Chapter 85: The Scheming Chelsea

As she spoke, Chelsea took the lollipop from her mouth and casually offered it to Blayn, showing no embarrassment at all.

It was as if even if Blayn actually chose the lollipop she had already eaten, Chelsea wouldn't mind in the slightest.

"That's unnecessary..."

Blayn knew full well that Chelsea was teasing him, so he naturally wouldn't let her have her way. Instead, he reached for the other lollipop in her hand—the one still wrapped—and took it calmly. "Thanks."

"Chelsea, you and Blayn sure are close," Leone remarked, watching the exchange.

"Of course! He's taken care of me plenty of times before," Chelsea said, referring to the time when she had transformed into a black kitten and Blayn had looked after her in the Assassination Unit.

Hearing this, Najenda thought it was a good thing for Night Raid to have someone on good terms with Blayn.

...

Not long after, Akame and Sheele returned from hunting Danger Beasts. As Teigu users, they had no trouble taking down even Special-Class Danger Beasts.

Each of them dragged back an ingredient several times their own size.

With the food gathered, Akame immediately headed inside the hut to cook.

Sheele, however, didn't follow to help—because when it came to daily tasks, she was hopelessly clumsy. If she tried cooking, there was a real chance she'd blow up the kitchen.

In fact, before Akame took over Night Raid's meals, Sheele had been in charge, and the results were... well, let's just say they weren't great.

Never underestimate how absentminded she can be.

Sheele was well aware of her own shortcomings, which was why she hesitated to take on certain tasks—afraid she might end up causing more trouble than helping.

"Kurome loves good food—she's a total foodie. And since Akame, as her older sister, happens to be great at cooking, they get along really well," Blayn mused.

Two sisters who get along so well should never have to fight to the death.

Fortunately, he was fairly certain he had already prevented that tragedy. Judging by Akame's reaction earlier, she no longer seemed intent on fighting Kurome to the bitter end.

"Actually, Akame's a foodie too," Leone corrected. "She volunteered to be in charge of cooking just so she'd have a legitimate excuse to sneak extra bites."

"Is that so?" Blayn wasn't surprised. "Well, considering they're sisters, that does make sense."

…

At that moment, Akame brought out large plates of meat dishes one after another. The meals were predominantly meat, with only a small amount of vegetables mixed in.

It was obvious—Akame really loved eating meat.

As they started eating, Blayn remained polite, only picking at a few dishes as a gesture.

But just then, Chelsea picked up a piece of meat, lightly blew on it to cool it down, and then held it up to Blayn's mouth. "Ah~"

"This..."

Blayn was momentarily taken aback by the sudden gesture.

"Don't be shy. You took care of me like this before, so of course I have to repay the favor," Chelsea said with a smile.

Blayn suddenly recalled that he had indeed fed Chelsea—back when she was in her black kitten form—with a spoon. But that had only happened once or twice.

After taking the bite, Blayn said, "Alright, I can do it myself from here."

"No way! Just one bite isn't enough."

Chelsea, however, wasn't planning to stop and continued having fun feeding Blayn.

Blayn had no intention of letting himself be played with so easily, but before he could say anything, Mine, who was sitting next to Chelsea, seemed to have had enough.

"When you're showing off your affection, at least consider the feelings of others."

"Oh? My bad, I didn't notice a little shrimp sitting here," Chelsea said in an apologetic tone—but her words only made Mine furious.

"Who are you calling a shrimp?!" Mine snapped, her anger flaring.

"Isn't it true? But don't be mad, small things can be cute too~" Chelsea teased, looking completely amused.

"Damn it..."

Mine's face turned red with rage, but she was completely outmatched by Chelsea's relentless teasing.

At that moment, Blayn was once again reminded of just how devious Chelsea could be.

"Damn it, I wish I had two cute girls arguing over me too!"

Lubbock sighed dramatically as he ate, practically grinding his molars in envy.

"Lubbock, if you come train with me later, you won't have to worry about things like this," Bulat said, his tone sounding way too suggestive.

"No, no, I'll pass on that."

Lubbock immediately broke into a cold sweat, looking like he wanted to escape at all costs.

"Akame's cooking is as amazing as ever."

"Yeah, no matter how many times you eat it, you never get tired of it."

Leone and Sheele jumped in to change the topic, seemingly trying to defuse the tension between Mine and Chelsea.

After their little squabble, Chelsea finally stopped her antics.

...

"By the way, Akame, I want to confirm something," Blayn said, turning to her.

"Do you still feel the same way about Kurome as before?"

If Akame still had any intent to kill Kurome, he needed to seriously reconsider whether to bring up her request.

"No," Akame replied. "She's no longer serving the Honest regime—she's finally free. That's all I ever wanted."

"That's good," Blayn said. "But she might still hold some resentment toward you. You should understand why."

Akame quickly realized what he meant and gave a slight nod. "I understand..."

Even now, Kurome likely still harbored hatred toward her.

In Kurome's mind, betraying the Empire was unforgivable. While Blayn had managed to shift the Empire's ideology from within, sidestepping that issue entirely, it didn't change the fact that Kurome still saw Akame as a traitor.

"Well, that's not a big deal," Blayn said. "Besides, your cooking is great—Kurome would definitely love to have it again."

If the sisters could reconcile, it would be the best possible outcome.

Kurome had never denied that, deep down, her sister was still the person she loved most.

"Mm. Thanks for the compliment."

A rare, faint smile appeared on Akame's face.

If there really was a chance, of course, she wanted to take it.

...

Lunch ended.

It was about time for Blayn to head back.

"I'll be going now," he said before leaving.

"Be careful on the way," Najenda said.

"Come visit more often when you have time, meow," Chelsea added, waving at him.

"Yeah," Blayn nodded before turning and walking away.

As his figure disappeared into the forest, he shifted into Kamui Space.

Inside, he unwrapped the lollipop Chelsea had given him.

"Not bad... it actually tastes pretty good."

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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