"You ......"

I was about to subconsciously ask why, when suddenly Mr. Aberdeto's admonition to me in the backyard in the afternoon sounded in my head.

Trust each other consistently, anytime, anywhere.

Thinking of this, I swallowed back the words that had already come to my lips, and instead smiled and nodded to the girl.

"Understood, go quickly, Artoria, don't lose time."

"Hey, Shirou, aren't you going to ask me where I'm going?" The girl looked a little surprised, her eyes widening slightly.

"Artoria will tell me when she wants to. So I'll be patient until then. I replied in the lightest tone I could.

“…… Thank you Shirou, I'll be back soon. After staring at my face for a few seconds, the girl finally bent slightly over me, then turned and walked briskly out of the dining room......

"Grandpa Aberben, Grandma, leave Artoria alone, let's continue to eat."

After the girl left, I tried my best to keep my smile unchanged and said to Mr. and Mrs. Aberdeen at the table, wanting to return to normal.

However, as if affected by the vacant seats, my heart suddenly became empty and in a trance.

In front of me, Artoria's figure left in a hurry, and her expression of wanting to stop talking.

"Mr. Emiya, that dish is gone."

In the confusion of his mind, Mrs. Aberdeen's concerned reminder came to his ears.

"Eh——?"

Suddenly I came to my senses, and I saw that I was holding a pair of chopsticks, repeatedly making a gesture of picking vegetables in front of an empty plate in front of me.

"Ah...... Sorry grandma, I was thinking about something else that caused me to get distracted, and it was rude......"

Smiling awkwardly, I quickly reached out and took the empty plate aside, and hurriedly grabbed a piece of fried radish from the side and stuffed it into my mouth and chewed it to hide the embarrassment just now.

"Mr. Emiya, you are concerned about it." Seeing my scurry, Mrs. Aberdeen couldn't help but chuckle, "You still believe the old man's opinion, when I talked to Miss Artoria before, I could feel her unadulterated love for Mr. Emiya, both by her expression and tone. So your worries are basically unnecessary, and Miss Artoria is absolutely loyal to you. ”

"Whew...... I know that very well, and I will never doubt Artoria. I'm just worried that she's going to do something stupid for me. After all, her personality is stubborn, and even I can't control it. I couldn't help but sigh.

"Young people, if you choose to believe, then you have to follow through." Mr. Aberdeen interjected at this time, looked calmly into my eyes, and said, "Besides, your fiancée is not a person who does not know the importance of it, and she will definitely be able to make the most appropriate decision." ”

"Hmm...... Thank you, Grandpa Yasumoto and Grandma, I was so anxious. With the Aberdeen couple's comfort, I felt a little better in my heart, and I finally managed to squeeze out a smile at the corner of my mouth.

After that, we all consciously stopped talking about the topic again, and instead whispered about some irrelevant daily trivialities.

Because of the girl's departure, the whole table became cold and silent, and several children lost their vitality because they had lost the object with which they could play and frolic, and just bowed their heads and ate the food in front of them silently.

In this way, the dinner ended hastily in a sluggish atmosphere.

"Mr. Emiya, because of our presence today, it will take you and Artoria more time to clean up than usual. So can I help you clean up your dishes before I leave? "Looking at the whole table with cups and plates, Mrs. Aberdeen offered to help me.

"How embarrassing is that!" Shocked, I hurriedly waved my hand and refused, "You and Mr. Yasumoto can come to the Wei Palace Mansion as guests today, it is already a great honor for me as the host, how dare I ask the guests to do the housework?" ”

I resolutely refused according to etiquette and common sense, but the old woman turned her head in displeasure.

"Mr. Emiya, your reaction is so violent, but are you afraid that my hands will slip and break your dishes? In that case, I'm going to prove to you that my hands aren't that old! Mrs. Aberdeen's voice was undisguised with displeasure, and without saying a word, she picked up the two empty plates closest to her and walked briskly to the kitchen sink.

"Mrs. Aberdeen, you ......" I opened my mouth wide to say something, but I stretched out my arms in vain and was momentarily speechless.

"Haha young man, Yukiko has been like that since she was young, you don't have to care." However, Mr. Asumoto grinned unexpectedly, "As long as she receives a favor from others, she must find a way to give the other party a certain amount of return on the spot." You take it as a kindness to you, and accept it. ”

“…… Don't do that, I can't afford it. With a wry smile, I quickly picked up the empty tray on the table and hurried behind Mrs. Aberdeen all the way to the dishwasher......

Eventually, at my insistence, Mrs. Aberdeen reluctantly agreed to wash the dishes together.

After washing the dishes and chopsticks, I sent two venerable old men and a few children to the entrance door.

"Thank you for your hospitality today." Before leaving, the old woman bowed deeply to me in perfect manners.

Before I could react, Mr. Aberdeen also walked up and stretched out his right hand to me.

"......" I had no choice but to smile stiffly and stepped forward to hold his hand.

"Young man, I admire you very much. I hope you have time to think about the restaurant, and I am always waiting for your call. ”

Winking at me, Mr. Aberdeen still held my hand firmly and didn't let go.

"Yes, yes...... I'll be sure to think hard about your proposal. Seeing this, I had to smile bitterly and say again and again.

Mr. Aberdeen nodded in satisfaction, let go of my arm, and took two steps back.

I was just breathing a sigh of relief, but I saw a few children also surround me.

"Brother Emiya, can we still come to play with Sister Artoria in the future?" The innocent and clear eyes of several children widened, and there was a clear look of anticipation in their words.

"Taro, Sakaguchi, Tamako, don't be so rude to Mr. Emiya as the master!" Mrs. Aberdeen's face straightened, and she was about to step forward and take away a few grandchildren.

"It's okay Mrs. Aberdeen." I smiled and waved at the old woman, then bowed slightly and touched the heads of the children one by one.

"Of course, if you want to come, we welcome you at any time."