"Hic~~~!"
A chorus of satisfied hiccups echoed around the dining table. Even the usually stoic leader of Night Raid was clutching her stomach contentedly.
Clearly, the meal had surpassed everyone's expectations.
"I never expected Shirou-san to have such incredible culinary skills…"
Tatsumi sprawled back in his chair, wearing an expression of absolute bliss. He'd never eaten anything so delicious in his entire life.
Even Akame, notorious for her bottomless appetite, lay back in her chair just like Tatsumi, staring blankly at the ceiling with a single word written plainly across her face—satisfaction.
Shirou had managed to match Akame's pace of devouring food, something that left every member of Night Raid utterly speechless.
After all, the ingredients in this world were completely different from Shirou's own.
Mine and Akame had watched in astonishment as Shirou went from asking about the ingredients' names to crafting gourmet dishes in no time.
Initially, they'd expected him to fail spectacularly, even considering intervening to stop him. After all, how could someone who didn't even recognize local ingredients possibly cook something edible?
But curiosity—and a desire to see Shirou humbled—led them to allow him to continue.
Yet Shirou had merely glanced at each ingredient, instantly analyzing their internal structures with his Structural Analysis, grasping their characteristics and flavors swiftly.
Thus, in an extraordinarily short time, he produced dishes far surpassing their expectations.
Faced with these novel ingredients, Shirou's chef instincts ignited fiercely. Lost in the joy of creation, he'd unintentionally made far more than he intended.
However——
Shirou approached the dining table, surveying everyone's state, and realized he'd made just the right amount after all.
"Lubbock… shouldn't you hurry to the bookstore and gather intelligence?" Tatsumi weakly reminded him. It was already time to go.
"No rush, no rush… let me—hic!—digest a bit first. If Empire soldiers saw a bookstore owner waddling around stuffed like this, how would I explain it?"
"Bulat, aren't we going to train?" Tatsumi turned weakly toward Bulat next.
"It's unhealthy to exercise vigorously right after eating this much," Bulat said, shaking his head. "We should rest for a while first."
"Akame… aren't you going to practice your swordsmanship?"
"Hic~!"
Only a hiccup answered Tatsumi.
They were all simply too full to move.
"Maybe you're secretly a spy sent by the Empire," Leone teased Shirou feebly, eyes drooping. "You've totally disabled us from carrying out missions today."
She felt sleepy again. At this rate, she'd end up eating and sleeping herself straight into a pig.
"I have a good solution to help you digest faster," Shirou offered.
Unlike everyone else, he hadn't overeaten. Watching his immobilized companions, he decided to help them out.
"What solution? I just want to go back to my room and lie down… but I can't even move—" Mine groaned, struggling to maintain her dignity by sitting upright.
"Follow my rhythm," Shirou instructed calmly. "Breathe out slowly—"
The Breathing Technique had many miraculous effects. It not only strengthened the body, granting power enough to slay demons, but also could slow bleeding, accelerate blood circulation, and quickly heat up the body.
Naturally, it also aided digestion, swiftly converting food into energy.
Guuu! Guuuuu!
A loud grumble suddenly came from Akame's direction.
"I'm hungry again," she said earnestly, patting her now perfectly flat stomach and staring hopefully at Shirou.
Everyone else gaped at Akame in utter disbelief.
They'd just been stuffed beyond capacity. How was her digestion this terrifying?
"You've already mastered it?" Shirou asked, astonished at Akame's quick adaptation.
She nodded seriously, twirling her katana skillfully in a dazzling display. Only Shirou clearly understood what had just happened.
He had shared with them his own Sword Breathing style. Naturally, someone who deeply understood swordsmanship could grasp the breathing technique faster.
Of course, raw talent could also expedite the process.
Akame fit both criteria perfectly. She'd matched Shirou's breathing rhythm almost instinctively, grasping the essence of the technique in mere moments.
"My body feels filled with endless energy!"
"I feel more energized than ever!"
The second and third to master it were Bulat and Najenda, former Imperial generals experienced in prolonged battles who naturally had some grasp of controlling their breathing to maintain peak performance.
However, Najenda lagged slightly behind Bulat due to the mechanical modifications to her body.
The rest, however, continued struggling with the technique, not yet grasping its core principles.
Shirou wasn't particularly surprised. The basics of the Breathing Technique weren't overly complex—those with natural talent or combat experience could master this method to strengthen their bodies relatively quickly.
However, for Teigu users, the technique's boost would generally only offer marginal improvements.
Smack!
Shirou lightly smacked the back of Tatsumi's neck.
"Don't rush yourself!" he reprimanded gently.
Seeing how quickly others had stood up made Tatsumi anxious, disrupting his breathing rhythm completely.
"Shirou," Najenda spoke up suddenly, recalling something important, "I wanted to ask if you possess a replica of Incursio."
She had wondered about this before, but since Shirou hadn't fully recovered earlier, she'd refrained from pressing him.
Still, she remained intensely curious. Genuine Teigu were impossible to replicate. Any attempted duplicates became weaker Shingu, inferior versions incapable of matching original Teigu power.
So where exactly had Shirou obtained his version of Incursio?
"You mean this?"
Suddenly, an identical short sword appeared in Shirou's hand, precisely matching the one Tatsumi held.
"When did he—!?"
Najenda hadn't even noticed Shirou reaching for anything.
"Besides detonating it, can it actually function normally?" Bulat asked curiously. If Shirou truly had a working replica, he would gladly use it. After all, something was far better than nothing.
"[Incursio]!"
Holding the sword before him, Shirou called out clearly. In an instant, the full armor enveloped his body.
The entire dining hall fell dead silent.
Though they'd mentally prepared themselves when Najenda first mentioned it, none of them had actually believed it possible—that someone could successfully duplicate a Teigu.
"If these replicas can be mass-produced…" Najenda murmured softly, already envisioning an entire Revolutionary Army outfitted with copies of Incursio. Even Esdeath herself might fall before an army like that.
Her eyes gleamed, staring at Shirou like a priceless treasure.
Sending him merely to gather intelligence might have been far too hasty. He should've been sent back to Revolutionary Army headquarters to produce weapons instead!