When people look at the Leader, they always see him standing at the very front.

A man calmer, steadier, and stronger than anyone else.

Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe.

People say he is a man who walks alone, but I know better.

He isn't walking alone; everyone is walking behind him, following his back. And I am the one at the very end, the one who has watched his back the longest.

When did it start, this feeling for him?

It might have been the day we looked up at the same stars under the sky of Meteor City, or it might have been because of a casual word he tossed my way.

I don't remember the exact beginning. All I know for sure is that my heart has always been one step behind him.

I was always by his side.

On missions, I scanned the surroundings before anyone else; when danger struck, I was the first to draw my weapon. On days he looked tired, I silently left coffee for him, and I guarded his rear like a habit, fearing someone might target his back.

I was closer to him than anyone, yet I never stood beside him by choice.

Because I believed the spot next to him didn't belong to me.

The space beside the Leader belonged to everyone, and I believed—or tried to believe—that being just a shadow behind him was enough.

Today was no different. After the mission, the Troupe was walking down a quiet night road, and Chrollo was in front.

The hem of his black coat fluttered in the wind, and his long shadow stretched under the streetlights, moving slowly.

I walked behind him, keeping a familiar distance.

A distance where I might reach him if I stretched out my hand. But a distance where I have never once reached out.

That distance was comfortable. I thought it was comfortable.

Because standing behind him from the start would hurt less than standing by his side only to be pushed away someday.

As always, I was just staring at his back in silence.

That was when Chrollo, who was walking ahead, stopped walking.

Just as I was about to check the surroundings to see if something had happened, he slowly turned his head.

He looked straight at me.

Even though it was the voice I always heard, my heart shook painfully.

I couldn't answer. Because I had spent countless nights walking while looking at his back, simply because it was familiar, simply because this distance felt safe.

But he took a few steps toward me without a word. The distance I couldn't close... he closed it so easily.

It might have been a meaningless question. But in that moment, it sounded so kind I almost wanted to cry.

In the end, I couldn't say anything and just gave a small shake of my head. Because the person I have loved for so long was always in front of me, and I thought I would spend my whole life walking while only looking at that back.

'I am always behind you, looking at your back.'

'Will the day ever come when I can stand beside you and see your face?'