If Shirou could be given a chance to come again, he absolutely would not participate in this so-called King of Big Eaters challenge.
Putting aside the waste of time, there's also the risk of getting cut by the woodcutter's knife.
'Be a man, author. I just wanted to eat a meal in peace.'
Things are as they are now; he chose this path, and even if his teeth break he must walk it through.
Facing the looks from the crowd that were like a spear of curses from Dog Bro, Shirou felt panic inside like a racehorse, but his face remained as steady as an old dog.
Same old line: what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.
[Eagle Eye: C+]
After the opening, they came and sat down at the seat in front of their own number card.
Once the soft feeling wrapped around his arm faded, Shirou's expression finally relaxed considerably.
He glanced sideways at Merlin disguised as Mary; the white-haired pretty girl looked back with a grin.
"Hello, I am Mary. Although I'm a cute girl, I prefer being called Big Sister Mary, okay?"
"Cheaters deserve to be torn limb from limb," Shirou blurted out abruptly.
Merlin's seats were one row apart from theirs.
Because they entered first, next to them were Nero and Mash.
"Hehe," Merlin heard that and pretended to be cute, sticking out her tongue and smiling awkwardly, "How could Big Sister Mary cheat… haha… ahahaha…"
Under Shirou's sharp stare, he gradually broke into a sweat.
Even the ahoge king's face slowly turned suspicious.
"…ahem! ahem!", Seimu pretended to cough twice, trying to ease the atmosphere.
However, that wasn't necessary.
Host Mengbao-chan's sticky, enthusiastic voice nearly overturned the entire atrium of 71 International Plaza.
["Unbelievable… unbelievable, it's… it's two pretty girls!"]
Her voice was high-pitched to the point of approaching dolphin tones.
That zeal on her face was like seeing the god of her faith.
["What a delightful surprise within a delightful surprise. If it's Emiya Shirou and Artoria, I hope they get married right here and never part."]
["Then Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and Mash Kyrielight are faith itself!"]
The host's voice swelled, ["Yes, like worshippers seeking gods, believers revering Buddha, those fallen to desire wallowing in decadence;"]
She passionately begged, ["Please, you two must stay together forever, I beg you!"]
"LONG LIVE PRETTY GIRLS!"
Voices, male and female, cut through the sky.
"Mm hm," Nero walked out with her head high and chest proud, showing off her elegant dance step without shame.
Being tightly held by Nero made Mash's social death complete.
Her face gray, she muttered to herself, "No, it's not like that, you misunderstood, I don't have that orientation, my orientation is Emiya-ku—"
Narrator: Mash's "ku—" seemed to inadvertently reveal something explosive.
When the two took their seats, it marked the official opening of the couples challenge.
The numbering wasn't in order; it was random.
Their group was number 12, Nero and Mash were 7.
Merlin's group was 5, the rest were random participants.
After the host Mengbao returned from her usual frenzy, she went back to normal. She cheerfully called out, ["After a long wait, our Two-Person Couples King of Big Eaters Challenge officially begins! Before that, contestants will have a five-minute appetizer segment."]
["The reason this isn't scored is to reduce awkwardness between couples, so they can relax and devote themselves to the contest."]
As the host spoke, the staff on both sides of the dining table had already begun to move.
They placed gift boxes that had been prepared in front of each couple.
The gift boxes were exquisitely small, containing little chocolates.
Artoria's eyes lit up when she saw them.
["I believe the contestants can see the heart-shaped chocolates inside the gift boxes."]
Mengbao-chan puffed her cheeks like cat paws, ["For this segment, contestants must feed each other with their eyes closed. That is, couples must accurately deliver the chocolate in their hands into the other's mouth."]
["Although it's not scored, it's quite a test of mutual coordination. By the way, the higher the display of intimacy, the better the judges' impression; the better the impression, the more helpful it will be for subsequent scoring, so please—"]
["Eh? Eh!!"]
Mengbao-chan was stunned, ["Couple number one is making out already?"]
Under everyone's gaze, the couple seated at number one didn't hesitate: they put chocolate in their mouths and swapped them.
'Come on, you two must be planted!'
Despite it being a relaxation segment, Shirou became more and more stiff.
A chill kept rising in his chest, like walking along a cliff edge. One misstep and you fall into an abyss.
["I see, that also counts as mutual feeding, and the level of intimacy is undeniable."]
Nero considered seriously, eyes glittering. Covering her eyes to peek at Mash's flushed face, Mash panicked and shouted, "NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Just the thought of doing that in public, especially with a girl, made heat surge to her head.
Her whole body felt like a steaming locomotive.
With three minutes left, Artoria withdrew her gaze.
Rarely at a loss, she looked troubled, "I… do we have to do that too, Shirou?"
Not out of shyness, but because in front of so many people it felt inappropriate. Well, to put it plainly, there was a bit of embarrassment.
Artoria seeking Shirou's opinion like this made him feel that if he said "if pursuing victory and such," she certainly wouldn't refuse.
'That… would be real hell, countless knives."
So Shirou chose.
"We won't do it like that, Saber."
Shirou said seriously, "Just close your eyes and feed the food into each other's mouth."
"I understand."
Artoria squeezed her snowy little hands hard.
Because it was her first time experiencing this, there was an indescribable strange feeling.
A little sour.
She picked up the heart-shaped chocolate, and after less than a second of eye contact she averted her eyes and bowed her head, "Then… let's begin, Shirou."
"Saber, be ready to receive."
Shirou's heart pounded so fast it felt like it might break out of his chest.
This wasn't simple nervousness.
It was fear.
From every direction, they could feel a terrifying stare like needles on their backs and a fishbone stuck in their throats.
Retract what was said earlier.
Anything with the slightest slip would plummet into the abyss.
It wasn't just a cliff, this was an abyss with no return.
"Mm."
The girl's soft and obedient voice answered, and Shirou hurriedly closed his eyes after picking up the chocolate, wanting to end this torment as soon as possible.
As for whether he'd place it in the wrong spot, intuition is a tricky thing.
And Shirou, laughably, didn't dare touch anywhere else.
The sound of chewing "crunch crunch" was drowned out by the crowd's shouts.
The chocolate was a rounded heart shape.
At this moment, whether Shirou or the ahoge king, they couldn't avoid touching each other's fingers.
Especially Shirou, who felt those soft lips, and a touch near the corner of his own mouth.
'No, I mustn't think about it.'
'System, come out and save me!'
Black A went online, coldly and mercilessly pulling his hand back.
Just as Artoria was about to open her eyes thinking it was over, she heard System Shirou say flatly, "Don't move for a moment."
"Hmm?"
Artoria, puzzled, felt her lips grazed by a thumb, which then gently brushed them.
"!!!"
Shirou, who had canceled hosting, spoke in a normal tone, "There… are some chocolate crumbs."
"Is… is that so…", The next second, Artoria, who had opened her eyes, bowed her head.
The ahoge bobbed.
There shouldn't have been pink bubbles, but a pink filter appeared everywhere.
Shirou, looking for the system to save him, typed a question mark: ?
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