"Burp—"
A burp full of happiness broke the silence of the kitchen.
Po put down the bowl in his hand, which was cleaner than his face, and patted his round belly with satisfaction.
That bowl of seemingly simple Ochazuke was like a gentle surge of internal energy rising from his dantian, instantly traveling through his limbs and bones, sweeping away the late-night chill and the trepidation of arriving in a strange place.
He looked up at the red-haired youth leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed, observing him with a gaze used for studying an unknown creature.
"Shirou!" Po's voice was loud and sincere.
"You saved my life! Really! I never thought fish and rice could be eaten like this! That tea fragrance was the perfect finishing touch!"
Shirou Emiya didn't react much, merely shifting his gaze from Po's belly to the empty bowl.
"Full?"
"Mhm! Full! I'm really full this time!"
Po nodded vigorously, then his expression turned serious as he slapped his chest with a paw, letting out a dull "thud."
"Tell me, Shirou! How should I compensate you? I, the Dragon Warrior Po, am definitely not the kind of bear who eats without paying! Although I don't have any money on me right now, once I find my way back, I'll definitely have my dad send you a crate! No, two crates!"
He paused and added, "Or, do you want to learn Kung Fu? I have a set of Wuxi Finger Holds, they're incredibly powerful! Great for taking people out instantly. And my self-created Panda Belly Bump—er—that won't work, your physique isn't up to standard."
As he spoke, he puffed out his proud belly.
Shirou Emiya finally moved. He walked over, took the empty bowl from in front of Po, and tossed it into the sink.
"If you want to compensate someone, it's not me."
His voice carried a clear sense of sleepiness.
"When the boss arrives tomorrow morning, tell him."
"Boss?" Po's ears perked up alertly.
"How—how is he? Is he mean? Will he see me like this and call people to catch me?"
Shirou looked back at him, his gaze like he was looking at a child asking a silly question.
"Don't worry, the boss is a good man."
"He won't make any unreasonable demands of you."
After saying that, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Continuous high-intensity work, combined with being woken up in the middle of the night, had pushed his spirit to its limit.
"Don't touch things in the shop again, especially the refrigerator and the knives."
Shirou pointed at the refrigerated cabinet Po had messed up, then at the gleaming knives on the rack, his tone brook no argument.
"Find somewhere to stay and keep quiet. I'm tired and going back to sleep."
With those words, he didn't even look at the panda again, turning to walk toward the stairs.
The wooden stairs creaked in protest, and soon, the faint sound of a door closing came from upstairs, returning the World to silence once more.
"—"
Po stood alone as a single bear in the empty kitchen, completely bewildered.
He just... left?
He just left a talking, giant panda who had just stolen and eaten the shop's ingredients here like this?
He didn't even ask where he came from or why he was here.
This guy is way too nonchalant!
Po spun around twice and scratched the back of his head.
He walked into the dining area, looked at the neatly arranged tables and chairs, and peeked out at the dark street outside.
A stranger in a strange land, and penniless.
He sighed and ultimately chose to stay put.
After all, there was food here, and that red-haired kid named Shirou, though seemingly cold, wasn't bad at heart.
He found an out-of-the-way corner and curled up his round body.
The floor was a bit hard, but after eating his fill, sleepiness soon washed over him like a tide.
Whatever, no matter how big the problem, it can wait until I wake up.
This was the third truth he had summarized from his years of wandering the World.
---
In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shone through the small attic window onto Shirou Emiya's face.
He dragged his still-heavy body and sat up slowly, urged by his biological clock.
He had slept too late and too restlessly last night, always feeling that the panda downstairs would cause some kind of trouble.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he changed clothes and walked down the stairs.
The dining area was empty; that giant black-and-white figure was gone.
Ran away?
The thought flashed through Shirou's mind, but he wasn't surprised.
Just then, a series of "clanging" sounds, accompanied by a strange, rich aroma of sauce, wafted from the direction of the kitchen.
Shirou's brow furrowed instantly, and most of his sleepiness vanished.
Stealing food again?
He quickened his pace, almost rushing to the kitchen in three steps. He was mentally prepared to see the refrigerator ransacked again.
However, when he pushed open the kitchen door, the scene before him left him stunned once more.
Po was indeed in the kitchen.
But he wasn't stealing food.
He was standing before the stove, his massive frame looking a bit comical. He had tied a white hand towel around his waist to serve as an apron.
One paw held a giant ladle, stirring something in a large pot, while the other paw skillfully grabbed a handful of green scallions and sprinkled them into a nearby bowl.
The fire on the stove was burning bright. In the pot was a bubbling, deep-colored sauce; the rich aroma of meat and the savory scent of bean paste mixed together, dominantly taking over the air in the entire kitchen.
On the counter on the other side, a ball of kneaded dough had already been rolled out into an even sheet by a rolling pin he had found somewhere.
He heard the movement at the door, turned around, and seeing it was Shirou, immediately broke into a wide grin.
"Shirou! You're awake! Just in time!"
Po's voice was full of enthusiasm and a hint of pride.
"Last night you treated me to such delicious Ochazuke, now it's my turn!"
He pointed the ladle at the mouth-watering sauce in the pot, his tone proud.
"Taste my specialty—passed down from my dad, the number one secret sauce Zha Jiang Mian in the Valley of Peace!"
Shirou's gaze fell on Po's paws. Those furry, honest-looking paws were currently kneading a ball of dough with a dexterity that surprised even him.
He didn't even use the rolling pin; he just pressed and stretched with his paws, and the dough seemed to come alive in his hands.
Then, grabbing both ends of the dough with his paws, his body moved with force, flying up and down as the dough was stretched, folded, and stretched again. After a few rounds, a bundle of evenly thick, springy noodles had taken shape.
He decisively threw the pulled noodles into the pot of boiling water, cooked them for just a moment before scooping them out, draining them, and serving them into a large bowl.
Then, he picked up the large ladle, scooped up the fragrant sauce, and boldly poured it over the snow-white noodles.
The dark sauce coated the diced meat, instantly dyeing the noodles an enticing color.
Finally, he spread shredded cucumber on top of the noodles.
An authentic bowl of Zha Jiang Mian was thus born in the kitchen of a sushi shop.
Shirou walked forward silently and picked up the chopsticks. He wasn't an inexperienced chef, but the bowl of noodles before him, from aroma to appearance, challenged his existing culinary knowledge.
He could even imagine the texture of the noodles as they entered his mouth.
He used the chopsticks to carefully mix the noodles and sauce, ensuring every strand was evenly coated in that glossy, dark layer. Then, he picked up a mouthful and put it in his mouth.
The moment the noodles entered his mouth, Shirou's movements paused for a second.
An amazing chewiness. It wasn't the texture a machine-pressed noodle could possess; every strand bounced and resisted between his teeth, full of vitality.
Immediately after, the flavor of the sauce exploded in his mouth.
First was the deep, savory saltiness of the bean paste, mellow and long-lasting, completely dominating the taste buds.
But then, the sweet fragrance of the meat fat and a perfect hint of sweetness surged up, perfectly neutralizing the saltiness of the sauce and making the entire flavor incredibly harmonious and rounded.
Finally, the freshness of the cucumber and the slight spiciness of the scallions were like a stroke of genius, adding a refreshing brightness to the heavy impact of flavors, making the entire taste experience instantly three-dimensional.
"Umai!"