Compared to the somewhat frozen atmosphere back at the Lungmen Guard Department, things on Jeanne's side felt like a holiday. Once these two sisters got together, it was as if a switch had been flipped; they had an endless amount of things to talk about.
"Look, over there is Paci Plaza. The things they sell inside are incredibly expensive. I heard that plaza belongs to the family of that Officer Swire from the LGD. Just that piano alone cost over 1.8 million... what a waste, that money could have bought several guns..."
Clearly, seeing her sister made Exusiai even more excited than usual today. Sitting with Lemuen, she introduced the landmark buildings of Lungmen while Croissant, sitting nearby, couldn't find a single opening to join the conversation.
As for Jeanne in the passenger seat and Texas, who was driving, the two of them glanced back before sitting in silence.
"Want some?"
Texas saw that the atmosphere in the back was livelier than a gala, while the air between the two of them was as quiet as if it had been flash-frozen. Seeing that the mood was a bit cold, Texas pulled out a pack of Pocky hidden in the car and offered it to Jeanne, hoping to break the ice.
It wasn't that there was any conflict between them; they were simply silent for their own reasons. Texas's personality wasn't particularly talkative to begin with. She would occasionally say a few words when with Exusiai and the others, but when around people she didn't know, her reserved nature became very obvious. Normally, when out delivering goods, she gave customers the impression of a quiet, honest driver. As for communicating and handing over goods to clients, she left all of that to Croissant and Exusiai.
As for Jeanne, she was busy trying to reconcile her internal navigation with the actual buildings. Plus, after the day's rough journey, she was indeed a bit tired and didn't feel much like talking.
"Ah, thanks."
Jeanne offered a word of thanks, took the Pocky Texas handed over, and tucked one into her mouth.
"Texas... did you come here from Siracusa?"
Jeanne bit into the Pocky and, listening to the constant noise from behind, decided she should find a topic to chat about with her companion, lest the two of them seem entirely out of place in the car's atmosphere.
"That's right, I was indeed born in Siracusa. Miss Jeanne, how did you tell? Have you been there before?"
Texas was also curious. Why did Jeanne feel she was from Siracusa? Was there really something different about her compared to the people of Lungmen? Although there were many Lupos in Siracusa, there were plenty in Lungmen as well. It hadn't reached the point where seeing a Lupo automatically made one think of Siracusa.
"I met a friend a while back who also came back from Siracusa. For some reason, when I saw you, I felt there was something similar between the two of you."
"A friend from Siracusa? That's understandable, then. But what color was your friend's hair? Perhaps if you tell me the hair color, I can guess who she is."
When Texas heard Jeanne mention a friend from Siracusa, the ears that had been lying flat on her head suddenly snapped upright. She inquired about this so-called friend with great curiosity, a white figure involuntarily surfacing in her mind, causing her to instinctively scan her surroundings.
"A red-furred Lupo, though she likes to wear a rabbit hoodie. But the chance of you knowing her is low, Texas. That "little" brat has been an Infected for a long time; there probably wasn't much overlap in your lives."
The person Jeanne was talking about was, of course, Lyudmila, who had lived in Siracusa for many years. However, given that girl's elusive nature, even in Siracusa, not many people knew her.
Hearing the mention of red fur, Texas felt relieved. It seemed it was indeed just a coincidence; she had overthought it, and the friend had nothing to do with that person.
"A red-haired Lupo... it seems I really don't know your friend. Even in the cities of Siracusa, red-furred Lupos are quite rare."
Texas thought for a moment before answering. She truly didn't know any red Lupos, nor had she heard of any family whose fur was red.
"But has she already left? Perhaps leaving Siracusa is a good thing, especially for someone of her status."
When Jeanne said the friend was very similar to her, Texas had already guessed what she did in Siracusa; that person was likely an assassin trained by some organization.
"Oh? Why do you say that? Is there some special saying about this in Siracusa? My understanding of Siracusa is limited to the Mafia."
Seeing that Texas was engaging in conversation, Jeanne followed up by asking about the situation in Siracusa. She truly didn't know much about the place, having only heard a few fragments from Lyudmila. But that understanding was too shallow. Furthermore, because of Lyudmila's own identity, she hadn't had the time to learn everything, and some things she knew were merely hearsay.
"The Mafia... it's not wrong to say that. When I left, it was essentially the peak of the Siracusan Mafia. At that time, various Mafia families almost entirely dominated Siracusa."
Texas reminisced about the Siracusa she knew before her departure—the so-called final glory days of the Mafia families. Since then, the Siracusan Mafia had gradually declined. And she had once been a member of those Mafia families named after their bloodlines. Only now, she could speak of these things calmly, her heart holding no nostalgia for them whatsoever.
"The Siracusan Mafia... like the stuff in those popular movies? I saw a promotional poster for a movie before, but I didn't have time to watch it."
Texas had also heard of the movie Jeanne mentioned. For some reason, Siracusa seemed very keen on these Mafia movies lately, even exporting them to Lungmen. She had gone to see a few, but they were so ridiculous she wanted to laugh. Since when did the so-called Siracusan Mafia families become the things people saw in movies?
"It's better that you didn't watch it. That stuff is made purely to make money. It might even be some remnants of the Siracusan Mafia who can't let go and want to recreate the 'glory' of the Cosa Nostra, so they made it to fool the audience."
Speaking of the Mafia, Texas's words clearly increased. Perhaps because Jeanne had suddenly brought up the connection between Siracusa and the Mafia, her interest in explaining these things was much higher.
"The Mafia back then were much bloodier than what's described in movies. To fight for power and territory, they would do anything! How could they possibly sit down and have a civil conversation with you?"
As Texas spoke, a trace of disgust flickered in her eyes, as if she had remembered something truly revolting. However, she quickly snapped out of it, realizing she had lost her composure a "little" bit. She took a few deep breaths to calm her heart.
"Sorry, I suddenly remembered some old memories. I seem to have lost my composure."
"It's fine. We're just chatting anyway; there's no such thing as losing composure. Though, I think I can understand now why my friend ran back."
Jeanne smiled at Texas, expressing her understanding of her mood. However, Lyudmila was purely being used as an excuse to give Texas an out. That girl's departure from Siracusa really had nothing to do with Mafia influences.
"Yeah. Having nothing to do with that place ever again is also my goal. I'm quite satisfied with my current life and don't wish to have any more connections to those messes."
Just as the two were speaking, a scream suddenly erupted from ahead, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
If it were a human scream, it would have been fine; even if they encountered some extremely dangerous terrorist, the people present could send him to be reincarnated early. But that sound... it was like the screech of some bird. Jeanne couldn't tell what kind of bird it was, but the degree of misery in that sound was enough to make anyone who heard it weep.
"Do you people slaughter chickens in the middle of the night here? From the sounds of it, this family isn't very good at it—they must be using a blunt knife."
Jeanne covered her ears and complained. It was the first time she had heard such an awful bird call. If this were a lark, the bird would be considered ruined.
"No, that should be our boss's voice. I just don't know what he's doing."
Texas reacted very quickly, immediately flattening her ears to close them, trying to lessen the pollution from her boss. She then accelerated, and they soon arrived at the entrance of a bar. The sign above clearly read: The Ends of the Earth.
And that terrifying screaming was coming from inside.