In the driver's seat, Haruri Kamado rested one hand on the steering wheel while impatiently rubbing her right eye.
"Why are there so few people working today?" she muttered to herself, looking around.
The last delivery of the day was a batch of hardware supplies bound for the pier warehouses. Usually, at this hour, there would still be a scattering of workers or vehicles in the dock area.
But tonight it was completely empty, with only the sound of waves crashing against the shore.
Besides that, her eye was unusually uncomfortable today.
Although she had known since she was very young that she was a bit different from others, today was just too strange.
Along the way, in her field of vision, the empty streets were covered in layers of dark red, glowing membranes that looked like spiderwebs.
She did not know that this was the [Human-Repelling Bounded Field] set up by the Holy Church to isolate ordinary people.
For ordinary people, this bounded field would subtly influence their cognition, making them subconsciously want to stay away from this area.
For example, they might suddenly remember that they 'forgot to turn off the gas at home' and turn back.
"Is this some new traffic light malfunction? Or is it a prank by some kid?"
Haruri did not realize it was magecraft.
She only felt that the sight before her was an eyesore. That instinctive sense of irritation caused the silver-pink halo in the pupil of her right eye to faintly light up.
*Hum—*
Under the influence of a surge of magical energy, these cognition-altering signals failed to clearly transmit into her mind.
She lightly stepped on the accelerator, and the truck passed through the bounded field, steadily driving into the edge of this battlefield.
"The delivery address is... Warehouse No. 7..."
Haruri looked at the delivery slip in her hand, then looked up at the massive shipping containers not far ahead.
"Strange, why does it sound like thunder over there? The weather forecast didn't mention rain..."
She poked her head out in confusion, listening to the distant sounds of clashing metal and explosions, feeling a bit apprehensive.
'Could it be a gang shootout?'
'...But this is an expedited order for the Fuyuki City Logistics Company. If I don't handle it properly, the penalty fee will be really expensive.'
"Whatever, I'll just unload the goods and run..."
Driven by her fierce determination to make a living, she bit the bullet and drove the truck toward Warehouse No. 7, which was less than a hundred meters from the battleground.
Kamado Residence.
Sumire Kamado was lying on the floor, supporting herself with both hands as she did push-ups.
"Fifty more, don't slack off," Asuka's voice drifted through the air.
He hovered around Sumire like a wisp of black mist, supervising her training.
The training was yielding much better results than expected. Sumire was actually able to resonate with the magical energy in the atmosphere through Breathing Styles.
As long as she kept at it, the Magic Circuits within her body would become much more resilient.
But just as he counted to twenty-two, a strange fluctuation rippled over from the distance.
Asuka abruptly looked toward the seaside dock area.
Over there, the collision of magical energy rumbled faintly like muffled thunder.
Although it was far away, to an existence like him, it was like a lighthouse suddenly lighting up.
"Stop," Asuka said, his voice turning serious.
Sumire sat up panting and wiped her sweat. "What's wrong, Mr. Asuka? Did you catch a cold again?"
Asuka condensed into a blurry humanoid silhouette by the window, sensing the magical energy fluctuations coming from afar. "There's movement at the docks. It's not an ordinary fight."
Sumire's heart sank. She immediately stood up and asked nervously, "Is it... the war?"
"Highly likely."
"Then should we go over there? To participate in the war or something..."
Asuka fell silent for a moment.
He originally didn't want her to risk herself so early, but opportunities to observe other Heroic Spirits from the shadows didn't come around every day.
"Let's go take a look, but don't get too close. Bring your baseball bat. If anything happens, I will initiate [Materialization]."
Sumire nodded and pulled out the aluminum baseball bat she used for daily practice from under her bed. Gripping it in her hands gave her a bit more of a sense of security.
She changed into her sportswear and quietly opened her bedroom door to scout the situation.
Her mother, Haruri, was working overtime tonight and hadn't come home yet, which made her sigh in relief.
The two advanced through the night.
Sumire rode her bicycle while Asuka's Spiritual Body followed her like a shadow, guiding her way.
The streets of Fuyuki City gradually transitioned from residential to industrial areas. The sea breeze grew stronger, and the commotion became louder.
The sounds of clashing metal from afar popped incessantly like firecrackers.
"Are the people of Fuyuki City deaf or something? How is no one coming to check out such a massive racket?" Asuka asked in bewilderment.
But compared to that, the two of them discovered something much more pressing.
"Wait," Asuka suddenly said.
Sumire hit the brakes and stopped. The two hid in the shadows of an alleyway.
The dock area was just ahead. Under the streetlights, a familiar light truck was parked there.
The cargo doors were half-open, but there was no one in sight.
"That's Mom's truck!" Sumire exclaimed in a low voice, her face turning pale as she pointed at the door sticker she had put on her mother's vehicle. "Why is she here?!?"
Asuka stared at the truck, the image of that woman with astonishing strength and a peculiar right eye flashing through his mind.
"She probably went inside to deliver goods," Asuka deduced. "The situation has changed. We need to find her. But don't be impulsive; observe carefully."
Sumire's heartbeat accelerated. She gripped her baseball bat tightly and nodded.
The two carefully bypassed the entrance and sneaked into the dock area.
The [Human-Repelling Bounded Field] was ineffective against someone like Sumire, who possessed weak magical energy, and it was completely useless against Asuka's Spiritual Body.
The sound waves of the battle drew closer and closer.
The battle between the Servants had already reached a white-hot climax.
"Haaah!!"
Artoria let out an angry shout. Her invisible sword, wrapped in fierce winds, slashed upward from below.
Although the Spearman blocked the strike with his dual spears, he lost his footing and was sent flying backward.
*Thud!*
He crashed heavily into a stacked shipping container, smashing a massive dent into the thick iron box.
And that container... happened to be right near Warehouse No. 7.
"This power... As expected of a Saber. Your Strength parameter must be at least an A."
He stood up with a bitter smile and dusted himself off.
But the next moment, his gaze changed.
Because he heard a gasp of surprise that shouldn't have appeared on this battlefield.
Less than ten meters behind him, a woman stood frozen, holding a crumpled delivery slip in her hand.
Haruri Kamado was completely dumbfounded.
She had only come to deliver some goods, but right after finding the place, she saw a handsome guy in a tight bodysuit smash into the shipping container right in front of her like a cannonball.
What was even more outrageous was that the handsome guy was holding two long spears that looked like props straight out of a historical drama.
And not far away, a blonde girl in silver armor was holding a... blurry weapon, confronting him with murderous intent.
'How is this a gang shootout? This is clearly a movie set, right?!'
"Umm..."
Haruri subconsciously raised the slip in her hand, her professional habits making her blurt out:
"Excuse me... is this the receiving point for Warehouse No. 7?"
Deathly silence.
Artoria froze.
Irisviel froze.
Even the Spearman's Master, Assassin, Kiritsugu Emiya, and the others observing from the shadows were stunned.
The Spearman turned his head, looking in astonishment at this miraculous woman who had suddenly barged in.
"An ordinary person?"
His brows furrowed.
Although he strictly adhered to chivalry and would not attack the weak or ordinary citizens...
But this was the battlefield of the Holy Grail War.
'Could there really be an ordinary person here?'