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I put on an infuriating smirk. But the moment I saw Mayer’s eyes light up, I realized I had made a mistake. “Good idea! Yes. If I can get his assurance that he will not like you no matter how kindly you treat him…”

“Ugh, seriously!” Even my dad wouldn’t be like this! I wasn’t referring to Jun’s unscrupulous father, of course. Disregarding my shuddering, Mayer nodded to himself as if there couldn’t be a better idea, welcoming my suggestion. “A definite answer… No, it would be better to have it on paper. Written promises have always been a good way of sharing trust, after all.”

“Have what on paper? Some sort of memorandum that we won’t fall for each other?” I said sarcastically.

But sarcasm only worked on the sane—Mayer responded to my words in all seriousness. “Yes. Something like that.”

“…You’re kidding me, right?”

“I am serious. Do I seem like I am joking?”

“No, I was asking because you did look serious. I was hoping you were jesting.”

I could feel my face turning rigid and serious, and only then did Mayer notice something was up with me. “Is it such a bad idea?” he asked, cautious.

“You’re not asking despite being aware, are you?” I shot back and he stared at me in silence. Usually, he was so good at reading my expressions. Why was he clueless at times like this? Observant only when he wants to…

Mayer didn’t say much despite my sharp, rude remark. Pity. Had he said something, I would’ve socked him a good one and then gone on strike with a fractured wrist. Mayer eyed me timidly. Was he cowed by my firm stance? I got the illusion of him having a drooping tail and ears. “Since you are so against it, I shall put it on hold for now… and I understand that you are innocent. But do not be too comfortable around Reverend August.”

“You’re the one who stuck him next to me in the first place, Captain,” I grumbled. The sudden topic of the rumors about August thus ended with my desperate resistance. Who’d have expected the swerve in conversation when we were talking about Mayer’s demonic power? I almost lost it there. Mayer still didn’t seem to have put down his doubts about me and August, though. Even so, I was glad enough to have him give up on writing that memorandum or whatnot.

Somehow, I had managed to hide my crucial secrets from him without arousing suspicion, which was why I was even more outraged. I sighed, relieved that Mayer only focused on my relationship with the priest.

* * *

I felt a sense of betrayal that he couldn’t trust August even after everything. It somehow resembled what had happened between Fabian and me. But upon closer thought, August didn’t seem to be that trusting of Mayer either. Indeed, come to think of it, the priest suspected the captain of having a violent kink. Should I say that he looked at the situation objectively and rationally, or that he just didn’t have high expectations for the personality of others…? Whatever the case, since that conversation with Mayer, I kept as much distance from August as possible. About 1 meter? Seeing that I was openly keeping away from him instead of going away, August frowned and asked, “Did something happen?”

“Don’t come close. I’ll get rumors.” The priest scrambled backward as soon as I spoke, and 1 meter turned to 3 meters. And Mayer said what about this man? His suspicions were ludicrous no matter how much I thought over them. I kept it a secret from August that the captain was suspicious about our relationship. It would be troublesome if the priest ended up leaving the Dark Knights out of disappointment. I wondered if Mayer even knew how genuinely I cared for the manpower of our corps. I grumbled to myself as I tended to my paperwork, keeping far away from August.

As I was working, a shadow suddenly fell over me. It was Nova.