Chapter 72: Kobayashi the Social Butterfly
Waking up once again on a cool pillow, Kobayashi had completely given up on trying to persuade the willful Esdeath.
He had even offered to lend her the necklace at night, hoping she would spare him, but he was immediately shot down with, "A superior does not take a subordinate's belongings."
Kobayashi couldn't help but complain in his heart. Compared to sleeping in the same bed at night, he would much rather she just took the necklace.
He walked out of the room with Esdeath, just in time to run into Wave and Kurome also leaving their rooms.
Wave subconsciously greeted them, "Good morning, Captain, and Kobayashi... Kobayashi?! W-wait a minute, why is Kobayashi coming out of the Captain's room? Don't tell me you two last night..."
Mmm, it seemed seeing them come out of the same room in the morning was quite a shock to him.
"We slept together last night."
Esdeath didn't hide it, answering as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"W-well, how should I put it..."
Wave looked at Esdeath, then at Kobayashi, and could only marvel at how open-minded the Imperial Capital was. It was astonishing.
Seeing his expression, Kobayashi couldn't help but say, "You've definitely misunderstood something. Let me declare beforehand, it is absolutely not what you think."
"I have no right to ask about your private life. I just didn't expect you to get along so well with the Captain..."
"I told you, you've misunderstood."
The corner of Kobayashi's mouth twitched as he explained, "To the Captain, living with a subordinate is just a way of fostering camaraderie."
"Hehehe, I know, I know." The simple-minded Wave's wicked smile was exceptionally unsettling.
Since that's the case...
"Alright. You can live with the Captain tonight."
Kobayashi stuffed the necklace into his hand and said, "Let the Captain dote on you properly too."
D-dote on... me?!!!
Wave's mind subconsciously flashed back to last night's punishment. He was so scared that cold sweat broke out all over him. The necklace in his hand was like a hot potato, and he immediately gave it back without a second thought.
He took several large steps back and said, "Please spare me! I'd rather die than live with the Captain! I'll definitely, absolutely... lose years off my life!"
"Er..."
Is this kid that brave? To say something like that right in front of Esdeath?
As expected.
Even Esdeath was a little angry. She said to Kurome curtly, "Punish him."
"Roger."
Without another word, Kurome grabbed Wave by the collar and dragged him away. The pitiful Wave still didn't know how he had offended Esdeath and could only cry out about the injustice as he was being dragged off.
No wonder the goofy Wave is in such good physical condition. He must have been training his resistance to being beaten since he was a child.
Poor kid. May there be no sadists in heaven.
Before long, the other members of the Jaegers also gathered in the main hall. With the breakfast that Bols had prepared in advance, they all enjoyed the meal together, and the hall became lively.
This was their morning, seemingly no different from Night Raid's.
The difference was that the Jaegers' workload was much heavier. Not only did they have to search for members of Night Raid, but they also had to deal with the rampant Danger Beasts and the bandits gathered outside the city.
Furthermore, with the Doctor missing and presumed dead, Esdeath had ordered them to always move in pairs so they could look out for each other. Even Kobayashi, who had RyuZU, had to team up with others. And to find the most compatible partners, their teammates were changed every two days.
After a full rotation, Kobayashi was elected by everyone as the most popular teammate.
"Because Kobayashi is very strong. I can feel the strength of his body," Wave was the first to speak. He was a simple man, and the old navy veteran who had taught him had told him that a man's charm lay in the strength of his body. Thus, Kobayashi had earned his approval.
...Bols was an exception, because his appearance was too scary.
"I, on the other hand, think Mr. Kobayashi is very gentle. He was very patient in teaching even me, and I learned a lot."
Bols was a little reserved, but he still stated his opinion.
Run also smiled gently and said, "Indeed. I have also learned a lot from Mr. Kobayashi that has benefited me greatly."
"Me too, me too!"
Seryu raised her right hand and said with a cheerful laugh, "It's very fun to be with Kobayashi! He's also talked a lot with me about justice!"
"Kobayashi is very good."
Even Kurome held him in high regard.
This shocked Wave. He knew that Kurome was always cold and kept people at a distance, making her very difficult to approach.
"Because Kobayashi buys me snacks."
As if sensing Wave's confusion, Kurome explained plainly, "Every time I go out with him, he always says, 'You wait here, don't move, I'm going to buy something.' After buying a lot of snacks, he would also say, 'I'll just have two, the rest is for you'."
"Isn't that just being bribed with snacks?"
Wave couldn't help but retort loudly.
But he also admired Kobayashi a little. To be able to get along so well with these strange people... he remembered how scared he had been when he first came here.
"Alright, alright, if you praise me any more, I'll get arrogant," Kobayashi said, waving his hand with feigned shyness. "I didn't do much, just catered to their tastes."
"There is no need to be modest."
Esdeath praised him, "Catering to their tastes... it's easier said than done. To be able to do it in such a short time is an outstanding ability in itself."
For some reason, Kobayashi had suddenly become the center of attention.
But what they wanted to know more was who among them he thought was the best partner.
"Who is it?" xN
"Well... is it necessary to rank us? We're all companions, aren't we?"
"Don't make excuses! Who is it?!" xN
Under the insistent gazes of everyone, Kobayashi had no choice but to say two names.
"Bols and Seryu."
Hearing these two names, the others were a little surprised. They had thought he would say Run. After all, their looks, personalities, and temperaments were very similar, and they often chatted together. They had thought the handsome blond young man would be more accepted by him.
"Me?"
Bols pointed to himself, very surprised.
Kobayashi smiled and said, "Although your appearance is a bit scary, Bols, you always use your actions and words to quickly close the distance between you and others. From this point alone, I can see that you are very gentle."
"...I'm not gentle at all."
Bols was silent for a moment before replying softly.
He was formerly a member of the Incineration Squad. Because he had followed the Empire's orders and burned many innocent people to death, he believed that he would one day receive his due retribution. A person like him couldn't be called gentle at all.
But in Kobayashi's eyes, Bols, who knew of his own sins and felt remorse and guilt for them, was already far better than those demons in human skin.
"As for Seryu..."
Kobayashi looked at the somewhat excited Seryu and said, "Although you're a strange person with a bit of an obsession with justice, I think you're a good kid."
"Does that mean you approve of my justice, Kobayashi?"
"Not really."
The reason Kobayashi had said this was simply because she and Bols were his next targets.
That's right. He was about to start something.
(End of Chapter)