Two little girls with black hair and crimson eyes stared at each other.
Kuro was the first to regain her composure, her face showing excitement.
"Kuro has two sisters now! Kuro has two sisters now!"
After Kuro called out like this, Kaede also reacted. Recalling how she had quickly met Asuna in SAO, and now encountering this person here—it seemed it wasn't a coincidence!
"Hello, I'm Kaede," Kaede said first to Akame, the coldness on her face finally melting a little. Her heart, frozen by this world, eased slightly at that moment.
"Mm, I'm Akame," Akame said, the surprise in her eyes not yet faded, but she also reacted, pulling Kuro and saying, "This is my sister, Kuro."
"No~ Sister, this is also my sister," Kuro said, looking at Akame and then directly at Kaede.
"This..." Akame felt a bit awkward. Indeed, the person before her looked exactly like her. It wasn't wrong for Kuro to mistake her for a sister. But Akame looked at Kaede again—could this be a long-lost sister?
At that moment, Kaede also looked at Kuro and finally walked toward her. Akame watched from the side but didn't stop her, as if she had a natural trust in this person who looked exactly like her.
"Kuro, is it?" Kaede also arrived in front of Kuro.
"Mm-hmm, can Kuro call you sister too?" Kuro didn't treat Kaede as an outsider and spoke directly, as if talking to someone very familiar.
"Of course you can," Kaede narrowed her eyes slightly, ruffled Kuro's hair, and smiled.
"Sister!" Kuro immediately threw herself into Kaede's arms, happily exclaiming, "Kuro has two sisters now!"
"Mm," Kaede stroked Kuro's hair, feeling warmth in her heart. Since coming to this world, the temperature of her heart had been constantly dropping. Now, she finally felt warmth again.
"Is this what it feels like to be a sister?" Kaede slowly closed her eyes, her thoughts involuntarily turning to Asuna and her own sister.
When she opened her eyes again, determination shone in Kaede's eyes.
She must become a qualified sister, just like her own sister—her most beloved sister!
Was it like this when her sister held her?
Akame watched the two embracing, feeling a sense of wonder in her heart, but without a trace of jealousy or similar emotions.
Compared to Kuro, Akame was much more mature. At that moment, seeing Kaede and the unconscious affection in her eyes, she also smiled. She felt as if her burden had lightened a little.
She wasn't much older than Kuro, but she was the older sister, so she had to be more mature—because she had to take care of her sister. But now, there was someone who could share that responsibility with her. How wonderful.
After the three little girls met, they didn't separate again. They chatted there sentence by sentence, seemingly completely unaware of the lifeless environment around them.
But even if the atmosphere between them was like this, the world remained unchanged. It wouldn't suddenly transform because of their mood.
So, the world kept turning. At that moment, everyone had finally gathered.
"Bang!" At that moment, a loud noise came from the center—the sound of someone cracking a leather whip on the ground. The sound was so piercing that it echoed in everyone's ears.
"Assemble here!" that person said.
"Let's go, quickly," Kaede directly took Kuro's hand and, pulling Akame, jogged over.
"Mm," Akame nodded, following behind Kaede with Kuro.
They had also heard from Kaede that the people here wouldn't treat them as human. If they made them unhappy, they could lose their lives. So, they must not disobey their orders unless they had the strength to defeat everyone.
But clearly, they didn't. So, they had to follow such commands and complete them excellently.
Sure enough, when they stood in line, a few who were dragging their feet were whipped by that person until their flesh and blood flew. Just one whip was enough to kill a tender-skinned child.
"Ugh..." Kuro trembled slightly as she watched, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hmm?" Kuro looked at her hands, both of which were being held.
"It's okay. Your sisters are here!" Kuro heard Kaede and Akame's voices in her ears.
"Mm!"
Akame and Kaede looked at each other, surprised they had spoken the same words simultaneously. They exchanged a smile, then looked at that person.
"From now on, I am your instructor. I will teach you how to assassinate. As for those who don't obey..." The instructor revealed a strange smile. "I actually hope you disobey!"
A chill was etched into everyone's hearts, but no one cried. Some were numb, some were strong, and some had seen worse and were already used to it.
"Heh, to be honest, that earlier wasn't satisfying enough. Is there anyone willing to volunteer to take a few lashes from me?" the instructor said.
Instantly, the surroundings fell into utter silence. Even the sound of a falling leaf would have seemed abrupt.
"No one? Then be careful," the instructor said, narrowing his eyes. "But the current number is indeed a bit too many. I can't teach all of you~"
Kaede felt a chill in her heart. Did he intend to downsize from the start?
"Heh, assassins don't need companions. Everything is about completing your mission. Even if all your companions die, it doesn't matter. As long as the mission is accomplished, you succeed," the instructor said.
"So, you don't need companions. What you need to do now is reduce the number of people here by half. If the count remains the same in one hour..." The instructor's eyes lit up. He stuck out his tongue, licked the corner of his mouth, and revealed a twisted, excited smile.
"Then I will randomly choose half of you to take one lash from me. If you can survive it, you can leave!"
Take one lash? Kaede remembered how not a single person had survived that whip earlier. The weight of that whip was unexpectedly heavy. So, that path was essentially a dead end.
Then, was there only one option left?
"Then, begin now," the instructor said, standing there and smiling like a demon. He watched them, wanting to see them turn on each other, wanting to see them go mad.
But the people around still hadn't started.
"Akame, Kuro," Kaede said at that moment.
"Hmm?"
"We can't leave our lives to the instructor's choice. So..." Kaede clenched her fists.
"Mm," Akame nodded.
"I'll listen to my sisters."
As soon as Kuro finished speaking, the first scream came from afar. Instantly, Kaede's expression changed. She turned around to shield Kuro, and Akame, after a moment of surprise, did the same.
Finally, someone had lost patience and taken action!
The boy's face showed a ferocity and madness that should not have belonged to his age. He was riding on top of another person, pounding wildly.
"Heh heh, hahaha!" The boy laughed, trembling as if insane.
And once such a thing began, that very moment was the true start!
Sitting there, the instructor's smile grew increasingly twisted. He licked his lips as if he might rush over at any moment.
"Kill, haha, kill!"
At this moment, those hundreds of children were turning into madmen. To survive, they were struggling, fighting for their lives. Some had already gone mad, while others were still struggling!
The boy who had struck first had already been kicked down by those around him. The boy on the ground still hadn't stood up when he was met with attacks from others, being mercilessly trampled by them.
The choice between life and death is just that cruel.
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