[Night Raid Base]
In the serene stillness of midnight, the radiant rays of the moon illuminated the surrounding mountains and on the militaristic-style buildings nestled beneath the vast mountain.
Inside one of those buildings, Bulat lay on his bed, eyes closed. His broad chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as he drifted off to sleep.
However, his face was anything but calm as every so often, his brow furrowed as though he were dreaming of something unsettling.
Beads of sweat trickled down his whole body as he gripped his bed sheets.
"AHHHHHH!" A loud shriek pierced the silence, instantly yanking Bulat from his sleep.
In an instant, his instincts took over, and he was up. Grabbing his Incursio sword with him, he dashed.
He sprinted toward the source of the scream as he made his body tense and ready for combat.
Reaching the location, he didn't hesitate as he kicked the door open with a loud bang, his Incursio sword drawn out and ready to tear apart intruders.
"...."
But what greeted him was not an enemy.
Instead of seeing deadly intruders with weapons, he saw Tatsumi, who stood before him.
But that was not his primary concern.
The current Tatsumi was in front of his eyes, clad only in his boxers, his hands awkwardly stuffed inside them.
And at the top of it behind him, Mine was blushing furiously, her hands gripping Tatsumi's boxers, as if trying to pull them away from him.
"...."
A deafening silence settled in the room as everyone froze in place.
Bulat's eyes widened for a moment, his grip on his sword loosening as the absurdity of the scene hit him.
He quietly sheathed his Incursio without saying a word, his face expressionless as he turned to leave.
"Stopppp!! It's not what it looks like!" both Tatsumi and Mine shrieked, scrambling to explain themselves.
Tatsumi panicked as he ran toward the door and stopped it from closing. "Seriously, brother, you've got it all wrong!"
But Bulat remained calm, his expression one of dramatic disappointment. "No, no… it's alright, little brother. I understand."
He let out a deep, exaggerated sigh, looking at Tatsumi with what could only be described as the most heartbroken expression ever. "I knew your youthful body had endless reserves of stamina, but I didn't think you were such a player. After all that 'bonding', after you played with my emotions... Now you dared to go after Mine? I'm wounded, Tatsumi. Truly, I am."
"What!?" Tatsumi shouted, his face bright red. "It's nothing like that! It was an accident!"
'And why does this situation feels like déjà vu and why do I feel like a scumbag making excuses to my girlfriend? I already told him I don't swing that way!' Tatsumi screamed internally.
Equally flustered, Mine chimed in, "I was just trying to pull a snake out of his…wait, no! I mean, it's not what you think!"
Bulat, however, nodded solemnly, as if he understood everything. "Mm-hmm, just… try to be gentle with the 'snake' and maybe keep it down next time." His voice was calm, almost sage-like, imparting what he thought was wisdom.
Before either Tatsumi or Mine could say anything else, Bulat continued to close the door, his disappointment lingering in the air like a weight that couldn't be shaken off.
"Nooooo!" Tatsumi groaned, his face buried in his hands. "How did this happen?"
From behind him, Mine stomped her foot heavily and huffed. "I can't believe he actually thinks something like that happened! You're an idiot, Tatsumi!"
"Me?! You're the one holding my boxers!" Tatsumi shot back, still flustered.
"That's because—!"
"Wait, never mind! I don't want to hear it!" Tatsumi interrupted, waving his hands in surrender, his face still burning with embarrassment.
.
From outside the room, Bulat's faint chuckle echoed down the hallway, the big man clearly having a bit too much fun with the misunderstanding.
"Ah, youth," Bulat murmured to himself with a smile. "Always entertaining."
But his amusement was short-lived as soon as he noticed a little snake slithering toward him in the dim light.
The white snake appeared delicate and almost graceful, but Bulat's focus went towards a piece of paper held in its mouth.
He bent down without hesitation, his large hands surprisingly gentle as he took the note from the little creature's mouth.
With a soft pat on its tiny head, he let the snake slither back toward the forest through the open window.
As soon as the snake disappeared, Bulat's attention shifted back to the note. Carefully unfolding the paper, his expression turned dark as he read the lines.
The playful gleam in his eyes faded, replaced by concern. His brow furrowed further with each word, and a grave feeling settled over him.
'This is bad,' he thought gravely. 'I know there might be other circumstances, but why do I have a bad feeling after reading this?'
.
Tatsumi and Mine stood frozen in their predicament. The embarrassment between them was palpable.
The scene had gone from bad to worse, with Bulat's dramatic exit making everything feel even more absurd.
Tatsumi sighed deeply. He leaned against the door while shaking his head in disbelief. "I swear, there was something large and cold in my pants."
Mine, her face still flushed, crossed her arms and huffed. "Yeah, sure. Next time, maybe don't scream like a girl when there's a bug in your shorts, genius."
"It wasn't a bug, it was something else!" Tatsumi retorted, his frustration evident, but Mine just responded with a dismissive hmph.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't yanked my boxers in front of Bulat, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Tatsumi fired back, his face still bright red with embarrassment.
"And how in the seven hells was I supposed to know he'd burst in like that!?" Mine shot back, equally flustered. "Maybe next time, I'll just blast your pants off with Pumpkin and be done with it!"
The very idea of it made Tatsumi shiver with fear. He could never forget the day he desperately fled from an enraged Mine.
He gulped, his words dying in his throat as he considered the terrifying consequences of making Mine angrier than she already was. He quickly decided against any further retorts, realising it was better to surrender than tempt fate.
The two stared at each other for a moment, both still embarrassed, wanting to hide under a rock.
"Alright, alright. Let's just... never speak of this again," Tatsumi finally said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
"Deal," Mine muttered, her face still red as she looked at the floor.
But before they could say anything else, the door suddenly swung open again, catching Tatsumi off guard and causing him to fall face-first onto the cold floor.
Standing in the doorway, Bulat had returned, a serious expression on his face. "I think Sheele and Bane might be in danger. Mine, I need your help to find Sheele's acquaintance's house."
Before Mine could respond, another voice called out from behind Bulat.
"Hmm, first report to me what happened, Bulat."
The group turned to see Najenda standing in the hallway, her silhouette framed by the moonlight streaming in.
She puffed out a cloud of smoke, her silver hair gleaming under the radiant light.
"In detail," she added, her tone calm but authoritative, as the seriousness of the situation began to take hold.
A/N: I'll be uploading the chapter early today. Hope you enjoy it!