Looking at the dented front of the car and the completely unconscious driver inside, Shirou used analysis to confirm that the car was only damaged and had no other issues. Only then did he let out a long breath.
It was not due to nervousness. If someone really wanted to injure him with a vehicle, it would at least have to be something on the level of a truck.
Even then, he could still block it, though the commotion would be much greater.
Originally, Shirou had planned to simply cut the car in half. That way, he would not have to take the impact, and the driver would be stopped.
However, considering that the split halves might crash into others, he abandoned that idea.
Another option was to pierce the car with multiple swords to forcibly stop it… but that might result in a vehicle riddled with blades rampaging through the streets.
With time limited, Shirou recalled how Hoshiguma had once forcibly stopped a car using Hannya while on duty.
However, Hoshiguma's physical strength was clearly not something he could match with only partial reinforcement magecraft. His hands were still slightly numb.
These were minor issues. Shirou had plenty of ways to stop the car. The real question was why the driver wanted to ram into him in the first place.
Reunion Movement?
No. Anyone with even a bit of sense would remove such an obvious identifying symbol before doing something so dangerous, unless they were completely insane and wanted notoriety.
So… was it an attempt to worsen public perception of the Reunion Movement?
"What a headache. I will send the information to Yith to analyze."
The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. He simply typed everything into his phone and sent it to Yith, deciding not to think about it further.
Exusiai was right about one thing: everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It was enough to focus on what one was good at.
Although she had originally said that about cooking, which he had firmly rejected, Shirou now felt the statement was very reasonable.
If he tried to figure it out himself, he would probably spend half a day just arriving at an inconclusive observation.
Mainly because the Reunion Movement situation was quite complicated… what he knew was limited to Alina and the hooded figure he had encountered before.
Most of the rest was negative information, which was exactly what troubled him.
But there was no need to worry now. He had handed it over to Is.
"Yo! What a coincidence. Shirou, you are here too?"
A few minutes after Shirou reported to the Guard Department, someone arrived on the scene leading a team.
It was none other than the owner of the Hannya he had just borrowed, Hoshiguma.
Speaking of Hannya, in order to prevent the already-dented car from shifting further, Shirou had not dispelled the projected shield.
And now that the original user had arrived, seeing the intact Hannya propping up the car, Hoshiguma looked at Shirou with a rather subtle expression after greeting him.
That look seemed to say: I treat you like a brother, and you secretly use my stuff behind my back?
"Ahem… misunderstanding, misunderstanding."
Caught red-handed, Shirou gave an awkward laugh and prepared to retract the projected Hannya.
"Hey, I am not blaming you. Do not put it away yet, let me take a look."
Just as Shirou was about to act, Hoshiguma stopped him.
She knew that Chen's Chixiao had once been projected by Shirou.
If she remembered correctly… it was currently with Shirou, right? In any case, whenever that topic came up, Chen would completely refuse to discuss it, afraid that she or Swire would make fun of her.
After all, they had both witnessed the moment Chen mistook the projected Chixiao for her own, from start to finish.
Now that her own favorite weapon had been projected, she was very curious about just how similar the two really were.
Holding her own Hannya in her left hand, Hoshiguma reached out with her right and lifted the other Hannya in front of the car.
Aside from some damage caused by the recent impact, everything else from appearance to weight and feel was indeed very similar to her own.
She could suddenly understand how Chen had felt.
At that moment, Hoshiguma's heart was filled with complicated emotions, though she quickly brushed them aside.
"I will borrow this one. Having two Hannyas seems pretty fun."
With one Hannya in each hand, she combined the two large triangular shields into a square shape, finding it quite amusing.
"…Fine, as long as you are happy. Just do not take it into combat. It would be awkward if it is damaged too much and disappears midway."
Watching Hoshiguma pose with a shield in each hand, Shirou found it rather amusing.
Still, he reminded her about its limitations. Unless he himself wielded them, others could mostly only use these projections as display pieces.
"Got it. Keeping it at home is not bad either. Now tell me what just happened."
Nodding, Hoshiguma indicated she understood. After having Shirou briefly explain the situation, she went to check on the culprit.
After all, Shirou was already a familiar face to the Guard Department, so there was no need to go into too much detail. Besides, he was the victim.
Actually, no, the car that had been hit by the flying wheel was the real victim. They would need to find a way to contact its owner later.
After briefly describing what happened, Shirou watched as Hoshiguma, carrying two Hannyas, went off to handle the aftermath, mainly cleaning up the scene.
He also retrieved his phone from the bicycle basket, sent a message to Penguin Logistics saying he would be back late and that they should order takeout, then followed Hoshiguma past the cordon to look at the perpetrator.
He could have left, but compared to going back, he was more interested in this person.
Gathering more information would help Yith make a better judgment.
At the scene, although the front of the car was severely damaged, the driver had only minor injuries, thanks to the airbags.
"An unregistered infected. There is nothing inside the car either… we checked the license plate, and the registered owner is an elderly man, not this person."
Seeing Hoshiguma arrive, a Guard Department officer reported all the findings and analysis.
Although Hoshiguma's rank was not particularly high, her experience was extensive. Many members still admired her, especially when she had Hannya in hand.
Now that she had two Hannyas, that admiration had doubled.
"An infected, huh… that makes things troublesome. Shirou, do you have any leads?"
Hearing that the attacker was infected, Hoshiguma knew this would be difficult to investigate, so she turned to ask Shirou.
"I delivered a batch of goods today, and also sent a group of infected who tried to rob me to the authorities?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirou recounted what had happened earlier that day.
"Haha, you brought in quite a lot today. Sounds like you were even busier than me!"
Hearing that, Hoshiguma recalled that the Guard Department had indeed arrested a group earlier. She had not expected Shirou to be the one who brought them in.
By that measure, Shirou's "performance" today was quite impressive.
Of course, in the Guard Department, high "performance" also meant poor public safety, which was not good news.
"Do not joke about that… also, this. I remember this is a symbol of some infected organization. You can investigate along those lines, though I think it is more likely a misdirection."
With a helpless sigh at Hoshiguma's teasing, Shirou pointed to the orange armband on the attacker's right arm.
The rest would have to wait until the attacker woke up for interrogation.
"I remember… that is the Reunion Movement, right? Same as the group from last time."
Looking at the orange armband Shirou indicated, Hoshiguma said.
She would not forget it. This was the infected organization that had caused major disturbances in Lungmen recently by causing fires, kidnappings, bombings. The Guard Department had nearly been overwhelmed during that time. If Chief Wei had not brought in Shirou as a temporary reinforcement, they might have collapsed from exhaustion.
But that was not the main point. Reunion, an infected organization originating from Ursus, where infected people were heavily oppressed, had already drawn widespread attention.
Lungmen was one of those paying close attention.
It could not be helped, being so close to Ursus meant any movement had to be monitored carefully.
As far as Hoshiguma knew, those clearly aware of this situation included herself, Chen, Swire, and Chief Wei Yanwu, a total of four people.
Now, Shirou might be added to that list.
Of course, more people likely knew, but Hoshiguma's social circle was limited, so she simply assumed others did not.
"Yeah, I encountered them before… they told me to pay attention to people wearing orange or red armbands, saying those individuals could be reasoned with."
Looking at the perpetrator lying on the ground, with no one daring to approach, Shirou shifted his gaze to the orange armband wrapped around the man's arm.
And beneath the clothes that the Guard Department members had pulled aside for inspection, the black crystalline growths were the main reason why no one dared to get close.
After hesitating for a moment, Shirou projected a coat and covered the man with it to keep him from getting cold and to prevent passersby from noticing that he was an infected.
The situation of the infected was already difficult. If the perpetrator's identity as an infected were exposed because of this incident, it would only make things worse for them.
The only thing he could do was try to offer a little kindness, to see if it might change their thinking.
"You should head back first. If anything comes up, I will contact you."
Seeing Shirou cover the man with a coat, Hoshiguma did not stop him, only offering a gentle suggestion.
Mainly because Shirou's expression did not look very good at the moment.
It was not that she feared he would do anything reckless, but rather that he might overthink things and end up tying himself in knots.
She had seen that look many times. Many new members of the Guard Department had the same expression after going through certain incidents.
At times like this, the best solution was to let them step away from the situation and get some rest.
Chen, Swire, and she herself had all gone through the same thing. After enough experience, they simply learned how to hide those emotions.
From that perspective, Shirou still seemed quite young.
"Yeah… thanks. I will head off first."
Shirou did not refuse Hoshiguma's suggestion. There was nothing more he could do here anyway, and staying might only trouble the officers on site.
After saying goodbye, he went to pick up his bicycle.
He had dropped it rather hastily earlier, but fortunately it was not damaged.
"Phew…"
On the way back, Shirou did not ride his bicycle. Instead, he walked alongside it.
He needed to sort out his emotions. He could not just go back like this, or it would only make things harder for him to go out again later.
Although he usually managed the others, if something happened on his side, their positions would reverse.
He had already experienced this firsthand. Now, no matter how much he said a place was safe, no one believed him.
Take Amiya's request, for example. It was supposed to be a simple task of escorting her in and out of Chernobog, while the more dangerous parts would be handled by Rhodes Island themselves.
Even so, the others still thought it was too dangerous, saying that if he went, Rhodes Island's rescue operation might go from easy mode to nightmare difficulty.
It was ridiculous.
He could not possibly be that…
Well, someone who got robbed in the morning and nearly hit by a car in the afternoon did not exactly have convincing grounds to claim they were not unlucky.
Still, they ultimately agreed to the commission, since Rhodes Island had directly placed the order with Penguin Logistics, with the boss.
With even their boss agreeing, they as employees had no grounds to object.
Walking his bicycle, Shirou returned to the dorm before it got dark.
Since he arrived late and preferred to save electricity, he made his way to the door in near darkness.
"I am back."
Pushing the door open, Shirou saw a large portion of takeout on the table. Thankfully, this time it was not fried food.
But it was still a high-calorie pizza, which he had made just two days ago.
"Welcome back! Hurry and eat, or it will get cold!"
Hearing his voice, Exusiai, sitting on the sofa, turned and called out to him. The slice of pizza in her hand still stretched with melted cheese, clearly loaded with it.
It was not just her, the others' slices looked similar. Watching them try to catch the stretching cheese strands with their mouths to keep them from falling almost made Shirou laugh.
"Alright, I will wash my hands first."
Taking a step forward, Shirou moved from the dim, empty hallway into the lively, laughter-filled living room. The thoughts from earlier were left behind, outside the door.
For now, all he needed to do was enjoy this warm, everyday moment.