Chapter 66: The Bait
It's unknown if it was because of Kobayashi's guidance, but Tatsumi suddenly became enlightened, cooperating with every request.
It didn't take a genius to know that he was trying to lull everyone into a false sense of security to find a chance to escape.
The plan was simple and practical.
But he had overlooked one point. It was only the second day, and his sudden change in attitude had already attracted someone's attention.
Of course, this was also deliberately orchestrated by Kobayashi.
The suddenly well-behaved, pure young boy is the bait I've carefully prepared. I wonder if the fragrant and mysterious Tatsumi will be able to successfully hook you, Doctor. I'm looking forward to it.
The Jaegers' work was busy. Besides searching for members of Night Raid, they also had to clear out the Danger Beasts that gathered in the surrounding areas. Although it was only the second day, they still had to fight.
Mount Fake.
Wave and Tatsumi were in a team of two.
It had to be said that, apart from their differing allegiances, their personalities and life experiences were very similar. In particular, they both had the same type of Stand... no, the same type of Teigu.
If you considered Tatsumi the male protagonist of Night Raid, then Wave was the male protagonist of the Jaegers.
The two of them unexpectedly had a lot in common to talk about.
However, Tatsumi still had to take the opportunity to escape. During a lull when the two were surrounded by Danger Beasts, he activated [Incursio], broke through the encirclement, and quickly ran off into the distance.
When Wave discovered his escape, he was so scared he trembled all over. He activated [Grand Chariot] and immediately gave chase.
Tatsumi had only just gotten his Teigu, and his skill in operating it was no match for Wave's. The performance of [Incursio] was also inferior to [Grand Chariot]. Furthermore, he wasn't fighting back, so naturally, he was thoroughly beaten.
But he was very smart.
He used his Teigu's invisibility ability to hide in the water, only emerging after Wave had left.
Kobayashi followed them the whole time, acting as a sneaky camper. After all, he had to ensure that the bait, Tatsumi, was successfully deployed.
"Honestly, it's good that you want to show goodwill, but what's the meaning of just taking a beating without fighting back?"
Kobayashi carried the injured Tatsumi to the edge of a forest, lecturing him as he walked. "You need to know, although the power of 'talk-no-jutsu' is the strongest, the prerequisite is that you have to beat the other person into submission so that they will listen to you calmly. Otherwise, 'talk-no-jutsu' is just a waste of breath."
"Ngh... mmm..."
Tatsumi really wanted to retort, but his injuries were too severe for him to speak.
"Alright, alright, let's rest here for a bit."
Kobayashi put Tatsumi down, letting him rest against a tree trunk.
At this moment, a long katana suddenly swiped past the corner of his eye and was laid flat against his neck, its blade pressed against his skin. The cold glint and chill from it made goosebumps rise all over his body.
The aura of death washed over him!
With just a slight slide, he would lose his life here.
But...
"You hesitated, Akame."
Kobayashi wasn't flustered. He continued what he was doing and said with a light laugh, "In the past, when you encountered an enemy, you would always take their life directly. As an assassin, a lack of decisiveness is a great taboo. Surely you know that?"
"Kobayashi..."
Akame's expression changed for an instant, then immediately returned to its usual coldness.
"I am merely following the Boss's orders. When I encountered you, I was to ask you some questions."
"What questions?"
"What kind of future did you see?"
At first, they were indeed angry and disappointed by his desertion, but they quickly noticed the abnormality.
—I used my Teigu's hidden ability.
This was what Kobayashi had said when [Spectator] was destroyed.
There was nothing special about this sentence on its own, but combined with the fact that he was not sad about Sheele and Bulat's deaths, as well as all his abnormal behavior after meeting Esdeath, the members of Night Raid were certain: [Spectator]'s hidden ability was to see the future!
And it was precisely because of this that he had quit Night Raid, and even said, "I just simply think that the current Night Raid can't win."
Of course, all these speculations were based on their understanding of him. It couldn't be ruled out that the side he showed was just a disguise to deceive them.
And the thing that connected all of this was the promise he had made to Leone yesterday—that he would never join the Empire.
In that case, the reason he had joined the Empire now was...
"—You're an undercover agent."
"Stop!"
Kobayashi made a "time out" gesture. "You can't say any more than that. Ask Tatsumi for all the answers later."
"Tatsumi..."
Akame saw the heavily injured Tatsumi, and the sword in her hand almost slipped.
Kobayashi also took advantage of her moment of carelessness to quickly escape her attack range. Facing her angry gaze, he put on an innocent expression and raised his hands.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't do it."
The weakened Tatsumi also grabbed the hem of Akame's clothes and shook his head lightly, confirming that it had nothing to do with him.
Kobayashi scratched his head and said to his surroundings, "Lubbock, stop wasting your energy setting traps. Come on out."
"Ahaha... was I exposed?"
Lubbock came out from behind a tree trunk with a laugh, simultaneously retracting all the threads he had laid for his trap.
Don't be fooled by his flighty appearance; he was surprisingly smart. It was obvious he had already guessed that Kobayashi was not an enemy and that there was a reason for his leaving Night Raid.
"Alright, alright, this is not a place to stay for long. You should leave quickly."
Kobayashi urged them to leave.
Akame didn't react. It was Lubbock who quickly pulled up Tatsumi and led the two of them away.
A fight was impossible. The more time they delayed, the more dangerous it would be for them. The best method right now was to leave quickly.
Watching their disappearing backs, Kobayashi's perspective also rose higher and higher.
On a distant mountain top.
Dr. Stylish and his enhanced soldiers were monitoring the area from afar. Unfortunately, the ability of a Teigu was far stronger than enhanced soldiers, and he had been easily detected by Kobayashi.
"Instead of reporting my collusion with Night Raid to Esdeath, you've prioritized finding their headquarters, is that it, Doctor?"
It seems I didn't manage to lure him out.
But the ending won't change, Doctor. Your time has come.
At Night Raid's headquarters.
Tatsumi was telling everyone what he had seen and heard with the Jaegers. Just as the others had thought, the Jaegers, like Night Raid, were composed entirely of Teigu users, and each of them was on a similar level of strength to the members of Night Raid.
But Esdeath was on a completely different level.
Tatsumi, who had seen just the tip of the iceberg of her strength, asserted that they simply could not confront her head-on, exactly the same as Kobayashi's initial evaluation.
However, the solution Akame gave was her Teigu, [One-Hit Kill]. As long as Murasame could injure Esdeath, she could use its curse to kill her. This answer wasn't a great one, but they could only pin their hopes on their strongest ace—Akame.
"Speaking of Kobayashi, he..."
"It's just as we guessed before."
"That idiot! Couldn't he have just told us? Why did he have to run away?!"
"Even though you say that, you're the happiest one of all, aren't you, Leone? You were still fuming when you got back yesterday."
"What did you say?!"
Her thoughts exposed, Leone angrily pinched and stretched Mine's cheeks, making the petite twintailed loli beg for mercy.
"In any case, the best thing is that Tatsumi returned safely."
"Alright! Then let's have a feast!"
"Yeah!" xN
No, no, no, how can you let your guard down right after getting back?
It seems Najenda's absence has made them all slack off.
Using his [Farsight] ability, Kobayashi shook his head and sighed. He then turned to the dark figures that were continuously surrounding him from behind and said:
"To have overlooked the possibility of being followed... that is the one mistake an assassin should never make. Isn't that right, Doctor?"
(End of Chapter)