In Terra, a Hunter, and a Bad Woman

"What's wrong, Senior Texas? Were you hurt?"

"Hurt?"

Hearing Sora's question, Exusiai turned around as well.

But when she saw Texas's expression, she instantly understood everything.

Sure enough... it was because of that strange woman they had encountered during the day, wasn't it?

"It's nothing, it's nothing~ What could possibly happen to Texas?"

Exusiai grinned as she began covering for her companion.

But Sora clearly could not be put at ease so easily.

Her sharp intuition told her that the two of them seemed to be hiding something from her, and she immediately turned to look at Texas.

She wanted an answer from her.

"It's nothing... I'm just a little carsick."

"Carsick...?"

The moment Sora heard Texas's answer, she became even more worried.

In the team, Exusiai handled fire support, Croissant handled defense and breakthroughs, while Texas was responsible for driving and part of the close combat.

And Texas was saying she got carsick?

It was like a bird saying it was afraid of heights.

There was something indescribably strange about it.

Texas quickly realized that she had misspoken, and her expression turned awkward.

Meanwhile, Emperor casually opened a bottle of red wine and tossed it over.

"Alright, don't overthink it. This is a party, girls, a party! What do we need? Upbeat music, delicious food, fine wine, and smiles! Whatever problems there are, we can face them together later. But right now, what we need is happiness."

The penguin named Emperor opened his beak wide and generously comforted his employees.

Texas stepped forward, protectively placing the flushed Sora behind her. She caught the spinning bottle and silently nodded.

It was true. Her own matters were not suitable for discussion in a setting like this. Today was party time; what they needed was happiness.

She should stop thinking so much.

With that thought, Texas quietly sat down at the side.

As time passed, more members of Penguin Logistics gradually arrived.

Cheerful, pulsing music drowned out everything around them, and the lively crowd began to boil over.

Exusiai skillfully opened a bottle of beer and, grinning, forced it down the throat of the late-arriving Forte, Croissant.

Though Texas still would not join her coworkers' wild revelry even now, seeing her companions so happy made the corners of her lips rise despite herself.

A sense of peace...

That long-lost sense of peace had come to her side once more...

Lowering her head, she held her glass and looked at the amber whiskey inside, her gaze gradually softening.

At that moment, the penguin with a cigar in his beak and a thick gold chain around his neck gave a little heave and jumped onto the sofa beside her, swirling his drink.

"So, what exactly did you see?"

"Emperor..."

"Hey, girl, I'm your boss. Though I think this sort of thing ought to be settled by yourselves, well... you work under me now. If you get bullied and I don't help, where would that leave my reputation?"

The dashing penguin drank boldly as he tried to talk Texas through it.

"Was it those guys from Siracusa?"

"No."

Texas shook her head. She watched Sora desperately trying to stop two crazed drunks from putting on a blindfolded apple-shooting performance, then turned back to Emperor.

"It was... an old friend."

"An old friend? Oh, you mean that white-haired girl?"

After thinking for a moment, Emperor nodded.

Lappland. He knew about her too—the unresolved romantic debt Texas had left behind in Siracusa.

If she had come to stir up trouble, then it was understandable that Texas did not want to talk about it.

"You knew?"

Texas was somewhat surprised.

She truly had not expected anyone to still know of Maria's existence these days... As for Emperor calling her a girl...

Well, forget it. Considering Emperor's age, perhaps calling her a girl was not particularly disrespectful.

"Hey, don't underestimate me. Who do you think I am? It's not like I know nothing about something like this."

Emperor took a deep drag from his cigar, drained the wine in his glass in one gulp, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"So what did she want from you? Don't tell me you plan to go back with her. That wouldn't be a funny joke."

"I won't."

Texas shook her head, her tone firm.

"I have no reason to go back..."

"Is that so?" Emperor did not seem particularly concerned. "Even if you wanted to go back, that'd be fine. It's not like I'd deliberately stop you. What matters is what you think... Did she say anything to you?"

"...No."

Texas shook her head.

If Maria had truly said something to her, perhaps she would have felt a little more at ease.

But the problem was that Maria had not said anything at all.

She had even ignored Texas as though she did not know her.

That left Texas deeply unsettled.

Had she disappointed her?

Or had she simply never cared what became of her?

Either answer made it hard for her to breathe.

After looking at the girl, Emperor stretched out his wing-like hand and scratched his belly.

"This is why I really don't understand how young people think... So, how do you see her?"

For a penguin who had made hedonism the guiding principle of his life, he truly was not very good at counseling people.

"How do I see her?" Texas froze for a moment, then lowered her head in thought.

Clearly, she had never considered that question before.

After a long period of reflection, she finally spoke slowly.

"A friend, an older sister, a teacher, an opponent... even a lover, a mother. I don't know how to describe her. I can only feel that she occupies an inseparable place in my past... gentle, quiet, and incomparably strong."

Texas was even smiling as she said those things.

"Quack..."

Emperor opened his beak blankly, staring at Texas as though he had gone stupid.

You Siracusans... had relationships this complicated?

He had heard that they referred to people close to them as family.

But... mother? Lover?

Could those two descriptions belong to the same person!?

And gentle, quiet... did any of that have anything to do with Lappland?

That laughing maniac did not look like a quiet woman at all.

At any rate, he could not imagine Lappland quietly wearing a long dress and having afternoon tea.

Were they really talking about the same person?

Hesitantly, Emperor wanted to pat her shoulder and say something, but after pausing for a while, he merely laughed with a series of quacks.

"I can't really say much about this, but... this is Penguin Logistics, my turf. No one on my turf gets to force my people to do something they don't want to do. If there's something you want to do, just go ahead without worrying."

"As long as it's fun enough, I'll definitely back you up!"

With that, he stood up.

Texas remained where she was, quietly thinking.

It had to be said, though Emperor was a strange penguin, he truly did protect his own.

If he was willing to help her, then perhaps she really could talk to Maria.

But...

What should she say after meeting her?

Texas agonized over it.

At that moment, the bar's door... was quietly pushed open.

Texas's Sorrowful Cry

"Penguin Logistics?"

"That's right, Penguin Logistics."

As she drank beer, Hoshiguma spoke with the dangerous woman in front of her.

Once she had confirmed that the other woman needed money, she had been troubled for a while. But soon, a name came to mind.

Penguin Logistics!

"It's a fairly legitimate errand-running company... Though they do give me headaches sometimes, there's no doubt that their work on the surface is legitimate... At most, they dabble in some gray-market business. It's still within acceptable limits."

"And they pay well. There are commissions on top of the regular pay too. If you work hard, you might earn enough in a month or two... though it can be a little dangerous."

"But I think... with your abilities, it shouldn't be a problem."

The cold woman walked into the bar without saying a word.

Though she had restrained herself as much as possible, her elite aura was still difficult to conceal.

The Penguin Logistics employees around her stared blankly at her, their expressions strange.

"Who's this? A new employee?"

"No way. I heard we haven't been hiring lately."

"Did she come to the wrong place?"

"I don't think so. Feels more like she's here to cause trouble?"

"Then she's an enemy? Damn! An enemy! Damn! Get her!"

The drunken crowd spouted nonsense, but the woman paid them little mind and merely asked coldly.

"Who among you... is the leader?"

Maria had no understanding of job hunting. In her mind, if she wanted work, she simply needed to find the leader of the organization and demonstrate her abilities.

As for whether they were hiring... that was their problem.

The moment she said that, everyone became even more nervous.

"This woman really does seem like she's here to start something... Do we have any enemies lately?"

"Isn't Penguin Logistics surrounded by enemies everywhere?"