"You guys eat first, I have got something to take care of."
After handing out everyone's cake, Shirou returned to his room.
On one hand, he wanted to rest a bit. On the other, he needed to jot down the key points from the two segments of memories he had obtained that morning.
Things had been rather chaotic earlier, and he had completely forgotten about it. Now that he had calmed down, he hurried to record everything while the memories were still fresh.
Most of it revolved around the essentials of projection magecraft.
Additionally, his magic circuits did not react as strongly this time as they had before.
Shirou figured that the resonance last time had been much stronger. This time, he had not clearly sensed any abnormalities.
The details would probably only become clear once he actually tried using them, but he was not in a rush about that.
"First… the Jeweled Sword?"
He recalled the Jeweled Sword that he, Rin, and Illya had jointly projected in the first memory.
"Mm… not enough mana at all. Pass."
After thinking back to the process, Shirou immediately dismissed the possibility of projecting it.
Besides, it was only an inferior version, and it seemed to put a heavy burden on the user when used.
Still, he decided to note it down for now.
Then there was Nine Lives, the massive axe-sword wielded by Berserker. But rather than being just a weapon, Nine Lives was more like a combat style.
When facing the corrupted Berserker, he had relied on projection loading to wield that massive axe-sword and execute the anti-person version of Nine Lives.
It was purely a technique, essentially a nine-hit combo unleashed at extreme speed, with all attacks overlapping as if they struck simultaneously.
Although he could read the wielder's memories through projection, his actual usage still could not compare to the original owner. More often, he relied on his own understanding of swords to wield it.
Borrowed power would never truly be his own.
"Lastly… Caster's Noble Phantasm…Rule Breaker."
As a weapon, it might not even be as good as an ordinary sword. But when it came to magecraft, it was incredibly powerful and it could even sever Servant contracts in the Holy Grail War, which spoke volumes about its strength.
The problem was that this land did not have magecraft, so it probably would not be very useful. Shirou just recorded it briefly in case he found a use for it later.
The other memory contained much more he could recall, since it had directly connected to Archer. The combat style was also very close to Archer's.
Some parts were worth referencing, though others were things he simply could not replicate.
He did not have that much mana to throw around.
"… 'Ig-Alima' and 'Sul-sagana'… Divine Constructs, huh?"
The two swords were also known as the Cleaving Mountain Sword and the The Horizon of Dawn that Purifies the Seas, both belonging to divine weapons. In that memory, he had only extracted their outer shells to block attacks, but even that effect was immensely powerful.
"Still, they are probably not something I will use often. Better write it down anyway."
Shirou added notes on the Noble Phantasms he had recorded, writing down the effects while listing the newly recalled ones.
That was the purpose of notes, to better grasp the key points.
After finishing, Shirou let out a sigh of relief and stretched.
"This really fries your brain…"
As he flexed his hands, he looked at the densely packed notes and everything he had gained from the memories behind the four doors.
But if he were being honest, he still preferred the feeling of holding swords.
He did not dislike bows, using them was convenient but that was all they were: convenient.
Still, with all this, Shirou felt that he should be able to protect himself on this land.
Not that he was invincible. Unless he ignored the consequences of his attacks and used large-scale Noble Phantasms or a Broken Phantasm in the snowy plains to quickly wipe out those infected creatures.
But he could not guarantee it would not trigger avalanches or cause even greater disasters afterward.
Dragging innocent people into danger just to achieve his goals was something he could not accept.
His gaze fell on the words circled over and over in his notebook…Unlimited Blade Works.
"As for Unlimited Blade Works…"
Leaning back in his chair, Shirou recalled the version he used in his battle against Angelina, who possessed the Gilgamesh card.
Unlike Archer's or the one from his other memory, this version of Unlimited Blade Works was composed of a dark night and an endless snowy field.
Unlimited Blade Works—Emiya Shirou's Reality Marble. The Noble Phantasms used in projection magecraft were drawn from within it, and projection itself was merely a byproduct of it.
That much, he had long understood.
Archer's version, the one with Rin, and the one for Miyu each had a different appearance.
A wasteland beneath a dark sky filled with giant gears.
An empty wasteland under a sunset-like scarlet sky.
A snow-filled night with a boundless white expanse.
The only common point was the countless swords planted across the land.
However, Shirou could not use Unlimited Blade Works.
It was not that he absolutely could not, it was just that he could not grasp the feeling.
A Reality Marble manifested by projecting the user's inner world onto reality, perhaps he simply could not use it here.
Or perhaps there was an issue with his own inner landscape and his mind?
"…Forget it. Thinking about it will not suddenly make it usable. I will just let it be."
Shirou gave up on overthinking it. If he could not use it, then he could not, sitting here pondering would not magically change that. He might as well read more books instead.
Or research new dishes to improve Penguin Logistics' meals.
With that thought, Shirou stood up and carefully put away his notebook.
He was not worried about the others seeing it anyway. He had written it in his own language and even if it resembled the script of Higashi here, it would still be difficult to decipher.
Unless they brought the notebook directly to him and asked but if that happened, he would make sure to deal with them first before taking it back.
"Oh? You are finally out, Shirou? What were you doing in there for so long?"
Seeing him come out, Croissant leaned in with a mischievous grin.
Well, guys sometimes had things they needed to handle alone and she understood that much.
"Just writing down things I need to do later."
Shirou replied.
Which was not wrong, he really had been noting things he would need later.
"…Boring."
Croissant looked disappointed. She had wanted to see Shirou blushing and denying doing that kind of thing.
And this was it?
"???"
Shirou was completely confused by her reaction.
"Do not mind that pervert with a dirty mind."
Texas shot Croissant a look of disdain.
This breadhead was making dirty jokes again? Was she asking to get turned into a bun?
"Dirty mind?"
Shirou did not quite understand what they meant, but that did not stop him from tossing Croissant back onto the sofa.
"Anyway, forget about that. Shirou, do you have anything planned next?"
Sora quickly changed the subject, asking what he was going to do next.
"Nothing, I think? Just preparing dinner later?"
Glancing at the time, Shirou figured he could read for a bit before starting on dinner.
"The boss just called, he wants us all to come over."
Sora showed Shirou the message the boss had just sent.
Shirou looked at her phone. It did indeed say for Texas's team to come over with him included as an unofficial member.
"Hmm… that should not be a problem."
He thought about it. The vegetables and meat he bought today would still be fine tomorrow. At worst, he could just make breakfast and snacks a bit more elaborate.
"Then let's get ready and head out. Shirou, this should be your first time eating at the boss's place, right?"
Exusiai put down her phone. If she remembered correctly, Shirou had not been there before.
"We did eat together once here before, did we not?"
Shirou recalled it, after all, anyone would remember a penguin wearing sunglasses and a gold chain kicking the door open, especially on their first day here.
That was also the day that a fashionably dressed penguin became his boss.
"That does not count. Back then the boss just dropped by out of curiosity. Usually when he invites us, it is a full-on feast."
Thinking of past gatherings, Croissant could not help drooling a little.
Their boss might work them hard, but the benefits were genuinely good. Otherwise, they would not stick around in such a high-pressure job.
"But if he is calling us over, it is probably because something from this mission caught his attention. Just answer whatever he asks."
Unlike Exusiai and Croissant, who were excited, Texas clearly understood the boss had questions. It would not be anything troublesome, just telling him what they knew.
After all, intelligence gathering was part of Penguin Logistics job. Texas figured the boss had taken an interest in Reunion.
And the one who had the most contact with Reunion was Shirou,after all they had even tried to recruit him. So Texas gave him a heads-up.
"Oh… I see. Then what should I wear?"
Shirou was familiar with this kind of situation, he had often seen TV protagonists going out to eat with their bosses after work while discussing business.
But he did not have any formal clothes! He usually just wore a T-shirt and long pants, showing up like that felt a bit inappropriate.
"It is fine. Just wear the Penguin Logistics jacket. The boss actually dislikes overly formal outfits."
Seeing Shirou worrying, Sora reassured him.
If Penguin Logistics was a group of fun-loving oddballs, then their boss was the biggest one of all. The motto "Entertainment First" had come from him.
"The jacket, huh? That is a relief."
Shirou let out a sigh. For a moment, he thought he would have to rush out and buy a suit.
"Alright, let's head upstairs and get changed."
With everything settled, the group went upstairs to change. Shirou put on the Penguin Logistics outfit and also wrapped the Holy Shroud around his neck before heading downstairs.
Texas drove them over, and soon they arrived at Penguin Logistics' headquarters.
"Whoa… so Penguin Logistics is actually a big company?"
Looking at the building, Shirou finally realized just how large it was, it was far bigger than he had imagined. The glowing Penguin Logistics sign almost hurt his eyes.
"Of course. Besides logistics, we handle other kinds of work too, the really profitable kind."
Seeing his curiosity, Croissant explained.
After all, their small team alone could not possibly handle everything.
"And the boss himself is also a very famous singer."
Exusiai added.
After listening to Exusiai and Sora's explanations, Shirou learned that their boss not only ran Penguin Logistics but was also a producer under Monster Siren Records and extremely famous in rap.
"…Seriously?"
Shirou's mouth twitched. He had a hard time accepting that.
Especially when he imagined his boss holding a microphone on stage, rapping…
…Actually, it did not seem that strange?
Shirou began to wonder if his sense of logic had broken.
As they chatted, they reached their destination.
Pushing open the door, Shirou saw the interior of the room.
It looked incredibly luxurious. The paintings on the walls and the decorations all seemed very expensive. Shirou walked carefully, afraid he might accidentally break something.
"Do not worry too much. Those get replaced often. The first time I came, I accidentally spilled a drink on one."
Seeing how cautious he was, Exusiai recalled her first visit, when she had knocked over a drink. The boss had not said much and just told her to be more careful.
"You did not notice your salary was lower for half a year after that?"
Texas's eyes twitched. How could her teammate not notice her pay being docked?
"Huh? Was that not the compensation for blowing up a car by mistake during a failed demolition? And I thought it was a whole year?"
Exusiai looked confused.
"The car incident happened in the latter half of the year. The boss only deducted a small amount for that."
Texas was speechless. The painting Exusiai had ruined could have cost her a whole year's salary, but the boss had only taken a token deduction.
As for the demolition accident, it was more serious, so the boss made her pay a third of the car's cost.
"Seriously?!"
Exusiai looked shocked. Her salary was just gone like that?!
"…"
Hearing their conversation, Shirou walked even more carefully.