Even Black Noir's eyelashes trembled as he spoke fearfully. "Captain, I'm sorry."
His voice was hoarse, but it had a distinctive quality, instantly recognizable and impossible to forget once heard.
Since Private Angel had healed him, Black Noir had entered the film and television industry, and his vocal cords had gradually recovered their function. He could speak normally now; he was simply accustomed to silence.
"Fuck!" A-Train exclaimed, then hurriedly covered his mouth and lowered his voice. "He scared the mute into talking. Looks like it's really what we thought!"
Queen Maeve, who had been wavering all this time, was now completely convinced.
Windblown strands of hair brushed her face, but she did nothing to tidy them, letting the ticklish sensation wander across her skin as though she hadn't noticed.
Poor Black Noir...
Maeve wanted to help, but then she saw Soldier Boy laughing smugly and moved away from Black Noir.
Black Noir wore a hood, so his expression was hidden. His body simply went a little limp as he stared blankly at the sky.
Had Black Noir... resigned himself to his fate? Maeve's heart tightened.
A-Train clutched his head. "Damn! I'd better stay away from Soldier Boy from now on. That's terrifying... terrifying."
The Federal Lieutenant Colonel tucked her clothes in more tightly, arguing fiercely with the person on the other end of the phone.
Black Noir, the center of the discussion, had no idea he had become a pitiful lamb coerced by an evil force. His thoughts were entirely bound to a cloud on the horizon.
Winter's chill grew stronger, and autumn gradually faded.
The pony-shaped cloud slowly dissolved at the boundary between autumn and winter, carrying a wistfulness over the changing world.
The last shadow in Black Noir's heart dissolved along with the cloud...
"Black Noir, hold