Chapter 262

Leonardo wondered.

'Did this kid smoke?'

However, before his thoughts could deepen, Kenis's other hand reached out and grabbed the fallen cigarette case. As he watched Kenis quickly rise from across the table, Leonardo also straightened his bent legs and stood up.

Kenis stuffed the items into his pocket with an awkward smile. Just as the cigarette case was about to disappear into the deep pocket, Leonardo casually remarked:

"Did you smoke too?"

Kenis's eyes widened.

"What? Ah, uh. Yes, well..."

"It's hard to find people who smoke that. I often smoke it, you know."

The leaves that are the raw material for that tobacco can only be obtained in a small area of the southern region of the empire. Because it only grows naturally in a special environment where warm temperatures meet highland and sea breezes, it's difficult to cultivate and rare throughout the continent.

Moreover, because the scent itself is a bit unique, there isn't much demand and few distribution channels. The manufacturer's strong craftsmanship also contributed to the low production volume per period.

Because of this, Leonardo spoke with a newly welcoming nuance, but Kenis only showed a lukewarm reaction, saying "Ah..."

Then he took out the cigarette case he had put in his pocket. Kenis, who had been fiddling with the crumpled case, held it out to Leonardo.

"Would you like to have it?"

"Huh?"

Leonardo asked back with a surprised face. Readily offering such a precious thing was almost like a love confession among enthusiasts.

"You're telling me to take it?"

"Yes..."

"Why?"

It was pure curiosity. As his hand, which was about to reach out, hesitated and asked back, Kenis lowered his gaze to look at Leonardo's hand. Kenis, who had been scanning the floor in that state, scratched the back of his head and pondered for a moment. Soon he raised his head, smiled awkwardly, and retracted his previous answer.

"Actually, I don't smoke. I got it to give to you, Mr. Blaine."

A question mark appeared in Leonardo's eyes. But before he could ask for the whole story, Kenis grabbed Leonardo's hand.

"You'll accept it, right?"

He firmly pressed the cigarette case into Leonardo's hand with slightly trembling fingers, and turned towards the entrance before he could be caught.

"I have an urgent matter, so I'll go first!"

Leonardo was caught between bewilderment and astonishment at the sight of Kenis running away as if fleeing.

In the meantime, Kenis, who had turned towards the left side of the tent, completely disappeared from view within seconds. Leonardo was left standing alone, holding only the cigarette case Kenis had left behind. His blinking eyes stared blankly at the empty space where Kenis had last been seen.

'He said he got it to give to me?'

As his eyes met those of another passing member, Leonardo shifted his gaze to the case in his hand.

He was grateful, but perplexed. The question 'Why?' wouldn't leave him.

It was surprising that he knew in advance what he smoked. But since he had just said with his own mouth that he was very interested in him, Leonardo thought this might be part of that interest.

He had taken out cigarettes in front of him a few times, so he might have noticed the type then. However, it was still a mystery how he had obtained something so difficult to find outside, in the chaotic peninsula or within Fidele Territory.

Judging by the surface of the crumpled case, it seemed he had been carrying it for quite a while, so it didn't appear to be newly bought. If so, it meant he had obtained it from someone who smoked... For someone to share cigarettes with a newcomer who wasn't even a superior, that person must have been quite unusual... no, a good person.

As his trivial thoughts lengthened, Leonardo sat down heavily in the chair. His hesitant thumb slightly pushed up the ornate case.

At that moment, a sigh of "Huh-" escaped involuntarily. The densely packed long cigarettes were beautifully welcoming him to smoke one.

"...Eleven, twelve, thirteen. This is completely new?"

Because this cigarette has only one case design, the number inside is always the same. When purchased new, it contains a total of 13 cigarettes, representing the 13th month, the last month of Raina Logia - a very disappointing number that contained the manufacturer's strange philosophy.

But counting them made him wonder again. He hadn't smoked a single one while the case got this crumpled? And he's giving it to someone else just like that?

Thinking he must have decided to quit smoking, Leonardo dismissed his idle thoughts and, as if entranced, took out one cigarette.

Honestly, it had been so long since his last smoke after entering the peninsula that he couldn't remember when it was. Although not quite an addict, Leonardo, who was a smoker in his own right, couldn't dare ignore the luxury item he was seeing after a long time.

'Just one, just one smoke.'

Although he knew his body hadn't fully recovered yet, sometimes these things can be medicine. Leonardo put the long cigarette to his lips and instinctively sucked on the filter without even lighting it.

As the familiar scent filled his mouth, perhaps due to excitement, the area under his eyes trembled slightly. It was an ecstatic taste, on a different level from the pipe tobacco he had only put to his lips recently. Like a drug awakening dulled nerves...

'Pipe tobacco?'

The memory that suddenly crossed his mind felt somewhat out of place. One of Leonardo's eyebrows raised. Had he smoked such a thing recently?

His last smoke was certainly when Alec Siles sat next to him and first proposed the deal. After that, he had run out of the cigarettes he had, and the situation had been so hectic that he hadn't had a chance to borrow from anyone else.

His head tilted for a moment, but his mind wasn't working well due to hunger. Leonardo, dismissing it as a mere misunderstanding, brought his finger to the end of the tobacco. Just as he was about to light the tip, artistic smoke rose from the burning tobacco leaves.

The cool scent penetrating his lungs felt like drinking from the chalice of death. The dreamy fragrance gently caressed the gloom of the previous night. A tingling pleasure spread through the back of his neck and scalp.

'Ah, I feel alive.'

A sense of fulfillment settled on Leonardo's relaxed eyelids. Although it was an unexpected gift, he found Kenis quite admirable. But perhaps because he was too absorbed, he didn't notice the approaching footsteps.

He only felt the surrounding air suddenly grow cooler. At that moment, a cold voice pierced his ear.

"What are you doing right now?"

His shoulders flinched reflexively. Leonardo tried to turn around in shock.

But before that, a strong grip caught his chin and lifted it up. As his neck tilted back, he felt a firm lower abdomen against the back of his head.

"Leonardo."

At the same time, the cigarette held between his lips was pulled away. A stern voice rumbled above his head.

In Leonardo's view, looking up with his head tilted back, stood the grim reaper of ice, who suited the languid smoke quite well.

"Uh... huh?"

As his vision belatedly recognized the figure, only then did the thick body scent waft strongly. Although the scent mixed with tobacco wasn't unpleasant, the expression looking down at him was terribly frightening. Perhaps because of this, Leonardo, wearing a stupid expression, could only stammer and couldn't answer immediately.

Only his Adam's apple undulated greatly, following his pounding heart. The large hand holding his chin enveloped Leonardo's entire neck as if pressing down on it.

"Do you have any awareness that you're a patient?"

Hugo, looking down from above, asked in a seemingly angry tone. Meanwhile, the long cigarette caught between his fingers froze along with the smoke, then shattered into powder right before Leonardo's eyes.

At the afterimage of the cigarette crumbling and scattering like snow, Leonardo broke out in invisible cold sweat. He could clearly feel that the other was 'angry.' He felt as if he had committed a terrible mistake for no reason.

Perhaps because he had been in meetings all night, Hugo's eyes were even slightly bloodshot. From the perspective of looking up, this contributed greatly to the sense of intimidation.

Leonardo, who had been staring dazedly, only pushed away Hugo's hand cupping his chin after a long while. Then, straightening his head and turning around, he tried to make excuses to those chilling blue eyes.

"I, I just took one puff. Just one puff-. I was going to throw it away right after. Really."

"..."

At the excuse that was worse than not making one, Hugo pressed his forehead and sighed. He had hurried over after finding no one in the quarters and hearing from the members, but he hadn't expected to find him committing such a reckless act. He was very angry at Leonardo for not taking care of his own body. However, fearing it might escalate into an unwanted argument like last time, Hugo lowered himself and said:

"You didn't even eat properly yesterday. How do you think your body will react if you smoke on top of that?"

"...Is there a connection between eating and smoking? And I really only took one puff, I'm telling you?"

"Whether it's one puff or a whole pack, it doesn't change anything. The fact that you smoked is what's important. And... where did you get that from? Did Kenis Weber give it to you?"

Hugo said as he snatched the cigarette case from Leonardo's hand. Before he could feel the loss in his hand, Leonardo inwardly flinched at the mention of Kenis's name. Although he didn't know from where Hugo had been watching, he felt he should protect Kenis for now.

"No? I just asked some random guy passing by and he gave it to me."

Hugo's eyes narrowed. He clearly didn't believe it. Leonardo felt guilty but didn't back down. The moment he admitted that Kenis had given it to him, he might never see the guy again.

Of course, feeling a bit unfair about having the cigarettes taken away like this, he flailed his arms trying to take them back. But as Hugo quickly raised his arm, the cigarette case went up to an unreachably high position.

Seeing the unyielding look in his eyes that showed no intention of returning it, Leonardo didn't bother asking for it back. He knew he hadn't done well, so he had no intention of wrestling over that.

However, Leonardo, still sitting in the chair looking at Hugo, said in a sulky tone:

"Even the medical officer didn't say much about the cigarettes. You know I usually smoke. But you're not my lover, so why are you interfering like this?"

Of course, it was meddling born out of concern, but Leonardo argued with Hugo despite knowing this. He also felt regretful about having the precious cigarettes taken away so helplessly. But he was also not a little upset at Hugo for not keeping his promise to return before it got too late.

However, Hugo had no time to deeply consider such psychology at the moment. He narrowed his brows and placed one hand on each armrest of the chair. In that state, he bent his waist and brought his face close, pressuring Leonardo intently.

Leonardo, suddenly trapped between Hugo's arms and the chair, slid down diagonally on the chair, trying to avoid Hugo who was slowly coming down. When he was almost lying on the chair, unable to go down any further and hiding his bewilderment, Hugo, who had been looking down almost vertically, chuckled as if in disbelief.

"Then, do you listen to a lover?"