"Good afternoon, Mash-san."
"Good afternoon, Jeanne-senpai."
After greeting the super-popular school beauty, Mash found the nearest vending machine.
Today's weather was nice, warm and springlike.
'Huh? Why is Tohsaka-san here?'
Tohsaka Rin stood in front of the vending machine, arms folded, exuding elegance.
Mash wondered if she should go somewhere else to buy drinks. Like the academy's general store.
Tohsaka Rin glanced at her, then stepped back, "You first, Mash-san."
"Ah, oh," Mash dumbly stepped forward, not even asking how Tohsaka Rin knew her name.
While choosing a drink, she was struck with indecision. She didn't know what kind of beverage to buy for Shirou.
Then she heard Tohsaka Rin ask, "Mash-san, is there someone named Emiya Shirou in your class?"
"Ah? Y-yes, there is," Mash instinctively replied.
"Hmm," Tohsaka Rin nodded, not offering any explanation.
Mash found it strange, but given how unapproachable Rin looked, she didn't ask anything. She randomly chose a red bean soup she'd never heard of, then hurried off with three drinks in her arms.
On her way to the club building, she deliberately looked back. She saw that Tohsaka Rin had already walked away, arms still folded, and hadn't bought any drink at all.
'Looks like she was just waiting for someone. Who could it be?'
Mash was very curious about whom the high-and-mighty flower of the school might be waiting for.
'Her little sister, Tohsaka Sakura?'
'Or perhaps, Emiya-san?'
Remembering Tohsaka Rin's earlier question, Mash had this guess.
Then she thought, 'No way.'
'The two has no contact whatsoever. Besides, I have never heard Emiya-san mention knowing Tohsaka-san.'
———
Walking away from the vending machine, Tohsaka Rin thought, 'It seems like Emiya doesn't buy drinks often, yesterday must've been a coincidence.'
'Should I go see him directly?'
On second thought, that wasn't necessary. It was just a brief conversation, no reason to go thank him specifically.
However…
She recalled the boy's high jump under the sunset. Tohsaka Rin inexplicably felt a little concerned.
'Would he be doing high jump again today?'
———
"Sorry I'm late," Putting the drinks on the table, Mash panted slightly.
The literature club was pretty niche in the school, and its room was assigned at the far end of the sixth floor, basically a storage room. Just climbing up was exhausting.
"Thanks for your effort," Ritsuka said words of gratitude but had already grabbed a drink and opened it.
The two were like one person, they shared everything and didn't care about such things.
Shirou, on the other hand, accepted the drink Mash handed him and said a proper thank-you, "Thanks for the food."
Opening his lunchbox, a fragrant aroma filled the literature club. Today Shirou's bento had stewed meat cut into small pieces, paired with seasonal vegetables. It looked nutritious and balanced.
Clearly he was eating so healthily, yet he was still nutrient-deficient.
'Is it because exercise is burning it off? Or am I at a growth spurt age? Or maybe both?', Shirou pondered while eating and absentmindedly opened the red bean soup, taking a large gulp.
His expression changed instantly.
'So sweet!'
'Sweet to the point of being cloying.'
Shirou didn't hate sweet things, but something this sweet was hard to like.
"Not good, Emiya-san?", Noticing Shirou's expression, Mash forgot about looking at his lunch and asked in concern.
"Not really, how should I put it…", Shirou took a big mouthful of rice, "It's a little too sweet."
"I see," Mash looked uneasy. She hadn't expected to pick something so awful by chance. So she made a bold decision. She swapped her drink with Shirou's.
Note: both of them had already taken a sip of their own drinks, even just one sip.
Shirou froze and asked, "What are you doing, Mash-san?"
After realizing, Mash couldn't help blushing.
"T-that, I… My drink's sweetness is just right. So, so…", Mash couldn't finish her sentence.
If they really swapped, that would be an indirect kiss.
Ritsuka howled like a woman abandoned, "Mash!"
"Uu~ Ritsuka, I'm sorry! I didn't betray you, I just—", Steam was practically coming out of Mash's head.
Shirou used the chance to swap the drinks back, "It's fine, Mash. I'll just eat a few more bites of rice and drink it down."
"But…", Mash really felt guilty.
"No buts," Shirou calmly reached his chopsticks into Mash's lunchbox, "If you really feel bad, let me taste your bento."
"Eh?", Mash was stunned for a second.
Shirou explained, "Seeing Fujimaru-san's happy face yesterday made me want to try… Or is Mash-san doesn't want?"
"N-no, please t-try," Mash said, glancing at Shirou's lunchbox.
She felt that compared to her cooking, Shirou's own food must taste much better. Simply put, she felt inferior.
"Then it's settled," Shirou picked up a piece of fried egg from her bento and took a bite. The taste was only average, but the feelings behind it were strong.
"Not bad," Shirou praised and pushed his own bento over.
"As a trade, Mash-san can try mine."
"Red bean paste?", Mash's eyes lit up. She'd long been eyeing Shirou's bento. She immediately forgot her guilt and eagerly readied her chopsticks.
Once Shirou nodded, she didn't hold back.
"Ahh, Emiya-san is playing favorites. I want to trade too," Under the lure of delicious food, Ritsuka forgot about Mash's betrayal and joined in.
"Mm~", With just one bite, Mash let out a dangerous moan. Her round thighs tensed up.
"Uuuuu! It's a five-star level!", Ritsuka felt like her tongue was going to melt.
It reminded her of the hamburger steak she had as a child. Her mom didn't allow it, but her dad secretly bought one for her… It was that kind of taste.
Shirou smiled. The satisfaction of diners was the greatest praise for a chef. At this moment, he finally said a line he had long wanted to say, "Sorry for the humble meal."
———
After eating, Shirou continued writing his novel. He should be able to reach ten thousand words today.
Based on the material the system gave and his own judgment, this book would be around 200,000 words.
He planned to finish writing it all before publishing.
He didn't know how novels were released in Japan. Also, progress was slow, writing by hand was definitely slower than typing.
'Should I borrow some money from Illya or Fujimura-sensei to buy a computer?'
Both were rich women, skimming a little off the top would be enough for a decent rig. But living off women wasn't his intention.
While Shirou was writing, Ritsuka watched him for a while, then couldn't hold back, "Emiya-san, can I read your novel?"
She'd been curious since yesterday about what kind of novel Shirou was writing. She'd assumed he was just messing around, but it turned out he was serious.
Ignored.
System Shirou was especially focused while working. Maybe it was this level of concentration that let Shirou realize how the same body could produce different results. After all, no matter how much he hosted, in the end, this body was still his, it wouldn't change.
After hesitating for two seconds, Shirou didn't cancel hosting.
He could explain things to Ritsuka later. For now, focusing on studying was the priority. After all, every time the system took over, it was like a lesson for him.
Training techniques and posture, learning states and methods, even walking with head held high, or choosing words while writing a novel.
These were all subtle influences the system gave to Shirou. It was as if the system were the world's top all-around teacher, wholeheartedly teaching Shirou the knowledge he desired.
Sometimes even personally demonstrating. As long as Shirou paid attention while under hosting, one day, even without the system, he could become omnipotent…
'Though, that kind of sounds like "using and discarding" the system afterward?'
'So, is the reason my intense training didn't cause injury not the system, but because I, myself am just special?'
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