Operation Meeting

The blonde girl sat upright in the living room of the Emiya Residence. Her skin was as fair as snow, and she had golden hair, emerald-green eyes, and breathtakingly beautiful features that needed no makeup.

She had pinned her hair up with a blue ribbon, giving her a gentle, dignified air.

She wore a white blouse, a fitted knee-length skirt, and black tights. She looked like a high school student who had come to study abroad.

But Sasuke had already encountered plenty of Servants, and he could tell at a glance that the blonde girl was one of them.

Seeing this, Shirou Emiya introduced them:

"Mr. Uchiha, this is Saber, the one I told you about."

With Sakura still there, Shirou didn't directly reveal that Saber was a Servant.

Saber?

Sasuke understood. What he couldn't figure out was why a Servant would dress like an ordinary person.

Were Heroic Spirits interested in this world, too?

Sasuke couldn't be bothered to ask.

Seeing that Sasuke seemed to have recognized her, Saber rose gracefully and looked at him with a serious expression.

"Thank you for helping Shirou that day. If there's anything Shirou and I can do for you in the future, please let us share the burden."

Saber was referring to the time Sasuke had blocked Rider's attack at school.

But if not for Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, no one knew what might have become of Kaoru, whom Rider had attacked.

So Sasuke replied calmly:

"I was going to say the same to you."

Saber looked like nothing more than a young girl, but the air about her was unlike anything an ordinary person could possess.

That sort of presence was usually found only in leaders who governed nations or people of great standing and exceptional ability.

Since Saber was a Heroic Spirit from the past, Sasuke assumed she must have been famous.

Just as Sasuke had sensed Saber's nature,

Saber had also noticed that there was something extraordinary about Sasuke.

She had heard from Shirou and Rin that Sasuke was an extremely powerful mage who had killed Rider and her Master, Shinji Matou, with ease.

He also possessed Mystic Eyes whose abilities were unknown.

But Saber couldn't sense Sasuke's magical energy. He must have had an exceptionally powerful concealment spell.

Even so, she could tell from his sure-footed stride and steady breathing that he was no ordinary person.

His close-combat skills were surely formidable.

At that moment, Rin Tohsaka, who was in the kitchen, looked toward Sasuke and cleared her throat.

"Mr. Uchiha, could you come over here for a moment?"

Sasuke turned and walked into the kitchen. Rin set down the ingredients in her hands and spoke to him in a barely audible voice.

"While they're here, don't mention anything about mages except to Saber and the two of us."

"We'll hold our strategy meeting after they've left."

Sasuke understood. Rin had introduced him as a friend Shirou had met in the shopping district.

There was nothing unusual about inviting a friend over.

For now, though, he didn't have much to do.

Just as the meal was nearly ready, Shirou's guardian arrived at the Emiya Residence.

Taiga Fujimura was Shirou's guardian and practically like an older sister to him. She taught English at Homurahara Academy.

When she heard Sasuke had helped Shirou, she thanked him profusely.

When it was time to eat, Sasuke understood what Kaoru Sakura had told him earlier.

The meal was nothing fancy, but Shirou's cooking made every dish taste delicious.

Sasuke couldn't help thinking: if Kaoru found out that his Shadow Clone was enjoying a feast at the Emiya Residence...

It definitely wouldn't go well.

The evening passed quickly. Taiga Fujimura and Sakura were both staying at the Emiya Residence for the time being.

To make sure their operation that night went smoothly, Shirou and Rin had already worked out an excuse.

After Taiga and Sakura had been sent away, the atmosphere in the living room changed completely.

The dining table now held a map of Fuyuki City. Everyone sat around it, their expressions varied.

Only then did Sasuke learn that the girl named Sakura was Shinji Matou's younger sister.

So he asked outright:

"Is that girl Shinji Matou's younger sister?"

Shirou thought Sasuke might take out his anger over Shinji on Sakura, so he hurried to his feet and explained.

"Sakura's nothing like Shinji."

"She's innocent. She doesn't know anything about what happened."

Shirou had no objections left to Shinji Matou's death.

But he could vouch for Shinji's younger sister, Sakura Matou. She was innocent.

Even Saber spoke up in her defense.

"I'm willing to trust Sakura, too."

Since coming to this world, Saber had grown rather fond of Sakura Matou, who came over every day to help Shirou.

And Sakura had been living and eating at the Emiya Residence lately. Saber hadn't noticed anything unusual about her.

Rin, standing nearby, said nothing. Her expression suggested she had something on her mind, but in the end, she kept quiet.

Sasuke still had his doubts, but since Shirou and Saber were willing to vouch for her, he didn't want to make trouble.

After all, he had personally killed Shinji Matou and Rider, the ones who had hurt Kaoru.

So, after hearing Shirou and Saber out, Sasuke replied calmly:

"If she really is innocent, I have no reason to go after her."

"Anyway, let's talk about how you plan to deal with Caster and Assassin."

Since Sasuke had gotten straight to the point, Rin wasn't the type to beat around the bush either. She stood and pointed to the areas circled in red on the map.

"Every one of these circled areas has been attacked by Caster."

"And the barrier Caster created doesn't just affect Ryudou Temple; its influence reaches the surrounding area as well."

"The residents living near the barrier will have their life force stolen by Caster and turned into magical energy."

"If Caster is allowed to keep growing stronger, no one in Fuyuki will be safe."

After explaining everything, Rin looked up at Sasuke, her expression grave.

"So whether it's to win the war or protect Fuyuki, Caster has to be eliminated."

"And over the past two days, Shirou and I have figured out that Caster's Master is most likely our schoolteacher, Soichiro Kuzuki, who teaches world history and social studies."

"Kuzuki lives at Ryudou Temple. At first, Shirou and I planned to attack him on his way home from work and see if he was Caster's Master."

"But since yesterday, Kuzuki has been taking time off from school, claiming he's unwell. That only makes him more suspicious."

"Based on the information you gave us, Mr. Uchiha, Kuzuki may be the Master of either Caster or Assassin."

"To stop them from carrying out their plans, Shirou and I have decided to launch a full assault on Ryudou Temple tonight."

"So we'd like your help."

"What do you think?"

Sasuke sat across from everyone, his face expressionless as he replied coolly:

"If you'd told me a day earlier,"

"they'd have been dead last night."