The next morning, at the Penguin Logistics dormitory.
"Add a little salt, then put the lid on and let it simmer for a while..."
Standing in the kitchen, Shirou found the jar labeled Salt among the row of seasonings. He added a small amount to the pot before placing the lid back on, allowing the soup to continue simmering.
Since they were going to Nian's film set today, Shirou planned to prepare lunch as well. Breakfast only needed to be something simple like soup. Otherwise, there would not be enough time and he had to account for Nian's unusual preferences. Her food had to be prepared separately from everyone else's.
Naturally, he had not forgotten Sora's portion either. Although she had not returned to the dormitory recently because of work, and she would not be able to join everyone at the film set today, he could still prepare a lunch box for her.
That also happened to be Penguin Logistics' only delivery for the day.
It had to be said that Emperor treated his employees exceptionally well. The moment he heard that everyone was planning to visit Nian's film set, he immediately gave them the day off.
His tone, however, sounded somewhat reluctant, as though he had been forced to agree because of someone's presence.
It seemed that Nian's influence truly carried a great deal of weight.
"Yawn... Good morning, Shirou. What are we having today?"
After a while, Croissant was the first to push open the living room door. She let out a tremendous yawn before greeting Shirou.
The yawn was so contagious that Shirou almost yawned as well. However, remembering that he was still holding a kitchen knife, he forcibly suppressed the urge.
"Vegetable tofu soup. If that is not enough, you can have a bowl of rice with it."
After setting the knife down, Shirou lifted the lid and checked the pot. Seeing that the soup had finished cooking, he turned off the heat and instructed Croissant to carry it to the dining table.
"That is... very healthy."
Looking at the undeniably healthy meal, Croissant felt as though the sky had fallen.
Where was her sandwich?
Shirou, you have changed!
You always made at least a sandwich for breakfast before! Now you are actually trying to satisfy everyone with nothing but a single pot of soup!
Soup was one thing! There is not even any meat! It is nothing but vegetables and tofu!
"There will be meat at lunch, and there will be enough for you to eat. You all stayed up eating until very late last night, so you should have something light this morning."
Hearing the unmistakable disappointment in Croissant's voice, Shirou gave her a light chop on the head with the side of his hand.
"All right then. I shall look forward to lunch."
Rubbing the spot where she had been struck, Croissant spoke with a thoroughly aggrieved expression.
It could not be helped. A meal without meat was simply unbearable for her. However, since the chef had promised that lunch would have all the meat she could want, she would simply endure breakfast.
More importantly, she could never wrest the serving ladle away from Shirou.
Even if she somehow succeeded, she could not cook with it anyway.
"Would you like the spicy version, or would the regular one be fine?"
After watching Croissant safely place the soup pot on the dining table, Shirou asked.
After all, spicy food was also part of her preferred menu. If she wanted it, he could prepare it at the same time.
"Spicy! Definitely spicy... Wait! We are going to visit Big Sister Nian today, are we not? Then forget it. I am afraid she will think this is not spicy enough and add even hotter chili sauce. At that point, you all would have to carry me back."
Croissant's eyes had immediately lit up when she heard spicy food was an option, but the moment she remembered they were going to Nian's territory, her confidence disappeared.
There was no helping it.
Nian was simply too hospitable, especially when it came to food.
She was never stingy with her chili peppers or chili sauce.
A small amount was manageable.
The problem was that Nian measured chili sauce by the jar.
She started with half a jar at a minimum.
Croissant simply could not survive that.
"Do not worry. As long as I am there, she will not trouble any of you."
Seeing Croissant's anxious expression, Shirou found it rather amusing.
"Really? Then... just a tiny little bit."
After hearing Shirou's reassurance, Croissant hesitated before deciding that she wanted only a very small amount. To make certain Shirou understood, she even pinched her thumb and index finger together to indicate the smallest amount possible.
"Really. Once we arrive, I will be discussing work with her. You all can simply finish eating quickly, and nothing will happen. Also, remember to go upstairs and wake Texas and the others."
After saying that, Shirou turned around and resumed chopping vegetables.
It was practically part of his daily morning routine.
Sometimes he woke up first and went to wake everyone else.
Other times, nobody had gotten out of bed by the time he finished preparing breakfast and setting the table, forcing him to head upstairs carrying a soup ladle and a pot lid.
Why a soup ladle and a pot lid?
Because banging them together worked far better than an alarm clock or shouting.
Fortunately, situations like that were fairly uncommon.
Texas had a very reliable internal clock. Unless the previous day's work had been particularly exhausting, she almost always woke up on time.
Sora was also very punctual.
After all, an idol could not afford to develop heavy dark circles under her eyes, so she consistently went to bed at a reasonable hour.
As for the other two...
The only thing that could be said was that they had very unconventional sleeping schedules.
The only thing they shared in common was that neither of them went to sleep before midnight.
Perhaps because of the advantages of their respective races, both of them could function well despite sleeping less than they should. They always managed to get out of bed, and they remained surprisingly energetic afterward.
Because of that, the two of them occasionally woke up early and took responsibility for waking everyone else.
Waking people up was an exhausting task.
It was especially difficult after Exusiai had been forced to exercise before going to bed the previous night.
During that time, Shirou had already finished preparing everyone's lunches and packed them into insulated lunch boxes.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, he used the leftover ingredients to prepare another simple side dish, adding a little more variety to breakfast.
"Morning... Yawn."
Just as Shirou finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Exusiai pushed the door open and walked in. One hand covered her mouth as she yawned, while the other reached underneath her shirt to scratch her stomach.
Combined with her hair, which was a complete mess from sleeping, she looked thoroughly disheveled. The sight made the corner of Shirou's eyes twitch several times.
Still, he had already taught her a lesson yesterday, so he decided to let it slide this time.
Calling it "teaching her a lesson" was not entirely accurate. He had mostly intended to scare her a little.
He had simply overdone it.
It had happened when Exusiai ran downstairs, jumped into the car, started the engine, and prepared to make her escape. Shirou had suddenly taken a shortcut by jumping down from the upper floor, lifted the rear of the vehicle off the ground so it could not move forward, and even deliberately shook the car to frighten the Exusiai sitting inside.
At the time, Exusiai had nearly been scared out of her mind.
She was stepping on the accelerator.
The car was shaking.
Yet the scenery outside the windshield was not changing at all, and the angle felt strangely tilted.
On top of that, she had been worried that the Great Demon King Shirou might suddenly appear and chase after her at any moment.
The only thing she could do was keep pressing the accelerator to the floor, desperately hoping the car would cooperate and carry her away from the clutches of Demon King Shirou.
Until Shirou propped the car up with a projected support, casually walked over to the driver's side, and knocked on the window...
Exusiai knew.
She was finished.
Shirou remembered her expression very clearly.
She had been smiling, yet her face looked even more miserable than if she had been crying. Tears and snot covered her face.
At that moment, he had almost softened and considered letting her off.
Then Exusiai suddenly blurted out,
"I never imagined that I, Exusiai, would ultimately suffer such a crushing defeat at the hands of the evil Demon King Shirou..."
He did not hear the rest.
His fists had already reached both sides of her forehead and had begun twisting.
Her scream echoed into the heavens.
Shirou had felt absolutely nothing.
After all, if someone insisted on courting disaster, they could hardly complain when disaster arrived.
"Go wash your face first. There is dried snot still stuck on it."
Seeing Exusiai sit down at the dining table and reach for her bowl and chopsticks as though she intended to eat breakfast immediately, Shirou finally could not hold back any longer. He tossed her towel directly onto her face and ordered her to clean herself up first.
"Huh? Huh... Huh! Aah!!"
Those four exclamations perfectly reflected Exusiai's thought process.
First, she did not understand what Shirou meant.
Then she began thinking about his words.
After realizing what he was referring to, she immediately covered her face with the towel and sprinted toward the bathroom.
Finally, because she was not watching where she was going, she slammed headfirst into the doorframe and let out a miserable scream.
"It is rather lively this early in the morning."
Texas happened to witness the entire scene as she walked into the room. After hesitating for three seconds, she decided to follow her partner into the bathroom.
The poor girl was already pitiful enough.
She had never exactly been the brightest person to begin with.
If she kept hitting her head like that, she might actually become foolish.
"Big Sis Exusiai is way too clumsy."
Croissant, who had entered behind Texas, sighed as she watched the heartwarming scene unfold.
"You are about the same. The pot should not call the kettle black."
Seeing that Croissant actually had the leisure to laugh at Exusiai, Shirou mercilessly spoke the truth.
"Ugh... Shirou, you have changed! You never used to be this blunt!"
Croissant was wonderful in almost every respect.
The only problem was that she hated hearing the truth.
Especially the parts she did not want to hear.
Unfortunately for her, Shirou spoke faster than she could cover her ears, so by the time she reacted, he had already finished. Left with no other choice, she launched a verbal counterattack.
"Did I not learn that from you? If you are finished complaining, hurry up and eat. I made another dish."
Shirou was completely unfazed by her protest. He simply pointed toward the dining table.
The moment Croissant heard those words, she immediately returned to normal and hurried over to the table, eager to enjoy breakfast.
Come on!
She had thought breakfast would consist of nothing but soup and plain rice.
Instead, after she went upstairs to wake everyone, there was suddenly an additional meat dish waiting for them.
It was nothing short of nature's blessing.
As for complaining that Shirou had changed?
That was completely unimportant.
This was simply one of the ways they got along with each other.
To put it simply, even if she was punished today, she would do exactly the same thing next time.
Breakfast passed peacefully... more or less.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they washed up and changed into clothes suitable for going out.
Since they did not have to work today, everyone was dressed in casual clothes.
When it came to women's fashion, Shirou had neither experience nor expertise.
If he absolutely had to comment on something...
"Shorts in weather like this? Exusiai, are you trying to get yourself killed? Go change into something else."
The moment Shirou saw Exusiai wearing shorts, he immediately ordered her to change.
"Huh? But I am wearing pantyhose! They keep me plenty warm!"
Exusiai protested while tugging at her tights.
"I do not believe a thin layer like that will do much in weather like this. Exusiai, surely you do not want to spend the New Year holiday lying sick in bed, do you?"
"You would be stuck there watching everyone else eat delicious food and have fun while you could do absolutely nothing."
Different people required different approaches.
When dealing with children, there was one way to persuade them.
When dealing with Exusiai, all he had to do was target her greatest weakness.
Before Shirou had even finished his speech, Exusiai had already surrendered.
Clutching her head with both hands, she ran toward the changing room while shouting,
"Stop talking! Stop talking! I will put another pair of pants on over them!"
Shirou fell silent.
After watching Exusiai disappear into the changing room, Shirou turned his attention to the other two.
Since Croissant and Texas had come out a little later than Exusiai, they had managed to avoid being the first targets of Shirou's lecture.
It really was no surprise. Living under the same roof, working together, and eating at the same table had rubbed off on all of them. Their outfits were almost identical to Exusiai's: shorts paired with... whatever those were called. Tights, pantyhose, or something similar.
Shirou admittedly knew very little about that sort of clothing.
Back in Fuyuki, the winters had been dry and cold. As long as it was not snowing, even low temperatures were manageable by simply throwing on an extra layer.
Longmen, however, was different. Because of where the city was currently stationed, the weather was damp and chilly. In weather like this, failing to dress warmly greatly increased the chances of catching a cold.
There was another difference as well.
Back in Fuyuki, aside from Fuji-nee, he had never felt it was his place to comment on how other people dressed. What someone chose to wear was their own business.
Penguin Logistics was different.
If any of them caught a cold, the one who would have to spend time and energy taking care of them would be him.
That alone gave him every right to insist that they dress more warmly.
The others understood that as well, so most of the time they listened to his advice.
Of course, an even greater reason was that none of them wanted him to suddenly begin lecturing them.
Especially after the joint operation with Rhodes Island.
Ever since then, Shirou had somehow become even more cunning and eloquent.
In the past, Exusiai and Croissant together could put up a fairly even verbal battle against him.
Now they were utterly defeated every time, beaten so thoroughly that retreat was their only option.
"Show some initiative."
Looking at the two of them, Shirou smiled faintly as he pointed toward the changing room.
Croissant and Texas fell silent.
Neither of them argued.
Instead, they quietly followed Exusiai into the changing room.
Texas was simply a woman of few words.
Croissant, on the other hand, just did not want her ears to be assaulted by Shirou's endless sermon.
She could definitely withstand physical attacks like his hand chop.
His verbal attacks, however, were another matter entirely.
The only revenge the three women could manage was to quietly mutter things like, "Such a mom," and "Mama Emiya" inside the changing room where he could not hear them.
About fifteen minutes later, they finally emerged.
To make absolutely certain that Shirou would not launch another round of verbal attacks, all three had deliberately put on an extra jacket over their upper bodies.
"Excellent. Grab everything. We are leaving."
After giving everyone a quick inspection and confirming that there were no longer any problems, Shirou picked up the basket containing everyone's lunch boxes.
The others also picked up their assigned items.
The sturdy Croissant carried two large insulated containers. One was filled with hot water, while the other contained hot soup. They would serve as both the group's hydration and their lunch.
Exusiai carried a box of desserts, which would become both their after-lunch treat and their afternoon tea.
Texas simply took the car keys and headed outside.
She was today's driver, so she was exempt from carrying supplies.
If Sora had been there, the lunch basket in Shirou's hands would probably have been hers to carry.
After all, Shirou was the one who had prepared everything. Once he had everything ready, the others simply picked up their assigned items, and they were ready to depart.
That was how Penguin Logistics divided the work.
It was simply another part of their everyday routine.