After dinner, Shirou placed the desserts and drinks he had bought onto the table.
"Whoa! What is the occasion? Shirou actually bought this many desserts?!"
Catching the faint scent of sweetness, Exusiai quickly found the source. Looking at the table full of desserts, she felt pure happiness.
She was from Laterano, a Sankta.
In Laterano, you could walk around with a stick and end up with colorful cotton candy. That alone showed how obsessed they were with sweets.
And as a Sankta, a proper one could make at least twenty kinds of desserts. Even major banquets were filled with sweets.
Sure, Exusiai was a bit of an oddball who especially loved apple pie but that did not change her pure Sankta blood!
Just from the smell, she could tell these desserts were from that famous shop in the the commercial district.
That place was expensive, she would have to spend a lot of her apple pie savings to afford this much.
"Shirou, what is all this…?"
Seeing the table full of cookies, chocolates, macarons, cakes, and apple pies, Sora swallowed.
Not just her and Exusiai who loved sweets but even Texas and Croissant were stunned.
"Uh… I originally just wanted to buy a few desserts to ask something… but I kind of got carried away."
Seeing their reactions, Shirou realized he had bought way too much.
He had only planned to get a couple of small cakes but after some enthusiastic upselling… things escalated.
And now…this table happened.
"This is way beyond 'got carried away,' is it not?"
Texas commented dryly.
"Buying this much is not for asking questions, it is for confessing, right? Shirou, just tell us who you are going after already!"
Croissant said matter-of-factly, already taking out her phone to snap pictures.
A table like this, especially from a famous shop, was rare and the desserts looked incredibly delicate and cute.
Seeing her start, Exusiai and Sora immediately followed suit and began taking photos.
Texas was not as interested. She gave Shirou a thumbs-up, grabbed a chocolate cake and sat on the sofa.
"…I really just wanted to ask something."
Shirou sighed helplessly.
"I just wanted to ask, Croissant, where you usually get your goods, and what to watch out for when buying and selling."
"Huh? Shirou, are you interested in setting up a stall now?"
Hearing that he wanted business advice, Croissant perked up immediately.
Having her hobby acknowledged was something to be happy about!
"Not really. It is for someone I know who is opening a shop."
Shirou did not mention that it was actually his own plan.
Mainly because there was no need and also because Penguin Logistics members could easily be targeted in the slums. He did not want to cause them trouble.
Jaye had even advised him to wear a hooded coat and hide his appearance when going there to avoid unnecessary issues.
"A friend… Shirou, are you some kind of social monster?"
Croissant teased. He had only been in Lungmen for about a month or two, how did he already know people well enough to consult like this?
"Nothing like that. Just someone I got to know while chatting during grocery shopping."
Shirou roughly guessed what she was thinking.
At this rate, he felt like he would eventually be able to communicate with Penguin Logistics just through eye contact.
"Hmm… fine. Since you came prepared, I will share a bit. But they are not running a stall, right?"
Croissant relented, though she wanted to make sure her business would not be threatened.
"I said it is a shop. It is in the slums. They are not competing with you."
Shirou emphasized.
"Tch… someone with a shop already? Lucky them."
After confirming, Croissant organized her thoughts and began sharing business tips.
"What to watch out for when sourcing goods, how to store inventory, how to target customers…"
They were basic concepts but they were very useful for Shirou.
Meanwhile—
"Man… how long do you think Shirou's 'friend' will last?"
Watching Croissant enthusiastically teach, Exusiai muttered.
Why would Shirou go to her for advice?
"Croissant just has bad taste. Everything else is fine."
Texas said calmly while eating cake.
"I am more worried that Shirou's taste might get influenced by Croissant…"
Sora, unlike the others, looked concerned.
Even the dessert in her hand did not taste as good anymore.
"…"
After hearing that, Exusiai and Texas both realized the seriousness of the situation.
If Shirou really got influenced by Croissant's taste…Then that would be a disaster.
Most of the stuff Croissant bought was not even usable!
The three exchanged glances and silent communication was achieved instantly.
They had to stop this before it went too far.
Meanwhile, Croissant finished explaining the basics.
"And for products, I recommend—mmph!"
Before she could continue, the three suddenly rushed forward and covered her mouth.
"That is enough."
Texas restrained her right side.
"Alright, STOP! Let's not talk about products. Shirou, you do not want your friend's shop to go bankrupt, right?"
Exusiai held her left side.
As for Sora…she was doing her best to keep Croissant quiet.
"Huh? Oh… okay."
Shirou, still processing, suddenly remembered Croissant's… unique product choices.
That was close.
Good thing they stopped her.
"You guys are going too far!"
Breaking free, Croissant pointed at them angrily.
"Croissant… this might hurt, but you need a bit more self-awareness."
Exusiai said earnestly, patting her shoulder.
"I think you are all just bullying me!"
"Just stating facts."
"That is still bullying!"
Watching Exusiai, Texas, and Croissant argue, Shirou felt mentally exhausted.
Meanwhile, Sora had already retreated and was quietly organizing the desserts.
Penguin Logistics was always like this.
You just had to get used to it.
"…Sigh, whatever. If you do not want me to say it, fine! You know you are going to lose me like this, right?!"
After arguing for a while, Croissant got tired.
She had been talking a lot, while the others had already replenished their energy with sweets.
Feeling her brain running low on sugar, she walked over to Shirou and Sora and grabbed a dessert.
"Just eat—we saved some for you."
Shirou had not forgotten—these desserts were meant as payment for consulting Croissant.
"Waaah… Shirou, you are seriously too nice. Totally different from Exusiai and the others."
Looking at the desserts Shirou had saved for her, Croissant felt the warmth of a true teammate.
See?! This is what a good teammate looks like! She was almost moved to tears.
"That is a bit exaggerated."
Exusiai sat down, happily enjoying the remaining apple pie while calling out Croissant's over-the-top acting.
On the other side, Texas also found a seat but she did not touch any more desserts. Even though she liked chocolate and coffee, she still controlled her intake.
Except for Pocky, that was her lifeline.
Taking a sip of coffee, Texas remembered something and pulled out her phone.
"There is something I need to inform everyone about. We have confirmed the identities of the people who attacked us a few days ago."
It was not exactly a big deal, just that the attackers' identities were now known.
And the reason it was not a big deal was simple:
Penguin Logistics had a lot of enemies.
Knowing who they were mostly just meant that the next time they saw them, they could… deal with them directly.
(Ahem… avoid them.)
"…Huh, another logistics company? Trying to steal Penguin Logistics' business?"
Looking at the intel on Texas's phone, Exusiai frowned.
If it was just cargo theft, beating them up might have been enough.
But if it was about taking over their business then that was more serious.
Then again, considering those guys had chased them through the streets using lethal arts and crossbows… they clearly intended to kill them.
"Can we not report this to the Guard Department?"
The rookie of Penguin Logistics, Shirou, asked from the side.
His thinking was simple, if there is a problem they should report it to the authorities.
"These intel sources are… not exactly legal and a lot of it is speculation. The Guard Department will not officially act on it."
Texas explained briefly.
There were a lot of "rules" visible and invisible and it was easy to get tangled up in them.
Fortunately, Penguin Logistics did not worry too much about that, they followed Lungmen's rules just enough.
"I see… so we treat it as a gas explosion."
Shirou nodded.
He got the idea, use something like a "gas explosion" as a convenient cover story.
"…Why a gas explosion?"
Exusiai blinked, completely unable to follow his logic.
"Ah, that is… kind of a code phrase from where I am from."
Shirou brushed it off. That one had slipped out without thinking.
"That's a weird code… even weirder than Exusiai's 'apple pie' thing."
Croissant commented and immediately got attacked with tickling from Exusiai.
Ignoring the chaos, Texas and Sora explained the situation more clearly to Shirou. After all, this was his first time encountering something like this.
"No need to be too nervous. The message was just an update, They are probably already handling it. We just need to stay alert for a while."
Sora spoke gently but cautiously.
Whether professionally or personally, she did not want Shirou getting hurt.
In fact, she hoped everyone in Penguin Logistics could keep living happily like this.
Even if she knew that idea was a bit naïve… she still wanted to try.
"But if something dangerous really happens, do not hesitate to act. Your safety comes first. As long as you do not go overboard, the boss can handle the rest."
Texas added.
By "act," she meant eliminate the threat, because when your life is at risk, holding back is not realistic.
"I understand."
Shirou nodded.
Though in reality, he had plenty of ways to escape, so he was not too worried.
"…As long as you understand."
Texas was not entirely convinced but since he said so, she did not press further.
In the end, this was not a big deal.
In Penguin Logistics, it barely caused a ripple.
Honestly, if Shirou suddenly said he was taking two days off, that would probably shock everyone more.
"By the way… did you recover some memories? You mentioned that 'code phrase'...did you remember something?"
After things settled, Sora asked.
She remembered what he said earlier and wondered if it meant something.
"A little. But not the important parts."
Shirou did not lie.
He still did not know why he had lost his memory. The only thing he could confirm was that it had something to do with the Holy Grail War he participated in.
Unfortunately, that was exactly the part he could not remember, he only remembered some fragments from a dream.
"That is still good, though do you remember what you used to do?"
Sora was curious, what kind of life led to such abilities?
"I was just a normal student. My main job was going to school."
"…Oh, I see."
Sora asked a few more light questions, nothing too deep.
She did not want to make him uncomfortable.
Nearby, Texas rested her chin on her hand, Pocky in her mouth, quietly listening.
Meanwhile, Croissant and Exusiai had already moved on to battling each other on a game console.
And just like that—
Another peaceful day at Penguin Logistics came to an end.