Chapter 207

But Shirou in front of me was different; he seemed to be pondering why those people did what they did.

Based on my current impression of Shirou, there's no doubt he's a very kind person, and not just someone who talks the talk, but someone who walks the walk.

The children he took in are excellent evidence of this.

Ah-hu has seen this kind of person before. Huaihu, who is also from the Carp Detective Agency, is one of them, so he doesn't feel unfamiliar with this action. On the contrary, he feels a sense of familiarity.

That's why he agreed to help the other person, but that was the only time; he himself didn't like being a doctor.

However... it was just his personal feeling that, compared to Huaihu, the Shirou in front of him seemed to be more serious in some aspects.

That's why he deliberately brought up this question to shift the other person's focus.

The more you dwell on things that are mired in a quagmire, the more likely you are to find yourself already trapped in it by the time you come to your senses.

The idea of emerging from mud unsullied doesn't exist, you know?

Perhaps it won't have much of an impact at first, but as time goes on, the mud will eventually engulf people.

You know, people's beliefs are quite fragile, aren't they?

Of course, this is just his personal opinion.

"... It's pretty awful, I don't really understand their thinking."

Pulling his thoughts back to their original jumble, Shirou adjusted his breathing and emotions before answering A's question.

"It's normal not to understand, isn't it? In fact, if you could understand it, I'd find it a little scary!"

Ah breathed a sigh of relief after feeling the low pressure weaken slightly.

Once the direction is right, all that's left is to guide them gradually.

This is such a hassle! Shouldn't we have let Hum do it?

It's a pity the two aren't close now, but I guess they'd get along really well, right? If I remember correctly, Shirou's cooking skills are also quite good.

"Yes, can I take these with me? If not, I can take pictures of them."

Hearing A's words, and seeing the other person's somewhat exaggerated body language combined with the expression on that cat's head, Shirou felt a little better.

Forgetting his earlier worries, Shirou turned his attention back to the data and information on the table.

These are quite useful for better tracing the source of problematic blocking agents.

"Take it with you, just be careful not to lose it. I don't have a backup."

A waved his hand, indicating that Shirou could take it, but reminded him to keep it safe.

These were simply the results of his own tests, collected out of curiosity.

As for eliminating evil and promoting good... he has no interest in that; he just happens to be interested in research.

Let's leave this kind of thing to the Knights of the Round Table or people Huaihu to handle!

"Thank you so much."

While tidying up the documents on the table, Shirou downed a cup of hot tea that had somehow ended up on the table and thanked A.

"No need for thanks... Wait, could you make that Scale Beast Meat dish again?"

I was going to say that we're all acquaintances, so there's no need to thank them.

But then A suddenly remembered the bento box that Shirou had brought when she helped the children with their medical check-ups last time.

The bento box made with the Scale Beast Meat from the seafood stalls near the village is still making my mouth water just thinking about it.

Of course, Hum's cooking is also delicious, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing other delicacies.

At this moment, Ah is just like the kind of person who has family at home but still thinks about the people outside.

"Of course, no problem, but it will be a few days. I'll have Jie check if there are any good Scale Beast."

This small request was no challenge for Shirou at all, so he readily agreed.

After packing his things, Shirou planned to take them back to the Knights of the Round Table first.

After saying goodbye to A and Hum, Shirou rode away on his bicycle.

"That's quite rare."

As Shirou left, Hum suddenly spoke.

"Huh? What's so rare?"

He yawned, feeling a bit sleepy. He had just spent a lot of his brain cells thinking about how to have a conversation.

"Hmm... so you actually care about what other people think?"

I originally thought Ah was self-aware, but now it seems that's not the case?

"That? It's nothing, I guess. It's just that I feel he's a lot like Huaihu. If someone like that gets stuck on something, it can be really troublesome. Besides, he's someone I know."

Upon hearing Hum's words, Ah stretched slightly and explained his actions.

For some reason, when he mentioned that Huaihu would get stuck on things and cause trouble, Hong seemed to silently take two steps back.

The next second he understood why Hum was behaving that way.

He saw a hand grab his shoulder, and when he turned around, he saw a female Feline Ancients wearing glasses.

"... Hey, isn't this Huaihu? Weren't you preparing your things for class tomorrow? What are you doing here?"

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, and at the same time, Ah was looking for an opportunity to escape.

"I just happened to hear some customers talking, so I came out, only to overhear someone talking badly about me. Could you explain why it's so troublesome when I get stuck on something?"

As they talked, Huaihu gradually tightened his grip on A's hand to prevent him from escaping.

"You must have misheard me! I didn't do anything... Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Swallowing hard, Ah Lu, realizing she couldn't escape, forced a smile and tried to explain.

Then he was captured by Huaihu.

"Don't make too much noise, it'll disturb the neighbors next door."

Seeing the two of them, Hong gave them a reminder and then went to get busy.

The Carp Detective Agency is as bustling as ever today.

On the other side, Shirou, riding his bicycle and enjoying the breeze, had calmed down considerably.

Recalling his conversation with A at the agency, Shirou now realized that A had deliberately changed the subject.

"We'll have to prepare something quite lavish."

He let out a breath and Shirou to himself, while simultaneously increasing the speed of his pedaling on the bicycle.

The issue of infected individuals is something that ordinary people here are unwilling to confront or think about.

After all, in normal living conditions, ordinary people don't have many opportunities to encounter infected individuals; they are ultimately just a minority in society.

It should be said that infected people will consciously avoid crowds or disguise themselves.

Isn't it unusual for someone like him to actively reach out to infected people and want to help them?

It doesn't matter if he's an outsider, he just can't let go of those who need help anyway.

As Archer himself said, Shirou Emiya has lived with the idea of helping others, which can be said to be his life motto.

Even now, Shirou has never felt there was anything wrong with this belief.

Seeing others smile makes him feel that everything is worthwhile.

That's why he couldn't understand those people's thoughts.

Just like a certain priest, he was full of wicked humor.

Shirou genuinely cannot understand the idea that one can only feel happiness when others suffer.

Holding onto those questions that might never be answered, Shirou returned to the Knights of the Round Table and handed over the new intelligence and information he had just obtained to Hoshiguma and Chen, while also verbally conveying A and his thoughts.

"Carp Detective Agency... I vaguely remember them, they seem quite credible."

To prevent Chen from distrusting the information he had, Hoshiguma made a special mention of it.

"Okay, I understand."

Hearing Hoshiguma's words, Chen Cai began to believe the information was more credible.

It wasn't that she was paranoid, but rather that incorrect information could not only hinder the investigation but also put them in a dangerous situation.

The more detailed the intelligence, the more narrowed down their search area becomes.

The intelligence they had, combined with what Shirou brought, was already sufficient.

In particular, the test results of those blocking agents, if we take these to Wei Yanwu, will definitely be able to mobilize the entire Knights of the Round Table.

If it were just an incident in Slums targeting infected people, Wei Yanwu might not have paid much attention or invested manpower.

However, the properties are different if the processing is for blocking agents.

After all, purchasing large quantities of blocking agents requires relevant applications, especially after post-processing.

The other party has completely violated the laws of Lungmen, and she has concrete evidence in her hands.

However, Chen did not intend to alert them; she still hoped to wipe out that group in one fell swoop.

Under these circumstances, large-scale operations are definitely not feasible.

It would be best to apply to Wei Yanwu for permission to mobilize the Knights of the Round Table.

With Shirou's support, she and Hoshiguma were able to handle many situations. The added power to mobilize the Knights of the Round Table was simply an extra layer of security for their operations.

Of course, the prerequisite is getting past Wei Yanwu.

It's important to know that Wei Yanwu has never had a good attitude towards the Slums. If the other party refuses to accept the data results, then all her previous thoughts will be useless.

"This intelligence must be quite valuable, right? Do we need to apply for funding?"

Hoshiguma didn't think too much about it. After quickly flipping through the document to make sure it was written, she looked up and asked Shirou.

Intelligence is never free, not even from the Knights of the Round Table.

Just as Chen would give a reward for obtaining intelligence from his informant, the Knights of the Round Table would also have to pay if it wanted to obtain intelligence from other places.

Of course, you can force the other party to hand it over directly, but it will probably be more difficult to obtain other information afterward.

Is that considered a kind of unspoken rule?

"They didn't charge for this information, but..."

Upon hearing Hoshiguma's words, Shirou shook his head and said, but paused slightly at the end.

"But?"

Hoshiguma frowned. If she didn't charge him but instead incurred a favor, it would be difficult to handle.

However, if it's an agency... it shouldn't be too bad, at least I know someone there.

"However, the other party asked me to make him a bento box. Can I apply for these expenses?"

The reason Shirou paused just now was mainly because he was wondering whether he could get funding for this kind of thing.

But after thinking about it, that's how I apply with my boss, so it should be similar with the Knights of the Round Table, right?

With that in mind, Shirou asked the question.

"Pfft—"

This is Shirou helping Emiya figure out how to help Hoshiguma if they owe them a favor.

"Cough cough..."

This is Chen, who is thinking about how to get the right to mobilize the Knights of the Round Table to participate in this operation from Wei Yanwu, while also listening to the conversation here.

196 Fuyuki

"..."

In the Penguin Logistics dormitory, Shirou looked at the Lungmen Dollars on the table and felt a bit conflicted.

They clearly secured funding and helped Chen and Hoshiguma.

Shouldn't it be twice the happiness? Why does he feel so conflicted?