In the end, under Exusiai and Croissant's desperate pleas, Shirou removed the "vegetarian-only" and "extra-spicy" punishments.
But punishment still remained and both of them would be responsible for washing dishes for the next week.
"Honestly…"
Watching Croissant return to the couch to watch TV and Exusiai bury herself back into her report, Shirou wondered when these two would ever act normal.
He did not expect them to be like Sora or Texas but at least like Taiga…
…Actually, never mind. That was not much different.
It was just that now there were two Taigas. Thinking about it gave Shirou a headache, it was something he could never have imagined before.
"Forget about them. Shirou, what are you planning to do next?"
Seeing the commotion settle, Texas brought the conversation back on track.
Originally, they were talking about Shirou's future plans and somehow it had drifted off again.
These kinds of conversations were important. Shirou had just completed his first mission. Even if he looked fine on the surface, Texas could not tell what he was really thinking or worrying about.
So communication mattered, even if she was not particularly good at it.
At least, she could listen.
"I have got a bit of an idea. After I get paid in a few days, I will go check out the bookstore at the Mall."
Shirou already had a rough plan, but it involved some specialized knowledge, so he needed to buy a few books.
For most things, it was better to understand before acting. Blindly rushing in rarely ended well, unless you were extremely lucky.
And Shirou did not think he was particularly lucky.
"A bookstore? You really like reading, huh?"
Sora recalled how Shirou was either reading or working most of the time.
She could not imagine reading dense, knowledge-heavy books every day like him. One or two books a month was her limit.
But Shirou had read at least a dozen last month and even summarized key points from each one.
It was like watching a high school student preparing for exams.
"I would not say I like it… it is more about filling in basic knowledge."
Shirou said with a slightly troubled expression.
He did not read out of enjoyment, he just needed to learn the basics of this world. If the Grail had given him that knowledge in the first place, he would not have to work this hard.
Still, his efforts over the past month had paid off. He was now fairly familiar with many aspects of this world, though mostly at a surface level.
Originally, he had planned to slow down and focus on other things.
Now, he had changed his approach.
He needed to learn more about Originuim and Oripathy.
At the very least, when facing Oripathy, the Infected, or catastrophes, he could not afford to know nothing.
Being useless at a critical moment was unacceptable.
"Oh right—you have amnesia… sorry."
Sora suddenly remembered Shirou's "backstory" and quickly apologized.
After all, he usually seemed perfectly normal and his understanding of ingredients and attention to detail made it easy to forget that he was supposedly someone with memory loss.
"It is fine."
Shirou felt a bit guilty.
After all, he was not completely amnesiac, he just lacked his own memories and some basic knowledge. But saying he had amnesia was far more convenient than explaining he came from another world and had gained memories of his alternate versions.
"As long as you have got an idea, that's enough."
Seeing Shirou had a direction, Texas did not press further.
This was usually where Exusiai would step in but she was currently being chased by deadlines. If her report was not done properly, her next paycheck or even the one after that might be gone.
Though with Shirou around, she would not starve. The others would help too because this was an emergency and Exusiai had not spent all her money recklessly.
"Ahhh! Finished!!"
Exusiai slammed her pen down, looking triumphant.
Three hours! She had spent three whole hours writing it!
"Congrats."
Croissant clapped lazily from the couch, then went back to doing nothing.
"Let me see… rewrite it."
Texas took the report, glanced at it and immediately slapped it back down.
Too many meaningless phrases. The whole thing basically boiled down to: "Please pity me and give me funds."
"WHY?!"
Exusiai wailed again, but she knew that if it could not pass Texas, it definitely would not pass Yith or the boss.
So she obediently took it back and started rewriting.
Watching Exusiai slowly develop a "vacant genius" expression while muttering nonsense, Texas and Sora stepped in to help.
"Write the cause and effect properly."
Texas placed a fresh sheet of paper in front of her.
The two stood behind Exusiai, pointing out what needed to be added.
It looked exactly like parents forcing their child to finish homework right before school started.
"Good luck."
Shirou could only offer verbal encouragement. After all, his own report was "based on" Sora and Texas's work.
Ahem… not copying—referencing.
Shirou took out his phone for the first time in a while, checking recent news and also browsing entertainment, so he could occasionally keep up with Sora's activities.
A quick search confirmed that Sora was extremely popular in Lungmen. There were tons of reports about her.
"So she is a singer…"
Though he did not usually follow this kind of thing, since she was someone he knew, maybe he could support her a bit.
He was also a little curious.
Looking through more news, he saw that nothing major had been happening in Lungmen lately aside from a rising company taking up headlines.
It seemed to be another logistics company, but Shirou did not pay much attention.
Just as he was about to put his phone away, he noticed a blinking message.
Opening it, he saw messages from Snowsant.
She said that once she received her salary, she would compensate him for his coat.
Snowsant was the Liberi woman Shirou had rescued from the fire.
Afterward, she had asked for his contact information and insisted on compensating him for his damaged clothes.
At first, Shirou had refused but she had been quite persistent and he had been in a hurry to leave at the time so he gave his contact information to her.
Looking at the messages, they had been sent over the past few days when he was not in Lungmen.
At first, she had said she would contact him after getting paid.
Then, after receiving no reply, she left a message asking him to respond when he saw it.
Shirou quickly replied, explaining he had been busy.
Soon, a response came:
"Thank goodness… I was worried you were ignoring me."
Even through text, Shirou could imagine her sigh of relief.
Her slightly absent-minded demeanor after the fire had left quite an impression.
After chatting briefly, Snowsant learned that Shirou was heading out to shop and decided to settle the matter today, since she happened to be off work.
She had been worried about it for days, if she did not resolve it soon, it might start affecting her work.
"Alright."
Seeing how much she cared, Shirou agreed. He was heading to the supermarket anyway.
Looking at Exusiai, Texas, and Sora still busy and Croissant lounging on the couch like an old man watching TV, Shirou tidied up the breakfast leftovers and prepared to take out the trash.
"I am heading out to buy ingredients for dinner. Is there anything you want?"
"The usual from that place, thanks!"
Even without specifics, Shirou understood Exusiai immediately.
"Anything's fine."
"Same."
"Me too."
The other three were easygoing, as long as Shirou cooked, they would eat.
"Then I will see what the supermarket has."
Shirou did not mind the lack of specific requests.
After all, he was not ordering takeout, he was cooking himself.
If everyone was willing to eat whatever he made, it meant they liked his cooking.
After cleaning up, Shirou set out for the supermarket again after three days.
Having resolved most of the issues that had been troubling him all night, he felt much lighter.
"It feels good to have a clear mind."
He stretched slightly.
His plan was simple: learn about Oripathy and truly understand what it was.
That was just the first step.
"Mr. Shirou, hello."
As he approached the supermarket, he saw Snowsant waiting outside, greeting him.
Her black-and-white hair stood out, and she was still wearing what looked like a lab coat, with a name tag attached.
"Just call me Shirou."
Being addressed so formally made him uncomfortable.
"Okay, Shirou… do you come here often to buy groceries?"
She almost called him "Mr." again, but quickly corrected herself.
She also came here often especially to buy discounted vegetables.
But about a month ago, someone had started buying up all the discounted produce, making it hard for her to get any…
That was why she had started looking for cheaper places to eat.
The restaurant that caught fire was one of them, close by and inexpensive. Even if the quality was just passable, it was still manageable.
"Yeah. There are four people at home, and they all have big appetites."
Looking at Snowsant's polite yet slightly airheaded demeanor, Shirou found it quite interesting.
At least she was one of the few "normal" people he had met since coming to Lungmen.
Most people here seemed a bit… off, they were lively and unpredictable in their own ways.
Not that he disliked it.
After all, seeing smiles on others' faces was something that naturally brought happiness.
"You have got it tough too, Shirou."
Snowsant mistakenly assumed he had four people to support at home, thinking he had a heavy family burden.
"…It's manageable."
Shirou did not bring up the coat at all and simply went into the supermarket with her.
His plan was already forming, buy the groceries first, then use the excuse that meat and vegetables could not be left out too long, and leave.
Shirou had already started planning his escape!
"So lucky! There are discounted vegetables today!"
Snowsant's eyes sparkled as she looked at the discount section.
Buying some would last her another couple of days!
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her excitement, Shirou was puzzled.
"For the past month, I could never get any discounted vegetables! But these past few days, I have been able to get them every time! I am so lucky!"
Snowsant picked just enough for a day or two. Buying too much would cause spoilage and wasting food was unacceptable to her.
"…Sorry."
Based on the timing and his own shopping habits, Shirou realized that the one who had been buying out all the discounted vegetables… was probably him.
After all, he had to cook dinner for five people and breakfast for the next day so he always bought in large quantities.
Thinking about it made him feel a bit guilty toward Snowsant.
"Hm? Why are you apologizing?"
Holding her vegetables happily, Snowsant looked confused.
"It is nothing."
Seeing her innocent expression only made Shirou feel more guilty.
…He decided he would buy more apple pie for Exusiai later.
When it was Shirou's turn to pick vegetables, he deliberately took fewer discounted ones and made up the difference with reasonably priced items instead.
After all, he had a budget from the boss and as long as it was not excessive, it was fine.
Compared to the company boss, Shirou chose to look out for the struggling civilian Snowsant.
And besides, this meant more variety in cooking.
He was definitely not wasting company money.
—
After checking out, the two stood outside the supermarket.
"Then let us go buy your coat next!"
Snowsant said, holding her small shopping bag.
"That might not be a good idea. I bought perishable items—they can not sit out too long."
Shirou used his prepared excuse.
After he said that, Snowsant froze, looking at the groceries in his hands, then at her own.
Only then did she remember why she had come in the first place.
She had gotten so excited that she followed him into the supermarket and completely forgot her original purpose.
"Th-then… I am sorry! I forgot… maybe we can set another time?"
She looked flustered, even stumbling over her words. Shirou was half-worried she might bite her tongue.
"Actually, that is not necessary. You are in research, right? How about recommending me some books about Oripathy instead? We can call the coat even."
Seeing how much she cared about it, Shirou decided to handle it another way.
And since she looked like a knowledgeable person, he could ask her for advice.
"Hmm… Oripathy? It's definitely worth studying, but that is not my field…"
Snowsant looked troubled. Her specialty was mechanical engineering—she was not very familiar with Oripathy.
"That is fine. I was just asking."
Shirou quickly reassured her.
"Are you looking for beginner-level knowledge, or something more advanced? If it is advanced, I might not be able to help much."
Snowsant thought for a moment.
If it was just beginner-level, she could probably help a little, since some of her work involved Originium Arts, she had read a few related books.
Though compared to actual Oripathy researchers, her knowledge was quite limited.
"Beginner level is fine. I just want to understand Oripathy better."
Hearing that, Shirou relaxed.
This solved both his book problem and the coat issue.
"For beginners… works by Mr. Blood should be quite suitable."
Hearing that Shirou only needed beginner-level material, Snowsant let out a sigh of relief. That much, she could handle. She recommended several books in a row, most of them written by Mr. Blood.
Of course, there were also books by other authors, but Mr. Blood seemed to be more authoritative in this field.
"Mr. Blood… got it. Then let's call the coat matter settled."
Shirou noted down the name, planning to look it up later.
"Eh? Is that not a bit unfair? I did not really do anything…"
Snowsant was taken aback, she had only mentioned a few book titles.
"That is more than enough. I am just getting started. Without your recommendations, I would probably spend days figuring out where to begin."
Shirou said seriously.
After all, he did not know anyone else familiar with this field. Without her help, he would probably just pick a random book that looked decent.
Not that it would not work but her guidance would save him time and help him avoid unnecessary detours.
"Hmm… then how about I lend you some of Mr. Blood's books that I have read before?"
After thinking it over, Snowsant felt that simply recommending titles was not quite enough, so she decided to lend him some of her own books.
She had not touched them in a long time anyway, it was better to give them to someone who needed them.
When it came to research, Snowsant never spared expenses. She lived frugally only so she could invest more into her studies and send money back home.
"If it is not too much trouble, that would be great."
Shirou accepted her offer. After all, he could return the books once he finished reading them, as long as he handled them carefully.
"Then let's set a time later for me to give them to you."
Seeing him agree, Snowsant finally felt at ease.
She had been worrying about compensating him for days, she had even prepared herself to live on plain buns for a while.
Thankfully, Shirou was a very kind person.
—
After parting ways with Snowsant, Shirou did not linger outside and quickly headed back to the dorm with his bags.
He had not been lying, he really had bought a lot of perishable items.
Of course, he had not forgotten Exusiai's apple pie. He even bought extra.
After all, they were both angels… using it as an apology should be fine, right?
Besides, Exusiai had practically gone insane writing her report today, these apple pies could serve as comfort.
With those thoughts, Shirou returned to the dorm.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw a completely "burned out" Exusiai slumped over the desk, her halo dim.
Meanwhile, Texas and Sora were reviewing her report.
"You are back, Shirou."
Seeing him carrying so many bags, Sora quickly came over to help and took some to the kitchen to store.
When it came to helping out, Sora really knew what to do.
"Apple pie! I smell apple pie!"
Catching the scent, Exusiai instantly revived on the spot, her halo lighting up again.
"Here you go. I bought extra but do not eat all of them at once."
Shirou handed her the apple pies, reminding her with a helpless tone.
"Hehe… apple pie, my apple pie… soft, fluffy, fragrant…"
Exusiai took a bite, her face full of bliss.
Though the way she spoke was a bit strange, making Shirou wonder if she had completely lost it.
After putting everything away, Shirou took out some small cakes he had bought along with the apple pies.
One was fruit cake, the other chocolate coffee cake, perfectly matching Sora and Texas's preferences.
Croissant had one too, it was a simple cream cake. Shirou had no intention of brushing her off with bread.
Every time he bought apple pies, he would also pick up desserts for everyone else.
After all, if only Exusiai got sweets, it would not be fair, she would end up using way more of the budget than the others.
This was carefully planned!
It was definitely not reckless spending!
"You even bought a cake?"
Sora's eyes locked onto the cakes the moment she saw them.
She did like sweets but not to the extreme level of Sankta. It was just a normal girl's love for desserts.
Still, she usually restrained herself to maintain her figure, trying not to think about sweets too much.
If she did not see them, she would not buy them.
But… since Shirou already bought them…
Not eating them would be wasteful, right?
And after working so hard these past few days, having some cake was totally justified, was it not?