But everyone wore expressions that said they understood, utterly refusing to listen to any explanation.
"I told you it wasn't like that!" Erina shouted angrily.
Yet the looks they gave her were all filled with indulgent affection.
After the awards ceremony ended, Shirou walked down from the podium with the fuming girl and headed toward a secluded corner.
"Hey, Young Lady, I won this time, right?" Shirou asked with a smile.
That was what he said, but seeing that smug grin on his face still made her furious! She wanted to knead that irritating face like dough, bake it into bread, and eat it!
After making her lose face, he still dared to wear such a devious smile! He had to be plotting something bad! Was he trying to make her do something even more embarrassing? But as the queen of the Nakiri family, she could not go back on her word.
Erina braced herself, stomped her foot with a flushed face, and huffed, "Yeah! You won, okay?! What do you want me to do? Just say it!"
"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm the villain here? Anyway, can you tell me what's going on with the Servant possessing you?" Shirou asked.
Servants All Had Different Desires
"Well, since I lost... I can tell you if you beg me to," Erina said as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. Though unwilling, she would still honor their agreement.
So Erina told Shirou about how she had been reading manga while playing a game and accidentally summoned Tomoe Gozen.
"Wait? How could you play a game while reading manga?" Shirou asked in confusion.
"Of course I can. Otherwise, how boring would the game be? Aside from when I'm preparing food, which requires my full attention, with FGO, I only seriously watch when I'm going through the story. Don't people usually play while doing other things?" Erina said as if it were obvious.
"Huh? Is that so?" Shirou asked doubtfully.
"There's nothing wrong with that. The FGO system was created so people would come to like Servants. Servants are beings similar to gods. The more faith and admiration they receive from people, the stronger their own power becomes," Xiao Da's voice came from the phone.
Shirou took out his phone, and a tiny black-haired little person appeared on the screen.
"Ah, it's that little fairy we met before." Erina recognized Xiao Da.
"Hello, Young Lady Erina." Xiao Da waved in greeting.
"So you knew about this all along. Why didn't you tell us?" Shirou asked Xiao Da.
"Because after the previous battle, the world's restrictions on Mystery have loosened, making it easier for people to summon Servants. The FGO system is like a simplified summoning circle, providing a channel for people to communicate with Servants they are fated to meet.
"This time, Young Lady Erina was exceptionally gifted and summoned Tomoe Gozen on her own. Servants each have their own goals, so I couldn't force her to help us fight," Xiao Da said.
"So there are Servants who get summoned but don't want to fight?" Shirou asked.
"Not every Servant is battle-crazed. Rather, if they could fulfill their wishes without fighting, most peace-loving Servants would choose that method," Xiao Da explained.
Tomoe Gozen had not been summoned when Erina was in danger. She had come to this world of her own accord in order to learn cooking. So as long as Young Lady Erina did not ask her to do that, she would not take the initiative to fight.
"I'm very satisfied with things as they are. I can solve any trouble I encounter myself without causing problems for anyone else. But I need to focus on practicing my cooking, so I don't plan on going with you to defeat any Monsters. Of course, if they appear in front of me, I wouldn't mind wiping them all out," Erina said as she played with the certificate in her hand. She was the queen who would one day sit at the very top of the culinary world; there was no need for her to take so-called Monsters seriously.
"Mm, I understand. Since this is a decision you made of your own will, I'll choose to support you." Shirou nodded at the girl. Rather than dragging more people into dangerous battles, he truly hoped more people could find happiness.
"What... what?! Why are you suddenly saying something like that?" Erina was at a loss when Shirou looked at her like that and said those words. She turned her head away, her cheeks reddening. What is with this guy? How can he casually say something so embarrassing? Support me?
Then that smile from earlier, the one he had worn after defeating her, surfaced in her mind again. That victor's pose was still infuriating! And that vague, indescribable feeling buzzed around her like a bee, making her heart itch. The strange sensation left her restless.
"Who needs your support?! That's enough, isn't it?! I'm going back! Let me make this clear first, I won't give up so easily. Next time, I'll definitely beat you and make you compete with me in cooking!" Erina pointed at Shirou and shouted before turning to run away.
"The cooking contest you mentioned... once you get into International High School, we could borrow the school kitchen and each make a dish for the other to taste," Shirou said.
"Really?! Got it! Then we'll compete once I'm back at school!" Erina's eyes lit up, and she quickly ran back.
"No, you haven't even confirmed that you'll be admitted to our school yet, have you?" Shirou asked.
"That's a trivial matter. One phone call and the principal will let me enroll. Come on, let's compete! Or should we just go to school right now?" Erina grabbed Shirou's arm eagerly.
"No, there's still the tournament's awards ceremony tomorrow," Shirou said helplessly as the suddenly excited girl refused to let go.
"Hey! Erina-chan, Brother, what are you doing?"
"Shirou!"
At that moment, Komachi and Yuihama came running over while waving. Yukino, Asuna, and Mash followed close behind.
"Huh? Erina-chan, are you already this close with Brother? Is a duel really the best catalyst for improving the relationship between two people?" Komachi asked in surprise. She had not expected this proud Young Lady to open her heart to Brother in less than two hours.
"That's not it! I just asked him to compete with me in cooking." Erina hurriedly withdrew her hand and retorted.
Well done, Brother. Komachi secretly gave him a thumbs-up. This practically counted as a win already, right?
"Komachi, introduce us to each other. This is the girl in the cap who competed with Shirou earlier, right? Is she your friend?" Yuihama asked curiously.
"Sure! Erina-chan, let me introduce you. These are all senpai from International High School." Komachi introduced the girls one by one.
"Yukino-senpai, Yuihama-senpai, Yukino Yukinoshita-senpai, hello. I'm Nakiri Erina. Please take care of me." Erina gave a slight bow in greeting. She saw herself as an aristocrat, and though she was proud, she was not rude. In fact, she valued basic social etiquette more than ordinary people did. Naturally, one particularly irritating Youth was an exception.
"And this is Mash-senpai, a first-year high school student this year! She's a member of the Kyudo Club just like Brother." Komachi walked over to Mash and said.
"Hello, Mash-senpai." Erina bowed.
"Senpai... Mash-senpai..." Mash's face reddened slightly. For some reason, she felt as though she were floating.
Among all the things Mash had experienced in her life, only the blissful feeling from the New Year's first dream she had during the 2018 New Year could compare to this. In that dream, she had played with Gudako-senpai, thrown a frisbee for her senpai to fetch, and rubbed her senpai's belly. That bliss had been beyond the heavens.
"Wait, why are you so polite to everyone else? I'm your senpai too, at least technically," Shirou reminded the blonde girl.
"Hmph! If you want me to respect you, wait until you beat me in cooking first!" Erina snorted and turned her head away.
"What an unlikeable junior. As expected, Mash is a much better junior... right?" Shirou looked toward the pink-haired girl.
At that moment, Mash was still immersed in her wonderful dream.
Image: "Mash's Dream", location: "Images/1523621855-100062415-101824358.jpg"
The Tokyo Trip Came to an End
"I still need to take the trophy over to Teacher, so I'll be going first." Shirou slung the bow equipment stored in its case onto his back and headed for the meeting point.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was sitting on a bench in the smoking area near the meeting point, boredly holding a cigarette in her mouth while playing a game.
"You're the supervising teacher, right? Is it really okay for you to slack off here?" Shirou remarked.
"It's fine, it's fine. You're the only one from our school still competing anyway, Shirou. Teacher has one hundred percent confidence in you," Shizuka Hiratsuka said carelessly as she stubbed out her cigarette and tossed it into the trash.
"Here. This should let you wrap things up, right?" Shirou said as he handed the trophy he had won to Teacher.
"Ooh! I got the Holy Grail! But is it really okay to give it to me?" Shizuka Hiratsuka took the trophy and smiled happily.
"Mm. I don't have room in my bedroom to display something like that anyway," Shirou said unconcernedly.
"Thanks, Shirou! Now I can get the school to reimburse the money I spent on that bow! I love you!" Shizuka Hiratsuka hugged the trophy and rubbed against it, wearing a blissful smile.
"Come to think of it, with your family background, Teacher, you shouldn't care about that little bit of money, should you?" Shirou asked doubtfully.
Shizuka Hiratsuka wagged a finger at him. "Shirou, you really don't understand. Houses and cars can come from my family. That's how parents show affection for their daughter, and it's also a kind of entrustment after they've achieved their own value in life. As their daughter, I should simply accept it.
"But once you're an adult, living expenses, gas money, and entertainment costs should all be earned through your own brains or labor. That's the foundation of an independent and healthy lifestyle!"
"I see." Shirou's opinion of this teacher improved somewhat. So she had actually put some thought into how she wanted to live.
"Besides, if I still couldn't support myself at this age, being forced to go on blind dates would be the least of my worries. I might be stuffed into some politician's household and made into a miserable daughter-in-law," Shizuka Hiratsuka said with a gloomy expression.
"Ahaha..." Shirou gave a dry laugh. Her life did not seem easy either.
Come to think of it, Teacher Hiratsuka really was a little like Sister Fuji. Sister Fuji had also grown into a good person under the loving but not indulgent upbringing of the Fujimura family's Grandpa. She was a little scatterbrained and overly energetic, but that was probably a good thing.
Shizuka Hiratsuka clenched her fist and said passionately, "And the money for rolling the gacha has to be earned by yourself! That way, when you pull a Servant you like, the joy is doubled!"
This person really was beyond saving. She should go tell Mash those things instead.
"Is that so... Well then, goodbye. I'm heading back first." Shirou left the suddenly fervent teacher behind and walked away.
After that, Shirou met up with the girls. He accompanied them around the area for a while before seeing them off at the station.
On the third morning, the awards ceremony concluded smoothly. That afternoon, Shirou boarded the chartered bus with the Kyudo Club and set off back for Chiba. The Tokyo trip had come to an end.
What Shirou did not know was that someone had recorded his archery duel with Erina and uploaded it to a popular video site with scrolling comments.
In the video, the Youth was like a treasured sword sheathed in its scabbard, revealing his sharpness only at the instant he released an arrow. The girl, meanwhile, was as blazing as fire, displaying a brutal and iron-blooded beauty that let many people who had never encountered a compound bow experience the coolness and appeal of archery.
When the video showed their faces, people discovered that the two leads were also a handsome boy and a beautiful girl. It surpassed one million views overnight, becoming a widely discussed topic and sparking a wave of people taking up archery.
Meanwhile, someone from the event organizers called the principal of International High School and lavishly praised Shirou.
"Principal Qin, you truly teach your students well. Shirou-kun from your school was absolutely outstanding at this tournament! The event received such a tremendous response thanks in large part to your school's participation."
"Ahaha, you flatter me. I merely often teach my students not to be arrogant and to conscientiously do every small task in front of them."
"...Please make sure your school participates in the next event as well."
"...Of course, of course."
Principal Qin was in high spirits, his face glowing as he laughingly hung up the phone. He had not expected an archery competition to receive such a great response. This added another accomplishment to his record as principal of Huameng International Branch School.
"Oh, right. Such an outstanding student absolutely has to take part in the exchange program this winter break. I'll have Teacher Hiratsuka do some work on that later," the principal muttered.
Shirou slept on the chartered bus. By the time he woke up, the bus had already brought them back to school. Since it was Sunday, the Kyudo Club members who had participated in the competition got off, returned their equipment, said goodbye to one another, and went home.
The moment Shirou opened the front door and entered the house, Komachi greeted him with a smile, holding a brightly printed flyer in her hand.
"Brother! This one! For Komachi's celebration, I choose for you to take me to this festival!" Komachi said, holding the flyer up in front of him.
Shirou looked at it carefully. A fireworks festival was going to be held nearby, on Wednesday evening next week.
"Oh, sure. Are you inviting your friends too, or will it just be you and me?" Shirou asked.
Komachi covered her face in disappointment and let out a long sigh. "Brother... why can't you ever get it? At a time like this, naturally we need to invite more friends for it to be lively!"
"Then why not just invite your friends?" Shirou asked in confusion.
"Komachi is broad-minded, and she'll definitely become even more broad-minded in the future. But even for Brother's sake, it's best not to have more than five people. So for Komachi's sake, Brother, go invite your closest senpai. And! Absolutely don't invite any boys! Here!" Komachi reminded him.
"Oh..." Shirou accepted the fireworks festival flyer from Komachi as if it were an official assignment. He did not quite understand, but all he had to do was invite everyone over, right?
"As a gift to celebrate Komachi's enrollment, aside from a delicious and lavish dinner and a carefully prepared present, all Komachi needs is to see Brother's happiness. Ah! Komachi's score is so high right now!" Komachi said as she fell into blissful self-adoration.
"You've already asked for plenty with dinner and a gift," Shirou remarked.
The Peerless Genius Swordsman
By Monday afternoon, Shirou made an appearance at the Kyudo Club before heading to the Service Club. The girls had already gathered there.
"Hehe, Shirou, look at this!" Yuihama ran over smiling and pulled out a flyer printed with fireworks against a dark night sky.
"Ah, I was just about to bring that up." Seeing the design on it, Shirou took an identical flyer out of his schoolbag.
"Then it's decided that we're going! Yukino, Asuna, you can come too, right?" Yuihama asked happily.
"If you're all going, then I'll go too." Yukino spoke softly while reading her book.
"Sure. Fireworks in winter have their own special charm." Asuna agreed with a smile.
"Mash, you'll come with us too, right?" Yuihama asked the pink-haired junior.
"Yes, I'd like to go too." Mash nodded. Recalling her past experiences in Chaldea, she murmured, "A festival... Come to think of it, Gudako-senpai once told Jack, Jeanne d'Arc Lily, and the other little girls that she would take them goldfish scooping."
"That's great! Then we'll all walk around the festival and watch the fireworks together!" Yuihama raised her hand high and shouted with a cheerful smile.
In recent years, this winter fireworks festival had become an annual tradition in Chiba. After nightfall, fireworks would be lit and launched from a bridge connected to the park by the water. There would be at least several thousand of them, lasting for half an hour. By then, the sky and water would both be enveloped in ever-changing, colorful light.
People who came to watch the fireworks usually arrived near the park shortly after five in the afternoon, seeking high ground with a good view and securing a spot. Then they would wait for the fireworks festival to begin, and after the fireworks ended, families would find somewhere to have dinner.
And if anyone worried about getting hungry, that was not a problem. Whenever there was an event like this, nearby shops had already applied to set up stalls selling all kinds of snacks and sweets. The area would become as lively as a festival.
After school on Wednesday afternoon, Shirou and the girls first went home to change out of their uniforms, then met at the agreed location.
Afterward, they went together to the waterfront park where the fireworks could be viewed. Since it was a winter night and they were beside a bridge, everyone had changed into thick, warm coats or down jackets.
Yukino Yukinoshita wore a white down jacket that complemented her long, jet-black, pearl-like hair perfectly. At that moment, she walked shoulder to shoulder with Shirou toward the front.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want any?" Yuihama called from ahead, holding oden in one hand and a meat bun in the other.
"Yeah! Brother! It's rare to have so much delicious food. You can eat as much as you want all at once!" Komachi had a candied hawthorn stick in her mouth and a paper-wrapped sweet potato in her hand.
Asuna and Mash, who had been pulled along by her to buy food and had failed to resist temptation, were now each happily eating yakisoba and takoyaki respectively.
Before you continue