Crisis?

Fuyuki City, afternoon, Miyama Town shopping district.

Inside a fish shop called "Fish Fresh House," Uchiha, wearing rubber boots and a waterproof apron, was helping a young housewife catch a fresh sea bream from the glass tank.

Perhaps it was from selling fish for so long, but when Uchiha lowered his net, he captured the sea bream with ease, not even splashing a single drop of water.

Uchiha's skill in slaughtering fish was even more superb; he finished processing the sea bream in less than a minute.

If a customer requested it, Uchiha could even fillet the fish or prepare it in other ways according to how they planned to cook it.

The young housewife's expression on the side was somewhat indescribable; it was unclear if she was captivated by Uchiha's masterful fishing technique.

After Uchiha packaged the processed fish, he handed it to the young lady who was waiting.

The young lady, taking the package with both hands, gave Uchiha a charming smile:

"Uchiha, thank you."

"You're welcome, please come again."

Although the words were pleasant, Uchiha's expression remained flat when he spoke, devoid of any extra emotion.

After Uchiha saw off this inexplicable lady, the day's fish were more or less sold out.

Once people finished work and school, the remaining live fish would likely be swept away.

Just as Uchiha was expressionlessly cleaning the fish counter, which was stained with blood from the slaughter, a resonant voice came from inside the house:

"Uchiha, it hasn't been safe at night lately; just close up shop in a little while."

Sitting at the counter inside the fish shop was an old man of about seventy or eighty. His hair and beard were white, but his spirit was excellent, and he was currently reading a book.

This was the owner of "Fish Fresh House," Sakura Masayoshi. Because of his advanced age, he held quite a bit of prestige in the shopping district.

He was an old man whom Kaoru described as rather stubborn.

Of course, this was not a derogatory term; Kaoru had respected her grandfather deeply since she was a child, and because of this, she was very upright in her conduct.

"I heard many people have been attacked at night."

It wasn't that Uchiha didn't watch the news; indeed, many people had recently been attacked or suddenly fallen into a coma.

In normal times, Uchiha might have thought it was an accident.

But after learning about the Holy Grail War yesterday, Uchiha understood that there was more to these events than met the eye—it was likely the work of those mages and Servants.

Regarding this, Uchiha turned his head and said to Sakura Masayoshi:

"Yes, but I have something to do and need to go out in a while."

"If Kaoru wakes up later, please pass a message to her."

Kaoru had gone to sleep early after returning yesterday, and after waking up and eating lunch today, she had fallen asleep again. If it weren't for the fact that nothing major seemed wrong, Uchiha would have wanted to ask Rin Tohsaka to come and check on Kaoru again.

To Sakura Masayoshi, Uchiha used the excuse that Kaoru was under too much academic pressure lately.

After all, Kaoru's grades in class were among the best, so the old man wouldn't be suspicious; instead, he would likely let Kaoru rest well at home for a few days.

Sakura Masayoshi, who had been reading his book, lifted his spirited gaze toward Uchiha, but then turned his eyes back to the page. After a long silence, he said with a flat expression:

"Be careful in everything, and come back early."

Hearing this, Uchiha was slightly startled, but he still nodded:

"I will."

Although Uchiha acted no differently than usual, he could still hear the subtext in the old man's words; it was clear that he had noticed his unusual behavior.

After all, Sakura Masayoshi was an old fisherman who had seen great storms, and his sensitivity to things was beyond that of an ordinary person.

Sakura Masayoshi did not know about Uchiha's past.

Uchiha himself had never spoken of it, only saying that he came from the countryside and that he had no family left.

However, when Sakura Masayoshi first met Uchiha, he didn't quite believe this story.

The reason he allowed Uchiha to stay at "Fish Fresh House" was entirely because Sakura Masayoshi could sense that Uchiha was not a bad person.

Because in Uchiha, Sakura Masayoshi could see sadness, loneliness, and a hidden gentleness.

The facts were indeed so; in the few years that Sakura Masayoshi, his granddaughter, and Uchiha had lived together, although Uchiha usually kept a straight face, he was impeccable in his treatment of both Sakura Masayoshi and Kaoru.

Moreover, the way Uchiha and Kaoru got along like siblings was enough to show Uchiha's character.

All things considered, Sakura Masayoshi valued Uchiha highly in his heart, and as he was getting on in years, he had even considered handing "Fish Fresh House" over to Uchiha entirely.

Just as the atmosphere turned somewhat subtle, Uchiha's phone received a message from Rin Tohsaka.

[The students are about to leave, you can come now.]

Seeing this, Uchiha took off his rubber boots and waterproof apron, put on his sneakers, and threw on a gray jacket.

"I'm heading out."

Hearing this, Sakura Masayoshi didn't say anything more, nodding in agreement.

Seeing this, Uchiha mounted the shop's bicycle and headed toward Homurahara Academy.

Due to the previous incident, the school's ban on clubs remained in effect.

By the time Sasuke arrived at the school gate, both students and faculty had already left.

Sasuke sensed that he was being watched. Following the feeling, he looked up to see Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya standing on the school rooftop.

Without wasting any time, Sasuke appeared on the rooftop as well.

Perhaps because evening was approaching, the air had grown quite cold; a chilly wind swept across the rooftop, leaving it deathly silent.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya were currently standing before a wall inscribed with a magical formula.

The formula resembled a small magic circle, its color a blood-red that looked deeply unsettling.

The moment he entered, Sasuke activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, allowing him to clearly perceive the flow of magical energy within the crimson markings.

Under the influence of Rin Tohsaka's magecraft, the flow of magical energy in the crimson formula had become exceptionally faint.

"As you can see, a barrier has been placed over the school by a magus; this is a cursed engraving."

"Before you arrived, Emiya and I had already managed to eliminate most of these active engravings."

"However, since the barrier was set up long ago, doing this only serves to weaken the effects once it is triggered."

"Still, the fact that someone would set up such a barrier suggests that this person won't give up just because of a little interference."

"Based on my judgment, that guy will likely reveal a flaw tomorrow."

"In any case, there should still be some engravings left in the school. How about we split up?"

"With your Mystic Eyes, you should find and eliminate them easily."

Sasuke had no objections to this. After confirming their respective routes with the two, he set off.

However, not long after Sasuke parted ways with Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, he encountered the so-called third Master.