Late at night, on the streets of Lungmen.
Shirou and the Penguin Logistics crew, now changed into lighter clothing, walked along the streets.
"Ahh, this feels much better."
Exusiai stretched, her body silhouette clearly outlined under the glow of her halo. Fortunately, there were not many people around.
Unfortunately, because she was speaking, Shirou happened to turn his head at that exact moment and saw the awkward scene. Luckily, no one noticed anything unusual.
"Ursus was seriously freezing. Lungmen is way better."
Thinking back to the climate in Ursus, Sora remembered how even two coats could not keep out the cold so much so that Shirou had lent her his scarf.
That scarf, part of a Mystic Code, was already washed and hung out to dry on Shirou's balcony. Even he had not imagined that such a magical item would one day be hand-washed and air-dried.
"Meat~ meat~ meat~"
Croissant hummed a strange little tune, clearly excited for the upcoming hot pot.
Texas, on the other hand, looked a bit tired. After driving all day, if not for this meal, she would probably already be in bed.
So Shirou kept an eye on her, worried she might collapse from exhaustion.
Soon, they arrived at the hot pot restaurant.
Compared to the other shops that had already closed, the two-story hot pot place lit up most of the street.
But since it was late, there were not many customers.
After entering, everyone picked their ingredients and started eating. It was a one-person-one-pot setup, so each chose their own soup base.
Some options were unavailable due to the hour, but everyone still ate happily.
"Croissant, at least eat some vegetables."
Seeing her plate piled entirely with meat, Shirou added some vegetables to her pot.
"Ugh… vegetables…"
Croissant glanced at them, hesitated, and reluctantly accepted.
At least they were things she liked, Shirou had taken that into account.
After cooking for them for over a month, he more or less knew everyone's preferences.
Shirou, Texas, and Sora were not picky eaters, though Texas preferred meat.
Exusiai was simple, give her apple pie and desserts and she would survive just fine. Though Shirou had worried about her diet, she seemed self-aware and had recently increased her exercise.
As for Croissant… her shield and clothes literally had "meat" written all over them, which said enough. She also had a wide taste range, Shirou still remembered that special chili sauce she had.
Speaking of which—
Her pot was filled with a fiery red spicy broth, in stark contrast to the milder soups of the others.
From time to time, Shirou could smell the sharp aroma of chili.
It was… a bit overwhelming.
"Exia, the handoff's complete."
Texas checked her phone after it buzzed. It was a message from Exusiai's contact, saying the recipient's reply had been received, and the vehicle would be serviced. Everyone could rest, and work would resume the day after tomorrow.
"So you are off tomorrow?"
Shirou asked after reading it.
"As if. We still have to write reports, especially me, I need to apply for ammo funding. Ugh, just thinking about it is exhausting!"
Exusiai clutched her head in despair. Fighting enemies was easy, writing reports was torture.
"Reports…"
Even Shirou felt a headache coming on. He had never written one before.
"You do not need to worry, Shirou. Exusiai has to write more because of the ammo request. The rest of us can be more casual."
Sora reassured him.
"If you do not know how, just copy Sora's. It is basically just a formality anyway."
Croissant added.
"You can do that?"
Shirou was puzzled, was it really that casual?
"Stop… my heart hurts…"
Backstabbed by her teammates, Exusiai could not take it anymore. She stood up and went to seek comfort in desserts.
Watching her defeated look, the others could not help but laugh.
Just then, a new customer entered the restaurant.
The lively atmosphere from Penguin Logistics' table naturally drew attention.
"Pretty lively, huh? Guess I will sit here."
A silver-haired woman with red highlights chose a nearby seat. Though, in truth, it was also because there were not many options open at this hour.
When her hot pot was served, she instantly became the center of attention.
The reason was the overwhelming smell of chili.
The entire restaurant's aroma was overtaken by pure spiciness.
"By Laterano… is that even edible?"
Her seat was close enough that the group could clearly see her pot.
There was nothing but chili.
The broth was so red that Shirou felt like one bite would send him straight to see Kiritsugu.
"Oh, I have heard of her."
Croissant recalled some gossip from her street stall days.
"They say wherever she goes, she always demands the spiciest dish possible and no restaurant has ever satisfied her!"
She continued:
"Some chefs got so frustrated they kept developing spicier dishes, and it actually started a spicy food trend across Lungmen!"
The chili sauce she owned was apparently one such product, its spiciness was already extreme.
"I… cannot even imagine that."
Shirou could not understand how such a trend existed.
But then again, looking at Croissant… maybe he could.
Just a bunch of thrill-seekers.
He was just glad he had already eaten most of his meal otherwise, everything would probably taste like chili now.
Exusiai, for example, looked utterly lifeless as she ate ice cream, everything tasted spicy to her now.
The only one unfazed was probably Croissant.
Watching her continue eating happily, Shirou could only feel impressed.