Chapter 47: Interview at Chaldea
At that moment, the boy's Mystic Eyes were active.
He watched as Shuten-Douji used the same gourd she had previously used to poison the giant dragon to pour him a full bowl of sake.
For this demon girl who, in life, was beheaded for drinking poisoned wine, and who in death turned that wine gourd into a Noble Phantasm under her complete control—it took only a single thought.
The moment the boy's lips touched the sake, she could turn the exquisite brew into deadly poison.
Yet, regarding the boy's caution, Shuten felt no displeasure.
On the contrary, if he had been some defenseless, naive little cutie with zero wariness, she might've whimsically pulled out a skull to soak in her liquor right then and there.
To Shuten-Douji, nothing else mattered.
She had invited him to drink, and he accepted—that alone made her happy. Getting drunk together, fighting each other, engaging in skinship, deceiving one another—didn't that all have its own unique flavor?
Shirou extended his hand holding the sake bowl toward the girl.
Shuten-Douji gave a seductive smile and extended her own fair, jade-like, smooth hand.
Their arms intertwined firmly. Both of them lowered their heads, and their lips met the rim of the bowl.
A human boy. A demon girl. They drew close, gazing into each other's eyes, and within those eyes—saw reflections of themselves.
Shirou opened his mouth and downed the sake in one gulp.
The fruit liquor scorched him the moment it touched his lips, transforming into a fiery stream that surged down his throat, through his esophagus, and into his stomach.
It felt as though his tongue had been gently sliced with a knife. After that first intense burn, a warm aroma seemed to escape from his nostrils with his breath.
With his Mystic Eyes, Shirou already knew: there was no actual poison.
But the sudden heat was extreme—like a prank-level spiciness.
Despite having mentally prepared himself, tears still welled up in his eyes from the shock. Enduring the sharp heat, Shirou finished the drink in one gulp, wiped his tears, and managed not to embarrass himself.
He maintained the pose of linking cups with Shuten-Douji, then turned the sake bowl upside-down to show that not a single drop remained.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful! Looking more closely now, Onii-sama really is a rare sight—a handsome man whose looks and character match. I think I've started to fall for you, Danna. Next time, please drink with me again," Shuten-Douji said with seductive charm in her eyes, her lips curving into a teasing smile, her wish now fulfilled.
"Komachi isn't even 18 yet. Minors shouldn't be drinking," Shirou refused firmly.
Though by the standard of being twenty, he too was technically underage—but if you counted his previous life, it hardly mattered anymore.
"Is that so? But once I've taken a liking to something, I won't let go that easily. Look forward to it." Shuten smiled as she dissolved into a glow of light and returned to Chaldea.
Komachi, now back to her normal self, seemed quite pleased with Shirou's performance.
"Onii-chan! You were so cool just now! The way you flew right in to save me—awesome!" Komachi exclaimed happily. But then, changing her tone, she stared sternly at Shirou. "But you kept something this dangerous from me and went off fighting huge monsters like that again—too mean!"
"You're still a prospective student, right? Even if you have potential, I couldn't drag you into something like this," Shirou replied matter-of-factly.
"Ugh… That may be true…" Komachi pouted in frustration. She knew he had a point, but she just couldn't accept it.
"Alright, leave the rest to me. For now, focus on your entrance exams. Once you're admitted to the International Academy, I won't hide anything from you anymore—about anything," Shirou said as he gently patted her head.
"In that case… I guess, given how well you handled things just now, I'll let it slide." Komachi turned her face away while being patted. She recalled the scene of the shared sake cup and felt her face burning up, like she had a fever.
"Heh, thank you for your magnanimity, Lady Komachi," Shirou chuckled.
"Well then, Hikigaya Komachi is off to school!" Komachi saluted in a mock-formal tone.
"Mm, do your best." Shirou waved and encouraged his little sister.
"Oh right! Onii-chan! You looked super cool with red hair! Keep that look! You were starting to look like some sleazy playboy that was about to get stabbed with a kitchen knife.
But now you seem way more dependable and safe—and cooler!" Komachi shouted as she ran toward school.
"Seriously?" Shirou froze for a second.
Ever since he frequently summoned and possessed Merlin for battles, he'd somehow started casually chatting with girls both in and out of class.
Naturally, he'd gotten close to many of them.
His FGO friends list was nearly full, and aside from Saika and a few online friends from the game group… it was almost entirely girls…
Now that he thought about it—considering what usually happens to Merlin—yeah, it didn't bode well.
Just as Shirou was about to call out to his sister and ask what she meant, he suddenly vanished into a glow of light—this particular summoning being unusual.
The battle was over, and he automatically returned to his origin point.
He didn't even have time to speak before his body became particles of light and reappeared in the Kyudo (archery) clubroom where he'd originally been.
It was still morning, and only Mash was inside.
"Welcome back, Senpai." Mash greeted him with a smile.
"I'm back, Mash." Shirou looked at Mash and Da-chan and said seriously: "We need to act quickly. We absolutely have to find that corrupted Servant!"
Though he hadn't shown it outwardly, this time, Shirou was genuinely angry.
If Perseus was only coming after him, then fine—bring it on.
But now that he'd sent monsters to attack this world and even targeted Shirou's family—that crossed the line. Even a halfway decent thug with a shred of honor wouldn't stoop that low.
Clearly, that was no longer a Heroic Spirit—just a monster consumed by hatred.
And he would be the one to cut it down. At this point, Shirou possessed the strength to face that Servant head-on.
Earlier, Da-chan had taken the liberty of operating the system to summon Shirou through Merlin's medium, transporting him to Chaldea as a spirit form.
The environment here matched exactly what he had seen through his Mystic Eyes—filled with all sorts of high-tech machinery.
Da Vinci led a group of Chaldea staff to welcome Shirou. Whether employees or other Heroic Spirits, they all greeted his arrival with great enthusiasm.
Despite Chaldea's vast scale, there were surprisingly few staff and Servants around at the moment.
Saber was nowhere to be seen either—only a few familiar faces were present.
Ironically, it was him, now sporting black hair, who had changed the most.
Perhaps because of the different summoning medium, many of these Heroic Spirits didn't recognize him.
Just then, a tall woman with long lavender-pink hair across from him nodded politely in greeting.
"He really does look a lot like Emiya," commented Staff Member B, sizing Shirou up.
"We've heard so much about you, boy from another world. You've got talent. Want to help us make a meal today?" Red Saber approached, warmly grabbing his hand. Behind her, many staff and Servants looked on with eager anticipation.
It was true that several Heroic Spirits were decent at cooking—but only after losing him had they realized how precious he'd been.
Someone who quietly managed all daily necessities like food, laundry, and living—a true Domestic Skills EX—really was the most indispensable presence in Chaldea.
"…Hah." Shirou looked at the chubby staff member in speechless disbelief. So this was why they'd all been so welcoming—they just wanted him to cook!
He suddenly felt like, after graduation, he wouldn't have to worry about employment at all.
If he didn't want to become a full-time archer or go into weapon crafting, he could always consider becoming Chaldea's resident chef.