Chelsea suddenly raised her hand—not to agree with allying with the foreign tribes but to share her perspective.
"Actually, I've spent so ti at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters. It's not as perfect as it seems."
"What do you an?" Mine asked curiously.
Chelsea scratched her head awkwardly and said bitterly, "There's a lot of infighting, and so people have ambitions for a certain position."
"What position? Don't leave us hanging!" Mine complained, feeling her curiosity itch unbearably.
Najenda's single eye narrowed, her expression heavy. "Are you saying soone wants to beco… the Emperor?"
Chelsea nodded repeatedly.
"Bang!"
Leone slamd her fist heavily on the table.
"What the hell?! Isn't the Revolutionary Army supposed to fight for the people? Why are they aiming for the Emperor's throne?"
"This is dangerous," Aka said with a frown.
If even the Revolutionary Army was pursuing power and wealth, overthrowing the Empire would only replace it with a new version of the sa corruption.
All of Night Raid's efforts would be aningless.
Seeing the heavy mood, Najenda took a deep breath.
"My decision is that Night Raid will not move. However, I won't stop any of you from making your own choices."
Lubbock was the first to object. "Why not? This is our best chance to topple the Empire!"
Najenda glared at him, her voice firm. "I've made my decision. If you want to go, you can. The enemy won't stop your freedom to choose."
"…"
Lubbock stared at Najenda in frustration, feeling as though he no longer recognized the leader he admired and secretly loved.
Clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palms, he rasped out, "Fine! If you won't go, I will!"
He turned to leave, his voice hoarse with anger.
"Sigh." Bulat sighed deeply.
"I'll go with him."
He couldn't let Lubbock go to his death alone.
As the two left, the remaining mbers turned their attention to Najenda.
Leone couldn't hold back. "Are we really going to do nothing?"
"This battle will kill many people, including civilians," Sheele said worriedly.
Najenda shook her head. "No."
She took a deep breath and said, "We have another option."
"Rei Ao… and his trades."
…
Back at the Sawamura Residence
Thanks to Sayuri's efforts, Rei Ao and Eriri enjoyed a sumptuous dinner together.
In the kitchen, Rei Ao helped wash the dishes alongside Sayuri.
"Mrs. Sawamura, your cooking is excellent," Rei Ao complinted without hesitation.
Sayuri bead. "Haha, I'm glad you liked it! I was worried the flavors might not suit your taste."
Her happiness was palpable; being praised for her cooking was always a delight.
But then Rei Ao suddenly asked a sharp question:
"Mrs. Sawamura, why haven't I seen Eriri's father in the house?"
"…"
Sayuri's hands paused, and her breath hitched almost imperceptibly.
Rei Ao's sharp observation didn't miss it, confirming his suspicion that sothing was off.
It wasn't that he wanted to pry unnecessarily.
It was just that he had encountered two other peculiar "mother" figures before: Yuriko Takagi and Mai's mother. Both were revealed to be "fake mothers."
Now, in the Sawamura household, he hadn't seen Eriri's father at all, nor had either of them ntioned him.
Sensing sothing amiss, he decided to probe while Eriri wasn't around.
Sayuri's response confird his suspicion.
Her expression turned somber. "Rei Ao-kun, this is… a secret."
Another secret?
"You're not Eriri's mother, are you?" Rei Ao blurted out.
Crash!
The sound of a plate falling echoed through the kitchen.
Sayuri had dropped it.
She hurried to catch it but missed.
Instead, Rei Ao reached out swiftly, catching the plate.
However, in the process, his hand brushed against hers.
The brief contact made Sayuri's entire body shiver.
When their eyes t, Sayuri's knees went weak.
The atmosphere felt strange, but Sayuri couldn't bring herself to look away.
Especially as Rei Ao leaned in slightly and pressed her. "Am I right?"
"Um!"
His proximity made Sayuri's face flush red.
Staring into Rei Ao's eyes, Sayuri felt as though her body couldn't lie.
Even though it was a secret.
"I..."
Just as she was about to speak...
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening thunderclap roared across the sky.
"Mom, Rei Ao-kun, what are you two doing?"
Eriri's voice broke through the charged atmosphere.
She stood at the kitchen doorway, looking at the two with puzzled eyes.
"!!!"
Sayuri froze, clearly flustered, while Rei Ao remained calm.
He held up a plate in his hand and explained, "Mrs. Sawamura almost dropped a dish just now, so I helped catch it."
"Oh, oh."
Eriri nodded, then lightly scolded her mother, "Mom, be careful, okay? Don't trouble Rei Ao-kun."
"Oh..."
Sayuri's awkward and soft response made Eriri furrow her brows in confusion.
Normally, her mother would have teased her with a playful grin.
Could it be that she felt restrained because Rei Ao-kun was present?
Realizing her casual attitude might leave a poor impression on Rei Ao, especially when compared to the elegant competition in the chat group, Eriri panicked.
After learning about the group, Eriri had spent hours feeling down.
She had realized she liked Rei Ao.
But the boy she adored was already involved with other won—and not just romantically, but intimately as well.
A rational person might see Rei Ao as a playboy, but Eriri's slightly idealistic, love-struck mindset took over.
"Rei Ao's been corrupted by them; it's my job to purify him!"
To her, those won were nothing but cunning foxes, and Rei Ao was her radiant moonlight.
Determined, Eriri resolved to showcase her own charm and "reclaim" Rei Ao.
"Should I act more reserved?" she thought to herself, quickly excusing herself to change into a more elegant and appealing outfit.
As Eriri left, Sayuri heaved a sigh of relief.
She was terrified that Eriri might have noticed her odd behavior.
The kitchen was no longer a safe haven.
Sayuri ca to a conclusion: Rei Ao's charisma was too strong for her to resist. If she stayed any longer, she might reveal her secret.
Hurriedly finishing the dishes, Sayuri turned to Rei Ao.
"Rei Ao-kun, I'm feeling a bit tired. You should rest early too."
Leaving those words behind, she quickly retreated.
Rei Ao didn't stop her.
Even though she hadn't answered his question, her expression and body language had already confird his suspicions:
Sayuri wasn't Eriri's biological mother.
"By rights, Eriri should have a diplomat father, so where did things go wrong?"
He couldn't piece together the full story yet, but he filed the mystery away for another ti.
Peering out at the stormy weather through the window, Rei Ao made his way to the guest room Eriri had prepared.
…
No sooner had he sat down on the bed than a flurry of notifications appeared:
[Ding! Aka has sent a trade request!]
[Ding! Mine has sent a trade request!]
[Ding! Sheele has sent a trade request!]
[Ding! Najenda has sent a trade request!]
[Ding! Leone has sent a trade request!]
[Ding! Chelsea has sent a trade request!]
Six identical requests ca from Night Raid mbers.
[Trade Objective: Overthrow the Empire!]
[Ding! Please specify the trade terms!]
In the sa instant, Najenda posted a ssage in the Aka world group:
Najenda: "@Rei Ao, rember our previous discussions?"
Rei Ao: "Of course."
Najenda: "The Revolutionary Army has launched its final assault on the Empire. I hope you'll help overthrow it."
Najenda: "In return, Night Raid will pledge itself to you, and you'll beco the new Emperor of the Empire."
Rei Ao: "Oh? No objections from the rest of Night Raid?"
Aka: "None."
Mine: "Um, just a tiny objection... Does it have to be a... physical trade?"
Leone: "Seriously, Mine? Are you still hesitating at this point?"
Mine: "I'm not hesitating! It's just that I've never even been in a relationship before, and suddenly becoming soone's... property... feels weird."
Aka: "Don't worry. Rei Ao will make it enjoyable."
Mine: "Aka, what the heck are you talking about?! I don't want it to be enjoyable!"
Sheele: "Mine, think of it this way."
Mine: "What way?"
Sheele: "Rei Ao saved your life. Do you hate him?"
Mine: "Well... no, I don't hate him. It's just... he's such a shaless flirt."
Rei Ao: "That's called being a man."
Mine: "…"
Sheele: "If you don't hate him, why not try liking him? Then it'll feel more like a relationship."
Mine: "…"
Chelsea: "I can't believe my first major mission with Night Raid is sothing like this."
Rei Ao: "Since you're all ready, let's begin the trade!"
~~~
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