Shirou Emiya Stands on Terra Chapter 7

From Exusiai and Texas's perspective, Shirou Emiya was just figuring out the way, so they both slowed their pace.

The two had planned to go shopping today anyway. It was just that now they had an extra person, and while it was an unexpected task, it was still within an acceptable range.

"Shirou, what kind of clothes do you like?"

After they arrived at the shopping district, Exusiai asked Shirou.

"Simple ones are fine. For now, I just need something to wear," Shirou replied without many demands. He wasn't at a point where he needed to buy expensive clothes.

Firstly, he didn't have the money. Secondly, he was still growing, so expensive clothes wouldn't last long.

"I understand. Then let's go to that men's clothing store over there."

Exusiai pointed to a very expensive-looking men's clothing store ahead.

"Idiot, we're going to that one."

Texas delivered a chop to Exusiai's head, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Why?"

Exusiai cradled her head with both hands, asking Texas why she had struck her.

"We have a lot to buy, and his needs are simple," Texas explained before pulling Exusiai along with Shirou to the other store.

Shirou followed. The store Texas recommended was a more ordinary one that sold both men's and women's clothing.

After entering, Shirou confirmed his size and picked out a few black and white tops, plain pants, and boxer briefs before coming straight out. The whole process was smooth and took no more than ten minutes.

"I'm done," Shirou said to the two waiting for him at the entrance, holding a small bag.

Both were surprised by Shirou's speed, but considering he was a guy, they weren't too shocked.

06 Shopping

Shirou carried his newly bought clothes and wandered around the shopping district with Exusiai and Texas.

Incidentally, Shirou had just noticed that the name of this shopping district seemed to be Dagu Shopping District.

The name reminded Shirou of a certain famous tokusatsu series.

"Texas, didn't you say your headphones broke a while ago? Aren't you considering buying a new pair?"

Exusiai looked around, taking a bite of a freshly bought apple pie. Seeing a store that specialized in electronics, she remembered that Texas's headphones had broken recently.

"No rush. I need to research headphones a bit more. There was a model I really liked, but it's no longer sold. Sending it for repair is too expensive," Texas said, glancing at the store Exusiai mentioned before shaking her head in refusal.

After a moment of conversation between the two, Shirou chimed in, "Um, are there any bookstores around here?"

"Bookstores? What are you looking for? I thought you had a few books the boss gave you on your shelf, which should be enough for a while?"

Exusiai turned to look at Shirou. She remembered seeing a few books on the shelf this morning, so why was Shirou looking for books so soon?

"I want to find some related to cooking ingredients. The boss said it would be better if I could cook."

Shirou's main interest had always been home cooking. He had also seen some familiar foods on the way, so he estimated that most of the cooking methods he knew could be applied here.

Even if they couldn't be applied, he would find a way to learn them, as it was his passion.

Besides, his future job would be to take care of the daily lives of the residents, so mastering cooking techniques was only logical.

"Hmm... why don't you use your phone?"

Exusiai thought for a moment, wondering why Shirou didn't use a convenient tool like a phone.

At that moment, Texas delivered another chop to Exusiai's head and said to Shirou, "Your needs might be met faster with a phone, but if you still want to find books, I can take you there."

"Then I'll use my phone," Shirou nodded. Since they recommended a more convenient option, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

However, weren't phones those foldable or slider types?

Shirou, hailing from Earth in 2004, was confused.

Exusiai and Texas changed their route and led Shirou to a mobile phone specialty store first.

Shirou looked at the various phones and pointed to one, asking, "Is this a phone?"

"Yeah, it's a phone," Exusiai said, waving her red-colored phone. Texas also took out her gray phone.

"...Never mind. Just pick a usable one for me."

Shirou decided not to overthink it and would study the local technology tree later after getting his phone.

Seeing Shirou's reaction, Exusiai had Texas grab a particularly durable phone to pay for, while she used the display model to show Shirou how to use it.

It felt much like children taking their elderly parents to buy a phone, picking out an inexpensive and durable model for seniors, and then slowly teaching them how to use it.

Indeed... Exusiai was thinking exactly that.

After Shirou had memorized the basic operations, Texas handed him the phone.

"I've got it all set up. You can use it right away. I've saved my number and Exusiai's in here too."

"Sorry to trouble you. How much is this?"

Shirou took the phone and followed the steps Exusiai had just mentioned. After confirming the basic functions, he put it away.

"I'll pay you back later. Let's go buy other things first."

Texas took a Pocky stick and put it in her mouth. Shirou's phone was quite cheap and didn't cost much, but it was still a significant amount for the penniless Shirou. So, she considered it a loan for now. After all, having a phone would be much more convenient and save him money on books.

Well, ordinary books, but he'd still have to buy specialized books for professional knowledge.

"Okay, thanks, Texas."

Shirou didn't say much more, thinking he'd pay her back once he had extra money after this shopping trip.

"That's nice, Texas lending you money."

Exusiai looked at Texas beside her, then at Shirou, and pouted, looking unhappy.

"If you didn't mess up your missions, you wouldn't get fined, would you?"

Texas didn't soften at this and instead criticized Exusiai for her usual impulsiveness at work, which led to extra expenses and even salary deductions.

"Ugh... Texas, you..."

Exusiai clutched her chest, looking utterly incredulous.

Shirou watched the two bicker with a slight smile.

"Alright, stop messing around and take Shirou to look at furniture."

Texas pushed Exusiai's head away with a look of disdain as she tried to lean on her.

Hearing Texas, Exusiai relented and stood up straight, dusting off nonexistent dirt from her clothes.

"Shirou, let's go. We'll take you to look at furniture. We want to see what you need."

"Furniture... Let me think about what I need."

Shirou considered his room's layout: a basic bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk.

He might need a rug and a larger table. The rug would be for when he practiced magic, and the small desk, while sufficient for reading, was too small for practicing projection. He'd need a big table to place projection items on.

After all, it wouldn't be good to trip over things on the floor.

His room could be simple. He didn't need anything for the living room for now; he could get it later if needed.

Once they had decided, the group entered the store and quickly picked out what they needed. Exusiai, however, felt a chill down her spine looking at the rows of circular fluorescent lights.

Remember, for every circular tube light purchased, a Latran person suffers.

"That should be all for the shopping district. There haven't been any new styles lately."

Exusiai complained, carrying a bag of sweets and a bag of clothes. Texas, meanwhile, carried a bag filled entirely with Pocky.

"You really like Pocky, Texas."

Seeing Texas so inseparable from Pocky, Shirou finally couldn't help but ask.

"It's just a substitute for quitting smoking. It helps relieve anxiety and allows me to focus a bit."

Texas casually took a box and put it into her jacket pocket.

But Shirou remembered that canids shouldn't eat... No, he shouldn't compare ordinary animals to them. These people, despite having animalistic traits and habits, were still human.

Texas looked at Shirou, who seemed to want to say something but stopped himself. She felt like he was thinking of something unpleasant, but she had no proof.

"Let's head back to the dorm. You must be tired after shopping all morning, right?"

When they returned to the entrance of the shopping district, Exusiai and Texas didn't plan to go anywhere else. Seeing how tired Shirou looked, they suggested returning to the dorms.

Shirou didn't refuse. His muscles, already sore, felt even worse after a morning of shopping. He needed some rest.

07 Omelet Rice

After returning to his room, Shirou first started operating his phone.

Fortunately, the phone supported voice-to-text input, which saved him a lot of trouble.

After searching for a lot of information through his phone, Shirou had a general idea of the names of some ingredients and cooking methods.

Longmen's overall culinary style seemed to lean towards Hong Kong and Chinese cuisine. He remembered that this should be... whose specialty was it?

Shirou spent some time searching his memories before recalling the person's name from another one of his memories.

Rin Tohsaka, Archer's Master.

Shirou began to wonder if he had been drawn into that Holy Grail War, causing his memories to be incomplete. If it weren't for that other set of memories patching things up, he would only remember that such a person existed but wouldn't be able to recall her name or face.

Shirou shook his head, deciding not to dwell on those thoughts anymore.

It was already a done deal, and thinking about it further wouldn't help. It was better to focus on how to face the future.

He plugged his phone in to charge, then took out some cash and his ID, placing them in the wallet he'd just bought on impulse. He put it all into a messenger bag. The remaining extra money he put away in the cabinet, even using a book to weigh it down.

The messenger bag was something Exusiai had recommended, and the style was similar to what Shirou had used before, so he bought it.

"I still have some money left. Should I go buy some ingredients and try cooking something?"

Shirou thought about it. It seemed he still had a lot of money left, even after all the shopping he'd done this morning. It looked like the boss had given him quite a bit.

However, it was all an advance on his future salary, so Shirou felt it would be better to spend a little more frugally.

Taking his messenger bag, Shirou first marked his current location on his phone. That way, if he got lost later, he could just navigate his way back.

"This is really convenient."

Following the method Exusiai had taught him, Shirou left with his phone.

He walked out of the dormitory building and, following the navigation on his phone, arrived at the supermarket. Once inside, he took a quick look around. The items were pretty much as he'd checked earlier, but he decided to keep it simple this time.

The prices weren't expensive either; he had more than enough money.

However, old habits died hard, and he still checked the sale items first before deciding what to cook.

"Eggs, mushrooms, and Winged Beast thigh meat?"

Shirou thought for a moment and decided to make omurice. The eggs were on a pretty good discount, so he could buy more.