This Is My Holy Grail War [93]

“Emiya, didn’t you say you’d handle everyone’s meals?” Tohsaka Rin asked, her tone laced with confusion. “Now Assassin urgently needs mana replenishment, and the food is all gone?!”

“I had already prepared extra portions for Saber, but…” Shirou sighed, his expression twitching as he explained, “Assassin’s appetite rivals Saber’s. No, actually, it’s even bigger!”

Three large bowls of rice had disappeared without making a dent in Assassin’s hunger, leaving Shirou visibly overwhelmed. He had assumed satisfying Saber’s notoriously voracious appetite would suffice, only to discover another bottomless pit.

“There’s no way I had enough rice stockpiled for this!”

Shirou’s voice carried the full weight of his predicament. His house had been all but destroyed during the war, and the repairs alone had strained his finances to their limit. Even basic groceries had to be rationed carefully, and yet, here they were, scraping the bottom of the rice barrel.

In other words, the Holy Grail War was draining him dry. The image of his Servants as insatiable eaters was now indelibly burned into his mind, and he couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Berserker. That towering mountain of a man would surely eat even more!

Reflecting on how a battle had disrupted their dinner preparations that one night, Shirou found himself almost grateful. If it hadn’t, his household might have been cleaned out entirely.

“No more rice?”

In perfect sync, Assassin and Saber bowed their heads, even their ahoges drooping in unison. The sight exuded such profound disappointment that it was almost comical.

Yet, neither of them voiced any complaints. Instead, they obediently set their bowls and chopsticks aside, showing an unexpected level of understanding.

Both Saber and Assassin had valid reasons to eat: Saber’s mana reserves were perpetually low due to Shirou’s limitations, while Assassin, hampered by injuries, lacked sufficient mana recovery. Food was their only reprieve.

“Ah… my apologies,” Shirou said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I made the mistake of underestimating how much food we’d need.”

“Well,” Rin tapped her chin thoughtfully, “eating helps supplement a Servant’s mana. Since both Saber and Assassin are low on mana, skipping meals isn’t ideal. They’ll lack strength in battle.”

“Indeed, hunger is an enemy,” Saber chimed in, nodding gravely in agreement with Rin’s statement.

“As a host, failing to provide for your guests is quite rude,” Shirou admitted, scratching the back of his head. His guilt was palpable as he continued, “I suppose I have no choice. I’ll prepare another meal for everyone—think of it as a late-night snack.”

“So late, and you’re still willing to cook again? I feel terrible for troubling you,” Assassin said with a hint of guilt. “I didn’t mean to cause you this much trouble.”

“It’s really no trouble,” Shirou replied with a warm smile, the kind that radiated a soothing charm. “Cooking is something I enjoy. As long as you don’t mind a meal without rice, it’ll be fine.”

“No rice?”

“Well, there are still some other ingredients left, but no rice,” Shirou clarified. “Before the Holy Grail War started, I stocked up for a guest from Germany—Berserker’s Master.”

“Ilya?”

“Exactly.” Shirou nodded and opened the refrigerator, revealing its contents.

“There’s a lot of meat and some unique delicacies that Ilya brought over. The meat’s still fresh—just three days old—so it’s perfect for grilling after a bit of seasoning.”

With practiced ease, Shirou began organizing the ingredients. His deft movements in the kitchen were the mark of someone who had spent years honing his culinary skills.

“Tonight’s late-night snack will be a starlit barbecue!” His cheerful declaration reinvigorated the group, especially the disheartened Servants, who perked up almost instantly.

“Starlit…?” Assassin caught onto the phrase. The stars weren’t visible from inside the house. “Are we going outside?”

“Yep,” Shirou confirmed. “It snowed yesterday, and tonight’s clear moonlit sky will be beautiful. Besides, grilling indoors isn’t ideal. We even have the tools for a proper outdoor barbecue.”

Carrying the ingredients he had retrieved, Shirou headed toward the kitchen to prepare. There wasn’t a trace of complaint in his demeanor. Despite the inconvenience, Assassin observed Shirou tackling the task with genuine enthusiasm.

The rhythmic sound of the knife against the cutting board filled the room. The kitchen wasn’t separated from the dining area, so Assassin had a clear view of Shirou’s focused back as he worked.

His skills in the kitchen were remarkable, enough to make the upcoming meal something to eagerly anticipate. Driven by curiosity, Assassin got up and approached slowly.

“You’re cooking?” Assassin asked, her voice coming from just behind Shirou.

“A-Assassin?!” Shirou turned, slightly startled. “Not cooking yet, just marinating. We’re still in the preparation stage.”

He placed the neatly sliced strips of meat to one side, then pulled out salt, fresh ginger, green onions, sugar, and starch. With precision, he mixed the ingredients into a marinade, coating the meat strips thoroughly before wrapping them in plastic.

“We’ll let the seasoning soak into the meat. That’ll take about thirty minutes,” Shirou explained, as if speaking to an apprentice.

“That looks amazing,” Assassin murmured, her admiration evident. “I thought grilling was just throwing meat over a fire.”

“That would be a waste of good ingredients,” Shirou said, shaking his head. “Cooking is a step-by-step process. Skip any part, and the dish just won’t be right.”

Without pausing during the marination process, Shirou began repeating the same steps for the next batch of meat.

“Since we’re making a lot of barbecue tonight, one round won’t be enough. I’ll need to prepare multiple batches. How about it, Assassin? Want to give it a try?” he asked, a playful note in his voice.

“Me?” Assassin blinked, caught off guard. But the thought of delicious food motivated her. “Sure. Can I really help?”

“Of course. There’s more meat over there—just follow what I did earlier,” Shirou said with a grin, nodding toward the untouched ingredients.

Assassin, determined to rise to the challenge, rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

—

T/N: its over rin shirou’s harem protagonist EX is gonna win over Assassin

This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!