The two girls' gazes were both fixed on Kaguya, as if waiting for her decision.
Kaguya looked at Mine, then at Kurome, feeling a bit puzzled. She couldn't quite understand, especially why Kurome was trying to stop her from rescuing Leone. As far as she knew, Kurome and Leone hadn't had any conflicts.
On the contrary, Leone seemed to like Kurome, perhaps because she knew that Kurome was Akame's sister.
It made sense to Kaguya why Kurome wouldn't want to save Mine if she were in trouble. After all, the two of them were like sworn enemies, always at odds with each other, and it wasn't a new development.
Seeing Kurome's tense face and her big, black-and-white eyes fixed on her with a slight, unnatural tension, Kaguya frowned and thought for a moment. Suddenly, she seemed to understand.
"Are you... jealous?" Kaguya asked, turning to Kurome with a curious look.
Kurome froze, her cheeks turning bright red in an instant. She stammered, "H-how could I be? Of course not."
"Really?" Kaguya asked, eyeing Kurome with interest. "Then why don't you want me to save her?"
"I-I..." Kurome turned her head away, pouting stubbornly. "I'm just hungry."
"Is that so?" Kaguya smiled slightly, pinching her cheek. "You can't fool me. You always look to the right when you lie."
Kurome bit her lip and was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly spoke up, "They're Night Raid, and they're our enemies. I don't want you getting involved with those women."
"Is that all?" Kaguya asked, still smiling at Kurome.
"That's all," Kurome replied, turning her head away with an unhappy huff.
At that moment, Kaguya stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Kurome, pulling her into a tight hug. Kurome was caught off guard and tried to struggle at first, but seeing how tightly Kaguya was holding her, she gave up. However, she kept her small face turned away, clearly upset.
Kaguya found Kurome's jealousy rather adorable, like a small, sulking child.
"I know what you're worried about, but it's not what you think," Kaguya whispered softly, holding Kurome close and gazing into her eyes. "There's nothing special between me and her. In my heart, the person I like most is you."
Kurome's large, black-and-white eyes blinked in surprise, and a flush of pink spread across her cheeks. She murmured, "Who knows if you're telling the truth."
"How dare you doubt me? It seems I need to punish you," Kaguya said, pretending to be angry.
Before Kurome could respond, Kaguya hugged her even tighter.
It was a long while before Kaguya finally let go, gently holding Kurome by the waist. "Well, do you believe me now?"
Kurome, her eyes unfocused and dazed, took a moment to come back to her senses. Though she was still pouting slightly, the warm flush on her face told a different story.
Having just experienced a sweet night with Kaguya, Kurome was still feeling vulnerable and insecure, unable to shake the feeling that it might all have been a dream. She feared that when she woke up the next morning, everything would return to the way it was before.
And now, seeing another woman by Kaguya's side—a beautiful, well-endowed woman at that—had naturally triggered her jealousy and insecurity. She worried that Kaguya might abandon her for someone else.
Of course, these fears were unfounded, but for a girl who had just experienced the most important night of her life, they were especially significant.
It's easy to understand—if a girl spends a night with her boyfriend, only to see him chatting happily with a pretty stranger the next day, it's only natural for her to feel suspicious.
Mine, watching this unfold, couldn't help but roll her eyes, thinking to herself that she had been right—these two really were a couple of weirdos. But she didn't dare say anything, afraid that if she angered them, they might refuse to help Leone.
At that moment, Kaguya walked over to Mine and said, "Alright, tell me the general direction, and I'll go."
"Thank you," Mine said softly. She wanted to say more, but the words stuck in her throat.
Sensing Mine's gratitude, Kaguya simply smiled and didn't say anything further. She turned to Kurome, gently stroking her cheek, and said with a smile, "I'll go by myself. You stay here and take care of Mine, and wait for me to come back."
"I want to go too," Kurome said anxiously when she heard that Kaguya wasn't taking her along.
"Be good, and listen," Kaguya said. "If you leave, who will take care of this little one? What if she starves, freezes, or gets carried off by wolves?"
Kurome looked reluctant but, after glancing at Kaguya, she bit her lip and finally nodded reluctantly.
Since Kaguya hadn't bothered to lower her voice, Mine naturally heard everything. Hearing Kaguya talk about her like that, Mine wanted to retort, but thinking that she still needed Kaguya's help, she held her tongue, though she couldn't help but feel a little angry.
"Alright, I'm off. I wouldn't want that little cow, Leone, to get captured," Kaguya said, waving at them before turning away. With a light step, she shot off like a streak of light, disappearing into the sky.
Kurome sighed softly, feeling troubled. She had planned to insist on going with Kaguya, no matter what, even if it meant being scolded or yelled at. But when she saw the gentle look in Kaguya's eyes, her resolve faltered, and she couldn't bring herself to argue.
Could it be like that little booklet said? Does love really make people stupid? Kurome wondered, feeling frustrated and unable to calm down.
Suddenly, she heard a noise and turned to find herself meeting Mine's gaze. The two stared at each other for a moment before both huffed and turned away.
Kaguya's toes lightly touched the soft snow, and her body flashed like lightning across the landscape, leaving no trace in the snow behind her. She moved at full speed, racing northward without pause.
Suddenly, Kaguya stopped and bent down, brushing away the snow on the ground with her hand, revealing a pale hand underneath.
It was a dead hand, belonging to a corpse buried under the snow at her feet. Kaguya glanced around, her clear eyes narrowing as she noticed several more corpses nearby. Scattered among them were spears, swords, shields, and other weapons.
The bodies were dressed in Imperial Army uniforms, their armor bearing the insignia of the Empire. It was clear that these corpses were Imperial soldiers—the only ones equipped with such orderly weapons and gear.
Most of the bodies bore the marks of heavy blows; some even had clear imprints of fists or claw marks, as if they had been slashed by a beast.
Kaguya stood up and looked into the distance. If she was right, these men were likely killed by Leone. Only Leone could leave such marks.
The further she went, the more bodies she found, lying scattered across the ground. Most had already been buried under the snow, with their blood frozen into ice.
It seemed Leone was just ahead. Kaguya stood up and followed the trail of bodies, running in the direction they pointed.