Night Raid's secret hideout.
"What did you just say? Mine was captured during the operation?!" Leone roared, her golden hair swaying as fury burned in her amber eyes.
Sheele, usually the picture of gentle composure behind her purple-tinted glasses, wore a terrifying, ice-cold glare.
"We have to launch a rescue operation for Mine immediately."
The tension in the room was palpable. Night Raid's core roster—leader Najenda, alongside Akame, Sheele, Lubbock, Leone, and Bulat—was entirely present, save for the missing sniper.
Among them, Sheele had always shared the deepest bond with Mine.
At the head of the long oak table sat Najenda, the white-haired commander with her signature eyepatch and mechanical right arm.
Her gaze was as sharp as steel as she turned to face Lubbock.
"What is Mine's current status?"
Lubbock pushed his glasses up, his expression uncharacteristically grim.
"She's locked up in the capital's central dungeon. Tomorrow... they're holding a public execution."
"Damn those Empire bastards!" Leone slammed her fist down, cracking the wooden table.
"Calm down, Leone," Bulat said, his deep, steady voice cutting through the panic.
"Storming the heart of the Empire isn't a walk in the park."
"So what? Are we just supposed to sit here and let them kill her?!" Leone snapped back.
Najenda shook her head slowly, exhaling a plume of smoke from her cigarette.
"We are comrades. Night Raid does not abandon its own. But a blind assault is suicide. While Esdeath is away at the northern frontier dealing with invaders, General Budo and his Imperial Guards are still stationed dead in the capital."
A frontal assault against the full military might of the Empire was an impossible gamble.
One misstep would mean total annihilation for the entire assassination unit.
"Damn it all..." Leone gritted her teeth, forcing herself back into her seat. She hated logic, but she knew risking everyone's lives foolishly would achieve nothing.
Silence settled over the room like a heavy shroud.
"What if we had outside assistance of equal or greater power?"
Akame's calm, quiet voice broke the heavy stillness, drawing every eye in the room toward her.
"Assistance?"
Back at home, Haruto was greeted by a familiar, domestic sight: Mai, wearing a gentle smile as she set out a warm, home-cooked meal on the dining table.
Ever since their relationship had crossed that intimate boundary, Mai had naturally slipped into the role of a doting, caring partner.
"You're back. Let's eat," she said softly, but before she could even turn around, Haruto wrapped his arms firmly around her slim waist from behind.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered with a playful smirk, "Shouldn't there be a traditional choice between eating dinner first... or eating you first?"
"You absolute pervert! You've been watching too much weird stuff online. There's no such option!" Mai blushed furiously, slapping his hands away in mock indignation.
Feigning sternness while her cheeks burned bright red, she stammered.
"Haruto, don't... don't mess around like this. What happened at noon was just me... repaying you for solving my pubrescence problem. Don't go assuming you can just force yourself on me whenever you want."
"Hehe, Mai, don't tell me you're going to claim that was just a cold business transaction?"
"A transaction, my foot!" Mai shot him a sharp, warning glare. "You've got trades and schemes on the brain twenty-four seven, you wolf!"
"Haha, well, I am the leader of an extraordinary trade group, after all." Haruto chuckled softly, though he wasn't actually planning to push her any further tonight.
He knew she needed time.
After all, the reality of their afternoon encounter had been far more intense than she anticipated, especially considering he wasn't exactly average in that department.
Mai needed time to physically and mentally adjust.
With that in mind, he gently scooped her up and settled her comfortably right onto his lap as he sat down.
"Feed me," he said with an easy grin.
Seeing that he wasn't going to press her further, Mai visibly relaxed. A quiet fondness warmed her chest, though she still harbored a lingering shyness from earlier.
Obediently, she picked up her chopsticks and began feeding him a portion of the side dishes.
Haruto couldn't help but lean back and sigh in deep contentment. "Marrying someone like you, Mai, would make any man feel like the luckiest guy alive."
Mai rolled her eyes, though a small, pleased smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Who said anything about marrying you?"
"Haha." Haruto didn't bother arguing. If you weren't planning to marry me, why didn't you put up any real resistance when I held you down earlier? he thought smugly.
Just as Haruto reached out to grab a grape from the fruit bowl, a sharp notification chime suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Akame has initiated a trade request!]
[Trade Request: Infiltrate the capital and rescue Mine.]
[Ding! Please choose your trade condition!]
******
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