After that, a few days passed, and Shirou's newbie work at the Guard Department gradually fell into a steady routine.
Chen and Hoshiguma no longer needed to assign him work. The members of the sniper team came to find Shirou almost every day, chatting over tea before dragging him off to the shooting range.
Both of them tacitly allowed it. Rather than having Shirou deal with paperwork, it was better to see whether he could help energize the sniper team.
And so, the Guard Department's sniper unit entered a long-lost frenzy. Every day, they rushed through their tasks at top speed and then immediately reported to the shooting range.
"He is really in demand."
Watching Shirou get pulled away yet again, Hoshiguma said with a helpless smile.
This was not bad at all. She had originally been worried that Shirou's identity as a member of Penguin Logistics would make it difficult for him to get along with the Guard Department.
Now, it seemed that concern had been completely unnecessary.
"However, their improvement is quite obvious. I have gone to observe a few times when I had the chance. Shirou's teaching ability is actually quite high."
Sitting nearby, Chen organized the documents in her hands while speaking to Hoshiguma.
"How high?"
Hearing such a strong evaluation from Chen, Hoshiguma grew curious.
Even when she had free time, she usually went to train with the heavy shield unit rather than visiting the sniper team.
"…To the point where even I feel like I could do it after listening?"
Chen paused slightly before answering.
She genuinely thought so. When she had taken a break from work to check on the training, she realized that Shirou had a good understanding of bows, crossbows, and even firearm units.
However, while he demonstrated the first two personally, he mostly explained firearms verbally.
According to him, he could not trigger the mechanisms on them.
Yes—the same person who could casually produce bows, arrows, and swords claimed that his compatibility with Originium Arts was low. When Chen first heard that, she nearly drew her blade and told him to speak like a normal person.
But after calming down, she admitted that what he said was not entirely unreasonable. Perhaps this was simply his weak point.
As for what exactly Shirou's Originium Arts were, Chen did not ask.
After all, the newbie work agreement with Penguin Logistics explicitly prohibited it. Unless Shirou chose to reveal it himself, the Guard Department was not allowed to inquire.
From that perspective, Penguin Logistics was clearly protecting him quite well.
"Wow… then I should find some time to go take a look. How about now?"
After hearing Chen's evaluation, Hoshiguma felt that if she went now, she might be able to catch one of Shirou's training sessions.
"Do not think about slacking off. You still have not finished those documents."
Seeing Hoshiguma already tidying up as if preparing to leave, Chen pointed at the large stack of files on her desk.
"Haha, you caught me."
Hoshiguma immediately stopped what she was doing.
She had only been joking. There was no way she would actually skip work just to go watch.
Although the documents were not urgent, she knew that developing a habit of procrastination would be troublesome.
Taking proper breaks under Chen's supervision was acceptable, she was not some kind of tyrant.
Besides, even though Chen was strict, she held herself to the same standards, so very few people complained about her.
Very few…not none.
"If you want to go, at least finish one-third first. Then in the afternoon, have Shirou help you with the rest."
In the end, Chen relaxed the condition slightly.
Recently, due to several stalled cases, their inspection unit had been under significant pressure.
"Do you have a fever?"
Hearing this, Hoshiguma's first reaction was not excitement, but to start looking for a thermometer.
"…Take it or leave it."
Chen rolled her eyes and returned to her work.
—
Meanwhile, at the Guard Department shooting range.
"Lower your center of gravity a bit. This kind of crossbow has stronger recoil."
Reaching out, Shirou adjusted the posture of the officer in front of him and pointed at the large crossbow in his hands as he explained.
He did not quite understand why so many people had recently come to ask him about shooting techniques.
His own teaching experience was limited to some basic instruction in the archery club, and he had not even been particularly good at teaching.
But with so many people asking, he could not just refuse.
So he relied on his own experience to make simple adjustments, and so far, the results had been quite good.
His method was straightforward: analyze once, then simulate how he himself would use it.
Of course, that did not necessarily suit everyone.
After all, each person had their own fighting style.
"Oh, the shooting feels much better now."
The Guard Department member, holding a massive crossbow, knelt on one knee. On the target in front of him, five bolts were already embedded.
Perhaps it was psychological, or perhaps just luck—but his shots were noticeably steadier than before.
"There are no major issues in other aspects. Just keep it up and let your body get used to this shooting posture."
Shirou had observed all of the person's shots, and there really were no significant problems.
Mechanical weapons like bows and crossbows only required aiming and firing. As long as the shooting posture was correct, and one's natural aim was decent, hitting the target was not difficult.
As for recoil… it did not matter much.
Whether firearms or crossbows, recoil was only a real issue with continuous fire.
With single shots, the impact was usually minimal, unless one was pursuing extremely precise accuracy, in which case it might matter more.
But Shirou himself did not need to worry about that. Not only did he use a bow, but with reinforcement magecraft, recoil was hardly a concern for him.
If recoil ever became a real issue… then he would first have to wonder what kind of enemy he was facing…one that even Broken Phantasm could not destroy.
Still, accumulating experience was always beneficial. While teaching others, Shirou was also improving himself.
After finishing with this one, there were still many more waiting.
Looking at the densely packed crowd at the shooting range, Shirou felt mentally exhausted.
He wondered how things were going on Rope's side.
Well, no point overthinking it. If he did not hurry, these people would completely eat into his lunch break.
"Wow… Shirou is teaching very seriously."
Outside the shooting range, Exusiai and Croissant leaned forward to peek inside, while Texas simply looked through the glass window openly.
The reason they were here was simple, they had accidentally been speeding and happened to run into Swire on the road.
The rest did not need to be said. The more they thought about it, the worse it felt.
Since they were already here, they figured they might as well greet Shirou, and so Swire brought them over.
It felt quite novel. They all had the sense that they were seeing a different side of Shirou.
How to put it… it was like seeing a kind and gentle elder at home, only to later witness their strict, authoritative side at work.
The person who took care of your daily life was now teaching others how to use weapons.
No matter how one thought about it, it felt quite surreal.
If this were turned into a novel or a TV drama, it would probably sell extremely well.
"Has Shirou basically taken over part of the Guard Department?"
Croissant muttered quietly.
They had originally been worried that Shirou might be "blinded" by the Guard Department, but now…
This was not Shirou being influenced, this was Shirou influencing the Guard Department.
Just look at how eagerly those people inside were calling him "teacher" and "instructor."
"Did you forget? Shirou helped me learn how to better use a sword."
Seeing the two of them shocked by Shirou's teaching, Texas sighed helplessly.
She fully acknowledged Shirou's teaching ability. She had learned swordsmanship from him only to better coordinate with the rest of Penguin Logistics.
But these two did not seem to appreciate that.
Sigh… she suddenly missed Sora.
Handling these two troublemakers alone was exhausting.
"Shirou's reputation within the sniper team is already not much lower than—uh, I mean, Chen."
Swire, who had brought them over, said. She almost let something slip midway but quickly corrected herself.
She was not exaggerating. The sniper team had always been in a somewhat awkward position within the Guard Department, without any standout figures.
That changed after Shirou showed his skills a few days ago.
"What is with that tone? It sounds like you are saying Shirou belongs to her."
Exusiai whispered a complaint to Croissant.
"Hm? What did you say?"
The ears on Swire's head twitched slightly. She felt like Exusiai had just said something about her.
She might speak loudly, but her hearing was sharp.
"Nothing, nothing."
Exusiai waved her hand.
When you are on someone else's turf, even complaints have to be swallowed.
At the same time, she could not help but grumble internally about how sharp Swire's ears were.
"Hmph."
Swire did not press the matter.
After all, her tone earlier had indeed sounded like that.
When it came to recruiting Shirou, she, Chen, and Hoshiguma were currently on the same side.
After all, he had to become part of the Guard Department first and only then could anything else be discussed.
"By the way… your Guard Department's ventilation ducts are quite large, huh?"
Texas bit off her Pocky and looked upward.
It was subtle, but she sensed someone above.
During this period, Shirou had been going out on missions with them and always kept an eye on the area above. Because of that, Texas had become a bit sensitive to anything overhead lately.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Caught off guard by Texas's sudden question, Swire was momentarily confused.
"No, it is nothing. Just my imagination."
Texas shook her head.
This was the Guard Department after all. She was probably overthinking it.
Even if someone really could sneak into the Guard Department through the ventilation ducts, that would be their internal issue.
"Mysterious as always… So, are you going to say hello?"
Seeing Texas act like that, Swire simply assumed she was being cryptic on purpose and quickly changed the topic.
"No, Shirou is busy."
Croissant stood up and brushed off her hands after leaning on the floor.
She might usually be playful, but she still knew better than to interrupt someone while they were working.
Just like how she did not like it when Guard Department officers disturbed her while she was running her stall.
Besides, most people here had sharp eyes. If she went up and interrupted Shirou's teaching, she might end up being closely watched the next time she set up her stall.
She, Croissant, was someone who used her brain.
"Hmm… that makes sense. Let me take a picture for Sora. This is Shirou in a Guard Department uniform!"
After thinking it over, Exusiai agreed and quickly took out her phone to snap a few pictures.
Shirou had very few outfits to begin with, rotating between just a handful. Now that there was one more…his Guard Department uniform and it definitely had to be preserved.
"Hm?"
At the moment Exusiai took the picture, Shirou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Is there something wrong with my posture?"
The person he was instructing thought they had made a mistake when Shirou suddenly reacted.
"No, it is nothing. I just felt a bit cold."
Seeing the other person get nervous, Shirou quickly explained.
"Cold? That will not do. I will go and raise the temperature right away. Catching a chill would be bad."
Hearing that, the Guard Department member immediately put down the crossbow and ran off.
"That is not… what I meant."
The person's train of thought was so unexpected that Shirou could not stop him in time.
Should he not have suggested tightening his coat first? Running off to adjust the air conditioning, was that really necessary?
Still, that feeling just now… it felt like someone was talking about him behind his back?
He turned to look around. Everyone was focused on their shooting, and the sound of bolts hitting targets never stopped.
He glanced outside as well and there did not seem to be anyone there.
Maybe he was overthinking it? Or perhaps that ninja up above was hungry?
He had clearly left two rice balls and a thermos of hot tea there this morning. Did they forget to take it?
Pulling his coat a bit tighter, Shirou thought it over and concluded it was probably just because the air conditioning was set too low.
Taking advantage of the brief pause, Shirou reflected on how things had turned out like this and how his newbie work had gone from dealing with paperwork to dealing with a crowd of firearms and crossbows.
He probably should not have drawn that bow in the first place. He should have followed Chen and gone in with dual swords instead. That way, things would not have gotten this complicated.
Even though his archery skills were practically overpowered here, Shirou still preferred fighting with dual blades.
Just like Archer always preferred close combat with Kanshou and Bakuya, he was quite similar in that regard.
Which made sense, after all they were both Emiya Shirou.
He just happened to know how to use a bow, which became the reason he turned into Archer.
As for the sniper team, there were only so many of them. Most had already reached a good level in fixed-position sniping.
The rest would have to come from experience or be taught by others.
After all, Shirou himself had never really fought in mobile skirmishes, at long range he sniped and at close range he projected dual blades and fought directly.
That was why everyone's combat experience differed. Most people who specialized in long-range weapons rarely invested effort into other areas.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The people under Chen's command all seemed to possess a certain level of close-combat experience as well.