Lungmen, slum district.
"Feels pretty cool."
Touching the top of his head, Shirou muttered to himself.
Last night, after being reminded by Sora that it was time for a haircut, and with the weather getting hotter, Shirou figured it was about time.
Last time he had only trimmed it slightly, but this time he cut it short.
After cutting it, he felt completely refreshed.
Previously, he went to a place recommended by Sora, but this time he went to a nearby shop that everyone often visited.
It seemed to have been recommended by Phal and everyone liked it.
"I am back."
Pushing open the shop door, Shirou's voice drew the attention of the people inside, mainly the children helping out, along with Rope.
"Shirou, you are back…huh? Who are you?"
Hearing Shirou's voice, Rope, who had been sitting bored at the cashier and yawning, immediately perked up and stood to greet him.
Then she saw a man with short red hair, dressed in black.
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
Shirou walked over and flicked her forehead. She was overacting a bit.
"Hehe, I really did not recognize you at first glance. Why did you suddenly cut it so short? Are you trying a new style?"
Rubbing the spot where she got flicked, Rope laughed.
In Lungmen, people like Shirou who lacked obvious racial traits were extremely rare. If you could not recognize him, you might as well go get your eyes checked.
But honestly, she really had almost failed to recognize him at first glance. The style just did not quite match him.
"I thought since it is getting hot so I asked the barber to cut it shorter."
Shirou had not thought much about it.
"With how you look now, if you put on a black suit, you would look like some kind of slum gang boss. Did you go to that barber shop Phal recommended?"
Rope stood up and carefully examined Shirou who was sitting on a chair.
A very clean short haircut, even styled a bit with three shaved lines on each side.
Just based on appearance, his intimidating aura now far surpassed Phal's, almost reaching the level of Jaye.
Of course, that was assuming Shirou had the same deadpan expression as Jaye. In his normal state it just felt a bit mismatched.
"What is wrong with that shop?"
Hearing Rope's comment, Shirou asked curiously.
He did not mind her hands messing around with his hair. Newly cut short hair did have a unique texture. Back in the past, Fujimura used to do the same thing to him often.
"There is nothing wrong with the shop. The boss is quite skilled. But you have to specifically ask for a normal style otherwise he tends to cut these more intimidating looks."
This was mainly something Rope had forgotten to mention. When she or the children went, the barber would automatically give them normal hairstyles.
As for Phal, he always looked the same anyway. And Jaye… no matter what hairstyle he had, he always looked fierce.
It was just that seeing Shirou suddenly like this felt a bit strange.
If someone unfamiliar with Shirou saw him, they might think he was a bad guy at first glance.
"I see… I will keep that in mind next time."
Shirou nodded, feeling like he had learned another oddly specific piece of knowledge.
Still, it was not really a problem. This was the slum district with gangs after all. It made sense that such styles were common.
Anyway, his hair was already cut, so there was nothing to be done. It was not like he could stick it back on.
Shaving it all off was also an option, but compared to that, he felt his current look was fine.
"Big brother, could you come help for a moment? It is okay if you are busy."
The kitchen door opened, and a small Feline girl peeked her head out, asking Shirou for help.
It seemed like something had gone wrong with their cooking, and since they had just heard Shirou's voice, they came to call for backup.
But seeing that he was talking with Rope, she added that last line.
Some things, especially among girls, did not need to be said outright.
"Sure."
Hearing the child ask for help, Shirou agreed without hesitation.
"Go on, go on."
Rope immediately let him go without delay.
There was a huge difference between lunch with Shirou involved and lunch without him.
Just last night, the children suddenly decided to make steamed buns. In the end, Phal actually used one of the buns to hammer in a nail.
Unbelievable… and he actually managed to hammer it in!
Rope immediately grabbed a bun and smashed it onto Phal's head in return. How could he waste the children's hard work like that?
That was why Phal did not show up at the shop today. He was probably out buying something to make up for it.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Walking into the kitchen, Shirou took a quick look at the situation.
The children were busy, but Shirou could not see where the problem was.
"We do not know how to handle this."
The child who brought Shirou in pointed at a large green oval object on the table.
"This is… a watermelon? No, wait, a winter melon?"
Looking at the large green oval, Shirou first thought of a watermelon.
But he quickly rejected that idea, since it did not have the characteristic dark stripes.
After thinking for a moment, he finally recalled what it was.
"A winter melon, huh."
"Yeah, an old grandpa grew it himself and told us to try it."
The little girl confirmed Shirou's guess.
"A winter melon… let me see… looks like we do not have anything to pair with it."
After checking the ingredients in the fridge, Shirou did not find anything suitable to cook with the winter melon.
"The old grandpa also brought brown sugar."
Another child pointed to a small bag hanging on the fridge door. Inside was brown sugar, though it looked like it had already been opened.
They had probably sneaked a few bites earlier.
"Brown sugar, huh… is there white sugar in the kitchen?"
Looking at the bag of brown sugar, Shirou already knew what he wanted to make.
In this kind of hot summer weather, winter melon tea would be perfect.
Besides, he had not really made many sweet things here before. Most of the snacks came from Phal or neighbors.
"Yes, there is."
Shirou took the white sugar and told the children to continue their tasks while he handled the large ingredient.
"Let me think… wash it, peel it, remove the seeds, cut it into pieces…"
Clearing out a bit of space, Shirou's knife moved quickly. Soon, he had a large bowl filled with finely chopped winter melon.
He then boiled water together with the winter melon, white sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture became thick. When a drop placed in water could solidify, it was ready.
He poured it into a tray lined with parchment paper, let it cool slightly until it began to set, then cut it into pieces and waited until it fully solidified.
"If you are confident in your knife skills and strength, you can also wait until it fully sets before cutting."
"Shirou, what are you cooking? It smells really sweet."
As Shirou began simmering the mixture, the children in the shop gradually gathered around the kitchen.
It was lunchtime, and the sweet aroma had drawn them in.
Even Rope, who had just finished some work outside, peeked in from the shop area to see what Shirou was making.
"Winter melon tea, but in a concentrated form. This batch should last for several days."
Wearing an apron, Shirou was standing by the pot and stirring.
"So is that how it is made?"
Hearing it was winter melon tea, Rope leaned in for a closer look.
It was a bit different from what she had imagined, but that also made sense.
"Yeah. Later, you just dissolve it in hot water and add ice."
Shirou lifted the spoon. The thick winter melon syrup dripped down very slowly.
"It looks a bit like malt candy."
Watching the slow drip, Rope was reminded of malt candy she had seen at street stalls before it solidified.
"Do you want to try? Go wash the chopsticks and dry them."
Looking at Rope, then at the children behind her who were staring eagerly, Shirou spoke.
The moment he said that, a flurry of noise came from behind. Soon, everyone lined up, each holding a chopstick.
"You all…"
Seeing how quickly they moved, Shirou found it amusing.
"Help me prepare a small bowl of ice water."
He dipped each clean dry chopstick into the mixture and then into the ice water. Although it had not fully solidified, it was firm enough to stay on the chopstick and would not burn their mouths.
"Ugh… this is way too sweet."
Taking the chopstick from Shirou, Rope immediately put it in her mouth.
It was overwhelmingly sweet, like someone had poured sugar directly into her mouth.
"I told you it is concentrated. There are also bits of winter melon you can chew."
Shirou continued preparing more for the others, one by one. Soon everyone had a piece and found a spot to enjoy it.
"Once you get used to the taste, it is actually pretty good."
Holding the chopstick in her mouth, Rope started wondering if she could sneak another one.
"Stop staring. You will get cavities."
Shirou lightly chopped her on the head with his hand, stopping her from making a move on the pot.
"Cheapskate."
Rope washed her chopstick and went back to mind the shop, not forgetting to stick out her tongue playfully at Shirou before leaving.
Shirou continued tending to the large pot in front of him.
Inside the Fuyuki shop, it was lively and bustling, while outside, people could only shed envious tears…tears practically streaming from the corners of their mouths.
That shop again. The food they cooked every day smelled amazing. Were they not leaving any way for others to survive?
All they could say was: boss, stop fussing over your little bowls and plates and just open a restaurant already.
Fortunately, the aroma dissipated quickly. On a related note, the candy shops in Lungmen saw a noticeable boost in sales today.
"Do not touch it, alright? If I catch you… I will have Uncle Jaye come play with you."
After finishing everything, Shirou placed the still-warm trays in front of a fan to cool, and gave a warning to the children present. Since he could not think of anything everyone would fear, he ended up invoking Jaye as a deterrent.
"Achoo." Somewhere not far away, a certain seafood vendor sneezed.
After repeatedly reminding them, Shirou returned to the shop area.
When he saw the customer inside, he paused slightly.
Anyone would feel a bit strange seeing… well, that was not very polite. Shirou shook his head and pushed aside that thought.
Still, the scene before him felt unusual.
An elderly Zalak man dressed in a black suit with a white coat over it, was strolling around the shop while holding a very distinctive cane carved with a dragon head.
There were many things to comment on but Shirou forcefully suppressed them. He did not think this old man was an ordinary person.
What kind of ordinary person carried a dragon-headed cane?
Shirou quietly walked toward the cashier and asked Rope:
"Do you know him?"
"Not really. But he came yesterday and bought a cup."
Busy with bookkeeping, Rope glanced at the shop and immediately understood who Shirou was referring to.
After all, there was only one customer.
She remembered him clearly. Not only was his Elder appearance distinctive but his oppressive aura also left a deep impression.
"I see."
Hearing that, Shirou felt a bit more at ease.
"Hey… young lady, do you still have the same kind of cup I bought yesterday?"
The old man wandered around for a bit, then asked Rope.
"You mean the white one with the little mouse pattern?"
Rope thought for a moment before replying.
This kind of request was not uncommon. Most people with distinct races were quite fond of animals resembling themselves.
Felines kept cats, Cautus kept rabbits, things like that were quite common.
"Yes, yes, that one. I would like to buy two more."
The old man nodded.
"I will go check the storage. Please wait a moment."
Rope pulled Shirou over to sit at the cashier, then dashed off toward the storage room.
"???"
Watching Rope disappear in an instant, Shirou wondered if he had just been sold out.
"It is quite lively here. Care to chat with an old man?"
The old man did not mind Rope's energetic nature. Liveliness was better than lifeless dullness.
"Of course."
Shirou did not refuse. He pulled a chair over.
After all, he did not know how long Rope would take. It would not be right to have the elderly man stand and wait.
"Are you an employee here, or…?"
The old man, who knew everything, pretended ignorance and tried to probe the young man in front of him.
"I am just helping out. I know the shop owner here."
Shirou answered.
At least, Rope was the nominal shop owner and he was not officially registered here so he was not lying.
"I see. No wonder you came from the back. You were in the kitchen just now?"
Following Shirou's words, the old man responded and casually threw out another question.
He remembered that many informants had mentioned how well the children here were fed, something even they envied.
Combined with the sweet aroma he smelled before entering, it all lined up.
"Ah… you figured that out. I was making something in the back."
"It is something sweet, right? The whole shop smells like it."
"Someone brought a winter melon. I just made it into winter melon blocks. They are cooling and setting now."
"Oh? I see. No wonder I could smell brown sugar earlier."
"If you are interested, I can give you a piece later. Just dissolve it in hot water and add some ice."
Seeing that the old man seemed interested in sweets, Shirou felt that giving him a small piece would not be a problem.
Respecting the elderly and the virtuous, after all.
And perhaps also making up a little for his earlier thoughts.