Chapter 160

Without asking Shirou if he wanted any, he poured himself a glass and started drinking.

He knew that Shirou, this oddball at Penguin Logistics, didn't drink, so he didn't ask.

Even if they have nothing to drink, they'll have a small drink. But this guy is an exception; he doesn't drink at all. He only drinks a very small amount when served food and basically doesn't touch alcohol.

Considering the other party's excellent resume, the Emperor tolerated it.

"Phew... Kid, why didn't you notify Isv immediately? We had to find out you were being watched by Wei Yenwu through other channels."

After chugging down the glass of red wine in his hand, the Emperor asked.

"Uh... I didn't think too much about it."

When asked this question by the Emperor, Shirou thought for a moment and then answered truthfully.

"Heh, I think you've forgotten? Oh well, that's very much in line with your personality. You may not cause much trouble, but when you do, it's a big deal!"

Seeing Shirou's expression, the Emperor immediately understood.

This isn't just not thinking too much; it's clearly forgetting!

At this moment, the Emperor felt like a babysitter. He originally thought that he could relax once he found someone to take care of the four of them, but the person in charge of taking care of them also had a lot of problems.

However, he's not needed in many situations, except when something happens, it's a big deal.

The other incidents that happened were at most about speeding, explosions, illegal street vending, and issues related to idol management...

As for Shirou, he went to the Slums to help others, which was fine, at least he didn't step on a rat's tail. But right now, he's practically dancing wildly in front of some old dragon.

He's clashed with Wei Yanwu twice in the last few days; who can know the pain in his heart?

So frustrating!

"Hahaha..."

When his boss made such a comment, Shirou could only smile awkwardly.

This time, we can't blame him; it's just that the other person's excessive paranoia led to what happened.

"Stop laughing. What's the story behind the person Wei Yanwu mentioned?"

Hearing Shirou's awkward, almost comical laughter, the Emperor skipped over the previous topic, since it was just a minor complaint anyway.

At least Shirou himself was quite aware of the situation, which made him very gratified.

But that "The Red Demon of the North" that Wei Yanwu just mentioned... there are a lot of suspicious points, aren't there?

The person who disappeared more than three years ago and Shirou who suddenly appeared from the sky a few months ago both used the exact same weapons and attack methods. If it weren't for other physical data indicating that they were not the same person, the Emperor would have wondered if he had directly dug up a super Originium Bomb.

Although Shirou's performance was not bad, he had a solid track record.

He single-handedly fought several Inner Guards and escaped unscathed, and also single-handedly repelled a large army sent by Ursus.

That's simply outrageous.

Because Wei Yanwu was nearby, he didn't ask Shirou any further questions. He only confirmed that Shirou had nothing to do with the Black Serpent before releasing him.

But he can't do that.

Putting aside the fact that he is the owner of Penguin Logistics, an intelligence company, Shirou is his employee.

Is it wrong for a boss to care about their employees' lives?

"Hmm... It's a bit complicated, but the Noble Phantasms in those pictures match up, so maybe it's him? Even I didn't know he was there."

Faced with the Emperor's question, Shirou thought for a moment before speaking.

However, he didn't choose to throw out all the answers at once, because no one would believe him if he did.

A time traveler from another world, or yourself from the future... who would believe that?

Neither of these two matters could be supported by conclusive evidence, but the Projection Noble Phantasms was clear evidence, so Shirou did not hide anything regarding the Noble Phantasms.

"If you don't know, that's fine. As for your Noble Phantasms... those weapons you usually use? Never mind, who you knew in the past is not my concern, but if you can remember them, does that mean your memories have returned?"

Upon hearing that Shirou said he didn't know why the other person was there, the Emperor didn't press further about it.

Rather than believing that Shirou would try to lie and deceive him, it's better to think about the words the other person suddenly threw out and the things about the other person's memories.

If Shirou were to lie, he could definitely eat three meals with a smile.

"I've remembered some of it."

Shirou replied.

"Oh? Do you remember why you fell from the sky?"

This was the topic that the Emperor was interested in; he wanted to know why Shirou had fallen from the sky.

"Well... sorry, that's something I just can't remember."

Seeing that his boss seemed quite interested in this matter, Shirou wanted to say something but couldn't.

He genuinely couldn't remember!

Although there are other memories to supplement this, which can be used to speculate that it was the cause of the Holy Grail War, he himself does not know the exact reason.

Could it be that the Holy Grail hit him in the face and sent him to another time?

"Sigh... fine, if I didn't remember, I didn't remember."

Even after learning that what he wanted to know was still something he hadn't remembered, the Emperor was not discouraged.

He was just curious anyway; he wasn't like some scheming guy who needed to worry about so many things.

"Ahem... Shirou, I'm a little interested in what you said. Could you please send me all of those again, preferably with pictures? It would be even better if I could touch them."

After watching the two in the back seat chat for a while, Isv was driving in the front, joined the conversation.

"... I'll post the pictures later, we'll talk about the rest later."

Shirou only agreed to the first part of Isv's request, but asked that he be allowed to refuse the second part, which involved Is touching Is.

Isv Is gets curious, it probably won't end in less than half a day.

He no longer had as much time to spare as before to keep Isv occupied and satisfy his curiosity, so he had no choice but to refuse outright.

"Okay, at least there's a picture."

Is didn't have high expectations for these Isv. Despite his extensive knowledge, he had only ever seen so many strange weapons, or rather, Noble Phantasms, in Shirou's hands.

He doesn't have many hobbies; only some rather unusual things can attract his attention.

"Tsk tsk, kid, you're finished."

Judging from Isv's expression, the Emperor knew that this guy was really serious this time.

If Shirou, he will probably make a request about this matter.

But it's a good thing, otherwise Shirou would always make Is work overtime on things other than Isv Penguin Logistics, so he should be paid some compensation.

"Speaking of which... I heard you've been spending a lot on meals lately, Shirou?"

Speaking of things outside of Penguin Logistics... the Emperor remembered the flow of funds for meal expenses that hadn't been checked in a long time.

From initially saving every penny, to later normal consumption, and then to the recent large-scale consumption.

The Emperor was pondering what Shirou had gone through to become like this.

What is certain is that Shirou did not use his money for his own purposes; the money spent in the Slums was all Shirou's own salary, and he knew about this.

It seems like the members of Penguin Logistics are getting rounder and rounder. Luckily, Kong is rehearsing, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to wear his idol outfits this time.

This is a good thing for others, but for Sora himself, it might mean missing out on a fortune.

But he's the boss, so this is a huge good thing for him!

"Huh? That... well... it's just... necessary expenses!"

Suddenly caught off guard by his own boss, Shirou began to stammer and hesitate when he spoke.

What are the necessary expenses?

The Emperor, who was in a good mood, asked about it after seeing Shirou's appearance.

I told you, this kid's intention to lie was practically written all over his face! So he wasn't worried at all that the other person would lie!

Just keep asking until you get to the bottom of it!

"That's the one..."

At this moment, Shirou was organizing his thoughts, trying to convince his boss that he was trying to build a good relationship with the Knights of the Round Table.

It's just that we have to put it in a nicer way.

"I know that. Shirou has been on good terms with Chen, Sir Hoshiguma, and Sir Swire lately, all thanks to his excellent cooking skills in making bento boxes! He must have spent all his money on that."

Having been instructed by his boss to keep a close eye on Shirou's movements, he naturally knew what kind of trouble Emiya had stirred up in the Shirou Knights of the Round Table.

First, his superb sniping skills made everyone in the Sniper Team eager to give him pointers, and they actually managed to teach him some skills.

After that, the three giants would always gather at Shirou's place at lunchtime to collect their bento boxes. It is said that Chen originally refused, but in the end, he seemed to be persuaded by Hoshiguma and Swire.

It seems the two of them convinced each other by saying, "It would be such a waste if you didn't eat it, so I'll do it."

That's absolutely outrageous.

But it's understandable. You don't have to think about what to eat and someone will take care of everything for you, and you can even customize your own flavors... Just thinking about it makes me very envious.

Besides, it wasn't that the others didn't pay for the meal; it's just that Shirou received cash and then went back to pay for the ingredients, although it wasn't much.

Furthermore, according to an unnamed Lupo, Shirou has been spending more time in the kitchen lately, and the refrigerator is filled with more and more desserts and cold dishes.

She expressed some concern about Shirou's condition, as well as the health of her two teammates.

"... Kid, you're using my money to pick up girls?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was completely stunned. He turned to Shirou and threw out a single sentence.

Shirou completely stunned Isv, and even Is in front of him was stunned as well.

"Steering wheel! Steering wheel!"

The car nearly scraped against the wall while it was moving, but Shirou quickly warned it, and that was the only way to avoid it.

This car is one of the boss's prized possessions, quite valuable, the kind that would make Isv work overtime for several months without pay.

"Phew... no, boss, I didn't do that. I was just trying to build a good relationship. How did it turn into something else with you?"

Seeing the car back on track, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief and explained.

God knows what he just went through.

"Build good relationships? Does it make a difference?"

Even through the sunglasses, Shirou could tell from the Emperor's tone that the other was squinting and looking at him with suspicion.

"Isn't Penguin Logistics often dealing with the Knights of the Round Table? So I'm thinking of building a good relationship with them. I don't expect them to arrest us, but at least we shouldn't be treated too badly."

Shirou finally voiced his long-thought-out explanation.

"Hmm... you're dreaming. The other two are fine, but Wei Yenwu's niece is just as stubborn as him. You've probably wasted your time."

After listening briefly to Shirou's explanation and Isv the front seat nod in agreement, the Emperor did not pursue the matter further.

He can use his money on important matters, but he gets angry if it's used for other things.

Even though he earns money easily, he shouldn't spend it like this!

"Oh... I was just trying it out."

Shirou didn't argue with his boss's words.

The boss is the boss, and everything the boss says is right.

It seems the boss just said something really important.

Is Chen actually Wei Yanwu's niece?

However, there wasn't any friendly interaction between the two of them, typical of relatives.

Never mind, it's their family matter after all, and he doesn't need to know that much.

Let's just pretend we didn't hear it.

"Never mind, knowing where the funds went is enough. We can send him back to the Knights of the Round Table now."

The Emperor waved his hand, then poured himself another glass of red wine and began to enjoy it.