Fuyuki City, the afternoon of the first day after the start of the Holy Grail War.

Near the east exit of the subway station in the city center.

As usual, Shirou went to the church in the morning to help out and then to attend school, but this time he didn't go to the student council after school and left the school straight away.

As soon as he walked out of the station, Emiya Shirou was frightened into a cold sweat by a group of people on the right hand, and finally found that he was nervous.

Maybe it's the center of the city, and it's time to get off work, so even on a completely weekday, the area around the East Gate is full of people.

The only difference was that the crowd on the right-hand side was mostly women in their twenties, but he wasn't really good at guessing people's ages, just like his answer that night was a big difference in age from his new friend.

After all, there are still a lot of college students or women his age here.

But it's good that at least you and another person, that is, your new friend, won't be too conspicuous.

At a glance, Emiya Shirou saw An quietly standing next to the flower bed, waiting for his new friend.

He was a neat and crisp-looking foreigner, with a pair of upright features, and a handsome face with emerald green eyes that shone with a gentle light.

If it is brought to school, it is guaranteed to attract a scream from the female classmates.

However, because his demeanor is too calm, even if his appearance is so good, he can easily blend into the crowd.

Like now, the way he stands in the crowd feels natural.

At this moment, he was looking up at the towering subway station building on a whim, nodding his head and softly admiring as he walked in the direction of Emiya Shirou.

But after all, his appearance is too good, and once he notices his presence, then his eyes will be attracted.

For example, the young women who passed by him now already looked like "if they weren't busy with something, I really wanted to stare at him all day", and finally turned into the subway station regretfully because they couldn't see their faces because of their staggered bodies.

If it weren't for the fact that Japan is very strict about filming others without permission, I'm afraid someone would have taken out their mobile phones to shoot.

In order to reduce the commotion, Emiya Shirou and his friends joined up and turned into a large side path with hand-painted movie posters.

"Even though I know what this is all about, it actually looks amazing."

Ah, he spoke.

Emiya Shirou stopped and glanced blankly at his surroundings and turned his head to him, "Ah...... Yes, that's right, after all, foreigners are inherently noticeable. ”

"No, I'm talking about this sight." The other man pointed to the surrounding buildings with a smile on his face.

"Ah......h

It's terrible, it's not a horse's mouth at all.

Emiya Shirou had a tendency to cover his face and run away, knowing that it was because he was thinking about too much at the moment.

In the past, my father often told me to listen calmly to what people were saying.

Emiya Shirou calmed down his heart: "There shouldn't be any audio-visual billboards on the road in your era...... No, I don't even have a TV yet, right? Hey, that, didn't you say that after being summoned by the Holy Grail, you have most of the modern knowledge you should have? ”

"yes, didn't I just say I know what's going on?"

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Here it is again, and I am shaking again.

While apologizing, Emiya Shirou also blamed himself.

"Don't worry about it, Shirou, I know this situation is really inconvenient for you, and it should be difficult to maintain my existence."

"I'm really sorry...... Actually, it's okay, but the body is a little tired. Emiya Shirou hesitated, "That...... Belch...... You said you want to come to a crowded place, but how do you feel about this now? ”

"Well, it's very informative, although there have been a lot of changes in appearance, and a lot of novelties have appeared, but the human race itself has not changed."

"Huh?"

Emiya Shirou was a little puzzled, he didn't understand what his friend was saying, and he looked like he was the same generation as himself, at most less than twenty years old, but he spoke like an old man.

But that's right, because he can't be considered human.

"Anyway, thank you for bringing me here, Master."

- This new friend is a servant summoned by Shirou Emiya.

……

……

Enomiya Shirou has always felt that he is just an ordinary teenager, about to transform from a teenager to a young man, a sophomore in a certain high school.

The grades are good, the physical fitness is also good, and the things I like to do...... Probably just helping others.

There are no strengths worth mentioning, everything is ordinary.

The only thing that is not ordinary is probably his life experience.

Ten years ago, a sudden gas explosion caused huge casualties in the city center. Emiya Shirou. It was at that time that he lost his parents, but because of this, he got to know his current family.

The family that adopted him now does seem a little strange, but Emiya Shirou is now getting used to it.

My adoptive father and adoptive mother are very good people, and in recent years, I have been traveling around the world a lot because of my work, and it seems that I am doing archaeological work.

There is a younger sister who looks very young, but in fact should be called an older sister, whose name is Illya, and if you look at her hair color and appearance, she should be a foreigner.

I heard Serra say that Illya is a little stunted because of her physical illness, but in fact, her real age is older than herself, but Emiya Shirou always can't treat her as an older sister, but as a younger sister.

By the way, Serra, like Ligerett, is a maid in the house.

Emiya Shirou is actually a little incomprehensible, it seems to be just an ordinary family, and the income of both parents should not be very high, but why there is such an existence as a maid, and it is not one or two.

Both Sera and Ligeret are very beautiful and extraordinary in terms of appearance and demeanor, and such a good woman should generally be particularly sought after, but Serra and the two seem very ordinary, as if serving Illya is more important to them.

And Serra often tutors Illya alone, and it seems that the level of knowledge is also very high, but every time Emiya Shirou wants them to tutor themselves as well, they are always disliked.

All in all, although there are some peculiarities in the family aspect, Emiya Shirou himself is just a very ordinary high school student.

But just three days ago, Emiya Shirou did something extraordinary.

Or should I say "discovery".

Because he often goes to the church to help, Emiya Shirou sometimes goes with the church to participate in some assistance related to the lonely elderly.

One of them is that when the elderly man is unable to contact his family after he dies "alone", Shirou Emiya will work with other volunteers to help the elderly man clean up his house after helping him pack up his body.

In recent years, it has been common for elderly people like this to die alone in their rooms in recent years, and even the government has been understaffed, so we ask churches and other places to seek volunteers.

However, because of some taboos and in many cases it is too hard, so most of the time this rescue activity is only helped by Emiya Shirou himself.

Sometimes, other volunteers come to help, in many cases, just to be able to look for "treasures".

And three days ago, Emiya Shirou received another such rescue mission from the church.

I heard that it was a foreign old man who died in the house he had just bought, and it seemed that he should have died due to a sudden heart attack, although the body had been returned to the old man's foreign children, but there was no way to dispose of the remaining things in his rented house.

Throwing away garbage in Japan costs money, especially for bulky items such as mattresses or refrigerators and washing machines, and the cost of throwing them away is almost the same as buying a brand new one, and it also costs extra money to clean up the house.

Because the old man's children and grandchildren did not want this house, the house was recycled into the hands of the government, and Emiya Shirou went to help pack up the old man's belongings and discard them at the location provided by the government.

When he arrived at the house, it was obvious that the interior of the house had been put in order. However, it is not so much "tidying" as "looting".

All the valuables in the room, whether it was cash or calligraphy and painting antiques, were emptied.

Emiya Shirou didn't care, this is a common thing, many people come to the door in the name of volunteering to "clean up", and all the valuable things in the room are cleaned up and then give up this task, because it is only a volunteer, so the government has nothing to do.

So by the time he cleaned up, all that was left was some old photos, old books, old pens with broken ink, and so on.

However, Emiya Shirou enjoyed it very much, chewing on the old man's memories while sorting out the things left behind by the other party one by one.

Then he found a somewhat strange black notebook.

There were some strange words written on it, and it always seemed like some kind of spell, maybe it was because of a whim, or maybe it was the outbreak of the second middle school, or maybe it was because of some hereditary trait he was born with, in short, Emiya Shirou read the long words out of his mouth in a room where no one was.

Immediately afterward, the ground emitted a brilliant glow, and when Emiya Shirou lifted the tatami mat covering it, he found that the floor below had been carved with red dye with a strange magic circle.

At least at the time, he saw a light that was different from the electric light, the flame, or the stars, the moon, and the sun, and seemed more mysterious and fantastical.

Then, his new friend appeared.

This foreign boy who looks slightly older than him has a pair of colorful pupils.

Emiya Shirou can be sure that the other party should not be a robber or something with a special fetish, after all, the belongings in this room have long been "looted" by the previous people, and there is no benefit at all.

Of course, the most important thing is that he didn't open the apartment door and walk in.

The light floats in the mid-air of the Sanpingfang space, depicting geometric lines, and the blue points of light converge and finally turn into entities.

Emiya Shirou's own performance at that time was also quite ordinary, and there was nothing to describe.

Overall, although he didn't open his throat and scream in dismay, he was so nervous that he didn't know what to do, and he barely calmed down until he saw the other party's gesture to be quiet.

The two sat on either side of the only coffee table in the room, Emiya Shirou's brain was still in a state of semi-shutdown, and after seeing each other's movements, he instinctively took action, and took the initiative to pick up the teapot and make tea.

Thanks to the fact that the water and electricity in this room have not stopped, Emiya Shirou can calm his brain while making tea.

"So...... Uh......" After listening to the explanation of the person in front of him, Emiya Shirou put the second cup of hot tea down his throat and kept as calm as he could.

"What should I call you? Jekyll? Hyde? Or Berserker. ”

"Berserker, that's a fitting title in the Holy Grail War."

"That's ......"

But he doesn't look like a Berserker at all.

Emiya Shirou thought so.

After all, the word berserker was originally another name for the ancient Norse warrior, and if it weren't for the fact that there were many strange books at home, he might not have understood the meaning of the other party's word.

"During the Holy Grail War, you must do everything in your power to conceal my real name, after all, we don't know where there will be other magicians' eyes and ears, so whether you like it or not, it's for your own good." Berserker advised.

"That's ......"

"Yes, you have to pay special attention to it."

Looking at the young man in front of him, Emiya Shirou was still a little unable to understand this so-called berserker.

It seems that he is a well-mannered teenager, and like other foreigners, he is not very accustomed to sitting directly on the ground, but he still honestly sits cross-legged on the tatami mat according to Emiya Shirou's instructions, looks directly into his eyes and responds, answering all questions.

The other party's eyes reminded Emiya Shirou of his adoptive father who he hadn't seen for a long time, and the clear eyes made the two look a little similar, not with some kind of intention, or a look that induced the other party's language, but purely explained the calm gaze he saw.

As for Berserker's real name......

One is Jekyll and the other is the anti-hero Hyde, and Berserker tells Shirou Emiya both of his real names.

And Emiya Shirou has naturally heard of it, it is the name of the protagonist in a book that has been around for a long time, and I remember describing the story of a kind scholar who used special drugs to make the villain hidden in his heart partially out of control.

Jekyll is the name he gave when he was a scholar, and the villain personality that appeared after taking the drug called himself Hyde.

Strictly speaking, these two are the same person's names, after all, it is something that only happens to the character, but in reality, most people do not have two names at the same time.

"So one of these two names is his real name, and the other is a fake name based on his real name?"

"No, because my situation is a bit special, these two are my real names."

"That's right."

After answering, the room suddenly fell silent.

Jekyll didn't know what he was thinking, but Emiya Shirou himself hadn't woken up from the chaos yet.

"Berserker, I have a very important question for you, and I hope you can answer me honestly."

"What?"

"Are you...... Humans are right? ”

"No, it's not."

"Huh?!"

I see, no wonder it always feels like there's a pathetic barrier between the two.

Jekyll smiled gently, "Your hunch is right, I am not a human, but a servant who wants to win the Holy Grail with you." ”

So Emiya Shirou learned about the existence of the Holy Grail War from his servants, and by the way, he also learned about the Holy Grail, Heroic Spirits, Magicians, and the like.

And most importantly, he has been chosen as one of the magicians who are eligible to participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Holy Grail War, is something so terrible going to happen in Fuyuki City?"

"That's right, it's better to say that although it hasn't officially started yet, it's already entered the early battle."

"I see." Emiya Shirou nodded, as if he had understood everything.

But in fact, because of the excessive influx of information in a short period of time, his brain is already in a state of non-functioning, which is why he is so emotionally stable.

After all, what Jekyll said to him, not to mention understanding, even "believing" takes a lot of energy.

But...... Let's take seriously everything he says about the self-proclaimed Berserker.

Emiya Shirou silently made a decision in his heart, the reason why this is the case should be because of his eyes, because it really looks like the clear eyes of Emiya Shirou's adoptive father.

……

……

At night, on the roof of the Fuyuki City Department Store.

Because Jekyll said he wanted to see the sky, so Emiya Shirou brought him here.

It wasn't until he saw the starlight guard in the sky that Gong Shirou realized that he hadn't seen the night sky so quietly for a long time.

Exhaling a breath, his gaze descended from the sky and he saw a very nostalgic sight: a playground clinging to the roof of a department store.

It's like a small amusement park, with a few rides for children, but since it closes at five o'clock, the doors are closed and there are not many people around.

Emiya Shirou felt that the reason why he felt familiar was because of his memories before the "gas explosion", but at that time he was too young, so his memories had begun to blur a little.

Emiya Shirou himself chose a bench next to the fence and sat down, while Jekyll stood on the roof of the building, staring at the starry night sky with cold eyes.

"I must have told you the night I met you two days ago." Jekyll spoke suddenly.

"What?"

"I'm really a character in a story, or more accurately, a person who is modeled after that character...... However, that person dies and becomes a Heroic Spirit, and then becomes a Servant according to the Holy Grail and your guidance. ”

Emiya Shirou recalled that he had heard him say that the night two days ago, and he felt the same way as now: "It's so complicated. ”

"Haha." Jekyll smiled softly.

"Indeed, I also think it is a bit complicated, after all, I was not a magician or a scientist 'in my lifetime', and I am now facing an extremely accurate objective fact, that is, I am no longer a human being, but a servant."

"You said you were here to join me in the Holy Grail War, right?"

"Yes." Jekyll's face turned to Shirou Emiya and nodded in agreement.

"It's really a beautiful man." Emiya Shirou had to sigh again in his heart.

Although Jekyll seemed to be older when he died, it seems that these servants will not necessarily appear as they did when they died, but will be summoned in their strongest form.

"I ...... Based on the time of publication, I would be considered a nineteenth-century person. ”

"Yes."

"yes, so I'd love to see how people live in this century, what cities are like, and even though the knowledge given to me by the Holy Grail has given me a rough idea of what kind of society is now, I still want to see it with my own eyes."

"You said that."

"That's right, so I learned today that human beings will not change after all, no matter what the city changes, it is still a place where people gather together to sing the praises of their lives."

For some reason, Jekyll gave a soft, kind smile.

Not only in front of the subway station, but from this afternoon until sunset, there were women who looked back a few times when they misbehaved with him, and even gathered together to whisper, if those women saw this smile, they would definitely be overjoyed.

Emiya Shirou thought in a trance that it was a bit too wasteful to smile at him alone on the roof of the department store where it was too late in the morning, and hardly anyone else.

"So are you satisfied? If you are satisfied, I am very happy, and it is in vain that I have brought you here. "Emiya Shirou didn't know what to say, the reason why he would help Jekyll was not because of the Holy Grail War, but because he wanted to help people.

"Thank you so much, Shirou."

"No, I don't mean you to thank me."

"No, I really appreciate you, so let me go on."

Why is it so solemn all of a sudden?

Emiya Shirou was a little puzzled in his heart, tilting his head with a curious look.

"In fact, I still regret it to this day, although the 'evil' in me was caused by my experiments with elixir, but I couldn't stop him for the rest of my life, and by the time I finally stopped him at the cost of my life, I had sacrificed too many people." Jekyll's voice was full of sincerity and sincerity.

"Actually, after returning again, I still have symptoms of loss of control, and the closer I get to the Holy Grail War, the more obvious this situation becomes, until in the early hours of this morning, Hyde finally came out of my body completely out of control."

Although Jekyll's tone was not emotional at all, the grief contained in it made Emiya Shirou feel it clearly.

"I'm a powerless servant, and I'm almost no different from ordinary people if I don't take the elixir of Noble Phantasm to go berserk - or more appropriately, if I don't show the nature of the anti-hero Hyde. I don't have the unique aura of the Heroic Spirit, and I can't use any special abilities, so I can't play the attributes that the Holy Grail gave me.

But despite this, I can't help but hope that I can make up for the regrets that have haunted me until now in a city where many people live at the same time as I used to live. ”

"That'...... It should have something to do with what you said today that you wanted to come out and see, right? Emiya Shirou spoke, hoping that he had not misunderstood, and that he had some kind of small wish.

"Yes, although the Holy Grail War is destined to be a secret battle that changes with the nature of magicians, the power of the Heroic Spirits is too great, they are the proud myths and legends presented in the mortal world, and the combined combat power of all the Servants may be more terrible than 'war'. Once the ensuing battle becomes fierce, the entire city of Fuyuki will be reduced to a veritable battlefield, and countless people will be sacrificed as a result. So ......"

Jekyll laughed, he stared at Emiya Shirou in front of him, his eyes were still sincere and sincere, only his expression became more serious: "This time, I will be on the side of 'justice' from the beginning." ”

"O ...... of the righteous side"

Emiya Shirou muttered back to his new friend's words, "Speaking of which, my long-standing wish is actually to be a righteous partner." ”

Then he glanced at Jekyll: "Laugh if you want, I don't care." ”

"I'm not going to laugh at you."

"I don't know anything about magic, like this Holy Grail War, and I never felt anything real until you told me."

"It's okay, I'll teach you, although I wasn't a magician in my lifetime, but I studied pharmacy and finally came into contact with some alchemy, which can teach you a certain degree of foundation."

"Can we win in this way? Listen to you, aren't those magicians and their servants monsters? ”

"I don't know, the reason why I want to agree with your wishes is just so that I don't get out of control anymore."

"Hahaha, you're being too honest with that, aren't you?"

Emiya Shirou shrugged his shoulders with a smile and looked up at the night sky again.

He now knew very well how dangerous this Holy Grail War was, and if he thought that the ship would naturally go straight to the bridge, it must be a show of brains.

Even though he had experienced the surprises brought by magic, Emiya Shirou still had a clear understanding that it was a world that he was not familiar with.

Mysterious people who manipulate magic tricks call for wind and rain, and according to Berserker, among the magicians, some can even physically compete with a small number of police or military forces, and even fighter jets and even chariots look like paper if they are replaced by heroic spirits.

Anyway, they are extraordinary and amazing monsters, and as far as common sense is concerned, ordinary selves can't do anything with them at all.

Even those highly trained soldiers are no match for this Holy Grail War, let alone me. What can a high school boy who, at most, save the world in a heroic game of his childhood?

In addition, the nature of this servant he summoned was not suitable for such a thing as the Holy Grail War at all, and now he was told that he would have to face a dozen enemies in this situation?

But despite this...... Emiya Shirou still made up his mind to participate in this ceremony.

The reason is simple, he wants to protect his town!

"Well, Berserker, I don't know if I'm doing it right, but I still want to be a partner in justice, I want to protect the people who laugh at me, and the city they're in, and if the Holy Grail War will destroy Fuyuki City and cost innocent lives, then I want to stop that."

This is the choice made by Emiya Shirou, who is a "partner of justice", no matter how ordinary he is, he still chooses to hold his own will.

"Thank you, at this moment, my wish has been granted."

"Huh?"

"Because in the previous part of my life, I became an anti-hero because I fell into the madness and temptation of evil, and the only desire from the bottom of my heart was to be on the side of justice." Jekyll walked up to Shirou Emiya, "So, Shirou, I think I've probably fulfilled my wish for the Holy Grail the moment I was summoned by you. ”

With his back to the night sky, Jekyll stretched out his hand towards Emiya Shirou, the new friend with three names stretched out his right hand, his expression calm, but still sincere and sincere: "Your wish to stop the Holy Grail War and save Fuyuki City does not need to be fulfilled by the Holy Grail, you can only achieve it by yourself, Master." ”

"Of course! I will do whatever I can, but if I don't help others out of fear, then what kind of righteous partner am I? ”

Emiya Shirou smiled and stretched out his right hand to shake it with Jekyll.

It was a different kind of vow, different from the normal vow between the master and the servant, it was a vow of determination and enlightenment between like-minded new friends.

(PS: Today is also considered to be a change, although it is not enough to 8,000 words.) But the foreshadowing about Emiya Shirou and the servant has been written, so that's it. ）

(End of chapter)