"Yes, Commander, let Kurome go with you for a walk. We're really fine, so you don't have to worry about us," Kelly added.

  It wasn’t just Kurome and Kelly—everyone else also brushed off the contents of the documents, thinking Byn was simply concerned for them.

  None of them realized how severely Byn's actions had vioted the rules. If the higher-ups found out, they would undoubtedly have him and Seryu arrested.

  "Alright, maybe I was just overthinking things," Byn said, using the moment to drop the topic.

  No one in the Assassination Unit was affected by the documents. If he kept pushing the issue, it would only backfire. For now, it was best to let it go.

  "Wait for me a moment," Byn said to Kurome before picking up the documents, preparing to return them to the b.

  As expected, Seryu followed him.

  "Master, we can’t get through to them at all," she said.

  "This is the power of brainwashing. When someone has been conditioned to this extent, no amount of reasoning can persuade them. We can only take our time and find opportunities to change them," Byn replied quietly.

  "Alright... until then, I’ll do my best to protect everyone!" Seryu said with determination.

  Byn and Seryu returned the documents to the b. The researchers didn’t bother asking what they had done with them.

  ...

  As promised, Byn and Kurome went out for a walk to clear their minds, strolling through the streets of the Imperial Capital.

  Not long after they left, the rest of the Assassination Unit began chatting among themselves.

  "Do you think Kurome actually has feelings for Commander Byn? I’ve noticed she seems pretty close to him..."

  "Probably. Kurome is friendly with us, but she’s never invited a guy for a walk before."

  "True. Commander Byn has always been good to us. It wouldn't be surprising if Kurome started liking him. Besides, she’s at that age now."

  ...

  Kelly chimed in, "That’s exactly why I tried to create an opportunity for her earlier. She mentioned the Commander’s name twice while we were chatting tonight."

  Hearing them talk so excitedly about Byn and Kurome, Seryu murmured to herself, "Kurome... likes Master..."

  For some reason, she felt a dull pressure in her chest.

  She should have been happy for her master—after all, it was a good thing that someone liked him.

  But why did she feel so uneasy?

  Seryu couldn’t understand what was wrong with her.

  Maybe she was just tired. A good night's sleep should fix it.

  …

  If Kurome had been alone, the guards at the base wouldn’t have easily allowed her to leave without a commander’s permission.

  With Byn accompanying her, however, they encountered no obstacles.

  The Imperial Capital was brightly lit at night. Most of the shops along the streets had already closed, and there were far fewer pedestrians compared to the daytime. Occasionally, a few scattered figures could be seen moving through the dimly lit roads.

  In such a quiet atmosphere, it was actually a good setting for Byn and Kurome to take a walk and clear their minds.

  "Commander, before you worked in the Imperial Capital Security Force, were you a soldier stationed in the capital?"

  Kurome suddenly asked, shifting the conversation to something more casual.

  "No, my hometown was a small vilge on the southern border. I only arrived in the capital recently... because my vilge was destroyed by a Danger Beast," Byn responded.

  "I see... I can’t really remember much about my life before joining the Assassination Unit. I was too young at the time. All I remember is wandering with my sister," Kurome recalled.

  "You must really miss her, right?"

  "Mmm, I do... which is why I’m going to kill her—so she’ll never be able to leave my side again."

  Kurome spoke with a bright smile, yet the words that came out of her mouth were chilling. In that moment, her innocent expression took on an eerie undertone.

  "......"

  Byn felt slightly awkward. If he had known, he wouldn’t have brought up Akame.

  Just then, several figures darted swiftly across the rooftops not far ahead.

  Byn’s keen perception allowed him to spot them immediately.

  However, their faces were obscured by bck cloaks, leaving only the tall man cd in armor somewhat distinguishable—though even his face remained hidden.

  "Did you see them? That should be the Teigu user of ‘Demon Armor.’ They must be Night Raid," Byn whispered to Kurome.

  "Yes... my sister is among them."

  Kurome’s right hand was already gripping the hilt of Yatsufusa, her expression cold. "Commander, this is the perfect chance to wipe out Night Raid tonight!"

  "Let’s follow them first and see," Byn said, not immediately agreeing to engage.

  His stance toward Night Raid wasn’t exactly hostile.

  During his time as Captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force, he had already learned a fair amount about them. After all, he had been in charge of maintaining public order in the capital.

  Every target assassinated by Night Raid had been far from innocent. They were all scum—people like Ogre, whose deaths were well deserved.

  That was why, back then, he had deliberately turned a blind eye to Night Raid’s actions. He had chosen not to confront them directly. Otherwise, he would have crossed paths with them much sooner.

  Now, Byn and Kurome moved to pursue the figures swiftly traversing the rooftops.

  Naturally, their targets had already noticed they were being followed.

  Leone gnced behind them, eyes widening in surprise. "Wait... is that Byn and Kurome? Looks like luck’s on our side."

  Mine’s expression grew serious. "This route was supposed to be the safest—we timed it to avoid all of the capital’s patrols at this hour. Was this really just a coincidence? Or did they predict our movements in advance?"

  In reality, it really was just bad luck. If Byn and Kurome hadn’t randomly gone for a te-night stroll, they wouldn’t have been spotted at all.

  "This complicates the assassination. We’ll have to reschedule the hit for another day. Should we just take them out now?"

  But, who stood out from the group due to his full-body armored Teigu, spoke up. His armor concealed his identity completely, making a disguise unnecessary.

  "You guys go ahead. I’ll deal with Kurome myself," Akame suddenly decred, coming to a stop.

  Now that they had been discovered, tonight’s assassination was no longer feasible.

  She needed to end things with Kurome quickly—before the Empire’s Assassination Unit or the military caught wind of their presence and closed in on them.

  "No way we’re letting you handle this alone! If we’re fighting, we might as well take them both down together," Leone said immediately.

  "Exactly. There are only two of them, and we have six Teigu users. We should eliminate them quickly and then rework our assassination pn," Mine added, already pulling out her Teigu, Pumpkin, brimming with confidence.

  "But the boss mentioned that Byn is someone we could potentially win over. Try not to kill him," But reminded them.

  What a coincidence—of all people, they had to run into them tonight.

  At this point, all six members of Night Raid had stopped, seemingly waiting for Byn and Kurome to come to them.

  Byn and Kurome arrived in front of them, and sensing the tension, Byn instinctively grabbed Kurome’s hand, ready to activate his intangibility ability at any moment.

  Kurome hadn’t expected him to suddenly take her hand, and she let out a soft protest. "Commander, now isn’t the time for this!"

  However, Byn showed no intention of letting go. His grip was firm, his stance unwavering.

  "What?!"

  The moment Akame saw Kurome’s hand in Byn’s, she completely lost her composure.

  PinkSnake