Chapter 174

It's completely different from the Archer we know today.

"I'll try to do it, but what's your idea...?"

Shirou didn't know what Archer's purpose was in showing him this scene, but he still responded to what the other had just said.

As for his thoughts... God knows what he's thinking. Is he just going to spend his days cleaning, cooking, taking care of Penguin Logistics, and the Knights of the Round Table?

Will you conquer Lungmen with your cooking?

"Think about it yourself, that's your business."

Archer said this not because he didn't know, and even if he did know, he wouldn't have given this guy a hint.

You have to go through everything yourself, right?

He's already gone through the process himself; there's no reason for him to take a shortcut, is there?

"Ha... I knew it."

Before even asking, Shirou probably already guessed the other person's answer.

However, he didn't ask any further questions, but instead continued to watch the scene on the screen, where he was playing and frolicking with the local children.

He remembered these children; the ending didn't seem very pleasant.

He probably understood what Archer meant; he was likely trying to comfort him.

Who would have thought that he would be comforted by that Archer one day?

"If there's nothing else, you should go now. I hope you won't come here again. I'll also fall into a deep sleep after this."

Noticing that Shirou's complexion had improved, Archer began to shoo people away.

Bringing people here came at a price; it consumed all his existing magic power. Once his magic power was exhausted, he would truly disappear completely.

He can't just disappear like this; he needs to at least make sure this guy hasn't gone astray before he can rest in peace.

"I have no choice in making this decision."

Shirou replied that he couldn't do anything about Archer's words.

Before the other person could speak, Shirou continued, "Speaking of which... do you know why we're here?"

"... I don't know, but I guess it's related to the Holy Grail? After all, no one can say for sure what will happen with that enormous magical power."

Upon hearing Shirou's question, Archer paused for a moment before speaking.

He genuinely didn't know, but the Holy Grail must be blamed.

"The Holy Grail... I don't recall it."

Shirou tried to recall the details before he arrived here, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't remember anything.

"It's about time you got out of here. Even if you think of this place as a dream, remember one thing: you are not living in Fuyuki City on Earth, but on the Terra."

After saying that, Archer forcefully pushed Shirou away.

"What!?"

Before he could react, Shirou lost his balance and was pushed forward.

Then came a strong feeling of weightlessness.

Shirou felt himself falling rapidly downwards.

Looking upwards, though he couldn't see anyone, Shirou still shouted loudly:

"You bastard!"

In reality, Shirou suddenly sat up and shouted out in unison.

The feeling of weightlessness had long since disappeared, replaced by that familiar round light... no, it should be Exusiai's halo.

"You scared me to death! Did you have a nightmare?"

Startled by Shirou's sudden shout Exusiai patted her chest and then asked Shirou.

"... It should be considered a nightmare."

At this moment, Shirou realized that he seemed to be lying down, so he sat up and gently rubbed the back of his neck.

"I knew it. I noticed you looked a little pale when I got back, so I had you lie down."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Exusiai nodded as if she had known so.

Thanks to her foresight!

Thank you.

Looking at Exusiai's expression, Shirou knew that what she wanted was his words of thanks.

They would be even more pleased if you could give them some Apple Pie.

However... the angle he was at when he first stood up seemed a little strange?

Just as Shirou was wondering, Exusiai also stood up, patted her leg, and muttered to herself:

"Oh dear, my legs are really numb! You really can't believe what you see on TV."

Hearing what the other person said and hearing them rubbing his thigh, Shirou's expression changed from confusion to shock, panic, and guilt.

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. The spot where you're lying just happens to be my spot. I was just playing a game."

Seemingly noticing the rather complex expression on Shirou's face, Exusiai said with a mischievous grin.

She was indeed playing a game, but she could have simply given Shirou a pillow to lie on and then found somewhere else to sit and play.

Just now, a sudden inspiration struck me, and I thought of those scenes of lap pillows on TV, and I thought I would try it myself.

She tried it, but her legs are still numb.

However, being able to see those expressions on Shirou is, in a way, a win-win situation?

"Is that so?"

Shirou had just woken up, didn't have much time to think about the loopholes in the other person's words, and nodded somewhat groggily.

Aside from the fact that he had just woken up, too many things had overwhelmed him.

Exusiai was the final straw that broke the camel's back, the one that sank him.

"Of course! Hurry up and cook, Texas is upstairs blowing her tail so as not to disturb your sleep."

"Okay... I'll check what's in the fridge."

Seeing what Exusiai said, Shirou stopped worrying about it and started thinking about what to prepare for dinner.

There should still be plenty of ingredients left, so there's no need to worry even if he doesn't go shopping today.

"Phew... I got away with it."

Seeing that Shirou didn't ask any questions and instead went straight into the kitchen to get busy, Exusiai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only after seeing the other person's reaction did she realize that her behavior just now might have been a bit inappropriate.

It was a rather unfavorable situation for both Shirou and her.

Fortunately, she managed to fool her.

169 Get the riddle teller out!

The matter with Exusiai didn't bother Shirou for long; he was currently processing the information Archer had given him.

This guy's way of speaking was already full of roundabout ways, and this problem seems to have become even more serious since he came here.

It's giving him a bit of a headache now...

"I firmly believe in my path, I've already got that idea... But I have a weird idea, you know? I want the Riddler to get out, okay?"

Although that's what Shirou thought, after being bombarded with so many riddles, he had developed a fairly high level of resistance to them.

On the bright side, at least the other person said the answer is with him, so he doesn't need to look for the answer elsewhere. You know, most of the riddles others give are ones where they don't even know where the answer is.

But the problem is... he really couldn't figure out what the other person was talking about.

Setting aside any joking thoughts, Shirou felt it might be related to the infected.

Continue helping infected people like this? That's easy, or does the other party mean to lead him down the same path, to become a protector of infected people?

But if that's all there is to it, why did they have to beat around the bush like that?

Or is there a deeper meaning?

As he pondered these thoughts, Shirou clutched his head and rubbed it repeatedly, feeling that his already bad mood had become even worse because of these things.

"Hiss... Is the workload in the Knights of the Round Table really that heavy? Even Shirou has been driven to this state."

The three people pretending to play games were actually paying attention to Shirou's condition. Croissant whispered to the other three.

At this moment, Kong was communicating with several people via video call on her phone. Today was the last of her spare time that she had squeezed out for this video call, because after that she would have to focus on dealing with things, and she might not even have time to rest.

She's really going all out for her idol career.

From the very beginning, they started to worry about Shirou's mental state.

Strictly speaking, I started to worry after receiving the message. The Knights of the Round Table must have had its reasons for releasing people early.

In a work environment that tries to make one person do the work of several, there's definitely something wrong with suddenly letting people leave early!

Given Shirou's current unusual behavior, the group became even more convinced of this.

What should we do?

Seeing that Shirou seemed troubled, Exusiai whispered to her teammates.

"Should we give him some alone time first?"

Texas thought for a moment and then shared her thoughts. Generally, when she had any troubles, she preferred to calm down by herself first.

Perhaps it would be useful to Shirou as well?

"How about throwing a big party?"

Compared to Texas, I don't know much about Croissant in this regard, but once you get into the spirit, you can forget everything else, so maybe throwing a party will help?

"Although the idea of throwing a party is very appealing, I'm on Texas's side this time. Shirou doesn't usually seem like the type to get excited, and he's even less likely to get excited in his current state."

Listening to their opinions, Exusiai crossed her arms and seriously considered the matter, a rare occurrence for her.

In the end, she felt that Texas's opinion might be better.

"That's what I think too."

On the other end of the video call, Sora, wearing loose pajamas and lying on the bed, shared her thoughts.

"Then let's give Shirou some space first, and then we can start preparing for the party?"

Listening to the reasons why the others refuted him, Croissant felt that the two proposals could be carried out simultaneously.

It seems reasonable to throw a party once Shirou calms down a bit to sweep away the gloom.

In addition, they haven't had a big party in a long time, not the usual small-scale ones, but a large-scale one.

A feast! Drinks! Music!

Thinking about it makes me feel a little nostalgic!

"That's fine."

Upon hearing Croissant's suggestion, Exusiai quickly nodded.

She was also craving the party, but had to give it up due to other circumstances.

Now that there is a win-win solution, she naturally has no reason to continue insisting.

Apple Pie freedom is not far away for her!

Seeing the two of them quickly making arrangements, Texas and the empty phone in her hand both showed helpless expressions.

Weren't we originally discussing Shirou? How did we suddenly switch to talking about the party?

Oh well, it's not a big problem anyway.

Don't forget about me! I still have a few days before I finish work!

Seeing the two discussing so enthusiastically, and setting the date for the day she finished work, Sora immediately became anxious.