Chapter 116

This is what she got from her informant; it's a place that shelters infected children.

The informant had no idea what was actually going on inside. On the surface, it was a shop selling daily necessities, and occasionally it would take orders to repair small appliances.

It's quite suspicious that several children have recently been taken in there.

That's why Chen came here today – to get a feel for the environment.

Since I only took some time off from work to come here, I pretended to buy something and then went back.

It should have been like this...

But when Chen saw the Penguin Logistics staff and the Ansuo, he was almost completely stunned.

Ansuo understood. She hadn't seen the other person for several days and wondered if the other person had an Oripathy. She went to the other person's old place to check but couldn't find her. After asking around, she found out that the other person had moved out and she didn't know where she had gone.

This is a place that shelters infected children, so it's normal for Ansuo to appear here.

So who was that Penguin Logistics guy...? I think his name was Shirou Emiya? He seemed to be called Shirou when he was out in public.

What is he doing here? He seemed to be planning to entertain her just now?

So, is Shirou a staff member here?

Do employees of Penguin Logistics have part-time jobs outside of work?

Oh wait, there really is an idol and a street vendor in there.

But something seems off about the Penguin Logistics staff here...?

In that instant, Chen thought about many things.

"Hmm... you two know each other?"

Shirou, sandwiched between the two, asked Ansuo.

"You know, I used to treat the Knights of the Round Table like my home. I had food and lodging there, and I was so eager to move in."

When asked by Shirou, Ansuo gave a simple and clear explanation of his situation.

"I remember that. You can put the food aside for now! You can take care of the people you know when they arrive."

Shirou had originally planned to let Ansuo have something to eat first, but since it was someone Ansuo knew who had come, he decided to let her go.

Although Shirou knew the other person, to be honest... they hadn't really interacted.

He might be more familiar with Hoshiguma or Swire, but he really wasn't very familiar with Chen and they didn't have much interaction.

It was those two horns on the other person's head that Shirou felt he had seen somewhere before.

"Huh? Okay..."

Hearing Shirou's words, Ansuo reluctantly put down the sandwich in his hand.

Then he wiped the residue off his mouth and made sure his face was clean before walking up to Chen.

"Chen? Chen!"

Seeing that Chen's gaze was fixed on Shirou and that he was completely unaware of his own appearance, Ansuo pricked up his ears and waved them in front of Chen.

"Um?"

Coming to her senses, Chen turned her attention to Ansuo. She had felt that Shirou looked vaguely familiar... maybe it was because she'd been eating too much of his cooking lately?

The other party's cooking skills are indeed superb; even Miss Shi and Hoshiguma praised them highly.

She's not a picky eater; all she can say is that it's delicious.

"Chen, what are you here to buy today? Or are you just browsing around?"

Seeing that Chen had turned his attention to him, Ansuo finally put his ears down with satisfaction.

She also gave a brief introduction to the products in the store, which were all the results of her learning over the past month, and she did a pretty good job of it.

"I... I'll take a look myself."

Chen originally wanted to get some clues from Ansuo, but after seeing that there were other people there, she gave up the idea.

In addition, she was well aware that Ansuo was a very shrewd and principled person.

So this place really is, as it appears on the surface, a place that shelters many infected children.

Then there's no need to spend too much effort here; simply gathering some information and recording it with the Knights of the Round Table is sufficient.

Although that's what she thought, her gaze still swept across the entire store for a moment.

It's just a very ordinary and unremarkable shop.

There were styles that appealed to most age groups, and Chen even spotted the tea set that Hoshiguma had been using frequently lately.

"She bought it here?"

Chen knew that Hoshiguma had been searching for this style of tea set for a long time.

I just didn't expect to see it here.

"This one? Hoshiguma bought some before. Chen, you like this kind too?"

Although Chen was told to browse around on his own, Ansuo still dutifully followed behind him, waiting for the right moment to promote the products.

If she remembered correctly, the salaries at the Knights of the Round Table were quite generous, and given that Chen and Hoshiguma were very close, the chances of them buying this were... quite high!

"I'm okay with this style. I might consider it if Hoshiguma hadn't bought it, but I think I'll pass for now. Do you have any simpler mugs?"

After brushing off Ansuo's sales pitch, Chen turned his gaze to the third person in the store, Shirou.

At this moment, Shirou was holding Ansuo's notebook and sighing repeatedly, as if he were holding an account book and sighing. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the store was doing poorly.

She still felt that Shirou looked somewhat familiar, but before she could take a closer look, the door next to her was pushed open.

It wasn't the main gate, but a door connecting to the other side. The child who pushed the door open immediately came out and closed it, while Chen took a peek through the gap when the door was open.

On the other side of the door was the kitchen, where a group of children were busy at work.

The little girl who came out first glanced at Chen inside the store, then jogged over to Shirou and whispered a few words.

"Hmm? So fast? Oh, sorry, I remembered wrong, I'll go buy it right now."

The little girl wasn't talking about anything serious; it was just that the rice jar was empty.

It should have been replenished a couple of days ago, but Shirou was so busy that he forgot about it. Looking at the time, it had been more than a month since the last rice purchase.

It's about time to add something.

"Ansuo, I'll go buy rice first. I'll leave the shop to you. And that... Chen, I'm sorry I have to go out first, so I won't be able to serve you."

Grabbing his bag, Shirou hurriedly ran out the door, reminding Ansuo before leaving.

After thinking about it for a moment, I still greeted Chen Ye.

After all, they are a top figure in the Knights of the Round Table; we need to maintain a good relationship with them.

Even now, Shirou still keeps this matter in mind.

"Ugh... really."

Seeing the other person's hurried manner, he sighed Ansuo.

It wasn't for any strange reason; it was simply because she and the child had kept it a secret, but Shirou himself exposed it as soon as he came up.

You promised to be an underground boss, but now that the Knights of the Round Table is here, you're treating this place like your own home?

I'm too lazy to complain. Anyway, Hoshiguma already knows, so it doesn't seem to matter if Chen finds out.

When Shirou returns, she'll definitely use this to blackmail him into reducing her homework!

A tomorrow without homework awaits her!

"He made all of this?"

Chen wasn't stupid; judging from Shirou's appearance, he could tell that Wei Gong was either in charge or held a higher position here.

The children turn to him when they need something, instead of looking for anyone else.

And it seems that Ansuo also has ulterior motives towards Shirou, unlike when he used to be wary of the Imperial Guard when he came to the Knights of the Round Table to freeload meals and stay.

From various clues, Chen could tell that Shirou held a significant position in the Fuyuki Store.

Even... the founder here?

She still remembered why Swire wanted to poach Shirou.

It seems that they were attracted to the other person's spirit of putting themselves aside and choosing to help others first.

It's not surprising that someone like that would build this kind of place.

Although he and Swire always bickered and argued, even fighting each other, Chen still admired Swire's taste quite a bit.

It's just that it always lets you down. If it didn't have this flaw, Swire would be truly trustworthy.

"Ahem, I'm the store manager, you know?"

Although Shirou himself had broken his own plan, Ansuo still wanted to try to salvage the situation.

At least she tried; let Shirou take the blame.

"I'm not stupid."

Hearing Ansuo's words, Chen felt that his intelligence had been insulted.

Given the other person's previous situation, let alone becoming a store manager, even a regular job would have been difficult for them.

Although they had considered recruiting Ansuo into the Knights of the Round Table, he was still too young, so there had been no progress.

"Hehe."

He didn't say anything in response, wanting to get away with it by Ansuo.

"Never mind, let's not talk about that. How have you been here?"

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to talk about Shirou, Chen directly changed the subject and asked in a different direction.

"Uh... it's pretty good. At least there's food and lodging and no one nagging me."

When Chen asked this question, Ansuo realized that the other party already knew what was going on here.

She's someone who deals with Chen frequently! How could she not understand Chen's little scheme?

"Really? Then you'd better do a good job! And please wrap up this cup for me."

Hearing what Ansuo said, Chen's expression softened slightly.

The Knights of the Round Table's duty is to protect the citizens of Lungmen, but those infected in the Slums are an exception.

Now that she can see these infected children who were struggling to survive in the Slums have found a place where they can be sheltered from the wind and rain, she is naturally happy for them.

"Of course, I'll give you a discount on the cup. Come again when you have time."

Ansuo had never seen Chen with such an expression before. He was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and packed up the black mug that Chen had taken.

She knew that Chen cared about her a lot, even when she couldn't see him.

After all, who gets such lavish meals in prison?

There was meat, vegetables, and soup, which is why she was reluctant to leave that place.

Chen's public image is very serious and meticulous; that expression he just showed is probably only seen in private.

It's a pity I didn't have a camera! Otherwise, it would have been big news!

"If there's a chance."

After taking the packaged mug, Chen walked out of the store.

I turned around and looked at the exterior of the store.

"Fuyuki Store... what a strange name."

Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, making a firm mental note of the shop.

She memorized every street and alley in Lungmen, every dock, signboard, and ramp.

"Isn't this Chen S Li? Good morning."

Just as Chen was staring at the store in a daze, a voice called out from behind her.

Turning her head, she saw a grinning Oni man, whom she recognized.

"You're just loitering around here at this hour, don't you have any work to do?"