Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

She was a cooking teacher for children, but I wasn't sure if any of the people here had actually learned how to cook.

He glanced at the others and immediately expressed his regret.

Jack looked innocent, as if she hadn't paid attention in class.

Gretel, on the other hand, was looking everywhere but at the speaker, clearly having long forgotten Teacher Red's teachings.

Little Jeanne was full of enthusiasm, but Yu Xian could see a hint of hesitation on her face. It was likely she didn't have much experience with cooking either.

The guesthouse owner had prepared plenty of ingredients. When Yu Xian asked to make some snacks himself, he quickly gathered everything needed and cleared a space for them to enjoy the fun of making their own food.

Yu Xian began kneading the dough with practiced ease, while Tohru and Kobayashi prepared different fillings. They had prepared several flavors so everyone could enjoy snacks tailored to their preferences.

Mash was cleaning the molds. She had gotten many old ones from the guesthouse owner, some of which looked like they hadn't been used in a long time. They definitely wouldn't be usable without a thorough cleaning, and she was the most suitable person for the job, being the most meticulous of the group.

Seeing that everyone else was busy, Martha didn't want to be idle. She walked over to Yu Xian and asked, "Master, do you need any help?"

Yu Xian looked at her, handed her the dough he was working on, and prepared to knead another batch. With so many people, and several of them big eaters, they definitely needed to make more.

He briefly instructed Martha and felt relieved when he saw her working proficiently.

The adults were all busy, while the children gathered around the table, waiting for the preparation to finish so they could all make snacks together.

Elma sat with the children, looking expectant. For now, she could be counted among them...

When it was time to actually start, everyone's skill level was immediately apparent.

Mash and Kobayashi were the most skilled, clearly experienced.

Yu Xian considered himself experienced, but in reality, it was just wishful thinking. When it came to actually doing it, he was just a beginner.

The children, however, treated it as a fun game, and Yu Xian even saw Kanna sneak some ingredients into her mouth...

The finished snacks were all sorts of shapes and sizes, but since everyone had made them together, they were all eager to taste the fruits of their labor.

Nom nom—

"This tastes great!" Yu Xian nodded in approval.

Everyone agreed, thinking these were the best snacks they had ever tasted, far better than anything bought from a store.

In reality, the snacks weren't necessarily better than store-bought ones, but everyone had a special fondness for the snacks they made themselves.

"Who made this snake?" Yu Xian asked curiously, spotting a particularly shaped snack among the others that looked like a plump snake.

"That's not a snake, it's a dragon! A dragon!" Little Jeanne was very displeased that Yu Xian had misidentified her creation.

She carefully picked up the 'dragon' snack and placed it in front of Kanna, saying, "I made this to look like you, Kanna. It's for you."

Kanna accepted it without hesitation. She took the snack, examined it closely, then looked up at Little Jeanne with confusion, wondering to herself: Is this me? Do I look like this?

However, under Little Jeanne's expectant gaze, she finally took a bite and ate the snack. Chewing, she found it tasted quite good.

"Kanna-chan ate herself!"

"That just looked like her, it wasn't the real Kanna!"

"I don't think it looks like her at all."

"Where doesn't it look like her! Where doesn't it look like her! It looks exactly like her!"

"Nom nom! Nom nom!"

Seeing the children laughing and having fun, Yu Xian smiled contentedly. They were becoming more and more like a family.

The seaside vacation passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time to go home.

Yu Xian had plenty of free time and could have stayed longer, but Kobayashi couldn't. She had to work and had only taken a few days off for the vacation. Now that it was over, she had to return to the company.

Everyone reluctantly left the seaside and returned to the city, ending their trip.

Upon returning home, Yu Xian first went to see Siegfried. He hadn't joined them on vacation this time, which Yu Xian regretted, so he brought him a gift.

"Thank you."

Siegfried expressed his gratitude upon receiving the gift. He had been steadfastly on duty and hadn't had time to join them at the beach.

Yu Xian had also hoped Siegfried could have joined them on vacation, but the dedicated Brother Fei had refused.

In his words, once he promised to do something, he couldn't casually back out; he had to complete it with seriousness and responsibility.

Truly worthy of being Brother Fei!

Siegfried was very happy to receive the gift from Yu Xian. It showed that everyone hadn't forgotten him, and the hardships of the scorching summer heat were dispelled, filling him with renewed energy.

Section 86 Chapter 26 You Need to Go to Shadow Land for Advanced Training

There was still a long time left in the vacation, and Yu Xian didn't keep everyone cooped up at home. He happily took the children to an amusement park, fulfilling a promise he had made.

They also went hiking to watch the sunrise and visited many other tourist attractions. The children had a very fulfilling vacation.

Time always flies, and before they knew it, it was time for school to start again.

This time, the children didn't resist too much. Perhaps they knew resistance was futile, and besides, they had truly enjoyed their vacation. Sharing their experiences with friends at school was also an important part of it.

After the children went to school, Yu Xian found himself with free time again. Elma had found a job and went to work. Martha enjoyed shopping and spent less time at home. Only Mash stayed by Yu Xian's side.

"Mash, any news from the others yet?" Yuxian asked, lounging on the sofa as Mash cleaned.

He was a bit disappointed that after all this time, there was still no word from anyone else at Chaldea.

They had searched many places, but the world was vast, and finding people wasn't easy.

Mash stopped cleaning and replied, "We can only hope Teacher George has good news. He's so famous, many people must know him. If anyone from Chaldea is in this world, they'd likely contact him."

Yuxian thought about it and had to agree. He didn't have any better ideas.

"It's still months until Teacher George's photography exhibition in Akihabara!" Yuxian grumbled impatiently. Georgios's exhibition was scheduled for the New Year, and there were still half a year to go.

Yuxian didn't know how he'd spend this time. Being a couch potato for so long had made him lazy and listless.

While he didn't mind this lifestyle, it wasn't ideal, especially since Mash and the others were quite vocal about his current state.

"Senpai, you should find something to do!"

"No way!" Yuxian immediately refused.

He might think about it, but if he was actually asked to do something, he really didn't want to. Besides, there wasn't much he could do. Taking on a part-time job would be beneath his status as a Chaldea Master.

Mash shook her head helplessly and didn't press further. She understood that they were just passing through this world and would leave soon, so integrating wasn't all that important.

"Why don't we ask Miss Martha to teach you some self-defense? You should learn some skills to protect yourself, Senpai, in case you encounter danger," Mash suggested again.

"Mash, please spare me. Martha isn't like Teacher Chiron, who teaches patiently. If I learned martial arts from her, I'd definitely get killed!" Yuxian said with a bitter expression. He didn't mind learning skills, but Martha was out of the question.

He pleaded with Mash, winking and adding, "Besides, you'll protect me, won't you, Mash? I won't be in danger. I have absolute and unwavering faith in you!"

Mash sighed helplessly again. Although Yuxian's words sounded like praise, she couldn't feel happy at all. She always had a nagging feeling that she might fail to protect Yuxian due to negligence.

"I really hope we find Teacher Scathach soon. Maybe only she can subdue Senpai and make him diligently study and train," Mash murmured softly.

She had no authority over Yuxian and always went soft, unconsciously giving in to him. She knew this well, but personality was hard to change.

In Mash's memory, Scathach was the most suitable person at Chaldea to teach Yuxian. He would have to listen to her, after all, Master was famously strict in this regard.

Scathach was no less capable than Chiron when it came to teaching disciples, and unlike Chiron, she wasn't kind and easygoing. During training, Scathach was always stern.

Yuxian overheard Mash's muttering. He hadn't personally experienced Scathach's teachings and didn't know how strict she truly was.

He imagined a scene of Master teaching him in his mind, and he shivered involuntarily.

"Um..." Yuxian stammered, "Master isn't that scary, is she...?"

Seeing Yuxian's pathetic look, Mash became annoyed. He was already getting scared before even meeting Scathach. She said fiercely, "It's best if Master takes you to the Land of Shadows for a few years to thoroughly cure your laziness, Senpai!"

"Land of Shadows? Years?" Yuxian stared at Mash, wide-eyed. "Master... she wouldn't be that ruthless, would she...?"

Mash glanced at Yuxian and stopped talking to him.

Yuxian blinked and thought for a moment. He realized it was too early to worry about this now. He didn't even know when they would find Master. It wouldn't be too late to think about it when they met.

"Ta-da! I'm back!" Martha entered, carrying many bags.

"I'm exhausted!" She casually dropped her bags on the floor and flopped onto the sofa, her ungraceful posture completely unbefitting of her status as a saint.

Yuxian unconsciously shifted aside, moving slightly away from Martha and leaving more space on the sofa for her.

Martha noticed Yuxian's subtle movement. After a glance, she said leisurely, "Master still has no motivation today."

With that, she grabbed Yuxian and pulled him to her side.

Facing Martha's iron-like arms, Yuxian had no power to resist, letting her hold him tightly.

Yuxian's body pressed against Martha's, and he felt a soft touch, but it didn't spark any improper thoughts. This wasn't the first time Martha had "harassed" him like this.

However, Yuxian didn't back down verbally. He said with mock seriousness, "Martha, be careful playing with fire. I have absolutely no resistance to beautiful older sisters like you."

"Oh my!" Hearing this, Martha tightened her grip, making it a bit hard for Yuxian to breathe.

"Master, I'm so happy you said that. You were never this proactive back at Chaldea."

Martha touched her chin with her other hand, thoughtfully saying, "Ah, I can already see the scene of being chased by all of Chaldea. Thinking about it actually makes me a little excited..."

Yuxian retreated.

Martha leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Master, you should take Mash shopping too. Girls love shopping. Buy her some pretty clothes to coax her, and Mash will be yours..."

With that, she released Yuxian and continued to lounge on the sofa as if nothing had happened.

Yuxian stretched his arm, which had become stiff from Martha's embrace, and couldn't help but glance at Mash nearby.

Chapter 87: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Holy Grail War?

Martha's instigation did have some effect. In the following days, Yuxian would occasionally accompany Mash shopping.

However, the expected outcome didn't occur.

Yuxian had excellent skills when it came to coaxing children, but he was a complete novice when it came to coaxing girls. This was probably the tragedy of being a virgin.

Mash, on the other hand, was very happy. Being able to go shopping with Senpai made her incredibly joyful, and her complaints about his lazy lifestyle gradually lessened.

Time passed quickly, and days like these went by one after another, bringing them closer to Teacher George's photography exhibition.

But before that, there was another very important day: Christmas.

With Little Jeanne around, every Christmas was the most important festival, without a doubt.

As Christmas approached, Little Jeanne became incredibly active, practically counting down the days.

Yuxian couldn't bear to shatter her hopeful anticipation, but this year, he had limited Christmas celebrations for Little Jeanne to only those among familiar faces.

Little Jeanne had no objections. As long as she could fulfill her duties as Santa Claus, she was happy.

Meanwhile, Tohru and the others received a mission to perform at a nursing home. After some discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to participate in the performance.

They gathered to discuss the performance program.

"A play? Hmm, that could work," Yuxian mused, stroking his chin in agreement. He wasn't particularly skilled in these matters, so he'd go with whatever they decided.

"Then what play should we perform?"

"For Christmas, how about 'The Little Match Girl'?" Saikawa suggested, having been invited by Kanna.

"Objection! Objection! Objection!" Gretel loudly vetoed the suggestion, adamantly refusing to perform that character's story.

If there was anyone in Chaldea Gretel disliked the most, it was Hans Christian Andersen. Despite being a writer of fairy tales, he always wrote endings that were far too harsh. Gretel had protested to him more than once.

"Alright, alright, we won't perform that one. Let's pick something else," Yuxian appeased her.

"Then what should we perform?"

"How about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?" Hearing that they wouldn't be performing one of Andersen's stories, Gretel brightened up and offered her own suggestion.

Tohru asked, not quite understanding, "Is Alice going to perform her own story?"

"What about a Magical Girl? Magical Girls are very popular, you know," Illya chimed in.

"How about a story about Santa Claus?" This came from Little Jeanne.