Chapter 297: Let's Go Watch the Fireworks Together
"Eh? Ehhh?!" Hiratsuka Shizuka's mind descended into total chaos at her mother's proclamation. She stood there, completely stunned.
"What are you yelling for? He truly is a rare, wonderful boy—so much so that it's almost a waste on you! But well done! He's a perfect fit to be a son-in-law for our Hiratsuka family." It was a rare occasion for the Hiratsuka matriarch to offer her daughter praise.
"Mom! What are you saying?! He's just my student!"
"You already brought him home; what are you trying to hide?" Mrs. Hiratsuka looked at her daughter—whom she'd raised for over twenty years—with pure disdain. Despite being a teacher, Shizuka had never quite grown up. Her mind was simple, and she was still obsessed with the hot-blooded manga of her childhood, still chasing after Weekly Shonen Jump.
'Who knew that underneath it all, she was just a beast in a suit?'
Mrs. Hiratsuka thought.
'In that regard, she's just like her father. Truly, except for her looks, she didn't inherit a thing from me.'
"Wait, Mom? Why are you looking at your own daughter like she's scum?" Shizuka clutched her chest, feeling deeply wounded.
Mrs. Hiratsuka stared back coldly without a word, thinking to herself:
'Oh dear. It's because of people like this that the public's perception of the 2D subculture keeps getting worse.
I suppose liking anime and being an otaku... even if most of them are quiet and law-abiding in their own little corners, it doesn't mean they're all harmless. The faction led by Mrs. Aragaki has been ramping up their criticism of otakus lately. I should go ask Mrs. Sawamura to borrow her family's treasure vault so we can make copies of everything to keep in our basement. We cannot let the tragedy of a "book burning" happen.'
Shizuka tried to explain: "No, you've got it wrong. Shirou is just a student I get along with. We have a good relationship, that's all. Remember when I led the school trip abroad for the exchange program? He was the talented student I was responsible for. So eating together and things like that... it's very normal!"
"I see. So the boy's name is Shirou, and there's a history like that. Meeting someone while traveling abroad and then dating once you meet again back home—such cases aren't rare at all." Mrs. Hiratsuka nodded repeatedly, seemingly even more convinced now.
She sighed and continued: "You traveled together, so your troublesome nature must have already been seen through by him. And yet he hasn't abandoned you. What a good boy. Just
for the sake of the food he prepared for you in the fridge, you should just go hug him and beg him to marry you."
Shizuka shouted in protest: "Wait! Mom! Just because you're obsessed with Sherlock, don't try to play the amateur detective here! How are you so sure he made these sandwiches?"
Mrs. Hiratsuka glanced at her with an expression that said 'My daughter is a hopeless idiot' and gave a mocking laugh. "You? Cooking? If you can follow a recipe and produce a dish without burning a hole through the pan, I'd thank the heavens."
Ever since she saw her kindergarten-aged daughter refuse piano and violin lessons to sneak off to the park sandpit and become the undisputed "boss" of the other kids, she had given up on raising her to be a "virtuous wife and wise mother."
"Stir-fried sprouts and pork with BBQ sauce is actually quite tasty..." Shizuka muttered, knowing she was in the wrong but unable to stop herself from defending her pride.
"However, even though my sources said he looked young, I didn't expect him to be a high schooler. And in the very class where my daughter is the homeroom teacher... is this a 'fox guarding the henhouse' situation? This is teetering on the edge of a crime, isn't it?"
"I told you Shirou and I aren't like that! Even a teacher can invite a student over for dinner! Mom, your mind is too dark. This is high school, not university graduation season!" Shizuka protested.
"But those teachers are married people! At the very least, they aren't a man and a woman alone in a room." Mrs. Hiratsuka was actually quite shaken. She was losing more and more confidence in her parenting abilities.
The cabinet had recently passed a new law lowering the age of adulthood from 20 to 18, and the minimum legal marriage age for both men and women was also unified at 18. If people found out about this, she couldn't even try to "wash" the situation by claiming they were engaged. And yet her idiot daughter had brazenly brought a boy back to her residence.
But that was just how the world was lately. Specialty cafes featuring "JK" (high school girl) companions for chatting and eating were booming—practically a disguised hostess service. Middle-aged men in their forties would frequent these shops under the guise of "charity" to give students "scholarships."
'For some reason, I feel like nothing matters anymore...' Mrs. Hiratsuka's gaze turned gray.
But then again, considering Shizuka's personality, if someone didn't see her true heart over a long period, they couldn't stay with her. So truthfully, if the boy actually liked Shizuka, she should be saying "thank you" to him. Mrs. Hiratsuka's disappointment in her daughter and her favorability toward the boy she'd never met grew simultaneously.
"Well, thinking on the bright side," Mrs. Hiratsuka said, clasping her hands expectantly, "if you can secure Shirou-kun now, as long as it doesn't get exposed, you can get married right after he graduates high school. That would be a wonderful thing!"
"Like I said... we aren't in that kind of relationship," Shizuka insisted.
"The fact that he's willing to come to your home means he doesn't dislike your company. The fact that he's willing to cook for you and put effort into planning nutritious, healthy meals means he at least has feelings for you."
"Eh? Heh heh, is that how it is?" Hearing her mother's words, Shizuka recalled the silhouette of the ideal man cooking for her and began to laugh sheepishly.
Mrs. Hiratsuka looked at that silly face with exasperation. "Idiot daughter! This boy is a catch. If you don't seize the chance and secure him now, someone else will snatch him away in the blink of an eye! Shizuka, if you promise me you'll seriously consider this, I'll stop nagging you about marriage."
She continued muttering: "The issue of high school girls and 30-40-year-old men providing 'chat services' is getting so serious that they raised the marriage age from 16 to 18. How annoying!"
But she quickly smiled again. "But it's fine. In a few years when he's twenty, you won't even be thirty. His family is just middle-class. When the time comes, your father can arrange for his family members to be transferred to better positions. I'll also set aside a portion of the dividends from our subsidiary companies as your dowry. That way, it won't be seen as him settling for you when you marry.
Even though you're stubborn, childish, and frankly useless, I'm glad I gave birth to a pretty face. Your skin is as soft as your mental age—how lucky," Mrs. Hiratsuka's mother said with a delighted smile.
"Mom... do you have to insult me to the bottom of the abyss while praising yourself to the heavens?" Shizuka looked at her mother with a dead expression. She thought with tears in her heart: If I were ten years younger, I'd definitely run away from home.
"Ahem, sorry. I accidentally said my inner thoughts out loud," her mother apologized.
'Yes, even if she is a stupid kid who isn't bright and likes to court death, I shouldn't say it to her face. The truth hurts. At least she tries, which makes her a good child worth saving.'
"That's even worse!" Shizuka screamed.
"If you don't want me to say it, then hurry up and get married!" her mother retorted without backing down.
"But... I'm Shirou's teacher. And there are other complicated circumstances. If only he had been born three years earlier," Shizuka said dejectedly, sinking into the sofa.
"I told you, with our family status, age isn't an issue. As long as it's acceptable between the two of you, it's fine. No one would dare mock you. We don't require the man to be wealthy or powerful; we only require that he truly cherishes you. Shizuka, you just need to find the right person. Your father and I will handle everything else," her mother said seriously.
"The fact that you would worry about him like this and bring him home means you're not indifferent. The opportunity is right in front of you. If you don't want to regret it, you'd better confirm your relationship with him soon."
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Today, Shizuka had simply been passing the holiday time as usual when she happened to run into the boy.
To be honest, she didn't have any specific intentions at first. In fact, she was a bit annoyed because they hadn't even spoken two sentences before he started lecturing her. He was just a brat who acted a bit too mature for his age. So, in a fit of pique, she dragged him into her car, intending to make him stay with her until her annoyance subsided.
'What do you mean, "Is this all you're eating tonight?" If you have an opinion on a single person's diet, then take the responsibility of cooking for me!' As a result, he really did come over and make dinner. She had brought him home on a whim.
If she had to say why, it was because the boy felt a bit different tonight. It was as if he were meeting an old acquaintance for the last time. She couldn't explain it, but the feeling at the time was that if she didn't grab him, he would disappear immediately.
That impulse was verified. Simultaneously, it felt like the barrier around Shirou's heart had opened up. He seemed much more relaxed—he even agreed to her invitation for a drink.
The boy, the demonic beasts, the Heroic Spirits, the black mud monsters...
The mess of things and the resolutions to be made are much more than you think, Mom... and she isn't the only one making decisions.
"Enough. Let's stop here. Let me think about it properly," Shizuka said, burying her head in a cushion.
"I understand. The key is your choice. Well then, I'll sleep in the guest room tonight." Mrs. Hiratsuka stood up without another word. She cleared the dishes, rinsed them at the sink, and headed into the room.
If a decision had to be made, it had been made from the start. Shirou was never an ordinary high schooler; his heart was more mature than anyone's. There was simply a crucial trial he had to face.
However, compromising herself for a man she liked was something Shizuka would likely never learn to do in this life, nor would she want to. She had already said what needed to be said; all that remained was the boy's reply.
If she liked him, she liked him. She didn't have the high EQ for a relationship based on weighing pros and cons. Moving forward with a straightforward, positive attitude was her only strength.
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A while later, Shirou, who had exited the subway and returned to Chiba, strolled back to his residence.
He recalled what Shizuka had said when she dropped him at the station.
"Shirou, I don't know what you're facing, but you were much more honest today. I'm happy. Come back and make dinner for me again!"
Whether it was Yuigahama or Shizuka, they both seemed to have sensed something, yet they chose to believe in him. All his companions likely felt the same, making it truly hard to let go now.
However, he had to make a final break with "Emiya Shirou."
But before that, let's all go watch the fireworks one last time.
Thinking this, the boy walked down the familiar long residential road. Seeing the living room lights still on, he pulled out his keys, opened the door, and walked in to find several girls there.
"Yo! Shirou!" The silver-haired girl waved at him first.
"Oh, Shirou. Welcome back," Artoria greeted him.
"I'm home," Shirou nodded to both.
The purple-haired girl approached him. "Shirou-senpai~! You're back so late; BB-chan was worried. Father and Mother have already gone to their rooms to sleep."
"I see. I ran into Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei tonight," Shirou explained softly.
"Sorry, Komachi. I pushed lunch and dinner onto you. I'll handle all the cooking for the next few days," Shirou said to his sister.
"Don't worry about it, Onii-chan. As long as you had fun. I won't ask for details; Komachi is on your side anyway," Komachi said with a snicker.
"Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei?" The purple-haired girl tilted her head.
"She's a teacher at Onii-chan's school. A very interesting and cool person," Komachi explained with a smile.
At that moment, Mashiro, who had come to the kitchen to grab a melon pan for a midnight snack, walked over and spoke to him seriously. "Shirou, after I finish this painting, can you help me one more time? This time, please take off one more layer."
"No, I must decline that!" Shirou waved his hands decisively.
"Not at any cost?" The girl tilted her head, her eyes sparkling like stars as she stared at him pitifully.
"Not at any cost!" Shirou steeled his heart. Even facing those puppy-dog eyes, there were some things he simply couldn't accept.
"Mashiro-kun, let's talk about the upcoming Spring Festival instead..." Shirou said, desperately trying to change the subject.
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