He knew what it would lead to. No, really—what is a ‘relationship’ for him? The feeling of warmth at your side? Well, let's say, yeah.

However, something about you was able to hook him—to his own surprise. Not immediately, but step by step, as if having a proven route. Obvious signs of attention? No, not at all. His trust was earned differently. You got to him in a different way—through work-related submission, sometimes unnerving honesty, and through desire to improve in any field you can.

Therefore, he calmly released you to the continent due to your personal circumstances, unaware that he would soon hear that you were seen hugging another man. What a pretty rumor…

He didn't feel angry, really. But he did feel... hurt? It was as if something hideously sticky had crept up to the farthest recess of his subconscious, as if scraping the brain out of his skull itself.

What was in this idiot that wasn't in him? How? Why? To hell with it, he wouldn't think about it. But that's what he decided. It's easy to say, ‘I'm not going to think about it,’ but the thoughts will still remain somewhere there.

That's why he didn't say anything when you saw each other a few days later, after your return to the base. He didn't say anything at first. His piercing blue eyes burned into your silhouette as you turned away, leaving your things in an empty place in the room. He tracked your every move, while giving the appearance of his own distraction.

His mind was actively working on how to start a conversation so as to immediately put you in the same position that he was in after such "news"—surprise, slight irritation, and, to some extent, vulnerability.

“So, did you like it? Did you like having something that I, probably, don’t have myself?”—he asked when he finally looked at you directly instead of stealthily.