The unsuspecting Minmin ended up being led by Lappland into revealing quite a lot of information.
Thanks to that, Lappland now had a general understanding of Rhodes Island, and also gained a certain level of insight into Shirou.
He was not someone responsible for deliveries but more like a caretaker for Penguin Logistics.
If one were to put it loosely, Shirou was currently taking care of Texas's daily life.
Just imagining that scene alone nearly made her laugh.
There were too many amusing points, for example, Texas actually being taken care of by a "male mom" and Shirou genuinely doing that kind of work.
She had just been thinking how nagging he was, just like a housewife.
She really did not expect this.
Still, while Shirou might be a "housewife," what Lappland truly wanted was information about him.
Setting aside his inexplicable kindness, she was more interested in his combat ability.
Whether it was sniping while in her line of sight or precisely hitting crossbow bolts at close range, those were things ordinary people could not accomplish.
Combined with the fact that his close-combat skills also seemed quite good, it made her even more curious.
Especially considering his familiarity with Texas.
Texas was the key point.
"…This does not look optimistic."
After completing a full set of examinations on Lappland, Minmin could already tell from the unprocessed data that her condition was worse than expected.
The Originium crystals on her thigh already looked alarming, and the internal condition was even worse.
Among the infected she had encountered in Lungmen so far, Lappland's severity would probably rank second.
First place would be little Rope.
"It is probably very bad, right? Like having one foot already in the grave."
Hearing Minmin's comment, Lappland who had already changed back into her clothes knew that she was referring to her Oripathy.
Honestly, calling it "not optimistic" was already generous. Most people would declare her doomed just from seeing the crystals on her leg.
"It has not reached that level yet, at least it will not reach that level if you start proper treatment now."
Looking at the data, compared to others Shirou had seen before, it was only somewhat more severe.
"What are you talking about? What improvement with continuous treatment? This is Oripathy and it is an incurable disease. Treatment only delays death."
After retorting to Shirou, Lappland picked up her twin swords and fastened them back at her waist.
"… "
Watching her, Minmin felt that Lappland seemed a bit different from how she was earlier.
Right now, she felt quite aggressive.
Or perhaps she was only like this toward Shirou?
Well… that might make sense. After all, who would not like someone like Shirou who was kind and was able to cook?
If he were not affiliated with Penguin Logistics, she might even consider recruiting him.
Minmin automatically interpreted Lappland's aggressiveness as a form of affection.
Put simply, she saw it as tsundere behavior.
If Shirou knew what she was thinking, he would probably roll his eyes.
"It is still better than doing nothing, is it not?"
Having grown somewhat used to Lappland's sharp tone, Shirou handled it calmly.
At least she was being relatively polite and she was not throwing around insults like "bastard" anymore.
"Yes, yes. Well then Mom, my contact information is already with you, and I have agreed to come for regular treatment. Can I leave now? I still have work to take care of."
Knowing she could not win this argument, Lappland did not intend to drag it out. After gathering her things, she prepared to leave.
"Pfft… 'Mom'? That actually fits quite well."
Hearing that Minmin, who had been worried while reviewing the data burst out laughing.
"You can. But if I find out you are not coming for regular treatment… I will tell Texas."
Shirou replied with a dark expression, coming up with a way to deal with her if she skipped treatment.
"Oh? That sounds great."
Hearing that, Lappland perked up.
That was not a punishment, it was a reward. It even made her consider skipping her next appointment.
Originally, she had planned to accept treatment, since the cost here was unusual and she only needed to provide information about the slums.
If necessary, she might even be asked to take action.
It was a good beneficial deal with no downside, so she had no reason to refuse.
But Shirou's words made her reconsider skipping treatment.
"I will tell Texas to ignore you forever."
Seeing the smile on Lappland's face, Shirou added.
Her expression immediately fell.
"What is this, some kind of warning for a child? I will come next week, so relax."
Her tone was filled with disdain toward Shirou.
"As long as it works."
Seeing Lappland's reaction, Shirou confirmed that his warning had been very effective.
He had just spent quite some time thinking about how to get her to properly accept treatment.
After much consideration, he felt that Texas might be a good point of leverage.
From everything Lappland had shown so far, almost everything about her was connected to Texas, so he decided to use Texas to pressure her a bit.
Now it seemed to have worked very well.
"Hmph!"
Ignoring his last remark, Lappland simply turned and left.
Since she had just received an inhibitor injection, and the office still needed to conduct some research for her treatment, her next appointment was scheduled for next week.
In other words, there was no problem at all with her leaving right now.
"My, my Shirou, you are quite popular are you not?"
After confirming that Lappland had left, Minmin put on a mischievous smile and spoke to Shirou.
"Huh? She is an acquaintance of Texas."
Faced with her teasing, Shirou replied with a puzzled expression.
Although helping Lappland was not based on that fact, he simply helped her out of goodwill.
Still, judging by how Lappland acted, if she were not connected to Texas, he might not have gone this far.
At most, he would have just introduced her here. If she chose to skip treatment afterward, there would be nothing he could do.
Even if she called him "Mom," he was not actually her mother.
Leaving aside the obvious issue of gender, he was probably younger than anyone who had ever called him that.
"Texas? Oh, someone from Penguin Logistics? Tsk, what a pity."
Hearing that, Minmin took a moment to recall who Texas was.
They had not met many times, so it was normal she did not remember immediately.
At the same time, she set aside the "drama" she had been enjoying.
She had thought Shirou had once again charmed another girl with his kindness but that was not the case.
How boring.
"There is nothing to pity. Also, if anything happens with her later, contact me immediately. I will come as soon as possible."
Not quite understanding what she meant, Shirou said.
He had actually been a bit surprised to hear that Lappland had been so cooperative throughout the examination. But after thinking about it, aside from her sharp tongue, she was fairly normal most of the time.
It was only during fights that she showed another side.
So perhaps he had been worrying too much. Still, considering her unpredictable personality, he felt it was necessary to warn Minmin.
"Got it. If there is nothing else, I will get back to work. I need to carefully study Lappland's treatment plan, so I will not see you out."
Nodding to show she understood, Minmin picked up her things and prepared to get busy.
There was not much else to talk about anyway. They had already discussed everything earlier when drawing blood at noon.
And she really did have work to do.
"Alright. I will leave Lappland and the children in your care."
Shirou knew the doctors here were busy, so he had no intention of lingering.
"No problem. I will contact you if anything comes up. Remember your next blood test time. Also, Amiya and the others seem to be planning to come to Lungmen to meet you. I will let you know once the time is confirmed."
With that, Minmin turned and went back into her office, leaving Shirou alone outside.
"They really are busy… I keep troubling them like this and it does not feel right. Maybe I should make something to eat for them?"
Watching her leave, Shirou began to wonder if he had been relying too much on the office staff lately and considered preparing some food for them.
After leaving the office, he checked the time. It was a bit later than he had originally planned to return.
Even so, if he bought some ingredients now and made something simple, he could still have dinner ready around the usual time.
Once he decided on a plan, Shirou moved quickly.
Having spent so much time at the market, he already had several regular shops he frequented.
After buying some beast meat from familiar vendors, he left the slums.
In the end, he just barely managed to get the meal on the table in time for dinner.
"Are we having a meat feast today?"
Croissant said that while looking at the portion of beast meat on her plate.
As she spoke, she picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
"This one is really good today. The pan-seared skin is crispy and the texture is fantastic!"
Beside her, Exusiai also took a bite of the meat and shared her thoughts.
Sora and Texas both nodded in agreement with Exusiai, then quietly continued eating.
Dinner at Penguin Logistics was always this simple and unpretentious. Most of the time, it was Exusiai and Croissant who kept conversations going.
But today, Texas was clearly a bit distracted.
After taking a couple of bites, she would glance toward Shirou. After this happened more than a dozen times, Shirou finally put down his chopsticks and asked:
"Is something wrong? Do you not like today's food?"
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under her repeated glances, Shirou naturally assumed the problem might be that the meal did not suit Texas's taste.
He could understand that, after all everyone had different preferences.
"No, dinner is very good today. It is just… um…"
Hearing his question, Texas shook her head, hesitating as if she wanted to ask something.
"Just…?"
Seeing her unusual behavior, Shirou looked puzzled.
Exusiai, Croissant, and Sora also shifted their attention from their meals to the two of them.
After all, this was the first time they had seen Texas like this.
"…Did you run into Lappland today?"
After organizing her thoughts, Texas took a deep breath and finally asked.
She had already noticed it when Shirou came near the table.
Although most of it was masked by the smell of cooking oil, there was still a faint trace left.
It was not that she was targeting Lappland, she was just worried that Lappland might bring trouble to Shirou.
Especially since he had other acquaintances in the slums. If they were dragged into it, that would not be good.
"Hm? Yes. When I went over today, I happened to see her fighting with some gang members. I stepped in a bit to stop both sides, and then she came looking for me afterward."
Hearing that it was not about the food, Shirou let out a small sigh of relief and explained what had happened.
"Did she make things difficult for you?"
Texas's first thought was that Lappland, unsatisfied from the fight, had gone to bother Shirou.
"Not really. She just suspected it was me. I was using a bow at the time."
Shirou shook his head.
As for whether he had been troubled… that depended on perspective. At least, he was not about to admit it.
Showing up at his place and calling him "Mom" definitely counted as troubling him.
"Is that all?"
Texas continued asking. She did not think Lappland would give up so easily and there had to be more.
After all, in such a short encounter, Shirou would not have picked up that much of her scent, certainly not enough for her to notice so clearly.
"Well… seeing that her Oripathy was quite severe, I brought her to the Rhodes Island office for an examination and arranged for her to receive further treatment."
After briefly gauging Texas's mood, Shirou felt it was fine to tell her.
If Lappland refused future treatment, he might need Texas to persuade her.
Of course, he had already thought of compensation, he would make a chocolate cake using Texas's favorite brand.
"I understand."
After confirming the situation, Texas nodded and quietly resumed eating.
Only Exusiai noticed that Texas seemed to be thinking about something.
It was a subtle change, but she caught it.
In an instant, all kinds of dramatic scenes played out in Exusiai's mind, some kind of "battle between two wolves," Texas versus Lappland, with Shirou standing to the side labeled as the prize…
It felt incredibly exciting.
She was definitely on Texas's side.
"Exusiai, stop smiling. I know you are happy, but your expression is kind of creepy."
As for Sora and Croissant, they did not notice anything unusual about Texas. They only felt that Exusiai's grin looked strange.
So Croissant spoke up to remind her, and Exusiai quickly coughed twice before continuing her meal.
After everyone finished eating and cleaned up, it was time for Penguin Logistics' usual relaxation period.
Normally, Exusiai and Croissant would be playing games on the sofa, while Sora, Texas, and Shirou would be at another table reading books or using their phones.
But today…
Shirou, wearing headphones and reading, felt that something was off.
Something felt a bit unsettling.
Lifting his gaze from the book, he saw Texas sitting with her back to him.
She was leaning slightly in her chair, seemingly using her phone.
The source of that uneasy feeling was her constantly swaying tail.
Because she was facing away from him, each swing of her tail brushed against him.
"…Um, Texas?"
Having identified the source of the problem, Shirou decided to remind her.
"… "
Shirou did not get any response from her.
And perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt like the tail was moving a bit faster.
"Texas?"
While wondering why Texas was acting so strangely, Shirou reached out and patted her shoulder, calling her name.
"What is it?"
Texas turned around, a stick of Pocky in her mouth. Her tail stopped moving, and her expression was completely calm.
"It is nothing. I just want to remind you that sitting like that is not very good for you. It can make your body sore."
Seeing that she did not seem to notice what she had been doing, Shirou decided to phrase it differently.
Leaning sideways in a chair was indeed a bad posture. It was fine occasionally, but if maintained for more than ten minutes, it would definitely become uncomfortable.
"…I understand."
Hearing his explanation, Texas fell silent for a moment before straightening her posture.
After confirming that she was sitting properly, Shirou nodded in satisfaction.
As for the "bread" and the "light person" sprawled across the sofa nearby, he could not be bothered with them anymore, they were beyond saving.
If not sitting perfectly straight, they should at least follow Sora's example.
Just look at how properly Sora sat. The ones always complaining about back pain were those two.
Putting his headphones back on, Shirou continued reading his book.
A few minutes later, that strange, prickling feeling returned.
He glanced over. Texas was still sitting upright but her tail was no longer directly behind her. Instead, it had slipped out toward his side and was swaying back and forth.
"…?"
Seeing this, a question mark slowly appeared over Shirou's head.