Shirou did not resist as Swire pulled him along. He simply let her lead, though he still asked politely:
"What's wrong? Why are we walking so fast?"
"Do you not think that shop owner looked a bit off?"
After dragging him a short distance away, Swire lowered her voice and spoke.
"The owner?"
Shirou turned to glance back at the seafood stall. Even from afar, he could see that the owner seemed to be staring in their direction, with a worried expression on his face.
"I already felt something off back there. And that guy did not look right either—I almost pulled out my handcuffs and arrested him on the spot. Ugh… I still feel a chill down my spine."
As she spoke, Swire rubbed her arms.
Her words made Shirou realize that he was not the only one who had felt those strange gazes, Swire had sensed them too. So it was not just him being overly sensitive.
However, the gazes had not lessened even after they left, which meant the idea that the stall owner was the problem could probably be dismissed.
Shirou did not say this out loud, though. Last time, it had taken quite a distance before the feeling of being watched and that malice faded. This time would probably be the same.
But for some reason, the malice he felt this time was far stronger than before.
If last time it had been like murky water, then this time it felt more like thick, clinging sludge.
That did not feel like a good sign.
He could only hope it was just his imagination.
"By the way, what exactly do you do at Penguin Logistics?"
Once they were farther from the market and Swire felt a bit safer, she finally asked the question she had been holding back.
In her mind, she had already imagined Shirou as either a rookie combat member of Penguin Logistics, or perhaps some kind of administrative staff.
But his answer nearly made her trip on the spot.
"At Penguin Logistics, I take care of everyone. If I had to put it simply… I guess I'm a househusband?"
After thinking about his usual duties, Shirou answered honestly. As for the new responsibilities his boss had mentioned, they were not clear yet, so he did not bother bringing them up.
"A housewife—? No, a househusband?!"
Out of all the possibilities, this was the one Swire had never considered. In her shock, she even misspoke.
This was a shock that could last a whole year for the little tiger!
"That's what the boss said. My usual work is taking care of everyone at Penguin Logistics, cleaning and handling their meals."
Although he did not understand why she was so surprised, Shirou still explained properly.
"…No wonder you are so skilled."
After thinking for a long time, that was all Swire could come up with.
"???"
Skilled at what, exactly? Could she finish her sentence?
Recently, Shirou had grown rather irritated with people who only said half of what they meant.
Before he could dwell on that annoyance, however, he suddenly sensed something wrong. Slowing his pace, he moved closer to Swire.
"Hm? What is it?"
Seeing him suddenly come closer when he had kept his distance the whole time Swire asked in confusion.
Something unusual was happening.
Either Shirou had suddenly become more perceptive or he had noticed something off.
Given his previous behavior, Swire immediately assumed the latter.
"It feels like someone's aiming at us with something."
Since the presence came from behind, Shirou positioned himself slightly behind her. Being about the same height and perhaps just a bit taller he leaned in close and spoke near her ear.
"Hey, do not breathe into my ear!"
Covering her right ear, Swire shot him an annoyed look.
Shirou froze for a moment, not understanding her reaction, but obediently stepped back.
In truth, Swire was not actually angry, she was just trying to avoid drawing attention.
If someone really was watching them, Shirou's behavior just now had been far too obvious.
So she deliberately turned it into something that looked like he was teasing her. It was not perfect, but it might pass.
…Probably.
Clearly, things did not go as smoothly as she hoped.
Shirou suddenly grabbed her and pulled her aside. The next second, a crossbow bolt slammed into the spot where they had just been standing.
"It's starting! It's starting!"
The surrounding civilians and vendors, upon seeing this, skillfully scattered and took cover.
Still, Shirou could see pairs of eyes peeking out, curiously watching the unfolding situation.
"Lungmen profanity—stop staring and take proper cover!"
Swire cursed at them, then pulled Shirou along to find better cover.
She regretted it now, why did they have to run into an attack at a time like this?
"This way."
Shirou flipped over an empty table nearby and followed Swire to crouch behind it.
"A table? Forget crossbows, someone could just throw a rock and smash this thing apart!"
Seeing Shirou use a table as cover, Swire was now certain his combat experience had to be minimal.
How could he expect a table especially a plastic one to block attacks? She could break it with a single punch!
"Trace, on.
Analyzing basic structure.
Analyzing material composition.
Reinforcement complete."
Placing his hand beneath the table, Shirou reinforced it in an instant.
He had only chosen the table because it was the closest option. Going for other cover might have dragged more civilians into danger.
And he had not used something like Rho Aias because he did not know how many attackers there were and the magical energy consumption would be too high. A reinforced table was enough to deal with crossbows.
Swire had been about to pull him toward better cover, but when she saw his hand and the patterns forming across the table she stopped.
She did not fully understand it, but it looked like Shirou was using some kind of Originium Art.
Moments later, a series of thud-thud-thud sounds echoed as bolts struck the table.
Yet instead of being pierced through like she expected, the table held firm under Shirou's grip.
From the reflection in a nearby shop window, Swire could clearly see that the table itself was completely intact while the ground in front of it was littered with crossbow bolts, many of them bent from the impact.
At that moment, Swire felt like everything she had ever learned about physics had been devoured by a Perro.
How could a plastic table be this sturdy?
And since when did defensive Originium Arts work like this?!