Tatsumi opened his eyes and found that it was already morning, though the sun had only just peeked over the mountain.
He peeked into the next room; Ieyasu was still fast asleep.
"He must still be very tired."
Thinking this, Tatsumi didn't go in but went downstairs. He saw Asahi standing at the counter, wiping glasses and preparing for the new day.
"Do you always wake up this early?"
"It has to do with my previous work. I'm used to it now."
Truthfully, Tatsumi somewhat admired Asahi. Looking at his composure yesterday—when Tatsumi could only helplessly cry while holding his friend's body, Asahi arrived, saved his friend, and saved his mind.
This made Tatsumi wonder: What had Asahi gone through before? He wanted to know but was a little shy and didn't dare to ask.
"Mr. Asahi... about those bodies yesterday... and that warehouse."
"I burned the warehouse. Night Raid took care of the rest; there's no way it can be traced back to us."
Then, Asahi remembered something and took a hair tie from his person. Tatsumi stared at the object in his hand. This was the hair tie that Sayo had worn from childhood, the only thing that remained intact of her.
"Thank you."
Tatsumi tightly grasped the tie, sitting there in silence.
Asahi brewed a hot cup of coffee and placed it in front of Tatsumi.
"Drink it. It will cheer you up."
He nodded and took a sip. The taste was the same as when he first drank it. But after everything that happened yesterday, he seemed to sense a different flavor hidden within this ordinary coffee.
Asahi sympathized with Tatsumi, seeing a reflection of himself in the young man during the moments of last night. That was why he was so determined to save Ieyasu.
"Tatsumi, I need to tell you this."
"Regarding Ieyasu, although I have cured him, it will take a year of rest for his body to fully recover. And you already know the situation in the Capital; it's too dangerous for Ieyasu, even for you."
Tatsumi agreed with this. If Asahi hadn't intervened and taken him in, he would have gone to Aria's mansion. The outcome then would be clear: the warehouse would have one more corpse named Tatsumi.
"So I plan to hire a carriage to take Ieyasu back to your village. And this too."
With that, Asahi pulled out a small box. Tatsumi's eyes widened, because the box was full of money!
"Mr. Asahi... this is too valuable! How many monsters do I have to kill to earn this much money! I can't accept this!"
Despite the intense pull of money, Tatsumi shook his head and refused. Asahi had helped him too much, and he hadn't done anything to repay him. Now to accept more money—even if Asahi didn't mind, Tatsumi felt too embarrassed to accept.
To this, Asahi just smiled gently and took a sip of coffee.
"There's no need to refuse. This money didn't come from me; I took it from that family. Although it's a small amount, it's enough to keep your village from starving. I still have a large amount stored away."
"Wow!! I thank you on behalf of the whole village! But... but isn't this stealing?"
"How can you call it stealing? This is just a small compensation for that family's crimes. Besides, if we just left it there, this money wouldn't help anyone and would only flow into the pockets of the officials."
This was the current state of the Empire. Not all imperial officials were bad, but the number of "good officials" was too small compared to the total. So, Asahi didn't hold out much hope.
While the two were talking, Ieyasu also woke up and came downstairs. Tatsumi informed Ieyasu about the plan. This young man also had big ambitions, but his circumstances didn't allow it.
"Ieyasu, take this back to the village and build a grave for Sayo. I... I don't want her to be forgotten. And keep it a secret, don't tell anyone. I don't want everyone in the village to be sad."
"Definitely, Tatsumi. You need to be careful here."
Despite his still-weak condition, Ieyasu affirmed with a firm voice. The two naive young men from the countryside, though their faces still held youth, their aura had changed, as if they had matured overnight.
"Mr. Asahi, thank you!"
Ieyasu bowed his head low, but Asahi raised him up. Then he went outside, opened the door, and began the new workday.
"No need for thanks. I've heard enough from Tatsumi. For now, you two stay here. I'll take Ieyasu home in a few days when things settle down."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Both Tatsumi and Ieyasu answered in unison.
True to Asahi's words, the authorities wouldn't care if commoners died. But the wealthy family was different. The number of guards around the Capital tripled, and even the main gate was checked more strictly.
...
At the Night Raid base, in the large meeting room, all the members of Night Raid were currently gathered.
In addition to the members from the previous night, there was another girl with short silver hair and an eye patch, notably with a prosthetic arm made of machinery and metal. She wore an outfit similar to a black vest suit, looking very much like a high-ranking boss.
In fact, she wasn't just like a boss; this person was indeed the leader of Night Raid, the Boss.
"Oh! Boss!! You've returned! Did you bring gifts?"
"Before that, Leone..."
"Huh?"
"It seems you exceeded your mission time three days ago."
The Boss slightly moved her metal arm. The busty blond girl, Leone, turned pale. She spun around and ran toward the door, but the mechanical fist shot out and grabbed Leone. A creaking sound of the retraction cable echoed, pulling her back.
"Aaaaa ooooh.... Boss, gently! Boss, gently!!"
"It's not good to enjoy fighting strong enemies for too long. You must correct that habit."
"I... I know I was wrong. Boss, please stop this thing."
"That's enough fun. Now, everyone report in order."
This was Night Raid's custom; no one objected. After everyone finished reporting, Leone told the Boss about Asahi and Tatsumi.
"What do you think, Boss? They're potential recruits, aren't they? Should we try to bring them in?"
The Boss rested her chin on her hand, nodded slightly, and then replied.
"I can't fully evaluate young Tatsumi yet. As for the one named Asahi, you say he's a café owner, right? However, that is most likely just a facade, or perhaps his hobby."
"Akame, tell me your impression of him." The Boss looked at Akame.
"Very perceptive. If that stone wasn't just thrown randomly, he would have seen my opening at that moment. Even though I wasn't using my full strength then, being able to do that is very formidable."
"Observation skills, healing ability, and courage. And that quote as well: 'Those whose crimes are too severe for even the gods to judge, we can only send them to hell for the demons to prosecute.' Doesn't that align perfectly with Night Raid's principle? An ordinary person wouldn't be able to say something like that."
"Leone, if possible, interact with these two. Observe their reactions, and then, at the appropriate time, you can offer them an invitation."
"Understood!!"