A day at the Guard Department passed quickly. There were several field operation notices in between, but none involved Shirou, the newly arrived newbie.
Not only did he not go but his superiors, Hoshiguma and Chen did not go either.
And perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt that the two of them were paying an unusual amount of attention to him, who was just a newbie.
After Swire's "battle" with Chen at noon, many strange rumors began spreading around the Guard Department that afternoon.
For example:
"Chief Swire and the mysterious newbie from Penguin Logistics—an untold story."
"Why are Chief Hoshiguma and Chief Chen so invested in a newbie? Are they grooming a successor or trying to provoke the neighboring Swire?"
"Why does Officer Chen always look at that newbie with such a complicated expression?"
"Is this the distortion of human nature, or the collapse of morality…"
The rest was too long, so Shirou did not remember it.
He did not know whether human nature was distorted or not but he did know that those spreading such rumors had been "physically corrected" by Chief Chen.
He did not know where the rumors started but everyone who had participated in spreading them was caught by Chen.
Whether they were talking about her, Hoshiguma, or even Swire, all of them were sent to clean the first- and second-floor restrooms.
Having spent nearly half the morning delivering documents, Shirou knew very well that those floors had the most people.
Besides the Guard Department staff, there were also many civilians handling affairs.
With more people came… well, more usage of the restrooms.
In any case, Shirou had decided to stick to the third floor and above.
This was a small piece of advice shared with him by people from the lower floors, they said he seemed like a good person so they warned him.
After taking a look himself, it was indeed true.
Shirou could only silently observe a three-second moment of silence for those assigned to clean those restrooms.
After that, he picked up the materials given by Chen and Hoshiguma and prepared to leave the Guard Department.
It was already off-duty time. Before leaving, Chen had handed him another batch of materials to go through carefully.
Shirou felt like he had already read more than enough today but he could not refuse.
Not only was he personally unable to reject such a request, but Chen had not just printed random documents either. Hoshiguma had said these were materials Chen had compiled in her spare time. As long as he went through them once, his work as a newbie would proceed smoothly.
So Shirou could only accept them gratefully and start planning his evening schedule.
However, when he reached the first floor, he noticed that the expressions on people's faces were somewhat… strange.
That piqued his curiosity, Following their gazes, he looked outside and saw a Penguin Logistics vehicle parked there.
Oh. Penguin Logistics. Then it was fine.
He remembered they had said in the morning that they would come pick him up in the afternoon. He had thought they were just joking but they actually came.
And they were quite early.
The people inside the car also seemed to spot him, flashing the headlights twice to signal their presence.
"…Next time, I should bring a regular coat."
Looking at the Guard Department jacket he was wearing, Shirou felt that walking over like this was a bit too conspicuous.
However, the only other outerwear in his bag was his Penguin Logistics jacket. Putting that on here felt a bit odd too.
As for projecting clothes…it was better not to. There were too many people around, and it was not worth using projection for something like this.
"Shirou, over here, over here!"
Perhaps worried that he had not noticed them or perhaps for some other reason, Exusiai practically leaned halfway out of the car window, waving and shouting at him.
Seeing that Shirou quickened his pace, he was worried she might fall out.
Not that it was likely, but given how excited she looked, it still felt a bit dangerous.
"I heard you. Get back inside the car."
Walking up, Shirou gently pushed Exusiai back into the car, then opened the rear door and got in.
Only Texas and Exusiai were in the car, and since they were not on duty, he did not try to take the front passenger seat.
"How was it today? The Guard Department did not give you a hard time, right?"
As soon as he sat down, Texas asked, a Pocky stick in her mouth.
The reason for asking was simple, when Shirou exited the building he was holding quite a stack of documents.
As she spoke, Texas started the car and drove off.
Beside her, Exusiai made a face out the window but Shirou did not notice.
He did not but Swire who had just stepped outside saw it clearly.
She noted it down!
Next time, if she got the chance to catch someone from Penguin Logistics, she would not let it go!
Right now, Shirou was a newbie at the Guard Department! Did they believe she could not make him handle interrogation reports for them?
While Swire fumed in silent frustration, Texas had already driven the car away from the Guard Department.
Of course, she had noticed her partner's little antics but this had been part of their earlier discussion so she pretended not to see it.
After a thorough discussion, they had even come up with a full set of precautions regarding Shirou's newbie work at the Guard Department.
The most important one was: never let the Guard Department get any leverage on them.
Otherwise, they would probably lose several meals' worth of benefits.
Exusiai might be a bit reckless but she still knew where to draw the line.
'maybe?'
If she had not seen it wrong just now, Officer Swire's gaze had been rather… piercing.
Never mind. Better focus on what Shirou was saying.
"Today went pretty smoothly. The people at the Guard Department were all quite nice."
Shirou did not think too much about it and simply shared what had happened during the day.
As he spoke, the other two listened.
Their first thought was: the Guard Department must have ulterior motives.
Someone from Penguin Logistics went in and was treated this well?
Something was definitely off.
As frequent "visitors" of the Guard Department in the past, not just Exusiai even Texas clearly understood the usual attitude the Guard Department had toward Penguin Logistics.
Especially considering Shirou had even worn his Penguin Logistics jacket that morning yet they still treated him like that. That made it even more suspicious.
Even though it was not them who told him to wear it, he had just grabbed it himself.
"Sounds pretty good."
Exusiai said with a gentle smile.
Hearing that Shirou had a positive impression of the Guard Department, she knew it was time to move on to the next plan.
"Mm."
Texas, on the other hand, did not comment much and she just nodded to show that she heard him.
Her approach was to let things take their natural course. As long as the Guard Department did not make any major moves, she would not object.
As for what counted as a "major move"… that was up to her to decide.
"Oh, right…Texas, could you take a right up ahead? I need to stop by the supermarket."
After finishing his story about the Guard Department, Shirou suddenly remembered that the fridge at the dorm was running low and needed restocking.
He had to prepare for tonight's dinner, tomorrow's breakfast and lunch boxes.
Especially tomorrow's bento, he needed to make it bigger.
All afternoon, he had been hearing rumors about his lunch.
Based on his experience, tomorrow at lunchtime there would definitely be quite a few people trying to sneak a bite.
He was very familiar with this, he had experienced it back when he was a student.
That was why he used to eat his lunch somewhere else, because back then he could not afford to make extra portions.
But now it was different!
All thanks to Emperor!
What a generous boss!
Well… he could not just spend company money recklessly either. He had already "kindly discussed" it with the boss during lunch break and received approval.
Even though he often joked about the boss paying, he still made sure to ask.
After all, if that funding ever got cut off, he would have to pay out of pocket.
And feeding everyone at Penguin Logistics every month was not cheap.
Even though he had been trying to control costs, it was still only slightly cheaper than eating out but it was healthier.
With Texas and Exusiai accompanying him, Shirou quickly finished buying everything they needed for the next few days.
"Ugh, this is heavy…"
Exusiai hunched over slightly, carrying a large bag of groceries.
She had volunteered to help but this bag really was quite heavy.
It was not heavy enough that she could not carry it but she just exaggerated a bit for effect.
"Is it heavy?"
Holding two bags of roughly the same weight, Shirou looked puzzled.
It should not be that heavy… but judging from Exusiai's reaction, maybe it was?
He had only bought a little extra…
Alright, he admitted…he bought a lot.
Usually he only bought enough for one or two days. This time he bought enough for about three to four days.
"Now you know how hard Shirou has it normally. Stop complaining."
Texas, who was also carrying a bag, looked much more relaxed compared to Exusiai.
That alone showed Exusiai probably did not train much.
"When you put it that way… yeah, you are right…"
After Texas pointed it out, Exusiai realized that Shirou usually carried even heavier groceries back and forth, often on foot or by bicycle.
Compared to that, having a car now made things much easier.
But this feeling of helping "mom" with chores and experiencing her daily struggles…
…what exactly was this?
At that moment, Exusiai had many thoughts.
With that question lingering in her mind, the group quickly returned to the dorm.
Croissant had already been sitting on the sofa waiting for them. Seeing the large pile of groceries, she immediately got up to help carry everything to the kitchen table.
Dinner was kept simple. After everyone had eaten their fill, Shirou immediately started preparing ingredients for tomorrow's breakfast and bento.
After all, everyone had to get up early for work the next day. If they wanted a more substantial meal, it had to be prepared in advance.
"Preparation," in this case, mostly meant cutting up vegetables and meat ahead of time and portioning them.
"Hmm… that should be about enough."
After putting all the prepped ingredients into the fridge, Shirou checked the quantities. It should be sufficient.
There was his own extra-large portion, as well as portions for everyone at Penguin Logistics.
Even though Sora was busy rehearsing, he could just make an extra portion and have Texas deliver it so it was not a problem.
After wiping his hands, Shirou returned to the living room.
He had not forgotten the "homework" Chen and Hoshiguma had given him, that thick stack of materials would take quite some time to get through.
"Shirou, what were you busy with just now?"
Exusiai, half-lying on the sofa, tilted her head back and asked.
She had thought he was making dessert, but all she heard was running water and chopping sounds.
What a letdown. Good thing she had bought an apple pie while waiting for him earlier.
"I was preparing ingredients for tomorrow. If I cut everything ahead of time, it will be less hectic."
Sitting in his usual spot, Shirou took out his earphones and materials, ready to get to work, while answering her question.
"Oh… if you are too tired, you can take a few days off. We will not mind. You have looked really busy lately, do not overwork yourself."
The moment Exusiai finished speaking, the living room fell into a brief silence.
Good grief…Exusiai actually said something like that?!
"You… did not have enough apple pie today?"
Texas immediately took the Pocky out of her mouth and asked seriously.
"Yeah, yeah! If it was not enough, just say it! I can order more!"
Croissant put down her controller and picked up her phone, she ready to order another apple pie.
"…Are you sick?"
As for Shirou, he put down what he was doing and went to grab a thermometer, preparing to check her temperature.
"Hey! Is it really that shocking that I care about someone?"
Seeing everyone's reactions, Exusiai complained.
It was not like she went through life completely carefree every single day. What was wrong with caring about her teammate's health?
She would start throwing apple pies at their faces if this kept up!
"It is mostly because of how you usually act…"
On this point, Shirou felt fully qualified to comment.
Even if he had not known her as long as the others, Exusiai had made up for it by constantly messing with him.
Within Penguin Logistics, it was mainly Exusiai and Croissant who liked teasing him.
It was not that he could not accept it, it was all harmless fun to him.
But suddenly switching from "teasing gremlin" to "thoughtful teammate"… that shift was a bit too drastic. It made him uneasy.
"I am with Shirou on this one."
Croissant nodded in agreement.
"…"
Texas did not comment. Having been partners for so long, she knew Exusiai occasionally had this side.
But honestly, even she had not seen it in quite a while.
For a moment earlier, she had also wondered if Exusiai was sick until she protested.
"You guys are awful! I cannot believe this is how you see me!"
Realizing that all three of them viewed her this way, Exusiai could not take it anymore.
She, Exusiai…sure, she was playful but she was also someone who cared about people, okay?!