The Second Dish - Mapo-Miso Nabe
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Shirou and Saber relaxed in Shirou's bedroom, just chatting and talking about what they did for the day, Taiga's admission tests, and about the strangeness of Jeanne, their test administrator.
And as they just so happened to mention her, they heard someone knocking on the door.
"Coming!" Shirou said, getting up from his seat.
He opened the door.
*CRASH*
Only to be immediately be knocked down to the floor by an ambushing Jeanne, who crashed into him and quickly began snuggling him against his chest and waist.
"Wha?" Shirou was aghast.
"WHA?!"
Saber was even more aghast, as the large-chested girl who looked just like her cuddled herself (and her soft chest) against Shirou's chest and stomach. This was just like Mordred trying to steal her man all over again!
"I've wanted to see you again so badly, Shirou!" Jeanne exclaimed, excitedly. "Especially after the way you so boldly and forcefully defiled my maiden tongue like that."
Shirou chocked.
Saber, who was sipping on tea, suddenly choked on it, spitting it all out.
"And to fill me up with so much of your gushing life-fluids, full of proteins, right into my stomach too! I've never been so satisfied!"
"What-what?!" Shirou started breaking out into a cold sweat, especially as he could Saber's aura darken behind him.
Saber, with her dangerous aura, suddenly crushed the steel can of tea in her hands with extreme ease.
"Shirou..." Saber voiced, dangerously...
Shirou almost didn't want to turn his head to her, but he did anyway, even struggling as he was, weighed down by Jeanne nuzzled into his chest affectionately.
Saber was glaring at Shirou intensely. her face dangerously sharp, dark aura around her head while her eyes gleamed yellow, her face blanking into a ghastly pale complexion.
Picking him up and holding him up by collar with both hands (loosening Jeanne's grip on him in the process, as let go of him with a soft surprised "Oh!"), she began interrogating him with her voice as sharp as an Excalibur pointed at his throat.
Shirou's blood ran cold.
"Shirou..." Saber's tone of voice, but promised high impact (non-sexual) violence in the near future, "Just what exactly did you do to this girl?"
("And not with me first?!" Some small part of her brain added.)
"Nonono! No! No! You-you've got this all wrong, Saber!" Shirou explained quickly, "I-it's just um, ah, uh..."
"Shirou!" Jeanne chirped from the background, unhelpfully, "I really enjoyed the way you showed me how to properly do an Oyakodon (Mother and Child) Special, too! Especially the way you showed how to properly stir up my eggs!"
Saber's grip tightened, as she grit her teeth in a very loud and (very sexually) frustrated manner.
"Shirou...!"
"..." Shirou was speechless. "...I have nothing to say," He admitted.
And it was the truth. Shirou really didn't even know how to even begin to explain himself, which Saber took as an admission of guilt on his part.
Shirou, being the proper Man and Samurai of Japan that he was, closed his eyes, as he prepared himself for the most brutal incoming beating of his life, as Saber released her grip on him and reached out to grab for her wooden kendo stick.
Well, such was the life of a Samurai who was accused of betraying their master. The occasional Harakiri (Stomach-Cutting) and Seppuku (Honorable-Suicide) here and there was to be expected.
Like a True Samurai, Shirou braced himself, and...
The sword never reached his head. Or his stomach. Or his legs or arms, for that matter...
"Saber...?"
Shirou slowly opened his eyes.
As it so happened, right before the the sword could come swinging down, Jeanne had hugged Saber immediately after just noticing her presence in the room.
"Ah, you're that Sister, aren't you? The one who scissored me so fiercely, and made me gush out so explosively from the inside-out! I remember you!"
Now, it was Saber's turn to choke on air, blushing even more intensely red than even the skin of a tomato.
Shirou blushed too.
"...Saber?"
"That's not, no! That's wrong! Shirou!" Saber protested, blushing up a mad storm.
Shirou sat up, and went back to calmly sipping his tea.
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with that, Saber. You're free to do what you want on your own time, right?"
Shirou pretended not to know what she was talking about. Of course, if that kind of thing was really what happened, then he'd have a lot of problems with it.
But for now, he was just playfully teasing her. It was his way of teasing her, as payback for her own misunderstanding.
Saber pouted.
"Shirouuuu!" She whined (very adorably, in Shirou's eyes), "You know that's not the case!"
Shirou stayed silent, trying to ignore her, but gave up after a few seconds.
"I know." Shirou acknowledged, chuckling lightly "You don't have to tell me that. But now you understand what this girl is like, right?"
Saber grunted back her own acknowledgement, as she tried to push off the clingy and cuddly, currently nuzzling against her chest.
Well, at least now, Saber understood what Shirou had gone through.
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After that, other people had also dropped by, to celebrated their arrival at the Type-Moon dorm.
This was only their first meeting, but Shirou got to know his fellow dormmates pretty well.
They all held a homecoming party, and told Shirou all about the dorm, too. (It was mostly the feisty new girl, Tohsaka, explaining. Though, Taiga would also occasionally interject, bragging about the dorm's history and such).
It was apparently a famous dorm, too.
A long time ago, it had been established by one of "The Ultimate Ones" of the Cooking World, Akaitsuki Brunestud, know more commonly in the cooking world by his nickname, "Type-Moon", hence the dorm's name.
He had established the dorm in collaboration with his friend and long-time rival, Zelritch "The Kaleidoscope", one of the Five Unrivaled "True Magicians" of Cooking, whose food was said to be amazing enough to the point of seeing multiple parallels world just by taking a bite of of it.
The dorm had even in fact been looked after by Akai's Granddaughter, until just a few year ago, by Arcueid, his grand-daughter, until she had apparently fallen in love and run away with some guy named "Shiki", much to her Grandfather's disapproval.
The dorm had some very notable alumni, too.
Besides just Arcueid, the "Moon-Princess", there was also Aoki Aozaki, another one of the five "True Magicians" of Cooking.
Aoko had actually just been considered a "ghost member" until recently, because she had officially been registered as a member of the dorms, but was never really seen around during her time there, so nobody actually knew if she really lived in the dorms or not. But just recently, her old records had resurfaced, and now she was being celebrating as one their best alumni.
It was all a very interesting history, to be honest, though Shirou occasionally zoned out. Apparently Zelritch had once given the Tohsaka family a very valuable knife at one point, too?
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Getting to know them, his fellow classmates at the Type-Moon dorm were,
Tohsaka Rin, a feisty and devilish girl who specialized in Chinese and Japanese cooking in contrast to her father, who specialized mostly in Western-style cooking. She specialized in the Shanghai-style especially, liking to make use of fresh though expensive ingredients.
It might've been a rude thought, but incidentally, Shirou couldn't help but notice her resemblance to a spiny-lobster, what with her harsh and hard exterior (but delicious internal meat)?
Well, in any case, he certainly wouldn't want to be "Shangai'd" (forced into) something by her, that much was for sure.
Rin apparently didn't use expensive ingredients or cooking tools very often except when she needed to, but when she did, she always made sure to use very beautiful looking ones, and to use those ingredients very skillfully, trying to maximize their effect and flavor in the context of the specific dish she chooses.
Shirou also learned from her that she was apparently also mentored under Kotomine Kirei (though he specialized in spicy Szechuan cuisine), one of Totsuki's "Servant Seven", who occasionally would check up on her, though she found the priest to be rather annoying with his constant evangelizing and sly and sarcastic comments.
After her, was Tohsaka Sakura, her sister, a nice girl who Shirou could hardly believe was her sister (Shirou really wouldn't know, unless someone told him so). Sakura specialized in western cooking like her father, though like her uncle and grandfather, she also liked and specialized in preserved and fermented Japanese foods, like nattou and miso.
She even made use of slimy foods like snails, too, though her sister couldn't stand them.
She was also very good at making Japanese food, though, and even had a bit of knowledge on Chinese food, mostly by her sister's guidance.
She told him that they had been sent to Totsuki Academy by the last will of their father, A 5-Star Western Cuisine in Japan, who had died a few years ago under "mysterious circumstances".
Shirou wanted to ask her more, but apparently she didn't know much more beyond that.
(Unknown to Shirou, Tohsaka stood to the side silently as she heard her sister talk about that, biting her lip in anxious frustration and anticipation.)
Somehow, in contrast to her sister, she gave off a very comforting and motherly sort of feeling, not unlike his own mom, Irisviel.
He found himself liking her already, probably slightly more than Tohsaka (though Tohsaka was very pretty in her own way, like a gemstone).
Both also took a liking to Shirou, much to Saber's jealousy and displeasure.
Why did Shirou have to be such a girl-magnet, anyway?
She was reminded yet again of her nephew, Mordred, who tried to steal Shirou away from her.
Mordred was her older sister, Morgan's, child, who looked just like her, but had a more outgoing personality.
She was only one year younger than her, but Mordred used to be a very cute child, following her around everywhere and copying her (even taking up kendo because of her), and look for her approval in everything.
...And then, she met Shirou,
And without even realizing it, had somehow been unintentionally seduced by Shirou! And to Artoria's own chagrin, Shirou had taken a liking to her, too!
(He even called her "very cute" to Artoria's face, though not within earshot of Mordred, thank goodness!)
That skank(!) literally used her own (Artoria's own!) face to try to charm Shirou, shamelessly(!) showing off her bare-stomach and thighs! Artoria blushed even thinking about it, again.
Well, She had driven her off, though, With a well-aimed thrust right through that usurper's stomach!
(Figuratively, of course, not literally. She didn't want to get arrest or actually kill her nephew or anything. Though, if it came to it...)
Mordred hadn't been able to leave the bathroom for days after that, after having eaten a dish overloaded with her special Rhomyngaid spice.
People even actually thought she was dead, back then.
Good days, good days.
Snapping out of her reminiscing, though, she scolded Shirou, "Shirou, aren't you getting a little too friendly with these girls?"
Shirou gave her an exasperated smile, "I don't know what you mean, Saber."
Saber really was being too paranoid.
Well, he couldn't blame her after today's incident with Jeanne, but it's not like he was some sort of Japanese Harem Protagonist or anything, and it's not like these girls actually liked him in that way, or anything. Or that they ever would, for that matter.
(Narration box: Little did Shirou know, all the girls in the his bedroom, including Fujimura Taiga, would eventually fall very deeply and madly in love with him.)
Unfortunately, Matou Shinji, another resident of the dorms, couldn't make it in time. He was apparently on good terms with Tohsaka and Sakura, though, as the Matou family were a branch family of the Tohsaka family's, and he was apparently their cousin, though a few generations removed, and he was the first from the branch to have become a chief in a long time.
Ryuudou Issei was also there. He was a mostly silent but very knowledgeable individual, who mostly specializing in Japanese vegetables and Japanese-style tofu dishes, including mild Mapo Tofu.
He was very good at making mild and soft foods, using only the highest quality of Japanese milk and fresh grown Japanese soy beans, especially.
He also mentioned Kotomine Kirei, in the context of admiring his ingenuity in new recipes, especially his non-meat vegetarian dishes, and praised his character, despite their differing religions.
Though, he did mention his dislikes for Kirei's very heavy affinity for spicy dishes, unbefitting of mild-mannered and clear-minded monks on the Middle Path to eat.
Well, indulging in Kotomine's dishes every once in a while wasn't that bad though, he justified, if it was only every once in a while. Monks did need a reminder of the temptations they face to remind themselves just what exactly is was they were trying to resist, anyway.
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By the end of it, they held their own special nabe-party, to celebrate Shirou and Saber as new admissions into the dorm.
Tohsaka Rin contributed her own mapo tofu soup stock (using techniques she learned from Kirei),
Sakura contributed her own miso mix, which added very good mild complimentary flavors to the stock, though it dialed down the spiciness and intense of the flavors a bit, but it greatly enhanced the depth of flavor and overall savoriness to it.
It was a very personalized, quite subtle and mild Japanese touch of flavors that really masterfully complimented and built upon the otherwise somewhat general very overt and strong Chinese flavor base, elevating the soup base greatly, to amazing new heights.
Issei contributed fresh vegetables to the mix, along with freshly made Japanese tofu, as well as Japanese tofu that had been salted and allowed to age for a few days.
Jeanne actually brought along some fresh baguettes, too!
Well, they didn't put that into the soup, though, of course, but enjoyed it as it's own side-meal.
And though it wasn't very traditional, they sliced up the baguette to use as side-dish, bread and toast with which to enjoy their poured bowls of nabe with. And continuing the trend of unconventional additions, Saber also contributed some stilton cheese she had gotten as a gift from Morgan a few weeks back, to enjoy with the baguette slices.
Well, it would be nice if some meat, too, but they don't want to leave out Issei, so there was no meat this time, though it would have make the dish feel more complete (chicken, maybe?).
(Incidentally, Sakura had brought along some takoyaki (octopus balls), and some (black) takoyaki sauce to cover it with, but hid it for those same reasons. She didn't want to ruin everyone's cheerful mood, after all.)
Shirou and Saber really enjoyed themselves, though.
Chinese, Japanese, French, English...
Shirou could really feel the unity and harmony of it all, coming together in one meal, shared with his new friends.
Finally, Shirou also tied everything together with a contribution of udon, traditional thick Japanese noodles.
It was almost like sharing some Ramen with everyone, it felt like a very nice comfy family meal.
They ate, and chatted, and played card games and shiratori (word games) and just generally enjoyed themselves all throughout the night.
And the party went on, and the night passed, and eventually everyone returned to their own bedrooms...
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Shirou still had one last thing he needed to take care of, though.
Pulling out a note from his pocket, he looked up a certain shady number he had gotten from his old man, and pulled out his cell-phone.
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Author's Notes:
Jeanne is very innocent, and a very lovely Good Virgin-Maiden Christian girl.
She does not understand her own innuendos, and is certainly not making them on purpose.
Not like the "naughty catholic schoolgirl type" or "naughty nun type" stereotypes, but genuinely a very innocent and pure, devout Christian girl.
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Tohsaka and Sakura both are in Megumi's role, each partly-filling her role, in some sense (though Sakura also fulfills some of Sasaki and Nao's roles, too).
This is a world that was once denied to Sakura, a world where she can be happy. So, good for you, Sakura.
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As a game, how many references to the original Visual Novel can you spot?
(FYI, zoning out is a reference to something, too, though it actually wasn't initially intended to be.)
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Kotomine Kirei excels in non-meat dishes, huh?
Ironic, given his original role in using orphans as batteries.
I wonder if that might be hinting at something...?
Like maybe, just maybe, he's hiding his true specialty, yet...?
lol, or maybe not, and I'm just trolling you all.
It's just a light hearted comedy story after all.
No dark undertones at all, nope...
Not at all
Nope, not, at, alllllll...
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Don't know if I'll include a recipe this time, don't really think it's necessary, given how simple it is, and the fact that the taste largely depends on the freshness and quality of the ingredients.
Well, maybe I will write something up for it, later on.
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Anyways, next is chapter 3!
Assassin makes his move!
More info on the Servant Seven!
(Not all of the "Servant Seven" are the same "Servants" as from the Visual Novel, and a few of them, like Kirei, weren't originally servants at all. But here, in the context of this story, the term "Servant" itself has an entirely different meaning, though some of its role and function is still the same.)
Caster and Kuzuki-sensei make a cameo!
And Tohsaka gets into trouble already?!
With a certain teacher that has a mysterious connection to Shirou...
As expected of Japan's top culinary academy, it's no easy going!
So, look forward to it!
