Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 5

Shirou seemed to sense that the other party was up to no good.

"So—Shirou, I'll call you that then. I have a job for you. It pays, gives you legal status to stay in Longmen, a chance for treatment, and the work itself is very simple. Are you interested?"

The Emperor clapped his hands together, stating his purpose.

He wanted to hire a nanny for the Penguin Logistics crew and keep the person here for observation.

Even though he had no memories, he was someone who had survived a fall from a great height!

Another reason was that he wanted to keep the person around for observation.

As for Shirou, he found the conditions acceptable.

He just needed to confirm the job details first. It wouldn't be good to accidentally sign some strange contract and go crazy.

"Can I confirm the job details?"

The Emperor hopped off his chair and casually opened a room.

"It's very simple. It's just like what you're doing now."

Seeing how clean the room was, it reinforced his desire to hire Shirou. After all, the living habits of those girls were truly terrible. They basically tidied up to the minimum extent necessary, like if there was an empty space to sit, they'd sit there, or if there was an area on the bed to lie down, they'd lie there. Although Exusiai cleaned up occasionally, Exusiai was very busy!

He had wanted to find someone to take care of these brats for a long time, but it was difficult for ordinary people to accept Penguin Logistics' eccentric personalities and the inherent dangers. Hiring professionals was too expensive.

As for Shirou, firstly, his status required his help. Secondly, he was rescued and capable. Most importantly, he looked easy to fool!

However, he had to let him do some basic tasks first. Other matters would be discussed after the observation period.

"So, it's... like a housekeeper?"

Shirou pondered for a moment before stating a job that was roughly similar in scope.

"Yes, but don't worry about cooking. They mostly order takeout. However, it would be even better if you can cook."

"I'll try my best?"

Although cooking was Shirou's hobby and strength, he couldn't guarantee that the ingredients here would be familiar to him, so he didn't dare to directly claim he could cook.

"Excellent. Then, welcome to Penguin Logistics. Exusiai will bring the others up later, and you can get to know them properly. This is your room and workplace. Feel free to use it. Your usual work areas are here and upstairs. I'll notify you if there are any other needs."

The Emperor generously handed over the entire place to Shirou for management.

Hmm... how should he put it? Shirou felt that the onboarding process was a bit too casual.

Had he joined a strange place?

"Okay, I understand. I'll do my best."

However, he really needed their help right now. Moreover, he seemed to have been rescued, so they should be... good people, right?

Glancing at the Emperor's sunglasses and gold chain combo, Shirou cast a question mark over the legitimacy of the company he was joining.

"Very good, very good. We won't shortchange you on salary."

The Emperor was pleased with how smoothly the conversation went. He pulled over a chair, jumped onto it, and settled into a comfortable position, waiting for Exusiai and the others to bring the food.

03 Joining Penguin Logistics...?

Shirou and the Emperor sat at the table, and Shirou felt the atmosphere was quite tense.

It had been fine just a moment ago... Was this the unique atmosphere between a boss and their subordinate?

Shirou's mind was racing with thoughts.

"Boss! We're here!"

Croissant pushed open the door, carrying bags of food.

Exusiai, Sora, and Texas behind her were also carrying other items.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Is this really the ruin that no one bothers to tidy up?"

Croissant dashed to the table, placed the food down, and then started wandering around the living room, opening all the doors to check the conditions inside.

Shirou seemed to hear some strange terms but chose to ignore them.

"It really is... No wonder the boss wanted to eat here. Compared to our place, it's really clean." Sora also joined the curious crowd.

Texas placed the bag she was holding in front of Shirou and opened it, allowing Shirou to get a general idea of its contents.

"Some daily necessities and change of clothes. I don't know your size, so I bought them a bit larger."

"Okay, thank you very much, Miss Texas." Shirou took the bag. It contained toiletries, washing supplies, and a set of change of clothes, all plain colored.

"Just call me Texas. No need for honorifics." Texas casually took out a Pocky and put it in her mouth.

As for Exusiai? She had already joined the group exploring the place.

The Emperor found a bottle of red wine and some wine glasses on the table. He enthusiastically poured himself a glass and placed it in front of Shirou. Then, he turned to the three and said:

"Stop wandering around. Let's eat first. Consider this a welcome banquet! Let's welcome our new member."

Upon hearing about a new member, the three immediately rushed to the dining table. Croissant and Exusiai quickly arranged the food on the table, while Sora and Texas put away the non-food items.

Before Shirou could react, they had everything ready. Exusiai and Croissant each hooked an arm around his shoulders.

"Boss, boss, what did he apply for? Are we finally getting a proper Arts user in our team who can take down those shield-bearers?"

Exusiai and Croissant looked excited.

"No, he's a housekeeper, responsible for taking care of your daily lives," the Emperor said, breaking their fantasies after taking a sip of red wine.

"Housekeeper?"

"Take care of our daily lives?"

"Him?"

Exusiai, Croissant, and Sora uttered sounds of confusion.

Texas, though silent, also looked confused.

The Emperor slammed his glass on the table and gestured around:

"Look at how clean it is, and then think about your place!"

The group instantly quieted down, their gazes drifting to the side.

"Um... that's not messy! It's just that there are a few more things!"

This was Exusiai's defense.

"Exactly, some of my merchandise is over there too."

This was Croissant's defense.

"All my things are in my room."

Sora explained.

"As long as I can sit and lie down, it's fine."

This was Texas's minimal requirement.

"..."

Although Shirou hadn't seen the rooms of the group yet, he could already feel that he would be busy in the future.

"So, your great and handsome boss hired someone to take care of you, and you're not going to thank me?"

"Boss! Our forever good boss." Exusiai and Croissant wiped away tears that weren't actually there.

"Well... then please take care of me? You can call me Sora, hehe, I have a junior now!" Sora extended her hand to Shirou, her face full of joy.

"Please take care of me, Senior Sora."

Shirou extended his hand and shook hers as a formality.

"Eh... I'm happy to be called senior, but just calling me Sora is fine."

Sora smiled shyly.

"Just call me Texas."

Texas then handed Shirou a slice of pizza, a classic Siracusa flavor, made with simple cheese and tomato sauce.

"Okay, Texas."

Shirou took the pizza from Texas, took a bite, and then his shoulder was patted.

"You can call me Sister Croissant, you know?"

Croissant, standing nearby, patted Shirou's shoulder.

"Just call her Croissant. After all, even the grand senior doesn't require a formal title. Also, as I introduced myself, I am Exusiai."

Exusiai, on the side, pushed Croissant back into her chair and pointed to herself as she introduced herself.

Shirou took a moment to remember: the one with blonde hair and beast ears was Sora, the one with black hair and beast ears was Texas, the one with orange hair and horns was Croissant, and the one with red hair and a halo was Exusiai.

And the penguin with a gangster aura in front of him was the Emperor, who was also his future boss.

Well, it seemed that everyone except Texas and Sora wasn't very reliable.

"If you have any requests, mention them now, and I'll have people prepare them in the next few days. If you think of anything later, tell these few to help you prepare it. You can rest well for now and start working in about one or two weeks."

Seeing that Shirou didn't seem intimidated by the Penguin Logistics members, the Emperor jumped off his chair with satisfaction.

"Ah... um, can I have some books?"

Shirou thought about it. He seemed to need quite a few things, but asking for them all at once might not be good. He could buy them himself once he got paid.

However, the Emperor seemed to have seen through Shirou's thoughts and waved his hand, saying, "Don't overthink it. While I'm letting you make requests, I can only help you with clothing and other daily necessities. However, considering your situation, I'll prepare some common sense books for you. I remember you've forgotten a lot of common sense, right? You should learn about Originium from Texas and the others these few days. Don't get infected with Oripathy by accident. It's very troublesome if an employee gets infected with Oripathy."

After speaking, the Emperor opened the door and left.

Seeing the Emperor leave, Croissant said to Shirou with a look of pity:

"You missed out on hundreds of millions. If it were me, I'd definitely peel off a layer of skin from the boss."

"No, no, no, you're thinking too much. If you dare to do that, the boss will chop off your horns and use them as decorations."

Exusiai advised him as someone who had been through it.

Back then, she was also young like Croissant and tried to take advantage of the boss in this regard. Then she was tied to the ceiling and used as a lampshade.

The boss is a simple person. If you are polite to him, he won't do anything to you. But if you try to take advantage of him, you must not be discovered, otherwise, he has plenty of ways to deal with you.

"Don't corrupt the new recruit!"

Sora tried to stop the two from filling Shirou's head with strange, devious knowledge.

"Haa…"

Texas poured a cup of hot coffee and watched Shirou, who was surrounded and looking a bit overwhelmed, and the others who were playfully surrounding him. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she took a sip of coffee, enjoying this slightly noisy, yet beautiful, everyday life.

04 The Golden Door

After the farewell party, Shirou looked at the living room, which, although tidied up, was still a bit of a mess. He seemed to have foreseen a future where he would either be cleaning or on his way to cleaning.

Fortunately, Sora brought down some trash bags from upstairs; otherwise, the garbage might have piled up on the table.

"Heave-ho." Shirou skillfully washed and sorted the items, then packed them into trash bags.

In a short while, the living room returned to its original state. Shirou picked up his change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.

"Good thing I cleaned the bathtub this afternoon too, so I can take a nice bath… Huh?"

While changing, Shirou found a red cloth in his pocket.

It was the Holy Shroud.

But Shirou remembered placing the Holy Shroud on his bed. He left the bathroom, placed the Holy Shroud on the living room table, and then returned to the bathroom, washing up and taking a bath in one go.

Submerged in the bathtub, Shirou let out a long sigh of relief.

"Now that things have quieted down, I feel even more flustered."