55 Komachi's Entrance Exam
The last glow of sunset painted the approaching night with a different brilliance. In the residential area, every household had already turned on their lights.
Tonight, the Hikigaya family was unusually lively, a sharp contrast to their usual quietness.
Mr. and Mrs. Hikigaya had left work early today and returned home.
Mr. Hikigaya drove out to buy bags of groceries and drinks, while Mrs. Hikigaya was busy in the kitchen preparing various exquisite and delicious dishes with her son Shirou.
All of this was for Komachi. Tomorrow marked the first day of her entrance exam. Admission to the international high school was very strict, so the whole family was quite nervous.
The first dish served was a red carp and black bean soup, with fiery red scales and fragrant black beans, along with red dates—symbols of good fortune and the idiom "fish leaping over the dragon gate."
Next came stir-fried spinach and shredded carrots with minced meat, rich in carotene and vitamins to help combat fatigue.
Finally, there was chicken stewed with mushrooms—fragrant but not overly greasy.
"Tomorrow morning, she should have multigrain porridge. Rice provides basic energy, and beans are rich in protein and easy to digest," Shirou was already discussing with his mother what dishes to prepare for tomorrow.
"That sounds good, but what about lunch?" Mrs. Hikigaya asked.
"She probably won't have much of an appetite during the exam. The school should arrange for them to eat in the cafeteria. Otherwise, maybe pack some rice balls or bread for her to take?" Shirou suggested.
"No need to make it so complicated! Even if she doesn't eat in the cafeteria, Komachi will go eat ramen with her knowledgeable friends!" Komachi said.
"Is that so? Take care of yourself then. Don't kick off your blankets and catch a cold tonight," Mrs. Hikigaya said worriedly.
"I know, I know! Mom, you've said that three times already. Let's just eat the chicken," Komachi said as she eagerly kept adding chicken to her mother's bowl.
"Parents worry by nature, just like you get nervous about exams. There's no way to control it. I wish you could get a special admission like Shirou did," Mr. Hikigaya, who had come home early for once, poured himself a full glass of beer and drank heartily, laughing.
Time flies so fast. The baby who once lay in a cradle is now taking high school entrance exams. Before you know it, she might be getting married. Thinking of that made his heart ache, so he decided to drink through the night.
"If the school admitted students with culinary skills, Komachi would have a chance to apply," Shirou said.
After all, Komachi was taught by him personally and could rival professional chefs outside. Unfortunately, the international high school had no such plan.
Those competitive cooking contests that ignite everyone's passion were probably only found in anime chef schools.
"What?! Brother, Komachi will get in on her own merits! All these days of hard work aren't wasted!" Komachi said, feeling underestimated and dissatisfied.
"Yeah, the late-night snacks I made won't be wasted either. Keep it up," Shirou smiled. He wasn't worried at all. He had seen his sister's efforts firsthand. Although she was usually a bit careless, Komachi was a kid who could achieve her goals if she worked hard.
"Mm-hmm, brother's snacks are super tasty," Komachi said with a smile showing her little tiger teeth, then winked repeatedly at Shirou.
"Alright, alright, when the results come out, I'll throw you a celebration party," Shirou said with a helpless smile.
"That's great! I want a big feast then, not just nutritious meals like now," Komachi reminded, though the current dinner was already very tasty.
"Sure, how about Roman-style grilled meat with an exotic retro flair? Recently, I met a Roman who's a great eater and learned the recipe from him," Shirou said.
"Rome? Nero? I want to meet her too!" Komachi's eyes lit up.
Shirou shook his head. "No, not 'Nero' he's a guy."
Why do people always associate Rome and Red Saber with "Nero"? Caesar, the son of the goddess and lifelong dictator, should be way more famous.
"Eh… that guy? Well, if he loses some weight, then maybe," Komachi said.
"What?! A guy?! Dad would never allow that!" Mr. Hikigaya stood up and said.
"Dad… you've only had half a bottle of beer. Don't say silly drunk things," Komachi said, annoyed.
"Alright, enough messing around, dear. Komachi has an exam tomorrow, so eat your dinner, study a bit, and get some rest early," Mrs. Hikigaya said firmly.
Mr. Hikigaya immediately quieted down, drinking his beer silently.
Shirou sat on the side drinking soup, thinking that occasional family quarrels like this were actually quite nice.
Early the next morning, Shirou sent his sister to school. Komachi went to the classroom for exam candidates, while Shirou headed toward the archery club.
He wanted to use his key to open the door but noticed it was slightly ajar.
Pushing it open, he saw the familiar pink-haired girl inside. S
he was now dressed in a black and white kyūdō uniform, aiming at the target. Five arrows were stuck in the target—three in the bullseye, two a bit off.
The pink-haired girl focused deeply, drew her bow fully, and the arrow flew through the air, landing just under the character "target" in the bullseye.
"Almost… just missed a little," Shirou said regretfully.
"Good morning, Shirou-senpai," Mash greeted with a smile, lowering her bow upon hearing his voice.
It had been almost four months since the girl joined the archery club.
She started by learning the ceremonial shooting, and now she was shooting properly.
Her progress was fast, but she was still a bit lacking if she wanted to compete.
In precision sports like basketball, golf, or archery, even beginners can sometimes hit the target perfectly, and enthusiasts with a good feel can score multiple times consecutively.
But at the professional level, the key to victory is not how many times you hit the bullseye when your form is good, but how well you can score steadily when your form is off.
For example, in archery, shooting six arrows with five bullseyes and one miss might score 50 points; but six slightly off shots scoring 9 points each totals 54 points.
Professionals must be steady and reliable, maintaining their performance under pressure without missing or scoring low. The girl was still unstable in this regard.
If it weren't for her body and her unstable connection with the heroic spirit Galahad, she could perform much better.
Since her resurrection, her abilities as a servant had mostly faded, her magical circuits had rusted and were mostly closed.
Without using the Holy Grail in the phone's FGO system, she couldn't transform, so she was practically an ordinary person.
Shirou felt a bit sorry for the pink-haired girl who put her heart and soul into everything.
But considering she was enjoying school life, classes, and club activities, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.