The morning after the joint exercise between the Guard Department and Penguin Logistics, 8 a.m., in Lungmen's slums Fuyuki Shop.
Today, Shirou had indeed taken a full week of leave from the Guard Department. He came to the shop early in the morning to find Rope and Lappland, to see if either of them wanted to head to Rhodes Island's main ship with him.
The departure would likely be in the afternoon. He would be catching a ride with the four members from Blacksteel Worldwide, while the rest of Penguin Logistics would continue working in Lungmen.
After all, there were no suitable jobs for them at Rhodes Island for the time being, so they had no way to slack off under the pretense of work.
When they heard this news, everyone had looked utterly incredulous. Croissant and Exusiai had even clung to Shirou's legs, asking him to wait for them.
Unfortunately, Shirou's main reason for taking leave was to avoid the Guard Department for a while, so there was no way he could agree to their request. Besides, his leave had already been approved and changing it now would only cause trouble for the department.
No matter how pitiful the others looked, he was not going to change his mind.
He was definitely taking this vacation. No one was going to stop him.
"I heard things got pretty intense yesterday?"
Since it was morning, Shirou ran into Lin Yuhsia, who had come to teach.
Unlike before, her expression was no longer as tense and serious.
Back then, she had simply been nervous.
Besides, she was asking Shirou about gossip from yesterday. It would be rude to keep a stiff face while doing that.
"It was probably fine…? Most of the fighting happened around the base, I think?"
Shirou thought for a moment before answering.
From what he remembered, about ninety percent of the combat during the exercise had revolved around the stronghold. It should not have been that big of a deal.
"I meant… never mind. You are leaving Lungmen for a few days, right?"
Realizing Shirou had misunderstood her, Lin Yuhsia originally wanted to press further, but decided it would be better to gather the information herself later.
After all, Shirou looked like he had other things to do. It did not seem appropriate to keep him chatting about minor gossip, especially when she could obtain the information through other channels.
There had been a lot of participants in yesterday's exercise.
"Yeah. It is about time for my scheduled checkup. I came here to let you know, and also to ask if Rope wants to come along for one as well."
Shirou nodded and explained his purpose directly.
In truth, there was still some time before the scheduled appointment. He had simply forced himself to take leave early to avoid certain attention… but he did not mention that part.
"A checkup? Is your health not very good?"
Hearing this, Lin Yuhsia looked puzzled.
Shirou looked perfectly healthy and nothing about him suggested any issues. It was hard to imagine why he needed regular checkups that required leaving Lungmen.
Or rather, regular checkups were a good thing, but there was no need to leave the city for them, was there?
"I am fine, more or less. It is just that there are some… special circumstances with me. Only that place can examine them."
Shirou gave a simple explanation.
"I see… it is called Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company, right? There is also an office here in the slums."
Lin Yuhsia quickly understood.
She was already familiar with Rhodes Island, as she had been paying attention to them for some time.
Her father had allowed them to establish a presence in the slums to treat the infected. She had continued to monitor them, and so far, they had not crossed any lines. They were simply focused on treating infected individuals.
She was also aware of some of their cooperation with the Fuyuki Shop, though not in great detail.
From all the information she had gathered, Rhodes Island truly had little interest beyond treating the infected. Even though they could easily sell their superior inhibitors at a much higher price, they chose not to.
Instead, they provided them to infected patients at extremely low prices, along with a certain level of treatment.
"Yeah, the people there are all pretty good. If someone you know needs help, you can mention my name when you go there. Rhodes Island is among the best when it comes to treating Oripathy."
Shirou nodded, taking the opportunity to promote Rhodes Island a bit.
Of course, most of this information had come from recent intel provided by their collaborators. Since Penguin Logistics was already working with them, gathering such information was only natural.
"I will recommend it if anyone I know needs it."
Lin Yuhsia understood this well. She knew many infected individuals and had already tried recommending Rhodes Island to them.
Unfortunately, only some were willing to go. The rest still held a certain level of caution.
After all, the price they asked was too low, so low that it was almost unbelievable. It was hard not to suspect ulterior motives.
The infected were especially sensitive. After enduring long-term discrimination and oppression, they were bound to feel wary when faced with such straightforward kindness.
"That is great."
Seeing that she did not seem opposed, Shirou felt relieved.
From various signs, her status in the slums seemed far from low. It was not necessary for her to support Rhodes Island, but it was important that she did not oppose them.
As long as things started well, the rest could proceed naturally.
After finishing that topic, Lin Yuhsia briefly mentioned the aftermath of the previous factory incident.
Using the intelligence she had gathered, she acted quickly after confirming most of it. However, it seemed that another group had also been clearing out those people at the same time.
If she had guessed correctly, it was the same group they encountered at the factory.
Their stance was somewhat ambiguous, they were not exactly allies but at least they shared the same goal. Once all the individuals listed on the terminal were eliminated, that group also disappeared without a trace.
After receiving this information, Shirou mentally noted the key points, planning to analyze them further later while in the car.
Although it might not be very useful, it was still better than doing nothing.
After all, Shirou was still somewhat concerned about that group.
After finishing a brief conversation with Lin Yuhsia, she went off to fulfill her duties as a teacher. Rope, on the other hand, decided not to follow Shirou to Rhodes Island this time.
Although she really wanted to go, she considered that there was nothing in particular for her to do there. Even if she went, she would just be idle, so it was better to stay in Lungmen and continue looking after the shop.
Unless Shirou planned to stay at Rhodes Island long-term, she likely would not leave this place.
As for Lappland, she only asked about the departure time and location, then said nothing more. It was unclear whether she actually intended to go.
However, since she asked, Shirou counted her in for now.
So this time, it would be him, Lappland, and the four members from Blacksteel.
For a Rhodes Island vehicle, accommodating six people along with their equipment was more than manageable.
The meeting point was at the local office.
As for the timing… since they would be hitching a ride with Liskarm and Franka, it naturally depended on their schedule.
Considering the travel time and the dangers of traveling at night, they would likely depart around one in the afternoon. So Shirou told Lappland to come over at 12:30 to get ready.
True to form, she arrived exactly at 12:30.
Seeing the dust and faint bloodstains on her, Shirou could more or less guess what she had just been doing.
"There is still time. Go wash up first! We are riding in someone else's vehicle. You cannot get in like this!"
Shirou had no real interest in what she had been doing, but there was no way he could let her board like that.
After all, he was the one bringing her along, so he had some responsibility. Even if the Blacksteel team did not mind, he would feel uncomfortable.
"Alright, alright, stop dragging me! I just finished my job, you know!"
Lappland knew she was a bit dirty, but being treated like this still annoyed her.
Unfortunately, she could not beat Shirou, and Texas had already warned her before.
So she could only go to the showers, clean up, and change into clothes provided by Rhodes Island.
Meanwhile, Shirou hand-washed her original outfit, wrung it out so it would not drip, and hung it in a corner of the vehicle.
Watching him handle everything without hesitation, Lappland felt a bit puzzled.
She was clean and tidy now, but something about the situation felt strange…
Did Texas live like this every day?
"Hey, morning!"
Franka, who had just finished organizing supplies to take back to the main ship, waved at Shirou.
"It is not morning anymore, it is almost noon! Hurry up and move the stuff!"
Before Shirou could respond, Liskarm shoved a box into Franka's hands, forcing her to carry it. Jessica and Vanilla were also running back and forth, busy with various items.
Shirou originally wanted to help, but Liskarm declined, saying that those were important Blacksteel materials.
Of course, Shirou knew that was just polite talk Franka immediately exposed Liskarm's excuse right after she said it.
Really… every time he saw those two, it was like this.
A free comedy act.
Still, compared to Franka's carefree attitude, Shirou chose to trust Liskarm.
In case there really were sensitive items inside, it would be trouble if he saw something he should not.
He did not doubt that either. As a mercenary company, it was only natural for Blacksteel to have confidential documents.
Even Penguin Logistics, as a logistics company, had similar materials though they were often left scattered around and ended up being tidied by him.
Still, watching others work while he stood aside felt a bit uncomfortable. In the end, he estimated when they would finish and went out to buy some snacks nearby.
Lappland, bored out of her mind, followed him.
Aside from food for the road, he also bought portions for the Blacksteel team.
It could not be helped. After being busy for so long, he could not sit still. If he did not find something to do, he felt uneasy.
"You really are the hardworking type, huh? Take care of yourself. Do not work yourself to death someday."
Lappland, who had watched him struggle before rushing out to buy food, commented dryly.
Even though she could not read minds, it was easy to tell from how many times Shirou had tried to step in and help.
"Thanks for your concern. Since you put it that way, I will just eat more to keep my strength up."
Shirou's eyebrow twitched slightly at her remark, and he promptly took back the bun he had intended for her.
"Heh, petty."
Lappland did not really mind. She had already eaten mille-feuille before coming.
Besides, who did not carry some snacks on them? It was not like she needed that bun.
"You are welcome."
Shirou did not take her sarcasm seriously. He had already noticed that she did not seem very hungry anyway, so he had no intention of eating that portion himself.
"Um… how much does all of this cost?"
Compared to Lappland, Jessica from Blacksteel looked nervous, holding a rather thick wallet as she asked Shirou.
She seemed intent on paying for the food.
"No need. Consider it the fare for letting me hitch a ride."
Seeing how nervous she was with her whole body practically trembling, Shirou could not help but find it a little amusing.
By now, they had met two or three times already, yet every time he saw her, she seemed just as tense as ever.
"Is that really okay? At least let me pay for my portion…"
Even after hearing Shirou's words, Jessica still had no intention of putting her wallet away. After all, she was not the one driving, and taking things for free did not feel right to her.
"..."
Shirou had no choice but to shift his gaze past her, looking at Franka, who was standing behind and clearly enjoying the scene.
Since you are watching, come help me out here!
Seeing her barely concealed grin, Shirou internally protested.
"It is fine! Shirou is treating all of us! How could we let you be the only one paying? If you paid, the three of us would feel guilty eating this. So just relax and enjoy it, Jessica!"
Noticing Shirou's look, Franka stepped in from behind, pushed Jessica's wallet back into her arms, and said something that genuinely surprised him.
It was probably the most serious thing she had said since he met her.
He had thought she only knew how to joke around and banter like a comedian.
He did not expect her to have such a proper side as well.