I said nothing. It's not like I had nothing to say, but I just nodded and smiled back at him. If this looks like a date, it doesn't mean it's a date. I mean, since the original intent behind this meeting was not a date, it's reasonable to assume this social interaction wasn't a date, despite having traits typically associated with dates. In the first place, having traits similar to something already existing doesn't necessarily mean it's the same thing: like how a platypus is a mammal that lays eggs. It was a platypus date.
It sounds really strange, so I decided against telling this outright. I wasn't sure if he noticed this, but the silence maintained over our table wasn't as pleasant as before. Is this what you call not being able to read the atmosphere? I found out his weak point, then. It's a shame this boy's weak points were a complete mess, so I couldn't really use them against him.
"In the case you're curious, I've ordered today's special. I'm sure you will like it," he said. I didn't know his personal preferences, and since I had no chance to peek at the menu, I had zero idea about the today's special, so now I was at his mercy… that didn't sound quite right. "I'll pay for this, of course."
Is that fine? I had only some change in my pocket right now; the food I ate yesterday was paid by Tamamo-chan, after all. "It's fine," he said. "I insist." Is that so? I'm quite grateful, but having people pamper me so much makes me feel guilty. In the future, I'll make sure to repay this debt to you all.
"Oh man, I'm done," someone shouted, loudly opening the doors. "Pops, gimme the usual, please! And put it on my tab, too!" This person's footsteps were super-loud, and their voice was ultra-loud, so overall, they were my natural enemy. As they approached us, I got a good look at this loud person.
It was a girl in an aviator cap and sunglasses, grinning broadly. A few strands of hair, messily peeking out of her headwear, were of the color of chestnut; her green eyes wandering around the place with a vigor. If my guess was correct, she was about my height, which made her a bit short, but her presence was bigger and louder than that.
"Brat," roared the owner, "do you have any idea what your tab looks like? You won't make that much in your entire life!" He was like a lion, but the way he huffed and puffed from anger reminded me more of a raging bull. "And you've skipped your classes again, didn't you?!"
If I were this girl, I would have fainted from such a tremendous pressure, but she just brushed this all off like it was nobody's business. "Easy there, Pops. I was busy in the engineering club, so that makes it A-Okay. Really, you're such a worrywart!"
It seemed like the bickering between them was a regular occurrence. Shirou said nothing, looking at them with the expression of silent amusement. He put a finger over his lips in a gesture of silence. I kept quiet, as he requested, and heard the whole argument. No matter how pissed off the owner sounded, the girl remained cheerful and energetic, countering his arguments with a carefree grin.
Finally, it stopped; the girl won. Now, she was searching for a place to seat and her eyes fell on our table. I never knew a smile could be so wide, but the girl's mood soared through the roof. "Well, well, well," she said, walking towards our table, "if it isn't Emiya-kun. What are doing here, boya?" Her gaze jumped from my friend to me, "Oh-ho-ho. I see, I see."
I didn't know what she "saw," but the way she started laughing was nothing but boisterous. "Never knew you would settle down for one," she said and peered at my face, making me want to disappear. "Hmm, don't think I ever saw this girl, though. Oh snap, does this mean I've lost my bet. Ah, what a shame! And I was really sure it would be that girlie from 1-A. Well, stuff happens, I guess."
I had no idea what she was talking about, but Shirou did and he was not amused. Before he could open his mouth, a shout came from the kitchen. "If you bother my customers more, I'll personally kick you out, brat!" Ah, scary! It was like thunder or maybe even worse.
"You really should drop this, Wi. It's not what it looks like," said Shirou. I peered under the table and his knuckles were white from the pressure. I didn't like this kind of Shirou at all. The way he was looking at her, with his steel-like eyes, was beyond scary.
"Fine. I guess I went overboard. Gotta keep my teasing skills sharp, y'know. Still, the name's Wilbur Wright, girl. I go by Wi, though. I'm from the 3-C, but I mostly spend time with engineering club. It's close and if you had a knack for machines, we would be glad to have you," she said, shaking my hand with a smile.
Then, she went to her own seat and waited for her order. After a short pause, our food was ready and served. It was a simple-looking steak, but looking at his intrigued Shirou looked, it wasn't so simple. I cut a small piece, closed my eyes and put it into my mouth. It was…
It was tender, and the moment I started chewing, all of my taste buds got overloaded with taste coming from the meat juice. I kept chewing more and more, as the pleasure I got from the meat rose. The wave of pleasure got down my whole body, making me tingle a little. Finally, I opened my eyes…
To meet Shirou and Wi-san's amused expressions. I nervously muttered something about how good the food was and kept eating. It's not like I wasn't self-conscious about myself already, do I simply indulged into finishing my meal, even if every bite felt like heaven.
When the steak was finished, I felt both disappointment and a deep sense of fulfillment inside. Shirou ate a lot faster than me, but that was expected from a boy his age, while the way Wi-san ate was nothing but barbaric. It won't run away, you know… your food.
"Ah," she moaned in pleasure, "nothing beats Pops' special after the hard work!" And then, she looked at us. "Hey, you two, if you aren't busy, can you help me a bit? Lend a hand to your fellow man and all that stuff?"
[] Yes.
[] No.
[] Ask Shirou.
[] Write-In.
