Chapter 47: Sometimes, Even When You Tell the Truth, You Won't Be Believed
The following days returned to a semblance of normalcy.
Reading in the morning, training in the forenoon, gathering intelligence in the Capital in the afternoon, and at night, acting as an assassin to clear out the parasites of the corrupt Empire.
Even a "Time Management Master" would call him a pro.
In the training ground.
Kobayashi held a longsword, the same model as Tatsumi's, and stood opposite Akame. Although there was a great distance between them, they could close it in an instant and deliver a fatal blow the moment they attacked.
"Hah!"
Kobayashi shouted and charged forward. As he raised his longsword high, an inconspicuous glint of light flashed under the sun. It was a powerful and swift downward slash.
But she dodged it nimbly.
Taking advantage of the opening after his powerful attack, Akame twisted her wrist, her long katana swiping upwards towards his neck. If it connected, his head would surely be separated from his body.
His old strength was spent and his new strength was not yet born. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to counterattack, but at the critical moment, Kobayashi defied convention and raised his longsword vertically, intercepting the slash aimed at his neck. However, because it was a hasty block, he was still knocked back by Akame's charged slash.
Then, the two of them reset their stances.
Kobayashi panted slightly. They had been fighting for an hour, but he hadn't been able to touch Akame at all.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
Akame sheathed her sword and stood up, beginning her lecture.
"You are very strange, Kobayashi. Some of your moves are exquisitely skilled and powerful, while others are like those of an ordinary person who has never used a sword, completely lacking in proper force. And every time you switch moves, you reveal the same opening. The disparity is too great. It's a very strange feeling."
I get it. The transition between my skills and my basic attacks isn't smooth enough.
Kobayashi had learned a few Sword Master skills, but he later found that being an archer was more convenient and practical for a lone wolf, so he had abandoned the sword. Picking it up again did feel a bit awkward.
I was just calling someone else by-the-book, and now I'm doing the same thing. How embarrassing.
"Don't be discouraged."
Akame showed a rare smile and encouraged him. "Your ability to learn is very strong. I believe you will overcome this flaw before long."
"Mmm, I'll be in your care then."
Kobayashi indicated that he understood.
After seeing the two finish their duel, Sheele closed her book, picked up a towel that had been placed to the side, and walked over to them.
"Here, wipe the sweat from your forehead."
"Thank you, Sheele."
Kobayashi took the towel.
Akame's eyes were dazed as she asked, "What about mine?"
"What?"
"Where's my towel?"
"Over there."
Sheele returned an equally dazed expression and pointed to where she had been sitting, where a clean towel lay.
"I mean, why didn't you bring it over with you?"
"Ah, sorry, I forgot."
"Ngh..."
Akame suddenly fell silent. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she snatched the towel Kobayashi had just used, wiped the sweat from her own forehead, and then turned to go make food. It seemed Sheele ignoring her had hurt her deeply.
Mine, who was watching from the side, couldn't take it anymore. She clenched her fists and couldn't help but shout angrily, "Why is Sheele being so intimate with Kobayashi! And isn't Sheele supposed to be my partner!"
"Hmm?" Leone asked curiously in return, "Isn't your partner Tatsumi now?"
"That's why I don't understand what the Boss is thinking! Why did she make me partner with him? Even Kobayashi would have been fine!"
For some reason, Mine just couldn't stand Tatsumi.
"Oh my, are you jealous?"
Leone wrapped her arm around the petite Mine, poking her cheek and teasing, "Are you jealous of Sheele, or jealous of Kobayashi, or jealous of both of them?"
"Of course not!" Mine flicked her twintails, a standard tsundere reply.
But Leone didn't let her off the hook.
"Yo, you're blushing!"
"I am not! And even if I am, it's because you're making me angry!"
"Really? Here, let me see!"
Mine was no match for Leone. In just a few moves, she was defeated by the prank-loving blonde big sister, glaring at her angrily but helplessly.
The other members of Night Raid couldn't help but laugh when they saw this. Especially Tatsumi, whose laughter grew even louder when he saw Mine, who despised him, being bullied. But this also provoked a counterattack from Mine, and the two of them started fighting.
They were enjoying a brief, leisurely moment.
Late at night.
Najenda, as usual, issued the mission concisely. "This time, the target is the serial killer who has become the talk of the town. He appears and disappears like a ghost at night, cutting off his victims' heads. Dozens of people have already been killed."
"And thirty percent of them are members of the city guard."
"Without a doubt, it's Zank the Beheader."
Zank the Beheader was originally an executioner in the Empire's largest prison. Because he killed people every day, it became a habit. Gradually, he was no longer satisfied with killing only in prison, so he stole the warden's Teigu and started a killing spree on the streets. But he disappeared shortly after a subjugation team was formed.
"I didn't expect him to come to the Capital."
"So we have to defeat him, right?!"
"Wait, Zank the Beheader has a Teigu. Acting rashly will get you hurt," Bulat said, pinching Tatsumi's chin as if admiring a delicate flower... No, in a certain sense, Tatsumi's flower was indeed delicate.
"Hehe, hehehe..."
Tatsumi took a few fearful steps back. He respected Bulat very much, but he'd rather pass on that.
"Huh? Speaking of which, what exactly is a Teigu?"
"This is," Akame said, holding up Murasame in front of him. But it was too direct, and Tatsumi didn't quite understand.
Najenda also took this opportunity to explain it to him, telling him the names and effects of the Night Raid members' Teigu, and also emphatically stressing an iron rule that has existed among Teigu users since ancient times.
And that is—
If two Teigu users fight with the intent to kill, there will inevitably be a casualty.
"S-so scary..."
Tatsumi couldn't help but swallow. But suddenly, he was a little puzzled. "Wait, aren't Teigu generally supposed to be weapons or armor? Then what's the deal with Miss RyuZU? At the end of the day, is Miss RyuZU really a Teigu?"
"Indeed... a humanoid Teigu."
Najenda continued to explain, "There are many types of Teigu. Among them, biological and humanoid types also exist. There is a humanoid Teigu at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, but the difference is that he is male."
After learning that RyuZU was a Teigu, Najenda had passed the information on to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters. And she had learned from them that they also had a humanoid Teigu.
"However, I'm not too clear on the specific details of humanoid Teigu. It would be even better if Miss RyuZU could explain it to us."
Najenda was also very interested in RyuZU.
RyuZU, however, extended two futuristic-looking scythes from under her skirt, bowed elegantly, and said with a sharp tongue, "Although I am not human, I would ask you all not to treat me like a cheap thing such as a Teigu. I am an automaton from the strongest series, created by 'Y'."
Hearing her say this, the members of Night Raid paid it no mind. They had already experienced how strong RyuZU's sharp tongue was during this period, so they just had to filter out what they couldn't stand to hear.
"Yes, yes, Miss RyuZU is an automaton."
"'Y'? Is that the craftsman who made you?"
"The strongest automaton... so, the strongest biological Teigu?"
"Amazing! To think someone could make such a realistic Teigu!"
Everyone started discussing it amongst themselves.
RyuZU tilted her head, not understanding why no one believed her even when she was telling the truth.
Kobayashi also smiled, with no intention of explaining. Because being misunderstood was also part of his plan.
(End of chapter)