Chapter 165

"Is that so? Whatever you want."

Lappland narrowed her eyes as she looked at Shirou's explanation.

She quickly lowered her head again and continued enjoying her food, not caring about the other party's attitude towards the infected.

She just wanted to get information about Texas from him, nothing more.

Whether the other person is crazy, stupid, or dumb is none of her business.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any useful information, but at least we confirmed that the Texas were in Lungmen.

At least the scope has been narrowed down considerably.

"... What is your relationship with Texas?"

Seeing that the other person had quieted down and was eating, Shirou sorted out what he wanted to ask and then inquired.

His understanding of Lappland was only superficial.

Although the other person seemed a bit crazy, Shirou was still curious about their obsession with Texas.

"You didn't answer my question at all, so how could you expect me to answer it?"

Lappland responded calmly to Shirou's question.

"Too."

This reaction was exactly what Shirou had expected. He hadn't even answered the other person's question yet, so how could he possibly expect the other person to answer his?

If the other party hadn't wanted to extract some information from him, they probably would have left impatiently long ago.

"But if you're so curious, you could try asking Texas. Maybe she'll tell you if she's in a good mood! Although the chances are slim."

Lappland, who had been watching Shirou's reaction closely, suddenly spoke, a big smile spreading across her face.

Shirou then noticed that Lappland slightly clenched her teeth, and her smile became somewhat forced.

His hand movements slowed down, and his breathing became rapid.

A bead of cold sweat even slid down his cheek.

Lappland was very good at hiding it; if Shirou hadn't been paying close attention to her appearance, he wouldn't have noticed these small details at all.

"Is Oripathy acting up? Are you alright?"

Looking at Lappland, Shirou asked.

Since the other party was an infected person, Shirou's first thought was that Oripathy had flared up.

He hadn't seen any external injuries on her just now, and judging from the fact that she still had the energy to toy with the people surrounding her, she probably didn't have any internal injuries either.

In addition, he had seen the symptoms of Oripathy on Ansuo and the other children, which were similar to what Lappland looked like now.

"Compared to the muscle soreness after chopping someone up, this pain is nothing. Or are you just scared?"

After enduring the initial period of adjustment, Lappland quickly recovered.

It just happened too suddenly.

However, compared to the injuries she suffered in battle, the pain from the Oripathy attack was nothing to her.

"Hey... wait for me here for a bit."

After confirming that it was Oripathy, Shirou immediately stood up and left the visit.

"Hmph, he pretends to be such a good guy, but he's actually terrified of Oripathy."

Watching Shirou get up and leave without hesitation, Lappland snorted softly.

It's a pity that the dishes on the table can't be taken to Texas; she'll have to deal with them herself.

Lappland wasn't too surprised by Shirou's reaction.

It's normal for someone who's infected to be feared and dreaded; she doesn't care what others think anyway.

After taking a few deep breaths and adjusting her breathing, Lappland continued to devour the dishes on the table.

At least finish the food that can't be stored first, and pack the rest to take home.

A few minutes later, someone else sat down in the seat in front of her.

"Sorry, there's someone sitting there. I don't know if they'll come back... Hmm? It's you?"

Lappland, who was looking down, naturally noticed and made a slight reminder before realizing that the person in front of her was Shirou.

I don't know why they turned back.

I guess they felt it was a bit of a loss that they'd been in contact with infected people for so long and hadn't even eaten a single bite?

"Take your medication first. You know how to use the blocking agent, right?"

Ignoring Lappland's words, Shirou pushed the blocking agent in his hand in front of her.

He had bought it before, but after meeting Rosemary and getting to know Rhodes Island's office in Lungmen, he stopped giving it to the children and just kept it as an emergency backup for a while.

This type of inhibitor can be stored for a long time, and because Shirou stored it properly, it is still usable now.

"... You just left to buy this? I remember it's hard to find in the Slums, right?"

Looking at the blocking agent in the other person's hand, Lappland put down her chopsticks and asked.

She didn't take it and use it immediately. After all, as far as she knew, the blockers sold in the Lungmen Slums contained some strange substances that not only greatly reduced their effectiveness but could also cause some discomfort.

And she felt a little uncomfortable with this kind of kindness.

"I bought it in the city before and have been keeping it as an emergency medicine. It should still be usable."

Seeing that the other party didn't seem to intend to take it, Shirou deliberately unpacked it, assembled it, and then handed it to the other party.

He did it on purpose; if the blocker isn't used immediately after opening the packaging, it's essentially wasted.

"Emergency reserve medicine... So you're one of us too?"

After hearing what Shirou said, Lappland took it and glanced at it.

It's definitely not the junk sold in the Slums, and the packaging is fine too.

After the injection of the blocking agent, the pain caused by Oripathy did decrease slightly.

"No... I'm not infected, I've just been in contact with them."

Shirou shook his head, denying Lappland's words, and handed her a band-aid.

After all, medication was injected, so it's perfectly reasonable to use a band-aid to stop the bleeding.

He did put a pack of Band-Aids and a small roll of bandages in his bag.

"Oh? You've changed your mind! I thought you were just a coward afraid of infected people, but I was wrong. But after I said such awful things about you, you still went out of your way to get me the PEP?"

Lappland did not directly thank Shirou for his actions, but instead asked him directly.

They asked the other person why she had given her the blocking agent despite being attacked with various words by her.

The cost of blocking agents is quite high, especially for an infected person who cannot leave the Slums.

Shirou could have used this opportunity to make other requests, but the other party didn't mention anything and simply handed her the inhibitor. In fact, he even opened the packaging to force her to use it.

"It's just sitting there anyway, it doesn't matter who uses it, I just happened to see it."

Although he was still a little unaccustomed to Lappland's tone, Shirou felt that he had gotten somewhat used to her way of speaking.

After all, we've heard even more vile and malicious things before, haven't we?

Even though I've never given you a kind look?

Seeing Shirou's nonchalant expression, Lappland pressed for an answer, looking directly into his eyes.

"Well... after all, you know Texas! Even if I don't know the relationship between you two, we can't just leave it at that, can we?"

After thinking for a moment, Shirou said.

"Ha! You really are a pushover!"

Upon hearing Shirou's reply, Lappland couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The reason for her laughter was simple: she found it quite amusing that Texas would befriend someone like that and even give him gifts.

It seems that Texas has changed quite a bit in ways she doesn't know about.

"You can't call him a pushover, can you? If you use kindness to smooth things over, he'll at least become more tactful, right? And there's a saying, 'You can't hit a smiling face.'"

Upon hearing Lappland's assessment of him, Shirou's lips twitched slightly.

Taking back what he said earlier, he still hasn't gotten used to the other person's way of speaking, and it will probably take a long time before he does.

162. Has Pocky become associated with Texas!?

"Oh? So you're planning to use your so-called goodwill to mold me?"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Lappland interlaced her fingers and placed them on the dining table, a very subtle smile on her face.

"If that's how you see it, then there's no problem."

What others might see as a mocking smile meant nothing to Shirou.

He had also encountered even more extreme sarcastic remarks.

I picked up a few dishes with my chopsticks and tasted them. I had only ever heard of this Shirou but had never eaten there.

A-Xing and the children all said that the owner of this shop was a very nice person, and that the food he sold was cheap and delicious.

Now it seems that what they said was correct; it really is quite delicious.

"What a boring person."

Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, Lappland also stopped smiling and started eating.

She only believed half of what Shirou said. Anyone can say nice things, but how many can actually do them?

However, the other party's performance was quite good; Shirou was one of the few people who could sit calmly and chat with her for a few minutes.

This also puzzled Lappland; Shirou's behavior was filled with an indescribable sense of wonder in her perception.

I felt no fear when I saw her lashing out at others in the name of retaliation, nor did I show any displeasure when she questioned me with harsh words. And when I saw her Oripathy flare up, I immediately went to get an expensive blocker for her.

Could it be...?

However, the other person didn't seem interested in her; there was nothing strange about their gaze or expression.

It's probably just being used as a form of relief for the vulnerable party, right?

With Lappland remaining silent and Shirou wisely refraining from interrupting her thoughts, most of the items on the table were cleared away.

Of this large portion, 70% was eaten by Lappland. While pondering the problem, she moved her chopsticks and ate quite a lot without realizing it.

As for Shirou, he picked up a little of everything to try, and only touched the more interesting ones a few more times.

"Let's pack up the rest and send them to Texas, so she knows I'm here waiting for her."

Looking at the table, which was almost half empty, Lappland felt like she had eaten too much.

It's true that you can't get distracted while eating, or you'll end up eating too much without realizing it.

So she gestured to the shopkeeper to pack it up, and said this to Shirou.

"I'll talk to her about it, but I don't know what Texas will think."

Looking at the other person's expression, Shirou finally sighed helplessly.

Lappland seems to have a certain degree of obsession with Texas, even to the point of being somewhat fanatical.

He can't stop talking about Texas, and his tone becomes enthusiastic when he mentions Texas.

That's a bit scary.

"That's fine then. Hmm... Shirou, right? I'll call you that from now on. You're a pretty boring person, but you're actually quite nice, aren't you?"

Lappland didn't think much about what Shirou said next. She didn't care what Texas thought; she would find her no matter what.

After paying, Lappland gave a brief comment to Shirou.

Although the first impression was a bit subtle, it seems pretty good now. At least compared to the way most people always treat her with apprehension, fear, and dread, Shirou's performance is surprisingly good.

"Uh... thank you for the compliment?"

Seeing that he now had an extra large bag of food, and not noticing anything strange about Lappland's words, Shirou thought for a moment and then said...