Chapter Text
Leon S. Kennedy read Chief Brian Irons’s assignment notice one more time.
Officer Leon S. Kennedy,
On behalf of the R.P.D., congratulations on completing your training at the police academy. We especially commend you for graduating with excellent marks, and we are proud to welcome you as a member of our police force.
Please report to the Raccoon City Police Department at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, September 25, for your orientation.
We look forward to working with you.
Brian Irons
Chief of Police
Raccoon City Police Department
Leon had been full of anticipation even before moving into his small apartment in Raccoon City the day before. More than that, he was brimming with confidence that he could make his first real start as an adult absolutely perfect.
He had graduated from the police academy.
He had received his assignment.
And now, he was truly an officer of the R.P.D.
Standing in front of the mirror by the entryway, Leon felt his chest fill with excitement. Telling himself he was ready to prove what he could do, he left the apartment.
At the time, Leon had no idea.
The police academy had taught him how to handle a firearm, how to make an arrest, even the proper procedure for conducting a traffic stop.
But there had not been a single line in the manual about how to pull over Chris Redfield.
At seven in the morning, Leon ordered coffee at a café near the station. As he looked around at the many police officers gathered there, he imagined himself soon blending into that crowd, chatting with them like he belonged.
“So, rookie. How was your first day?”
If someone asked him that, how should he answer?
Leon silently rehearsed a decent response in his head.
Carrying his coffee, Leon walked through the front entrance of the police station and looked up at the building that had once been an art museum.
Wow. This place is seriously impressive. I bet it looks even better at night.
At that very moment, an inexplicable chill brushed the back of his neck.
Leon stopped for a second.
But then he shook his head.
It was probably just nerves from his first day on the job. There could not possibly be any other reason.
With light steps, Leon entered the lobby. His eyes were immediately caught once more by the goddess statue at the back before he made his way to the information desk.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
Leon made a conscious effort to sound confident.
“My name is Leon S. Kennedy. I’ve been assigned to the R.P.D. starting today.”
The officer at the front desk looked at Leon again.
“Ah, you must be the new officer starting today. Welcome. I’m Andy. We’ve been expecting you.”
Andy held out his hand.
Leon shook it and smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
“First day, huh? You must be nervous.”
“A little.”
Leon answered while trying his best to look calm.
Seeing his expression, Andy gave a small laugh, then handed him the file that had been sitting beside him.
“Here you go. This has a simple map of the station, an organizational chart, and a few basic guidelines. The building can feel a little confusing at first, so it should help. If you head straight to the west office, Lieutenant Marvin Branagh will be waiting for you. Good luck, rookie.”
Leon nodded gratefully and turned in the direction Andy indicated.
Rookie.
Hearing that word in the lobby of the Raccoon City Police Department truly made him feel like he had become part of this place.
Standing in front of the west office, Leon took one breath, then opened the door.
The moment he stepped inside, the officers in the room began lifting their heads one by one to look at him. Leon was about to greet them, but his attention was stolen by the decoration hanging from the ceiling.
W E L C O M E L E O N
It was a welcome message for him.
The letters hung slightly crooked. The paper decorations looked as if they had been prepared in a hurry. And beneath them were unfamiliar faces, all looking at him.
Leon was so happy and surprised that he forgot how to speak.
Then an officer who looked experienced rose from his seat and came forward.
“Leon S. Kennedy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Welcome. Starting today, you’re one of us here at the R.P.D.”
Leon hesitated for a moment, then quickly saluted.
“Marvin Branagh. I’m in charge of the west office.”
Marvin gave Leon’s shoulder a light pat and smiled.
“Relax a little, Leon. You don’t have to be so stiff on your first day.”
Leon smiled somewhat awkwardly.
“Yes, sir.”
Marvin turned and began introducing the officers who had been waiting in the office.
“David. Ask him plenty of questions when you’re writing reports. Neil, Rita, Elliott—you’ll probably be going on patrol with them often. And George Scott is on the night shift, so he isn’t here right now. I’ll introduce you later.”
Leon shook hands with each of them one by one.
These were the people he would be working with from now on. He wanted to make a good impression.
Marvin pointed to a desk near the entrance of the office.
“And this is your desk, Leon. If you go to the locker room, you’ll find your issued equipment and uniform waiting for you. Change into it and come back here.”
Leon looked at his desk.
It was still empty, with nothing placed on it yet.
Across from it hung the welcome message.
Already, he felt himself growing attached to the place.
Leon nodded.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be right back.”
In the locker room, Leon stood in front of the mirror, turning this way and that in his stiff new uniform.
It still felt a little strange.
The smell of new fabric, the crisp feeling at his shoulders, the weight of the belt at his waist—everything was unfamiliar.
Leon swept his hair back.
But his smooth bangs immediately fell right back over his forehead.
“Phew!”
He blew the hair out of his eyes and muttered to himself.
“Not bad.”
No, honestly, the man in the mirror looked pretty close to the police officer Leon had always imagined.
By the time this uniform started to feel worn in, he would be a veteran.
He would answer the radio with practiced ease, joke around with his fellow officers, and become the kind of cop civilians could trust and rely on.
As he pictured that future, his confidence rose again.
When he returned to the office, Marvin looked him up and down.
“Looks pretty good on you, rookie. Now, there’s one last thing.”
Marvin held out a small box.
Inside was a police badge.
The moment Leon picked up the cold metal badge from the box, he stared at it for a long while.
It was something he had imagined again and again during his classes at the academy.
It was smaller than he had expected.
But it was heavier than he had expected, too.
Leon’s eyes shone.
As he fastened the badge securely over the left side of his chest, his heart beat faster, whether from excitement or from the weight of responsibility.
But one thing was certain.
Leon was a real police officer now.
Marvin watched him for a moment, then handed him something that looked like a case file.
“All right. Then I’ll give you your first assignment.”
Leon’s expression turned serious at once.
“My first assignment?”
“That’s right.”
A small smile appeared at the corner of Marvin’s mouth.
Feeling suddenly tense, Leon opened the file.
Officer Leon S. Kennedy,
For your first assignment, I have chosen a very special case for you.
Your mission is…
to open the locked desk!
The keys to the locks are the initials of our names. Enter them in the order of our desks.
There are two locks, one on each side.
You have to open them both.
In other words, your first assignment is basically to memorize your coworkers’ names.
I’m sure you’ve already figured that out.
Good luck, Leon.
Oh, and if you want a straight answer out of Scott, you’re going to have to work for it.
Lieutenant Branagh
Leon stared down at the paper for a moment.
Then, slowly, he lifted his head.
From one side of the office, someone cleared their throat. Someone else was very obviously trying not to laugh.
Only then did Leon realize this was not a real case file.
It was a welcome prank prepared for him.
A little earlier, when he had received his police badge, Leon had felt like a real police officer.
Now, he felt like he had become their real coworker.
He could not hide the smile spreading across his face.
Today, without a doubt, was going to be one of the happiest days of his life.
The afternoon patrol went more smoothly than Leon had expected.
He sat in the passenger seat with a small notebook open on his lap. Beside the station map and organizational chart Marvin had given him, the page had quickly filled with notes Elliott had kindly offered during the drive.
Elliott had volunteered to help Leon through his very first patrol.
Oak Street — Be careful around the alleys at night.
Main Avenue — Traffic backs up during rush hour.
Parking lot near Warren Street — Frequent reports of illegal parking.
Brewster’s Donuts — Coffee is decent. Donuts are too sweet. According to Elliott.
“Is it bad for donuts to be too sweet?”
Leon asked the question with such seriousness that Elliott, one hand on the wheel, lifted the corner of his mouth.
“No. There’s no such thing as a donut too sweet for a cop. The only problem is, if you enjoy them too much, the chances of missing your suspect tend to go up.”
Leon thought about that for a moment, then nodded.
“Sugar content versus arrest rate.”
“Underline that.”
Sugar content versus arrest rate.
Elliott offered the advice with a perfectly straight face, then slowly turned the patrol car right.
The streets of Raccoon City were beginning to cool from the heat of the day as evening settled in. Store signs flickered on one by one, and people on the sidewalks moved lazily toward the end of an ordinary day.
Leon looked out the window and took in a quiet breath.
It was more peaceful than he had imagined.
There were no terrifying incidents, no sudden car chases. Instead, there were patrol routes, locations that received regular reports, streets civilians often asked directions to, and a donut shop that apparently used too much sugar.
For Leon, that alone was enough to make him happy.
“And Traffic never listens when we complain about the lights.”
“Why not?”
“They all use the magic word: budget.”
“Magic word?”
“Yeah. That one word explains why anything can’t be done.”
Leon failed to hold back a laugh.
Elliott was a pretty good senior officer. His tone was a little dry, and his jokes were shockingly stale, but he explained everything Leon needed to know without skipping anything. Which streets kids might suddenly run into, which shop owners made frequent reports that usually turned out to be nothing, and which intersections new drivers tended to mess up at.
“Oh, and there’s one thing you need to watch out for inside the station.”
“Watch out for?”
“Statues.”
Leon turned his head.
“Statues?”
Elliott nodded with an extremely serious expression.
“Our station used to be an art museum, right? So there are still some weird statues left around. At first, everyone thinks they look impressive. But when you’re working overtime and see one at the end of the hallway around two in the morning, you start thinking differently.”
Leon stared at Elliott in silence for a moment.
“Are you trying to scare me, sir?”
“No. I’m giving you a friendly warning. Especially the goddess statue. At night, it’ll feel like she’s staring right at you.”
Leon remembered the goddess statue he had seen in the lobby.
During the day, it had certainly looked grand and beautiful.
But in the middle of the night, in a dark lobby, with long shadows stretching across the floor and that statue looking down at him…
A faint chill brushed the back of Leon’s neck.
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good judgment, rookie.”
Elliott nodded, apparently satisfied.
The patrol continued peacefully like that. A few simple stops, one civilian asking for directions, and checking a car that had been parked too long in front of a store. That was about it.
Leon practiced radio procedure several times, and Elliott corrected him briefly each time.
“Don’t talk too much. Only give the necessary information.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Location, situation, and whether you need backup. Leave out the essay.”
Leon looked wounded, but in the end, he wrote it down in his notebook.
Keep radio calls short. No essays.
When Elliott saw the note, he nearly burst out laughing even while driving.
By the time their patrol was almost over, the two of them were heading back along the road near the station. All that remained was to make one more round through the assigned route and return.
That was when another patrol car coming from the opposite lane slowly pulled up beside them and rolled down its window.
“Elliott!”
A fellow officer waved him down.
Elliott stopped the patrol car for a moment and lowered his window.
“What?”
“Did you return the darkroom key?”
At that, Elliott’s expression froze.
“…Damn it.”
He muttered the words very quietly.
The other officer raised his eyebrows as if he had known exactly that would be the answer.
“Thought so. Marvin was looking for it.”
“I’ve got it.”
“I know. That’s why I’m telling you.”
Elliott let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Then he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small, old key. A worn little tag hung from it.
Darkroom
Leon blinked.
“Darkroom?”
“For developing photographs,” Elliott explained shortly. “We still use it for evidence photos.”
The other officer said, “Get it back quick. Marvin was sorting reports and realized it was missing a few minutes ago.”
Elliott exhaled again, almost as if swallowing a curse.
Then he turned to Leon.
“Kennedy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ve got about an hour left on patrol, right?”
Leon checked his watch.
“Yes. Approximately.”
“You’ve got the route down?”
“Yes. I’ve checked the main areas.”
Elliott looked at him for a moment.
His face suggested he did not exactly love the idea of leaving a rookie on his own. But the station was right there, and the remaining route was relatively simple. More than anything, Leon had been almost painfully attentive all day.
“Think you can finish the rest by yourself?”
By himself.
Still, Leon nodded immediately.
“Yes, sir. I can do it.”
“Don’t push it. If anything weird happens, radio in right away. If you need help with a traffic stop, ask for backup. Don’t try to handle everything alone on your first day.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Elliott watched him for one more second, as if confirming the answer, then opened the driver’s side door.
“It’ll be fine. Nothing’s going to happen. Just follow procedure.”
Leon paused briefly, then slowly nodded.
“I’ll follow procedure.”
“Good. Then this is your first solo patrol, rookie. I’ll see you back at the station in an hour.”
With that, Elliott shut the door.
As Elliott jogged toward the station, Leon stayed seated in the passenger seat for a moment, watching him go.
Then he got out of the car and moved into the driver’s seat.
His palms were slightly damp against the steering wheel.
He inhaled, then slowly exhaled.
It was fine.
He just had to finish the remaining route.
Confirm location.
Follow radio procedure.
Respond to civilians.
Request backup if necessary.
He had learned this at the academy. He had learned it again today from Elliott.
Don’t overdo it.
Follow procedure.
Leon looked into his own eyes in the rearview mirror.
His uniform was still stiff, his badge still unfamiliar, and his heart was beating fast with nerves.
But none of that felt bad.
Maybe this, too, was part of becoming a police officer.
Leon tightened his grip on the wheel.
“I can do this.”
Then he slowly pulled the patrol car forward.
His first afternoon in Raccoon City was drawing to a close.
Leon noticed how tightly he was gripping the wheel and deliberately loosened his fingers.
It’s fine. It’s just a patrol. You learned this dozens of times at the academy.
He was still telling himself that when a black SUV slowly crossed through the intersection ahead.
There was nothing particularly suspicious about the vehicle.
It was moving at a reasonable speed, and the driver was not driving recklessly.
But one of the left taillights was broken.
Leon hesitated for a moment.
His first stop.
Maybe this would be the first real duty he handled on his own tonight.
He drew in one breath and picked up the radio.
“West office, this is Kennedy. Initiating a traffic stop. Vehicle is a black SUV with a broken left taillight. Location is Oak Street, northbound.”
Static crackled briefly over the radio before a familiar voice answered.
“Copy that, Kennedy. Stay calm. Request backup immediately if you need it.”
“Understood.”
Leon turned on the lightbar.Blue and red lights spread alternately over the quiet evening road.
The black SUV kept moving for a moment, then turned on its signal and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
Leon stopped the patrol car behind it and took a moment to steady his breathing.
The academy had taught him this.
Check the plate.
Watch the driver’s movements.
Hands where he could see them.
Approach carefully.
Be polite, but firm.
Leon picked up his flashlight and stepped out of the car.The cold evening air brushed his cheeks.He walked toward the driver’s side of the black SUV.
The driver was already waiting with the window rolled down. The inside of the vehicle was dark, but Leon could soon make out the silhouette of the man sitting behind the wheel.
Even through the window, Leon could feel the sheer weight of the man sitting behind the wheel. His broad shoulders, firm jaw, and brown eyes glinting faintly in the dark made it clear he was no ordinary civilian, but someone who knew his way around danger.A solid build that could be felt even through the open window.
The man was simply sitting inside the car, and yet somehow he gave the impression of looking down at Leon.
Then, as Leon came closer, the man slowly turned his head and looked at him.
For one brief second, Leon was not sure whether he had pulled over a vehicle or a mountain range.
Without realizing it, Leon straightened his posture a little more.
This was not an ordinary driver.Still, he opened his mouth as calmly as he could.
“Good evening, sir. R.P.D. Do you know why I pulled you over?”
One of the man’s eyebrows lifted very slightly.
“No.”
Leon lowered the beam of his flashlight a little.
“Your left taillight appears to be broken.”
The man glanced briefly toward the side mirror, then looked back at Leon.
“That so?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll get it fixed.”
Leon nodded politely.
“License and registration, please.”
The man stared at Leon.A very brief silence passed.
He slowly looked Leon over where he stood outside the window. The new uniform still looked too stiff on him, and there was clear tension in the hand holding the flashlight. He looked far too young.And strangely enough, those steady eyes were rather impressive.
Leon felt his heart beat a little faster, but he did his best not to let his expression change.
“It’s procedure, sir.”
Just then, Leon’s flashlight passed over a black hard case lying in the back seat.
A long, solid case.
It had locks on it, and it was clearly the kind of case used for a firearm.Leon’s expression grew more serious.
“Sir, is there a firearm in that case?”
The man in the driver’s seat looked at Leon for a moment.
His gaze was not surprised, nor was it flustered. It looked more like the expression of someone who had expected this to become annoying.
And was that a trace of curiosity there, too?
Or was Leon imagining it?
“Yes.”
Leon kept his voice as calm as possible.
“Is it loaded?”
“No.”
The man sighed, but answered clearly.
“Do you have a CPL or department authorization for transporting it?”
The man’s eyebrow rose again.Leon could not quite tell what that expression meant.
“It’s a department weapon.”
“Then I’ll need to see the authorization, sir.”
“It’s at the office.”
Leon stopped speaking for a moment and stared at the man’s face.
There was no mistaking it.
The man looked amused.
That grated on Leon’s nerves a little.
This was not an amusing situation. It was a nighttime traffic stop. There was a firearms case in the back seat, and the driver did not have the authorization paperwork with him.
Leon lowered the flashlight a bit more. Not directly into the man’s eyes, but at an angle where he could still see his hands.
“Sir, please keep your hands where I can see them.”
The corner of the man’s mouth moved almost imperceptibly.
Was he laughing?
Leon drew in a breath.
“Please don’t laugh, sir. This is my first solo patrol, and I am taking this very seriously.”
The man moved slowly.Very slowly.
Almost deliberately.
Then he began reaching toward the inside pocket of his jacket.
Leon’s shoulders immediately stiffened.
“Sir.”
At that single word, the man stopped moving.
Leon’s voice came out calmer than he had expected.
“Before you reach for anything, please tell me what you’re reaching for.”
This time, the man definitely looked like he was smiling.Faintly, but Leon could tell.
“Badge.”
“Take it out slowly, please.”
“Slowly?”
“Yes, sir. Slowly.”
The man’s brown eyes, almost golden in the low light, met Leon’s blue ones.
There was more curiosity in his gaze than irritation.And strangely, that bothered Leon even more.
This man was not frightened. He was not angry, either. But he was not completely cooperative.
He was simply watching the situation unfold.
Like someone testing how far Leon would go.
The man slowly took out his badge and held it up by the driver’s window.
Leon lowered the beam of his flashlight to check it.
R.P.D.
Special Tactics and Rescue Service
Chris Redfield
Leon stopped breathing for the briefest moment.
Chris Redfield.
He had definitely seen that name on the organizational chart.
After confirming the badge, Leon looked back at Chris.
Chris was still watching him.
“Captain Redfield.”
“Rookie.”
Leon’s brow furrowed.
It was a title he had heard several times that day.But somehow, when this man said it, the word sounded different.
Leon forced his expression back into place.
“Your identification has been confirmed.”
“Good.”
When Chris started to put the badge away, Leon immediately spoke again.
“But the fact that you do not have the authorization paperwork for transporting the firearm in the vehicle is a separate matter.”
A heavy silence passed between them.
Then Chris’s eyebrow rose again.Only then did Chris seem to look at Leon a little differently.
Neatly arranged light brown hair.A uniform still visibly new.Blue eyes that grew even clearer when he was nervous.
“Are you still planning to give me a warning?”
Leon felt his heart beat a little faster.
To be honest, he knew exactly what he was doing right now.
A rookie who had not even been a police officer for a full day was citing procedure at the captain of Raccoon City’s S.T.A.R.S.
But he was not wrong.He was following procedure.
Leon took out his notebook.
“Your left taillight is broken. That alone warrants a warning.”
Chris rested one arm lightly on the window frame and watched him.
“And the case?”
“As for the firearms case, you have stated that it is department equipment, and your identity has been verified.”
Leon paused for a moment, choosing his words.
“However, next time, you need to have the proper authorization paperwork with the equipment. Especially if the firearm is inside the vehicle and within reach of the occupants.”
Chris did not answer.
Leon took that silence as permission and continued, speaking as clearly as possible.
“I’ll be treating this as an official warning today.”
“Official warning.”
“Yes, sir.”
“From you.”
Leon stopped his pen and looked at Chris.
Chris’s voice was dry, but there was unmistakable amusement in his eyes.
This man was teasing him.
Leon realized it then.But he could not back down now.
No, to be precise, he did not want to.
Leon S. Kennedy had become a real police officer today, and he was properly carrying out the duty he had been given.
Whether the person in front of him was Chris Redfield, or a mountain-shaped S.T.A.R.S. captain, a broken taillight was a broken taillight.
Procedure was procedure.
Leon moved his pen again.
“That’s correct. From me.”
This time, the corner of Chris’s mouth lifted very clearly.
“Brave.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Chris tilted his head slightly.
“Go on, Officer Kennedy.”
At those words, Leon’s grip on the pen tightened for a moment.
Officer Kennedy.
Strangely, the words touched his chest more than anything else he had heard all day.
At the same time, coming from Chris’s mouth, they made him feel as if he were being tested.
Leon finished writing the warning and handed back the license and registration together.
“Here you are. Please have the taillight repaired as soon as possible. And next time, make sure you keep the firearms transport paperwork in the vehicle.”
Chris accepted the documents.
“Anything else?”
Leon hesitated for a moment.Chris’s gaze was still calm. But now there was a clear interest there.
Leon realized that interest was directed at him, and it made him feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Drive safely.”
Chris gave a low laugh.
“Always.”
Leon thought to himself, That sounds like a lie.
But he did not say it out loud.
He took one step back.
“Have a good evening, Captain Redfield.”
“Good evening, rookie.”
Leon gave a polite nod and returned to his patrol car.
He could feel Chris’s gaze following him from behind. Leon made himself walk straight. Not rushing, not turning back, doing exactly as he had been taught at the academy.
Only after he got back into the patrol car did Leon let out a long breath.
His palms were damp with sweat.
“…I must be insane.”
He had just given Chris Redfield a warning.
The S.T.A.R.S. captain of Raccoon City.
Did I do that right?
But soon, Leon looked at his own face in the rearview mirror.
He had not done anything wrong.
The taillight had been broken. There had been a firearms case in the vehicle. The paperwork had been at the office.
He had checked everything according to procedure and issued a polite warning.
Leon gripped the steering wheel and muttered quietly.
“I followed procedure.”
So it was fine.
Probably.
Meanwhile, inside the black SUV, Chris looked down at the warning in his hand.
Then he slowly turned his head and looked toward the patrol car.
Even inside the car, the young rookie was sitting with his posture perfectly straight.
He looked nervous.
The hand that had held the flashlight, the eyes that had checked his license, the small pauses he took when choosing his words—every bit of him was unmistakably a rookie.
But he had not backed down.Even after seeing the S.T.A.R.S. badge.Even after confirming Chris’s name.
Leon had not withdrawn the warning.
By procedure.
Politely.
Stubbornly.
Chris let out a low laugh before he realized it.
“Bold kid.”
He was a bold one.And, though Chris did not particularly want to admit it, pretty damn cute.
Chris set the warning on the passenger seat and started the engine.The broken taillight definitely needed to be repaired.
And he supposed he would need to carry the firearms transport authorization with him next time.
And Leon S. Kennedy.
That was a name he had a feeling he would need to remember.
Because it already sounded like a name that was going to become very troublesome.
Leon parked the patrol car in the underground garage and deliberately returned to the west office with a lighter step than necessary.
Inside, the day-shift officers were preparing to go home, putting the last of their things in order. When Leon came back, they all offered him a few words of encouragement.
Elliott greeted him with a light pat on the shoulder.
“How was it? Nothing happened, right?”
Leon answered as casually as he could.
“It was fine. I stopped one vehicle with a broken taillight and issued a warning.”
“Nice. Your first stop.”
“Yes. And… there was a firearms case, so I followed the confirmation procedure for that as well.”
“Oh. You stayed calm, then. Was the driver cooperative?”
“Yes. Mostly.”
Leon took off his cap and placed it on his desk as if it was nothing.
Then, with all the casualness he could muster, he asked, “By the way… what kind of person is Chris Redfield?”
Elliott had been in the middle of taking off his jacket and hanging it over his chair.
He stopped and turned around.
“…Who?”
“Chris Redfield.”
“S.T.A.R.S. Chris Redfield?”
“Probably.”
“Why?” Elliott turned fully toward Leon now.
“I just think I saw the name on the organizational chart.”
Elliott looked at Leon with suspicion, but still answered.
“He’s a good guy. Capable, responsible, and very reliable in the field. He’s one of the people most respected in the R.P.D.”
“I see.”
“But if you can help it, don’t get involved with him.”
Leon lifted his head.
“What?”
Elliott’s face was completely serious.
“Once that guy starts paying attention to something, he gets annoying. His standards are high, he’s sharp as hell, and he doesn’t let most things slide.”
Leon went very still for the briefest second.
“I see.”
For now, he decided to bury the fact that he had just issued a warning to exactly that kind of person somewhere deep in his heart.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“What’s with your face?”
“Nothing, sir.”
That was when it happened.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the hallway, and then the door opened. A low voice filled the office.
“Officer Kennedy.”
Leon froze where he stood.
Some voices were memorable after hearing them only once.
Unfortunately, Leon had already heard this one today.Slowly, he turned his head.
Chris Redfield was standing in the doorway.
Broad shoulders.
A calm, unreadable expression.And one piece of paper in his hand.
Leon had a very strong feeling he knew exactly what that paper was.
The warning he had issued.
Beside him, Elliott murmured quietly.
“…Kennedy.”
“Yes.”
“You.......”
Leon straightened his posture.
Chris spotted him and walked over immediately.
He stopped in front of Leon, glanced down once at the warning in his hand, then held out another document with his other hand.
“Authorization.”
Leon blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“The firearms transport authorization,” Chris said evenly. “I told you it was at the office.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Would you like to verify it?”
Leon accepted the document.
Beside him, Elliott seemed to have stopped breathing. Marvin, a little distance away, was quietly watching the situation unfold. Several officers in the west office were blatantly leaning out of their seats to stare.
Leon looked over the paper.The document was perfect.
So perfect it was almost irritating.
“Confirmed, Captain Redfield.”
“Good.”
“Next time, please keep the document with you in the vehicle.”
Only after saying it did Leon realize he had once again said something that sounded very much like an instruction to Chris Redfield.
But it was already too late.
One of Chris’s eyebrows lifted.
How many times was Leon going to see that expression today?
Elliott inhaled very quietly.Marvin covered his mouth with one hand.
Chris looked at Leon for a moment, then answered in a low voice.
“Noted, Officer Kennedy.”
Leon felt his face grow hot.
He’s teasing me.
He is definitely teasing me.
But Leon did not regret it, and he did not back down.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
The corner of Chris’s mouth lifted very faintly.
“Thorough, aren’t you?”
“It’s my first week.”
“Isn’t it your first day?”
Leon fell silent for a moment.
“…Then I suppose I should be even more thorough.”
This time, Chris truly looked as if he was trying not to laugh.
“Fair enough.”
He folded the warning and slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
“I’ll have the taillight fixed tomorrow.”
“You should.”
“Is that procedure too?”
“That’s common sense.”
Beside them, Elliott gave a small cough.It sounded less like a cough and more like a swallowed laugh.
Chris looked at Leon one more time.
The new uniform.
The straight posture.
The blue eyes, made even clearer by nerves.
And the stubbornness that refused to retreat until the end.
At last, Chris gave him a definite grin.
“Then have a good night, rookie.”
Leon nodded with perfect politeness.
“Drive safely, Captain.”
The moment Chris turned away, Elliott grabbed Leon’s arm.
“You.”
“Yes?”
“You stopped Chris Redfield?”
Leon thought about it for a moment.
“His taillight was broken.”
“And you gave him a warning?”
“An official warning.”
“And asked him for firearms paperwork?”
“There was a firearms case inside the vehicle.”
Elliott stared at Leon for a moment.
Then, very slowly, he said, “Kennedy.”
“Yes?”
“You realize this is about to become office legend, right?”
“Is that a good thing?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Leon finally felt a little of the tension leave him and let out a very small breath.
Until then, Marvin had said nothing. Now he turned his chair toward Leon.
“Leon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Was he going to be scolded?
Leon turned toward Marvin, suddenly nervous.
“You followed procedure well.”
At those words, Leon regained a little courage.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Good. Just one thing. The next time you pull over Chris Redfield, make sure you tell me too.”
“Why, sir?”
“So I can watch.”
At that, everyone in the office finally burst into the laughter they had been holding back.
Leon’s face went bright red all the way down to the back of his neck.
He had successfully completed his first solo patrol today.
He had followed procedure, made no mistakes, and even received recognition from Marvin.
And yet, strangely enough, what stayed in his mind longer than the sound of his coworkers laughing was Chris Redfield’s final smile.