Ren sprinted toward the abandoned building he had targeted, weaving through alleyways to avoid the main roads. But while running, he noticed two figures in bear costumes prowling the alley ahead, as if they were searching for something.
"There are still more of them…?" Ren muttered to himself as he ducked behind a wall to avoid detection. If they saw him now, they might call for reinforcements.
Just as he was about to turn back the way he came, he noticed another bear-costumed figure emerging from the entrance behind him—the same path he had just taken.
It seemed to have spotted him. The two in front also began to lift their heads and peer toward him, twitching their heads unnaturally before rushing in his direction.
"Damn it… They lured me in on purpose!" Ren cursed, realizing he'd walked into a trap.
He didn't remember seeing any of those things on his way here, meaning one of them must have been lying in wait, ready to ambush him once he entered the alley.
Although Ren didn't want to waste time fighting them, being surrounded left him no choice.
Bang!
Before Ren could even draw his weapon, a silver figure leapt down right where the two bear-suited figures stood, stabbing a strange-looking sword straight through their heads and pinning them to the ground.
Ren finally saw the face of the figure clearly—along with that all-too-familiar crazy smile he'd only recently encountered.
"Lappland?" Ren stared in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey," Lappland replied casually, pulling her sword from the ground and spinning it around. She swung it, sending a silver slash past Ren and slicing through the third costumed figure approaching from behind, cutting it clean in half.
"Not bad, that flashy little show you put on earlier. No wonder you had the guts to make such a bold promise to me…" Lappland said as she walked toward him.
Clearly, she had seen what had happened earlier. That power—both awe-inspiring and enviable—had caught her interest.
"But I still don't get it. With power like that, why are you wasting time here? Wouldn't it be easier to just blow this place up and be done with it?"
"Only a madwoman would think like that," Ren shot back with a sigh.
Instead of feeling relieved to see an ally, her presence gave him a headache.
"What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the hotel!" he said, glancing at her limbs, which had completely healed. While he knew people in this world were far more resilient than back on Earth, recovering from those kinds of injuries in less than a day was still excessive.
"Oh? Are you worried about me, little one?" Lappland asked with a smirk. With her unpredictable personality, it was always hard to tell what she was really thinking. But Ren, having inherited some of her memories, knew she was only teasing him—just looking for some fun.
"You're impossible…" Ren muttered, rubbing his temples. Then, more calmly, he added, "Do whatever you want. Just don't show yourself to the LGD. I've got more important things to do right now than deal with your mess."
"Don't worry… I came because I knew you were away from them. Believe it or not, I am technically law enforcement, you know?"
"Yeah right, law enforcement my ass," Ren thought bitterly.
A woman who drew her sword on people at dawn wasn't exactly trustworthy.
"Aww, you're so mean. Something this fun is happening, and you didn't even think to invite me?" Lappland pouted like a disappointed girl.
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You want to help my teammates?"
Knowing her well, he wasn't surprised by her response.
"Not really. Other than Texas, I couldn't care less about anyone else."
Ren wasn't shocked. That crazy smile of hers said it all.
"Yeah… figured as much." He sighed, starting to walk past her. He'd wasted enough time on this woman.
But Lappland stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"What now?" Ren said, visibly annoyed.
Raising a hand, she gave him a playful smile. "Don't be mad. I was just joking. Of course I care about Texas too."
"Then why follow me?" What Ren really wanted to ask was—why didn't she sneak after Texas instead?
Lappland smiled mischievously. "Simple. A hunter never lets prey that catches their interest escape."
"Of course… she's insane. Why am I even bothering asking for logic?"
"So you've been tailing me this whole time?" Ren asked. "Since when?"
"…"
Her silence and unchanged expression told him all he needed to know.
"From the beginning, huh?" he muttered, holding his head.
Lappland chuckled wickedly and lightly touched his shoulder.
"My injuries weren't that serious. Broken bones? Just twist them back. Torn wounds? Stitch them up. I'm good at that sort of thing. Didn't you know?"
"I didn't know you were that good."
Despite gaining her memories, he clearly hadn't gotten everything. The connection had been too brief. Any longer, and he might've inherited her awful personality too—a fate Ren was more than happy to avoid.
"Then why didn't you just heal yourself earlier? Why make me carry you to the hotel?"
Instead of answering directly, Lappland put on a flirtatious expression that didn't suit her at all.
"Aren't you happy? There aren't many people who get to carry a beautiful Lupo like me, you know." She tossed her hair dramatically.
Ren rolled his eyes. To him, it looked no different than a beaver puffing out its fur.
"I prefer Texas's style more," he said bluntly.
She wanted to tease him, so he teased her right back. Knowing Lappland well, he knew the best way to provoke her was by bringing up Texas in front of her.
"…"
It worked. That crazy smile began to falter, and her gaze grew colder.
But soon enough, she snapped back to her usual self.
"Of course! Who could ever be as beautiful as my dear Selina? You've got great taste, I'll give you that!" she said, clapping him on the shoulder—then leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
"I may not care about others… but I care about you, Ren."
A chill ran down his spine. He instinctively stepped back, asking cautiously, "What are you trying to say?"
"Exactly what I said. I'm offering to help."
"You? Help?"
Ren looked at her like she was a stranger. Was this really the same crazy Lappland who only ever did things for herself?
"Don't make me out to be such a savage… Of course it's not for free. I'll help you, in exchange for something small. Don't worry, it's not about Texas."
That wasn't her interest this time.
"So what do you want?"
Lappland didn't answer right away. Instead, she leaned in until he could feel her breath. Ren tried to back away, but her hand on his shoulder kept him still.
"What I want is simple. I want you to… tell me about yourself."
Ren frowned. "About me? Why do you want to know?"
"I just think it's unfair," she grumbled, turning around with her tail swaying.
"You know all about me… but I know nothing about you. Don't you think that's a little one-sided?"
"If I had to put it visually, it's like you've seen me completely naked, and then just walked away—"
"Okay, okay! Stop with the comparisons!" Ren interrupted, blushing. As embarrassing as it was, she wasn't exactly wrong.
"Fine… if that's what you want, then we've got a deal. But I'll say this now—my story's not that interesting."
"You might be disappointed."
"I've dealt with plenty of disappointments. One more won't kill me," Lappland said with a grin. Maybe it was his imagination, but her cheeks looked faintly flushed before quickly returning to normal.
Sigh "Alright then. Let's work together."
"Heh… So this is our first official collaboration, huh? I can't wait to see your next performance," Lappland said, extending her hand for a shake.
If he didn't already have her memories, he'd honestly suspect she was a Thanish spy in disguise.
Ren took her hand and nodded. "Likewise…"
But the moment their hands touched, she pulled him into her arms, sweeping his legs up in a princess carry.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Ren shouted, stunned to find himself being carried.
"Carrying you, of course! If I let your scrawny body run to that building, I'd probably die of boredom," Lappland laughed, then leapt up the wall, dashing across rooftops while still holding him.
Ren had no words. He could only sigh and let it happen.
Well… she's not wrong. This is saving time.
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