After finishing his conversation with Isv, Shirou began preparing for today's work.
Because he had promised the Penguin Logistics crew a few days ago to make desserts, he actually did not know very many sweet dishes to begin with, and the few he did know were almost squeezed dry by the group, especially a certain creature who practically used sweets as a staple food.
And it had only been a month.
Therefore, Shirou was also studying some of Lungmen's desserts in his spare time.
He had also researched apple pies a little, but in order to avoid being pestered by Exusiai for apple pies every day in the future, Shirou did not plan to make them directly.
At least save them for some special occasions, like birthdays or something.
Shirou went to the supermarket, checked out the discounted products, and selected the ingredients for today's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast, along with discounted yak milk and heavy cream, grabbing some gelatin sheets along the way.
Shirou intended to make panna cotta, a very simple dessert he had seen on his phone.
Bringing all the ingredients back to the dormitory, Shirou did not process the food right away, but instead tackled the panna cotta portion first.
Because panna cotta needed a period of refrigeration to let it set.
The ingredients were the fresh milk and heavy cream he had just bought, along with gelatin sheets, and the Laterano soul seasoning—granulated sugar.
I remember the first step is to soak the gelatin sheets in ice water to soften them...
Shirou grabbed a small bowl, filled it with drinking water, and then cut about fifteen grams of gelatin sheets into small pieces, put them into the bowl, and added ice cubes.
Without ice cubes, one could watch the gelatin sheets disappear into room-temperature water; Shirou had specifically confirmed this detail from the video.
Then it's pouring the fresh milk, heavy cream, and sugar into a pot to heat, and it seems it can't be allowed to boil.
He poured 480 grams of fresh milk, 480 grams of heavy cream, and 40 grams of sugar into the pot together to heat. Because he could not let it boil, Shirou used a low flame.
When it feels like the sugar has all dissolved, squeeze the gelatin sheets dry, toss them in, and stir evenly, then you can take it off the heat.
Recalling the tutorial from the video, Shirou operated step by step.
He poured the evenly stirred, still-liquid panna cotta into pre-prepared containers, let them cool, and put them into the refrigerator to set. More or less, they could be enjoyed tonight after finishing dinner.
Lately, Shirou reduced the portion size of the main courses slightly, then provided some post-meal fruit, and occasionally offered post-meal desserts like today.
He felt that Exusiai was getting a bit chubby. Compared to the high daily exercise levels of Croissant and Texas, and Sora's self-discipline, Exusiai practically ate with open arms, eating whatever was available.
She was almost turning into a fat angel.
Therefore, Shirou was slowly adjusting the portion size of each meal, and the results would have to be seen later.
As Shirou finished cooking dinner, the Penguin Logistics crew was already standing by in the living room. They helped Shirou put the dinner on the table and swiftly annihilated it.
"Isv contacted me this afternoon, saying there's a long-distance run in the next two days, and asked us to help you briefly understand what to watch out for on long-distance trips tomorrow."
Texas went straight to the point after finishing her meal.
They never discussed serious matters during dinner, as it tended to ruin the appetite.
"So soon? In the morning, Isv still told me to find time to ask you guys first."
Shirou felt a little surprised that this sudden long-distance mission came so abruptly; he originally thought he would have to wait a while longer.
"Yeah, there's just one delivery heading to Ursus. If we're fast, a day or two will do it."
To prevent Shirou from not knowing where Ursus was, Texas took out her phone and opened a map app, gesturing for Shirou to compare and look.
The location of Ursus was roughly above Lungmen, but absurdly large. However, Texas had slightly marked the delivery location, which was probably just on the border of Ursus, very close to Lungmen.
"Ursus, huh."
Shirou's understanding of Ursus was still limited to books and the accounts of other people.
Overall, it was a very powerful nation, but it seemed extremely cruel toward the Infected.
Yet Shirou had never seen it with his own eyes; at most, he currently held some bad impressions of Ursus.
Probably even lower than his impression of Archer?
"Don't worry, the place we're going to is just a border village, we won't be going deep into Ursus."
Seeing Shirou's solemn expression, Sora only then remembered that Shirou seemed to be going outside of Lungmen for the very first time.
The external reputation of Ursus did not seem very good either; as a first-time trip outside, it was indeed not a very good choice.
"We're taking legitimate channels, anyway. As long as we don't go too overboard, we shouldn't cross paths with Ursus officials."
Exusiai added from the side.
"Yeah, provided we don't go too overboard."
Recalling past experiences, Croissant specifically emphasized this.
"Don't mind these two. Anyway, we'll be purchasing some supplies tomorrow, and by the way, we'll tell you what to watch out for when you're out."
Texas felt that Exusiai and Croissant were simply making things darker the more they tried to paint them bright, especially with that bread man making that final supplementary remark.
"No problem, I'll clear my schedule tomorrow."
Shirou didn't pay too much attention to the words of the two, because what he was thinking about and what the group was talking about were simply not the same thing.
It was just that after being talked about by them, a matter he hadn't worried about originally began to feel worrisome. To shift his mindset, Shirou went to fetch the panna cotta he made at noon.
"Panna cotta?"
As an Exusiai who had seen countless desserts, she recognized at a glance what dessert Shirou was holding in his hand.
"Learned a new dessert again? Shirou, your learning speed is a bit fast."
Sora, holding the panna cotta, first picked up a small spoon and scooped a small piece, then watched the panna cotta wiggle and wobble on the spoon.
It was quite therapeutic. Sora had previously seen videos of this kind of wobbling, though the shapes were usually animal forms.
However, a simple block like this was also pretty good, because the production process for animal shapes was too complex; without a certain degree of understanding and equipment, it probably couldn't be made.
"Shirou, what made you think of making panna cotta?"
Exusiai scooped a mouthful and ate it directly. The characteristic of panna cotta was its very rich milky flavor, and the texture was also very much like pudding. Although it wasn't that sweet, matched with the taste of yak milk, it was truly just right.
"Because yak milk was on sale, and I happened to see panna cotta a while ago. The preparation is also quite simple, so I gave it a try."
Discount master Shirou said. The production process of panna cotta was hardly difficult, and as long as a few points were guaranteed, it could be easily completed. The utensils used were also only a pot and a bowl.
...As expected of you.
Upon learning that Shirou even had to pick discounted items to make desserts, Croissant admired him to the utmost.
Normal people bought whatever they wanted to eat; only Shirou looked at what was available first before thinking about what to make.
However, she was also responsible for eating, so this was pretty good too. At least there were desserts of different flavors every day, unlike before when Exusiai only ever brought back apple pies.
55 Seatbelts
On the day of departure, Penguin Logistics dormitory.
"Shirou! Did you see the things I bought yesterday?"
Beside a large van, the Penguin Logistics crew was organizing the things needed for the trip.
Goods to deliver, tents, sleeping bags, dry rations, weapons, shields, and the snacks and biscuits bought specially yesterday...
Among them, snacks and biscuits occupied a large portion, and among those, Pocky occupied the absolute majority.
While Exusiai was stuffing things into the car, she discovered that the apple pie she had bought specially yesterday didn't seem to be inside, so she asked Shirou.
"In the fridge, I guess?"
Shirou thought about the things Exusiai bought yesterday. There shouldn't have been anything else besides the apple pie. If she bought it yesterday, it should be in the fridge.
"Ooh! I'll go get it right now."
Learning that her beloved apple pie was still in the fridge, Exusiai dashed upstairs in a rush to grab it.
"Big Sis Exu is really something. She has to bring apple pies out even at a time like this."
Croissant, carrying her own hammer and shield to the side, complained.
"Well, she's Exusiai after all. Apple pies are spiritual food to her."
Sora stuck her head out while organizing things inside the car and spoke.
Exusiai's love for apple pies was something anyone could see.
"Still, eating too much isn't healthy either. Speaking of which, where is Texas?"
Chatting idly with the two for a bit, Shirou suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen Texas for a while.
"Texas is in the driver's seat. After all, this van was brought over by Boss these past two days, and Texas needs to familiarize herself with the layout inside first."
Mentioning Texas, Sora pointed toward the driver's seat and spoke.
Hearing Sora's words, Shirou also noticed Texas located in the driver's seat of the van.
Rather than saying she was familiarizing herself with this new car, it was more like Texas seemed excited about having a new car to drive.
This expression of Texas with eyes shining and looking happy was something Shirou had only seen previously when he helped her repair her earphones.
How should he put it... Shirou always felt that Texas seemed like the kind of person who usually didn't show her inner emotions on her face. She always wore a cold expression normally, and only when encountering specific things would her facial expressions change, or her ears and tail would happily wag.
Rather than calling it cold, it was more like she was the kind of person without too many thoughts?
Shirou thought about Texas's past behavior as he pondered.
"By the way, Shirou, do you not have a thick coat?"
After organizing the things to a similar completion, Sora asked Shirou.
"A thick coat? No, I don't. As for coats, I only have this one."
Shirou tugged at the collar of the Penguin Logistics jacket he was currently wearing. After all, the climate of Lungmen when he arrived was quite warm to him, and as far as he knew, Lungmen was currently in spring, so he hadn't gone to purchase an overcoat.
"I knew it. Good thing I had Isv prepare one. Although Lungmen is very warm right now, Ursus is still quite cold, and it might even be snowing there, you know?"
Sora wore a I-knew-it expression, and then pulled a rather heavy-looking coat out of a box nearby and handed it to Shirou.
"There's that big of a temperature difference?"
Taking the thick coat, Shirou looked it over slightly.
The coat seemed to have already been cleaned and tended to, which was exceptionally great for Shirou. At the very least, it was in a state where it could be worn directly; for this kind of new clothing, if it hadn't been washed and prepared, Shirou still wouldn't quite dare to put it on directly.
Next was that the coat also featured the black-and-white color scheme favored by Penguin Logistics, as well as a Penguin Logistics logo.
Finally was... it was really thick. Shirou hadn't worn such a heavy coat in a very long time.
"Yeah, having it doesn't hurt. Remember to stow it in the trunk later."
After cramming the goods to be delivered inside as well, Sora reminded Shirou to put the coat into the trunk.
Shirou nodded, then tried putting it on briefly. It was a bit too large; it might not be very suitable for combat, but under daily conditions, it should be quite warm.
After trying it on for a moment, Shirou began to feel somewhat hot, and hurriedly took the coat off, folded it neatly, and placed it inside the trunk.
"Is everything organized?"
Immersed in the joy of getting to drive a new car, Texas poked her head out of the window and asked her teammates.
She couldn't wait to drive this new car! And it was the newest model! The boss is generous!
"Almost, just waiting for Big Sis Exu with her apple pie. Shirou, where are you sitting?"
Croissant swiftly counted the items in the trunk, confirmed that everything that needed to be brought was brought, and only lacked Exusiai to come over.
In the past, four people always went out, so the seating arrangements were also fixed. But today there was an extra Shirou, so the seating had to be arranged separately.
"Um... The front passenger seat?"
Thinking it over, Shirou felt that the front passenger seat might be a bit better. He wouldn't have to squeeze in the back row with the others; in the past, he was always squeezed in the middle by Sora and Croissant. Short trips were fine, but sitting like that on a long trip would definitely drive him crazy.
After all, he was still a teenager in the middle of puberty; having a tiny, little bit of trouble was entirely reasonable, right?
"The front passenger seat won't do. Someone has to be responsible for assisting the person in the driver's seat over there, so obediently sit in the back."
Croissant's single sentence ruthlessly shattered Shirou's desire to sit in the front passenger seat.
"Then the window seat it is."
Shirou rubbed his somewhat aching head. Since the front passenger seat was out of the question, he had to at least get a window.
Although the others didn't mind, he certainly didn't want to suffer a social death inside Penguin Logistics. This group of people practically didn't treat him like a boy at all.
"Fine, Sora, you sit in the middle."
Before you continue