"Should we get one for our house too? Even Grandpa, who forbids keeping pets, has run away from home now~~~"
The calico cat seemed to have long since grown accustomed to human houses. Even when the Matou siblings teased it in every possible way, it remained completely composed and showed no fear of people at all.
Taiga Fujimura licked her lips enviously. "I want to pet it too."
The moment she and Shirou approached, the calico cat suddenly arched its back.
The kitten in Spinosaurus Form glared at them both, let out a loud "Meow!", then nimbly vaulted over the wall and escaped.
"Ahh! Sister Fujimura scared the kitten away!" Shinji Matou shouted anxiously.
"Huh? It was my fault!?" Taiga Fujimura protested innocently.
Shinji declared, "Kittens are highly perceptive creatures. They can tell good from evil! It sensed the evil in your heart! That must be it!"
"S-Sorry..."
Taiga Fujimura lowered her head dejectedly. Could the rumor that tigers are hated by cats really be true?
"Hehe, Sister Fujimura is so careless, isn't she? What do you think... Brother Shirou?"
"The... malice in her heart?"
The red-haired boy quietly watched the direction in which the kitten had fled, his thoughts impossible to read.
Volume One 023: The Cooking King Returns
The Fujimura Group had other business to attend to today, so they took their leave in the afternoon, leaving only Taiga Fujimura behind.
After happily watching television in the living room all afternoon, Shinji Matou and Sakura prepared to head home.
"Then we'll be going now, Shirou."
"Wait."
"What is it?"
Shirou thought for a moment before speaking. "Since this is a rare opportunity, why don't you all stay here for dinner?"
"Oh, are we ordering takeout?"
After Taiga Fujimura asked this, Shirou shook his head. "No. I'll cook."
The three of them: "...?"
At his words, the female middle-schooler and the elementary-school-aged siblings in the living room all wore blank expressions, as though "cooking" were some extremely obscure term.
After a long moment, Sakura Matou finally came to her senses and asked in surprise, "Brother Shirou, you can cook?"
"Of course."
"Not instant noodles?" Shinji asked.
"Only you would consider instant noodles cooking and eat them with such relish," Shirou said disdainfully.
When Shirou had stayed at the Matou Family's house, he had never once entered the kitchen.
He had approached the kitchen a few times, but the Matou Family's servants had assumed he was only there to play, and he had never managed to sneak inside.
So even though he had lived there for several months, the siblings still had no idea that Shirou could cook.
It wasn't exactly something worth bragging about anyway, the red-haired boy thought.
During his time in Britain, cooking had been one of the few things Shirou enjoyed besides training and fighting.
At first, he had been forced to become the team's cook, but he had gradually grown fond of the work.
After returning to Pan-Human History, Shirou had not entered the kitchen for several months, nor had he felt any particular desire to take up cooking again.
Looking back now, perhaps what he had enjoyed was not cooking itself, but the atmosphere when everyone ate together.
Shirou remembered the first time he had cooked...
"So, so delicious! This is the first time I've ever eaten meat this good. It would be worth dying just to have tasted it..."
"That's a bit exaggerated, Morgan."
"Shirou, what kind of meat is this? How can it be so delicious?"
"Just ordinary pork."
"Pork?"
The Savior widened her emerald eyes and stared incredulously at the golden-brown meat on the plate.
Shirou continued explaining. "This dish is called Tonkatsu."
Morgan frowned in confusion. "Why is the pork you fried golden instead of burnt black and impossible to swallow?"
"That's because I coat the pork cutlet in flour before putting it into the oil, then sprinkle it with a thick layer of dried breadcrumbs."
Upon hearing Shirou's method, Morgan looked as astonished as if she had discovered a new continent in the vast ocean beyond the island of Britain.
It was understandable. The Fae world's culinary culture was extremely backward.
Or rather, one could say that fairies had no concept of culture at all.
Agriculture, architecture, scholarship, family, etiquette... Every aspect of Fae society was merely a clumsy imitation of humanity.
Apart from one clan whose purpose was "eating," most fairies could remain young and immortal even if they abstained from food entirely.
They imitated human eating habits simply because fairies thought that "human behavior is beautiful."
In such a twisted world, it was only natural that no culinary culture had developed.
Preparing meat meant putting a large chunk of raw meat over a fire, sprinkling it with salt, and cutting pieces off with a small knife to eat. That was the full extent of their primitive method.
Shirou pulled a book from his pack and continued explaining:
"I found this 'drift item' by the shore a few days ago—a cookbook from Pan-Human History.
"It records cooking methods from various countries. I followed the instructions and tried preparing a dish... Hey, are you listening to me?"
"Hm? What?"
The golden-haired Paradise Fae wolfed down her food without the slightest concern for her ladylike image. Her petite cheeks were stuffed full, making her look like a hamster.
Shirou: "..."
Recently, he had heard some rather unpleasant rumors.
Because of Morgan's fierce temperament, violent behavior, and savage, reckless fighting style, some fairies had taken to calling her the "Demon Boar Clan" in private.
Morgan, the Wild Boar Princess... Pfft.
Shirou had to admit that the image fit her perfectly.
Is this really all right, my Savior?
"I'm finished, Shirou. Give me another bowl!"
"All right, all right, I'll get you some more... Hey! Melusine, what are you doing!? Don't drink the soy sauce straight from the bottle!"
Gah, the soy sauce I worked so hard to brew... Not a single drop is left...
"Shirou's cooking is so delicious... Everyone thinks so too, right?"
After the meal, Her Majesty the Savior suddenly announced that Shirou would henceforth be made a member of the Kitchen Squad and serve as its chief instructor.
"To save the world, please continue perfecting your skills on the path of cooking, Master Shirou."
After "equipment maintenance," there was now "cooking instruction."
Am I carrying too many responsibilities by myself? We're an entire team, aren't we!?
Shirou naturally lodged a stern objection and strongly protested. He even sought Morgan out in private to ask why she had done this, only to receive the following answer:
"Because... I just want to rely on you more."
Shirou returned from his distant memories, rose, and went to the kitchen to check what supplies needed to be purchased.
After writing down the items in his notebook, he headed toward the entrance.
"I'm going to the shopping district to buy some ingredients and the kitchen supplies we're missing."
"Ah... Brother Shirou, I'll come with you."
Sakura Matou hurried after him.
"Shirou! Wait for me! I'm coming too!"
Shinji Matou ran over as well.
Sakura: "Tsk... Big Brother really didn't need to come."
Shinji: "Why not?"
Shirou walked past the affectionate siblings and called toward the living room, "Sister Fujiwara, please watch the house while we're gone."
"Be careful on the way, and come back early. Don't go off with any strange uncles again, okay?"
The utterly irresponsible guardian, Taiga Fujimura, watched a variety show on television while eating potato chips as though none of this concerned her, occasionally bursting into loud laughter.
Only after everyone had left did she finally realize what was happening.
"Huh... Shirou really intends to cook dinner himself tonight?"
Whether it was Taiga Fujimura or the Matou siblings, although they all trusted Shirou deeply, they still had their doubts about his ability to cook.
Even if Shirou was clearly an extraordinary child, even if calling him a genius would not have been an exaggeration, still...
Wasn't expecting him to cook asking a little too much?
"All right. It's time to show the resolve of an adult."
With a tragic expression, Taiga Fujimura made her decision.
No matter what kind of dark cuisine Shirou produced, she would praise it against her conscience by saying, "Delicious, delicious," and then force the whole thing into her stomach.
Volume One 024: Sakura's Changes
Shirou brought the Matou siblings to the commercial street in Miyama Town.
Every time he passed through this place, Shirou would marvel at the convenience of modern civilization.
Although the fairies' Britain had developed for over ten thousand years, commerce remained extremely primitive.
Whenever Shirou and Morgan arrived in a town, purchasing supplies alone would take several days.
In Pan-Human History, everything could be handled in a single day at most.
"Brother Shirou, let's go."
"Oh, right... Where's Shinji?"
When he turned around, he found that the familiar seaweed head had vanished.
Sakura Matou said, "He was probably drawn away by the toy store. Let's do our own shopping and call him when we're leaving."
"Are you sure?" Shirou asked, somewhat worried.
"Yes." The girl's tone was firm.
In the end, at Sakura Matou's insistence, the two of them ended up alone together.
Two hours later, Shirou and Sakura Matou walked out of the last shop, their hands full of shopping bags.
"We bought so many things, Brother Shirou."
Before you continue