Hypocritical Season

"It's so unlike you to oversleep, Boss."

Gilbert's voice greeted soon as Marvel and I walked into the room, his eyes following our movements. Marvel, in a listless manner, flumped into his seat, still didn't respond even after seconds had passed. The next thing he did was try to right his tie as it slanted a bit, looking kind of suffocating him.

My eyes were fixedly locked at him. It was a battle between helping him or letting him do it for himself, although until the miserable end, I couldn't stand to watch his clumsy fingers roving all over the black any longer and so I offered a hand as his attempt on the knot didn't work. He seemed lacking energy, or at this point, enthusiasm to do anything.

In the mansion office, the beginning of another business day had just started a few hours ago, but our boss here already looked undoubtedly drowsy and sleepy like he had just pulled an all-nighter, when he actually had enough sleep - more than enough. Yet, there was neither a prideful smile on his face nor scornful comments on his crooked lips. It was just a rather spiritless figure sitting on a quite prominent chair.

"And you," Gilbert finally included me in his conversation with Marvel. "You were with him. Why didn't you wake him up?"

I saw him coming at me, but I didn't react immediately. It was on purpose, knowing he would suspect my role at this point.

"He looked tired," I pointed out Marvel's state I was sure Gilbert also understood about. "I couldn't put myself into disturbing his sleep. He doesn't seem to like to be disturbed, either."

When I said I've never seen Marvel ruffled, it was true. So, it's natural for me to simply pretend that his current condition has nothing to do with me.

"You're his secretary," Gilbert countered. "You should be more attentive if there's any change in him."

"Gill, could it be..." Tanaka uttered. I completely failed to notice he was in the room as well.

"Pardon my intrusion."

A quite lively voice added a new atmosphere in the office after some polite knocks, the slowly swinging door revealing a figure. Appearing in his early twenties, a guy came in to bring Marvel's morning coffee with such a genuine bearing. It was a rather new face. From his way of speech and movement, I could tell he hasn't worked for that long. Just finishing the three months probation, maybe?

"You're not by any chance putting something weird into that coffee, are you?" Tanaka shot even when the errand boy hadn't even served the coffee, making me wonder how he could talk like that to such an innocent boy.

"P-pardon?" The guy responded in confusion, standing stiffly and unmoving.

"Arthur, right?" Gilbert made sure he didn't mistake the guy's name as he tried to remember one of the recruits.

"Yes, Sir!" Arthur confirmed.

"Drink it," Gilbert told, and then the entire eyes, except for Marvel's, immediately aimed at him.

Simply being in Yerevan's office gives certain pressure, let alone being watched in there, so I totally understand what Arthur is feeling right now.

"But, this is for..." Arthur tried to explain, but failed himself. He knew even without explanation, Gilbert must have been aware for whom the coffee was made.

Gilbert didn't make any shift in his facial expression. He was determined not to change his decision to make Arthur drink the coffee before anyone else. On the other hand, Arthur glanced at Marvel, hoping for a possibility of change and most likely, a solution, but Marvel just didn't seem to give any of the matter a damn.

Before the situation became more awkward, Arthur drank the coffee without much thinking. It was still hot, but he did his best to down everything even though it almost burned his throat in the process. He knew what was coming toward him and so he did what he could to clear his name.

After about five minutes of dead silence, nothing specific happened to Arthur. It settled the situation down, at least, for the time being.

Once more, Gilbert turned at me.

"Keep in mind that I'd be looking for you first if something ever happened to him."

With his typical kind smile alongside those words, Gilbert told me before he left the room, dragging Arthur with him, leaving the three of us. My eyes stuck on his back even after he disappeared by the door, and I could feel Tanaka secretly stole a glance at me. I reciprocated without showing any particular facial expression.

Our connection was long, enough to give me time to guess his state of mind. He looked a bit flustered since Gilbert had gone, not sure what to do next. I bet someone like him acts according to what he's been told. At this point, by Marvel.

"Tanaka, who was the noisy uncle just now?" Marvel finally created a sound, his hoarse voice was weak, yet still powerful to shatter the silence.

"Uh... Boss..." Tanaka grimaced kind of sourly, unable to swallow Marvel's coarse remark about Gilbert. "He's been so protective toward you lately. What do you think is the meaning behind all that, Boss?"

"It means your illness is contagious, idiot."

I was watching Marvel as he spoke, his face as passive as it would be in slumber anytime soon. His head was lolling downward as if he could eventually fall asleep on whatever position he was in, just like that.

The drug is currently taking him down, although it won't last very long. I just hope it's enough to buy me time.

I had to report the data and the information I got to my organization as soon as possible, but it kept getting difficult to meet Aakash over time.

It's not like I'll give up, though. If anything, I'll go even harder.

Our organization is small in comparison to other existing organizations under the government - like, it's so small it might be inadequate to be called organization, so we need to do better than anyone else, while clenching our teeth. We're walking a tightrope trying to protect our organization because it will be only a matter of time before the government dismisses us even if just a minor error is made.

But, if I could complete this mission, we might get acknowledged and promoted. More importantly, Charles would get what he deserves for his retirement.

"Don't you need to hurry, Tanaka?" Marvel asked, his voice tumbling out softly. "Someone is trying to kill me."

Given the resolution he needed to hear from someone he listened to the most, Tanaka was determined now that he had gotten his purpose.

Marvel might be the most capable person I knew to use other people's abilities to their fullest for his benefit. They were simply pawns to him. He had the kind of charm to draw people into liking him and wanting him to like them. Even when being in a miserable situation like now, with that persona, still, he had the stage.

"I'm going to make the bastard regret what they've done to you, Boss."

Tanaka left the room with that promise, and for the first time ever, he gave me goosebumps.

I've seen and heard people killing other people for money in the underworld, but Tanaka isn't like that. He of course never refuses what Marvel gives him every month, but if he could exchange those cash with whatever he wants, he might have chosen to be Marvel's most powerful right-hand man.

He just wants to serve Marvel, and he will.

"How are you feeling, Sir?" I asked Marvel, feigning worried about his condition.

"Worst," he shortly replied, his voice was still as frail as before.

"I think it would be better for you to rest. I will get ready for work."

"Gilbert might be right."

My hand was grasped quickly, but not so harshly it surprised me. I turned around, Marvel was disallowing me from walking away.

His hand wrapped around mine, pressing delicately and free from any hint of harm, still with that attribute of coldness, just a little damp. His fingers tried to reach a higher level of intimacy, yet I could sense a bit of struggle caused by slight tremors.

"About what?" I asked after hearing him well.

"My underlings did this," he confirmed, doubt thinly coated his words. "Something like this has never happened before, so I have a very bad feeling about this. I need to be careful, or else I would really die this time."

"It was just last night when we talked about this kind of stuff, now your underlings are attempting to kill you... It almost sounds like a lie to me," I expressed, still finding it hard to believe. "Does it mean they've been betraying you all this time?"

After such a long pause, Marvel only smiled in response. I knew as much it was neither yes nor no.

"Anything could happen in the underworld. But, as long as you stay by my side, I'll be fine," he pulled my hand as he talked, slowly bringing me closer to him, his demeanor was calm. "Say you'll never leave me, Asta."

In a situation where life was almost taken, a person shouldn't have smiled.

But, Marvel did.

I came to think of Marvel as emotionally blind, he just couldn't see, couldn't identify what people would normally think or feel in such a situation. It was as if he never meant to let people know what truly happened in his head. And isn't the unknown always a bit scary?

He interacted with other people, of course, he laughed and joked. He could talk quite a lot sometimes, about anything with anyone. He would even make nice gestures from time to time. But, try to step into his boundary and he would raise his shield faster before your toe could even touch the outer line, and you would be forcibly pushed back until you learned your lesson.

Since day one, it's always been like that with Marvel.

But, for the first time ever he let me enter and see what was across the border, and he believed it was worth to trust me. In that brief moment, I saw a lonely man inside, for in that flash of emotional vulnerability he became so much more of his true self. His weakness made him so much more humane, and so without it, there could only be a lonely existence.

Marvel is a lonely existence, but me too.

Trust takes strength, lowering your shield is brave. It's worth being brave enough to walk bare-soled in this path. This journey takes a long time, for in these long months I've been patient with my own way. I start this road as the broken, but I will finish it as the champion.

Marvel's hand led mine to his face, then I felt his cheek on my palm, a bit warmer than usual. After what felt like a lifetime, finally, I locked him in a serious gaze. 

"I will never leave you, Sir."