Chapter169 Jeanne Leaps into the Bowl
And so, within just one short week, the legend of Chef Shirou, which would be fondly remembered by Bristol's students for years to come, kicked off.
On the first day, Shirou made an outdoor barbecue and afternoon tea, receiving unanimous praise from the teachers, exchange students, athletes, and cheerleaders, and he successfully fed Artoria.
So, on the second day, besides participating in his regular exchange student activities, Shirou came to assist in the school's main cafeteria.
Although it was an exchange program, in reality, only those with a painting specialty could go on a field trip for sketching, and only those who could genuinely appreciate the music, which were probably only the music majors, attended the concerts. Therefore, after meeting and discussing with different people, the exchange activities often turned into leisurely free time.
As for Kyudo, which Shirou specialized in, it was too refined and specialized for the general public. Even the two boys who had raised their hands to compete with him before now stiffened and smiled awkwardly, keeping their distance when they saw him.
So, the boy channeled his energy into cooking. After all, many people were looking forward to it, and he couldn't just casually get by.
He started experimenting with a medley of fried foods, from deep-fried meatballs and tempura to European-style fish and chips. As a result, the cafeteria was completely packed that day. Shirou's reputation as a chef became even more famous at Bristol School, and he successfully fed Artoria.
On the third day, Shirou used the school's channels to buy a large quantity of fresh ingredients in the kitchen, steamed an enormous pot of vinegared rice, cleaned sea fish, and prepared Kanto-style sashimi and sushi platters. The taste was at least more authentic than the Japanese restaurant outside the school.
He also made takoyaki, seafood teppanyaki, and for soup, a creamy salmon chowder.
Even the fishmonger who delivered the fish praised Shirou's skill, and Shirou's reputation as a chef seemed to begin spreading beyond the school. And he successfully fed Artoria.
On the fourth day, to control the students' fat intake, Shirou prepared green dishes, small amounts of bacon, and vegetable pizza. This was because he had heard rumors that the school's exchange activities were completely off-topic—not sports competitions, not art appreciation, but food tasting?
What? Are you kidding me?
We spend so much money every year for you to attend this school so you can become society's elite, not to work at a Michelin restaurant!
Unable to tolerate this, the fierce "Tiger Moms" and "Eagle Dads"—the monster parents who specially came to the school to investigate—tasted Shirou's cooking. Afterward, they expressed that if their children could also cook like this, it would at least guarantee future family harmony. Even if drinking, smoking, domestic violence, or infidelity caused a scene, their spouse wouldn't immediately file for divorce.
That day, the parents who had arrived so aggressively left with smiles on their faces, completely satisfied after tasting Shirou's healthy, green, exquisite, and delicious vegetable feast.
As a result, Shirou's reputation seemed to spread even further within the parents' social circles, and he successfully fed Artoria, though despite repeated persuasion, she still only willingly sampled the portions that contained meat.
And on the fifth day, the students of Bristol Branch School ate Shirou's meticulously prepared East-meets-West cuisine with tears streaming down their faces. The reason for the tears was that after today, they would have to part with these delicious flavors.
"Wuu wuu, Shirou, when I travel the world after graduation, I will definitely come find you!" A girl said, gripping the boy's hand.
"Me too! Me too!" The girls all chimed in.
"Baumkuchen..." Mashiro also said, sounding very reluctant to part.
"Well, even after I'm gone, Aunt Susan will make it for you, won't she? Don't worry, and keep up the good work with your manga." Shirou patted the little girl's head to encourage her.
"Thank you. Can I have one more today?" Mashiro nodded and then asked.
"Haha, so that's what you were talking about. Yes, you can. I make extra every day anyway," Shirou said with a smile.
"Mmm," Mashiro agreed and walked toward the dormitory.
"Shirou! Are you interested in serving as a culinary teacher at Bristol after you graduate? It's very helpful for physical training!" Principal Armstrong shook hands with the boy and then flexed his muscles as he asked.
"Haha, thank you for your kindness, Principal, but I haven't quite decided on my future path yet, so I can only decline your kind offer," Shirou apologized.
"That's a shame," Principal Armstrong said helplessly.
Yes, the second week of the boy's overseas exchange—his week in Bristol—ended much faster than expected, practically in the blink of an eye.
Over at the girls' dormitory, Shirou came to say goodbye to the familiar students and the dormitory supervisor. Although it was only a short week, coming every morning to make breakfast, and having it be so delicious every time, the girls who ate the food the boy prepared
with care naturally felt a certain reluctance to say goodbye. But as ladies, they held back their emotions.
After all, the boy and the Head Maid looked so well-matched.
"Shirou, just do well with this exchange activity. Once I've finished everything here, I'll come to find you." Artoria said with a light smile. Although she wouldn't be able to eat the meals personally cooked by the boy for a while, she chose to endure for a longer, more distant future.
"Mmm, I'll be waiting for you in Chiba," Shirou promised with a smile.
"Shirou! Don't go! If you leave, who will help me with the housework, who will help me clean the toilet! Who will make delicious breakfast for me to eat! Otherwise, take me with you!" Eriri clung to Shirou's legs, crying and yelling, refusing to let go, sprawled on the floor.
Ignoring Eriri, Shirou looked at the blonde girl and pleaded, "Artoria, please take good care of Eriri's training for the next period."
"Mmm, leave it to me! I will educate her well!" Artoria nodded and agreed.
"Eh, eh? Shirou, aren't you on my side?!" Eriri cried out in surprise.
"How unseemly, Eriri. Get up. As a medium-level maid, can't you even manage basic etiquette now?"
"Wuu wuu, I'm sorry." Eriri didn't dare disobey the Head Maid and stood up with a tear-stained face.
Shirou looked at the twin-tailed girl and encouraged her, "Eriri, although it might be tough right now, considering your future, doing special training in housework is beneficial. Don't worry, the current Artoria is a strict teacher. With her help, you'll be completely transformed in no time."
Yes, under Artoria's powerful transformation, Eriri will go from an unkempt, green-tracksuit-wearing otaku doujin artist to a transformed otaku doujin artist who feels completely uneasy when seeing any part of the house untidy or unclean, and has to scrub the tables, floors, and windows until they gleam!
"No way! No way!" Eriri whined, shaking her twin tails wildly on the floor.
The spotlessly clean floor came into play at this moment. Even when Eriri rolled around on the floor, her maid uniform didn't pick up any dirt. This was truly the result of labor!
Shirou nodded and said, "Keep up the hard work, Eriri! I told Aunt Yuriko about your recent behavior, and she was very happy."
"Damn it, Shirou, you just wait! I knew something was strange when Mom called and was laughing so weirdly!" Eriri wiped her tears, lowered her head, and secretly seethed. She was absolutely going to get revenge on that tattletale mother!
"Shirou! My angel!" Just then, Aunt Susan came running up, wailing with a speed that didn't match her size. Even the floor was slightly shaking.
"Uwah... I'm suffocating! Aunt Susan, you're overdoing it." Shirou struggled to get his head free from the cook aunt's powerful arms so he could breathe properly.
As a person who loved cooking and hoped to spend her life in this profession, the recipes and cooking experience she learned in this one week, by the side of a kind and generous little boy, saved her at least three years compared to reading chef magazines and figuring things out on her own. How could she bear to part with this angelic young man, this soulmate?
The teachers had to come over and gently persuade her to calm Aunt Susan down. Aunt Susan then downloaded a messaging app, added Shirou as a friend, and insisted on staying in contact at all times.
After that, Shirou and Shizuka Hiratsuka started packing their luggage, preparing to depart for the next exchange school tomorrow morning.
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.
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Meanwhile, at Chaldea.
The lights were on in the staff cafeteria. Since it was past mealtime, there were no staff or Servants there, and the surroundings were quiet. To clear her mind, Mordred came here to make herself a cup of hot cocoa. She was holding several exercise books and had come here to do her homework.
"What? What! Mordred? Are you studying? How enthusiastic! Have you finally realized that the brains of you Knights of the Round Table who slavishly follow that cold-blooded woman as your king aren't smart enough?" At that moment, a girl's mocking laughter was heard.
It was a silver-haired girl in black armor who walked up, followed by another silver-haired girl in white armor. She looked very similar to the silver-haired girl, only smaller.
Mordred looked up at the newcomers and pouted, "Who is it? Jeanne Alter? Idiot, don't talk like you're good at studying."
Little Jeanne ran out first, waving her hands and explaining, "No, no, I'm very smart! It's just that the older me has a very poor foundation, so I struggle a bit with math!"
Mordred patted her chest and said, "It's okay, it's okay! Da Vinci said that if you finish all these exercises, even an idiot can pass the second year of middle school in the outside world."
"Um... I think trying to study hard is good. Even I might be able to change my future of being bad at math. Could you give me the simplest test paper to try?" Little Jeanne requested.
"Sure," Mordred readily agreed. Now, even an elementary school student would be fine; studying all by herself was too lonely.
Jeanne Alter asked, "Wait! Mordred, what was that you just said? Is there a way for you to go out and live in the outside world, just like that cold-blooded woman?"
"Mmm! Da Vinci already told me the method! As long as I learn all these, I can get a Holy Grail from her, then be summoned by someone out there, and use the Holy Grail to create a new Spirit Origin and body, so I can be active there."
"Is that so? Then good luck!" Jeanne Alter patted Mordred's shoulder encouragingly and then turned to leave.
Little Jeanne asked, "Eh? Older me, aren't you going to study too? You were muttering 'Shirou, Shirou, let's dance together,' and things like that in your sleep!"
Jeanne Alter's face turned red as she shouted and ran forward, "Don't say everything out loud! Shut up! You little brat, mind your own business!"
Little Jeanne puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction and said, "What! I want to meet that person named Shirou, too! I know he's a good cook, and he's Illya's and Chloe's older brother! I want an older brother like that too. In that case, I also have to study hard and go study outside."
"Mash..." Gudako, who was behind them and heard this, seemed to be contemplating a serious issue.
"What is it, Gudako-Senpai?" Mash asked in confusion.
"Why do I always feel like Chaldea is like a remote, rural area with poor transportation? All the Servants we train seem to want to run away?" Gudako asked in confusion.
"Eh? Because this place is on a mountain. And the transportation is poor, and there's nothing here," Mash said as a matter of course.
"Ah, now that you mention it, that's true," Gudako realized.
Chaldea, full name the Finis Chaldea Human Order Security Organization, is a research facility located on an iceberg on the Antarctic continent, far away from the human world. It is an observatory for the world that gathers researchers from all fields, regardless of magecraft or technology.
All of this is dedicated to protecting a world whose entirety cannot be fully known through magecraft and cannot be wholly measured by science. It is a special organization established to prevent the extinction of humanity.
And to protect the world, they naturally need the power of Heroic Spirits, who are the world's guardians.
The Servants, in turn, respond to the Master's summon here due to their own wishes or beliefs.
"Such a little idiot. While studying is important, there's clearly a shortcut, isn't there?" At that moment, Jeanne Alter sneaked into Da Vinci's workshop with a wicked smile. Opening the cabinet, she indeed saw a golden cup inside.
She quietly picked up the Holy Grail, put it in her chest, and chuckled as she walked toward the summoning device.
The triumphant silver-haired girl had no idea that her every move was actually being monitored.
"Eh? Is it really okay for Da Vinci-chan to just let Jeanne Alter go out like that?" Mordred frowned and looked at the black-haired woman, asking.
"Well, since she wants to go so badly, let's send her as a scout pioneer. After all, setting aside her personality and her tendency to recklessly set fire everywhere, she still possesses the strength of a top-tier Servant," Da Vinci said, shrugging her shoulders.
"It always feels unpleasant to resort to such schemes. But only such a simple-minded bad guy would fall for it," Mordred mourned for Jeanne Alter for three seconds and then said with a smile.
"Wuu wuu, I want to study too! I really don't want to become the person the older me is," Santa Lily Jeanne made up her mind to change her future. At a young age, she had seen her unsatisfactory future, and there were two versions of it.
"Found it!" Jeanne Alter connected to the FGO system and located the column of light summoning her. The silver-haired girl grabbed the largest column of light and surged into it, responding to the summoner.
And so, Jeanne Alter, dressed in black armor, with her flag and silver long hair fluttering in the wind in the same direction, appeared.
Jeanne Alter, who made her entrance in what she thought was the coolest posture, closed her eyes, waved her palm, and said coolly,
"Hmph~! To be able to summon me, you must also be a considerably despicable human. Although I don't have time to play with you, as compensation for summoning the witch, tell me whatever wish you have. Something like being bullied and wanting revenge, or wanting to teach someone a lesson, or burning all their hair off—I'll help you with that sort of thing on the side."
But it was utterly silent outside. No one responded for several minutes.
"Hmm?" Jeanne opened one eye and looked around. She found that the surroundings were a desolate, gloomy forest, empty save for black, leafless dead trees...
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