Shirou tilted his head. "Mm, this should last us three days, even counting Sister Fujiwara's appetite, which isn't exactly that of a middle-school girl."
Sakura Matou smiled. "Hehe, Brother Shirou is especially popular with the aunties at the shop. They stuffed him with so many freebies."
"That's embarrassing," Shirou said.
"Yo, Amamiya, out shopping?"
The two turned around. A short-haired elementary school girl with brown hair and a fresh, clean look stood there.
"Miyako."
The girl's name was Ayako Miyadera. She attended the same elementary school as Shirou. Though she was a girl, she had a bold, straightforward personality that was in no way inferior to a boy's.
Shirou was the king of the children around Miyama Town, and among his many followers was Ayako Miyadera's younger brother.
Later, for some reason, Shirou ended up catching Ayako Miyadera's attention.
Recently, she had often dragged him along and demanded that they practice martial arts together, saying things like, "Amamiya, you definitely have talent! I never get these things wrong!" Shirou turned her down every time.
Ayako Miyadera looked at the girl hiding behind Shirou and asked curiously, "Is she Amamiya's little sister?"
"No, she's a friend's younger sister."
"A friend's younger sister..."
At those words, the light gradually faded from Sakura Matou's eyes.
Shirou hurriedly added, "She's like a little sister to me. Sakura is."
Ayako Miyadera suddenly understood and muttered under her breath, "She's Tohsaka's... I see. The sisters really don't look alike at all... Ah, my parents are calling me. Amamiya, see you at school."
After saying that, she waved and turned to leave.
The girl came and went as quickly as the wind.
"Sakura, let's head back too."
"Okay, Brother Shirou!"
The two elementary school students walked and chatted along the crowded shopping street.
"We were so lucky to catch the milk sale. Maybe I can make some cake later."
"Brother Shirou, you can even make cake?" Sakura Matou asked in surprise.
Shirou nodded. "Mm. But you still prefer drinking fresh milk straight, don't you, Sakura?"
Sakura Matou drank a cup of milk every morning and evening. For an elementary school student, that was quite remarkable.
"I'd really like to try the cake Brother Shirou makes." Sakura Matou looked a little wistful.
"I'll definitely let you try it when I get the chance."
Shirou studied her expression and asked, "By the way, have you accepted that I moved out of the Matou Family?"
The girl hesitated briefly before speaking. "Since it was a decision Brother Shirou made, I have no right to criticize it. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"Nothing... nothing."
Sakura Matou hurriedly lowered her face as it gradually reddened.
She remembered a sentence she had seen in a book a few days ago: "Distance makes the heart grow fonder."
"Besides, I'll keep coming over to Brother Shirou's place to play!"
Shirou nodded. "If it's Sakura, you're welcome anytime. Please pass those words on to Shinji too."
Hearing that, the girl broke into a bright, adorable smile. "Okay! I'll definitely come bother Brother Shirou often."
Shirou: "..."
It seems she only heard the first half. What about Shinji?
Shirou suddenly felt that Sakura had become much more cheerful lately.
At first, she had seemed like an extremely introverted and silent girl, gloomy and timid, shrinking back whenever she encountered trouble.
But now, Sakura Matou had become both composed and confident. She was so mature that she hardly seemed like a child who had only recently turned seven.
Could simply leaving her parents and sister's protection and coming to a new environment really let her grow this quickly?
Oh well. It wasn't a bad thing, at least.
Just as Shirou was marveling at humanity's powerful capacity for growth—
"Everything I have today is because of Brother Shirou. Brother Shirou was the one who saved me."
Beneath the dazzling sunset, the girl's face took on a beautiful color impossible to distinguish from either a blush or the rosy glow of the evening sky.
Shirou sensed that something was wrong. "...Sakura?"
"If Brother Shirou hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have become. But it would definitely have been terrible, wouldn't it? So..."
Sakura Matou set down her shopping bag and tightened her grip on Shirou's hand.
"Even after leaving the Matou Family, Brother Shirou won't abandon me, right?"
A sharp chill surged up Shirou's back. He nodded stiffly.
"Of course not! How could I ever abandon you? Sakura, we'll always be good frie—"
"Thank goodness."
The gloom vanished from Sakura Matou's face, replaced by a shy smile once more.
"By the way, where's Shinji?"
"Ah, no... I lost my brother!"
They had already walked out of the shopping street before finally realizing that they seemed to have forgotten something.
In the end, they found the lost Shinji Matou at the police booth in the shopping street.
He was crying his eyes out.
"I'm going to prepare dinner now. Just wait in the living room or your room."
"Brother Shirou, do you really not need any help?"
"Mm. Sakura kept me company all day too, so you must be tired. Get some proper rest while you can."
After finally convincing Sakura Matou, Shirou entered the brand-new kitchen and put on a new apron.
Though he felt a little sorry to Sakura, he really wanted to be the first person to use this kitchen.
"—Hah."
Shirou took a deep breath and returned to his usual expression. After washing his hands, he opened the shopping bags he had returned with.
The seasonings, vegetables, meat, and other things he had bought at the shopping street went into the refrigerator if they weren't needed that night.
Organizing the kitchen took about twenty minutes. Then he officially began cooking.
Shirou had already decided what to make for dinner while shopping.
The star of the meal was the fish the Fujimura Group had delivered during the day to celebrate the completion of the new house.
Britain was an island nation just like Japan, so during his travels, fish had been the easiest ingredient to obtain and the one he cooked most often.
Once Shirou started cooking, he became so focused that he forgot the passage of time.
When he looked up again, an hour had already passed.
"Dinner's ready. Sister Fujiwara, stop sleeping."
Shirou placed the dishes he had prepared on the table one after another. The aroma of food instantly filled the spacious living room.
Though they had been mentally prepared, this...
Everyone stared at the sumptuous, luxurious dinner with their mouths hanging open in astonishment.
"Shirou, is there anything you can't do...?"
"It just happens to be something I know how to do."
Shirou removed his apron. "I thought I'd bought all the cookware and seasonings, but after coming back, I realized we were still missing some things... I can do even better tomorrow."
Taiga Fujimura stared at him in shock. "No, no, it's already perfect enough!
"If you make it any better, I, as a woman, really will have nowhere to hide! Ah... Sakura is already about to cry!
"Sakura, it's okay~ Shirou's just not an ordinary child, so you don't have to use him as your standard~"
"What do you mean, 'not ordinary,' Sister Fujiwara?"
Shirou complained, "I haven't cooked in a long time, so I'm a little rusty. Please forgive me if the taste isn't to your liking."
"Rusty... How old are you this year?"
"I turned eight a few days ago."
Shirou answered as though it were obvious and sat down in his place.
Volume One 025 Mixed Bath!?
"Let's eat while the food is still hot."
Everyone swallowed, said a simple "Let's eat," and stopped holding back.
The Fujimura Group's food was basically Japanese-style, while the Matou Family mainly ate Western-style food.
Taking their respective eating habits into account, Shirou had prepared half Japanese and half Western dishes that evening.
Taiga Fujimura first took a sip of miso soup.
As the aroma of the stock entered her nose, a miso flavor to match it spread through her mouth.
"Whoa... It's delicious! So delicious! I haven't had miso soup this good in ages! Shirou!"
Shirou narrowed his eyes in relief. "Thanks for the praise. I'm glad you think so, Sister Fujiwara."
Soon, the Matou siblings gave their own evaluations as well.
"It's way better than what the servants make at home."
Though somewhat impolite, it was practically the highest praise a cook could receive—and it came from Shinji Matou.
"It's really delicious..."
That simple, sincere praise came from Sakura Matou.
After that, the three of them transformed into merciless praise machines.
They devoured the food while praising Shirou's cooking, and the cheerful atmosphere continued until the meal ended.
"I'm full."
"Me too."
"I can't eat another bite."
The dishes placed on the table had been completely wiped out, and all three wore satisfied expressions.
Seeing how happily they ate, Shirou was delighted as well.
Though noisy, it had been an incredibly happy dinner—
Perhaps this was the very reason he had moved here.
After dinner, Shirou was about to wash the dishes and tidy the kitchen, but Sister Fujiwara pushed him back into his seat.
"Leave the rest to us."
Taiga Fujimura smiled. "It's about time I showed off an adult's abilities. I can't keep letting an elementary school student look down on me."
"Okay."
Before you continue