Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 28

This was prepared to prevent the memories within the Gate from suddenly disappearing. Afterwards, even if they did vanish, Shirou could recall these events from the writing in his notebook.

Shirou also kept records of real-world events, though less frequently. After all, most of his time was spent grocery shopping, cooking, and doing housework. Penguin Logistics and the others were mostly occupied with their work.

Although he would also join them for work later, according to the boss, he should just continue as usual. He only needed to go out with Penguin Logistics for long-distance jobs.

He would have to wait for Isv to contact him for specific details on what to do and what to prepare.

After recording everything, Shirou put the notebook back and got up to wash himself.

Despite his mental state being quite poor, Shirou still completed his daily tasks.

Since Penguin Logistics had left quite early today, Shirou packed all the food into an insulated bag for Sora to take. He also prepared extra meals for them, emptying out the refrigerator.

According to a certain red-haired woman, she saw Shirou wielding his kitchen knife that morning as if he were hacking at his sworn enemy, so she asked Sora to get breakfast for them instead.

After finishing his chores, Shirou went out for his usual run. The morning's events had left him feeling very dejected, and he needed something to distract himself.

"Yo, isn't that Shirou?"

While running, Shirou was suddenly called out to.

Turning around, Shirou saw the owner of the voice – it was Swire, who had brought him to the Knights of the Round Table a few days prior.

"Sir Swire?"

Looking at Swire before him, Shirou recalled the "Big Three" of the Knights of the Round Table that Penguin Logistics had explained to him.

They were Swire, Hoshiguma, and Chen. Exusiai had said they could be addressed as Sir Swire, Sir Hoshiguma, and Sir Chen.

However, in Shirou's opinion, Exusiai was probably messing with him. After all, he could clearly see several "hash" symbols appear above Swire's head after he called her "Sir Swire."

"It seems the people from Penguin Logistics have properly introduced me, haven't they? But my surname isn't Swire."

Adjusting her emotions, Swire quickly figured out what had happened. It must have been the Penguin Logistics people making snide remarks behind her back!

"Uh… yes. Sir Swire… Sir Swire, is there something you need?"

Nearly calling her "Sir Swire" again, Shirou stopped himself just in time and asked her purpose.

"Nothing much, I just happened to see you while I was out and wanted to say hello."

Seeing that Shirou no longer addressed her as "Sir Swire," Swire let him off the hook, considering it was his first offense.

Today was her day off, and she wanted to visit the shop that was previously burned down by that Infected criminal. Although the chances of obtaining relevant evidence or clues were low, she still had to go.

After all, compared to searching aimlessly, visiting places with connections would yield a higher probability of finding clues.

However, she seemed to be lost. She had been searching in this area for quite some time and then spotted Shirou, who was jogging, so she went up to greet him and ask for directions.

"Is that so? Then if there's nothing else, I'll be going..."

Seeing that she wasn't there to arrest him, Shirou thought about slipping away. Although he hadn't done anything wrong, he still felt uncomfortable facing Swire, who was from the Knights of the Round Table.

"What's the rush? Seeing you running at this hour, you must be off today, right? How about we go on a date?"

Seeing Shirou about to slip away, Swire grabbed him. She had originally just wanted to ask for directions, but seeing how frightened he seemed of her, Swire decided to change her approach.

Surely no one could refuse an invitation from a beautiful girl!

"...Thanks for the offer, but I'm leaving."

Faced with Swire's question, Shirou thought for a moment and decided to escape, just like Croissant would.

Seeing Shirou preparing to turn and leave, Swire's expression froze. Refusing a woman's invitation like this was too rude, wasn't it? Was this guy a blockhead?

"Wait right there!"

Getting increasingly annoyed, the little tiger stepped forward and blocked Shirou's escape route.

37 Interested in joining the Knights of the Round Table?

"Sir Swire, this is it."

After Swire's explanation, Shirou finally understood that she just wanted him to lead the way; the date part was just a joke.

Shirou was familiar with the place Swire wanted to go – it was the restaurant where the fire had occurred last time. Leading the way was a request he couldn't refuse.

"Ugh… it's already being renovated? It seems unlikely we'll find anything now."

Swire, who had been led by Shirou, looked at the building before them. It was indeed the same one from the photos, but the interior had been cleared out and was undergoing renovation. This meant there wouldn't be many clues to find.

"After all, the original interior was mostly made of wood, and the fire back then had burned most of it."

Hearing Swire's words, Shirou explained the situation inside the shop to her.

"Do you come to this shop often?"

"Not really, I just happened to be passing by when the fire broke out a few days ago."

"What a coincidence! Did you see the person who rushed into the fire to save people? I heard that person rushed into the flames regardless of their own safety and saved people by jumping out from the second floor!"

Hearing that Shirou was at the scene, Swire became enthusiastic. The information she had received stated that someone had rushed into the burning building and then carried people out by jumping from the second floor.

It sounded incredibly cool! Unfortunately, she couldn't find any related information.

"...That person was probably me."

Recalling the events of that day, Shirou thought that the person Swire was talking about was likely him.

He remembered that day when Axia lectured him with RAP for a long time, making him doubt if she would run out of breath mid-sentence.

"..."

Swire paused, as if realizing something. It was true, Shirou Emiya was caught by her precisely because he was being heroic. If he was at the scene, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to rush into the fire to save people.

"Interested in joining the Knights of the Round Table? We're in great need of talent like you."

Swire, representing the Knights of the Round Table, attempted to recruit him.

"No, everyone at Penguin Logistics is really nice."

Swire's recruitment attempt was unsuccessful.

Shirou rejected Swire's invitation. If he had been invited before receiving help from Penguin Logistics, he might have accepted.

"Is that so? It seems you really like Penguin Logistics."

Swire wasn't annoyed by Shirou's rejection. From their first encounter, she knew Shirou had his own reasons for staying with Penguin Logistics. Her invitation was merely a tentative one.

What if it worked? It doesn't cost anything to try.

"Everyone at Penguin Logistics is kind, and they helped me when I was at my lowest."

"Hmm... I can't tell. Penguin Logistics people actually help others?"

Listening to Shirou, Swire fell into thought.

Penguin Logistics, who were usually blowing things up, racing, and getting into brawls in Longmen, actually helped people?

And they even got an SSR? Their luck is truly Longmen vulgarity good!

"Although I can probably imagine Penguin Logistics' image within the Knights of the Round Table, everyone there is actually a good person?"

Shirou thought about it and decided to put in a good word for Penguin Logistics, hoping to salvage some of their reputation. If they knew what Penguin Logistics usually did, they would probably choose to keep quiet.

"Penguin Logistics, good people... I can't imagine that. Let's not talk about this. Shirou, did you notice anyone strange around here that day?"

Unable to connect the words "Penguin Logistics" and "good people" no matter how hard she thought, Swire decided to change the subject and asked Shirou if he had seen anyone strange at the scene of the fire.

"Strange people? No, I didn't particularly notice anyone at the time."

Recalling the situation, Shirou hadn't paid attention to the people around him. He rushed in as soon as he heard someone calling for help.

"Is that so..."

Seeing her search for clues was in vain, Swire's plan fell through.

She was certain that someone was directing the culprit who caused trouble at Dagu Mall. The only problem was that the person wasn't saying anything, and there were no clues.

Without evidence or clues, her thoughts could only remain speculation or conjecture, preventing any further action.

"However, I did hear some people at the market that day talking about gunshots and explosions happening near the Lower City District at night."

Seeing Swire's disappointment, Shirou remembered the conversation he overheard from women when he went to the market to buy groceries that day.

He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, though.

"Lower City... the Slums? Interesting. The market you're referring to is the one near the Lower City District, right?"

Upon hearing Shirou's term for the Lower City District, Swire's impression of him improved further.

She had always wanted to plan something for that area, but reality had never allowed it.

Now, encountering someone who didn't use the term "Slums" to refer to the Lower City District made her feel an instant sense of familiarity.

"Yes, that's right, that's the one."

Shirou nodded affirmatively.

"That area is worth checking out. Shirou, do you have plans later?"

After a moment of thought about the nearby geography, Swire felt it was worth investigating.

If it were in the Slums, it would be a bit more troublesome. She wasn't suited to appearing there directly.

However, she wasn't familiar with the people there, so she had to ask Shirou. If it was inconvenient for him, she would have to add it to her list and ask Hoshiguma later.

"I don't have any plans, why?"

"If you're free, could you accompany me to the market again? I have something I want to check out there."

Swire didn't beat around the bush. After a few conversations, she had determined that when discussing serious matters with Shirou, it was best to be direct.

As for the potential danger there? She was from the Knights of the Round Table! And Shirou, being from Penguin Logistics, which was known for fighting three meals a day, couldn't possibly be too weak.

"Hmm... I think so, but I need to go back and get something, and change my clothes."

Shirou considered Swire's invitation and felt there wasn't any major issue. Since they were going to the market anyway, he might as well buy his groceries for the day. His refrigerator had been emptied that morning.

The fish he bought from the boss last time tasted good.

"Then I'll wait for you at the coffee shop over there. Don't you dare go back and not come out again, okay? Otherwise, I'll bite you the next time I see you."

Glancing around, Swire decided on the coffee shop as their meeting point and gave Shirou a verbal threat to prevent him from backing out.

"Okay, okay, I'll be right over."

Shirou wasn't flustered by Swire's threat, as he had no intention of standing her up anyway.

38 You're so proficient

More than half an hour had passed since Shirou Emiya left, and Swire was starting to suspect he had run off.

Fortunately, not long after that thought crossed her mind, she spotted Shirou Emiya in the distance.

After all, red hair was particularly eye-catching, and Shirou Emiya didn't have any race-related items on his head.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking about what I needed to prepare, so it took a while."

After Shirou Emiya returned, he started thinking about what to buy. When he came to his senses, he remembered that he wasn't going alone this time; he was going with Swire, and she was waiting for him at the coffee shop.

With that thought, Shirou Emiya stuffed the new shopping bag into his side bag and rushed out the door.

"It's fine. After all, I was the one who suddenly asked for your help, so I can't exactly complain about waiting a bit."

Seeing that the first thing he did upon arrival was apologize, Swire didn't feel right saying anything. Besides, she was the one who asked Shirou Emiya for help, so she couldn't really complain.

"That's good."

Seeing Swire's reaction, Shirou Emiya breathed a sigh of relief. He had been a little worried that she would complain about his lateness.

It was true that he had spaced out and taken a long time, and that was indeed his fault, so it would have been perfectly reasonable for her to complain.

"Then let's go! Please lead the way, Shirou."

Without waiting for Shirou Emiya to react, Swire grabbed him and pulled him along.

Following his memory of the previous route, Shirou Emiya quickly led Swire to the market.

The market was much the same as last time, except the prices at the various stalls seemed to have changed. Looking at the prices, Shirou Emiya had already started thinking about what to buy.

"Shirou, where did you hear about this last time?"

Upon arriving at the market, Swire asked Shirou Emiya, wanting to know where he had gotten the information.