"Queen Shirou!"
"Hm? Who said that?" Shirou thought as he turned around to see who said that.
The source of the voice was Gawain, Knight of the Sun, and one of the members of the Knights of the Round.
"Queen Shirou. Oh, thank god I found you," Gawain huffed while catching his breath.
"Uh Gawain, you don't have to call me Queen Shirou. Just Shirou is fine."
"Nonsense! You are our king's and her alternate versions' consort and the bearer of Avalon, so it's only natural that we call you Queen Shirou."
Shirou let out a sigh as he knew that there was no way making the knights stop calling him "Queen Shirou." After all, they were stubborn to the core, and Gawain was the most stubborn out of all of them. "All right, what do you need me for?" Shirou asked.
Gawain took a long breath before exclaiming, "Please teach me the ways of cooking!"
"Huh?" Shirou said.
"Yes, my queen. As hard as it for me to say this, but I wish for your guidance in the ways of cooking."
Shirou was dumbfounded by this. Gawain, the knight of the sun, and one of the knights of the round, is asking Shirou for lessons of cooking.
But why?
That was what Shirou needed, an answer for this sudden request from Gawain.
"Why though?"
"Well..." Gawain said as he thought back to what happened a few days earlier.
(A few days earlier...)
Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan, Gareth, Bedivere, and Mordred were walking in one of Chaldea's hallways. As they were walking, they passed by the cafeteria and overheard the Arturias chatting to each other about a certain topic.
Shirou's cooking.
This got the knights interested immediately, because they know that Shirou's cooking influences the Arturias in which the moment they took one bite of Shirou's food, they immediately smile and have a pink and yellow aura with flowers around them. Originally, they thought it was a one-time thing, but over time, they were proven wrong. While EMIYA's and the other cooks' food are good as well, only Shirou's food seems to have this kind of effect on them every time. They suddenly stopped for a moment and listened to the conversation.
"Uwaaaaaaa. So good," Arturia moaned as she took a bite out of her rice bowl.
"I know right? How long has it been since we had Shirou's cooking?" Arturia Alter asked as she munched on a hamburger.
"Way too long I think," Arturia Lily said as she slurped up her spaghetti.
"You think so?" Archer Arturia said as she took a bite of salmon.
"Nah. She's probably exagerating," Rider Arturia Alter replied as she took a fry into her mouth. "Seriously though, this is delicious."
"No kidding," Santa Alter Arturia said after eating a slice of pizza.
"Yes. Way better than the others. Especially Gawain's cooking. I wish he could cook like Shirou," Lancer Arturia said as she took a bite of her steak.
"No kidding. I mean seriously, his mashed potatoes are not that good," Lancer Arturia Alter said while she took a bite of her fried chicken. "Speaking of which, his mashed potatoes aren't even mashed potatoes."
"I know right? All he does is just mash them up and that's it. Shirou's mashed potatoes however completely different. Shirou doesn't just mash the potatoes, he also adds milk and butter and mixes them on a low heat until its smooth. Then he seasons it with salt and pepper. I swear, Shirou's mashed potatoes are the pinnacle of mashed potatoes." Ruler Arturia said as she sipped on her soup.
"Definitely. No questions asked," Mysterious Herione X said while eating her fried rice.
"Obviously," Mysterious Heroine X Alter said as she took a bite of her onion ring.
"Yeah. No kidding," Mysterious Herioine XX said while slurping on her ramen.
As the Arturias were chatting with each other while eating Shirou's food, the knights were listening the entire conversation and were surprised at what they just said, especially Gawain.
After all, the Arturias did just call Gawain's cooking horrible.
Gawain sulked in despair after hearing the words from the Arturias' mouths. Lancelot, Bedivere, Tristan, and Gareth looked at him in sympathy while Mordred was snickering.
"Uh Gawain...are you okay?" Lancelot asked.
"My king...said my cooking and mashed potatoes was terrible..." Gawain said in sniffles.
"Come on, it can't be that bad..." Tristan said.
"Are you kidding me? After hearing what our king and her alternate versions said, I'm pretty sure what they said must be true."
"Relax, they're probably just kidding. Right Mordred?" Bedivere said.
Mordred was still snickering.
"Mordred?"
"Sorry Gawain...but your cooking...does suck actually," Mordred said with snickers.
"Sorry brother...but she's right," Gareth said.
Gawain's mood went down even further after hearing Mordred's words.
"Great...even Mordred agrees with the king..." Gawain muttered.
Lancelot, Bedivere, Gareth, and Tristan sighed at Gawain's depressed mood while Mordred is still snickering from Gawain's depressed mood. Lancelot then punched Mordred on the head.
"Ow!" she yelped quietly.
"You're making things worse for Gawain, Mordred!" Lancelot said.
"All right, all right, I'll shut up for now," Mordred mumbled.
Lancelot sighed before comforting Gawain. "There, there, everything will be all right."
"How so?" Gawain asked with a sniffle.
"Well...honestly, I have no clue."
Gawain sulked again. It was painful for the knights to see Gawain act like this after hearing the Arturias saying that his cooking sucked. Even Mordred felt a little bad after looking at him in this state.
That's when she decided to help him by offering him advice.
And what she said was unexpected.
"If you're that down in the dumps, then why not ask Queen Shirou for cooking lessons?"
The rest of the knights were in shock at what Mordred just said.
"W-What?"
"You didn't hear me? I said if you're that down in the dumps, then why not ask Queen Shirou for cooking lessons."
Gawain was silent at Mordred's suggestion. Then he said, "Y-You mean, ask the queen himself?"
"Yes, that's what I said."
Gawain had a moment of revelation after hearing Mordred's advice. Taking lessons from Queen Shirou? It sounded like an impossible task for him. In fact, he wasn't even sure that if even Shirou would listen to him.
"But why the queen though? Why not ask the red bowman or Raikou or Boudica or-"
"Because apparently, only Shirou's cooking seems to have that effect on father."
"But-"
"Listen," Tristan interrupted. "Do you want to prove the king wrong?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"Then stop complaining, get that depressed face off, and ask Queen Shirou for cooking lessons the next time you see him! Got that?" Mordred asked.
Gawain thought about what Mordred just said and replied, "Y-Yes!" Then he scurried off, leaving Lancelot, Tristan, and Bedivere surprised at Mordred's words.
"Wow. Didn't expect you to say that Mordred," Lancelot said.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mordred asked while being annoyed.
"Nothing of harm. I just didn't know that you have a way with words."
"Hey. What can I say? I'm full of surprises," Mordred said with a smirk.
"I can see that," Bedivere said with a smile.
(Back to the present...)
"And that's why I need your guidance in the culinary world Queen Shirou. Please, you're the only one I asked for," Gawain pleaded.
Shirou took a deep breath before saying, "Uhh...so basically the reason why you asked me for my help is because you and the Knights of the Round overheard Saber and her other versions talking about how good my cooking is while they talked about how bad your cooking is and wished that your cooking was as good as mine and you got so depressed that it escalated to the point where Mordred told you to get cooking lessons from me, correct?"
"Yes."
Shirou let out a sigh. "Why ask me though? Aren't there any others?"
"Well...the thing is though that your cooking can only make my king and her other versions' release a visible aura of happiness. No one else can produce such an effect unlike yours."
Shirou was surprised by this. "Huh. Didn't know that."
Gawain sighed. "Anyways, will you help me?"
Shirou thought about it and said, "Well...if that is Arturia's wish, then I can't refuse."
Gawain smiled at Shirou's answer. "Oh, thank you!"
Shirou and Gawain then went into the cafeteria, which was surprisingly empty. As they entered the kitchen, Shirou looked in the ingredients cabinet to see what he could make and teach Gawain at the same time.
Surprisingly, there was just potatoes, milk, and butter.
"You got to be kidding me...since when did Chaldea's cafeteria only have potatoes, butter, and milk? They can't go low on supplies...or can they? Is my bad luck striking me again? Or is the root messing with me again?"
"Uh...Queen Shirou?"
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing," Shirou said as he looked at the potatoes, milk, and butter and was wondering what he could make with these ingredients.
That's when an idea hit him.
Make mashed potatoes.
"Okay, here's the plan. Today, I'll be teaching you how to make mashed potatoes. You'll will be following every step I make. Is that okay with you?" Shirou asked.
"Y-Yes!" Gawain exclaimed.
"Okay," Shirou said as he laid out the potatoes, milk, butter, pots, pans, and potato mashers on the countertop. "First, bring a pot and fill it up with water and salt it. Wait until the water comes to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook it for 15 minutes until they're tender, but still firm, then drain them," he said as the poured some water into the pot, salted it, and placed it on a flame until it started boiling.
Gawain was confused with some of Shirou's words and phrases. "Salt the water? Boil? Tender? Firm? What do they mean Queen Shirou?"
"Salt the water mean to add salt to the water. Boil means when you see the water bubbling, that's when the water is boiling. Tender means easy to chew and firm means a solid structure. Do you get it?," he asked while adding the potatoes to the boiling salted water.
"Oh! Now I get it!" Gawain said in excitement after hearing what the words mean. He then grabbed the pot, filled it with water, salted it, and brought it up to a flame until it started boiling. He then added the potatoes and cooked it for 15 minutes until he drained the water.
Shirou smiled. "Good. Now grab a small saucepan and heat the butter and milk over a low flame until the butter is melted. Using a potato masher or electric beater, slowly blend the milk mixture into the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste," he said as he grabbed a small saucepan and heated the butter and milk over a low flame until it melted.
Gawain was confused again. "Season? What does a season have to do with mashed potatoes?"
Shirou sighed. "Season in cooking terms means sprinkle the food with something. For example, salt and pepper," he said as he slowly blended the mixture of milk and butter into the potatoes until it became smooth and creamy and then he seasoned it with black and pepper.
"Oh."
"Yeah. Do you want to write these terms down?"
"Yes please."
Gawain then pulled out a small notepad out of his pocket and started writing the terms and directions down for future reference. He then grabbed the small saucepan and heated the butter and milk over a low flame until the butter melted. Afterwards, he mashed the potatoes using a potato masher and slowly mixed the milk and butter mixture with the potatoes until it became smooth and creamy. Finally, he seasoned it with salt and pepper.
"Well...how's this?" Gawain asked while presenting his mashed potatoes to Shirou.
"Well...let's taste each other's and see," Shirou replied.
Shirou then took a bite out of Gawain's mashed potatoes while Gawain took a bite of Shirou's mashed potatoes. As Gawain took a bite of Shirou's mashed potatoes, his mind went blank over how delicious they were. "T-This is?! This is mashed potatoes?! They're way different from the ones that I used to make! In fact, I'm not even sure that what I used to make can be called mashed potatoes! This is the true mashed potatoes! No wonder why my king and her other versions think my cooking is horrible! They've been eating Queen Shirou's cooking every day and it's divine! Wonder if I should get Bedivere, Lancelot, Tristan, Gareth, Mordred, and Merlin to try Queen Shirou's cooking later..."
"Well, how is it?" Shirou asked.
"It's...it's...it's amazing! I have never tasted such divine cooking as yours before!"
Shirou blushed at Gawain's comment. "Thank you. And your mashed potatoes weren't even that bad as well."
"Really?!" Gawain exclaimed with surprise. "There's nothing wrong with it?!"
"Yeah. In fact, I'm having a hard time to believe about what Arturia said about your cooking. Just how is it that bad?"
Gawain looked embarrassed for a moment and looked down on the floor before saying, "Maybe it's because of how I thought mashed potatoes were made in the past."
"What do you mean by that?" Shirou asked.
Gawain sighed. "Before you taught me how to make mashed potatoes, I thought mashed potatoes were made by just mashing potatoes up."
Shirou was dumbfounded by this. "So...your way of making mashed potatoes is just mashing potatoes up, and that's it?"
"Yes."
"With no seasoning of any kind?"
"Yes."
Shirou mentally groaned in his mind before saying, "Gawain, let me tell you something."
Gawain was listening.
"Just because you're mashing potatoes doesn't mean they're mashed potatoes. Cooking isn't that easy to begin with. There's a process in every recipe, including the small ones as well. Not only that, but you can't just pile up meat and vegetables and cook it and call it a day. You need to season it to give it flavor. Plus, cooking's not that short. It takes time for a dish to be complete. That's what cooking is."
Gawain was stunned at the information Shirou just gave to him.
After all, Shirou just broke his sense of cooking with his own cooking.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
As Shirou and Gawain were chatting, they didn't notice the Arturias and the Knights of the Round coming into the cafeteria, surprising them when they were done with their chat.
"S-Saber?" Shirou said.
"My king? Bedivere? Lancelot? Tristan? Mordred? Gareth? Since when all of you got here?"
"Just a while ago," they all said.
"Because of the smell of the mashed potatoes?"
"Yes," they all said.
Shirou sighed as he should have known that his cooking will always attract the Arturias in one way or another. However, what surprised him was that the Knights of the Round were here as well.
"Well..." Shirou said as he looked at the two pans of mashed potatoes, "Do you want some?"
"YES!" They immediately exclaimed, eager to eat Shirou's cooking.
Shirou sighed again. "Gawain, help me prepare the plates."
"Yes, Queen Shirou," Gawain replied.
Soon, Shirou and Gawain prepared the dishes of mashed potatoes for the Arturias and the Knights of the round. As Shirou and Gawain placed the dishes on the table, the Arturias and the knights started eating the mashed potatoes. While they were eating, the Arturias did their usual reaction while the rest of the knights were in marvel of the mashed potatoes.
'T-This is!" Lancelot said.
"This is mashed potatoes?!" Tristan said.
"These are the best mashed potatoes I've ever had!" Mordred exclaimed.
"I must say, this is quite good Shirou," Bedivere complimented.
"These are good!" Gareth exclaimed.
Shirou smiled. "Thanks, but some of the credit goes to Gawain here."
Everyone was surprised at Shirou's words. "Really?!"
"Yeah. He did some of the cooking here."
Everyone then looked at Gawain with wide eyes. "Q-Queen Shirou taught me how to make this," he said.
There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to process the information they received. After all, they've just heard that Shirou gave Gawain a cooking lesson on mashed potatoes.
And for once, Gawain made good mashed potatoes.
"Just one question. Since when you started learning from Shirou?" the Arturias asked.
Gawain simply replied, "Today. Why?"
"Well...I applaud you for improving your cooking skills in a short amount of time, even with help from Shirou."
Gawain's mood immediately brightened as he heard those words.
"T-Thank you very much!" he exclaimed in happiness.
The Arturias smiled. "No problem. Now, shall we continue to eat?"
Everyone in the cafeteria then continued to eat and it was a joyous moment. The Arturias were happily eating the mashed potatoes Shirou and Gawain made, and the Knights of the Round were doing the same too.
All and all, everyone seems happy.
However, this event had an affect Shirou did not expect until later...
(The next day...)
Shirou was walking down Chaldea's hallway, thinking about what will happen today.
However, what happened next was something he did not expect again.
And that something was Lancelot, Bedivere, Tristan, Gareth, and Mordred coming up to Shirou suddenly.
"Queen Shirou!" they exclaimed.
"W-What?" Shirou asked, not expecting them to come up to him.
"Please teach us in the ways of cooking like what you did to Gawain!"
"Why...?" He thought as he was going through déjà vu.
Omake
"Hey Da Vinci, can I ask you a question?" Ritsuka asked.
"Sure. What is it?" Da Vinci replied.
"Does Shirou has any passive skills?"
"Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"
"Well...it's because of Shirou's cooking."
"How so?"
"Simple. Shirou's cooking is so good that it's nearly making every servant in Chaldea eat in happiness. In fact, I wouldn't be surprise if he does have a passive skill like that."
Da Vinci laughed at Ritsuka's explaination. "Yeah right. Like that's possible."
"True. But still, can you check?"
"All right. I'll check."
Da Vinci then went over to Chaldea's database to see what other skills Shirou has. When she checked on his profile, what she saw surprised her.
On his profile...was a skill that made her eat her own words.
Skill:
Divine Cooking: Rank EX
Description: A skill in which makes Shirou's cooking so divine that it would have the power to make heroic spirits, humans, gods, and demons fall into pleasure of how good his cooking is. Also has the power to give buffs to any allied Saberface, Rinface, Sakuraface, Illyaface, Miyu, Astraea, and any Emiya family member in battle.
"Uh Ritsuka...you might want to see this..." Da Vinci said.
Ritsuka then looked at the database and gasped at what he saw.
"Wow," Ritsuka said.
"Yeah. Did not expect that," Da Vinci replied.