Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra, Chapter 48

"Defeating the strong and helping the weak... a partner in justice, sounds pretty good?"

It's just that with Penguin Logistics...

As Shirou hesitated, he heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps.

Turning his head, he saw the four members of Penguin Logistics rushing towards him.

"Aaaah! I object!"

Exusiai shouted loudly. The members of Penguin Logistics were in an uproar over Alina poaching Shirou.

Led by Exusiai, they first grabbed Shirou and retreated a few steps. Then, Croissant lifted Shirou's leg, and the two of them carried Shirou directly back towards the house.

"Ahem, Miss Alina, we sincerely apologize, but we have something to attend to and need to take Shirou with us first."

Sora said to Alina.

Sora and Texas were responsible for the negotiation, while Exusiai and Croissant carried Shirou back. The division of labor among the four was very clear.

"Are you Shirou's companions?"

Looking at their actions, Alina didn't seem angry about being interrupted. Instead, she looked somewhat relieved.

"I don't know what your intentions are, but we won't let you approach Shirou again."

Texas held the Originium sword hilt, on guard.

If they were from Longmen's Knights of the Round Table, it would be one thing, and Texas wouldn't have such a strong reaction.

But if they were from the Reunion Movement, it was unacceptable. There were still too many suspicious points about that organization.

They were the ones who found the amnesiac Shirou, and they felt it was their responsibility to take care of and protect him.

Although he didn't seem to need protection and was even taking care of them in return.

However, Shirou's mind was still not fully mature, and he could easily be exploited by people with ulterior motives on this continent.

"Don't be so tense. I only want to recruit Shirou because... he's very similar to a friend of mine."

Seeing Sora and Texas on guard, Mephisto and Faust also stepped in front of Alina, confronting the two.

But Alina pulled them behind her, indicating she had no intention of being hostile.

"Is that all?"

Texas slightly lowered her guard. Since the other party had shown goodwill, there was no need for her to press the issue.

"Yes, that's all."

Alina nodded and continued:

"Shirou is very much like my friend. If he has no one to accompany him, he can easily fall into extremism. Please be mindful of this. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

With that, Alina left with Faust and Mephisto.

Watching the three of them leave, Texas and Sora were a bit bewildered.

"Texas, do you understand what she meant?"

Sora asked Texas, not quite grasping the meaning behind her words.

Falling into extremism without companionship? Shirou?

It would be more convincing to say that Shirou conquered Longmen with his cooking skills.

"No."

Texas shook her head and put away her weapon.

When the two returned to the house, they saw Shirou sitting by the stove drinking water, and Exusiai and Croissant kneeling on the floor, reflecting.

"... Are we going to join them too?"

Sora thought for a moment, guessing that Shirou was punishing them for what had just happened.

"You two can sit down. They are kneeling because of what happened last night."

Looking at Texas and Sora, Shirou sighed and said.

"..."

Texas and Sora silently returned to their seats.

"Let's hear the reason,"

Shirou placed his cup on the table and asked.

68 Shirou! My Superman!

After Penguin Logistics explained everything, Shirou finally understood why they had reacted so intensely just now.

Shirou asked Croissant and Exusiai to sit down, then rubbed his still aching head.

First, Alina was trying to recruit him for the Reunion Movement, and then he had the issues with Penguin Logistics to deal with. Shirou felt he had received too much information today, and it was only morning.

After briefly organizing everyone's statements, Shirou had a general idea of why they had acted the way they did.

"While being valued is a pleasant feeling, it's impolite to interrupt someone's conversation without reason. Do you understand?"

Shirou Emiya naturally trusted everyone in Penguin Logistics. Thinking about it carefully, what they said didn't really have any problems; the Reunion was an organization with an unknown origin.

He had hesitated just now because Alina gave him a familiar feeling, and what she said also made Shirou yearn for something.

But it was only a hesitation; he ultimately wouldn't agree to Alina's proposal. He still had a place to return to.

However, that was a separate matter from interrupting a conversation, so he still had to say what needed to be said and scold them according to procedure.

"Guh... we were impulsive about this. Sorry."

Texas straightened up with a well-behaved posture. She had been the most impulsive, even drawing her weapon.

With Shirou looking serious, even Exusiai and Croissant didn't dare to cause any more trouble. They sat obediently on their chairs, waiting for Shirou's scolding.

Sora also felt a bit nervous looking at Shirou like this. Although their intentions were good, their actions had gone too far.

"Sigh... Don't do this again in the future. I'll let it slide this time."

Seeing their remorseful expressions, Shirou couldn't bring himself to say much more.

After all, while they still had some selfish motives, their overall intentions were good.

In such a situation, Shirou naturally couldn't bring himself to harshly criticize them.

"Waaah, Shirou, you're such a good person!"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Exusiai couldn't hold back. She was just one dash away from rushing over to hug Shirou's leg and cry.

This sense of acceptance reminded her of her parents back in Laterano; only parents would unconditionally accept their children like this.

However, Exusiai didn't hug Shirou's leg and cry, but Croissant did.

"Shirou! My Superman! I'm willing to follow you forever."

Croissant said this, hugging Shirou's leg.

"Don't get your snot on my clothes! It's not easy to wash clothes here!"

Facing Croissant's onslaught, Shirou desperately pushed her head away, preventing his clothes from getting stained with snot.

Shirou didn't want to wear clothes covered in tears and snot, nor did he want to run to the river to wash clothes in this weather!

Seeing Croissant make her move, Exusiai followed suit and hugged his other leg.

"Exusiai, don't join in the commotion at a time like this!"

Shirou was already struggling to deal with Croissant, this strong woman, and now Exusiai was here too! He was starting to get overwhelmed.

Watching Shirou battle Exusiai and Croissant, Texas and Sora's earlier tension eased.

Once relaxed, the two thought of the words Alina had said before she left.

"If no one is there to accompany him, he can easily fall into extremes. Please pay close attention to this."

Looking at Shirou now, Sora found it hard to imagine him falling into extremes.

Texas, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.

This was also related to her past, but she had chosen her current life, together with everyone in Penguin Logistics.

However, Texas understood that this kind of life wouldn't last forever; her past would catch up to her someday.

Perhaps Shirou was the same?

Texas thought this as she watched Shirou break free from Exusiai and Croissant, constantly dodging their advances.

Neither Texas nor Sora had any intention of telling Shirou about this.

Firstly, it was just advice from someone they had just met.

And secondly... they were a team, Penguin Logistics. If Shirou truly became as Alina said, they wouldn't stand by and do nothing.

Just as they were playfully bickering, Madam Dalia returned.

"Oh? Is everyone awake? I got some wild beast meat. I heard a messenger was staying at my place, so the Reunion people gave me extra to entertain you properly."

Madam Dalia held a basket tied with rope, filled with what looked like a substantial amount of meat.

"Mmm... meat."

Seeing the fresh meat before her, Croissant let out a sound of wanting to eat meat.

She hadn't eaten fresh meat in over a day!

She hadn't eaten meat cooked by Shirou in over a day!

Just looking at the meat, Croissant was already imagining what kind of dishes Shirou would make with it.

The other three weren't as craving for meat as Croissant. Especially Exusiai, meat meant far less to her than apple pie.

However, if it was cooked by Shirou, she wouldn't mind trying it.

"Hmm, but it's just meat. We can probably only make soup."

Madam Dalia lamented this. The weather had been snowy recently. Although it wasn't heavy, it still affected the harvest of some crops. If the Reunion people hadn't frequently distributed meat and food, the villagers might have had to risk hunting.

Upon hearing that it was just plain meat soup, everyone in Penguin Logistics turned their gazes to Shirou, hoping he could use his exquisite skills to cook the meat and give it a proper destination.

Although they should be grateful just to have food, given the opportunity, they still hoped for a better meal.

"Hmm... I remember Isv prepared some longer-lasting ingredients in the back seat?"

Seeing the gazes cast his way, Shirou could only rack his brain for a solution.

Then he remembered that Isv seemed to have prepared some longer-lasting ingredients in the back seat, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and white radishes.

"Ah! I remember! I'll go get them right away!"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Exusiai and Croissant volunteered and rushed out.

"...Don't forget the seasonings!"

Watching their hurried departure, Shirou reminded them to bring the seasonings along as well.

"Are you going to cook this piece of meat?"

Observing their actions and conversation, Madam Dalia understood that Shirou intended to cook the meat.

"Yes, I'll decide based on what ingredients we have. May I use the kitchen?"

Shirou was constantly thinking about how to make a dish with these ingredients.

"Of course, feel free to use it. If you need anything else, I'll go borrow it."

Seeing Shirou's serious expression, Madam Dalia didn't hesitate. When she taught Shirou knitting that morning, she had already sensed that he seemed quite skilled in this area.

If she were to cook, she could at best make something filling. It was better to leave it to a professional.

69 White Radish Beast Meat Soup (Bounty Posted!)

"Hmm... it's really just these."

Looking at the small box of ingredients before him, Shirou rummaged through it a bit.

It was indeed mostly as Shirou had thought, mainly some longer-lasting ingredients like white radishes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, but the quantities weren't large. After all, when traveling, the focus was mainly on dry rations. These were just options for when they camped in the wilderness.