"I will leave this side to you."
After saying that, Texas turned away, carrying her two Originium lightswords as she charged directly toward the other Guard Department members behind Chen and Hoshiguma.
"...Would it not be better if we each handled half?"
Watching Texas's figure run off decisively, Shirou complained.
He strongly suspected that Texas had simply dumped the most troublesome part onto him.
After all, Texas truly hated trouble. Unless necessary, she was usually extremely lazy.
If Exusiai were here instead, she probably would have grabbed onto Texas's leg and begged for help. But Shirou's skin was not nearly as thick as Exusiai's, so he could not do something like that.
Besides, fighting the two of them was not really a major issue.
Shirou simply felt that Texas had run away rather quickly this time.
"What is wrong? Are your legs still numb? Do you want us to wait until you recover before we start?"
Chen gripped her standard-issue sword and assumed a starting stance as she questioned the still crouching Shirou.
"Sigh... maintenance is probably going to be troublesome today."
Beside her, Hoshiguma also raised Hannya. However, compared to Chen's serious expression, Hoshiguma looked somewhat depressed.
After all, she had only recently finished maintaining Hannya...
Looks like she would have to drink fewer bottles of alcohol again, since the Guard Department only reimbursed half the cost.
Hoshiguma did not believe that after fighting Shirou once, Hannya would come out completely unharmed, so maintenance afterward was basically guaranteed.
"That will not be necessary..."
Watching the two of them assume attack stances while completely ignoring Texas running off toward the others, Shirou said helplessly.
He could only force himself onward now.
In any case, he just needed to fight a few rounds according to Yith's instructions, then pretend to run out of stamina and surrender.
While thinking internally about how exactly to hold back, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in Shirou's hands.
"Hi hi! This is the referee team! Shirou, may I ask whether your side has any pre-battle trash talk planned?"
Just as Shirou was about to advance with his twin blades, Franka's voice suddenly came through the communicator.
Judging from Chen and Hoshiguma's expressions, Franka was apparently using the public channel.
Trash talk?
Please remember that the previous group of people who talked nonsense had already been psychologically traumatized by arrow barrages.
"This is a chance to fight two famous and important figures from the Guard Department, you know? If nobody says anything before the fight starts, that would be too much of a wa— Liskarm! Why are you grabbing my tail!?"
Seeing that neither side intended to respond, Franka continued talking. However, halfway through, she suddenly let out a scream, apparently because Liskarm had grabbed her tail.
"Sorry, she is always like this. Please continue."
The complaints from Franka on the other side of the communicator quickly turned into muffled whining before Liskarm calmly spoke. Afterward, the communicator fell silent again.
"..."
Suppressing the urge to complain, Shirou raised his twin blades again and looked toward the equally helpless-looking pair before him.
Though... Franka's words actually seemed to make some sense.
Still, he could not go overboard like earlier...
Thinking that, Shirou looked at Chen and Hoshiguma while considering what he should say.
Then he noticed the Chi Xiao at Chen's waist and remembered the last time Chen failed to draw it.
It was also about time Wei Yenwu saw the results of his recent training.
Shirou let out a soft snort, pointed the tip of the blade in his right hand toward Chen, and said:
"Chief Chen, can you even draw your Chi Xiao?"
From Shirou's perspective, what he said did not seem too bad.
But for Chen...
He had stepped perfectly onto a landmine.
Ever since the last time she mixed up her own Chi Xiao with the projected Chi Xiao Shirou created, drawing the sword had become dramatically more difficult.
Earlier, she only managed to unsheathe it instantly because she was angry enough to slash through the wall...
At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Chen's mind.
The source of everything was Shirou projecting her Chi Xiao.
Because of that, she mistook another sword for her own, got forcibly dragged into sparring sessions, and had practically been beaten down every single day...
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became!
A throbbing vein mark appeared on Chen's forehead as she grabbed the hilt of Chi Xiao and declared:
"I do not need your concern! Drawing Chi Xiao is effortless—"
Originally, Chen intended to draw Chi Xiao in tune with the atmosphere.
However, Chi Xiao clearly did not cooperate. It was stuck rather tightly.
Thinking of Shirou's mockery just now, Chen exerted a little more force.
"Hmph! I do not need Chi Xiao to deal with you!"
After failing again, Chen decisively gave up on drawing Chi Xiao, gripped the Guard Department standard sword with both hands, and assumed her stance.
"So you really cannot draw it..."
Watching the entire sequence from beginning to end, Shirou commented.
"You really cannot draw it!"
Even Chen's teammate Hoshiguma added another jab.
"Hoshiguma!"
Hearing Shirou and Hoshiguma say the exact same thing in completely different tones, Chen gritted her teeth and shouted Hoshiguma's name before charging straight toward Shirou.
"Hey, hey! Do not take your anger out on me!"
Seeing Chen rushing at him aggressively, Shirou crossed Kanshou and Bakuya before himself in a defensive stance.
"Lungmen profanity"
Chen clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation with Shirou. She had already concluded that Shirou's mental state had been damaged by Swire earlier, causing his verbal attacks to become especially sharp.
Though come to think of it... Shirou's words had always been rather sharp in the past too.
No matter.
This was definitely all Char Siu Cat's fault.
Dumping the blame onto Swire, who was still pulling suction-cup arrows off herself in the distance, Chen cursed loudly and completely gave up on communicating with Shirou.
Right now, she planned to settle both old grudges and new ones together!
"You people..."
Watching Shirou provoke Old Chen into exploding with a single sentence, Hoshiguma honestly did not know what to say anymore.
She could not tell whether Shirou had done it intentionally or by accident.
In any case, she should cooperate with Old Chen for now.
After exchanging a few blows, Shirou would probably expose openings for them to exploit anyway.
As an old veteran of Lungmen, Hoshiguma understood very well what Shirou... or rather Penguin Logistics, was worried about.
The only thing she could do now was make Shirou appear less valuable, not worth causing Lungmen and Penguin Logistics to tear relations apart over him...
If anyone was going to tear relations apart with Penguin Logistics, Chief Wei would have already done so long ago. There would be no turn for anyone else.
After all, when the sky fell, Chief Wei was always the one holding it up.
"Hmph!"
Meanwhile, Chen, who charged first, immediately thrust forward with her standard-issue sword.
Shirou blocked it by crossing Kanshou and Bakuya together.
Then he pushed outward with both blades, forcing Chen backward and creating a slight opening before immediately swinging his blade down toward her.
Clang—
Hoshiguma seized the opportunity perfectly, stepping in front of Chen and blocking the strike.
Chen also took advantage of the moment. As soon as she regained her footing, she immediately launched another attack.
The two worked together to temporarily suppress Shirou.
One focused on offense, the other on defense, perfectly demonstrating what it meant for one plus one to be greater than two.
Not to mention that Hannya itself possessed considerable offensive power.
If he got hit even once, Shirou would probably be sent flying a great distance, let alone cut by it.
Still, it was not as though Shirou lacked ways to counter them.
Creating distance and using sniping or suppressive fire would effectively reverse the situation.
However, that was not what Shirou currently needed.
Nor was it what he wanted.
Thanks to Yith's reminder, besides holding back, he also needed to let Wei Yenwu see the growth of the Guard Department.
Shirou still remembered his role in this exercise.
Although a small accident in the middle had once caused his sanity to collapse somewhat, he was now completely calm.
Even without consciously thinking, his brain continuously searched the surroundings for every possible opportunity that could turn the situation around.
"What is wrong? Did dealing with Char Siu Cat earlier wear you out completely?"
Noticing that Shirou's attacks lacked their usual sharpness, Chen finally found enough breathing room to talk.
This was something she could never have done in the past.
Having Hoshiguma's support truly made a difference.
"Hm?"
Hearing Chen's words, Shirou slightly raised an eyebrow.
This was probably enough already...
But surrendering just like this felt somewhat frustrating.
"Old Chen! Be careful!"
Beside her, Hoshiguma felt utterly speechless.
Old Chen really was still too inexperienced. She had not noticed at all what Penguin Logistics was actually trying to do.
Though that was only natural.
After all, that was simply the kind of person Chen was...
And she trusted "Lungmen" deeply.
Unfortunately, many things were not as beautiful beneath the surface as they appeared.
Sometimes what lay underneath was filled with the smell of blood.
"I know!"
After working together with Hoshiguma to suppress Shirou and throwing a retort back at him, Chen felt completely refreshed.
Even swinging her sword felt extraordinarily satisfying.
"Hah... looks like that brat really did not slack off."
Watching the live combat feed on the screen while exhaling smoke from his mouth, Wei Yenwu felt his earlier frustration from the Guard Department's chaotic behavior improve considerably.
He could understand the desire to use trash talk to damage the opponent mentally.
But talking big only to get crushed immediately afterward was extremely... embarrassing.
At least, he personally felt very embarrassed right now.
"Of course. That is my guy!"
The Emperor snorted proudly from beside him.
Originally he thought this exercise would be extremely boring, but the Guard Department's antics had actually made things rather entertaining.
Good work, Shirou!
Keep this pace up and wipe out the entire Guard Department directly!
Tonight they would throw a party!
Bonuses and vacations were secured!
"...Your guy is currently being suppressed."
Wei Yenwu had no intention of responding to him directly and instead shifted the topic back to the screen.
In the footage, Shirou still wielded the same Kanshou and Bakuya he projected at the very beginning. He constantly searched for opportunities to attack, but every attempt was interrupted by the combined efforts of Hoshiguma and Chen.
However, from Wei Yenwu's perspective, Shirou was obviously holding back heavily.
Aside from his ever-changing swordsmanship, Shirou's true strength lay in his versatility at both long-range and close combat.
Moreover, relying on his projection ability, Shirou could completely use the twin blades in his hands as a distraction and create far more openings for attack.
Yet he had not done that during this fight.
Not to mention that throughout this entire exercise, aside from the twin blades and the bow, Shirou had not projected anything else at all.
Combined with the performance of the other employee under the penguin beside him, it was obvious that Penguin Logistics was holding back tremendously.
And even then, the Guard Department had still been beaten into retreat after retreat.
Shirou's threat level truly was rather high.
Fortunately, the young man himself was quite straightforward.
No, rather than straightforward, he was practically an exceptionally upright person.
"Is that not because they are guarding against all you old men in Lungmen's upper ranks?"
Hearing Wei Yenwu's words, the Emperor replied directly.
He refused to believe this scheming dragon did not understand.
Or perhaps Wei Yenwu was actually hoping things would develop in that direction?
What a greedy and sinister fellow.
"Relax. I have no intention of involving him in Lungmen's affairs. He is not suitable for them."
Although Wei Yenwu's evaluation of Shirou was rather positive, just as he himself said, Shirou was too simple-minded.
The more simple and pure a person was, the more dangerous they became.
Moderate kindness could make people feel warmth, but once that kindness exceeded a certain point...
It only inspired fear.
Especially with someone like Shirou, whose attitude sought no reward in return. That made people feel even more uneasy and concerned.
Still, none of that was something Wei Yenwu needed to worry about.
The only things he needed to care about were Lungmen and the safety of its citizens.
Shirou's mental health was the concern of the penguin sitting beside him.
Wei Yenwu only needed to guide the young man within reasonable boundaries toward the direction he envisioned, just like how he arranged for Shirou to become Chen's swordsmanship instructor and the Guard Department's sniper instructor.
"It had better stay that way. Do not let me find out you are still plotting against my people."
The Emperor narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses as he stared at Wei Yenwu. His voice dropped noticeably lower, carrying an unmistakable warning.
"..."
Faced with such obvious threats, Wei Yenwu remained unconcerned. He merely continued smoking while watching the screen.
The footage showed that Shirou had already grasped the rhythm of the two women and begun launching effective counterattacks.
"Hah—"
With force, Shirou's twin blades slammed against the standard sword in Chen's hands, directly knocking it aside. If Chen had not maintained such a tight grip, the weapon might have flown far away.
Hoshiguma immediately raised her shield and charged forward.
Shirou planted one foot against it and used the force from Hoshiguma's advance to propel himself far backward in a leap.
Sweat completely soaked his body, and dirt covered him from rolling across the ground to evade attacks.
He looked extremely disheveled.
Though, in truth, Chen and Hoshiguma were not much better.
"Huff... is it about time?"
Feeling his current condition, Shirou decided it was time to launch the final attack.
From the very beginning, he had deliberately guided the two women's movements.
The goal was to lure them here—
After all, most of the traps Exusiai buried in this area had not been triggered yet.
Using the force from Hoshiguma's shield to escape the blast radius, Shirou immediately threw Kanshou and Bakuya outward.
"Hm?"
At first, seeing Shirou throw the twin blades, both women became highly alert.
Then they realized the swords were not flying toward them at all, but toward the ground nearby.
"Lungmen profanity Shirou, you Lungmen profanity!"
Chen was the first to react.
After all, she was the one who first realized Exusiai's buried traps were suspicious.
She genuinely never expected Shirou to choose this method!
"It is fine. This one will not hurt. It just smells a little bad."
Landing safely, Shirou smiled slightly as he spoke.
As Kanshou and Bakuya landed directly on two separate traps, massive clouds of dust erupted and engulfed Chen and Hoshiguma completely.
Meanwhile, Shirou quietly retreated several more steps before pretending to collapse from exhaustion, crouching halfway to the ground as though his stamina had finally run out.