70.I'm only human

After the meal, Lindemann conscientiously began tidying up the dining table. Borsalino wasn't idle either, unusually proactive in cleaning and organizing both inside and outside the house.

The two remaining individuals, however, seemed particularly redundant. At the suggestion of the house's owner, the two of them sat on the roof eaves of the second floor.

The dormitory, like most buildings in Marineford, followed a Japanese architectural style. Japanese architecture often favored the irimoya-zukuri (hip-and-gable roof) design. However, compared to the highest-specification kirizuma-zukuri (gable roof) style used in the naval fortress, a mere vice admiral's small dormitory could only manage a simple single-eaved structure.

Sakazuki and Gion sat side by side. Even through their military pants, the chill of the roof tiles slowly seeped in. Neither spoke, and in the end, it was Sakazuki who broke the eerie silence.

"I didn't know you were waiting outside my dormitory earlier. I'm sorry."

The night breeze lifted Gion's sideburns before gently letting them fall again. She lightly shook her head in reassurance.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"...Is that so?" Sakazuki observed her profile, hoping to discern any subtle changes in her expression.

Generally speaking, if your girlfriend tells you "It's okay," it means there's a big problem. And "I don't mind" basically means you're doomed.

"To be honest, I still mind a little," Gion shifted her sitting posture and said softly.

...Heh, women.

Hearing this, Sakazuki instead let out a long sigh of relief. In the end, Gion, who never played by the rules, still allowed him to guess correctly this time. No girl wouldn't mind being kept waiting alone, especially when she deeply cared about the person she was waiting for.

The young girl, already holding the rank of rear admiral, smiled and no longer maintained her usual upright posture. At this moment, she finally displayed the ease and relaxation befitting her age.

Gion leaned forward slightly, hugged her knees, and turned her head to gaze at Sakazuki.

"You've been avoiding me all along, haven't you?"

"Please don't deny it," she continued, pressing a finger gently against Sakazuki's lips to stop him from speaking.

Her eyes reflected the vice admiral's face.

"Actually, I've vaguely noticed it for a while now. When we were eating cold drinks together and ran into Vice Admiral Kuzan, and then today, we had dinner with Vice Admiral Borsalino as well."

Gion turned her head away, her gaze lost in the elevated cityscape under the night sky.

"You seem to be very afraid of being alone with me. Even now, I can feel how uneasy you are."

It seemed as if something crystalline slid past the corner of her eye, mirroring the twinkling stars scattered across the silent sky.

Yet when she turned back to meet Sakazuki's gaze again, her smile was radiant. Resting her head lightly on her knees, she softly reassured the slightly flustered vice admiral.

"This isn't your fault. From the beginning, I was the one who wanted to step into your world, even asking Sister Tsuru to stage an 'accidental' encounter. You must have been really troubled, right?"

"..."

The cold and calculating image Sakazuki had of Gion as a military officer clashed strongly with the fragile girl before him. This time, he had failed to guess correctly.

Sakazuki gazed at the bright smile on her face and suddenly reached out, using his rough fingertips to wipe away the tears that Gion had least wanted him to see.

His voice was low and hoarse.

"It's true, Gion. It has been troubling me."

"Every night after meeting you, I find myself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I keep wondering why such an outstanding girl would like someone like me—a man who has never been well-liked."

Mimicking Gion's posture, Sakazuki wrapped one leg in his arms while stretching the other out over the tightly arranged roof tiles.

Since things had already been laid bare, there was no point in hiding anymore. He spoke honestly.

"You were right earlier—I've been avoiding you because I don't know how to face you."

Seeing the confusion in Gion's eyes, Sakazuki's smile carried a hint of bitterness.

"In your eyes, I am a 'soldier among soldiers.' But in my own eyes, I am nothing."

Gion seemed even more bewildered and asked in confusion, "Why do you see yourself so poorly?"

"It's not about looking down on myself. It's just the truth."

The burly vice admiral waved his hand dismissively.

"I take pride in my identity as a soldier. But without this uniform that represents justice, I am nothing more than an ordinary, flawed person."

"In dealing with people, I am not as smooth and tactful as Borsalino. When it comes to children, I am not as easygoing as Kuzan. Pirates fear me, my colleagues respect me—but you see, Gion, you are the first person to ever like me."

Sakazuki lifted his head to look at the ink-black sky, as if through it, he could glimpse his distant homeland at the edge of the universe.

For the first time, an outsider had stirred his emotions, making him confront the loneliness he had long chosen to ignore.

He retracted his bitter smile and asked the girl, "Was I just smiling?"

"Mm, and it was really ugly."

Gion nodded in honest retaliation.

Sakazuki hesitated for a moment before finally speaking the words he had been suppressing deep in his heart.

"The greater your expectations of me, the greater the disappointment will be. I don't deserve someone as exceptional as you, Gion. I'm just an ordinary man who can't find his home."

The rear admiral remained silent, staring at him intently.

Gion had never seen Sakazuki with such an expression before. The usually steadfast and iron-willed man's back seemed slightly hunched, his usual solemn and austere demeanor replaced by a sense of loneliness.

She leaned back, supporting herself on the roof tiles with both hands, and stretched out her long, perfectly proportioned legs.

Maintaining this rather provocative pose, she tilted her head, her gaze sharp and resolute.

"Just as you said, in many ways, you are not as good as Kuzan or Borsalino. But it is precisely because of those flaws that you are Sakazuki."

Gion stood up, walking around to stand in front of the seated vice admiral, her presence overwhelming.

"Listen up, I like your rigidness, I like your strictness, I like your unwavering focus when carrying out missions. If you're avoiding me because you think you don't deserve me, let me tell you this—do you believe I won't just take you by force?"

Sakazuki was so stunned by her bold declaration that he was left utterly speechless.

He stared up at the fierce woman before him for a long while before finally standing up, brushing the dust off his pants.

With an awkwardly formal bow, Sakazuki extended a hand toward Gion.

"My name is Sakazuki, beautiful swordmaster general. I wonder if I have the honor of dating you?"

"Mm!"

The graceful soldier bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.

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