Falling in Love

Amidst a vast expanse of white snow, a beautiful black-haired girl stood confronting a giant, towering seven or eight stories tall. This girl was none other than Kurome.

Kurome was panting heavily, her delicate face flushed, and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. She weakly gripped her long sword, using it to support herself on the ground, indicating that she was gradually losing strength.

The giant opposite her was in even worse condition. Its armor was covered with cuts of varying depth, exposing flesh in many places, and in some areas, the wounds were so deep that bones were visible. Blood flowed from these injuries, freezing into red ice in the cold air.

Fortunately, it was winter; otherwise, the giant might have already bled to death.

Apparently enraged by Kurome's attacks, the giant pounded its chest with its massive arms and roared, taking large strides towards her, causing snow to fall from the branches with its every step.

Kurome snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in her black and white eyes. She tightened her grip on the sharp long sword, and with a sudden push of her foot, she shot forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

On the other side, the atmosphere was much more awkward.

Kaguya's body was stiff; she enjoyed teasing others, but that didn't mean she liked being teased herself.

Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment and anger, Kaguya's body surged with a powerful force. A palpable wave of chakra burst forth like a tsunami, catching Esdeath off guard and striking her directly.

But Esdeath didn't release Kaguya. Instead, she tightened her arms, hugging Kaguya even more tightly, as if holding onto a large cushion. No matter how much Kaguya struggled, Esdeath refused to let go, causing a momentary standoff.

"Don't waste your energy, my dear," Esdeath whispered, gently biting Kaguya's ear.

"Let go!" Kaguya demanded urgently. "Are you some kind of pervert? Where is your dignity as the Empire's top general? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"Dignity?" Esdeath chuckled lightly, her face showing a proud expression. "I am the embodiment of dignity. If anyone dares to laugh at me, I'll just kill them."

"What if everyone laughs at you?" Kaguya huffed.

"Then I'll kill them all," Esdeath said casually. "If they're weak and don't understand their place, they deserve to die."

Kaguya was speechless. How much of a sadist was she?

At that moment, Kaguya finally broke free from Esdeath's control and regained her mobility. Although being held by such a beautiful woman felt nice, she had her pride as a soul of a man and couldn't stand being teased by a woman.

With a sudden effort, she tried to break free from Esdeath's embrace, but Esdeath seemed to have anticipated this. She grabbed Kaguya's arm tightly and even used her leg to pin Kaguya's legs, causing Kaguya to lose her balance and fall to the ground with a thud. Fortunately, the ground was covered in thick snow, so she wasn't hurt, but the situation became even more awkward.

"My dear, I didn't know you had such preferences," Esdeath teased, a blush appearing on her delicate face.

It was only then that Kaguya realized her hand had ended up in an inappropriate place.

This probably had something to do with Esdeath's daily training. Esdeath's immense strength was the result of her hard work. Although she was undoubtedly very talented, it was undeniable that without rigorous training, she wouldn't have reached her current level of power.

Kaguya swallowed nervously and quickly got off of her. She suddenly found it strange—weren't they supposed to be enemies? How did things develop in such a weird direction?

Recalling Esdeath's earlier words and expressions, a realization struck Kaguya like a flash of lightning.

"Do you... like me?" Kaguya asked hesitantly.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Esdeath stood up from the ground, tidied her disheveled clothes, and smoothed down her nearly knee-length light blue hair.

"That's a huge problem!" Kaguya said urgently. "How can two girls be in love?"

"Who says girls can't fall in love with each other?" Esdeath asked curiously, then smirked. "And don't try to deny it—you have unclear relationships with the girls around you, don't you?"

Kaguya was momentarily speechless. She didn't really have the right to say otherwise.

"If I remember correctly, we're supposed to be enemies," Kaguya said, changing the subject.

To be honest, Kaguya didn't actually dislike Esdeath, but they were on opposing sides, so it wasn't possible. In the original story, Tatsumi tried, but he couldn't change Esdeath's beliefs or mindset. Esdeath's will wasn't something anyone could easily alter.

So, rather than getting tangled up, it would be better to be decisive—or to simply destroy the Empire, in which case Esdeath would be a general in name only.

"Who says enemies can't fall in love?" Esdeath wasn't swayed by Kaguya's argument. Her light blue eyes, filled with a predatory gleam, were fixed on Kaguya as she smiled slightly. "Or are you afraid?"

"Of course not," Kaguya scoffed, flicking her silver hair back and giving Esdeath a clear-eyed look. "If you want to date me, beat me first."

Wait, this isn't right, Kaguya suddenly thought. Why did her tone sound like she was the submissive one?

Just as Kaguya was bracing herself for another fierce battle, Esdeath unexpectedly sheathed her sword, hung it at her waist, and smiled at Kaguya. "Let's leave it at that for today. I'm quite happy, but unfortunately, I can't stay to play with you."

Kaguya watched her in confusion, not understanding her intentions. Wasn't she here to fight?

Seeing the confusion on Kaguya's face, Esdeath smiled. "I was hoping to spend more time with you, but I need to deal with those rats in Night Raid, so I can't stay. But don't worry, my dear—I'll be back."

With those words, Esdeath flashed a smile at Kaguya, flicked her long hair, and turned to leave.

Watching Esdeath's slender figure fade into the distance, Kaguya's brow furrowed slightly. She had thought Esdeath was sent by Minister Honest, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. It looked like she was more focused on Night Raid. Could there be some kind of conspiracy?