Forced to stay behind, Shirou had no choice but to accompany Wei Yenwu and the other three to another location.
In truth, Wei Yenwu had not kept him there solely out of personal pettiness.
He also wanted Shirou to make a good impression on the officials from the Supreme Court, just in case any problems arose in the future.
Ideally, however, Wei Yenwu had hoped this meeting would have taken place before the Supreme Court suspected any connection between Shirou and Nian. That would have allowed events to unfold as closely as possible to his original plan.
Now...
Everything depended on how Shirou handled himself.
Fortunately, they had already avoided the worst-case scenario. The Court officials did not have a poor impression of Shirou, and at the very least, they would not let personal bias influence their judgment.
If the matter had truly ended up in the hands of the Office of Sui regulators, that penguin would probably have turned all of Lungmen upside down.
Most members of the Office of Sui regulators dealt with Feranmuts in an extremely uncompromising manner, while Emperor Penguin was fiercely protective of his own people.
Just imagining those two sides colliding was enough to give Wei Yenwu a headache.
Enough that he needed a few extra puffs from his pipe to steady himself.
"My name is Jingzhe. Shirou... you do not mind if we address you that way, do you?"
Seeing that Wei Yenwu had deliberately stepped back to give them room, Jingzhe naturally seized the opportunity and approached Shirou to introduce herself.
Unlike the firm tone she had used when speaking with Nian or Wei Yenwu earlier, her voice was noticeably gentler this time.
After all, Shirou was neither a criminal nor a suspect.
She was not here to interrogate him, so this was the more appropriate way to speak.
"Of course not. Is there something you wanted to ask, Miss Jingzhe?"
Shirou glanced sideways at Wei Yenwu.
The man was completely absorbed in smoking his pipe and clearly had no intention of involving himself in the conversation.
Seeing that, Shirou simply responded as he normally would.
"There are quite a few things I would like to ask. But there is no need to be nervous. We simply want to understand the situation a little better. There is no other motive."
Seeing that Shirou did not seem particularly resistant, Jingzhe continued.
Had his reaction been unfavorable, she would not have entered the topic so directly.
Instead, she would have approached it more indirectly.
That method, however, was more troublesome. Sometimes, when someone was already unwilling to cooperate, beating around the bush only made them even more resistant.
"Uh... all right. Go ahead."
After hearing her explanation, Shirou gave it some thought.
He had originally wanted to call Texas and the others inside so they would not have to stand outside in the cold.
But after looking at the people gathered here...
Forget the strange officials in red robes.
Wei Yenwu's presence alone would be enough to place enormous pressure on them.
In the end, he decided against it.
Besides, he was worried that they might accidentally say something they should not.
The members of Penguin Logistics knew quite a lot, but not everything was suitable for public discussion.
One careless remark could easily give Jingzhe and the others a trail to follow, leading to even more questions.
It was better to handle everything himself.
Besides, he could more or less guess what Jingzhe wanted to ask.
It would be nothing more than what had happened in Lungmen and during the Chernobog incident.
After that incident, Yith had already gone over these matters with him, even preparing an official version of events for outsiders.
All he had to do was stick to that version.
"..."
The conversation unfolded almost exactly as Shirou had expected.
Jingzhe did not ask any particularly difficult or tricky questions, so answering her was not especially challenging.
If there was one issue...
It was simply that she had a lot of questions.
Some of the events she asked about had happened so long ago that Shirou himself could no longer remember whether they had actually occurred.
In those cases, he could only answer according to the way he normally behaved.
During the conversation, Shirou also learned who Jingzhe and her two companions were.
All three belonged to Yan's Court.
Using terminology he was more familiar with, they were part of the judicial branch, something akin to a supreme judicial authority.
It felt strangely familiar...
Yet not entirely.
Before arriving on Terra, he had actually considered pursuing a similar path in the future.
Unfortunately, those plans had ended before they ever began.
After all, in Lungmen or rather, on Terra he essentially had no educational qualifications whatsoever.
On top of that, the culture and geography differed so drastically from everything he had known that it had taken him a very long time just to absorb all that new knowledge.
Even if he had never been transported to Terra, however, his original future probably would not have led him down that path anyway.
After the Holy Grail War, he likely would have gone to England with Rin.
Or perhaps...
He would have walked the same road as Archer.
The Holy Grail War had changed him profoundly.
Returning to the present, besides learning their identities, Shirou also came to understand why they had sought him out.
Just as he had guessed, they wanted information about recent events.
What surprised him, however, was that they had begun paying attention to him much earlier than he had expected.
Back then, though, his accomplishments had not been nearly as outrageous.
Their original plan had simply been to make contact with him when an opportunity presented itself.
Everything changed after the Chernobog incident.
That battle had made his name known.
Strength was difficult to judge without something to compare it against.
The Emperor Blades of Ursus happened to represent the nation's highest level of military power.
Since Shirou had fought against them, the comparison naturally highlighted just how extraordinary his combat ability truly was.
Although...
Using the Emperor Houses as the standard measure of strength still felt strangely off to Shirou.
"I have finished asking everything I wanted to know. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Shirou."
Jingzhe and the others had gained a great deal from the conversation.
Speaking with someone as straightforward as Shirou made things incredibly easy.
Most of his answers matched the information they already possessed, saving them a considerable amount of work.
The only unexpected complication had been Nian.
She had disrupted the rhythm of their investigation somewhat.
Fortunately, the connection between her and Shirou appeared to be minimal.
Setting that matter aside, their work in Lungmen could be considered an overwhelming success.
"So... are we finished now?"
Shirou glanced at the nearby clock.
Only about half an hour had passed.
The conversation had ended much sooner than he had expected.
Perhaps it was because Jingzhe had asked her questions directly, without beating around the bush, while he had answered honestly, making everything proceed so efficiently.
That alone deserved praise.
After all, his conversations with Wei Yenwu had always dragged on endlessly, to the point where his mind would start growing drowsy.
Speaking of Wei Yenwu...
The man had left halfway through Shirou's discussion with Jingzhe and the others.
Before leaving, he had been coughing rather violently, and his departure had been unusually hurried.
"It only goes to show that smoking is bad for you."
As for whether he had said something that Wei Yenwu thought should not have been mentioned, that was none of his concern.
"There is nothing else for now. However, let me give you one piece of advice. When dealing with the Fragment of Sui... with Nian, do not become too closely involved."
Jingzhe shook her head. Their conversation had already yielded plenty of useful information, and she doubted they would learn much more by continuing.
As for what Shirou had done before arriving in Lungmen...
That was not something they were concerned with.
Besides, it was time for them to leave. They had more or less finished everything they had come here to do. All that remained was to organize their findings before returning to Yan to report.
Before leaving, however, Jingzhe looked toward Nian.
Seeing that she was still completely absorbed in her filmmaking, Jingzhe thought for a moment before saying to Shirou,
"Her identity is... rather complicated. Many of Yan's high-ranking officials are extremely wary of people like her. If you become too close to her, it will be very easy to get caught up in those affairs. Especially if the Office of Sui regulators becomes involved."
She was not trying to drive a wedge between Shirou and Nian.
She simply wanted to offer him a warning.
That way, if the Office of Sui regulators ever questioned her about it, she could honestly say that she had already warned him in advance, saving herself a great deal of trouble.
As for the Feranmuts, she was nowhere near as extreme as the members of the Office of Sui regulators.
She belonged to the Supreme Court, and her duty was to judge matters based on the facts.
Aside from the Second Brother of Sui, nearly all of the Fragments of Sui had achieved remarkable accomplishments in their respective fields and had made immeasurable contributions to Yan.
Even Nian, who was currently completely immersed in filmmaking, had once given a piece of refined iron to Yan's craftsmen, ushering the nation into a period of rapid technological advancement.
One could not deny that Sui posed a threat to Yan.
But neither could one deny the contributions those beings known as the "Fragments of Sui" had made to the nation.
As long as one remained true to one's principles, that was enough.
That was Jingzhe's own belief, and what she hoped Shirou would do as well.
"Ah? Oh, I understand."
Compared to the carefully considered advice Jingzhe had given, Shirou's reaction was far simpler.
After dealing with Wei Yenwu for so long, he had already developed his own way of handling these situations.
When something like this came up, all he had to do was nod politely, say he understood, and move the conversation along.
Jingzhe: "..."
The words "I am just humoring you" were practically written across Shirou's face, leaving Jingzhe rather speechless.
Still...
Just as she had thought before, all she needed to do was deliver the message.
That would be enough for her report later.
As long as he did not break the law, she had no intention of involving herself further.
With that thought, Jingzhe put away her exasperated expression, gave Shirou a small nod, and followed her two companions as they departed.
"They are finally gone."
Watching them disappear from sight, Shirou looked around to make absolutely sure they had all left before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Talking to those people felt exactly like being called out of class by the school disciplinarian.
Even when you knew you had done nothing wrong...
You still could not help but feel nervous.
As for whether he felt nervous talking to Wei Yenwu?
After meeting the man so many times, he had long since grown accustomed to it.
If anything, the fact that he had not openly given Wei Yenwu the cold shoulder the way his boss did was already quite polite.
Yes.
Shirou felt that his current relationship with Wei Yenwu was perfectly fine.
He had no intention of changing it.
He was willing to accommodate other people.
But only if those people were not constantly trying to manipulate him.
Shirou might be somewhat naïve in that regard.
He was not, however, an idiot.
"Hey, you worked hard, kid. Dealing with people like them is exhausting, is it not? Every single one of them has an agenda, and the way they talk just goes on and on."
Just as Shirou was about to head outside to meet up with everyone else, Nian somehow appeared behind him and casually patted him on the shoulder.
"Were you not still filming just now? Why did you come over?"
Shirou looked genuinely surprised by her sudden appearance.
After all, even as Jingzhe and the others were leaving, Nian had appeared completely engrossed in filming.
Yet the moment they left...
Well.
Shirou thought he understood why she had acted that way.
Combined with what she had just said, it was obvious that she simply had no desire to interact with those people any more than necessary.
He could understand that.
After all, the Supreme Court's attitude toward Nian had never been particularly friendly.
Even Jingzhe, who was probably the most reasonable among them, had still warned him to be careful around Nian before leaving.
No wonder Nian had spoken to them so bluntly.
The moment she understood why they had come, she had used filming as an excuse to remove herself from the situation.
"Filming is basically finished anyway. Besides, I saw that you had wrapped up your conversation, so I came over to check on your mental state."
Apparently disappointed that she had failed to startle Shirou, Nian wore a somewhat regretful expression.
"That expression does not look like someone who came to check on me. It looks more like someone who came to watch the show."
With a blank expression, Shirou brushed Nian's hand off his shoulder.
He could understand why she did not want to deal with those people.
But leaving him alone to face them all was still a bit much.
Nian was guilty of it.
Wei Yenwu was guilty of it too.
Shirou made a mental note of both of them with perfect impartiality.
"Do not be so heartless. Today's situation was a little unusual. There was pressure from the filming, and Wei Yenwu was standing right there too, so the atmosphere ended up much more tense than I expected."
Seeing Shirou's reaction, Nian could more or less guess what he was thinking.
After all, she had been thinking the exact same thing herself.
The only difference was that she had escaped much faster.
"That kid... you really do not show Wei Yenwu any respect."
Hearing the way Nian referred to Wei Yenwu, Shirou found it oddly amusing.
Because she had called him "kid" just moments earlier as well.
Moreover, judging from her attitude toward Wei Yenwu up until now, she had treated him with remarkable casualness, almost as though she were greeting one of her own juniors.
Considering that the people of Terra tended to have rather long lifespans...
Perhaps... maybe... possibly...
Calling Wei Yenwu "kid" was actually perfectly appropriate for her.
"Hey! I have a feeling you are thinking something very rude!"
Noticing the increasingly peculiar look in Shirou's eyes, Nian waved a fist at him.
"Nothing of the sort."
Shirou waved both hands, firmly insisting that he had not been overthinking anything.
As long as he did not say it out loud, Nian would have no excuse to use it as leverage to drag him out for hot pot again.
Hot pot was delicious.
But eating it every single day was becoming rather punishing for his stomach.
"It had better be... You can put away your Noble Phantasms now. We have finished everything we needed from this scene."
Nian narrowed her eyes, carefully studying Shirou's expression, as if trying to uncover what he had really been thinking.
Unfortunately for her, his face remained so calm and composed that she could not read anything at all.
Another precious opportunity had slipped through her fingers.
It was a little disappointing.
Still, it did not matter much to Nian.
Shirou was softhearted, asking a few more times would usually wear him down until he agreed.
The only question was how long she would have to keep asking.
Conveniently enough, she had all the time and patience in the world.
She was not worried in the slightest.
Moments like this really highlighted the advantages of having thick skin.
"So I will not need to keep projecting Noble Phantasms after this?"
Hearing Nian's confirmation, Shirou dismissed all the Noble Phantasms.
In an instant, countless Noble Phantasms dissolved into countless blue particles.
The glowing motes illuminated the entire filming set, creating the illusion that everyone had wandered into a fairyland.
At least, that was how the production staff felt.
The shimmering light washed over them as tiny particles drifted gently down onto their bodies.
It was not as though they had never witnessed a scene like this before.
Most of the time, however, such spectacles had been deliberately created for filming.
Experiencing it outside of an actual shoot was a first.
"Heh heh~ Good thing I planned ahead. I already had the cameras and crew ready to capture this."
Watching the spectacle unfold, Nian's mood noticeably brightened.
She had already learned how Shirou's projected weapons behaved both when they were created and when they disappeared.
This scene had been entirely within her expectations.
Although...
It had turned out even better than she had imagined.
Apparently, once this kind of dazzling magical light accumulated in sufficient quantities, it became beautiful no matter how one looked at it.
"Just so we are clear! This is exhausting. There will not be a next time!"
Seeing the expression on her face, Shirou immediately crossed his arms over his chest and firmly stated his position.
He was genuinely afraid that her next sentence would be to ask him to recreate the entire scene.
"Relax. Once or twice is exciting. But if you see something too many times, even the most beautiful scenery eventually becomes boring."
As she spoke, Nian reached out and lightly touched one of the floating particles.
The instant her fingertip made contact, the glowing particle fragmented into even finer specks before disappearing without a trace.
It shattered at the slightest touch, like a soap bubble.
Nothing remained behind.
But at the very least...
It remained in her memories.
And it had also been preserved by the cameras.
"..."
Shirou did not respond.
How should he put it...
At that moment, Nian seemed to possess an air that felt strangely out of character for her.
He genuinely did not know what to say.
The Nian he usually knew was much like the members of Penguin Logistics.
Most of the time she was a carefree optimist who could quickly recover her spirits no matter what happened.
Now, however...
She seemed to be in the middle of collecting herself emotionally.
As for why, Shirou had no idea.
Still, people involved in filmmaking becoming melancholic after witnessing something beautiful seemed... fairly normal.
Probably.
Thinking back on Exusiai's and Croissant's usual state of mind, Shirou found himself hesitating.
Those two generally became depressed over things like financial troubles, work problems, or simply because the restaurant they wanted to visit happened to be closed that day.
Their worries were wonderfully ordinary.
Most of the time, they only needed to turn around once before they had already cheered themselves back up.
There was very little he could use as a point of comparison.
As for Taiga, Rin, and everyone else...
That was an entirely different matter.
Although he had no suitable example to follow, based on his own experience, whenever someone was like this...
He would simply remain silent and quietly stay by their side, waiting for them to recover on their own.
His approach was simply to be there for them.
"What do you think about what those people from the Court said just now?"
Her silence lasted for less time than Shirou had expected.
But the moment she spoke, she asked a question that immediately gave him a headache.
The headache stemmed from one simple fact.
Jingzhe had spoken poorly of Nian.
Nian herself had overheard it.
Jingzhe was no longer here.
Only he, the unfortunate person who had heard both sides, remained.
An overwhelming sense of awkwardness washed over him, making him miss the peaceful silence from just moments ago.
As expected of Nian.
The moment she opened her mouth, she went straight for the finishing blow.
Still, remaining silent forever was not an option.
Nian was waiting for his answer.
After thinking for a moment, Shirou replied,
"...I suppose I would just let it go in one ear and out the other? Not treat it as a big deal?"
"Pfft."
Nian could not help laughing.
"That really does not sound like something you would say. I thought you would give a much more serious answer."
The solemn atmosphere she had created moments earlier instantly disappeared without a trace.
Honestly, things were better this way.
She had blurted out the question on impulse, making the atmosphere unbearably awkward.
If Shirou had actually followed the mood and honestly poured out everything on his mind...
Just imagining that scene made her cringe a little.
"But that really is what I think. Everyone has their own way of choosing friends. If I stopped associating with someone just because of a few words from other people, I think life would become exhausting."
Seeing Nian laugh, the awkwardness Shirou had been feeling eased considerably.
His answer might have been rather blunt.
But it was genuinely how he felt.
After all, this was not a matter of principle.
Friendship was, by nature, a personal matter.
If he constantly let other people's opinions determine whom he should befriend, living that way would be exhausting.
"Exactly! That is a great attitude. Make sure you keep it up!"
Hearing that answer, Nian happily jumped forward and threw an arm around Shirou's shoulders.
"Guh... that is dangerous!"
The move came so suddenly that Shirou almost failed to react.
Combined with Nian's incredible physical strength, he genuinely felt as though his head was about to be twisted off.
Perhaps having it torn off was a slight exaggeration.
Even so, his neck and back definitely did not feel quite right anymore.
Had he not instinctively crouched down to match Nian's height, he probably really would have ended up spending several days in the hospital.
"Come on! It is fine! I calculated everything perfectly!"
Nian had very little awareness of just how dangerous her actions actually were.
From her perspective, even if she had used a bit more force, Shirou would still have been able to withstand it.
In some ways, she probably understood Shirou's physical condition better than he did himself.
Unfortunately, that intuition only worked on Shirou.
If it had been anyone else, she would not have been able to judge it just by looking.
After all, she was a blacksmith.
Not a doctor.
"Calculated... Fine. If you say so."
Shirou's eyelids twitched.
Was that really something a person could calculate?
He wanted to complain.
Very much so.
But after thinking it over, he ultimately gave up on arguing with her.
He had already said more than enough today.
At this point, all he wanted was to quietly exist in peace.