In a corner of the "Misty" restaurant, ice cubes melting in the glass made a slight sound.
Theon took it all in, but he still looked away leisurely from the two burly men sitting across from him.
To Theon, the man on the right was characterized by burnt brown hair and freckles.
Although he is indeed older than Theon, he still has a face that looks young and cute.
He stared at his hands, seemingly uneasy.
The man sitting opposite has light black skin and neatly shaved hair.
With his chin on his hand and a serious expression, he has a kind of courage that makes people wonder if he is a member of the mafia if they see him on the street.
He looked like he was drinking something strong, which had nothing to do with the day, but the glass in his hand was filled with orange juice.
The contrast between the images is so great that one cannot help but want to watch it twice more.
Xion stared at the two people for a while, and then slowly spoke after confirming that there was no movement between them.
"It's Liz."
Xion's words frightened both of them.
Theon and the two men each had five playing cards in their hands.
Tomorrow is scheduled to be the afternoon when a large-scale external expedition is launched. Theon Istar, who was too idle, played poker with two surveillance characters who were also too idle.
"Ah! There's no way we can win!"
"...If it was a gambling game, we would be naked..."
Facing the two men lying on the table while looking up at the sky, Theon laughed.
In conclusion, Theon wins poker alone.
"Hey, Theon, are you really not using magic?"
"Mr. Chad, I repeat, you did not do this."
"Having said that, if magic is used, we won't know what to do~~"
"This is called finding fault, Mr. Benjamin. It's too much to say such things without evidence..."
I pretended to cry in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and the other person showed a subtle expression, but I didn't have any special evidence, so I didn't ask further.
Theon actually didn't do anything like Lord Ika, so it doesn't make sense anyway.
"But can you two play so well with the subject of surveillance?"
Although it may not look like that to others, the relationship between Theon and the two is ultimately about the person being watched and the person watching.
This is not how poker should be played.
Still, it wasn't Theon who actually held the poker, but Chad.
The life under surveillance has begun for a few days.
Perhaps because of their compatible personalities, Theon got along well with everyone in the infantry unit.
"It doesn't matter. The guy who has been letting things go since he came out of the Seventh Artificial Island is just starting to monitor now. What's the use?"
Chad, with the word "silly" written on his face, said and yawned greatly.
Benjamin, who was sitting next to him, didn't seem to have any objections and just smiled bitterly.
"I have already done what I want to do, and we don't know how far it will be affected by magic... All we can do is take turns to be together like this, and stay together all day long."
"Besides, playing cards like this does not mean evading supervision."
With the uncle-like words "Come on," he put his arms on the table.
After this unremarkable action was over, Theon realized that the pistol in Chad's hand was pointed at his face.
"...Um, do you want to stop preparing to kill people like running water?"
"Because you always say we are lazy."
Even in this slow conversation, the muzzle of the gun did not move away from Theon's brow at all.
It is an indisputable fact that the relationship is getting better. On the other hand, everyone in the infantry unit is very smart at work.
It is an incredible situation that two things that seem incompatible at first glance can coexist.
"Speaking of which, can you kill Theon with a gun?"
"Can not be done?"
"Then there's nothing to panic about."
Faced with Theon's quick answer, Chad seemed to lose motivation and put away his pistol.
In fact, even in a surprise attack, Xion's magic defense wall cannot be penetrated with a pistol.
If a surprise attack was carried out with the power of an anti-tank rifle... In this case, at least the infantry unit responsible for surveillance would not be able to do it.
"Really, if the deputy captain really wants to monitor, equip him with weapons with stronger firepower."
"Guns and knives are not a threat at all..."
Looking at the two men sighing, they realized that they were under Misty's instructions to monitor Xion.
After a series of instructions, she was finally able to restrict Theon's movements.
"What are the orders from the vice-captain?"
"yes."
"Specifically, what kind of instructions are they?"
"Generally speaking, movement is restricted so as not to hinder Theon's operations."
"Only this?"
"...That's all."
With an indescribable expression on his face, Chad took a sip of the mismatched orange juice through a straw.
"I never said that I would take this opportunity to kill him...if there is any suspicious behavior, don't forgive him or anything like that."
"...That person always calls me dangerous and suspicious, but he just can't do it. His nature must be decent, right?"
Regarding Theon's conclusion, expressions of sometimes surprise and sometimes warmth appeared on everyone's face, and the slow and disturbing afternoon passed like this.
Tomorrow is the night before Gray 1’s subjugation operation.
Misty Arnold had a late dinner in the mess hall of "Mistolstan".
To be honest, she was not in a good mood.
The reason was what I happened to see in the restaurant before eating.
"...If you are so easy to tolerate, what on earth are the infantry units doing?"
What Misty saw was Theon, the infantry unit responsible for surveillance, and several men and women from the 13th Skill Class enjoying delicious food together.
It is true that the order must not leave Theon during the period before the end of the battle, but the surveillance of the infantry units is on a rotating basis, so meals should be taken during breaks. Especially eating with the target of surveillance is simply ridiculous.
Of course, Misty pointed this out immediately, but the infantry personnel retorted without fear: "There is no need to deliberately stagger the meal time with Xion."
The surveillance mission was not affected, and he did not remember receiving an order not to eat with the surveillance subject. Dining with Xion has been approved by the infantry commander. If you have any dissatisfaction, you should communicate with them. I said it outright like this, but in the end I had no choice but to give up.
They didn't pay any attention to Misty's stern look, happily finished their meal and left.
From the time his identity was discovered to today, Theon has almost no restrictions on his actions and lives as he pleases. Seeing such a look, Mist was always restless.
This time I was finally freed from anxiety. The happiness was only temporary. When I opened the lid, I found that the result was almost the same as before.
Theon smiled nonchalantly despite being under surveillance, which made Misty anxious.
Theon Istar is a suspect and should not be allowed to go free.
This idea should not be wrong, but the higher-ups have signed a contract that recognizes Theon's freedom to some extent.
Dear Ajit rarely treats Theon harshly.
Mist, who shouldn't have made any mistakes, was always told that he was "too vigilant" and "check the situation again", but Theon was not afraid, acted freely, and smiled heartily.
(...Why is he always so happy?)
Why is it that only the monster Theon, and not the real human Mist, smiles so happily?
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became towards Theon.
"Hey, is Easter really not going to participate in this battle?"
Misty, who stopped eating, suddenly heard these words.
Looking in the direction from which the sound came, it seemed that three men and women were sitting at a table eating.
Maybe it was because it was late for dinner and there were very few people in the restaurant. The three people's voices were not loud, but their conversation was easy to hear.
It was not unusual for the crew to chat while eating, but maybe it was because of the mention of Theon that it inexplicably aroused Misty's interest.
"It seems that the branch head of this place requested it."
"There's nothing strange about being a judge, right?"
Steady women and calm men are answering questions from cheerful men.
The words of a calm man are taken for granted. Misty also nodded in her mind, scooped up the soup with a spoon, and prepared to continue eating.
"That's it...is there any problem with the next plan?"
