The discord she had felt yesterday was likely the Reunion Movement people watching them. They had probably not attacked because they were certain she and the others posed no threat.
At least she had not felt that kind of discord since then.
Mm, I heard they're made up of Infected.
Shirou added briefly.
Well... let's try to keep contact to a minimum.
After evaluating the situation, Texas spoke.
Infected, and Ursus Infected at that. Rash contact might just draw an attack. It wasn't that she worried about Shirou being attacked—if he actually got into a fight with someone, she would probably feel more concerned for the other party.
Still, she really disliked trouble. Cleaning up after Exusiai and Croissant on a regular basis was already troublesome enough; she certainly didn't want Shirou following in their footsteps.
Especially given the combat capability Shirou was currently displaying. If things went wrong, never mind her, even the boss might have a hard time helping out.
However, many things could not be avoided simply by choosing not to engage.
Knock, knock, knock. The front door was being rapped upon.
Shirou figured it must be someone looking for Madam Dalia, but Dalia had already gone out. He would just have to have a brief word with whoever it was and ask them to return later.
Just as Shirou was about to walk over and open the door, Texas spoke up.
"Shirou, be careful."
As she spoke, her hand gripped her weapon, ready at a moment's notice.
Sora, off to the side, also pulled her legs back out from inside her coat and retreated deeper into the room. If the caller proved malicious, she would wake the other two teammates immediately.
Seeing Texas and Sora on such high alert, Shirou could only think that his teammates' security awareness was truly top-notch. He then adjusted his state of mind and pulled the door open.
Upon opening the door, the figures greeting Shirou's eyes were Mephisto and Faust.
"Why are you two here?"
Seeing the pair, Shirou paused slightly, somewhat surprised by their arrival.
"Um... the fact that you gave us bread was discovered."
Mephisto remained hidden behind Faust. Yet, compared to his timid appearance yesterday, he seemed slightly better today—at least he was willing to look Shirou directly in the eye when speaking.
"Did it get confiscated?"
Shirou's first reaction was that the bread had been confiscated. But he didn't have any bread left on this side; only some snacks remained.
"It wasn't confiscated. It's just that our teacher wants to meet you."
Up front, Faust shook his head. He hadn't even brought his crossbow today. Although they had originally planned to come back and see Shirou today anyway, they had advanced the schedule quite a bit because the bread had been discovered.
"A teacher?"
Shirou hadn't expected the two of them to bring their teacher to see him.
Try as he might, he simply couldn't puzzle out the logic behind it.
"Pardon the intrusion. My students have troubled you."
A female voice drifted over. Shirou shifted his gaze from the two youngsters to the person standing behind them and saw the owner of the voice.
It was a woman. She had a head of white hair and a pair of... deer antlers?
"Hello, my name is Alina. I'm Ino and Sasha's teacher."
The woman introducing herself as Alina offered a greeting to Shirou while keeping her eyes fixed on his face, as if trying to confirm something.
"Hello, Miss Alina. You can just call me Shirou."
Shirou made a brief introduction of his own.
"Shirou... Ah, I understand. Just call me Alina, then. There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about, Shirou. Do you have a moment?"
Hearing Shirou's introduction, a faint smile appeared on Alina's face as she extended an invitation.
"Right here?"
Shirou did not agree immediately. Unexplained invitations were extremely dangerous.
"Yes, just a simple chat."
Alina showed no anger at Shirou's suspicion, maintaining her smile as she spoke.
"...Alright, but I need to let my teammate know."
Shirou thought it over. He had no reason to refuse; his first impression of Faust and Mephisto was passable. Since they belonged to the Reunion Movement, that meant the Alina before him was likely part of the Reunion Movement as well.
He still held some curiosity regarding the Reunion Movement, primarily wanting to understand this organization composed of the Infected.
Chapter 67: I object!
After explaining the situation to Texas and Sora inside the house, Shirou found a place with seating not far away with Alina.
Faust and Mephisto, meanwhile, sat obediently quite a distance off, though their gazes remained fixed on this spot, making Shirou feel somewhat uneasy.
Texas and Sora were both watching from beside the window. For safety's sake, the two of them had also made Shirou keep his earbud communicator turned on; if any trouble arose, they would immediately rush out to provide support.
The earbud hung around Shirou's neck, concealed by his coat.
"Well... I wonder what Miss Alina would like to talk to me about?"
Shirou deliberated for a moment before opening the conversation.
"Just call me Alina."
Alina placed her right hand over her left hand as she spoke.
"Understood. Then, what is it you'd like to talk about, Alina?"
Shirou went along with her preference; it was just a form of address, which wasn't a major issue.
Only, he noticed that she seemed to be wearing a glove on her left hand.
"Mainly, I wanted to thank you for taking care of Sasha and Ino—that is, Faust and Mephisto—yesterday. I assume you must have already learned from Madam Dalia that we are members of the Reunion Movement?"
Alina stated her purpose straight away.
"Madam Dalia mentioned it briefly."
Shirou had no intention of hiding it; his first impression of Alina was still quite good.
"Then... I wonder what your thoughts are on the Reunion Movement, Shirou?"
Alina paused in thought before tossing a question out to Shirou.
That question gave Shirou pause for thought.
The Reunion Movement was currently known to be composed of Ursus Infected, seemingly arriving here from further north in Ursus, and setting up an outpost near this village to help guard the animals in the mountains. From these facts...
"I don't know much, so it's hard to say anything definitive. However, judging from Madam Dalia's words, it feels like the Reunion Movement wants to speak up for the Infected?"
Shirou did not voice his own opinion directly. His current understanding of the Reunion Movement came almost entirely from what Dalia had told him.
In Dalia's speech, Shirou could perceive that she held no apparent prejudice against the Reunion Movement, even feeling that the people in the organization were good folks.
Yet these were only one-sided accounts. At present, he wouldn't rashly judge a matter as good or bad based on piecemeal information.
"Speaking up for the Infected is indeed one of the Reunion Movement's goals. But since you aren't very familiar with it, let's change the question! What are your thoughts on the Infected, Shirou?"
Seeing Shirou sidestep the answer, Alina changed tack.
"The Infected..."
Mention of the Infected caused Shirou to fall silent for a moment, while Alina off to the side felt no rush for his answer, simply letting him ponder at his leisure.
The Infected were treated with extreme disdain across this land; Shirou understood that point very well.
Yet in Shirou's eyes, the Infected were nothing more than...
"A bunch of sick people?"
This was the answer welling up from the bottom of Shirou's heart.
To him, the so-called Infected were simply a group of individuals who had contracted an illness—an illness that was difficult to cure, and one that could easily turn the sufferer into a new source of infection if mishandled.
Yet provided protective measures were properly in place, the so-called Infected were actually no different from ordinary people.
They would grow angry over trivial matters, and they would feel happiness over small things.
"Sick people?"
Hearing this answer, a faint smile surfaced on Alina's face, as if she were reminiscing about something.
Shirou did not interrupt her, quietly waiting instead.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Texas and Sora—who were eavesdropping through the earbud—along with Exusiai and Croissant, who had just gotten up to watch the commotion, found the conversation between the two entirely baffling.
That Elafia woman named Alina had suddenly called Shirou outside for no apparent reason, claiming she wanted to thank him for looking after the two kids yesterday.
Yet the topics the two of them had just been discussing had essentially nothing to do with any of that!
"I bet that person definitely has ulterior motives regarding Shirou."
Croissant chewed on the jerky in her mouth as she spoke.
"Exactly, exactly! Using two kids as an excuse is way too lame!"
Exusiai chimed in.
"You two, be quiet."
Listening closely to the dialogue between Shirou and Alina, Texas gathered information at the same time.
An organization gathered from the Infected wasn't worth paying serious attention to, but if that organization was rooted in Ursus, it was a different story.
Gathering intelligence wasn't the main priority, though; the most important thing was figuring out why the other party wanted to contact Shirou in the first place.
Most of the conversation between Alina and Shirou still revolved around matters concerning the Infected.
"Ugh... what on earth is she trying to do?"
Listening to the exchange, Sora began to feel a little restless.
The content of their conversation essentially consisted of Alina posing questions for Shirou to answer, and when Shirou couldn't quite answer, she would offer a brief explanation.
The topics largely circled around the Infected and Shirou's perspective on the Reunion Movement.
"Hm... You don't think she's trying to poach Shirou, do you?"
Exusiai took a sip of water and tossed the thought out casually.
The more Exusiai thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Alina was currently performing a recruitment pitch on Shirou.
This remark also aroused the vigilance of the other three, who successively shifted their attention back to the two figures outside.
Outside, after completing a series of exchanges with Alina, Shirou had also gained a rough understanding of the Reunion Movement's objectives and ideology.
Simply put, it was about upholding justice and aiding the weak, much like...
Thinking this, Shirou felt a mild ache in his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
Part of it was simply that Alina had said quite a bit, coupled with the fact that it had sparked a few thoughts of his own.
"Apologies, I got a bit too carried away."
Seeing Shirou looking somewhat troubled, Alina gently placed her right hand upon his forehead.
Alina's hand felt somewhat chilly—which was only natural; under these weather conditions, aside from anomalies like Shirou and individuals possessing special Originium Arts, having cold hands and feet was probably standard.
Yet Shirou felt as though Alina's hand drifted slightly upward.
"Um... What is your name, Shirou?"
Alina looked closely at Shirou's face as she asked.
"Shirou... Emiya."
Shirou realized she wasn't asking for his code name. After a moment of hesitation, he gave his true name.
"Shirou Emiya?"
Hearing his name, a look of fleeting melancholy crossed Alina's face, but it quickly vanished into a smile far brighter than before as she asked:
"Tell me... Shirou, have you ever considered joining the Reunion Movement?"
Faced with Alina's invitation, Shirou hesitated slightly.
Before you continue