Chapter 211

She can keep her arguments separate from her work.

The main reason is that the Knights of the Round Table still needs someone to watch over things in the morning. You can tell how hard they work by looking at the dark circles under their eyes that even thick foundation can't cover.

This is one of the rare instances where she didn't immediately start arguing with Changfenlong.

"Not bad. I've submitted all the data and evidence, and now I'm just waiting for Director Wei's reply."

Similar to Swire, Chen didn't have much desire to argue with him.

It's mainly because I'm tired.

"That's pretty good, so much to show for it in just one night."

As she opened her own bento box, Swire nodded and said.

"Thanks to Shirou's side for finding a lot of useful information, and Penguin Logistics' intelligence is really top-notch. Do you know how moved I was when I saw those compiled documents this morning?"

"That's what Hoshiguma said from the side."

When Shirou this morning, which had already been organized and even categorized, she realized for the first time that Hoshiguma Penguin Logistics was actually quite good.

Although they often cause trouble for the Knights of the Round Table, they are really reliable in times like this!

"I heard Isv worked all night... I hope he's okay."

In this regard, Shirou felt it was necessary to thank Isv.

Even though he had already said it wasn't necessary, Isv still worked overtime all night to review the surveillance footage and compile the entire intelligence report.

Thank you Isv! Praise be to Isv!

Although the other party took a considerable amount of money, Chen and Hoshiguma reimbursed them, so there was no problem!

"Penguin Logistics...?"

Listening to their conversation, Swire began to consider whether or not to cooperate with Penguin Logistics.

"Isv usually doesn't take these kinds of orders?"

Seeing that Swire seemed somewhat interested, Shirou cautiously offered a reminder.

He wasn't worried about the money; Swire seemed to be much wealthier than he had imagined, and he'd heard that most of it was from her own investments.

Shirou was worried that Isv might make money and then disappear.

Moreover, those Isv are not from within the organization would not handle things so well; they would basically just collect the information and hand it over.

"What a pity."

Swire was not discouraged by this, but only felt it was a pity.

Although she really liked the job, she couldn't possibly invest all her money in it unconditionally.

The three people, excluding Swire, went back to their seats to catch up on sleep after finishing their meal.

Shirou's desk from his internship was still empty, so he rested there for a while. He planned to finish his work in the afternoon and then go to the Slums.

"Why do I feel like I'm busier than when I was interning?"

Shirou, who had just lay down to plan his time, suddenly thought of this question.

He didn't actually have much of a desire to sleep, but he had been told many times that his mental state seemed to be very poor, so he decided to give himself a rest.

It's one thing if one or two people say something, but basically everyone who looked familiar would have shown concern for him.

This is quite bad.

It's probably because I was too frightened this morning.

This savage normality is...

As he pondered these thoughts, Shirou couldn't fall asleep even when it was time for his shift to begin.

"..."

Shirou felt quite desperate, but he still got up and prepared to deal with what needed to be done.

First was the battle plan that the two of them had worked on all night yesterday. Shirou had a simplified version on his phone, and he had only glanced at it briefly.

After arriving in the morning, I was immediately taken to the sniping range and didn't have time to look around.

Now that he has a little free time, Shirou plans to take a look at this first.

If Shirou remembers correctly, in the original version, it seems he waited a few days until the other party made a deal, then rushed in to suppress and arrest them?

Although the reality is not as simple and straightforward as he described, that is his understanding.

This version is much more complex than the original.

What are the initial, middle, and final stages of the crackdown?

However, the earlier parts had nothing to do with Shirou; he was only entrusted with the final part of the suppression.

Just make sure you know the time, location, and the suspect's appearance, so as not to harm any other innocent civilians.

"Are you really taking this seriously? Is there anything you don't understand?"

After watching Shirou for a while, Hoshiguma went over to check on him and brought Shirou a can of ice-cold canned coffee.

"Is there anything you don't understand? My job isn't difficult."

Shirou didn't stand on ceremony and directly accepted the coffee that Hoshiguma offered.

Although it was brought by the other party, he had brought the coffee a while ago and put it in the office refrigerator for everyone, so there was no reason to refuse.

"Although it may seem easy, you bear the heaviest responsibility and there are many things to pay attention to. In practice, it is far more than what can be described on these few sheets of paper. Don't always think of your job as unimportant."

Hearing Shirou's words, Hoshiguma thought for a moment and then replied.

It wasn't that she wanted to put psychological pressure on Shirou, but rather that she wanted him to know exactly what kind of work he was doing.

After spending some time together, Hoshiguma noticed that Shirou often placed himself in a rather humble position.

If it's just an occasional instance of adopting a humble attitude, then it's still within a reasonable range.

However, Shirou essentially placed himself in a subservient position, believing that what he did was insignificant and that all the credit belonged to others.

That's not good.

Hoshiguma still hopes that Shirou will know the extent of his responsibilities, the work he has accomplished, and the credit he has received.

Constantly suppressing and exploiting oneself will eventually lead to losing oneself.

A little honor, a little praise, a little encouragement, or even a thank-you card can make these kinds of people re-evaluate themselves.

"I understand everything you're saying, and it's still within my control."

After listening to Hoshiguma's words, Shirou nodded and said...

He didn't grasp the deeper meaning behind it; he simply thought Hoshiguma was telling him to look carefully so as not to make a mistake.

"... Keep up the good work."

Seeing Shirou's expression, Hoshiguma slapped him hard on the back and left.

"???"

The sudden palm strike startled Shirou.

Although my physical condition isn't as good as it used to be, where a single slap would nearly break me, it still hurts a bit.

According to some people who know Hoshiguma well, Hoshiguma can lift cars.

He can blow the car up or cut it in half, but to lift it up... I guess only a very small car could do that.

Moreover, I heard that the other party lifted it very easily and comfortably, probably not even reaching their limit.

Did you make Hoshiguma angry?

Hearing the noise, Chen went over to check on the situation.

"No?"

Shirou shook his head blankly.

"That's strange..."

Chen was also lost in confusion.

Based on her understanding of the two, Shirou and Hoshiguma are basically the type who don't easily argue with others, and they rarely even get angry.

Unable to figure it out, the two could only put aside their doubts and continue to immerse themselves in their work.

After finishing his tasks, Shirou prepared to leave. He would return to the Knights of the Round Table around four or five o'clock to conduct the night's search.

Besides visiting Slums Fuyuki Store, I also wanted to check out the blocking Fuyuki Store they had there.

Although they were all purchased from reputable stores, Shirou felt that it wouldn't hurt to do a thorough check, considering the egregious nature of the incident.

Being better prepared will prevent you from being caught off guard when problems arise.

Another thing I wanted to do was have a good talk with Ansuo about the process of buying blocking agents in the alleys of Slums.

I don't know if the other party has bought it before, but even if they haven't, their status as a former intelligence broker should provide them with a lot of ideas.

"Huh? Shirou, you're leaving?"

In the corridor, Swire, who was about to return to her office, saw Shirou, who was already carrying a backpack and preparing to leave, so she went up to greet him.

"Yes, it's time to visit the children."

Shirou nodded without hiding anything.

"Kids? Hmm... never mind that. Didn't you look in the mirror after your afternoon nap? Look at your hair, it's all messed up."

Swire is probably one of the few people Shirou knows who doesn't know what he did in the Slums.

However, she wouldn't ask too many questions about things she didn't know, because compared to that, what she cared about most right now was Shirou's hair, which had been messed up from sleeping face down.

As she spoke, Swire took out a small mirror that she always carried in her bag, preparing to show Shirou what she looked like now.

"Ah! This can be fixed quickly! I have something urgent to attend to here! If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

Upon seeing Swire take out a mirror, Shirou quickly tidied his hair with both hands and then hurriedly left.

"Gah ho?"

Swire was left behind, still holding the small mirror in his hand.

1/17 Leave of Absence

Although it's not good to take leave like this, my hand is already numb, so I'd better rest for a day, lest I be too injured to move things during the New Year, which would be ridiculous.

Let me explain the cause and effect.

It started because I've been sitting for long periods of time lately, so my lower back is a bit sore.

Later, I made an appointment with a massage therapist, but the massage was ineffective. The lower back pain was not resolved, and my right upper back, specifically the area around my shoulder blade, was extremely painful.

It's the kind of thing that feels numb and painful when left unattended, and stings when moved.

And my back hasn't gotten better; it's still sore.

Feeling that this wouldn't work, I went a few days later to see the massage therapist recommended by my elderly mother.

This master craftsman is truly top-notch.

My right side still hurts, and then my left side started to hurt too. My neck also seems to be slightly twisted.

(He had to lie face down while the operator worked on him, because that bed was a bit small.)

Now it's balanced on both sides. So this is what balance feels like...?

I hope things will calm down by the New Year; otherwise, I'll eventually fade into obscurity.

That's all for now. I still have a leave slip for this month, which is why I'm asking for one more day.

This also means I won't have many opportunities to take leave anymore, otherwise, perfect attendance would be...

Well...

Is there 11 months and 14 days left until 2024?

In addition, the plot needs to be sorted out, as there are quite a few characters to appear later.

This is my leave request for January 17, 2023.