Chapter 199

It was only after that she learned that the other party had gone to the Knights of the Round Table that she realized that Shirou did not seem to be permanently stationed with Texas.

So they didn't bother to look for Shirou, assuming that he and Texas were just ordinary colleagues.

The idea of coming to see her today was just a spur-of-the-moment thing; I mainly wanted to ask if she had stopped him earlier.

By the way, could you ask about Texas?

Yeah, that's all!

"Let's take one more look!"

As she was thinking this, Lappland poked her head out again.

Then she saw two people looking at her from the window.

"Um... Miss Lappland? Is something the matter?"

When he saw the pair of white Lupo ears on the other person's head, he had already guessed something, but Shirou really didn't expect the other person to come here.

He even took a detour to get here; how did they manage to find him?

Could it really be based on smell?

Considering that the other party seemed to have picked up an arrow, Shirou felt that his guess might be correct.

However, out of politeness, Shirou asked the other party's purpose with a friendly smile.

After all, he owns a shop; what if the other person just wants to buy a bowl?

"Yes, I do have something to take care of. Is it convenient for me to come in?"

After being discovered again, Lappland showed no signs of panic. Instead, she calmly stood up, dusted herself off, and said...

"Sure."

Shirou didn't think too much about this. After all, the other party had already come knocking on his door. Even if he could avoid it now, they would definitely come back again later.

It's better to resolve it sooner rather than later, to avoid future trouble.

"Then I'll go wait in the kitchen. Call me when guests come."

Seeing that the two seemed to know each other, Ansuo thoughtfully left them some space.

It's a bit cooler here, after all.

"Um."

Shirou didn't pay much attention, assuming that Lappland had simply frightened Ansuo.

Judging from Texas's apparent opinion of Lappland and how she behaved during their last battle, Shirou naturally categorized her as someone who wasn't easy to get along with.

However, it's only because they seem difficult to get along with at first meeting. At least from what Shirou has observed so far, there aren't any major problems with them.

If this is just for communication purposes...

When the opponent fights, they practically enter a berserker state. If possible, Shirou hopes that the opponent can fight less and communicate more.

"Phew, you seem to know the manager here quite well?"

As Shirou approached the cashier, Lappland sat directly in the spot where Shirou had just been, leaving the main seat for him.

"Are you alright? Do you want some ice water?"

While answering the other person's questions, Shirou poured them a glass of ice water.

That glass was originally meant for him, but now it's been given to Lappland.

As for why he said it was alright... it was mainly because he didn't want the other person to know his connection to this place.

"Oh? Is it alright? But you seemed to be taking good care of the other person, like you were very skilled at it?"

Upon hearing Shirou's reply, Lappland took the ice water and squinted at him.

Based on what she had just seen, it was easy for her to tell that Shirou was lying.

If Shirou's relationship with the purple-clad Casters was merely a "okay" one, then Shirou wouldn't need to go to such lengths to take care of her.

Unless...

Does this guy like this kind of thing?

Upon suddenly realizing the gender of the person in front of her, Shirou, Lappland felt as if she had figured something out.

No, no, if someone wanted to build a good relationship, they wouldn't just answer with "it's alright." They would at least show some shyness or embarrassment, right?

Or is the other party actually very skilled? Even Texas is within their grasp?

But that's Texas, that shouldn't be possible, right?

Lappland overturned her own ideas time and time again, each one more radical than the last.

But her expression remained unchanged, and she continued to look at Shirou with a questioning gaze.

"Hmm? Is there?"

Faced with Lapland's question, Shirou was initially puzzled.

Did he take good care of Ansuo just now? He just prepared ice, ice water, and fanned the flames, didn't he?

I don't think they took very good care of me.

"... I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Never mind, I'm not very interested in your relationship anyway."

Seeing Shirou's appearance, Lappland immediately threw away all the thoughts that had been in her mind.

I threw away all those thoughts about playboys and scumbags.

This guy is just used to taking care of people.

After all, this guy took good care of her last time; she was just overthinking it.

After saying that, Lappland stood up and looked at Shirou:

"That arrow just now... you must have made it, right?"

She hadn't forgotten why she came here in the first place. Although she had gone off-topic due to some minor mishaps, she had managed to bring the conversation back on track.

"... What arrow?"

Upon hearing Lappland's question, Shirou decided to pretend he knew nothing.

I feel like if I admit it, there will be a lot of trouble later.

Since the other party doesn't have any conclusive evidence, playing dumb is the best course of action!

"Hmph? Playing dumb? You know my sense of smell is pretty good, you know?"

Looking at Shirou's expression, Lappland wasn't really sure if he was pretending to be stupid.

She herself didn't have any conclusive evidence; she only found her way here by following the faint scent on the arrow.

"No, I'm not familiar with arrows or anything like that, so I don't know anything about them."

Shirou remained calm in the face of Lappland's questioning.

"Seriously, it's really hard to talk to you. You're really tight-lipped."

Seeing the other person's expression, Lappland chose not to get entangled with them any further, sat back down in her chair, and took another sip of water.

The same thing happened last time; I couldn't get any information out of him. This guy is really stubborn; I couldn't get a single word out of him.

However, the other party is not very good at lying. The three consecutive denials were too suspicious, which made Lappland certain that the other party was definitely related to those arrows.

"You're welcome?"

Shirou took Lappland 'Lappland sarcasm as a compliment.

"You... never mind that. As the new instructor of the Knights of the Round Table and a current employee of Penguin Logistics, how come you have time to come here at this time? You know this is the Slums, the place that you Knights of the Round Table personnel hate the most."

She no longer knew whether Shirou was mocking her or genuinely thought she was praising him.

Finally, I decided to change the subject and my mindset to avoid getting so angry that I would kill the other person.

Although it's possible that I might not be able to win in a direct clash, the opponent is quite skilled with a short sword.

"Is this the outer perimeter? I was just getting checked nearby and happened to come here on my way."

Upon hearing Lappland's question, Shirou thought for a moment and then answered.

Since the other party can find out about his work at the Knights of the Round Table, they should also be able to find out about his visits to the office. As for his relationship with this side, let's just assume that he knows Ansuo.

"A checkup? You're so young, I didn't expect you to be unable to function so soon?"

Looking at Shirou's appearance, he didn't seem to be injured anywhere, so there were only two possibilities.

The other person is young and already has health problems, or the other person is infected.

She felt that the latter was more likely, since some publicly available information showed that the work of the Knights of the Round Table was inherently dangerous.

Therefore, a considerable number of people have been seriously injured or disabled, become infected, or even died as a result.

However, it wouldn't be fun to say it directly, so Lappland deliberately used a sarcastic tone when she said it.

"Hmm? It's just for drawing blood?"

Shirou, failing to grasp the deeper meaning in Lapland's words, was once again filled with doubt.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that when I talk to Lappland, even though she always speaks very clearly, there are always other meanings in Shirou words.

But he couldn't understand much of it.

"Oh? That's good."

By observing the expression on Shirou's face, Lappland became certain of one thing.

It's better not to beat around the bush when talking to Shirou. Going around in circles will only confuse you. Shirou just cleared the way.

Every verbal attack felt like hitting cotton, weak and ineffective.

"..."

After Lappland didn't try to start a conversation, the two fell silent.

The main reason was that Shirou didn't really want to ask Lappland anything; he knew that saying too much would only lead to more mistakes.

In addition, Texas had told him to have less contact with Lappland, a point he had taken to heart.

But remaining silent like this doesn't seem like a good idea...

Sensing the thick awkwardness in the air, Shirou decided to start a conversation.

"Um... did you receive proper treatment afterward?"

After much deliberation, Shirou decided to start by inquiring about the other person's Oripathy treatment progress.

After all, the large amount of Originium crystals on the other person's legs looked quite serious, and without regular treatment, they would have to endure a lot of pain.

Although the treatment cannot cure the problem completely, it can at least slow down the spread of the Originium and prolong the period of pain.

It's better than doing nothing, at least.

"Treatment? No, treating Oripathy is very expensive, you know? You know, the blocker you gave me last time was enough to feed an ordinary person for a month."

Upon hearing Shirou's question, Lappland answered it directly.

Apart from the last injection, she has received almost no other treatment.

As for the pain caused by Oripathy, it was nothing compared to the pain from the battle, and she could bear it completely.

Unless someone like Shirou is paying close attention to her every move, it's practically impossible to notice anything amiss.

"I see..."

After receiving Lappland's reply, Shirou began to think.

If Lappland had behaved even slightly normally, Shirou might have contacted the Rhodes Island office to arrange for her to receive treatment.

Shirou wasn't worried about the medical expenses either, as the children could use odd jobs to cover the costs. Lappland could use her excellent combat skills to help Rhodes Island.

However, Shirou still had a question about why a pharmaceutical company would need excellent combat capabilities.

Unfortunately, Lappland's performance made it difficult for Shirou to introduce her to Rhodes Island.

Although he enjoys helping others, he cannot bring himself to simply leave potentially dangerous people to others and walk away.

This is irresponsible behavior.

So what he was thinking about was sending Lappland to Argentina...