Chapter 212: Jeanne Loses Control
It was just a flimsy door, yet it separated the silver-haired girl and the boy far apart. But since this was Shirou's home, she couldn't just blast the door open with fire.
Jeanne checked her phone, and it was dead! She hadn't actively tried to contact Shirou earlier because it was too embarrassing, but now she didn't even have that last means of communication.
"Shirou..." Jeanne gazed at the light shining through the door. For a moment, she was at a loss.
'What should I do? Should I really just climb in from here? Does this house have a chimney?'
But even if it did, she had a feeling that the cold-blooded woman would place a pot of boiling water under the chimney.
'It looks like I'll have to climb through a window,' Jeanne mused, thinking to herself. However, this would ruin her plan for a cool, dramatic entrance. Maybe she should wait until night and suddenly appear in Shirou's room to surprise him?
Just then, a middle-aged couple walked in from outside. They immediately saw a very beautiful but somewhat disheveled foreign girl standing alone at their door, seemingly calling out their son's name with a look of great disappointment.
The couple exchanged glances. What was this scene of a cheating man abandoning a girl that was playing out?
"Young lady, what's wrong? If someone in our family has upset you, please tell us," Mrs. Hikigaya walked forward and asked kindly.
"Huh?!" Jeanne turned her head, just about to see who was so blind as to think she'd be upset over such a trivial matter? That cold-blooded woman? Never in this lifetime.
'Wait, hold on... My family? Did this woman just say my family? Then they must be... '
The silver-haired girl silently turned back, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Oh, are you perhaps Jeanne-chan from France? Your family already contacted me, you know," the mother remembered and, seeing it was the girl from the EU, smiled and looked at the girl while asking.
"Ah... Ah! Yes, Hello Uncle and Auntie, please take care of me!" Jeanne suddenly realized, and in her great mood, she, uncharacteristically, greeted the two adults with very proper local etiquette.
Well, actually, she had secretly practiced the local social etiquette by herself for this very day.
"Honestly, what are Shirou and Komachi doing? How could they leave you standing outside? Come in first, in any case," the mother said.
"Yes." Jeanne followed with a smile. Being welcomed into the door by Shirou's parents—although she wasn't married and didn't quite understand—she felt like she had won!
Sure enough, once inside, Jeanne saw Artoria's surprised expression.
"Hehe..." Jeanne grinned at her triumphantly, laughing like a villain.
"Hmph..." Artoria folded her arms, glaring back at Jeanne.
With Shirou's parents present, both their fiery attitudes were suppressed.
However, the tension underneath was still palpable, the hostility in their eyes sparking in the air. Just as Jeanne was about to directly fight Artoria, Shirou rushed over and stood between them to stop it.
Komachi looked at her mother in surprise, "Eh? Is there another girl coming to stay?"
"Yes, she's a lodger from Paris, France, named Anna-chan. She's an acquaintance of your brother, and she's the same age as Artoria and Mashiro," Mrs. Hikigaya replied with a smile.
'Seriously, Mom? Does this sister also have a thing for Onii-chan?!' Komachi's eyes lit up! She asked her mother with her eyes.
'Yes,' Mrs. Hikigaya replied with sagacity in her eyes. 'The more girls who stay by Shirou's side to cultivate feelings, the better, right? With more options, if one doesn't work out, he can try another!' Of course, her husband was out of the question.
Komachi received her mother's look, gave a thumbs-up, nodded repeatedly, and looked at the head of the household with admiration, indicating, 'As expected of Mom! Yes! The more girls, the better, but Dad is definitely not an option, though.'
"?" Mr. Hikigaya only felt a chill run down his spine, sensing various ill intentions in this house.
The Hikigaya house has six rooms across its two floors, plus an attic that can be used for storage. Even with a few more people, it wouldn't be a problem at all.
Though the homestay system is generally set up for one international student per family to let them experience the host country and truly understand the local residents' way of life.
Because the organization over there sincerely pleaded with her, and since she already took in two, she wasn't afraid to take in one more. She received a high lodging fee, and there was an extra room. As long as Shirou was willing to help with the cooking and look after the girls, why shouldn't she?
The silver-haired beauty has a good figure and seems very familiar with her brother, so it seems like the only option is a warm welcome.
'Just you wait, Onii-chan! Whether it's one, two, or dozens, Komachi will be your wingman!' Komachi clenched her fist and vowed in her heart.
"Yes, although she is a noisy and troublesome person, I will take good care of her. Please rest assured, Shirou's father and mother," Artoria promised, like a knight taking an oath.
"Who asked you to care for me! I came here to study properly. I won't do anything I shouldn't," Jeanne said, displeased.
"Haha, I heard the English and French don't get along, It seems to be true," Mr. Hikigaya said with a dry laugh.
"Welcome to my home. You must be tired from your journey," Shirou said to Jeanne with a smile. He was very happy to see the silver-haired girl. He had said he wanted to treat her well a long time ago, and now his wish was finally coming true.
Jeanne gazed at the boy's familiar, kind smile, feeling a little dazed. She felt that all the misfortunes she had encountered before didn't matter in the face of such a smile.
"Ohh..." Jeanne curled her lip. She still couldn't put on her 'villain' face toward the boy. To be healed by just one of Shirou's smiles—she felt so pathetic!
"In any case, come in and wash your face. Let's eat dinner together. The food is ready," Shirou said to the silver-haired girl.
Grumble... A sound came from her stomach, answering on her behalf.
"Well... yes, let's do that," Jeanne lowered her head. At this moment, she was so shy she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it, yet she didn't want to lose her momentum, so she bit her lip and reluctantly agreed.
"Here, this is a clean towel," Shirou said, leading the girl to the wash basin, running the new towel under warm water, wringing it out, and handing it to the girl.
"Thank you, Shirou," Jeanne took the warm towel, wiped her face, then looked at the towel, pausing for a moment, and quickly hid it behind her back, shouting awkwardly at the boy, "I can do it myself! Don't stand behind me! Don't look!"
"Alright, alright, no one is laughing at you. Take your time. I'll go to the kitchen and make a dessert," Shirou said, looking at the girl with amusement.
"Ugh..." Jeanne only kept her back to Shirou, placing the towel in the wash basin, rinsing and scrubbing it. Because she had traveled all day, dusty and disheveled, and had been climbing through mountains, caves, and bushes. At first, she didn't think much of it, but after wiping her face with the white towel, she realized it was covered in dirt—it was utterly shameful! She absolutely didn't want Shirou to see it.
Shirou went to the kitchen, took out eggs, cream, and vanilla extract. Knowing that Jeanne would eventually come, he had prepared the ingredients for a French dessert when he went to the supermarket earlier. So, he began making Crème brûlée, known as French pudding.
On the other side, Jeanne, who had finally managed to clean herself up after some effort, muttered to the mirror, "My cool entrance..."
Shirou took the prepared dessert out of the oven and placed it in a basin of ice water to cool down, which needed about ten more minutes. He then invited Jeanne to take a seat and called everyone to come and eat dinner.
Seven people sat at the long rectangular table. Since the shorter ends were wide enough for two people, it didn't feel cramped.
Shirou's parents sat on the long side, while Shirou and Komachi sat on the two wide ends. As for Artoria and Jeanne, neither gave way, fighting over the chair next to Shirou.
"Can the two of you sit down and eat properly?" Shirou suppressed his anger. The boy, as the host in the kitchen, seemed to possess a localized intimidating aura.
"..." Artoria, hearing the unspoken threat, decisively sat down, docilely like the white Lily.
'Shirou is a little scary when he's cooking...' Jeanne thought to herself, sitting quietly in her seat.
So, Mashiro sat next to him, Artoria sat in the middle, and Jeanne sat closer to Komachi's side.
"Here." A pair of hands presented a ceramic bowl of white rice in front of the silver-haired girl.
"Oh, thank you, Shirou." Jeanne took the rice.
After serving rice for everyone, Shirou also sat down. The mother and Komachi chatted about the events of the day, and the father, trying to please Komachi, interjected occasionally.
"Speaking of which, Mashiro-chan, did you go to see your manga editor today?" the mother asked.
"Yes, the editor gave me a lot of good advice. I will continue to work hard and learn," Mashiro nodded.
"Is that so? That's great. If you need any help, just tell Shirou. Don't be shy with him," the mother said thoughtfully.
"Okay," Mashiro nodded in agreement, keeping the mother's words in mind.
The silver-haired girl, meanwhile, held the hot rice in her hands, the warmth of the bowl transferring to her palms. The dishes were steaming with aroma, and there was a lively group of people eating and chatting together. She didn't dislike this feeling. Moreover...
"Here, this is French country-style mushroom and cabbage cheese soup. It should suit your taste," the boy handed her a bowl of fragrant, rich soup. This was a common household dish he had learned from the chefs at the Paris school.
"Oh, thank you." Jeanne took the soup, scooped up a spoonful, brought it to the side of her mouth, and gently sipped it. The savory and slightly sour taste of the cheese and tomato,
mixed with the sweet freshness of the winter-frosted cabbage, greatly stimulated her taste buds and gave her a strong appetite.
The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes, thinking, 'No... this is too blissful... If this continues, I'll become a useless person...'
"Mmm..." Jeanne looked at the bowl of soup in her hands, conflicted, and put it down.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?" Shirou asked, looking at the girl with concern.
"It's delicious! So leave me alone! Waaah..." Jeanne's face flushed. She picked up her rice bowl and began gulping down the plump, white rice. Although it was delicious and she did feel happy, she was also quite unwilling to concede.
To be happy just because of Shirou's meal, to be satisfied just because of Shirou's smile—she inadvertently started to think that if she could have this kind of dinner every day for the rest of her life, everything would be fine. But was she really such an easily placated woman? Was it really okay for things to be this way?
Jeanne couldn't help but doubt herself. She looked at the boy on one side, and then she turned her head to look at the cold-blooded woman next to her.
But at this moment, Artoria no longer had any of her tyrant's aura or the dignity of a king. She was simply stuffing herself with grilled meat with a look of pure happiness, completely oblivious to the rice grains stuck to the corner of her mouth.
Jeanne looked at the "Lily-fied" Artoria, then lowered her head to look at the delicious food on the table... Gulp. She swallowed her saliva.
"Smells good..." Although she was unwilling, she couldn't resist her appetite. Jeanne narrowed her eyes, broke into a genuinely happy smile, and began to eat heartily.
Seeing the silver-haired girl smile, Shirou finally relaxed. He got up and went into the kitchen, took the cooled cups of Crème brûlée out of the ice water, sprinkled brown sugar on top, took out a blowtorch, and used the flame to caramelize the sugar. The heated syrup flowed and covered the surface of the elastic custard, giving off an enticingly sweet aroma.
"Come on, Jeanne-chan, you must be hungry. Have some more. You and Rias-chan(Artoria) are both amazing; even though you're foreigners, you use chopsticks very well," Mrs. Hikigaya praised.
"Ah, it's nothing amazing. If you want to use them, you just naturally learn how," Jeanne answered honestly.
"No, chopsticks are very convenient utensils. They can be operated with one hand, and most importantly, they allow you to eat faster!" Artoria said while holding a mountain of rice and picking up meat.
"Is that so? I was worried at first that you might not be used to the local cuisine," the mother said with a relieved smile.
"No! Shirou's cooking is delicious no matter what! (x2)" Artoria and Jeanne replied in unison.
"Is that so, is that so," the mother smiled even more happily, looking at the beautiful foreign girls across the table: Mashiro, who was quietly enjoying the food like a squirrel; Artoria, who ate meat heartily but without losing her elegance; and Jeanne, who had dropped her protective facade because of the delicious food, showing a genuine, blissful, innocent smile...
Finally, she glanced at her son emerging from the kitchen and gave him a satisfied look.
Komachi, next to her, clenched her small fist and cheered silently in her heart: 'Yes, yes! Onii-chan, use your skill to capture the young ladies' stomachs! Make them never want to leave you!'
"The dessert is ready too," Shirou, who had returned from the kitchen carrying the cups of Crème brûlée, didn't understand the looks his mother and Komachi were giving him. He was simply happy that everyone was enjoying the dinner and that the atmosphere was good. He smiled with satisfaction.
All that mattered was that everyone got along well.
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New Fanfiction!
Hachiman please tone down your Inner Thoughts
While waiting for Yukinoshita in the clubroom, he unexpectedly travels to the world of Classroom of the Elite and becomes the representative of Class B.
Initially, he only intended to keep a low profile while helping Class B escape its tragic fate from the original story, and incidentally saving Ichinose Honami.
However, why these girls seems to know what am I Thinking?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting