In the end, under the "kind" insistence of Swire and Hoshiguma, Shirou gave up the idea of walking back to the dorm and got into the Guard Department vehicle.
He had not expected that the second time he rode in an Guard Department car would be under these circumstances.
"Do not worry about those guys, I will handle it," Swire said from the driver's seat.
Aside from the injured who had already been sent to the hospital, the rest were being transported in another vehicle.
Meanwhile, Swire, Hoshiguma, and Shirou were in the same car. Hoshiguma sat in the front passenger seat, while her massive shield lay in the back with Shirou.
"Thanks, Officer Swire."
Shirou nodded obediently. He did not have much to say about the whole incident, just treating it as a farce.
Best to leave this kind of thing to professionals.
"Just call me Swire. We are not in a superior-subordinate relationship. But do not call me 'Miss Shi'! That's not even my surname! Make sure you tell those people at Penguin Logistics clearly!"
Seeing how stiff Shirou still was, Swire decided to follow Hoshiguma's lead and take a more casual approach.
"Understood. I will make sure to tell them."
Shirou immediately got the message, she clearly cared a lot about how her name was addressed.
So when he got back, he would make sure to deal with Exusiai properly.
"Hmph, good! By the way, Hoshiguma, who was that person you mentioned earlier?"
Swire, unable to sit quietly, started chatting again as she drove.
"Hm? You have met him before, the seafood stall owner. He looks scary but he's actually just an ordinary guy."
"Lungmen profanity…seriously? I thought he was the mastermind when I saw him!"
Swire nearly slammed her head into the steering wheel in shock.
There had been way too many shocking revelations today. She doubted anything could surprise her for a while.
"Haha, yeah. Jaye often gets misunderstood because of his looks, but people who know him well understand that he's just… a normal person with a scary face."
Hoshiguma laughed, recounting some of Jaye's past "urban legend" misunderstandings.
Back then, she had only approached him out of curiosity from those rumors but after long observation, she confirmed he really was just an ordinary guy.
Swire could only sigh, never judge a book by its cover.
"Shirou, where did your swords go?"
Hoshiguma noticed through the rearview mirror that the black-and-white twin blades Shirou had used earlier were gone.
Those things were not small enough to hide on his body, and they definitely would not fit in his grocery bag.
So where did they go?
"Probably Originium Arts?" Swire guessed.
It was not polite to pry into someone's Arts, but Hoshiguma seemed more curious about where the weapons were stored, so Swire offered a plausible explanation.
"Yeah, Originium Arts."
Shirou did not mention projection magecraft, it was too complicated to explain.
Besides, even Penguin Logistics did not know the details, so there was no reason to explain it to others.
"It's pretty convenient, being able to summon weapons like that anytime," Hoshiguma commented casually.
Given how diverse Originium Arts could be, she did not think much of it.
"If I had that ability, I would not have been so miserable today."
Thinking about being chased around earlier, Swire got annoyed again.
Even after seeing it firsthand, she still found Shirou's abilities unbelievable.
Especially the way he completely changed after wielding those twin blades, it made her extremely curious.
"Haha…"
Shirou could only laugh awkwardly.
The ride eventually brought them to the Guard Department headquarters.
"…Missy, were you not supposed to take Shirou home?" Hoshiguma asked, looking at the familiar building.
"Ahem… we just happened to drop you off first since it was on the way!"
Only then did Swire remember she was supposed to take Shirou home.
She had been too distracted thinking about other things.
"It's fine, I can walk from here. It's not far…"
Shirou declined politely and got out of the car.
But as soon as he stepped out, he saw a familiar vehicle parked nearby.
He suddenly wondered, was this Penguin Logistics' dorm… or the Guard Department?
"Oh? Looks like Penguin Logistics got arrested again. Shirou, why don't you pick them up while you are here?" Hoshiguma teased.
"Oh? They're here too? Then you might as well take them back. And do not ever end up like them!"
Swire immediately dropped the idea of driving him home.
She had originally planned to drag him along and show him the "good side" of the Guard Department but now that seemed unnecessary.
There would be other chances. These things take time.
"So this is what it feels like to bail people out of the police station…"
Shirou rubbed his forehead.
Ever since he learned Penguin Logistics were frequent visitors here, he knew this day would come.
He just did not expect it so soon or like this.
Following Swire and Hoshiguma inside, Shirou quickly found the familiar group lounging around as if the Guard Department were their own living room.
"Yo Shirou, you got arrested too?" Exusiai greeted him cheerfully.
"Nice! Shirou, you have finally inherited the spirit of Penguin Logistics!" Croissant declared enthusiastically.
"Lungmen profanity—can you put that 'spirit' into something actually useful?!"
Swire could not help but snap at Croissant's passionate speech.
At the same time, she made up her mind—
She had to recruit Shirou somehow.
Otherwise, he might end up becoming just like them.