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It was exactly 2pm. He hadn't called or emailed him to say he was coming today.

The room was quiet, somewhat cluttered, and lonely.

This time's mission. Leon was not splashed with blood, so quarantine was simple. He got naked with the Army Special Forces in charge of the joint operation and only had to take a disinfectant shower over his head in a long area separated by blue tarps.

When he checked his own smell, he could still smell the strong chemicals on his skin.

Even though he had taken three showers using body soap, the chemical smell had permeated his skin and could not be removed. The smell had invaded his brain.

(Speaking of smells...)

When he smelled the smell of this house, he somehow felt calm.

They say that maggots swarm among widowers, but perhaps because Buddy is in a wheelchair, his room is always tidy, and the room smells of Buddy's lightly scented massage cream. Sometimes there is also the smell of laundry detergent.

As soon as Leon sees Buddy's bed, his feet are drawn to it almost unconsciously.

Let's rest for a bit. Just lie down and rest for a moment.

When he lies down on Buddy's bed and presses his face against the pillow, Buddy's strong smell naturally fills his nostrils and face. Buddy

is precious because he changes the sheets and covers as soon as Leon comes.

The smell of the person you love always stirs your brain and heart.

But Buddy's smell is different... how should I express it? He always spends his holidays surrounded by his smell, so Buddy's smell automatically switches him on vacation...

Leon only remembers the moment Buddy's smell filled his brain.

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The next time Leon wakes up, it is night. He

sat up and looked around the room.

Buddy was already in his pajamas, had laid the sheets on the sofa, and was about to go to sleep.

When Leon saw Buddy, his eyes met and he asked,

"Are you awake?"

"If you're back, wake me up..."

"I've prepared dinner and put it in the fridge, so you can heat it up in the microwave and eat it."

"Buddy, are you going to sleep?"

Leon was about to get up from the bed when he noticed his situation. His shoes had been taken off, and his belt and collar were loosened.

He didn't remember, but maybe he had unconsciously taken them off by himself out of habit. No way...

"Hey Buddy, did you let me take off my shoes?"

"Yeah... Was it nice? You answered normally."

"...How?"

He had no memory

of it. "When I touched your feet, you suddenly raised your head, so I told you,

'If you want to sleep here, I'll let you take off your shoes,'

and you put your head back on the pillow and said, 'Thank you,' or something. It was only for a moment, but your eyes were open."

It seemed he had responded unconsciously. I had no choice but to believe Buddy's words, which he imitated with a strong Midwestern accent.

(Thank goodness...)

I didn't have to point a gun at Buddy.

I sometimes hear about cases where people point weapons at their families the moment they wake up on their first day back from the front line.

Buddy said,

"If you don't remember, I'll say it again, but if you go to bed, please take off your bulletproof vest and shoes that don't look like a bulletproof vest.

" "...If you took them off, you could have played a prank on me while you were there."

"----"

Leon tried to hide his embarrassment by making a joke, and a nervous look of disgust appeared on Buddy's face.

(Oh no...)

Buddy is an elementary school teacher.

The joke of "pranks" that warriors, agents, and strong men and women would laugh at, but Buddy has a completely different idea.

I seem to be more tired than I thought.

"Ah, no, I just wanted to tell you that I wanted you to wake me up. Tickling me, pinching my nose, playing with me..."

"Hmm,"

Buddy replied coldly,

"Well, that's fine. If you think I'm the kind of man who gropes sleeping people's bodies, I would never have let you step over my threshold again."

"No way, that can't be true?"

Leon had intended to play a sexual prank on me, and Buddy knew about it, but it seemed like he was willing to forgive me. I'm glad he

was hanging on by a thread.

But...

I can't believe it. The agent was asleep while the teacher took off his shoes and loosened his belt and collar.

In fact, Leon woke up for a moment during that, and he has a vague memory of it. But it's just a dream memory.

"Leo, your shoes are covered in mud, so you have to take them off when you get into bed, right?"

- Saying this, the gentle, slender, white hand loosened my shoelaces. It was the

hand of a woman who knew nothing of fighting, and it didn't exist in the world that Leon knew now.

Under normal circumstances, "Professor Kozachenko" would have remained with his supple, soft hands, and would have lived a life surrounded by his wife, children and students, without ever being involved in revolution or massacres.

I wanted this gentle man to be happy. But if this world were just like that, we would never have met.

What if I dreamed about her, even though I no longer remember her?

"Did I say anything else, Professor?"

"He was mumbling."

"What could you understand?"

"Well, I was a bit... you had a strong Midwestern accent..."

You're fluent enough in American English to know that it was a Midwestern accent (although more than half of it was Leon's fault), but you're going to say "I don't understand a word"?

I heard something that I can understand, something that I'd be better off hiding.

Did I just say... "Yes, Mom"?

I want to shoot myself in the head right now.

If it was an American man or woman, they would either tease him a lot or tell him in his sleep in a silly way. They'd add something like "It was cute."

Because Buddy is an old-fashioned type who is obsessed with his reputation as a man. Leon, who is often progressive, often treats him as if he were the same as himself, and he pretends not to see or ignores any actions or behavior that he considers shameful as a man, without pointing them out. By

the way. This attitude of Buddy is also found in America, and men and women who work in jobs related to machismo often treat him like this at work.

However, it's rare in private.

I'm glad Buddy is an old-fashioned type. Even though he's always complaining about Buddy's old-fashionedness

... In reality, Leon is a man who seems advanced, but is poisoned by classical machismo.

The rural town where he grew up in his youth was hardly advanced. In the 80s, men had to be manly and women had to be feminine, or they were rumored to be gay or dykes and suspected of having mental disorders. As the saying goes, a child's character lasts a century...

Leon S. Kennedy always wants to be on the side of the protector. He wants to act cool, be seen as tough and cool, and not show his weaknesses. Especially in front of the person he likes.

He'd rather die than be seen as a mama's boy.

He has to prove his manliness.

Leon gets up, takes off his bulletproof vest, and sits on the sofa where Buddy is.

"Buddy"

"Hey, you're tired enough to fall asleep, aren't you? Why don't you go to bed quietly tonight?

" "As soon as I saw you, I was full of energy.

" "I'm tired.

" "I see..."

Leon was disappointed for a moment, then said,

"But let's sleep together in bed."

"...Okay."

Buddy tried to get up and move to his wheelchair, but Leon stopped him and picked him up. He

gently lowered Buddy's body onto the bed, not forgetting to bring the wheelchair next to him. When he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to move, he didn't want to wake Leon up or let him fall out of bed.

When Leon slid in next to Buddy, Buddy's sullen expression flashed a smile for a moment,

"I'll put you to bed."

"You're wide awake now."

"I'll read to you."

Buddy leaned back on the pillow and reached for the bedside table.

"Oh."

He's more like a mother now.

I don't want Buddy to be a mother. I want our relationship to be more immoral.

If you're awake, there's something I want you to do, not read me a book.

Leon had been grinning the whole time, but when he saw the cover of the thick book in Buddy's hand, his smile faded.

(There's no need to choose such a book...)

If the famous, world-famous "Brothers Karamazov" comes, even I can't win. I will definitely lose.