By Zephyria Thin wisps of cigarette smoke trailed from the corner of his red lips. Leonardo exhaled the thoughts that had been stabbing deep into his lungs, along with a sigh. The creeping nicotine created a temporary pleasure.
The flame, like a fragment of memory, would remain in his heart for a long time, shining eternally within him like a preserved star whenever he looked up at the sky.
He recalled the dream he had experienced a few hours ago, with the constellations decorating the dawn as his roof. A time when he was only faithful to the present, without past or future.
Not clinging to past glories or grasping at possibilities that might come, but a moment when he could be immersed and devoted to everything he saw before him. He had been experiencing such moments quite often lately. Whenever he reminisced about the person he was with at those times, he felt as if he was on drugs. He would find himself unusually excited, smiling brightly like he used to in his carefree younger days.
‘I couldn’t bring myself to say it again today.’
However, the feeling when he woke up from the drug wasn’t very pleasant. It was because all the worries and anxieties that had been weighing him down came rushing back, doubled from the time he had shaken them off.
In fact, the reason he had asked that person to meet him today was because he wanted to hear about the situation he had experienced when the explosion occurred. How the incident was resolved within the Council, what kind of difficulties he had faced, and whether there had been any changes in his state of mind. He wanted to secretly gauge what kind of reaction he would have if he, who was indirectly involved in the incident, revealed the truth to him in the future.
But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to bring it up. He knew it was avoidance. Nevertheless, he wanted to leave that moment as beautiful as it was.
When he heard that his subordinate had wronged him, he certainly wasn’t happy, but ironically, he felt both anxiety and relief at the same time. The more things he had to be sorry for, the more justified he felt in hiding the truth from him. It felt like it would be okay to leave this relationship flowing in an unknown direction forever.
Drrr—
It was a moment when he was dwelling on the lingering attachments that clung to a life that had only had a goal. The sound of a sliding door opening came from behind.
Followed by a cheerful voice calling his name.
“Oh, Leo!”
Leonardo turned his head halfway with an indifferent gaze. Judy, carrying a laundry basket as big as herself, was struggling to walk out.
This was the rooftop of a long, narrow building, in an area with quite a few residents even within Libertas. However, it was quite far from the residences. Unlike the entertainment district, which was ablaze with lights, the vicinity was very dark and quiet at this time. This was because most people were out working.
It seemed that Judy had chosen this place as today’s laundry drying spot.
“When did you get here? You didn’t go straight home.”
“Just now.”
Leonardo answered simply, shaking the cigarette hanging from his fingers. Then he immediately burned it clean with the smoke. Judy, who had been approaching, stopped with a look of realization and said.
“Ah, you could have just smoked it!”
“It’s okay. I’ve had enough.”
As he said that, the traces of chain-smoking remained as ashes at Leonardo’s feet. Of course, he didn’t like leaving traces, so he quickly stirred up the wind and scattered them. Leonardo put his hand into the iron bucket placed on the old bench and washed away the smell and ashes with the rainwater that had collected. Then he gestured to Judy as if telling her to bring it over.
“Am I interrupting?”
Judy approached Leonardo with a wobbly gait.
“Interrupting what.”
Leonardo, as if used to it, grabbed the end of the clothesline and tied the string to the poorly finished iron structure of the building. Then he grabbed the opposite side of the line and stood with a slight gap. Judy, who had put down the basket, smiled brightly and began to unfold the wet clothes one by one and hang them up.
Leonardo, who had been silently watching, asked.
“Why did you come all the way here? You could have hung them near the residence.”
“Terju said the crackdown has gotten worse lately. It’s better to hang them in a place where there are a lot of clothes hanging to confuse them.”
“Hmm.”
Leonardo sat on the low brick railing to match Judy’s height. Below the railing, numerous clothes were strung across the alley, woven into the pipes.
It was a very different scene from the well-polished front flagpole, but it was also a kind of flag symbolizing Libertas. The flag showed the spirit and standard of living pursued in that area. Discolored and hole-filled pieces of cloth fluttered in the wind along with the steam coming from the pipes.
The guys who were treated as the lowest of the low even in this place would often steal even those, so they usually hid their clothes in the gaps of alleys not far from their residences. However, recently, the local vigilantes had been coming deep into the area and rummaging through the alleys, so they had to endure this troublesome task for the sake of the safety of their residences. Judy, who had come closer, rummaged through the basket and said.
“I’m also going to dry the newly acquired poisonous herbs. The wind blows really well around here, so they’ll dry quickly.”
“But isn’t it not your shift today?”
“That’s right. It was originally Gil’s turn, but today….”
Judy, who was about to speak, paused and looked at Leonardo. Gold Eyes stared intently before curving slightly. He nodded with a face that already knew everything, and asked with a loose smile.
“What about today? You competed in a match?”
“Oh, how did you know?”
“How would I know? I know because I met you. Since when did you guys start moving on your own without sharing the situation with me?”
“Ah, no. Leo! The kids said they’d help secretly… this is the only thing we didn’t tell you. It’s true!”
Judy waved her hands, holding up a white piece of underwear that didn’t seem to belong to her. Her appearance seemed so anxious and desperate that he couldn’t help but laugh. She was very transparent, and that was why Leonardo particularly trusted her as a partner.
Usually, Judy would volunteer as a reliable assistant in the execution of plans, but she wasn’t one to speak up, so there was no way she would have created a secret from him first. Her flustered appearance was cute, but he decided to let it go at this point because he felt sorry for her.
“Okay, I believe you. From now on, share anything that’s said when I’m not around right away.”
“Of course, I will! I just forgot for a moment, really.”
“I know, so stop shaking that.”
“Ah―.”
Judy, looking down at her hand, hid the underwear she was holding behind her, as if embarrassed. Then, she nonchalantly hung it on the clothesline and changed the subject.
“How was the match today? Aren’t you tired? Did any strange guys bother you again?”
“Strange guys…. I don’t know. What’s certain is that it was easier than last time.”
“So, you passed again this time?”
“Of course. Look at this.”
Leonardo rummaged through his inner pocket and took out a card folded in half. He lightly flicked his fingers, and the fluttering piece of paper landed on Judy’s palm. When she unfolded the folded part, she first saw the luxurious pattern engraved along the edges. In the center, it said the date of yesterday and the place where the match was held. And ‘Lion, 1st’ was written.
It was a card that he had specially requested from the staff to show off to His Excellency. Originally, they didn’t give out things like this separately, so the finish and the shape of the stamped seal were crude, as if they had been hastily made.
“Wow, Leo! You got first place? That’s so cool!”
“It’s basic.”
Nevertheless, Judy raised her tone as if she had discovered something amazing and praised Leonardo to the fullest. She held the card with both hands and shone it in the sky, her wide eyes sparkling. Watching that reaction, Leonardo felt his shoulders rise for no reason.
On the other hand, he also felt a bitter feeling belatedly.
‘I got first place to show it to that person, but in the end, I couldn’t even show it to him.’
It wasn’t like there wasn’t a time to say it, but he had never talked about the contents of the match with His Excellency. Come to think of it, he couldn’t say what he wanted to say, and he wondered what he had done meeting him today. …Kiss?
That was good in its own way, though. Anyway, it wasn’t just this time, but the same thing happened last time too. It was something that could have come up enough while talking at dinner, but His Excellency didn’t ask about it first. He was so curious about other things, though.
“At this rate, you’re really going to win, right, Leo?”
Hearing the voice that was sincerely happy, Leonardo quickly snapped out of his thoughts.
“Really going to win? From the moment I submitted the application, I only thought about winning. You guys said that if it’s not me, who else would do it.”
“That’s true. Hehe, the day we realize our goal is not far off!”
Judy, who seemed excited, shook the laundry and added a word.
“Once we get Kardo’s Gemstone, we’ll all go to the Zodiac and all―”
Eeeeong―
At that moment, a faint cry was heard from the other side of the building. The two turned their heads in the direction of the sound at the same time.
The sound of cats crying was quite a common noise around here. That’s why both of them initially thought it was just a common sound made by animals in heat or fighting over territory. But when they listened closely, it was a little different. It was softer and more fragile,
“A baby.”
As Judy’s entranced voice brushed past, Gold Eyes looked back at where she was. But Judy had already put down the clothes she was about to hang and was approaching the railing where Leonardo was sitting. Then she climbed onto it precariously.
She stood on tiptoe, teetering dangerously, and peered between the buildings. Leonardo, fearing that she might fall, supported the clothesline while pulling back the fluttering hem of her dress with his other hand.