act21side

Didn't you say killing civilians is too messy?

Doesn't count if they're askin' to die.

What the hell's going on? How's she this strong?!

Gah. Just get the job done first and worry about her later!

The food's totally ruined now.

Somebody hidin' under the bar? Looks like the shopkeeper's kid.

No loose ends.

Wanna go back for her?

Wait, hold off on that for now. I didn't get a good look before, but the color of her hair and eyes... We'd better figure out who she is.

I even gave my lunch money to the boss. Guess I'll look around somewhere else.

What's this?

An exquisite poster is plastered to the wall, and the words printed on it are extremely conspicuous: 'La Morte di Texas.'

Texas stands beneath the wall and looks up.

For the first time since she returned to Siracusa, she feels like laughing.

Heh.

Oh, you're the lady who saved my child! Ah, I'm delighted to see you again!

You're in a good mood.

Haha, sure am.

That judge over there just told me she knows which famiglia is responsible for this mess, and even promised that she'd get them to compensate me for my losses.

Compensate you?

Sounds strange, doesn't it? Judges can't usually do anything to those big famiglie.

But this judge is different. She'll pull through for us, and because of her connections with the Bellones, the other famiglie don't dare lay a finger on her.

Having a judge like her around means the world to us.

Texas feels a familiar exhaustion rise up inside her, and she knows exactly where it is coming from—

For a moment, she was worried about the judge's safety and well-being.

But, this worry quickly proves to be unnecessary.

The guard paces up and down the corridor.

Go ahead and ask.

Are you really the last Texas?

Are you really the murderer?

Judge Lavinia was the one who arrested you, but if I recall correctly, you came here with the Bellone boy. Did they have a falling-out of some sort?

Not answering, huh...? Let's try something else.

*sigh*... There's so much commotion out there, but it's deathly quiet in here.

If Judge Lavinia didn't close this trial, there'd be more spectators squeezed outside that door next to you than at the box office for a new opera.

You're not going to ask me anything? Maybe what kind of sentence you're in for?

Not talking again, huh?

Texas notices water dripping from the corners of the wall due to the humidity of the rainy season. Her own clothes have even gotten wet.

A minor discomfort such as this normally would not bother her at all, but right now, the sensation makes her skin crawl with disgust.

The people here don't care about who died, or why. They only care about a name, an identity. A name that fills them with exhilaration.

Texas leans against the corner, her eyelids weighed down by her exhaustion.

Texas... Would you mind telling me more about your life in Lungmen?

...I delivered things.

Texas's expression softens slightly.

But, it couldn't have just been logistics work, right?

Well... It sometimes gets complicated, but I really am just a delivery girl over there.

Okay... So there are no crossbow shootouts, police chases, cops and gangs, that kind of stuff? Back when I was in school, my roommate was way into Lungmen cinema.

You occasionally have some rubber bullets, some drag racing stunts, and... some high-quality vinyls. My friends like those kinds of things.

And, they've also asked me the same kinds of questions. What's Siracusa like? Do they really kill people at the drop of a hat? When you go outside, do you have groups of burly men in sunglasses following you around?

Sounds like something some smaller famiglie might do.

Your friends didn't come with you, did they?

No. I...

I actually don't even know how to explain all of this to them.

When all's said and done, I need to go apologize.

Lavinia leans forward slightly and raises two glasses of wine from the tray in front of her.

To your speedy return to Lungmen.

Texas reaches over to accept the glass of wine, revealing the corner of the poster stashed in her pocket.

Hmm? What's that?

Just a poster. Seemed like a pretty good joke at the time, but now that I think about it, it's just a poster.

'La Morte di Texas'...

I'll help you finish the rest.

Thanks.

Salute.

The street outside the theater would normally be Volsinii's busiest haunt around this time, but the moment Texas sets foot upon it, everything falls silent.

Tex...

Before the full name can leave his lips, someone strikes him in the back of the head from the darkness, and he slumps to the ground.

But nobody is to be found within the shadows, until the next man opens his mouth.

Over here. Keep your mouth shut, and follow me...

With a muffled sound, he also falls to the ground.

Texas stops walking. She stands beneath a streetlight, looking into the darkness around her.

From the darkness comes the sound of a knife cutting through flesh, followed by a thud from a body hitting the ground. The pungent stench of blood gradually reaches the tip of Texas's nose.

Someone is beckoning her into the darkness.

A leading actress from Lungmen is going to be in the upcoming opera. What kind of role will she be playing?

A low-pitched laughter comes from the darkness, but once she walks over, she finds nobody there. Only a radio sitting on the ground, playing a song from an opera.

The singer's voice is mild and melodious.

A radio? An opera, a singer... What's the meaning of this?

...Sora?

There is nobody here. Only a radio can be found on the ground, from which a song from an opera is being played.

The singer's voice is mild and melodious.

A radio? An opera, a singer... What's the meaning of this?

...Sora?

Sora?

No response. Only a rustling from the darkness.

...Sora?!

She takes a sharp stride forward—

Huh? Texas! What are you doing here?

At the entrance to a small shop along the street, Sora is humming a tune beneath the lights, an intricate little box resting in her hand.

What's that you've got there? A radio?

Yep. But, it's useless now, so I'm throwing it away.

We still could use a radio for our hideout. I think Croissant might like it.

This is a little present I got for you, to celebrate our chance reunion.

Texas gingerly runs her fingers across the small box, suddenly feeling a wave of remorse.

She should've been the one to buy the gift.

She was the one who made her friends worry, who got them involved in this mess. But instead, it is their kindness that she now holds in her hands.

I'm sorry, Sora.

As long as you get it.

Just kidding!

What's with the stony expression? Let's head back to our place!

Alright.

Sora! Be careful on your way back. I'll be over soon.

Got it!