"Lucian, sit down."
Texas walked over and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
Lucian thanked her and looked around. "Where's El? She said she was coming, didn't she?"
"She got lost."
Texas looked utterly exasperated. "She took Blaze and wandered the Slums for hours, then somehow ended up back where she started. Then she came to the shop and begged me for directions. But I couldn't leave Croissant to run things alone, so I made Exusiai stay behind."
Lucian made an equally pained expression. "Poor you. She lived with me in the Slums for a while, too. How's she still this bad?"
"Anyway, Texas, how do you know the way? You've barely been here."
Texas replied flatly, "Lungmen and Siracusa aren't that different."
"Knowing where fights can break out, which spots are good for killing without attracting attention—you pick these things up after doing it enough."
"That's terrifying." Lucian shook his head repeatedly.
Sure, it sounded useful, but the way Texas put it was horrifying.
That blank expression while casually discussing murder could silence a crying child.
Meanwhile, Texas glanced at Hoshiguma.
She was busy dealing with Blaze, who wanted to fight her, and seemed to not have noticed their conversation.
Texas murmured, "Good thing Exusiai didn't come. Guns aren't allowed in Lungmen."
"Wait, what? What does El not coming have to do with Guns being banned?"
Lucian was completely lost.
Blaze was an airheaded, steel-straight tomboy—no surprise she hadn't noticed.
But the tension between Lucian and Hoshiguma? That couldn't escape Texas's sharp eyes.
They probably hadn't actually done anything, but more than physical cheating, Exusiai cared about emotional progress.
If Exusiai had seen that atmosphere just now, Texas had no doubt she would have drawn her Gun on the spot.
No opportunity to betray Exusiai—what a relief.
Texas put away her handkerchief. "So, what now? Heading back?"
Blaze raised her hand stubbornly. "Me! I want to fight her!"
Her eyes burned as she stared at Hoshiguma, cat ears standing straight up:
"You won't refuse, right, Hoshiguma? If you're tired, I can wait for you to rest. Or I can go run a hundred laps first so we're on even ground. That should work, right?"
Hoshiguma sighed. "You're really persistent."
At yesterday's drinking party, Hoshiguma had deliberately provoked her to get her talking, and now she'd been marked.
Hoshiguma wasn't violent, but she didn't shy away from a fight either.
If Blaze wanted to throw down, Hoshiguma wouldn't refuse.
But she had concerns.
Hoshiguma pointed at Blaze's bandaged right hand. "You'll get hurt. The wound that's finally healing—it would be stupid to tear it open over something like this."
Blaze puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "Well, thanks for the concern!"
"But it's fine. I'll take that risk myself! I just want a proper fight to settle things. Even if my hand breaks, that's got nothing to do with you!"
Blaze was clearly worked up, talking like a stubborn child.
If someone from Rhodes Island she trusted were here, they might have been able to talk her down. Unfortunately, there wasn't.
So, unexpectedly, the person who stepped up wasn't anyone else—it was Lucian.
He stood in front of Blaze, deadly serious. "Don't treat injuries as a joke!"
His sudden outburst even startled Blaze.
Lucian gripped her shoulders and carefully examined her right arm, continuing: "A through-and-through wound on an arm is hard to heal. If the tendons or even the bone got damaged, it's even worse."
"And you're combat personnel, aren't you? Even after the wound heals, rehab alone will be hell. How long do you think it takes to get back to peak form? How much effort does that take?"
He furrowed his brow and stepped closer to the now-speechless Blaze. "What if you end up with permanent damage? The doctor who worked so hard to patch you up—you want to throw all that away just because you're being reckless? Can you live with that?"
"S-sorry..."
Even the normally willful Blaze crumbled under Lucian's intensity.
"I... I didn't mean... I want the wound to heal too, I wasn't saying that... I'm sorry..."
She stepped back bit by bit, like a child caught misbehaving, her cat ears drooping.
This scene made Hoshiguma and Texas exchange incredulous looks—they almost wanted to applaud.
Watching Blaze's face turn red, Lucian finally caught himself and awkwardly stepped back:
"Sorry, I got too worked up. Anyway, as long as you take care of yourself, that's all that matters. Patients need to be mindful. Alcohol should technically be off-limits too... but whatever, one step at a time. Just avoid intense exercise."
"Y-yeah!"
Blaze nodded frantically. "Thanks, Lucian! You're way gentler than Gavial. She knocks me out first and then patches me up! And your cooking is so good too—I wanna eat more!"
Lucian laughed. "Sure. While you're in Lungmen, I'll cook for you... Also, who's Gavial?"
According to Blaze, Gavial was apparently one of the medical Operators at Rhodes Island.
But what kind of medic beats their patients into submission before treating them?
Just what kind of organization was Rhodes Island...? Another layer of mystery clouded Lucian's mind.
After finishing his sparring session with Hoshiguma, Lucian brought Blaze and Texas home and enjoyed a nice, refreshing bath.
The hands-on practice after so long was exhausting but satisfying.
Now he was sure he wouldn't be a liability on the battlefield. Lucian confirmed he was ready.
After toweling off his hair and returning to the living room, he found only Texas sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.
He looked around. "Where's Blaze?"
"Exusiai just called. She took her to the shop."
Texas bit down on a Pocky stick with a snap. "She's got something to do there. Better than being cooped up here—she gets annoying when she's bored."
Lucian smirked. "Is she a cat or a dog?"
He got it, though. If Exusiai were home, that would be one thing, but the cold and distant Texas wasn't going to entertain Blaze with chitchat.
And Blaze couldn't sit still. Better to send her to the shop to keep Exusiai company.
So today it was just him and Texas alone again.
After that physical workout, Lucian had no desire to go out. He wanted to rest for once.
Texas: "..."
The wolf girl looked at him, then set down her magazine and moved behind him.
She grabbed the towel on his head and started drying his hair for him, saying:
"You're easier to deal with than Exusiai. She can use a hair dryer, but put a towel over her head and she gets dizzy."
"Ah, yeah—all Sankta except me are like that."
Lucian nodded knowingly. "Sankta can't handle anything blocking the space between their head and their Halo. It makes them dizzy and nauseous. Only those who've trained for years can tolerate it—usually people in special professions like the Notarial Hall."
"I see." Texas gave a soft reply.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The only sound was Texas slowly rubbing the towel through his hair.
After the silence had brewed long enough, Texas finally spoke:
"I've bathed together with Exusiai many times. Croissant too. We all know."
Her gaze sharpened. "Blaze's wound on her right hand—it reminded you of Exusiai's gunshot scar on her right arm, didn't it?"