Emiya thought he was being funny when he told a joke. It didn't make Himeko laugh, but it did make himself laugh.
"Hahaha, I've got a Acheron at home, hahaha..."
"Psycho!"
Himeko spat lightly, too lazy to bother with these weirdos anymore, too lazy to bother with the company either. She simply walked back into the bedroom, shut the door, and planned to sleep a bit before dealing with things again.
Clack!
The door was pushed open just enough for a tray to slip through. Emiya set the food inside, then gently closed the door again.
"The soy milk and flatbread are hot. Eat while they're warm before you sleep."
"Got it, call me when it's time to meet with the company." Himeko curled up under the covers, watching Emiya shamelessly push the door open. She finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
'This guy's personality is actually kind of cute sometimes!'
After wriggling around under the blanket for a while, Himeko tiptoed out of bed, locked the door, and quickly carried the tray back onto the bed.
"Mhm, no matter how many times I eat this, it's always ridiculously delicious." After just one bite, the appetite suppressed by her nervousness immediately came rushing back.
Since no one was around, she didn't need to keep pretending. One hand holding flatbread, the other holding soy milk, she began devouring it ravenously.
The three portions of flatbread and 500 ml of soy milk were gone in less than ten minutes, yet Himeko still felt a little unsatisfied.
She stared at the tiny crumb in the corner of the tray, hesitated for a moment, then couldn't resist temptation and started licking the plate.
"Phew, I'm stuffed to death..." Hugging her overstuffed belly that now faintly ached, Himeko leaned back against the headboard and let out a long sigh.
'As expected, I still couldn't escape the law of 'truth smells good' this time either!'
Over these past days, Himeko had realized Emiya really loved cooking for others. And whatever he made was always delicious.
Even foods she used to dislike, after passing through Emiya's hands, became irresistible.
"Hmph, no matter how many times, it's the same. Don't think you can buy me off with food. The train and Pam are still mine!"
But after swearing her bottom line once more in her heart, Himeko realized her resolve was clearly weaker than before. It seemed, without realizing it, she was already close to being bought over by those sugar-coated shells.
After everyone on the Astral Express ate and drank their fill, they lounged around with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and iced cola, emo'd for a bit, and only then, unhurriedly, arrived before the main battleship of the Interastral Peace Company.
This time, the Company only sent five people, Debt Collector Topaz and four senior cadres of the Pioneering Department.
Another sixteen captains of the Combat Division stood around with their adjutants, ostensibly acting as guards but also, in truth, putting pressure on Jarilo.
On Jarilo's side, the Emiya family of four all came out.
Everyone else from the Astral Express, including Gepard, Bronya, and Cocolia, who later boarded, stayed inside and didn't come out.
Through the broadcast equipment they had set up earlier, they monitored every move outside from inside the train.
Just like Emiya had told Himeko at the start, all they needed to do was make their stance clear. Everything else would be handled by the Emiya family themselves.
"What, does your Interastral Colonization Company have no one left, that you send a little yellow-haired brat to handle serious business?"
"Pfft!"
The moment Zoe spoke, the train was filled with sputtering sounds. The timid ones, like Bronya, were already so shocked they plopped straight onto the floor.
"In such a serious situation, why the hell did they let Zoe be the one to talk? Did Emiya get his brain stuck in a door?" Inside the train, people from every corner of the world all thought the exact same thing at the same time.
The faces of everyone on the Company's side went dark. Especially at the word "Colonization Company", the hot-tempered James nearly lost it on the spot.
Only Topaz couldn't help but laugh lightly. She had gone on missions to dozens, even hundreds of planets, but this was the first time she'd seen such an amusing spokesperson.
That, in itself, revealed something important, Jarilo was not afraid of the Company. Whether bluffing or real strength, it meant they had to be taken very seriously.
"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and talk business, I'm very busy!" Zoe planted her hands on her hips, chin raised high. She wanted so badly to look down on them that she actually ended up literally looking down on them.
"Busy with eating hotpot, maybe?"
Topaz propped her chin with one hand, grinning wide. "Mm, looks like you really are busy. The chili oil and sesame seeds at the corner of your mouth haven't even been wiped off."
"Ugh..." Zoe's face turned red, and she bolted back into the train.
"This must be Mr. Emiya, right? Can we start the real discussion now?" Topaz looked at Emiya, then at Vera behind him. In her eyes flickered a deep wariness.
According to her spies' reports from Jarilo, though Zoe was publicly called the King of Jarilo, in front of Emiya and Vera she was just a little pushover at their mercy.
Topaz didn't believe it was just because Zoe was the youngest child in the family. From her experience, it was very possible the three of them weren't even related by blood.
Zoe was probably nothing more than a puppet the two old foxes pushed forward. And that woman named Acheron was most likely just Zoe's playmate and bodyguard, maybe even moonlighting as Emiya's mistress.
The best-case scenario now was that the technological power Zoe showed off was actually made by those two old foxes.
If Zoe herself was really the genius behind it, then the two old foxes who could control her at will weren't just scary, they were downright terrifying.
The more she thought, the more terrified she became. Cold sweat poured down Topaz's temples.
Emiya, on the other hand, had no idea what calculations were running through Topaz's head. He quietly pulled out a flatbread from his pocket, took a bite, then flashed a bright smile and introduced his real profession.
"As you can see, I'm just a chef." Emiya pointed to the people beside him. "This is my family's tailor. This is... the Garbage Immortal..."
"Emiya, if you can't talk properly, then don't talk!" Acheron's cheeks flushed red as she fiercely pinched the soft flesh of Emiya's waist.
"You're being far too presumptuous!" James bellowed, face red, neck bulging.
These people didn't take the Company's authority seriously at all, letting a brat spout nonsense in such a serious meeting, then publicly flaunting their lovey-dovey relationship.
'Intolerable!'
James gestured, and all the soldiers instantly entered combat readiness. He strode forward, towering over Emiya, jabbing his finger hard against Emiya's shoulder.
"Kid, if you keep disrespecting the Interastral Peace Company, your whole planet will pay for your actions!"
"Are you looking to die?"
The childish voice came from James's side. Startled, he turned his head, and was shocked to find the tiny twin-tailed girl radiating a killing intent so sharp even he felt a shiver.
Shame turned his anger into a blazing fire. James stomped the ground hard, then shot toward Zoe like a cannonball.
"Today I'll teach you a lesson, you arrogant little brat who doesn't know the meaning of fear!"
Smack!
A thick arm shot out like lightning, yanking James out of the air.
"Die!" James's eyes spewed fire as his free right hand bulged with veins, swinging straight toward Emiya's face.
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