At eight o'clock in the morning, at the aircraft landing plaza on Columbia's border.
After Rhodes Island's aircraft landed smoothly, Shirou, dressed in his Rhodes Island operator uniform, was the first to jump out and quickly survey the surroundings.
It had to be said that Columbia truly deserved its reputation as Terra's most technologically advanced nation.
It even had a dedicated plaza for parking aircraft.
Aircraft, which were normally a rare sight, numbered nearly ten as they sat lined up nearby.
Doctor's eyes practically lit up.
If Ace and Amiya had not been standing beside them, Doctor would probably have already started devising a plan to make those aircraft disappear.
With Doctor's extraordinary intellect, obtaining one would certainly have been possible.
The only prerequisite was that Rhodes Island's resident superhuman would be willing to help.
Otherwise, Rhodes Island's reputation would probably be ruined.
Doctor: "Shirou, can you give me a hand?"
Shirou: "Do you mean manually helping your brain calm down?"
One sentence was enough to completely extinguish Doctor's fantasies.
Doctor could only turn their head away, deliberately avoiding those obviously more advanced aircraft to keep herself from getting carried away.
Going to prison was out of the question.
Doctor had a hundred different ways to steal one of those aircraft and escape Columbia afterward.
The problem was that Rhodes Island would find it much harder to cooperate with anyone in Columbia after that.
Besides, even if Doctor successfully stole one and brought it back, Kal'tsit would simply throw both Doctor and the stolen aircraft back into Columbia and make Doctor atone for it.
So why make life difficult for themself?
"By the way, Blaze and the others have already started moving, Are they not coming to the safe house with us?"
After successfully preventing someone from causing trouble, Shirou finally noticed that Blaze had already left in another direction with Rosmontis.
Rosmontis had deliberately pulled up her hood.
Along the way, the little kitten repeatedly tried to pull it back down, only for the big cat to immediately pull it back over her head.
After several rounds of this, the little kitten finally gave up resisting and obediently followed the big cat.
Although they were some distance away, Shirou could still clearly see Blaze's smug grin.
He could also see Rosmontis' tail hanging low, almost tucked between her legs.
Based on what Shirou knew about cats, that seemed to be something they did when they felt uneasy.
As a result, he found himself worrying about Rosmontis.
"Someone else will be meeting up with Blaze and Rosmontis. We can simply head directly to the safe house. Dr. Kal'tsit has already made all the necessary arrangements."
Noticing both Shirou's question and where he was looking, Doctor answered.
"Rosmontis' identity, as well as their mission, is not suitable for entering openly. However, if everything goes smoothly on their end, they might even meet up with us ahead of schedule."
Doctor added another explanation.
"Wait a second. Did we not just arrive through an official airport? Does that not already count as entering Columbia openly?"
Shirou noticed what seemed to be a rather strange contradiction and pointed it out.
"Do not worry. Everyone entered Columbia legally."
Amiya smiled as she answered.
They had indeed entered Columbia legally.
As for how they had managed that...
Do not ask.
The answer was simply Dr. Kal'tsit's extensive connections and methods.
Creating another legal identity for Rosmontis to enter Columbia was not particularly difficult.
As long as she stayed out of sight of the people who knew who she really was, everything would be fine.
"Hearing you say that somehow makes me even more worried."
Shirou sighed helplessly.
He was simply worrying too much.
With Blaze there, and with both Kal'tsit and Doctor having arranged everything beforehand, nothing should happen.
Even if something did go wrong, Blaze would contact Doctor through the communicator.
"Relax. Think of this trip to Columbia as a vacation. Have you not noticed that none of us brought tactical gear?"
Ace gave Shirou a firm pat on the back while flashing a broad grin.
"...I did not even notice until you pointed it out."
Only after Ace mentioned it did Shirou realize that everyone was traveling light.
The big cat and little cat pair from earlier had apparently done the same.
Things had been peaceful lately, and because he possessed Projection Magecraft, he naturally paid little attention to equipment.
At worst, he could simply serve as a temporary armory, projecting Noble Phantasms for everyone else to use.
After all, the little kitten had actually been able to swing Ig-Alima once or twice before.
She had needed to rest afterward because her body could not handle the strain, but projecting a pair of greatswords similar in weight and appearance to Rosmontis' own tactical weapons was still entirely possible.
Other than Blaze's weapon, which would be somewhat troublesome to reproduce, everyone else's equipment was relatively straightforward.
"Let us head to Rhodes Island's Columbia office first. We can also check whether there is any new intelligence regarding our target."
Noticing that Shirou had suddenly fallen silent, Amiya immediately changed the subject and suggested the next step of their itinerary.
"Sounds good. After spending two days aboard the aircraft, we should find somewhere to rest."
Doctor had no objections.
Just as Ace had said, there was no need to remain tense throughout this operation.
It was also a good opportunity to let Amiya gain more experience directing missions.
"I will notify the office staff first."
After speaking, Ace took out Rhodes Island's communicator.
"Ah? Oh, right. We are heading to the office first?"
Hearing everyone else's discussion, Shirou finally snapped out of his thoughts.
Yes.
The entire time they had been talking, he had been wondering what kind of Noble Phantasm would suit Blaze best.
Only after everyone had already decided on their plans did he return to reality.
Amiya: "..."
Amiya suddenly realized that she might have misunderstood the situation.
She had assumed Shirou had fallen into an awkward silence because of Ace's question.
Instead, he had simply become so absorbed in his own thoughts that he stopped paying attention to everything else.
Because of her Originium Arts, Amiya naturally paid close attention to other people's expressions and emotions.
Even when she was not actively using her Arts, that habit remained.
However, it also meant that she occasionally misread situations.
Just like this one.
Fortunately, she had only changed the subject.
If she had tried some other way of comforting him, the embarrassed one would have been herself.
Thinking that, the rabbit ears on top of her head twitched awkwardly a few times before she quietly took out her terminal and started using the navigation function.
The Rhodes Island office was not very far away.
It only took about ten minutes on foot to reach it.
Compared to other forms of transportation, aircraft were still relatively uncommon.
That was one of the reasons Kal'tsit had arranged for everyone to travel by aircraft in the first place.
It was simple and convenient, while also giving Doctor a chance to become accustomed to flying again.
Another reason was that she was worried Amiya and Rosmontis, the two youngest members of the group, might have trouble enduring a long overland journey.
Perhaps that second reason had actually been Kal'tsit's primary concern.
Only Kal'tsit herself knew the answer.
"You are finally here! We have been waiting for ages!"
The moment he stepped into the office, Shirou heard a very familiar voice.
Following the sound, he quickly found its owner.
Franka.
"Franka? Why are all of you here?"
Looking at Franka, Liskarm, and Jessica and Vanilla standing nearby, Shirou was genuinely surprised.
"We came back to take care of a few things. Then we heard you were coming, so we decided to wait here for you."
Franka handed each of them a cup of tea she had already prepared while casually explaining why they were there.
"I see."
Thinking back to the information Amiya had organized for him, Shirou remembered that it specifically mentioned Blacksteel Worldwide's headquarters being located in Columbia.
With that in mind, he quickly accepted her explanation.
He vaguely remembered Liskarm mentioning it before.
At the time, however, he was unfamiliar with Columbia, so he had not paid much attention.
It had to be said that the best way to remember something was to visit the place yourself.
Now he would probably never forget it.
"Let us head into the meeting room first."
After exchanging a few more casual words, Ace checked the time and immediately gathered everyone together.
Expecting Doctor to start working voluntarily was impossible.
Although Amiya could certainly get Doctor moving, she was still too soft-hearted.
That meant someone else had to play the villain.
And that someone was Ace.
"So soon? Should we not eat something first?"
Realizing that the enjoyable break was about to end, Doctor made one last attempt to resist.
"Everything is already prepared. Your coffee is ready too, Doctor."
Amiya immediately interrupted Doctor before they could continue protesting.
"...Then at least add some milk. My life is already bitter enough. I do not want to drink even more bitterness."
Doctor's misery was written all over the face.
Doctor even voiced it aloud, hoping to awaken whatever conscience Ace and Amiya still possessed.
"Milk? If you are putting Milk in your coffee, you should add a little sugar too. It tastes much better that way."
Hearing that familiar phrase again after such a long time, Shirou's expression became momentarily distant.
He quickly recovered, however, and stepped aside to let Amiya help Doctor toward the meeting room.
As for how Amiya was helping?
She was pushing Doctor forward from behind.
Neither Shirou nor Ace could really do that.
Among everyone from Rhodes Island, Amiya was the most suitable person for the job.
As she continued pushing Doctor forward, Amiya reminded her,
"At most... one... no, two spoonfuls. Any more than that would not be healthy."
Originally, Amiya had intended to let Doctor have only one spoonful of sugar.
However, remembering the workload that awaited Doctor, along with the strict dietary restrictions Kal'tsit had imposed back on Rhodes Island, she ultimately softened her stance.
"Can I use a soup spoon?"
Doctor desperately tried to negotiate for a little more happiness.
"Now it is only one spoonful."
Amiya's heart had become as hard as steel.
Without hesitation, she reduced Doctor's sugar allowance by another spoonful.
"—"
Doctor immediately covered their mouth with both hands.
Doctor was terrified that if they said another word, Amiya might even confiscate the last spoonful of sugar... and the Milk as well.
"Doctor is always like this whenever Amiya is around."
Standing nearby, Ace smiled helplessly.
Although he sounded exasperated, his expression carried more of the warmth of an adult watching children bicker, uncertain whether he should step in at all.
"Doctor has always been like that, has, Other than when directing operations, I have never seen Doctor act seriously."
After thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, Shirou responded to Ace with a look that clearly said, How are you only realizing this now?
"You are not wrong... but Doctor only lets relaxes that much when they are with Amiya. If it were anyone else, the conversation probably would have ended the moment coffee came up."
Hidden behind his sunglasses, Ace ignored Shirou's expression.
After all, there were other people present.
He still had to preserve at least a little of Doctor's dignity.
To put it simply, Shirou's remarks could be a little too devastating.
He was a genuinely kind person, and his reputation around Rhodes Island was excellent.
It was just that, once people became familiar with him...
He would occasionally say something with astonishing destructive power.
The sort of remark that struck people right in the heart.
He could be surprisingly sharp-tongued.
Even so, Ace did not consider it a bad thing.
He had heard people say much harsher things before.
Besides, while Shirou's words could sting, most of the time it was simply because he was stating the truth.
"Hmm... I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to topics like that."
As far as social interaction was concerned, Shirou admitted without hesitation that it was not his strong suit.
"That is fine. No one without several hundred tricks up their sleeve could imitate Doctor's style of socializing. I am no expert either."
Hearing Shirou admit it so frankly, Ace readily acknowledged the same about himself.
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Then they both burst into laughter.
Watching the entire exchange from the side, Franka, Liskarm, Jessica, and Vanilla fell silent.
"...Could this actually spread from person to person? I remember Amiya, Shirou, and Ace were not like this before. How did they all end up like this after we were apart for only a little while?"
Crouching down slightly, Franka whispered the question to her partner.
"Amiya is still young, so she is easily influenced. As for Shirou and Ace... I cannot really say. Jessica, what do you think?"
Liskarm gave her own opinion before suddenly dragging Jessica into the conversation.
She was already used to her partner behaving like this.
"Huh? I... I think Shirou has always been very easy to get along with."
Being called on so suddenly, Jessica panicked a little.
Still, since it was her senior asking, she forced herself to answer honestly.
"Yes, yes! Shirou is really nice! Last time he even made snacks for us. Dahei liked them too!"
Noticing everyone looking at her, Vanilla answered truthfully.
Those snacks had been delicious.
Even Dahei, the Originium Slug she kept as a pet, had eaten several pieces.
"So both Vanilla and Jessica have already been won over by Shirou."
Hearing Vanilla's answer, Franka immediately understood where the two of them stood.
She put on a pitiful expression and leaned closer to Liskarm.
"Stop acting. It will be a problem if Jessica becomes too nervous to talk to Shirou because of your performance."
Liskarm looked at her with open disdain.
She pushed Franka's head away with one hand and exposed her terrible acting.
In Liskarm's eyes, the performance had been painfully obvious.
Unfortunately...
To Jessica, it had looked completely genuine.
"Huh? Wait... You were acting?"
Watching Franka immediately return to normal after being pushed away twice by Liskarm, Jessica froze completely.
She had genuinely been thinking very seriously about how she should answer Franka's question.
"Of course. This is also part of communication."
Franka patted Jessica on the head and smiled with a sly expression.
"...It is so complicated."
Jessica was not angry at being teased by her senior.
She simply lowered her head and sighed.
Relationships between people were much more complicated than she had imagined.
"Do not overthink it. Unless you are in a situation where you absolutely have to build relationships with other people, most of the time you can simply interact in whatever way feels natural to you."
Seeing that Jessica looked as though her brain was about to overload and her eyes had become watery, Liskarm brushed Franka's hand away and tried to convince Jessica to forget everything Franka had just said.
Those sorts of social tricks were still too much for Jessica.
It was mostly because of her personality.
Giving her a little advice was one thing.
But everything Franka had just demonstrated was well beyond Jessica's current ability to process.
"Oh? That was very well said, Liskarm."
Even though Liskarm had just smacked her hand away, Franka showed no sign of being upset.
Instead, she cheerfully leaned closer again.
"Stay away from me. Also, it should be about time. Go make your preparations. Do not forget that we are here to assist Doctor's operation."
Liskarm expertly pushed Franka's head away once more before giving instructions to Jessica, who was still recovering mentally, and Vanilla, who had been happily watching the entire scene unfold.
Their chatting had only been intended to give Doctor, Shirou, and the others some time to prepare.
After all, they had just spent an entire day traveling by aircraft.
They needed a little time to recover.
If Franka and the others had immediately followed them into the meeting room, the group probably would not even have had time to eat.
"R-Right!"
Jessica immediately snapped back into work mode after receiving her orders.
Although she still stumbled over her words.
"Understood!"
Vanilla also switched into work mode, grabbing Jessica by the hand and pulling her away.
Tasks such as organizing reports and documents naturally fell to the two of them.
Once the actual meeting began, it would be Liskarm and Franka's turn to take over.
Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of Rhodes Island's Columbia office...
Amiya was desperately pushing a mysterious black object sprawled across the conference table while shouting,
"Doctor! Wake up! We still have a meeting to attend!"
That mysterious black object...
Or rather, Doctor was sleeping soundly, mumbling in sleep,
"It is carbohydrates... and sugar! Is this heaven?"
"It looks like a carbohydrate coma. Has Doctor's diet been a little too healthy lately?"
Standing nearby, Shirou looked at the loaf of white bread that someone had already devoured more than half of and analyzed the situation with complete seriousness.
A carbohydrate coma, just as its name suggested, referred to the drowsiness people experienced after consuming a large amount of carbohydrates.
White rice.
White bread.
They were among the common culprits.
As for how Shirou knew such trivia...
That could be traced back to a certain Sankta.
After all, consuming too much sugar at once produced similar symptoms.
In order to determine why Exusiai and Croissant always became completely unconscious after lunch, only to stay energetic all night and then have no energy for work the following morning, Shirou had spent quite some time researching the subject online.
The other two members of Penguin Logistics did not have that problem.
One was naturally disciplined.
The other consumed relatively little sugar and carbohydrates because of her work.
Shirou had originally thought he would only ever use that knowledge on Exusiai and Croissant.
He had never expected it to prove useful here.
He did not need this kind of practical application.
Thank you very much.
"Her diet really has been quite healthy. Dr. Kal'tsit has been closely monitoring all three of Doctor's daily meals."
Hearing Shirou's conclusion, Ace nodded as he answered.
Neither of them had any intention of helping Amiya.
Doctor had simply become sleepy after eating.
It was hardly a serious problem.
Besides...
Watching Amiya desperately try to wake her was rather entertaining.
Originally, Shirou had planned to step in and help.
Ace had stopped him, saying that Doctor deserved a little rest.
Their physical condition had never been particularly good, and after spending an entire day on an aircraft, Doctor was undoubtedly exhausted.
Shirou had believed him.
Still, out of conscience, he pointed out that Doctor was merely experiencing a carbohydrate crash rather than having passed out because of some medical emergency.
Otherwise, the office's medical operators might end up being summoned unnecessarily.
"...Honestly. I will have to tell Dr. Kal'tsit after we get back."
Only after learning that Doctor was perfectly fine did Amiya finally let out a sigh of relief and release her grip on Doctor's clothes.
Watching Doctor eat a pile of bread covered in jam, drink an entire cup of coffee, and then immediately collapse face-first onto the table without moving had nearly scared her to death.
"...I have a feeling Amiya just said something rather terrifying."
Shirou spoke quietly.
"I heard her say she is going to report this to Dr. Kal'tsit."
Ace replied.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then they looked at Doctor sleeping on the table.
Silently, they observed a few seconds of mourning for Doctor.
What awaited Doctor next was likely the most terrifying thing in Rhodes Island's cafeteria.
Hibiscus' nutritional meals.
For now...
It was best to let Doctor continue enjoying the sweet dreams filled with carbohydrates and sugar.
If Doctor learned what Amiya was planning now, they would probably be distracted throughout the entire meeting.
That would only make everyone else's work harder.
So...
It was better to let Doctor suffer alone.
Hopefully Doctor would work seriously enough afterward that Amiya would change her mind.
"..."
Good times always came to an end.
To Doctor, it had felt as though they had only spent a brief moment swimming through a paradise of carbohydrates and sugar.
Yet when Doctor finally woke up...
Half an hour had already passed.
Everyone in the meeting room was waiting for Doctor.
Opening their eyes to find an entire room staring at them was honestly terrifying.
Doctor instinctively scooted closer to Amiya, hoping to find some warmth and comfort.
She certainly moved closer.
Unfortunately, there was not the slightest bit of warmth.
If anything, it somehow felt even colder.
So Doctor quietly shifted again, this time toward Shirou and Ace.
Surely two tall, broad-shouldered men like them would provide at least a little warmth.
"Stop fooling around. Time to work."
The merciless Shirou extended one hand and firmly pushed Doctor back to their original seat.
The Blacksteel personnel had already been in the room for five minutes.
During those five minutes, everyone except Jessica had simply stared at the sleeping Doctor until they finally woke up.
There was no rush, however.
They had plenty of time, so everyone had been remarkably patient.
As for Jessica...
She simply was not good at maintaining eye contact or staring at someone for an extended period.
Doing so made her extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing that, Franka had quickly told her to stop.
"Ahem... Welcome, everyone from Blacksteel Worldwide... Liskarm, Franka, Jessica, and Vanilla. I remembered everyone's names correctly, did I not?"
Having been pushed back into the seat, Doctor forced hl themselves to begin the meeting.
Doctor had never formally interacted with the members of Blacksteel before.
At most, they had heard about them around Rhodes Island and passed by them a few times.
Each of them was memorable.
Doctor had also learned in advance that they would be assisting with this operation if they were available, so Doctor had spent some time familiarizing themselves with their backgrounds.
"That is correct. It is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor."
Although the current situation was undeniably awkward, Liskarm's professionalism remained unwavering.
She maintained a perfectly serious expression as she reached out to shake Doctor's hand.
At the same time, beneath the table, she firmly stepped on Franka's foot in an attempt to stop both the smile on Franka's face and the laughter she was desperately trying to suppress.
Of course, none of those subtle exchanges escaped the notice of the people present. Everyone noticed them, but they simply chose not to point them out.
Some things only damage relationships when spoken aloud.
After the handshakes, the meeting officially began. The usually carefree Doctor and Franka immediately entered work mode, both staring intently at the large screen in the conference room as they listened to Liskarm and Amiya's presentation.
As for Shirou?
He listened with a rather bewildered expression.
He could roughly understand that the objective of this operation was for Rhodes Island to establish contact with Marin Airut, a senior executive of Columbia's Airut Company, and reach a cooperative agreement with him.
It sounded like a family-run business. Airut Company's primary field was medical equipment, and after Kal'tsit evaluated the company, she concluded that a partnership would benefit Rhodes Island's future development. That was why this group had been dispatched to negotiate.
That was about as much as he could understand.
Once the discussion shifted to Airut Company's product data and corporate management, Shirou was effectively forced to mentally check out of the meeting.
It could not be helped. He simply could not understand it. Endless strings of numbers and graph after graph left his mind in complete disarray. In the end, all he could do was keep looking at the presentation slides, pretending he was still listening while his thoughts drifted somewhere far away.
What Shirou did not know was that Kal'tsit had never placed much hope in this operation to begin with. After all, Rhodes Island was not particularly well known, especially in Columbia, where companies rose and fell every single day.
In truth, Kal'tsit had used this operation as an excuse for a business trip so everyone could get out, relax, and unwind for a while. At the same time, Blaze could accompany Rosmontis to Columbia to take care of a few personal matters.
Simply put, it was mostly a vacation with a small amount of relatively unimportant work mixed in, with the primary goal of giving Amiya and Shirou a chance to broaden their horizons.
"U-Um..."
As the meeting reached its latter half and the discussion turned to how they should establish contact with Marin Airut, Jessica slowly raised her hand after listening to everyone else propose a series of proper and formal procedures.
She had not dared interrupt the earlier discussion, but she had no choice but to share what she knew at this point.
Seeing everyone fall silent to give her a chance to speak, Jessica swallowed nervously before saying,
"If we follow those procedures... it is probably not realistic to actually meet Uncle Marin. He is not the type of person who likes staying at the company. Most of the work is handled by the people under him."
"..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment after hearing Jessica's words.
It could not be helped. Those few short sentences contained an enormous amount of information.
Especially the words Uncle Marin.
"So... Jessica, you know Mr. Marin Airut?"
Doctor was the first to break the silence. If Jessica knew him personally, then many things could be greatly simplified. It also meant Doctor could enjoy a much longer vacation.
"M-My family's business has worked with Uncle Marin before, so I have heard a little about him... and I have met him a few times."
Being stared at by everyone made Jessica panic a little, but after Franka gently patted her shoulder, she took a deep breath and finally said everything she wanted to say.
"..."
The room remained silent.
Seeing that nobody spoke, and with Jessica looking so nervous that tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, Shirou was the first to break the silence.
"So, Jessica, do you know what Mr. Marin Airut's hobbies are? If we know something like that, Doctor should be able to adjust the overall approach."
Shirou already knew that Jessica came from a wealthy family.
After all, Jessica always seemed to have an endless supply of snacks.
Whenever he happened to run into her aboard Rhodes Island and gave her something to eat, she would always return the favor with cookies or other snacks from her own collection.
He never refused.
He was very familiar with this sort of exchange of gifts. Besides, if he refused at times like that, Jessica would probably feel even worse.
She became nervous far too easily and cared a great deal about what other people thought of her.
...Actually, wait.
If they went by age, he was probably younger than she was.
He had become so accustomed to looking after the people at Penguin Logistics that he now instinctively viewed everyone else from the perspective of an older caretaker.
That was not a particularly good habit.
Having successfully broken the silence and gotten the meeting back on track, Shirou once again mentally checked out and quietly reflected on himself from the sidelines.
After all, a person should not live according to the labels placed upon them.
Especially when the labels attached to him were all rather embarrassing.
Meanwhile, encouraged by her two Blacksteel seniors and Vanilla, Jessica helped everyone gain a much better understanding of Marin Airut.
"Hmm... I already knew that Mr. Airut was especially fond of Columbia Poker, but I did not expect him to be this obsessed with it. Perhaps we could approach him through that?"
After hearing Jessica's assessment of her Uncle Marin, Doctor quickly came up with another plan for contacting him.
The first group, consisting of Doctor, Amiya, and Ace, would proceed with the original plan and visit Airut Company directly. After all, the appointment had already been arranged. If they simply failed to show up, any future cooperation would likely become much more difficult.
The second group would consist of Shirou and the members of Blacksteel, who would approach Marin Airut through his hobby, become familiar faces, and lay the groundwork for a second meeting where they could discuss a partnership.
As luck would have it, a Columbia Poker tournament open to participants from across Columbia was being held that very day. Marin Airut would almost certainly be participating, and Jessica also had connections that could get them into the venue.
There was just one problem.
Columbia Poker was not an easy game to learn. Watching a few instructional videos was enough to grasp the basics, but according to what Doctor knew, the tournament's registration fee was anything but cheap.
The entry fee alone started at no less than five hundred thousand Lungmen Dollars.
And once they paid that fee, they would have to rely on meals from the local Rhodes Island office for the next several days, because it would consume the majority of their operational budget.
Doctor was not a suitable candidate. They had to wear the trademark hooded outfit and mask whenever they went outside, and dressed like that, getting through the entrance would already be difficult, let alone sitting down to play poker.
After eliminating themselves, Shirou was the only member of Rhodes Island who truly met the tournament's entry requirements.
As for Franka, although she was Infected, her affiliation with Blacksteel Worldwide meant that entering the tournament would not be much of a problem.
Furthermore, Jessica personally knew Marin Airut, which might prove helpful when Shirou tried to approach him.
"What? I am the one who is supposed to approach Mr. Airut? Seriously?"
After listening to Doctor's plan, Shirou pointed at himself in disbelief.
Was he not supposed to be the translator and bodyguard?
How had he suddenly become the one responsible for approaching the company's boss?
"And I have to get close to him by playing poker?"
"Rhodes Island only has you for the job! All you need to do is make sure Mr. Marin remembers your face. As long as you can create an opportunity for us to meet him in person afterward, that will be enough!"
Seeing Shirou question the plan, Doctor placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke with complete seriousness.
"But—"
"Ace! Take Shirou with you! Get him a change of clothes and teach him everything he needs to know about Columbia Poker!"
Just as Shirou was about to politely decline the assignment, which was clearly asking the impossible of him, Doctor immediately ordered Ace to take him away.
"Stop struggling. We do not exactly have an abundance of manpower. If my circumstances did not make it inconvenient, I would like to try my luck myself."
After receiving Doctor's orders, Ace casually slung an arm over Shirou's shoulders and began dragging him toward the door.
He had never questioned Doctor's orders.
That had always been the case.
And now?
Setting aside the fact that Doctor was about as harmless as anyone could be, there was no way anything could go wrong with an assignment like this.
If it were not for the fact that his status as an Infected prevented him from entering the tournament directly, he would have liked to participate himself.
He was quite familiar with Columbia Poker. Back on Rhodes Island, he would occasionally gather a few people together for a few rounds.
"..."
Faced with Doctor's and Ace's completely unreasonable, take-it-or-leave-it approach, Shirou wore the exact same deadpan expression Texas often had.
Forget it.
There was no point resisting anymore.
Even Amiya was standing off to the side, making a little gesture to cheer him on, with absolutely no intention of stopping Doctor.
On Rhodes Island's side, the vote was three to one.
There was no contest.
As for the people from Blacksteel, there was even less to say. They were naturally going to follow Doctor's instructions.
He was completely outnumbered.
Still, all he had to do was make contact with the target.
What was there to be afraid of?
If everything went wrong, the blame would belong to Doctor anyway.