"Cough… please forget that just happened. Thanks."
Sitting at the dining table, Exusiai's face was as red as her hair. She hesitated, not even daring to move her spoon.
"You mean calling someone you have only known for a few days 'mom'?"
Texas delivered a clean, merciless strike straight to her heart.
By the way, Shirou was also feeling a bit awkward.
He had been told similar things before, but this was the first time someone said it directly to his face.
Noticing his discomfort, Texas did not press the topic further.
With that, both Shirou and Exusiai let out a sigh of relief, and Shirou finally sat down to enjoy his portion.
Originally, he had planned to use the remaining ingredients for a simple dinner but now that was not necessary.
"Did you make this from a recipe?"
Exusiai tried to ease the awkwardness with conversation. If she talked enough, maybe it would dilute what she had just said!
"I decided what to cook based on discounted ingredients. I did not expect it to turn out this well."
Shirou had actually prepared for failure, but everything went smoothly on the first try. Some ingredients were unfamiliar, but in practice, the differences were not that big.
At least the "feathered beast" meat was pretty similar to chicken. Other meats still needed testing. As for local cooking styles, there was still a lot for him to learn.
"Whoa! Before you lost your memory, were you some kind of master chef?"
Exusiai looked excited, she could already see a future where she did not have to rely on takeout anymore!
"Probably not. Maybe I just liked cooking?"
Shirou remembered he was supposed to have "amnesia," but he did not want to lie outright, so he gave a vague answer.
"Really? Still impressive. You are already better than most restaurants, right, Texas?"
Exusiai kept eating while dragging her partner into the conversation.
"Yeah. Way better than Exusiai."
Texas replied lazily but did not miss the chance to stab her teammate again.
"Ugh… that's because I put all my skill points into desserts!"
Exusiai protested.
Laterano people were dessert masters!
"I thought you only knew how to make apple pie?"
Texas added another ruthless blow.
"…So what if I only make apple pie? Apple pie is the best!"
Exusiai gave up resisting.
She had wanted to maintain a reliable senpai image in front of the newcomer but Texas kept exposing her again and again.
As for Texas, she was not doing it on purpose. Exusiai just made it too easy.
"Desserts, huh? I do not know much about that."
Shirou only knew how to make a few simple ones. Back then, his kitchen and budget were limited, so he usually bought desserts instead.
Now though, he could consider learning depending on his future salary.
"Ah… that's a shame. But I can teach you how to make apple pie!"
Hearing this, Exusiai perked up again.
For Laterano people, sweets were life. Without desserts, life felt like hell!
If she could teach Shirou dessert-making, her future would be bright.
"I'll take you up on that when the time comes."
Shirou did not refuse.
Texas saw right through Exusiai's intentions but since she would benefit too, she did not expose her.
The meal ended with this kind of lively exchange. In the end, Exusiai and Texas handled the dishes.
"We will definitely come to mooch food again next time! Remember to call us!"
Before leaving, Exusiai leaned back in through the doorway to say that, then Shirou saw Texas grab her by the shoulder and drag her away.
Shirou closed the door behind them.
They had cleaned up fairly well, he only needed to wipe things down a bit more before everything was spotless.
After finishing, he washed up, threw today's clothes and his used ones into the laundry, and spread the rug out in his room.
Sitting on it, Shirou carefully recalled the key points of projection magecraft.
Normally, projection was a spell that materialized replicas, but for ordinary people, the result would only last briefly and was not very efficient.
However, he seemed to have exceptional talent in this field.
His projections could last for long periods and when projecting bladed weapons, the cost was extremely low.
The key to projection was imagination.
If he doubted his own image, the projection would collapse.
What he needed to do was make his projections as close to the original as possible.
Bladed weapons consumed the least energy. Other objects could also be projected if analyzed but the magical cost would increase depending on complexity.
All of this came from interpreting memories, he himself did not originally possess such knowledge. He only remembered that projection magecraft was the first spell he had ever successfully used.
Still, deep down, he felt there was something else influencing his projection but he could not identify it.
For now, he decided to start simple.
Instead of attempting legendary weapons like the golden sword or Avalon, which might kill him or even Kanshou and Bakuya—he chose to project a simple dagger he had seen earlier in the shopping district.
"Trace… on."
Magic circuits lit up across his hand like electrical wiring. A small sphere of light formed in his palm.
"Analyze the concept,
Construct the core,
Replicate the materials,
Imitate the technique,
Synchronize the experience,
Recreate the accumulated years—
Surpass… and complete."
As the chant progressed, the sphere gradually took shape.
A dagger appeared in his hand.
At the same time, fatigue washed over him.
"Good thing it's just a normal dagger. Anything more complex would've been bad."
He could clearly feel the strain from his circuits, not too severe, just like mild exhaustion after exercise.
Compared to the days when he overtrained and left his body aching for days, this was nothing.
He set the dagger aside and carefully reviewed the process, wanting to try shortening the chant.
Following the method from his memories, he attempted again.
"Trace on!"
The circuits appeared and another dagger formed in his hand.
"As expected… there's a noticeable difference."
Comparing the two identical-looking daggers, the one created without the full chant had lower quality and was more fragile.
That would require practice.
After setting both daggers aside, Shirou collapsed onto the bed.
He had not forgotten his current situation.
This was not like before he could not afford to recklessly overwork his body anymore.