After Yith confirmed that all the drones had been destroyed, there was nothing left for Shirou to do.
What remained would be handled by the hooded person and their team. Although Shirou did not know who they were, he could at least confirm they were from the Guard Department.
Right now, however, he was a bit panicked.
Because just now… that person seemed to have called out his name.
That meant the other party might already know who he was. And he had just set off a massive "firework" over Lungmen. Even though Yith had given permission, he could vaguely recall hearing a scream of despair through the earpiece.
Shirou felt like he should run.
But his sense of responsibility kept him rooted in place, watching the hooded person and their team carry out the assault.
Only after confirming that they had successfully captured the target did he finally relax and start seriously considering escape routes.
"Shirou, time to get out."
Just as he hesitated, Yith suddenly spoke.
"Uh… the name…"
Hearing that, Shirou instinctively wanted to point out that Yith had let his name slip but then realized it probably did not matter anymore.
"I already cut the channel. They caught the target so they do not need us anymore. Now we just wait for the Guard Department to get useful intel."
Although Yith had already guessed that the other side had learned Shirou's identity, he chose not to say it outright, leaving Shirou a shred of deniability.
Let him cling to that illusion for a little longer until Chen personally comes knocking and shatters it.
Yith was not a demon… but Shirou's earlier stunt had already guaranteed several days of overtime for him.
Sure, he had said it was fine to make some noise but he meant a little.
And Shirou had demonstrated what "a little" meant on an entirely different scale.
Sure, it felt great in the moment…but now they had to deal with the aftermath.
Yith internally condemned Shirou's irresponsibility while outwardly urging him to hurry and leave. If Lungmen's major factions came knocking, Shirou would be in trouble.
At least if he got back now, Penguin Logistics could help shoulder the pressure. The Boss had probably already noticed…though never stated outright, Yith knew the Boss was extremely protective of his people.
The type to scold you verbally while quietly cleaning up your mess.
"Got it… but where should I run?"
After confirming things, Shirou realized he could no longer hear the hooded person. Yith had indeed cut the communication.
"Where? Back to the dorm, obviously! Stop standing there, if others find you, you are in trouble."
Yith was already thinking about properly introducing Shirou to Lungmen's major factions.
Shirou might not stir up trouble like the Texas team, but with that kind of presence, he was practically a walking spotlight.
After that explosion, his name would definitely spread among Lungmen's major powers.
Although the biggest players had already made contact.
Even Lungmen's ruler had sent people to observe or more accurately to monitor Shirou.
That likely started around the time Shirou met Chen. Yith could only complain internally about how excessive that level of attention was.
Sending the Black Raincoats over something like this? That was beyond overprotective.
And now… the Black Raincoat tailing Shirou was probably the biggest problem. If they came knocking, it would not be easy to refuse.
They needed to leave before the other side reacted.
Otherwise, someone as straightforward as Shirou would be chewed up and spit out without even leaving bones behind.
"Okay."
Even though Shirou did not fully understand, he followed Yith's instructions.
As usual, he took a shortcut—jumping down from a high building.
Most people's attention had been drawn to the massive explosion caused by the Broken Phantasm. This area was practically empty.
Everyone had run off to watch the spectacle. Shirou could not help but reflect on how much Lungmen's people loved a good show.
Even in the middle of the night, they would flock to anything exciting.
After landing, Shirou immediately headed toward the city as instructed.
On the way, he slipped into an alley like usual, dispelled his projection, and then reemerged.
"Yith, how much useful intel do you think we got this time? Could we directly catch the mastermind?"
After walking a while, Shirou asked.
The operation had gone smoothly overall, but the impact of that Broken Phantasm had been significant.
From what he saw, at least all the windows in that area had been shattered.
But… there had been no other choice.
If he had not wiped out most of the weapon drone swarm in one strike, letting them scatter and attack randomly would have been far more dangerous.
So he had simply chosen the option that would likely result in fewer injuries.
"No idea. Maybe that guy was just a decoy. Intelligence work is not something you can just 'figure out and it works.' Every operation should be approached with the expectation that you might gain nothing at all even after putting in a huge amount of effort."
While preparing a simplified report of what just happened to send to the Boss, Yith took a moment to answer Shirou's question.
He had always been reminding Shirou not to rush things when it came to intelligence gathering.
But from the looks of it, compared to gathering intel, Shirou cared more about the safety of others.
If he kept acting like this, he would never become an excellent intelligence operative.
That said, it was not a bad thing either. After witnessing that "firework," Yith felt it was better for Shirou to remain kind, at least it reduced the risk of other problems arising.
He definitely did not want to wake up one day to find half of Lungmen gone.
"You are right. I was too impatient."
After hearing Yith's long explanation, Shirou adjusted his mindset slightly.
"Being impatient just means you care a lot about this matter. Look on the bright side, ever since you started investigating, the number of missing people has dropped significantly. And now we might have new progress. It may not be enough to wipe them all out, but it is still a solid step forward."
Through the earpiece, Yith could hear the disappointment in Shirou's tone.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to reframe things for him.
After all, any situation could be viewed from a pessimistic or an optimistic perspective, it all depended on the individual.
Previously, since he was teaching, Yith usually used more pessimistic examples because they were easier to remember.
"If that is the case, then that is good."
Shirou could tell Yith was trying to comfort him, but what he said did make sense.
As expected of someone experienced in society, he could easily present the same situation from two completely different angles.
"…"
Just as Shirou was about to leave the slum area, he suddenly felt something strange.
It seemed like someone was following him.
And not just one person but there were quite a few.
Were they targeting him?
He did not sense any obvious hostility but he could not rule it out either.
Thinking this, Shirou instinctively reached for his hood only to grab empty air, remembering he was wearing a Penguin Logistics jacket.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue, Shirou pretended to rub his shoulder and continued walking as before.
Yith had taught him that if you were being followed, the first thing was not to panic.
Once you panicked, things could go wrong easily. Stay calm, and start assessing what tools you had to fight back.
As for that part, Shirou could skip it entirely. As long as he had magical energy, he had plenty of ways to respond…long-range, close combat, offense, defense.
But he had no intention of fighting. He was not a battle maniac. If a fight could be avoided, then it should be avoided.
So his plan was simple, when he reached the next corner, he would use reinforcement magecraft to shake off whoever was behind him.
Acting normal, Shirou walked to the next turn. The moment he rounded the corner, he activated reinforcement and sprinted at full speed.
"Hm? Shirou, are you being chased?"
Hearing the strong wind noise from Shirou's side, Yith stopped what he was doing and pulled up nearby surveillance feeds.
"I just felt like someone was following me. I think I have shaken them off now."
After running a certain distance, that strange feeling disappeared.
Ever since coming to this world, it felt like he had gained some subtle new instincts…
Looking around, Shirou pondered.
Whether it was sensing hostility or this heightened awareness, if his body had not felt perfectly fine, he might have suspected something strange had fused into him.
"Someone was chasing you…"
Hearing this, Yith quickly reviewed the footage from earlier.
There was nothing unusual, it just showed Shirou walking alone.
Switching to the current feed and adjusting the angle from the last stretch Shirou had walked, three or four shadowy figures suddenly appeared.
They were distant and blurry and most people would probably overlook them entirely.
But Yith was not most people.
He knew exactly what those figures were.
They were the Black Raincoats who had been tailing Shirou.
In the footage, one of them pointed in the direction Shirou had left, then pointed upward before they all withdrew.
"Sigh… explosions feel great in the moment, but they lead to overtime hell."
Those gestures were simple enough…someone above wanted to see Shirou.
And above the Black Raincoats was Lungmen's ruler.
A very cautious individual. For someone like Shirou who was powerful yet with an unclear background, they would likely take a firm approach.
Still, with Penguin Logistics acting as a shield, things probably would not get too bad.
"Hm? Why did you suddenly say that? More overtime again? You seem to work overtime a lot… how about I bring you a lunchbox in a couple of days?"
The very culprit behind Yith's recent overtime casually asked.
"…Yes. Anything is fine. I eat everything."
After hesitating for a while, Yith decided not to argue with Shirou about the overtime anymore.
Since people were already coming after him, Shirou would soon be joining him in the ranks of the suffering anyway.
Yith knew very well that Shirou absolutely hated people who spoke in riddles.
And coincidentally, the person looking for him was exactly the kind who spoke in nothing but riddles.
Thinking this way, Yith felt much better.
As long as he could spread his suffering to others, his own burden would feel lighter.
"Alright. Want me to prepare a portion for the Boss too?"
During Yith's brief silence, Shirou had the distinct feeling that the man had already come up with some way to mess with him.
Faced with such a chaos-loving individual, Shirou decided to return the favor.
Kotomine style ultra-spicy Mapo Tofu, it was decided.
Well he was just saying. He did not actually have the exact recipe, but he could make something similar. Rin had made it before, after all.
Out of courtesy, he also asked about the Boss's portion.
From what he remembered, Yith worked quite close to the Boss.
"Make it together. Just prepare something that pairs well with alcohol."
Knowing that the Boss was listening in on the conversation, Yith did not refuse.
At worst, he would be the one to bear the consequences.
He was already used to being flooded with messages from Exusiai, Croissant, and Sora, recently mostly about Shirou's cooking.
Texas was the only reasonable one, she rarely sent anything unless she really liked it.
Compared to the others spamming nonstop, Texas had only sent a dozen or so photos and most of them were desserts, especially chocolate-based ones.
"…Alcohol?"
The moment Shirou heard that word, he felt a bit troubled.
He did not drink. But here, drinking seemed to be the norm.
Even the people at Penguin Logistics would drink during parties.
He did not mind others drinking, just do not make him drink.
It was just that… the way they acted after drinking…
It was a bit messy.
Better not think about it. After witnessing it a few times, Shirou had become even more determined to stay away from alcohol.
"No pressure. Just keep it simple."
Hearing the hesitation in Shirou's tone, Yith added that reassurance.
"I will do my best."
Shirou thought for a moment. There was something similar to salmon, perfect for cooking.
And since the Boss was a penguin… he probably liked fish, right?
In Shirou's mind, zoo animals were usually fed fish.
So… it should be the same here, right?
At that moment, the rational part of his brain told him not to compare animals from his world to those here.
But his thoughts stubbornly continued making the connection anyway.
"…Good luck."
Seeing Shirou like this, Yith decided to offer some verbal encouragement.
That simple "good luck" carried a lot of meaning, it was about the lunchbox, the overtime Shirou caused and the riddle-speaking person coming for him.
He could only hope Shirou would not be crushed by what was coming next.
"Hm? Oh, okay."
Shirou still had no idea what that "good luck" truly implied.
If he had known, he probably would have added strawberries into Yith's Mapo Tofu.