IBHJ Chapter 865

"I hope this doesn't make oniichan dislike her," Chloe turned over.

"Why do you say that?" Mordred looked at Chloe, puzzled.

Even she could see that Artoria liked the Eternal King. And she really liked this Artoria, so she was worried about her.

"My mom said, when a man pursues a woman it's like climbing a mountain, but when a woman pursues a man it's like threading a needle. And after her persistent pursuit with no response, it's clear he has no interest. If he has no interest but she keeps pestering him, it'll make him dislike her," Chloe said, sounding surprisingly wise.

"You're wrong, Chloe," Salter shook her head and looked at Chloe. "The other me has no such intentions towards Eternal King."

"Huh?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, Chloe. You see everything through the lens of shoujo manga. You should read those less," Gray said, emerging from the bathroom wrapped in a white towel. "Her Highness has no such intentions towards Eternal King."

"Then what kind of intentions does she have?" Chloe asked indignantly.

Gray looked at the door, then turned to Chloe. "She once told me that as long as Eternal King is well, she is happy."

Upon hearing this, Chloe froze, staring blankly at Gray. "Gray, you mean..."

"Yes," Gray nodded slightly and said softly, "As long as she can see Eternal King, the King of Knights will feel happy..."

...

Shirou brought the dishes to his room. Although he had spent a fun afternoon in Artoria's room, he hadn't forgotten that the real Artoria was still waiting, starving in his room.

He chuckled, imagining the little piggy rolling around from hunger.

But when he opened the door, he was surprised. Artoria was sitting properly on the bed.

Seeing Shirou, she called out softly, "My king."

He nodded, then lifted the lunch box in his hand and smiled, "Hungry?"

She nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.

Starving!

"Let's eat. I brought something delicious." He opened the lunchbox and laid out the dishes on the table.

She hurried over and sat down, swallowing hard. "As expected of Gray's cooking, it smells amazing."

"Gray?" he blinked, then chuckled. "I made it."

"Ah?"

She froze, then hesitantly lowered her chopsticks. "You made it... I, I..."

"Eat up. Or do you think my cooking isn't good enough?" he teased.

"No..." she hesitantly picked up her chopsticks and took a few small bites.

She was usually like a starving animal, gobbling down food without a care, just like Salter. But feeling his gaze, she unconsciously ate in small bites. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the king.

"Next time... next time, I'll cook for you. I hope you won't think it's bad..." she mumbled.

"Oh?"

Shirou blinked, then smiled. "Sure. Then I can see Chef Artoria's culinary skills honed over the past years."

"I'll make sure you're impressed!" she declared confidently. After thirteen years, her cooking, among other skills, had certainly improved.

"Okay," he smiled, then added playfully, "But I don't like fish soup."

"!!!"

Her face paled instantly, a wave of terror washing over her as she remembered drugging him back in Britain with a fish soup.

He chuckled, "Just kidding. I've forgotten all about that. Eat up, don't let yourself get hungry."

"Mmm..."

The boy ate his delicious meal with his head down, while the girl rested her cheek on her hand, gazing at him with tender eyes.

The faint moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on their faces.

The scene was warm and cozy.

Only that...

It was reversed!

The girl was the one eating, and the boy was the one gazing at her!

...

Shirou stayed in his room for the night. Despite having five beautiful girls in Artoria's room, he wasn't one to take advantage, even if they were close friends. So, he settled in for the night in his own room.

He let Artoria take the bed, while he claimed the large, comfortable sofa. But in the middle of the night, he woke up.

The reason?

He was starving!

Shirou jolted awake, clutching his stomach, droplets of sweat forming on his forehead.

He usually had a small appetite, and aside from those early days in Camelot, he rarely woke up from hunger in the middle of the night. But now, he was jolted awake by intense hunger, and he felt awful!

It was like his stomach acid was eating away at his insides!

Then it hit him - he wasn't in his own body, but Artoria's!

Artoria wasn't a glutton by nature, but due to her dragon factor, her metabolism was far higher than a normal human's, making her food intake similar to that of a dragon.

Because of the Vortex's power, Shirou and Artoria had switched bodies. So now, it was him, not Artoria, who was dealing with the dragon's hunger!

No wonder she had barely eaten anything earlier!

He got up, clutching his stomach, and checked the fridge, only to find it empty. He remembered that his own appetite was small, so he usually ate out.

Even though Servants were made of reconstructed mana, they still had normal human senses.

And hunger was one of them.

He stood there, glancing at the soundly sleeping Artoria with a helpless expression. "You're sleeping peacefully while I'm suffering..."

Holding his stomach, he headed out to find food.

His willpower could resist hunger, but if food was available, why go hungry?

Shirou stepped out the door, his thin shadow flickering under the dim light. With a glop, a swirling mass of black mud popped out from the shadow, trailing behind him.

He glanced at it and sighed, "Get back in my shadow. If Gilgamesh sees you, he'll never let me live it down!"

Evil Blossom bubbled, then obediently retreated into his shadow.

The mud could technically fill his stomach and keep his body functioning, but it had absorbed the Dark Vortex's curse, making it too dangerous. To avoid harming Artoria's body, he hadn't let it in. So, Evil Blossom remained hidden in his shadow.

"Food... food...!"

Shirou wandered around Area A, but places like the cafeteria were already closed.

It was late at night, and even Chaldea's staff needed to rest.

Should he go to Artoria's room and cook something?

Definitely not. Gray and the others were probably asleep, and cooking would wake them up.

Even though Shirou now appeared cold and aloof, he still had a warm heart.

With no other options, he headed towards the public area.

The public area was the central hub connecting the four main sections A, B, C, and D.

Usually a place of entertainment for Masters and Servants, it offered services provided not only by Chaldea staff but also by exploited Masters and lower-tier Servants. Famous examples included the part-time working Bazett and Cu Chulainn.

With the district cafeterias closed, the public area might still have some open cafes. Kirei Kotomine's deadly cuisine was definitely out of the question, though.

The public area's commercial street was ablaze with neon lights, bustling with activity.

Many Servants greeted Shirou as he passed by, calling him "King of Knights."

Shirou found a self-service restaurant, but before he could enter, the owner spotted him, turned white as a sheet, and hurriedly slammed the door shut, hanging up a "Closed" sign with lightning speed.

Shirou: "..."

Was it really that bad?

He felt gloomy inside.

Sure, Artoria had a big appetite, but it wasn't impossible to satisfy, right? At least when he was in Camelot, he had been able to feed her just fine.

Shaking his head, he finally found a small restaurant.

"Welcome."

As soon as he entered, the white-haired young shopkeeper—the Heroic Spirit Emiya—greeted him politely. But upon seeing "Artoria," his face paled, and he felt his wrist muscles spasming.

Shirou looked at Emiya in surprise. So this guy was running a restaurant too.

He took a seat and said, "Emiya, bring me your best dishes."

"I can do that, but this isn't an all-you-can-eat buffet," Emiya responded cautiously.

The person before him was the King of Knights, who had bankrupted five major buffet restaurants. Even now, the broke owner Bazett was still running around with her Servant trying to pay off debts. He had to be careful.

"Don't worry. I'll pay, but bring out the dishes quickly," Shirou assured him.

"If you're paying, then there's no problem."

Even though the sight of the King of Knights made his wrist ache, it wouldn't stop him from serving a customer.

So -

Game face, on!

As Emiya started cooking, Shirou waited eagerly.

Finally, he could give his stomach some relief.