In Terra, a Hunter and a Bad Woman

Texas frowned slightly at the sight, her hand instinctively moving to her weapon.

The others noticed Texas's vigilance as well, and they all began to stir.

Just as everyone was starting to grow restless, Maria spoke coldly.

"Two seats."

"..."

"..."

Everyone froze.

Fortunately, the waiter in the standard white-shirt-and-black-jacket uniform was quick on the uptake. He stepped forward and gave the two customers a professional smile.

"Are you two... here to dine?"

"Mm."

"I understand... Please follow me."

The waiter was a handsome blond man with animal ears, standing perfectly straight. Of course, facing the six-foot-tall Maria, he was still somewhat restrained.

Maria nodded and followed him.

Texas slowly lowered her hand as well. After giving a slight nod to several vaguely familiar people nearby, she followed Maria away.

The atmosphere in the café seemed to return to normal.

Once they reached their seats, the waiter politely handed Maria a menu, indicating that they could call for him after ordering, then withdrew.

His steps were somewhat hurried.

After quietly glancing at him, Maria turned to Texas sitting across from her.

"You order first."

"..."

Maria had intended to be polite. Since she was the one who had invited Texas, it was only natural to let her choose first.

But Texas became nervous because of it.

"Alright..."

As she spoke, she reached out with both hands and respectfully accepted the menu from Maria, then began choosing carefully.

Maria, meanwhile, turned her head and silently observed the people around them.

Everyone here wore identical black suits, their expressions stern, as though they were preparing for something.

That made Maria realize that the place might have been reserved.

Perhaps she and Texas weren't supposed to be here.

But... the waiter hadn't asked them to leave either...

Why was that?

A Strange Relationship

The ordering process ended quickly.

After taking their order, the waiter quietly retreated, leaving the space to Maria and Texas.

The two sat on opposite sides of a wooden table, staring at each other without saying a word.

In this silence, Maria clearly held the advantage.

Silence was already second nature to her. As far as she remembered, the longest she had gone without speaking had been around a year... though that was only how it had felt to her. She had nothing to verify the exact length of time.

So she was used to this quiet... but Texas clearly wasn't.

After hesitating for a long while, Texas gritted her teeth and raised her head to face Maria.

"Ms. Maria!"

"Hmm?"

Maria looked up, her cold eyes quietly fixed on the emotionally unsettled Texas.

"..."

Under that gaze, Texas, who had been so agitated just moments ago, immediately deflated and slumped down, silently lowering her head.

"Ah."

With a sigh, Maria knew they couldn't remain silent forever. After pausing for a moment, she quietly took a sip of plain water.

"So... Miss Texas, do you not like the atmosphere here?"

"...That's not it."

"Then why are you so conflicted..."

"...I just don't know how to face you."

Texas was very honest. Or rather, in front of Maria, she didn't dare be anything but honest.

"You don't know how to face me?"

Maria frowned slightly.

Wait...

She had found it strange earlier.

Texas's attitude toward her was clearly not that of a stranger she had just met... Instead, it was as though they had met long ago.

Could it be...

She stared at the well-behaved girl before her. After thinking for a while, she frowned again.

"Puppy?"

"Hmm?"

"...Nothing. I just find it a little strange."

Maria leaned back in her chair and silently shook her head.

She had thought the person before her was the puppy girl she had encountered in the forest... but judging from Texas's reaction, apparently not.

Indeed, if Maria remembered correctly, that puppy girl had brownish-yellow hair, while Texas in front of her undoubtedly had black hair.

That alone meant she probably wasn't the foolish little puppy from Maria's memories.

Then... if that was the case...

After remaining silent for a moment, Maria let out a breath.

"Miss Texas... do you know me?"

"Mm."

"Now that's interesting."

Maria said nothing. She merely set down her water and lowered her head.

"In my memories, I shouldn't know you... at least, that was the case before now."

"...Because I was only a child back then?"

Hearing Maria say that she didn't know her, Texas showed a hint of shame and disappointment. Even the ears atop her head drooped listlessly.

But Maria quickly interrupted her gloom.

"Perhaps you didn't understand what I meant, Miss Texas. If your memories are correct, then you saw me in your hometown, Siracusa, didn't you?"

"That is correct..."

"But in my memories, I have never been to a place called Siracusa..." Maria said quietly. "And because of certain special reasons, I can be certain that I was absolutely not in Siracusa before. Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else."

Maria calmly looked at the restrained girl before her.

"Mistaken you for someone else?" Texas hesitated.

"But... you are Maria?"

"Maria isn't a particularly rare name..."

Maria shook her head again and voiced her thoughts. At the same time, she quietly asked her system a question.

"What is going on?"

"Hm?" Little Regret poked its head out from Maria's mind. "What's wrong?"

"Texas seems to have met me before... but in my memories, I have never been to the place called Siracusa..."

"Oh, that~" Little Regret tilted its head. "Maybe... we simulated something in the future, and this child was involved in it?"

"...You don't know?"

"Even I can't be certain about things we haven't done yet."

Little Regret sounded a little aggrieved.

But Maria more or less understood.

After a brief silence, she raised her head and looked at the somewhat confused Texas.

"Although I don't know what happened, I can be certain that the person you saw back then... wasn't me."

Maria refused to acknowledge the version of herself in Texas's memories.

"Ah..."

Hearing Maria's words, Texas became completely flustered.

Maria, however, used her calm, steady voice to ease the other's emotions bit by bit.

"Relax..."

"You don't need to be so nervous..."

"I am not the Maria from your memories... Perhaps many things about me remind you of that person."

"But those are things of the past... If you don't mind, can you tell me about them?"

Maria watched the girl before her gradually calm down, probing little by little.

Although she could more or less determine that she had certainly simulated a story involving Texas in the future... she didn't want actions she had yet to learn about to affect what she did now.

So she wanted to hear Texas's thoughts.

She wanted to know what she had done to make Texas treat her this way.

"Perhaps there are many unbelievable things in your story, but at least right now, you can relax and tell it."

"Don't feel nervous or afraid... Many things are like that. When you choose to hide them away, they become filled with endless fear and nightmares. But if you're willing to speak of them, then they are merely stories of the past."

"I have seen many people regard the past as a monstrous flood, and I have seen countless people weep bitterly through the night."

"But... believe me. Believe me, Miss Texas."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

"We are people living in the present. We shouldn't be defeated by the past..."

Maria's voice was soft... like a demonic whisper luring someone into the abyss, winding around Texas's ears bit by bit.

Those cool gray eyes silently watched the girl before her. As Maria's pale lips moved, Texas felt as though someone were touching her brain directly through her skin.

Comfort and reassurance welled up from within her body.

She could feel every powerful beat of her heart, and she could see the indifferent smile on the face of the person before her.

An unbelievable strength surged from within her. She felt like a dandelion finding its home in a storm, gaining unimaginable courage in an instant.

"Gulp..."

She quietly swallowed and stared blankly at the woman before her.

Just as when she was a child, she still couldn't see the other's face clearly.

But... feelings didn't lie.