The following morning, aboard the Bad Guy.
Two operators sat in the cockpit piloting the Bad Guy, while Shirou, the Doctor, Amiya, and everyone else were seated in the passenger cabin behind them.
Compared to the heavy and serious atmosphere of their previous journey, this trip was clearly much more cheerful.
The sight of the Doctor, Ace, Amiya, and Rosmontis playing Old Maid, with Ace and the Doctor's faces covered in little slips of paper, made the atmosphere even more lively.
As for Blaze...
She was still suffering from a hangover.
The previous evening, Shirou had taken the members of Penguin Logistics and everyone from Rhodes Island out for a meal together. After learning that Shirou would once again be leaving Lungmen for quite some time, the members of Penguin Logistics unanimously decided to move this week's party forward to that very day.
Although Shirou had already said there was no need to go to so much trouble, they still brought everything needed for the party and even reserved a private room.
Everything was arranged in one smooth sequence. Before Shirou could even react, the entire plan had already been finalized. Even if he had wanted to stop them, there was no opportunity left.
It could only be said that whenever the subject of a party came up, Penguin Logistics' efficiency increased dramatically. Everything was finished in the blink of an eye, and they had even helped themselves to some of the Boss's liquor.
That was also the primary reason for Blaze's hangover.
The members of Penguin Logistics had been in much the same condition this morning, but Shirou had gotten up early and prepared some honey water to help ease their symptoms.
As for why Blaze's hangover was still so severe...
The reason was simple.
Shirou had simply forgotten that there was someone here who could drink even more heavily than the members of Penguin Logistics.
Still, it was not much of an issue.
After all, the journey from Lungmen to Columbia would take quite a long time, giving Blaze plenty of time to sleep and recover.
Besides, everyone aboard the Bad Guy was so idle that they had resorted to playing Old Maid. The absence of Blaze would not make any difference.
"Ah! I drew it again!"
Not far away, the Doctor raised the Joker card they had just drawn from Rosmontis and let out an exaggerated cry of despair.
At least, that was how it looked to Shirou.
Whenever the Doctor drew from Ace's hand, they almost never picked the Joker. However, whenever they drew from Amiya or Rosmontis, there was a very high chance that they would end up with it.
Ace was no different.
That was why both of their faces were covered with so many slips of paper.
"..."
Watching everyone enjoy themselves so thoroughly, Shirou had no intention of interrupting them or joining the game.
Instead, he was hurriedly studying everything he could about Columbia.
These materials had been specially prepared by Amiya at Shirou's request the previous day.
Previously, he had only possessed a vague impression of Columbia. Since it was so far away, he had never had much contact with information about it.
However, according to Exusiai, Texas had once lived in Columbia.
Had he known that a few days earlier, he probably would have asked her about it.
After all, no amount of written material could compare to the experience of someone who had actually lived there.
At first, it did not seem like much.
But the more he read...
The sense of déjà vu became overwhelming.
Whether it was its history, economy, development, or military strength, there were similarities everywhere.
Once he had established a basic frame of reference, understanding Columbia became much easier.
It was easier to relate to everything that way, and there was far less to learn from scratch, greatly reducing the burden.
"Hmm. No wonder they asked me to come. So this place gathers people from every nation? Although most of them probably speak Columbian... Honestly, I never imagined that I would one day end up working as a translator."
After gaining a basic understanding of Columbia, Shirou suddenly laughed.
It was simply a somewhat helpless laugh.
It could not be helped.
Back then, his foreign language skills had never been particularly good. They had barely been enough to get him through examinations, let alone qualify him to serve as a translator.
After all the effort Fuji-nee had spent trying to help him, she had never managed to achieve that goal.
Yet now, it had unexpectedly come true.
"Hmm? Shirou, is something wrong? Is there anything that you do not quite understand?"
Noticing Shirou's reaction, Amiya turned toward him as she asked the question, then stood up and walked over.
"Ah!"
Beside her, Rosmontis was seriously holding a slip of paper, carefully considering whether she should stick it to the Doctor's face or on top of the head.
However, after hearing Amiya ask Shirou the question, she thought for a moment, promptly stuck the slip onto the Doctor's chin, and then followed Amiya over.
"Have we been abandoned?"
Watching the two little girls run over to Shirou, the Doctor stroked the newly attached slip of paper on the chin and asked.
"I believe so."
Ace also stroked the paper slip on the same spot.
The only difference was that, compared to the Doctor's relatively sparse collection, Ace's slips were packed together so densely that they nearly covered his face.
The scene looked remarkably like two elderly men watching their children and grandchildren enjoying themselves together.
The paper slips attached to their chins made the resemblance even stronger.
"It is nothing. I was simply feeling a little sentimental..."
Seeing the two of them come over, apparently intending to help him, Shirou revealed a somewhat embarrassed smile.
He had not expected that a simple sigh of reflection would attract both of their attention.
The two of them had even assumed there was something he did not understand and had come over intending to help explain it.
It made Shirou feel as though he had unintentionally wasted their kindness.
"Sentimental? Well, Columbia's development certainly is something worth reflecting on. Compared to the other nations, Columbia is relatively young. Precisely because it is young, it is more adaptable and also more inclusive."
Upon hearing Shirou's words, Amiya mistakenly assumed that he was expressing admiration for Columbia's prosperity.
Among the nations of Terra, Columbia was undoubtedly one of the "youngest." At the same time, because of its rapid development, its culture had become far more diverse than that of most other countries.
However, precisely because it was young, it was also highly ambitious. While continuously expanding its military strength, it frequently harassed the neighboring nations as well.
Amiya did not go into much detail about that latter point, since it had nothing to do with their current mission.
After all, Rhodes Island was merely a small pharmaceutical company.
"That is true."
Shirou did not bother correcting Amiya's assumption.
After all, with the experiences of the past decade and the fact that Lungmen itself was already an extremely modern city, Columbia's level of development did not shock him very much.
It was nowhere near as astonishing as the first time he had seen a mobile city or Rhodes Island.
Besides, Shirou had never been the type to dwell on his past.
Since Amiya had conveniently provided a perfectly reasonable explanation for his reaction, he simply went along with it.
"..."
Standing nearby, Rosmontis listened to their conversation.
Her usually expressionless face briefly furrowed.
However, the expression disappeared almost immediately, and she quietly remained beside Amiya and Shirou, listening to their little lesson about Columbia.
The change in her expression lasted only an instant.
No one around her noticed it.
Meanwhile, with two players gone, Ace and the Doctor put away the Old Maid cards and took out their terminals to discuss and organize their mission objectives, itinerary, and various points that required attention.
The Doctor was primarily responsible for arranging their schedule, while Ace contributed his opinions and suggestions from the side.
Normally, Amiya would have been called over to participate as well, since this was one of the responsibilities she was supposed to learn.
However...
The Doctor felt there was no need to rush things.
Ever since awakening, Amiya had been busy almost every waking moment. She rarely had any time to herself. She was either working or consulting Logos about Originium Arts.
She was incredibly diligent.
Perhaps a little too diligent.
Because of various circumstances, the Doctor more or less understood why Amiya pushed herself so hard.
That, however, did not stop them from wanting to give Amiya some room to rest.
After all, the Doctor had slept for such a long time that they could now stay awake for extended periods without much difficulty, as long as they was not engaged in prolonged, high-intensity thinking.
If Doctor did spend too long thinking at full capacity...
One only had to recall what happened immediately after Doctor awoke and spent hours directing the battle in Chernobog.
At that point, all they could manage was incoherent babbling.
Nothing intelligible came out of their mouth.
"I see. Hearing you explain it like that, I can finally picture it."
As he listened to Amiya's explanation, an image of Columbia's customs and atmosphere gradually formed in Shirou's mind.
It was an extremely advanced nation.
In some respects, it was even more technologically advanced than Lungmen, and many of the world's leading technology corporations were headquartered there.
"I am glad I could help."
Amiya replied with her trademark smile.
Then she noticed Rosmontis standing silently beside them.
Apparently remembering something, more than half of the smile that had been on her face while helping Shirou faded away.
"What is wrong?"
Shirou asked after noticing the change in her expression.
"No... it is nothing. The Doctor and Ace have already started discussing the mission. Rosmontis and I should go listen."
Amiya pursed her lips as she answered.
"All right."
How should he put it?
Amiya was not very good at lying.
Even Shirou could easily see through her.
Still, he did not press the matter.
He had always been that way.
Everyone had their own little secrets and things they preferred not to talk about. If Amiya chose not to say anything now, then she surely had her own reasons.
That being said, he could more or less guess the answer.
The issue was probably related to Rosmontis.
Considering that he and Amiya had just been discussing Columbia, it seemed likely that something had happened to Rosmontis there.
Although he had never deliberately investigated Rosmontis's past or everything she had experienced, by piecing together information from the people at Rhodes Island and the documents he had access to, he could roughly reconstruct the little cat's history.
"Columbia..."
Letting out a sigh, Shirou set the documents aside and leaned back against his seat.
He felt that he needed some time to digest everything he had just learned.
However, the moment he relaxed against the chair, his eyelids suddenly began to feel heavy.
Perhaps it was because he had spent the entire ride reading and processing a huge amount of information.
Or perhaps it was because life had been comparatively relaxing lately.
The most likely explanation, however, was simply that it was much easier to fall asleep when sitting anywhere on a vehicle except the driver's seat or the front passenger seat.
Croissant had personally verified that theory.
With those random thoughts drifting through his mind...
Shirou quickly fell asleep.
"...Mmm... that tickles a little."
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Shirou felt something soft and furry brushing against his hand, forcing him to open his eyes and check what was going on.
He was still inside the aircraft, though he could clearly see that it was already dark outside the window.
"I have to admit, Croissant was right. The quality of sleep really is excellent."
Lying on a sleeping bag spread across the floor, Shirou stared at the ceiling and muttered to himself.
He was currently lying in a small resting compartment that had been partitioned off in the rear half of the aircraft. That was why there was a soft sleeping bag beneath him, as well as a curtain serving as a makeshift door that blocked the view from outside.
As for how he had ended up here, Ace had most likely carried him over.
Shirou was not surprised in the slightest. Instead, he calmly connected the information before him with the thoughts he had been having before he fell asleep.
Shaking his head to clear away the random thoughts lingering in his mind, Shirou prepared to get up and see what everyone else was doing.
However, he unexpectedly discovered the culprit that had tickled him awake.
"Hm? Rosmontis?"
Just as he was about to move, Shirou realized that someone was holding onto his hand.
Turning his head, he saw Rosmontis curled up beside him, sleeping while clutching his arm.
In pursuit of a sense of security, she had wrapped both hands around his arm.
Apparently finding that insufficient, she had also deployed her tail, which was coiled tightly around his hand.
It was certainly adorable.
The scene itself was incredibly heartwarming.
But...
Was it really appropriate for her to come over and squeeze into the same sleeping space with him?
"...Forget it. The Doctor and the others must have allowed it."
After thinking about it for a moment, Shirou decided to stop thinking about it altogether.
After all, this was not the first time Rosmontis had become attached to him. He knew that the little cat could be especially clingy at times.
Besides, if she was allowed to stay here, then Ace and the Doctor, who were acting as her guardians, were undoubtedly aware of it.
If he kept dwelling on the matter, it would only make it seem as though his thoughts were the inappropriate ones.
With that minor issue settled, it was time to deal with the major one.
"How am I supposed to get up?"
Shirou tried several times to sit up while gently prying Rosmontis's restless little hands off his arm.
He repeated that seemingly simple action for nearly ten minutes.
He failed every time.
Rosmontis was gripping him far too tightly, and if anything, she seemed to be hugging him even more firmly as time went on.
And besides her hands, there was still the issue of her tail.
That was even more troublesome.
Shirou had already experienced firsthand just how difficult it was to deal with before.
"...Should I just... sleep until morning?"
Shirou muttered to himself.
However, he quickly rejected that idea.
Putting aside the fact that he had already slept the entire afternoon and was no longer sleepy, he also found it difficult to fall asleep knowing that someone was lying right beside him.
Just as Shirou was preparing to force himself back to sleep until morning, someone reached over and pulled open the curtain to his compartment.
"Oh! Shirou, you are awake after all! I knew I did not hear you wrong just now!"
The owner of that hand was Blaze.
After pulling the curtain aside, she immediately poked her head inside and unexpectedly found Shirou just as he was about to close his eyes.
Shirou: "..."
Without thinking.
Without even hesitating.
Shirou decisively shut his eyes and immediately began pretending to fall asleep.
It could not be helped.
The expression on Blaze's face looked less like someone searching for another person and more like someone who had just found a companion willing to stay up all night with her.
During the daytime, that would have been one thing.
But in the middle of the night?
Absolutely not.
Besides, they still had a mission to deal with tomorrow.
Shirou felt that getting some extra sleep was a much better idea.
It definitely was not because he was afraid of trouble.