Xyrin Empire
Chapter 477: Wild Cookout

Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Wild Cookout

"Your actual aim must have been to help the girl named Makoto Sakura, right?"

After hiding Rider and her temporary treatment platform back in Phase Space, Saber, who had been wearing a contemplative expression, suddenly broke the silence and spoke straightforwardly.

"Why would you think that?"

I curiously looked at the blonde girl, while she gazed back with her pure, lake-green eyes, her face revealing unwavering confidence in her speculation.

"Rider mentioned your motives, which led me to some thoughts," Saber turned her head to look at the back of Tsuruya, who was about to head to the kitchen to prepare lunch, "Regarding those seemingly whimsical actions, you always explain them as your own interest or curiosity, but I don’t think it was by chance that you wanted to help the girl named Makoto Sakura today."

"Yes, it was planned. For certain reasons, I came to know a bit about the girl’s experience and felt sympathy—that’s all there is to it."

It was a very vague answer; serious questioning would only lead to greater doubt, yet the King of Dai Mao merely nodded in acceptance, showing no further pursuit of the matter.

"Helping ordinary people in trouble, huh? You share the same character as Shi Lang," Saber’s Dai Mao hair bobbed up and down as she nodded seriously, "Though non-human, you are an upright person."

Thank goodness, an upright person; at least they didn’t outright call me a good person.

As I felt touched that I hadn’t been dealt a Good Person Card this time, a very subtle growling noise suddenly emanated from beside me.

"Ah," Saber said, a touch embarrassed as she covered her stomach, "I didn’t eat much for breakfast."

I understood since Sister Fujimura and Makoto Sakura’s alternating scrutinizing and pitying gazes, as well as the two Shorties causing interruptions at the table now and then, would make it difficult for anyone without a screw loose to eat properly.

It’s worth mentioning that the heartless bunch back home seemed able to gobble up food no matter what the circumstances.

"Speaking of which, I’m getting a bit hungry too," I said, quickly rubbing my stomach as well, not wanting to embarrass the girl with her stomach rumblings, "Hunger is the greatest enemy, and Tsuruya might find it a bit challenging to cook alone; let’s go over and give her a hand."

"Yes!" The King of Dai Mao nodded vigorously, "I agree with you; hunger is the greatest enemy!"

Wow, she really thought so!

How should I put it? Preparing lunch happily with Dai Mao, Tsuruya as if we were a family of three sounds blissfully lovely, but the reality was brutally different. When Tsuruya heard I was going to help in the kitchen, she almost took a spatula and seemed ready for a battle, and upon seeing Saber spend ten minutes figuring out the direction of the gas stove switch, Tsuruya who had entered a rather peculiar mode of a housewife, likewise unceremoniously ousted our King of Great Britain from the room. And so, a King of Mankind and a Leader of All Realms were defeated by a cook, relegated to competing with two Shorties for the television in the living room.

I was fairly confident in Tsuruya’s cooking skills. Although she couldn’t compare to Anwina, who was obviously on an out-of-standard, almost Law Level bug-class level of cooking, Tsuruya, who came from an ordinary background and was diligent, definitely had a standard not to be underestimated in home economics. She had once followed Anwina to learn a few tricks with great enthusiasm. After tasting her craftsmanship, Anwina, the teacher herself, praised Tsuruya’s talent in cooking highly, and even whimsically wanted to teach Tsuruya "100 essential skills needed to become a premier maid." Of course, when Tsuruya heard that the first skill was a maid costume ribbon tentacle attack and a heavy firearms disassembly guide, she decisively chose to retreat.

A friendly reminder, dear students with a combat strength below one million should never challenge Anwina’s "Maid Manual," otherwise even Imperial Commanders would meet their demise.

Time passed second by second amidst the boring yet joyful TV snatching and the occasional growling sound from the stomach of the Dai Mao King. Finally, the aroma of the food wafted from the kitchen’s direction, seemingly signaling something, as in the next second, Saber who had just been watching television, decisively seated herself at the dining table. Although her posture was as proper as a sculpture, the streak of afterimages from the TV to the dining table made me want to tease her. Pandora and Visca shared a glance, feeling as if they had found an opportunity to show off in front of everyone, and ran towards the kitchen like a gust of wind. Not long after, the two little ones came into the living room each carrying a large tray on their heads.

I mean, are you trying to reinforce your Shorties image by balancing plates on your head, you little dunces?!

"Today’s cooking is Brother Director’s favorite Chinese cuisine," Tsuruya said, still wearing an apron and a smile of pride as she placed the last soup dish on the table, then with eager eyes, she looked at me, "This soup is Tsuruya’s pride and joy; Brother, you must make sure to drink it all!"

That’s awesome, is that the legendary love soup from my sweet sister? Being Tsuruya’s "Brother" truly feels like a blessing.

However, it seems that fate wasn’t willing to let me drink this soup in peace. Just as everyone was about to start eating, a series of sharp, piercing howls from the sky outside abruptly interrupted our actions. Yes, that kind of screeching caused by something massive rubbing against the air at high speed.

This sound was all too familiar. Having had two similar experiences, Saber almost instantly... ran toward the door holding the rice cooker.

"Visca, clean up the pots and pans! Pandora, hold the table steady! Tsuruya, help me carry this food, move it, move it!!"

In this critical moment, I was actually able to stay calm and methodically allocate the emergency lunch rescue operations. My decisive command was so impressive that even Saber, who had already reached the door, couldn’t help but pause and then turn back to praise, "You must be a great leader!"

Hey, hey, hey! Is this really the time to consider my leadership?! How the hell am I supposed to explain to Emiya what’s about to happen, damn it!

Just as we had managed to rescue the food and barely cleared the danger zone, gathering on the still half-destroyed front yard, a dazzling Light Ball tore through the skies with the force of thunder and directly crashed into the roof of the main house where we stood just a second ago.

In an instant, the earth crumbled, walls collapsed and tiles shattered, the billowing dust erupting from every window of the main house. The walls supporting those windows began to crumble two seconds later.

As expected, the impact of the Alien Object completely destroyed the main house of the Emiya Mansion. This building with its long history was swiftly engulfed in a spreading cloud of smoke right before our stunned eyes and collapsed at an alarming speed. The scattering debris and steel bars struck the Ghost Energy Shield, creating ripples, but could not cause any disturbance in my now tranquil mind.

Because just now, I had a sudden thought: If I had let Superhuman Pandora and Visca take to the sky, maybe they could’ve intercepted the landing pod mid-air.

Emiya, I... I swear I’ll help you fix the house!

"Is this another one of your people?" Saber, cradling her precious rice cooker (which really was a treasure for this girl who’s been leading an army for years), suddenly asked in a resigned tone, "Then, at least tell me, how many more people are planning to come over?"

"Relax, this is the last one! Absolutely the last one!" I quickly and firmly assured, "And I will definitely be responsible for helping to repair the house!"

"I trust your integrity." King of Dai Mao nodded, looking like he wanted to say more, but was abruptly interrupted by a voice coming from the dense smoke across:

"Wow! Ah Jun! Finally out of the turbulent flows! Seems like I missed a lot of fun stuff! And I’m starving! Got anything to eat?"

With that cheerful shout, a figure with sky blue mixed with bright golden colors burst through the drifting smoke and dust, and I could feel from more than ten meters away that the plates in my hands would soon be endangered.

As expected, within a minute, the lunch we had just rescued had diminished by a visible third due to Sandora’s shadow-casting speed of eating.

At least, at least leave me a pair of chopsticks, so I’d have something to eat even if it’s just instant noodles later!

The sight was so shocking that even big-eater Saber was taken aback. She even shot me a horrified look, "That’s an incredible appetite! Not even the hungriest of knights could compete with her, and... she even bit through the chopsticks?"

Tch, Sandora’s range of consumption could easily sweep across an entire periodic table of elements, mere chopsticks are nothing!

"Hmm, it’s a so-so half-full meal."

A few whirlwind minutes later, Sandora, still craving more, put down the half-empty plate and said to us while patting her unchanged stomach.

"I concede defeat in terms of appetite."

Saber suddenly said this, then bowed sincerely to Sandora.

I, on the other hand, looked at the still-smoking house behind Sandora with a troubled face, wondering if Emiya would simply faint when he returned.

"Sandora, you should prepare to have Avalon send over some sappers disguised as civilian construction workers; we need to fix up the house."

But the pressing matter at hand was how to prevent Emiya from desperately seeking us out upon his return—although it’s questionable whether that nice guy would have the concept of seeking revenge.

Seeing that it was getting late, I hurriedly ran out of the Emiya Mansion gate, only to see Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin coming from the other end of the alley, both looking relaxed, clearly happy that the school issue had been so quickly resolved and that another opposing Magician would soon surface. However, one of them probably wouldn’t be smiling for much longer.

"Yo! Emiya!"

I called out loudly when I was still a dozen meters away. The youth on the other side waved back from afar, then Miss Tohsaka suddenly quickened her pace and came up to me with an aggressive aura: "Hey, it seems like you just ignored me, didn’t you?"

Sorry, it’s just that another matter is really serious.

"Why are you waiting at the gate? It’s a host’s negligence to welcome guests from the outside," Emiya said, about to push the gate open, but I grabbed him.

"Well, there’s something I want to tell you... We’ve already contacted the construction workers using our own means. They’ll start helping you repair the heavenly pit in the backyard and the outer walls in a couple of days."

"Ah, that’s really great. I’ve been a bit troubled by this problem," Emiya patted his head and smiled cheerfully.

"There’s another thing," I hesitated, then said with a serious look, "We’re also planning to help you rebuild your main house along the way."

As the words fell, I pushed open the gate, revealing the ruins within.

"So we went with the ’destroy first, rebuild later’ approach..."

"Ah! Emiya has fainted!"

Looking at the nearly completely destroyed Emiya Mansion, a certain coyote stood there wanting to cry without tears, while Tohsaka Rin hummed in agreement, making an irresponsible conclusion: "I think you’re going to die at their hands before the Holy Grail War ends."

Even the spiritualized Archer couldn’t help but materialize, looking at the desolate scene of the demolition site under the setting sun, with his red-garbed eyes twitching: "Three-fifths of the backyard destroyed, the main house completely collapsed, half of the yard wall broken down, one-third of the front yard ruined... indeed, you are here to invade Earth!"

This is too much; we’re clearly here to save the world!

"Anyway, how do you guys plan to solve tonight’s dinner?" Rin Tohsaka looked around the dilapidated yard and raised an eyebrow, "The kitchen’s gone."

"Well, it seems my sister has already taken care of it."

I coughed awkwardly and gestured to a corner of the yard.

Tsuruya had set up a grill there, along with a large pile of tools collected from who knows where, cheerfully playing jungle cookout on-top of the steel rebar and concrete rubble. Meanwhile, Pandora and Visca were competing in slicing meat, Saber was preparing the charcoal fire, and another beautiful girl with golden waterfall-like hair was in charge of drooling.

"We could go wild camping," I suggested.

Compared to Emiya Shirou, who looked like he was nursing a wicked headache, Tohsaka Rin immediately showed interest. "Ah-ha? Sounds like fun, kinda gives off the vibe of a survival game. But that blonde girl, she seems new, doesn’t she?"

Sandora’s hearing was, of course, extraordinary. No sooner had Rin finished speaking than Sandora flashed into view in front of everyone. With textbook noble etiquette and a dignified air, she nodded at Rin. Her expression was like that of a ruler gracing her presence among commoners: "Hello, I am a photography enthusiast from the Centaur sector of the Delta Star Cluster. I had to make an emergency landing here due to a close encounter with a passing wild Ultraman."

The girl got her words confused, I had to step in quickly: "Ah, they’ve changed the administrative district again, it’s now listed as the Delta Star Cluster on the residence registration book."

Tohsaka Rin was slack-jawed with amazement, then she turned to me, her face full of indignation: "Couldn’t you guys at least change professions? Is ’photography enthusiast’ the only thing left for you Centaurs?"

Pfft, as if anyone would take this charade seriously. If you’re serious, you’ve already lost.

As dusk gradually set in and the streetlights began to come on, the faint stars twinkling amidst the steel and concrete ruins, we set up a grill and chatted by the flickering campfire light. This kind of experience was definitely beyond the wildest dreams of most people, and even Emiya Shirou himself was visibly pumped up.

Yeah, this guy really was an unbelievably good-natured fellow. Most people, faced with such a situation, would have been driven to the brink, and yet here he was, concerned about whether we’d find it hard to adapt after crashing on Earth. Even though this was related to our promise to help repair his residence quickly, surely this guy was just too good to be true?

"It’s not like you did it on purpose," Shirou Emiya dismissed my doubts nonchalantly, "and being stranded on an unfamiliar planet, you guys probably need help more than I do. Plus, you helped rebuild the house, so I really shouldn’t be mad, should I?"

Faced with such an oddball, I was utterly speechless.

"Wow, this barbecue is amazing!" Tsuruya suddenly exclaimed, and across from her, Saber immediately puffed out her chest with pride: "Using any kind of fuel to grill any kind of edible meat is an indispensable skill in military campaigns. Although I’m not very skilled with modern kitchen tools, I’m quite confident in traditional barbecuing!"

"You guys really are a bunch of incredible characters," Rin Tohsaka said, sneaking over to whisper. "You’ve turned our lives upside down, but... now, it actually feels kind of relaxing."

"Is that so," I responded noncommittally.

"Tohsaka, can I ask you something?"

There was a moment of silence before the voice abruptly filled the other’s mind, just as the girl was leisurely handling the grilled meat in front of her. She almost choked, then looked at me in astonishment.

"Mind Communication, just one of our abilities; now you can try to respond."

Tohsaka Rin lowered her head, and after a few seconds, I indeed heard her tentative voice in my mind: "Like this?"

"That’s good. I just wanted to ask, what does the Holy Grail mean to you, really?"

Caught totally off guard by such a sudden question, Rin took a moment before answering: "The Holy Grail? It means nothing to me. I only care about the outcome of the victory in the Holy Grail War. That’s all. As for the Grail granting wishes or whatever, if Archer wants it, he can have it."

"Just to prove the prowess of the Tohsaka family heir and to console your father’s spirit?"

This time, a longer silence ensued.

"You seem to know everything."

"As a high school student of the new century, there’s one thing you must understand: Peeping, that is the nature of aliens!" (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)