Emiya saw the despair on Shizuka Hiratsuka's face and paused for a moment.
"Actually, you don't need to be that depressed," he said. "You're not hopeless."
Her eyes widened as she looked at him with sudden anticipation.
Emiya continued calmly. "You're a very responsible teacher. When you were teaching, you had quite a lot of goodwill toward Hachiman Hikigaya. In one of the What If storylines, he doesn't end up with Yukino Yukinoshita. After graduation, he ends up with you instead. You get married."
"...What?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka stared at him in disbelief.
Erina Nakiri also froze, staring at her.
Marrying your own student?
That was bold.
"If you're worried about not getting married," Emiya added, "you can just follow that What If route. Build up goodwill with Hachiman Hikigaya and marry him in the end."
That was the last straw.
Shizuka Hiratsuka slammed the table and stood up. "Who would ever chase after their own student?! How could I do something that shameless?!"
Emiya calmly took a large bite of meat from a bone. "Then I can't help you."
Shizuka Hiratsuka slowly sat back down and covered her face.
She wished she could go back in time and kill that What If version of herself.
Marrying her own student?
That was beyond shameless.
Then-
She suddenly realized something.
Yukino Yukinoshita would enter Sōbu High after this summer vacation.
Which meant Hachiman Hikigaya would too.
Even if she followed that What If route, she would have to wait three... four... maybe five years before getting married.
No wonder it happened.
She must have gone four or five years without finding anyone and become completely desperate.
Desperate enough to ignore the fact that he was her student.
The thought made her shiver.
No. Absolutely not.
Rather than that, she would rather give Emiya a chance. At least she could stay young and live longer.
But-
Sharing one man with a group of women...
She couldn't accept that either.
Forget it.
I'll just go back and keep doing blind dates.
As Shizuka Hiratsuka spiraled into confusion, footsteps sounded from outside.
Emiya looked up.
A short blue-haired woman walked in, carrying a basket of tangerines.
She had delicate features and large eyes. She wore a short-sleeved shirt and a black skirt, with pearl earrings swaying slightly.
That outfit was unmistakable.
Nami.
"I heard everything from Nojiko," she said with a bright smile. "You defeated the Arlong Pirates and returned all the treasure to everyone, right? I came to thank you. Oh-my name is Nami. Nice to meet you."
Her smile was radiant and full of vitality.
But her eyes were red.
She had clearly cried not long ago.
It seemed she had already learned what had happened in the village.
Emiya felt like teasing her. "You came to thank us?"
Nami nodded.
"Did you come empty-handed?" he asked seriously.
She froze, then awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
"I-I was in a hurry and forgot... But don't worry! Nojiko is already preparing. Five hundred kilograms of tangerines will be delivered tomorrow."
"Alright," Emiya nodded. "But there's one more thing I should tell you."
"...What?"
"In my hometown," Emiya said with a straight face, "gratitude is expressed by showing your chest."
"Huh?!"
Nami's face instantly turned red. She stumbled back, waving her hands in panic.
"I-I don't know about that kind of thing-!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka burst out laughing. "Don't believe him! What kind of perverted custom is that? There's no such place!"
Only then did Nami realize she had been tricked.
She puffed out her cheeks and glared at Emiya.
She had almost believed him.
Emiya remained calm. "That was a joke. But what I'm about to say now is true."
Nami immediately became wary.
"In my hometown," Emiya continued, "a beautiful woman is saved from danger by a man passing by. What do you think she says to her savior?"
Nami thought for a moment. "Thank you very much?"
Emiya shook his head.
"...Thank you very much?"
He shook his head again.
She thought harder, then clapped her hands. "I know! She says, 'Why did you save me?'"
Emiya looked at her. "I saved your village. I'm also your savior. Would you say that to me?"
"Of course not!" Nami said immediately. "You're my great benefactor. I'm incredibly grateful. There's no way I'd say something like that."
Emiya nodded. "Exactly. A smart woman answers based on how her savior looks. If he's rich and handsome, she says-"
"I have no way to repay your great kindness, so I can only offer myself to you."
Nami blinked. "Then what if he's not handsome?"
"Then she says, 'I will remember your kindness forever. I have no way to repay you, so I can only be your cow or horse in my next life.'"
"...That's way too realistic," Nami complained.
Emiya looked at her. "So tell me. Am I handsome?"
Nami: "..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka completely lost it.
She started laughing softly, then loudly, then uncontrollably.
Nami finally realized she had been tricked again. "That question is unfair! I refuse to answer!"
Emiya didn't push it. He glanced out the window. "It's late. I'm hungry. Let's eat."
"Oh, right," Nami said. "That was the other reason I came. Nojiko prepared dinner and wanted to invite you over."
"I'm in," Shizuka Hiratsuka said immediately.
Emiya nodded as well. He had no reason to refuse.
"Then let's go!" Nami said cheerfully.
They left Arlong Park together and headed straight for Nami's house.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
"Nojiko, I'm home!" Nami shouted as she opened the door.
"Welcome back," Nojiko said, coming out of the kitchen.
When she saw Emiya and Shizuka Hiratsuka, she smiled politely.
"Welcome, Lord Emiya. Lady Shizuka Hiratsuka."
"Just call me Shizuka Hiratsuka," Shizuka Hiratsuka waved her hand. "I'm not used to 'Lady.'"
"Huh?" Nojiko asked. "What about Miss Erina Nakiri?"
"She already went back," Emiya said casually.
He followed Nojiko inside.
The table was already filled with steaming dishes.
"Please sit. There's one more soup, and everything will be ready," Nojiko said from the kitchen. "Nami, take care of our guests."
"Leave it to me!" Nami said, making an okay sign. "Please, don't be shy."
Emiya sat down.
Most of the dishes were seafood-scallops, crabs, grilled fish, squid tentacles.
There was also a roasted chicken and a few vegetable dishes.
It looked excellent.
Nami sat beside him, broke off a crab leg, and placed it on his plate.
"Try it. Nojiko's cooking is amazing."
Emiya cracked the shell, took out the meat, and tasted it.
"It's good. Much better than my cooking."
Nojiko arrived with a pot of soup and heard that. She smiled modestly.
"You're exaggerating. I'm nowhere near Miss Erina Nakiri."
"Erina has a cheat," Emiya replied. "She's also a professional chef. Ordinary people can't compare."
"In my opinion," Shizuka Hiratsuka said, "Nojiko's cooking already surpasses ninety percent of people. You'll be a great wife someday."
"And in my opinion," Nami added immediately, "Nojiko's cooking is the best."
Nojiko laughed and wrapped an arm around her sister.
"Yes, yes. And in my eyes, Nami is the best too."
Emiya and Shizuka Hiratsuka exchanged a knowing smile.
The bond between the sisters was genuine.
That night, everyone enjoyed a warm, rich, and satisfying meal together.
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