"Hm?"
Hearing Nian's complaint, Shirou revealed an exceptionally clear and innocent gaze.
There was no deeper meaning behind it. He simply felt that Nian's way of speaking had started becoming cryptic again, and with his stomach full, his brain was already slowing down.
After all, once people had eaten and drunk their fill, their minds naturally became less responsive.
"Sigh, never mind. If you have questions, go ask your boss. He definitely knows more than I do. Let us get back to what we were discussing just now… what were we talking about again?"
Seeing that crystal-clear expression, Nian no longer felt like complaining.
She suddenly understood why those blacksmiths in the past always became so irritable when teaching their apprentices.
Fortunately, she had decided to give him some advice on a whim rather than him actively seeking guidance. Otherwise, she would have dumped the whole hotpot over his head.
"I think we were talking about that I am not an ordinary person?"
Although he did not understand exactly what Nian was trying to say, Shirou still answered her question.
He could vaguely guess some of it, but her explanations had been rather vague, he had not fully grasped them.
"Ah! Right, right! What I wanted to say is that the circles you live in are completely different from those of ordinary people. You do not necessarily have to view everything solely from their perspective. Doing that is exhausting for someone like you."
Everything in the hotpot was almost cooked through, so Nian decided to keep things brief and skip anything unnecessary.
She was never particularly good at this sort of thing in the first place. Continuing would only make things difficult for herself.
At the beginning, she had merely used her experience as a blacksmith to remind Shirou of a few things, but by now she could hardly find any faults from that angle.
As a sword meant to be used as a weapon, Shirou was flawless.
But as a human being, his problems were substantial.
Unfortunately, this was not a field she was familiar with, and her attempts to get through to him seemed completely out of sync.
So she decided to stop trying.
At worst, she could just drag Shirou out for hotpot whenever she met him in the future. There was no emotional problem that hotpot could not solve, and if one meal was not enough, then they would simply have several.
"Perspective?"
Combining that with everything she had said before, Shirou roughly understood what she meant.
She wanted him to change his point of view.
But from what perspective should he look at things?
As someone from Earth?
As a Terran?
Or as a mage?
"Let me use myself as an example. From my perspective, whether they are wandering heroes or executioners, all of them are simply being true to the justice in their hearts. There really is not much difference between them.
"And what you have been doing all this time is pretty much the same. In fact, you belong to the more restrained type. Despite possessing great power, you have never let it influence your behavior.
"Humans are creatures that become arrogant very easily once they gain a little strength. Those who can restrain themselves are ultimately the minority. Most people only refrain from acting recklessly because there is someone stronger above them keeping them in line.
"Throughout history, there have indeed been individuals who possessed absolute strength yet remained true to themselves. People gave such individuals titles like heroes and great men—
"In other words, heroes."
Seeing that Shirou had finally emerged from his depressed mood and was willing to think about her words, Nian continued.
"Heroes… huh?"
Hearing those words, images of Saber, Lancer, Berserker, and the others immediately appeared in Shirou's mind.
Those people were all legendary heroes from history, beings who had become Heroic Spirits and had been summoned through the Holy Grail War.
As much as he hated to admit it, Archer was also one of them.
Yet Archer himself seemed to despise that identity.
Shirou understood.
After all, he had seen fragments of Archer's memories.
If it were him, he would also loathe that endless future of taking lives without end.
"You are not qualified yet, of course. But if you continue with your current mentality, perhaps one day everyone will acknowledge you?"
After confirming that the word "hero" had provoked a reaction, Nian pressed on.
"That really is a distant prospect, but… being recognized by everyone and becoming a hero or something… I have never wanted that. A life like that sounds exhausting.
"And besides, that definitely would not be the kind of life she would want to see. So for now, I have no intention of changing how I live. I will probably keep doing what I have been doing, running between Penguin Logistics, the Lungman Guard Department, and the Fuyuki Shop, while occasionally taking jobs from Rhodes Island."
If someone said Shirou felt no temptation at all after hearing Nian's words, that would be a lie.
Rather than a hero, being an ally of justice had always been his dream and his goal.
But he could no longer afford to be that.
Aside from Illya, the biggest reason was that all the people he cared about were here.
He felt that if he suggested going out into the world to be an ally of justice, the people at Penguin Logistics might end up failing at work due to losing their ability to take care of themselves, so the Boss definitely would not approve.
And even if the Boss agreed, Shirou doubted everyone at Penguin Logistics would let him leave so easily.
Going to Rhodes Island for work could still be called a business trip.
But if he wanted to go off somewhere with no idea when he would return, the others definitely would not let him go without resistance.
The main reason was… pretty much the same as before.
Besides, Shirou had no complaints about his current life.
If he really had to name one, it was that things were almost too fulfilling, leaving him with very little time for himself.
He had not even finished half of the books he had borrowed from Snowsant.
Of course the further he read, the more specialized terminology appeared, making the material increasingly difficult.
That was perfectly normal.
Setting aside his educational background, his current understanding of Oripathy already surpassed many people. If he wanted to delve deeper, he would probably have to consult Rhodes Island's medical operators and specialists.
But Shirou knew very well that he had no talent in that area.
Emergency treatment, perhaps.
But pure theoretical research?
Please spare him that.
"Oh? Are you really thinking that way?"
Hearing Shirou say that, Nian was not particularly surprised. Instead, she revealed a rather subtle smile.
The sort of smile that made goosebumps rise all over Shirou's body.
"Tone it down a little. Whenever you smile like that, I always feel like something is off."
Shirou wrapped his arms around himself, trying to gain a little sense of security while desperately wondering why that expression made him so uncomfortable.
After a few seconds of thought, he remembered.
Was this not the exact same smile Fuji-nee had worn when he declared as a child that he wanted to become an ally of justice?
After that, she had teased him about it countless times, to the point that it had practically become a psychological scar.
"Heh. Other people would never be fortunate enough to have me think so highly of them. I thought you would get more excited after hearing all that, but you are surprisingly calm.
"Though that just makes me seem foolish, does it not? I was thinking of guiding a young man so he would not stray down the wrong path, but it turns out you already have your own ideas.
"Tch… I suddenly understand why I got so worked up. It turns out I saw a bit of my brothers in you."
After confirming that those words had truly come from Shirou's heart, Nian felt she had worried a little too much and wasted her emotions…
No, perhaps it had not been a waste.
The feeling Shirou gave her now was slightly better than before.
The change was not large, but it was definitely a positive one. It just happened right in front of her, which was why she had noticed it.
And his attitude toward life reminded her of both her eldest brother and her younger brother.
Even her understanding from earlier had been inspired by her eldest brother.
As for her younger brother…
They were both good cooks?
Shirou's cooking had won the approval of many people, and she herself thought it was excellent.
Too bad Shirou had no interest in spicy food.
"Umm… thanks?"
After hearing those words, Shirou finally understood why Nian had spent so much time talking to him.
How should he put it?
It fit perfectly with the image he had of Nian.
Completely unpredictable.
Yet somehow, she never became annoying.
"No need to thank me. Just eat hotpot with me a few times over the next few days."
After receiving Shirou's thanks, Nian simply waved her hand and shifted her attention back to the hotpot.
"Ah?... Fine, I guess. But we have to use separate pots. If I eat this level of spice several more times, my body will not be able to handle it."
Faced with that request, Shirou hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
After all, her intentions had been good, and he had indeed gained something from their conversation.
So this request was… barely… acceptable.
As long as it was not this level of spice.
"Huh? Then where is the fun in that? And you cannot even handle spicy food after a few meals? Your body is way too weak."
Nian looked somewhat dissatisfied and scrutinized Shirou from head to toe.
She found it hard to believe that someone who looked so healthy and strong could not endure spicy food a few more times.
Though she only questioned it for a moment before withdrawing her gaze.
"Fine, fine. We will do it your way. Human bodies really are fragile. Still, having someone to eat with is better than having no one at all. I have already reserved a table for the day after tomorrow."
Nian reluctantly accepted Shirou's condition.
In the past, forget using separate pots, she could not even tolerate a yin-yang hotpot with divided broths.
Still, Shirou had a point.
She had merely become excited after finally finding someone willing to eat hotpot with her.
Originally, she had planned to drag him here tomorrow for lunch, dinner, and then again the day after.
Now it seemed she would have to slow down a little.
So, the day after tomorrow it was.
Eat one day, rest one day.
That should be fine, right?
"...Okaaaay."
Originally, Shirou had planned to come again next week, but Nian's lightning-fast reservation for the day after tomorrow completely caught him off guard.
By the time he realized what was happening, she had already settled everything.
Her movements were so smooth and practiced that Shirou began wondering just how many times she had eaten here.
She had merely waved her hand and held up two fingers, and somehow the reservation had already been made.
Ridiculous.
"Do not worry, I am still treating! But let me make one thing clear, there can only be spicy broth. I cannot stand seeing any other kind of soup base on the table.
"Oh, right. As compensation for splitting the pots… I need you to help me with something."
Ignoring Shirou's complicated expression and tone, Nian continued.
The first point stemmed from her devotion to hotpot. Other than her own brothers and sisters, nobody could stop her.
Nobody.
As for the second point…
She had just come up with a tiny spark of inspiration.
But whether she could try it or not depended on whether Shirou agreed first.
"What is it?"
Seeing that Nian had finally compromised, Shirou also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was not that specially tailored level of spiciness, he could accept anything.
As for her making another request?
Heh. He had already survived the hotpot ordeal. Surely she could not come up with anything even more outrageous, right?
"I just want to borrow your abilities for filming. It is only a few scenes, and it should all be done in about a day."
Seeing that Shirou was not troubled by her additional request, Nian's eyes lit up as though someone had flipped a switch.
She was convinced that with Shirou's abilities supporting the production, the scene she envisioned would turn out even better than she imagined.
"Filming? My abilities? I do not have to appear on camera, do I?"
Hearing Nian's words, Shirou looked bewildered.
The topic had shifted so abruptly that his brain struggled to keep up.
Still, his instinctive first reaction was to ask whether he would have to show himself. Acting in movies… he had absolutely no experience with that.
"No, no! I only want to borrow the weapons you create with that projection ability of yours. I think some scenes would look amazing with countless swords hanging in the sky as the background. I am sure it would be spectacular! And then there is also—"
After first answering Shirou's question, Nian began explaining exactly where she needed his help.
"That should not be too difficult, I guess? Just tell me the time and place when everything is ready."
After confirming that he did not have to appear on camera and only needed to project realistic-looking swords and weapons as scenery, Shirou felt that it would not be much trouble.
He was actually more curious about the fact that Nian made movies.
And judging by how she spoke, it seemed to be something very important to her. Otherwise, she would not have become so animated and impossible to stop.
Even the remaining broth in the hotpot had nearly boiled dry, yet she still had not stopped talking. In the end, it was only when the smell of something burning drifted up that she was finally dragged back from her fantasies about filmmaking and returned to reality.
"Then it is settled! I still need to book some locations, and I will contact you later with my phone!"
After turning off the heat and fishing out the remaining ingredients from the pot, Nian finally calmed down a little.
She had become somewhat overexcited just now.
"Alright."
Shirou nodded.
"Then that is it for now! I have to hurry and contact those old fellows and settle the schedule. Oh, and I have already paid for this meal. See you the day after tomorrow!"
Since Shirou had agreed to help, she needed to reserve the locations immediately. Otherwise, there might not be enough time left for filming and post-production.
"…Does she not feel heat? Those ingredients seemed to have just come out of the pot. How did she swallow them in two or three bites?"
Watching Nian's hurriedly departing figure, what concerned Shirou was whether those few mouthfuls she swallowed before leaving had been too hot.
Especially since she had walked away without even drinking water afterward.
That was something he truly had to admire.
To borrow Croissant's words, was this what people called a naturally gifted hotpot physique?
"No, no, thinking about her like that feels a little disrespectful."
Shaking his head, Shirou cast those random thoughts out of his mind.
He finished off the remaining boiled water in one gulp, picked up his belongings, and stood up to leave.
Before leaving, he did not forget the original purpose of his visit.
He bought several portions of ordinary spicy soup base from the restaurant.
Only then did he leave, completely satisfied.