Chapter 8

Mr. Fujimaru is a real estate salesman, a type of salaried worker that emerged during the boom of the real estate market following the Plaza Accord in 1985. However, after the real estate bubble burst in 1991, numerous real estate companies went bankrupt and this group of employees became the largest group of unemployed people.

Fortunately, Mr. Fujimaru had developed strong emotional intelligence from his early experiences and worked extremely hard. The company president valued him and thus, he managed to keep his job despite the hardships.

Due to Shirou's encounter with Uryuu Ryuunosuke, Mr. Fujimaru had already planned to resign and travel with Shirou to alleviate the shadow in his heart. However, he never expected that the company president would actually approve his leave, even with pay! All he had to do was complete one final, very important job.

The client is a major player in Tokyo that wants to open a large mall in Fuyuki City's new downtown area. This is a highly sought-after opportunity for all real estate companies in Fuyuki City.

Mr. Fujimaru has been working late every night for the past few days, barely coming home. The company's offer was not particularly competitive compared to its rivals, so the client had already made up their mind to work with someone else. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, they ultimately chose to work with Mr. Fujimaru.

While there was no formal requirement, the client made a request – to have a meal with Mr. Fujimaru and his family as a thank you. It turns out that the client's child was the girl who was attacked by Ryuunosuke earlier.

Shirou is quite helpless in this situation.

Mr. Fujimaru's tone was very firm, leaving no room for negotiation. Due to his past experiences and years of struggle, Mr. Fujimaru generally takes a soft approach to handle situations and is often guided by his wife at home. However, at heart, Mr. Fujimaru is a traditional macho man – strong and decisive. Once he makes a decision, he sticks to it. Shirou had no objections to this plan. By helping Mr. Fujimaru complete the job, they could leave Fuyuki City more quickly.

Leaving Fuyuki City...

The sooner the better!

Not only will his own situation as a participant become safer, but even Sakura, who was taken in by Mrs. Fujimaru, can temporarily escape the grasp of the Tohsaka and Matou families and spend some happy time with their family.

The banquet table was set at the International Grand Hotel in Shinto.

Shirou didn't have the energy to see what it was called, because as soon as he heard the location, his heart was cold. He was afraid that a messenger of justice would run out from somewhere and blow up the hotel with a bomb.

As for why he was so sure that the Grand Hotel that Emiya Kiritsugu blew up was this one, it was simply because in this small city of Fuyuki, this was the only hotel that was up to par and positioned as "international."

"It's 1993 now, 1993. The war is at least two months away. Relax, relax... the battlefield is still on the way," Shirou comforted himself.

"Mr. Fujimaru, this way, over here," a middle-aged man with short brown hair called out to them from a distance as they approached the Grand Hotel.

"Mr. Mitsuzuri," Mr. Fujimaru said as he led everyone over to him.

Mr. Mitsuzuri led Mr. Fujimaru and his family into the Grand Hotel, expertly guiding them to a private room and taking a seat.

There were already quite a few people in the private room, at least seven or eight, including two elderly individuals. It was clear that it was not just Mr. Mitsuzuri's family.

The girl who had been with Ryuunosuke during their time of hardship was sitting next to an old grandmother. She had her head down, looking a bit downcast, with a forced smile on her face. It was clear that, as an ordinary little girl, she had not yet recovered from the trauma of a few days ago.

Upon closer inspection, Shirou noticed that the little girl was actually quite cute. While her features were not as delicate as Sakura's, they were very distinct. Despite her young age, she had a classical beauty.

The two main men introduced their families to each other. When Mr. Fujimaru introduced Shirou, Mr. Mitsuzuri quickly spoke up, saying, "So this brave little friend is called Shirou! I really have to thank little Shirou, otherwise, my family's Ayako would have been in danger!"

Mr. Mitsuzuri spoke with gratitude, without any of the condescension and arrogance that adults often have towards minors. He had learned everything from his daughter, and it was Shirou who had driven Ryuunosuke away, allowing them to survive.

Although his daughter's words were somewhat incomprehensible, such as how the wind suddenly picked up and Shirou was able to conjure a sword, Mr. Mitsuzuri assumed that his daughter was too terrified at the time and had imagined things. He believed that the actual situation was that Shirou had cleverly come up with a plan and used the tools around him to save himself.

Otherwise, how could a child possibly defeat a murderer who could even kill adults?

If something had happened to his daughter... Mr. Mitsuzuri couldn't forgive himself. It was his idea to come to Fuyuki City for business and even have his daughter transfer to Hachigata Elementary School in advance. If his daughter's life had been lost because of this, he would never be able to forgive himself. That is also why Mr. Mitsuzuri ultimately chose to give the job to Mr. Fujimaru, which can also be seen as a way of repaying the favor.

"Uncle, you're overpraising me," Shirou shook his head and said casually.

Mr. Mitsuzuri was a bit surprised. Six-year-old children are usually more timid, and even children with more outgoing personalities tend to feel awkward in the presence of many strangers. For example, Mr. Mitsuzuri's son was wild at home but couldn't speak in front of outsiders.

But Shirou's speech was clear and his mood was stable, neither arrogant nor humble. Could it be said that he was worthy of being a child who could save himself in the face of death?

"Ayako, get up and quickly thank Brother Shirou." Shaking his head, Mr. Mitsuzuri said to his daughter.

Ayako quickly stood up, looking at Shirou, and said, "Then... thank you, big brother."

Shirou waved his hand dismissively and replied, "It's no problem. I'm just glad you're okay."

Shirou didn't think that the girl he had shared adversity with would actually be his future classmate, Mitsuzuri Ayako. However, the current her is not as steady and reliable as she will be in the future, but rather timid and fearful like a typical young girl.

Mitsuzuri Ayako felt a sense of longing. She couldn't forget how, during that life-and-death situation, she had panicked and cried continuously, while Shirou remained calm and eventually defeated the killer. Even now, during their conversation, he remained calm.

"I want to be a reliable person like this brother in the future," Ayako thought to herself.

The banquet continued, and the Mitsuzuri family expressed their deep gratitude to the Fujimaru family, most notably by constantly toasting Fujimaru Narita.

Fujimaru Narita is no fool and quickly began to return the favor.

The showdown at the dinner table was not about who had a higher tolerance for alcohol, but rather who could talk and who could get whom drunk. If someone has a high tolerance for alcohol but cannot speak, they will only be given more and more to drink, while others may praise them with their words but mock them in their hearts.

Fujimaru Narita managed to hold his own thanks to his high emotional intelligence and ability to speak, while Mr. Mitsuzuri, an experienced businessman, only got slightly drunk after drinking with him. The other Mitsuzuri relatives who were trying to get them drunk ended up getting drunk themselves.

As the drinking began to wind down, Mr. Mitsuzuri and Fujimaru Narita started talking about business and, in the process, shared their insights on the current economic situation.

"It's already tough to make money in a big city. There are more unemployed people than employed ones, and there's no money to be made. It's still better in a small city like this, where there's some profit to be made," Mr. Mitsuzuri said.

"Mr. Mitsuzuri is right. In a small city like this, the main economy is still based on small businesses. There are very few listed companies, so the impact is smaller. However, the user base is smaller and the market is easily saturated," Narita added.

"Then the competition is also smaller," Mr. Mitsuzuri agreed.

The two men began chatting about business and eventually began discussing the contract they were about to sign.

Shirou didn't care about these matters, he just focused on eating his food. After all, he was still young and not well-versed in the economic situation in 1993. He only knew that the future would definitely be dominated by the internet, so he had no interest in listening to business talk. In addition, the Grail War, which was a matter of life and death, weighed heavily on his mind, so he had no desire to listen to business talk.

"Um... Sister, is there anything strange on my face?" Sakura asked Mitsuzuri Ayako, looking worried.

"Ah... no... it's just that you look familiar, like I've seen you somewhere before," Mitsuzuri Ayako replied, shaking her head.

Sakura's body trembled, and she forced a smile, saying, "It... it must be a mistake. I've never seen Sister before."

"Hmm... maybe." Ayako wasn't sure. However, Sakura's bright green eyes reminded her of her classmate, Rin Tohsaka.

Shirou remained silent, recalling that Mitsuzuri Ayako and Rin Tohsaka both attended Hachigata Elementary School and it was likely that Sakura had studied there as well. Fortunately, Mitsuzuri Ayako used to study in Tokyo with her father and had only recently transferred to Fuyuki City. Otherwise, she would have probably recognized Sakura at first glance.

Sakura probably would have declined to join them if it wasn't for Fujimaru Narita urging his family of four to come along. However, before this outing, she had even accompanied him to a tattoo shop. Was this act of kindness from the girl or did she see him as a friend and consider him a "brother"?

Shirou didn't want to think too much about it because he knew that Sakura was ultimately destined to leave. Although the Tohsaka family had not yet come looking for her, it didn't mean they had given up on her. They were probably just preoccupied with the Holy Grail War. Alternatively, rather than using the Tohsaka family's resources to search for Sakura, they might be aimlessly wandering the mountains, ignoring Fuyuki entirely. Shirou wasn't interested in finding out whether this was the answer or not. He just knew that the Tohsaka family would inevitably come looking for them sooner or later.

Once Sakura is taken back by the Tohsaka family, she will be handed over to the Matou family and undergo modification. The only unknown factor is whether Shirou will be able to withstand the condemnation of his conscience and witness a once well-behaved and sociable girl being sent to hell.

Shirou doesn't know.

He is just an ordinary person, neither a noble saint nor an evil sinner, but simply someone trying to navigate the complexities of life. He has his likes and dislikes, experiences kindness and hatred, and feels courageous and fearful. He cannot remain indifferent to seeing a girl suffer in a miserable hell, but he is also unsure if he would be willing to risk his life to save a stranger who is not a family member or even a friend. These conflicting emotions are something that many people can relate to.

Shirou is aware that he is hoping for that day to arrive later, constantly reminding himself - "I want to stay alive. Don't take unnecessary risks and don't play with your own life. Being alive is the most important thing! If I can survive the Fourth Holy Grail War without any problems, I can go online, start a business, and become wealthy."

He may continue to remind himself, but when the time comes, will he be able to remain indifferent and watch as a sociable girl is sent to hell? As a person with a conscience, it is uncertain how he will react.

Only time will tell the answer to this question.

Shirou thinks that this problem of evasion will not appear for a long time, at least not until after the family vacation is over. However, he did not expect that he would soon have to face this problem.

On Friday, September 30, 1993, at around 3:00 p.m., two visitors arrived at Shirou's home.

"Hello, Mrs. Fujimaru. My name is Matou Kariya and this is Tohsaka Aoi, Sakura's mother."

It had been 15 days since Sakura joined the Fujimaru family and the Tohsaka family had finally come to visit.