Shirou decided to launch a search.
"What do you mean, 'suspect'? Can't you just admit you're worried about Rin's safety?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri frowned in exasperation.
As Rin Tohsaka's closest—and perhaps only—friend, she had already spent three days searching Miyama Town after school.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't found a trace of her.
Ayako Mitsuzuri decided to expand the search to Shinto, but doing so meant she wouldn't have enough time just after school.
So it had turned into this situation where the three of them took a collective leave of absence from school to search together.
"Sorry about this, Sakura… I'm taking up your time."
"Not at all. I'm worried about Senji-senpai too."
Sakura Matou said, her face somber and her expression weary.
Like Ayako Mitsuzuri, she had been searching for Rin Tohsaka's whereabouts for three consecutive days.
"What did the Tohsaka Family say?"
Sakura Matou shook her head: "Aunt… Tohsaka said Senpai still hasn't come back."
"This doesn't feel good at all. Could Tohsaka really be in trouble…?" Ayako Mitsuzuri muttered.
Shirou remained silent.
It really didn't feel good. This wasn't like her at all; they had to assume something had happened.
If it were just a simple criminal case…
Well, the Tohsaka Family is, after all, a well-known wealthy family in Fuyuki—the daughter of a major tycoon living in a mountain villa. It's not impossible that she could have been kidnapped.
But Shirou didn't believe there were any kidnappers in the world capable of handling her; they'd probably have their heads smashed in by Tohsaka's well-trained biceps.
So the only other possibility was that it had something to do with Magecraft.
If that's the case, dragging Ayako Mitsuzuri—an ordinary person—into this would be highly inappropriate.
Although she's been obsessed with various martial arts since childhood, became a substitute instructor at the dojo at just 15, and is stronger than most adult men—able to break ten tiles with her bare hands (according to Rin Tohsaka).
With that kind of combat ability, spinning Shinji with one hand wouldn't be a problem, but if she were to encounter a real Magus… …
Oh, and if possible, I hope Sakura doesn't get dragged into this either.
But… Shirou didn't think he could convince them.
There was no choice but to play it by ear.
Looking on the bright side, what if that Tohsaka guy had simply gotten hooked on pachinko and spent three days and nights playing at the arcade?
Haha, that wasn't entirely out of the question.
Shirou and the others soon arrived in Shinto.
Since it was still school hours, the three of them in their school uniforms stood out like a sore thumb on the street, constantly drawing stares from passersby.
"If we get targeted by some street thugs, you'd better protect me and Sakura, okay?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri gave Shirou a mischievous smile and nudged him with her elbow.
"Sakura aside, who on earth would be so blind as to fall for a muscle-bound tomboy like you… Gulp!"
"Amamiya~ did you just say something?"
"...I didn't say anything."
Shirou clutched his stomach and shook his head.
The group began searching for her, carrying a photo of Rin Tohsaka.
In fact, although he hadn't told Mitsuzuri and the others, Shirou had been monitoring the local online message boards since yesterday.
Apparently, there had been quite a few foreigners in Shinto lately… But wasn't Miyama Town supposed to be the place where foreigners gathered?
Finding this strange, Shirou had accepted Ayako Mitsuzuri's invitation to come here and investigate.
"Senpai, do you think something might have happened to Tohsaka-senpai…?" Sakura Matou asked anxiously.
Although Shirou had no proof, he said with certainty, "Don't worry, Sakura… Tohsaka will be fine.
Don't you know? She's incredibly capable."
"Mm."
Reassured by Shirou, Sakura Matou felt much better.
For the entire afternoon, the three of them ran back and forth through Shinto's shopping district, even venturing as far as the Fuyuki Church located to the north.
Incidentally, the place was shut tight, just like an unlocked shop in an RPG game.
Since the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Church had not sent any Fathers there, and Fuyuki had officially become a den of evil beyond the reach of the Holy Church.
Yet it was ironic that the Demon King herself—Miss Tohsaka, the ruler of this den—was nowhere to be found.
After their joint investigation yielded no results, the three decided to split up to increase efficiency.
It wasn't until around 5:00 PM that Shirou and the others met up again outside a restaurant.
"How'd it go?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri shook her head regretfully. "What about you?"
Shirou shrugged helplessly.
"I see… Sakura… Ah, looks like we didn't find anything either."
Rin Tohsaka had vanished from Fuyuki City as if she'd evaporated into thin air, and there were no eyewitnesses.
In other words—
Shirou stroked his chin and analyzed, "It's highly likely that Tohsaka was killed on her way home that night."
Ayako Mitsuzuri twitched the corner of her mouth. "Don't go declaring her dead on your own."
Sakura Matou turned pale. "Senior Tohsaka… has already met with misfortune? No!"
"See! It's all your fault, Amamiya! Sakura believed you! "
The group decided to return their investigation to square one—
namely, the night Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, and Ayako Mitsuzuri visited the Amamiya residence to celebrate Irisviel's pregnancy.
"That night, did Rin seem out of the ordinary in any way?"
The group thought back, but nothing particularly noteworthy came to mind.
Besides, even if Rin had something on her mind, she would never have let it show.
Shirou and Ayako Mitsuzuri thought this simultaneously.
"Who was the last person to speak with Tohsaka that night?"
After Ayako Mitsuzuri asked this, Shirou and Sakura Matou raised their hands at the same time.
"Tohsaka-senpai asked you to walk me home, so that was probably the last time she spoke with us."
Ayako Mitsuzuri patted the red-haired boy on the shoulder: "Amamiya, your suspicion as a suspect has just grown even stronger."
"Don't keep rehashing the same old joke!"
"Did either of you encounter anything strange that night?"
Sakura Matou shook her head and replied immediately, "No."
Shirou was about to answer "no" as well, but—
"Ah."
"What's wrong, Amamiya?"
"..."
That night, after dropping Sakura off at home, Shirou had decided on a spur-of-the-moment night run for exercise. He then encountered an injured female Magus nearby and brought her back to his place.
Was this really just a simple coincidence?
Was there any connection between Ye Sizhen and Rin Tohsaka's disappearance?
Although they'd only spent a few short days together, Ye Sizhen had left a very good impression on Shirou.
Shirou really didn't want to link her to the incident, but the current situation left him no choice but to consider it.
"…Senpai?" Sakura Matou blinked.
"Let's go back," Shirou said.
"It's still early; should we keep looking?" Ayako Mitsuzuri suggested.
"No, Tohsaka probably hasn't been to Shinto—"
Just then, Shirou sensed something unusual.
Resonance.
This is a highly common technical term in physics, referring to the tendency of a physical system to absorb more energy from its surroundings at its natural frequency and wavelength.
At the resonance frequency and wavelength, even a very small periodic vibration can produce astonishingly powerful vibrations because the system stores kinetic energy.
It is said that in the early 19th century, a column of soldiers from the Napoleon army marched in step across a bridge in Angers, France, under their commander's orders.
As they neared the center of the bridge, it suddenly began to shake violently and eventually collapsed, causing many soldiers and civilians to fall into the water and lose their lives.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the culprit behind the tragedy was resonance.
When a large unit of soldiers marched in step, the frequency they produced happened to match the bridge's natural frequency, amplifying the bridge's vibrations. Once the amplitude exceeded what the bridge could withstand, it snapped with ease.
At that very moment, Shirou keenly sensed something wrong around him.
It was the vibration wavelength produced by many people walking in perfect unison.
Looking more closely, even though it was still business hours, the shopping district was completely empty. There was no one left but the three of them.
"Amamiya?" "Senpai?"
Without another word, Shirou grabbed Ayako Mitsuzuri and Sakura Matou by the hands and prepared to leave.
But it was already too late.
Seven or eight figures emerged from different directions along the shopping street, surrounding Shirou and the others with seamless coordination.
They were dressed alike, every last one wearing a green hood and cloak. They looked like a well-trained military unit.
Shirou immediately realized that they were probably the foreigners who had recently slipped into Shinto, the ones mentioned on the local online message boards.
"Who are you!?"
Ayako Mitsuzuri stepped in front of Sakura Matou, took a karate stance, and shouted the question.
"This has nothing to do with you."
One of the people surrounding Shirou and the others spoke.
"The one we're looking for is Shirou Amamiya."
"What...?" Ayako Mitsuzuri frowned.
Shirou let out a breath of relief. It seemed they did not intend to harm innocent civilians. At least they had some boundaries.
"Looks like it... Mitsuzuri, take Sakura and get out of here."
However, Shirou's words had the opposite effect.
"Huh? No way! You want me to abandon you and run off by myself?"
"..."
Shirou sighed. He had forgotten that this was exactly the kind of person Mitsuzuri was.
"Play the hero all you want, but are you planning to drag Sakura into this too?"
"Urk..."
Ayako Mitsuzuri wavered. As a result.
"I'll fight too!" Sakura said with a determined look.
No way, Sakura-san...
Shirou felt a little despair. Why were all the girls around him so reckless?
The people surrounding them watched and sneered, as if they were looking at some ridiculous stage play.
"Are you done discussing this?"
Shirou took a deep breath.
With that as his signal, the boy changed his course of action.
Rather than hiding Magecraft from Ayako Mitsuzuri, he would prioritize protecting her and Sakura.
"..."
Shirou silently let Mana flow through his arms and legs, completing his Reinforcement in an instant.
Experience fighting bare-handed...
He had almost none from his time in the Fairy Kingdom, but he had built up plenty after coming back.
After entering middle school, he and Shinji often got into fights with older students.
Of course, Shirou could never use Mana when fighting ordinary people. In Shinji's case, he could not use Mana in the first place.
In his earliest fights, Shirou's only real advantage was better eyesight than ordinary people. His daily training was offset by his opponents' age and numbers.
But little by little, Shirou learned the tricks of unarmed combat.
Now, he could even use his hands and feet like swords.
Come to think of it, both Morgan and Touko said my attribute is "Sword," so maybe I was always meant to use my hands the way I'd swing a sword?
Once he noticed that, Shirou had a revelation.
Maybe he could reach some supreme realm in martial arts too.
When he founded his own school, he would call it Two-Sword Style Mimicry Fist... Hmm... Right! Crane Wing Fist!
"..."
Shirou shook off the stray thoughts and looked back at the surrounding attackers.
"Hey! Don't try anything reckless, Shirou Amamiya!"
Sensing his killing intent, the man shouted while preparing to activate Magecraft.
Shirou would not give them a chance to show Magecraft in front of Ayako Mitsuzuri and the others.
He slammed one foot into the ground and rushed forward like a gust of wind.
He shaped his right hand into a knifehand and thrust straight above the man's collarbone.
"Ugh...!"
The knifehand, with its lethal piercing force reduced to the absolute minimum, exploded against the man's throat. It sent the 180-kilogram man flying several meters, and after he hit the ground, he never got back up.
Although one of them had been taken down in an instant, the others were not standing idle.
A man nearby raised his arm.
Magecraft that produced lightning with only a short incantation, aimed at Shirou's back.
Before it could be released, Shirou bent the man's wrist backward.
For a warrior like Shirou, the opening created by a Single Action incantation was far too large.
"Aaaaaaah!"
The man screamed and collapsed.
The attackers had made one fatal mistake. Their formation was too crowded.
In the brief instant before anyone could react, Shirou struck them down one by one and rendered them unable to fight.
"That was amazing, Senpai! Are you hurt?"
After all the enemies had fallen, Sakura Matou ran to Shirou's side.
"Yeah, I'm fine. More importantly..."
Shirou looked toward Ayako Mitsuzuri. Homurahara's foremost daughter of a martial family stood there with a stunned, shocked expression.
"Amamiya, you..."
Ayako Mitsuzuri murmured as she approached him. "That's the first time I've ever seen such a fierce, lightning-fast spear-hand. It was just like a sharp katana."
Shirou's heart screamed. Had he overdone it just now? If she started suspecting something, that would be bad...
Ayako Mitsuzuri smiled and slapped Shirou on the back. "I never thought you were that good at karate too. Well, your kyudo is still more impressive!"
"Phew..."
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness this girl was a single-minded martial arts fanatic.
Incidentally, Mitsuzuri believed Shirou's kyudo had already reached the realm of becoming one with nature, the state of "Nothingness" in martial arts.
Although she had first taken up kyudo simply because she had "no experience in that field," Shirou's influence gradually made it the center of her training, and Ayako Mitsuzuri began practicing day and night.
Shirou felt a little annoyed. "Actually, I'm better at kendo than kyudo."
"Don't lie. Hahaha!"
...
...
"I see. So that is the hidden victor of the Fourth Holy Grail War... the 'Heroic Spirit Killer,' Shirou Amamiya."
On the roof of a high-rise building not far from the shopping district, a young man with long blond hair and tanned skin was gazing into the distance.
"Those sharp yet natural movements... It's hard to believe they belong to a boy of only fifteen or sixteen.
It seems I did underestimate him. Sending this few troops would never allow me to negotiate with him on equal terms."
As the young man finished speaking, a cheerful female voice came from behind him.
"Right? I told you, that guy's an oddball even among Magecraft practitioners. The usual methods absolutely won't work on him... Are you giving up?"
"..."
The noble-born, brown-skinned young man frowned in displeasure. "Once I decide on something, giving up is not an option.
Since I came all the way to Japan, I naturally intend to achieve results. Or would you have me, Atrum Galliasta, slink back home with my tail between my legs?"
The rising power of the Clock Tower, the young man derisively called the "Oil Baron" by the London aristocrats, looked toward the woman beside him.
"Besides, I commissioned you precisely because I considered this possibility, didn't I? Half the payment has already been transferred."
He had still been hesitating at first, but after personally witnessing a glimpse of Shirou Amamiya's strength, Atrum placed the order without delay.
"Oh my, that's a huge help. A martial artist ought to live in honorable poverty, yes, but everything has its limits..."
The woman operated her phone with one hand, checked the bank transfer, and smiled beautifully. "I'd like to take my little boyfriend on vacation to a tropical island down south."
"I have no interest in how you spend your money," Atrum snorted.
"OK, contract accepted."
The woman snapped her flip phone shut with practiced ease.
"I accept your commission, including not asking about the details of the matter.
Oh, and I'll also trouble you to cover any damages caused by explosions during the Magecraft Battle!
Whether the opponent is under a Sealing Designation or some 'Heroic Spirit Killer'... I'll do everything I can to take care of him for you~"
Atrum's lips curved in satisfaction. "Then I'll leave it to you, Fifth Magician... Aoko Aozaki."