Mashiro Meets Her Master

"Mashiro, get up, breakfast is ready! There's a pineapple bun you like," Artoria said.

"Hmm... pineapple bun..." Mashiro peeked out from under the covers, revealing her fair shoulders.

"How can you sleep like this?" Artoria had been taking care of Mashiro for a while, but she still couldn't understand it. She was wearing pajamas when she went to sleep, but when she woke up in the morning, she was only wearing her panties.

"Come on, change your clothes and wash up." Artoria found the clothes she had taken off, picked them up, and handed them to the girl.

"I understand..." Mashiro took the clothes, first slipped one hand under the strap of the camisole, put it on in front of her, helped adjust it to a comfortable position with her hand, then reached behind her to fasten it, and then slowly put on the rest of the clothes.

When the two girls came downstairs together, Komachi was already in the kitchen helping to serve breakfast on the table. The pineapple buns were baked to a golden brown, with each dark yellow square slightly raised.

There's also fried toast with ham and eggs. Since Artoria likes things to smell good, instead of using a toaster, she pours some sesame oil into a frying pan and fries the toast until it's slightly browned. Eating it with the ham and eggs is very satisfying.

A salad made up of several kinds of vegetables, with the tender green leaves and red cherry tomatoes looking very appealing, paired with your favorite drink such as coffee, milk, milk tea, or oatmeal with milk, makes for a decent nutritious breakfast.

When Mom and Dad got home, they all ate breakfast together.

The golden-yellow pineapple bun has a flaky crust that's been carefully slit with a knife before being coated with egg wash, creating a pineapple-like surface. The sweet pineapple bun is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, bursting with rich flavor with every bite.

"Shirou's bread..." Mashiro squinted her eyes happily as she bit into the pineapple bun. There are two kinds of pineapple buns in this world: one is the super delicious pineapple bun made by Shirou, and the other is just a delicious pineapple bun.

The people around her smiled indulgently at the child and shared the pineapple buns on their plates with the girl.

"Here, have some more." The mother handed the plate to the girl.

"Mashiro, you can have Komachi's share too," Komachi said.

"Thank you." Mashiro continued to nibble on her bread, accepting the bread from the plate without ceremony. As for pineapple buns, she could eat as much as she wanted, no matter how much, until she was stuffed.

"By the way, brother, do you have any plans for today?" Komachi drank a glass of milk, took another step closer to the perfectly proportioned JK (high school girl), and then, with a humble puff of her chest, looked at the boy and asked.

"Yes, I received a notification from Teacher Hiratsuka. Exchange students need to attend a debriefing meeting at the school at 2 PM this afternoon," Shirou said.

"Can I go out with Komachi this morning? It's rare for Ria- nee and Mashiro to go on a date together~! A date!" Komachi winked at the boy, hinting, 'I'll drag Mashiro away, you two can enjoy your time together!'

"That's right, Shirou, why don't you take Artoria and Mashiro somewhere to have some fun?" the father said, looking at the newspaper.

"Yes, since you've settled in our house, you're practically family now. So I'll give you two pocket money. Buy whatever you want." Mom said, taking out her wallet and pulling out two large bills.

"Mom, you need to prepare Komachi's share too," Komachi said sweetly.

"Alright, you'll get your share. You never miss out on any benefit, you're truly my daughter," Mom said with a smile, looking at Komachi.

"Hehe, thank you, Mom~!" Komachi replied with a smile, then looked towards her brother.

"Of course, Komachi will use all the Komachi Points she's accumulated to ask for the best gift as a thank you present," Komachi winked her left eye and then her right eye at her brother, hinting with a grin.

Shirou immediately turned his head away, indicating that he hadn't inherited the skill of communicating with blinks, assuming his sister's eyes were itchy. He then turned to his mother and honestly replied, "Yes, it's a holiday, so I need to take them to Chiba and Tokyo to travel around. But not today, I'm going to buy some things."

"Ah, you mentioned last night that Mashiro likes Baumkuchen and that you wanted to buy a large oven," Mom said, remembering.

"Artoria, Mashiro, are you coming with us? There are quite a few things we need to buy, right?" Shirou asked.

"Hmm." Artoria nodded. She had only brought one Mashiro with her, keeping everything simple. Although she could create magical costumes, Mashiro still needed some loungewear and other essential daily necessities.

Moreover... for tonight, it seems necessary for her to buy a box of balloon-shaped chewing gum; now that she has a real body, safety measures must be taken.

Mashiro saw Artoria nod and nodded in return, thinking to herself, 'Wherever Ria goes, I will go!'

The three of them then reached a consensus: their target would be a large shopping mall or supermarket nearby.

"Don't stay out too late, and come home for dinner tonight," Mom reminded her.

"Really!" Komachi puffed out her cheeks, realizing that all her blinking had been in vain. "I want to go too!"

They took Artoria and Mashiro for a walk around the area, and Komachi followed along. They also went to the mall to buy one of those large ovens.

A boy who looked like the boy next door pushed a shopping cart into the supermarket. He seemed quite friendly at first, but when people saw that he was followed by three pretty girls, they all looked indignant.

Products like these should ideally be bought from a well-known electronics market, like Huaqiangbei. If you know the ropes, you can buy a broken phone at the lowest price, then take out the usable parts, assemble them with parts from another phone, and a perfectly refurbished phone is born.

Of course, if you can even make the parts yourself, it can be even cheaper, but now is not the time to talk about that. Mashiro is looking at him with expectant eyes.

So now we prioritize efficiency, so we just contact the nearest supermarket and have them deliver directly to our door.

Shirou went straight to the brand store, picked out a nice oven, and bought it.

"Then please sign your address here," the salesperson said, handing over the form.

Shirou took the pen and wrote down his home address and phone number.

"Okay, this oven will be delivered to your home before noon today," the salesperson said with a smile.

"Thank you for your patronage. Here's a complimentary gift for you." The woman at the cashier smiled and handed over a small bag.

Shirou looked at the free gift he had received—a small bag of chocolate milk candy—and then glanced at the girls around him.

"... I don't need it," Artoria decisively refused. It's not a hamburger or fried chicken; humans need high-calorie meat and bread. Candy? What's so delicious about that?

"No need." Mashiro shook her head as well. Eating too much sugar can cause cavities; bread and cake are better.

"Hmph!" Komachi snorted and turned her head away, thinking to herself: 'You think I'll forgive you with candy like this? Komachi isn't that easy to get away with! It has to be pure chocolate!'

Shirou had no choice but to stuff the bag of candy into his pocket and walk outside with the girls.

Then everyone went to the game lobby here.

There happened to be a lion plush toy inside the claw machine, Artoria stopped in her tracks as she passed by it.

The three girls silently looked at the boy.

Shirou silently took out his wallet and pulled out all the coins inside.

"Oops, it fell again!"

This was the tenth attempt. The three girls took turns trying, but the less skilled ones always managed to loosen the clamps just when the doll was in a good position, and then fail to hold it properly once the clamps were stable.

"How about I think of a way?" Shirou's eyes gleamed with the light of Magic Eye. If necessary, he could enhance and modify the clips inside the glass so that they wouldn't fall off once they touched a plush toy.

"No, at this moment, all that's needed is a financial offensive!" Artoria said, pulling out the large bill she had received from her mother. As a queen, she didn't need to forcefully change her opponent's mind; all she needed was the strength to achieve her goal.

The tricks of claw machines are actually very obvious. They only hold on within a set number of tries; otherwise, even if you win perfectly, it's a trap. Knowing full well there's a catch, knowing full well that the plush toys you win this way could easily buy a whole new one, you're essentially just playing around with the money you'd spend on a regular claw machine.

However, it is precisely this type of game that has remained popular for so long, and some people have even developed superb skills in it. By simply setting up a few of these machines in high-traffic areas, one can make a fortune.

Even in shops in remote urban villages, these machines are used to pick up cigarettes or other prizes. People can exchange a certain amount of money from a pack of cigarettes for the same amount of money they want to win. As a result, some people go to these machines to exchange hundreds of coins and play for hours. At night, long queues may form to play there.

Some people were thrilled to see others win prizes like the Yellow Crane Tower 1916, the Panda in a metal box, or the Phoebe diamond, while others spent tens of yuan to win only a white box of Red Plum blossoms and complained bitterly.

Claw machines are gambling machines that manipulate people's minds. In an era where apple machines and coin pusher machines have faded from the market, only the 777 machines in casinos and Pachinko can surpass them.

In the end Artoria held a lion plush toy in one hand and a small bag of snacks in the other, while Mashiro next to her held a similar cat plush toy without a mane. The two women intertwined their arms and hugged each other, as close as sisters.

After winning the plush toy, the girls went on to buy clothes and various ingredients, and then walked out of the mall satisfied.

Shirou couldn't escape his fate of accompanying girls shopping, carrying bags and packages as he followed behind.

"Hey, Komachi, if you don't catch up soon, I'm going to leave you behind!" Shirou called out, turning around to look at Komachi, who was slow to follow.

"Oh... I'll be right there." Standing at the back, Komachi's expression of shock had not yet faded. She stared at Artoria's back with an unusual gaze.

Komachi's feelings were complicated at this moment, as if something that had been with her all her life was suddenly about to be marked by someone else and tainted with someone else's scent.

Although her brother was distracted and couldn't see it, Komachi definitely and clearly saw Artoria's every move!

This person is serious! Seriously wants to sleep with my brother! They've only been here for less than a day, and they've already done it, and right in front of their sister-in-law!

Komachi glanced at the boy, temporarily setting aside her inner conflict, and began to ponder the important question: should she choose to support him? Support him? Or support him?!

'Sister Ria... no! Maybe tomorrow we can skip the name and just call her "older sister," who knows!'

Chapter 206 Mashiro pays respects to her master

The teenagers left the mall and headed home.

Just then, her phone rang. Mashiro looked down at her pocket, took out her phone, paused for a moment when she saw the caller ID, and then, with a concerned look in her usually calm eyes, pressed the answer button.

A grown woman's voice came from inside, saying something that cheered the girl up.

"Hello, this is an editor from the manga department of Houbunsha. Are you Shiina Mashiro?"

"Yes, I'm Mashiro, hello."

"If you have time this afternoon, could you please come over and meet me...?"

"OK..."

"..."

"I understand, goodbye."

"Shirou, I'd like to meet with Eriri- sensei to discuss the manga." Mashiro said to the boy after hanging up the phone.

"Now?" Shirou asked, looking at the large bags he was carrying.

"I'm going to meet with the manga editor this afternoon." Mashiro nodded, her eyes sparkling with expectation and fighting spirit. This was her first stop in Japan, the birthplace of manga, and she needed guidance from an experienced person.

"Alright then, but I need to go home first to drop off my things, then I'll take you there." Shirou thought for a moment and readily agreed. It was still early; even if he went home, they would still have time.

"Well then, Artoria, Komachi, let's hurry up and go. But we'll have to keep lunch simple today."

The girls looked over nervously when they heard that it concerned lunch.

"No need for all that trouble! Leave these things to us," Komachi said, raising her hand.

"That's right! I can take these things back myself. Shirou, you can take Mashiro over there now!" Artoria agreed.

"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you. With Artoria here, I feel at ease." Shirou handed the two large bags to the blonde girl.

"Okay, Shirou, I'll be waiting for you at home, so remember to come back and cook." Artoria took the food and said very seriously.

"Oh, I'll leave it to Komachi." Komachi smiled, revealing her little fangs, and agreed. She hadn't had a decent meal cooked by her brother for three weeks, and this was the most important lunch of all—how could she possibly miss it!

So Komachi and Artoria took care of putting the things back at home, while Shirou went to the Sawamura family's villa Mashiro the way.

As soon as he rang the doorbell, the person inside, having just seen Shirou's face through the security camera, immediately opened the door.

A young woman with black hair in twin ponytails, dressed in an elegant kimono, walked out of the door and greeted them with a happy smile.

"Oh, Shirou, you're finally back home! You've finally come to see me." The woman who spoke looked remarkably like Eriri, except for the color of her eyes.

"Good morning, Sayuri- san. This is just a small gift, nothing special." Shirou handed her a box of FGO series steamed buns that he had bought on the way.

This is a flagship product of TYPE-MOON Company, featuring steamed buns made with chibi-style portraits of popular FGO characters. They are perfect for home snacks or as gifts.

Among them are the white-skinned, red bean paste-filled Ushiwakamaru- head, the purple taro-flavored Rider-head, the yellow Gil corn flour-based head, and the lotus seed paste-filled Nero- head. Of course, the best-selling item is the seven-colored Saber-head, which comes in a box with a variety of fillings.

"Oh, Shirou, how thoughtful of you!" Sayuri, dressed in an elegant Sayuri, rolled up her sleeves, extended her fair hand to accept the steamed bun, and said with a smile. A polite and respectful child is always welcome, and Shirou is handsome too; Sayuri couldn't be happier.

Mashiro watched Mashiro as the lady who came out of the villa greeted Shirou very familiarly and chatted with him.

"Come in quickly, and who is this child?" Only then did Sayuri notice the quiet girl behind her.

"This is Mashiro, a friend Britain Eriri." Shirou stepped aside, gesturing with one hand in front of Mashiro as he introduced her.

"Hello, I am Shiina Mashiro, and I am Eriri's disciple." Mashiro bowed respectfully.

"Oh, disciple? Mashiro -chan, right? Anyway, come in." Sayuri looked at the girl with some surprise.

"I told you! Stop calling me 'Master' outside!!" A furious shout came from the walkie-talkie from the blonde girl with twin ponytails; she had been eavesdropping inside.

"Eriri- sensei? Good morning." Mashiro paused for a moment, then bowed and greeted the camera on the walkie-talkie.

"Hurry up... come in... stop talking..." Eriri cried out, both embarrassed and annoyed, yet helpless.

"Alright, alright, come in." Sayuri smiled and led Mashiro inside.

Eriri, her twin tails swaying, ran forward, grabbed Mashiro's hand, and led her inside. She only turned back to grin at Shirou, as she was about to give her disciple a re-education on common sense as a master and didn't have time to pay attention to the boy.

Eriri pointed a finger at the girl and said, "Listen carefully, Mashiro, never mention in public that I'm your teacher, especially not about me being Eri Kashiwagi!"

"Huh?" Mashiro tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Isn't Master the Master?"

"No! The problem is, those paintings of people without clothes... we can't let anyone know about them, can we?!" Eriri said, blushing.

"Hmm?" Mashiro still didn't understand. Since she was little, her teachers had taught her that to master the basics, she needed to observe and practice a lot. If she didn't observe and practice drawing the human body, she wouldn't be able to draw figures well.

"Waaaaah! Why can't you understand?! Translator! I need a translator who's fluent in Mashiro language!" Eriri screamed in frustration, clutching her head.

At this moment, Sayuri smiled warmly and waved to Shirou, inviting him to come closer. Mrs. Sayuri held onto Shirou's clothes with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, laughing as she spoke.

"Oh, right, Shirou, listen to me, listen to me! My Eriri, ever since she went back to Britain, she's been helping to clean the house when she got home! Not her own room, but the living room and the bathroom!"

"You've really grown up. It seems that boarding school life is indeed very beneficial for one's development," Shirou replied with a pleased smile.

So the two of them started exchanging ideas on effective ways to discipline unruly children.