Chapter 164

"Scary? You mean those ordinary residents who looked quite excited?"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Lappland casually picked up the shredded clothes that Shirou had torn for bandaging and wiped them lightly on her two swords.

At the same time, he turned his attention to the people hiding not far away.

If she wasn't mistaken, these people not only didn't seem afraid, but were even somewhat excited?

"..."

Hearing Lappland's words, Shirou sped up his work and quickly bandaged all the wounds.

It's a bit rudimentary, but I won't ask for too much.

Doctors won't come into the Slums to save people; all we can do is pray that these people can make it to the hospital.

Are you leaving?

Seeing Shirou stand up, Lappland also sheathed her sword.

She has many questions to ask and won't let him go easily.

"Um, you are... infected, right? Are you registered in Lungmen?"

Shirou stood up, took a tissue and wiped his hands briefly, while his gaze quickly swept over Lappland.

He was dressed quite casually, in a coat and shorts, the shorts even being a bit ripped.

There was a fairly obvious Originium crystal on his thigh, and it was estimated that the other party did not intend to hide it, as even wearing pants that went past the knees could have covered it up.

However, this is also within the scope of what Shirou needs to consider. He is asking about the other party's situation now simply to find a place where the other party can ask questions properly.

If you don't register in Lungmen, then it's impossible to go anywhere except the Slums.

Having worked in the Shirou Knights of the Round Table for a while, Emiya gradually began to adopt the Knights of the Round Table's style in his actions.

"No, I don't plan on going to those glamorous places. Rather, this place suits me better."

Lappland was naturally aware that infected individuals needed to register if they wanted to move around in Lungmen city.

However, her initial activities did not extend beyond the Slums. Even if she had friends, she would only act secretly. Registering would only expose her.

"Is that so? Then let's go somewhere else. I think there should be a restaurant here."

Shirou couldn't laugh at all as Lappland made such a dark joke about her status as an infected person.

Many things can only be resolved by the person involved themselves, but once others say it or laugh about it, it's a different story.

Shirou had no idea whether the person in front of him was that kind of person. Even if the other person really didn't care, Shirou wouldn't make any mocking gestures towards such self-deprecating remarks.

"... How boring. By the way, you haven't given your name yet. How should I address you by your esteemed name?"

Seeing that Shirou's expression remained unchanged, Lappland felt somewhat bored.

She quite enjoys telling dark jokes and observing the other person's reaction.

Some people would find it cruel, some would laugh out loud after understanding it, and some, like the man in front of her, would remain expressionless and even ask her to stop the conversation.

After thinking for a moment, Lappland realized that the other party seemed to have never mentioned her name, so she asked the other party for the second time.

He even used a rather strange tone.

"Shirou, just call me Shirou. You said you have a question you want to ask, what is it?"

Walking ahead of Lappland, Shirou intended to take her to a nearby restaurant for a meal, and let her ask her the questions she wanted to know.

Although he found it strange that a stranger suddenly had a question for him, Shirou never refused anyone's request.

As long as the other party doesn't ask overly in-depth questions, it's acceptable to provide some basic answers.

"Hmm~ You know Texas, right?"

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Lappland put her hands behind her head and followed Shirou with an indifferent expression.

As for where Shirou planned to take her, she didn't care too much, but she was certain that he didn't seem to have much interest in her and was just looking for an answer to her question.

"A pushover," that's how Lappland views Shirou.

He didn't complain or blame her, but instead chose to help her, despite her being the one who brought him trouble with her crisis.

And when asked to do so afterward, he accepted it without any intention of resisting.

Such people are either genuinely kind-hearted and willing to help with anything, or they're just pretending and are utterly hypocritical.

As for whether it was the former or the latter, Lappland has not yet been able to tell.

"Texas? I don't know that."

Upon hearing the other party's words, Shirou frowned at first, but did not immediately agree.

He had heard Kong mention Texas before, and it seemed that Kong still harbored some resentment about what had happened in the past, and was even somewhat resistant to contacting things from the past.

Shirou didn't know if the Lappland in front of him was the past that Texas was resisting. If he were to easily reveal that he knew Texas, it would be a very irresponsible thing to do to Texas.

"Stop pretending. Your lying skills are too clumsy. Your scent and that dagger have already given you away. Texas really does have a good friend, huh?"

Although she put on an indifferent expression, Lappland's gaze was mostly focused on Shirou in front of her.

When she uttered the word "Texas," the other person's expression changed, and coupled with the obviously stiff manner of speaking, Lappland could easily tell that the other person was lying.

"... Is it very clumsy?"

Upon hearing that his lie had been exposed, Shirou's first reaction was not to continue trying to cover it up, but rather to feel a little hurt inside.

Lately, I seem to hear similar things all the time, Lappland's words can be said to have been the final straw.

As for why we didn't continue to cover up the lie, it's mainly because the other party had already made it so clear, and continuing to make excuses would only be awkward.

At most, he would just not talk about anything related to Texas. As Isv said, changing the subject is the best way to prevent information from being exposed.

Although Isv originally meant to say that keeping quiet was the best solution.

"It's very clumsy. Your facial expressions, tone of voice, and even your little body language all betray you. I suggest you practice more."

In response to Shirou's question, Lappland nodded and pointed out several obvious elements that she had just realized indicated he was lying.

"I will work harder in this area."

Upon hearing Lappland's words, Shirou sighed. It seemed that almost the entire group had problems and they had to start from scratch.

However, unlike Isv only imparted experience, Lappland at least directly pointed out his problems.

161. One cannot hit a smiling face.

"I don't want this or this, just bring me one of everything else."

Inside an ordinary restaurant in the Slums, Lappland held a menu and ordered food from the shopkeeper next to her.

The way to order food is also very peculiar; instead of ordering the food you want, you order the food you don't want.

"You're being too..."

Seeing the other person ordering food so generously, Shirou's lips twitched slightly.

Although he wasn't paying, this was the first time he'd ever seen a restaurant order this way.

"It's alright, it's alright. If you can't finish it, you can take it back to Texas."

Lappland didn't seem to care too much about this and remained quite nonchalant.

After dismissing the others, Lappland narrowed her eyes and asked Shirou:

"Can you talk about it now? About Texas."

"..."

Shirou saw the excitement and anticipation on the other person's face.

He didn't know the relationship between Lappland and Texas, but he knew that Texas seemed to harbor resentment about the past.

From the other side of the sky, he heard these words: "One day, her past will catch up with her."

Shirou wasn't sure if Lappland was the person from the past, but even if she wasn't, there must be some connection between them.

There were only two things he could do: try to get Lappland to meet Texas, or prevent the two from having any contact at all.

He chose... the latter.

The main reason is that Lappland's performance so far has been quite unpredictable, Shirou dares not let her meet with Texas.

Lappland, in particular, seems to have a penchant for verbally provoking others.

"Hmm~? You're not going to tell me? That's fine then. Let's talk about something else. How did you get that short sword? Was it a gift from Texas?"

Seeing the way Shirou glanced at her, Lappland immediately understood what he meant.

That's normal. The other party must know Texas, or even have some kind of relationship with them. It's impossible for them to betray their own people's information so easily.

She felt that Texas wouldn't associate with such a person, but she couldn't rule out the possibility that the other party might have changed their mind in the past few years.

"It was definitely from her; it was my birthday present."

After thinking for a moment, Shirou said.

At the same time, he tried to keep the conversation focused on himself and steer the topic away from the main subject.

"I see, it's about birthday gifts, huh? I've never received one before. Looks like you and Texas are really close."

Unfortunately, Shirou's tactic of changing the subject failed; Lappland's gaze seemed to have nothing but Texas in it.

This is rather troublesome; the last time I encountered someone this difficult to talk to...

Is that the guy with the Golden Flash?

Both of them were quite self-centered, but compared to the other, Lappland was clearly easier to talk to.

Thinking about this, Shirou felt his mindset improve.

After all, with a point of reference, the value of Lappland is practically a minor issue.

Even their verbal attacks weren't as malicious as that Golden Flash's! They were just more fixated on Texas.

"Tsk, you're really hard to talk to."

Seeing that Shirou remained silent, Lappland pursed her lips and said something.

I originally wanted to find out about the current situation in Texas, but the guy in front of me was completely unresponsive and wouldn't say a word.

Even if they did speak, they would only say things they already knew.

"I'm so sorry I can't speak properly!"

Upon hearing Lappland's complaint, Shirou said irritably.

It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but rather that the other person's questions were always too tricky.

He's coming from Texas and going to Texas, how is he supposed to answer that?

All he knew about Texas was her usual eating habits and that she was good at swordsmanship! She wasn't the type to express herself much, Shirou could only try to understand her on his own.

Given that the other person's behavior was somewhat like that of a stalker, Shirou would simply shut up and not respond when faced with questions he found difficult to answer.

Just as Lappland was wondering whether to use other methods to get Shirou to talk, the food she had just ordered started to be served.

"Hmm? Not eating? You're the one who recommended this place, aren't you? Or can't you stomach food made by infected people?"

Lappland awkwardly picked up her chopsticks and began to eat the food in front of her, while noticing that Shirou showed no intention of touching his chopsticks.

Although this restaurant is a bit run-down, it still sells quite authentic Lungmen cuisine. It looks and smells pretty good, but the owner is infected with the virus, so very few people come here to eat.

The only people who come here are infected individuals, and infected individuals generally don't have much money.

However, Shirou and Lappland didn't mind these things. Lappland herself was an Infected, so naturally she had no complaints. She was quite used to being an Infected.

Therefore, she was quite aware of how unwelcome infected people were.

"No... I just ate a little bit."

Shirou didn't care at all about the food prepared by the infected.

With a little understanding and proper protection, the things made by infected people are generally safe. He also noticed that the owner's protective measures were very thorough.

She almost never took off her gloves while cooking, and she also wore her mask properly.

If there really is only one problem, it's that the dining environment is a bit poor.

Moreover, he had drunk a large bowl of thick soup before leaving Fuyuki Store, so he wasn't actually very hungry now.