Chapter 70
Shirou tilted his head in confusion.
"It's nothing, it's just Little Ansuo..."
Looking at Shirou's appearance, Zi roughly understood the relationship between him and Swire.
Shirou seems harmless and kind-hearted; perhaps he's been chosen?
However, none of this concerns him, a commoner, so it's best not to say anything. He doesn't want to disappear from Lungmen.
Jie briefly told Shirou about some things he knew about Ansuo.
Simply put, it's about a child who, being infected, couldn't find a proper job and resorted to theft to survive, eventually becoming a regular at the Knights of the Round Table.
According to her, life in the Knights of the Round Table prison was actually not bad; she just had to undergo ideological education, otherwise she would probably have settled down in prison.
"... If you see her later, please give these to her for me. I just broke her rope."
After listening to Jie's explanation about the Ansuo, Shirou took out a few Lungmen Dollars and gave them to Jie, instructing him to give them to the other party when he encountered a hidden lock.
After all, Shirou had just destroyed Ansuo's grappling hook, which, according to Je, seemed to be the equipment Ansuo relied on for survival.
If this were in the previous world, Shirou would definitely have given the other person a good talking-to and then handed them over to the police, but here...
Call him a pushover or a hypocrite, but he knows that such behavior is wrong.
But on this land, there are many, many more children like Ansuo, and she is simply trying her best to survive.
"Okay, I'll give it to her."
He accepted the Lungmen Dollars from Shirou without asking any further questions.
He had seen many people like Shirou, but compared to others who only talked the talk, Shirou, a man of action, was relatively rare.
I always felt that Shirou and Guihu could get along well, but compared to Shirou, Guihu was more rigid and inflexible. If it were Guihu today, Little Ansuo would definitely have to go to the Knights of the Round Table to receive delicious meals and ideological education.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
Shirou was initially worried that Zi might ask some questions, but seeing that the other party didn't ask any more, he felt relieved.
As for whether the other party will embezzle it?
Please, this person is someone Sir Hoshiguma knows. Shirou trusts Hoshiguma's judgment.
The Secret Meeting of 90 Penguin Logistics
Dinner, at the Penguin Logistics dormitory, on the dining table.
Looking at the abundance of delicious food on the table, Exusiai had no appetite at all, not because there were any dishes she disliked or because she was full from eating Apple Pie.
Under Shirou's strong threat... oops, I mean demand, if Exusiai dares to get too full from eating Apple Pie before her meal, then she can forget about seeing Apple Pie for the next few days.
If caught, the time limit will be doubled, and meals will be changed to vegetable salads.
Having suffered at Shirou's hands Exusiai knew very well that Shirou would definitely be serious, so she obeyed him very obediently.
What? It's okay to cheat on someone with your boyfriend?
She wanted to too! But all three of her teammates would be Shirou's spies! They'd catch her making a mistake and she'd get an extra treat—that was just too wicked!
Getting back to the topic, Exusiai really had no appetite right now. Even with the perfectly roasted Scale Beast in front of her, emitting a buttery aroma, and the rich soup wafting with milky fragrance, Exusiai... well, she was still a little tempted.
The main reason she lost her appetite was because Shirou's expression wasn't good. She didn't know how to describe it, but to put it simply... it was like he was recalling his own cringeworthy past and couldn't let go of it?
Wow... Even the usually serious Shirou has a chuunibyou (delusional) past?
Exusiai became somewhat interested in this, but she could put it aside for now and discuss it when she had time. The most urgent task now was to find out why Shirou was acting this way.
Under the table, Exusiai's toes slowly kicked Croissant's feet twice.
"Gurgle?"
Croissant, whose mouth was still full of rice, looked up at the bottom of the table and found that it was Exusiai from next door calling to her with her feet.
He looked up at Exusiai, whose eyes flickered toward Shirou.
Croissant glanced at Shirou, then lowered her head and took another sip of soup.
There was no response whatsoever.
"Don't you think it's strange that I said Croissant?"
Seeing the other person's carefree attitude, Exusiai moved closer to Croissant and whispered.
"I have the same expression when I can't sell my stuff, so why don't you come over and worry about me then?"
Croissant naturally knew what Exusiai was worried about, but couldn't they wait until after dinner to talk about it?
It would be a terrible sin to let the food cooked by Mama Emiya get cold!
Furthermore, Croissant understands that Shirou is a good person, so she can understand that when he looks troubled, others will notice and express concern.
You know, she had something on her mind back then and was ignored! Even though she brought it on herself, she was still unhappy.
"So it's because I don't have money... I remember my salary was supposed to be paid in the last couple of days."
After analyzing Croissant's words, Exusiai thought it was very likely due to salary issues.
Shirou's expenses to this day are all borrowed from the Emperor, and it seems that they have only been used to pay for everyone's meals at Penguin Logistics.
If it were her, she would indeed worry about her salary, since it concerns her future.
Wait, she's eating Shirou's food for all three meals now, so it seems like there's nothing to worry about?
No! She hasn't finished paying for that batch of Etched Ammunition! This month is doomed!
As she pondered, Exusiai suddenly realized that she seemed to have no reason to worry about Shirou; she didn't even know if she would have enough money this month to afford Apple Pie.
Although Shirou's food is really delicious, no matter how much you try to persuade him, Shirou just won't make Apple Pie.
That's outrageous!
Transforming her grief and anger into appetite, Exusiai picked up her chopsticks and began to devour the feast before her.
"..."
Shirou watched Exusiai went from unusually not touching her chopsticks, to whispering to Croissant, and finally eating with a look of profound understanding and indignation.
Although something seems a bit off, when I think about Exusiai, it doesn't seem to be a problem.
If it were Texas or Sora, Shirou would probably be more worried.
Exusiai and Croissant... he'll be worried if it doesn't last more than two days.
Hmm, they'll probably be worried, right?
At this moment, Shirou was completely unaware that his condition was affecting the Penguin Logistics team.
After finishing his meal, Shirou, as always, wanted to clean up, but was forced to sit down by the Penguin Logistics staff.
"Shirou, you should get some rest! We'll take care of the dishes and cleaning!"
While clearing the dishes from the table, Kong said.
"Exactly, you look very tired, let us handle the cleaning."
Croissant said, holding up the empty, neatly arranged bowls and plates.
Texas and Exusiai, who were standing nearby, started cleaning up with wet cloths.
"Uh... thank you?"
Looking at the Penguin Logistics that had suddenly become so diligent, Shirou felt that something was off.
Don't you guys usually just lie on the sofa watching TV or playing on your phones after eating? Why are you all so diligent all of a sudden?
Shirou began to think, began to wonder, and then gave up struggling, taking out his phone to check if there were any messages today.
Since they weren't doing anything bad, Shirou just assumed that the group had a sudden urge to do something.
Shirou glanced at the responses and saw that he had received answers to some of the questions he had asked Snow Pheasant about the books that morning. After reading the other party's straightforward explanation, Shirou finally understood some of the questions that had been puzzling him.
As for the Penguin Logistics in the kitchen, Exusiai locked the kitchen door after entering and then started a Penguin Logistics meeting while tidying up the kitchen.
Meeting topic: What happened to Shirou?
Location: Kitchen
Participants: Texas, Exusiai, Croissant, Sora
"What are your thoughts on Shirou's appearance tonight?"
Exusiai started the conversation while washing the dishes.
"I don't know, but what we can confirm is that Shirou was fine when he was at the training ground, so he must have encountered something during the time he was separated from us."
Sora expressed her opinion while taking the plate that Exusiai had cleaned and drying it.
She had just noticed that Shirou was acting strangely, but she couldn't just rush up to him and ask what was wrong.
After all, everyone has some secrets and things they want to hide. Since Shirou didn't say anything, they wouldn't press him. At most, they would just gather people other than the person involved and express their opinions, like they are now.
People Exusiai Croissant also have their own worries. Exusiai came to Penguin Logistics to pursue talent, while Croissant's reason is simpler: money.
"It's not that serious, is it? Aren't you all worrying too much? Maybe Shirou just read something in a book recently and suddenly became a bit of a literary type!"
Looking at his teammates, Croissant couldn't help but complain.
Life is long, and everyone has their share of worries. Why is it that everyone reacts as if they've encountered a formidable enemy whenever Shirou has a problem?
There's no food... * Longmen Curses *!
Croissant suddenly understood why everyone was so worried about Shirou!
She's worried now too! What if Shirou stops cooking?
"I take back what I said earlier. I think we should seriously address Shirou's current problem. Texas, what are your thoughts?"
Having figured Croissant out, Texas changed her previous attitude and asked Texas with a serious expression.
"...No."
Texas, who was inexplicably dragged into this meeting, was still not quite in the zone, but judging from the conversation among the others, they seemed to be concerned about Shirou's condition.
Texas thought the others were probably worrying too much. Shirou's appearance just now was probably just due to exhaustion. Shirou had been training continuously all afternoon, so it was normal for him to be tired.
And then there's Exusiai and Croissant, those two guys with their lewd thoughts always dancing around in front of Shirou, isn't that exhausting for Shirou?
Ultimately, it's because Shirou was too lenient with the two of them. If she were harassed like that, regardless of whether the other person was male or female, she would definitely punch them to shut them up.
"Do you think Shirou ran out of money to buy ingredients, which is why he acted that way?"
Seeing that none of the others had come up with a decent suggestion, Exusiai brought up her earlier guess.
"That's possible. I sometimes experience the same thing at the end of the month."
Croissant immediately understood Exusiai's concern: Penguin Logistics' two members were the biggest spenders.
Texas and Sora both manage their finances very well, especially Sora, who also has an idol career, so he basically doesn't worry about money.
"I remember Shirou saying that these expenses were covered by the boss's allowance... Or is there something Shirou wants to buy?"
From the beginning, Sora had been worried that it wasn't right for Shirou to spend money on ingredients like this, but after asking around, she learned that Shirou had already communicated with the owner.
However, Shirou only intends to use that money for everyone's food at Penguin Logistics and has no plans to use it for anything else, so Sora is wondering if there's anything Shirou wants to buy.
"Ah."
Upon hearing Sora's words, Texas suddenly remembered that Shirou had mentioned wanting to buy a pair of headphones that morning.
"Texas, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Texas's reaction, Exusiai knew that her old partner seemed to have thought of something.
"Shirou seemed to have mentioned wanting to buy headphones this morning."
Texas had no intention of hiding anything and told him directly, after all, it wasn't a big deal.
I guess Shirou couldn't stand the noise while he was reading, right? Plus, he's been reading a very technical book lately, so asking for headphones is perfectly reasonable.
She bought the headphones because Exusiai and Croissant were really noisy when they played together, and she also really enjoyed listening to music.
"Headphones... good headphones are indeed quite expensive."
Upon hearing Texas's words, Sora suddenly realized what was going on.
Although I haven't had much experience with headphones, I do have some understanding of the market. Cheap ones are really cheap, but not durable, while expensive ones are really expensive, but they have a lot of features.