One Piece world.
Shizuka Hiratsuka froze when she saw Emiya suddenly disappear.
Not long after, he returned.
And this time, he brought back a blonde girl wearing a white chef's uniform.
The girl looked about high school age.
But her figure was so well-developed that even Shizuka Hiratsuka felt slightly inferior.
What kind of high school student is this? Her development is way too advanced.
"This is Erina Nakiri, my private chef," Emiya said casually. "Erina, this is my friend, Miss Shizuka Hiratsuka from Sōbu High School."
"Wait. Hold on."
Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly raised her hand.
Emiya looked at her, confused.
Her eyes flickered slightly before she spoke slowly.
"If I'm not mistaken, I don't think I ever told you that I'm a teacher at Sōbu High School."
Emiya clicked his tongue.
He had slipped.
Seeing his reaction, Shizuka Hiratsuka rubbed her temples.
"Tsk... I think I get it now."
"So I'm also a character from a manga, aren't I?"
"What do you think?" Emiya asked back.
She crossed her arms over her chest.
"No wonder your attitude toward me is so strange. So good that it's almost excessive."
"At first, I thought you were just a decent person. But now..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Don't tell me you were a shut-in before coming here, and I was your two-dimensional wife?"
"...In a sense," Emiya replied honestly. "You could say that."
He didn't bother hiding it anymore.
Shizuka Hiratsuka immediately took a step back.
So that was it.
This guy had been treating her well because he was lusting after her body.
Emiya saw her reaction and rolled his eyes.
"Relax. I have no intention of making a move on you."
"What?"
Her eyes widened.
"I said it before," Emiya continued calmly. "Love is a matter of fate. It can't be forced."
"I can travel between worlds. I'll never lack women."
"And more importantly, I don't plan to find a woman from a modern society world."
Shizuka Hiratsuka felt relieved when she heard that he wasn't planning to make a move.
But at the same time, she felt curious.
"Why?"
"Because it's troublesome," Emiya said bluntly.
"Both you and Erina were raised with monogamy as a given."
"And I'm destined to have a harem."
"If I get involved with women like you, it'll disrupt the harmony of the harem."
"So even if I look for women, I'll only look for ones who accept that I'll have a harem."
Shizuka Hiratsuka snorted.
"Pfft. You scum."
Emiya didn't react.
"See?" he said calmly. "That's the difference in our values."
"In your eyes, what I'm doing is scummy."
"But in ancient worlds, it's natural for capable men to have multiple wives and concubines."
"A man with ability having several women is normal."
"So why would I deliberately choose someone like you?"
"That would just be asking for trouble."
Shizuka Hiratsuka was silent for a long time.
Then she said, "What kind of twisted logic is that?"
Emiya smiled.
He didn't argue.
Shizuka Hiratsuka waved her hand.
"Forget it. Let's stop talking about this."
"I'm hungry. Let's eat first."
Emiya nodded.
He turned to Erina Nakiri.
"Sorry to trouble you, Erina."
"Leave it to me, Lord Emiya," Erina replied confidently.
"Tsk," Shizuka Hiratsuka said. "I'll help too."
The two went downstairs.
When Erina Nakiri stepped outside and saw the cratered ground, she froze for a moment.
Shizuka Hiratsuka thought she was frightened and gave her a brief explanation.
Erina quickly regained her composure.
With Shizuka Hiratsuka's help, she found the grill and a large pile of ingredients.
Many of them were things she had never seen before.
Instead of hesitating, her fighting spirit ignited.
She decided to conquer these ingredients as quickly as possible and create a delicious barbecue.
Shizuka Hiratsuka assisted from the side.
Watching Erina skillfully process the ingredients, she couldn't help asking, "Are you really that guy's private chef?"
Erina nodded.
"I don't understand," Shizuka Hiratsuka said. "Why would you become a chef for someone like him?"
"What if he makes a move on you?"
"Don't listen to what men say. A man's mouth is full of lies."
"You can't trust them."
Erina hesitated briefly.
"Actually, when Lord Emiya first asked me, I refused."
"Then why did you agree?" Shizuka Hiratsuka asked, puzzled.
"Because what he offered was too much," Erina replied calmly while working.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was surprised.
"You did it for money? Are you short on money?"
Erina shook her head.
"I was born into the Nakiri family."
"The Nakiri family founded Totsuki Culinary Academy, the best culinary school in Japan."
"Our graduates are the best chefs in the country."
"Totsuki has deep connections with food institutions worldwide."
"Our students are everywhere."
"I possess the 'God's Tongue.'"
"If nothing goes wrong, I'll become the world's top chef."
She paused.
"To me, money is just a number."
"Then why..." Shizuka Hiratsuka began.
"Because Lord Emiya promised me something else," Erina interrupted.
"He promised I could live longer."
"And stay young forever."
She looked up.
"You're a woman too. You should understand how fatal that promise is."
Shizuka Hiratsuka fell silent.
...
She had almost forgotten.
This man could travel between worlds and casually converse with gods.
It wasn't impossible for him to do that.
Longevity.
Eternal youth.
Even immortality.
These were things ancient emperors had desperately pursued and failed to obtain.
No wonder Erina Nakiri agreed.
It was something no woman could easily refuse.
Including herself.
She was already thirty.
She wasn't young anymore.
In a few more years, she would really become an old maid.
She was desperately going on blind dates now for a reason.
If she ended up a forty-year-old leftover woman, she might as well-
No.
But if she could stay like this even at forty or fifty...
Then maybe there was no need to rush marriage.
For a brief moment, Shizuka Hiratsuka felt tempted.
Then she remembered Emiya's earlier words.
Scum.
She sighed.
No.
She couldn't accept it.
Sharing a man with multiple women was not her style.
Forget it.
She'd just go back and continue her blind dates.
A short while later, she went upstairs and called out.
"Hey, you scum. Lunch is ready. Erina's done cooking."
Emiya rolled his eyes.
"If you call me scum again, I'll be a real one to you."
Shizuka Hiratsuka stiffened immediately.
She became much more obedient.
She knew very well that if he truly wanted to act, she would have no way to resist.
The two went downstairs.
Erina Nakiri had already prepared a lavish barbecue.
Meat.
Seafood.
Vegetables.
The air was filled with an irresistible aroma.
"As expected of Erina," Emiya said, giving a thumbs-up. "This tastes incredible."
"As long as Lord Emiya is satisfied," Erina replied.
The three sat together.
Erina grilled while eating, carefully controlling the heat.
Suddenly, Shizuka Hiratsuka asked, "I've always wanted to know."
"Is Erina also from a manga?"
Erina nodded.
"I'm the female protagonist of Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma."
She then looked at Emiya.
"What about me?"
"My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected," Emiya replied. "Oregairu, for short."
Shizuka Hiratsuka's face darkened.
The moment she heard "youth romantic comedy," she had a bad feeling.
"I'm not the female protagonist, am I?"
Emiya looked surprised.
"You're very self-aware."
She wanted to punch him.
But when she remembered the gap in power, she forcibly held back.
"The male and female protagonists are both your students," Emiya continued.
"One is Hachiman Hikigaya."
"The other is Yukino Yukinoshita. Your friend Haruno Yukinoshita's younger sister."
"So I'm just a supporting character," Shizuka Hiratsuka said indignantly.
I'm this beautiful, and I'm only a supporting character?
Emiya noticed her expression.
"Don't be upset," he said. "Even as a supporting character, you're extremely popular."
"Because of your personality."
"You're not inferior to the female protagonist at all."
"Many fans even call you 'Shizu-cute.'"
"Shi-Shizu-cute?!"
Her face turned red instantly.
Her voice started to stutter.
She never expected something like that.
It was way too embarrassing.
But then another thought struck her.
She didn't even care about being shy anymore.
She asked urgently, "Since I'm that popular..."
"Did I get married?"
"Who's my partner?"
"Does the story say anything?"
Emiya looked at her with pity.
That look alone made her heart sink.
"Don't tell me..."
Emiya nodded.
"Yes. Exactly what you're thinking."
"At the end of the story, Hachiman Hikigaya and Yukino Yukinoshita end up together."
"You resign from your teaching position at Sōbu High School."
"And you still don't find a partner."
"This made many fans extremely dissatisfied."
"They couldn't understand why Shizu-cute was so cute and still single."
"Were all the men in Japan blind?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka fell silent.
Her whole body seemed to turn gray.
Even the delicious seafood in front of her lost all appeal.