𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 | 🄰🄺🄰🄼🄴 🄶🄰 🄺🄸🄻🄻! 🅉🄴🅁🄾【×】 🄾🄲

9| Assassins

In the picture above, the girl with short brown hair is Tsukushi. Just a reminder, that is who Akira is replacing.

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Gozuki: "Your work is important. Eat all you can to build up energy for your next mission." (sighs) "...Well, I suppose I don't even need to tell you that."

Inside the inn, Akira and the girls of the Elite Seven were the only ones able to accompany Gozuki. Cornelia was the only one who was eating calmly, eating at a more casual pace. Akame, Poney, and Akira were eating their foods as fast as they can, Akira trying to outmatch the red-eyed girl on how much meat they could eat. But in the end, Akame was the victorious one. 

Akame: "I never knew meat could be this good! I wish chief and Guy could have some, too."

Cornelia: "Why don't you put some in a lunchbox and take it into the mountains?"

Akame: "That's a great idea, but...I definitely wouldn't be able to stop myself from eating it all on the road."

Akira: (deadpan) "Learn some self-control for once."

Gozuki: (stands up) "Well then, I'm going to a meeting to discuss our next move. Until I get back, pretend to be normal kids. Cornelia, you're in charge."

Cornelia: "Not Akira?"

Akira: "Can't really watch you guys everywhere. You know, I can't really waltz into the girl's hot springs area."

Gozuki: "He's right there."

Cornelia: "Leave it to me, Papa!"

Night soon falls onto the inn. The girls were asleep, but Cornelia soon wakes up, her yawning as she stares outside at the bright moon that hovered over them.

Cornelia: "I'm already awake." (thoughts) 'Should I go to the bath...? It's almost dawn, so there shouldn't be anyone there.'

Heading down to the baths, Cornelia begins to discard her clothes. She thought of Gozuki, wondering if he was still in his meeting. Then her mind wandered Akira. Not a lot of people could see it, but she was in love with the boy. She adored the icy blue eyes of his. But she knew, Akira had only eyes for Akame. But the red-eyed girl wasn't focused on any sort of romantic relationship.

Deciding to push the thought aside, she knew she had to step up on being the leader at the moment. Najasho was left on the mountain with Green. When the blonde beauty opened the sliding door, she found a girl about her age lying in the middle of the bath. In fact, she thought she was drowning.

Cornelia: (rushes in) "Are you alright!?"

Small Timeskip

The two girls had finished in the bath, Cornelia and the other girl, Taeko, drinking the delicacy of milk after taking a bath.

Cornelia: (sheepish smile) "Um, I was too quick to jump to conclusions...sorry."

Taeko: "No, I was in a misleading posture. I apologize. I thought that no one would be here if I came in the middle of the night."

Cornelia: "Yeah, exactly! I came too because I had the same thought!"

Taeko: "My name is Taeko. I am traveling with my grandmother to understand the world better."

Cornelia: "I'm Cornelia! I'm a disciple of the Imperial Fist Temple, and I'm on a training journey throughout the country."

Taeko: "The Imperial Fist Temple...? That's amazing." (drinks milk) "The milk here is delicious. And their cuisine, too. This is a great inn."