In the end, Shirou did properly clean up all the projected constructs. After withdrawing his mana, there were still faint red marks left on Swire's skin where she had been hit.
They were not as deep as if they had been forcefully pulled out, so they would probably fade after a while.
"Ugh… how am I supposed to go to work tomorrow like this?"
Swire held up a mirror, looking at the numerous red marks on her face.
The shallow ones aside, the real problem was from earlier when she and that lousy dragon were stabbing and pulling at each other.
Especially the ones Shirou provided later, which were specialized for this sort of thing and once they stuck they were extremely hard to pull out.
"This will teach you what you should and should not say next time."
Chen, sitting across from her, let out a light chuckle.
No matter what happened during this exercise, as long as she saw that "char siu cat" suffer, she was happy.
As for the red marks on her own body?
Sorry, having racial advantages meant she could do whatever she wanted.
On top of that, she trained regularly. Her physical condition was far superior to Swire's, so those marks faded quickly.
"It was because Exusiai shouted that she would absolutely not hand over 'Mama Emiya' to the Guard Department first, that everyone started yelling those weird slogans!"
Swire immediately shifted the blame, firmly placing it on Exusiai.
Exusiai: "?"
That is not me, I did not do that, do not make things up!
"Oh? Exusiai, huh?"
Shirou looked enlightened.
No wonder a phrase that had been dormant for so many years within Penguin Logistics suddenly became popular again in the Guard Department. So it was because of Exusiai?
"Shirou, you have to believe me!"
Seeing Shirou's unfriendly gaze, Exusiai recalled being forced to run laps around the base again and again earlier.
"Of course. I have always trusted you. Come, eat more vegetables, they are good for your health."
Although he said so, Shirou diverted the freshly cooked meat that he had originally prepared for Exusiai into Texas's bowl instead, then picked up some vegetables that had been sitting in the pot for who knows how long and placed them into Exusiai's bowl.
They were currently at a large and famous hot pot restaurant in Lungmen, Swire had reserved it in advance.
Originally, she only planned to invite Hoshiguma, Chen, and Shirou. However, the four members of Penguin Logistics followed along on their own after hearing about it.
After all, they had heard Swire's declaration that afternoon. They could not just ignore it.
Of course, everyone had taken a proper bath before coming. Otherwise, the hot pot restaurant would have turned into something like a living hell, and they would not be able to sit here and eat peacefully.
Exusiai's trap had a smell that was truly…
Thinking of that, Shirou picked up the remaining vegetables in the pot and put them all into Exusiai's bowl.
"Health comes first."
With the warmest smile, he said the kindest words, while doing something that made Exusiai feel quite chilled inside.
"Thank you."
Despite feeling a bit cold inside, Exusiai still thanked Shirou properly.
She was afraid that next time, what ended up in her bowl would be those floating seasonings in the hot pot. Compared to vegetables, that stuff was truly inedible.
Of course, having meat would be even better.
While she could cook it herself, it did not compare to having someone else do it for her.
Simply put, she was lazy, and she was sitting a bit far from the pot. If she wanted to grab food herself, she would have to stand up.
"Sigh."
Seeing Exusiai like this, Texas picked a few pieces of meat from her own bowl and gave them to her.
They were pieces she had failed to cook properly, but in Exusiai's eyes, Texas looked like an angel at that moment.
Exusiai knew that she ended up like this mainly because she had been too mischievous, but she just could not control herself.
"Tsk tsk, I did not expect Penguin Logistics to have such wild fun in private. Even calling someone 'mom'."
Watching everything, Hoshiguma took a sip of alcohol and a bite of meat, feeling extremely satisfied.
Very appetizing. Whether it was Chen and Missy arguing beside her or the interactions among Penguin Logistics, everything was great entertainment.
However, Penguin Logistics really went a bit too far. From various perspectives, that title was not entirely wrong, but it still sounded rather strange.
Hoshiguma's remark caused Chen and Swire to stop bickering and look toward Shirou.
"Absolutely not!"
Feeling the gazes of the three members of the Guard Department, Shirou realized that if he did not explain himself now, he would end up with even more strange labels attached to him.
He did not need that. He already had enough strange labels on him. He did not need any more.
After giving a brief explanation of what had happened, and with Sora helping to back things up, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.
The pressure, however, shifted onto someone else.
"Oh? So Exusiai, you really called someone you have only known for a few days 'mom'?"
That is right. It was Exusiai again.
At this point, Exusiai could practically be considered on the Guard Department's super blacklist. Given the chance, plenty of officers would not mind going up to "have a chat" with her and delay her for a bit… ahem, to let her "undergo questioning."
"Ugh…"
Exusiai felt that today had been absolutely terrible. Right now, she just wanted to finish this meal as quickly as possible, then go back to her dorm and hide under the covers.
At this moment, only apple pie and a warm blanket could soothe her wounded heart.
"Well… it is not entirely Exusiai's fault. There were already similar voices within the Guard Department a long time ago."
Seeing that Exusiai's face was turning as red as her hair, everyone wisely stopped teasing her.
After all, if they went too far and she developed resistance to this kind of teasing, how would they bring it up again in the future?
At the same time, Hoshiguma also brought up an internal issue within the Guard Department.
Shirou: "?"
Are all people in Lungmen this strange?
"Well, it is because Shirou takes such good care of everyone! Ever since you started organizing the office, I have not seen the cleaning staff come in for a long time. And the snacks you bring to share are very popular too. Over time, this kind of talk naturally started."
As someone who enjoyed gossip, Hoshiguma was more than happy to collect this kind of information especially when it involved her colleagues.
"Hmph!"
Hearing Hoshiguma's little revelation, Swire let out an unhappy sound.
This was a perk exclusive to Chen's office. Swire could only enjoy it when she caught wind of it and came over.
She was the one who tried to recruit him first! So why did that lousy dragon end up becoming his superior instead!?
There had to be something shady going on!
That said, the snacks and lunchboxes Shirou made were genuinely delicious. Swire used to only occasionally eat with the other two, but ever since Shirou arrived, they gathered together almost every few days.
One could say it was a small unexpected benefit.
"Seriously?"
Chen's reaction, on the other hand, was more straightforward. She had no idea that her subordinates had such strange thoughts.
Were they not focusing on their work at all during the day?
"Sigh… this is exhausting. Maybe I should just take leave tomorrow?"
Hearing Hoshiguma's gossip, Shirou felt completely drained.
He had originally been worried that going back to the Guard Department tomorrow after today's exercise would be awkward. Now, after hearing this… perhaps it was better to just take the day off.
No, take a whole week off. The timing was just right anyway. It was about time to head to Rhodes Island for a physical examination.
"Hahaha—"
Seeing that everyone's reactions matched her expectations, Hoshiguma downed another glass of beer.
So satisfying.
"Speaking of strange nicknames… you two seem to have some out there as well, do you not?"
Seeing her teammate looking so worn out, Croissant felt that this would not do. She had to counterattack.
As it happened, she had some juicy gossip of her own.
She had originally collected it just for fun, but she did not expect it to come in handy now.
"Huh? Really?"
Swire immediately perked up. She was very curious about what nicknames that lousy dragon and Hoshiguma had outside.
"It is true. I heard it while setting up my stall! Aside from 'Officer Hoshiguma,' the two of you have quite the famous titles in the slums!"
Croissant confidently took over the conversation.
"The two of us?"
Hearing that it was not about the "fried dough ghost" but about herself and Chen, Swire suddenly had a bad feeling.
Was she about to become the subject of gossip herself?
"I doubt they sound very nice…"
After hearing that it came from the slums, Chen could already guess the nature of those nicknames.
After all, she occasionally patrolled the slums herself. The Guard Department's reputation there was practically pitch black.
They were rarely seen maintaining order there, yet whenever something happened, the slums were the first to be suspected. No wonder their reputation was terrible.
"It is not that bad actually. In the slums, Swire is known as a 'mascot.' It sounds pretty cute!"
Croissant did not keep them in suspense and got straight to the point.
When she said the word "mascot," no one present had much of a reaction.
After all… it sounded pretty normal?
"Why a mascot?"
Swire herself was extremely curious, very curious about the meaning behind it.
"Let me think… it seems to be related to your usual command style? You rely on drones and loudspeakers for remote command, so compared to the other two who are always on the front line, you end up looking more like a mascot?"
Swire: "?"
Was that even polite? It made it sound like she never went to the front line. She better not find out who started calling her that, or she would make sure they learned just how painful a flail could be and how annoying drone plus loudspeaker harassment could get.
After learning the origin of the nickname, everyone else covered their mouths, trying hard not to laugh.
"Then what about Chen?"
Seeing that the red marks on Swire's face seemed to be getting even redder, Shirou figured that if this continued, she might explode first. He quickly steered the conversation forward.
"Chen? Well, because she usually appears very serious public, a lot of parents tell their children things like, 'If you do not behave, Officer Chen from the Guard Department will come and take you away!' So among kids, Chen is quite feared."
Seeing that everyone seemed to enjoy the topic, Croissant continued.
Completely unaware that the same fate as Exusiai awaited her.
"So what does that have to do with a strange nickname?"
Still unhappy about being the butt of the joke, Swire complained that Chen's gossip sounded boring.
That was it?
Boring. That was not what she wanted to hear.
"Ahem… now comes the important part! Because that phrase spread widely among children, and with some imaginative ideas from mischievous kids, another version gradually appeared—"
Croissant deliberately dragged out the last part.
This was the art of storytelling: start with something ordinary, then place the key point in the middle or later so the impact would hit harder.
Everyone at the table waited for her to continue. Once she had built up enough suspense, she went on:
"—'If you do not listen, Chen will take your mom away!' So now, among some children, Officer Chen, is known as the 'Mom Hunter'!"
Chen: "?????"
Was there something wrong with her, or something wrong with the people of Lungmen?
At that moment, she suddenly understood Shirou's earlier reaction. The way Lungmen people thought really was a bit too unconventional.
"Hahahahaha…cough, cough… haha… cough cough cough…"
Hearing this, Swire did not even try to hold back anymore. She clutched her stomach and burst out laughing, even choking while continuing to laugh.
"That really is… a bunch of geniuses!"
Hoshiguma, on the other hand, laughed in a more restrained manner. After all, Chen was her superior, so she had to show some respect.
"..."
Shirou, who had spent the least time in Lungmen, deeply agreed with this. Everyone here seemed to possess some kind of unique "talent," casually coming up with all sorts of strange ideas.
Thinking this, Shirou did not feel like laughing or saying anything. Swire looked like she was about to laugh her lungs out.
The Penguin Logistics group was not much better either. Only Texas and Sora were relatively composed… though he felt like he had said that many times before.
Silently complaining to himself, Shirou poured some water for everyone, especially giving Swire a bit more so they would have something to drink after laughing.
As for Hoshiguma, after roughly estimating how much she had drunk, Shirou quietly moved the beer out of her sight. She had already had quite a lot today.
He did it very discreetly, and Hoshiguma, whose attention was elsewhere, did not notice at all.
"'Mom Hunter,' huh? Funny, is it!?"
After quite a while, even though Shirou and Hoshiguma tried to change the topic, the others still had no intention of stopping. Chen's anger finally reached its limit.
She felt like she could draw her sword, Chi Xiao, at any moment.
Although most of her rationality had been burned away by alcohol, the small part that remained still stopped her from doing so after all, Chi Xiao was meant for fighting enemies.
But "Mom Hunter" was funny, was it?
She would deal with that "char siu cat" tomorrow at work. As for you people from Penguin Logistics…
They had just been talking about this, had they not?
"Shirou! Come on! Let us spar! We need to make up for today!"
She was just going to "take away your Mama Emiya" right here!
"Wait! Chen, calm down! It is already past nine at night!"
Despite doing nothing wrong, Shirou was dragged into it anyway.
Chen grabbed him and rushed outside, looking very much like how Hoshiguma had dragged her off for drinks earlier.
Everything happened too fast. Before anyone could react, Chen had already succeeded.
Shirou could have resisted, but past experience told him that reasoning with someone drunk was pointless.
"Damn it Chen took Shirou away!"
Only after Chen had dragged Shirou quite a distance did the people from Penguin Logistics react. They immediately jumped up and chased after them.
"It is rare to see Old Chen like this. Looks like she is really angry."
Hoshiguma remained seated, keeping Swire company, who still seemed a bit out of it.
She thought things were pretty good now. Chen and Missy had a reliable helper, and Shirou no longer seemed as distant as before.
Hoshiguma could clearly feel that Shirou had been changing recently.
In the past, Shirou seemed difficult to approach, but once you got to know him, he was actually quite easy to get along with.
Unfortunately, it usually stopped there. If one had to describe it… Shirou was someone cold on the outside, warm in the middle, but cold again at the core.
The longer you spent with him, the more you felt a certain awkwardness, he always seemed restrained in many ways.
Until recently probably after he returned from that pharmaceutical company called Rhodes Island, his expressions had clearly become much more lively.
That was a good thing. Young people should act like young people after all.
"Looks like the drinks are finished. Want to follow them, Missy?"
Thinking that, Hoshiguma had originally planned to grab another bottle, only to realize that all the beer in front of her was already gone. She decided to let it go.
There were other things to do anyway. Missing out on a bit of alcohol did not matter.
"Of course! When have I ever not followed!"
Finally snapping back to her senses, Swire pulled out a black card to settle the bill for the night, then left together with Hoshiguma.
They had not gone very far and were in an open area nearby.
When Chen said she wanted to spar, it had only been said on impulse. In her current state, she could not fight properly, nor would she learn anything.
It was not like she could invent some kind of drunken sword style. At this rate, she might end up stabbing herself.
So she simply lay down on the grass, staring blankly at the two moons hanging in the sky.
When the Penguin Logistics group arrived and saw this, they followed suit and lay down on the grass as well.
Even though there was a sign nearby saying not to step on the lawn, since Chen herself had taken the lead, it should be fine for them to do the same.
As for Shirou, he had completely given up resisting. Too many things had happened today, and lying down like this actually felt quite nice.
After eating and drinking their fill, lying there under a clear sky with barely any clouds, Shirou found himself appreciating the night view again for the first time in a long while.
Unlike in the past, when it was only with Kiritsugu or just by himself, this time there were many people with him.
The playful noise from Penguin Logistics, the complaints from Hoshiguma and Swire directed at Chen…
This kind of ordinary, everyday life was actually quite nice, was it not?
Gazing at the two moons in the sky, Shirou thought to himself.