Shirou carried the clothes he had just bought and followed Exusiai and Texas as they wandered around the shopping district.
By the way, he had just noticed that this area seemed to be called the "Taikoo Business District."
The name reminded him of a certain famous tokusatsu series.
"Texas, did you not say your headphones broke recently? Are you not going to get a new pair?"
Exusiai strolled around, looking here and there, biting into a freshly bought apple pie. When she spotted an electronics store, she remembered Texas mentioning her broken headphones.
"No rush. I want to research a bit more. I really liked that model, but it's discontinued. And getting it repaired is too expensive."
Texas glanced at the shop Exusiai pointed out, then shook her head.
After listening to their conversation for a while, Shirou spoke up:
"Um… is there a bookstore nearby?"
"A bookstore? What kind of books are you looking for? I saw a few books on your shelf this morning, the boss gave those to you, right? That should keep you busy for a while."
Exusiai turned to look at him, puzzled.
"I am looking for books about ingredients and cooking. The boss said it would be better if I can cook."
Shirou's main interest had always been home cooking. Along the way, he had already seen some familiar ingredients, so he figured most of his cooking knowledge could still be applied here.
Even if he could not, he was willing to learn. After all, it was his passion.
Besides, his future job involved taking care of others' daily lives knowing how to cook was only natural.
"…Why not just use a phone?"
Exusiai tilted her head, wondering why he was not using something more convenient.
Before Shirou could respond, Texas lightly chopped Exusiai on the head again, then said to him:
"For what you need, a phone would be faster. But if you still want books, we can take you there."
"Then I'll go with the phone."
Shirou nodded. If there was a more convenient option, there was no reason to refuse.
Still… were not phones supposed to be flip phones or slide phones?
Coming from Earth in 2004, Shirou was deeply confused.
Exusiai and Texas changed their route and took him to a phone store first.
Looking at the devices on display, Shirou pointed and asked:
"This… is a phone?"
"Yeah. A phone."
Exusiai waved her red-colored phone, while Texas showed her gray one.
"…Never mind. Just help me pick something that works."
Shirou decided not to overthink it. He could study this world's technology later.
After seeing his reaction, Exusiai had Texas pick out a particularly durable phone and pay for it, while she used a display model to demonstrate how to use it.
It felt very much like children taking their elderly parent to buy a phone choosing a cheap, sturdy "senior phone," then patiently teaching them how to use it.
…That was exactly how Exusiai saw it.
After Shirou got the hang of the basics, Texas handed him the purchased phone.
"I've already set it up. You can use it right away. I saved my number and Exusiai's too."
"Sorry for the trouble. How much was it?"
Shirou followed the steps Exusiai had shown him, confirmed a few basic functions, then put the phone away.
"Pay me back later. Let's get the rest of what you need first."
Texas casually held a Pocky stick in her mouth. The phone she bought was not expensive, but for someone with no money like Shirou, it was still a significant amount so she treated it as a temporary loan.
Besides, having a phone would make things more convenient, and save him from spending too much on books.
Well regular books, anyway. For professional knowledge, he would still have to buy proper ones.
"Alright, thanks, Texas."
Shirou did not say much more. He planned to repay her once he had money left after shopping.
"Must be nice Texas lending you money."
Exusiai puffed her cheeks, looking displeased as she glanced between the two.
"If you did not mess up on missions, you would not get your pay docked."
Texas showed no sympathy and instead pointed out Exusiai's habit of acting impulsively during work, which often led to extra expenses or even salary deductions.
"Ugh… Texas, you…"
Exusiai clutched her chest dramatically, looking utterly betrayed.
Shirou smiled faintly as he watched the two bicker.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's take Shirou to look at furniture."
Texas pushed Exusiai's head away with a look of annoyance as she tried to lean closer.
Hearing that, Exusiai finally stopped, stood up straight, and dusted herself off despite there being nothing there.
"Come on, Shirou. Let's check out furniture to see what you need."
"Furniture… let me think."
Shirou considered the layout of his room, it already had the basics: a bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk.
He might need a rug and a larger table.
The rug would be useful for practicing magecraft on the floor, and the small desk was not big enough while fine for reading, it would not work for practicing projection. A larger table would be better for placing projected items.
Putting things on the floor risked kicking them accidentally.
A simple room setup would be enough. As for the living room, there was no need to change anything for now.
With a clear idea in mind, they entered a store and quickly picked out what he needed.
Meanwhile, Exusiai glanced at a row of circular fluorescent lights and felt a chill down her spine.
Remember: for every circular light tube bought, a Lateran suffers.
"That's probably it for the shopping district. Nothing new has come out recently."
Exusiai complained, carrying a bag of sweets and another of clothes. Texas, meanwhile, carried a bag filled entirely with Pocky.
"Texas, you really like Pocky, huh?"
Watching how inseparable she was from it, Shirou finally asked.
"It's just a substitute for smoking. Helps ease anxiety and keeps me focused."
Texas casually slipped a box into her coat.
Shirou recalled that canines were not supposed to eat things like that
…Wait, no. He could not compare them to regular animals. These people had animal traits, but they were still human.
Texas noticed Shirou's hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but held back. She had a feeling he was thinking something strange but she had no proof.
"Let's head back to the dorm. After walking around all morning, you're probably tired, right?"
Back at the entrance of the shopping district, Exusiai and Texas did not plan to go anywhere else. Seeing Shirou's tired expression, they suggested heading back.
Shirou did not refuse. His muscles were already sore, and after walking around all morning, it had only gotten worse.
He definitely needed some rest.