After realizing that this was a reality he could not avoid, Shirou decisively chose to accept it.
In any case, he would not have to face it immediately, so he was not particularly anxious.
"We should be close now, right?"
Looking at the time displayed inside the vehicle, it seemed that afternoon had already arrived. After calculating briefly, Shirou realized he had slept for more than seven hours.
It was probably the longest sleep he had gotten in quite a while. The only issue was that Sora beside him was still rubbing her thigh even now, which made Shirou feel somewhat guilty. So he decided to find something to do in order to ease that feeling a little.
Although he was seated in the back, Shirou still took over reconnaissance duties and began observing the surrounding terrain.
Unlike the wastelands they had seen yesterday, this area occasionally contained abandoned mining pits.
From this, Shirou clearly realized that Rim Billiton truly did rely on mining as the foundation of its economy.
However, every time he saw the entrance to one of those mines, he was reminded of the massive cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple.
Another strange psychological scar had been added.
"Pretty much. Earlier, because your condition looked bad, we increased our speed quite a bit."
Texas, seated in the driver's seat, glanced at the vehicle's current speed before answering. Even now, they were still moving faster than originally planned.
In a place like this, faster was not always better.
Greater speed meant that if danger suddenly appeared ahead, they might crash into it before they even had time to react.
That was why this kind of travel heavily depended on both the driver's concentration and the scout's eyesight.
Exusiai had performed exceptionally well in that regard, practically making up for all the laziness from yesterday.
Though it was probably only at times like this that she could stay properly focused…
"I see."
Shirou himself was not particularly sensitive to such matters. Whether the vehicle moved quickly or slowly made little difference to him, so he had not really noticed the issue of spotting danger through binoculars only for it to appear seconds later.
Still, he could tell that everyone looked exhausted. That was why he had not retaliated against Exusiai's earlier threats.
Under normal circumstances, he probably would already have started preparing things like salted meat pie, green apple pie, or apple pizza.
Though the third option would probably drag Texas into things as well. When it came to Siracusan cuisine, Texas's standards were much stricter than for other foods.
That said, Shirou himself was not particularly skilled with Siracusan cooking either. The closest thing he remembered making was probably pasta.
By the time the group arrived at the village, the sky had only just begun to darken. They had indeed arrived earlier than expected.
The village itself was not large. Compared to Lungmen's slums, it looked slightly more rundown, though it was nowhere near as bad as the border villages in Ursus.
And many people could be seen wearing miner uniforms. They had apparently arrived just as the workers were getting off duty.
After greeting the village representative, the two vehicles finally drove into the settlement and arrived at Rhodes Island's local office.
Although the building was small, it was kept very clean.
At this point, the A1 Reserve Operation Team's mission was officially complete. The medicine transported from Rhodes Island had successfully replenished the local shortage of supplies.
Which meant that the next matter to deal with was Shirou's condition.
"I can walk by myself, you know?"
Being carried by all four girls, Shirou stared blankly at the ceiling while speaking helplessly.
And why were they all so experienced at carrying someone like this?
"Nope, nope! You are a patient! Patients should act like patients! Just lie still and stop moving!"
After hearing Shirou's protest, Exusiai mercilessly rejected his desire to walk on his own.
Although Shirou technically was a patient, the main reason they were doing this was simply because this was amusing.
After all, Shirou had scared them badly earlier in the vehicle. They had worried themselves sick for quite a while, so collecting a little interest now was not excessive, right?
Definitely not excessive.
"Exactly! Do not move around! My horns do not have eyes, you know!"
Croissant immediately chimed in beside her.
Although Shirou himself felt nothing but overwhelming embarrassment at the current situation, in everyone else's eyes it only looked like the Penguin Logistics members had an incredibly good relationship.
If Shirou ever learned that, he would probably start questioning once again whether the people of this land had serious problems with their perception of reality.
As for Texas and Sora, although they were somewhat tired, they still had enough energy left to fool around together with their teammates.
Besides, opportunities to tease Shirou did not come often. If they joined in with the other two now, perhaps they could avoid future retaliation.
Neither of them wanted to get caught in one of Shirou's black-hearted traps. Watching Exusiai and Croissant suffer later would be enough.
"…"
Wrapped tightly inside a sleeping bag, Shirou decided he no longer wanted to say anything at all as the group carried him straight to the doctor.
"What symptoms does the patient… have?"
Hearing the door open, the Rhodes Island doctor did not immediately look up, instead asking about the condition first.
However, the laughter and commotion outside still drew his attention, causing him to put down his pen and raise his head.
Then he witnessed the rather bizarre scene before him.
Fortunately, his strong mental fortitude allowed him to finish speaking calmly while gesturing for the group to put down the red-haired young man who had been tied up.
"Um… let us first conduct a basic physical examination?"
Finally feeling his feet back on solid ground again, Shirou felt a small surge of emotion.
However, when faced with the doctor's questions, even he did not really know how to explain things.
After all, he had been asleep at the time.
Looking at Shirou standing before him, the doctor immediately understood what to do.
He shifted his gaze away, completely ignoring Shirou, and instead looked toward the Penguin Logistics members behind him.
When dealing with patients unwilling to talk about their own condition, the best method was naturally to ask the people familiar with them instead.
Judging from the earlier situation, the group clearly had a very close relationship.
"Let me think… fever, full-body spasms, and nightmares? What else was there?"
Sensing the doctor's gaze, Exusiai seemed to instantly understand his meaning and immediately listed all of Shirou's earlier symptoms.
"Muscle tension, rapid breathing, staying up all night…"
The other three girls also helped add details, allowing the doctor to gain a rough understanding of Shirou's condition.
"Young people should not assume their bodies can handle endless sleepless nights! Staying up late damages your health! A lot of illnesses are accumulated gradually like this without people noticing!"
The doctor spoke earnestly to the young man before him, as though sharing the wisdom of his life experiences.
After all, he was not especially familiar with Shirou. Based only on these pieced-together symptoms, he could only identify some general key points.
At the moment, Shirou's all-night vigil clearly carried a significant portion of the blame.
Additionally, these symptoms might have been accumulating over a long period of time… though that part would have to be discussed privately later. As a doctor, he still respected patient privacy.
After a simple examination and a few warnings, once the doctor confirmed that there were no major issues, Shirou was finally allowed to leave.
As for the doctor expressing a desire to speak with him more privately… Shirou politely declined.
After all, once he returned he would already have to deal with Kal'tsit. There was no need to expose too much to another doctor here as well.
Upon hearing Kal'tsit's name, the doctor immediately let Shirou go.
That was one of the giants of the medical department. If someone like her was already involved, what room was there for him to say anything unnecessary?
It was better to save his energy for treating the miners and infected patients injured from mining.
"Luckily, Shirou is fine. Also, we are staying here tonight. Instructor Dobermann handed me the keys earlier."
After confirming that there were no serious problems, Croissant swung the keys in her hand while speaking to the group.
While everyone else had been focused on Shirou, Dobermann had called Croissant over and handed her the keys.
As a result, after all that delay she completely missed the excitement of Shirou's examination ending. Truly unfortunate.
"So what about dinner? Is it provided here?"
Looking at the keys in Croissant's hand, Exusiai was far more concerned about dinner.
She had eaten nothing but dry rations for both breakfast and lunch today. If she did not get some fresh food soon, she felt she would lose her mind.
She, Exusiai, could accept a world without desserts. But asking for a dinner made with fresh ingredients was not excessive, right?
"…I do not know about that. Should I go ask?"
That question completely stumped Croissant. Earlier she had only been thinking about how quickly she could get back to watch the show and had forgotten the most important issue.
"Heh heh! No need to worry! Tonight's dinner will be Rim Billiton's classic cuisine!"
Just as the group without any local Rim Billiton currency was discussing whether they should borrow some money from Rhodes Island, a lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
The newcomers were Kroos and the other members of the A1 Reserve Operation Team, though none of them were carrying weapons.
After all, walking around armed in a peaceful village like this would attract unnecessary attention and was not really needed.
However, the Penguin Logistics members were not paying attention to that. Instead, their eyes were fixed on the large-denomination Rim Billiton bills in Kroos's hand.
Seeing that money, they instantly knew dinner was secured!
With money, everything became easy to solve! Even though Shirou could create almost anything, he could not project edible ingredients.
And as a native of Rim Billiton, Kroos was naturally very familiar with the area. The group thoroughly swept through all the local delicacies that could only be found here.
"Cautus, huh…"
Unlike the others who were enthusiastically stuffing themselves, Shirou only sampled a few dishes that interested him before stopping and instead began observing the surroundings.
Lungmen had many Felines. Ursus had many Ursus… while Rim Billiton had a large number of Cautus.
It seemed every region had dominant races of its own.
Having been here for so long, Shirou had already become mostly immune to the sight of animal ears. Still, the long ears of the Cautus continued to catch his attention.
With ears that long, would wearing hats not feel uncomfortable?
He wondered whether Amiya and Rope had the same problem. Judging by the methods people used here, most simply cut two holes into hats so the ears could stick through.
But that meant the ears would constantly be exposed to wind and rain… perhaps some sort of ear covers would help?
Maybe he should research it after returning. After all, he seemed to know quite a few Cautus now.
Just as Shirou was seriously contemplating specialized hats for Cautus, the others beside him had already finished eating and drinking their fill.
Although some money remained from what Kroos had brought, under the strong demands of the rest of the group, the remaining funds were transformed into ingredients instead.
These would become tomorrow's dinner during the return trip!
That evening, everyone had an extremely enjoyable time. After all, they were not spending their own money, and with a Rim Billiton native guiding them around, they truly got to experience the local culture properly.
The relationship between the two groups instantly grew much closer.
Though the combination of Exusiai, Croissant, and Kroos was enough to make Shirou's scalp tingle just from looking at them.
Especially when the three of them burst out laughing strangely together, it was even more so.
With the idea that what the eye does not see cannot trouble the mind, Shirou returned to the office, finished handling all the ingredients, and then went back to his room alone to rest.
After spending a rather unpleasant night of rest, morning arrived.
The main purpose this time was delivery. Since the goods had already arrived, it was time to head back.
As for the more detailed handover procedures… those were no longer Penguin Logistics' concern.
However, judging from Dobermann's behavior last night, she must have taken over those more troublesome tasks and allowed the A1 action reserve team to relax properly.
According to a certain frequently scolded squint-eyed Cautus,
"Although Instructor Dobermann usually looks quite strict, she is actually a very nice person! It would be even better if she did not scold us so harshly all the time!"
After that, Kroos was dragged away by her ear by Dobermann, leaving the Penguin Logistics members to sort out the return supplies.
In Shirou's mind now, Kroos had already reached a level comparable to Exusiai and Croissant in terms of troublemaking.
While sighing, Shirou could not shake the feeling that something was off. However, after repeated checks, he could not find anything suspicious, so he concluded that he had not rested well and his condition was somewhat off.
"…The weather looks rather bad."
On the other side, after packing up, Exusiai looked at the dark gray sky, frowned slightly, and muttered to herself.
If it were only rain, it would not be too bad. However, in this kind of remote wilderness, the most worrying thing was a catastrophe.
It seemed that there would not be much room for slacking off later. Shirou had never seen a catastrophe before.
Thinking about how her lazy lifestyle might be coming to an end, Exusiai hoped that things would not develop in the worst possible direction.
It would be best if the weather stayed overcast and then simply cleared up.
After the vehicle started and left the village, laughter initially continued inside the car without pause.
However, as the vehicle traveled farther away and gradually slowed down, Shirou, who was forced to sit in the back seat, began to feel that something was not right.
Not only were the attitudes of the people in the car strange, but even Kroos' voice over the communication device was no longer as lively as before.
And also… the weather outside seemed unusual as well.
"What happened?"
Without disturbing the two people busy in front, Shirou asked Sora beside him.
"Overcast skies combined with strong winds… there is a high possibility of encountering a catastrophe. However, there is no need to worry too much. As long as we properly identify the type of catastrophe and avoid it, there will be no problem."
Sora briefly explained in response to Shirou's question.
Then, realizing that Shirou might be encountering a catastrophe for the first time, she added further explanation so that he would not worry excessively.
Avoidance is the most commonly used method for dealing with catastrophes.
After all, mobile cities were built precisely to forcibly evade catastrophes when they occur.
"Catastrophe…"
Shirou, recalling that there indeed seemed to be such a concept, felt as though he had found what had been bothering him earlier.
As if to confirm that his intuition was correct, he saw ahead a strange cylindrical object slowly approaching in their direction.