Shirou let out a sigh as he was cleaning up the dishes. "Man. Today's lunch rush was quite hectic, especially when it comes to Arturia and her counterparts. They can eat a lot...and within a fast pace as well. It's a wonder how Chaldea has not crumbled under food shortages when it comes to them, not to mention the fact that they also have to feed the others as well..."

As Shirou continued to wash the dishes and letting them dry, it was then a certain knight came up to the countertop and greeted Shirou.

"Queen Shirou!" the knight said.

Upon hearing that certain title, Shirou turned around to see Percival, who was holding an empty plate in his hands while smiling at the same time. "Percival, you don't have to call me that. Shirou is just fine," he said.

"No! You are our King's consort, which makes you a part of royalty! Therefore, us Knights of the Round should call you by that!" Percival argued as he placed his tray on the countertop.

Shirou let out a small sigh, knowing that the Knights of the Round's were stuck on calling him, "Queen Shirou," and they would not call him by any other way. He then grabbed Percival's dirty tray along with the dishes and began to wash them. "I take it that you enjoyed today's meal?" he asked.

Percival's smile grew even bigger. "Yup! And I must admit, the meals in this era are quite fascinating! It's nothing like I have ever seen before! Especially the food from our master's country!"

Shirou let out a small smile as he let a plate dry at the dink. "I take it you're interested in the cuisine of master's country?"

"Yeah! Today's meal was amazing! Especially with how it was laid out! It contains many aspects of a balanced meal! Grains, meat, vegetables, and soup! And within one tray as well!" he said with amazement in his voice. "Is this a fancy meal by any chance?"

Shirou let out a chuckle. "Percival, this type of food is actually quite common in Japan. It's called a Ichiju-Issai."

Percival was confused for a moment. "Ichiju-Issai? What is that?"

"It's a phrase meaning, "one soup, three sides." Anyways, this type of food is common in master's country, and is usually served throughout the day, including breakfast as well."

Percival's eyes lit up. "Really? People in master's country eat this for breakfast as well?"

"Yes."

"That's amazing...to think people in master's country eat like this...the people over there must be lucky to eat food like this. Speaking of which, did you serve my king this type of food Queen Shirou?"

Shirou let out a smile. "Yeah. Many times, even back when I was her master during my timeline's Holy Grail War."

"I see. You seem to be quite knowledgeable about meals Queen Shirou," Percival said as he sat down on a chair.

"Well, to be fair, I did travel around the world a bit, so I may have picked up a few bits of knowledge about cuisine in some areas of other countries as well. However, the one I'm most familiar with is Japanese cuisine, since I came from the same country as master," Shirou replied as he was done washing the last dirty plate and let it dry on the drying rack. "Okay, looks like my job is over...well, until the dinner shift that is."

Meanwhile, Percival looked at Shirou with amazement in his eyes. "Wow. To think that my queen was knowledgeable in the ways of cooking, and he's the one who's been cooking for our king and her counterparts before I've arrived here...this is a golden opportunity I cannot pass up on!"

As Shirou was leaving the kitchen, Percival came up to him and placed his hands on Shirou's shoulders, confusing him. "What?" he asked.

"Queen Shirou...will you grant this knight his selfish request?" Percival asked.

"Hm? A selfish request?"

"Yes."

"Hm...well, what is it?" Shirou asked curiously.

Percival slightly gulped before he said his request. "W-Will you teach me in the ways of cooking my queen?" he asked.

"Eh? Are you serious?"

Percival nodded furiously. "Yes!"

"But why though?"

"Well, after hearing from my fellow knights, my king, and her counterparts about your cooking and the knowledge you have about cuisine and such, I figured I might need to learn more about the world of cooking. Not only that, but I heard you improved Gawain's cooking, which is a miracle itself! So, I ask of you, will you teach me?"

Shirou gave Percival's request some thought. For a few seconds, he did not say anything. Then he gave his response. "Sure. I don't mind."

Percival's eyes lit up. "Really?!" he asked with excitement.

"Yes. If you want to learn new recipes, I can teach you some." Shirou replied with a smile.

"Great! When do we start?"

"Let me see...how about next week, right here?"

"Okay!"

A week has passed since Shirou agreed to teach Percival new dishes to cook. Right now, Shirou was waiting at Chaldea's kitchen between lunch time and dinner time, when the kitchen was mostly empty with a few servants coming in and out. "Man, Percival is sure taking his time getting here. Did he get lost or something?"

And as if on cue, Percival came into the cafeteria, carrying a backpack. "Okay, I'm ready for the lesson Queen Shirou!" he said with a smile on his face.

Shirou could not help but notice the backpack Percival was carrying. "Um...Percival, what's in the backpack?"

"Hm? Ah. Kitchen utensils," Percival replied.

Shirou deadpanned for a moment. "Kitchen utensils? You mean you brought your own cooking utensils?"

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt to be prepared after all."

Shirou thought about Percival's words and replied, "Fair enough. Anyways, get over here."

"Yes!" Percival then headed towards the kitchen. As he did, he placed his backpack down and took out all the kitchen utensils he brought over. "Okay, what are we cooking today my queen?"

"Hm...let me check in the kitchen for a moment, and I'll figure something out." Shirou then went over to the refrigerator to check out the ingredients. As he did, he saw that there was a large amount of pork in the refrigerator. "Wow. That's a lot of pork we have here, but it does give a lot of ideas for what to make for today...ah, got it."

Shirou then proceeded to bring out a few pounds of pork loin chops, eggs, cabbage, and placed them down on the kitchen countertop. "All right, now we need some all-purpose flour, neutral-flavored oil, panko, sea salt, grounded black pepper, black and white sesame seeds, and tonkatsu sauce."

Percival was amazed with amount of the ingredients but was confused when Shirou mentioned panko. "Panko? Tonkatsu sauce? What is that?" he asked.

"It's Japanese breadcrumbs. They're normally in a bag and are different from regular breadcrumbs. And Tonkatsu sauce is a topping used for dishes like this." Shirou replied.

"I see...still though, these ingredients sound amazing!" Percival said with amazement.

Shirou let out a small smile. "You're excited, aren't you?"

"Obviously! Learning a new dish from my queen, that's all I could ever ask for!"

Shirou let out a small sigh. "Anyways, help me get the other ingredients Percival. They should be in the cabinet somewhere."

"Yes!"

Shirou and Percival then checked the cabinets and searched for the ingredients Shirou mentioned earlier. Eventually, they found the remaining ingredients they needed and placed them on the kitchen countertop. "All right, let's begin the cooking process."

"Okay! Speaking of which, what are we making Queen Shirou?" Percival asked.

"Tonkatsu."

"Tonkatsu? What is that?" Percival asked with curiosity.

"A Japanese breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet."

Percival got even more curious. "Breaded? Deep-fried? What is that?"

"You'll find out soon. Anyways, let's begin. First, put the panko in a deep dish and spray water until the panko is moist. Set it aside for 15 minutes until the panko is soft," he said as he put the panko into a deep dish and sprayed water on it. "Okay. Now try it Percival."

"Yes!" Percival then put the panko in a deep dish and spray water until the panko is moist. "Like this?"

"Yes, and wait for 15 minutes until the panko gets soft. Meanwhile, remove the extra fat from the pork with a knife by making several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat on both sides. And in case if you were wondering what I am talking about, it's the white area between the meat and fat."

"Ah. I see."

"Yeah. Anyways, follow my movement." Shirou then grabbed a pork loin and removed the fat with a knife by making several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat on both sides. "Okay, now you do it," he said. Percival nodded and grabbed a pork loin and a knife himself. He then made several slits on the connective tissue between the meat and fat on both sides. Shirou was impressed with Percival's knifework. "Wow, nice knifework Percival."

"Thank you, Queen Shirou," Percival replied as he placed the knife down. "Now what?"

"Now we pound the meat on both sides with a meat tenderizer or a pounder and season them with salt and pepper, and in case if you were wondering, a meat tenderizer/pounder is practically a metal hammer."

"Ah, I see. And which one is salt and pepper?"

"Salt is the white container while pepper is the black one. However, don't add too much or the flavor will be ruined.

"Yes!"

Shirou and Percival then grabbed some meat tenderizers and started to pound the meat on both sides until both sides were tenderized and seasoned them with salt and pepper. "All right, now we're going to bread the pork."

Percival was confused. "Bread the pork? Do we need to make bread?"

Shirou let out a chuckle. "No Percival. Bread the pork means we are going to cover it."

"Ah. I see. Thanks for clearing up any confusion, Queen Shirou."

"No problem. If you're still confused however, let me show you what it means. Is that okay for you?"

"B-By any means, go ahead!"

Shirou then grabbed two deep dishes and filled one of them with flour. He then cracked an egg onto the other deep dish and added oil to it. He then whisked the oil and egg together until they were well combined. Afterwards, he then dredged the pork in flour, dusted off any excess flour, and dipped it into the egg mixture, coating it nicely. Finally, he dredged the pork in the panko, pressing it down gently while getting rid of some of the excess panko. "Okay, now it's your turn."

Percival gulped at what Shirou did earlier. "Wow. That looks a little complicated...but I'll do my best!" Percival then grabbed his tenderized pork loin and dredged it in flour. Afterwards, he dusted off any excess flour, and dipped it into the egg mixture, coating it nicely. Finally, he dredged the pork in the panko, pressing it down gently while getting rid of some of the excess panko. "Like this?" he asked as he showed his attempt to Shirou.

Shirou nodded. "That's great. Now all we need to do is to pour oil into the pot and bring it up to 340 degrees Fahrenheit over medium heat."

At that moment, Percival was completely confused with the vocabulary Shirou just said. "Degrees? Fahrenheit?"

Shirou chuckled slightly. "In short, wait until the oil heats up at the right temperature."

"Ah, I see. But how can we tell if the oil heats up at the right temperature?"

Shirou let out a smirk. "Here's a good trick to know when the oil is at the right temperature. Drop one piece of panko into the oil, and if it sinks down to the middle of oil and immediately comes right up, then the oil is ready."

Percival's eyes widened. "Wow! That's quite a trick!"

"Yeah. All we need to do is to wait."

Both Shirou and Percival were now waiting for the oil in the pot to reach the right temperature. As they were waiting, Shirou started a conversation with Percival to pass the time. "So, how are you and Agravain fitting in Chaldea?"

"Ah, well, we've been fitting quite nicely actually. Although to be honest, we were not expecting to see my king having a lot of counterparts," Percival replied.

Shirou let out a chuckle. "You can say that again. The same happened to me as well. Speaking of which, do you have any idea why Agravain passed out that day?"

Percival raised his hands and shrugged. "I don't know. However, the biggest shock I've ever received was finding out that there's a male counterpart of my king...and a female Merlin."

"And how did that meeting go?"

Percvival let out a chuckle. "Well, it went like this..."

(A while back...)

Percival was walking down the hallway, minding his own business. As he did, it was then he accidently bumped into a certain person.

"Oh, my apologies," Percival apologized.

"No. I'm sorry," the person said.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Percival thought it was Merlin he bumped into. However, instead of Merlin, it was Arthur Pendragon. "Eh? My king?"

"Hm? You look familiar...are you Percival?" Arthur asked.

"Eh? You know me? Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Arthur Pendragon."

For a moment, Percival was completely stunned at Arthur's words. "Eh?"

"Hey! Wait up Arthur!" a new voice yelled.

"Eh? My king?" Percival thought. However, instead of her, what came towards Arthur was Proto-Merlin.

"Merlin..." he said with a sigh before Proto-Merlin tugged his ear.

"It's Merlin onee-san!"

At that moment, Percival was going through a shock. "Eh?! That's Arthur...and Merlin?! What is going on here?! And Merlin onee-san?!"

(Back to the present...)

"And that's what happened the first time I met the gender bend counterparts of my king and Merlin," Percival said as he was done recounting the story.

"Wow. Looks like you have quite the shock of your life huh?"

"You can say that again. I wonder if Agravain met them yet...anyways, is the oil ready yet?"

"Let me check." Shirou then grabbed some leftover panko and dropped it into the oil. As he did, the panko sank down to the middle of oil and immediately came right up. "Yup, it's ready. Now we start deep frying the pork."

Shirou then placed one coated pork loin and cooked it for one minute without flipping it. "Cook one whole pork loin for about one minute without flipping it so you don't reduce the oil temperature drastically. The size of the bubbles should be big when you add the pork."

"I see," Percival said with fascination.

"After a minute has passed, flip the pork and cook the other side for one minute," Shirou said as he flipped the pork and cooked the other side for one minute. "After that's done, take out the pork and remove excess oil. Place it on a wire rack and let the remaining heat cook for 4 minutes. Scoop up the fried crumbs in the oil with a fine-mesh strainer," he said as he took out the pork, removed the excess oil, and placed it on a wire rack. Afterwards, he grabbed a fine-mesh strainer and showed it to Percival. "This is a fine-mesh strainer by the way."

"Is that so? It looks like a net," Percival said.

"You can say that." Shirou then scooped up the remaining fried crumbs with the strainer. "Now try it."

"Yes!" Percival then grabbed his coated pork loin and cooked it for one minute without flipping it. After a minute had passed, he flipped the pork and cooked the other side for one minute. Finally, he took the pork, removed the excess oil, placed it on a wire rack, and let the remaining heat cook for it. "Like this."

"Good. Now we heat up the oil to a higher temperature and cook it again for 30 seconds; each on both sides," Shirou said as he raised the heat.

"Eh? Cook it again? But why? And at a higher temperature?"

"By frying them at a higher temperature than before, the outside gets nice and crispy." Soon, the oil got hotter, and Shirou added his pork loin into the pot again, cooking it again for 30 seconds on each side. He then placed the product on a wire rack to drain the oil. "See?"

Percival looked at the finished product with awe in his eyes. "Wow. You are right. It looks a lot better than before. All right, now is my turn then." Percival then did the same thing Shirou did earlier and added his pork loin into the pot again, cooking it again for 30 seconds on each side. He then placed the product on a wire rack to drain the oil.

Shirou let out a smile at the progress he and Percival made. "All right, that should be good for now. All that's left is to make the shredded cabbage and sauces."

"I can do the rest my queen. They should be simple enough." Percival said.

Shirou thought about Percival's request and nodded. "Very well, I'll still send out the instructions though."

"That's fine by me."

"All right. Shred up the cabbage very thinly with a knife. If you're having trouble doing so, then use a cabbage slicer. Like the one over there," Shirou said as he pointed at a nearby cabbage slicer for reference.

Percival then grabbed the cabbage head and sliced it in half first before slicing it into thin strips.

"Good. Now grab the two small bowls of black and white toasted sesame seeds and grind them. However, leave some ungrounded for texture. Then in individual small bowls, serve 1 Tbsp of the ground sesame seeds and add tonkatsu sauce. Mix them well together."

Percival nodded and grabbed the two bowls of black and white toasted sesame seeds and grinded them. Afterwards, he placed 1 Tbsp of the grounded sesame seeds into the individual small bowls, added tonkatsu sauce, and mixed them together.

"Great. Once that's done, we'll plate all of them together. First, we start off with cutting the tonkatsu into equal pieces," Shirou said as he began to cut the tonkatsu into equal pieces, prompting Percival to do the same as well. "All right, now place the cut-up tonkatsu onto the plate like this." Shirou then placed the cut-up tonkatsu onto the middle of the plate while placing the shredded cabbage on the top side of the plate and a small bowl of the tonkatsu sauce was next to the plate. "Okay, that should be it."

Percival did the same thing as Shirou did earlier and looked at his tonkatsu in awe of how pretty it looked. "Wow, so this is what tonkatsu looks like..."

"Yeah. Want a taste?"

"Y-Yes!" Percival grabbed a nearby fork and grabbed a piece of tonkatsu. As he bit into it, he felt a texture he has not ever felt before, and then that feeling was replaced by flavors he has not ever tasted before. "This is delicious!" he said.

"Yes. And if you want it to taste ever more delicious, add it into the dipping sauce," Shirou said.

Percival took Shirou's advice and dipped his tonkatsu piece into the dipping sauce. As he did, he tasted more flavors he had not ever tasted before. "Wow, you were right my queen. It is even more delicious with the dipping sauce added."

Shirou let out a smile. "I'm glad that you liked it Percival."

"Yeah, and I learned a new recipe today. One question I want to ask, is this fancy food?"

Shirou let out a chuckle. "Tonkatsu is common food that everyone eats in master's country, along with other parts in other countries as well."

Percival's eyes widened. "Really? With all that preparation, everyone around the world eats it? The future is amazing..." he said with amazement.

"Yeah. Speaking of which...they should arrive here right about...now."

Percival was confused with Shirou's words for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well..."

It was then they heard a stampede of footsteps coming out from the hallway, and the sound was getting louder and closer. Eventually, the source of the stampede was revealed as it showed itself at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Which was Arturia and her counterparts, and they looked hungry.

"SHIROU! FOOD!" they yelled in unison.

"That," Shirou said as he pointed at Arturia and her counterparts.

"Ah. I see that my king and her counterparts seems to have found us cooking."

"Yes. And there's also the fact that it's almost dinnertime right now."

Percival let out a small chuckle. "Need some help, Queen Shirou?"

"Definitely."

And the two began to cook up a storm for a bunch of hungry lions...

Percival let out a sigh as he was drinking a glass of water. "Wow...I've never been so exhausted in my entire life...and to think cooking for my king and her counterparts made me feel like this..."

"You can say that again. I've done this so many times, and yet I get exhausted in the end..." Shirou replied.

"I can see that...anyways, thanks for the lesson Queen Shirou."

"No problem."

For a moment, there was silence between the two until Percival continued the conversation.

"By the way, should I also call you teacher in this case?"

Shirou let out a small spit take.