"This and this I do not want. Bring me one of everything else."
Inside a small, ordinary restaurant in the slums, Lappland was placing her order with the shop owner while holding a menu.
Her ordering method was also rather unusual. Instead of selecting what she wanted, she pointed out what she did not want.
"You are really…"
Seeing her bold way of ordering, Shirou's mouth twitched slightly.
Even though he was not the one paying, this was still the first time he had seen someone order like this.
"No problem, no problem. If you cannot finish it, just take it back for Texas."
Lappland did not seem to care at all, still maintaining a very casual attitude.
After sending the others away, Lappland narrowed her eyes slightly and asked Shirou:
"So, can you tell me now? About Texas."
"..."
The excited and expectant expression on her face was clearly reflected in Shirou's eyes.
He did not know the exact relationship between Lappland and Texas, but he knew that Texas seemed to have some lingering issues about her past.
From Exusiai, he had once heard a sentence: "One day, her past will catch up with her."
Shirou was not sure whether Lappland was that "past." Even if she was not, there was definitely some connection.
He had only two options: try to let Lappland meet Texas, or prevent any contact between the two.
He chose the latter.
Mainly because Lappland's behavior so far had been too unpredictable. Shirou did not dare let her meet Texas.
Especially since Lappland seemed to enjoy provoking others with her words.
"Hm? You are not going to say anything? That is fine. Then let us talk about something else. That short blade of yours, how did you get it? Was it a gift from Texas?"
Seeing Shirou avert his gaze, Lappland immediately understood his intention.
That was normal. He definitely knew Texas and might even have a special relationship with her. It was impossible for him to casually reveal information about "his own people."
At least, she did not think Texas would associate with someone like this, though she could not rule out the possibility that Texas had changed over the years.
"Yes. It was a gift from her. A birthday present."
After a brief moment of thought, Shirou replied.
At the same time, he tried to steer the conversation toward himself, attempting to divert the topic.
"Ah, I see. A relationship close enough for birthday gifts? I have never received one like that. Looks like your relationship with Texas is really good."
Unfortunately, Shirou's attempt to change the topic failed. Lappland's attention seemed entirely fixed on Texas.
This was troublesome. The last time he met someone this difficult to talk to…
It might have been that golden-haired guy.
Both were quite self-centered, though compared to him, Lappland was slightly easier to deal with.
Thinking of this, Shirou felt his mindset improve a little.
At least with that comparison, Lappland felt like a minor issue.
Her verbal attacks were not even as harsh as that "golden guy." She was just overly fixated on Texas.
"Tch, you really are hard to deal with."
Seeing Shirou fall silent again, Lappland clicked her tongue.
She originally intended to ask about Texas' current situation, but the man in front of her was completely uncooperative, saying nothing.
Even when he did speak, it was only things she had already guessed.
"Sorry for being hard to deal with!"
Shirou replied unhappily.
It was not that he refused to answer, but her questions were simply too sharp and specific.
Texas this, Texas that, how was he supposed to respond?
All he knew about Texas was her eating preferences and that she was good with swords. She was not the type to express herself much so Shirou could only slowly learn about her over time.
And Lapland's behavior resembled that of a stalker which made Shirou even more reluctant to answer difficult questions and often caused him to stay silent.
Just as Lappland was considering whether to use another method to make Shirou talk, the dishes she ordered were gradually brought to the table.
"Hm? Are you not eating? I chose this place because of you. Or are you unable to eat food made by an infected?"
Lappland began eating clumsily with chopsticks and noticed that Shirou still had not started eating.
Although the restaurant was somewhat shabby, it served authentic Lungmen cuisine. There was nothing wrong with the appearance or smell. The owner was simply an Infected, which made few people willing to come.
Only Infected people came here, and they generally did not have much money.
However, neither Shirou nor Lappland minded this. Lappland herself was Infected, so she had no issue with it. She was already very used to being an Infected.
So she also understood very well how unwelcome Infected people were.
"No… I already ate a little earlier."
Shirou did not care at all about food made by Infected people.
As long as one understood the basics and proper precautions were taken, there would be no issue. He had also noticed earlier that the owner maintained proper hygiene and safety standards.
When cooking, the gloves on those hands were almost never taken off, and the mask was properly worn as well.
If there was truly anything to criticize, it would be that the cooking environment itself was a bit poor.
In addition, before leaving the shop in Fuyuki, Shirou had already drunk a large bowl of thick soup, so he was not really hungry right now.
"Is that so? Do as you like."
Hearing Shirou's explanation, Lappland narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him.
Soon after, she lowered her head again and continued enjoying her meal. As for how he treated Infected people, that had nothing to do with her.
She only intended to obtain information about Texas from him, nothing more.
Whether he was mad, foolish, or stupid had nothing to do with her.
Unfortunately, she did not get any useful information. Still, at least she confirmed that Texas was indeed in Lungmen.
That alone had already narrowed things down significantly.
"…What is your relationship with Texas?"
Watching her quietly eat, Shirou organized his thoughts and asked.
His understanding of Lappland was only superficial.
Although she seemed somewhat unhinged, her fixation on Texas still made Shirou curious.
"You did not answer my question earlier. Why would you expect me to answer yours?"
Lappland replied calmly.
"I suppose so."
This reaction was also within Shirou's expectations. He had not answered her questions earlier, so it was only natural she would not answer his now.
If she did not still want to extract information from him, she might have already left impatiently.
"However, if you are that curious, you could try asking Texas yourself. Maybe she would tell you if she is in a good mood. Though the chance of that is very low."
While keeping an eye on Shirou's reaction, Lappland suddenly spoke again, a wide smile appearing on her face.
Then Shirou noticed it.
Lappland lightly clenched her teeth. Her smile became slightly forced.
Her hand movements slowed. Her breathing became somewhat irregular.
Even a bead of cold sweat slid down her cheek.
However, Lappland hid it well. If Shirou had not been paying close attention, he would not have noticed these subtle details at all.
"Is it an attack of Oripathy? Are you alright?"
Seeing her condition, Shirou asked.
Since she was an Infected, his first assumption was that it was an Oripathy flare-up.
He had not seen any external injuries on her just now, and from the way she had still been able to toy with the people surrounding her earlier, she did not seem to have internal injuries either.
Moreover, the symptoms were similar to what he had seen from Rope and other children.
"Compared to muscle soreness after cutting people down, this much pain is nothing. Or are you afraid now?"
After enduring the initial wave of pain, Lappland quickly regained her composure.
It had only been a sudden flare-up.
But compared to injuries from combat, this level of pain truly meant nothing to her.
"Sigh… wait here for a moment."
After confirming it was an Oripathy episode, Shirou stood up and left the restaurant.
"Hah, acting like a good person, but in the end you are still terrified of Oripathy."
Watching Shirou leave without hesitation, Lappland let out a soft snort.
What a pity about the food on the table. She could not have him take it to Texas anymore; she would have to finish it herself.
She was not surprised by his reaction.
Infected people were supposed to be feared and avoided. She did not care about such things anyway.
After taking a deep breath and stabilizing herself, Lappland continued clearing the dishes.
At least she should finish what could not be packed first. The rest she could take away.
A few minutes later, someone sat down in front of her again.
"Sorry, that seat is taken. I do not know if they will come back though… hm? Is it you?"
Still looking down, Lappland noticed it immediately and reminded the person, then realized it was Shirou.
She did not know why he had come back.
Probably he regretted not eating anything after being around an Infected for so long?
"Take this first. You know how to use a suppressant, right?"
Ignoring her words, Shirou pushed a suppressant in front of her.
It was something he had bought earlier. After meeting Rosmontis and becoming acquainted with Rhodes Island's Lungmen office, he had stopped giving it to the children regularly and only kept it as emergency stock.
These suppressants had a long shelf life, and since Shirou had stored them properly, they were still usable.
"…You went out just to buy this? I remember it is hard to get in the slums, right?"
Looking at the suppressant in front of her, Lappland put down her chopsticks and asked.
She did not directly take it and use it.
From what she knew, suppressants sold in the Lungmen slums often contained strange additives. These reduced their effectiveness and could even cause mild physical discomfort.
More importantly, she was not used to receiving this kind of goodwill.
"This was bought earlier in the city area. I kept it stored as emergency medicine. It should still be usable."
Seeing that she did not intend to take it, Shirou deliberately opened the packaging, assembled it, and then handed it to her.
He did it on purpose. Once the packaging was opened, if it was not used immediately, the suppressant would basically go to waste.
"Emergency medicine… so are you also infected?"
Hearing Shirou's words, Lappland took it and examined it briefly.
It was indeed not the low-quality stuff sold in the slums, and the packaging had no issues either.
After injecting the suppressant, the pain caused by Oripathy in her body did ease slightly.
"No. I am not an Infected. I just know some people who are infected."
Shirou shook his head, denying Lappland's words, and handed her a bandage.
Since she had injected medicine, using a bandage to stop minor bleeding was reasonable.
He had also packed adhesive bandages and a small roll of bandages in his bag.
"Oh? My impression of you has changed. I thought you were just a coward afraid of Infected people. Turns out I misjudged you. But even after I spoke to you like that, you still went out of your way to get a suppressant for me?"
Lappland did not directly thank him. Instead, she questioned him.
She wanted to know why, even after she had verbally attacked him, he still gave her a suppressant.
Suppressants were not cheap, especially for an Infected person who could not leave the slums.
Shirou could have used this to demand something in return, but he did not ask for anything at all. He simply handed it over, even breaking the packaging just to force her to use it.
"If it is just sitting there, it is the same no matter who uses it. I just happened to have one."
Although still not fully used to Lappland's tone, Shirou felt he had gradually adapted to it.
After all, he had heard worse and more vicious words before.
"Even if I have been rude to you the entire time?"
Lappland pressed further, staring directly into his eyes.
"Hmm… well, you are acquainted with Texas. I do not really know what your relationship is, but I cannot just ignore it, right?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirou replied.
"Ha! You really are a good person!"
Hearing his answer, Lappland could not help but laugh.
The reason was simple. Thinking that Texas would actually be close to someone like this, even giving gifts to him, she found it amusing.
It seemed Texas had changed quite a bit in places she did not know about.
"You cannot really call it being a good person, right? If you temper it with kindness, people become a bit more refined, I guess."
Hearing Lappland's evaluation of him, Shirou's mouth twitched slightly.
He took back his earlier thought. He still had not gotten used to her way of speaking, and it would probably take a long time before he did.