Texas's unusual behavior was quickly noticed.
Mainly because Shirou kept getting distracted and glancing over, which allowed Sora, who was sitting in front of them, to pick up on it.
What puzzled Shirou, however, was why Sora did not stop Texas after noticing it. Instead, she looked completely satisfied while holding her phone and moving it subtly below.
"…Do you want me to brush your tail?"
Being constantly distracted like this, Shirou could not focus on his book anymore. He closed it and asked Texas.
"…Mm."
Hearing his words, Texas's tail drooped slightly. The pair of ears on her head twitched a little before she quietly responded.
Shirou still could not read what she was thinking, but Texas had always been like this, hard for others to understand.
Since he could not focus on reading anyway, brushing her tail might be a good way to change his mood.
A long time ago, Shirou had already been curious about those fluffy tails. But from what he knew, horns, tails, and ears were sensitive areas for some people, so he had never brought it up.
As for now… Texas had been repeatedly swishing her tail against him for some reason, so he simply went along with the idea.
"Shirou, do you know how to brush it?"
Helping retrieve a full set of tools from a nearby cabinet, Sora asked with some concern.
Sometimes she helped Texas brush her tail, so she had some experience and thought she could offer guidance.
And the fact that Texas would actually use her tail to brush against someone, it was just too cute.
Although she could not record it directly, she had taken quite a few photos.
Absolutely worth it.
"I know a bit. You start from the tip, right?"
Pulling his chair around, Shirou placed a towel over his lap and carefully set Texas's tail on top of it.
It was his first time brushing a person's tail, but he had experience grooming small cats and dogs back at Ryūdō Temple.
If you started directly from the root of the fur or the base of the tail and combed downward in one go, it could easily hurt.
So you had to begin at the tip, slowly working through tangles. Once those were cleared, you moved to the middle, and finally the base.
That way, the comb would not get stuck on knots.
Incidentally, brushing a woman's hair was done in a similar way. Shirou recalled having done it for Sakura and Miyu before.
"Oh, wow! You really know your stuff, Shirou! But I suggest spraying this softening mist first!"
Hearing his explanation, Sora could not help but admire him.
As expected of Shirou he was capable in every aspect.
Though even someone like him could overlook small details, like this fur-softening spray.
That was understandable, he did not have a need for it himself.
Looking at his neat hair and back, Sora felt a bit envious.
After all, maintaining these things every day took quite a bit of effort.
"Got it."
Taking the spray from Sora, Shirou used it even though he was not entirely sure what it was.
The transparent bottle contained a clear liquid. He remembered it was a free gift from a purchase at the shopping district.
The mist carried a faint floral scent likely a product marketed toward women.
He had seen similar grooming products before, but since Texas and Sora usually bought their own preferred ones, he had not looked into them much.
As for buying them for others…
Aside from the children at the shop, he could not think of anyone else. And even then, most of them just used simple soap and water. After all, people with tails were a minority, so special treatment was not always feasible.
Still, now that his finances were more stable, Shirou thought it might be worth stocking up on such items.
"Just to be clear, I have never brushed a person's tail before, so my technique might not be great."
After preparing everything, Shirou gave Texas a heads-up.
Although he had experience brushing hair and grooming animals, this was his first time doing it for an actual person's tail.
After all, where he came from, no one had tails.
…At least, not among the people he knew.
Then again, considering the existence of magecraft in his world, maybe there really were people with animal features.
"Understood."
Texas nodded obediently, adjusting her position to sit more comfortably.
She still had her Pocky in her mouth, with a cold drink placed beside her.
"Alright, here we go."
Brushing someone's tail for the first time, Shirou felt a bit nervous.
He started from the tip, gently combing through the fur.
Hmm… the texture was quite unique and very different from brushing human hair or animal fur.
It was probably because Texas regularly maintained and brushed her tail, so there were not many tangles. Most of what Shirou was doing was simply removing loose fur.
"Ohh…"
Watching from the side while recording with her phone, Exusiai could not help but marvel at Shirou's technique.
This did not look like the work of someone brushing for the first time at all!
Shirou, why are you so skilled at this!?
Ahem, she was getting off track.
"Shirou, your technique is really good. You can apply a bit more force, the brush has a kind of massage function."
After observing both his technique and Texas's current state, Sora offered some helpful advice.
"Alright."
Hearing that, Shirou slightly increased the pressure of his hand.
He could clearly feel the tail in his hands tense up slightly, so he reduced the force a bit.
In the end, he adjusted it to a level where the tail would tremble slightly when brushed, but not shrink away.
Although Shirou himself could not see Texas's expression, the other three from Penguin Logistics could see it very clearly.
"… "
Curled up in her chair, hugging her knees, Texas was glaring at Exusiai, who was filming her.
She could not speak right now, worried that her voice might tremble uncontrollably.
However, that did not stop her from already thinking about how to deal with Exusiai afterward.
She needed to find a way to remove that "lightbulb" of hers.
"Not bad, Miss Texas! Come on, tell us how you feel! This is a tail brushing from 'Mama Emiya,' and it is even his first time!"
Seeing Texas like this, Exusiai knew she had to say what she wanted now.
Otherwise, once Shirou finished, Texas would probably chase her down with her Originium blade.
Actually not her but "them."
Because Croissant was also taking photos nearby, saying she would compile them into an album and sell them to Sora.
What a noisy little scheme.
"Hm? Exusiai, what did you just say? I feel like I heard something I should not have."
Although Texas could not speak for certain reasons, Shirou had no such problem.
He had already been called that multiple times by Lappland earlier today. Since they were not close, he had refrained from dealing with her.
But with Exusiai… he had his ways.
Something like a salted meat pie was only the beginner level. If he wanted, he could go further, like making a fully savory apple pie, or a sour green apple pie.
Basically, aside from normal apple pie, he could make all kinds of unusual variations.
"Cough… I mean—Mr. Shirou, you must have misheard. I did not say anything just now, so please drop whatever you are thinking!"
Seeing Shirou's unsettling smile, Exusiai felt a chill run down her spine.
So she quickly pleaded.
"It is fine. I was just thinking about whether to make apple pie."
Shirou said this with a bright, sunny smile.
"Really?"
Hearing that, Exusiai's eyes lit up.
"Really. But it would be a green apple pie."
Still smiling brightly but now revealing his true intent, Shirou replied.
In Exusiai's eyes, Shirou now looked like a Sarkaz.
Just hearing "green apple pie," she could already imagine him with horns and a tail, holding a green apple and a pie made from it.
"No! That is even worse than salted meat pie! At least that has nothing to do with apple pie! Green apple pie is absolutely unacceptable!"
Just imagining it made her feel awful.
What kind of heresy was green apple pie!?
Some people liked that sweet-and-sour taste, but not her.
Apple pie should be sweet and at most, she would accept cinnamon!
"Well, that depends on your behavior next time."
Seeing Exusiai thoroughly cowed, Shirou let out a small huff and refocused on Texas's tail.
Although he had been verbally "disciplining" Exusiai, his hands had never stopped working.
As time passed, he had already moved on to brushing from the base of the tail.
He noticed that every time he touched near the base, the tail trembled more noticeably.
So he adjusted, being gentler at the base, and gradually increasing pressure toward the middle.
Texas seemed more satisfied with this rhythm.
At least, Shirou no longer felt any unusual resistance from the tail in his hands.
"Alright, is there anywhere else that needs brushing?"
After going over the entire tail once more, Shirou removed the fur caught in the comb and asked.
"No, this is very good."
Although she felt a bit reluctant, Texas had no intention of letting him continue.
There would be plenty of opportunities later.
As for now…
It was time to deal with the two troublemakers who had been constantly taking photos.
Sora had also taken pictures, but Texas assumed she was just interested in Shirou's brushing technique.
The other two were different. Most of their shots had been focused on her, and one of them had even tried to interview her about her feelings.
Several times, the mood she had built up was completely interrupted.
They deserved to be dealt with.
"Run!"
Seeing Texas's dark expression, Croissant reacted immediately. As she passed by Sora, she secretly shoved her phone into Sora's hands.
As for pulling Exusiai along?
Not happening. If someone got caught, it would either be her or Exusiai. At a moment like this, there was no room for teamwork.
Even if it was a life-or-death situation, well getting caught would at worst mean getting beaten up.
Better her than me. Sorry, Exusiai!
"Eh?"
Watching Croissant run off into the distance, Exusiai had not even processed what was happening when Texas's hand landed on her shoulder.
"Is there anything you want to say?"
Rolling her neck slightly and flexing her right hand, Texas asked.
"C-Can you go easy on me…?"
Exusiai tried to break free but realized she could not escape Texas's grip at all. She could only beg with a pitiful expression.
"It will not hurt. Do not worry."
With that, Texas locked her into a grappling hold, lifting her up in one smooth motion.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"…Honestly."
Watching the two of them, Shirou had no intention of stopping it.
It was clearly just playful roughhousing. Texas had chosen a hold that restrained without actually hurting.
So he only made a casual remark about Exusiai bringing this upon herself.
As for Croissant? there was no rush. Texas would not let anyone off the hook so it was only a matter of time.
"By the way, that is Croissant's phone, right?"
Watching the "wrestling match" between Exusiai and Texas, Shirou quickly turned his head away when Exusiai's struggling made her clothes slightly disheveled.
As he wiped down the grooming tools, he noticed that Sora seemed to be handling two phones, one was hers, and the other appeared to be Croissant's.
"Ah? Yes, Croissant left it behind. I am just holding onto it for her."
Caught off guard by Shirou calling out to her, Sora paused for a moment before answering.
"You should not open someone else's phone, though. It is not good to invade other people's privacy."
Shirou found her behavior a bit suspicious, but he trusted her enough not to press further.
He simply reminded her not to snoop.
"Got it. I will help you clean up!"
After tapping a few things on Croissant's phone, Sora quickly put both phones away and came over to help Shirou tidy up.
"Thanks. By the way… I do not usually see you grooming your tail. Do you want me to do it?"
As he watched Sora neatly put everything back in place, Shirou noticed her tail.
Since he had just brushed Texas's, it felt a bit like he would be neglecting Sora if he did not at least ask.
"Ah? Me? That will not be necessary. My agency has strict guidelines on how I maintain it."
For a brief moment, Sora seemed interested, but she quickly came up with an excuse to decline.
"Hm? Being an idol really is tough."
Taking her words at face value, Shirou simply sighed in admiration.
From his perspective as someone who cared for others, he could see how difficult Sora's life must be.
She had to watch her diet to maintain her figure, sometimes even sticking to strict or limited meals.
Her clothing and appearance were regulated.
And now, even tail grooming had rules.
What a demanding profession.
"Haha… yeah, it really is tough."
Sora could roughly guess what Shirou was thinking, but she could not explain, so she just laughed it off awkwardly.
"Stop chatting and help me!"
Meanwhile, Exusiai, still locked in Texas's hold, slapped the floor while calling for help.
The only response she got was Texas tightening her grip, along with complete indifference from Sora and Shirou.