Until the "Bad Guy" finally took off, Shirou had been under Lappland's rather unsettling gaze.
It was as if she had taken the phrase "staring until it makes your skin crawl" to the extreme.
In the end, to escape the situation, Shirou deliberately sat beside Texas, asking her to share the burden of that gaze.
"I will make you a chocolate cake later."
As compensation, he promised to make her a special chocolate cake like the one before.
Normally, he avoided making such desserts due to dietary control for everyone, but since he was asking for help, he had to offer something in return.
"…Make it two."
Looking at Shirou, Texas did not quite understand why he was being targeted by Lappland to this extent, or why he needed her to share the attention.
Still, his sincerity was clear, and he rarely asked her for favors, so she agreed.
One cake would have been enough for herself, but she kept her teammates in mind and asked for two.
"Deal."
Having found his savior, Shirou immediately agreed.
In truth, even without Texas, it would not have mattered much. Once the aircraft took off, everyone's attention shifted outside.
The Rhodes Island members were clearly used to this. They remained seated, handling their own tasks.
Ace and Scout were maintaining their weapons. Amiya and Rosmontis were using their terminals to arrange upcoming work.
As for Blaze… she had fallen completely asleep while drooling slightly.
On the other side, those riding an aircraft for the first time were all crowded around the small windows, staring outside.
"So this is what it looks like from above? It looks so empty!"
Exusiai pressed her entire face against the window as she spoke.
"And we do not have to worry about encountering infected creatures!"
On the other side, Croissant was just as glued to the window. Unlike Exusiai, who admired the view, Croissant was more concerned about whether they would run into enemies.
After all, she was the one who had to stand on the front line with a shield. Fighting was exhausting.
"Do not dirty their windows…"
Watching their faces distort against the glass, Shirou gave a mild reminder.a
Unfortunately, in their excitement, no one paid attention.
Still, that worked out well for Shirou—he finally had some time to rest.
At first, he had been interested too, but all the windows were already occupied, and he had no intention of squeezing in. So he simply sat aside to rest.
After all, it was just flying. In the memories, he had often flown with Kiritsugu.
As an aircraft, the "Bad Guy" was naturally much faster than ground vehicles. What would have taken Texas half a day by car took less than half that time.
Soon, they caught sight of Rhodes Island in the distance.
A massive landship.
Even the Penguin Logistics members, who were not particularly interested in such things, found it novel let alone Shirou who had always been interested in this kind of machinery.
He now squeezed in beside Exusiai, looking out at Rhodes Island.
Unlike the others, he could make out many details.
That was the advantage of good eyesight.
As for Croissant, because of her horns, which might poke someone she could only lean against the top of Shirou's head.
It was not a bad place to rest, though the halo lighting nearby was a bit too bright.
"… "
Meanwhile, Kal'tsit had been observing Shirou throughout the journey, reassessing his level of risk.
So far, her evaluation had not changed much.
At present, he displayed a youthful vitality that matched his appearance. If she remembered correctly, Shirou was around twenty… no, based on partial medical data from the office, he was likely even younger and was still in a growth phase.
Around seventeen or eighteen, perhaps.
Not that it made much difference to her.
The reason for reassessment was simple.
After Shirou came into contact with the so-called magical crystal, he had shown abnormalities. Amiya had also reported that his emotional fluctuations had become unstable.
There was a clear increase in negative emotions.
To Kal'tsit, this was a warning sign. There might be an unusual connection between Shirou and that crystal.
And that was not a good thing.
Rhodes Island needed young people who carried hope not those bound by the weight of the past like herself.
For now… it seemed manageable.
But she would need to remind Amiya to prevent Shirou from coming into contact with that crystal again.
While everyone aboard the "Bad Guy" was lost in their own thoughts, the aircraft had already landed smoothly on Rhodes Island's deck.
Before Shirou could even take in the view, he was grabbed by the members of Penguin Logistics and immediately handed over to Amiya for a medical examination.
"Is there really a need to rush this much?"
Barely having set foot on the ground before being dragged away, Shirou could only show a face full of resignation.
Along the way, Shirou could see that Rhodes Island was filled with many people. Some wore black coats bearing the Rhodes Island emblem and were busy with their work, but even more were dressed in ordinary clothing.
There were even many doctors in white coats moving about.
So Rhodes Island really was a pharmaceutical company.
After arriving at the destination, Shirou was immediately taken to have several tubes of fresh blood drawn, and then sent off to other departments.
A small portion of that blood would be used for routine examination.
As for the rest…
A large number of people were already prepared to spend the entire night researching it.
It had to be said that Rhodes Island's medical equipment looked far more advanced than what he had seen at the Lungmen office, and it was also very comprehensive.
With doctors in white coats constantly coming and going, Shirou finally understood why Amiya had been so insistent on recommending this place for Rope.
"The examination process will be a bit complicated. During this time, everyone from Penguin Logistics can go choose your rooms first."
Amiya personally led them over and spoke to the others.
Her main concern was to keep the matter of Shirou being immune to Oripathy confidential. She was not sure whether Shirou had told them, so she made arrangements on her own.
Of course, Rope and Lappland would also undergo examinations separately. Shirou's case was prioritized because of his earlier reaction to the magical crystal.
And this time, it would be personally handled by Kal'tsit.
As the head of the medical department, Kal'tsit naturally had the authority to assign such work to herself.
"Can we not stay with him?"
Hearing Amiya's words, Sora asked.
Leaving Shirou alone did not feel quite right to her.
"Of course you can! However, the examination process is somewhat private, so you would still have to wait outside. I would suggest that you first go to the personnel department to complete the necessary procedures and choose your rooms. That way, you will have more time later to explore other parts of Rhodes Island."
Instead of refusing outright, Amiya patiently explained the situation.
"I will be fine. You can go ahead."
Watching the four of them huddle together to discuss, Shirou found it a bit amusing.
He was not a child and there was no issue with undergoing a medical examination alone.
"…Alright."
After hearing Shirou's reassurance, they did not insist further.
After all, they still had a task from their boss: to learn more about Rhodes Island.
Once their plans were settled, the group split up.
The four members of Penguin Logistics, along with Rope and Lappland, went to the personnel department, while Shirou followed Amiya for his examination.
"Um… about earlier, I am very sorry. I did not expect the item left behind by Mister Nameless to affect you."
Now that only the two of them remained, Amiya, walking ahead, spoke up.
If she had known it would affect Shirou, she would never have taken it out.
Even now, she could still sense that something seemed to be eroding his mind.
Though it was much better than before.
"It is fine. I did not know either or rather I sensed the danger but I still chose to touch it."
Hearing her apology, Shirou realized she was still troubled by what had happened.
Strictly speaking, it was his own responsibility. He had sensed the danger, yet chose to proceed anyway.
He had ignored his own body's warning.
"…I understand. Still, could we talk alone sometime later? I am quite curious about your world. A place without Oripathy… it sounds wonderful." (T.n; lol)
Amiya, who could read emotions, knew that Shirou was being sincere.
But it did not fully ease her guilt.
So she changed the topic.
She had always been curious about the place Shirou came from, Earth. But Mister Nameless had never talked about it.
A world without Oripathy sounded almost like a fairy tale.
"…Of course. But I am just an ordinary person. I might not have much to share."
Seeing the longing in her expression, Shirou found it difficult to refuse such a small request.
"Wonderful"… the word sounded a bit ironic to him.
"That is even better. I want to hear about ordinary daily life."
Amiya did not actively read his emotions this time, so she did not notice his discomfort.
After all, it was just a normal conversation. There was no need for that.
Besides, constantly reading others' emotions was neither polite nor easy for her.
"…Let us arrange another time, then."
Shirou replied awkwardly.
Because if it came to being "ordinary"… he was not exactly that.
Most of his memories were spent striving to become a hero of justice. He was certain that ordinary people led far more colorful lives than he did.
Still, at this point, he could not refuse.
He would just have to recall some details from his school days.
After that, the rest of the journey was filled with Amiya explaining things about Rhodes Island, while Shirou followed behind, listening quietly.
Compared to the impression he had of her before, Amiya now seemed just like a little girl, enthusiastically introducing Rhodes Island to Shirou.
Seeing how excited she was, Shirou did not interrupt. Instead, he went along with her, responding from time to time.
It was not until Amiya brought him to the examination area that she finally restrained her expression a little.
Now it was time for serious business so she had to be more composed.
To ensure the confidentiality of Shirou's medical data, this examination would be handled personally by Kal'tsit, while Amiya would be responsible for recording the information.
"Change into this first. You know how to do that right?"
Kal'tsit, who had been waiting for them, immediately pointed to a set of loose examination clothes.
"I do."
Shirou nodded, took the clothes, and went to change.
Basically, he only needed to keep his undergarments on and put the examination gown over them. It was simple.
"Good. Go inside and lie down."
After he came out, Kal'tsit pointed toward a nearby room.
"Understood."
Shirou followed her instructions and lay down on the machine.
The examination process was largely the same as the one at the Lungmen office which included lying on various machines, waiting for scans to complete and then moving to the next one.
The only difference was Kal'tsit's expression as she reviewed the data.
It did not look very reassuring.
After one round of tests, unable to suppress his concern, Shirou asked:
"Um… are the results bad?"
He was genuinely worried. If the results were too poor, he would probably be surrounded and scolded by the people from the Guard Department and Penguin Logistics.
"No. Your data is actually quite good and you are healthier than average. Some values are a bit low, but they can be adjusted with rest and proper nutrition. Why do you ask?"
Hearing his question, Kal'tsit looked up from the data.
"Ah… it is nothing. Doctor Kal'tsit always looks like that when she is focused. There is no need to worry."
Seeing Shirou's concern, Amiya immediately understood what he was thinking.
After all, when Kal'tsit concentrated, she tended to look slightly stern, almost as if she were frowning. It was easy to misunderstand.
Of course, Amiya chose not to say that part out loud.