Chapter 213: My Mother's Wisdom is Like Kongming's
After finishing dinner, everyone rested for a while in the living room, chatting. Shirou, with Komachi's help, washed the dishes and chopsticks and put them on the rack to dry.
Following that, the two parents took Jeanne on a tour of the house, arranged her room, and explained the basic rules of residence here, as well as requirements like garbage sorting.
Although no strict curfew was set, they hoped the girls would always inform them when going out.
The kitchen and other appliances could be used freely, but since there was a professional chef present, they only needed to ask him for help.
As for bathing, everyone would take turns. The two adults used the shower room in the master bedroom to save time, as they had to go to work the next day.
The outer bathroom was designated for the girls' free use, and Shirou was relegated to the last slot without any say.
"Alright, Jeanne-chan, is the room next to the stairs on the first floor okay for you?" Mrs. Hikigaya asked while arranging the room for the new family member.
"Yes, that's fine." Jeanne agreed readily. She wasn't picky about the room or anything.
The room assigned to the silver-haired girl was a single room, which had previously been used as a study. Although called a study, it was essentially just two bookshelves placed against the wall, and since the adults were office workers, it wasn't used much.
Though the space was a bit smaller than the other bedrooms, it had air conditioning and was also used for afternoon naps in the summer. The bed was a readily available Oriental-style wooden bed, which could be used simply by placing a mattress on it.
"As for the blankets and bedding, Shirou, can I bother you to help set them up? I'm tired after a day of work," the mother said, clasping her hands and looking at her son, deliberately raising her voice slightly.
"Hmm? I can do that." Shirou agreed without a second thought. But recently, his parents had been coming home relatively early, and she didn't seem that tired? Was her work very challenging? It seemed he needed to prepare some blood-circulating and brain-nourishing medicated meals these few days.
"Artoria-chan, Mashiro-chan, we arranged a double room according to your previous request, but if you ever want a single room, you can tell us anytime," the mother said, looking at the other two girls.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but there's no need. Mashiro and I were roommates back in Britain, and I also have the responsibility of looking after Mashiro," Artoria replied.
"I'm fine staying with her," Mashiro also nodded and said.
The mother nodded upon hearing the two girls' words: "Is that so? Well, as long as you're comfortable. Then, my husband and I will go rest now. If you need anything, just go find Shirou; I'm sure he can handle it very well.
Good night, Rias-chan, Mashiro-chan. Jeanne-chan, be sure to get some good rest after traveling to the Land of Wa."
"Yes, good night," the girls replied.
"Good night, Dad and Mom," Komachi waved with a smile.
Jeanne looked at Artoria with the triumphant air of a victor.
However, Artoria didn't show any reaction this time. After drinking a cup of tea, she said good night and went back to her room upstairs.
"Speaking of which... is our son really that kind of person? To have so many foreign young ladies competing for him?" The husband, already in his pajamas, sat on the edge of the bed and said, looking a little stunned.
"Well... don't you know how excellent your own son is?" The wife, also in her pajamas, was flipping through a book under the bedside lamp and chimed in.
"But being so intimate with three girls at once, and living together at that, is surely not good, right? Being a womanizer is unacceptable. Once the trust in a family collapses, it's hard to rebuild. As a parent, I need to have a serious talk with him," the husband mused.
"My dear, you worry too much. Shirou isn't dating anyone right now, so there's nothing wrong with it. After all, letting the girls realize that Shirou is highly sought-after is a kind of reminder for those excellent girls; knowing they aren't the only option, they will likely become more considerate and sensible," the wife said.
"There's no need to go to such lengths," the husband said, wondering who the real worrier was.
"No, competition leads to comparison. If they can understand some of their own shortcomings, and if I give them some guidance, they might handle the future mother-in-law relationship better," the wife said calmly, turning a page of her book.
"Eh, aren't they all good girls? You're thinking too far ahead," the husband exclaimed in surprise, complaining to his shrewd wife.
"No, Artoria-chan, though very polite, is inherently very proud and possesses a rare leader's demeanor. Therefore, if Shirou were to marry her, I believe she would make most decisions, both inside and outside the home. If that's the case, when her decisions conflict with my views, whose side do you think Shirou will take?" the mother asked, a glint of fierce light in her eyes.
"Of course, I'm on your side, my wife, but will it really be like that?" The husband didn't fully understand but still gave the wisest answer.
"As for Mashiro-chan, although she's cute and pure, she has an extremely strong professional drive for what she loves. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given up her reputation in the art world just to come here to draw manga.
Manga artists are very busy. If Shirou marries her, it seems he would have to handle all the housework and assist her in her work as a manga artist..." the mother said, a wise gleam flickering in her eyes.
"Hmm, I can understand that. Everyone has dreams, but if you truly want to pursue them, you have to commit to a certain extent.
It's not just about oneself; often, things can't be accomplished without the encouragement and support of family and friends, and the understanding and assistance of colleagues.
But that's actually fine, isn't it? Shirou likes to take care of people anyway," the husband nodded. He didn't dislike people who worked hard for their dreams. After all, wasn't he also striving for a dream called 'home'?
"Hmm, if she hands over the bankbook to this side, it's not entirely out of the question. A best-selling manga artist makes good money," the mother mused, propping up her chin.
"In that case, the Jeanne-chan who arrived today, while a bit hot-tempered, is straightforward in nature, essentially a French tsundere, and is very honest and not malicious at heart.
If it were her, she would complain a little but then devotedly follow Shirou wherever he goes and stay with him.
Perhaps she is the best match, and she would also be the easiest for me to cont... no, to guide," the mother realized her slip-up and quickly corrected herself.
"Uh... I think as parents, we shouldn't interfere too much with our children's marriages," the husband was speechless. He felt immensely relieved that the person was his wife and not his mother.
He decided that after Shirou graduated from high school, he would secretly tell him to find a way to become independent outside.
"How can that be? Nowadays, kids flash-marry and flash-divorce on a whim; I simply can't relax. However, the only thing I can do for Shirou is to help him see which girls are good and which are bad. If he can't be helped after that, then there's nothing I can do," the overly worried mother sighed and said, 'Son, even if your mother is as shrewd as the military strategist Cao Cao, I can only help you this far.'
"Eh... ok Dear..." the husband said, conflicted. Wouldn't that make him Lord Liu Bei?
"But seriously, why! Does our son getting a bride feel like he's marrying himself off!" The mother didn't wait for her husband to speak, just held her head and couldn't help but complain about her son. 'Did something go wrong with my education? Speaking of which, how much did I actually teach Shirou when he was growing up?'
"Haha, a son who's too capable really gives one a headache," the husband said, laughing it off.
"However, the current arrangement still has a bit of a problem. Tomorrow, we should definitely have Shirou move downstairs and let that silver-haired girl move up. Having a boy and two foreign girls on the same floor raises some concerns," the husband, sitting on the edge of the bed, discussed with his wife.
"Don't you know your own son? He certainly won't do anything to hurt the girls, so relax and sleep. We have to work tomorrow. Turn off the light," the mother said, seemingly unworried.
"That's true," the father chuckled, feeling relieved. His son's character was absolutely trustworthy. So, he turned off the light, hugged his wife, and went to sleep.
The room immediately darkened. The two, now at ease, shared a moment of warmth before drifting off to sleep, as they had to continue working hard for this family tomorrow.
However, it is said that even a wise man's plans may have a flaw. No matter how shrewd the mother was, she miscalculated one step.
It was true that her son would never go into the girls' rooms to do anything to harm them, but that didn't mean the girls wouldn't go into her son's room.
Artoria never intended to give up from the start. On the contrary, directly defeating that surprise-attacker felt more rewarding. After the two Hikigaya adults returned to their room, Artoria went upstairs alone. She walked to a room door, opened it with a light step, and walked in.
In the living room, Mashiro and Komachi, who liked reading manga, were chatting about their favorite comics.
On the other side, the boy was having tea with the silver-haired girl.
"Does the Japanese cuisine suit your taste?" Shirou picked up the teapot, refilled the girl's cup again, and asked as he handed it to her.
"Yes, it's very delicious," Jeanne replied to Shirou. She wasn't particularly picky about food. If she had to say, she liked anything Shirou made. Of course, she couldn't say such embarrassing words aloud, so the silver-haired girl glared fiercely at the boy looking her way.
Shirou was somewhat used to this, so he simply looked at the silver-haired girl and asked,
"Speaking of which, Jeanne, you didn't bring any luggage when you came here, is that right?"
"Uh, no, I didn't. Ah, Da Vinci did prepare a wallet for me, though," Jeanne shook her head. She hadn't thought much about anything when coming here, nor did she need those things. She had slept through the journey.
"Is that so? Then I'll go borrow some pajamas for you to change into," Shirou said.
Although the girl was special and could use magic on her clothes, the energy consumption would be relatively high in this world. Moreover, if they didn't see her changing clothes, her family would worry, and he wouldn't know how to explain it if asked.
That's why Artoria had also been changing and washing her clothes daily since arriving here.
However, if he were to borrow pajamas for Jeanne now, Komachi's and Artoria's clothes would likely not fit Jeanne well, and Jeanne would probably refuse Mashiro's due to Mashiro's close relationship with Artoria.
"It seems there's only one remaining option!" Shirou muttered, stroking his chin.
"Hmm... Hmph, well... do as you say..." Jeanne heard the boy's words, turned her head, and curled her lip. "If it's Shirou... even men's clothes, I would..."
Shirou nodded and replied with a light smile, "Right, then I'll go borrow a set of pajamas from my mom for you."
"No!" Jeanne cried out, looking at the boy in shock. 'Do you really want to see me wear your mother's pajamas?!'
"Hmm?" Shirou looked at the silver-haired girl in confusion, feeling like she had misunderstood something.
"No... I mean, never mind! Your mom has gone back to her room too. I... I can just make do with your clothes! Look, I'm just a peasant girl anyway, and I don't need fancy pajamas. That Saint-chan is a soldier who wears men's clothing, and she was a country girl before, so she's not picky either," Jeanne stopped Shirou, mocking herself with a grin.
'No... I'll be the one who's embarrassed by that,' Shirou thought awkwardly.
Given the girl's figure, the image of her wearing his clothes flashed in his mind: a short-sleeved football jersey on the girl would look like a dress, and she wouldn't even need pants.
If it were a shirt, the long sleeves would cover the girl's hands, and the top buttons might not be fastened, revealing two glimpses of snow-white skin—it would be a uniform temptation.
The girl might not care, but if his family saw it, he didn't know what they would say.
However, since Jeanne put it that way, Shirou had no choice but to go along with her wishes.
"I understand. Then you go take a bath first. I'll go upstairs and get you some clothes to change into now, and I'll put them in the blue basket at the bathroom entrance later," Shirou nodded.
"Hmph, I got it," Jeanne replied impatiently.
Shirou looked at the girl and suggested with a light smile, "How about tomorrow, let Komachi go with you to buy pajamas and other daily necessities? Since you're buying things anyway, it shouldn't be too much trouble, right?"
"Hmph... even though it's troublesome, if you, Shirou, want to go along, then it's not impossible," Jeanne said, turning her head away.
"Okay, it's settled then. I'll go prepare your pajamas first, Jeanne, and then make your bed," Shirou said, walking out of the living room and heading upstairs.
"I know," Jeanne also got up and walked toward the bathroom.
"By the way, Mashiro-nee, where is Artoria-nee?" Komachi asked the innocent girl, who was carefully moving with a plate piled high with six or seven melon buns, preparing to go upstairs.
"Hmm? Rita said she had to go out for something and told me not to wait for her," Mashiro replied honestly.
"Eh? Is that so? But her shoes are still at the entrance, aren't they?" Komachi asked in confusion.
Jeanne walked past the corner of the stairs and entered the bathroom. She happened to hear the girls' conversation, and an uneasy feeling arose in her, but she couldn't figure out what was going on right away.
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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