Chapter 150 Moms around the World
In the kitchen, the imposing Head Maid Artoria, in fact, paid as much attention to the boy's every move as the girls outside. Whenever he needed an ingredient or a serving dish, she would instinctively hand it over, earning praise from him.
"Thank you, Artoria."
"No, I'm just helping a little," the girl replied humbly, though one hand slipped behind her back to secretly make a victory gesture. After her maid training, she could finally cook alongside the boy in the kitchen! Her assistance had become more proactive.
After several rounds like this, Shirou looked at her, hesitating to speak.
"Artoria…"
"What? Shirou?" Artoria's hairband tilted slightly as she looked at him, puzzled.
"I'm really glad you're helping, but if you keep eating like this, the dishes will be gone before they're even served," Shirou said helplessly. Since she began helping, the amount of food on the large plate never increased.
Every time Artoria handed over a plate, she would take two or three pieces of tempura and one croquette. The rate of consumption matched the cooking speed exactly. Every time he fried a batch and filled a plate, progress would halt.
"I'm just tasting a little," Artoria said, brushing off crumbs from her mouth and giving Shirou a playful wink, all while reaching for the plate again. Everything happened so subtly that it wouldn't be surprising if she became a master thief someday.
This time, before her hand reached the plate, she felt something warm being placed in her hand.
"Artoria, could you leave the kitchen for a bit?" Shirou said, putting a specially made oversized croquette into her hand with a smile.
"Ah, cough… excuse me, I'll do something else then," the Head Maid accepted the "bribe" and agreed seriously.
"My maid training is still far from enough," Artoria muttered, biting into the oversized croquette as she left.
Finally sending away the "kitchen destroyer," Shirou's chef spirit reignited.
Just then, two light taps came on the glass. Shirou looked up, startled.
Outside, an Eastern-faced girl pressed her face against the glass window, her features distorted by the pressure as if trying to communicate something.
A senpai outside noticed Shirou looking and smiled before leaving the window.
Shirou then recognized her as the senior he had shared dinner with previously.
She gestured wildly, flapping her arms like wings, puckering her lips to peck at the floor, then made an oval shape with her hands.
"Egg…?" Shirou picked up an egg, mouthing the word to her.
She nodded eagerly and then cupped her hands around herself.
Shirou had no idea what she meant.
However, at the meal preparation window, he approached and opened the glass: "Senpai, what did you want to eat just now?"
"Shirou-kun, a rolled omelet, please~!" she said, her eyes sparkling like stars.
…Well then… Shirou had no resistance to such a request and agreed.
But other girls quickly noticed this!
"Eh? Can we order too? I want mille-feuille~!" "Order-dishes!?" Some Japanese-speaking girls at the British branch were astonished, prompting others to raise their hands as well. "Grilled Cheese Sandwich~!" a reddish-brown-haired British girl flirted with a wink. "Churros!" a blonde, tan British girl blew a kiss.
"These aren't even British dishes!" Shirou muttered, though he could make them—just grilled sandwiches with meat and Spanish fried dough.
"Baumkuchen…" another girl whispered in a calm Japanese voice.
This was too much! Shirou was about to refuse but noticed an oven capable of making a large cake, along with a detachable long rod used for Baumkuchen.
"Alright, okay okay," Shirou sighed. Truly an international school—the kitchen, though not large, was precise, with all utensils available. The girls' random requests could all be fulfilled.
Once he had agreed to make a rolled omelet, the outcome was practically inevitable.
"That's enough!" Artoria's stern voice shouted.
"Eh…!" Some girls, still wanting to order, cried out in disappointment but scattered under the Head Maid's glare.
Next to Artoria was a girl with a blank expression—the one who had requested the Baumkuchen.
Both girls looked expressionless; at a glance, they could be mistaken for sisters. Artoria exuded a cold, kingly authority, while the other girl was pure and childlike, like a blank sheet of paper.
Artoria said, "This is Shiina Mashiro. She was summoned by a girl and is currently under my guidance."
"Hello. Is she an exchange student here?" Shirou asked, curious.
"Baumkuchen…" Mashiro's eyes shone with expectation, like a small animal.
"Can you make it? Should I come help?" Artoria suggested.
"No problem! I've got it! The equipment is perfect here; I'll just put in some effort. You and your friend sit somewhere and rest—that's a big help," Shirou declined decisively.
"Alright…" Artoria said regretfully.
After sending the two girls off, Shirou busied himself alone. To handle the various requests from the ladies, he retrieved bread, bacon, beef, flour, and eggs to begin the complicated preparation. But after all his training, multitasking wasn't impossible. With careful time management, he could finish before mealtime.
Meanwhile, Artoria and Mashiro found an empty table to sit at.
"Yes, Head Maid, my work is done today," reported Rita, a blonde girl in maid uniform, saluting.
"Good, Rita, just sit and wait for the meal," Artoria nodded.
"Thank you! Head Maid, are you playing FGO?" Rita asked.
"Well, I'm a little interested in the characters," Artoria said, observing her servants. She had the full set of Round Table Knights, but hadn't trained them all.
"Ah, Head Maid, you really have the strongest bond with the Round Table Knights. They're all maxed in treasure, but not trained… Mordred is fully leveled though. Eh? Why did you lock her with the Ember in storage?"
"Don't worry about that. For now, the only one I want to summon is the horse-riding one," Artoria replied calmly.
"I don't fully understand, but I'll play too. This game is surprisingly fun." Rita said, sitting and taking out her phone.
"Father, what are you doing? Is this what a smartphone is, playing games like this?" Mordred asked, running up eagerly.
"Report, Head Maid, we're done too," said a tired Eriri, dragging the reluctant Mor-chan into the dining hall.
"Alright, go help in the kitchen with breakfast," Artoria instructed.
"Eh?! Why?!" Eriri had just hoped to catch a break.
"Come on! Eriri, just follow orders," Mor-chan pulled her toward the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, they called to Shirou: "Shirou, we're here to help."
"Ah, Eriri, Mor-chan, you don't need to help for now. But as a perk of being kitchen staff, come try this," Shirou said.
He placed two small stools in a hidden corner and beckoned the girls to sit. He then handed them plates of hamburg steak, tempura, and croquettes.
"Delicious! The venison before was great, but this is really good too!" Mor-chan exclaimed happily.
Eriri, moved to tears, said with emotion, "Oh, thank you. This tastes like home… like the meals my mom used to make. Though my mom's cooking wasn't this good."
"If Aunt heard you say that, she'd be upset," Shirou mused internally.
"By the way, Eriri, what was Father… I mean, Head Maid playing before?" Mor-chan asked curiously.
"That's FGO. Do you want to try?" Eriri asked.
"I'm not usually interested in games! But since Father… I mean, Head Maid plays it, I want to try too," Mor-chan said, crossing her arms shyly.
"You're hopeless. Here, you can use my spare device," Eriri said, pulling two smartphones from her all-purpose maid apron.
"Really?! Thanks! Eriri, you're actually pretty cool," Mor-chan said, hugging the twin-tailed girl happily.
"Just be polite when working with me, that'd be great. Though it's not much different from a single-player game," Eriri said helplessly.
"But how do you play?" Mor-chan asked, confused.
"Well, the mechanics are simple. Play a bit, and you'll get it. First, tap here," Eriri explained.
Mordred shouted, "What… is this?! Is this a god? Why is King Arthur in here?!"
"Well, she's like the poster girl, though because expectations are too high, she's at the bottom of the ranking chart…"
"What? That's a character in the game?!" Mor-chan exclaimed.
"Yes, and Blue Saber is a permanent servant. You can always summon her. The price is a bit high since it's a gacha game, but don't worry about money. I make enough from drawing fan books of popular characters," Eriri explained.
"Eh? You need money to summon King Arthur?" Mor-chan said, disappointed.
"Well, yes, for students without income it's harsh. But you can ask your parents for pocket money," Eriri suggested.
"Oh! That's a good idea! Shirou!" Mor-chan jumped excitedly and ran to him.
"Huh?" Shirou looked surprised at the girl extending her hand.
"Eh! I'll help you properly, so give me pocket money~!" Mor-chan urged.
"I really can't deal with you," Shirou said helplessly. Although this was the first time he had encountered a servant making such a request, from Mor-chan's perspective, asking for payment was completely natural.
Thinking it was fine to indulge a girl a little when it came to money, Shirou said to Mor-chan, "The wallet is in the back pocket of my pants. Take it yourself. Just return it when you're done, but it's best not to spend the money on something you'll regret."
"Got it! Awesome~!" Mor-chan said happily, reaching into Shirou's pocket and pulling out the wallet.
"Eh eh eh!!! You actually gave it! And just let me take it freely!!!" Eriri's mind was blown, and she screamed internally.
"Alright! Eriri, I have money now! Quickly teach me how to summon King Arthur!" Mor-chan ran back to a corner, waving the wallet excitedly.
"Cash won't work for summoning. Alright, I'll use the online banking money to exchange with you," Eriri said, giving the wallet a forced laugh as she took it.
"Oh, so can we summon now?" Mor-chan asked eagerly.
"Yeah, I'll top it up for you. Based on online surveys, the average allowance for modern post-2000 kids is about 10,000 yen a month, so let's start with one pull," Eriri said after some thought.
"I know, I'll leave it all to you!" Mordred said casually.
Thus, the ten-roll draw from the permanent pool officially began.
"Ready?" "Yeah, just press this? Ah! The shield below looks familiar, ah! It's coming!"
"Golden! A golden Saber-class appeared!" Eriri shouted excitedly. She might even have summoned a European!
"Oooooh!! It's coming, Father!" Mor-chan screamed with excitement.
The golden card flipped, revealing a swordsman holding a giant sword, completely armored in silver and red, his true face hidden!
"Damn it, why isn't he appearing! King Arthur! Are you ignoring me on purpose?!" Mor-chan shouted, frantically pressing the summon button again and again.
"No! This isn't scientific! Why did you get so many Mordreds and Saber Lancers?" Eriri exclaimed, surprised at getting a full ten-roll of Mordred at once.
"Huh? That's obvious. Didn't I tell you from the start? I am Mordred!" Mor-chan said, pointing her thumb at herself.
"Eh…?" Eriri froze, recalling Mor-chan's near-destructive strength in the bathroom and lack of common sense.
In fact, regarding the matter that the Head Maid had literally stepped out from the game, Rita hadn't concealed it from Eriri, who also taught Mashiro comics.
Artoria didn't sugarcoat it either—she had directly convicted her for drawing explicit material—but Eriri had refused to believe it until now.
Seeing the miraculous summons, Eriri had no choice but to confirm it once more.
Eriri looked to Shirou for help and asked, "Shirou, if the original draft of the Artoria x Jeanne Alter doujin hidden on my computer is seen by the Head Maid, what will happen to me?"
"…" Shirou, hearing this, showed a sad, sympathetic expression and then buried his face in his hands.
"So… my friend Mor-chan is actually Mordred, the Head Maid is actually King Arthur, meaning Mor-chan is the Head Maid's daughter. And now I'm drawing doujin of my friend's father while teaching my friend how to play her father's game?"
"Gaaah…" Eriri sat there dumbfounded, her brain overloaded, white smoke-like wisps emerging from her mouth.
"Eriri? Wow! Something's coming out of your mouth. Cheer up, Eriri~!" Mor-chan grabbed her shoulders and shook her back and forth, shouting.
"Good morning. Why's it so noisy everywhere?" At that moment, Sawako, a Chiba school teacher hungover from drinking the previous night, appeared, slouched and fatigued.
"Shirou-kun! Why are you here, and why are you with the Head Maid?!"
Several girls from the light music club whispered something into her ear.
"Oh, what nerve, young man! If this were before, someone like you wouldn't even need a second thought—they'd be immediately scolded and the parents notified. But now… I can't understand such feelings of affection. This time, I'll cover for you with Shizuka-chan~!"
Sawako finally understood the situation and gave Shirou a thumbs-up!
"??" Shirou looked at Sawako in confusion, not fully understanding, but assumed it was encouragement and responded with a smile and thumbs-up.
Once all the food was prepared, Shirou opened the order window. Golden tempura, croquettes, and juicy hamburg pies satisfied everyone's cravings for crispy, savory dishes.
He opened the oven, taking out the long cylindrical Baumkuchen. The central rod was removed, leaving a paper-tube-like hollow core, and he sliced it into sections like wheels. The exposed side revealed meticulously layered circles from previous coatings, giving the cake a thick, rich texture unmatched by other cakes.
On the griddle, he spread oil and grilled bacon and beef until sweetly aromatic. Triangular slices of bread were layered with thick meat, shredded tomatoes between lettuce, and topped with another bread slice to make sandwiches. He pressed them lightly with a spatula, frying both sides until golden and crispy.
Finally, Spanish-style fried dough, slightly larger than fries, was served. Firmer than Chinese-style but still crispy, it came with chocolate and other sweet sauces for dipping.
Corn porridge, milk, goat's milk, and oatmeal were simmering in pots.
With Eriri and Mor-chan's assistance, the breakfast dishes were laid out.
After tasting Shirou's cooking, the girls' faces all reflected a sense of healing happiness.
"Damn it, so delicious! Shirou, you're a bastard for making it impossible for girls who want to be homemakers! This perfect mom flavor… how is it so good?!" Ritsu shoved food into her mouth angrily.
"It really is delicious. Feels like I've lost in all ways. After graduation, finish college, and I'll just work for a good company," sighed Mio, a long black-haired beautiful girl.
"Then I'll just be a NEET… This omelet is amazing~! Heaven~!" Yui said, soft and flopping on the table, savoring her food.
"Shirou is mature, and his cooking is out of this world, but seniors, please cheer up a little too!" A petite second-year girl puffed her cheeks in admonishment.
"Don't be mad, don't be mad. Here, Azunyan~! Ah…" Yui scooped a small piece of cake and fed it to the girl.
"…Ah~ Delicious…" The girl, unable to resist, opened her mouth and tasted the cake, her face showing pure delight.
"Well, if I had to say, this is already Michelin three-star level, but I think it's better for everyone to aim higher. Anyone want tea?" Lady Kotobuki raised a teapot to ask the group.
"I do! Right! Didn't we agree to hold a concert at the dojo together? We make a living selling songs!" Ritsu stood up.
"You girls, set small goals, not too high, but don't lose hope. Ah, Chuu-chan, pour me some tea," Sawako said with her mouth full of sandwich, waving her finger while giving advice.
"No, if Sawako-sensei could find a husband and marry, going to the dojo isn't impossible, right?" The girls analyzed calmly.
"Really? But I heard from the neighbor's grandmother that young people these days often regret marriage and divorce immediately. Marry on impulse, and the next day get divorced…" Yui said with a smile while eating dessert.
"Eh~! Uuuu…" Sawako, shocked, dropped her sandwich into her teacup and slumped over the table crying.
"Huh? Sawako-chan, what's wrong?" Yui asked, puzzled.
"Natural airhead… so scary…" The other light music club girls whispered in trepidation.
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