Chapter 151 Please Stay Here Forever
Not only at the Chiba branch, even the people at the Bristol branch, upon seeing the breakfast that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste, each had their eyes light up and began to view the boy differently. In the kitchen, with Eriri and Mor-chan helping, Shirou simply took a tray and went to the dining hall to act as a waiter, serving pastries, desserts, and brewed tea to the teachers and students at Bristol.
"Please, enjoy, ma'am," Shirou said politely and appropriately to the dormitory supervisor.
"Thank you, this is truly delicious. If everyone could accept your being a girl as it is, I would hire you as a chef… no! That would be wasting your talent. At the very least, I want the principal to hire you as a cooking teacher at our school!" the dormitory supervisor said, moved.
"Thank you for your compliment, but please forget that setting. Also, I'm actually an exchange student from the Chiba branch," Shirou explained, then moved to the next table.
'What! So besides the head maid, your target is also girls from this school? Don't the teachers at Chiba branch care?' the dormitory supervisor thought, wide-eyed. But when she saw Sawako crying, she felt that worrying would be pointless anyway.
When the boy served the girls brewed Darjeeling tea, brought out perfectly baked mille-feuille, then poured a thick layer of maple syrup over it with a silver cup, letting it blend with the caramel on the pastry, crystal clear and elegant, he bowed slightly and said, "Please, enjoy, young ladies."
The girls receiving the service each had pink hearts appear in their eyes.
After tasting it, several girls secretly approached Shirou to greet him; a few even handed him small colorful notes with their phone numbers written on them.
The local high school girls, though some had blonde hair and blue eyes, differed from Artoria's slender, delicate frame and snow-white skin. Most had larger bone structures that emphasized their figures, and some took pride in showing off their healthy, light-tanned skin.
"Hey! Boy~! You should just stay here forever," a brown-haired girl said enthusiastically, shaking his hand up and down in a friendly manner.
"If there's no room, I can share a bed with you," a sweet blonde girl said, pressing her finger to her red lips, having already slipped off her shoes, letting her foot slide along the boy's calf, issuing an invitation.
Meanwhile, a red-haired, passionate Welsh girl stalked toward the boy from behind.
Artoria, still eating with proper manners, cast a commanding glance in that direction.
Luckily, with a reliable head maid present, these girls didn't dare act too boldly. After finishing their meals, they left. Even so, Shirou received dozens of small notes, which Artoria later treated as trash and disposed of together.
The delicious breakfast had every girl eating to their heart's content. But in the strict dormitory, after breakfast time ended, students tidied their tables, exchanged utensils, and dispersed.
Today was a rest day, and each had their own activities.
Artoria went to the kitchen with her maids to help. The blonde girl named Rita smiled warmly. Beside her, the girl named Mashiro sat quietly, staring for a long time at the two leftover slices of Baumkuchen in the plate.
Shirou reminded, "Mor-chan, stop playing with your phone for now and come help. And… Eriri, how long are you planning to zone out? Hey, Eriri-chan~!"
"Just a moment! Shirou, if I clear this stage, I'll have collected three stones already!" Mor-chan held up her phone, staring at it with determination.
Having no other choice, Shirou looked at the remaining few ingredients, found the Spanish churros, dipped them in chocolate sauce, and shoved one into Eriri's stunned mouth. Sweet things help pull people out of negative emotions like frustration.
"Ahahaha, so sweet! Where am I? Oh, there seems to be a house made of candy ahead," Eriri murmured. Her white spirit, which had flown out of her mouth, slowly returned to her body, but her expression remained blank, unwilling to accept reality.
"Seems serious…" Shirou sighed and got a sandwich, opened one side, spread a layer of ultra-spicy sauce marked with a crimson skull, with a spiciness level of 5000, in the center, closed it again, and shoved it into her mouth.
When someone is listless, a strongly stimulating dish is also a way to lift their spirits.
In the dream, Eriri tore open the chocolate-made door and started nibbling, only to see an old witch in the sky pouring a cup of crimson liquid over her head.
After a moment of silence, Eriri's face turned red, from a slight blush to the deep red of a water-soaked tomato in just ten seconds. Then she opened her mouth, wincing in pain, and shouted, "Waaah!!! Water! Give me water!"
"Here…" Shirou, prepared in advance, handed her a cup of drinking water.
"Saved~ Hah, hah~!" Eriri drank the water in large gulps, wailing, tearful, sticking out her tongue and panting.
"The moment to decide my and Father's fate has arrived!" Meanwhile, Mor-chan pressed summon!
"Hah~ Hahhh~~!" Eriri finally calmed down but felt her mouth was swollen. Angrily, she swung her twin tails and rushed forward, grabbing the boy's collar to attack with her twin tails. "Shirou! Did you want to spice me to death!"
But Mor-chan, frustrated, threw her phone aside and rushed forward to grab Eriri, shouting, "Ahhh! It's all your fault, Eriri! Your scream attracted a perverted lecher! I don't need this four-star!"
"Eh, eh!!" Eriri screamed in surprise.
Shirou reached out and caught the phone flipping through the air. On the screen, the blonde Sun Knight was smiling brilliantly.
"No, calm down, Mor-chan. Actually, if you don't like it, you can fill your own slots first, then sell the extra to Da Vinci, and wait to exchange ten plates for the King of Knights," Eriri advised.
"You mean I have to acknowledge ten of me! Just to match one Father!" Mor-chan shouted angrily, pouting, muttering quietly, "Even though I know Father is powerful, perfect, and beautiful, alone I can't compete! But if it's ten of me, I still have some pride!"
"You two are forbidden from arguing in the dormitory!" Head maid Artoria scolded.
"Yes! Sorry," Eriri quickly agreed, frightened.
"Well, if the King says so…" Mor-chan reluctantly let go.
"Mashiro, what should you say at a time like this?" Artoria asked the girl.
Mashiro nodded, looked at Shirou, and said, "Shirou, thank you, the Baumkuchen was delicious."
"Mm, I'm happy you like it too. There are still two left in the kitchen, I'll leave them for you as snacks." Shirou said with a smile.
Facing a girl so innocent, like a child, it was natural to want to protect her. In his previous life, Illya had been a girl just like her. Though even if Illya was naive about the world, her personality had been quite devilish.
"Shirou, you're a good person," Mashiro said. Though her expression and tone remained calm, she seemed to be in a good mood.
"Well said," Artoria nodded approvingly and patted the girl's head as if she were a small animal.
"She's been tamed! Was it right or wrong to leave Mashiro to the head maid for guidance?" Rita thought to herself.
"Is Mashiro a genius painter?" Shirou asked curiously.
"Yes, she's already a famous prodigy in Europe. She's been on TV, won major awards, held large exhibitions—a kind of genius that inspires jealousy to despair," Eriri explained, then
spread her hands and said, "But for some reason, she developed an interest in manga. I'm her mentor, I suppose. Even though I wanted to go back, thanks to this, I saved her life…"
"…." The girl named Rita showed a complex expression but quickly smiled and said, "Since the head maid has found the person she was looking for, we should say goodbye."
"No, I will keep my promise. At least until Mashiro learns to take care of herself in daily life, I will not leave here," Artoria said.
"I can already change my clothes by myself," Mashiro reported.
"Really? Really? Mashiro, that's amazing~!" Rita hugged the girl, patting her head in praise.
"In any case, after resolving this incident, I will stay here with this girl for a while. Shirou, please understand," Artoria said, looking at the boy.
"Mm, since it's an important promise, I'll do it properly," Shirou nodded. He understood that the girl was a noble knight; even if it cost her posthumous soul, she wouldn't hesitate to seek the Holy Grail. Yet, when she knew that using the Grail wasn't righteous, she would decisively give it up.
If a young girl needed help, she would surely extend her hand.
"Now that everything here is ready, let's depart. Rita, Mashiro is in your care today," Artoria instructed.
"Understood~! Head maid, may the glory of victory be with you!" Rita held Mashiro's hand and raised it as she promised.
"Eh? Shirou? Are you going to do something dangerous?" Eriri asked, worriedly looking at the boy.
"Well, we'll resolve it today, and tomorrow we'll attend the school exchange event together," Shirou patted her head and promised.
So Shirou, Artoria, and Mor-chan headed outside together.
"Then Shirou, I'll make a promise with you: after this is over, I will come to where you live to find you," Artoria said seriously to the boy.
"I understand. It's a promise; I'll be waiting there for you," Shirou replied firmly.
"Then I also…" Mor-chan also wanted to raise her hand and say something, like a promise for the three of them to go to an amusement park together—it sounded really nice.
"Wait, wait, you three are way too relaxed! Doing a gourmet show this early in the morning, what is this? Mental assault? I don't even dare to display it on Chaldea's screens!" Da Vinci's 3D projection appeared, complaining.
"Da Vinci, so this is your excuse for hiding in the workshop, drinking tea, and eating snacks?" Shirou looked at the setup behind the projection, realizing she was slacking off again, and said helplessly.
Da Vinci paused awkwardly for a moment, then smiled and continued, "Ahem, well, even if you relax a bit, there are limits. But don't be too careless; defeating Vortigern isn't going to be easy."
"Hmph, to deal with that demon dragon, there's only one method from the start: pierce its heart directly and kill it," Artoria said.
Da Vinci warned, "But the demon dragon Vortigern's magic, regeneration, and defense are top-tier. You've tried before, right? Even with the innate barrier, if you can't destroy the dragon instantly, it will escape back to its original world, and you won't be able to kill it."
Shirou analyzed, "No, during the previous fight, Vortigern was indeed strong. But after the battle, when Artoria arrived, the dragon was clearly suppressed. As expected, dragons can be injured. Even if its exterior is covered in black mud, it still takes time to recover from damage."
Hearing Shirou, Da Vinci quickly operated her devices, "Wait, let me calculate… yes… that's indeed correct, but our firepower is still insufficient."
"If we don't have enough people, we just gather more manpower. Let's go!" At this moment, Artoria entered the garage, started her beloved vehicle, and drove to the gate.
"Eh? Artoria, do you have a plan?" Da Vinci asked.
"Well, this place used to be part of my territory. The people gathered here, as their king, I have to greet them no matter the reason. So first, we'll talk to the followers over there. Whether to bring them under control or expel them depends on my mood then," Artoria said with a cold, proud smile.
"Ahaha, truly befitting of the king! Even as a maid, the premise is still being a ruler," Da Vinci praised.
"Da Vinci, you also say naturally pointless things. Shirou, Mordred, get in! We're departing," Artoria said.
"Alright! Father, let me help you teach those guys a lesson!" Mor-chan replied cheerfully, leaping onto the seat.
She curiously examined the motorcycle, clearly enjoying it. "Damn, it really is cool! A steel horse that's fast and can be used as a weapon."
"No, as a weapon, that's too much for a motorcycle," Shirou said, straddling it and teasing her.
The motorcycle started and drove forward.
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