By the time Shirou left Wei Yenwu's office, night had already fallen.
Madam Fumizuki had calmed down, she pulled Shirou aside and asked him countless questions about Talulah. As they talked, she even managed to obtain all of the photographs that had originally been meant for Officer Chen.
And Madam Fumizuki did not seem satisfied with just that. She had already set her sights on the other photographs in her niece's possession.
Of course, she was not planning to fight with her over them, but borrowing them to make copies was perfectly acceptable.
As for Wei Yenwu?
After learning about Talulah and discovering that she had not been completely consumed by the Black Snake, he had remained in a state of self-entertainment. The occasional foolish grin on his face made Shirou wonder whether something had gone wrong with his brain.
It was just strange.
Still, he had already left. Having dealt with everything, Shirou felt refreshed.
Having no work-related stress was genuinely pleasant, but the moment he remembered that he would soon be taking over Sora's duties at Penguin Logistics, the pressure immediately returned.
He had always heard the others talking about the dangers and difficulties they encountered during deliveries, so his impression of Penguin Logistics work was that it was extremely dangerous.
But no matter how dangerous it was... it should not reach the level of his last business trip, right?
"No, no, it should not be that bad. Lungmen's public security is pretty good, and the Black Snake who kept causing trouble has already been dealt with. At worst, there are just the gangs."
After being mocked so often for his terrible luck, Shirou had begun developing strange thoughts about it himself.
Still, based on his experience living in Lungmen, the greatest enemies he was likely to encounter were the gangs in the slums.
Back when the shop had first opened, people frequently came looking for trouble.
The result was always the same. Either he beat them up and left them piled on the roadside, or Phal beat them up and left them embedded in walls. Eventually, no one dared to cause trouble openly anymore.
Especially after Lin Yuhsia started visiting. Those people became so scared that they practically disappeared.
Of course, that only applied to the surrounding area. Outside of it, the gangs were still active, and Penguin Logistics happened to be one of their targets.
Compared to other delivery companies, Penguin Logistics often transported more secretive and valuable goods, making them natural targets.
That was also why Texas, Exusiai, Croissant, Sora, and the others all carried weapons or staves while working.
Strictly speaking, their habit of speeding was also because of these people, though it was usually limited to the slums or roads with fewer pedestrians.
As for the reckless driving in the city center earlier, that had simply been because someone failed to restrain herself.
"If it is only the gangs... it should not be a problem. If things get really bad, I can always call the Guard Department for support."
After deciding that the greatest threat came from the slum gangs, Shirou concluded that things were manageable.
After all, Lungmen's laws still carried authority. Most people did not dare use lethal force or carry highly destructive ammunition or crossbow bolts, which meant his magecraft defenses could block more than ninety percent of attacks.
As for the remaining ten percent?
Anyone capable of bringing something that could penetrate his defenses was not someone he needed to show hold back against. At that point, he could simply strike back.
The biggest issue was—
"I really do need to drive, huh? I should start practicing. Usually Texas or someone from the Guard Department handles the driving, so I do not have much experience."
When he thought about Penguin Logistics deliveries, vehicles were the first thing that came to mind.
Although he had learned a little under Yith, he only knew the basics and lacked practical experience.
If necessary, a motorcycle would work too. At least some of the controls overlapped with bicycles, so he would not be completely clueless.
Hm? Age restrictions?
At eighteen, he could legally drive such vehicles in Lungmen, and he already had the proper licenses, so there would be no problem.
"Then next up is dinner, and after that a trip to the supermarket. Luckily, I already told everyone beforehand, so I do not need to rush back to make dinner. I can take my time looking for ingredients."
As he spoke, Shirou took a candy out of his backpack, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
It had been a gift from FrostNova after the pudding party. At the time, she had watched him expectantly as he opened one and ate it.
Only for him to discover that the thing was unexpectedly spicy.
Caught completely off guard, his face had twisted in agony for quite a while. In the end, under the confused gazes of everyone else, he had only barely forgiven FrostNova after obtaining a few more candies from her.
His sense of taste was not very sensitive now, but spiciness was technically a form of pain. He had sampled some spicy food at Rhodes Island before, and although his perception was still dulled, he could at least taste something.
However, he had rarely eaten spicy food before, so if he wanted to cook it himself, he would have to start from scratch.
In any case, mapo tofu was removed from consideration.
Seeing that dish always reminded him of a certain rejoicing priest, causing his appetite to plummet.
Next, he needed to adjust his tolerance gradually. Someone at Penguin Logistics had already demonstrated why.
It might not seem spicy when eating it, but later that night the suffering would begin.
The cries of agony had been even more pitiful than Emperor's shouting.
So today, Shirou planned to visit the hotpot restaurant that Penguin Logistics frequented and order a spicy pot. After getting a rough standard, he could begin researching properly.
Mainly because the portions he had sampled at Rhodes Island had been too small. There simply had not been enough data.
"There do not seem to be too many people today. I probably will not have to wait very long."
As he approached, he could see a small crowd outside the hotpot restaurant.
Compared to the times he had come with everyone else, this was already considered quiet. Since he was in no hurry, Shirou obediently joined the end of the line and waited.
Like the people ahead of him in line, Shirou habitually took out his phone. However, instead of watching videos or doing anything else, he opened Officer Chen's chat window and told her about Wei Yenwu's reaction earlier.
He needed to tell her while he still had the time and before he forgot. If he waited any longer, he was afraid he would forget the look on Wei Yenwu's draconic face.
He also had to notify the boss about the results.
After sending the messages, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
"Yo! Is that you, Shirou? Since when did you dye your hair white? I almost did not recognize you. Nice taste, though!"
The newcomer was Nian.
Unlike Shirou, she was still dressed in that same outfit that made anyone looking at it feel cold.
Although it was already January, Lungmen's temperature was still quite low.
However, it was clear that she had no intention of giving Shirou a chance to speak. She immediately grabbed him and dragged him toward the entrance while saying,
"Come on, come on! It is inconvenient to talk out here. Since you are already here, come have a meal with me!"
The moment he was dragged away, Shirou had intended to resist.
But he faintly heard the sound of his clothes tearing, causing him to give up struggling.
Unless he wanted to spend some time bare-chested on the streets of Lungmen.
He would very much decline that.
"We have to wait in line..."
Still, Shirou's sense of propriety forced him to remind her. Cutting in line was not civilized behavior.
"Relax, I made a reservation. Whether there is one person or two makes no difference."
Those words destroyed all of Shirou's resistance, and he could only let her drag him into the restaurant.
The employees inside the hotpot restaurant were clearly very familiar with Nian. The moment they saw her, they did not even need to ask anything and directly led them to a table in a corner.
It was a table for four, somewhat large for just the two of them, but since that was where the staff seated them, Shirou simply accepted it.
After all, they knew each other. Walking away immediately would have been rather rude.
Besides, skipping the line was nice. Judging from the crowd outside, he probably would have had to wait another half hour to get in.
"Tsk, tsk. It has only been a month, but you have changed a lot, kid. You feel sharper, and you look tougher too."
The moment they sat down, Nian made a framing gesture with her hands, placing Shirou between her thumbs and index fingers as though she were taking a picture, saying things that hardly sounded like compliments.
Sharper? Tougher?
No matter how he heard it, it sounded more like she was describing a weapon.
Still, considering she had said similar things before, Shirou did not find it strange.
If there was something worth complaining about, it was why she had arbitrarily decided what he was having for dinner.
"Nian's special spicy hotpot... What is this? It is not even on the menu."
Ignoring everything she had just said, Shirou picked up the order slip left by the waiter and frowned.
The paper listed what they had ordered, but the problem was that they had not ordered anything.
And he was absolutely certain that no such bizarre hotpot existed on the menu. If it did, either Croissant or Exusiai would have ordered it long ago.
Even if something might not suit their tastes, those two firmly believed that anything interesting had to be tried at least once.
"Of course it is not there, ordinary people would complain to the restaurant after eating it. They only make this available specially for me."
Hearing Shirou's question, Nian answered immediately.
After replying, she suddenly realized that he had forcibly changed the topic on her.
"Hey, hey! Do not ignore what I just said!"
Realizing this, Nian decisively snatched the menu from his hand. Everything had already been ordered, so there was no point looking at it anymore.
Letting him order a different broth?
Impossible.
She had finally caught someone to eat hotpot with her. How could she possibly let him off?
"Your question was too profound for me to understand. I think my question is more important. Please explain what you mean by ordinary people complaining to the restaurant after eating it."
Shirou stated his thoughts expressionlessly.
At this moment, he felt as though one foot had already stepped into some abyss, and yet he had no means of escaping from her grasp.
Judging from how she had dragged him over earlier, if she really wanted to, there was absolutely no way he could get away.
Of course, if he got forceful enough, there would probably be a way.
Though that would likely end with him being taken to the Guard Department and having to pay a huge amount in damages.
Compared to that, sharing a hotpot meal with her was a trivial matter.
Still, understanding the situation was one thing. Complaining about it was another.
"That is because they do not know how to appreciate food! Let me tell you, even though this is the restaurant I visit most often in Lungmen, this level of spiciness is only barely acceptable!"
Nian's train of thought was derailed once more as she proudly introduced the special hotpot.
"..."
Shirou fell silent.
For some reason, he had a very bad feeling about this.
As he listened, Shirou gradually frowned, realizing that the situation seemed even worse than he had imagined.
Perhaps getting taken to the Guard Department would actually have been the better option.
Before he could continue thinking of ways to escape, an employee wrapped in layers of protection, wearing both a mask and protective goggles, approached carrying the hotpot.
Shirou's expression darkened.
Shirou broke into a cold sweat.
Shirou began to regret his life choices.
He never should have decided, at this time of all times, to test out spicy hotpot.
This was no longer a test.
This was torture.
Looking at the bright red broth before him, Shirou recalled that when he had first met Nian, her table had held something similar.
Only, compared to back then, the visual impact of this one was on an entirely different level.
"No amount of talking beats taking a bite yourself!"
Either failing to notice Shirou's expression, or more likely choosing to ignore it, Nian picked up some ingredients with a clean pair of chopsticks and dropped them into his bowl.
"Come on! Do not be shy! My treat today!"
This was absolutely not revenge for him ignoring her earlier. She simply wanted to share her joy with him.
Tofu soaked in broth, vegetables, and all sorts of ingredients quickly piled up in his bowl.
How wonderful!
Just looking at it made one's appetite soar.
"Thank you so much."
After cycling through various emotions, Shirou quickly calmed down and picked up his chopsticks.
Since escape was impossible, he might as well accept reality.
At worst, he would simply stay indoors for the next few days.
Staring at the red vegetables held between his chopsticks, Shirou took a deep breath and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Guh... huh?"
After chewing a few times, he realized that the impact... was not quite as terrifying as he had expected.
After chewing several more times, he swallowed.
Although it was spicier than FrostNova's candy, it had not reached the point of being unbearable.
Despite how his old self would have reacted—
"Excellent! Excellent! Shirou, you have talent when it comes to spicy food! The chef who helped me develop this broth ran away after just one bite, yet you actually ate it without changing your expression!"
Seeing him swallow it with his face completely unchanged, Nian's eyes lit up.
This was rare talent!
"I honestly cannot tell whether you are praising me or making fun of me. Also, do not talk while eating, It is unhygienic."
By this point, Shirou was too tired to complain about Nian.
It was the same sort of helplessness he felt when dealing with Taiga.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
The good news was that she listened to advice immediately and corrected herself on the spot.
"Tsk, tsk. Hotpot really tastes best when you have someone to eat it with."
The bad news was that her brain seemed to have about the same memory capacity as a certain bread merchant. She forgot everything after a few seconds.
Fortunately, this time she at least had her bowl in front of her and was only talking to herself, so Shirou decided to let it go.
After all, he had already used the opportunity to fish out all of his own ingredients.
Because this level of spiciness was simply not meant for normal people.
He had only managed to eat it by exploiting a bug.
At the moment, Shirou was drenched in sweat and could clearly feel a slight burning sensation in his esophagus.
He could already picture his future self.
Tomorrow's Shirou, and probably the Shirou of the next several days as well, would surely be lying on his bed, wishing he could travel back in time and beat up his current self.
Doubt Archer.
Understand Archer.
Become—
Wait.
No, let us not go that far just yet.