"This is E5. Please send a team over. We have identified one of the accomplices, he is carrying dangerous items. Bring equipment capable of isolating Originium Arts… Also, there are a lot of reporters here, so proceed carefully."
After confirming the identity of the man on the ground, Shirou immediately reported the situation through his communicator.
"Is it a big catch?"
Seeing how serious he looked, Exusiai asked curiously.
She had assumed it was just some suspicious intruder but it turned out to be one of Shirou's targets?
"Yeah. Step back a little."
Shirou nodded while responding, then began opening the man's coat.
"Whoa…"
Watching him get straight to it, Croissant could not help reacting.
Somehow, ever since Shirou joined the Guard Department, he seemed less gentle than before.
Clearly, he had been influenced by them.
Now he was even directly stripping people's coats…
Croissant's imagination ran wild until Shirou pulled out two round objects, and she snapped back to reality.
"That is… the lowest-grade type of Originium bomb? Why would someone carry that around?"
The smile on Franka's face disappeared instantly. She crouched down, about to pick one up for a closer look—
"Do not touch it."
From behind, Liskarm grabbed Franka by the collar and pulled her back.
"Hey… this is serious, right? Should we not examine it and figure out how to deal with it?"
Franka did not resist, letting herself be dragged back.
She knew Liskarm was looking out for her. If that thing suddenly exploded, they would all be in danger.
"There is someone from the Guard Department here. It is not our responsibility."
After moving to a safe distance, Liskarm released her and stepped forward, raising her shield.
If they were alone, they would have to take the risk themselves.
But now, it was clearly Shirou's job to handle it.
They only needed to wait for the results.
"As Miss Franka said, this is the lowest-grade type of Originium explosive. It has a small blast radius and low lethality, however this one is slightly modified and it contains a large amount of Originium. Just one would be enough to turn everyone in an enclosed space like the concert into infected."
Holding the device, Shirou explained to everyone.
After all, they were on the same side. Sharing information was only natural.
At least, that was how he saw it.
"Modified… So this guy is infected?"
Hearing that, everyone turned to look at the unconscious Ursus man.
An infected individual carrying something like this around, his intentions were obvious.
"Yeah. This is a coordinated operation. We know there are at least five of them. The Lungmen Guard Department has already captured two, including this one makes it three while two are still at large."
As he spoke, Shirou pulled back the man's sleeve, revealing the Originium crystals embedded in his skin.
"That really is… a huge catch."
Exusiai let out a sigh.
She had not expected something like this at the concert.
If possible, she just wanted peaceful, carefree days, doing nothing and enjoying life.
That seemed unlikely now.
"An infected attack… That was within expectations. Can you explain the situation in more detail?"
Looking at the Ursus infected on the ground, Liskarm began analyzing the situation and asked Shirou.
Such attacks were not rare.
The only troublesome part this time was the type of explosives used.
Even so, they were manageable.
As long as one endured the initial blast and quickly distanced themselves to avoid Originium dust, the danger was limited.
It was the kind of weapon that caught people off guard and was more annoying than deadly.
Once you knew about it, it was not hard to defend against.
"I do not know much either."
Shirou shook his head.
It was not that he refused to explain but he genuinely did not know.
Only his superiors had the full picture.
He was just the one carrying out tasks.
"That is fine. What we know is already enough to plan our next move."
Liskarm did not seem discouraged.
She had only asked to confirm details. The current information was sufficient.
"Oh? Looks like you are having quite the conversation."
At that moment, Franka leaned out from behind Liskarm, wearing an expression Shirou could not quite describe.
The tone is filled with teasing.
"It is just work talk. You should hurry over to Jessica and Vanilla!"
Facing Franka's teasing, Liskarm stayed calm and unhurried. She simply gave her a light push and gestured for her to go support the concert area.
"Sigh… so you have a new favorite and want to abandon me? You heartless woman!"
Franka took a few steps back, sighed, and spoke in a resentful tone.
Even so, she followed Liskarm's instructions and headed toward the front stage.
There were already members of the Guard Department and Liskarm here, which was enough. On the front side, Jessica and Vanilla could manage for a short while, but if both she and Liskarm stayed away too long, it might become a problem.
"???"
Hearing Franka's words, Shirou was full of confusion.
The same went for Croissant, Sora, Exusiai and Texas nearby.
They had originally thought Blacksteel Worldwide was a very composed mercenary organization. Why did it feel more like a comedy duo?
"Please do not mind it. Franka is always like that."
Noticing the question marks on their faces, Liskarm gave a brief explanation.
They nodded in understanding. After getting permission from Swire, Shirou had her explain the current situation to Liskarm.
"Understood. Thank you very much. Blacksteel Worldwide will ensure the target's safety while also doing our best to protect the civilians."
After getting a general grasp of Lungmen's current situation, Liskarm nodded and said this, adding that they would take on the task of protecting the concert crowd if they had the capacity.
After all, they had received information for free. It would not feel right to give nothing in return.
At least for Liskarm, she could not accept one-sided favors.
"Then we will trouble you again."
Swire's voice came through the communicator before the line returned to a busy tone.
She did not put too much weight on Liskarm's promise.
After all, they had their own duties and might not be able to truly assist.
Still, it did slightly ease the manpower pressure on the concert side, which was worth some gratitude.
Of course, most of the work still relied on Shirou identifying and capturing those who were trying to cause trouble.
"Is the Guard Department's work always this dangerous?"
After Liskarm stepped aside to focus on her tasks, Sora finally asked Shirou.
"Well… this time is a bit special. Normally I take sniper positions, so it is not that dangerous."
Seeing the worry on Sora's face, Shirou tried to describe his usual missions as less dangerous than they really were.
While attacking from a distance did make him less likely to be targeted, there were still times when drones or Originium Arts could strike back.
However, drones would be handled by his fellow snipers, and spells could be forcibly blocked with his arrows.
All things considered, his job was very safe. There was no life-threatening danger.
Of course, if someone failed to shoot down a drone, that might be a different story.
"I see. That is good to hear."
Sora finally relaxed after hearing his explanation.
She did not want her teammates constantly facing danger, which was why she worked so hard to improve herself.
Unfortunately, aside from her voice-based Originium Arts, she struggled with weapons like swords, guns, or crossbows.
"No, no, Sora, that is a bit too—"
Exusiai was about to comment on how easily Sora was convinced, but before she could finish, Croissant and Texas covered her mouth, stopping her from continuing.
Even Shirou shot her a dangerous look.
"Too what?"
Sora did not notice anything unusual and asked Exusiai in confusion.
"Too… tired, perhaps? Do you want some water and a rest? You worked hard on stage just now!"
After being released, Exusiai realized she had nearly said something she should not have and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Uh… you just gave me water. Did you forget?"
Sora shook the water bottle in her hand, looking puzzled.
She did not press further, though. She was genuinely exhausted. Not only from performing on stage, but also from the intense rehearsals over the past period, which had drained her mentally.
Right now, aside from what she needed to do for the concert later, it was hard for her to think about anything else.
At this point, only good food could heal her spirit.
Of course, it would be even better if it was made by Shirou.
"Haha… I was just startled by all this and forgot."
Pointing at the Ursus Infected being carried away by other Guard members, Exusiai laughed awkwardly.
"Sigh…"
Watching Exusiai's forced laughter, Texas felt too embarrassed to admit she was her partner.
"Stay alert. Chen and Hoshiguma have gone to pursue another one. There is still one more hiding in the shadows."
After finishing the task at hand, Shirou did not intend to keep chatting with the others. Instead, he wanted to quickly find and capture the last remaining suspect.
As long as all of them were caught, everyone here would be safe.
"Got it, Shirou, you go ahead without worries!"
Hearing Shirou's words, Croissant mimicked a salute like in TV dramas and said it to him.
"Contact me if anything comes up."
Shirou waved his phone slightly, then left the backstage area together with the other Guard Department members.
Left behind were the four members of Penguin Logistics, along with Liskarm, who was already arranging the next steps.
"Tsk tsk, so this is what Shirou is like at work?"
After watching him leave, Croissant relaxed back into her usual posture and remarked.
"He really does have that Guard Department presence."
Sora also recalled Shirou's actions just now. Everything about him did feel very "by the book."
Whether it was reporting situations immediately or calling people in to clean up the aftermath, Shirou handled it all with practiced ease.
"Yeah."
Texas nodded in agreement with the two of them.
"It has not even been that long, and Shirou is already so used to Guard Department work. If he stays any longer, will he end up getting recruited away by them?"
After thinking for a while, Exusiai suddenly blurted that out.
The four members of Penguin Logistics looked at each other.
A few seconds later, they reached a unanimous decision.
"We need to find a way to get Shirou out of that damned Guard Department."
Meanwhile, the person in question, Shirou, was assisting with handling the Originium explosives.
There had been other people present earlier, so he had not dealt with them immediately. After Swire learned that Shirou had a way to directly neutralize Originium explosives, she asked him to take care of them.
That way, the equipment used to block Originium Arts could be deployed elsewhere.
Even though they had not encountered such a need yet, it was better to be prepared.
"All done."
Holding Kanshou, Shirou cleanly sliced two Originium explosives in half with a single strike, then placed them into a bag and handed them over to another officer.
"…You are also this skilled with a blade?"
The Guard Department member holding the bag stared at the neatly cut halves for quite a while before asking.
He even used an honorific when addressing Shirou.
"Hm? I know a little, I guess?"
Shirou was briefly puzzled by the respectful tone but answered anyway.
The reason for his confusion was simple. The other person was clearly more senior and older.
Something about it just felt off. After exchanging a few words, Shirou quickly excused himself and left under the pretense of continuing his duties.
"…Haa, I really am not used to that."
After moving some distance away, Shirou finally let out a sigh of relief.
He truly could not get used to being treated with that kind of attitude and gaze.
If it were someone around his age or younger, that would be one thing. But someone clearly around his father's age treating him like that was something he could not accept.
"Alright, just one person left. If I hurry and catch them, I might still make it back in time to hear Sora's finale performance."
After adjusting his state of mind, Shirou patted his cheeks to refocus.
Everything had gone smoothly so far. Everyone who needed to be caught had been captured. Chen's side had also identified another suspect through surveillance. Now, all he needed to do was continue patrolling and either catch the last one himself or wait for them to be caught.
Still, Shirou had no intention of sitting around waiting for the result. Until everything was fully resolved, he would keep searching as thoroughly as possible.
He reached out and placed his hand against the wall, once again using structural analysis magecraft to scan the area for abnormalities.
Today, that magecraft had been the MVP. Detecting weapons, infected individuals, and Originium explosives had all relied on it.
If there was one drawback, it was that he needed to be close to use it though weapons were an exception.
Especially blades.
"…Something is there?"
Sensing the feedback from his magecraft, Shirou could feel vibrations coming from above.
Clearly, that was the sound of someone moving overhead.