Master Koshi turned out to be surprisingly eloquent—far from your typical ramen vendor. With just a few words, he could liven up the atmosphere, sounding more like a master of romance psychology than a street food chef.
Shirou couldn't help but speculate: maybe this old man was once a rebellious young master of a great family—someone who shunned his inheritance and chose love over power. Perhaps he ran away to live with the woman he loved, only for fate to steal her early. Now he guarded this ramen cart in her memory, reminiscing about the past…
Wait no—that couldn't be right. This old guy watched AVs all day. Definitely not that romantic. More likely, he was just a dirty old flirt who sold ramen as a cover for chasing women.
"Master Koshi, your ramen's amazing! If I'm ever back in Tokyo, I'll bring my friends again!"
At checkout, Shirou joined the girls in standing up and gave the old man a polite farewell. Koshi, unaware that the boy had just painted him as a sleazy playboy in his head, smiled warmly, thinking he had just given some good romantic advice to a lovestruck youth.
"Of course! I've honed this craft for decades. You think I'm bluffing?"
Master Koshi, clearly in a good mood, began cleaning up the bowls and utensils. He took down the noren cloth hanging beside the cart's window and stacked the stools—clearly ready to close shop for the night.
"You're closing up already?" Shirou asked, glancing at the time. It wasn't even midnight yet—Tokyo nightlife was just beginning.
Usually, mobile ramen carts like Koshi's stayed open well into the early morning. Was the old man getting tired?
But Koshi shook his head. "Most of my customers are students from the University of Tokyo. Once it gets late, the traffic dies down. Folks like you—out-of-towners—are rare."
His gaze drifted past the vibrant group of young men and women and landed on a Lexus that had just pulled up near the curb.
"...Besides, the later it gets, the more likely it is that people showing up aren't really customers. You kids should stay safe out there. See you next time."
"Bye, Master Koshi!"
"Yeah, see you! Your relationship advice was top tier. Next time, maybe Shirou-senpai will be getting married, and you'll be the matchmaker—we'll send you a wedding invite!"
Xia Mi waved playfully while pretending to link arms with Shirou like a couple. But Nono smacked her hand away, and Xia Mi immediately retaliated by blocking Nono's own attempt to grab Shirou's arm. A stealthy hand duel erupted behind Shirou's back as the two girls traded silent blows.
"Go get her, don't give up!" the old man cheered from the sidelines, clearly enjoying the drama.
"Xia Mi, you up to no good again?"
"Ehhh? Nono-senpai, I just slipped! I have no idea how my hand ended up in Shirou-senpai's~ Thanks for the reminder~!"
"Hey hey hey, can you two stop messing around with me in the middle!?"
And with that, the vibrant group slowly faded into the distance.
Master Koshi watched them go, particularly the red-haired boy and girl. Their hair shimmered under the neon lights like floral dresses from the Showa era, triggering some not-so-happy memories. His late French mother had red hair too… He let out a sigh.
As he continued closing up his cart, he kept glancing at that fading red. Perhaps those flickers of memory were the real reason he enjoyed chatting with young people like them.
Just then, another old man emerged from the Lexus and approached. Without turning his head, Koshi said:
"Aga, it's you? I told you not to come anymore. I want nothing to do with the family. And stop sending those young girls to me—they deserve better. I'm perfectly fine with just Yui, Chiyoko, Tazuko, and Tomie..."
Koshi's words dripped with age and arrogance, but the names slipping from his mouth exposed his scandalous past. This wasn't some struggling ramen vendor—this was a flirtatious old man living out his days in indulgent peace.
"No matter what happened, the past is the past," the other man said respectfully. "You were still the former head of the Uesugi family, and once led the clan as the 'Emperor.'"
"Don't say that in front of me."
The warmth drained from Master Koshi's face. His name was Uesugi Koshi—the former "Emperor" of the Orochi Eight Families.
Years ago, his mother was killed by the family's schemes, and he left in fury, abandoning his noble lineage to sell ramen on the streets. The only ones who still remembered this past were the old family heads: Fuma Kotaro of the Fuma Clan, and Inuyama Aga of the Inuyama Clan—the man standing before him now.
Since Koshi had renounced his bloodline, there was no record of his "Emperor" lineage. The younger generation had no idea. Only the very old, still living, knew the truth.
Aga had even secretly paid off Koshi's land taxes for decades, allowing him to live peacefully on this street. Yet Koshi remained unmoved—he wanted no ties to that cold, manipulative family.
But Aga wasn't discouraged. He came forward to help Koshi stack stools, still moving with surprising agility.
"You seemed interested in those young folks just now. Shall I get you information on Shirou Emiya?"
"Shirou Emiya... right..." Koshi muttered. He'd noticed the red-haired youth.
"Wait, you guys are watching him?"
"Of course. He's a dragon slayer—the hero who killed the Dragon King. Even Principal Angra respects him. And with him being Japanese, people are beginning to suspect he might have hidden 'Emperor' lineage."
"Oh, so you want to bring him into the clan, huh?" Koshi sneered.
"No. The clan already has an 'Emperor.' We're only trying to win Shirou's favor. Turns out, your cart is under Inuyama surveillance, and they saw you interacting with him, so I came right away."
Koshi froze. They already have an Emperor?
He distinctly remembered taking precautions back in the day—no chance of accidentally fathering children. That made him chuckle.
"You guys are ridiculous. Back when I left, I killed every 'breeder' girl you sent. The Emperor bloodline should've ended with me. Now you think you can just fake a new one?"
He loathed the idea of passing on the Emperor's blood. The higher the dragon-blood concentration, the more likely the baby would be stillborn. That's why he refused to have children.
"No. The new Emperor is real. He passed the bloodline tests—he has your genes."
Koshi's cloth fell from his hand. He spun around, eyes wide.
"What did you say!?"
He grabbed Aga by the shoulder and shook him, his Emperor-level strength nearly knocking the old man down. Only after Aga coughed did Koshi ease up.
"You remember back during the war, when the family offered your genetic samples to the Third Reich, hoping they'd discover new ways to evolve? We think… the Germans used your genes to create a test-tube baby. That might be the Emperor now."
"A test-tube baby? From that sample? You sure?"
Koshi was stunned—not just by the idea of having a child—but by the sudden realization…
Shirou Emiya… red hair… suspected Emperor lineage…
Don't tell him…
"WAIT. So I have TWO sons!?"
(End of Chapter)
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