"Hm… an inhibitor?"
Inside the Fuyuki Shop, Rope who had rarely been pulled aside by Shirou to discuss something serious, had already entered a focused mode, continuously digging through the information in her mind.
The pair of purple rabbit ears on her head kept swaying back and forth so much that it made Shirou a little dizzy just looking at them.
"It is fine if nothing comes to mind. I am just asking."
Seeing her think for so long, Shirou grew a bit worried that her brain might overload at this rate.
"It is not that I have no leads. If anything, there are too many. Most of the Infected in the slums are already wary of this. Just look at the number of victims here which is only a dozen or so. That alone shows that most Infected do not trust these kinds of inhibitors."
Straightening her ears, Rope explained the information she currently knew, along with her own thoughts.
"Can people not have a little more trust in each other?"
Hearing that, Shirou felt a slight headache and could not help but complain.
Of course, he also knew very well that such a thing was impossible.
Where he came from, even the seemingly surface world was actually quite chaotic.
Not to mention the magical side of the hidden world, over there even the most heinous criminals would look at themselves and think they were decent by comparison.
"Well, they are Infected. Sometimes even the Infected look down on their own kind, so what do you expect from others? Also, do not take all the work from the Guard Department onto yourself. Try trusting Chen and the others more. They may scold people harshly, but they are very reliable."
Rope shrugged helplessly in response to Shirou's complaint.
At the same time, she noticed that Shirou did not seem to be in great condition. He had probably worked late into the night again.
While Shirou was always dependable in this regard, there were still limits to what he could handle.
Of course, she was not talking about combat ability, but everything else.
Even if someone were perfect at everything, there were still only twenty-four hours in a day.
So it was better to distribute the workload and focus on what one did best.
That was precisely the work philosophy she used to justify lying around like this.
"I just gathered some information here and there. I did not really do anything…"
As Shirou spoke, his voice gradually weakened.
Mainly because Rope was now squinting at him, which made him a bit uneasy.
"I already knew you were this kind of person… forget it, there is no point talking to you. I will go inform Chen and Hoshiguma. You sit here and watch the shop for now!"
After staring at Shirou for a while, Rope finally let out a sigh.
This was not the first time Shirou had acted like this, so there was not much to say.
Rather than spending time trying to persuade him, it would be faster to help him in other ways.
"Huh?"
Shirou suddenly found himself stationed behind the cashier with a confused expression, watching as Rope hopped away toward the back of the shop.
"…"
Did she just say she was going to inform Chen or Hoshiguma?
If he remembered correctly, the Guard Department should be quite busy in the afternoon. It was uncertain whether she would even be able to reach them.
At this point, even if Shirou wanted to leave, he could not unless he put up a "closed" sign, which would only make their already poor business even worse.
In any case, he had nothing scheduled until evening, so covering a shift was not a problem.
Taking out his phone and lighting up the screen, Shirou looked at it…Only to find a barrage of messages from Swire. That was when he remembered he had left rather hastily earlier, which had been somewhat impolite.
He quickly sent a simple apology, and added a promise to make char siu rice again in a few days. It was a very sincere apology.
At least, very sincere from Swire's perspective.
That, however, was just a minor episode. What mattered more to Shirou was another message which was from Minmin, from Rhodes Island.
It seemed they had noticed this issue quite early on. However, since they were unfamiliar with the area and most of their personnel were ordinary medical operators, they could only try to dissuade the Infected from taking those inhibitors through persuasion.
They were also the ones who gathered the data and reported it to the Guard Department.
The main issue was a lack of manpower. Otherwise, they would have handled it themselves.
But now things were different.
Rhodes Island's main landship had already dispatched personnel.
Just reading those few lines of explanation, Shirou could already picture the scene.
A landship… charging toward Lungmen?
That sounded a bit dangerous.
Just as Shirou was considering whether to notify Chen and the others to prepare, a new message appeared on his phone.
"By the way, Amiya and the others will be coming this time. Do you want to meet them when they arrive?"
After thinking for a moment, Shirou replied:
"It depends on the situation. I am quite busy here. If I have time then, it will be fine."
He did not agree immediately, because when the Guard Department got busy, it was truly exhausting.
Even as just a supporting member, it was the same. And knowing himself, if he saw everyone else working hard, he would definitely jump in as well.
Just imagining that scene made Shirou feel pain.
"I understand, I understand. You have been working hard. We will skip blood draws for now so you just focus on your work! I have to get busy here too. Bye!"
Seeing Minmin suddenly throw out a sticker and leave, Shirou was not surprised at all.
When chatting with medical operators or rather, doctors or emergency responders this kind of situation happened quite often. After all, no one ever knew when something or someone would suddenly require attention.
He sent back a "received" sticker in response. After confirming there were no more messages, Shirou put his phone away and began walking around the shop.
Organizing inventory, wiping dust off the shelves, tidying up the store and finding things to do made it less boring.
"…"
Halfway through cleaning, Shirou suddenly stopped and looked at the display shelf in front of him.
Through the translucent glass, he could vaguely see his own reflection.
And that reflection would occasionally overlap with the figure from his dream.
After that dream in the morning and after smashing a mirror Shirou now felt a faint unease whenever he saw his own reflection.
"Do not go breaking the merchandise."
Turning his head away, Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose, reminding himself not to act impulsively.
If he threw a punch, the kids at the Fuyuki Shop might have to tighten their belts for a while.
Fortunately, the reflection was not very clear, so he managed to hold himself back.
Still, it killed any motivation he had to continue cleaning. After wrapping things up quickly, he returned to his chair and picked up some paper and a pen, beginning to record what had happened that morning.
Of course he was not recording the unsettling reflection but the things Archer had said.
What kind of problems Originium would cause for them, and that "line" he mentioned.
What exactly did that line mean?
"Once you cross that line, there is no turning back?"
Drawing a few circles on the paper, Shirou repeated the phrase.
On a literal level, it was easy to understand. Movies and television often used this idea, for example once your hands were stained with blood, there was no going back.
Understanding it was one thing, but what Shirou did not understand was what exactly Archer was warning him not to cross.
After thinking it over, the only thing that seemed likely was the point they often clashed over, the idea of being a "hero of justice."
"…If it is that, then I will just ignore it."
Unable to reach a conclusion, Shirou decisively gave up. After all, it was not the first time Archer had tried to discuss that ideal with him.
So ignoring it was fine.
He had also considered whether it might be related to Originium, but the problem was that, based on his understanding, once someone became Infected, there was no way to return to normal. That was something everyone already knew and there was no reminder needed for that.
So after thinking for a long time without any answers, Shirou simply decided to note it down and keep it with him.
Maybe one day, it would suddenly make sense.
Putting those thoughts aside, Shirou noticed that Rope had returned at some point.
She was lying nearby, already asleep. Her purple hair looked even brighter than usual under the light.
It reminded him of Sakura.
At first, the reason he had taken such good care of her was precisely because her purple hair reminded him of Sakura.
But that was all.
Shirou had no intention of treating her as a substitute. Not only were their personalities completely different, but doing so would be disrespectful to both Sakura and Rope.
"Sleeping like that is not good for your body."
Looking at Rope's extremely twisted sleeping posture, Shirou sighed and went to fetch the reclining chair he had bought earlier.
He had often heard her complain about back pain, yet she still slept like this of course it would hurt.
He carried her over to the reclining chair and even gave her the shop's only fan to use.
Then he took out his phone, played one of the songs recorded for him by Texas and Sora, sung by Sora and leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes.
Another peaceful day at the Fuyuki Shop.
..........................................….
"Amiya, I heard you are planning to go to Lungmen? Take me with you."
A black cat or rather a large black cat was currently following behind a small… rabbit, asking the question while also looking for the right moment.
"If you do not have anything going on, that is fine! But you cannot drink alcohol over there, okay? Last time you bought alcohol in Lungmen and lost track of Rosmontis, Doctor Kal'tsit was very angry."
"Doctor Kal'tsit said that if she catches you buying alcohol under the pretense of work again, she will hang you at the bow of the ship to let you 'cool off'."
Walking ahead, Amiya had a terminal tucked under her right arm and a stack of documents in her left hand. After hearing Blaze's question, she agreed but added a condition.
"Eh… but the brand I like is only available in Lungmen!"
Hearing Amiya's words, Blaze immediately deflated.
Her black cat ears and tail drooped visibly and she looked genuinely depressed.
"…Even if you say that, there is nothing I can do. Drinking is bad for your health, you know? But I can offer a compromise."
Seeing her dejected tone and expression, Amiya hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I knew you were the best, little bunny! What is the compromise?"
The gloomy expression on her face vanished and was replaced by a bright smile as Blaze stepped forward and hugged Amiya, asking eagerly.
"Drinking is bad for your health! So how about this every time you have a drink, you eat one of Hibiscus's nutritious meals to make up for it?"
Faced with Blaze's hugging assault, Amiya remained completely unmoved. She even instinctively secured everything in her hands to keep them from falling.
At the same time, she proposed the compromise she had just thought of.
"Gah… where did my cute little bunny go? The Amiya I know would never say something so cruel with such an innocent smile! Who are you, really?!"
Blaze felt like she was on a roller coaster, her emotions swinging wildly up and down.
What happened to her sweet, adorable little bunny? How could Amiya come up with such a terrifying idea?
One drink, one full nutritious meal?
No thanks. She would rather quit drinking.
"This is for your health, you know. Drinking all the time is not good for your treatment."
Amiya knew her suggestion was a bit… much, but that was because she was familiar with Blaze, which was why she spoke so bluntly.
It also served as a bit of payback for how Blaze had kept causing trouble during the last video recording.
As for making her alternate between alcohol and nutritional meals, setting aside whether Blaze could accept it, Hibiscus would probably step in and replace the alcohol with her specially made, nutrient-packed vegetable juice the moment she saw it.
At that point, Blaze would probably set the cafeteria on fire.
"I know it is bad for treatment… I just cannot help it."
Seeing Amiya return to her usual familiar smile, Blaze finally calmed down.
"As long as it is within what the medical department allows, a little drinking is fine. Do your best! But if you are going to Lungmen just to restock alcohol, then I am not taking you. We have work to do this time."
After being released, Amiya shook her head slightly. Everyone knew Blaze was extremely enthusiastic and also very warm. If she had hugged her any longer, Amiya might have passed out from the heat.
"What work? Oh! You mean that kid Shirou, right?"
Hearing that there was business in Lungmen, Blaze paused for a moment before realizing it was probably related to Shirou.
Though she did not actually know why they needed to find him.
It was mainly because Amiya had mentioned him during the last video shoot.
…Thinking about it, that felt a bit dangerous.
After all, when "little kitty" came back last time, she could not stop talking about Shirou. She had even written him down in her notebook and terminal.
There were even photos.
It had taken Blaze a whole month to get that kind of treatment back then.
Shirou had managed it in less than a day.
Well… he was kind, had a good temper, and did not look bad either…
Alright, at least he was not a bad person.
The more she thought about it, the more Blaze felt that letting Rosmontis interact with Shirou was not a bad thing. At the very least, he took good care of her emotions.
"That is one of the reasons, but mainly it is because the local office reported some trouble in the slums. The relationship between the Guard Department and the slums seems quite complicated, so we are going to take a look while we are there. If possible, it would be best to resolve it along the way."
As she spoke, Amiya pulled a document from the stack in her hands and handed it to Blaze.
"Got it. Then count me in! I will do my best not to look at any liquor stores!"
Hearing that it was official business, Blaze was definitely going.
She had no other plans anyway, and since Amiya was going, there was no reason for her not to follow.
Amiya seemed to understand her intentions as well, which was why she handed over the mission request form.
"I will go check if Rosmontis has any plans!"
With that, Blaze turned and immediately started running down the corridors of Rhodes Island.
She was running very fast so fast that quite a few people along the way were startled.
"Honestly…"
Watching Blaze's retreating figure, Amiya showed a slightly worried expression, concerned that her recklessness might cause her to bump into someone.
Soon, Amiya remembered that she still had work to do, she needed to take these documents to report to Kal'tsit about the trip to Lungmen.
Clutching the files in her arms, Amiya also began to jog toward Kal'tsit's office.
And on her right hand, the crimson crown-shaped mark was clearly imprinted.