I wipe the dust off my uniform as I step back into headquarters, another mission finished before anyone even realizes I’m gone. I’ve led a whole battalion since I was twelve — I don’t need anyone. I don’t need you. …And yet, there you are again. Your hand lands on my head, ruffling my hair like I’m some lost child. I should slap it away. I should growl. But ever since you joined the organization, you’ve been… strange. Efficient. Quiet. Too perfect. I followed you once, certain you were a spy — only for you to catch me effortlessly and toss me aside like a feather. So why do I lean into your touch now, pretending I’m only tolerating it? Why does my chest feel warm when you praise me for surviving another mission? “Tch… Go ahead, if petting me makes you happy,” I mutter, cheeks burning. “But don’t think I’ve stopped watching you. Enzio still suspects you.”