After sending Rope off to prepare tea and some snacks, Shirou briefly explained what had happened yesterday.
There was no helping it. When someone shows up at your door with photos in hand, blocking your way, there is no escaping even if you want to.
Asking about this matter was fine, but asking about anything else was not.
"Just as I thought there is a connection."
Listening to Shirou, Lin Yuhsia showed an expression of "as expected."
She knew what had happened in the slums and had already ordered increased patrols but it had not achieved much.
It had even led them to cause even bigger trouble.
Thinking about this gave her another headache.
"Please, have some tea."
While Lin Yuhsia was dealing with her headache, Shirou took the tea Rope brought over and poured three cups.
It felt like people came here often. Maybe he should get a small tea table?
Entertaining guests at the cashier counter like this always felt a bit strange.
What was so attractive about this little shop? Why did so many people come here?
Shirou could not figure it out no matter how much he thought about it.
"Thank you."
Taking the tea Shirou handed her, Lin Yuhsia organized the known information and the sequence of events in her mind.
The involvement of the Guard Department was certain. The only question was how much they were involved.
From the looks of it, probably not much. Did they really think no one would recognize them just because they put on a hat?
Those horns and tails were not even hidden. Did they think she was blind?
However, that was not the main point. Her purpose today was simply to find Shirou.
She had heard a little about him.
Her father seemed to take special care of this place.
As for the reason why, she did not know.
That was why she came here personally.
"Anyway, that is roughly what happened, just like I said earlier. As for this place… it is just a simple shop selling daily necessities."
Seeing how troubled she looked, Shirou wanted to help, but he could not.
Her goal was to gather information about this place.
If it was just about him, it would be fine to talk. He could bear the consequences himself.
But involving others was different.
Right now, Shirou had to prioritize the safety of others.
"…I understand. I will not pursue matters here any further. As for the photos, please rest assured, I will destroy them."
Seeing Shirou's hesitation, Lin Yuhsia decided not to press further.
Perhaps this really was just a very "ordinary" shop, only with slightly more people inside.
After walking around, she already had a rough idea of what went on here. What she lacked was confirmation.
Now she no longer needed it. His attitude had already given her the answer.
"That is a relief. Please make sure to thoroughly destroy the negatives along with the photos."
Hearing her response, Shirou let out a sigh of relief, feeling as though he had escaped a disaster.
"Negatives? Oh, you mean the original files. Those will definitely be deleted as well, so please do not worry."
Lin Yuhsia paused for a moment. People rarely used that term anymore.
…Although Shirou looked quite young, it was hard to tell what race he belonged to. Many races seemed to have long lifespans. Could this person be the same…?
Though it was somewhat rude, Lin Yuhsia had already begun wondering whether the young man in front of her had experiences that did not match his appearance.
"That is good… Hmm? Is there something on my face?"
Shirou nodded and then noticed the subtle expression on her face.
His first reaction was that something might be stuck on his face, so he turned to look at Rope for confirmation, receiving only a shrug.
Rope: "I have no idea!"
"No, it is nothing. Would it be convenient to exchange contact information? If anything comes up later, I will contact you."
Realizing she had lost her composure, Lin Yuhsia quickly recovered and resumed the expression she had maintained since entering.
At first glance, she gave the impression of a strong, capable woman. But after what just happened, Shirou mentally placed her among Lungmen's "ordinary people."
In his mind, Lungmen's "ordinary people"… were probably just slightly more normal than Penguin Logistics.
After all, the people he usually met were either from Penguin Logistics, the Guard Department or individuals like Snowsant, Phal, Rope, Jaye, Minmin, all of whom had very distinctive personalities.
The only ones he could truly call "ordinary" were probably the children.
That felt a bit unfortunate.
Shirou quietly complained about his social circle but outside he took out his phone and added Lin Yuhsia as a contact.
Her avatar was somewhat different from the impression Lin Yuhsia gave in person. It had a strong personal style… or rather, it was extremely minimalistic: a black background, with a circle and two small circles on top of it.
For a moment, Shirou almost mistook it for the distinctive logo of a certain company.
Was that really okay?
Oh, right, different worlds. Then it was fine.
"Well then, that is settled. If anything comes up later, I will contact you."
After confirming that Shirou's name had been added, Lin Yuhsia stood up, preparing to leave.
"Take care on your way."
Being able to send off this unexpected visitor was a relief for both Shirou and Rope.
The fewer surprises like this, the better.
Especially someone like Lin Yuhsia, who clearly had an unusual background. From her demeanor to her clothing, it was obvious she was not an ordinary person.
This place was already chaotic enough. People from Penguin Logistics had set up a relief station, backed by the Guard Department. There was also someone working here who seemed to have some reputation in the underworld.
Not to mention Jaye, who was known outside as the so-called underground boss of Lungmen. Those who knew him well understood that he just looked a bit fierce.
There was probably no place in all of Lungmen more chaotic than this.
"You have come out. Where would you like to go next?"
Outside the shop, a woman dressed in a formal suit stepped forward to ask as soon as she saw Lin Yuhsia emerge.
Even in the scorching heat, her suit was soaked with sweat, yet she had remained waiting nearby the entire time.
That was her duty as both secretary and bodyguard.
As Lin Yuhsia stepped out, many of the people lingering nearby also dispersed.
"…Let's go buy some food. Also, anonymously send some supplies here, about enough for thirty people. Food and daily necessities are fine."
Lin Yuhsia looked somewhat tired after coming out. She had been inside for quite a while and when facing Shirou she had constantly felt an invisible pressure.
Although she was confident she could retreat safely if necessary, for some reason there had always been a sense of danger warning her not to act. Acting might lead to trouble.
At first, she had indeed considered taking action. But after confirming Shirou's behavior, along with that inexplicable sense of oppression, she abandoned the idea.
Only after stepping outside did she finally feel relieved.
In response to her secretary's question, Lin Yuhsia casually gave a few instructions.
Her father, the one known as the "Rat King," had been paying some attention to this place and had even sent people to watch over it.
Beyond that, there had been no further action, which was normal.
Rather than constant intervention, he preferred to offer a certain level of protection and let things develop naturally.
That was something she could not quite emulate. During her brief time inside, she had picked up faint sounds suggesting that many children were behind those doors.
That was why she asked her secretary to purchase supplies and donate them anonymously.
As for whether they would accept them… if they did, that would be good. If not, it would mean they were already fully capable on their own, which was also a good thing.
In that case, the supplies could simply be redirected elsewhere where they were needed. Nothing would go to waste.
"Understood."
The secretary nodded, committing the instructions to memory.
"Oh, right. This morning I told you to increase attention on infected individuals who live alone and do not have stable jobs. Have you noticed anyone suspicious?"
"Not at the moment."
"Mm. Keep it up. As for this place… continue to keep an eye on it."
The lack of progress did not surprise Lin Yuhsia. In fact, if there had been sudden developments despite how well things were hidden, she might have found that suspicious instead.
Before getting into the car, she glanced back at the shop.
There was no need to worry about its safety. Her father would handle that.
As for supplies, as long as nothing went wrong, they would likely be delivered by night.
She was simply curious.
Curious why this person would go so far.
That was all.
And perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt like there was something purple pressed up against the window…
"Alright."
Carefully recording her superior's instructions, the secretary opened the car door for Lin Yuhsia.
Before getting in, Lin Yuhsia took out the photos she had used earlier to pressure Shirou. Using her Originium Arts to manipulate sand, she ground them into dust making them completely unrecoverable.
Those photos had served their purpose for questioning. She had no intention of using them again.
"They are gone."
Inside the shop, Rope pressed her face against the window, watching as the pink-haired Zalak got into the car and left.
She seemed to have used something to threaten Shirou and talked with him for a while, though Rope had not heard what was said.
However, whatever had been used to threaten Shirou… she had "accidentally" gotten her hands on it earlier. It was currently in her pocket.
"She is gone. Why do you look like you just faced a major enemy?"
Seeing Rope press almost her entire face against the window, Shirou could not help but comment.
Good thing that there was no one outside. Otherwise, seeing a big face stuck to the glass would probably scare quite a few people.
"She might have come for you, , after all you are the one behind Fuyuki Shop. As the store manager, is it not my job to keep an eye on you?"
Only after watching the car disappear into the distance did Rope hop down from the window, grabbing a cloth to wipe off the faceprint she left behind.
She also added a bunch of things that Shirou did not quite understand.
"Miss Lin just came to ask about some matters. You know I work at Penguin Logistics, right? She probably got wind of me being here from somewhere and came directly."
Shirou casually came up with an explanation.
He was not exactly lying either. Lin Yuhsia did come to ask about his work.
It was just that the overall information was slightly… off.
"Heh, already calling her 'Miss Lin,' huh?"
Hearing how Shirou addressed her, Rope let out a teasing chuckle.
"It is just a form of address, there is nothing strange about it."
"Fair enough."
"Alright, stop messing around and go take your lunch break. I did not bring my bike today, so I have to leave earlier. Also, I will not be here tomorrow."
"Got it, got it, stop nagging!"
Faced with Shirou's almost motherly concern, Rope did not go upstairs. Instead, she went to the back, took out a reclining chair, unfolded it behind the cashier counter and lay down on it.
It had to be said, Phal had good taste. The moment she lay down, drowsiness washed over her.
"Honestly…"
Seeing Rope just take a nap right there, Shirou did not mind much. Still, at least she could have chosen a slightly more presentable sleeping posture.
He took a coat and draped it over her, then sat beside her, blocking most of the view so that others would not easily notice unless they deliberately walked around to look.
There were no customers in the shop and nothing else to do. Since Shirou was now acting as a human screen, he could not move around freely.
At this point, the only thing keeping him company was his phone.
The more he learned about electronic devices, the more Shirou appreciated the convenience of smartphones.
Still, his strong self-control prevented him from constantly pulling it out like Exusiai or Croissant, who seemed to use their phones whenever they had the chance.
Even though Shirou often complained about how unreliable they seemed, the two of them were actually quite serious when on missions.
Their usual carefree attitude was probably just a way to relieve stress.
Or perhaps they were simply following Penguin Logistics' "employee code"?
His thoughts had wandered a bit.
After briefly checking his messages, Shirou turned his attention to Lungmen's news.
"I wonder if it made the headlines…"
What he really wanted to know was how the explosion incident had been classified.
Hopefully not as a gas explosion. That kind of label was starting to feel like PTSD to him.
Recent hot weather in Lungmen, new research from Columbia, movements in Ursus, a mysterious red figure, concert tickets from Monster Siren Records sold out…
"Hm? News about Sora? I will save that and check later. Is there no news about the accident yesterday yet?."
After scrolling for a while, Shirou did not find any reports about yesterday, though there were plenty of miscellaneous stories.
Switching to a keyword search, he quickly found what he was looking for.
"…No wonder I could not find it. It is not categorized as an explosion case, but rather centered around the rescuer?"
Looking at the list of results which all focused on him, Shirou felt… a bit embarrassed.
The reports were heavily exaggerated. In his memory, it had only been dozens of people and yet the articles inflated it to over a hundred.
Some people were even analyzing what kind of person he was beneath the coat.
The most popular theory?
A muscular Lupo.
The reasoning was that the person could lift someone weighing over two hundred kilos with one hand and accurately locate every victim.
Therefore, it had to be a muscular Lupo.
This left Shirou completely puzzled.
Even though some people had thoughtfully explained their reasoning, he still could not make sense of it.
Did people in Lungmen… just really like Lupos? He even remembered owning a pair of Lupo-themed headphones.
At this point, Shirou simply felt that these people were quite strange and he closed the news.
Better to browse some recipes instead and figure out what to cook for dinner today and tomorrow.
Please allow him to redefine what a "normal person" in Lungmen meant.
Everyone at Penguin Logistics… that was what counted as normal.