Food and Sex Are Human Nature (New Book—All Support Welcome!)

Seeing the fried dumplings and side dishes in Shinji's lunchbox, Isshin looked somewhat surprised.

"That's rare. Fried dumplings in a lunchbox?"

"Don't talk to me. The two of us thoroughly cut ties just now." As he spoke, Shinji thumped his chest as if he were choking. "Isshin, tea, please. Hurry!"

Beside them, Shirou, who was leisurely eating his lunch, could not help remarking, "Didn't you just say you were cutting ties with Isshin?"

After taking the tea Isshin handed him with a helpless look, Shinji tilted back half the cup in one gulp. "The time spent pouring tea doesn't count."

"You, honestly..." Shirou sighed helplessly. This friend he had known since middle school had not changed one bit after all these years.

"Besides, put yourself in my shoes, Emiya! Wouldn't you be angry? If a club you founded were suppressed by your friend to this extent, wouldn't you be angry? It'd be one thing if he didn't help, but he keeps suppressing it!"

"You can only blame yourself for bringing contraband, can't you?"

"Fine, I admit that I brought those magazines and games to school, but we didn't bring those adults-only comics to school!"

"Huh? You didn't?" Shirou asked in surprise.

"That's right." Shinji mumbled as he ate. "Our anime club drew those ourselves. They count as part of our activities and achievements."

"Isn't that even worse?" Shirou's eye twitched as cold sweat ran down his face. "It feels like Isshin already went easy on you—one could even say he abused his position for personal reasons. If the teachers found out about something like that, the punishment definitely wouldn't be minor. You could even be suspended."

"Don't worry, Emiya." Shinji set down his chopsticks, folded his arms, and chuckled. "The place I hid them is somewhere the teachers would never find."

"But..." Shirou said, looking toward Isshin, who was calmly holding his teacup nearby. "Someone more familiar with your habits found them?"

"Tch!" Shinji curled his lip and muttered quietly, "Next time I visit the temple, I should just secretly replace all the sutras with dirty magazines."

"If you did that, you probably wouldn't see anyone before graduation."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked, confused.

"Wouldn't it take a long time to recover after the monks beat every bone in your body to a fracture?" Shirou answered honestly.

"If some mishap should befall you, this humble monk shall chant sutras for you all night, wishing only for your rebirth in the Pure Land."

With that, Isshin closed his eyes, raised a hand, and quietly recited a Buddhist chant. "Excellent, excellent."

"I'll help too," Shirou said, imitating him by raising a hand and reciting a Buddhist chant.

"...Are you two really my friends?"

Only after a moment did Shinji expressionlessly retort.

"Matou, may I have one of your fried dumplings? For some reason, your dumplings have stirred this humble monk's appetite."

Isshin suddenly said this.

"Me too. After seeing those fried dumplings, I suddenly feel like having some for some reason."

Shirou spoke as well.

"Sure. I can't finish them alone anyway." Shinji casually held out his lunchbox to the two of them. "But cold fried dumplings always feel a little lacking. That crisp crunch, and the mouthful of piping-hot, meat-scented broth bursting out when you bite into one—it's completely gone..."

Listening to Shinji's words and imagining it just a little, both Shirou and Isshin could not help swallowing.

"For some reason, hearing Shinji say that makes me want freshly made fried dumplings even more."

"Yes, this humble monk as well." Isshin picked up a dumpling and muttered, "It seems this humble monk's cultivation is still far too lacking."

"What does that have to do with lacking cultivation?" Shinji waved a hand. "Didn't the ancients say that food and sex are human nature? It means that liking beautiful things is innate to humanity. In other words, material and sensory pleasures are both human nature. No amount of cultivation can change your essence as a human. The ultimate purpose of cultivation is merely to restrain excessive desire and reach a state like that of a gentleman who appreciates beauty without indulging in lust. It isn't about eradicating desire, Isshin."

"Indeed. This humble monk has learned much."

"Shinji, you're good at Chinese Cuisine, aren't you?" Shirou asked.

"I'm decent."

"The recipe for those soup-filled fried dumplings you mentioned—please teach me!" Shirou pressed his palms together and bowed his head.

As Shirou left the student council room with Isshin and Shinji, he said, "Thanks, Shinji. Tonight, I can try making these fried dumplings that differ from the usual kind. Fuji-nee should be happy to get to eat something new too."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shirou noticed something. Looking over, he discovered that Shinji had stopped, frowning as he stared with disgust at a female student who had just passed the student council room door.

When Isshin saw the girl, he too wore the disgusted expression of someone seeing a plague god.

The girl was Tohsaka Rin, the untouchable flower in the hearts of nearly every boy at Hohzuki High School.

Shirou did not really know why his two friends disliked this perfect young lady. He had heard a little about the feud between Shinji and Rin—apparently, Shinji confessed to her in middle school and got beaten up.

As for Isshin, it seemed he had attended the same middle school as this perfect young lady. Shirou knew nothing else.

"Oh my, Student Council President, Matou, you'll be late if you don't hurry."

At her voice, Shinji clicked his tongue, curled his lip, and turned his face away.

Isshin said, "There's no need for a vixen like you to remind us of that!"

"Ah, is that so? Goodbye, then."

Before leaving, Rin's peripheral gaze lightly swept over Shirou, who stood behind the two of them.

Before they knew it, dusk had arrived after school.

On her way home alone after class, the model student Tohsaka Rin was suddenly drawn in by an enticing aroma of food drifting through the air, stopping at an intersection.

Only when she turned to look did she realize it was coming from the Chinese Cuisine restaurant nearest to her in the shopping street beside her, its entrance crowded with students.

It was Rin's first time seeing that Chinese Cuisine restaurant doing such booming business. Usually, it was always deserted, despite its excellent location as the restaurant closest to the school.

Grrr...

"What a wonderful smell..." Rin murmured, rubbing her stomach. Before she knew it, the thought of simply having dinner here had sprung into her mind.

But before Rin could take a step, she instantly snapped out of it.

No, I can't!

Seriously considering the efficiency of waiting for food with so many customers and the value for money, Rin ultimately decided to abandon the fleeting thought that had crossed her mind.

Quietly committing the day's special written in chalk on the board outside the Chinese restaurant—Soup Dumplings—to memory so she could make them herself once she got home, Rin was just about to turn around when she saw Shinji squeezing out of the restaurant.

And as Shinji pushed his way out, he saw Rin standing some distance away.

"Where's Sakura?"

Rin asked, keeping two meters away from Shinji.

"She went home early to prepare dinner." Shinji, carrying two bags of food, answered casually. "I did tell her I'd buy fried dumplings, but she said fried dumplings alone didn't count as dinner."

"I see."

"By the way, do you want some?" Shinji raised the food bags in his hand. "I only realized after buying them that I got too much."

"Huh?" Rin froze.