Regarding everyone's complaints about Budo's father's surname, I think there's no need to fuss over names in the akame ga kill world. If you read the original work/canon of akame ga kill, you'll know how casually names are given in that world. It's not strange for anyone to be called anything in that world. How could Budo's father be surnamed Bu? This question itself seems problematic, doesn't it? There's no need to overthink an original minor character. To be precise, the Budo family should be a General Family, and the position of Great General has indeed been passed down through their family by hereditary succession.
The dorms in the Imperial Military Academy are all single-occupancy, to prevent students from forming cliques and colluding. It was already curfew, and going out was not allowed; if discovered, it would affect the graduation examination scores.
"Creak~"
A tall, long-haired, straight-haired girl quickly slipped into Rin's room. Rin raised an eyebrow and said,
"Zhi Feng? What are you doing here at this hour?"
The girl who entered was about 20 years old, taller than Rin, with a beautiful face that was both handsome and pretty, filled with anxiety. After entering, she grabbed Rin's shoulders.
"It's all because of you, Big Sister! Don't you know? Budo was just summoned back to the General's Mansion by his father, Great General Black! He's definitely going to pull out some unexpected trump card for his duel with you tomorrow. The most likely and worst-case scenario is that Budo will come at you with their family's inherited Imperial Arms!"
"I already knew that," Rin replied with an unconcerned smile.
Rin was well-known in the Imperial Military Academy. The girl who broke the historical record undoubtedly slapped the faces of the male students, who had been severely patriarchal for a thousand years!
Conversely, Rin's excellence undoubtedly allowed all the young women in the military to hold their heads high. Among all the female officer cadets in the three grades of the Imperial Military Academy, there wasn't a single one who wasn't a die-hard fan of Rin. Even Zhi Feng, who was clearly older than Rin and nearing the age of an older sister figure, willingly called Rin "Big Sister."
"Big Sister! I beg you, please don't be so calm right now! Budo isn't that idiot Fran! He wasn't taken down by your bare hands because Lionel the Beast (Leone's Imperial Arms) was too weak, but because that idiot forced its use despite not being compatible with the Imperial Arms' wavelength... Of course, Big Sister, your strength is the main point! But Budo is no match for Fran."
Rin smiled, looking at the girl in front of her with interest. Zhi Feng came from the East Sea coast, recommended to the Imperial Military Academy by an admiral. She was in her third year, nearing graduation, and her strength was outstanding among her peers, ranking fifth overall in this assessment. She was a staunch supporter of Rin, yearning for a real battlefield, hoping to kill enemies, achieve merit, and truly become a noble in the Empire's high echelons.
"Big Sister, don't you understand yet? You are the hope star for all of us female soldiers! For a long time, we female graduates have been excluded from the front lines by those stinking men. We either end up in unproductive logistics and medical roles, or in dirty, despicable, unseen assassination, espionage, and intelligence work. There has never been a true General who could genuinely command an army. This is no longer our concrete reality but the military's prejudice!"
The indignant long-haired, straight-haired girl angrily said,
"But Big Sister, you are different! You are a true genius! As long as you get first place again and break the academy's historical record, the military will have no choice but to directly appoint you as a General. We are all looking forward to the day you ascend to the position of General. Only by breaking this barrier will we female officers truly see hope!"
"Ah, I know," Rin responded, still calm and composed. This composure left Zhi Feng speechless.
"Ah--Big Sister, do you really know?! The Bu Family is a hereditary family of the military's highest officers! The Great General is not only the Empire's highest military officer but also the strongest in the Empire! Their descendants have also risen through generations with sufficient military merits and abilities. admirer, the Thunder Imperial Arms, is one of the top-ranked Imperial Arms among all of them! At that time, are you still going to use your bare hands to fight against heavenly thunder?!"
Rin felt she couldn't continue to be so indifferent in front of her senior, who was so worried about her. Someone who supported her so much deserved corresponding respect. So, following Zhi Feng's words, she said,
"Then what should I do? It's already past midnight curfew, and the final assessment will begin early tomorrow morning. Is there still time to find an Imperial Arms for me?"
This was said somewhat casually, as a mere agreement, but to her surprise, Zhi Feng clenched her fist and hit her palm, saying,
"Big Sister, you finally hit the nail on the head!"
After speaking, she pulled out a cloth-wrapped package, tightly bound with Black cloth, from inside her jacket behind her. From the shape of the wrapping, it looked like a sword. According to Zhi Feng's words just now... this was an Imperial Arms?!
"Speaking of which, this should be the greatest stroke of luck in my life. When I first arrived at the Imperial Military Academy to report, I accidentally stumbled upon a stall selling weapons in the Black market and actually discovered an Imperial Arms!"
Rin took the cloth package Zhi Feng handed her and reached out to unwrap it.
"This Imperial Arms doesn't resonate with me; its wavelength cannot synchronize. But I still used up all my savings to buy it, because I knew that within the Imperial military, there has always been a confidential mission to collect Imperial Arms. Handing over an Imperial Arms counts as a special great merit. When I entered the academy, I originally planned to hand it over to the military after graduation."
Rin unwrapped the Black cloth on the outside, revealing the object inside: a silver-white fine steel one-handed sword. The pommel of the hilt had a short chain, and the quillon had an inconspicuous red bead. Rin stared blankly at the sword in her hand.
"Then you're giving it to me?"
Zhi Feng smiled, her expression a little sad, and said,
"Even if I hand over an Imperial Arms and receive a first-class merit, no matter how high my promotion, I will only get further and further away from the battlefield, and the plight of us female officers will not change at all. Rather than that, I might as well give it to you, Big Sister, to try. As long as you succeed, it will be a victory for us female Generals against outdated old rules, and excellent female Generals will surely emerge one after another in the future!"
"You're absolutely right! It seems I'm not here to change historical plots, but to create them!"
Thinking about the not-so-distant future, Rin reached out and grasped the single-handed sword-type Imperial Arm. A current-like resonance flowed into Rin's heart, and a strong Dragon's Aura emanated from the sword, making Rin feel a powerful sense of familiarity.
"It seems this Imperial Arm is highly compatible with Big Sister! However… I remember this Imperial Arm doesn't have a very good reputation in the records, so it's best to be careful when using it."
"Hmm, I know. Mastering information about Imperial Arms is also a required course, this is…"
"demons extract!"
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