Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 9

After all, Ichijou said that people like that are usually shy and don't dare to ask directly, or they don't want others to know their real appetite. But he also told him not to blindly believe others, lest he be tricked out of everything one day.

"Then... um, I'm really sorry for tricking you."

Exusiai clasped her hands together and apologized to Shirou. She knew her behavior was wrong, but as a girl, she felt a little embarrassed to directly ask for more servings.

"It's fine, eat as much as you want. After all, taking care of you is my job."

Shirou pushed the omurice in his hand directly in front of Exusiai.

Texas sat on the side watching this scene, sighing in her heart that Shirou was a good person, and he wasn't angry even after being tricked by Exusiai like that.

He didn't seem to be faking it either.

As for Exusiai, seeing Shirou let the matter go so easily and still give her the food, she couldn't help but speak:

"Mama Emiya!"

"???"

09 Projection Magic

"Ahem... Please forget about this, thank you."

Exusiai, sitting at the dining table, blushed as red as her hair, and hesitated to pick up her spoon.

"Are you talking about calling someone you just met a few days ago 'Mama'?"

Texas drove the knife deep into Exusiai's heart.

By the way, Shirou beside them was also a little awkward.

Although he had been told similar things occasionally, this was the first time he had been called that face-to-face.

Texas seemed to notice Shirou's awkwardness and didn't bring it up again.

Seeing that Texas wasn't bringing it up anymore, both Exusiai and Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. Then Shirou sat down to enjoy his own meal.

He originally thought he would have to make a simple dinner with the remaining ingredients, but now he didn't have to.

"Did you make this after looking at a recipe?"

Exusiai tried to ease the awkwardness with words. As long as she talked enough, she could dilute what she had said before!

"I decided to make it after looking at the sale ingredients, but I didn't expect it to be so successful."

Shirou had made it with the possibility of a major failure, but he didn't expect it to be so smooth on the first try. After all, he was unfamiliar with some of the ingredients, but after actually operating, Shirou found that the difference wasn't that big.

At least the Winged Beast part didn't seem to have much difference so far. Other meats were yet to be tested. Also, the cooking methods here were quite special, and Shirou still had a lot to learn.

"Whoa! Before you lost your memory, weren't you a great chef somewhere?"

Exusiai's eyes lit up with excitement. She could already see a future where she could say goodbye to ordering takeout!

"Probably not? Maybe I just simply like cooking?"

Shirou suddenly remembered his amnesia, but he didn't want to deceive others, so he vaguely brushed it off.

"Is that so? But it's still amazing, it's far beyond the skill of many restaurants. Don't you think so, Texas?"

Exusiai said while eating, and she didn't forget to cue her good partner.

"Mhm, much better than Exusiai."

Texas was a bit lazy to join the conversation, but since she was cued, she might as well poke her own teammate.

"Ugh... I just put all my skill points into desserts!"

Exusiai retorted. She wasn't bad at cooking, she just focused all her points on desserts!

Everyone from Laterano is a dessert master!

"I remember you can only make apple pie, right?"

Texas added insult to injury mercilessly.

"Gulp... What's wrong with only being able to make apple pie? Apple pie is the best!"

Exusiai gave up struggling.

She originally just wanted to have the image of a good senior in front of the newcomer, but she didn't expect Texas to expose her again and again without mercy.

As for Texas, who repeatedly exposed Exusiai, she was completely unintentional. It was simply because Exusiai was too jumpy that the follow-up happened.

"Desserts, huh? I don't know much about that."

Shirou only knew how to make some simpler desserts. After all, his previous kitchen and budget were limited, so he usually didn't consider desserts and bought them ready-made.

Now he could consider it, as the new kitchen had everything. As for the budget, it depended on his future salary.

"Huh? That's a shame, but I can teach you how to make apple pie?"

Hearing that Shirou didn't know how to make desserts, Exusiai drooped again.

People from Laterano consider sweets to be their life! A day without dessert is like hell!

If she could teach Shirou how to make desserts, her future life would definitely be very happy!

"I'll ask you again if I need to later."

Shirou did not refuse Exusiai's kind offer.

Texas, on the other hand, had already seen through Exusiai's intentions, but since she could also enjoy the benefits, she had no intention of exposing her.

In any case, the person involved seemed happy to have found a dessert teacher.

The meal concluded with the three of them interacting in this manner, and in the end, Exusiai and Texas washed the dishes.

"We'll come over for dinner again next time! Don't forget to let us know!"

As they were leaving, Exusiai poked her head out at the door and said this. Shirou then saw Texas's hand on Exusiai's shoulder as she pulled her away.

Shirou walked over and closed the door. Exusiai and Texas had cleaned up quite well, and Shirou only had to wipe them down a bit to make them spotless.

After tidying up, Shirou washed himself, sent the clothes he bought today and the ones he just changed out of to the laundry, and then laid out a carpet in the room.

Shirou sat on the carpet, carefully recalling the key points of Projection Magic.

The original projection was a magic that materialized imitations, but for ordinary people, it could only last for a very short time and was very inefficient.

However, he seemed to have a great talent for Projection Magic; the projected items could exist for a long time, and even when projecting swords, the consumption could be very low.

The key to projection was his imagination; any doubt he had about his imagination would cause the projected item to disappear.

What he needed to do was to make his projected items as close to the real thing as possible.

Swords had the lowest consumption. Other items could also be projected if they could be analyzed, but the magic consumption would increase with the object being projected.

These were all things Shirou had seen and interpreted from his memories. He himself had no relevant knowledge in this area; he only remembered that his first successful magic was Projection Magic.

His subconscious always felt that there were other factors influencing his Projection Magic, but he didn't know what they were.

Shirou now planned to project a common short sword he had seen in the shopping district today.

As soon as he tried it, let alone projecting the golden sword or Avalon from his memory, even projecting the twin swords Gan Jiang Mo Ye might be enough to kill him.

At most, he could probably project the bow he used in his memory and some daily necessities.

"Projection, begin (Traceon)."

Magic circuits appeared on his hand like circuits, and then a small ball of light materialized in his hand.

"Appraise the concept of creation, Envision the basic framework, Replicate the constituent materials, Imitate the manufacturing techniques, Empathize with the growth experience, Recreate the accumulated years, Surpass, complete the numerous processes—"

As he chanted, the ball of light gradually took the shape of a short sword, and finally, a short sword appeared in Shirou's hand. Correspondingly, he clearly felt the fatigue.

"It's good that it's just an ordinary short sword. If it were something else, it would be bad."

Shirou clearly felt the disharmony transmitted through the magic circuits. It wasn't serious, just a slight tiredness after exercising.

Compared to the soreness that lasted for several days when he forced himself to strengthen his magic in the early days, this was nothing.

Shirou set the short sword aside and carefully recalled the process. He wanted to try omitting some of the incantation.

Referencing his memories, Shirou projected again.

"Trace on!"

Magic circuits appeared on Shirou's hand, and then a short sword materialized in his hand.

"As expected, the difference is quite significant."

Shirou compared the two short swords, which looked identical. The short sword with the omitted incantation was less precise and more fragile. He would have to train more in this regard.

Placing the two short swords aside, Shirou immediately collapsed onto the bed.

He hadn't forgotten his identity. After all, he couldn't just overdraw his body as he did in the past.

Don't do that kind of thing!

For the next few days, Shirou basically spent his time learning the basic common knowledge of this place, studying cooking, and practicing Projection Magic.

The main focus was on the former two, as this place seemed quite chaotic, and common sense was very important. As for cooking... he seemed to have become the head chef of Penguin Logistics, urgently researching new recipes.

Shirou even bought a notebook and wrote down all the recipes he remembered, just in case he forgot.

His daily schedule was currently very fixed:

Wake up > Exercise > Breakfast > Study > Lunch > Study > Shopping > Dinner > Bath > Magic Practice > Sleep

Every day was very fulfilling.

"The soreness in my body has almost subsided. I should be able to gradually increase the training intensity from now on."

After his daily morning exercise, Shirou felt that his body was no longer as sore as it had been in the previous few days. However, after staying here for a few days, Shirou realized that everyone in Penguin Logistics seemed to have much stronger bodies than him.

No, it should be said that people here generally have strong physiques.

Shirou assessed that without using magic, his physical strength simply couldn't compare to the people here.

Shirou took a quick shower, put on an apron, and busied himself in the kitchen.

"Looks like everyone's here today. I need to make enough for five people. I bought bread yesterday, so I can make sandwiches. I can make a few extra so they can take them to work and eat when they get hungry."

Shirou prepared the Lactate Beast meat. The meat was similar to beef; it tasted great with a little searing and seasoning. He also added some lettuce, tomatoes, and fried eggs to complete the meal.

Considering it would be eaten immediately, Shirou toasted the bread to improve its texture. He then layered the ingredients in order: lettuce, tomato, sauce, meat, and egg.

"Shirou, what are we having for breakfast today?"

Croissant poked her head into the kitchen and asked Shirou.

Croissant was the last to return. She had been setting up a stall outside for the past few days, handling her meals and lodging outside. Upon returning, she saw Texas, Exusiai, and Sora enjoying the gratin Shirou had made, and she was filled with regret.

She regretted spending money on subpar food outside when she could have had free meals at home.

As for Sora, Shirou had bumped into her looking exhausted after a work session. Shirou had specially made candied sweet potatoes for Sora using sweet potatoes someone had given him. Although, a portion of it was later snatched by Exusiai, who was drawn in by the sweet smell.

"Lactate meat sandwiches, they're ready. Just let me cut them."

Shirou skillfully cut the sandwiches in half with a sandwich knife. He asked Croissant, who was peeking into the kitchen, to help him carry them out. He also brought a bottle of Lactate milk and cups to the table.

"Ooh, sandwiches today!"

Exusiai clasped her hands together earnestly. She had been sleeping and eating well these past few days, and she felt utterly blissful.

Texas added some of the Lactate milk Shirou had specially warmed to her coffee and took a sip.

Croissant and Sora each placed their sandwiches at their respective spots.

Shirou, meanwhile, returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the lunches for everyone to take with them.