He had been sure he would never grow tired of lying in bed for days on end, but his battle-hardened body could not tolerate the laziness that surprisingly ensued. Cadel left the room to stretch his stiff body and spend some time with his subordinates.

“……What the hell, where is everyone?”

But even after wandering the neighborhood for quite some time, he couldn’t find any of his subordinates. There were five of them, and he felt a strange sense of loneliness when he couldn’t see them where he usually turned his head.

It was a little dangerous to feel empty when he was only a few hours apart. As Cadel pondered the loss of independence, he shook his head.

‘Forget it. Since when do I like crowds? I can play alone.’

He was getting tired of his subordinates bothering him at every turn. He’d rather be alone and shoot at his leisure than in a crowd. They needed some alone time, too.

“……The more I think about it, the funnier it is. I’ve been telling them to stay away, and they won’t, and now they want some alone time again, huh?”

Cadel, who was unaware of the pact between the members, found the situation to be ridiculous and absurd. Eventually, Cadel stopped looking for his subordinates and, in a fit of unnecessary anger, stormed into the nearest store.

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the aroma of savory bread and coffee beans. The gentle warmth of the place melted his frozen heart. Cadel’s face softened, and his gaze shifted to the empty seats. He soon spotted a familiar figure.

A man who stood out like a sore thumb in a crowd of ordinary people. Sitting alone and defiantly cross-legged, reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, the handsome man was Lumen.

Cadel spotted him and boldly approached him. Lumen, sensing Cadel’s presence, looked up from his newspaper.

“……Leader?”

“I was wondering where you were. I guess you were having a little time to yourself?”

“Did you look for me?”

“No, not really.”

Lumen’s voice was husky as he looked so peaceful. As Cadel sat down across from him and ordered coffee, Lumen folded the newspaper he was reading and set it on the table.

“You must be bored.”

“Not really. I’m just stopping by for a walk. I wanted to grab a coffee.”

“Oh, really?”

“Uh, really.”

Cadel, who’d been pretending to look around the store for nothing, overcame his instincts and glanced back at Lumen. His eyes widened at the direct stare, and he spoke tartly.

“Finish what you’re doing. I’m just stopping by.”

“You want me to read the newspaper?”

“Yeah. I’m not interrupting.”

“I didn’t see anything interesting enough to read with Leader in front of me.”

“…….”

“Now that we’re alone in the cafe, I’m thinking about that day.”

“That day?”

“The day I met Mr. Mamil.”

Cadel blinked a few times, then opened his mouth and nodded. On that day, Cadel had gone to the café ‘Carrots and Chiffon’ to woo Mamil, whom he had never met before, and had run into Lumen, who was there first.

“Do you know how nervous I was? I was so worried that Mr. Mamil would run away again when he saw you, I thought I was going to lose all my hair.”

“I remember your reaction was very funny, Leader, because you thought that I was bullying him.”

“I didn’t find it funny.”

“It’s also the day we first became best friends.”

“……Ah.”

Cadel spit out a chuckle and stroked his cheek as he racked his brain for a memory. It certainly was.

“A dear friend of mine, Mr. Mamil, who was willing to lend a hand in the rebuilding of House Lytos. He may have been grossly disrespectful at first…… but he is remorseful. Right, Lumen?”

Somehow, Cadel had managed to draw Lumen in, who had come to interfere to prevent Mamil from escaping. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how condescending the old Lumen had been, but he beat him to it.

“It was nice, though I didn’t show it.”

The look was so sweet that he squirmed uncomfortably at the realization that it was him he was looking at. Suddenly embarrassed, Cadel wordlessly rubbed the back of his head. For some reason, he found it difficult to make eye contact.

“Thank you.”

When Cadel looked at him as if he didn’t know what to make of his sudden gratitude, Lumen’s eyes softened slightly.

“For accepting me again and again.”

“……That’s unexpected.”

“Because I never thought I’d be able to form a new relationship, and you never gave up on this weakling, so I’ll always be grateful.”

As Cadel hesitated, unsure of how to respond to this unexpected statement, his coffee arrived just in time. Cadel’s eyes lowered as he dried his lips and drank from the hot cup.

“Are you shy by any chance?”

“Nope.”

“……I just wanted you to know, because now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever expressed it.”

It was true. Lumen had always been shy about expressing himself, so their relationship was fraught with misunderstandings and conflicts from the beginning. But then he started to open up a little bit, and now he was able to express his affection openly.

Cadel sipped his coffee in silence, then carefully raised his eyes to meet Lumen’s.

The change in his expression from impassive to colorful made him look even more beautiful. After a moment of staring into that handsome face, Cadel coughed briefly and spoke.

“If you’re grateful, keep up the good work.”

“I think I’m doing well enough as it is.”

“……That said.”

Lumen laughed softly at the meek acknowledgment. And just like that, the subtle tension between them was broken.

“Commander?”

Van’s voice came from behind him. Reflexively, he turned around, and Van stood in front of him, his face full of surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell? He’s spending time with me.”

“I didn’t ask you, young master.”

Cadel tugged at Van’s sleeve, crossing between the two of them, who were busy growling as soon as they saw each other.

“I just ran into him. You want to sit with us?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t want to.”

“If you don’t like it, you can go screw yourself.”

Van ordered drinks and dessert, squeezing in next to Cadel, and Cadel smirked as he watched them take turns arguing casually just like when they’d just met each other.

“You guys are so consistent. You get along well.”

“What does that mean?”

“Did I hear you wrong?”

Cadel shrugged instead of answering, knowing that saying it a second time would cause an even bigger uproar. The two men had been at each other’s throats since their first meeting, but Cadel knew they considered each other friends, and how could they not, when they had fought together so many times and would fight together again, back to back.

“Don’t look at me that way. It’s gross.”

“You’re overconfident. You think I’m going to give you a second glance? I was looking at Leader.”

“Why are you looking at Commander? Stop looking at him and read the scraps of paper in front of you.”

“What do you care if I’m looking at someone I like?”

“Don’t you dare. I know Commander best, and he’s not into a guy with a sissy face like yours. You’d better get over it before you get your heart broken.”

“I don’t know. Leader always seems to be weak when he sees my face.”

“Although delusions are supposed to be a form of personal freedom, yours are at a criminal level, so get a grip, young master.”

A trusted comrade…… right?

Cadel took his food from the server, leaving the two men arguing until his ears burned. Van paused when the dessert he’d ordered arrived, carefully slicing the bread into shapes that wouldn’t be crushed, then shoved the whole thing in front of Cadel.

“Please eat.”

“What? You didn’t order it for you to eat?”

“No. I was just stopping by to get a snack for you in the first place.”

Cadel’s eyes narrowed prettily as if he’d received an unexpected gift, and he smiled.

“That’s sweet, Van. Thanks.”

“……It’s nothing.”

Even after revealing his true identity, Van was as quick to offer things as ever. It wasn’t in his nature to do so; he’d never seen Van take care of any of his comrades before, and it was always a relief to know that his caring wasn’t reserved for Cadel Lytos.

Their bickering never ceased, even as Cadel, now in a better mood, shoveled the sliced bread into his mouth. Cadel listened to their bickering with one ear, reminiscing about a time that seemed a little too distant.

He remembered the mercenary corps days when the three of them used to travel together, borrowing carriage fare from Lumen because they didn’t have any money. He remembered the hot soup when he was first transmigrated, and how happy he was now.

As he savored the memories, Cadel suddenly stopped eating and looked up.

“By the way, do you guys know what Lydon is doing?”

Lydon was rarely seen in Cadel’s presence outside of meal times. He shrugged it off as the rest of his subordinates, but the absence of the fairy who’d been burrowing into his side of the table no matter what made him worry.

He wondered if Lydon had gotten himself into trouble somewhere. When Cadel asked anxiously, Lumen’s answer was simple.

“He’s been hanging out with some guy the last few days.”