After returning to Miss Dalia's house, Shirou and the members of Penguin Logistics gathered around the fireplace, discussing when to head back. Miss Dalia had gone out with her neighbors to help with something and would probably return very late.
"I think if we stay any longer, that Alina is definitely going to keep plotting something against Shirou!"
That was Croissant's opinion.
"Agreed. I think we should leave as soon as possible…like, tomorrow morning! I checked earlier and there is less snow to the northeast. If we head that way first, we should be able to get out!"
Exusiai said, sitting cross-legged on a chair with her arms folded and nodding.
"That works. We will check the weather again in the morning."
Texas agreed.
Putting aside the matter with Alina, they still had things to do back in Lungmen so they needed to return quickly.
According to Exusiai's plan, they would head northeast where the snow was lighter and then make their way back toward Lungmen.
It was a workable plan, assuming the weather cooperated.
"Tomorrow…?"
Sora held a warm cup of coffee.
It was not the simple espresso diluted with hot water from earlier but a latte made by Shirou, he had taken freshly squeezed milk from villagers, boiled it for sterilization and then mixed it with espresso and added a bit of sugar.
The taste was not as good as the usual milk in Lungmen, but it was far better than plain coffee.
Thinking back to that morning's coffee, Sora recalled the terror of its bitterness.
She took another sip of the latte to calm herself.
"Shirou, what do you think?"
Exusiai turned to ask him.
"I am fine with whatever you decide. Though leaving earlier is better, we have already been troubling Miss Dalia long enough."
Shirou continued knitting a scarf as he spoke.
He did not have a strong opinion on timing, but since Exusiai asked he gave his thoughts.
As for Alina, he had already clearly refused her, so everyone's worries were unnecessary. He just did not tell them.
Honestly, their nervousness was kind of amusing.
"Then it is settled."
Seeing no objections, Exusiai made the call.
Mainly because there was no apple pie, no desserts and no internet here. If she stayed any longer, she would "die."
"I know you are anxious but being anxious will not help."
Shirou continued knitting, speaking to Exusiai whose face practically screamed impatience.
Based on timing, he could already tell her dessert withdrawal symptoms had begun.
Previously, when he limited her sweets, it took about a day before she started desperately trying to get desserts, especially apple pie.
Now, in a place without even the internet, she could not distract herself either.
"Ahhh! I want sweets!"
Exusiai finally broke down.
"Serves you right. Who told you to eat everything yesterday?"
Texas said, quietly moving her Pocky from her outer pocket to her inner one.
Exusiai probably would not snatch it, but better safe than sorry.
When someone whose brain was basically made of apple pie and whose blood was sugar syrup reached their limit, anything could happen.
"Is the latte not enough? I think Shirou made it pretty sweet."
Sora looked at Exusiai's already empty cup.
"That level of sweetness does not do much for her. Adding more sugar is just… sugar intake with no meaning."
Croissant said, chewing on some meat. Unlike Exusiai, she rationed her snacks carefully.
The meat soup at noon had satisfied her cravings quite a bit, so her supplies were still holding up.
"…If you really want, you can check my backpack. I bought a bread-style apple pie when I got bread."
Seeing Exusiai's meltdown, Shirou gave in.
Unlike regular apple pie, this one used bread to wrap the filling, it was more like a sandwich. It could last a few days at room temperature.
He had bought it specifically for situations like this.
If it was not needed, he planned to study the recipe, it seemed simple and portable.
"Thank you, Mama Shirou!"
Hearing "apple pie," Exusiai leapt up and ran to the room—
—completely unaware of what she had just said.
"?????"
Shirou froze mid-knitting, question marks popping up over his head.
"Hahaha!"
Croissant nearly choked on her meat from laughing.
Sora and Texas did not laugh out loud, but their shaking shoulders gave them away.
"What are you laughing at?"
Exusiai came back out, already having taken two bites of the apple pie, confused by their reactions and Shirou's complicated expression.
"Nothing. Just… stay strong."
Croissant wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.
She wisely chose not to explain it otherwise she might get punished too.
"…What?"
Not understanding, Exusiai simply took another bite. It was not as good as regular apple pie, but it was acceptable.
"Eat slowly."
Seeing her finally calm down, Shirou told her to take her time.
After all, once they left, she might not get any.
"Mm… By the way, your bag has a lot of stuff."
While rummaging, Exusiai had noticed plenty of stuff inside:
Apple pie, a first aid kit, Pocky, instant coffee packets, compressed biscuits and even a thin blanket.
"You have to prepare for situations."
Though Shirou had some travel experience, this was his first time journeying in this world, so he prepared emergency supplies and some extras like snacks and coffee.
It turned out to be a good call.
"Yeah, the coffee was a great choice."
Texas said, taking a sip.
She was not sure where he got it, it was concentrated coffee that could be mixed with water or milk. It was convenient and decent-tasting.
"Even if you praise me, there is no reward. Tonight we will roast sweet potatoes for dinner to not waste ingredients."
Though he said that, Shirou was clearly pleased.
Any "reward" would have to wait until they got back.
"Ugh…"
Hearing dinner would just be roasted sweet potatoes, Croissant felt her heart ache.
But there was no helping it—without ingredients, even Shirou could not conjure a feast out of thin air.
…Wait. Conjure?
"Shirou, can you project foo—"
Before she could finish, Shirou smacked her with a ball of yarn.
"Did he not already say no? You are always trying to exploit his powers."
Sora commented, watching Croissant get bonked.
"I was just saying…"
Croissant obediently picked up the yarn and handed it back.
"I have heard people add handles to bicycles… Want me to make you a custom one?"
Taking the yarn, Shirou said something that sent chills down Croissant's spine.
Handles… on a bicycle?…It kind of looks like her horns!
What did Shirou mean by that?
Do not tell me that he is planning to use her horns as bicycle handles?!
Thinking of this, Croissant immediately hid behind Sora, clutching her head and trembling.
"I was just joking."
Shirou said calmly.
"…Has anyone ever told you that you are kind of sadistic?"
Croissant peeked her head out and said.
"I think if you keep talking, Shirou might go from 'just joking' to actually doing it."
Texas commented, watching her teammate dig her own grave.
Shirou nodded in agreement, which scared Croissant so much that she ran straight back into the room.
"Honestly…"
Shirou sighed and continued knitting the scarf.
As they chatted and joked around, time quickly passed into the night.
Just as Shirou had said in the afternoon, after preparing a simple dinner, everyone got ready to rest and depart for Lungmen the next day.
Of course, before going to sleep, Shirou gave Exusiai and Croissant a serious warning, if they tried to carry him into the room again while he was asleep they would be in trouble.
Both of them nodded frantically while promising not to cause trouble.
Only after watching everyone get into bed did Shirou return to the fireplace.
The firewood had long burned out, and the living room was now lit only by candlelight.
Shirou finished up the scarf he had been knitting all afternoon. He did not plan to take it back to Lungmen, instead he intended to leave it for Miss Dalia since she had given him the yarn to keep him occupied.
Besides, he did not really need the scarf himself.
While Shirou continued knitting outside, the members of Penguin Logistics drifted off into sleep.
Around Sora's neck, the Holy Shroud emitted a faint blue glow of magical energy and then returned to normal.
"…I did not expect I could still connect to a fragment."
A deep male voice echoed in Sora's mind.
"Who…? What do you mean?"
Before she could react—
She found herself standing in a raging fire, staring blankly at her surroundings.
"Where… is this?"
Flames roared, buildings burned, and everywhere she looked—
There were countless…
The sight made her stomach churn, as if she might vomit.
"Sora, are you okay?"
Texas's voice came from beside her, instantly easing her fear.
"Where is this place?"
Exusiai, who was unusually serious, stared at the scene.
Almost no one seemed to have survived, some crushed, burned, or blasted apart.
It looked like a catastrophe had struck.
"A dream? But it feels too real… Do dreams even have multiplayer mode?"
Croissant pinched herself and felt no pain.
It is definitely a dream.
"It is probably Originium Arts… stay alert."
Texas categorized the phenomenon and warned everyone.
"…Uu…"
A child's voice echoed.
They turned toward the sound.
In the distance, a red-haired boy struggled to stand and began walking forward.
"…That is Shirou, right?"
Exusiai recognized him immediately.
"Let's follow him."
Texas decided.
Whatever this was, that boy might be the key.
When they caught up, they saw a dying young Shirou and a black-haired man holding his hand.
A blinding flash of light—
The scene changed to a courtyard.
The same black-haired man stood beside a slightly older but still young Shirou, watching the night sky.
"I will take it from here… your dream, old man."
The young Shirou said.
Scenes began to flash rapidly.
They watched as Shirou survived disaster, inherited his foster father's ideals, and spent over a decade pursuing them.
He became entangled in a strange war and destroyed the source of a catastrophe.
Years later, they saw him set out again in pursuit of his ideals.
"If doing this can keep anyone from crying…"
They saw a much older Shirou who was taller than Hoshiguma enduring intense heat and pain, making a contract with a blue sphere of light in exchange for a sliver of miracle.
At the very end—
They saw him, after helping countless people, standing on a gallows.
There was not a trace of resentment on his face.
"…What is this? Are these Shirou's memories?"
Sora's voice trembled as she watched the noose placed around his neck.
"Yes… and no. But if he stays the same, things like these will eventually happen to him."
The deep voice replied.
The scene shifted again.
A wasteland filled with countless swords appeared, and far in the distance stood a figure in red.
"What do you mean?"
Texas asked.
She was certain everything was connected to this voice.
"Hmph. Exactly what it sounds like. Or do you need me to speak in riddles too?"
The voice mocked them.
Exusiai clenched her fists, wanting to grab a nearby sword and attack.
Ignoring them, the voice continued:
"I used magic to show you fragments. You will probably forget everything when you wake up but some pieces may remain."
"…Why show us this?"
Sora asked.
"…I simply hope you can do as Alina wishes."
As the voice finished, the world began to collapse beneath them, and they fell into darkness.
—
"Ha… ha…"
Texas jolted awake, sitting up and breathing heavily.
Had she just… dreamed of something?
"Texas, did you have a nightmare too?"
Sora sat up, wiping tears from her eyes.
She felt like she had seen something painful but she could not remember it.
"You too?"
Exusiai stared blankly. She had not had nightmares in ages and now she could not even remember it.
Actually… maybe it was better not to.
"It must be Alina's threat to Shirou that caused this nightmare."
Croissant touched her horns, relieved they were still there.
"All of us having nightmares… that is bad luck."
Exusiai checked the time, it was just past six. It was time to get up anyway.
They packed their things and walked out.
"Hm? You are up early."
Shirou, who was cleaning up in the living room, looked surprised.
But when the Penguin Logistics members saw him—
Their eyes suddenly felt wet.
"Hey, hey….why are you crying? Come on, wipe your faces and go wash up."
Seeing all four of them tearing up at once, Shirou hurriedly took out tissues and handed them over.