Author's Note: This is a AU fanfiction that focuses on Emiya Shirou and his ideal to become superhero along with Flat Escardos (people who are familiar with Fate/Strange Fake will know him). But of course, reading Fate/Strange Fake won't be a pre-requisite but it will definitely make your experience different. Another thing to note is that this story is meant to be similar to the anime Durarara and you will be finding some (in)direct references to that anime, including the writing style. However, watching/reading Durarara isn't a pre-requisite either. The only pre-requisite for reading this fanfiction is Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero.

As far as shipping goes, it will be mostly open with hints to many ships. I wouldn't declare any endgame as the focus of this fic isn't shipping but character interactions. A shipper will however find enough fun through these interactions to ship the pair they like, hopefully.

Heroes of Justice & Conquerors

Prologue

That was a strange universe to one who has witnessed the events of its parallel counterpart from the 'exterior'. It was drastically different, right from the roots of magic that defined its construction. However, the universe was as valid as the other, even though the people from the 'exterior' viewed it as a 'fake' whose existence depended on the 'original'.

If one were to take a closer look they would come to a conclusion that despite the differences, it is undeniable that the universe carried faces familiar to them.

Emiya Shirou.

A boy who dreamed about becoming a hero of justice…

Flat Escardos.

…and a boy who wanted to conquer the world by making friends with everyone.

These two boys will meet in the familiar land called Fuyuki City, which has much going on as in the other universes. It is unknown how some of them who belonged from the western countries lived far away in the city of Japan in this universe, they simply existed that way to begin with.

Heroic Spirits who were never meant to appear in the current time period exist, their existences unconnected to the legends that made them heroic spirits in the first place and yet their spirits carried the same traits they once had.

It's almost as if the world was conceived for the sheer reason of showing one a story, the story of the two boys who are so different and yet so alike.

Chapter One: Hero of Justice

"Senpai?"

A familiar voice gently called for him, as if it weren't meant to wake him up. Shirou opened his eyes with difficulty as the bright sunlight filtering into the shed blinded him. The light seeped into the shed through the narrow gap left by the opened door, peering through which was a face he could immediately recognize.

"Senpai, are you awake?"

The girl asked again. Shirou could barely move his body. He groggily tried to give a reply to his underclassman. He opened his mouth to wish the girl, "Good mo—"

Only to be interrupted a loud noise.

In a contradiction to Sakura's gentleness, another figure barged into the shed, kicking the door away with one leg as she did so. Shirou jolted awake upon recognizing the new figure, but he was too late. With a swift moment, the woman lifted the bucket in her hands and yelled, "Time to wake up, Shirou!"

The cold water was splashed on Shirou's face, effectively removing any trace of drowsiness left inside his body in a single shot. The redhead began to cough as some of the water managed to find its way into his mouth, making it feel as if he was drowning for a moment.

"Fuji-nee!" He yelled at the older woman standing in front of him, twirling the bucket in her hand with a victorious smile.

The brown-haired woman smiled with a teasing expression on her face. "That's what you get for getting up late again. I told you I will get you the next time, didn't I~"

Shirou sighed. "You're not a kid anymore to do these silly things." He ran his hands through his wet hair and checked his watch. He raised his eyebrows when he checked the time. "But thank you, I feel awake now. I'll prepa—"

"Don't worry about it, Senpai," Sakura said, a gentle smile on her lips.

Shirou didn't have to wait till she completed. He guessed she had already completed preparing the breakfast.

"On today's headlines. The masked heroes have appeared yet again, this time at an open land in Shinto. These mysterious heroes managed to stop an illegal contract going between the Purple Faction and a jewel smuggling dealer. Once again, none of the witnesses failed to identify these masked heroes…."

Taiga had a second serving as she intently watched the news, her eyes not leaving the screen even for a second. Shirou shifted uncomfortably. "Fuji-nee aren't you getting late?"

She waved her hand at him as if to not disturb her. "I didn't expect Fuyuki to have its own masked heroes. It's just like in those comics you read, Shirou~" She chuckled, giving him a glance.

Shirou's face turned red as Sakura stared at him in surprise. "Senpai, you like those kind of comics?"

"Ah, you didn't know?!" Taiga jumped forward excitedly. "Shirou really likes stories about superheroes! You see, he really wanted to be one when he was a kid."

Shirou tried his best controlling his embarrassment and anger at Taiga for selling him out. "Admiring heroes of justice isn't a wrong thing," he said, grumbling.

"No, I don't think it is," Sakura said, a smile on her face. "I think it's wonderful to be able to save someone."

Shirou gave his underclassman a smile of acknowledgement. At least someone understood him.

"Lately a lot is happening in the city, isn't it?" Sakura asked as the two walked to school. They were an hour early due to Sakura's club activities. Although Shirou had the time to kick back and relax for another thirty minutes, he insisted on being there well before time.

"Yeah," Shirou said, his gaze a bit distant. "The gang wars have become active lately again. And there's this strange rumors about a bike rider who roamed at nights."

"Not to mention the masked heroes…" Sakura muttered, giving him a hesitant glance. "Um…"

"Go ahead," Shirou said, nodding to his underclassman. Not everyone had to admire heroes of justice like he did.

Sakura nodded. "I know you admire superheroes but," She seemed unsure if she should speak or not. "But their presence is not normal. It's a sign of trouble…"

Shirou halted his walk, giving Sakura a startled glance. "I'm sorry Senpai," she apologized. "I shouldn't have…"

"No it's fine," Shirou shook his head, laughing nervously. "It's just that I've never thought about it that way." He had always thought the heroes of justice were powerful figures to admire, with superhuman abilities that were devoted to give the common people a sense of reassurance and safety. However, it didn't occur to him that their existence in itself was a sign of danger to those unaware of the dangers.

The couple turned to continue their walk when suddenly a woman bumped into Shirou. He quickly apologized, "Sorry." His eyes widened upon identifying the person.

With a thick black hair, wearing a school uniform similar to Sakura's was a person he knew by the name—

"Ayaka Senpai?" It was Sakura who said her name aloud.

The said girl looked at her schoolmates in shock, and looked away as if the encounter was something undesirable. She adjusted her glasses, black and thin-rimmed. "Excuse me," she said in a hurried, yet low voice before walking past them and disappeared as quickly as she appeared.

"I wonder if something is wrong," Sakura muttered, a hint of worry in her voice. "I heard she hasn't been properly attending school lately."

Shirou narrowed his gaze with suspicion, only to hide it with a fake smile. "Maybe she isn't feeling well. Let's go, Sakura." He said, turning back. "We'll never hear the end of it from Fuji-nee if you are late to the dojo."

Sakura let out a chuckle before they continued.

The Homurahara academy was one of the biggest high schools in Fuyuki City, attended by most of the immigrant students and hence had a high reputation in consequence. However, what made the school distinct was its strange education system.

At a glance, one would say that the structuring of the curriculum was similar to any other high school. However, the Homurahara Academy also provided an entire separate set of elective classes called "Advanced Courses". The said "Advanced Courses" replaced many of the classes in the curriculum.

The criterion for selecting students to the "Advanced Courses" was vague and completely up to the school's discretion. The special curriculum had its own set of staff members who seldom interact with regular teachers. Not to mention, the regular students were not allowed to know anything taught in these courses. Even students who take part in it were strictly instructed to not share any course content with their friends.

Despite such an absurd arrangement, the school somehow continued to run these additional courses for the last few decades without a hitch.

Shirou was a part of the regular course. He didn't know what the criterion for the special course was but he knew he wasn't good enough for the same. As soon as they approached the academy building, he bid farewell with his underclassman at the archery club.

"You will not be watching today, Senpai?"

"Yeah, I'll pass," he said, waving to her. Although Shirou didn't miss the slight dejection in Sakura's face, he pretended to ignore it. As much as he wanted to make Sakura happy, Shirou wasn't particularly fond of visiting the archery club regularly.

He walked to the Student Council room, hoping he could be of some help to the president and his close friend, Issei, only to find him missing. "Well in that case," he sat before the PC. The student council was provided with a computer for administrative purposes like preparing notices and keeping track of student activities.

Although Shirou wasn't formally a part of the student council, he mostly helped Issei with handling the logistics. The student council president, as perfect as he might seem, was poor at handling a computer. The finance secretary of the council, Tohsaka Rin, was even worse as she barely managed to handle a computer with supervision.

He checked around, hoping that no one was watching before he started typing the name "Sajyou Ayaka."

Shirou knew it was not a good idea to involve in the personal matters of others without their consent, but the way Ayaka acted seemed like she was panicking. He'd probably regret if it was a private affair but what if it was not? Although it was still morally wrong, it wouldn't hurt if she didn't know anything about it.

"She doesn't seem to use it much…" Shirou muttered as he scrolled through her social-networking page. All he could find out that she had a father and a sister, who were both deceased. He checked through her school records and found out she lived in an apartment in Shinto but what surprised him was the name of the guardian listed against her name. "Arthur…?" She lived with a foreign immigrant? Moving back to her social-network profile page, he found the picture of a charming blond young man, possibly in his late twenties.

He wanted to learn more, although fate had something else in store for him. All of a sudden, the door burst open and Issei walked in briskly. Shirou quickly closed the browser and turned to his friend. "Emiya! Flat's in trouble!"

"Flat-san?!" Shirou's eyes widened. "Where is he?"

"I'm not sure," Issei said, adjusting his glasses. "But I heard from someone that the Purple Faction was chasing him."

Shirou quickly took out his mobile and dialed the familiar numbers. The picture of an energetic young blond popped up on the screen. The call connected within no time and the energetic voice of a teenager burst through the speakers.

"Shero~ Good morning!" The boy on the other spoke with cheer, although Shirou couldn't help but notice something was wrong in his voice.

Flat Escardos.

He was one of Shirou's very few friends, and perhaps the only foreign student he knew. He was a part of the "Advanced Courses", although he never managed to graduate since the last two years. One of the lecturers from the "Advanced Courses" apparently described him as 'someone with the right potential but the wrong temperament'. As he wasn't aware of how the 'Advanced Courses' worked nor knew its difficulty, Shirou believed it was not his place to comment.

Although he found Flat's way of thinking a bit off, Shirou admired his optimism. They had been friends for a year now. However, there were times his friend would find himself in a heap load of trouble, mostly due to his own actions. And today happened to be one of those times.

"Flat-san, are you okay?" He asked, the fact that he lifted the phone relieved Shirou. Maybe he was some place safe.

"Yes I am! The morning is so refreshing, isn't it!"

"Yeah, it is," Shirou looked outside the window to admire the sun a little. "I heard that you were chased by the Purple Faction."

"Oh about that," he said, pausing a little. "They're still chasing me as we speak!"

"What?" Shirou yelled into the phone. "Flat-san, tell me where you are, right now! You're in danger!"

"I am about to head towards the school but I think they might circle me before I get there~ It's an exciting day, isn't it?"

"Flat-san, you're in danger!" Shirou didn't know how to react to the older boy's nonchalant attitude. He knew Flat was the type to walk into trouble and still be cheerful about it. That didn't mean that he didn't needed help.

"I'm coming there," Shirou said, cutting the phone. He gave Issei an acknowledging glance before walking out and as soon as he was out of his friend's sight, he began running.

He found himself at the gate in two minutes, only to find a huge crowd of students gather around at the entrance. "Am I late?" Shirou quickened his pace. He waded his way through the swarm of students and finally reached the clearance.

Except the scene he saw was something he didn't expect at all.

A bunch of rough men dressed in outlandish clothes stood on one side, each of them wearing purple scarves.

The Purple Faction.

On the other hand stood a strange pair. One was a man wearing a long red sleeved shirt over leather pants with hair long enough to reach his hips. He casually smoked his cigar as he looked at the men surrounding him. Next to him was a familiar woman with short brown-hair.

"Waver-sensei and Fujimura-sensei are fighting together?" Someone whispered.

"Don't they quarrel all the time?"

"I didn't even know Waver-sensei could fight," someone else said.

And then it all happened at once. One of the Purple Faction members attacked the pair of teachers, only to be dispatched away with a swift blow by Waver, followed by another attack that was promptly deflected by a kick from Taiga. More of them attacked in response but one after the other, they received the same punishment from the teachers.

The students watched the sight in astonishment as their teachers sent the dangerous looking men flying, as if they were nothing. The fact sent a shudder down their spine and each of them hoped they would never get on their bad side.

In a few minutes, the Purple Faction was seen scramming away. "Don't come back here again idiots," Waver said, dusting his pants. He threw a glance at his partner in the fight. "Are you okay?"

Fujimura Taiga narrowed her eyebrows before making a pouting face. "Of course I am," she raised her hand, as if to flex her muscle. She turned to a blond youth standing in a corner, with bright blue eyes. "More importantly, Flat are you okay?"

The youth shook his head, his eyes glowing with admiration and a childish excitement. "Whoa! You're really something, Miss Tiger!"

Shirou froze for a second, his face turned pale. Of all the things Flat could have called her, he had to make that mistake. Shirou glanced at his older sister with a dreaded expression. The said woman stood silent for a second, blinking as she probably wondered if she heard it right.

"What did you just say now, Flat~" Taiga asked, the sweetness in her tone was laced with suspicion. The volcano was about to erupt any time soon.

The students and even Waver slowly backed a little, a strange fear in everyone's eyes.

"Oh," Flat tapped his finger. "I just said you're awesome, Miss Ti—"

Shirou realized it was his cue to walk into the conversation. "Flat-san!" He quickly walked to his friend, who was still clueless of the danger he was in. "I'm really glad, you're safe!" He held his friend's hands and shook it animatedly. "Oh look at the time!" He exclaimed before anyone could react, pointing at the huge clock on the building. "All of you don't want to be late right? Hahaha, let's leave now." He spoke the words quickly as he dragged Flat away from the scene.

Shirou dragged the blond all the way to the student council, hoping that Fuji-nee wouldn't try to spend too much time mulling on what he had said. "Flat-san, you almost got yourself killed there!"

"I did?!" Flat exclaimed in shock although he didn't have a clue what it was, before laughing a little. "You are really worried about me. You're my best friend, Shero~" He gave Shirou a hug who simply smiled uncomfortably at the sudden display of affection.

"You're my valuable friend too," Shirou said, cheer on his face as he separated himself from the boy's hug. He wanted to tell his friend calling Taiga by that nickname was a danger but he had other things in his mind. His eyebrows narrowed as he asked, "But more importantly, why were you being chased by the Purple Faction?"

Flat took a second to recollect. "Oh that," he rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "I told them I was one of the masked heroes~"

"What?!" Shirou exclaimed, he looked aghast. "Flat-san, why would you say that?"

"Because they asked me who I was!" He said, looking down with a dejected expression. He shuffled his feet . "But they didn't believe me. They even chased me because I told them they should wear something brighter like red!"

Shirou's expression only grew even paler. "Flat-san, why would you do such a thing?" Though Shirou realized the question was a moot. Flat had reasons to do things but they were always strange and out of the norm. As much as he respected him for his good nature, Shirou believed Flat was a bit off. "Well, let's forget about that. Don't tell anyone you're a masked hero again. Masked heroes usually keep their identities a secret so people won't believe you if you put it so straightforwardly. It'll only cause you unnecessary trouble."

"Okay!" He said, lifting his arms up with excitement. Shirou looked at him uncertainly. Sometimes he wondered if he could trust the boy's words. It's not that he was untrustworthy or anything, it's just that his erratic mindset always left one with uncertainty.

"Well it's almost time for the classes to start," Shirou said, looking at his watch. "Let's go."

The duo stopped at the stairway, where they had to split. Flat had to go to the fourth floor to attend his classes for the "advanced courses" while Shirou's regular class was in the third floor. "Let's do something cool after school, Shero~"

"Sure. See you then," Shirou said, waving to his friend. For some reason, the redhead found himself smiling when he was around Flat.

As he watched his friend leave, Shirou wondered if he should go visit Ayaka's classroom and check if she was at school today. Taking a gulp, he nervously studied the stairs leading to the next floor. For some reason, that place always made him uneasy.

It wasn't a good idea, Shirou thought, considering the fact that regular students were prohibited from visiting advanced classes. He wished he had told Flat something about it but at the same time he didn't want to bother him about something as small as a suspicion. It would be great trouble if he ended up exaggerating it somehow and put them all in a soup

.Pushing the thoughts to the back of his head, he turned around to walk towards his class when a person he didn't expect around the regular classes passed by.

The person who was walking in his direction was a beautiful girl whose long hair was tied into twin tails with black ribbons that matched her hair perfectly. An unexpected sight on the third floor, she was one of the school idols, often tagged with the word perfection.

She was one of those students who was good at everything she set her eyes on, from academics to sports and other club activities. On top of that she was part of the student council as the secretary for finance. Shirou never learned much about her outside her interactions with Issei, as she was a part of the "advanced courses".

The said girl didn't slow down even as she passed by the redhead, but she did acknowledge his presence with a glance. Shirou, who was too awestruck, fumbled to give a proper reaction before she was already past him. "Good morning, Tohsaka!" He managed to say as she disappeared out of his sight. He hoped that she didn't take his inability to properly respond as an insult. But more importantly what was she doing in the third floor?

The classroom was already buzzing with excitement when he entered. Everyone was probably talking about the scene that happened earlier in the morning. It made more sense that class 2-B was more excited with the news, given the fact that their homeroom teacher was none other than Fujimura Taiga herself.

"That's what you get for coming late," a guy taunted his friends. "You guys missed Waver-sensei and Fujimura-sensei kicking ass."

"She's really the tiger of Fuyuki city," a girl noted. "I think she hit more people than Waver-sensei." He shuddered at the thought of his sister hearing that. More than anything, she disliked being called tiger and would punish the entire class with extra homework if she were to hear that.

Shirou reached his seat, doing his best to not get into the gossip. Although the discussion did no harm, he thought it was safer to avoid being in the center of it. '

Five minutes after the class bell rang the teacher was still nowhere to be seen. Just when the students were starting to get impatient, the classroom door barged open and a familiar figure rushed into the class. "Good morning!" She exclaimed, though one could say she was out of breath. "Did I make it in time?" She looked at the wall clock and drooped with a dejected expression. "I guess not."

"Sensei, we saw you and Waver-sensei fight like a action hero couple today!" Someone exclaimed from the back row.

"Couple?" Someone from the middle row somehow held onto the particular word.

"Oh that's right! A battle couple!" Another voice came from the far right of the classroom. "Waver-sensei and Fujimura-sensei are a battle couple!"

Shirou watched with a bewildered expression as he gave his sister a worried glance. The said teacher was just as surprised while the students continued with their imaginations. But that didn't stay long. The homeroom teacher narrowed her eyebrows. The tiger of Fuyuki unleashed her fury at once with a loud roar. "Hey, you guys! Now don't get too carried away!"

The roar turned the entire class silent, striking fear and discipline in everyone. She placed her hands on her hips and studied the class with a stern expression. Her expression changed into a bright smile. "Well now let's begin the class shall we~" She spoke with the sweetest tone and cheeriest of the expressions. It was as if the wrath showed not a second ago was nothing but an illusion.

Even after years of growing up together, Fuji-nee's spirit was something that surprised Shirou.

At lunch, Shirou found himself by the stairs once again. Although he had no plans to go upstairs, he hoped he could meet someone he knew and inquire about Sajyou Ayaka. He had nothing else to do till the lunch break ended so he simply waited.

Although he had no success meeting someone from the "Advanced courses", Shirou managed to meet someone he knew. "Mitsuzri." He greeted the fellow regular course student from class 2-C.

Mitsuzuri Ayako.

She was the captain of the Archery Club, known for her rather rough personality and unrefined manners. One could say she was a contrast to the elegant Tohsaka Rin.

"Emiya," she greeted with a smile, though there was some amount of seriousness in her tone. "Are the archery club members strangers to you now?" She mocked. "Try to visit us once in a while, at least." She leaned forward and whispered in his ears. "Don't you know she often visits the archery dojo?" With a naughty smile she added. "Tohsaka Rin, I mean."

Shirou felt his face turn red as he stepped back in surprise. "W-What do you mean?" He blurted out in surprise to which Mitsuzuri simply laughed in response. He narrowed his eyebrows at her but remained silent as he lacked a witty reply.

"So, are you waiting for someone out here?" She asked, looking up the stairs. She held her arm instinctively, uneasiness evident in her face. "This place always creeps me out."

"Yeah…" Shirou looked upstairs and couldn't help but agree with her. He couldn't put it in words but every time he was around the stairs, he felt strange vibes from the floor above. In fact, it was something he felt in every student who studied in the "Advanced course".

Shirou didn't know what it was, but it definitely helped keeping the outsiders at bay. Part of him wondered what kind of secrets lie above but whenever his natural curiosity made him want to explore upstairs, a strange and compelling sensation forced him to stay back. It was as if someone put a magic spell on him to stay out.

"It's just a rumor but people think there's something supernatural about the classrooms upstairs." She laughed. "I won't believe in those stories because I have some really close friends up there."

Shirou nodded. There was no way Flat could be something supernatural. Knowing him, he would have said something about it. "Speaking of strange things…" Shirou wasn't aware why he brought up the topic but somehow he wanted to. "What do you think of the masked heroes that have been appearing in the news lately?"

Mitsuzuri seemed in deep thought for a second. "We don't really know if they are really superheroes. For all we know it's just two people trying to make a show. But…they have repeatedly appeared in time to help people out. Not to mention they have their own website. Even if they aren't really superheroes, I am pretty sure they are good people." She raised her eyebrows, as if she recalled something. "Emiya, since we are on the topic have you heard about the Black Rider?"

"Yeah I have heard of it." Shirou remembered the name, but he wasn't aware of any details apart from the fact that they carried a death scythe. "Someone mentioned it before but it is just a story, right?"

"Well it is called a urban legend for a reason," Ayako laughed. "Some claim they've seen it, moving through the streets at a unbelievable speed. The Black Rider randomly attacks people in the city in the dark corners and is known to carry a death scythe. Some even say he's a modern day grim reaper."

"A grim reaper?" Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. "I honestly didn't think about it that way." Shirou decided he was going to spend some time researching on this legend. He wasn't sure about the genuineness of the story but Ayako came from Shinto and had more chance of knowing these things.

"What is it, Emiya?" Ayako asked, folding her arms. "I didn't know things like this interest you."

Shirou blinked for a second before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I tend to research on urban legends from time to time. It's nothing special." He laughed nervously.

Ayako looked at the redhead for a second before laughing. "You are really one special case, Emiya. It's almost time for the lunch bell, I'll see you later." She turned around, giving a small wave. Shirou wondered what she meant but decided not to put much thought into it.

The students of Homurahara walked out of the school, the classes for the day ended. Most of them were excitedly chattering, some were making plans to go out and spend some time in the city while others simply walked home.

Shirou waited at the school playground, it was the usual meeting place for him and his friend. "Shero~!" The said friend appeared just in time, his excitement had not diminished any bit since the morning.

Shirou waved to Flat. "How was your day, Flat-san?"

"It was great," Flat said, twirling around with his bag still in hand. "But Master V punished me again today." He made a pouting expression. "He gave me extra homework to do."

"If it's something I can help with, I'd be glad to." Shirou said, even though he knew Flat would refuse. For some reason even Flat didn't share the details of what they learn in his class.

"Don't worry about it!" He was restless with excitement. "Sheero, please tell me what kind of cool stuff you planned for today!"

Shirou smiled at his enthusiasm for a second. "There's a request from the Portal." Shirou showed his mobile to Flat, who peered at it curiously. The words 'Fuyuki Secret Service Portal' was written on the banner.

Fuyuki Secret Service was a closed forum, containing members recruited over the internet. The secret group served only one purpose, collect requests from people who need help and post it on the forum. Helps that required little to no help were completed by the members anonymously. But if something were beyond everyone's help, it is escalated to 'Mask' level.

Of course, the detailed functioning was something Shirou didn't expect Flat to understand. So, he mostly handled things by himself. "It seems like there is some gang activities going on at the old warehouse. It could be the Purple Faction again. We must stop it at any cost."

The two boys nodded to each other, one with determination and the other with excitement. Their personalities were a mismatch, one was always serious while the other never was. But what they shared was a heart of pure gold.

The strange pair who were naïve in their own ways also happened to be the sensational news in the city: The masked heroes. They were called superheroes but to Shirou's knowledge, neither of them possessed special powers but they had qualities that made them superhuman.

That was why Shirou wanted to know how people felt about the superheroes. But at the same time it wasn't a question that can be openly asked without inviting suspicion. Thankfully the opinion he received from Ayako encouraged him a little. His determination to be a hero only became stronger.

'I want to be a hero of justice, not in name but by deed.' Shirou thought to himself. 'The best way to start about is by helping the people around me.'

The thought was how the Fuyuki Secret Service was born and became his ultimate goal.

The old warehouse was silent, distant from the buzz of the city. The place was in ruins but filled with large containers that hid everything in between. It was a perfect place for people who indulged in illegal dealings without wanting to be detected. No one including the cops ever bothered to even go to such a gloomy place, at least not late in the evening when it was dark.

The two boys stood at the highest point on the stacked containers, hidden out of the view of the group standing between them. "Purple Faction," Shirou muttered as he spotted the same gang that chased Flat earlier in the morning, dressed in outlandish purple clothes with purple scarves. "Just as we were told."

"Do you think they'll be friends with us if we ask them nicely?" Flat asked, looking excited. "They didn't believe me in the morning, maybe they'll if we meet them~"

Shirou looked at his friend with a weak expression. "Flat-san, we're here just to observe and see if anything bad is going and stop. I'm pretty sure they don't want to be friends with us."

"But that's unfair!" Flat complained, looking sad.

Shirou wanted to reply his friend but then something else caught his attention. Amidst the huge gang, Shirou spotted an unexpected presence. Surrounded by burly men, who had obviously brought her against her will was someone, he didn't even imagine seeing.

Shirou couldn't help but mutter the girl's name in surprise.

"Sajyou Ayaka."