Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 39

After finishing his conversation with Isv, Shirou began preparing for the day's work.

He had promised the Penguin Logistics members a few days ago that he would make desserts for them. However, he didn't know many dessert recipes. The few he did know were almost completely exhausted, especially by one creature who practically lived on sweets.

It had only been a month.

So, Shirou had been researching some of Longmen's desserts in his spare time.

He had also looked into apple pie a bit, but Shirou didn't plan on making it directly, lest Exusiai pester him for it every single day.

At least not until special occasions, like birthdays.

Shirou went to the supermarket and checked the sale items, picking out ingredients for today's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. He also grabbed some discounted Lactate and heavy cream, and picked up some gelatin sheets.

Shirou planned to make milk pudding, a very simple dessert he saw on his phone.

Returning to the dorm with all the ingredients, Shirou didn't process the ingredients first. Instead, he started with the milk pudding.

This was because the milk pudding needed some time to chill and set.

The ingredients were the fresh milk and heavy cream he had just bought, along with the gelatin sheets and the soul seasoning of Laterano people—sugar.

"I remember I need to soak the gelatin sheets in ice water first to soften them..."

Shirou took a small bowl, filled it with drinking water, then cut about 15 grams of gelatin sheets into small pieces and put them in the bowl, adding ice cubes.

If he didn't add ice cubes, he could see the gelatin sheets disappearing in room-temperature water. Shirou had confirmed this specifically from a video.

"Then, I need to pour the fresh milk, heavy cream, and sugar into a pot and heat them. It seems like it shouldn't boil."

He poured 480 grams of fresh milk, 480 grams of heavy cream, and 40 grams of sugar into the pot and heated them. Since it couldn't boil, Shirou used low heat.

"Once I feel the sugar has dissolved, I'll squeeze the gelatin sheets dry, throw them in, and stir until it's evenly mixed before taking it off the heat."

Shirou followed the instructions from the video as he worked.

He poured the still-liquid milk pudding mixture, which had been stirred evenly, into pre-prepared containers. After letting it cool, he put it in the refrigerator to set. He should be able to enjoy it after dinner tonight.

Lately, Shirou had been reducing the portion size of his main meals, adding some fruit afterward, and occasionally serving a dessert like today after dinner.

He felt that Exusiai was getting a bit chubby. Compared to Croissant and Texas, who had high daily activity levels, and Sora's self-control, Exusiai practically ate with her stomach wide open, eating whatever was available.

She was almost becoming a fat angel.

So, Shirou had been slowly adjusting the portion sizes for each meal. The results would have to wait and be seen later.

As Shirou finished cooking dinner, the Penguin Logistics members were already waiting in the living room. They helped Shirou set the table and quickly devoured the meal.

"Isv contacted me this afternoon. She said there's a long-distance delivery coming up in the next couple of days, so we should give you a simple rundown tomorrow on what to pay attention to when running long distances," Texas said directly after finishing her meal.

They didn't discuss serious matters during dinner, as it could affect their appetite.

"So soon? Isv asked me this morning to find time to ask you guys first."

Shirou was a little surprised by the sudden long-distance mission. He had originally thought it would take some more time.

"Yeah, it just so happens there's a delivery to Ursus. If it goes quickly, it'll only take a day or two."

To prevent Shirou from not knowing where Ursus was, Texas took out her phone and opened a map, asking Shirou to compare it.

Ursus was located roughly above Longmen, but it was incredibly large. However, Texas had marked the delivery location, which was around the border of Ursus, very close to Longmen.

"Ursus."

Shirou's knowledge of Ursus was still limited to books and what other people said.

Overall, it was a very powerful nation, but it seemed to be extremely cruel to the Infected.

However, Shirou had never seen it firsthand. Currently, he only had some negative impressions of Ursus.

Perhaps even less than his impression of Archer?

"Don't worry, we're just going to a border village, we won't be going deep into Ursus," Sora said, noticing Shirou's solemn expression. She then remembered that this seemed to be Shirou's first time going anywhere outside of Longmen.

The reputation of Ursus outside its borders didn't seem very good either. As a first outing, it wasn't a very good choice.

"We're using official channels. As long as we don't go too far, we shouldn't run into Ursus officials," Exusiai added.

"Yeah, the premise is not to go too far," Croissant emphasized, recalling past experiences.

"Don't mind those two. Anyway, we'll buy some supplies tomorrow and also tell you what to watch out for when traveling," Texas said. She felt that Exusiai and Croissant were only making things worse, especially since the bread maker had added that last comment.

"No problem, I'll keep my schedule open for tomorrow."

Shirou didn't pay too much attention to their words, as what he was thinking about was completely different from what they were saying.

However, after hearing them say that, something he wasn't worried about before became a concern. To change his mood, Shirou went to get the milk pudding he had made at noon.

"Milk pudding?"

As someone with countless desserts under her belt, Exusiai could immediately tell what kind of dessert Shirou was holding.

"Learned a new dessert again? Shirou, you're learning pretty fast."

Holding the panna cotta, Sora first used a small spoon to scoop out a small piece, then watched the panna cotta wobble on the spoon.

It was quite therapeutic. Sora had seen videos of things wobbling like this before, except those were in animal shapes.

However, a simple piece like this was also good. After all, the production process for animal shapes was too complicated, and it was unlikely to be made without a certain level of understanding and tools.

"Shirou, why did you think of making panna cotta?"

Exusiai scooped a mouthful and ate it directly. The characteristic of panna cotta was its rich milky flavor and a texture similar to pudding. Although it wasn't as sweet, it was just right when paired with Lactate.

"Because Lactate was on sale! And I happened to see panna cotta a while ago, and it seemed pretty simple to make, so I decided to give it a try."

Shirou, a discount expert, said that the process of making panna cotta was almost not difficult, and as long as a few key points were ensured, it could be easily completed. The only tools used were a pot and bowls.

"...As expected of you."

Upon learning that Shirou even chose discounted items when making desserts, Croissant was utterly impressed.

Normal people would go buy whatever they wanted to eat, but Shirou would first see what was available and then decide what to make.

However, she was also in charge of eating, so this was fine. At least there were different flavors of desserts every day, unlike before when Exusiai only brought back apple pies.

55 Seatbelts

On the day of departure, Penguin Logistics dormitories.

"Shirou! Have you seen the stuff I bought yesterday?"

Beside a large van, the Penguin Logistics members were organizing the things they needed for their trip.

Cargo to be delivered, tents, sleeping bags, rations, weapons, shields, and the snacks and biscuits they specifically bought yesterday...

Among these, snacks and biscuits took up a large portion, and within those, Pocky accounted for the vast majority.

As Exusiai stuffed items into the van, she noticed that the apple pie she bought yesterday didn't seem to be inside, so she asked Shirou.

"In the fridge?"

Shirou thought about what Exusiai bought yesterday. It should only be the apple pie. If she bought it yesterday, it should be in the fridge.

"Oh! I'll go get it now."

Upon learning that her favorite apple pie was still in the fridge, Exusiai hurried upstairs to get it.

"Exusiai is something else, bringing apple pie with her even at a time like this," Croissant, who was carrying her hammer and shield, quipped from the side.

"She's Exusiai, after all. Apple pie is like spiritual food to her," Sora said, peeking her head out from inside the van where she was organizing things.

Everyone could see Exusiai's love for apple pie.

"But eating too much isn't healthy. Speaking of which, where's Texas?"

After chatting with the two for a while, Shirou realized he hadn't seen Texas for some time.

"Texas is in the driver's seat. This car was brought over by the boss the other day, and Texas needs to get familiar with its configuration," Sora said, pointing to the driver's seat when Texas was mentioned.

Hearing Sora, Shirou also noticed Texas in the driver's seat of the van.

Rather than familiarizing herself with the new car, Texas seemed excited about having a new car to drive.

Shirou had only seen Texas with such sparkling eyes and a happy expression when he helped her fix her headphones before.

How should he put it... Shirou always felt that Texas was the type of person who didn't usually show her emotions on her face. She usually had a cold expression, and only when encountering specific things would her facial expressions change, or her ears and tail would wag happily.

Instead of being cold, she seemed like someone who didn't think too much?

Shirou thought about Texas's past behavior.

"By the way, Shirou, don't you have a thick jacket?"

After finishing organizing the items, Sora asked Shirou.

"A thick jacket? No, I only have this one," Shirou said, pulling at the collar of the Penguin Logistics jacket he was wearing. After all, when he arrived, the weather in Longmen was quite warm for him. Furthermore, as far as he knew, it was spring in Longmen, so he hadn't bought a jacket.

"I knew it. Fortunately, I asked Isv to prepare one. Although Longmen is warm now, Ursus is still quite cold, and it might even be snowing!" Sora said with a knowing expression. Then, she took out a very thick-looking jacket from a nearby box and handed it to Shirou.

"That big of a temperature difference?"

Shirou took the thick jacket and looked at it briefly.

The jacket seemed to have been taken care of. This was great for Shirou, as it was ready to wear. He was still a bit hesitant to wear new clothes directly without washing and preparing them first.

Next, the jacket also had Penguin Logistics' favorite black and white color scheme, along with a Penguin Logistics logo.

Finally, it was... really thick. Shirou hadn't worn such a heavy jacket in a long time.

"Mhm, it's better to bring it. Remember to put it in the back compartment later."

Sora also put the things she was going to send in, reminding Shirou Emiya to put his coat in the back compartment.

Shirou Emiya nodded, then tried it on. It was a bit big and might not be suitable for combat, but it should be very warm in everyday situations.

After putting it on, Shirou Emiya felt a bit hot and quickly took off the coat, folded it, and put it in the back compartment.

"Is everything organized?"

Immersed in the joy of driving a new car, Texas poked her head out the window and asked her teammates.

She couldn't wait to drive this new car! It was the latest model! The boss was generous!

"Almost. We're just waiting for Exusiai to bring her apple pie. Shirou Emiya, where are you going to sit?"

Croissant quickly checked the items in the back compartment, confirming that everything that needed to be brought was there, and they were just waiting for Exusiai.

They usually went out as a group of four, so their seats were fixed. However, with Shirou Emiya joining them today, they would have to arrange the seating differently.

"Hmm... the passenger seat?"

After thinking about it, Shirou Emiya felt that the passenger seat might be better. He wouldn't have to squeeze with others in the back seat. He was usually squeezed between Sora and Croissant. It would be fine for short trips, but he would definitely feel suffocated if he sat like that for a long journey.

After all, he was still a teenager, and it was perfectly reasonable to have a few minor troubles, right?

"The passenger seat won't work. That seat is for the person assisting the driver. Just sit in the back obediently."

Croissant's words mercilessly crushed Shirou Emiya's desire to sit in the passenger seat.

"Then I'll take the window seat."

Shirou Emiya rubbed his slightly aching head. Since the passenger seat was out of the question, he might as well sit by the window.

Although the others didn't care, he didn't want to experience social death within Penguin Logistics. It seemed like these people barely saw him as a guy.

"Okay, Sora, you sit in the middle."