Chapter 31

At 7 o'clock in the morning, fine altocumulus clouds were neatly arranged in the sky like pure white fish scales. The blazing sun dispelled the coolness of the night, and people walking in the streets and alleys put on light and cool short-sleeved shirts and summer pants.

Wearing casual clothes, Elysia came slowly to the wooden door of a certain house, reached out, and knocked on the door panel.

"Come in!"

Through the door, a young and energetic voice came from the room, and with the sound of hurried footsteps, the pink-haired girl in a home suit opened the door with a click.

"Ah! It's that beautiful big sister!"

After hearing the exclamation from inside the room, Himeko's expression instantly eased, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly in a happy arc, and she subconsciously reached out to touch the girl's soft pink hair. She said, "Nice to see you again, um... little Ellie, right? Are you the only one at home?" As soon as the voice fell, another child's voice came from the depths of the room.

Then a boy in an apron appeared.

"Elysia, who's here...? Tsk—"

There was an undisguised and unpleasant click of the tongue.

After hearing that sound, Himeko's face frowned, and she rolled her eyes at the boy.

"I say, kid, aren't you being a bit too much? I came here specifically to see you, so it's fine if you don't welcome my visit, but responding to my kindness with a 'tsk'?"

"I don't recall myself ever welcoming an adult who inexplicably shows hostility towards children." Emiya Shirou shook his hands, placed them on his chest, and struck a defiant pose, "So, why are you here? If I remember correctly, don't you still have work and tasks? Leaving your subordinates alone and coming to the home of two children you've only known for a day—isn't that an irresponsible behavior for a qualified captain?"

Himeko smiled wryly. "Hey, do you still remember what happened yesterday? Come on, I didn't really do anything to you two children. Is it necessary to hold a grudge from yesterday until now? Even if I helped you by sending you back to the small town, can't you forget about that little bit of unpleasantness? You're a man, after all, so you shouldn't be so narrow-minded, right?"

"Even without your team, the two of us alone can manage to go back. Even if we have to walk, it won't take much time." Emiya Shirou snorted mercilessly, "In the end, if we really can't return to the town, wouldn't it be the fault of you people who didn't give any advance notice before the town was locked down?"

"..." Himeko was left speechless after being rebutted by a child. She couldn't help but feel a slight headache. With a helpless expression on her face, she sighed softly and shook her head, "A boy who is too fussy won't be welcomed by girls."

Emiya Shirou looked disgusted. "You're more than twenty, a single woman trying to teach me how to please girls? Forget it, I'm not going to consider someone so much older than me as my love interest."

"Hey! You're going too far, brat!" Himeko glared at Emiya Shirou and said angrily, "Can't you avoid personal attacks? I see how attached you are to your sister, so why do you talk to me that way? The tension is so thick! Did I offend you? And also, why do you assert so strongly that I've never had a boyfriend?"

"Do you have a boyfriend, then?" Emiya Shirou raised his eyes, torturing Himeko's soul with indifferent eyes.

"I..." Himeko was at a loss for words for a moment, her rapidly changing face looking extremely agitated. She looked at Emiya Shirou's complex eyes, mixed with indifference, confidence, and a hint of sympathy, and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to go crazy. She began to regret her decision to come and visit this difficult child. Compared to facing this boy who was cruelly honest, she would rather go back to the intersection and join her team members.

"Besides, even if you are popular, what does that have to do with me?" Emiya Shirou shrugged. "Compared to you, my Ellie is much cuter."

... Elysia's face flushed slightly, she lowered her head, her hands pressed against her lower abdomen, wringing them uneasily.

"Okay, okay, I understand that you have a deep bond with your family, alright?" Himeko put on an exasperated expression. Suddenly, she sniffed the air, looking puzzled. "Hey, what's that smell?" Emiya Shirou's body froze for a moment. Without looking at Himeko and Elysia's expressions, he turned around without saying a word and hurriedly rushed towards the kitchen.

The breakfast cooking on the gas stove had burned.

—Just like that, after about ten minutes of frantic activity.

"I'm starting."*3

Three voices, with exactly the same content but completely different emotions and tones, softly sounded from three different directions at the table's edge.

Then, amidst the crisp sounds of changing bowls and chopsticks, two children who were siblings and an adult who had come to eat for no apparent reason quietly fell into the rhythm of eating.

Shirou Emiya was not a talkative person, and Elysia who was relatively lively, didn't engage in uncivilized behavior by speaking while eating.

So, in a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere, the person who first broke the silence naturally became the only "tactless adult."

"Oh, I truly admire you, brat." Himeko expressed a moved expression while marveling at this wonderful encounter in the morning. "I never expected that you have such a convenient skill of making chicken breast meat, teriyaki trout, okonomiyaki, spinach salad... oh, there's even miso soup and tempura. I can taste the flavors that can only be savored at home in this remote place. Am I dreaming?"

"Hey! I told you—can't you be more polite?" Emiya Shirou quickly raised his bowl, and when he saw the chewed food splashing in front of him, his dwindling appetite was completely suppressed. His eyebrows and the corners of his eyes twitched incessantly, and he said with a fiery gaze, "I can't stand it when someone sits at the table without a reason or permission and talks with their mouth full. Can you please stop that!"