Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 26

"I... I can't think of anything."

Exusiai looked dejected, the white mochi that had just retracted threatening to emerge again.

"Honestly."

Croissant shook her head. It seemed she was the winner today.

"Croissant, aren't you the one who learned the worst?"

Sora looked at her teammate with disappointment.

"What?"

Croissant tilted her head, confused.

"Don't overthink it. It's hard to live if you care too much about the labels others give you."

Seeing Exusiai struggling to get up, Shirou offered some comfort. After all, Croissant's combo attack was a bit harsh.

Shirou couldn't help but feel that everyone in Penguin Logistics had become much more aggressive lately. Where had they learned it from?

"Waaah, Shirou, you're the best..."

Exusiai, with snot and tears streaming down her face, lunged at Shirou. Fortunately, Shirou reacted quickly enough to prevent her face from landing on him.

The thought of that snot and tears sticking to his clothes made him shudder, imagining how difficult they would be to wash.

Texas and Sora watched the trio's bickering while eating, finding it more appetizing than their phones.

After finishing their dinner, everyone went about their own business in the living room.

Although Shirou had tidied up the living room upstairs, it was still piled with their belongings, especially work-related documents and files. It was less of a living room and more like an office.

Since they were too lazy to move after eating, the living room naturally became their relaxation space. They had even brought down the game consoles. The sofa, by the way, was also moved from upstairs.

However, they each had their preferred spots. For instance, Exusiai and Croissant liked to gather on the sofa to play games, while Sora and Texas sat at a nearby table, drinking coffee and reading books.

"Texas, I have something I want to ask."

Seeing Texas leisurely flipping through the book in her hands, Shirou approached her.

"What is it?"

Texas closed her book and looked at Shirou, twitching her ears.

"The boss called me today and said I might be joining your team's operations from now on."

Shirou's original intention was to let Texas and the others know about the boss's plan first, hoping they could persuade the boss to abandon this strange idea.

"Hmm, is there a problem?"

Texas pondered Shirou's words. It didn't seem like a big issue.

Shirou might not realize it yet, but he was practically half a member of their team. The Emperor had intended this from the start, only needing some time to observe Shirou.

However, since the boss had already informed Shirou, the observation period should be over. Incidentally, she was one of the people responsible for this, but she had quickly given him a passing grade.

It definitely wasn't because her headphones were fixed or her cooking was delicious, cough cough cough.

"It's mainly unsuitable, isn't it?"

Shirou said tactfully.

"What's unsuitable about it? I think it's fine. What do you think, Sora?"

Texas couldn't figure out why Shirou felt it was inappropriate, so she asked Sora, who was nearby.

"Huh? Shirou, you think it's inconvenient because you're the only guy, right?"

Sora had been listening to their conversation the whole time, as they weren't far away and weren't speaking quietly. Sora could hear everything clearly. Thinking from Shirou's perspective, she could quickly come up with an answer.

"Yes, that's right."

Hearing Sora's words, Shirou nodded in affirmation.

Finally, someone understood his concerns! Finally!

"I think you're overthinking it, Shirou. Think about what our usual work involves."

Sora posed a question for Shirou to answer.

"Deliveries?"

Shirou pondered Sora's question and replied.

After all, the company's name was Penguin Logistics, so deliveries were naturally part of the job. Shirou occasionally saw them loading goods onto trucks, but he was more concerned about them frequently returning with injuries.

"You're half right."

Sora nodded, affirming Shirou's answer, and then added:

"The goods we deliver are usually quite dangerous. We often encounter people who want to steal the cargo or attacks from hostile forces."

This was the first time Shirou had truly understood their work environment. He had always thought they carried rubber bullet guns and some weapons just to deal with Originium creatures they encountered on the road.

He hadn't expected them to face people with malicious intent. This also explained why people from Penguin Logistics were so familiar with those from the Knights of the Round Table and had quite a reputation.

"Are you scared?"

Seeing Shirou frowning, Texas thought he was scared.

It was understandable, after all, not everyone wanted to be associated with people who fought.

"Ah? Scared? Not really, I just finally understand why you guys are so unpopular in the Knights of the Round Table."

Shirou, looking down and thinking about other things, didn't realize what he had said.

It wasn't until he noticed the sudden silence that he looked up and saw himself surrounded by the four of them.

Cold sweat dripped down Shirou's face.

"Wait..."

Before he could finish, Shirou was instantly manhandled by the four of them.

34 Second Round

Shirou was manhandled for quite a while, mainly his hair and face, and none of them were really rough.

If Shirou had a mirror, he probably would have seen that his hair was a complete mess.

"Heh heh, feels good."

Exusiai, finally getting back at Shirou, was happy. She had been held hostage with apple pie by the Great Demon King Shirou for a month and could finally counterattack with her teammates!

Although, overall, it was still Shirou's fault for saying they were unpopular in the Knights of the Round Table.

Even if it was true, he shouldn't have said it directly!

"Shirou, have you been working out recently?"

Croissant recalled the feeling of tickling Shirou just now and asked, comparing it to her memory of carrying him before.

"Huh...? Working out? Does my morning run count?"

Shirou took a moment to collect himself before answering Croissant's question.

"Hmm... does running make you stronger?"

Hearing Shirou's answer, Croissant began to ponder the mysteries of the human body.

"Croissant, what are you talking about?"

Sora didn't quite understand the meaning behind Croissant's words. She had been honest and hadn't touched him inappropriately, so she didn't know what Croissant was going on about.

"It's nothing, it's just that Shirou has gotten a lot stronger than a month ago. He usually wears clothes, so I didn't notice, but when I tried to tickle him just now, I felt something was off."

Croissant wiggled her fingers, seemingly doubting if she had misjudged.

"Croissant, now that you mention it, it does seem to be the case! No wonder I felt like I was poking something firm when I touched Shirou's stomach."

Exusiai also shared her opinion.

"You two... are perverts?"

Texas looked at Exusiai and Croissant with disdain, surprised that these two had taken the opportunity to take advantage of Shirou.

"Ugh..."

Sora also looked disgusted.

"..."

Shirou didn't say anything, but his action of taking a few steps back indicated that he also found their behavior quite repulsive.

Shirou had thought it was accidental touching, but it turned out to be intentional.

Society was too cruel.

"What's with that expression! Sora and Sister Texas, aren't you curious?"

Croissant tried to incite the other two teammates to join them. If there were enough perverts, the abnormal ones would be the normal people!

Exusiai was already her teammate. If she could pull Sora and Texas over, then Shirou would be just meat on the chopping block, ready to be slaughtered by them!

Hearing Croissant's words, Texas and Sora showed hesitation.

"Wait, wait, don't hesitate!"

Seeing her teammates hesitate, Shirou became anxious. He didn't want to be manhandled by the four of them again.

"Heh heh, give up! Humans are full of curiosity about the unknown!"

Exusiai blocked Shirou's escape route, a sinister grin on her face.

"Also, weren't you holding me with one hand and Exusiai with the other just now? Surrender, Shirou! Have you been doing some secret training? Or hiding some snacks!"

Croissant stepped forward and pointed at Shirou's face, interrogating him.

"Tex..."

Shirou was about to call out to Texas for help, but as he turned his head, he saw Texas and Sora filling in the gaps, standing in the same positions as before he was manhandled.

"I'm sorry, Shirou, I'm really a bit curious."

Sora apologized sincerely.

"Me too."

Texas's tail and ears were wagging, betraying her lack of expression.

Soon, the second round began.

It also ended quickly, with Shirou having his shirt removed by Exusiai without any struggle. He knelt on the ground, his upper body bare, surrounded by the four of them.

"Hmm... he has certainly bulked up a lot compared to before. It doesn't look like something you can achieve with just running."

Texas chewed on a Pocky, studying him.

"He had some definition before, but this is clearly the result of long-term training and a controlled diet," Croissant explained, pointing to Shirou's arms and abdomen. Her explanation was primarily directed at Exusiai and Sora.

"Shirou, how did you train? Teach me, teach me! My stomach has been getting fat recently!"

Exusiai's concern was completely different from everyone else's. She only cared about getting rid of her recently growing belly fat.

As for Sora, she covered her eyes, looking quite shy.

If only I could make the gaps between my fingers smaller.

Shirou grumbled inwardly. He felt that as they spent more time together, these people were starting to treat him less like a person.

"I told you, there's no special training! I just run every day at most!"

Shirou snatched his clothes back from Croissant and quickly put them on. Once dressed, Shirou felt a sense of peace in his life.

"Just running?"

Seeing Shirou emphasize that he hadn't done any special training, Croissant could only attribute it to his personal physique.

Damn it! I'm so envious of this physique! It's as enviable as being born with a huge... or being naturally thin!

"Is there really no special training method?"

Exusiai made a final attempt.