It'll Come Naturally

"What? My father called you up in person?" Kevin was astonished to hear that. His father seemed to have great expectations from his daughter-in-law.

work. He never really had time to go home and visit his family. As he thought about that, Kevin felt slightly guilty.

"Yes, he did. So don't worry! I have approved your leave. It seems to me you haven't gone home in quite a long time, have you? Maybe your father misses you a lot," the Commander responded thoughtfully. Kevin had given up many holidays because of the nature of his "Thank you, Commander. Is that all you wanted to inform me of?" If so, he must have been crazy to ask Kevin to come to his office. He could have just told him that on the phone. It wasn't such an important matter that the Commander felt the need to inform him in person. "Yes, sure! What else would I have to tell you?" The commander looked at Kevin, puzzled. What was the big deal if he called him here because of it?

"Okay... I see." Kevin was speechless and rolled his eyes. He realized that the Commander was making fun of him.

"What? Don't you have anything to say?" The Commander could not help but feel giddy at the sight of Kevin's silent resentment. Kevin was too upright. It was funny to make him the butt of his jokes sometimes. That way, he would brighten up a little.

"No, Commander. I'm leaving if there isn't anything else." Kevin knew that the Commander was like Peter Pan who had come to the real world. He was used to him and his childish antics. Kevin was not the only one who he made fun of anyway. He teased Daisy too. "Fine. You can leave now! Oh, by the way, tell Daisy I am looking for her. I have something to discuss with her." Apparently, Daisy had also been made into a target, exactly as he had expected.

"Tell me, Commander! Are you nervous about the inspection in the afternoon? Is that why you are making fun of us? To ease your anxiety?" Kevin frowned at him. 'Come on, it is just an inspection!' he thought. Why was the Commander overreacting to it, as if it was an enemy who was approaching them?

"No, I'm not! Why should I be anxious? You are supposed to be nervous, not me." The Commander would never admit that he, in fact, was anxious because of them. He had received information that the military leaders were coming to the army base only in the name of inspection, but their true purpose was to select a new batch of Panther members. He was curious about who would qualify to be chosen. It was an honorable distinction. He wondered if Kevin's and Daisy's men would make it, since he had such high expectations from them.

"What do you mean? Is this not purely an inspection? Do they have some other purpose?" Kevin looked at the Commander with a thoughtful expression in his eyes. He had a fine and intelligent mind. Kevin had an inkling that this old fox knew something in advance. Otherwise, he would not have pointed out that they should be the ones to be nervous, instead of him.

"Well, you tell me." The Commander smiled mysteriously. He was a smart man who knew when to stop. That was all that he could tell him. He did not want to give away too much. Besides, he had been informed by his superiors that it was meant to be a secret. The soldiers they picked should not only be exceptional at their skills, but should also have good personalities and accompanying qualities.

"I tell you? I know nothing at all. What can I tell you? Can't you be decisive enough to inform me of everything? Don't be so deliberately mysterious." The two were best friends in private despite their age difference. They got along well. They interacted easily and casually with no pretext of superior and subordinate. That was also one of the reasons why Kevin did not like embarrassing Louisa too much. The Commander was her father after all.

"Young man, do you know of the Panther?" The Commander raised his eyebrows, winking at him complacently.

"Of course I know of them. No one in the military does not know that they are an extremely powerful military group." Kevin stared at the Commander with a helpless expression in his eyes. Everybody knew about Panther, so how could he not know? He had wanted to join them at a time in the past. But he had given up the dream, because then he would have had to stay in the capital city. He did not want to live too close to his home. It would make him feel like he was still under the protection of his family and would be very unfulfilling. "I'm glad to hear that you know about them. So ask your men to behave well! They might have a chance to get in. But keep in mind not to inform them of it too clearly. Just give them a hint. Let us wait to see who will be the lucky ones. I am looking forward to the picks," The Commander instructed him. He had high expectations from Daisy's and Kevin's men. Their soldiers were strong, both psychologically and physically. He was not worried that they would fall behind the others. In fact, they were more likely to be selected. "I see. Are you also planning to tell Daisy about it? If yes, then well, I can just tell her later when I meet her." It was true that Panther as a group was very powerful. Still, they were only humans made out of flesh and blood. However, he was doubtful that his men would pass the final test and make it to the end. He did not look forward to the selections very much. He did not want them to bid for the chance in high spirits but get eliminated finally. It would come as a great disappointment to them. Kevin was rational about expectations. "Yes, of course. Please tell her about it! I still have a report to go through. It would save my time now if you tell her when you two meet," the Commander replied and waved his hand at him, signaling him to leave quickly, as if he was attempting to chase away flies. He was somewhat disappointed at Kevin's lackluster response. He had thought Kevin would be more excited at the news. But Kevin did not seem enthusiastic about the selections at all. The Commander was surprised.

"Sure. Please, go on with your work! I will leave now," Kevin bid him adieu as he turned around and walked away. A small smirk appeared on his face. Yes, he had made it! He was finally able to fight him back. The Commander would not make fun of him next time, just because he wanted to kill his spare time and boredom.00