While the atmosphere inside the room resembled something straight out of a hellish painting—
Outside the door, Exusiai and Croissant were doing everything they could to figure out what was happening inside.
There had been almost no sound earlier, and it was all because the door was built too solidly, with excellent soundproofing.
But now…
Not just Exusiai and Croissant, even Sora and Texas, who were standing some distance away could hear their boss's piercing screech.
Based on their understanding of their boss, this usually meant he had encountered something shocking and incomprehensible.
Or that he had been schemed against.
Thinking about who was inside, the group quickly concluded it was the latter.
"It feels like every time the boss meets Mr. Wei, he ends up on the losing side."
Standing by the door, Croissant made a comment and then stepped away.
This was not the first time the Emperor and Wei Yenwu had held talks like this.
And most of the time, the Emperor seemed to come out slightly worse off, at least on the surface.
As for deeper layers or other aspects, they did not know.
In any case, with their boss's personality, unless something hit exactly the right note, he would not accept even the slightest loss.
"Is that not normal? I am more curious about how Shirou is feeling in there."
Exusiai also moved away from the door. It had been hard to hear anything to begin with and now their boss's voice completely drowned everything out.
They were not like Yith well, not like that Yith who enjoyed setting up the boss.
Compared to that, she was more concerned about Shirou, who was stuck in the middle.
In the past, due to a tiny little "accident," they had once been involved in one of those meetings.
The oppressive atmosphere back then had been terrifying.
They barely touched the food on the table and after leaving, they went straight to a restaurant and ordered a huge amount of dishes to comfort their wounded hearts.
Since then, whenever they heard that Mr. Wei was coming to meet the boss, they would find ways to stay as far away as possible.
And now, Shirou was probably about to join their ranks.
Congratulations to Shirou for becoming even more like a member of Penguin Logistics.
"You two really should not be like this…"
Watching them, Sora felt that they were just here to watch the show.
No it was not a "feeling"...they were absolutely here just to watch.
"You will get used to it."
Texas silently opened another pack of Pocky, this was her second one already.
Having skipped breakfast, she was extremely hungry and on top of that, she had to deal with her rather eccentric teammates.
That had sharply increased her need for Pocky, one stick after another was disappearing.
"Mm, sounds like it is over."
Hearing the door open, Croissant quickly informed the others and immediately shut her mouth.
If she accidentally let something slip, like something the Emperor had said earlier that would be a disaster.
"Hm? People from Penguin Logistics?"
The door opened and Wei Yenwu stepped out, pressing the elevator button.
There seemed to be a relaxed and satisfied expression on his face, it was something they had seen many times before.
The penguin screeches and the dragon smiles.
Just another ordinary day.
At this moment, Wei Yenwu was in a fairly good mood. Although his plan had been revised several times, the final outcome was not bad.
Bringing Shirou into the Guard Department temporarily not only gave him a free worker but also placed him under his direct observation.
Although the Black Raincoats had already provided a lot of information, Wei Yenwu preferred to verify things personally, just to be safe.
No matter how much you heard from others, it could not compare to what you saw with your own eyes.
If Shirou had not displayed such overwhelming destructive capability, Wei Yenwu would not have been so concerned.
It was precisely because Shirou's performance had been so extreme that he took him so seriously.
Used well, this was an excellent asset.
Used poorly, it might just blow everything up—including himself.
It was extremely polarizing.
However, based on their current interaction, Shirou seemed to be someone without many ulterior motives.
The issue was that he also seemed to lack strong personal desires which made him difficult to control.
Still, that was not Wei Yenwu's concern. As long as he could confirm that Shirou would not pose a threat to Lungmen, that was enough.
Let him stay in the Guard Department for a while. There was no need for him to develop goodwill, it was good as long as he did not get assimilated into Penguin Logistics.
He did not want to be watching fireworks every day.
With that thought, Wei Yenwu glanced at the four of them. After hesitating for a moment, he chose not to warn them about leading Shirou astray.
After all, many things could not be changed through words alone. Most change happened gradually over time.
If you really wanted to change something, you had to start from the source.
Change that old man, the Emperor? You must be joking.
"We are done talking. You can go in now. That guy ordered quite a lot of food."
After saying that, Wei Yenwu stepped into the elevator.
"Hm? Why are you all here?"
Shirou had deliberately avoided Wei Yenwu, planning to take the next elevator down to call everyone up. But the moment he stepped out, he saw them all waiting outside.
Were they not supposed to be downstairs?
How did they all come up?
Well… it saved him the trouble anyway.
Wait, could he have just contacted them by phone?
He almost forgot again that phones existed.
"We… felt a bit bored downstairs so we came up."
Exusiai thought for a moment before answering.
"Is that so?"
Shirou remained skeptical of her explanation.
The reason for that was simple, whenever Exusiai spoke in that tone it was almost certainly not the truth.
He had been fooled by it too many times already. Now, whenever he heard that tone, he immediately felt that she was up to something.
And Exusiai herself seemed completely unaware of this habit. Even the others had not noticed it.
After all, she rarely needed to deceive others. Most of the time, she spoke very directly.
It was almost as if this behavior was reserved specifically for Shirou.
At this point, Shirou could only feel tired.
It was like a child who could speak eloquently outside but became timid and evasive at home in front of their parents.
"You have to believe me!"
Seeing that Shirou was openly doubting her, Exusiai put on a sincere expression.
The other three thought that if they had not just witnessed everything from start to finish, they might have been convinced by her sincerity too.
"Just go inside. I will settle this with you later."
Seeing her like this, Shirou could not really press further.
Mainly because he could not think of a clear reason, maybe they really had just come up out of boredom?
"Alright! Let's go!"
Hearing that, Exusiai instantly switched expressions and rushed inside.
Although Shirou said they would settle things later, usually as long as no one brought it up again, he would not pursue it.
In simple terms, another victory for Exusiai.
"Mr. Wei did not make things difficult for you, right?"
Texas, who followed behind Exusiai and Croissant, did not go in immediately. Instead, she asked Shirou about the situation first.
"He just asked a few questions and made a small request. Most of the time, it was the boss talking with him."
Recalling the back-and-forth between the two, Shirou answered.
He deliberately did not mention that he might have to work at the Guard Department for a few days to repay the "debt." It was better to wait until the boss recovered otherwise if everyone started questioning him at once, they might drive him mad.
"I see. That is good."
After carefully observing that Shirou did not seem to be forcing himself, Texas relaxed. It did not seem like a major issue.
"It was really nothing?"
Sora quietly asked Shirou.
Since Shirou had a habit of hiding important details, she made sure to confirm.
"Really. Actually, aside from the excessive smoke, he was quite easy to get along with. He did not make any excessive demands. If anything, I caused him quite a bit of trouble without realizing it before so he just asked me to help out a little in return."
Shirou briefly explained the situation.
"Mm, that is good."
Sora accepted his explanation. It sounded reasonable.
"What are you two doing standing at the door? If you do not hurry, we are going to finish everything!"
Before Sora could ask more, Exusiai returned, stuffing a few meat buns into their hands.
They were still warm and perfect to eat.
There was no way all the food would be finished and their boss was still questioning his life choices so Exusiai and the others planned to pack up the leftovers to take away.
"Heh, when it comes to eating, the boss really knows his stuff! The ingredients at this place are seriously top quality."
At the dining table, Croissant held a bowl of rice, constantly picking up side dishes.
"Eat slower. Be careful not to upset your stomach."
Seeing her wolfing down food, Texas reminded her.
She was mainly just hungry. Ever since Shirou took over the kitchen at Penguin Logistics, their meals had become regular and punctual. Now, if they missed a meal at the usual time, it felt wrong.
This was especially obvious with Croissant.
As for Texas herself, she had already eaten several packs of Pocky earlier. Exusiai had eaten an apple pie before leaving and Sora had always been relatively moderate in this regard... she was a bit more self-restrained.
But recently, she also seemed to be loosening up more when it came to eating?
…Forget it. Thinking about that was too troublesome. It was better to just fill their stomachs quickly and get ready for work.
After everyone had taken their seats, the Emperor finally recovered a bit. He picked up the wine he had not finished earlier and took another sip.
"Tch, I got played by that sly, scheming dragon."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
This was humiliating! He had once again been tricked by that old dragon without even realizing it!
Once or twice would be fine, but the problem was that he had already lost count of how many times this had happened!
Did that not just make him look stupid?
Still, Wei Yenwu knew where to draw the line. After all, he used the trouble they had caused as an excuse so at least there was some justification.
And he did not go all the way, he gave a relatively moderate condition instead.
Although he said that sending Shirou to the Guard Department was to prevent him from being "assimilated," it was more likely that he wanted to personally verify Shirou's strength and character.
But it was still infuriating!
Overall, it was a win-win situation.
For them, Shirou's identity was now completely safe. As long as he did not suddenly lose his mind and decide to blow up Lungmen one day, there would not be any major issues.
Secondly, Wei Yenwu would also share some information with them, this was an unspoken understanding between the two after every meeting.
So although it looked like he lost on the surface, in reality he had gained something.
Take a step back and the sea and sky open wide?
Yeah, right. Taking a step back only made him more annoyed the more he thought about it.
"Boss, what were you talking about just now? You seem really angry."
Having eaten well beyond full, Croissant leaned back in her chair, patting her stomach in satisfaction.
At the same time, she asked the question she had been curious about.
The reason she had not asked immediately earlier was because the boss did not look to be in a good mood, and not everyone had arrived yet.
More importantly, she wanted to eat first.
Now that the boss seemed normal again, everyone was present and she was full…it was time to get to the point.
Everyone except Shirou perked up their ears. They all wanted to know what had happened.
"Is it not because that kid has been causing trouble one wave after another lately? And now look, he has caught someone's attention and is being sent to the Guard Department for a few days!"
The Emperor said it bluntly, with a hint of resentment mixed in.
"?????"
Hearing this, the four of them froze.
What had they just heard?
Shirou was going to the Guard Department for a few days? Was that not like sending a sheep into a tiger's den?
There was definitely someone in the Guard Department eyeing Shirou.
"Wait, wait, wait! Why is Shirou suddenly going to the Guard Department? What is going on!?"
Exusiai slammed the table first, directing her questioning at both the boss who handled the negotiation and Shirou himself.
"Ahem, the boss suggested it."
Facing the strange looks from the four of them, Shirou immediately pushed the responsibility onto his boss.
That was technically correct, everything had been negotiated between the boss and Wei Yenwu. He had only been watching from the side.
"I got set up, alright? You all know how scheming that guy Wei Yenwu is."
The Emperor casually tossed the blame back onto Wei Yenwu, who had already left.
"Boss! Do you not realize someone in the Guard Department is trying to recruit Shirou? How could you just agree like that?"
Croissant said in a pitiful tone.
If Shirou got swayed and decided to leave Penguin Logistics, what would they do?
She could not go back to life without Shirou!
She had no need to think about what to eat, no need to worry about dirty living conditions and even incoming goods would be sorted and organized by him.
Her stall business had become much more efficient, earning her plenty of extra money!
"It is not that serious, right? It is only for a few days…"
Shirou had barely spoken halfway when Texas stuffed a bun into his mouth, cutting him off completely.
"Whether it is serious or not, we will decide."
With narrowed eyes, Texas looked unusually intimidating.
Left with no choice, Shirou shut his mouth and quietly chewed the bun. It had quite a strong flavor.
"Of course I know. Do you think your great and wise boss would not know what is happening around his own employee?"
Hearing Croissant's words, the Emperor felt slightly underestimated.
So he casually revealed a small piece of gossip that Yith had told him.
"I can responsibly tell you that besides Swire there are others who have their eyes on Shirou as well."