Soldier Boy seemed to realize something. His hand stopped on the half-open sliding window, and his expression gradually darkened.
"What do you mean?" he asked in a low voice.
The killing aura forged on the battlefields of World War II spread through his sharp question like an all-pervading mist, as though it would engulf everyone and finally trap them in a hazy white world where each stood alone.
Queen Maeve opened her mouth. She had brought up the subject, but faced with an utterly serious Soldier Boy, she was somewhat at a loss.
Finally, she said quietly, "That's Lucas. Once he's attacked by a Supe, it becomes a different matter. We..."
Halfway through, her confidence gradually faded, because she saw Soldier Boy's expression growing colder and colder.
Soldier Boy gritted his teeth and looked at the others.
A-Train hid his sunglasses behind his back and lowered his head, avoiding that piercing gaze. His face showed guilt, as well as the helplessness of someone seeking advantage and avoiding harm.
When his gaze settled on Starlight, Soldier Boy felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps this girl, who had always been innocent and kind, would support what he was about to do.
Although Soldier Boy alone was strong enough to raid the White House and crush any military force, he still hoped one teammate would stand on his side.
Not for anything else, but because just a few dozen minutes ago, not one of them had backed out under the shadow of the threat from beyond the skies. Every one of them had decided to stay.
And after those declarations of facing life and death together, their jokes and idle chatter had painted a warm ink-wash picture.
In that moment, Soldier Boy had genuinely felt, almost in a daze, that this was one