Chapter 137

"It's all because that kid's been causing trouble one thing after another lately! Now look what's happened, he's been targeted and they're making him report to the Knights of the Round Table for a few days!"

The Emperor spoke frankly, even with a hint of resentment in his voice.

"?????"

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the four of them stopped what they were doing.

What did they just hear?

Shirou is going to the Knights of the Round Table for several days? Isn't that like throwing a lamb to the slaughter?

There's a tiger in the Knights of the Round Table Shirou Emiya!

"Wait, wait, wait! Why is Shirou suddenly going to the Knights of the Round Table? What's going on!?"

Exusiai was the first to slam her fist on the table and question the boss who had just been in charge of the negotiations and Shirou, the person involved.

"Ahem, the boss suggested it."

Faced with the strange looks from the four people, Shirou simply pushed his boss out to take the blame.

That makes sense; it was all the boss who talked to Wei Yanwu, and he was just watching from the sidelines.

"I was set up. You all know how cunning Wei Yanwu is."

The Emperor Shirou tossed the blame onto Wei Yanwu, who had already left the scene.

"Boss! You probably don't know that someone in the Knights of the Round Table is thinking about how to poach Shirou, do you? How could you agree so easily?"

Croissant said, trying to sound pitiful.

What if Emiya is blinded by the Shirou Knights of the Round Table decides to leave Penguin Logistics?

She can never go back to the days without Shirou!

You don't have to think about what to eat, or worry about your sleeping place being dirty. When the goods arrive, Shirou will even help you sort and pack them.

This greatly improved her efficiency in setting up her stall, and she earned a lot more money!

"It's not that serious, is it? It's only been a few days..."

Shirou was speaking when Texas stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth, preventing him from saying anything more.

"We will judge for ourselves whether it is serious or not."

Texas, with her eyes slightly narrowed, looked exceptionally fierce.

Left with no other choice, Shirou shut his mouth and silently ate the steamed bun, which had a strong milky taste.

"Of course I know. How could your great and wise boss not know what's happening around his employees?"

Upon hearing Croissant's words, the Emperor felt that he had been underestimated.

So he shared a little tidbit that Isv had told him.

"I can now tell you with absolute certainty that, besides Swire, there are other people who have their eyes on Shirou."

11/14 Temporary Leave of Absence Request

Thanks for the invitation. The job I quit suddenly came back to haunt me.

It's a minor photo retouching job. The previous guy just pasted body parts from other pictures and submitted them as the finished product.

wryyyyyyyyy That waistline is so exaggerated, it made my back pain disappear just looking at it.

I spent some time fixing it, and when I came to my senses I realized it was almost 5 o'clock, and I had only typed half the word count, so I submitted a leave request first.

I'll check my mental state after I'm done, and I might update this afternoon.

I won't quit! I'll fight anyone who says I'll quit!

I live off this novel now!

That's all for now, I'm going to go edit the photos.

wryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

140 If this continues, we'll lose Mama Emiya.

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, everyone present turned their gaze to Emperor.

"Boss, what... does this mean?"

Shirou, the person involved, swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and asked.

Thanks for the invitation. He's a little panicked right now. What do you mean by "others are still interested in him"?

No, I should say, why is Swire so hung up on him?

"It means exactly what it says. Kid, you'd better watch out."

Seeing the troubled look on Shirou's face, the Emperor's mood, which had just been fooled, improved somewhat.

Why did they just shift the blame onto us? Now we should think carefully about how to deal with what happens next!

Wow, this red wine is really sweet.

"No, no, no, boss, please don't use riddles now!"

Shirou, who was still waiting for his boss to tell him what had happened, saw his boss say something, then reveal a disdainful smile before going off to drink red wine.

Don't leave things unsaid! Is this how people talk around here?

Shirou inwardly condemned himself, but outwardly he still placed some delicious food in front of the shopkeeper.

He learned all of this from Exusiai and Croissant, only the person he was feeding had changed from himself to his own boss.

"Wow... such a strong will to survive."

Watching Shirou fawn over his boss with such smooth and effortless manner, Croissant chimed in with Croissant comment.

"Exactly, I don't know where they learned that."

Exusiai nodded in agreement with Croissant's words.

Then the two of them received some strange looks from Sora and Texas.

"Um?"

For some reason, Exusiai and Texas, who were suddenly being stared at with strange looks by Sora and Croissant, made a puzzled sound.

"Alright, stop pretending. No matter how much you pretend, I won't tell you."

On the other side, despite the overwhelming food offerings from Shirou, the Emperor still showed no intention of speaking.

He felt he needed to work on Shirou's personality.

Being warm to some people is called being a warm man; being warm to everyone is called being an air conditioner.

Shirou is basically a walking central air conditioner; he'll step in to help wherever he's needed.

Now a bunch of people are coming to our door.

The Emperor reasonably suspected that if Shirou were given more time to develop, the entire Lungmen might come knocking on his door.

No, it seems we're almost there now.

Wei Yanwu and the Rat King have both made contact with Shirou, while the old dragon and the rat practically represent the entire Lungmen.

The Rat King seemed quite satisfied with Shirou, allowing Shirou to do whatever he wanted on his own turf, and even helping to keep many people away from causing trouble for the relief station.

Sigh... Why didn't you help stop this old dragon too? It just added more unhappy memories to his brain, which should be used for creation.

Should I get a dragon-head cane like that, and touch the dragon head on it all the time? It seems like it would be quite stress-relieving.

"Alright... then boss, you have to tell me what you're thinking about me for, right?"

Seeing that Exusiai and Croissant's methods were ineffective, Shirou decided to try asking them in his own way.

I don't need to know who it is, but I could at least find out what they're thinking about him for, so they can be a little prepared.

He didn't want to be arrested just a few days after joining the Knights of the Round Table because of a conditioned reflex to retaliate against someone.

For Shirou at this moment, the word "concern" meant being listed as a target of attack, and with higher priority than others.

As for the other meanings, he cannot understand them yet.

"Hmm? You can think of that yourself."

Upon hearing Shirou's question, the Emperor nearly dropped the wine in his hand.

It's unclear whether Shirou is genuinely stupid or just pretending, but based on his understanding, it's probably the former.

This guy is incredibly dense. As far as he knows, Swire has extended an olive branch to Shirou Knights of the Round Table, and yet this guy still doesn't know?

Seeing that Shirou refused quite decisively and without hesitation, the Emperor still offered him a way out.

"Don't worry, with me here, even if that old Wei Yanwu personally tries to bail you out, it's impossible. Just focus on doing what you're supposed to do."

"Uh... okay."

Shirou had no choice but to accept this.

After all, he was in the wrong first, so it was reasonable for him to work at the Knights of the Round Table for a few days to pay off his debt.

What the boss said bothered her a little, but the boss himself assured her there wouldn't be any problems... so it should be fine, right?

It just doesn't feel quite reliable.

"Is it just Sir Swire? I have a very strong feeling about this!"

After thinking for a moment, Exusiai whispered to her teammates.

It's impossible to expect the boss to give them an answer now. Judging from their behavior just now, they'll have to wait until Shirou leaves before they can ask him.

Who do you think the other people might be?

Croissant her brains but couldn't figure out which other members of the Shirou had been in contact with Knights of the Round Table.

All she knew was that Shirou and Swire seemed to have a fairly good relationship; that was all.

The initial explanation was that we would likely be dealing with each other frequently in the future, so there was no problem with exchanging ideas.

"Have no idea."

Texas shook her head at Croissant's question.

She doesn't pry into other people's privacy, and unlike Croissant, who at least knows that Shirou and Swire are in contact again, Texas really knows nothing.

Her communication with Shirou and the Knights of the Round Table stopped at the time of their last incident Fried Winged Beast Chunk.

Because they were caught by the Knights of the Round Table, they lost most of their Fried Winged Beast Chunk. After that, they started to be good citizens so that their meals wouldn't be divided up anymore.

"Could it be one of the other two?"

Sora's idea is more straightforward; he thinks it's quite possible that it's Chen and Hoshiguma.

"Surely not? If it's the Big Three... that's a bit scary."

Exusiai immediately understood which two people Sora was referring to.

The "Big Three" were mostly joking around, but it also represented a form of recognition for the three of them.

If what Sora said is true, and the three of them are eyeing Shirou and want to poach him, then it's really a bit dangerous.

Exusiai has begun considering the possibility of blowing up the Knights of the Round Table building.

Directly attacking the building wouldn't be a good idea; it would be too conspicuous. How about blowing up the Knights of the Round Table's underground pipes, preferably including the toilets, so the Knights of the Round Table personnel won't be able to use the restrooms?

It's a bit disgusting, though.

"Exusiai, calm down."

Texas, who was standing nearby, noticed that her partner's expression was gradually turning Sarkaz- like, and quickly called her back to her Sarkaz side.

"We need to think of a way to prune it."

Croissant's suggestion was quickly accepted by everyone.

They now need to think of a way to prevent Shirou Knights of the Round Table.

Although it was very disheartening, after a long period of contact, Shirou's style of doing things was indeed closer to that of the Knights of the Round Table.

If this continues, we'll lose Mama Emiya. We need to find a way to keep her.