By the time they returned to the Penguin Logistics dorm, it was already afternoon. The first thing Shirou did after getting back was put anything that needed refrigeration into the fridge, if he delayed any longer it would all go bad.
"Shirou, should we order takeout for lunch?"
Seeing Shirou busy, the Penguin Logistics crew felt too embarrassed to expect him to magically whip up a meal on the spot, so Exusiai suggested ordering delivery.
"Sure, pick whatever you guys want. I still need to sort things out here and check what we are missing."
Shirou did not object. Takeout was normal when time was tight and he was not someone who insisted on only eating his own cooking. Convenience came first.
He simply had a strong interest in cooking.
"Alright! Let's start with an apple pie!"
The moment Shirou agreed, Exusiai immediately pulled out her phone and ordered an apple pie before browsing for lunch options.
"How about that place we talked about before?"
Croissant's lazy voice came from the sofa as she sprawled out.
They had finished today's delivery early since the client needed the goods at a specific time, so they had gone out earlier than usual.
Praise be to the morning sandwich!
Whoever invented something you could hold and eat at the same time was a genius.
"You mean that Siracusan restaurant?"
Sora recalled the place they had been craving about a month ago. But after picking up Shirou, they had completely forgotten about it. She wondered if it was still crowded like last time, they always missed out because it sold out too quickly.
"That one? I heard its reputation dropped badly. Apparently, they introduced a bunch of weird pizza flavors and angered everyone."
As a former Siracusan, Texas kept an eye on related restaurants and had seen many rise and fall.
"…How weird could it be?"
Exusiai did not understand, what kind of creation could anger everyone?
"Apple-flavored pizza."
Seeing Exusiai's "I can eat anything" expression, Texas casually gave an example. Compared to the others, this one was not even the worst but it was definitely enough to provoke Exusiai, a devoted apple pie lover.
"…Blacklist it. No…actually I need to find a way to blow that place up."
Hearing such a horrifying creation, Exusiai immediately started contemplating demolition.
"Calm down, Exusiai! This is not Laterano! You will get arrested for that!"
Croissant hurriedly stopped her after hearing that criminal declaration.
"It sounds strange, but it's not worth blowing the place up, right?"
While organizing things in the kitchen, Shirou naturally overheard their conversation and felt their reactions were a bit excessive. Creative cuisine was something he had seen plenty of in Lungmen.
"You do not get it, Shirou."
Exusiai reluctantly gave up on the bombing idea. Aside from Texas, the only other "victim," no one else could understand how painful it was to see your favorite food turned into something bizarre.
"At most, just do not eat there. Blowing it up is too much."
Since the fridge had been emptied in the morning and was now filled only with vegetables and fish, Shirou could only place a jug of water on the table.
He was almost done with his tasks. Later, he would take a trip to the supermarket for dinner.
"Waaah, Shirou, I want your apple pie! I need it to heal my wounded heart!"
Pretending to be heartbroken, Exusiai once again asked Shirou to make apple pie.
"Next time, for sure."
Brushing off Exusiai, Shirou casually grabbed a book and sat down.
Since they were having takeout for lunch and everyone was lounging around, he did not really have anything to do.
The cleaning and organizing had already been finished over the past few days. Today was meant to be a relaxing day, so he decided to just stay and spend time with everyone.
However, even though he held a book, his thoughts drifted back to his earlier fight with the thugs.
It was not that anything particularly memorable had happened, the opponents had backed down quickly. But it was the first time, since regaining his memories, that he had fought while wielding Kanshou and Bakuya.
The moment he held them, he knew how to use them. He could feel the countless battles they had gone through with Archer.
It felt different from training. In real combat, he could see more and farther.
When he projected them, he also projected the original wielder's techniques. That was what gave him the ability to fight.
Without projection, if you simply handed him two swords, he could at most swing them a few times. But with Kanshou and Bakuya, he could instantly judge how to attack and how to move like they were extensions of his own arms.
They were Archer's most frequently used weapons.
Combined with the memories of his battles with Archer, which he had witnessed firsthand, it could be said that Kanshou and Bakuya were the weapons he was most proficient with right now.
Whether it was precision or projection speed, they were the best.
"Shirou? Shirou!"
A hand waved in front of his face, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"What's up?"
Coming back to his senses, Shirou looked at Sora, who was holding takeout.
"The food's here, eat it while it's hot."
Sora placed a portion in front of him. She had noticed long ago that Shirou had been spacing out, the book in his hands had not even had a page turned.
"Alright, thanks."
Shirou opened the takeout. It was a kind of dish he often saw around Lungmen.
"It's something we order a lot, it's really good, especially the char siu."
Worried that Shirou had not tried it before, Sora gave a brief introduction.
Shirou nodded and picked up his chopsticks.
"It really does taste good."
Just as Sora said, it was quite delicious.
"See? So if you are tired, just order takeout sometimes. You do not have to push yourself so hard."
Sora sat down in front of him with her own portion and spoke gently.
She had noticed how deep in thought Shirou was earlier, and she was a bit worried.
"It's fine, I was just thinking about something."
Shirou waved his hand indicating he was okay.
He knew his own condition, he had simply been lost in thought.
"That's good. Just do not overwork yourself, alright?"
Since he said he was fine, Sora did not push further. At most, she could remind him.
If things really got serious, there would be no need to persuade him…Penguin Logistics would just tie him up and make him rest.
"Yeah, sorry for worrying you."
Shirou felt a bit of warmth from Sora's concern.
If he knew that she was actually considering tying him up to force him to rest, he would probably try to run away immediately.