Exusiai's incident brought a lot of laughter to everyone at Penguin Logistics.
Even after a night had passed when Shirou was helping organize documents at the Guard Department, just thinking about what happened last night would make him laugh out loud.
"Hm? Did you see something?"
Hoshiguma, who had pulled Shirou over to help sort the files, paused her work when she heard him suddenly chuckle and asked.
As everyone knows, although organizing documents is simple, it is also extremely boring.
If these files did not require her personal handling, Hoshiguma would have preferred to assign them to someone else.
Calling Shirou over now only allowed her to distribute some of the workload and give him something to do. When it came to actually filing them away, she still had to review everything herself.
If it were a group of newbies, she could just send them out for field guidance. Unfortunately, there was only Shirou here so she had to find simple tasks for him first.
However, Shirou learned very quickly. Hoshiguma estimated that if there were field assignments later, she could bring him along.
It seemed that Shirou had already finished reading that stack of materials. When she casually asked him a few questions while sorting, he answered almost all of them correctly.
Sigh… Chen only told you to go back and read them, not to finish and memorize everything immediately.
Is he a bit too earnest?
Moreover, if she was not mistaken, the lunchbox Shirou brought today seemed much larger than yesterday's.
At the very least, it looked like enough for three or four people.
Having Shirou as a colleague must be such a blessing.
No, rather, Penguin Logistics must be incredibly lucky to have hired someone like Shirou.
Forget it, she should set that thought aside for now. If she kept thinking like this, she might fall into the same cycle as Missy, constantly trying to poach him.
Things are fine as they are now.
"It is nothing, I just suddenly thought of something."
Realizing that he had laughed out loud, Shirou quickly returned to his usual expression and answered.
Getting distracted during work is a major taboo.
He had actually made such a mistake and was even caught by his superior.
"Relax, I am not going to eat you."
Seeing that Shirou seemed somewhat afraid of her, Hoshiguma wondered whether it was because of the Oni rumors surrounding her race or if he was simply wary of her as his superior.
Or perhaps both?
"Ah?"
Hoshiguma's sudden remark made Shirou wonder why she would say such a thing.
When his peripheral vision caught the horns on her head, he finally realized she was teasing him.
Do not laugh. If he laughed out loud, he might really get beaten.
Humans are quite strange creatures. They can joke about themselves, but when others do the same, they might feel unhappy.
Shirou did not know which type Hoshiguma was, but it was definitely safer not to laugh.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh. It is only you and me here."
Seeing that Shirou was holding back a laugh, Hoshiguma felt that he was being far too reserved.
It was not as if she had never dealt with people like him before. When Chen first started, she was quite similar to Shirou.
Although compared to Shirou, Chen had been more serious back then.
After all, no one had believed in her at the beginning, yet she repeatedly proved them wrong through her own efforts and joined the Special Inspection Unit.
As for Shirou… his current situation seemed quite similar. As a member of Penguin Logistics, he was also looked down upon by some people.
Well, Penguin Logistics… those who understand, understand.
In some ways, Shirou and Chen were quite alike.
Both of them liked to shoulder responsibilities that did not originally belong to them.
For Shirou, it was his shop, while Chen often spent her personal time investigating cases that the Guard Department could not officially take on.
Even though no one asked them to do so, and it was not necessary to go that far, both of them still chose to do it without hesitation.
Thinking about it this way, they really were quite similar.
Hoshiguma fell into thought.
"Ahem… Officer Hoshiguma, please do not tease yourself. I do know a little about the Oni race. There are no rumors of them eating people here. Most of those stories are just misunderstandings spread by people who do not know any better."
Hearing Hoshiguma's words, Shirou naturally could not laugh so he chose to explain what he knew about the Oni.
Oni were quite rare in Lungmen, but he happened to know two.
Phal and Hoshiguma.
Compared to Phal, Hoshiguma felt more like a true Oni to Shirou. As for Phal, rather than an Oni, he felt more like a prankster wearing an Oni mask.
The type who took pleasure in snatching food from children.
When he first met Hoshiguma, Shirou had clearly felt an inexplicable pressure.
Although it might also have been because it was his first time meeting an Oni, so he was a bit nervous.
After all, he had grown up hearing stories about them.
It was only after gathering some information later, along with Phal's explanations, that Shirou gained a certain level of understanding about the Oni.
However, that understanding was only to a certain extent. After all, the physical traits of each Oni could vary greatly.
Phal had not explained that part in detail, only telling Shirou to keep it in mind.
"Oh? You seem to know quite a lot. Did you even look into it specifically?"
Seeing Shirou's serious expression, Hoshiguma stopped teasing him.
These things take time. Once they became more familiar, there would be plenty of opportunities to talk about more topics.
Taking advantage of the time while sorting documents, Hoshiguma chatted with Shirou about many things.
It was not related to the Guard Department, Penguin Logistics, or the slums, they were just having a casual conversation.
Once the conversation got going, even the otherwise dull task of handling documents became interesting.
As they kept talking, the files they needed to process were almost finished.
However, before they could wrap up, the communicator at Hoshiguma's waist rang.
Stopping what she was doing, Hoshiguma answered it.
A few seconds later, she stood up and said, "Shirou, stop for now. Something has come up."
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Shirou immediately put down the documents in his hands.
He had already roughly reviewed the procedures for field operations the previous night. The communicator, earpiece, and tactical gear all had to be properly equipped.
As for weapons, Shirou took a standard-issue Guard Department sword and hung it at his waist. Although he did not really need it, he chose to follow their regulations.
As for the tactical gear, essentially protective equipment, Shirou chose only leg guards. He had no intention of using anything for his upper body.
Mainly because it was cumbersome; wearing it would actually make it easier for him to be attacked.
Besides, that level of defense was less effective than using his magical energy, so it was better not to wear it.
Of course, he had already confirmed this with Hoshiguma and obtained her approval.
"Just follow me. Chen will be leading another team."
After checking Shirou's equipment and confirming there were no issues, Hoshiguma signaled for him to follow her.
Although she did not know exactly how strong Shirou was, having him act as a vanguard alongside her would not be a problem.
After all, he only brought a sword. It was not as if he was a sniper or a caster.
Moreover, if Hoshiguma remembered correctly, Shirou's Originium Arts were also related to blades. Strictly speaking, he did not even need to carry a standard sword.
Still, just in case, she had him bring one along.
While Originium Arts could theoretically be applied to anything, there were times when they did not work. In such cases, having a sword on hand was very convenient.
"Got it."
Entering mission mode, Shirou put aside other thoughts and focused on listening to Hoshiguma and the communications coming through his earpiece.
Sitting in a Guard Department vehicle with Hoshiguma, Shirou felt a bit nervous.
The first time he rode in one, he had been taken in as a suspect by Swire. This time, he was heading out to… combat crime.
Helping to suppress evil and protecting those in need. That was not bad at all. It was just like being an ally of justice.
Thinking this way, Shirou felt much less nervous.
Hoshiguma, sitting in the front seat, noticed through the rearview mirror that Shirou had adjusted his mindset well, and then shifted her attention back to the communication channel.
Within the Guard Department channel, Swire could be heard directing her squad to surround the building where the suspects were located.
For now, they could only surround it. To breach, they still had to wait for Chen to arrive with her team.
The suspects were confirmed to be operating as a group. Among them were individuals capable of using Originium Arts, very likely Infected.
There were about seven people. At present, two of them were confirmed to have long-range attack capabilities, both casters.
From these fragmented clues, even without being on site Hoshiguma was able to piece together a rough picture of the situation.
This would help her quickly assess the situation upon arrival.
"Shirou, respond if you can hear me."
Chen's voice suddenly came through the communication channel.
"This is Shirou."
Hearing his name through the earpiece, Shirou froze for a moment before quickly replying.
"When we arrive, follow the sniper team. Observe the interior of the building and report continuously. Do not forget to switch your communication channel."
Chen did not say much and she directly assigned Shirou to the sniper team.
During missions, she did not concern herself with anything else. Any useful manpower had to be utilized.
As for identity exposure, that no longer mattered. Concealing identities was only to avoid interference during investigations. Letting Shirou know was not a big deal.
She truly did not care, unlike Shirou who was still concerned about his Lungmen identity that had already been officially approved by Wei Yenwu.
"Understood."
Shirou did not question Chen's orders.
After all, it was something he was capable of doing.
Hoshiguma, beside him, also had no intention of questioning Chen. She trusted her judgment. If Chen assigned Shirou to the sniper team, there must be a reason.
"The sniper team under Chen should be near her. Once you arrive, just report directly to her."
Worried that Shirou might not recognize the members of the sniper team, Hoshiguma gave him a reminder.
She did not mention taking him there herself, because situations on-site changed constantly. It was entirely possible that she would have to step in elsewhere at any moment.
It was best to make things clear in advance.
"Alright."
Shirou nodded, and at the same time began starting reinforcing his body.
Chen had asked him to observe the movements inside the building, which meant he needed to enhance his vision.
After repeated use and refinement, Shirou had become increasingly proficient in controlling this ability.
After arriving at the location, Hoshiguma immediately brought Shirou to report to Chen. After delivering him to the sniper team, she left right away.
This was the front line, not a place for babysitting. Since Chen had already issued her orders, it meant she was confident that Shirou could keep up with the others.
With that being the case, there was no need for Hoshiguma to worry further.
"Shirou, can you see the situation inside?"
Standing some distance away from the building, Chen asked.
Since the suspects were hiding inside the building, Chen had chosen another nearby building as a vantage point to observe the interior.
Ideally, she should have been at the ground floor to direct the breach at any time, but Swire was already there, so Chen came here first to confirm the newbieal situation.
"Uh…"
After Chen asked this, the others nearby wondered if she was making things difficult for a newcomer.
But on second thought, Chen was not that kind of person, so it must mean that his Originium Arts had some special utility.
There was a bit of distance between them and the target building, and with various external factors, even using binoculars did not give them a clear view inside.
They had to rely on drones for reconnaissance, but the enemy casters were not going to just let drones observe them freely.
That made things troublesome, and for the moment, they had no effective countermeasure.
Without understanding the newbieal situation they would not act rashly.
"I can, but if they are hiding, then there is nothing I can do."
Shirou did not immediately answer with confidence. Instead, he first looked carefully at the target building.
It was a fairly ordinary fifteen-story structure with many floor-to-ceiling windows, though one of the floors appeared somewhat hazy.
While it slightly affected visibility, Shirou could still see inside if he focused.
There were many figures, though only a few were standing.
"There are roughly ten people. One of them is holding binoculars and observing the surroundings, he is probably checking for drone positions. Another person is watching the position below where Officer Swire is."
While observing the building, Shirou converted what he saw into words so that Chen could understand the newbieal situation.
"About ten people, huh…?"
Chen was not displeased by the uncertainty in his estimate. On the contrary, she was quite satisfied.
They had not been able to obtain any information about the interior before.
The enemy's Originium Arts had been interfering. They were originally supposed to wait for more specialized equipment but with Shirou here, that was no longer necessary.
After all, Chen had worked with Shirou on multiple occasions before, so she knew that if he was not confident in something, he would not claim otherwise.
If he could not see, he would say so. If he could, he would report it.
"Stay on the line. I will head down first."
After confirming that there were at least three hostages inside, Chen did not linger. She left Shirou there to continue observation while she took some personnel and departed.
Before leaving, she switched Shirou's communication channel to connect directly to her.
As she was about to go, Chen paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said:
"…If necessary, I will have you engage the enemy, so be ready at all times."