"Um… should you not stop them, Officer Hoshiguma?"
Watching the "dragon" and the "tiger" bleating noisily at each other, Shirou turned to Hoshiguma and asked.
"It is fine. Missy knows she is in the wrong. With one strong and one weaker side, it will not escalate too much."
Glancing over, Hoshiguma quickly grasped the situation.
Chen was imposing, loud and completely justified in her scolding.
In contrast, Swire was somewhat aware that she was in the wrong, so her momentum was slightly weaker.
If both sides were equally strong, that would be when she needed to worry. If both got heated, it might turn into a fight.
But in this one-strong-one-weak situation, it would probably settle down after a while.
If she intervened now, it might actually make things worse and add fuel to the fire.
"Missy? Oh… do they do this often?"
Shirou was briefly confused about who "Missy" referred to, but quickly realized it was Hoshiguma's nickname for Swire.
He had only seen the two of them together twice and both times they were "bleating" at each other. He had even started wondering if he should bring some hay next time.
So he asked Hoshiguma whether this kind of situation was normal.
"It is normal. They are always bickering but they actually get along pretty well."
As she spoke, Hoshiguma picked up an omelet roll from Shirou's lunchbox and popped it into her mouth.
Earlier, when Swire arrived, she had already slipped off to the cafeteria to grab four meals.
One for herself, one for Shirou and also for Chen and Swire.
Originally, she had planned to eat at the cafeteria but seeing that the "battlefield" here was not too intense, she decided not to squeeze into the crowd.
""Who gets along with her?!""
The dragon and the tiger both turned their heads toward the oni at the same time and shouted.
Their expressions and tones were perfectly synchronized.
"Yes, yes, you two get along terribly."
Hoshiguma paid them no mind and continued eating.
This lunchbox was full of Higashi-style dishes and it was exactly what she liked.
Right now, no one could stop her from eating.
Except Shirou, the one who made the lunchbox.
After all, it was his food. He was just sharing it with her and being able to enjoy it was already a blessing.
Previously, the lunchboxes were made according to Jaye's preferences. They were delicious, but just "good" to her.
Now, this one was made according to Shirou's own tastes and it matched hers perfectly!
Right now! No one could stop Hoshiguma from eating this lunchbox!
She said so.
"…The Guard Department is really lively."
Although his earlier illusions about the Guard Department had already been shattered, the morning's experiences had briefly restored some of Shirou's expectations.
As for now… he decided it was better not to have too many expectations.
After all, this was Lungmen.
He knew very well that people here loved chaos and entertainment.
At this moment, Shirou could only marvel at how the others in the office including Hoshiguma could eat and even take naps in such an environment.
It was truly impressive. He was deeply impressed.
Especially the one who was already asleep, he admired them to the point of complete respect.
"Do not think too much. Eat quickly and take a short nap afterward. Even though there is a lunch break, if a mission suddenly comes up, we still have to head out."
Seeing Shirou still not picking up his chopsticks, Hoshiguma kindly reminded him.
It was not that she had failed to explain things earlier. Some small details simply came to mind only when the situation arose. After all, they did not happen every day.
"Oh, right."
Hearing that, Shirou quickly picked up his chopsticks and began working through the cafeteria dishes Hoshiguma had brought.
As for his own lunchbox, he left more for Hoshiguma, she seemed to really like it.
After arguing for a while, Chen and Swire finally calmed down.
Mainly because they noticed that some people nearby had already started their lunch naps. Even when arguing, they still chose their moments.
Although they could no longer "bleat" at each other, they could still exchange deadly glares.
From Chen's perspective, she felt she had been scolded for no reason. She had only just learned about Shirou's situation in the morning so why was she the one getting yelled at?
She was not convinced!
She had already been annoyed from earlier and now someone practically delivered themselves right to her.
From Swire's perspective, Chen was someone who had jumped the queue.
Even if it was not her intention, she still got ahead!
However, since Swire had initially directed all her anger at Chen, only to realize later that Chen had not even known about it, she knew she was somewhat in the wrong.
So when they clashed, her intensity was noticeably lower than usual.
But this "Noddle dragon" was scolding way too harshly!
It even made her wonder if she had gone too far earlier.
…She probably had not, right?
She had not even used any of those Lungmen profanity not even the "polite and refined" kind.
Sigh… forget it. In the end, this was her fault. She had started scolding Chen without understanding the situation.
She would just treat it as letting that "Rice noodle Dragon" have a small win.
For now, she should hurry up and eat, then rest.
She had been holding in her frustration all morning, which had severely affected her work efficiency. She needed to recover her energy and finish that pile of paperwork in the afternoon.
Otherwise, she would have to work overtime.
If overtime was due to a heavy workload, that would be one thing. But falling behind on normal work because of poor emotional control was something Swire could not accept.
She was someone with principles and ideals.
As for Shirou, she was not in a hurry.
He would definitely see through that "Rice noodle Dragon's" evil true nature and eventually come over to her side!
Swire firmly believed that one day, Shirou would abandon the dark side and embrace the light!
"Achoo."
Shirou, sitting nearby, suddenly felt like someone was talking about him behind his back.
He glanced at Chen sitting beside Hoshiguma then at Swire sitting next to him and felt a bit of pressure.
So he lowered his head and continued eating.
The cafeteria food was not bad, but it could not be called delicious either, it was just average food.
However, after running around all morning and going through a moderately intense spar, this meal was enough to replenish a lot of his energy.
When one had the time and leisure, making food more refined was naturally best. But when busy, replenishing energy was the priority.
He had learned this while traveling around with his "old man" in certain memories.
Although those strange experiences were not usually useful, applying them to the Guard Department… should be barely appropriate.
"Tch, Hoshiguma, you actually brought your own lunchbox? That is unexpected!"
Sitting beside her, Chen glanced at the extra portion on Hoshiguma's table and immediately recognized that it was not cafeteria food.
If the Guard Department cafeteria served meat that big and that fragrant, they would not need to order takeout in their free time.
"Really?"
Hearing that, Swire leaned over immediately to take a look.
Caught in the middle, Shirou quickly pulled his tray away with his hands otherwise Swire would have had to smell cafeteria food for the entire afternoon.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly. It also made him realize that the so-called "big shots" of the Guard Department were really just a title used externally.
Only by interacting with them up close could one understand that they were simply very dedicated and a bit eccentric.
Yes, very eccentric.
That was Shirou's evaluation of the three leaders.
"It is not mine. It is his."
Facing Chen and Swire's curious gazes, Hoshiguma pointed at Shirou who was holding his tray.
And just like that, the pressure shifted onto him.
Swire also realized that her posture was a bit ungraceful, so she quietly retreated back to her seat.
She even helped place Shirou's tray back on the table in front of him.
"Oh? You two seem quite close already even sharing lunchboxes so soon?"
Chen narrowed her eyes slightly, looking between Shirou and Hoshiguma.
Swire was one thing, she had been paying attention to Shirou from early on but when did Hoshiguma become this familiar with him?
Was there something she did not know?
"You are overthinking it, Chen. It is just that Shirou made Higashi-style dishes, so I asked if I could have a taste."
Noticing Chen's suspicious look, Hoshiguma quickly explained, even using her chopsticks to point at the dishes.
As for the fact that Shirou had offered to share after seeing her craving it… better not mention that. It would only complicate things.
And she still had her pride.
"I see."
After taking a closer look at the dishes, Chen could more or less tell that Hoshiguma was not lying.
Lungmen did have Higashi cuisine, but the flavors were more localized.
Hoshiguma had shared that with her before.
"Mm… can I have a bite?"
Swire, who often "bonded" with Shirou over lunchboxes well, bribed, no, built relationships naturally wanted a taste upon hearing these were dishes she had never tried before.
"Of course."
Shirou had originally intended to let Hoshiguma decide, but when he turned and saw her pushing the lunchbox toward him, he understood her intention.
With a spirit of friendly sharing, he distributed the food.
At the same time, he began to wonder whether he should prepare a larger lunchbox starting tomorrow.
It seemed Swire liked it quite a lot and Hoshiguma did as well.
As for Chen… he might as well include her too. The three of them seemed close, and leaving anyone out would not be good.
It was all for helping Penguin Logistics build a good relationship with the Guard Department, so using the boss's funds should be fine… right?
He would just assume the boss approved it and Yith had said that as an excellent Penguin Logistics employee, one should have their own judgment.
"Oh… not bad at all."
Swire was not greedy. She just picked a dish she had never seen before and put it straight into her mouth.
Judging from the taste and texture, it was made from bird eggs.
When she bit into it, she could even feel the runny yolk flowing out.
She noticed that Shirou seemed to like cooking eggs to a semi-runny state. She had asked him about it before and his answer was that he used higher-quality eggs, so it was safe to prepare them this way.
As expected of a cook, he was very particular about such details.
If it were her, she would probably just grab any kind of egg and cook it.
Thankfully she had asked before. Otherwise, she would probably have eaten it, gotten an upset stomach, started doubting her cooking skills, and eventually given up cooking altogether.
That said, her definition of "cooking" only extended to frying or boiling eggs anyway.
What she made herself could never compare to eating out, eating out was more convenient and tastier.
And she did not have to wash dishes.
But for now, takeout could step aside, Shirou's lunchbox was number one.
Of course, some restaurants still tasted great when dining in, but that was mostly due to the quality of ingredients, plus a bit of the chef's skill.
Shirou, on the other hand, used the simplest ingredients to create a variety of flavors.
The two could not really be compared. After all, food was a matter of personal preference.
"Right? That is a very authentic omelet roll."
Seeing Swire approve of her favorite dish, Hoshiguma said proudly, as if she had made it herself.
"Really? Then I will try one too."
Hearing her partner and friend say that, Chen also moved her chopsticks.
And just like that, Shirou watched as his lunchbox was divided among the three of them.
"Ah… that was satisfying. I have the energy for the afternoon now."
After eating her fill, Swire leaned back in her chair, looking completely content.
"Sorry, I ended up eating too much. I will go make some tea."
Hoshiguma looked apologetic. After all, Shirou had barely touched the lunchbox and most of it had been eaten by the three of them.
Feeling a bit guilty, she decided to brew some tea using leaves that her former subordinates had given her.
"Alright, thank you."
Shirou was already used to this kind of thing.
After all, everyone in Penguin Logistics was a foodie.
As for tea… that was nice too, it was better than plain water.
"…"
On the other side, Chen looked at the now-empty lunchbox with a complicated expression.
The more she learned about Shirou, the more she felt that he might be… overly versatile.
In combat, he could fight both at long range and close quarters.
In daily life, he could cook and work tirelessly.
And his temperament was good. Unlike her or a certain "char siu cat," who would explode at the slightest provocation, Shirou might look hard to approach, but in reality, he had a good personality similar to Hoshiguma.
What had Penguin Logistics done to deserve someone like him?
On this point, Chen found herself gradually aligning with Swire.
After all, who would not want a subordinate who was reliable, hardworking, and capable in combat?
As for his unknown background… Wei Yenwu had vouched for him.
Even if she did not think highly of that man, she could not deny his ability and methods.
Even a slight risk would not be tolerated, he would never allow someone dangerous into the Guard Department.
It was a pity that Shirou was only here for a short time as a newbie. Otherwise, Chen might have considered focusing on training him.
Though from the looks of it, he did not really need training. He could already be used as immediate combat strength.
That alone helped ease some of her workload.
Still, she needed to find a way to remind him not to set off fireworks anymore.
Blowing up that area in the slums had felt satisfying, sure…but the pressure wave from the explosion had shattered nearby structures and glass.
And all of that had been paid for by the Guard Department.
If something like that happened in the city…
…she shuddered. The Guard Department would probably be paying compensation until they were broke.
"Hmm? Officer Chen, is something wrong?"
Noticing the complicated look on her face, Shirou asked while cleaning up the trays and lunchboxes.
Her expression looked something like…
"You did great, but please never do that again."