Although Shirou wanted to be a quiet and unassuming person, Nian clearly had no such intention. She spent quite a while telling him all sorts of things.
It was just that the way she started...
Beginning with the words, "A very, very long time ago..." gave Shirou the strange feeling that he was listening to a bedtime story from his childhood.
Still, although the movies Nian made were rather bizarre, she was actually quite good at telling stories.
At the very least, Shirou could follow everything she was saying.
After all, he had grown up in the twenty-first century, immersed in tokusatsu shows, movies, and anime. His ability to understand and accept stories like these was fairly high.
She began with the tale of a thousand years ago, when the nation of Yan fought countless Feranmuts. Among them was one known as Sui, who chose to side with the people of Yan and fight alongside them against the other Feranmuts. Through the combined efforts of both sides, they eventually drove the remaining Feranmuts out of Yan's territory.
However, the Sui Beast that had once betrayed its own kind to aid Yan eventually turned against Yan as well. Its consciousness shattered into twelve fragments, which scattered across the land of Yan.
Nian herself was one of those twelve fragments.
That was also why those people from Yan had spoken to him the way they had. The people of Yan genuinely feared that those fragments might one day reunite and once again threaten the nation.
But...
None of that really had anything to do with Shirou.
To begin with, he knew nothing about this so-called Sui Beast and had very little understanding of Feranmuts in general.
Secondly, he genuinely did not think Nian harbored any malicious intentions...
Well, all right. She actually had quite a few.
But the kind of bad intentions she had were more like harmless pranks or wanting to tease people. They had never escalated to the point of endangering someone's life...
...Probably?
"..."
Shirou fell into deep thought.
He was seriously considering whether Nian dragging people everywhere to eat her extra-spicy hotpot counted as endangering lives.
It probably did not.
Well, it was not important anyway. Compared to actual villains causing disasters, Nian's spicy hotpot was hardly worth mentioning.
As long as someone sincerely refused, she would never force them to eat it.
He, however, was the exception.
He had already stepped onto the road of no return and become her hotpot companion. There was no turning back now.
"So? Do you not have anything to say? I finally found someone I could really pour my heart out to, and you are not even going to give me a response?"
Seeing Shirou stare blankly for so long, Nian waved her hand several times in front of his face.
Just as she had said, she normally never talked about these things with other people. She had only opened up because Shirou was her hotpot companion.
And what did she get in return?
Absolutely no reaction.
That was a little too much.
"Well... I need some time to sort all of this out."
Coming back to his senses, Shirou pushed aside the question of whether inviting people to eat hotpot counted as attempted murder and came up with another excuse.
Although it was not really an excuse.
He genuinely did need some time to process everything Nian had just told him.
Still, just as he had thought before, the matters concerning the Sui Beast and Yan had nothing to do with him, and aside from her obsession with hotpot, Nian had no other real issues.
The others at Penguin Logistics also spoke highly of her. She was, by all accounts, someone who was easy to get along with.
So Shirou chose to trust her.
Even if he turned out to be wrong, it would not matter.
After spending so much time at Penguin Logistics, he had already learned the art of personality correction through fists from the others.
There was nothing that could not be solved with a good beating.
And if one beating was not enough, then several more would do the trick.
In the end, Shirou shared all of his thoughts with her.
Well, all of them except the part about correcting personalities with his fists.
"That answer really suits your style... Although I cannot shake the feeling that you are still hiding something. Did you just think of something terrible?"
After hearing his response, Nian raised an eyebrow.
She was a little touched.
Only a little.
Really, not very much.
After all, Shirou was not the first person to tell her something like that. Over the past few years, she had made quite a wide circle of friends, and every now and then there were one or two people who knew about the Sui Beast.
All she could say was that Shirou resembled his boss.
Although overall, he was much easier to get along with than that penguin.
That penguin was great in almost every way. The only problem was that he absolutely refused to appreciate her movies. If that one flaw were ignored, Emperor really did get along with her quite well.
More importantly, because of his unique nature, Nian could force him to eat hotpot with her.
On the opposite end was Wei Yenwu.
That fellow knew far too much. Whenever he saw her, it was not fear or apprehension that appeared on his face, but rather an unmistakable expression of disgust.
It was almost as though he found her troublesome simply because she always brought trouble wherever she went.
As for Shirou...
He combined every possible advantage.
He could eat spicy hotpot.
He was not afraid of her.
Their personalities matched well.
She got along with his circle of friends.
Even their Originium Arts shared enough similarities that they always had something to discuss.
Whenever she asked him for help, he always responded.
Good heavens.
What kind of ultimate best friend build was this?
The last time she had met someone she could get along with this well...
...was the previous time she had met someone like that.
Farther back than that, there had only been her brothers and sisters.
Even so, Nian still felt that Shirou was deliberately hiding something, so she decided to ask him directly.
"It is nothing."
Shirou replied with a smile that revealed no flaws whatsoever.
If she found out about his "personality correction through fists" philosophy, then for the next several days he would probably have no meal options other than hotpot.
Perhaps she would even recruit him as a prop for her next movie, the one after that, and maybe every film she made from now on.
That absolutely could not happen!
Under no circumstances could Nian learn about that idea of his!
"How suspicious... Well, forget it. That is not important. I have said so much already, so it is about time I got to the main point."
Although she still found Shirou somewhat suspicious, Nian did not dwell on the matter for long.
So what if he had a few little secrets?
Everyone had a few.
"That was quite a long story. Let me send a message to the people outside first. It does not feel right to leave them standing in the cold."
When he heard that Nian's story was not even finished yet, the corner of Shirou's eyes twitched twice before he took out his phone and sent a message to the others.
Quite a bit of time had already passed.
Although Nian had actually shortened her story considerably, the earlier discussions with the officials and Wei Yenwu had already taken up far too much time.
If everyone from Penguin Logistics had foolishly remained outside waiting this whole time, they would probably have frozen by now.
That said, based on what Shirou knew about them, there was no way they would obediently stay out in the cold.
"Hm... Officer Chen and the others are still outside dispersing the crowd while waiting for you. Everyone else has already gone to the café across the street to warm up."
His phone soon received a reply.
Sure enough, just as Shirou had expected, everyone from Penguin Logistics had long since found somewhere warm to shelter.
As for Officer Chen and Hoshiguma, they were still outside waiting for Nian while also dispersing the crowd that had gathered earlier and restoring traffic to normal.
Very dedicated to their work.
The only question was whether staying away from their posts for so long would cause any problems.
More specifically, could Swire handle everything on her own?
Having worked with the Guard Department before, Shirou had some understanding of just how heavy their workload could be.
The reason he brought it up was also to subtly remind Nian to cooperate with Officer Chen as soon as possible so the two of them could leave earlier.
Unfortunately, Nian completely missed the hint behind his words and simply continued talking about herself.
Shirou: "..."
Well, at least he had tried.
After sending another message to everyone at Penguin Logistics, asking them to bring Officer Chen and Hoshiguma to the café so they could warm themselves as well, Shirou continued listening to Nian.
Unlike the story she had told earlier from a third-person perspective, this time she was speaking entirely about herself.
She did not start from the very beginning.
If she really began from the "beginning," she would have hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years of history to recount.
To begin with, Nian had no hobby of laying her entire life bare before other people.
Secondly, aside from the past few centuries, which were both vivid and eventful in her memory, there was simply not much worth talking about from the more distant past.
Moreover, the purpose of this story was different from before.
Rather than explaining history, she simply described what she might soon have to face and what she hoped to accomplish.
The reason was equally simple.
She believed Shirou was someone she could trust, and she thought the power he possessed might be able to help her.
Although they had not known each other for very long, she trusted him deeply and thought highly of him.
Perhaps it was a mutual understanding shared between craftsmen.
Or perhaps she saw traces of her own brothers and sisters in him.
She was not entirely sure herself.
She simply felt that Shirou might be able to help her.
Even if he did nothing more than project those two enormous swords and smash them at the enemy, that would already be enough.
Although Shirou had never said so, she could tell that those... what were they called again?
Ig-Alima and Sul-sagana.
They definitely were not impressive merely because of their size.
That was also one of the main reasons she had sought him out.
"Hm... So what you are saying is that you want me to help you deal with 'Sui' when the time comes?"
Shirou had not interrupted her once.
He quietly listened until she reached a natural pause before finally speaking.
He understood now.
This was her way of asking him for help.
And the target she wanted to deal with was the protagonist of the story she had told earlier, Sui.
Her reason for doing so was easy enough to understand.
Nian and her brothers and sisters were all fragments of Sui.
Once Sui awakened, Nian would likely face death, dissolution, or perhaps a more accurate description would be... disappearance.
There is an old saying that a person dies three times.
The first is the death of the body.
The second is social death.
The final death comes when the last person who remembers you forgets you.
But Nian's case was different.
If she died, she would simply return to Sui itself.
Her existence, along with everything connected to her, would disappear and be forgotten by everyone.
Nian rejected that future.
She refused to return to Sui's original body.
And so, she had to eliminate Sui.
As for how she intended to deal with it...
She did not know.
At present, she only had a rough idea, and it would still require quite some time to prepare.
Until then, she intended to gather every bit of strength she possibly could to face Sui.
And he was one of the people she hoped to enlist in the fight against the Sui Beast.
"That is right. However, I have no intention of forcing you. A thousand years ago, the people of Yan were only able to deal with Sui because It had already been gravely wounded after fighting the other Feranmuts. That was the only reason they had the opportunity to seal It away.
"Sui or rather, all Feranmuts, myself included, are extremely dangerous beings. You understand that, do you not, Shirou?"
Seeing that Shirou had immediately understood her meaning and brought the matter into the open, Nian suddenly felt that this kid accepted other people's requests far too easily.
Seriously?
Sui was a Feranmut, the greatest enemy of Yan a thousand years ago. If It had not been injured after helping Yan fight the other Feranmuts, giving the people of Yan the chance to bring It down, there would not even be a "Nian" today.
So how had this guy skipped the entire hesitation phase and looked ready to grab a weapon and charge straight at Sui?
Something about this felt wrong.
Should he not think it over a little more?
Although she genuinely hoped Shirou would agree, he had agreed so quickly that she felt as though she were luring an innocent child into a trap.
"I know. But since you have already told me everything, there is no way I can just stand by and watch you die."
Hearing Nian's words, Shirou simply nodded.
There was not much for him to think about.
Nian was in trouble.
She had asked him for help.
And helping her was within his capabilities.
So agreeing to it was perfectly reasonable.
...Ah, wait.
Should he not discuss this with the Boss and everyone at Penguin Logistics first?
Well, it did not really matter.
Nian had already said she still needed time to prepare.
When the time came, she could simply discuss it with the Boss herself, just like the cooperation agreement they had recently had with Rhodes Island.
"You... At this rate, someone could sell you off and you would still help them count the money afterward. At least hear what the payment is before agreeing."
Hearing Shirou say that, Nian was genuinely touched.
But once again, he had agreed far too quickly.
She felt more and more like she was tricking an unsuspecting kid.
"You are right. Though when the time comes, you will have to discuss it with the Boss. I do not think Penguin Logistics has ever accepted a commission to fight a Feranmut before."
Shirou thought her point made perfect sense.
Mainly because negotiating payment was not his responsibility, so he had completely overlooked that part.
If Nian spoke directly with the Boss when the time came, then there would not be any issue of him privately accepting a commission.
"No, no, no. I do not think 'fight a Feranmut' is something that appears on the list of jobs any normal person would accept."
Nian waved her hand helplessly.
Who in their right mind would accept a commission like that?
Even a company like Penguin Logistics which was officially a logistics company but in reality specialized in armed escort and combat-related work would never have such a service.
"I do not think our Boss is a normal person. If you bring it up to him, I bet that in a few days they will."
Faced with Nian's complaint, Shirou thought for a moment before answering.
Nian: "..."
"...Actually, if it is Emperor, then it is not impossible. The only question is what kind of outrageous price he would charge... Wait, no. I almost let you change the subject."
After hearing Shirou's response, Nian found herself seriously considering Emperor's usual way of doing business.
Completely exterminating a Feranmut was probably out of the question.
But providing combat support, namely dispatching Shirou to assist actually sounded entirely possible.
That really was just like Emperor.
She could not even argue against it.
Fortunately, Nian quickly realized what had happened.
Had they not been discussing why Shirou had agreed so readily?
How had the conversation suddenly turned into talking about Emperor?
Was she the strange one, or was Shirou?
"You... Sigh, never mind. Let us just leave it at that."
Looking at Shirou's innocent expression, Nian pointed a finger at him for quite a while, yet could not manage to put together a proper sentence to question him.
In the end, she simply lowered her hand.
After all, the current outcome was exactly what she had wanted.
As for feeling like she had tricked little Shirou into helping her...
The person involved clearly did not seem to mind.
So why should she keep worrying about it?
At worst, she could just dip into her personal savings.
Handing the money directly to Shirou would certainly be refused.
But she also had no intention of giving it all to Emperor.
Otherwise, it would undoubtedly end up funding his extravagant lifestyle.
If she remembered correctly, Shirou had been taking in children from the slums.
Although that place seemed to be operating quite well already, and there were plenty of people secretly helping them.
Adding her support probably would not make much of a difference.
There was, however, another organization that had worked closely with Shirou—
Rhodes Island.
At least as far as she knew, the reason Shirou had gone to Ursus last time had been because of a partnership with Rhodes Island.
Nian had not looked too deeply into the details.
She only knew that Rhodes Island was a pharmaceutical organization that traveled from place to place treating the Infected at extremely low cost while striving to create a world where the Infected and ordinary people could coexist peacefully.
It was an organization with lofty ideals.
More importantly, it backed those ideals with genuine effort.
It was no wonder they got along so well with a kid like Shirou.
As for how she knew so much?
She had already heard about Rhodes Island before meeting Shirou not long ago. In fact, she had originally been planning to apply to spend some time there collecting material once she grew tired of staying in Lungmen.
She was not worried about the people from the Office of Sui-Regulation causing her trouble.
After all, Rhodes Island was still operating within Yan's borders.
As long as she did not leave the country's territory, there would not be any major problems.
At worst, the Grand Preceptor of the Office of Sui-Regulation would come knocking on her door.
Handling that would be very simple!
Hmm...
Maybe she should just invest in Rhodes Island?
It just so happened that after finishing her movie, she would need somewhere to take a vacation.
If she brought funding with her, and considering her relationship with Shirou, spending some time there to gather inspiration while relaxing should not be a problem...
Right?