After the practice, Shirou returned to the house. He was pretty satisfied with what he learned that day.
Learning a bit of Blut and creating Spirit Weapon using the principle of Quincy's was a great result. It would help him greatly in the future. Especially since his defense wasn't exactly the strongest.
Blut Vene was an important thing he would need to have.
The blue sky had turned orange, and Shirou had already finished his training and was on his way home. His step was slow and he was enjoying the sight of the sky above.
White cloud was moving at a fast pace and he felt relaxed after the training session.
When he was walking, his stomach suddenly rumbled, causing Shirou to remember that he had skipped lunch.
'Now I'm hungry.' He muttered, 'But I think we don't have ingredients at home...'
Shirou just remembered that his mother and father probably went out together today. It was that time of the week, after all. Where they would go on a date and come back at night.
Which meant today's dinner was on him too.
He'd like to relax for a while after his training, but it seemed like it would not be that easy.
Not that he would complain. Cooking was one of the few things that made him relax, anyway.
"Let's buy some groceries..."
With a sigh, he went to a supermarket. It was pretty crowded and the smell of food was everywhere.
Shirou stared at the ingredients on the shelf, wondering what to buy. Maybe bread and some vegetables? He would need to cook something quick so it could fit into the refrigerator.
Yes, a sandwich seems to be a good choice for today. It's light and easy to eat. He would have them for tomorrow's lunch too. Shirou then grabbed a basket and began to pick out ingredients.
'Cheese, tomato, mayonnaise... oh, ham too. Yeah. Let's get some lettuce.'
As Shirou picked out the ingredients, someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Ah, sorry– Inoue?"
"Ah!"
Turning around, he saw Orihime holding a basket full of bread. Melon bread, yakisoba bread, and even curry bread. She exclaimed in surprise.
"Shirou-kun! It's a coincidence, hahaha."
Shirou couldn't help but sweatdropped when he saw the basket full of unhealthy foods.
"Well, yeah. Are you... shopping?"
"Yep, I'm going to have a bread party! Tatsuki-chan will come too." She grinned widely.
"Bread... Party?"
"Yeah, bread party!"
Shirou stared at the bread, thinking about how unhealthy it was.
Nothing in that basket could even pass for a proper meal. It was full of unhealthy foods that could only fill the stomach for a moment. And even if he ignored that, Orihime should have bought at least something green.
Like a salad or something.
"Are you sure you're going to eat... those breads?"
"Yes! It will be fun." Orihime grinned.
"Oh... Well... I can't really stop you. But you should eat a proper meal. What about your health?" Shirou said with a concerned face, "I think it's not healthy."
"Hmm? I am okay though." She said, "I will eat some rice balls tomorrow, or something. And bread is healthy. It's made from wheat and wheat is a plant! See?"
She puffed her chest and smiled smugly, like she had found a great answer.
However, that made Shirou even more worried. If she was a stranger and wasn't a close friend to him, he might ignore it, but...
As expected, he couldn't stay silent about the matter. So, Shirou decided to speak up and try to convince her to change her diet.
"Listen. Why don't you and Tatsuki join our dinner tonight? Our parents aren't home so the two of you can join us. It's better than just eating bread, right?"
"Eh?! Is that okay? I don't want to intrude-"
"We have a Kurosaki special sandwich."
"But-"
"Delicious filling between two soft breads, with tomato and lettuce as decoration, the sauce was made from our special ingredient." Shirou explained the menu with a mischievous smile.
"H-How could you...!" She was surprised, "I-I can't-"
"It's going to be really delicious. And we can get a red bean paste as dessert too. What do you think, Inoue? Ichigo will be happy if you join us too."
Hearing that, Orihime's face reddened.
She was tempted by his offer. Not to mention, the mention of Ichigo's name made it impossible to decline.
And Shirou knew it, that was the reason he invited them for dinner. He was sure that Orihime would agree if she heard about Ichigo.
Because from his observation, he knew this girl had feelings for his brother.
"You are really evil, Shirou-kun. How could you do that?" Orihime said and pouted at him, "I... will join. But I need to get Tatsuki first since she's waiting in my home."
"Let's go together then. It's almost night, so it will be dangerous to go home alone." The red haired boy said, "And let's go to the cashier first, I think I have everything I need here."
"Umm... Okay then. But I will buy my own bread, it's not like I am going to waste this."
And so they went to the cashier together and Shirou carried her bags.
It's a gentleman thing to do even though he knew Orihime was strong enough to carry them alone. The walk was a short one, and Shirou could easily find their destination because of his ability.
When they arrived at Orihime's home, Shirou waited outside.
Entering a girl's home was something he would not do without her permission. And so he decided to just wait outside.
And soon, a black-haired girl exited the house. Arisawa Tatsuki, another friend of Shirou.
She looked at him with her sharp eyes, and Shirou could feel that she was scanning him from top to bottom.
"Arisawa. Good evening."
"Yeah." She greeted him back, "Why are you here?"
"Well, Tatsuki..." Orihime explained the situation and made the black haired girl smile.
She put her hands on her hips and looked at Shirou mischievously.
"Ohhh, I see. You want to feed us with your delicious foods." Tatsuki grinned and teased him. She got closer to him and whispered, "Are you trying to become a wingman? I will help you then."
"Ha-hahaha... Well, I just met Inoue by coincidence and saw her buying so many kinds of bread without any vegetables or meat..." Shirou trailed off, feeling like he's saying something that he should not.
"So you're just worried." She nodded in understanding and grinned at him, "I understand. You are indeed a nice guy."
She patted him on his shoulder and walked beside Orihime. "Well then, let's go to your house. I am looking forward to eating the famous Shirou's food."
"It's not like it's famous."
"But Ichigo always eats it with a satisfied face." Tatsuki argued.
"Then that's because Ichigo is just easy to satisfy. I know that he eats everything you gave to him. Even when you are just playing a prank and give him an expired bread."
"Oooi!" Tatsuki exclaimed, "That was one time!"
Shirou could only laugh in response, while Orihime was laughing too.
Their small group walked toward the Kurosaki clinic, chatting and laughing along the way.
The sun had already set as they walked along the quiet street, their shadows cast by the fading light danced on the ground behind them. Streetlight had come alive, and the moon had already appeared in the sky.
The three of them continued their conversation, with Orihime asking questions about school or other random things that popped up in her mind, while Shirou answered them.
It was a pleasant chat that made Shirou forget his exhaustion from earlier.
Karakura Town was not a very big town, so it's not a long trip.
Just two more crossroads and they would reach their destination. The three of them walked at a steady pace, Shirou and Tatsuki following behind the excited and cheerful Orihime.
And then, Shirou suddenly felt their presence. An uncomfortable reiatsu that made his stomach churn and his skin crawl. It was a feeling of uneasiness that could only be caused by one thing.
A large Hollow's Reiatsu.