Chapter 289: Let's Have Hot Pot Together
In a lounge within the office building, two female voices were engaged in conversation.
"Speaking of which, how is the situation with the person I invited?"
"Mhm. He has a fractured arm, but it seems he took protective measures to break his fall. He should recover in about three months; he's already been settled into a hospital for treatment."
"Lin Xianming is no ordinary small-fry—he's one of the top assassins in the industry. I interviewed him personally. Even with 100% synchronization, he was defeated in an instant and had to feign unconsciousness to escape. Just what kind of monster was that guy who fled the building?"
"We have already begun an investigation. Please, do not take any risks."
"I know. I certainly have no desire to face a monster like that again anyway. Revenge can wait for a while; it doesn't matter."
"It is a relief that you understand our position."
"Drop the formalities. In this era, people no longer hold that kind of reverence in their hearts anyway. To be called 'The Son of Heaven,' one must first bear its weight. Since no one needs an Emperor anymore, I shall discard such useless vanities. Sitting here now, I am simply Wu Zhao."
"Is that so? As expected, as the unique Empress of China—and from the peak of the Great Tang Dynasty at that—you truly are special. How does the new body feel? To be honest, even a genius like me didn't expect you to trade the Holy Grail directly for a physical body to manifest in this world, and then come straight to me to negotiate."
"Ne-haha! Don't worry about it, Da Vinci. Our cooperation will be quite pleasant. We are both getting what we need, aren't we? You have no way of knowing how many 'Appropriate Subjects' are still scattered about; you need a Sovereign like me to stabilize the overall situation."
Walking into the lounge, Shirou happened to hear someone talking to Da Vinci via a Chaldea projection screen. As he stepped forward, he saw two twin-tailed girls sitting on the sofa who looked almost identical. Shirou froze for a moment.
"Ah, Shirou! You're back just in time. The conversation just finished."
"Meimei?" Shirou said in surprise as the two girls turned around at the sound of his voice.
"Ah! Shirou, you're back! That's great! You're okay! That woman was super dangerous!" One of the girls stood up happily, her twin tails swaying.
"Oh, young man. You worked hard to 'rescue the sovereign' earlier. Once I have established a firm footing back in China, I shall reward you handsomely. If there is anything you want, just tell me," said Wu Zetian, who had changed her hair to black to match Meimei's.
"No... that won't be necessary. This way of speaking... are you the Emperor Wu Zetian? Da Vinci-chan, what exactly is going on?" Shirou asked, turning his gaze toward the woman on the screen.
"Ahaha, well, for now, they are considered allies of Chaldea," Da Vinci said with a dry laugh.
"Eh? Did you two reach some sort of shady deal?" Shirou looked back and forth between Wu Zetian and the screen.
Da Vinci corrected him, looking slightly wounded. "Shirou... what do you take me for? We are severely understaffed, so I want to retain any talent capable of reasonable dialogue. Besides, considering there are many unknown 'Appropriate Subjects' who haven't come over yet, Chaldea needs allies."
"Hmph hmph hmph, exactly. Be glad that you can stand on the same front as me. I happen to need allies as well. If Chaldea is willing to listen to reason, then all the better. In short, I look forward to your guidance from now on, young man—though I'll be taking Meimei and the others back to develop things in my own country eventually."
"For some reason, hearing that from you makes me feel like things are going to get dangerous," Shirou said worriedly.
"How rude! Ne-haha! Don't worry, understanding the hearts of the people is the duty of a monarch. I have no intention of rebuilding the Wu Zhou Dynasty now. Besides, it's wonderful to be in a place without those old men constantly chanting prophecies and calculations. Even without force, I can manage quite easily." Wu Zetian laughed confidently.
"Well then, I have urgent matters to attend to, so we'll end the conversation here. Miss Wu Zhao, I will contact you periodically."
"Mhm. I look forward to our next talk," Wu Zetian said with a smile.
"Goodbye then..." Da Vinci paused as if remembering something. "Oh, right! Shirou, you'd better get home quickly. I already sent your sister, Artoria, and the others back ahead of you."
Shirou nodded. "I understand."
"That's right, that's right, Shirou! We had a promise, didn't we? Take me to your house! I want to meet your family!" Zhou Meimei hopped over and grabbed the boy's arm, speaking proactively.
"Eh? Right now? I mean, it's fine. My parents are busy with work, but my sister is home. I did promise to host you properly if you came here. Let's stop by the supermarket on the way back then," Shirou agreed readily.
"Uuu... that's not what I meant. Actually, there's no rush, the legal marriage age is twenty..." Zhou Meimei mumbled with a blushing face.
The two attendant girls exchanged a glance.
"Princess, it seems we need to provide an assist!" "A guy this strong and gentle—it's a waste not to go for it!"
With that, the two also reached out and hugged Shirou's arms from behind.
"Oh, Shirou-kun, take us along too!"
"Mhm. What a dense fellow. Well... but it is interesting. I've developed a bit of curiosity myself, so I'll tag along too." Wu Zetian joined in with a mischievous grin.
"Alright, alright, don't pull! It's hard to walk like this," Shirou said helplessly to the four girls hanging off his arms. He thought to himself, 'They say Chinese people are hospitable, but are they even this enthusiastic about being the guests?'
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Shirou was pulled into a stretched luxury car with Zhang Qing driving. They headed toward his house. During the trip, Zhang Qing didn't ask a single question and turned every corner correctly.
"Wait, why are you so familiar with the location of my house?" Shirou asked suspiciously.
"Hehe, I actually asked Da Vinci to help me look it up beforehand," Zhou Meimei said, sticking out her tongue.
"I feel like it's better not to look too deeply into these things," Shirou said, covering his face in resignation.
"Okay! Zhang Qing, to the nearest shopping center," Zhou Meimei ordered.
The group went on a massive shopping spree at the supermarket. Ten minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the boy's home.
"I'll call you later. If I don't call by 9:00 PM, it means you don't need to come back for us," Meimei told the driver.
"Ne-haha, as expected of my former host." Wu Zetian looked at the girl with appreciation. "As expected of the Princess!" The two attendants gripped each other's hands in excitement.
"Is that okay, Shirou?" Zhou Meimei swayed while holding his arm, acting spoiled.
"Mhm. Mr. Driver can go rest easy. If it gets late, I'll take responsibility for getting them safely back to their hotel." Shirou smiled and patted the twin-tailed girl's head reassuringly.
"That's not it!!!" Zhou Meimei swatted his hand away, her twin tails whipping around. "Pffft-hahaha!" Beside her, Wu Zetian leaned on Lingyue and laughed uproariously.
Inside the house, the residents heard the commotion outside through the living room window, followed by the sound of a key in the lock.
"Welcome back, Big Brother!" "Shirou!"
Komachi, Artoria, and Jeanne rushed to the entrance—only to freeze in their tracks. Before them stood the boy, accompanied by four girls they had never seen, all of whom were clinging to his arms and back with intimate familiarity.
"I'm back, Komachi, Artoria, Jeanne, Mashiro," Shirou greeted them with a smile.
"..." The entryway went stone cold. The three girls simply stared at the boy with icy gazes.
"Ne-haha! Excuse the intrusion!" Wu Zetian sized up the girls inside. Seeing their high "quality," and wanting to help Meimei, she put her hands behind her back and boldly kicked off her shoes at the entrance, walking straight in with an arrogant posture that completely ignored the three resident girls.
"Hello, hello! So this is Shirou-kun's villa? Not bad. Two floors, maybe 150... no, 170 square meters per floor, plus an attic and a spacious yard and garage." The attendants, Lingyue and Wan'er, took the hint and strutted in, looking around and praising the environment.
"No, it's just a normal house," Shirou corrected. Only rich people with private gardens and pools lived in villas; middle-class people lived in high-end apartments, and only "poor" people lived in standalone houses like this (in his view).
"Wait, you guys! Ah, I am truly sorry for the intrusion!" Zhou Meimei tried to stop them, but the three had already slipped inside. "I apologize for their rudeness!"
From inside came the happy shouts of the attendant girls. "Ah! Next is the second floor! Where is Shirou-kun's room?!" "Adventure is so much fun!"
'For real? I want to see too!' Zhou Meimei's eyes widened with interest. However, her expression was caught by the three resident girls. Feeling their combined gaze, she ducked her head in embarrassment and scurried inside to join the "exploration" team.
Shirou watched the three "brats" helplessly. He tried to follow to stop them, but was blocked at the door by the three resident girls. He stood there awkwardly holding the groceries.
"Eh? What's going on? Wait! Ni hao? Eh? Chinese?" Komachi blinked in surprise.
"Ah, they are friends I met during my trip to China. They've come to visit us," Shirou explained.
"Wait! Big Brother! What is the meaning of this? Before Da Vinci-chan notified us, we were in a complete panic looking for you! Artoria-san even summoned her motorcycle to scour all of Tokyo! And Jeanne-san was holding her flag, nearly charging out the door!" Komachi grabbed Shirou's collar and hissed in a low, menacing voice. "And you? What did you do? You vanish without contact, and now you bring back this many girls? And foreigners again! Are you trying to turn this house into a 'Crystal Palace' of the UN Security Council's Permanent Five?!"
"It's not like that," Shirou protested.
"Hmph! Is that so, Shirou...?" Artoria stared at the boy with a freezing gaze.
"It really isn't, Artoria. That was an act of God."
Artoria turned on her heel and walked inside without a word.
"Jeanne? Sorry for worrying you." Shirou looked at the silver-haired girl leaning against the wall.
"Ha?! Who was worried about you! Don't follow me!" Jeanne glared at him, shouting fiercely before also turning and walking inside.
"Love triangle? A large-scale multi-car collision event..." Mashiro tilted her head in thought, picking up her pen and unhurriedly recording observations on her sketchpad.
"Well... Big Brother, put your soul into making a good meal, then explain everything clearly," Komachi said with a sigh.
"Eh? Shouldn't I apologize first? Otherwise, the food won't taste good," Shirou asked.
Komachi patted his back, speaking with the gravity of a sage. "Sigh... you really are beyond help. Listen, if a girl gets angry at you to your face, it means she's willing to forgive you. She's just hinting for you to yield quickly, admit you're wrong, and give her a chance to adjust her mood to be with you again."
Shirou looked at his sister with "ignorant awe." "Eh? Is that how it works? Komachi, why do you know so much about this? Could it be that you've had a... boyfriend at some point?"
Komachi gave him a flat look. "How many times do you think I've seen girls act like this around you since I was a kid? Don't worry, I won't leave this house until I've safely 'married' you off. Now get in there, they're about to start fighting."
"Oh? Oh..." Shirou felt something was off, but he was pushed into the living room by Komachi anyway.
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Inside, Zhou Meimei, Wu Zetian, and the others sat on one side of the sofa, while Artoria and Jeanne sat opposite them.
"Looking at your aura—cold, iron-blooded, valiant, yet possessing the dignity of a monarch... are you perhaps a Queen from somewhere?" Wu Zetian asked, sizing up Artoria.
"And who might you be?" Artoria asked back.
"Ah, she's an ally of Chaldea," Shirou interjected.
"There's no need for such secrecy in this world. I am Wu Zhao. Ah... perhaps you'll recognize this title better: The Great Sacred August Emperor Wu Zetian."
"The Empress of the Tang Dynasty. Pardon my rudeness. I am Artoria Pendragon. Most referred to me as the 'King of Knights' during my life," Artoria replied.
"What? The King of Knights from myth chosen by the sword? Well, there's no point in comparison then." Wu Zetian seemed to lose interest in Artoria immediately.
"Do you have some dissatisfaction with me?" Artoria frowned.
"No, just a bit of a pity. I thought I might have found a like-minded partner I could actually talk to," Wu Zetian said, waving her hand dismissively.
Jeanne, standing nearby, spoke up impatiently. "Whatever, that's all in the past anyway. Whether you were a King or an Emperor, your dynasties fell long ago."
"And who might you be, oh Holy One?" Wu Zetian asked with a smile, taking no offense.
"Just call me Jeanne! Let me say this first: I don't think you Queens or Empresses are anything special. In the end, aren't you just people who ended up burned away or gone?"
"Ne-haha! You might actually get along with me quite well," Wu Zetian laughed.
"I don't think so. I hate 'King' types. Well, whether we get along remains to be seen after spending time together. Speaking of which, what is your deal with Shirou? Ah! I don't care at all, I'm just asking casually!" Jeanne looked away as she spoke.
"Well, if I had to put it in terms, it's the relationship between the Emperor of the Suzerain State and Shirou as a subject of a Vassal State. During the era I lived in, the 'Wa' (Japan) was a vassal to the Great Tang. So, calling Shirou my subject isn't technically incorrect," Wu Zetian stated.
Back then, the Tang Empire was the center of the world, a lighthouse that neighboring countries vied to worship. Every year, they offered tribute for protection, trade, and to learn advanced concepts, writing, Confucianism, Buddhism, and crafts. They sent students and even provided women specifically for the amusement of Tang people, all just to obtain Han bloodlines to raise their family's status.
"Hah! There's a limit to being unreasonable. Do you really intend to use things from a thousand years ago as an argument?" Jeanne raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I won't ignore the gap in eras, of course. But my recruitment of Shirou is genuine. Everyone on our side would welcome him, right?" Wu Zetian smiled.
"Yes, yes!" The two attendant girls nodded vigorously.
"That's right, Shirou. You like forging weapons and such, don't you? If you come to Luoyang with me in the future, I can manifest my Palace Noble Phantasm. Inside, there are the armors
of the invincible Great Tang elites, various military-grade Tang Sabers, and even forging documents that have been lost in the modern age for you to read," Wu Zetian said.
"Eh? Really?" Shirou said, his interest piqued.
"Shirou! You don't need those, do you?" the girls on the other side asked in low, dangerous voices.
"Eh?" Caught in the middle, the boy felt the air crackling with invisible sparks.
Fortunately, a savior arrived to smooth things over.
"Please enjoy! Ni hao~ xie xie! Gyoza, Tenshinhan, Yamcha! Hehehe." Komachi brought over the brewed black tea, laughing as she recited every Chinese word she knew and handed the cups to the guests.
"Sister, you can just speak Japanese. Thanks to the Possession Summoning system, we can understand you," Wu Zetian said.
"Haha, I see. That's a relief. Hello everyone, I'm Komachi," Komachi replied with a dry laugh.
'The twin sister is a total Queen who can go head-to-head with the icy Artoria-san... how terrifying. I can't believe Big Brother can chat so casually with such formidable people! Since he's so capable, he needs to find me a sister-in-law already!'
"Hello, Komachi! I'm Meimei, nice to meet you," Zhou Meimei said.
"Hello." Komachi looked at her. It was the younger-looking twin, as cute as a doll. A twin-tailed loli—how adorable. Komachi wanted to take her to her room and snuggle her. She whispered gently, "Sorry, we only have black tea. Would you like milk or sugar?"
"This is fine. In China, we drink both green and black tea," Meimei replied with a smile. After all, this was Shirou's sister and potentially her future sister-in-law. She had to act like a reliable older sister. This was a point-scoring moment; even if the tea was bitter coffee, she'd endure it.
"Alright then! Big Brother! Is there anything you'd like to explain to everyone?" Komachi raised her voice, giving her brother a pointed look.
"Right! Artoria, Jeanne, I'm sorry. There were deep reasons behind this incident. Could you listen to what happened?"
"..." Artoria nodded silently. "Understood. Let's hear it. If I don't figure it out, I'll be tossing and turning all night!" Jeanne said honestly, then realized how that sounded. "Wha—! Of course, it's not because I'm worried about Shirou!"
"Okay, it all started when I was suddenly pulled into the network space by BB... and so..." Over a pot of tea, Shirou explained everything, though he omitted the details about the White God and the Counter Force.
"Honestly, Shirou! You should have just told me clearly from the start," Jeanne said, slapping the boy's shoulder hard. Her hand stung, but the silver-haired girl seemed to have let go of her anger.
"I see..." Artoria nodded, let out a contemplative hum, and then shouted loudly: "Shirou!" "Yes!" the boy answered immediately. "Can we prepare dinner?" Artoria asked with a serious face.
Shirou had been missing for half a day. While searching for him, she had eaten less than half her usual lunch. Now that her anger had subsided and her stomach was no longer "full of rage," she suddenly felt ravenous.
Shirou blinked, then agreed happily. "Mhm, you're right. With so many people, we need to start early. Let's have hot pot, and I'll make some side dishes."
With that, Shirou headed to the kitchen to get to work. Everything seemed to return to a peaceful daily routine.
Ding-dong, ding-dong...
The doorbell rang again. The girls looked at each other.
"Ugh..." Ershi, lying in his nest, yawned and shook his head at Shirou before turning his back and going back to sleep.
Shirou stood up and opened the door. "Everyone!"
There stood three familiar girls—members of the school club, close comrades-in-arms who had fought Demonic Beasts and protected the school together.
"Yahallo~! Um... Shirou, we came to see you. Though Gudako and Mash were called back to Chaldea for an emergency mission," the "pink bun" girl (Yuigahama) said, peeking her head in.
Shirou nodded. He figured Gudako was likely still in a Singularity. Because his abilities were tied to timelines, the points he crossed into were often scrambled, but knowing they would return safely allowed him to stop worrying.
"I heard from Yuigahama that you were caught up in the battle, so we stopped by to see you," Yukinoshita Yukino said.
'Wait, you took a car from the airport and just happened to pass by here?' Shirou thought, but he stepped aside to invite them in. "Thank you. Everyone, come in and let's talk."
But... are there enough chairs in the living room? Shirou squinted, pondering this grave problem.
"Long time no see. Was the trip overseas fun? Here, these are souvenirs from Okinawa." "Thanks." Shirou took the souvenirs, mentally calculating that he had also bought gifts for them and should give them out later.
"You guys arrived at the perfect time. I was just about to make hot pot. There are so many people today, it's going to be very lively. We can set up two tables."
"Hot pot! Hot pot sounds great! Coming back from Okinawa, I feel like Chiba is still freezing," Yuigahama said with a smile.
"Shirou... are there a lot of people inside?" Yukinoshita Yukino looked at the neatly arranged shoes at the entrance—all of them female—and looked at Shirou suspiciously.
"And they're all girls?" The sharp-minded Asuna noticed the issue as well, looking straight at Shirou. She didn't know why, but she felt like history was about to repeat itself.
"..." Shirou gave the girls a silent, friendly smile.
After that, everyone enjoyed the hot pot together.
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