Chapter 48

Looking at the gyoza and side dishes in Shinji's bento, Issei showed a bit of surprise.

"It's rare to see gyoza in a bento."

"Don't talk to me. We just officially ended our friendship," Shinji said, pounding his chest as if he were choking. "Issei, get me a cup of hot tea, quickly!"

Beside him, Shirou, who was eating his bento leisurely, couldn't help but comment, "Weren't you just saying you ended your friendship with Issei?"

Taking the tea Issei handed him with a resigned expression, Shinji gulped down half of it and said, "Tea time doesn't count."

"You know..." Shirou sighed. He'd known this friend since middle school, and Shinji's personality hadn't changed a bit over the years.

"Think about it, Emiya! Wouldn't you be mad if a club you started was suppressed to this extent by a friend? Not helping is one thing, but to continuously suppress it?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have brought contraband."

"I admit those magazines and games were mine, but those adult manga weren't ours!"

"They weren't?" Shirou was surprised.

"That's right," Shinji muttered through bites of food. "They were drawn by members of our anime club as part of our activities and results."

"That makes it worse," Shirou's eye twitched as he broke into a cold sweat. "It seems like Issei's been lenient with you. If the teachers found out, you'd be facing serious consequences, maybe even suspension."

"Don't worry, Emiya," Shinji put down his chopsticks, crossing his arms with a light chuckle. "The teachers will never find where I've hidden them."

"But," Shirou glanced at Issei, who was calmly sipping tea, "Issei, who knows you well, managed to find them."

"Tch!" Shinji clicked his tongue and muttered, "Maybe next time I should replace the temple scriptures with adult books when I visit the temple."

"If you did that, you probably wouldn't be seen again before graduation."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked, puzzled.

"Getting beaten up by the monks until every bone in your body is broken would take a long time to recover from," Shirou replied matter-of-factly.

"If an accident like that happens, I will pray for you all night, hoping you find peace in the afterlife," Issei said, closing his eyes and murmuring a Buddhist chant, "Amitabha."

"I'll help too," Shirou said, mimicking Issei.

"...Are you two really my friends?" Shinji asked, deadpan.

"Matou, can I have one of your gyoza? For some reason, seeing them has made me crave one," Issei said suddenly.

"I feel the same. Seeing the gyoza makes me want to eat one," Shirou added.

"Sure, I can't finish them all by myself anyway," Shinji said, pushing the bento towards them. "But cold gyoza are somewhat lacking. They don't have that crispy, juicy, mouth-burning flavor."

Imagining the taste, both Shirou and Issei couldn't help but swallow a bit of saliva.

"For some reason, hearing Shinji describe it makes me crave freshly made gyoza even more," Shirou said.

"Indeed, my training still has a long way to go," Issei muttered as he picked up a gyoza.

"It has nothing to do with training," Shinji waved his hand. "As the ancients said, 'Food and sex are natural human desires.' It means that liking good things is human nature. Material and sensory pleasures are human nature, and training can't change that. The goal of training is to control excessive desires, reaching a state of refined enjoyment, not to eradicate desire itself, Issei."

"Indeed, I've learned something today," Issei said.

"Shinji, you're quite good at Chinese cuisine, right?" Shirou asked.

"Not bad."

"Can you teach me how to make those juicy gyoza?" Shirou clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

As Shirou, Issei, and Shinji left the student council room together, Shirou spoke up, "Thanks, Shinji. Tonight, I'll try making these gyoza. Fujimura-sensei will be happy to taste a new dish."

Just then, Shirou noticed Shinji stopping, his face scrunched up in annoyance as he looked at a girl passing by the student council room.

Issei, too, showed a look of disdain upon seeing the girl—Tohsaka Rin, the high school idol admired by nearly all the boys.

Shirou didn't understand why his two friends disliked this perfect young lady. He knew a bit about Shinji and Rin's feud, mostly about how Shinji confessed to her in middle school and got beaten up. As for Issei, Shirou knew he and Rin went to the same middle school, but little else.

"Oh my, student council president, Matou-kun, if you don't hurry, you'll be late."

Hearing this, Shinji clicked his tongue and turned away.

"You don't need to remind us, you fox!" Issei snapped.

"Is that so? Well, goodbye then."

As she left, Rin's gaze lingered momentarily on Shirou.

The school day passed, and it was now after school.

Tohsaka Rin, the exemplary student, was heading home alone when she was drawn by the aroma of cooking. She stopped at an intersection and looked over to see a crowded Chinese restaurant near the shopping street.

It was rare for Rin to see this Chinese restaurant so busy. Usually, it was quiet despite its prime location close to the school.

Growl—

"What a delicious smell," Rin murmured, touching her stomach. She suddenly had the urge to have dinner there.

But before she could move, she shook herself out of it.

No, that's not a good idea!

Considering the wait time and cost-effectiveness, Rin decided against her fleeting thought.

She mentally noted the restaurant's chalkboard sign advertising the special of the day—juicy gyoza—and decided to try making them at home later. Just as she was about to turn around, she saw Shinji coming out of the restaurant.

Shinji, too, noticed Rin.

"Where's Sakura?" Rin asked, maintaining a two-meter distance.

"She went home early to prepare dinner," Shinji replied nonchalantly, holding two bags of food. "I told her I'd buy gyoza, but she said gyoza alone doesn't count as dinner."

"I see."

"Want some?" Shinji held up one of the bags. "I bought too much."

"Huh?" Rin was taken aback.