"If we give up before we try, then nothing is going to happen"
— Eli Ayase, Love Live! School Idol Project
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Run, observing from the platform, was in a predicament. He hadn't expected Esdeath to personally descend and attempt to "claim" the young man. And he certainly hadn't anticipated that the boy would be able to evade her for so long.
However, he had to intervene now. The spectators were getting riled up, treating the whole scene as entertainment.
"You're quite fast, Roy," Esdeath commented, her smile widening. The longer the chase continued, the more impressed she became with Roy's agility.
"Oh, it's alright, I guess. But you won't catch me. You can keep that collar for yourself," Roy replied with a shrug and a playful wink.
"Oh? Is that so?" Esdeath chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
She crouched down, placing a hand on the ground.
"Freeze!" she commanded.
A layer of ice instantly spread across the arena floor, originating from her hand and creeping towards Roy.
Roy smirked. Playing with ice? He was quite familiar with that.
But this wasn't the time for a magic duel. He leaped back, dodging the ice and landing behind Wave, who was acting as the referee.
The ice followed, instantly encasing Wave's feet.
"Hey, Captain, it's me!" Wave cried out in alarm.
But the ice continued to spread upwards, quickly encasing his entire body.
Esdeath paused, surprised, and stopped her ice magic.
Run approached her. "Captain, perhaps we should take him back and discuss this further," he suggested.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Esdeath agreed, releasing Wave from his icy prison.
"Achoo! Achoo!" Wave shivered, rubbing his arms for warmth.
"Hey, are you alright?" Roy asked with a chuckle, patting Wave's shoulder.
Wave glared at him. If it weren't for Roy, he wouldn't have been frozen.
"You'll come with us, won't you?" Run asked Roy with a smile.
"Of course. Didn't you say there would be a reward for winning?" Roy replied with a grin.
"Indeed. Then let's go."
The four of them headed towards the Imperial Palace.
Along the way, Esdeath stole glances at Roy, her cheeks flushed, like a lovestruck girl.
Roy couldn't help but feel a bit smug. It seemed Esdeath had truly taken a liking to him.
He did have a knack for charming people.
He had initially intended to conquer her with his strength, but it seemed his charm was doing the work for him.
Run explained that they wanted Roy to join the Jaegers, and Roy readily agreed.
They soon arrived at the Jaegers' meeting room.
The other members were already there.
Roy immediately spotted Kurome, who was munching on snacks.
As if sensing his gaze, Kurome hugged her snacks protectively and glared at him. "I won't share with you," she declared.
Roy's lips twitched.
'Just like her sister, a complete glutton,' he thought.
But while Akame preferred meat, Kurome had a sweet tooth.
"Now then, let me introduce everyone..." Esdeath began.
"This is Roy. He's a new member of the Jaegers, and also... my Beloved."
Esdeath's straightforward declaration, using the term "beloved," made Roy a bit uncomfortable. It felt like he was being claimed as a possession.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Roy said with a smile, trying to maintain his composure.
He quickly walked over and sat beside Kurome.
Wave, still shivering from his earlier icy encounter, was dumbfounded to find that there were no seats left.
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After the introductions, Esdeath briefed them on their first mission as a team.
It was a simple task: eliminate a group of bandits.
The Jaegers set off.
By evening, they arrived at the bandits' hideout.
"Destroying this place will be our first mission as the Jaegers. Let's make it a success," Run said, acting as the leader for this operation.
"Yes!" the others replied.
Esdeath and Roy stood at a distance, observing the mission.
The five Jaegers launched a direct assault on the bandit camp.
The bandits were no match for the Teigu users, and the camp was quickly overrun.
"Roy, do you dislike me?" Esdeath suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on Roy.
"Eh?" Roy was taken aback, then chuckled. "Of course not. I'm quite fond of you, Esdeath-san."
Esdeath blushed. "This is the first time I've felt this way... liking someone. It's not an unpleasant feeling."
Roy was speechless.
He had come here to win over Kurome, not Esdeath. How had this happened?
"Well then, I should join the fight," Roy said, quickly excusing himself.
It wasn't that he disliked Esdeath, but the atmosphere was getting a bit too intimate for his liking.
He felt like he was the one being pursued.
To win over Esdeath, he had to be the one in control.
With that thought, he entered the bandit camp.
He spotted Kurome and Wave nearby.
An idea struck him. He swiftly approached a bandit who was about to ambush Kurome and kicked him away.
Wave, who had been rushing over to "save" Kurome, was annoyed.
"Kurome, are you alright?" Roy asked.
"I'm fine. I already sensed him," Kurome replied flatly.
Roy was speechless. She was so blunt.
"Here, this is for you," he said, offering her a lollipop.
Kurome's eyes lit up, and she snatched the lollipop, popping it into her mouth.
"Thank you!"
Wave, witnessing how easily Roy had won over Kurome with a single lollipop, was dumbfounded.
After this small gesture of goodwill, the mission to eliminate the bandits was completed.
They returned to the Capital.
That night, Esdeath invited Roy to her room.
Roy didn't refuse and followed her.
He had expected Esdeath to discuss something with him, but she simply went to take a bath.
Could it be...? he wondered.
After a while, Esdeath emerged from the bathroom.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, wearing only a shirt.
The sight stirred something within Roy, but he quickly regained his composure.
"It's alright," he replied with a smile.
"Well, I'm not sure what to do at a time like this. I suppose following my instincts is the best approach," Esdeath said, closing her eyes shyly.
Her straightforwardness caught Roy off guard.
But he shook his head resolutely. "No."
Esdeath opened her eyes, surprised.
"Why?"
Roy shrugged and walked towards the door.
"It's not the right time yet," he said with a smile, opening the door.
"Wait..." Esdeath tried to stop him.
"No need. Run has already arranged a room for me," Roy replied, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
This was a matter of pride.
Roy then headed towards his room.
However, as he was about to reach his room, he spotted Kurome sitting on the rooftop, eating snacks.
His eyes lit up. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to test his persuasive skills?
He leaped onto the rooftop and sat beside Kurome.
"Um..."
"I won't share my snacks with you!" Kurome declared, hugging her snacks protectively and interrupting him.
Roy coughed awkwardly.
He quickly took out a bag of candy, opened it, and popped one into his mouth.
The sweet aroma wafted towards Kurome, and her eyes were glued to the candy.
"I'll share with you," Roy offered with a smile, holding out the bag.
"Thank you!" Kurome eagerly took the candy and popped one into her mouth.
Her eyes lit up as she savored the sweet flavor.
"Kurome, you have an older sister named Akame, right?" Roy asked casually.
Kurome froze.
"Yes... she's my family. But she betrayed the Empire..."
"I can't wait to see her again. And when I do... I'll kill her myself. Because she's my beloved sister."
Kurome giggled, her voice laced with a disturbing undertone.
Roy sighed inwardly.
Why were these sisters always talking about killing each other?
"Akame told me about your childhood. Kurome, don't you want to go back to those days?"
Kurome was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "We can't go back. Akame betrayed the Empire... and she betrayed me."
"Have you ever wondered why Akame betrayed the Empire?"
Kurome remained silent, but she had indeed pondered this question, with no answers.
Akame's betrayal had been so sudden and unexpected.
"Because the Empire forced her to kill her best friend," Roy explained. "That's when Akame realized how dark the Empire truly is. She was afraid that her next mission would be to kill you, Kurome. So, she decided to defect, hoping you would join her. But you didn't respond."
Kurome's eyes widened, and she stopped eating her snacks.
This simple logic was easy for anyone in the modern world to understand.
But for Kurome, who had never received a proper education, it was a revelation.
No one had ever explained it to her like this.
After a long silence, Kurome shook her head. "We can't go back. It's impossible."
She jumped off the rooftop and returned to her room.
Even after understanding the truth, Kurome still didn't intend to leave the Empire.
She had been injected with drugs to enhance her physical abilities at a young age. These drugs had taken a toll on her body.
She was also heavily dependent on them and needed regular doses.
The snacks she constantly ate were actually those drugs. Without them, she wouldn't last long.
Roy sighed, watching her leave. It seemed his persuasive skills weren't enough.
He understood Kurome's condition. Even with the drugs, she wouldn't live much longer.
In the original story, it wasn't so much that Kurome wanted to kill Akame, but rather, she wanted to die by Akame's hand.
Perhaps that was still her wish.
It seemed he needed to find another way to convince her.
...
The next morning, Roy found Kurome in the meeting room, eating snacks alone.
He sat beside her and placed a variety of snacks before her.
Kurome's eyes lit up, and she drooled at the sight of the treats.
"Here, Kurome, eat up. These are all for you," Roy said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Kurome eagerly grabbed the snacks and started munching on them.
"Kurome, it's almost lunchtime. Are you still going to eat snacks?" Wave asked, approaching them with a cup of tea.
"Mind your own business," Kurome replied flatly, continuing to eat.
"You should eat more seafood," Wave persisted.
"So I can smell like a salty fish like you?" Kurome retorted, glancing at him.
"Really? Do I smell like that?" Wave was surprised and sniffed himself.
"Haha, of course you do, Salty Fished Uncle," Roy chuckled, amused by Kurome's unexpected humor.
"Eh? Salty Fished Uncle?" Wave was dumbfounded. He was only twenty years old.
"I'm seventeen," Roy explained. "And Kurome is probably even younger. So, you're definitely an Uncle."
Wave thought about it and realized Roy had a point.
But he was really only twenty! Just as he was about to protest, the door opened.
Esdeath entered the meeting room and addressed Roy. "Roy, we're heading to Mt. Fake. It's hunting time for the next few days."
"Oh, okay," Roy agreed.
"Wave and Kurome will also come. We'll hunt Danger Beasts and search for Night Raid members."
"Understood." Wave and Kurome nodded.
"I'll take the east side with Kurome. Wave and Roy, you take the west side."
"We'll switch after nightfall. I'll be with Roy then," Esdeath said, looking at Roy with a sly smile.
After being rejected the other night, she had sought advice from Bols, who was married.
He had told her to be patient and showcase her strength to capture Roy's heart.
That's why she had arranged this hunting expedition, to impress Roy with her power.
"I have an objection," Roy suddenly declared, raising his hand.
"Oh? What is it, Roy?" Esdeath asked, intrigued.
"I want to be partnered with Kurome."
Esdeath was momentarily surprised, then chuckled. "Very well."
She didn't mind. After all, she would be with Roy at night. It didn't matter who he was with during the day.
...
They set off for Mt. Fake.
The mountain was sparsely vegetated and shrouded in mist.
Roy and Kurome searched for Danger Beasts together.
"Kurome, if I could heal your body, would you leave the Empire and reconcile with Akame?" Roy asked suddenly.
Kurome was silent for a moment, then looked at him with suspicion. "You keep trying to persuade me to leave the Empire. Who are you really?"
Although she lacked formal education, Kurome wasn't stupid.
Roy's repeated attempts to sway her had raised her suspicions.
"Sigh, I guess I have no choice then," Roy said with a dramatic sigh.
Clang!
Sensing danger, Kurome drew her Teigu, "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa."
"That won't work on me, Kurome," Roy warned.
He vanished and reappeared behind Kurome.
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