After Yukino entered her own apartment next door and shut the door with a thud, Shirou shrugged and stepped inside his new place.
Closing the door behind him, he looked at the stack of boxes and grinned. "Time to get started."
He raised his right hand and flicked his fingers lightly. The boxes lifted into the air as if held by invisible hands, floating after him into the living room.
This was one of the supernatural abilities Shirou had gained as a transmigrator over the past decade—telekinesis.
At the age of ten, he'd finally awakened his first superpower, the very telekinesis he was using now—his long-awaited "cheat" as a transmigrator.
After gaining his first ability, he'd acquired one or two new powers every year, amassing a total of eight by now.
As he directed the items from the boxes to their designated spots, Shirou plopped onto the sofa and mused, "Not sure what use superpowers even have in such a peaceful world. And why couldn't I get mind-reading? Then I'd know what Yukino's really thinking when I'm with her."
The thought was tempting, but he knew better. Even if he had mind-reading, he wouldn't use it lightly—especially not on Yukino. It was a matter of privacy, after all.
Regardless of what the future held, Yukino was his childhood friend—and currently, his nominal fiancée.
After gaining superpowers, Shirou spent some time traveling around the world, trying to find anything unusual that might exist.
Unfortunately, he found nothing and gradually gave up.
Whatever, he thought. At least with these abilities, life had become much easier and more interesting.
After spending a few minutes organizing his luggage, Shirou checked the apartment's setup.
Most things were already in place—appliances, internet, and so on—but the computer hadn't been set up yet. It seemed he'd have to buy one himself.
Besides rice, the fridge was also empty, so he'd need to go grocery shopping as well.
After some thought, Shirou took out his phone and searched for nearby computer stores. The nearest one was a 20-minute drive away, which was a bit far.
"Forget it, I don't need it right now anyway. I'll deal with the computer over the weekend. For now, I'll just buy some food and daily necessities."
After using the bathroom and changing into casual clothes, Shirou was ready to head out.
Opening the apartment door, he glanced at the neighboring unit. After a moment's hesitation, he walked over and rang the doorbell.
After about half a minute, the door opened, and Yukino appeared behind it, looking at him. "What is it?"
Seeing Yukino in a casual dress, Shirou smiled. "I'm going to the supermarket to buy some things. Want to come along?"
After a brief pause, Yukino nodded. "Wait for me."
Then she closed the door again.
"...Couldn't you have just let me wait inside?"
Fortunately, less than five minutes later, the door reopened, and Yukino stepped out—now wearing a different outfit.
Seeing her in jeans and a long-sleeved jacket, Shirou chuckled. "Why the change? That dress just now looked nice."
"Carrying groceries in a dress isn't practical." Slinging a crossbody bag over her shoulder, she brushed her long hair aside. "Let's hurry. I still need to make dinner when we get back."
The supermarket wasn't too far from the apartment—no need for a car. The two walked for less than ten minutes before arriving at a large store.
Grabbing a shopping cart, Shirou said, "Let's put everything together. One cart should be enough, right?"
Yukino, who had been about to grab a basket, stopped and didn't object.
Then, they headed to the food section.
Shirou immediately started picking out various meats—beef tenderloin, pork belly, chicken wings—grabbing two packs of anything that looked good. He was a big fan of meat.
Yukino, on the other hand, simply picked up two packs of chicken thighs before moving to the vegetable section.
Shirou followed closely, selecting some seasonal vegetables. Once he had enough for the next two days' dinners and lunchboxes, he turned to Yukino. "Next, the seasoning aisle? My kitchen has all the utensils, but I don't have any seasonings yet."
Yukino nodded and led the way, asking as they walked, "Do you know how to cook?"
"In the past two or three years, I've often traveled around the world with my parents. While some places had great food, Chinese cuisine is definitely more my style. To eat more comfortably, I had no choice but to start learning how to cook," Shirou said with a smile. "How about we each make two dishes for dinner tonight and have a little competition?"
In other words, have dinner together?
After a few seconds of thought, Yukino agreed, "Sure. I happened to come out to buy groceries, so cooking time will be shorter than usual. Splitting the work between two people would be just right."
On the surface, she showed no emotional reaction, but deep down, Yukino was quite happy.
When they reached the seasoning aisle, Shirou began stocking up in bulk, grabbing over ten different types—some Yukino used regularly, others she didn't—before finally calling it quits.
After considering what to make for dinner, Shirou also picked up a bottle of cola from the beverage section.
Hmm, cola chicken wings it is.
At the checkout counter, they paid for their items and left the supermarket together.
On the way back, Shirou glanced at the girl beside him, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yukino's cooking… Just thinking about it gets me a little excited."
Gripping her shopping bag tighter, Yukino replied, "Don't get your hopes up too high. My cooking is just average."
"Is that so? Mine's nothing special either, but home-style flavors are fine. I believe in your talent—learning to cook should be easy for you."
Then, Shirou briefly recounted what had happened at school.
"Originally, Dad wanted me to go straight to your class, but I thought meeting directly in the classroom might make things a bit awkward for you, so I switched to another class instead. Class 2-F—that's where I met Hachiman Hikigaya."
"Class F?"
This was something Yukino truly hadn't known about. She glanced at Shirou in surprise before saying, "Being in another class is fine. The international class isn't anything special anyway."
"Hmm~ Seems like you're still the same as when you were little." Shirou nodded understandingly. After all, Yukino had faced quite a few incidents in her childhood, some of which he had helped resolve—though not without getting into a few fights himself.
But given Yukino's current personality, he figured she probably didn't need his interference anymore. She could handle things on her own.