Hearing Shirou's remarks, Hoshiguma could not tell whether he was genuinely clueless or just pretending.
It was most likely the former.
In other areas Shirou was clearly quite sharp so why was he so naïve when it came to social nuances?
Still, it was not a bad thing, no one could possibly be perfect in every aspect.
Someone who seemed flawless would only make others feel distant or even intimidated.
Having a few small flaws instead made a person more approachable.
"By the way, things might get a bit loud later. Be prepared."
On the way to get him a replacement uniform jacket, Hoshiguma gave him a heads-up.
This was not really a task she needed to handle but since Shirou was someone she knew, she took it on herself to show him around.
It was not difficult anyway and she could take the opportunity to relax a bit.
Well, she was not "relaxing" she was just building rapport with a colleague for the next few days.
"Loud? Understood."
Shirou looked puzzled at first, but quickly thought he understood.
Maybe she meant that some people in the Lungmen Guard Department had short tempers and tended to speak loudly.
Given the nature of dealing with various crimes, that was understandable.
"I hope you really do understand."
Thinking about how Shirou would be assigned under Chen, Hoshiguma suspected Missy might lose her temper.
She could already imagine the scene.
Sigh… what a headache. She would probably have to mediate again.
"I will explain what you will be doing over the next few days. Basically, you will follow us around. Since you are alone, just stick with me and Chen, also remember to use codenames and titles while on duty."
To make sure there was no time crunch later, Hoshiguma decided to quickly brief him on his responsibilities.
Normally, newbies came in batches and were guided collectively which made management easier for the department.
But Shirou was a special case as he was a newbie all by himself. He would not be assigned much actual work and would mostly just accompany them.
She had no idea what Chief Wei was planning.
At this moment, Hoshiguma still did not know that the culprit behind the "big fireworks" in Lungmen a few days ago was standing right beside her. If she knew, she might understand Wei Yanwu's decision.
"Alright, so I just follow you, Officer Hoshiguma?"
Shirou had been worried about his duties, but it turned out he only needed to follow her.
"Right. Also, you will not be handling paperwork on your own. Your tasks will mostly be odd jobs. As a newbie, your role is mainly to get familiar with how the Lungmen Guard Department works. I hope you understand."
To prevent Shirou from feeling dissatisfied about not being involved in core work, Hoshiguma added this clarification.
"I understand."
Shirou nodded.
It was pretty much what he had expected. He had not received any professional training so jumping into such work recklessly might cause more trouble instead.
As for miscellaneous tasks, he was quite experienced in those.
After all, coming to the Lungmen Guard Department was just a task. He had no intention of accomplishing anything grand.
A peaceful life was better.
"That is good."
Seeing his reaction, Hoshiguma realized she had worried too much.
And she felt that Shirou was surprisingly easygoing, he accepted whatever others said without even arguing.
She had been prepared for him to ask a lot of questions.
But this was easier since she did not have to explain a lot of things.
Still, considering that Missy might want to "borrow" Shirou later, Hoshiguma added:
"There is also a chance someone might want to take you around. If that happens, do not act on your own. Follow on-site commands as much as possible."
"Uh… alright."
Shirou originally thought that was unlikely, but recalling his recent streak of bad luck…
Actually, it seemed very possible he might get dragged into something strange again.
Better not speak too definitively.
He had already come to accept that he often got involved in odd situations.
Sometimes it was because he could not help but intervene and other times he just got dragged in unintentionally.
Either way, strange incidents seemed to follow him.
Things had been calmer lately, but now that he was working at the Lungmen Guard Department, it arguably counted as getting involved in something unusual again.
At this point, Shirou could only feel that life was not easy.
"Alright, that should cover the main points. I will explain the rest during work. As for the uniform, just change into it."
After leading him to the destination, Hoshiguma helped him get a jacket one size larger.
Although wearing a brand-new, unwashed jacket felt a bit uncomfortable, Shirou still changed out of the Penguin Logistics jacket and wore the Lungmen Guard Department uniform.
The jacket did not perfectly fit him but it was much better than the tight jacket from yesterday, though it still could not compare to the comfort of the Penguin Logistics jacket.
Their Penguin Logistics jackets were custom-made, after all and compared to that the mass-produced Lungmen Guard Department jackets were naturally more generic.
"It looks good on you. You really have that vibe now!"
Seeing Shirou in the Lungmen Guard Department jacket, Hoshiguma patted him on the back.
"Ahaha… so, what should I do now?"
Rubbing his back, which almost felt like it had been knocked apart, Shirou asked with an awkward smile.
Hoshiguma really was strong.
"Let me think. Your spot has already been arranged. I will take you there to put your things down first."
With that, Hoshiguma led Shirou toward the elevator.
After changing into the Lungmen Guard Department jacket, Shirou could feel the number of gazes around him decrease noticeably.
Earlier, it had probably been because of the Penguin Logistics jacket that he attracted so much attention.
By now, Shirou more or less understood the complicated love-hate relationship between Penguin Logistics and the Lungmen Guard Department so he did not mind those looks.
Before long, the two arrived in front of an office.
This was the same office Shirou had come to before when he brought the Penguin Logistics members back.
If he remembered correctly, it belonged to Officer Chen and Officer Hoshiguma.
Officer Swire's office seemed to be next door.
Since Hoshiguma had said earlier that he would be working with her and Chen, his place would likely be here.
"Do you remember the route? Turn after the elevator and you are here."
Hoshiguma pointed at the office door, helping Shirou reinforce the route in case he got lost inside the building.
Even though he was somewhat familiar with the place, being brought in versus moving freely inside the building were two different things.
"Got it."
Shirou nodded.
Hoshiguma then told him to wait outside and pushed open the office door.
Although there were quite a number of people inside, the office was very quiet.
When the door opened, a few people looked up. After confirming it was Hoshiguma, they lowered their heads again and continued working.
"Hoshiguma, why did you take so long?"
Chen, sitting inside, asked while looking toward the door.
"There is a newbie. I went downstairs to bring him up," Hoshiguma replied.
"A newbie? How come I did not know about a new newbie?"
Hearing that, Chen finally put down her work.
If it were newbies from another department, that would be one thing. But if Hoshiguma personally brought them, it must be someone assigned here so why had she not been informed?
"It was arranged at the last minute. I asked a few questions just now and he seems pretty decent."
Handing over the notice she had taken from Shirou, Hoshiguma spoke with a slightly mischievous smile.
"Last minute… Wei Yanwu? I see. Is he outside? Let him come in."
Seeing Wei Yanwu's name on the notice, Chen quickly understood.
Based on her understanding of him, he would not do anything without purpose. If he arranged for someone to come in at the last minute, there must be a reason.
However—
Just because Wei Yanwu had his reasons did not mean she would give this newbie special treatment.
That was clearly the intention, especially since he was deliberately assigned as a person under her command,
Otherwise, Wei Yanwu could have just sent them to that "char siu cat" next door.
Just as Chen was thinking about how to deal with this temporary newbie, Hoshiguma waved to Shirou outside.
"You can come in now. Just stay calm."
Hoshiguma knew Chen was particularly sensitive about this sort of thing, but since it had already been decided, there was nothing she could do.
This situation was a bit special, so she decided to play a small prank on Chen.
After all, both life and work needed a bit of entertainment, right?
It was not anything malicious, Shirou and Chen already knew each other. It would just be a "surprise."
Or perhaps a shock.
"Um… I am Shirou from Penguin Logistics. I will be a newbie here for the next few days. Please take care of me."
After being called in by Hoshiguma, and feeling the gaze of many people in the room, Shirou grew a bit nervous and gave a simple self-introduction.
"Penguin Logistics sending someone as a newbie? Seriously, is Lungmen that short on talent?"
One of the officers muttered under his breath.
Although it was quiet, in such a silent room, many people still heard it.
Including Shirou.
"Ahem…"
Another officer coughed awkwardly, trying to cover it up.
Why say something so blunt when the person is right here?
"…Why is it you?"
Seeing that the newbie was Shirou, Chen's usually stern expression faltered for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
She was a member of the Lungmen Guard Department, what kind of storms had she not seen before?
The one from a few days ago did not count.
The moment she saw Shirou, Chen more or less understood why Wei Yanwu had arranged for him to be sent here.
That massive explosion from a few days ago was still a hot topic in Lungmen. Having experienced it up close, she understood just how dangerous it had been.
Compared to Shirou, the explosions Penguin Logistics used to play around with were practically child's play.
Wei Yanwu was probably still evaluating whether Shirou was someone worth using.
Although she did not get along with Wei Yanwu, she could still to some extent understand what he was thinking.
But as she had just said, understanding his intentions did not mean she had to go along with them.
Since Shirou was a newbie…
Old grudges and new ones would be settled together. That explosion had left her in quite a sorry state and even earlier than that, she still clearly remembered how he had provoked her with his words.
"Hm?"
Noticing the change in Chen's expression, Shirou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"I will take you to your seat."
Hoshiguma, who did not notice anything unusual about Shirou, pointed to a spot and had him go over.
It was not far from where she and Chen sat, it was a place that had been specially cleared out yesterday.
"Thank you."
Looking at the clean desk, Shirou thanked her before placing his belongings down.
"No problem. Sit here for now. I will go print some materials for you to familiarize yourself with the Lungmen Guard Department's workflow."
Hoshiguma patted Shirou on the shoulder, then turned to Chen and said, "I will leave him to you."
She did not pay much attention to Chen's earlier reaction. She had only set up a little surprise and had no intention of personally seeing the aftermath.
Getting the point across was enough, the rest would play out on its own.
After handing Shirou over to Chen, Hoshiguma went off to continue her work.
"…It has been a while."
Looking at Shirou, then at the work in her hands, Chen slowed down slightly and started a conversation.
"Did we not just meet at the shop a few days ago?"
Shirou looked puzzled.
Had Chen not come to the shop just a few days ago? Did that already count as a long time?
He felt like his sense of time was getting a bit off.
"I am just making conversation, do not overthink it. More importantly, why are you here at the Lungmen Guard Department? Did Wei Yanwu send you?"
Chen asked. Although she already had a rough idea, confirming the full picture directly from the person involved was still important.
"Yeah. I owed him a favor, so he asked me to work here for a few days to repay it."
Seeing how Chen and the others were busy while he had nothing to do, Shirou felt a bit awkward, so he answered her questions as thoroughly as he could.
"A favor, huh… His favors are not easy to repay. I did not expect him to settle it just by having you work here for a few days. Let me make one thing clear, I am quite strict when it comes to work so be prepared."
Chen did not know what kind of arrangement the two had made in private, nor did she intend to find out.
It did not matter anyway. The fact that Shirou was now a newbie at the Lungmen Guard Department was already set. Investigating the reason would serve no purpose and besides, he was not a criminal, so there was no need to dig deeper.
A bit of casual conversation was enough. Shirou's presence was not necessarily a bad thing either and his abilities might prove useful in upcoming tasks.
Those unbelievably sharp eyes of his, along with his excellent long-range combat capabilities could make him a valuable asset during this period.
If he were an ordinary civilian, Chen would not allow him to participate in combat. But now that Shirou was at least nominally a part of the Lungmen Guard Department, it was only natural for him to contribute.
"Understood. I will be in your care during this time."
Shirou nodded.
This was the first time he had seen Chen in full work mode.
That said, he had only met her three or four times in total.
Still… when she was working, she felt like the kind of person who was rather difficult to approach.