Though she had been focused on intercepting Lancer, she had completely failed to notice the approach of a third party.
"...A Servant from the Black Faction?" Karna asked.
The red-haired boy facing him silently nodded.
"Hmm. Then your objective should be the same as mine. You're after the Ruler, right?"
Shirou shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, no. Wouldn't you understand if you just looked? I was only passing by!"
He showed the two of them the paper bag he was holding in his arms. Inside were bread, macaroni, fruit, and some seasonings—
He had just finished buying the ingredients he would need tomorrow from the supermarket on the next street.
"He is... the Keeper."
Jeanne was somewhat surprised. Shirou clearly looked like a harmless young boy. If no one told her, she would not even have associated him with a Servant.
"Are you planning to win over the Ruler?" Karna stared at Shirou as he asked.
"Please, can you listen to what people are saying?"
Shirou was utterly speechless. Why was everyone he met after coming to this world so bad at listening?
The Lancer of the Red Faction said expressionlessly, "If you're not planning to win her over, why did you stop me just now?"
That question stumped Shirou.
"Er, it was just instinct..."
Because he had seen a young girl being attacked, he had acted instinctively.
—In other words, it was a conditioned reflex.
After all, even if he had not encountered situations like tonight dozens of times, he had at least encountered them more than ten times.
Could he be cursed in this regard?
Why did girls whose lives were in danger always appear before him?
No, there was something even stranger than that.
Shirou was not a knight who would help any woman simply because