"If we give up before we try, then nothing is going to happen"— Eli Ayase, Love Live! School Idol Project

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  Run, from the ptform, was in a predit. He hadn't expected Esdeath to personally desd and attempt to "cim" the young man. And he certainly hadn't anticipated that the boy would be able to evade her for so long.

  However, he had to intervene now. The spectators were getting riled up, treating the whole se as eai.

  "You're quite fast, Roy," Esdeath ented, her smile widening. The lohe chase tihe more impressed she became with Roy's agility.

  "Oh, it's alright, I guess. But you won't catch me. You keep that colr for yourself," Roy replied with a shrug and a pyful wink.

  "Oh? Is that so?" Esdeath chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  She crouched down, pg a hand on the ground.

  "Freeze!" she anded.

  A yer of istantly spread across the arena floor, inating from her hand and creeping towards Roy.

  Roy smirked. Pying with ice? He was quite familiar with that.

  But this wasn't the time for a magic duel. He leaped back, dodging the id nding behind Wave, who was ag as the referee.

  The ice followed, instantly eng Wave's feet.

  "Hey, Captain, it's me!" Wave cried out in arm.

  But the ice tio spread upwards, quickly eng his entire body.

  Esdeath paused, surprised, and stopped her ice magic.

  Run approached her. "Captain, perhaps we should take him bad discuss this further," he suggested.

  "Yes, that's a good idea," Esdeath agreed, releasing Wave from his icy prison.

  "Achoo! Achoo!" Wave shivered, rubbing his arms for warmth.

  "Hey, are you alright?" Roy asked with a chuckle, patting Wave's shoulder.

  Wave gred at him. If it weren't for Roy, he wouldn't have been frozen.

  "You'll e with us, won't you?" Run asked Roy with a smile.

  "Of course. Didn't you say there would be a reward for winning?" Roy replied with a grin.

  "Ihe's go."

  The four of them headed towards the Imperial Pace.

  Along the way, Esdeath stole g Roy, her cheeks flushed, like a lovestruck girl.

  Roy couldn't help but feel a bit smug. It seemed Esdeath had truly taken a liking to him.

  He did have a knack for charming people.

  He had initially inteo quer her with his strength, but it seemed his charm was doing the work for him.

  Run expihat they wanted Roy to join the Jaegers, and Roy readily agreed.

  They soon arrived at the Jaegers' meeting room.

  The other members were already there.

  Roy immediately spotted Kurome, who was mung on snacks.

  As if sensing his gaze, Kurome hugged her snacks protectively and gred at him. "I won't share with you," she decred.

  Roy's lips twitched.

  'Just like her sister, a plete glutton,' he thought.

  But while Akame preferred meat, Kurome had a sweet tooth.

  "Now the me introduce everyone..." Esdeath began.

  "This is Roy. He's a new member of the Jaegers, and also... my Beloved."

  Esdeath's straightforward decration, using the term "beloved," made Roy a bit unfortable. It felt like he was being cimed as a possession.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you all," Roy said with a smile, trying to maintain his posure.

  He quickly walked over and sat beside Kurome.

  Wave, still shivering from his earlier iter, was dumbfouo find that there were s left.

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  After the introdus, Esdeath briefed them on their first mission as a team.

  It was a simple task: eliminate a group of bandits.

  The Jaegers set off.

  By evening, they arrived at the bandits' hideout.

  "Destroying this pce will be our first mission as the Jaegers. Let's make it a success," Run said, ag as the leader for this operation.

  "Yes!" the others replied.

  Esdeath and Roy stood at a distance, the mission.

  The five Jaegers unched a direct assault on the bandit camp.

  The bandits were no match for the Teigu users, and the camp was quickly overrun.

  "Roy, do you dislike me?" Esdeath suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on Roy.

  "Eh?" Roy was taken aback, then chuckled. "Of course not. I'm quite fond of you, Esdeath-san."

  Esdeath blushed. "This is the first time I've felt this way... liking someo's not an unpleasant feeling."

  Roy eechless.

  He had e here to win over Kurome, not Esdeath. How had this happened?

  "Well then, I should join the fight," Roy said, quickly exg himself.

  It wasn't that he disliked Esdeath, but the atmosphere was getting a bit too intimate for his liking.

  He felt like he was the one being pursued.

  To win over Esdeath, he had to be the one in trol.

  With that thought, he ehe bandit camp.

  He spotted Kurome and Wave nearby.

  Aruck him. He swiftly approached a bandit who was about to ambush Kurome and kicked him away.

  Wave, who had been rushing over to "save" Kurome, was annoyed.

  "Kurome, are you alright?" Roy asked.

  "I'm fine. I already sensed him," Kurome replied ftly.

  Roy eechless. She was so blunt.

  "Here, this is for you," he said, her a lollipop.

  Kurome's eyes lit up, and she snatched the lollipop, popping it into her mouth.

  "Thank you!"

  Wave, witnessing how easily Roy had won over Kurome with a single lollipop, was dumbfounded.

  After this small gesture of goodwill, the mission to elimihe bandits was pleted.

  They returo the Capital.

  That night, Esdeath invited Roy to her room.

  Roy didn't refuse and followed her.

  He had expected Esdeath to discuss something with him, but she simply went to take a bath.

  Could it be...? he wondered.

  After a while, Esdeath emerged from the bathroom.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, wearing only a shirt.

  The sight stirred something within Roy, but he quickly regained his posure.

  "It's alright," he replied with a smile.

  "Well, I'm not sure what to do at a time like this. I suppose following my instincts is the best approach," Esdeath said, closing her eyes shyly.

  Her straightforwardness caught Roy off guard.

  But he shook his head resolutely. "No."

  Esdeath opened her eyes, surprised.

  "Why?"

  Roy shrugged and walked towards the door.

  "It's not the right time yet," he said with a smile, opening the door.

  "Wait..." Esdeath tried to stop him.

  "No need. Run has already arranged a room for me," Roy replied, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  This was a matter of pride.

  Roy then headed towards his room.

  However, as he was about to reach his room, he spotted Kurome sitting on the rooftop, eating snacks.

  His eyes lit up. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to test his persuasive skills?

  He leaped onto the rooftop and sat beside Kurome.

  "Um..."

  "I won't share my snacks with you!" Kurome decred, hugging her snacks protectively and interrupting him.

  Roy coughed awkwardly.

  He quickly took out a bag of dy, ope, and popped oo his mouth.

  The sweet aroma wafted towards Kurome, and her eyes were glued to the dy.

  "I'll share with you," Roy offered with a smile, holding out the bag.

  "Thank you!" Kurome eagerly took the dy and popped oo her mouth.

  Her eyes lit up as she savored the sweet fvor.

  "Kurome, you have an older sister named Akame, right?" Roy asked casually.

  Kurome froze.

  "Yes... she's my family. But she betrayed the Empire..."

  "I 't wait to see her again. And when I do... I'll kill her myself. Because she's my beloved sister."

  Kurome giggled, her voice ced with a disturbing uone.

  Roy sighed inwardly.

  Why were these sisters always talking about killing each other?

  "Akame told me about your childhood. Kurome, don't you want to go back to those days?"

  Kurome was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "We 't go back. Akame betrayed the Empire... and she betrayed me."

  "Have you ever wondered why Akame betrayed the Empire?"

  Kurome remained silent, but she had indeed pohis question, with no answers.

  Akame's betrayal had been so sudden and ued.

  "Because the Empire forced her to kill her best friend," Roy expined. "That's when Akame realized how dark the Empire truly is. She was afraid that her mission would be to kill you, Kurome. So, she decided to defect, hoping you would join her. But you didn't respond."

  Kurome's eyes widened, and she stopped eating her snacks.

  This simple logic was easy for anyone in the modern world to uand.

  But for Kurome, who had never received a proper education, it was a revetion.

  No one had ever expi to her like this.

  After a long silence, Kurome shook her head. "We 't go back. It's impossible."

  She jumped off the rooftop auro her room.

  Even after uanding the truth, Kurome still didn't io leave the Empire.

  She had been ied with drugs to enhance her physical abilities at a young age. These drugs had taken a toll on her body.

  She was also heavily depe on them and needed regur doses.

  The snacks she stantly ate were actually those drugs. Without them, she wouldn't st long.

  Roy sighed, watg her leave. It seemed his persuasive skills weren't enough.

  He uood Kurome's dition. Even with the drugs, she wouldn't live much longer.

  In the inal story, it wasn't so much that Kurome wao kill Akame, but rather, she wao die by Akame's hand.

  Perhaps that was still her wish.

  It seemed he o find another way to vince her.

  ...

  The m, Roy found Kurome in the meeting room, eating snacks alone.

  He sat beside her and pced a variety of snacks before her.

  Kurome's eyes lit up, and she drooled at the sight of the treats.

  "Here, Kurome, eat up. These are all for you," Roy said with a smile.

  "Thank you!" Kurome eagerly grabbed the snacks and started mung on them.

  "Kurome, it's almost lunchtime. Are you still going to eat snacks?" Wave asked, approag them with a cup of tea.

  "Mind your own business," Kurome replied ftly, tinuing to eat.

  "You should eat more seafood," ersisted.

  "So I smell like a salty fish like you?" Kurome retorted, gng at him.

  "Really? Do I smell like that?" Wave was surprised and sniffed himself.

  "Haha, of course you do, Salty Fished Uncle," Roy chuckled, amused by Kurome's ued humor.

  "Eh? Salty Fished Uncle?" Wave was dumbfounded. He was only twenty years old.

  "I'm seventeen," Roy expined. "And Kurome is probably even younger. So, you're definitely an Uncle."

  Wave thought about it and realized Roy had a point.

  But he was really only twenty! Just as he was about to protest, the door opened.

  Esdeath ehe meeting room and addressed Roy. "Roy, we're heading to Mt. Fake. It's hunting time for the few days."

  "Oh, okay," Roy agreed.

  "Wave and Kurome will also e. We'll hunt Danger Beasts and search fht Raid members."

  "Uood." Wave and Kurome nodded.

  "I'll take the east side with Kurome. Wave and Roy, you take the west side."

  "We'll switch after nightfall. I'll be with Roy then," Esdeath said, looking at Roy with a sly smile.

  After beied the ht, she had sought advice from Bols, who was married.

  He had told her to be patient and showcase her strength to capture Roy's heart.

  That's why she had arrahis hunting expedition, to impress Roy with her power.

  "I have an obje," Roy suddenly decred, raising his hand.

  "Oh? What is it, Roy?" Esdeath asked, intrigued.

  "I want to be partnered with Kurome."

  Esdeath was momentarily surprised, then chuckled. "Very well."

  She didn't mind. After all, she would be with Roy at night. It didn't matter who he was with during the day.

  ...

  They set off for Mt. Fake.

  The mountain arsely vegetated and shrouded in mist.

  Roy and Kurome searched for Danger Beasts together.

  "Kurome, if I could heal your body, would you leave the Empire and recile with Akame?" Roy asked suddenly.

  Kurome was silent for a moment, then looked at him with suspi. "You keep trying to persuade me to leave the Empire. Who are you really?"

  Although she cked formal education, Kurome wasn't stupid.

  Roy's repeated attempts to sway her had raised her suspis.

  "Sigh, I guess I have no choice then," Roy said with a dramatic sigh.

  g!

  Sensing danger, Kurome drew her Teigu, "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa."

  "That won't work on me, Kurome," Roy warned.

  He vanished and reappeared behind Kurome.

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