What Are You Doing with That Gun?

Ever since that day, Penguin Logistics had supposedly become Bollywood. No matter what they were doing, they might suddenly burst into song. There were no lyrics—sometimes it was a catchy melody, other times an energetic beat.

In short, listening to that stuff too much was rather irritating.

Hoshino idled away her days at the shrine, living the hollow life of counting money every day.

The shrine's income was as steady as a straight line. All Hoshino did was tally the money each day, then roughly estimate the daily expenses.

It was incredibly boring.

The only thing that offered even a little amusement was watching someone practice swordsmanship at the foot of the mountain.

Hoshino transformed into Kallen Armor, picked up the freshly manufactured Hel's Bow, and headed down the mountain.

There was a woman there.

In casual clothes, Officer Ch'en swung her sword beneath the torii gate, sweat pouring down her face.

Her gaze was resolute.

Hoshino watched her movements and nodded. Once all emotion and anger had been stripped away, Officer Ch'en's swordsmanship could indeed be called decent. Her earlier assessment had been somewhat hasty.

What she wielded was neither Chi Xiao, nor its scabbard, nor the black blade issued by the Lungmen Guard Department.

Ch'en held a wooden sword.

Every swing cut through the air with force.

Hearing sounds from the mountain, she slightly opened her eyes and frowned in disappointment.

"Yae Sakura wants to know why you specifically came to the shrine entrance to practice swordsmanship. Is this some kind of impromptu performance?"

"Don't act as if we're close."

Ch'en frowned as she swung her sword.

"For Lungmen's peace, I have to keep watch over dangerous individuals like you. Swinging a sword outside the shrine is merely a pastime during my surveillance. It is not because I listened to that shrine maiden's suggestion, so don't get the wrong idea."

"The only hard things about you are your mouth and your horns."

Hoshino frowned.

She stepped before Officer Ch'en. Two pistols appeared in her hands as she invited the woman practicing swordsmanship.

"Practicing alone is always boring. I happen to be bored too, so how about we spar?"

"You want to fight?"

Ch'en looked at the white-haired woman. The latter had hidden her racial traits thoroughly, but judging from how skillfully she held those guns, she was likely closely connected to the Sankta of Laterano.

"A ranged shooter?"

She raised her wooden sword, considering the possibility of dodging bullets at extremely close range.

There was an eighty percent chance of success.

But Ch'en soon frowned again. Her opponent was behaving nothing like a shooter. Instead, she approached with light, quick steps.

"As a shooter, shouldn't you be taking the chance to widen the distance instead of coming closer to a guard?"

Ch'en asked in confusion.

Before long, she felt something deeply strange. This white-haired girl's legs were incredibly flexible; her kicks were fierce and merciless, and her body even left blurred afterimages as it moved at high speed...

She was extremely strong.

But did she look even remotely like a shooter?

With those two little pistols in your hands, you might as well be holding two iron rods!

Rhodes Island.

Hoshiguma and Swire received the treatment they deserved.

It was a rational, restrained reception.

Swire was surprised. According to the information she had gathered, Rhodes Island was an idealistic organization that acted immaturely. They should have been rather naive.

So what was with this person?

The imposing young lady and the tower-like Hoshiguma were both completely suppressed by that person.

Doctor Kal'tsit.

"You need a researcher from Rhine Lab?"

"That's right."

Swire tried to steer the conversation back to the business territory she was familiar with. She hoped this lynx would quickly name a price: money in one hand, person in the other, and nobody would lose out.

But unfortunately, reality was disappointing.

"Describe the situation in as much detail as possible. According to the rules that child established, this kind of assistance can be free."

"Uh..."

Free.

It truly had the flavor of idealists.

Swire was utterly speechless. The thing she was worst at was dealing with idealists. They were all unpredictable lunatics.

"You should still name a price."

Swire reluctantly offered to be taken for a sucker.

Yet in this place, she sorrowfully discovered that even if she had money, she had nowhere to spend it.

Hoshiguma submitted a report, dictated by Lungmen Guard Department Superintendent Chen Huijie. It detailed how, as an investigator, she had entered a space with doors on both sides, negotiated with the target, and then fallen into a deep coma.

[I clearly saw her body shining with purple light. She merely extended one finger, and lightning struck me unconscious.]

[Confirmed infected.]

She had also written about symptoms following the lightning strike, including prolonged sleep, mental comfort, wound healing, and so on. The cold, descriptive language of the file carried no emotion, yet it read as though it were describing an extravagant spa treatment.

She had not written about the shrine maiden's lap pillow.

Even Hoshiguma found something that embarrassing rather amusing when handing over the report.

As the head of the medical department, Doctor Kal'tsit personally handled the transfer of medical operators. After receiving the report, she left the room and gave the space to the two visitors from Lungmen.

"Do you think that old woman will agree?"

Swire asked. She had not seen the report; Ch'en had specifically instructed that she not be told about her being shocked unconscious.

Hoshiguma had deliberately concealed the matter.

But Swire's tail swayed back and forth, and she quickly guessed most of it.

"That sausage dragon met someone so important, yet didn't mention a single word about it at the Guard Department. That Lightning Queen must have made her lose face, right?"

"..."

Hoshiguma had never expected to keep something like that from her for long.

She sighed.

The conversation returned to Doctor Kal'tsit.

"That woman looks refined and delicate, but she reeks of decay from head to toe. She's like some old demoness who has lived for centuries."

"Don't say that. This is someone else's territory, after all."

Hoshiguma helplessly advised.

Meanwhile, Kal'tsit sought out Silence, one of Rhodes Island's top researchers.

"There's a project."

"Zzzzz~~"

"The Lungmen officials who came here say there is an infected person in Lungmen who exceeds all norms and calls herself the 'Lightning Queen.'"

"Zzzzz~~... Hm?"

Silence opened her tired eyes. It was daytime, and she had not stayed awake during the day for a long time.

"Lightning Queen?"

A title combining a natural element with a lofty designation sounded unpleasant just by itself. Her exhaustion made her expression somewhat gloomy, but together with her round-framed glasses, it gave her an adorably vacant look.

"You're interested?"

"Don't use this sort of thing to provoke the rigor I possess as a scientific researcher."

Silence was not very skilled at smooth interpersonal exchanges.

She took the report and skimmed through it rapidly, then blinked listlessly.

"I accept."

"So quickly?"

"A multiple-choice question only has two answers: reject or accept. There's no need to waste too much rest time. If there are no new questions, I'll go back to sleep first. If we're leaving, we can discuss it after I wake up tonight."

Silence yawned and listlessly closed her eyes.

She fell asleep.