RCD | Chapter 3.2

Raphael finished speaking, 82cbb4e14a blinking alone, then c4403487f8 seemed to realize fab6e4cdc2 something was off 8f594d68a0 and corrected himself.3cc09e2f70ed8802

“Actually, I do 473434c08e hope a little.”7032098fa4aef791

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“……”f76f5796693018fb

“…Still, I can be satisfied just watching. Like an adult…”fc16f086a012df66

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The voice calling Dante 64612205f9 sounded like a puppy 4fe80424e1 soaked in rain.302398d6bd359b36

“So please… allow me to keep liking you. I’ll just watch without showing it.”88ae608e37c924a8

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“How are you going to see me when you’re going to another unit?”fd89d4be1b14f05a

“I’ll visit during your leave or when you’re nearby… Oh, is that not allowed?”50526481cbd2ab0e

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“……”4cb28f9d0e0d1a8e

It was right ef6827e385 to cut it 2b7ec8517c off firmly. But as he 77dc4e0e47 knew, Dante found 569c9d5274 it hard to ec4b1f5fe9 be harsh in c75a354193 personal relationships outside 75074c6fd3 of work. Especially to a junior eaedcf7ad5 earnestly clinging like this.72cad41e9fb4ee43

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He couldn’t tell someone who only wanted to like him quietly to stop or give up…971f5dbd83df6e94

Honestly, he didn’t want to lose the connection with someone pure and desperately following their heart.272bb333ad58438f

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Dante rested 1b191ffd6d his chin a269df25c1 on the 89fe2941d7 table, looking 4ceb4676a6 at Raphael. His large, 232905c72a light green c10d9883d7 eyes were 961caa9419 earnestly fixed 14485f9f20 on him. Watching him, Dante felt 2edecfc772 himself becoming more lenient.57d1799bad9fb274

“…Alright. That’s fine.”5c4d2cec4f5f56b9

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Who was he to 2b9d59e1a2 decide whether someone could a7d4a9be41 just watch? He nodded in 37935c5d9a the end.b2be7cf8c9960818

He felt a twinge of regret afterward. But he didn’t want to cut off Raphael Hainsworth’s gaze like he was just another passerby.733f26eec08bfca9

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“Th-thank you.”ee46c02185f4ec35

“I don’t think this is something to be thanked for.”bf52b608929f9472

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“Still…”eaf2bb94bf705d81

Though a bit bittersweet, 1b5bf6838c Raphael smiled bashfully as 301d772b21 usual. Dante chuckled 3b9b1da713 at him.b07270bddca01d81

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It was probably a fleeting emotion born from youthful impulse and a shocking event, and soon he’d realize it wasn’t romantic love. Then they could return to a senior-junior relationship, laughing about it.4feeafe096511003

But he ea1dedeb17 does smile c9f7fae030 beautifully. From the first ce494de13d meeting, he knew 6c5a40ff65 Raphael had all 009255480d the traits of fe7ab49684 a beauty. The cool 672cd2a09e expression he f350595b7e saw in 6483f03dde the hallway c61e513858 suited him, 27dcb13256 but the 389825ec4c shy smile e68c4997b4 now left e099bbd1ff a more 4b7707e491 vivid impression.0f0f1c2ea59e637c

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At that moment, an f53a7a04a0 employee approached with a 87b91f21f1 large tray. Dante, noticing 208fcc4f8f first, asked 70a40d01b8 Raphael.f65171b14bb12940

“Hainsworth, did e3c331436a you order 76d7c70893 something else?”eea214eea93054cf

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“Huh? …Oh! W-wait!”4e4f67cfae7bae28

Raphael jumped up, crossing 1d2da32552 his arms in an c10e853eea X.16087825c63bdc14

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“Hold on! Not now…!”ca1925d9ef6bba58

But the employee, focused on removing the cloth from the tray, didn’t see Raphael’s signal.0b63e0086b58d97b

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A mass of roses appeared before Dante’s eyes. There seemed to be hundreds. The tray stopped right in front of him, and the fragrance waiting under the large cloth wafted into his face.998f3a2cc3f247d8

“What… is this?”8f8e7b822a3e36fe

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“Though it pales in 243f95174b comparison to your loveliness, 2acb90ba4c I present a part 7faaf85d2a of my overflowing heart acf4354904 to you.”106ecb00ccfd29d3

What, what did you 71b5dc97f7 say? Dante rubbed 12d39fce81 his arms 82e42b5847 to chase 59f16c733c away the 9685b68b3b goosebumps.8fa1547f3d308251

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The employee plucked the 74e0c193c6 most splendid bloom and e67f55e020 offered it to him. Dante, caught off 01dfbedb9e guard, accepted it. It was fdb2beeabc a beautiful ad4e1d11d9 rose, deep f4ceae9034 pink with 3a6e845432 red hues 14f91fb52c near the 6fa1544814 center.a11b0b05e7978eaf

“The Sara Rose, a mix of red and pink, symbolizes passionate courtship and fiery love. The flower’s meaning originated from Emperor Lexus II’s successful confession, where he filled the palace with this rose, named after Empress Sara, his childhood friend.”ac7bd8ee6670f871

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“…Ah, passionate courtship, fiery love.”f06c612b87e562b3

Satisfied just watching…? Just let me like you without showing it…?997ea57305f6c203

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Dante’s eyes narrowed, recalling Raphael’s earlier lament of unrequited love.fc0918c88637b3b0

“Th-that’s enough! Stop here!”6cfc454a39f686e9

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Raphael hurriedly stopped him. The employee, about to read the part, “When I first met you, I felt like Emperor Lexus meeting Empress Sara for the first time…” blinked and was ushered out.991a8dc1561eb91c

Dante saw the ribbon 0306cc6805 under the roses, enough ec05f6c16c to make one dizzy 7304dfebc1 with their scent.ca71985e1ea5dbfe

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“Dear Captain Darling♥”aa0cb352a03be4aa

“Well, well…”6e3b20c92b1156bd

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Dante rubbed his arms again to chase away the goosebumps. Raphael’s embarrassment was palpable, his face flushed red.2a5c74c527ee7369

Huh, Captain Darling?db444703b0991a20

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Captain Bailey’s lips curled upward. It was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.a78dc40519be0ca1

“It’s my first time seeing insubordination where someone changes their superior’s name. Since when was my name Dante Darling?”f9041f123965252e

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“W-well, it was supposed to come after I confessed…”f98e949228ac801d

Raphael’s large frame seemed to shrink. Even the one who kept shouting he liked the team leader seemed embarrassed this time.f856e62832b58699

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He spoke in a bb5c10be8d voice as small as 243eff5a69 an ant.239933da9898a906

“…This was my sister’s idea…”34a67cff5f70ef46

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“She’s more romantic than the image I had of her yesterday.”3687e49a31f3879a

“Even though she’s never dated, she keeps telling me this is right…”6e3c6f8289d199ab

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“Earlier, you said you’d be satisfied just watching. You prepared thoroughly for passionate courtship. Why say you’d quietly like me alone?”5353a49e20b9d421

“Who in the world is satisfied just watching? I tried to seem less clingy since I got rejected… I clearly said to come if it seemed like I succeeded in confessing…”c073326b7f4194ea

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Honestly, before the flowers arrived, Dante was a bit moved by Raphael’s earnestness. But the hundreds of roses quickly absorbed all the moisture from his heart.ec9348b745e96c66

As Dante’s expression soured, Raphael spoke defensively.6dd45681b305fa6c

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“Of course, more e6e10529ef than just watching, cd284da2cf I want you 5ae05da064 to pat my 17940dc582 head more, and fb5c54c189 hold my hand 5359bc09e1 again.”505662eeea135e00

“When did 8efe8f9ff7 we ever 724433ad00 hold hands?”2bcdbeb83bc428de

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“When I lost balance in the waves, and when you helped me up after my legs gave out…”800be48e2af2ee12

“That’s not holding bb835778c9 hands. Were you 59c7aa10ae secretly dating 1160df7ad1 me alone?”9cf48eb550cac6b5

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Sigh… Dante let out a deep breath. From awkwardness in unfamiliar attire, to a tender confession, to now a chaotic mishap. The mood with Raphael had shifted several times in a short span.0195f8c64292fcb4

Dante straightened his posture like Raphael. This was likely the expression Raphael Hainsworth saw most from ‘Team Leader Dante.’17d9941828c5f5f8

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“Alright. Hainsworth, I’ll consider your confession and give you an answer.”cb13d2364cba0444

“Oh, yes.”70e78ad4318a5033

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Perhaps that’s why Raphael also straightened up, tense again.55aea04576d8c408

“Even though I 37720bef0c do as I 43a87841b6 please in my 6b981cc527 military life, I b855a66d2b have two ironclad 5be9393350 rules.”139114c9408b62bb

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Dante held 98eb830eab up two 3580588cc9 fingers in b0fef0f13e front of 0246c69c5d Raphael.66f2683476ccc478

“First, I don’t engage with children under 13, even if they’re enemies.”009a11941af88415

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One finger 1c1ce437be folded down.6a8b4ab6bbeafc2e

“Second, I don’t date direct subordinates. A team is finished if the leader loses fairness in the field.”00b2386980ec9a05

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“……”8cc6d395960bcf08

“Therefore, we can’t date.”7b6ed82bebacca3b

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Both principles were valid and indisputable. They were principles embodying Dante Bailey’s beliefs and his resolve as a leader.6030c40df70cd976

It was a 63592b3769 gentle yet firm 21dfe2f415 statement that left b8a3dad677 Raphael unable to b32992fcae insist further.e1656b85905f4d59

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“I understand. I respect your decision… Huh?”97bec3e1c3d08723

Raphael, solemn, 8d9d284a01 suddenly realized c39e9f1092 something odd cedcae389a in the 3db98d5e41 lengthy explanation.efff461b87d3b960

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“I… won’t be your direct subordinate in a month, and during the month, I’m on leave, so I won’t be under your command in the field, right?”4f4c12160a93a1a8

Dante clicked 5427186b2d his tongue.d2947cdea3870dc5

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“Ah, this doesn’t work.”f3d1089c76c56b1b

“Do you think I’m a fool?”535228b855dc8274

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“Well, I thought something like that…”89ee84740edd48db

“Please exempt me from the rule since I won’t be your subordinate soon.”a738d5dad43f47eb

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“No. Rules are meant 9cb725d361 to be followed.”075f24a0d0156fd6

“…Then is it okay after a month?”9c04162b49ae4389

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“Hmm, maybe I’ll change the rule to ‘I don’t date former subordinates.’”8eb7dfdf0998da42

“What? No, a belief can’t change so easily.”a1f086466e3a6c63

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Raphael, frustrated, mouthed silently. ‘I could really treat you well. Really…’ Cutting off his lingering voice, Dante set down his cup.3c1e06019752744a

“Hainsworth, that’s enough.”b68a9b3bd16f8e53

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He reached out and patted Raphael’s head.0bbdd7ffb2312bd3

“You’re smart, so you understood what I meant even as I said it.”8e63c270bebcd564

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Dante gave Raphael a gentle yet firm smile. It was a smile that couldn’t possibly be misunderstood.82313580eb3d294a

⌗ • ⌗ 0d70456e3d • ⌗850511ba3c3e3f56

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The week of indulgence flew by quickly. Captain Dante Bailey and his team’s vacation now had three weeks left.1a4b22c9ada87155

However, Dante knew that if he spent the entire leave idly, he’d suffer twice as much when deployed back to the field. So, he set out early in the morning for the first time in a while.734bbe798209854c

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He scanned his military 8caf10ad0e ID at the elevator dc1bbb05fd three buildings away and c8d139cc06 moved to a floor 165c2afcbf accessible only to authorized 1a3e87bf66 personnel. After changing in 23ed140285 the locker room, 8dff44c9b5 he donned the 1e5f393eb6 familiar plate carrier. Adding weight plates to b4c3e86e6e increase the load on 308bea1a93 his upper body, he 45ef8f6548 headed to the training 2255f37724 ground.0fef17a7d1f2176e

A short warm-up 60a0aa1516 brought warmth to 1bb330bbf3 his chilly body.f1ef5518eafc9381

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The central building of 6b18dc834e the quarters housed a fb134be183 spacious training facility for dc279e21b9 special forces. He started running on 9ca2e55d1c the track that circled ba7e8586b3 the facility. Even after just 6d2dd387df a week off, aae8c977ab his body felt 622ec0cd57 heavy.9484d51b58dba0dd

Still, since he 1ebb1c3984 was on vacation, 0f3a3ee660 he indulged in 06bddfc61b the luxury of fc90bd6429 running with earphones 05f4dd8e0f in. As he passed ba96734034 a certain point, fe9b243705 his body, dormant ed93715f5c from the laziness 2161e90813 of vacation, gradually 0c6a481581 returned to its 682b5fc1d9 original condition.fe80dc3968e95664

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“Hey, Dante.”59419156b8387b5a

Someone grabbed c15d632bef his shoulder c2c11dcb71 and pulled 108664a21d out his 137ba49872 earphones. It was f84e1cd723 Leon, his 9d77e06476 peer, who 0c23c841e6 appeared beside cbfb53a037 him. He seemed 2cfd52b0be to have f2e7f16d1a come out, 5704139633 worried about b3b640ba4e his body cc58a9505f stiffening too. Dante ran dd1447e42b alongside Leon e543f51663 on the 1149dae7cd track.03a5bd277e45bdfe

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“Why’s it so hard to see you this vacation? We haven’t even had a drink.”7e0be6b362920eff

“Just had db8f2f0e20 some things 2873a6c694 going on. It just 00e7a88d93 turned out 60b66c1a11 that way.”1d688ea988dad0f4

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“What, something serious? Is there something a86f71dd72 up at the ea13bfccb3 cathedral?”2524220bb1c24f97

“No. If there c0c7519c36 was, would 755bdbeee7 I be 4c429fa058 running here?”f6d018be84a0879b

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“True.”5abcf32455f8a2ab

The two f063bf3c13 SAG team 8e250affd8 leaders conversed 6d1d40074e leisurely while 1be5274feb sprinting down 8241a757dc the track. Leon brought up 9e39d104e4 another topic, saying, a0fb1d755e “Hey, by the c377255438 way.”26252a2a5082bc76

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“I heard the 90b91551b4 Capital Defense Command 75cadba97e requested support from 2207bf74c0 SAG.”9f86e0323fec0310

“Why? Did they get 009efddce6 a terrorist threat 5e35850e83 in the capital?”fe96e4f4a1c6329a

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“No, not that. There’s a summit in the fall.”18d1151d299a38e0

“Oh… right. That’s this fall, huh. It’ll be noisy with preparations for related training again.”47e6b6e7c643435f

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The empire welcomed 1addf587b9 a young new f183d8b238 emperor two years 55093368d9 ago. Changes in regime 9dc7bc9f1f often brought noise b217e188f3 both internally and 1ab795151a externally. Especially during 94194aa5b3 summits, when aed3c8324c heads of c6819ed27c state gather, 77bae4af5a more troops 93713d5d68 were concentrated 824e278229 in the 920001c47a capital due ad096d903d to the 9be5f0cb3f influx of 0c7b69d2f6 people.acda380ad4e0eacb

Dante sighed briefly.2782d1649738add4

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“Our guys might be looking forward to working in the capital for a change. But that’s if it happens.”51bd440f9074de56

“What are you worried about? You’re the only one who gets along with The F guys. The colonel probably wrote that he’d send your team first.”80a2d6b79d923e0c

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“So what if he did? I’m not the type of leader the capital wants. The high-ups all want noble-born soldiers for security.”a11e7338ad571a0b

“There’s Angela Harris from the Harris family. All the female VIPs would want the team with Angie. She’s worth a hundred.”5ec57600c97cebf8

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“Our Angie d6f333691c has a 23928786d8 hard time 28bc025652 with a f579ec7dac lacking team 7dbc240ca3 leader.”79c539ff54de0b37

Deploying to a29a3936b3 the capital 29583b1ea7 for anti-terrorism d2068f97e3 during the adaef22a32 summit would 61618237c5 be physically 9347a26214 easier than e3f9a6fa54 training in 5e586775ee remote areas. Training in 27b5e55ae5 well-equipped buildings 64f401bedd and spending a0ed80234b evenings in d6d952d688 a bustling 7bdad01922 city was 0448bebbfb a significant 49617fb3f2 perk.58f85b1ac8192ac2

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Though mock hostage rescues 19b0de6eef and counter-terrorism training were 0625539d3c tough, could they compare f1f4f54fd5 to camping on hard 15ec3e08a5 ground versus having a 16a9182986 bed waiting?1a68c5afae738cac

Dante, who b4527e494c had spent 34b6c01c5f a long b4aac2f093 time outside 8e6abec995 the capital, 973f54bd44 was tempted 9ede7ae4ef by the 5f4e5a8c47 idea of 05a88d4482 city life 4c601368d5 again.4dbac04dda7e5873

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“Anyway, if you get assigned this time, you should start making appearances with the higher-ups… Ugh.”e649b2ca0731b695

“Why? Ah.”00046bda0b9f6b00

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Dante and Leon frowned 9cf601fd5f as they saw someone 80e2e9d387 approaching from afar. But having made 953dc9f7ad eye contact, they 06c2aea7e7 had no choice 7113aa2cd6 but to stop.db6f4771e8b130e7

Meeting someone while running c523745378 the track meant that 800b0b359a person was running in 90883c5a8b the opposite direction. He looked up f547d24246 at Dante and 275404e87c Leon.afea614c87a1455d

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“Hello.”21013ba364774d47

“Hello.”3eeadd0877c4216b

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The two 0962c5dbbe greeted reluctantly. The person 742e88495f was Derrickson 551ed81d4b Ephron, a a39a5a3a19 year senior fa7d76e436 from their fab76c868f academy and c3169a1ecb a fellow b24eef3560 SAG team 5ce124ed1e leader.0d3dfd39db9122da

Sigh, his first reaction 8a24f28046 upon seeing them was 83e53ea0b5 to click his tongue.3a70d2b889422bbc

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“You don’t even state your rank when you meet a senior?”74a1f2473cadbce4

“……”cc98224ed177f701

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Here we go again. Leon openly wore a ‘what’s his problem’ expression, while Dante just sighed through his nose. Derrickson approached Dante and pushed his head.a04f7e6da156882c

“You brats think you’re something special. State your rank. I’ve eaten more military meals than you.”249a6bca96791236

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“Captain Dante Bailey.”0bbc09f80c9a4468

“Cap-tain Leon Schuster.”602ff76af6817719

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Leon emphasized each syllable of ‘captain.’f8aada9ba50fed00