At first glance, he seemed uninterested in their direction, but the moment their eyes met, he showed that characteristic friendly smile. Leonardo felt uneasy at the 7th Battalion Commander’s expression changing so suddenly, as if he had been waiting for this.
He remembered that, before, the man had approached like a slippery eel, leading with an artificial introduction before casually bringing up the word “cooperation.” Seeing him run into Leonardo again unexpectedly when the Commander wasn’t by his side, it didn’t seem like a mere coincidence that he was passing by.
‘Wasn’t the high-ranking commanders’ meeting still going? Why is he here?’
Leonardo showed his discomfort, uncrossing his legs and crossing them the other way. Kenis, sitting opposite him, sensed the unusual atmosphere and glanced at him.
The 7th Battalion Commander, who had been casually looking around, seemed to have decided on his destination. His footsteps, which had been circling the tent, headed toward Leonardo without hesitation.
At that moment, Kenis’s military boots planted firmly on the ground. As he leaned forward as if about to stand up, Leonardo’s gaze shifted to him.
Just then, the 7th Battalion Commander’s steps abruptly halted at the tent entrance. An incomprehensible sigh slipped past his frozen expression.
“Oh my.”
It wasn’t because he was conscious of Leonardo’s expression or Kenis trying to stand up. His gaze was fixed on the clothes Leonardo was wearing and the handkerchief tied around his neck.
“It’s almost like wallpaper...”
The 7th Battalion Commander’s face was full of regret, as if he were looking at gold kept in a glass case. Then, as if a chill ran through him, he shrugged his shoulders and clicked his tongue, quickly turning away. A disbelieving chuckle followed, along with a few pointless head shakes.
As the uninvited guest retreated so easily, contrary to expectations, Leonardo’s eyebrow lifted slightly. He only followed with his eyes as the 7th Battalion Commander disappeared to the right of the entrance.
‘...What’s this about?’
Kenis, who had been looking back and forth between the two, sat back down on the chair. Trying to gauge the situation, he lowered his voice and carefully asked Leonardo:
“Did you have something to discuss with him? Was I in the way?”
“No, I have nothing to say.”
But he seems to have something to say. At the soft muttered words that followed, Kenis tilted his head.
Leonardo, who had been staring beyond the tent that was hidden from view, only took his eyes away after about thirty seconds.
“Is he gone?”
At Leonardo’s question, Kenis covered one of his ears that was close to him. Then, after a moment of silence, focusing on his other ear, he quietly nodded.
Leonardo uncrossed his legs. Only then did an annoyed voice emerge.
“He bothered me before, too. I guess he just left this time because you’re here.”
As he frowned and rested his chin on his hand again, Kenis awkwardly smiled and rubbed at his nose. He wasn’t sure if Leonardo meant to cheer him up, but the thick scent enveloping Leonardo was too strong to ignore. He was about to wave a hand and tell the truth, but stopped. Instead, he hesitated as if he had something to say, and when the surrounding noise quieted down, he opened his mouth.
“Um, Mr. Blaine.”
Leonardo rolled his eyes in response. Kenis spoke quite seriously.
“Even though we’re returning soon, I think it would be better if you weren’t alone from now on.”
“Hm?”
Leonardo blinked at the unexpected words. He gestured with his chin toward the direction where the 7th Battalion Commander had disappeared and asked:
“Why, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ because of him?”
“No, not exactly... It’s just that, troublesome things might happen to you, Mr. Blaine.”
Kenis looked back once and shook his head as he answered. Leonardo raised his eyebrow as if asking what he meant. Thinking he might have misspoken, Kenis added, stumbling over his words:
“Ah, I don’t mean anything in particular—. Everyone likes you, Mr. Blaine, so they’re interested or curious... But that might be unpleasant for the person involved, you know.”
The unexpected answer made Leonardo just stare at Kenis blankly. What Kenis said next was his brief impression from being with Leonardo.
“I realized it clearly while sitting here with you, Mr. Blaine. About 72 people have passed by this tent so far. But all 72 of them slowed down their pace a bit when passing the tent entrance. Well... I don’t know if you’re aware, but. You’re such a hot topic right now... Since you catch the eye, even though it’s not intentional, people can’t help but look, I guess.”
Remembering that Leonardo disliked it when the scholar called him “pretty one,” Kenis deliberately tried to avoid directly saying that his appearance was eye-catching.
But Leonardo’s eyes were already slightly widened as he listened.
It wasn’t for any other reason. The strangely specific number Kenis provided was a bit chilling.
‘He was counting all that?’
This guy really paid attention to things Leonardo hadn’t even thought of, in unexpected areas. Whether it was part of his exceptional senses or just his personality, Kenis continued speaking as if it were nothing:
“But when you’re alone, how should I put it... people’s footsteps slow down more blatantly. When you’re eating alone, or resting... Ah, of course, they don’t mean anything bad by it! I hear well, you know. When I hear them whispering after passing by, I can usually make out what they’re talking about. Most of them are just curious about what kind of person you are, or want to greet you—nothing but that!”
Kenis hurriedly tried to smooth over his words, worried that Leonardo might misunderstand in a negative way. Leonardo just listened quietly, blinking his eyes without making any particular response.
“Still, I think you might feel more comfortable if you’re with someone, since you’ll draw relatively fewer stares. Actually, I thought it was really amazing. I get really bothered when people stare this much, but you... you seem used to it.”
If you listened to Kenis’s tone, it contained a bit of sympathy rather than genuine admiration. He did finish with a joke, saying that everyone was probably envying his seat despite trying to be considerate.
However, his words were full of strange concern. Leonardo could vaguely catch two facts from Kenis’s rambling words.
One was that he was one of the people who had a great interest in him, and the other was that he worried about him much more than expected.
“...”
He had known since the time Kenis had begged to be taken along with tears in his eyes that this guy showed an excessive amount of affection toward him beyond common sense. But now it seemed that not only did he care a lot, but he was also sensitive in proportion to his exceptional senses.
Leonardo, organizing his thoughts, couldn’t easily speak. Kenis, who had been talking on his own, seemed to realize his mistake and touched the corner of his mouth.
“Ah, if I said something rude... I’m sorry.”
“...No, you—”
Leonardo’s lips moved, but he held back his words for a moment. Only after organizing his thoughts for a while did he calmly open his mouth.
“You must be tired too.”
As the calm voice spread, this time Kenis’s eyes widened a little.
“...Pardon?”
“You have to hear everything, even the things you don’t want to hear. That must make you very sensitive.”
Leonardo spoke calmly. Kenis stammered in response.
“What?... Uh, no, that’s okay...”
Kenis, who was about to deny it quickly, hesitated. He was about to say it was fine out of habit due to his social standing, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Usually, people who knew and wanted to use his ability would highly praise it, but no one brought up such topics. But here was someone who, though not possessing the same ability, must have suffered similar pain, saying it so directly, and Kenis felt a strange heaviness in his chest.
It was something he always thought about but never properly faced. The feeling of hearing it from someone else’s mouth was quite numbing.
Kenis’s gaze, which had been fixed on the golden eyes, gradually lowered. They were complicated. It seemed there were emotions he wanted to hide as well.
Leonardo, who had been quietly watching, turned his gaze to Kenis’s fidgeting hands on the table.
Not particularly fond of the mood turning gloomy, Leonardo tried to answer as plainly as possible instead of giving a long-winded speech.
“Thank you.”
He erased the dark expression he’d worn until just now. Pushing aside his longing for Nero for a moment, Leonardo looked at Kenis and smiled slightly.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
The corners of his mouth, which he had deliberately raised, drew a parabola so beautiful it was hard to take one’s eyes off. Kenis stared at him in a daze, then soon smiled shyly in return.
Inside, he gradually steeled his resolve. The person before him was strong enough not to need his protection, but somehow, he wanted to protect him.
Hoping that his small actions would help him, Kenis placed both hands on his thighs. His hands, which had been fidgeting restlessly, were now tightly clenched into fists.
Just as his determination was solidifying, a faint smell of wind brushed his nose.
‘Oh’
Kenis’s gaze turned outward again. This time, he stood up from his seat without delay.
“Mr. Blaine, I think I’ll be going now.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Leonardo’s gaze also followed Kenis as he hurriedly stood up. Seeing him firmly say he was leaving, Leonardo wondered if he had kept him too long.
Trying to assuage a slight feeling of regret, Leonardo pulled his chair back a little. Just as he was about to stand up to see him off, his gaze fell to the floor, following something.
In a fluster, Kenis bent down, looking very embarrassed.
“Ah-!”
The items that had been halfway sticking out of Kenis’s pants pocket fell to the floor as he stood up.
It seemed they had gradually been pushed out as he’d shifted in his seat when the 7th Battalion Commander approached earlier.
Leonardo thought that even this chaotic ending was so typical of him, and looked down under the table with an expression that said it couldn’t be helped.
There were two fallen personal items. One was an unidentifiable black device about half a palm’s size, and the other was a flat rectangular case with an elaborate pattern drawn on it. Neither was very small, and the latter was very familiar.
Leonardo’s hand, which was about to pick them up, hesitated in mid-air. At that moment, Kenis’s hand quickly snatched the black device. Leonardo’s eyes were still fixed on the rectangular case that he hadn’t taken yet.
It was a cigarette case. It was hard to come by—something only people with unique tastes smoked.
And the cigarettes, famous for being extremely strong, were also the ones he always enjoyed smoking.
Leonardo wondered.
‘Did this kid smoke?’
