Kariya and Shirou

After seeing Wang Xiaoming's reaction, Mr. Ba gave him a meaningful smile, then headed into the kitchen behind the counter.

Watching Mr. Ba disappear into the kitchen, Wang Xiaoming let out a quiet breath of relief.

But he'd clearly forgotten something—

"Boss..."

Wang Xiaoming's voice was tinged with reproach as he looked at the dish Mr. Ba had just set down in front of him.

"What is it, sir?"

Mr. Ba stood by the table, smiling pleasantly.

"Could you explain... this dish to me?"

"Is there a problem with it? This dish is the absolute specialty of my restaurant."

Mr. Ba put on a suitably "confused" expression as he asked.

"..."

Mr. Ba wasn't lying. The dish now on the table in front of Wang Xiaoming and Medea was the specialty of this place, [Red Continent Banquet Year Pavilion—Taishan]—

Mapo tofu.

Honestly, in Wang Xiaoming's eyes, the dish was a feast for the senses. Its vivid red color, the sauce steaming as if it were still boiling, and the gleaming white tofu seemed as though they might shine at any moment. It was a visual assault that left customers' mouths watering before they even realized it.

Even more remarkably, judging by the aroma alone, anyone unfamiliar with the dish would never guess just how... intense it was!

But if Medea tried it...

Weren't you afraid she'd tear your restaurant apart? Wang Xiaoming grumbled inwardly.

"It looks pretty good."

Medea seemed intrigued by the visually striking mapo tofu. She picked up the spoon on the table and reached for the dish in the middle.

"..."

Wang Xiaoming could only watch in trepidation as Medea lifted the tofu to her mouth.

It seemed like an eternity, yet also like no time at all.

The outburst he'd imagined never came. Instead...

As soon as the tofu entered her mouth, a blush spread across Medea's pale cheeks, all the way to the tips of her ears.

Then—

"Uuugh..."

A whimper escaped Medea, and her blue-green eyes welled with tears.

She... she was crying!?

He'd imagined Medea getting angry, even flying into a rage, but Wang Xiaoming had never expected this reaction.

He'd admit that not stopping her earlier had been a little prank on his part, but... but the expression on Medea's face was so cute it was downright unfair!

Seeing her struggle to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes, Wang Xiaoming's mind ground to a halt.

"Spicy..."

Medea's quiet murmur snapped him out of it. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes and faintly nasal voice, Wang Xiaoming began frantically searching for water.

"Ahem..."

A cough from beside him caught Wang Xiaoming's attention. Mr. Ba "happened" to offer him a glass of water.

Wang Xiaoming stood and took it from Mr. Ba. Without thinking about anything else, he felt the side of the glass to check the temperature, then handed it over. Watching Medea sip carefully, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew—"

After setting down the glass, Medea let out a long breath. The tip of her tongue still seemed to burn, and though her eyes and lips remained red, the worst of it had passed.

"Are you all right?"

Wang Xiaoming asked Medea cautiously.

"It tastes good. It's just a little more pungent than the potions I brew."

Medea shook her head, then gave her verdict on the mapo tofu.

"..."

Wang Xiaoming looked at the red dish on the table, still steaming as if it were whispering demonic things, and swallowed involuntarily. He couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying the potions Medea brewed must be...

"Come to think of it..."

Medea remembered Wang Xiaoming's sneaky look earlier. He must have known what the dish tasted like and probably wanted to see her make a fool of herself.

She was about to turn and confront him when she suddenly realized how close they were.

Wasn't this a little too close?

Afraid Medea might choke, Wang Xiaoming had instinctively sat beside her. Feeling his presence next to her, Medea's cheeks—which had already flushed from the spice—turned an even deeper red.

Wang Xiaoming had been waiting for her to continue, but when his gaze fell on Medea's blushing face, his heart suddenly began to race.

Her blue hair was smooth as satin, her nose was shapely, and her cheeks were bright red, apparently from embarrassment. This side of Medea, so unlike her usual self, held an irresistible allure for Wang Xiaoming.

A sudden flutter stirred in Wang Xiaoming's heart. Thinking back over the various situations he'd faced in his twenty-odd years of life, he couldn't recall ever feeling such a powerful rush of emotion.

There was no denying it: Wang Xiaoming liked Medea.

She was beautiful and intelligent. Though she sometimes acted stubborn, deep down she was quite kind to others. What man wouldn't be attracted to a woman like that?

But what about him?

He was just an ordinary person whose luck came and went.

Faced with such a stark contrast, an inferiority complex had steadily taken root in Wang Xiaoming's heart. That was why he'd never found the courage to pursue the lovely figure beside him.

Last night's "The moon is beautiful" had been something he'd blurted out to break the awkwardness, but even so, he hadn't been entirely free of the urge to confess his feelings.

He didn't know whether Medea had understood, but it seemed... maybe he'd gotten a little something in return.

Seeing her own flushed reflection in Wang Xiaoming's eyes, even the witch of the Age of Gods, who had weathered many storms, found it hard to bear.

She instinctively looked away, conceding defeat in their battle of gazes.

"Xiaoming, how's the food today?"

Mr. Ba's hearty voice broke the slightly intimate atmosphere between Medea and Wang Xiaoming.

"Boss, this is way too spicy. I brought a lady with me today."

Now that the mood had been broken, Wang Xiaoming felt a little disappointed, but couldn't help complaining to Mr. Ba.

"Huh? Didn't I say there were more dishes coming that would suit a lady's taste?"

Mr. Ba looked "astonished."

"...You didn't."

Thinking carefully back over what had happened, Wang Xiaoming looked at Mr. Ba and said with certainty.

"Oh, then I forgot."

Mr. Ba casually brushed the matter aside after hearing Wang Xiaoming's reply.

"..."

"But honestly, who serves someone just one dish? You really underestimate me."

Mr. Ba showed no remorse. Instead, he turned around and scolded Wang Xiaoming.

"So... it's my fault, then?"

Medea, no longer as flustered as before, was happy to watch her Master make a fool of himself.

"Who else could it be?"

Mr. Ba stared wide-eyed at Wang Xiaoming and asked:

"Like the saying goes, 'Haste makes waste.' Did you skip all your language lessons?"

"..."

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Wang Xiaoming felt like Mr. Ba's words had a double meaning. Still, he had indeed been much more impulsive than before.

Come to think of it, he had practically no experience with this sort of thing.

Wang Xiaoming glanced at Medea beside him. She had more or less regained her usual composure, and he suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

There was a long road ahead.

Sorry for the late update.

Writing this sweet stuff... I keep choking on it myself, Orz.

Kariya and Shirou

The Matou Clan

Back then, its first patriarch, Zolgen Makiri, had moved the family from Eastern Europe to Fuyuki, a small town in Japan's Far East, in pursuit of his dream.

Unlike the homunculi of the Einzbern Family, who made no secret of themselves, Zolgen Makiri changed his surname to the given name Zouken to blend in, while his given name, Makiri, evolved into the surname Matou. Even the architectural style of his residence shifted away from its former style and toward the Japanese one.

Although the Old Worm was long dead, the Matou Residence was one of the few things he'd left behind that could be considered an inheritance.

The warm sun of early winter made it hard not to feel lazy.

In the courtyard of the Matou House, Matou Kariya was sitting in the sun with Shirou and Sakura.

"I'm so full. It's been ages since I've eaten like that..."

Shirou sat beside Kariya, looking satisfied.

Seeing Shirou's expression, Kariya chuckled and ruffled his hair. "From the sound of that, did your uncle not feed you?"

"Why does everyone like ruffling my hair?"

Shirou pulled away from Kariya's hand and complained, covering his hair with both hands. Still, he answered Kariya's question. "No, it's just that my uncle and I didn't have anywhere stable to stay before, so we didn't get to eat properly."

"By the way, Shirou, how did you meet Xiaoming?"

Kariya had suddenly grown curious about Wang Xiaoming's story, and Sakura also looked at Shirou with interest. But when he saw how pale Shirou had gone, Kariya realized he might have asked the wrong question.

"Uh... if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

"It's all right..."

Shirou shook his head, his mood turning somber. Only at times like this could you tell that the boy had plenty of worries of his own. He took a deep breath, then gave Kariya and Sakura a wide smile.

"My uncle saved me."

And so—

From the moment Ryunosuke captured him, to meeting his uncle in his darkest moment, and then, by a twist of fate, summoning Teacher Medea...

Shirou recounted the events of the past few days one by one from his own perspective. In Kariya's mind, the image of a dependable man—though not particularly strong—gradually took shape.

"Um, and then I met you, Uncle Kariya."

With those words, Shirou's story was over. Kariya already knew about everything that had happened afterward.

"Shirou—"

Kariya looked into Shirou's eyes and suddenly asked:

"Didn't you ever feel that it was unfair? Why did something like that have to happen to you?"

"How could I?" Shirou seemed surprised by Kariya's question. "If I hadn't met my uncle, I'd probably be dead by now."

"..."

Looking at Shirou's puzzled expression, Kariya suddenly felt that asking such a question had been cruel of him.

"Huh? Sakura fell asleep?"

Shirou's voice brought Kariya back to himself. He looked beside him and realized that, at some point, Sakura had fallen asleep against his arm.

Kariya gently draped his coat over Sakura. Shirou, who had been watching her sleeping face, suddenly spoke: