After hearing Shirou's words, Chen shook her head and said:
"How could I not recognize my own sword? Look if this were my Chi Xiao, then I should not be able to draw it…"
As she spoke, Chen gripped the hilt and tried to pull the Chi Xiao from its sheath.
Unfortunately, no matter how much force she used, the sword did not budge at all.
"Wait! Something has to be wrong!"
Stopping, she adjusted her stance and tried again.
She refused to accept that she had mistaken her own sword.
Still, it would not move. Just like usual, the Chi Xiao in her hand could not be drawn at will.
"That is why I said this one is yours."
Seeing the veins bulging on Chen's hands and her flushed face from exertion, Shirou took a few steps back.
Just in case she suddenly succeeded in drawing it and accidentally cut him along with it. If that happened, he really would have to withdraw from his Guard Department newbie work and focus on recovery.
"…Haa…"
After about ten seconds, confirming that the sword would not come out, Chen reached a conclusion.
The Chi Xiao Shirou produced must be identical to hers.
With that thought, she stopped and reached for the other Chi Xiao at her waist.
This time, it slid out smoothly.
"..."
Silently, Chen sheathed the one in her hand and handed the other Chi Xiao to Shirou.
"Do not tell anyone. Especially that brat Swire."
Placing the sword in Shirou's hands, she spoke through clenched teeth.
This was too embarrassing. Too humiliating. Not only had she mistaken her own sword, she had needed someone else to point it out.
It was not as if she relied solely on whether it could be drawn easily to identify it. The feel of the blade after being unsheathed was slightly different between the two.
However, while both were still in their sheaths, that difference could not be used as a reference.
Chen guessed that while examining it earlier, she had unconsciously put it at her waist out of habit. Then, before coming here, she had brought her own Chi Xiao as well, leading to the mix-up.
Even though she felt embarrassed enough to dig through the floor, what was done was done. All she could do now was hope Shirou would keep quiet about it.
Especially from Swire. Otherwise, she would never hear the end of it.
"…I think it might already be too late?"
Hearing Chen's request especially when she mentioned Swire Shirou glanced toward Hoshiguma and Swire.
Both of them were looking this way with teasing smiles.
If Swire's eyes had not still been slightly red, he might have thought her earlier distress had been an illusion.
"…Hah… forget it. Let us talk about this Chi Xiao of yours."
Chen took a deep breath, glanced back briefly, then turned forward again, deciding not to dwell on it.
Even calling it "your Chi Xiao" felt strange to her.
It gave her an odd sense that something belonging to her had become someone else's.
Only by touching the Chi Xiao at her waist could she suppress that feeling.
"It is a long story."
After thinking for a moment, Shirou replied.
"Then make it short. It should be related to that Originium Art of yours that lets you produce weapons, right?"
Hearing that, Chen sat down on a nearby chair and voiced her assumption.
"Yes. I can reproduce objects that I understand… like this."
Following her line of thought, Shirou explained while using Projection Magecraft to recreate the standard-issue sword at Chen's waist.
This sword was far more ordinary. It did not carry the same pressure as when he projected Chi Xiao.
As for Chi Xiao… Shirou planned to keep it back at his dorm. After all, it was the first Originium-based weapon he had successfully projected.
Also, he had a feeling that dismissing this Chi Xiao might be somewhat dangerous.
Perhaps it was because it had been formed using Originium dust. If he simply removed the sword's form, it might revert to its original state.
In any case, keeping it like this seemed fine, so he decided to hold onto the projected Chi Xiao.
"Can you reproduce anything?"
Taking the standard sword from Shirou, Chen could tell that it was identical to her own and even the wear marks were exactly the same.
Obtaining a standard sword was not difficult, but these exact same usage marks was something only her own blade would have.
That alone made her believe Shirou's explanation by more than eighty percent.
"I cannot make things related to Originium. As for other objects, it depends on whether I can handle the energy consumption. Bladed weapons require relatively little energy. For other things, it depends on what they are."
As he spoke, Shirou projected another standard-issue shield used by the Guard Department.
Compared to the earlier projection of standard swords, the consumption for the shield was noticeably higher—Shirou estimated it was almost equivalent to projecting the standard issue swords.
"That is quite exaggerated… you call this projection? If you cannot project Originium-based items, then what about Chi Xiao?"
Listening to Shirou's explanation and looking at the shield in his hand, Chen could not help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.
She was now certain of one thing: Shirou could enter a fight empty-handed and still overwhelm everyone, filling whatever role the team lacked.
Vanguard, Defender, Sniper—most of the Guard Department's structure revolved around these three roles, and he could cover all of them.
As for Casters? His firepower was even greater than theirs.
…No, no. Why was she thinking about tactical deployment again?
Chen quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind and focused on the contradiction in Shirou's explanation. If he truly could not project Originium-related items, then how did Chi Xiao fit into this?
After all, Chi Xiao itself was forged using Originium-based techniques by Raythean Industries. In simple terms, it was a product of Originium.
"I am not entirely sure either… but at the time I was surrounded by Originium dust. Maybe I unconsciously used that as a base for the projection?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirou shared his guess.
He had already tested it and whether it was Chi Xiao or Texas's light sword, he could only produce empty shells.
The only difference back then was the presence of a large amount of Originium dust.
Using that dust as a foundation, the projected Chi Xiao had come very close to the original.
But only close, it was not equal.
No matter how much someone imitated or studied another, they would never truly become that person. At best, they could only resemble them to some degree.
"I see. That makes sense."
After getting his answer, Chen leaned back in her chair and gently rubbed her brow.
Too many things had happened today. She had been led around by criminals in the morning, then received Shirou's report, and later spent time handling the aftermath.
After visiting Shirou, she still had to go back and interrogate the remaining suspects.
An ordinary person would have collapsed from exhaustion by now, but for Chen, it was only mild fatigue.
The real reason she was massaging her brow was that Shirou's explanation was shaking her understanding of reality.
Both the ability called "projection" and the fact that he had reproduced Chi Xiao and used its techniques…
"Wait. Shirou, how do you know how to use the drawing slash?"
Sitting upright again, Chen suddenly asked.
When she had been cooperating with him while hiding her identity, she had not carried Chi Xiao.
And ever since Shirou started working with the Guard Department, she had almost never used it.
With him around, she simply had no need to rely on Chi Xiao in combat.
So aside from maintenance, she had barely used it recently.
"That? Like I said earlier, I need to understand or analyze the weapon first, then project it. During that process, I can obtain some of the user's techniques."
As Shirou explained, Chen's expression gradually darkened.
Unaware of it, he continued:
"Although I can acquire some knowledge from it, my effectiveness is only about fifty to sixty percent. To truly master it, I still need to practice a lot to get close to the original user's skill."
"Fifty to sixty percent…"
Hearing that, Chen recalled the traces left by that strike earlier.
She felt he was downplaying it. That level was already nearly on par with her so how could he call it just fifty to sixty percent?
"…Hm?"
Only after she spoke did Shirou notice something was off with her expression.
Then it hit him, she was the original owner, and he had essentially copied both her weapon and her technique, and was now talking about how much he had "learned" right in front of her.
"Uh… Officer Chen, please calm down."
Swallowing nervously, Shirou tried to placate her.
Anywhere else might be fine, but this was a hospital. Causing a scene here would not be good.
And those expensive medical devices, whether Chen could afford them or not, he definitely could not.
"Do not worry. I am very calm. I was not there when you used the technique, but I saw the results just now. Compared to me, it is not inferior at all. How can you say it is only fifty to sixty percent?"
To reassure him, Chen crossed her arms and gave a gentle smile.
If not for the way her index finger kept tapping against her arm, Shirou might have believed her.
Even that "gentle" smile looked anything but reassuring to him.
"Well… there are other factors involved too. Like this."
Faced with the situation, Shirou hurriedly added more explanation.
He picked up a pen he had been using to mark his medical report and applied reinforcement magecraft to it.
Then, holding the projected standard sword, he struck the blade against the pen.
Clang—a harsh metallic sound rang out.
He then handed the pen to Chen for inspection.
"It is made of plastic, but after being struck by the blade, it is completely unharmed?"
Seeing the scene before her that completely defied common sense, Chen immediately threw all her previous thoughts to the back of her mind.
She still felt a bit bothered that the swordsmanship she had spent years mastering with Chi Xiao had been learned so easily by someone else. But for now, Shirou had only shown the basic drawing slash. As long as he had not reached the level of "Shadowless," she could still tolerate it.
She had trained for years to reach that stage. If someone skipped straight to it, she truly would not be able to accept it.
With that, her attention shifted entirely to the pen in her hand.
"Phew… that pen is borrowed. Do not break it."
Seeing that her focus had changed, Shirou let out a quiet sigh of relief and gave a small reminder.
"Hm? I know."
After being reminded, Chen stopped herself from trying to snap the pen with her hands and instead lightly tapped it, carefully testing it.
Watching as her attention became fully absorbed in comparing the pen and the projected standard sword, Shirou quietly stepped aside and greeted the others who had been observing for a while.
"Finished talking?"
Looking at Shirou approaching, Hoshiguma rested her head on her hand and asked with a smile.
"I think so? I was honestly worried she might suddenly draw her sword just now…"
Glancing at Chen, who had already drawn her standard sword and was studying the details, Shirou replied.
"Chen really cares about Chi Xiao. If you were not still wearing hospital clothes, she would probably have asked you to take it and spar with her already."
Hoshiguma explained casually.
To Chen, Chi Xiao was extremely important, so her earlier reaction was not surprising.
If there was anything surprising, it was that she had actually mistaken her own sword.
Fortunately, Hoshiguma had secretly recorded a short clip on her phone. It would make for excellent teasing material later.
At the same time it also proved something, Shirou's projected Chi Xiao was nearly indistinguishable from the real one, considering even Chen herself had failed to tell the difference.
"I can understand how she feels. I just was not careful with what I said earlier."
Shirou nodded. He could understand it.
He had essentially been rubbing salt into her wounds the entire time, which led to that tense moment.
If he had been more mindful with his words, her reaction would not have been so intense.
"It is fine. That 'rice noodle dragon' is not going down over something like this. Honestly, seeing her embarrassed like that improved my mood quite a bit. Too bad I did not take a picture of it!"
At this point, Swire had mostly recovered. Aside from slightly swollen eyes, she looked more or less like her usual self.
"I am not sending you the photo, Missy."
Noticing Swire's very obvious hint, Hoshiguma refused without hesitation.
It was not that she was being stingy, it was simply that giving it to her would only encourage her further.
And then she, stuck in the middle trying to mediate, would suffer for it. On top of that, Chen would definitely trace the photo back to her and demand it be deleted.
This was a rare embarrassing moment for Chen.
At the very least, Hoshiguma intended to save copies everywhere before even considering sharing it.