A giant pillar of light rose from the Imperial Palace, piercing the night sky like a beam of brilliance, illuminating the starry sky as if it were daytime.
After a long moment, the white light gradually dissipated, transforming into specks of light that fell softly, vanishing before they touched the ground.
"What...?"
Mine's face went pale, her usual confidence gone. She grabbed Kurome by the shoulders and asked urgently, "That... that person left, didn't she?"
Normally, Kurome wouldn't tolerate anyone touching her like that, but now her face was streaked with tears, her expression sorrowful. She bit her lip and gave a small nod.
"How could this happen?" Mine stared at the pitch-black sky in disbelief.
That person had left, just like that.
Chelsea, seeing Mine's forlorn expression, couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic. She walked over, intending to offer some words of comfort.
But suddenly, Mine flipped her arm, and a sniper rifle nearly as tall as her appeared in her hands. She gripped the gun tightly and aimed it at the sky, pulling the trigger.
A bright beam of light shot out, streaking through the dark night like a rainbow.
"You bastard! Do you really think you can just leave without taking responsibility?" Mine shouted, her lips trembling with anger.
She kept pulling the trigger, sending beams of light one after another into the sky, turning the night into a sea of glowing streaks, as if filled with shooting stars.
"Mine," Najenda walked over, her voice calm. "She's already gone."
But Mine ignored her and continued firing. Sweat beaded on her pale forehead from the strain, and her chest rose and fell with each breath.
"I said, she's already gone!" Najenda shouted firmly.
Mine flinched and finally stopped. With a loud clang, her Teigu, Pumpkin, hit the ground, smoke curling from its barrel.
Mine stood there, lips pressed tightly together, her fists clenched. It wasn't clear if she was angry or just sad.
"Are you thinking about her, Mine?" Leone sidled up, nudging Mine playfully in the ribs with a sly grin. "It seems like you two had some kind of story. Care to share?"
"Who said I'm thinking about her?" Mine shot back, glaring. "That irresponsible person is better off dead!"
"Irresponsible, huh?" Leone's eyes lit up with mischief. "Sounds like there's more to this story than you're letting on. She didn't leave you... in a certain condition, did she?"
Mine's face flushed crimson, and she yelled, "What nonsense are you spouting? We're both girls—how is that even possible?"
"Ohhh," Leone drawled, her eyes gleaming with the fires of gossip.
Realizing she had said too much, Mine's face darkened even more, a mix of frustration and embarrassment showing. But finally, she sighed and muttered, "Whatever, I'm not going to argue with a big-chested airhead like you."
"Are you jealous?" Leone teased, puffing out her chest proudly.
"Hmph, think whatever you want." Mine huffed and turned away, ready to leave. But just as she did, Leone's next words stopped her in her tracks as if she had been frozen in place.
"She'll be back soon, you don't need to worry."
"What?" Mine spun around, surprised. "She's coming back?"
"Of course," Leone said matter-of-factly. "Where else would she go? She told me herself she'd return."
"Really?" Mine's face softened, though she still seemed a bit unsure. But her mood had noticeably brightened.
"See? I knew there was something going on," Leone teased, throwing an arm around Mine's waist. "So, tell me—just how far did you two go?"
"What—what do you mean?" Mine stammered, taken aback.
"You know, that kind of thing," Leone said with a knowing look.
"Get lost, pervert! Stay away from me!"
"Ah, so it did go all the way, didn't it? Otherwise, how would you know what kind of thing I'm talking about?"
"Ugh, just die already!"
As Mine's expression lightened, Leone let out a quiet sigh of relief, glancing up at the night sky. She thought to herself, "I really hope you come back soon. Otherwise, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the peace."
Meanwhile, Akame stood by her sister Kurome, who was still devastated. She held her sister close, wanting to offer comfort but unsure of what to say. A sense of heaviness weighed on her heart, leaving her uncomfortable. Despite her initial dislike of that person, now that she was gone, Akame felt an odd emptiness in her heart.
As she wrestled with this unfamiliar feeling of loss, Akame began to understand her sister a little better.
She recalled Kaguya's parting words—would she really come back?
As for Esdeath, her reaction was much simpler. She looked up at the dark sky where Kaguya had disappeared, a small smile playing on her lips. "Darling, if you don't return as promised, I'll come find you myself. Waiting has never been my style."
Sayo, on the other hand, stood silently in the courtyard, gazing at the sky, deep in thought. She said nothing, her mind a mystery.
Suddenly, she turned and headed toward the empress' study.
After the strange phenomenon of the sky lighting up with white light, the empress of the Empire had not been seen again. In her place, Sayo, Esdeath, and Najenda took charge. However, contrary to people's fears, the Empire didn't fall back into tyranny. Instead, they continued to promote light taxation and focused on post-war reconstruction.
In just a few years, the Empire flourished once more. Peace reigned, the nation prospered, and the people lived the happy lives they had long dreamed of. Though a few attempts were made to rebel during the empress's absence, Esdeath crushed them with an iron fist, and soon no one dared challenge the Empire's authority again.
Over time, people stopped worrying about such things, and the empress's absence was gradually forgotten.
As long as they were happy, who cared who ruled?
Yet there remained a group of beautiful women who would often gather at the empress' palace, gazing up at the starry night sky, as if waiting for something.