With the support of the Lungmen Guard Department, dealing with the remaining criminals became a relatively easy task.
Of course, before setting out, Shirou did not forget to tighten the ropes securing the group he had hung up earlier, then gave them a spin. The amount of swaying was enough to leave them nauseated for quite some time.
Shirou felt absolutely no psychological burden over doing something like this. If anything, he thought he had already been quite merciful.
Putting aside the matter of the Originium explosives, merely making him work intense overtime for an entire afternoon was enough reason to let them experience an improved version of the Caladbolg flight.
The straight up and straight down variety. As long as he did not use full force, letting these people experience it a little would not have been a problem.
In the end, the only reason he did not go through with it was because his conscience reminded him not to.
"So you really did hang them up in the literal sense?"
Looking at the suspects hanging everywhere around them, Officer Chen felt as though she had accidentally wandered into some very strange place.
"Hm? It is convenient. If you simply tie them up, there is a good chance they will break free. Once they are hanging, it becomes much harder for them to exert any strength, so escaping is much more difficult. A doctor at Rhodes Island taught me this. If I were not worried that it would take too long to deal with afterward, hanging them upside down would actually be even better."
After hearing Officer Chen's comment, Shirou casually shared a useful little punishment method that he had learned from someone else.
Who had taught him?
Naturally, it was Kal'tsit, who was well known for helping people enroll in the so-called "Bridge University."
Whenever Warfarin, the Doctor, or many of the operators made mistakes, Mon3tr would appear carrying a rope, haul them up, and leave them hanging.
"I think there is something wrong with that doctor."
Standing nearby, Hoshiguma voiced her honest opinion after listening to Shirou.
"I think so too."
Rope, standing behind her, immediately agreed.
"I actually think it sounds rather practical."
To everyone's surprise, Officer Chen seemed to think the method was not bad at all.
At first, it felt as though something about it was clearly wrong, but after thinking it through carefully, she realized that it actually did seem to be an effective way of handling prisoners.
"No, Chen, calm down."
After hearing Officer Chen's words, Hoshiguma turned toward her with an extremely complicated expression.
It was one thing for Shirou to pick up strange habits, but Chen absolutely could not start doing the same. Hoshiguma simply could not imagine the Guard Department hanging every suspect from ropes during future arrests.
By that point, the citizens of Lungmen would have a truly terrifying impression of the Guard Department.
"I am joking. This method only works for Shirou. We cannot exactly carry that many ropes with us every time we go on duty."
Seeing that her partner looked genuinely alarmed, Officer Chen laughed and tried to reassure her.
The operation was already in its final stages. After being busy for so long, relaxing a little was not a bad thing.
"So if you could bring enough ropes with you, you would actually consider doing it, right?" Hoshiguma immediately caught the important part of Officer Chen's statement.
Officer Chen did not respond. Instead, she turned toward Shirou.
"It is already getting late. The Guard Department will take care of the cleanup from here. You and Rope should head back and get some rest."
It was obvious that she was avoiding the subject, but Hoshiguma had only been teasing her and had no intention of pressing the matter further.
"Do not forget about my bonus."
Hearing that she was being sent home, Rope reminded both Officer Chen and Hoshiguma.
"Do not worry. Once we finish everything here and return, we will pay you."
Seeing that Rope was still thinking about her bonus even at a time like this, Officer Chen sighed helplessly, patted her on the head, and gently pushed her toward Shirou.
"All right."
Rope trusted the Guard Department's reputation. What she had really needed was simply that verbal promise to put her mind at ease.
There had been many occasions in the past where she had completed a job, only for the client to disappear without paying, or suddenly demand a lower price on the spot, leaving her to work for nothing.
Because of that, hearing this guarantee made her feel much more at ease.
"Honestly, you should at least ask about something like that in private."
Shirou steadied Rope by placing one hand on her head to stop her from stumbling, then casually gave her head a couple of pats.
Her rabbit ears were soft and fluffy. They felt quite nice.
"Hehe. It is just a habit. If I do not receive a definite answer, I cannot relax."
Rope did not seem to mind at all. She even deliberately wiggled the rabbit ears on top of her head.
Seeing her reaction, Shirou could not resist patting them a few more times. Only then did he notice the two women beside him staring at him.
"Hm? Officer Chen, what is wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Noticing that Officer Chen was looking at him with a gaze that was somewhere between thoughtful and scrutinizing, Shirou awkwardly stopped patting Rope's ears and slowly withdrew his hand behind his back.
"I sent Rope on such a dangerous mission. I thought that you would... say a few words to criticize me."
After thinking for a moment, Officer Chen honestly admitted what she had been expecting.
She had many informants under her command, and quite a few of them happened to know people she was acquainted with. Whenever those acquaintances learned that someone they knew was working as one of her informants, they would inevitably pull her aside and remind her of a few things.
For example, they would tell her not to assign them overly difficult missions, and to absolutely keep them away from dangerous assignments.
But Shirou had not said a single word.
That struck her as strange... or perhaps unsettling.
After all, when someone said nothing at all, did that not usually mean they were the most disappointed?
Previously, it could be said that he was simply buying information from Rope. This time, however, she had personally assigned Rope to keep watch. It was because of her orders that Rope had encountered such danger, so she bore the greater share of the responsibility.
"...But Officer Chen, you came as soon as you received Rope's message, did you not?"
Shirou looked somewhat surprised. He had not expected Officer Chen to bring up this matter.
He and Rope had already discussed these things long ago. Shirou respected her decision, but he had also done everything he could to maximize her safety. One example was giving her a Rhodes Island terminal.
"Of course I did. I was the one who assigned her to monitor those people, so naturally I am also responsible for keeping her alive."
Officer Chen answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Then there is no problem, is there? Rope evaluates the level of risk herself, and the Guard Department offers compensation that she finds acceptable. The two of you have worked together for so long, so I really have nothing to criticize."
Since every reasonable safety precaution had already been taken, the rest depended on Rope's own experience and judgment.
If the situation had truly become too dangerous, she would have rejected the assignment and left immediately. There was no need for him to lecture her, much less hold Officer Chen responsible.
"You really are open-minded, Shirou. You know, a lot of parents cannot even accept their own children working in this kind of profession."
Hoshiguma suddenly joined the conversation.
She could not help it. The atmosphere had become rather heavy, although most of that tension was coming from her partner and superior, Chen.
Unlike Chen, who had been brooding over the matter, Shirou seemed completely at ease. Hoshiguma suspected that he had long since considered the future paths of Rope and the other children and had already come up with solutions.
"Open-minded? I do not think it is anything special. I am simply looking at the facts. Everyone has already done everything they reasonably should have done. If that is the case, then there is really no one to blame. Rather... the ones who should be held responsible are the people who committed the crimes, are they not?"
Hearing Hoshiguma's praise left Shirou feeling somewhat conflicted.
Being complimented was certainly nice, but why did it feel as though Hoshiguma was treating him as Rope's parent?
Then again...
If he thought about it carefully, that was not entirely inaccurate.
A flood of embarrassing memories assaulted him, bringing back countless moments that made him want to bury himself in shame.
What finally pulled him back to reality was something Officer Chen said.
"You are right. I was overthinking things. I will transfer your payment once I get back. As for afterward..."
Before Officer Chen could finish, Rope suddenly jumped up and interrupted her, looking extremely anxious.
"Officer Chen! We have worked together for so long! You cannot stop hiring me just because something went slightly wrong this one time! I am still counting on that extra money to buy the things I want!"
She interrupted because she was afraid Officer Chen would end their partnership over this incident.
The job might have been dangerous, but compared to her usual work, it was already much easier. The pay was good, it came quickly, she never had to worry about clients refusing to pay afterward, and if anything happened, backup arrived almost immediately.
It was practically the perfect client.
Most importantly, this income was what she usually relied on to buy the things she wanted.
Most of her earnings were deposited into the store's savings, while only a small portion was kept for her own spending.
If she lost this source of income, her disposable income would be drastically reduced.
"I thought the store provides your food and lodging, so you should not really have any financial pressure. Besides, the payment from this mission should be enough to last you for quite a while, should it not?"
Hoshiguma sighed helplessly after hearing Rope's complaint.
Everyone knew that Rope loved money. That habit stemmed from the hardships of her past, and now that she had corrected her old habit of petty theft, it was not really much of a problem anymore.
Still, seeing her act as though she was desperately short on money made Hoshiguma wonder whether she had secretly picked up some expensive hobby.
"Officer Hoshiguma, you do not understand."
Rope wore an expression of deep sorrow as she continued.
"The New Year is almost here. I am basically half a guardian at the store now, so naturally I have to give everyone red envelopes. There are so many children at the store that this payment is nowhere near enough."
Shirou, Chen, and Hoshiguma all fell silent.
For Rope, this really was a rather tragic problem.
For everyone else, however, it was a different story.
"Pfft... Hahaha... Sorry, sorry. I thought it was something much more serious. I never expected such an honest and straightforward reason."
Hoshiguma was the first to lose her composure.
Despite her professional training, she simply could not keep a straight face while Rope looked utterly heartbroken over having to hand out New Year's red envelopes.
"I was actually going to say that I would arrange a Guard Department communicator for you afterward. That way, if you cannot reach me, you can still contact Hoshiguma or Swire."
Officer Chen was different. Even now, the only visible change was the slight upward curve at the corners of her mouth.
However, after she finished speaking, Hoshiguma burst into even louder laughter. She had to place a hand on Shirou's shoulder to keep herself from collapsing.
Rope: "..."
Could she move somewhere else now?
Rhodes Island suddenly sounded like a very nice place to live.
"You reminded me of that. I had completely forgotten about it. Still, you do not need to worry so much. When it comes to red envelopes, it is the thought that counts."
While supporting the laughing Hoshiguma, Shirou reached out and patted Rope on the head.
If Rope had not brought it up, he really would have forgotten all about preparing New Year's red envelopes.
But you cannot really blame him. Last year, he was still getting used to life in Lungmen. Besides, while Penguin Logistics did not celebrate the New Year every day, it felt as though they celebrated it once every week.
As for the years before that...
He had still been a high school student. It had never been his turn to hand out envelopes. He had always been on the receiving end instead.
It gave Shirou the strange feeling that he had grown up in the blink of an eye, leaving him caught off guard.
"Eh!? Is that really how it works? But in the videos I watched, every red envelope people threw out was bigger than the last!"
Upon hearing Shirou's explanation, Rope's eyes widened in surprise. She had not expected the truth to be like this.
Shirou: "?"
"I told you to stop watching those kinds of videos. You are starting to distort your understanding of reality just like Croissant and Exusiai."
Shirou suppressed the urge to demonstrate a "Croissant or Exusiai grip strength test" on Rope. However, the gentle smile on his face was enough to send a chill down her spine.
"Eek... Shirou somehow seems really scary right now. What do you think, Chen?"
Seeing Rope force an awkward smile in response to Shirou's expression, Hoshiguma quietly withdrew the hand she had resting on Shirou's shoulder and edged a little closer to Officer Chen.
For a moment, she felt as though she had seen a glimpse of her own mother in Shirou.
Hm?
Again?
So this was not the first time she had thought that.
Well then.
"I actually think what he said makes perfect sense. However, I am more curious about what the people at Penguin Logistics usually watch if even Shirou finds it difficult to tolerate."
Clearly, Officer Chen had not picked up on Hoshiguma's train of thought. Instead, she was much more interested in what went on at Penguin Logistics.
"Now that you mention it, I am curious too."
Hoshiguma had not cared about the details before, but after hearing her partner mention it, her curiosity had been piqued as well.
Shirou fell silent.
He could feel the gazes of the two women...
No, three people.
For a moment, he wondered whether he should preserve what little dignity Croissant and Exusiai still had.
After thinking about it for three seconds, he decided that the two of them did not have much dignity left to protect anyway.
"Some time ago, they became obsessed with those videos where people summarize web novels. For several days straight, I kept hearing about some guy whose surname was Liu..."
Before Shirou could finish, he noticed that the amused expressions on all three of their faces had disappeared.
He was confused for a second, thought about it for another three, then looked at them with a rather complicated expression.
"You three watched them too?"
"I came across a few. I watched several of them, but I quickly realized that most of the stories fell apart the moment you thought about them, so I stopped."
That was Officer Chen.
She had originally thought they were martial arts novels, but later realized they were something entirely different.
"Some acquaintances occasionally recommended them to me. I watched a few when I had some free time, but some of the content was just too outrageous. Combined with how busy work has been, I stopped watching."
That was Hoshiguma.
She had only watched them because friends recommended them. However, after seeing some absurd underworld-themed stories, she decided they were far too ridiculous.
"The rich people in those stories are so cool! They casually hand out red envelopes worth millions!"
That was Rope.
Her completely warped idea of New Year's red envelopes had started there.
"So you are one of them too!"
That was Shirou.
He was not worried about Officer Chen or Hoshiguma. Both of them had plenty of self-control, and their understanding of reality had not been distorted.
Rope, however, was a different story.
She had originally relied mostly on the common sense she had developed growing up in the slums. Now, her understanding of what counted as "normal" seemed to be drifting in a rather concerning direction.
Still, it was not a major problem.
For now, she could be classified in the same category as Exusiai.
As for everyone else...
Texas had never been interested in those things to begin with.
Sora had been extremely busy recently and simply had no time.
Croissant, on the other hand...
Lately, she had somehow become convinced that she possessed the qualities of a great emperor. She had started talking about building a business empire from scratch and making everyone at Penguin Logistics work under her.
Yes.
That plan even included her own boss.
When said boss found out, Croissant was immediately buried under an enormous mountain of work until she exhausted all of that extra ambition. Afterward, she became much more reasonable.
"Hehe..."
Faced with Shirou's merciless criticism, Rope attempted to smile her way out of the situation.
Unfortunately, Shirou was completely immune to that tactic.
He had already begun planning homework for Rope over the next several days.
As long as someone was busy enough, they would not have time to browse the internet.
It was a lesson his own boss had taught him.
Watching the upright-looking Shirou walk away while Rope desperately begged for mercy beside him, Hoshiguma and Officer Chen remained where they were and exchanged a glance.
"Come to think of it, was this not supposed to be an entirely different conversation? How did we end up talking about this?"
"I have no idea. Still, Shirou was not wrong about anything. Chen, stop overthinking it."
"I am not overthinking anything."
"Right, right. You are not overthinking anything. Still, Shirou really has changed a lot. The old Shirou would never have had so many mischievous ideas. Now he can casually expose other people's embarrassing stories without even batting an eye."
"That is true. But is that not a good thing? It is much better than him bottling everything up inside himself like before... Wait a second. Why are you making that face?"
"Nothing. I just never expected to hear you say something like that. Considering your usual image... you seem to do something rather similar yourself."
"I believe you have a few days of leave coming up, do you not? Suddenly, I think the Defense Division could use some special training before the New Year. We will postpone your vacation for a little while."
"Please do not, Chen! The motorcycle exhibition tour is on during those days! I cannot miss it!"
Their conversation ended with Hoshiguma pleading for mercy.
Of course, Officer Chen had only been joking. She knew very well how much Hoshiguma had been looking forward to this motorcycle exhibition. However, after being teased by her partner, she felt that she had to get a little payback.
Looking in the direction where Shirou and Rope had left, Officer Chen thought back on everything they had just said.
Perhaps she really had been overthinking things.
But today's events would not change the way she handled her work.
Informants and outside helpers like Rope were still necessary. After all, it was difficult for the Guard Department to gain access to the slums. Without people like them providing assistance, the area would only become even more chaotic.
Even so, Shirou's words had not been without value.
At the very least, one thing he and Hoshiguma had both said was absolutely right.
The ones at fault were the people who committed the crimes.
She did not need to shoulder all the guilt by herself.
It was a very simple truth, but this was the first time Officer Chen had heard those words from the guardian of someone directly involved. That made them especially meaningful to her.
"The payment for this job should be doubled. There are also the bounties on these wanted criminals... and the children's New Year's red envelopes."
Withdrawing her gaze, Officer Chen mentally noted everything before returning to directing the officers as they cleaned up the scene.
"I suppose I will have to treat Shirou to a really good meal after this. I cannot believe he actually managed to get stubborn old Chen to come around."
Watching the complicated expression on Chen's face as it shifted from a doubtful frown to one of quiet understanding, combined with the barely audible words she had muttered to herself, Hoshiguma could more or less guess what her partner had been thinking.
All she could say was that Shirou and Chen really did think alike in certain ways.
Perhaps only someone whose way of thinking was so similar could have convinced someone like Chen.
Things were good now.
Everything was moving in a better direction.
Whether it was Chen, Amiya, Shirou, or everyone else in the slums, everyone was gradually moving toward a brighter future.
Life like this was actually rather nice.
Although...
She did wonder what time they would finish today.
She only hoped they would not end up working too late. Otherwise, if she drank afterward, there was a good chance she would oversleep the next morning.
After all, today had been a day worth celebrating.
Not having a drink would simply not feel right.
Thinking about all of that, Hoshiguma joined Officer Chen and the others in wrapping up the operation.