Akame: "I didn't know there were hot springs around here."

Cornelia: (relaxed sigh) "Yeah..."

Currently, the females of the Elite Seven were currently relaxing in a natural hot spring after their mission. The boys of the group had promised they wouldn't stare, but to prove that they would keep such promise, they ended up tying Guy to a tree.

Akame: "I'm still surprised about what happened at the river. To think that we would be ambushed by an armed group there..."

Cornelia: "That was the first time someone laid a trap for us, weren't it? Well, Papa said, we're becoming targets as well."

Poney: "Bring it! We'll turn the chairs on them, just like this time!"

Cornelia: "It's 'turn the tables,' Poney"

Poney: "Shut up, Corey! Who cares what it is!?"

Then, a water battle was incited between the three. This went on for a few minutes, splashing each other with water, before Cornelia decided to get up.

Cornelia: "Hey, hey. We should leave soon so the guys can have their turn."

Akame: (gasp): Why don't we try sneaking up on them? A game to see if the chief or Akira would notice us!"

Poney: "Oh! That sounds super fun! If they don't, we'll call them 'shrimps!'"

Cornelia: (sweat drops) "I think Akira will just prevent you guys from eating..."

Getting out of the hot spring and getting changed, the girls began to quietly sneak back to their camp. Keeping under the cover of the shadows and the bushes, they find the boys.

As promised, the boys had indeed tied Guy up to a tree. As usual, Najasho was reading his book, Green was messing with the fire they had set up, and Akira had his knife, sharpening it and then balancing it on his index finger.

Guy: "Ugh, those girls are taking forever. Just finish in five minutes and get out already."

Najasho: "No,  a bath should be forty-five minutes."

Green: "Guy, your baths are too short. Chief, yours are too long."

Akira: "Then what kinds of baths do you all take?"

Guy: "Seriously, when's pops gonna come back? I wanna go into Toushi Town already."

Green: "We to stay in an inn that serves great local food as a reward for our recent work, right?"

Guy: "Right. And the hot spring street has a brothel, too."

Green: "So that's what you're really after."

Najasho: (sigh) "Predictable, shrimp."

Akira: "Maybe it's best if we left you tied to that tree for the whole trip."

Both Najasho and Akira took a small glance behind them. Already, they could sense the presences of Akame, Poney, and Cornelia.

Poney: (whisper) "Hey, I really think chief and Akira haven't noticed us!"

Cornelia: (whisper) "This is something we can be proud of."

Guy: "Hey, I need to take a piss, can you untie me?"

Green: "You're just going to go peeking with the Rare Suit, aren't you? I'm not going to let you see them naked!"

Guy: "Why don't we just go together?"

Akira: "It's called having some decency, dumbass. Maybe you should try learning it."

Guy: "Hey, Green, you got really worked up when you said, 'I'm not going to let you see them naked.'"

Akira: "Eh, he's not wrong."

Green: "Wha...um...that's...!"

Guy: "Do you like one of them? Are you after Cornelia, too!? Then let's take this outside."

Najasho: "How much more outside can we get?"

Green: "It's got nothing to do with Corey!"

Akira: "Then if it's not Corey...I can't really see you and Poney together."

Najasho: "Or could it be that you actually don't want Guy to see other naked women, and that's actually all there is to it?"

Guy: "What!?"

Green: "No! Tch, I don't want there to be some weird misunderstanding...fine then, I'll tell you. ...Akame. It's her. I began having feelings for her recently."

Guy: "Whoa, you're not kidding. Not with a face like that."

Najasho: "That's a surprise."

What the others failed to notice was the twitching with Akira's finger. When Green had mentioned her name, it caused his hand to do so.

Akame: (thoughts) 'Green feels that way about me...? I had no idea.'

Poney: (whisper) "Hey! Way to go, Akame.~"

Akame: "Um..."

Cornelia: (whisper) "Green thinks of Akame as...Akame is shocked! What's gonna happen? What's gonna happen!?"

Poney: (thoughts) 'Why are you getting more worked up over this than she is, Corey?'

Guy: "So why do you like, Akame?"

Najasho: "We'll listen to you to pass the time."

Akira: "Y-Yeah..."

Green: (pushes up glasses) "It's a pitiful story, so prepare your handkerchiefs. That's right, it was about half a year ago. That day, I discovered my armpit fetish, and began looking at Akame's armpits whenever I had the chance. And next, I realized I had fallen for Akame, too. Isn't it pitiful?"

Instead of the reactions he was hoping for, the other three boys looked at Green with stunned, but also straight looks. Green was very confused.

Green: "What!? What's that reaction!?"

Najasho: "I'm sorry, small fry."

Akira: "Even I have to apologize."

Green: "And why are you two apologizing!?"

Akira: (thoughts) 'The girls probably heard everything...Akame...'

With the girls...

Poney: "That was such a shock, we had to get out of there right away. Wow...I had a feeling, but Green really is perverted!"

Cornelia: "I thought he'd be more normal...armpits? What do you think, Akame? After hearing how Green feels about you?"

Akame: "Well, no matter what the reasons might be, I'm still happy that someone likes me. However, Green is an important friend of mine, and I want us to be just comrades."

Next Day

Poney: "Now then! To the inn with great local food, we go!"

Akira: "Why the hell are you so gungho?"

Poney: "Food, Akira! Food!"

Akame: "It's too bad chief and Green couldn't come."

Gozuki: "Those two are being targeted by spies who have their pictures of their faces, so there's nothing we can do. Akira was lucky enough to have a mask on at the time. Well, this'll be a nice break. Rest up, and then we'll plan our next course of action."

Akame: "...Here, too."

Akira: "Hmm?"

Akame: "No matter what town we go to, there are miserable people everywhere if you take a closer look. Or starved people. Are their lives that difficult?"

Akira: "This is completely from the house we lived in and that village we were close to."

Gozuki: "You're right. This is completely different from the village that was near our house. There's nothing we can do. This is what you call inequality of wealth. You were all sold by your parents, too. But even then, you all found the things you could enjoy in your lives and lived them as best you could. If war breaks out, the lives of people like these, who do their best to keep on living, will disappear like trash. If we can protect the peace, then the politicians will be able to do something about this."

Poney: "We'll do our best! Besides, you're my real father, anyway!"

Gozuki: (chuckles) "There, there. That's my girl."

Gozuki then took a look at Akame and Akira. Akame, as usual, didn't give the same amount of praise like Poney. But when he looked at Akira's, he could see that his eyes were beginning to question. In fact, they were beginning to have eyes like Akame.

Gozuki: "There it is. That's the inn that we will be staying at for a while."

Poney: "Whooaaa!"

Barbara: "Let's stay at this inn, Taeko."

Taeko: "Yes."

When Akira had turned his head to the left slight, so did the girl with lime eyes. Their eyes had met, causing Akira's to narrow slightly, but it was a bit unnoticable.

He had an odd feeling about that girl and the old woman. It caused him to grip his other arm as he looked on with slight suspicious. He wasn't sure if he should tell Gozuki about them, but he knew that they needed to be kept an eye on.