Chapter 70: Sacred Flame Meow Meow
"Let me introduce you."
Najenda pointed to the man and woman behind her and said, "They are our new companions, the 'Lightning-Fast' Susanoo, and our fellow assassin, Chelsea."
"Hello, hello," Chelsea greeted them with a smile, receiving smiles from the group in return.
"Alright, let's put the welcome ceremony on hold for now."
Najenda glared at the sleepy-eyed, hungover members of Night Raid and scolded them with great authority, "You lot were really slacking off after I left, weren't you? You didn't even know someone had found our main base, and you let an outsider clean up your mess?!"
"W-well..."
The members of Night Raid hung their heads, looking rather ashamed.
But it wasn't entirely their fault.
Too many things had happened recently. Companions had left one after another, and none had returned. When Tatsumi returned safe and sound, the others had lost a bit of control, wanting to celebrate and vent the frustration that had been building up. They hadn't expected the enemy to take advantage of that opening.
"But to think it was Kobayashi who helped..."
Najenda stroked her chin, lost in thought.
Just now, she had seen it through her binoculars from the sky. It was Kobayashi who had taken out the Doctor, preventing any casualties in Night Raid.
But what was his reason? She couldn't figure it out.
After Kobayashi had left, Najenda had rushed back to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, returning the Teigu while also applying for reinforcements to increase their combat strength. So she was completely unaware of what had happened in the interim.
"Boss, Kobayashi isn't an outsider!"
Leone excitedly reported to Najenda, repeating what Kobayashi had told Tatsumi, and slightly exaggerating his aspirations.
Najenda sighed after hearing it.
She knew of many patriots who had the same ideas as Kobayashi, but without exception, they had either failed and been assassinated, or had realized it was impossible and joined the Revolutionary Army. There was no way his approach could succeed.
"By the way, why are you so happy, Leone?" Mine stomped her foot angrily. "We don't know what his purpose is, but he did betray us!"
"Mine is right."
Najenda also nodded in agreement and instructed, "It is clear that Kobayashi is not an enemy, but he will not be our companion either. You can do your best to win him over, but if you encounter a situation where you must oppose him, you must not show any mercy. Understood?!"
"Understood!" xN
Seeing how serious everyone was, Chelsea was very curious. She raised her hand and asked, "I'm sorry, can someone tell me who... Kobayashi is?"
As a newcomer, she naturally didn't know anything about him.
"Kobayashi was our companion... he used to be."
Amidst the disappointed and angry expressions of the group, Najenda told Chelsea all the intelligence they had on him.
"In other words, you all have very high expectations of him, right?"
"That's right."
Leone gritted her teeth in hatred. "That guy... The next time I see him, I have to teach him a harsh lesson!"
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Although the members of Night Raid were still not very mature, their expressions were not fake. This made Chelsea even more interested.
Late at night.
While the members of Night Raid, exhausted from moving camp, were sound asleep, Chelsea quietly slipped out alone.
"Can't be helped. I'm also very interested in that person."
A cunning glint flashed in the headphone-wearing girl's eyes.
She arrived at the Imperial Capital, transformed into a small cat, and slipped past the guards into the royal palace when they weren't looking.
"What's with this? The security is so lax."
"No wonder even Tatsumi could slip away."
Chelsea the cat showed a very human-like expression of contempt. The high walls and rooftops below seemed like a solid barrier, but their existence was purely for decorative purposes.
"What should I do next?"
"Why not just go find Esdeath? If I can successfully assassinate her, the missions after that will surely be much easier."
"No, I'd better not."
"Leone said Esdeath is very strong. That beast-eared girl's intuition is sharp. It's better to trust her judgment here and not create unnecessary complications."
Being a cat made her very agile. She could run freely on the walls without attracting anyone's attention.
Soon, she found Kobayashi.
"So that's him. He's quite handsome."
To give her a more accurate idea, the members of Night Raid had drawn a portrait of him for her. But their drawing skills were "touching," and you couldn't make out his appearance at all. The only reason she recognized him was because of the gorgeously dressed, pretty, and cute RyuZU standing beside him.
Based on this, she knew this man was Kobayashi.
Leaning against the window, Kobayashi looked out and met the gaze of Chelsea on the wall.
One person, one cat. Their eyes met.
Chelsea was not nervous. She acted just like a cat, staring straight at him, and even let out a soft "Meow~". This was a sign of being a little wary but also wanting to get closer.
Kobayashi thought for a moment, his eyes lit up as if he had understood something, and he turned back into the room.
"What is he going to do?"
Puzzled, Chelsea saw him come to the window again, holding a cup of milk in his hand. Then he reached out to her, making a gesture to beckon a cat.
For some reason, a familiar aura suddenly emanated from him, making Chelsea subconsciously take a few steps forward. Then she immediately stopped and shook her head. This feeling was too strange.
Wary, Chelsea slowly approached him. It was strange, but it happened to look just like a cat wanting to get close but not daring to, so it didn't arouse any suspicion.
Kobayashi poured a little milk into his hand and gently placed it in front of the cat.
"Doesn't he know that cats can't drink milk?"
Although she was complaining and slandering him in her heart, she still lowered her head and licked his fingers.
A slight tickle traveled from his fingertips to his brain, making him let out a light hum. Then, he pressed his luck and gently stroked the cat's back.
Chelsea did not resist and let him pet her.
At this moment, Run knocked on the door.
...
"Run, you must have realized it by now! The fact that the corrupt Empire is beyond saving!"
"The Axis Order... have you heard of this name?"
"Join us, Run. I need you."
"I see. It's just as Tatsumi said. He really didn't join the Empire. And the reason he's not joining Night Raid is because he's actually a member of the Axis Order."
Najenda was right. Kobayashi was not an enemy, but he was not a companion either.
As far as she knew, the Axis Order had been very active recently, gathering a large number of believers, as if they were planning something big. Originally, the Revolutionary Army had a good relationship with them and was inclined to bring them into the same camp, but for some reason, they had suddenly become distant. It was probably related to the Path of Peace's previous armed uprising.
Run left. Kobayashi had not succeeded in persuading him and looked a little disappointed. He picked up Chelsea again and said something that made her body almost go stiff.
"Isn't that right, my cute little assassin?"
"...I've been exposed?!"
Her excellent assassin's training kept her from showing any abnormality. She looked up at him with the ignorant and innocent eyes of a normal cat.
They stared at each other for a long time.
Kobayashi blinked. "Mmm... as I thought, it's just a little cat. I must have been overthinking."
Phew—
Chelsea instantly relaxed.
"Just a little cat... did you think I would say that?"
"—?!!!"
Chelsea's heart leaped into her throat again. But she knew very well that she absolutely could not show any abnormality. At a time like this, it was a battle of psychological fortitude.
"Hehehe, come, repeat after me."
Kobayashi let out a light laugh. He held up the kitten's small paws, making her stand upright and exposing her embarrassing parts.
He swayed her and said:
"The Sacred Flame is bright, the Sacred Flame shines, all my disciples, meow meow meow meow!"
"...Huh?"
"This guy must be an idiot, playing this kind of game with a cat."
"How rude. I'm not an idiot, you know."
"...Eh?"
"Eh?... You look surprisingly blank. I didn't expect a little cat to be able to make such a human-like expression. Unless she's not a cat, but a person transformed."
Kobayashi gently scratched her chin with his index finger. His technique was very professional. He said with a grin, "Isn't that right, Miss Chelsea?"
(End of Chapter)