It had been several days since Shirou's little "visit" to the police station, and life had returned to normal.
That afternoon, Shirou received a call from the Emperor.
"…So boss, what you are saying is that I have to work together with everyone from Penguin Logistics? Is that not a bit… inappropriate?"
Holding his phone, Shirou tried to communicate politely with his employer.
He did not really mind taking on extra work. The problem was having to act together with the four members of Penguin Logistics long-term, it felt awkward.
After all, he was still a seventeen-year-old (twenty on paper) young man. Working closely and constantly with a group of girls… especially when most of Penguin Logistics' jobs involved being crammed together inside a vehicle, it just felt a bit improper to him.
"Are they not already hanging out at your place whenever they are free? You are still not used to it?"
The Emperor could not understand Shirou's struggle at all and simply thought he was overreacting.
To be fair, it was not entirely the Emperor's fault. As someone with broad experience, he naturally saw this kind of thing as trivial.
And from another angle he was the boss. Whether the employee felt awkward or not was not really his concern.
That said, he was not the type of terrible boss who ignored his employees' feelings. Since Shirou could not get over that mental hurdle, he would not force him. They would just start with simpler logistics work.
"Then start with some basic tasks first. Get familiar with things, we will talk about the rest later."
"Alright."
After thinking it over, Shirou did not refuse. At least he was not being thrown straight into it, there was still time.
As for the Emperor, he had his own plans in mind, ones Shirou knew nothing about.
"You got the card and the jacket, right? Yith will contact you later. Do a good job, kid."
With that, the Emperor hung up.
"..."
Shirou stared at his phone for a while, then set it down and let out a long sigh.
"Guess I will just have to get used to it."
As a working man, he understood his situation. It was not like he could just quit on the spot.
Being entrusted with responsibility… could be seen as a form of trust from the boss.
With that bit of self-consolation, Shirou put aside what he was doing.
As for the card and jacket the Emperor mentioned, he had already received them a few days ago. The card was the one promised earlier for expenses, and the jacket fit him perfectly.
"How did they even know my size?"
Shirou muttered to himself.
The jacket's design was similar to his previous one mainly black and white. That color scheme seemed to be a favorite of Penguin Logistics.
His jacket's cut was closer to Exusiai's and Texas's styles, while Croissant's and Sora's were a bit more unique. Still, all of them followed the same black-and-white theme.
Did that mean he had, in some small way, become part of Penguin Logistics?
Thinking that, Shirou set the jacket aside instead of wearing it immediately.
New clothes had to be washed first before wearing—jackets included.
He stretched a little. He had been sitting in the living room reading all afternoon. Checking the time, everyone should be back soon.
As for dinner, there was no need to think too hard. Before leaving, Croissant had suggested fried rice, and everyone had agreed.
So Shirou had spent the morning researching how to make it with the ingredients here, and now he just needed to follow what he practiced at noon.
The ingredients were simple: eggs, chilled rice, chopped scallions, and basic seasonings like salt, soy sauce, and pepper.
However, Shirou also added leftover cabbage and beast meat from yesterday. These additions were flexible, there were no strict rules.
The cabbage and meat had already been sliced and stored in the fridge at noon. Since there were many people, Shirou cooked portions for three at a time, any more and the pan would not be big enough. After all, it was just a household pan, not a commercial wok.
"I remember… not beating the eggs first gives a better texture."
Shirou recalled the process.
He cracked the eggs into a bowl, heated oil in the pan, and poured them all in at once. Once the egg whites at the bottom started to set, he gently broke up the yolks and cooked them slightly before taking them out.
Since the meat was raw, it had to be stir-fried first. Once partially cooked, he added the cabbage. If the meat had been pre-cooked, he could have just added it after the eggs without removing them.
After stir-frying until fragrant, he sprinkled a bit of salt, added the chilled rice, and returned the eggs to the pan. While tossing, he pressed lightly to separate the grains.
Once the rice loosened, he turned the heat to high to dry out the moisture, then lowered it to medium-low, added pepper, and mixed evenly. Finally, he added soy sauce for color and flavor, then tossed in chopped scallions.
A simple fried rice was complete.
There were many ways to make fried rice and Shirou had spent quite some time refining this method.
It smelled great and tasted good, but the frequent tossing required skill. At noon, he had spilled quite a bit outside the pan, which made cleanup troublesome. Fortunately, he got the hang of it quickly, this time nothing escaped the pan.
"Whoa, whoa Shirou you are actually making fried rice? It smells amazing! This morning you said you could not even make it!"
Exusiai could already smell the aroma from outside. The moment Texas parked the car, she rushed in.
"Hey, aren't you a bit too eager? Dinner's not going anywhere."
Croissant followed closely behind but her slightly heavy breathing betrayed her excitement.
"Wash your hands first, then take this out. This one's just finished."
Shirou slapped away Exusiai's reaching hand and started on the second batch.
"Do you need any help?"
While the two were crowded at the sink washing their hands, Texas and Sora also returned. Sora peeked into the kitchen and asked.
She would occasionally help Shirou with small tasks like grabbing dishes or washing vegetables. In return, Shirou would sometimes make her special portions. Even though those were usually shared by everyone, Sora did not mind and happily shared.
"Help me drag those two out, they are playing around again."
Shirou tilted his head toward the two currently messing around nearby.
"Ladies, the kitchen is not a place for playing, you know?"
Sora said gently.
So gently that Exusiai and Croissant both felt a chill down their spines. They immediately stopped, obediently picking up the finished fried rice and taking it out.
"Scary… what's gotten into Sora lately?"
After leaving the kitchen, Exusiai still felt shaken.
"Feels like she's becoming more scheming just like Shirou."
Croissant calmly analyzed the situation.
Then a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Croissant, what were you saying? Mind if I join in?"
Sora's grip on her shoulder slowly tightened.