Holding Rosmontis in his arms, while Blaze carried a pile of shopping bags, Shirou successfully met up with Doctor, Amiya, and Ace.
"So this is... well... all right. I think I know what happened."
Noticing the mountain of shopping bags Blaze was carrying, and knowing where Shirou had gone earlier, Ace quickly pieced everything together. He looked at Blaze with an expression that was difficult to describe.
She must have gone to a liquor shop and been caught by Shirou on the spot. To keep him from reporting her, she had ended up taking responsibility for carrying all the shopping bags.
Otherwise, given her personality, there was no way she would have volunteered to carry bags. She definitely would have chosen to carry Rosmontis instead.
"Enough. Do not say another word."
Seeing right through her scheme, Ace earned a deadpan glare from Blaze.
They had been teammates for so many years that they could practically predict each other's every move. He was only one step away from grabbing a loudspeaker and announcing it to everyone.
Well, Ace would never actually do something like that. At most, he would bring it up as a casual topic after dinner.
Which, in its own way, was a slow and painful death.
A slow death was still better than suffering complete social humiliation in front of the little rabbit.
With both Doctor and Shirou around, the little rabbit's way of thinking was definitely going to be led astray.
"So, where are we planning to shop next?"
After setting Rosmontis down, Shirou asked.
They were obviously going to continue shopping. After all, this had been Doctor's and Amiya's plan for the entire day from the very beginning. Now that Blaze and Rosmontis had joined them, there was even more reason to keep going.
"Of course we are! I need to stock up while I have the chance. Otherwise, when we get back, I will have to deal with Closure, that shameless profiteer!"
Doctor enthusiastically raised a hand into the air.
It was not hard to understand why.
After working for so long, they had finally gotten a chance to relax outside, and they could spend as much as they wanted. Anyone would be excited.
The best part was that they did not have to buy everything through Closure and let her take a cut.
"Mhm!"
Standing beside Doctor, Amiya said nothing. She simply nodded repeatedly, the excitement in her eyes no less obvious than Doctor's.
"Then let us go!"
Blaze instantly forgot all about her earlier frustration and embarrassment as she enthusiastically rejoined the shopping expedition.
As she walked, she did not forget to pull the little rabbit and the little kitten along with her.
Her wounded heart needed a little comfort.
Fortunately, there happened to be two adorable little ones right here.
Clearly, fate was on her side.
"Good luck."
Watching the four of them walk away, Shirou patted Ace on the shoulder in consolation.
It looked as though Ace's suffering would continue for a while longer. On the bright side, with Blaze around, someone could share the burden of security duty, making his workload a little lighter.
"It is all right. At least I have something to comfort me now."
Ace carefully held a bag containing two bottles of liquor. Although his face was full of exhaustion, there was still the faintest trace of a smile.
"...Fine. As long as you are happy."
Shirou had no comment.
He had never cared much for alcohol, so it was difficult for him to understand Ace's feelings.
With Blaze and Rosmontis joining the group, the biggest change was the increasing variety of stores they visited.
Some shops did not interest Doctor or Amiya very much but happened to catch Blaze's attention.
Other shops interested no one in particular, but since they were already there, everyone felt it would be a shame not to take a quick look inside.
Even Shirou was beginning to find the pace exhausting, let alone Ace.
Thinking about Ace's mental well-being, Shirou called for a car. He handed every shopping bag over to Ace, telling him to take everything back to the office and get some proper rest along the way.
As for himself?
There was no escaping for him.
The moment Rosmontis and Amiya looked at him with pleading eyes, he simply could not refuse them.
And the consequence of not refusing was that he continued shopping with the four of them.
Most of the souvenirs had already been bought, and Shirou himself did not have anything in particular that he wanted. He simply wandered along behind the group without any specific destination.
If there was one thing left, it was probably the little kitten's gift.
Unfortunately, he had not come across any gardening shops yet. For now, he could only keep looking. If they finished exploring the entire street without finding one, he would have to come back tomorrow and search on his own.
Surely a country as vast as Columbia had at least one gardening store.
In the end, heaven rewarded persistence.
After walking who knew how many more steps and visiting who knew how many more stores, Shirou finally spotted a gardening shop.
More importantly, it was a large one.
That meant he could probably buy everything he needed in one visit. Smaller gardening stores might not carry the more unusual decorative flowerpots he was looking for.
"I never expected you to be interested in this sort of thing, Shirou. If you cannot find what you want, I can take you to Perfumer's greenhouse after we get back."
Blaze followed Shirou inside and looked around with curiosity.
After realizing that it was almost exactly what she had imagined, she immediately lost interest.
After all, Rhodes Island's therapeutic garden, which was also Perfumer's greenhouse, was filled with flowers and plants, and they looked even better than the ones here.
"I will take a look first. If I really cannot find what I need, then I will ask Perfumer when we get back."
Looking at the four people who had followed him inside, Shirou said,
"I will take a look around first."
After that, he went straight to find a store clerk and explained exactly what he was looking for, plants were not like wine or other merchandise that you could understand just by walking around and taking a quick look.
If Shirou wandered around on his own, he would probably only be able to comment on which plants looked unique or which flowers had brighter blooms.
Not to mention that many plants were not even flowering or bearing fruit at the moment. Some were nothing more than green leaves.
He could not recognize them.
Not at all.
The fastest solution was to ask a store clerk directly. Since Shirou had a very specific goal—to find rosemary and some attractive flowerpots—it should have been a straightforward process—
—or at least, it should have been.
Unfortunately, surprises always arrived without warning.
"...Rosmontis, why are you not with Amiya and the others?"
For some reason, Rosmontis, who had been following Blaze, Amiya, and Doctor the whole time, was now trailing behind Shirou instead.
That made things rather awkward.
After all, he was trying to buy a small gift for her. If she found out, there would be no surprise left.
As for Blaze's liquor?
That had been purely accidental. It had never been part of Shirou's plan.
Besides, Blaze was already an adult. Compared to the surprise itself, the thought behind the gift was what mattered.
Rosmontis, on the other hand, deserved a little surprise.
Unfortunately, she had been following him ever since they entered the shop, leaving Shirou in an awkward position.
After deliberately taking two unnecessary detours and passing Amiya's group twice, Shirou finally could not hold back any longer and asked.
"I heard you say you wanted to buy rosemary. I looked into it before, so I can help you."
Hearing Shirou's question, Rosmontis answered with complete seriousness.
Shirou: "..."
What was he supposed to say?
She was so adorable.
"Then I will be counting on you."
Shirou gently patted Rosmontis on the head, completely forgetting that he had just spent several minutes trying to shake her off.
Awkward?
Not at all.
The little kitten was trying so earnestly to help. How could he possibly feel awkward now?
"Mhm!"
Receiving his approval, Rosmontis clenched her fists, looking exceptionally serious, as though she regarded this task as something extremely important.
"Then let's go."
Seeing the little kitten's determined expression, Shirou did not waste any more words. He immediately led her toward the section the clerk had pointed out earlier.
Following behind him, Rosmontis pulled out her terminal and began searching through the notes she had saved previously.
Noticing this, Shirou slowed his pace and let her walk in front of him.
Normally, walking while using a terminal or phone was not a good habit.
However, they were not on a road, and Rosmontis was not using her terminal for entertainment, so Shirou did not say anything.
More importantly, the little kitten still paid attention to where she was going.
Unlike certain people who became so absorbed in their devices that he or Texas had to grab them by the back of their collars just to keep them alive.
It really was true that comparisons only made the difference more obvious.
Shirou silently continued roasting certain adults in his mind.
"Achoo!"
Somewhere far away in Lungmen, a certain "fluorescent light tube" and a certain "croissant" sneezed at exactly the same time.
"We are here. It looks like this entire section has what we are looking for."
Under Shirou's careful watch, the little kitten safely reached their destination.
"All... all of these?"
Staring at the entire section filled with rosemary plants, Rosmontis looked visibly flustered.
There were simply too many varieties.
She felt completely overwhelmed.
She had carefully recorded everything she had learned after asking other operators for advice.
What she had not known was that there were this many different kinds.
Even though none of them were flowering at the moment, the leaves alone differed in size and shape.
Just moments ago, she had confidently told Shirou that she could help.
Now reality had dealt her a crushing blow.
It was a huge shock for the little kitten.
"How about we look through them together? They have reference pictures here."
Noticing something was wrong, and recalling what Rosmontis had said earlier, Shirou could more or less guess what she was thinking.
It was not difficult to figure out.
After all, he himself was just as confused by the sea of green plants in front of them.
Without the reference pictures beside them, he would have assumed they were all basically the same.
With the pictures, however, it became a different story.
Looking more carefully, he realized that the flowers alone came in several different colors.
Although, in Shirou's memory, rosemary flowers were supposed to be bluish-purple, so seeing so many different colors was genuinely surprising.
"Mhm."
Although she was feeling a little discouraged, the little kitten still stepped forward under Shirou's guidance and carefully began examining the plants.
She was responsible for checking the lower shelves, while Shirou looked over the ones higher up.
"...Should we just ask a store clerk? Even with these reference pictures, this is not helping at all. The pictures do not match what is actually on the shelves!"
After looking for quite a while, Shirou began thinking about calling for reinforcements.
The plants in the pictures looked completely different from the ones on display. They looked beautiful in the photos, but when he looked up at the actual plants, they were far less impressive.
His head was beginning to hurt.
The little kitten beside him was searching with complete concentration and did not hear any of what Shirou said.
If she had, she would have enthusiastically agreed.
If Columbia's network had been connected to Rhodes Island's internal network, she would already have been asking Lena for help.
"Hm?"
Just as Shirou was about to go look for a clerk, something caught his eye.
There was another set of informational cards attached to the edge of the shelf.
Unlike the ones they had been looking at before, these all had one thing in common—
The flowers were white.
This was the first time Shirou had ever learned that white rosemary even existed.
Compared to the other colors, white rosemary seemed to be extremely rare. Out of the entire shelf, only this small corner had a few pots.
He looked at the picture of the white blossoms.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the little white kitten still diligently comparing the plants.
In that instant, he made up his mind.
Still, since the recipient of the gift was standing right beside him, it would be better to ask for her opinion.
Thinking that, Shirou crouched down, scooped the little kitten into his arms, and asked,
"What do you think of this one?"
"Hm? Ah... White rosemary?"
At first, the little kitten did not quite understand.
But because it was Shirou, she did not struggle.
Following the direction of his finger, she immediately understood what he was referring to.
White... rosemary...
For some reason, those words together sounded strangely familiar.
Thinking that, she turned to look at Shirou and tilted her head in confusion.
"That is right. This is your gift."
As he raised a hand to call over a store clerk, Shirou answered her unspoken question.
"I see, but..."
When she realized this was the gift Shirou intended to give her, the little kitten's first reaction was happiness.
However, she did not want him to spend money on her.
"Everyone else is getting one. If you are the only one without a gift, everyone back on Rhodes Island will probably think I have been bullying you."
Seeing her frown, clearly about to refuse, Shirou hurriedly interrupted.
The excuse he came up with to persuade her was admittedly rather strange.
It made him sound as though he were trying to coax a child.
Well, he was coaxing a child.
So it was fine.
"...I see."
Hearing Shirou's explanation, the little kitten was immediately convinced.
If she were the only one who did not receive a gift, maybe everyone really would think Shirou had been picking on her.
...Would everyone actually think that?
The little kitten had a tiny bit of doubt.
But she quickly pushed that thought aside.
After all, she really liked this gift.
"Then this one it is. Do you want to pick a pot that you like?"
Seeing that the little kitten had been... persuaded... yes, persuaded, Shirou continued.
Although there were very few white rosemary plants compared to the other varieties, each one had its own unique characteristics.
That was something only the recipient could decide for herself.
"Mhm."
The little kitten nodded before raising both arms toward Shirou.
Shirou immediately understood what she meant.
He crouched down and lifted her up.
The white rosemary was displayed on the upper shelf and that height was not exactly friendly for the little kitten.
Fortunately, with Shirou there, it was not a problem.
At this moment, the little kitten was actually taller than Shirou.
Looking at the plants on the top shelf was effortless for her.
"...This one."
After looking left and right for quite some time, the little kitten finally made her choice.
Her reason for choosing that one was simple.
The flowers on this one looked especially beautiful.
At least, that was how they appeared in the reference picture.
At the moment, all she could see were the actual plants, each covered only in leaves.
It was a little disappointing.
Rosemary usually bloomed between spring and summer. If they had come a little later in the year, they might have been able to choose based on the flowers themselves.
Still, that did not matter.
Compared to appearance, the little kitten cared much more about the thought behind the gift.
"Now that you have picked one, I will go talk to the clerk, wait here for a moment."
Once the little kitten had made her choice, Shirou memorized the identification number of the plant she had selected and gently set her back on the ground.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to buy a fully grown plant.
His plan had been to start with seeds.
Growing it from the very beginning sounded much more enjoyable, did it not?
"..."
Unfortunately, imagination was beautiful, while reality was far less accommodating.
The bad news was that the shop did not sell seeds.
At least, they did not have any seeds for white rosemary.
The good news was that rosemary could easily be propagated through cuttings, and the survival rate was much higher than growing from seed. It was also the method the clerk recommended.
"Then I will go with your suggestion. As for the flowerpot... I will take this one."
Shirou happened to be someone who readily accepted good advice and was not particularly attached to his original plan.
He already knew that some plants could be propagated through cuttings, and there was no reason for the clerk to deceive him about something like this.
After settling on the planting method, Shirou pointed toward a flowerpot on a nearby shelf.
The pot was entirely white.
Near the rim were two small protrusions that resembled cat ears, while the front featured a simple cartoon cat face.
It was a flowerpot shaped like a cat.
The design was extremely cute.
The only unfortunate part was the price.
Still, since Rosmontis had already discovered that the rosemary was meant for her, Shirou had to make up for the surprise elsewhere.
Fortunately, he had money now.
The rather eye-watering price was completely within what he was willing to pay.
At the very least, it was much cheaper than those two bottles of liquor from earlier.
"Thank you for your purchase. The fertilizer and the other supplies you will need are all in the bag. As for the care instructions..."
The clerk worked very efficiently.
Before long, everything had been neatly packed and placed in front of Shirou, followed by a thorough explanation of the care instructions.
"All right... This is heavier than I expected."
After listening, Shirou thanked the clerk briefly before picking everything up.
The entire package weighed more than he had imagined.
Besides the rosemary itself, there was an entire bag filled with supplies.
He could make out a small gardening trowel, fertilizer, and various other planting tools.
All of them matched the flowerpot's cat motif, making it clear that they were sold as a complete set.
Only now did Shirou fully understand why the price had been so high.
The flowerpot itself was also very well made, with solid craftsmanship.
How did he know?
Structural Analysis.
Carrying everything with him, Shirou soon returned to where he had left the little kitten.
She was currently using her terminal to record something and had even taken a picture of the entire rosemary display.
"I will take the picture for you."
Walking up behind her, Shirou spoke.
"All right. Thank you, Shirou."
The little kitten turned around, nodded and handed him her terminal without hesitation.
At the same time, her gaze settled on the rosemary plant in Shirou's hands.
"You want to hold it while I take the picture?"
Seeing how intently she was staring, Shirou first accepted the terminal before carefully handing the potted rosemary over to her.
"Mhm."
The little kitten nodded vigorously as she accepted the flowerpot with both hands.
She clearly loved the gift.
The moment it was in her hands, she hugged it tightly against her chest.
"Strike a pose. I am taking the picture..."
This was still someone else's shop, so they could not monopolize the space.
Shirou quickly stepped back a short distance before raising the terminal and aiming it toward the little kitten.
Fortunately, thanks to the people from Penguin Logistics, he had picked up quite a bit of photography experience over time.
In fact, he had even been dragged into practicing himself on more than one occasion.
As a result, he had developed a decent eye for taking pictures.
Of course, he was still nowhere near Sora's level.
She had an uncanny ability to choose the perfect angle, composition, and lighting.
That was something Shirou could never hope to imitate.
Still, taking a simple photograph to preserve a memory was well within his abilities.
"So this is where you two were! We have been looking everywhere for you. Hm? Taking pictures? I want to be in them too!"
Just after Shirou had taken one or two shots and was about to ask Rosmontis to try another pose, Blaze's voice rang out from the distance.
The next moment, the big cat rushed over to the little kitten's side.
Stretching out both arms, she lifted Rosmontis high into the air.
The big cat held up the little cat.
The little cat held up the little potted cat.
Shirou found the scene strangely harmonious.
He immediately raised the terminal in his hand and captured the moment.
"So this is what you came here to buy, Shirou...? Ah! Doctor! Do not push me!"
Amiya, who had followed Blaze over, looked at the flowerpot in Rosmontis's hands and seemed to realize something.
Before she could confirm her guess, however, Doctor shoved her forward toward the others.
The four of them crowded together in front of the shelf full of rosemary.
The tallest, Blaze, stood at the very back.
In front of her stood Doctor, then Amiya, and finally Rosmontis at the front.
Blaze rested her chin on top of Doctor's head.
Doctor, in turn, rested her on Amiya's head.
Amiya wore an expression that said, There is nothing I can do with you people, before gently resting her own head on top of Rosmontis's.
As for the little kitten...
She looked utterly bewildered.
It could not be helped.
She had been happily posing for a photo by herself.
Then, all of a sudden, a big cat had rushed over and lifted her into the air.
Now the little rabbit had placed her head on top of hers.
The little kitten was confused...
The little kitten was thinking...
The little kitten was processing...
Finally, the little kitten copied everyone else and gently rested her own head against the flowerpot.
The tiny rosemary stems stood upright, while a few leaves tickled her nose.
"You two, honestly. This is not the place for a photo shoot."
Watching Blaze and Doctor dragging the two little ones into their antics, Shirou sighed helplessly as he complained about the two adults.
Complaints aside, he still obediently adjusted the angle of the terminal and took the picture.
Whatever else could be said, it really was an amusing scene.
"Finished? Then, Shirou, you should be in one too!"
The moment Shirou lowered the terminal, Blaze darted over like a flash, snatched it from his hands, shoved him toward the others, and ran off to find the store clerk.
The entire sequence happened in one smooth motion.
Shirou did not even have time to react before he stumbled into place in front of the other three.
When he turned around, all he could see was Blaze's retreating back.
Shirou: "..."
That had come out of nowhere.
His first instinct had been to refuse.
After all, he had just said that this was someone else's shop, and what they were doing was rather inconsiderate.
But the eager looks from the two little ones were simply too difficult to resist.
In the end, he gave up on objecting.
At least they had bought something.
And not something cheap, either.
Borrowing a corner of the shop for a quick photo should probably be all right.
Besides, everyone seemed to be having fun.
This time, the group posed normally.
Using the same pose again would have felt a little too lazy.
Rosmontis also wanted to save this photo on her terminal, and since the photographer was not one of their own, Amiya felt a little self-conscious.
So they settled on a more conventional group picture.
Since Shirou had not appeared in any of the previous photos, everyone insisted that he kneel in the middle.
Behind him stood Blaze on one side and Doctor on the other.
Rosmontis and Amiya stood in front of him, one on each side.
The store clerk looked surprisingly professional.
It was obvious they had taken photos like this for customers many times before.
Apparently, plenty of people liked taking pictures inside the shop.
Realizing that made Shirou feel much less self-conscious.
"One... two..."
The clerk deliberately drew out the word two.
Just like many photographers did, giving everyone time to prepare their expressions and poses.
The prolonged count became a signal.
The instant the clerk said "two," all four of them lunged toward Shirou at the center.
"!?"
Caught completely off guard as everyone squeezed in around him, Shirou's face was filled with surprise.
At that exact moment, the clerk called out "three" and snapped the picture.
"Mission accomplished!"
The moment the photo was taken, Doctor immediately turned around and high-fived Blaze in celebration.
Grinning broadly, Blaze looked at Shirou.
"Hehe! A normal picture would have been boring! Surprised? Did you see that coming?"
It was obvious this entire stunt had been planned by those two.
They had even convinced the two little ones to go along with it.
The earlier talk about Amiya feeling too embarrassed to pose had all been part of setting up this moment.
"Next time, I would appreciate it if you told me beforehand. My expression just now must have been quite something."
Looking at the smug Blaze and Doctor, the somewhat embarrassed Amiya, and the utterly confused little kitten who still had no idea what had just happened, Shirou let out a long sigh.
"It was fine! If we told you in advance, it would not have had the same effect. Look how great the picture turned out!"
Blaze simply waved dismissively.
If Shirou had known beforehand, they never would have captured that wonderfully shocked expression on his face.
To prove her point, Blaze held out the terminal for Shirou to see.
Since everything had been planned ahead of time, the clerk had framed the shot with Shirou at the center.
All five of them were squeezed into the picture together, their heads filling the frame.
"So... what about the plants in the background? Rosmontis, did you not want to include those in your record?"
It was not a bad photograph.
But it seemed rather different from what the little kitten had originally wanted to document.
"I think this is good too. Besides, Shirou, you already helped me take lots of pictures earlier."
The little kitten blinked as she answered.
Shirou: "..."
After looking at the photo on the terminal, Shirou saw that, aside from his own expression looking somewhat out of place, the other four all wore bright, happy smiles.
Well, fine.
At least it had not turned into an embarrassing blackmail photo.
He would just let them have their fun.
"Honestly, you people... Grab your things and let's go. You are still planning to keep shopping afterward, are you not?"
Shirou waved his hand helplessly.
Then he handed the bag containing all the gardening supplies over to Blaze before turning around to find the two little ones.
Since they had made him the target of their prank, they could at least help carry his things.
"Do you want me to carry that for you?"
Walking over to Rosmontis, Shirou pointed at the flowerpot she was hugging tightly and asked.
He had already thought it was fairly heavy when he picked it up earlier.
Combined with its smooth, rounded shape, it required extra effort just to hold securely.
For Rosmontis, it was probably not a light burden.
"I can carry it."
Unexpectedly, Rosmontis declined Shirou's offer.
Instead, she hugged the flowerpot even more tightly.
"If it becomes too heavy, remember to ask either me or Blaze for help."
Seeing her reaction, Shirou could not help smiling as he reminded her.
She looked exactly like a child who had just received a treasured gift, wanting to keep it with her every second and protect it with all her might.
It really suited someone Rosmontis's age.
Thinking that, Shirou could not resist reaching out and gently ruffling her hair.
Rosmontis did not resist in the slightest.
Meanwhile, after seeing this, Amiya quietly walked over to Blaze.
She tapped Blaze on the shoulder before pointing toward Shirou and Rosmontis.
Blaze: (´･ω･)?
Blaze: (｡･ω･)ゞ
Blaze: (｀・ω・)つ[📷]
At first, Blaze looked confused.
But the moment she followed the direction of Amiya's finger, she instantly understood what Amiya meant.
Without hesitation, she switched her terminal to camera mode and quietly captured the moment.
In the photograph was a little kitten with her cat ears flattened happily to either side of her head, thoroughly enjoying having her hair ruffled.
Beside her was Shirou, who seemed to have been completely charmed by how adorable she looked and had unconsciously started rubbing her head even more enthusiastically.