Chapter 72: Departure for Shinjuku
Da Vinci was smiling mysteriously. Shirou felt that even if he asked her directly, she would just brush him off.
"I see. Got it," Shirou frowned and could only nod in agreement.
After the call ended, Shirou went to the Service Club and shared the situation with his companions.
"Eh? So in the end, Shirou, you really are going abroad?" Yuigahama exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, I'll be going during winter break, but I'll be back before school starts," Shirou explained.
"Oh, then we'll still be able to hang out before classes start again. That's a relief," Yuigahama mumbled as she let out a breath of relief.
"I got it, Shirou-senpai! I'll go with you!" Mash stood up and declared that she had money and could afford to travel abroad with him on her own.
"Unfortunately, Mash, you have other missions, so you have to stay," said Da Vinci's holographic projection, which suddenly appeared in the classroom.
"She popped out again!" Yuigahama yelped in surprise.
"Jeez, Da Vinci-chan, don't just pop up like that! You scared the hell out of me," Asuna complained.
"Sorry, but a genius should always make a dramatic entrance, right?" Da Vinci said with a grin.
"That's not dramatic. That's just a jump scare," Yukinoshita retorted coldly.
"Da Vinci-chan, what's my mission?" Mash asked as she turned to the projection.
"Mash, Gudako's side has made some progress.
You'll probably need to return to Chaldea to support her.
So leave the foreign matters to Shirou. There are still monsters in this country that need to be cleared out by you all. Of course, Chaldea will cover the travel expenses," Da Vinci explained.
"Gudako-senpai! How is she doing lately?" Mash asked nervously at the mention of her senior.
"Ah… maybe too well. Honestly, I'm a little jealous. Anyway, I'll notify you when the time comes," Da Vinci said, sounding somewhat disgruntled.
"Understood! I'll be ready whenever I'm called!" Mash replied crisply.
"Huh? So we get to travel too? That's awesome! Let's go to Okinawa! Or Guam! We can swim there—although I guess that's technically going abroad too?" Yuigahama said cheerfully.
"Yuigahama, we're not going for sightseeing," Yukinoshita reminded her.
"But playing a little while we're at it isn't so bad, right? C'mon, Yukino~ pretty please?" Yuigahama clung to the black-haired girl, pleading.
"Hmm… if it's just for an afternoon…" Yukinoshita gave in, unable to resist the clingy "dango."
"Yay! Then we have to go shopping for travel clothes! Asuna, let's go to the mall after school!" Yuigahama said excitedly.
"Sure! Mash, you should come too. I'll help you pick out some cute outfits," Asuna smiled.
"Definitely! Mash is so cute—we need to dress her up properly," Yuigahama chimed in.
"Right? I think Mash would look great with cat ears! Like a white, fluffy, long-eared kitty," Yukinoshita said with unexpected enthusiasm.
"Really? But I think Mash is more like a dog-type, you know? Loyal, obedient—perfect!" Yuigahama countered.
"Why not just try both?" Asuna said with equal excitement.
"Eh? Eh?" Mash felt like she was about to be treated like a toy—but strangely, a small part of her was looking forward to it.
"Oh right, Shirou, what kind of clothes are you planning to buy for the trip?" Yuigahama turned to the boy and asked.
"Hm? I've got enough clothes, don't I? I can just wear my school uniform, right? For matches I have my sportswear, and for kyūdō events, there's my archery uniform," Shirou thought aloud.
"Wrong! I mean what you'll wear outside of all that!" Yuigahama shouted.
"Wouldn't a tracksuit be fine?" Shirou asked, confused.
"Absolutely not… What do you all think?" Yuigahama facepalmed and looked at her friends.
"Agreed. Completely unacceptable," Yukinoshita said, giving Shirou a look of bitter disappointment.
"Looks like we'll have to correct his fashion sense ourselves," Asuna smiled.
"..." Mash didn't fully understand either, but seeing her seniors shift their focus to Shirou, she figured she wouldn't be the "toy" anymore.
Later in the afternoon, just as Shirou stepped out of the classroom, Yuigahama grabbed him.
"Shirou, come with me!" she said, dragging him downstairs.
Outside, Yukinoshita, Asuna, and the others were already waiting by the entrance.
"What's going on?" Shirou asked as he changed shoes in the entryway and followed them out.
"Just come with us," Asuna said with a cheerful smile, giving him a push from behind.
"Where are we going?" Shirou asked the girls in confusion.
"To completely remodel someone," Yukinoshita said with a soft laugh as she led the way.
"Let's go! We're off to Shinjuku! Mash, you come too," Yuigahama shouted as she draped an arm around Shirou's shoulders and dragged him forward.
"Ah… okay," Mash was momentarily stunned but followed them.
They arrived at the station, and it took about 40 minutes on the Sōbu Line to reach Shinjuku.
Centered around Shinjuku Station, West Shinjuku served as a thoroughly modern international business and administrative district, filled with towering skyscrapers and people in suits carrying briefcases—your typical office workers and corporate elites.
On the eastern side, however—where the girls were taking Shirou—was the bustling and chaotic East Shinjuku commercial area.
Unlike upscale Ginza, known for reselling luxury goods, East Shinjuku was a paradise of affordable and trendy fashion brands, with a wide selection of clothes, shoes, hats, cosmetics, and accessories.
"I recommend Shirou wear this red scarf! It'll look super handsome on him!" Yuigahama said excitedly, pointing at a promotional poster outside a shop.
"...No. That's just what the celebrities wear on TV. You're basically just adding a scarf," Shirou declined.
"Eh… but it suits you so well! When I saw this, I thought Shirou would look way better than the celeb in the ad…" Yuigahama pouted.
"Then I'd suggest a knitted vest with this black wool coat. Shirou has a calm demeanor, so this British gentleman look would really suit him," Asuna offered.
"...Are you saying I look old?" Shirou thought silently.
"I don't know much about fashion, but Shirou-senpai would definitely look good in red! Like, a red suit that boosts agility by 3x in battle!" Mash added earnestly.
"Thanks, Mash... but where the heck did you learn that from? That's completely useless advice."
"Rather than focusing on appearance, practicality should come first," Yukinoshita said. While not a fashion expert herself, she still shared some life experience as a returnee.
"Exactly. That's why I say there's no need to make it complicated. What matters for a man is inner quality. As long as the clothes are wearable, it's fine," Shirou nodded seriously.
"Shut up, Shirou!" the three girls shouted in unison.
"We're discussing something really important right now!"
"Are you seriously planning to wear a tracksuit abroad? If you do that in China, people might think you're a local student!"
"If you show up all frumpy, it's embarrassing for us, you know?!"
'I call discrimination! Apologize to all tracksuit-wearers around the world!' Shirou screamed internally.