Super Delicious Dinner
"...What?" Shirou was stunned for a moment, feeling like he might have misheard.
Looking at the girl in front of him with long flax-colored hair — sure, she did look like a perfect wife and mother, with the grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko — but wasn't that a bit too big of a generational gap?
"Do you want to come over and be my son?" Minamoto no Raikou repeated with a smile.
Truly a seasoned general, unwavering and direct, her words were clear and without hesitation.
Raikou looked at Shirou with a loving gaze, not pressing him for an answer, simply watching with infinite acceptance. Seeing a talented and pitiable boy made her want to bring him home and raise him — wasn't that just human nature?
"..." Shirou was silent this time.
How was he supposed to respond? Call Raikou "Mom"? Or Asuna "Mom"?
No matter how things went, he was a man with a family.
Hikigaya's mom would cry if she heard about this.
"This level of difficulty right at the start is too much," Da-chan flew out and whispered into Raikou's ear.
"Is that so... then I'll just settle for a head pat for now," Raikou said reluctantly.
As a Lancer, she had strong moral integrity and was just barely restraining her desires.
"Well, just a head pat is fine," Shirou agreed.
"Thank you. Please do consider my earlier offer, okay?" Raikou said as she faded into light, not forgetting to repeat her invitation.
"Ha ha, let's just forget about that," Shirou replied with an awkward laugh.
"Then next time, at the very least, let me give you a lap pillow while I clean your ears," Raikou called out just before disappearing completely.
As the heroic spirit left, the flax-haired girl lowered her head.
"Well, I'll be going home too…" Shirou said, sensing her embarrassment.
Suddenly, the girl reached out with both hands and grabbed Shirou's shoulders tightly.
"Wait! Shirou-kun!"
"Asuna-san?" Shirou looked at her, surprised.
Why was her grip so strong? His bones were practically creaking.
Kinda scary, actually.
"Everything just now was the heroic spirit going out of control, so just pretend you didn't hear any of it. Don't tell anyone, and don't think about it yourself, okay?"
Asuna said with a kind smile — but for some reason, it felt like terrible things might happen if he refused.
"Got it!" Shirou replied immediately.
"Good. Now then, do you want me to help fulfill the heroic spirit's wish?" Asuna let go of him, smiling warmly.
If the heroic spirit was Merlin... was it crossdressing for online scams?
Asuna's eyes lit up. She actually liked cute boys quite a bit!
She began examining Shirou's face. It was quite handsome — no problems there.
His body was clearly well-trained, solid and agile.
His frame wasn't too large, so if they chose loose, slimming clothes, it could easily be hidden.
His features were a little sharp — in a few years, he might become a very striking young man, but for now, makeup could cover that up.
Asuna pictured "Shirouko" in her mind, snapped her fingers — yes, this could work!
Shirou had no idea what the girl was thinking, but he could tell it wasn't anything good. So he declined.
"No need. Merlin and I seem to be highly compatible. Just seeing the memories of my daily life seemed to satisfy him."
Because of the nature of the summoning, the host and the heroic spirit often shared memories.
That's how Shirou learned what Saber was like as a pure and innocent child.
Merlin, too, could see Shirou's past through the connection — though for some reason, it seemed like Merlin was kneeling while watching?
"I see… then, next time…" Asuna said, clearly disappointed.
"There won't be a next time," Shirou answered firmly.
At that moment, the streetlights lit up.
Unknowingly, the sun had set, and the surroundings had grown dark.
Only the last traces of golden light remained in the sky, soon to be replaced by a silvery moon. A lone bird flew across the sky — perhaps separated from its flock — and there was a touch of loneliness in the air.
He had already been summoned at around five in the evening. After the battle, night had nearly fallen.
"It's already dark. I'll walk you near your house," Shirou offered.
"No need. My house is just past that street. Well then, Shirou! See you at school tomorrow!" Asuna waved to him.
"Mm, see you." As Shirou spoke, his body glowed softly and was enveloped by a magic circle.
.
.
.
The sky was now dark.
The clubroom of the Service Club was pitch-black and empty. The only light came from the windows showing the buildings outside. Looking out, the school sports field was deserted — the athletic clubs had all gone home.
He figured the girls had gone home too, since it was already late. Otherwise, their families would be worried.
Shirou stood alone in the empty classroom.
The cool breeze blew in from the window, making the room feel even colder. It wasn't just a physical chill — it was the kind that crept in through the skin, through the pores, into the bones. It wasn't the body that was cold — it was the heart. But people endure that cold and become stronger for it.
At that moment, the classroom door opened behind him.
A black-haired girl entered first, flipping on the light. She looked at him, puzzled. "If you're back, why didn't you turn on the light?"
"Shirou, what are you just standing there for?" Yuigahama asked, holding a bag of something.
"Welcome back, Shirou-senpai," Mash said, following behind.
"Ah... I actually thought you'd all gone home already, so I kind of blanked out. Ahaha," Shirou laughed, coming back to his senses.
Strangely, the moment the girls opened the door, that cold, lonely feeling completely vanished.
A warm current filled his heart, and everything around him seemed brighter.
"How could we just go home and leave you behind like that!" Yuigahama puffed up her cheeks and threw the bag she was holding at his face.
Shirou caught the bag, feeling the residual warmth, and asked curiously, "This is?"
"I thought you were smart — did you hit your head in the fight?" Yukinoshita said with a laugh.
"Hmph! We saw it was getting late and figured if you came back after the battle and had to go hungry, it'd be too pitiful. So we went to the convenience store and bought you a bento. Honestly, we should've just fed it to Sabre instead," Yuigahama said.
"Thanks. Now that you mention it, I really am hungry," Shirou replied, lifting the lid of the bento.
A typical convenience store bento: a large portion of white rice, one meat dish and two vegetables. The meat was fried chicken; the veggies were cabbage and potatoes. Steam was still rising — somehow, it looked incredibly appetizing.
"If you're not gonna eat it, give it back!" Yuigahama reached out to snatch it.
"Of course I'm gonna eat it!" Shirou dodged, turned his back, broke apart the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fried chicken, and popped it in his mouth.
His face immediately lit up with joy, and he started pairing the veggies with rice.
"This... is super delicious! Did some gourmet chef change careers to run a convenience store?"
"You're saying dumb things again. It's just a regular bento from a convenience store. Your own cooking is way better," Yukinoshita said with a smile.
She felt like teasing his silly expression — it was kind of cute.
"Maybe so, but this really tastes amazing!" Shirou said, happily gobbling down more food.
It really was very ordinary — regular cabbage, regular fried chicken, the rice was a bit hard, the meat portion was small, and the vegetables weren't especially fresh. But for some reason, at that moment, it just tasted so good to Shirou.
"Geez, watching you eat like that is making me hungry too," Yuigahama said, swallowing her saliva as she watched.
"Yuigahama, didn't you just have a meat bun?" Yukinoshita reminded her.
"But I split it with Yukino and Mash, right? Hey, why don't we go get bentos like this and eat together before going home?" Yuigahama said hungrily.
"Didn't we agree? Eat the meat bun now and have dinner at home later," Yukinoshita objected.
"Ehh... but it really looks tasty. The chicken's golden and perfectly fried." Yuigahama stared longingly at the piece of chicken Shirou was holding, like a puppy begging for food, her round eyes full of expectation — she was practically drooling.
"I'm not sharing with you," Shirou said with a mischievous grin, turning away and eating even faster.
"So stingy! Just one piece!" Yuigahama pouted, jumping onto his back.
Cough cough cough! Shirou choked as her soft, warm body pressed against him.
"Eat slower, and Yuigahama, stop messing around," Yukinoshita scolded, pulling her down and patting Shirou's back.
"Here, Shirou-senpai, have some tea," Mash quickly offered.
Cough cough... "Thanks," Shirou said, taking the tea and gulping it down, finally clearing his throat.
After that, under Yuigahama's resentful gaze, Shirou finished the bento.
"Thanks for the meal." He raised his teacup and took a sip of green tea, feeling a deep sense of contentment and joy.
Since it was already late, the four of them left the school together. The starlight sprinkled down on the boys and girls, the streetlights laying a carpet on the road ahead, and the gentle wind pushed them along.
"Well, let's talk about the details tomorrow."
"See you then."
"See you, Shirou (senpai)!"
Shirou waved as the girls boarded the subway and left.
As he headed home, he suddenly thought: maybe the reason that bento tasted so good wasn't because of the food itself, but because he had people to share the moment with.