"Kaede." Akame, disregarding the bloodstains on Kaede, rubbed against the sister she had been longing for day and night.
"Yes, I'm here," Kaede said, using her remaining strength to support her body while holding Akame. Even though the two were identical in height and appearance, it still looked like Kaede was holding Akame.
"Sister!!" Even in this place, the atmosphere between the two sisters seemed to take on color.
"You two, if you want to hug, you should change to a different place and change your clothes before continuing, right?" Pony came up beside them, passed one hand under their flat chests, then pinched her chin with the other hand, and said, looking at the two people embracing.
"Uh!" Instantly, Kaede and Akame's bodies stiffened, and the atmosphere between them vanished completely.
"Bang!"
"Ow, it hurts!" Pony clutched her head, only to see Cornelia wiping her fist.
"Sister Cornelia, what are you doing?" Pony said, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, accusing Cornelia of her violent act.
"You really don't know how to read the atmosphere, do you?" A look of dissatisfaction flashed across Cornelia's face. Even though this place was practically a living hell, the temperature between the two sisters standing in the middle of it, embracing, was enough to ignore this hell—it was truly enviable.
"Ahem!" At this moment, Akame also detached herself from Kaede's embrace. After all, compared to Kurome, Akame was undoubtedly much more mature. Although her longing for Kaede and Kurome was undeniably strong—to the point where she almost couldn't help herself just a moment ago—once reminded, she immediately returned to her usual self.
"Are you all Akame's companions? The other six members of the Elite Group?" Kaede finally swept her gaze across the six people beside Akame, three men and three women.
"Mm, yes, I'm Pony!" The one who had been hit jumped straight up, greeting them like it was nothing, as if she hadn't been the one hit just a moment ago.
"I'm Cornelia." Cornelia sighed, shot a look of annoyance at Pony, and then looked at Kaede with a smile.
The others also introduced themselves in turn. Among them, Nahash's introduction was very formal, and Chikushi bowed, that pair of massive assets making anyone who looked feel dazzled. As for Guy, Kaede immediately pulled Akame behind her, as if guarding against this kid so she wouldn't be snatched away.
Such an action made the other five people burst into laughter; even Nahash, who always had a serious expression, couldn't hold it back. Guy, on the other hand, looked depressed—was he really that obvious? However, in the end, seeing his companions laughing, he started laughing along too. What a carefree person~
Then, to Kaede's puzzlement, Green seemed to feel a bit awkward when he made his introduction.
Looking at the six people who had finished their introductions, Kaede nodded and said, "I'm Kaede, Akame's sister. I'm currently in the Reinforcement Squad—no, I should say I'm working under Bill."
"And what about Kurome?" Akame couldn't help but ask.
"Kurome is in the Reinforcement Squad. Don't worry, Kurome is perfectly fine." Kaede wanted to make a smile that would put Akame at ease, but after trying for a long time, she realized she still couldn't do it and gave up.
"Who is Kurome?" Pony blinked. The name sounded so much like Akame's; could it be that she was also their sister?
Sure enough, Pony got the answer she wanted, and then, seeing the involuntary doting expression in both Akame and Kaede's eyes, she couldn't help but say, "Your younger sister must be very happy to have you two as her sisters."
Akame was happy, but a moment later, she became dejected. "Unfortunately, I have never been able to take care of Kurome, and even the opportunity to join the Elite Group was handed to me by my sister."
"Sigh!" Kaede sighed, then ruthlessly ruffled Akame's hair until it was messy, saying, "You're like this, and Kurome is like this too. Rest assured, I am taking care of Kurome; nothing will happen to her. You, on the other hand, need to be careful."
"Uh..." Akame paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Yeah! I'm fine. I still remember what you said back then."
"As long as you remember."
"Gurgle..."
Originally, Cornelia, who was beside them, had been looking at Kaede, thinking that Kaede seemed surprisingly reliable as an older sister, but then she heard the sound of someone's stomach growling.
"Uh!" Even though Kaede had seen many things, she couldn't help but blush at the current situation.
"Tsk tsk!" Cornelia laughed and said, "There's a river over there. Go wash up, and we'll prepare some food for you."
The leader, Nahash, who was nearby, did not object.
"Okay, thanks. Akame, come with me." As she said this, Kaede grabbed Akame.
Akame, who had intended to stay with them, paused for a moment, then felt the faint strength in Kaede's hand and nodded.
Finally, only Akame and Kaede were left.
"Sister, are you okay?" Although Akame felt there was no need to hide it from their teammates, since Kaede had done so, she would go along with it.
"I'm alright, just a bit exhausted." Kaede obviously couldn't tell Akame that her bones felt like they were about to melt.
"Okay, I'll help you over."
"Okay." That was exactly what Kaede had intended when she asked Akame to stay. After all, she was barely forcing herself to take every step right now. Of course, she could have returned alone without Akame, but since she had run into Akame, she wanted to spend a little more time with her.
If she went back and told Kurome this news, Kurome would definitely be happy, right? Kaede couldn't help but think.
...
Then, everything was ready, and Cornelia began to prepare food for Kaede.
Well, then, the group watched in stunned silence as that portion of food was wolfed down in just a few seconds, and they swallowed hard.
"Um? Is there any more?" Kaede rubbed her stomach, seemingly feeling nothing at all; the food hadn't even made her stomach bulge in the slightest.
"There is..." Cornelia nodded and continued cooking the wild game, making a larger portion this time.
However, after a dozen seconds, it was finished again.
"Um, is there any more?" Kaede felt a bit embarrassed at this point, but for some reason, it seemed her appetite this time might exceed her own expectations.
"Uh..." Cornelia looked at Nahash.
Nahash looked at Kaede's stomach, which showed no sign of fullness, thought for a moment, and finally nodded. "Cornelia, you're in charge of cooking. Chikushi, assist her. Pony, you're fast, so you're responsible for transporting the food. Everyone else, come with me to hunt."
"Yes, sir!" Akame naturally couldn't refuse, although she wanted to say that she also really wanted to eat.
Thus, the seven members of the Elite Group lived up to their reputation as elites; their coordination and speed were no joke.
However, Kaede's eating speed seemed even faster, and she didn't turn anything down; even Kaede herself didn't know how much she had already packed into her stomach.
The battle began once again.
Yeah!
Elite Cooking Team vs. Invincible Glutton!
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