Afternoon

The Forest

Silent footsteps jumped across the forest canopy. The hero in a crimson and black cloak stalked for its prey. His ears flicked in the direction of his prey to the sound of their steps along the forest floor. After a few more jumps, golden Irises peered through the darkness and found his targets. He ceased his movements and adjusted his line of sight atop the tree.

'Distance: About 500 Meters. Not too far of a walk.' Never taking his attention off of the targets, Shirou extended his left hand outward, fingers curling around a handle in his mind. 'Trace on.' Magic thrummed through his body, and motes of light coalesced into a familiar long black bow. On a stable branch, Shirou prepared to fire.

'Ashibumi.' His body kept erect, reducing bobbing or swaying. Feet spread apart one arrow length with the big toes set in line with the target's center. The angle of his footing shifted to have evenly distributed weight, keeping the center of gravity between both feet. Shirou applied slight pressure to both legs. His knees stretched naturally into place. He held the bow at hip level, aimed toward the center line of the body.

'Dozukuri.' The shoulders, hips, and feet are held in line with one another, parallel to the floor and straight to the target. The spine and neck are gently stretched upwards with the shoulders kept flat.

'Yugamae.' A glove traced over his right hand as his left gripped the bow. He looked at the targets with calm, half-closed eyes, never blinking or looking away.

'Uchiokoshi.' He raised the bow perfectly straight. His arms and chest relaxed, the shoulders kept flat and stretched forward.

'Hikiwake.' Setting up the full draw of the bow, he pushed the bow to the left as the right arm folds at the elbow. Shirou drew the string halfway, and his right hand moved above the forehead. The bow was pulled into full draw using the back and upper arm muscles.

'Kai.' Each of the previous stages combined to form this posture. The success or failure of the shooting is not determined after the release. It is determined in the completion of the draw. It is the very essence of Kyudo. The spine and skeletal structure expanded, keeping the bow drawn at the optimum length.

'Hanare.' Here, the essence is actualized like flint that strikes steel to create a spark. The mental gun hammer cocked back in his head and then slammed forward. An arrow materialized in his hand and drawstring. A loud crack echoed throughout the wood as the iron arrow fired into the darkness.

A pair of boar-like creatures dug into the soil, foraging for food. Just as they considered a new grazing location, their vision went black. It was a quick and painless end. To the animals around, it seemed as if a single bolt of lightning struck through both of their heads: a two-in-one kill.

Following the release, Shirou continued to hold his position even after the arrow had reached the target.

'Yudaoshi.' He lowering of the bow. He maintained visual contact with the boars as he lowered his hands to the sides. Thus, the hunt has concluded.

Bonesborough

The Saffron Gate

The elder Marcus Silvermoon thanked another customer and put away a handful of snails. Meanwhile, his niece gathered an empty table's plates from the lunch rush. Just as he was about to head back to the kitchen, the bell above the front door rang. "Welcome to the Saffron Gate," he called out. "Come have a-" Marcus cut himself off when he spotted the young man he had contacted earlier. What he didn't expect was to see the young man with large boars over each shoulder. "Dear, Titan. Shirou?"

Shirou nodded with a smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. Silvermoon."

His niece shared a similar sentiment. "Wow! Uncle, you didn't tell me we were getting another order today."

"I didn't, Sienna. He's our new cook for the day, but I'm not complaining," remarked Marcus. "Thank you for assisting with my shop today."

The hero made his way to the kitchen and placed them on the butchering table. "Sorry. You mentioned having to place another meat order soon, and I wanted to work with something I'm familiar with. I took the liberty of collecting some fresh meat. I hope you don't mind." Some of the meat advertised at some shops were Phantasmal Species. He was hesitant to start cooking with them. Do griffins taste more like chicken or lion?

The owner laughed. "Not at all. You didn't have to do that. In fact, by the look of these, I'd feel guilty for getting them for free. At a glance, I'm more than willing to compensate for this meat quality."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head. "Well, if you insist. How much is half their market value?"

"Half-off? Isn't that generous? You found a good cook, Uncle." Sienna looked over at the fresh meat. "Well, from the weight, I'd say about 400 snails for each of them normally."

Mr. Silvermoon gave a hearty laugh at hearing her words. "So, only 200 snails for us, eh? I know a good deal when I see one." He turned to Shirou. "I'll include it with the rest of your pay later tonight."

The young man smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, sir." While the thought of being a hunter for money intrigued him, Shirou felt more drawn toward his less destructive skills. He told the owner his pork recipes, and he was more than willing to give them a try. Shirou traced a serrated knife. "I'm going to skin this pig. Can you help me with the meat?"

Taking a position next to Shirou, Marcus raised a brow. "Oh. It's surprising to see a young man like you know how to take this apart."

"Yes, I can. I've done this process before." For standard pork, after the whole pig is cut in half, each is trimmed to three pieces for a total of six pieces. With firm pressure, he pressed his knife into its stomach and allowed the animal to bleed excess blood into a bucket. The first part of the dismembering process was to remove the bones. Next was to cut off the head. Rolling the carcass to its side, he sliced out the skirt meat and fat. With the body opened, he removed the tenderloins from the bones. They would be great for tonkatsu. He then removed the backbones from the sternum. With each cut, subtle traces of his magical energy flowed through his arms and into his knife and then the meat. After several more cuts and removals, the two cooks had tens of pounds of fresh pork.

Marcus started packing the meat and storing them in their chiller. "It seems that boar is tonight's special."

For Shirou, there was a large variety of pork dishes, like Pork chops, pork loins, pork ribs, and bacon. From his travels, he learned various recipes from different cultures. For his Earth, pork engrained itself as a culinary mainstay for any time of the day. Pork could be deep-fried, baked, steamed, sautéed, grilled, and more. As certain parts of the animal tasted better than others, Shirou would share some of his more classy yet filling recipes that included pork loins and chops.

Not long after they updated their daily menu, Sienna called out from the front, "Two grilled pork belly plates."

Shirou smiled, ready to make food for the comfort of his new patrons. It was a simple dish. Using a cast iron skillet over a coal flame, he placed several slices of seasoned pork belly. It didn't take long for the fat to render from the meat, lubricating the pan.

From out front, he was already garnering attention.

"Oh... This smell."

"Must be good..."

They sounded oddly familiar. When the oil slowly surrounded the meat, he flipped it to keep it juicy and salted them evenly. By the time they reached a golden a juicy brown, Marcus came over his shoulder. "Ooh. Looks good already. May I?"

"Not at all." Shirou set aside a strip for him.

Upon the first bite, Marcus' eyes widened. The taste was so shocking. The sheer flavor of the fat and meat made his heart skip. Thoughts returned to his young adult years at the tavern with his friends after a long day's work. Teary eyes looked back at the red-headed chef. "Where have you been, dear boy? This is simply amazing."

Shirou rubbed the back of his head at the compliment. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

The older man patted his shoulder. "You may not be able to work here full-time, but I see great things for you." With that, he went to another side of the kitchen to take another order from Sienna.

After preparing each plate with a light garnish, Shirou made his way out of the kitchen. "Order up! Two Grilled Pork Bellies."

The same voices from before called out to him in shock. "That's us... Wait. Shirou!?"

Blinking in surprise, Shirou turned to a table near the wall. There sat a familiar set of twins, so he walked over and placed their food. "Edric? Emira? Didn't expect you two to come here."

Emira rubbed her neck. "Well, Edric and I don't eat at home often."

"Our home isn't the family dinner and home cooking type. " Edric took a deep breath of the plate in front of him. It was mouthwatering. "Besides, this lets us try out all the different restaurants in town."

The hero frowned a bit at the mention of their home life. If Amity and Alador were any indications, it must have been a distant household. Perhaps he could get a better understanding in the future.

His sister did the same, instinctively reaching for a fork. "But what about you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm the assistant chef here for today. Depending on how things go, I might be here weekly."

"So you cooked this?!" Edric was the first to take a bite. His expression eased. "It looks relatively simple, but it tastes so good!"

Not wanting to feel left out, Emira took a bite of hers. "It's a crisp golden brown while still juicy on the inside. The savory mixes well with the salted oil drizzling draped over it." Emira's face glowed a bit red in embarrassment. "It's so yummy!"

The cook took pride in their compliments. "I'm glad you like them."

At another table nearby, guests took an interest at the new dish. "Honey, can we eat that too? It smells great."

The boyfriend kept his eyes on the menu but still succumbed to the scent. "Sure. Let's also pick out some appetizers."

"Ain't you popular." Edric rubbed his chin. "I don't suppose you can get us some booze?"

Shirou crossed his arms. "How old do you have to be to drink here?"

"Sixteen." The twins lied as easily as they breathed. The actual age was eighteen.

The hero deadpanned at their answer. "Yeah... I'll have to check Marcus on that. I don't want this place getting fined."

Emira downed another strip with glee. "Oh, come on, Shirou. Don't be such a prude."

Shirou rolled his eyes. "Tell you what, if I'm here next week, I'll have a drink you might like?"

Emira's pout wasn't effective. "Fine... If you say so."

"It better be good," whined Edric. "Too bad that Willow girl had to cancel meeting up today."

"We still on for next week's study date?" asked Emira.

Shirou didn't bother correcting her phrasing. "

"Anyways, I gotta get back to the kitchen. You two need anything else?"

"How good is this Bulgogi thing?"

The chef smirked. "Very."

"We'll take two," they echoed.

#

When Shirou started cutting up some vegetables, he heard rumbling from above, followed by the familiar pitter-patter of summer rain.

As if on cue, a large group of witches and demons filed inside, all with a few patches of pink skin.

Meanwhile, Marcus and Sienna started closing every open window in a rush.

Shirou felt a bit out of the loop. "Isn't that a bit much? It's just a little rain."

"A little rain?" Marcus rubbed a spot on his arm. "Boiling Rain stings like a bitch."

Shirou paused. "I'm sorry. Did you say Boiling Rain?"

Marcus blinked at him before the ears clicked. "Sorry. I forgot that you humans aren't from around here. For your information, we have boiling rainstorms on the Boiling Isles."

Sienna came up from behind after overhearing the conversation. "Yup. We have plagues, gorenados, shale hail, and painbows."

The hero sighed. 'I shouldn't be surprised that the weather here is more dangerous to match the inhabitants.' Just from their names, he could assume what they entailed. 'Considering Eda's lived here all her life, I'm sure she's keeping Luz out of the rain. Putting those thoughts aside, he went back to his workstation.

The door to the restaurant opened to a pair of steaming wet cloaks. Once hung on the rack, they revealed a coven scout and a pale blue-haired witch. The scout gestured to an empty table. "Let's wait out the rain here, Lilith. We can even grab a bite to eat. Steve's friends with the owner"

Lilith relented. "Fine. I'd rather eat here than the stale stuff back at the coven building."

#

"Ten orders of Pork Bulgogi, please!" announced Sienna.

The chef clapped his hands for another large order. After washing, he chopped the carrots and peppers into thin slices. His magical energy flowed directly into the ingredients with every cut of his blade. The average produce seemed to gain a healthy luster.

He simmered carrots and peppers in an oiled pan to a nearly caramelized consistency. Shirou pulled a bottle from his pocket. In this new world, he had to get creative to replicate the flavor of soy sauce using a mixture of animal fat, vinegar, molasses, ginger, pepper, and garlic. It took a few tries at the Owl House, but he finally got it where he wanted it. After adding the soy sauce and sliced pork belly to the simmered veggies, he started the stir-fry for a mouthwatering Pork Bulgogi.

Fifteen minutes after ordering, Shirou walked to the tables, plates in hand.

In the end, he made it to the Scout's table. "Two of each for the Pork Belly and Bulgogi"

The scout eyed the steaming food from under his mask. "Woah. Thanks, man. Smells great" He looked at the redhead for a moment. "You new here? Steve doesn't recognize you."

The hero nodded. "Yup. My name's Shirou. I'm the second chef for today. I hope you and your friend enjoy your meal." This was the first time he met an Emperor Coven Scout, and so far, he seemed friendly.

Steve gave him a thumbs up. "Will do, my man."

Lilith coughed into a fist before he could leave. "We're work associates."

The scour waved it off. "Oh, come on, Lilith. Steve's been working with you since the start. That's gotta mean something."

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry. I'm still a bit distracted."

"It's cool. Your sister's condition is a heavy subject." Steve picked up his fork. "Let's eat!"

Shirou brushed off the comment about her sister. He hoped she was doing well in any case. "I'll leave you two to your dinner. Let us know if you need anything else."

"Will do!" smiled Steve.

As he walked back to the kitchen, he took in their reactions.

"Freaking incredible."

"Delicious"

"Insane."

"My goodness!" The taste was exotic compared to what she had tried before.

"Told ya this place was good, Boss!" After removing his mask, Steve happily dug in with a smile.

Hearing the glowing reviews brought a sense of pride and comfort to the hero. Cooking was one of the ways he helps both himself and others with no losers.

As the night went on, more and more gave their approval and tips to the cooks.

#

When closing time approached, Shirou returned to take out the trash. The rain continued, but thankfully, they had an awning for their dumpster. Opening the lid, he heard something shuffle behind a stack of empty crates. Shirou briefly steeled himself. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A hand came out from behind the boxes, "Sorry. Sorry." A cloaked girl walked into his view. When removed, a young woman with hazel eyes, dark skin, and a black ponytail stood. "I'm just waiting out the rain. I didn't mean to trespass." Katya didn't want to explain that coven scouts kept an eye on her home after she escaped the Conformatorium. She had to stay away for a while.

The hero relaxed. "No. No. I can't blame you for that."

Shirou introduced himself, and she replied in kind. "I'm Katya."

"I'm sure Marcus won't mind you hanging out on the back porch." His gaze went out to the streets that had gone empty. "Better here than burning."

"Thank you." Suddenly, a growl escaped her stomach. Her face grew a bit pink.

Shirou raised a brow. "How long have you been out here?"

"Just a few hours." She took a seat against the wall and looked back at the rain. Maybe a bit longer."

His lip quirked before shaking his head with a smile. "I'll be right back."

Katya sat there with a curious expression.

Minutes later, Shirou came out with a bowl. "Well, with the weather. I figured you might like some Cold Pork Noodle Soup." A mix of iced pork broth, noodles, hard-boiled egg, and veggies did the soul good.

She took the bowl and fork slowly into her hands. "Are you sure? I don't have any money on me right now."

Shirou crossed his arms. "Better to do something than nothing. Hunger is the enemy. It would be against my values."

Kayta looked back at the bowl and took in the scent. Her hunger only grew. "I don't know what to say." She set down the bowl and smiled, her chest swelling with ease. "Thank you. It means a lot."

The chef smirked. "You're welcome. When the time comes, you'll be able to pay it forward for someone else."

Just taking the first bite sent her taste buds wild. With a laugh, she nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."

With that, Shirou returned to work.

Thanks to the rain, more people were willing to spend a little extra to bide their time.

"Steve wants some of those sandwiches."

"No problem," replied Sienna.

Suddenly, a ringing sound came from Lilith. "Sorry. I have to take this." She pulled out what seemed to be a crow with nine buttons on its chest and walked to the corner of the room.

The scout sighed, expecting what was going to happen next. "Looks like we might have to end it early. Duty calls even in the rain. Can I have it to go?"

"Give Shirou a few minutes, and he'll have it ready for you soon."

Shirou took a griffin egg and whipped it with oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar to make mayo. After mixing it with Fire Bee honey, he spread it on two slices of toasted bread. With layers of pork bulgogi and sliced cucumbers, the Pork Bulgogi Sandwich was ready.

"I would have liked to stay longer, but we have another task."

"It's fine. I hope the condition of your boss' sister gets better."

"That's the thing. She can't, as far as all the healers know. Being the sister to the Owl Lady is a heavy burden."

"Wait. She's Eda's sister?"

"You know her? The Owl Lady."

"I've talked to her in passing, but what about the healers and her condition? What's wrong with her?"

"Really? I thought everyone knew. She's cursed."

Shirou's stomach fell at those words. "Cursed? What kind of curse?"

"There's a reason why she's called the Owl Lady. I'm unsure about the details, but she turns into a massive Owl Beast."

The hero hoped for the best. Maybe it was like lycanthropy but still sane.

"The Beast would attack anybody. She even hurt her dad."

Now it was time to worry. "Is there no cure?"

"Lilith says she drinks potions to stave off the curse, but that only treats the symptoms."

Shirou's mind raced to remember if he ever saw Eda drink a potion of some kind, but he couldn't think of anything except alcohol and juice. She may have drunk it in private, but he didn't want to risk it.

At the front, Lilith put on her coat and called her assistant over. "Come on, Steve. We have another mission."

"Alright." He turned back to Shirou. "Hope to see you again, dude." With that, the two coven members left into darkness.

Back inside, Shirou took a deep breath. If Luz were in any danger, she would have summoned him with the command seals. He did remember to teach her how to use them, right?

Right?

"Shit..." He raced to the kitchen, garnering Sienna's and Marcus' attention.

"Everything alright, boy?"

A bit of sweat came down his brow. "I... I think there's an emergency at home. I'm sorry. I have to leave early."

Seeing the concern on the young man's face told them it was pretty serious. Marcus put up a hand. "You've done more than enough today. We can handle things from here. Just be sure to come back tomorrow for your payment once you take care of business."

"Thanks, you guys. I'll be back. I swear." With that, Shirou bolted out the door towards the Owl House.

Marcus and Sienna blinked at the closing door. "Did he remember to get a raincoat or something?"

Outside, Shirou reinforced himself and sprinted. Like metal, the boiling hot water splashed against his skin with little effect. He had to get to Luz. Now!

A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, and Seana!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, please follow or review/comment. See you guys in the next chapter.

Discord Server: discord.com/invite/2uP8ka2

Like my work? Please consider supporting me, so I can keep writing as often as possible. Even a little means a lot and helps me dedicate more time and resources to my work.

Patreon.com/Firestorm808

buymeacoffee.com/Firestorm808

ko-fi.com/firestorm808