Chapter 145

The two walked side by side through the forest. They could have just teleported and been done with it, but somehow, they had stopped just before arriving at the base camp and were walking along a nearby forest path.

And somehow, they were holding hands.

In fact, although Hugo's hand was tightly grasping Leonardo's, judging by the slightly bent fingertips of the held hand and the fact that he wasn't deliberately pulling it out, it didn't seem like he was being held against his will.

After all, it was Leonardo himself who had placed his hand on Hugo's when he had extended it, saying, "Let's go back."

Perhaps wanting to reassure him, Leonardo, who had been looking down with a somewhat flustered expression and had been asked again with a worried voice about what was wrong, gathered his expression and raised his head, shaking it weakly and answering that he was fine.

However, even now, Hugo didn't seem to fully believe those words.

As if there had been some change in his state of mind, Hugo occasionally turned his head and examined Leonardo's condition as they walked together, seeing him looking somewhat dejected since returning to him. His gaze was slightly lowered as he walked steadily, which was quite concerning, and he unconsciously fiddled with the warmth in his right hand.

In the forest where the bluish darkness and the receding red sunset met at the right time, the particularly shining golden eyes rolled and met Hugo's eyes.

The only place where their skin touched moved softly as if responding to the caressing touch. As Hugo's eyes narrowed slightly while looking at him, the sensation wriggling under his gaze was more tempting than he thought.

He thought it was strange for two grown men who were not in a romantic relationship to be walking while holding hands, but perhaps because that youthful face that hadn't completely shed its boyishness in his eyes stimulated his protective instinct, he didn't feel particularly repulsed. Rather, he even had a strange feeling that he shouldn't let go.

As unnecessary thoughts came to mind, Hugo turned his head forward to avoid the connected gaze. Leonardo, who had been blankly looking at him, also turned his head in the same way.

However, those unnecessary thoughts didn't disappear just because he wasn't looking at his face. Rather, his attention was focused on their clasped hands, making the sensation feel more vivid than before.

The hand he was holding was meant to replace handcuffs under the pretext of preventing escape.

However, it was clear that both of them were not unaware that it didn't simply have that meaning.

As they walked for a long time, holding hands without a word, time passed quickly compared to how it felt.

Darkness slowly descended on the red and blue forest path, and the energy of others was faintly felt not far away. Leonardo could instinctively tell that not only members of the 1st Battalion but also members of other battalions were gathered nearby.

Feeling that their time alone was running out, he finally opened his mouth first, unable to bear the suffocating silence that had persisted.

"Why aren't you asking?"

At the sudden voice, Hugo's gaze shifted back to him. Then, he could meet the fresh eyes that were quietly looking up at him.

Since he was looking into his eyes, it was clear that he was asking him, but with so much missing from the sentence, one of his eyebrows reflexively rose slightly. Eventually, Hugo blinked slowly once and gently asked back, trying to grasp what he was trying to say,

"About what?"

"..."

Whether he was pretending not to know or really didn't know. At his question, Leonardo moved his lips and swallowed the words he was about to say. Then, as if having a staring contest with himself, he quietly stared at him, and at his gaze that seemed to really not know, he turned his head away, sulking for no reason.

Although the lingering gaze on his side profile still bothered him, he pretended not to notice.

While separated from the group, he had occasionally thought about what he would hear first if he met this person again. And among them, what he considered the most plausible was an interrogation along the lines of "Why didn't you come back right away?"

Thinking that it was something he would have to explain himself sooner or later, Leonardo had been constantly coming up with countless excuses in his head for that question. That was also the reason why he had tried to meet Kenis beforehand and coordinate their stories before returning.

However, as a result, they ended up in this situation where they were tightly holding hands, so he thought it would be better to bring it up first while they were alone and tried to ask the question to start the conversation.

But when the person he thought was quick-witted actually asked back like that, it became a bit awkward to suddenly bring up an excuse. It also seemed like it would lack credibility, as if his feet were numb.

As the conversation was strangely cut off with his words blocked by various thoughts, Leonardo aimlessly fiddled with his neck and moved his gaze weakly to his feet, where the grass leaves brushed against.

Hugo, who had been glancing at him from the corner of his eye, also soon turned his eyes elsewhere. He didn't urge an answer even as he walked in step with him, as if he could see the heat rushing to that little head.

The surroundings were very quiet, and only the sound of their footsteps stepping on the low grass lingered, making the silence feel longer. Unable to find the right words to continue, Leonardo simply maintained the silence.

As if sensing his concern through their clasped hands, Hugo, who had been waiting, soon murmured in a low voice,

"It's enough that you returned safely."

As the nonchalant yet generous voice was heard, Leonardo's gaze, which had paused for a moment, slowly turned towards him. It took a little time to fully understand the meaning as he heard the unexpected words. Eventually, a belated puzzlement spread in his golden eyes.

Putting aside the fact that he had noticed the true intention behind the question he had been hesitating to ask, he had never even thought that such an answer would come from him, even if he had persistently asked. His words sounded as if he would overlook his actions of leaving the group for a long time and clearly attempting to escape right in front of his eyes without making an issue out of them.

The ensuing silence and his appearance still only looking ahead. Everything made Leonardo doubt if he had misheard.

With only their connected hands as a way to know his thoughts, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. The gaze that reached his upright side profile was as persistent as if yearning for his attention.

Hugo was fully feeling each and every one of those sensations, but he looked up at the sky for no reason, avoiding his gaze.

Rather than interrogating him about a bitter subject that he seemed to know the reason for, he thought that slowly conversing and appropriately easing Leonardo's wariness would be a more productive way to spend the little time they had left. That was also the reason why they were walking together in the nearby forest instead of going straight to the base camp.

Quietly looking at the picturesque sight of darkness seeping into the sky, Hugo lowered his chin slightly and finally met Leonardo's eyes. As their gazes collided, he felt the warmth in his hand flinch, and he gently caressed it as if to reassure him.

While organizing his thoughts as he looked at the softly shining golden eyes like that, he soon slowly opened his mouth.

"...As you know, situations where one gets separated from the group while carrying out a mission in dangerous areas like the peninsula often occur. So, no matter how long it took to return, such things are not important."

"..."

"If you returned safely without getting hurt or dying, that's all that matters."

Although he didn't show it much, Leonardo was quite amazed.

If he returned safely, that's all that matters?

It was quite touching and also welcome words from his perspective, but it wasn't something he expected him to say.

Wasn't he the meticulous Commander who said that they should thoroughly verify and prepare for all possible occurrences?

Something… was unlike him.

But more than that, suddenly, as he repeated his words "without dying," there was one thing that came to mind.

The scene that looked like a storm had passed and the bloodstained armband of the missing platoon leader found there.

Thinking of him who could no longer return, unlike himself who had returned safely, he thought that this person probably didn't know that fact, and wondered if he should tell him. However, it seemed like now was not the right timing to say it, so he was very cautious about bringing it up.

As Leonardo remained lost in thought without giving any answer, Hugo turned his head forward again and brushed away the vines that were drooping and blocking the path in front of him with the wind. Then, taking the lead through the gap, he slowly pulled the hand he was holding and continued,

"In the first place, it's largely my responsibility for not being able to properly hold onto you, which led to you getting separated from the group. I had no right or intention to blame or restrain you. I just searched for you, waited for you, and worried about you."

Leonardo's feet suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.

Hugo, who had been unconsciously walking at his pace, also had to stop along with him.

Leonardo's face, which had immediately turned around, was subtly distorted. It was an expression that seemed to find it hard to believe.

"You waited for me and worried about me?"

The voice asking back was somehow filled with disbelief, and a bitter smile lingered on Hugo's lips as he gazed at him. Although he understood this reaction from him because of his own actions, it still felt somewhat bitter.

Hoping that his disbelief would be relieved even a little, Hugo took a step closer to Leonardo's side. Then, he slightly raised his other hand that wasn't holding anything and carefully brushed his fingertips under the golden eyes. His deeply lowered gaze also followed his touch.

"Yes. I waited and worried."

Hugo's hand, which had been tracing the edges of his trembling eyelashes, eventually slowly brushed down his cheek and neck and lightly rested on Leonardo's shoulder. Meeting his eyes, he added one more thing in a low voice,

"And I'm glad that you're safe like this, and I'm also grateful."

As the sudden intimacy that came in smoothly brushed his skin, Leonardo's eyes twitched. His lips also parted slightly. The words telling him not to lie out of embarrassment rose to his throat, but they couldn't come out of his mouth.

In fact, rather than asking back because he couldn't believe his words, the words "waiting" and "worrying" coming from him, who was neither a colleague nor had any relationship with him, just felt unfamiliar. Of course, he wasn't without the desire to confirm if it was sincere.

But when the affectionate gaze that left no room for doubt was directed only at him, he became very confused about where to put his eyes.

In the silence that was unnaturally prolonged, he wanted to blurt out anything in case his embarrassment was felt. However, the tension that flowed through their connected fingertips, which was quite different from before, played a part in making it difficult for his mouth to open easily.

The hand that must have been lightly placed on his shoulder felt particularly heavy because of the words he had conveyed, making it impossible for him to move his body. As a result, the silence returned, but it wasn't as suffocating as before.

Rather, at this moment of facing each other, all senses were focused and excessively transparent and vivid.

In the darkened forest, where they could barely see each other's faces, it felt like they were the only two in this vast peninsula.

Although his mind was filled with various thoughts, perhaps because he didn't really want to break this tension with all his attention focused on their joined hands, the two persisted in silence as if they had promised.

Sometimes, a lot is exchanged in such silence, so Hugo decided to postpone the things he had been constantly thinking of saying to him when they met again for a little later.

As if even the creatures living in the dense undergrowth were holding their breath at this moment, the surroundings were very quiet.

This brief moment, as if only the two of them were left in the world, felt like it would last forever.