It was an unusually quiet afternoon in Chaldea's cafeteria. The hustle and bustle of the staff and Servants had slowed to a dull hum, the clink of utensils and faint chatter filling the air. At the far end of the room, Jeanne d'Arc Alter, or Jalter as most people called her, was sitting alone, arms crossed in a scowl as she glared at the last cupcake on the dessert tray. The frosting on it looked perfect, the little swirl atop it practically begging to be eaten. But Jalter's eyes only narrowed further, a dark cloud hovering over her mood.

Across the room, Emiya was meticulously wiping down a plate with a dish cloth. He had become quite adept at ignoring the chaos around him, especially the constant bickering and squabbling of the various Servants that inhabited Chaldea. But today, something caught his attention—the unmistakable vibe of a storm brewing from the direction of Jalter.

He couldn't help but glance over.

Her clenched fists.

Her twitching eye—

She was fuming.

"Hey, Jalter," Emiya said casually, "What's got you in such a bad mood today?"

Jalter's eyes snapped to him, her lips curling into a snarl. "What do you think, Archer?" she hissed, her voice laced with irritation. "That stupid Holy Saint—Jeanne d'Arc—had to go and be all 'nice' and 'generous' and give me the last cupcake the other day!"

Emiya raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Sounds like a pretty nice gesture to me. What's the problem with that?"

Jalter shot him a venomous glare. "The problem is that now she thinks I owe her something! Like, what am I supposed to do? Bow down and thank her for giving me the cupcake? Am I supposed to suddenly become all warm and fuzzy inside because she decided to be 'nice'?"

Emiya wiped a spot on the plate he was holding, his lips quirking into a sarcastic smile. "Well, maybe you could return the favor. How about giving her a cupcake in return? Seems fair to me."

Jalter froze, her eye twitching in pure annoyance. "Oh, ha ha, very funny, Emiya," she sneered. "I'm sure Jeanne would be thrilled with that." She slumped back into her seat dramatically, crossing her arms. "But no! Now she's all, 'You should show gratitude, Jalter,' and I just can't stand it! She's so… so… perfect! Why does she always have to be perfect?!"

Emiya let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes. He moved to the kitchen counter, grabbing a fresh batch of cupcakes. With a flourish, he placed a plate with a cupcake on it in front of Jalter, the frosting gleaming in the light.

"Here," Emiya said flatly, "Take this plate and give it to Jeanne. She might like it, you know."

Jalter shot him a death glare, but Emiya was unfazed. She picked up the plate reluctantly, her hands almost trembling with the force of her inner conflict. The last thing she wanted to do was give that goody-two-shoes Saint anything.

"Fine," she muttered, standing up and storming towards the door. "I'll go give her the stupid cupcake. But this is the last time. I don't want to hear about it ever again."

Emiya's lips twitched in amusement as he watched her leave, only to follow her with his eyes and—just as expected—hear the loud crash of something being thrown. A second later, Jalter stormed back into the cafeteria, looking even more annoyed.

"#$#*&%$# ?" shouted Hercules. He was standing there with a scowl, cake crumbs splattered across his bare skin. The cupcake had hit him square in the chest, leaving a nice frosting print on his massive chest.

"Oops," Jalter mumbled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I guess I missed."

Emiya, who had been calmly sipping his coffee, almost choked on the liquid. "Well, that's one way to do it."

Jalter stomped back to the counter, visibly frustrated. "Okay, fine, Emiya! You want me to deliver the stupid cupcake? I will! But don't expect me to be nice about it!"

She grabbed another cupcake, her eyes still shooting daggers. This time, she made it a point to walk in the other direction—far away from any Berserkers—and tried again.

A few minutes later, there was another crash. The plate had been sent flying across the room, smashing into a wall with a loud thud. Jalter stood there, looking completely unbothered, while a splatter of frosting slid down the wall like some sort of abstract art.

"Okay, okay," Emiya said, getting up from his seat and walking over. "Maybe the whole 'throw the cupcake' thing isn't working out for you."

Jalter crossed her arms, her face red with anger. "I'm doing exactly what you told me to do! You wanted me to give the stupid thing to her, right? Well, I gave it my best shot!"

Emiya sighed dramatically. "Alright, I'll handle this. Watch and learn, Jalter."

Without missing a beat, Emiya grabbed another plate, took the cupcake, and casually walked over to where Jeanne d'Arc was seated, peacefully sipping tea. He stopped in front of her with the most neutral expression imaginable.

"Here," Emiya said, placing the plate gently in front of Jeanne. "Jalter wanted to say thank you for the cupcake."

Jeanne blinked in surprise, her face softening with a gentle smile. "Oh, how sweet of her. Please tell her I'm glad she liked it."

Emiya nodded and gave a slight bow before turning to head back to Jalter, who was watching the exchange from across the room with a suspicious scowl. "See?" Emiya said, holding up his hands as if to say "Mission accomplished." "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Jalter just glared at him. "Don't tell me you're proud of that."

"I am," Emiya replied dryly, "Because now the cupcake crisis is resolved. And you didn't destroy anything in the process."

Jalter grumbled, her mood barely improved. "Fine. I'll admit it. I'm not good at giving people things… especially her."

Emiya gave her a teasing smile. "Well, if you ever need help with delivering cupcakes in the future, you know who to call."

Jalter scowled, but despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but let out a small, begrudging chuckle. "You're lucky you're useful, Emiya."

The Archer Servant raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Jalter. That sounded almost like a compliment."

"Don't get used to it," she shot back.