Outside the Fuyuki Shop, several men dressed in black clothes, black hats, and black sunglasses stood around, gripping clubs as they sized up the store in front of them.
"Can a place like this even pay up? Looks like they are just selling old junk."
One of the lackeys behind the leader spoke up. He had scoped the place out before and it was just a small shop selling unimpressive goods.
Of course, they also knew there was a rather tough-looking Oni hanging around inside, which was why they had chosen to come now.
"It can not be helped. Everywhere else is already taken. This place is the only one left. For now, we keep a low profile and avoid clashing with Lungmen's gangs as much as possible."
The leader sounded helpless.
They were fugitives. After arriving in Lungmen, the only way they could survive was by acting like street thugs.
"I see! As expected of you, boss. Then let me handle this!"
Hearing that, one of the lackeys eagerly volunteered to prove himself.
Seeing someone step up, the others made way.
The lackey grabbed his club and pushed open the shop door, walking inside.
Inside the shop, Shirou and Rope were busy with their own tasks. Hearing the bell ring, they both instinctively called out:
"Welcome."
Turning their heads, they saw the visitor…a… strangely dressed Lupo?
In this sweltering heat he dressed head-to-toe in black, even Shirou felt hot just looking at him.
Combined with the club in his hand, it reminded Shirou of old gangster movies.
If you removed the Lupo ears, he would look exactly like one of those nameless henchmen in films.
"How can I help you?"
Seeing the visitor clearly was not friendly, Rope dropped her usual playful demeanor and looked at him seriously.
"Collecting protection fees."
The lackey stepped inside, scanning the surroundings and saw a red-haired guy of unknown race organizing goods and a purple-haired Cautus kid at the register…and shelves full of scrap-like items.
He was already thinking about what to smash if they refused to comply.
"Protection fees?"
Hearing that, Shirou turned to look at Rope, just minutes ago she had said no one would likely cause trouble here.
Is this what Croissant and Exusiai call "raising a flag"?
Rope had no intention of taking the blame. Avoiding Shirou is gaze, she asked the thug:
"How much?"
It was not cowardice, it was simply how things worked in the slums.
If no one targeted you, great. If they did, you dealt with it.
Besides, slum gangs usually did not charge excessively, as if there was some unseen force regulating them.
And after collecting fees, they would actually help out with certain issues so it was not just extortion without service.
"Ah? Uh… 2,000!"
Seeing how readily she seemed willing to pay, the lackey blurted out a number after thinking briefly.
He did not really know how much to ask, so he just used previous amounts as a reference.
Rope frowned immediately, the price was too high.
Usually it was only a few hundred. Combined with their appearance, she realized these people were not from Lungmen's slums.
"Let us talk outside."
Hearing the price and noticing Rope hesitated, Shirou stepped forward.
Paying to settle things quickly was the easiest solution and 2,000 was not impossible but Shirou could not accept their attitude.
"Why should I—"
Annoyed, the lackey raised his club to smash something.
But Shirou grabbed the club mid-swing, stopping him cold.
The thug froze.
He could not swing it and he could not pull it back.
This guy looked friendly…so why was he so strong?
"Let us talk outside."
Shirou said with a smile, pushing the club back.
Through the window, he could see several shadowy figures outside.
Clearly, they had accomplices. If things escalated inside, the shop could be trashed.
He would not let that happen.
This place was everyone's hard work.
And scaring the kids would be even worse.
"…Fine."
Realizing Shirou was not easy to deal with, the lackey backed off and quickly went outside, seeking safety with his group.
Through the open door, Shirou saw the others waiting outside.
Honestly… why were they all dressed the same?
They looked like generic enemies from the games Exusiai and Croissant played.
"Shirou, they are not from the slums, their clothes and behavior do not follow the rules."
Rope tugged at his sleeve and quietly said, slipping 2,000 Lungmen coins into his hand.
She knew Shirou was strong, but facing over a dozen people was still dangerous.
She had already messaged Phal and hopefully he would get back quickly.
Even if he could not fight, his intimidating face alone might scare them off.
Actually… maybe she should notify Jaye too, he might be even more effective and he was closer.
"It is fine. Do not worry. Take everyone upstairs first."
Shirou pocketed the money and told Rope to gather the kids, who had started gathering because of the noise.
Fighting did not bother him.
And since they were not slum locals… he could just hand them over to the Guard Department afterward.
"Be careful. Worst case, we just lose 2,000…it is only half a month of profit."
Rope said worriedly.
If she were alone, she could just run.
But now… this place was her home.
"Do not worry. I have never been afraid of a fight."
Patting her head, Shirou walked outside and closed the shop door behind him.
What came next was not suitable for children to see.
After more than three months with Penguin Logistics, Shirou had learned well how to survive in Lungmen.
When dealing with street thugs…
Beat them up, then hand them over to the Guard Department.
He had spent the day defending against Texas during sparring. Though he had knocked her down a few times, his hands were still itching for action.
This was perfect…someone had delivered themselves to him.
Facing the men in black suits, Shirou revealed the kind of smile that Penguin Logistics would wear.
Meanwhile, Phal, having received the message, sprinted through the streets while dialing his phone.
"Phal? What is wrong?"
On the other end was Hoshiguma, currently buried in work.
Hearing the hurried footsteps, she immediately sensed something was wrong and stopped what she was doing.
"Sis Hoshiguma! Someone is causing trouble at the shop and Shirou seems to be 'talking' with them!"
Phal reported while running.
"Someone is causing trouble… and Shirou is 'talking' to them?"
Hoshiguma thought back to the first time she met Shirou, he had seemed to single-handedly beat a whole group into submission.
Miss…Swire had also wanted to poach Shirou from Penguin Logistics because of both his character and his combat ability.
So there was no need to worry about Shirou's safety.
Hoshiguma's mind worked quickly. She immediately realized that the one to worry about was not Shirou but the people on the other side.
Just as she was about to explain this to Phal, she heard him say:
"Uh… Sis Hoshiguma, I think it is already over. Do you want to send someone to… collect the bodies?"
A moment ago, Phal had been rushing anxiously. But after turning a corner, he saw Shirou following a group of men into an alley.
He did not even hang up the phone and rushed forward to help—
Then the next second, he saw several men in suits fly out of the alley.
"???"
Phal froze on the spot at the surreal sight.
Then he watched as Shirou dragged two more suited men out and piled them together.
At that moment, Phal seriously wondered—
Who exactly was the victim here?
Too many bizarre things happened in this world. He felt like he would need a drink tonight just to fall asleep.
Looking at the completely knocked-out men, Phal asked if Hoshiguma wanted to send someone to "collect the bodies."
"You mean clean up, right? I will be there soon."
Hoshiguma grabbed her field ID and equipment.
Meanwhile, still feeling like reality was a bit unreal, Phal suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw a plainly dressed man.
The man pointed at Phal's phone and said:
"We will handle things here. No need to trouble Officer Hoshiguma."
"Huh?"
Phal did not quite process it.
"Phal, put it on speaker."
Hoshiguma had clearly heard the man and told Phal to turn on speaker mode.
"Okay, okay."
Phal quickly complied.
"May I ask who you are?"
Hoshiguma asked from the other end.
She was sharp, this man had directly identified her which meant he knew quite a lot.
"We were entrusted to investigate and keep an eye on things. By coincidence, we found some strays who fled their pack. We will take care of it. No need for concern, Officer Hoshiguma."
"…May I ask who sent you?"
"It is not convenient to disclose. I was only tasked to confirm whether this was another scheme disguised with sweet words."
"I understand. There is no need to worry about that, I can personally vouch for him."
After hearing this, Hoshiguma had a good idea who was behind it.
The so-called "scheme disguised with sweetness" referred to those who claimed to help infected children but in reality just wanted to exploit them for Lungmen currency.
There were many people like that.
But someone like Shirou was rare.
The little money the shop earned could not even compare to how much Shirou invested into it.
Not to mention, he reinvested nearly all of it back into the shop instead of keeping it for himself.
"With Officer Hoshiguma's guarantee, we are reassured. We will take it from here."
The man remained calm. His investigation was complete and with her assurance, he could report back.
Unfortunately, he still had a pile of "trash" to deal with.
"Then I will leave it to you."
Hoshiguma let out a sigh of relief both because the crisis was resolved and because the shop was safe.
"Sis Hoshiguma… is this really okay?"
Phal lowered his voice after turning off speaker mode, glancing at the man making another call nearby.
"It is fine. They will handle it properly. Go check on the shop. I will get back to work."
With that, Hoshiguma hung up and returned to her sea of paperwork, trying to finish on time.
Phal looked at his phone, then at the man and decided to stop thinking.
Too much had happened today.
If Sis Hoshiguma said it was fine, then it was fine.
He turned and headed back to the shop.
"What are you doing here, Phal?"
Shirou, having just dealt with the thugs, felt completely refreshed…like a great stress relief.
Seeing Phal standing there blankly, he walked over.
"Nothing, are you okay?"
Phal waved it off, then carefully looked Shirou over.
He clearly remembered several men being kicked out of the alley and flying quite far.
Who would have thought this seemingly gentle guy could be so terrifying in a fight?
Looking closely, Shirou was not even dirty, there were no injuries and not even a speck of dust.
So… were those guys just weak?
Or was Shirou that strong?
Phal felt this question deserved deep analysis but not by personally testing it.
"I am fine. Help me call the Guard Department, I left my phone in the shop."
Shirou stretched his arm to show he was unharmed.
He had simply reinforced his body, snatched the clubs, and knocked them out and it was over almost instantly.
Honestly… it did not even count as a warm-up.
"They have already been contacted. Someone will come handle it. Everyone is okay, right?"
Phal smoothly changed the topic.
"I had Rope take everyone upstairs. When they came, only Rope and I were downstairs."
"Then Rope must have been pretty scared. Want to go comfort her?"
"Hm? Rope does not seem like the type to be scared by something like this."
"…Sigh. I think Rope is in for a tough time ahead."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's head back. Someone will deal with those guys outside."
Phal dragged Shirou back toward the shop, silently worrying about Rope's future.
Facing someone this dense…
That little bunny was going to have a long road ahead.
"Are you okay?"
Seeing both Phal and Shirou return, Rope stood there holding her grappling hook, still on guard.
"I am fine. Sorry for worrying you."
Seeing her tense state, Shirou gently patted her head.
"Did you not see? Shirou was super fierce, he took down a bunch of them the moment they entered the alley!"
Phal joked, trying to ease the mood.
"…Phew. As long as you are okay."
Seeing Shirou unharmed and Phal still joking, Rope figured everything had been handled perfectly.
And from what Phal said…
Shirou had not handed over the 2,000 Lungmen coins.
Which meant this month's food budget was still safe!