By celebrate, Taiga, of course, meant forcing Shirō to cook a meal fit for a king.
No, scratch that. Three kings.
Shirō wasn't even sure how it happened. One moment, they were stepping out of the clinic, Taiga happily rambling about her superhuman physical condition. The next, she was dragging Shirō by the wrist, marching straight to the market like a woman on a mission.
"Fuji-nee, we just ate lunch."
"That was before I knew you were an unstoppable warrior princess with the perfect body! We have to celebrate, Shirō-chan!"
And just like that, Saber-chan had officially been replaced by Shirō-chan.
Shirō didn't even have the energy to argue about it. She was too busy regretting everything as Taiga piled the grocery basket with enough ingredients to feed a small army.
"Taiga, this is way too much."
"Nonsense! You used to cook for me all the time, and now that you're twice as strong, you can cook twice as much!"
"That's not how it works."
"Shirō-chan, dear, you're too healthy. You owe me this much."
Shirō pinched the bridge of her nose. There was no winning against Taiga.
By the time they reached home, Shirō was already exhausted, but Taiga was practically bouncing with excitement. She threw herself onto the couch while Shirō was immediately shoved into the kitchen.
"Alright, Shirō-chan! I expect greatness!"
Shirō sighed, tying the apron around her waist. "You realize you're the one celebrating, right? Not me."
"Semantics! Chop chop! My stomach is waiting."
So that's how Shirō found herself making a ridiculous amount of food.
Katsudon, grilled fish, nikujaga, miso soup, tamagoyaki, and even some extra rice balls for later. The kitchen smelled absolutely divine, but Shirō barely had time to appreciate it because Taiga was hovering nearby, practically drooling.
"Done yet?"
"No."
"Done now?"
"No."
"…Now?"
Shirō turned around and shoved a piece of tamagoyaki into her mouth just to shut her up.
"Mmmf!" Taiga's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. She chewed happily, giving a dramatic thumbs-up. "Shirō-chan, this is exactly the same as before! It's perfect!"
Shirō shook her head with a small smile. It was strangely comforting—knowing that despite everything, at least some things hadn't changed.
Soon, the table was set, and the food was served.
Taiga wasted no time devouring everything.
Shirō just watched in mild horror. "Are you even tasting it?"
Taiga paused only long enough to beam at her. "Of course! It's delicious!" Then she immediately stuffed another piece of katsudon into her mouth.
Shirō sighed, but her chest felt warm. It was chaotic. It was exhausting.
But… it was normal.
For the first time in a long while, she felt like she was home.