Fuyuki City, Homurahara Academy.
The sky was gradually darkening, and the tidy campus felt somewhat deserted, no longer as full of life as it had been during the day.
A red-haired boy carried a bucket of water. Moonlight reflected off the floor, revealing faint traces of moisture.
"Finished."
The red-haired boy, his sleeves rolled up, set down the bucket and surveyed the results of his several hours of labor. Although he had no obligation to clean the campus to this extent, the cool night breeze made him feel refreshed.
The red-haired boy rested one hand on his hip and looked up at the moonlight beyond the veranda. It was already very late. He was going home, bringing this ordinary yet fulfilling day to an end.
Just as the boy was about to change his shoes and leave the campus, the crisp clang of colliding metal reached his ears. He froze. There shouldn't have been anyone else there while he was cleaning the campus.
If it had been an ordinary person, they would have thought it best not to meddle as night approached and would have quickly left the campus.
Unfortunately, this boy was no ordinary person. His name was Emiya Shirou, the Protagonist of the story, and he was determined to become a hero of justice. But if Emiya Shirou were given another chance, he would never investigate the source of that sound again. In his view, perhaps the demon would not have been released if he hadn't.
Emiya Shirou followed the source of the sound toward the athletic field. Before he had even left the school building, he saw two men fighting to the death on the field.
Sparks and red light flew as smoke and dust billowed. Emiya Shirou was visibly stunned when he saw the two men.