"..."
In the Penguin Logistics dorm, looking at the Lungmen currency on the table, Shirou's mood was a bit complicated.
He had clearly secured funding and even helped Chen and Hoshiguma.
That should be double the happiness, right? So why did he feel so conflicted?
With that complicated feeling, Shirou thought back to what had just happened at the Guard Department.
Right after he explained his reason for applying for funds, both Hoshiguma and Chen had reacted rather excitedly.
"Pff…hahaha… that really is just like you, Shirou."
Hoshiguma laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach, wiping away tears from laughing too much.
"That is true. I will approve this funding."
Compared to Hoshiguma's loud laughter, Chen was a bit more restrained.
Though only a little. Without others around, she was still fairly relaxed.
"..."
Seeing the two of them like that, Shirou could not help but think of those expressions Exusiai and Croissant often used.
Two professional officers laughing out loud only this time he was the subject.
Sigh. It was not even a large amount. He probably should not have applied for this funding in the first place.
It was just that he had gotten used to being frugal, so he thought he might as well try applying.
"Do not make that face! I will front the money for now. Just remember to make extra, and include our portions too."
Noticing Shirou's slightly displeased expression, Hoshiguma took out a few Lungmen bills and handed them over.
"Fine. Do you eat fish?"
Shirou did not refuse and accepted the money.
This was funding he obtained through his own ability. There was no reason not to take it.
It was a bit much, but since Hoshiguma said to include their portions, he would just treat it as meal expenses.
After all, he had just watched the two of them laugh at him for quite a while, so he was not feeling particularly polite now.
"We eat anything, do not worry."
Seeing his reaction, Hoshiguma knew he was a bit sulky.
It was indeed their fault earlier, but hearing that Shirou used his own cooking as an "information fee"… it somehow sounded completely reasonable.
"Then I will head back first. I will check with other places later to see if there is any relevant information."
Glancing at the time, then at Chen and Hoshiguma working on their operation plan, Shirou felt he could just return to the dorm.
After all, he did not really understand the plan, so staying would not help them much.
For this operation, he would just take on the role of combat support. Planning was better left to the professionals.
"Sorry to trouble you again."
Chen still felt a bit guilty about pulling Shirou in as manpower.
Especially since he was helping so wholeheartedly, which made her feel even more apologetic.
At first, she had only asked casually, but he agreed immediately without hesitation.
Although his addition simplified many plans, this was reality, not a game where adding someone to the team solved everything.
Even if he did not care much about it, Chen would not deliberately take advantage of him or exploit him. He would be properly compensated.
Aside from payment, she would also treat him better.
That had never really been an issue anyway. He was excellent in almost every aspect, with hardly any flaws.
If anything, he was just a bit young, lacking experience and had many things to learn from scratch.
But he was willing to learn and learned quickly so it was not a real problem.
And that was only what he showed on the surface.
Though he never said it outright, from observing him over this period, it was clear that Shirou was very willing to help others.
That was also one of the main reasons Chen wanted to recruit him.
Compared to ability, she valued that trait more and Shirou was almost a perfect candidate.
The only issue was that he belonged to Penguin Logistics and did not seem to have any intention of changing jobs.
That was a pity.
Still, thanks to Wei Yenwu's efforts, they had established a cooperative relationship, which was not bad.
In that regard, Wei Yenwu had done quite well.
"Alright, I will come by again tomorrow morning as usual."
After saying that, Shirou put away the Lungmen currency he had just received and left the office.
Then he heard loud laughter coming from inside.
"?"
He quietly pushed the door open and glanced inside.
Chen and Hoshiguma were both working seriously, and Hoshiguma even looked up with a puzzled expression.
If not for the slight trembling at the corners of their mouths beneath those serious expressions, Shirou might have believed them.
"Good night. Please remember to get some rest."
Narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at the two of them, Shirou slowly closed the door and left.
Who would have thought that people from the Guard Department could be just as playful as those from Penguin Logistics?
He had assumed everyone here was serious.
Still, it was understandable. Their work was already busy and the two of them were even sacrificing their rest time to work overtime.
If he had not been the one they were laughing at, he would have found it even more understandable.
As for now?
He was on the way back to the dorm to sleep. He would wait for the information Yith compiled in the morning.
The reason he had to wait was because Yith was still working overtime and would only have time later to organize the information he needed.
Shirou sincerely hoped Yith's body could hold up.
As for Minmin, she had not replied yet either. She was already busy, and it was late, so he could understand.
Though whenever she needed his blood, she would reply almost instantly… that felt a bit too real.
Time returned to the present. After finishing a round of training in his room and putting away that stack of Lungmen currency that gave him mixed feelings, Shirou checked his phone and saw that he had already received the overall operation plan from Hoshiguma.
Of course what he received was a simplified version of the plan. The detailed one would have to wait until tomorrow when he went to the Guard Department.
It was just enough to give him a general idea of what he needed to do, so he could prepare a little in advance.
However, he did not intend to open it right away. Instead, he placed his phone aside to charge and lay down on the bed.
It was already quite late. When he returned earlier, the dorm had already been dark, and everyone had gone to rest.
"Infected…"
When a person is idle, their mind tends to wander, and Shirou was no exception.
But compared to thinking about these things, his mental exhaustion quickly pulled him into sleep.
In his hazy state, Shirou murmured once more:
"Infected… huh?"
"..."
When he opened his eyes again, Shirou found that he was no longer in the dorm.
After experiencing this so many times, he was no longer panicked.
He first looked around at his surroundings and realized he had no memory of this place.
A dim sky, and ruins stretching all around.
From the condition of the ruins, it seemed to have once been a modern city of steel and concrete.
If he had to describe it, it was somewhat similar to the fire scene he had seen as a child, except there were no blazing flames here.
"Archer?"
He called out tentatively, but there was no response.
"So it is not him?"
Without getting an answer, Shirou did not act rashly. Usually, in situations like this, there would be a clear target drawing him forward.
Sometimes it was himself, sometimes someone else.
Although he had no clear memory of this place, it still felt strangely familiar.
"This way?"
After hesitating for a while, Shirou decided that instead of waiting, he might as well follow his instincts and look around, he might find something unexpected.
Picking a random direction, he began to walk.
As he passed through the crumbling ruins, the sense of familiarity grew stronger.
"If I turn right here…"
Swallowing, Shirou already had an answer in mind.
He just needed something to confirm it.
For example, if he turned right here, there should be an izakaya.
Unfortunately, what came into view was still nothing but ruins.
But it was enough. The broken sign lying among the debris confirmed his guess.
This was Fuyuki City.
This was the place where he used to work.
"Is this a memory from one of the gates? I do not remember it… or is this a new gate?"
After confirming it, Shirou felt a slight headache and began to think about why he had come here.
However, there were no clues.
The last thing he remembered was lying in bed, thinking about what had happened that day, then falling asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he was here.
"For now, I should go home and take a look."
Now that he knew this was Fuyuki, Shirou quickened his pace.
Running at full speed, Shirou headed toward the home he had lived in for many years, the one Kiritsugu had left behind.
Crumbling buildings, shattered ground, and dust drifting through the air.
Along the way, Shirou tried to search for any survivors, but found nothing.
It seemed that in this entire Fuyuki City, he was the only one left.
The same place. The same ruins.
The only difference was that he had grown up, and there were no raging flames around him.
But the pressure in his heart was still there.
"So here as well…"
When he arrived at his home, he did not see the familiar building. There was not even rubble, instead there was a massive crater completely empty inside.
Even though running at full speed here did not make him feel physically out of breath, the sight of Fuyuki still made him gasp.
But he had to keep moving.
He already had his next destination in mind.
Ryuudou Temple, the place where the Greater Grail was.
If Fuyuki had ended up like this, it had to be the fault of the Holy Grail War.
And even if it was not the war, then it had to be the Grail itself.
So Shirou decided to head there.
He broke into a sprint, running with all his strength.
Earlier, he had slowed down to search for survivors, stopping and starting along the way. But now that he was sure no one remained, he moved straight toward his goal.
As he approached Ryuudou Temple, he felt an inexplicable pressure.
A change meant he was on the right track.
"Is it inside the cavern?"
The temple above ground had already become a ruin, but Shirou knew well that the Grail was actually located in the great cavern below.
This was something he had seen in his memories with Sakura.
Following those memories, Shirou entered the cavern.
Thump—thump—thumpthumpthump…
As he went deeper, he could clearly feel his heart pounding as if it were about to burst out of his chest.
He did not know what he was about to see, but after witnessing the earlier scene, he was certain it would not be anything simple.
"Hah… hah…"
His condition felt terrible. Both his mind and body were placing pressure on him, trying to stop him from moving forward.
The only thing pushing him onward was the faint answer forming in his heart.
When he stepped into the great cavern, he saw a black hole suspended in midair, with black mud continuously pouring out of it.
That was the Holy Grail that was already corrupted.
The black mud flowed like a waterfall from the opening.
And beneath that torrent, Shirou could vaguely make out a figure.
A somewhat familiar silhouette.
"..."
The figure seemed to notice him as well, slowly raising its head to look in his direction.
"That is…"
Looking at the person bathed in black mud, Shirou felt nothing but a chilling, hair-raising presence.
"You really are a troublesome one, you know that?"
Before Shirou could think further, Archer's voice came from behind him.
The next moment, Shirou felt a powerful force pulling him away.
And just before he was dragged out, his eyes met with the figure within the black mud.
The one bathed in that black mud was not someone else.
It was Emiya Shirou.
In the next instant, the scene shifted, and Shirou found himself once again on that snowy plain.
"Ah…my eyes!"
Suddenly going from pitch darkness to a world of blinding white, Shirou felt as if his eyes were about to be scorched.
"Honestly, I have no intention of being your babysitter."
Seeing Shirou covering his eyes in discomfort, Archer sighed.
"I never asked you to drag me out!"
Recovering slightly, Shirou squinted at the red figure in front of him.
For a moment, it overlapped with the figure he had just seen in the black mud, except that one did not have Archer's silver-white hair.
"Hmph. No good deed goes unpunished."
Seeing that Shirou still had the energy to argue, Archer knew the worst outcome had been avoided.
So he returned to their usual way of interacting.
"Seriously… was that another Emiya Shirou from a parallel world?"
Opening his eyes and adjusting to the blinding snowfield, Shirou finally asked.
This was nothing new to him. The memories within the four doors, as well as Archer and even himself, were all versions of Shirou Shirou from different parallel worlds. Even in the games played by the Penguin Logistics crew, such settings were common.
However, now that he himself was involved, the feeling was still somewhat strange.
But compared to that faint sense of strangeness, what Shirou really wanted to know was what exactly he had just witnessed.