After the live combat segment ended, the remaining procedures were not much different from an ordinary medical examination.
The reason the combat test had been moved to the front was mainly because Amiya had considered that Shirou had just endured an extremely long and intensive physical examination, so he needed to loosen up his body a little.
At the moment, that decision seemed to have been the correct one.
The testing field had practically been overturned by Shirou from top to bottom.
"Later on, I will send more people over to help you clean up, so please do not worry too much."
Before leaving, the group looked at the complete mess below them as Amiya spoke to the Rhodes Island operator standing nearby, whose face had already turned deathly pale.
After all, Shirou really had been somewhat ruthless just now.
More than half of the testing grounds had practically been torn apart.
If that operator had to clean everything up alone, it would probably take an enormous amount of time.
"That is wonderful news. If it were just me, I would probably still be cleaning until tomorrow."
The operator visibly relaxed after hearing Amiya's words.
That only made Shirou feel even more awkward.
The sensation from using Projection just now had felt extremely smooth, so he had simply followed the flow and fought naturally.
Although he had deliberately restricted himself to only using Kanshou, Bakuya, and a bow, he still seemed to have destroyed quite a lot...
Combined with the rather piercing stare from the operator beside him, Shirou felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Still, at most the man only complained a little.
After all, it was not exactly the tester's fault for going all out during an evaluation. If anything, that made it easier for Rhodes Island to collect accurate data.
At the very least, operators with even greater destructive power than Shirou were not unheard of.
It was just that back then, this operator had not been the one assigned to clean up afterward.
Now it simply happened to be his turn.
However, based on the whispered conversation among the four members of Penguin Logistics, it seemed that Rhodes Island's testing system still had not managed to force out Shirou's full strength.
That was honestly rather terrifying.
Still, he had only overheard it by accident, and there was no way to confirm whether it was true, so he did not mention it.
And so, he simply watched the group of people who had just increased his workload walk away.
"Looks like you have been holding yourself back for quite a while, Shirou. Has Lungmen really been suppressing you that much?"
After walking out the doors, Exusiai laughed and patted Shirou on the shoulder.
At this point, Shirou's height within Penguin Logistics was probably only slightly shorter than Exusiai when her halo was included, but shoulder pats were still effortless for the group.
Of course, if anyone wanted to sling an arm around his shoulders, they would still need Shirou to lower himself slightly. Otherwise, their shoulders would start hurting before long.
"You should speak more elegantly as a girl."
Hearing the rather suggestive implication in Exusiai's words, along with the strange grin on her face, Shirou immediately chopped her on the head with a hand strike.
"Ow, ow, ow! Shirou, can you not hold back a little?"
After taking the blow, Exusiai covered her head and quickly put some distance between herself and Shirou while complaining.
"I would consider holding back with anyone except you and Croissant."
Hearing Exusiai complain, Shirou replied mercilessly.
"Why am I involved too?"
The completely innocent Croissant, who had been caught in the crossfire, felt extremely wronged.
She clearly had not done anything!
Although she normally teamed up with Exusiai and constantly got double-teamed by Shirou, after arriving at Rhodes Island she had been exceptionally obedient and well-behaved.
After all, there were many things she wanted to buy, so she still needed to stay on Shirou's good side.
Who would have thought she would suddenly get dragged into this at a moment like this!?
At that moment, Croissant had completely forgotten about the small matter involving nutritional meals that had happened between her and Shirou earlier.
"You two are usually mischievous enough already. Shirou acting like this is not without reason."
Nearby, Texas spoke while biting into a Pocky she had just purchased from Rhodes Island.
Although she always claimed that the two of them needed to learn a lesson and that Shirou should properly discipline them, whenever things became serious, Texas and Sora would still find ways to help divert attention or cover things up for them.
Once or twice would have been fine.
But at this point, the two of them were becoming increasingly excessive.
If Shirou himself did not actually enjoy this kind of interaction, they probably would have already been hung up and beaten long ago.
Although he constantly scolded them verbally, as long as they did not go too far, Shirou would always help them clean up the mess afterward and even try his best to satisfy their requests.
Of course, apple pie was the sole exception.
Even now, Texas still did not understand why Shirou refused to make an apple pie.
Or perhaps Exusiai's usual unreliable behavior had somehow ruined apple pie for everyone?
In the end, Texas could not be bothered to think too deeply about it.
As long as she herself did not cause trouble for others, that was enough.
"Everyone in Penguin Logistics really has a great relationship."
After witnessing the entire exchange, Amiya suddenly commented.
"Mm... I suppose that counts as getting along well... probably?"
After hearing Amiya's remark, Sora thought carefully about everyone's usual interactions before answering.
Even though she phrased it as a question.
Although she herself envied the kind of relationship Exusiai and Croissant had, unfortunately, Sora truly could not imitate that sort of communication style.
Still, that was not entirely without benefits.
At the very least, whenever Shirou obtained something new or developed a new dish, the first people he thought of were always her and Texas.
"Hm?"
Amiya did not understand why Sora had phrased her response as a question, nor why there seemed to be a faint trace of bitterness hidden in her emotions.
Still, being considerate as always, Amiya chose not to ask about it.
At the very least, she would have to ask about it privately later.
Looking at the terminal in her hands, Amiya led the group toward the next location.
What followed next was a long series of medical examinations. Although they were not nearly as complicated as the ones Shirou had just undergone, they were considerably more boring.
And since Shirou had already completed a full examination with Kal'tsit earlier, the number of tests he needed to do was also fewer than the rest of Penguin Logistics.
For Shirou, this was excellent news.
He finally did not have to lie inside those machines anymore!
Still, there was one thing that made him curious.
Why were the Penguin Logistics members not going through the same examination process as Lappland and Rope?
The examination items here were obviously far fewer.
"That is because everyone in Penguin Logistics is not infected, so the examination process is naturally much less complicated."
In response to Shirou's question, Amiya provided an explanation.
At the moment, the two of them were waiting outside the examination room.
After all, the examinations required people to wear lighter clothing, so Shirou very consciously chose to stay outside.
Meanwhile, Amiya and Rosmontis had also come out together with him. The former intended to use the time to handle work through her terminal, while the latter simply felt more comfortable staying near Amiya and Shirou.
"So that is how it is..."
After hearing Amiya's explanation, Shirou found it perfectly reasonable.
"Mhm. Some instruments are better left unused unless absolutely necessary. They are not exactly good for the human body."
Amiya added a little more explanation.
Although she knew Shirou and the others from Penguin Logistics probably would not care much about such things, she herself was already accustomed to thinking that way.
After all, some people insisted on undergoing a complete examination process no matter what, to the point that nobody could stop them.
"I understand that much. I was just curious... though I am not infected either, right? So why did I have so many examination items?"
Shirou more or less understood that part.
Then he suddenly realized that he himself had also gone through practically the full examination process earlier.
"Your situation mainly involves that thing called magecraft, Shirou. Rhodes Island is unfamiliar with that field, so naturally the safest option is to conduct every test available. We also discussed this with Emperor beforehand, and he said that if we were going to do it, we should use the very best procedures. He said he has plenty of money."
Hearing Shirou's question, Amiya blinked and directly sold Emperor out without hesitation.
The main issue was that Shirou's condition was rather complicated.
Rhodes Island had experience with unusual cases, but that did not mean they were completely proficient with them. Since they were going to do the examination anyway, they might as well do it thoroughly.
Especially with Doctor Kal'tsit personally handling things, Shirou's examination data would naturally become extremely detailed.
"...Fine then."
Hearing that it was his own boss's decision, Shirou had nothing more to say.
After the conversation topic ended, Shirou stopped disturbing Amiya's work and instead turned his attention toward Rosmontis, who was constantly using her tail to bother him.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but lately he felt like he had been getting harassed by tails more and more often.
Texas was like that.
And now Rosmontis was too.
Although, if he really thought about it, Rosmontis was probably the one who started it first.
Back when he had accompanied her through the streets searching for someone, she had wrapped her tail around his hand to prevent herself from getting lost.
Someone had even taken photos of it, and the images had become a trending topic online in Lungmen.
Fortunately, the matter passed quickly, and Shirou's life afterward had not been affected at all.
Well, except for the fact that Exusiai apparently still kept related photos stored on her phone.
At present, Shirou was seriously considering how to obtain her phone and delete every embarrassing black-history photo involving him.
Of course, it was not only him.
The other Penguin Logistics members suffered similarly.
Unfortunately, Exusiai seemed to have backups stored in numerous places, so all they could really do was think about it.
At that moment, Rosmontis appeared to be organizing records stored inside her terminal.
If Shirou remembered correctly, because of Oripathy, she had difficulty retaining memories, which was why she relied on that terminal to help record her daily life.
Looking at it from that perspective, he and Rosmontis seemed somewhat alike.
The difference was that he kept records merely as a precaution.
Rosmontis, meanwhile, depended on the terminal every single day in order to remember things.
Thinking about that made Shirou feel a faint bitterness in his chest.
"Do you want some?"
Trying to change the mood, Shirou took out the chocolate that Lappland had forcibly stuffed into his hands earlier aboard the Bad Guy and offered some to Rosmontis.
Naturally, he did not neglect Amiya either.
After all, he was not particularly fond of sweets like this.
Normally, he would probably end up giving them to Texas anyway, so he figured he might as well hand them to the two younger-looking girls instead.
"Thank you."
Rosmontis quietly put away her terminal, accepted the chocolate from Shirou's hand, and obediently nodded.
"Mm... one piece should probably be fine."
Meanwhile, Amiya stared at the chocolate and struggled internally for quite some time before ultimately losing to temptation.
Mainly because Rosmontis looked like she was eating it so deliciously that Amiya herself started craving some too.
"This brand seems to be very popular in Lungmen. If you like it, I can bring more next time I come."
Seeing that the two of them appeared to enjoy it, Shirou simply divided the remaining chocolate evenly between them.
Although Amiya only kept a small portion, handing most of it over to Rosmontis instead.
"Um... I cannot eat too much. I have to control my diet."
Noticing Shirou's somewhat puzzled expression, Amiya softly explained herself.
"I see... Then next time I can bring less sweet varieties? Both types sell extremely well in Lungmen, and Texas likes them a lot too. Especially chocolate cake made using those chocolates."
As he spoke, Shirou could vaguely see the little rabbit subtly swallowing her saliva.
Talking about things like this in front of someone who was dieting really did make him feel a little guilty...
Realizing that he might have just done something rather inappropriate, Shirou felt a slight sense of guilt well up inside him.
"N-No, that will not be necessary. Sweet consumption needs to be monitored carefully. But Shirou, were you not planning to cook here at Rhodes Island? I have already reserved the kitchen for you. We can free up some space tomorrow afternoon. Is there any ingredient you need?"
In the end, Amiya still used her rationality to overcome Shirou's incredibly tempting proposal.
Eating a little was fine, but if she ate too much, people would definitely notice.
Besides, she herself was extremely strict in this regard. As a leader, setting an example was only natural, right?
And since she was already exercising so much self-restraint, then using the authority of Rhodes Island's leader to borrow the kitchen should not be a problem either, right?
"...What would you like to eat?"
When he heard the first half of her response, Shirou inwardly admired Amiya's tremendous self-control.
But by the second half, he realized that before he even noticed, Amiya had already arranged for him to start cooking.
He had merely mentioned it casually earlier, yet she had taken it so seriously that she managed to organize everything within such a short amount of time.
At this rate, Blaze's alcohol stash truly was doomed.
Thinking back to Blaze's smug expression from earlier, Shirou began considering dishes that used alcohol during cooking.
Though he was only thinking about it for now.
After all, not every type of alcohol was suitable for cooking, and forcing it into dishes would only waste both the ingredients and the liquor itself.
At the very least, Amiya did not seem very knowledgeable about this sort of thing, which was why he managed to conceal that little thought.
"Rhodes Island has plenty of ingredients available, so naturally it depends on what the chef wants to make. Though if possible, it would be better if the dishes looked healthier. That would make it easier for me to explain things afterward."
After thinking for a moment, Amiya handed the heavy responsibility back over to Shirou.
After all, she did not know what kinds of dishes Shirou could make, so letting him decide was naturally the best option.
"I see... Then how about featherbeast soup? I remember having it once in Lungmen. It was made by stewing chunks of featherbeast meat together with several medicinal herbs. It seemed good for health."
After listening to Amiya's request, the first thing Shirou thought of was still featherbeast soup.
In Lungmen, featherbeast soup seemed to be regarded as something that nourished the body. Many Lungmen residents would drink a bowl whenever they caught a cold or became ill.
Of course, people also drank it even when they were perfectly healthy.
More importantly, certain recipes allowed a small amount of alcohol to be added during the stewing process.
If that was the case, then to some extent he would not really be deceiving Amiya either... right?
Thinking of this, Shirou could not help but complain internally about Blaze once more.
If she had not forgotten to take that bottle of alcohol with her, he would not have needed to think this much in the first place.
Blaze, your crimes truly are heinous!