"Croissant, why did you wake us up so early?"
Exusiai yawned as she asked the "croissant" in front of her.
"Getting up early is good and all, but this is too early, isn't it?"
Sora pulled open the curtains. Outside was still pitch black, and the clock showed it was only around five in the morning.
They usually slept until around seven or eight, got up, washed up, and then waited for Shirou to feed them. But today, Croissant had dragged them all out of bed.
"Zzz…"
Texas was already fast asleep in her chair.
"There better be a good reason, or I'm stuffing a croissant into your mouth."
After waking up a bit more, Exusiai made a threatening declaration.
"Hmph, of course there's a proper reason! Look, Shirou wakes up early every day to make breakfast for us, so shouldn't we try getting up early to make a delicious breakfast for him too?"
Croissant puffed out her chest confidently.
"…Croissant, are you holding a grudge because Shirou fed you croissant bread for dinner last night, and are planning to make breakfast stuffed with a ton of chili sauce?"
Sora thought for a moment. Croissant acting this unusual, combined with what Shirou did last night… yeah, she was definitely planning revenge.
Like making a fancy breakfast and then filling it with a ridiculous amount of special chili sauce.
"H-How could that be? Sora, you have gotta trust me!"
Her scheme was instantly exposed, and her confidence collapsed.
"Do not drag us down with your evil plan! What if we end up eating instant noodles for every meal after this?!"
As the first person to ever be "disciplined" by Shirou, Exusiai knew exactly how scary "Mama Emiya" could be when he got serious.
She did not want to sneak around eating apple pie again! Plus, ever since Shirou started handling their meals, her wallet had finally started to recover because no outside food could compare to his cooking!
"Agreed…"
Texas gave her opinion then went right back to dozing.
"And Shirou was just teasing you anyway. You still ended up eating your fill, didn't you?"
Sora delivered the finishing blow, completely crushing Croissant's revenge plan.
"Ugh… fine. But since we are already up, let's at least make breakfast for him."
In truth, Croissant had woken up early out of frustration and come up with the plan.
But since everyone else feared Shirou's "evil methods," she had no choice but to give up.
"That part I'm fine with, but do we even have ingredients? Shirou usually only buys enough for the day. The fridge mostly has drinks."
Exusiai thought about it. She probably could not fall back asleep anyway, she might as well go along with the plan and maybe flatter Shirou into making more desserts.
That candied sweet potato from before was really good.
"I remember there being eggs, cheese, and bread… maybe we can make baked cheese eggs?"
Croissant recalled what she saw while grabbing drinks from the fridge yesterday.
"You mean putting cheese on bread, cracking an egg on top, and tossing it into the oven?"
Exusiai looked at her with disdain. Was this not something anyone could do?
"I think there's beast meat. Maybe sandwiches?"
Sora remembered Shirou mentioning yesterday that today's breakfast would be sandwiches.
His breakfasts were usually easy-to-carry foods—sandwiches, burgers, rice balls, so they could just grab and go, sometimes even taking bento or snacks along.
"We make sandwiches for him when he's making sandwiches for us?"
Croissant could not help but complain about the absurd recursion.
"Then what do you suggest? You're the one who started this."
Exusiai shrugged, giving up on thinking.
"How about grilled sandwiches? Croissant, did you not bring back a sandwich press before?"
After thinking for a long time, Sora finally remembered the strange machine Croissant had brought home ages ago.
It could heat from both sides and close like a book, pressing sandwiches into crispy toast while sealing the edges.
The downside? Cleaning it was a nightmare. They used it a few times before sealing it away.
"Yeah, I think we do. Let me check."
Croissant immediately ran to their dorm kitchen. Since some equipment had been moved downstairs for Shirou, the kitchen was emptier and she quickly found the machine.
"Oh yeah, this thing! I remember stuffing apple pie filling into the bread and pressing it, it tasted great."
Exusiai also recalled it. They used to experiment with all kinds of fillings.
"It was good… just hard to clean."
"Let's go with that."
After dozing for nearly half an hour more, Texas finally perked up a bit and made the decision.
"Then here's the problem, who knows how to make it?"
Croissant looked at the group. In terms of cooking, only she and Texas could make edible but not particularly tasty food.
Exusiai was an apple-pie-only weirdo, and Sora basically could not cook at all.
"And back then, we only used jam fillings. I have never tried meat, eggs, or cheese… I can not just do it all of a sudden."
"Cook the eggs and beast meat with seasoning first, then add cheese and press it?"
Texas thought it through. The meat definitely had to be cooked otherwise it would be a choice between burnt toast or raw meat. Eggs might not cook fully either, so cooking both beforehand was safest.
As for cheese, it just needed heat, so it could be added before pressing.
"Yeah, that sounds reliable."
Sora agreed, at least it would be edible.
She once saw a cooking show where a chef said something unforgettable when served raw meat:
"Columbian profanity—this beast meat is so raw it ate the lettuce inside!"
She worried Shirou might smash the food apart and say the same thing if he got served something undercooked.
…Wait, why does that feel kind of exciting?
Sora's thoughts drifted off.
"Alright then. Let's keep quiet, Shirou usually wakes up after six."
With the plan set, the Penguin Logistics Breakfast Shop was officially open!
They quietly snuck downstairs. Texas took out the key and unlocked the door.
"No one inside. Target should still be asleep. Over."
Croissant peeked in and confirmed all the lights were off.
"Roger that. Move quietly—no talking."
Exusiai peeked in as well, using the halo above her head to light up the living room. The group followed her glow into the kitchen.
"Target location reached. Over."
Sora struck a pose to celebrate their successful stealth mission.
"Turn on the lights and find the seasonings."
Texas closed the door behind them and gave instructions.
"Roger! I'll grab the seasonings!"
Since she used the kitchen for making apple pie, Exusiai pulled open a drawer filled with all kinds of spices, taking out salt, pepper, and sugar.
"Exusiai, why did you take sugar?"
Croissant asked, eyeing the large container.
"I should be asking you why you are holding the chili sauce?!"
Sora crossed her arms, staring at the bottle in Croissant's hand.
"Ahem… it's for me."
"Then take it when you make your portion later. I'm putting it back."
Sora promptly returned the chili sauce to the fridge.
"Damn it…"
Croissant clenched her fists, looking utterly regretful.
She was so close just a little more, and her grand plan would have succeeded.
"Texas, keep an eye on Croissant later. Do not let her get her way."
Sora whispered to Texas, since the ones handling the ingredients would be Texas and Croissant.
"Mm, do not worry. I do not want to live on instant noodles."
As she said that, Texas's gaze sharpened noticeably, sending a chill down Croissant's spine as she plotted mischief nearby.
"Alright, the machine still works."
Meanwhile, Exusiai was testing the sandwich press, completely unaware that her team was on the verge of collapsing over chili sauce.
Texas flicked her tail and looked at the ingredients, deciding to start with the meat.
"Sora, crack the eggs and mix in some milk. Stir it evenly."
She handed the egg task over while she began preparing the beast meat.
Because of the machine, the filling could not be too much otherwise it would not press properly or might spill out.
So Texas cut the meat slightly smaller than the press size, about half the thickness of the bread.
She sprinkled salt and a bit of pepper, then pan-fried it until cooked.
After setting it aside, she poured the egg mixture into the pan, stirring continuously. Once it solidified, she took it out, thanks to the milk it carried a slight creamy aroma.
"Whoa, Texas, you are pretty skilled."
Exusiai praised her friend from behind despite not helping at all.
"It is just edible, that's all. Croissant are you ready over there?"
Texas picked up two plates and asked.
"Just waiting on the meat and eggs."
Croissant pointed at the buttered bread slices and cheese she had already prepared.
Sora had been watching her the whole time, so Croissant had not dared to try anything funny, she had just prepared things honestly.
Butter on the bread prevented it from absorbing too much moisture from the meat, keeping it crispy while also enhancing the flavor.
"Sora, Exusiai you two handle the rest."
Texas handed over the final step.
The two stepped forward and assembled the sandwich in order: bread, cheese, meat, egg, cheese, bread.
It was not difficult, as long as they did not get greedy and overstuff it.
"Go wake up our main character!"
As Exusiai prepared to make a second one, she reminded the others, it would not take long to grill.
"I will go with Croissant."
After washing her hands, Texas grabbed Croissant who was trying to open the fridge and dragged her out.
"Let me add just a little! Just a little!"
Croissant wailed as she was hauled away.
"Honestly…"
Watching them leave, Sora finally relaxed. She had been watching Croissant the whole time and had successfully stopped the chili sauce plot.
"Hehe, maybe sprinkle some sugar, sweetness is king, after all."
"…Stop right there!"
Looks like she still had to stop the sugar conspiracy too.
Meanwhile, Texas dragged Croissant to Shirou's door before finally letting go.
"Hey, be careful! What if I smash my horns?"
Croissant nearly fell, barely saving herself with an awkward pose.
"If they break, we'll give them to the boss as a microphone decoration."
Texas replied coldly. After all, Croissant was the reason she was sleep-deprived and for such a ridiculous reason. If not for the plan turning acceptable later, she would have shown Croissant what a wolf was really like.
"Eh, the boss suits heavy metal better anyway."
Croissant stood up and dusted her hands.
"…."
Both of them suddenly froze.
They glanced around then simultaneously looked at Shirou's door.
"Did you hear that?"
Texas asked.
"Yeah… sounds like… breathing? He's already working out this early? That's not good for his health."
Croissant listened to the faint gasping from inside and assumed he was exercising.
I mean, he is a guy, it is totally normal, right?
Though hearing it was definitely awkward. She even considered knocking to get revenge.
"Working out? That sounds like pain. What kind of exercise makes someone cry out like that?"
Texas did not follow her logic at all. To her, every breath sounded strained and painful, something she was all too familiar with.
"What?"
Croissant dropped the joking tone and leaned closer to the door.
She could not press her ear fully against it, but getting closer made the sounds clearer.
"Guh—"
Without hesitation, Croissant grabbed the handle, it was locked.
"Shirou, are you okay?! If you are awake, open the door!"
When the door did not open, she started knocking loudly no longer caring about keeping quiet.
The noise drew Exusiai and Sora out of the kitchen.
"Move."
Texas stepped forward, pushed Croissant aside and kicked the door open.
"Lungmen profanity! Are you turning a surprise into a heart attack?!"
Exusiai was horrified watching the door get kicked in.
"What happened to Shirou?"
After the door burst open, Sora could faintly hear the sounds too. Judging by their actions, something was clearly wrong.
Croissant and Texas both froze at what they saw.
Shirou was sitting upright on the bed, clutching his right arm, breathing heavily.
That alone would've been one thing but they could clearly see strange patterns flickering from his right arm up to his neck.
"Are you okay?"
Texas stopped Croissant from rushing in and asked from the doorway.
"Ha… I'm fine. Just had a bad dream."
Catching his breath, Shirou finally noticed Texas and Croissant standing at his door and that his door had been kicked open.