[Night Raid Base: Dining Hall]
Leone's laughter echoed through the dining hall as she leaned back in her chair, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Ha. Ha, Five hours. Five whole hours of fishing, and you managed to catch... one fish? ONE?! Meanwhile, Akame and Bane have baskets overflowing. What were you doing the entire time, daydreaming about saving damsels?"
Akame, as calm as ever, didn't even look up as she neatly sliced vegetables for the salad. "Not quite up to standard," she remarked.
Tatsumi flinched as if physically struck. Why do I feel like I've been stabbed by words sharper than Akame's blade?
The sizzle of frying fish caught everyone's attention as Bane stood at the stove, skillfully flipping tuna fillets in a pan. Leone sniffed the air appreciatively, leaning closer.
"Wow, Bane, you're really good at this! Who knew you could be so domestic? But, you know, you'd look even better with an apron."
Without looking up, Bane replied flatly, "No."
Leone grinned, undeterred. "Come on, it'll add to your mysterious charm. The girls would love it!"
Tatsumi, eager to deflect attention from his fishing failure, jumped in. "Yeah, Bane, think of it as part of your training."
Bane stopped stirring the pot, turned his head slightly, and said, "Shut up. Don't distract me while I'm cooking. And starting tomorrow, you're on kitchen duty for the week."
"WHAT?! Why me?" Tatsumi cried, waving his arms in protest.
Bane pointed his ladle at Akame, who was nibbling on a fried fish filet she had "borrowed" from the pan. "And you, why are you eating instead of helping? Najenda assigned you to assist."
Akame chewed slowly, her face completely innocent. "I was just tasting it."
"No, you weren't!" the rest of the Night Raid shouted in unison.
Despite the chaos, Bane eventually finished cooking and set the dishes on the table. The air was thick with the aroma of roasted spices, creamy coconut, and fresh tuna.
Leone's mouth watered as she eyed the curry. "This smells incredible! What do you call it?"
"Fish curry with rice. Eat," Bane said simply, already dishing out portions.
Akame wasted no time shoveling spoonfuls of curry and rice into her mouth at lightning speed. "Delicious," she mumbled between bites, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
"If we don't hurry, Akame's going to eat everything!" Lubbock exclaimed, grabbing a plate.
The first bite was transformative.
"Oh my god, this is amazing," Lubbock moaned, tears of joy streaming down his face. "The spices, the fish, the rice—it's like a symphony in my mouth!"
"Indeed," Bulat said with a satisfied grin. "Bane, you've outdone yourself. This might just be the best meal I've had all year!"
Lubbock, emboldened by the atmosphere, leaned closer to Bane and said with a wink, "You know, if you ever get tired of assassination, you could open a restaurant. Or marry me."
The entire table went silent as Bane's icy gaze turned toward Lubbock.
"Kidding! Just kidding!" Lubbock squeaked, returning his focus to his curry with renewed intensity.
As the meal wound down, Najenda leaned back in her chair, swirling a glass of wine.
"Seriously, Bane, where did you learn to cook like this? I didn't think the Revolutionary Army had gourmet cooking lessons."
Bane shrugged, wiping his hands. "I don't know. It feels... familiar, like I've done it countless times before."
Najenda raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. "Well, I'm not complaining. You can take over kitchen duty any time."
Leone, however, wasn't ready to let Bane off the hook. "Hey, Bane, if you're this good at cooking, maybe you should challenge Akame to an eating contest. Bet she'd actually meet her match for once."
Akame paused mid-bite, her crimson eyes narrowing as she locked onto Bane. "I accept."
"No," Bane replied immediately, deadpan. "I value my life."
Tatsumi sighed, watching Akame finish her fifth plate of curry. How does she eat so much and still stay so slim? It's not fair.
---
In the briefing room, Najenda gathered Leone, Akame, Tatsumi, and Bane for their next mission.
The remaining Night Raid operatives, including Sheele, Lubbock, Mine, and Bulat, had embarked on their missions the day before, rendering them absent at this time.
Najenda directed her inquiry towards Leone, seeking information regarding the specifics of the mission assigned by the client this time.
"Our designated targets are the Ogre, who serves as the captain of the capital guards at the main palace district, and an oil merchant named Gamal," Leone paused briefly before delving into further details. "The client informed me that Ogre is a corrupt officer, who is accepting bribes from rich oil merchant Gamal.
Whenever Gamal commits a crime, Ogre aids him by framing innocent victims. This includes the client's fiance, who, like others, fell victim to Ogre's manipulation."
Leone's expression grew graver as she continued, revealing how the client resorted to selling her body to gather funds for this commission, evident from the bruises on her arms and scent of disease which lingered on her.
Tatsumi was in a rage, after listening the extent of the woman's sacrifices, "How can she sell her body like this, she should have-" but his initial outcry faded into a somber realization of the woman's plight, unable to act for her fiance because of her weakness. She placed her last hope on Night Raid, the renowned assassination group.