Chapter 37: Body in Cao’s Camp, Heart in Shu: Experiencing the Life of Lord Guan

Early the next morning.

"Hey kid, are you up yet?!"

While Kobayashi was sleeping soundly, Leone burst through the door and shouted at him, "Get up! I'm taking you on a tour of the base today! This task was originally assigned to Akame, but I took it upon myself so I could get a little closer to you!"

Her carefree and boisterous personality might be someone else's cup of tea, but it was certainly not within Kobayashi's range of interest.

He groggily rose from the comfort of his bed.

Seeing this, Leone looked a bit disappointed and said, "What? I didn't expect you to have already been enjoying yourself."

"Enjoying what?" Kobayashi asked, confused.

"This, of course!" Leone grabbed his head and pulled it toward her. "How does it feel?"

"Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!"

It was impossible to hear clearly what Kobayashi was saying through the muffled embrace, but the thumbs-up he gave clearly indicated that it was great.

"How about joining Night Raid? I'll give you plenty of fan service every day!"

"I refuse! If I could be bought off that easily, I'd be selling myself too cheap!"

Faced with temptation, he refused resolutely.

Leone clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Tch, I guess you wouldn't agree so easily, huh?"

"That goes without saying!"

Ruze looked at Leone with dangerous eyes. She had been close to Kobayashi just a moment ago, only to have him snatched away by someone else; it was impossible for her not to be angry.

The sharp-witted Leone blinked and said, "Kid, she seems to have a lot of hostility toward me."

"Well, about that..." Kobayashi was at a loss, feeling awkward.

Ruze, however, spoke with blunt, biting sarcasm: "Miss, what exactly are you trying to achieve by pressing yourself onto others? Are you unaware that you are already causing Master Kobayashi distress? Or perhaps, you want to lighten your load? If you need assistance, I can use a painless technique to remove them for you, and I guarantee they won't grow back. How about that?"

*Whoa—*

"Is she always like this?"

Leone had never seen such a sharp-tongued person... no, Teigu. Why would an emperor from a thousand years ago create such a venomous Teigu? Did that old man who had long since turned to dust have some sort of peculiar fetish? Leone couldn't help but question the taste of the founding emperor.

Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Kobayashi quickly interjected, "Didn't you say you were going to show me around the base? Let's go."

The three of them walked out of the room.

"This is the main hall; we were here yesterday."

Leone brought Kobayashi back to the hall from the previous night, where they saw Sheele sitting at a round table.

"Good morning, Sheele."

"Good morning, Leone."

Sheele put down the book she was holding—which had the subtle title *100 Ways to Cure Airheadedness*—looked up at Leone, and greeted her.

"Say, Sheele, the kid still won't budge. Can you help me convince him?"

Leone began looking for outside help.

Sheele looked a bit surprised. "Oh? You still have no intention of joining?"

"Yeah, and Tatsumi was captured so easily, too."

"Hmm..." Sheele thought for a moment and said, "If you don't become an ally, you'll be killed sooner or later, you know."

"Great, that just makes me want to resist even more."

Kobayashi immediately dismissed her. But Sheele was right; if there was no hope of successfully recruiting him, the worst-case scenario would be his execution.

Just then, another girl appeared.

"Leone, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, it's Mine. Good morning."

Leone said to her, "Mine, come help me convince him."

"Convince him of what? If he doesn't want to, forget it. Let's just finish him off."

Mine was full of malice toward Kobayashi, seemingly still holding a grudge over being deceived yesterday.

Kobayashi retorted sarcastically, "Working with someone of low intelligence lowers your own, so I'll pass."

He wasn't just spouting nonsense; he had experienced it himself. Spending too much time with Aqua and the others really did lower one's IQ!

Mine was instantly incensed, gritting her teeth. "What did you say?! Do you want to be blasted away?!"

"Don't be impulsive, Mine! Don't be impulsive!"

Leone held back the agitated Mine and turned to Kobayashi. "Kid, let's go check out some other places!"

Having prevented a bloody conflict, Leone brought him to the training grounds. Inside, two people were in the middle of a heated spar.

"This is the training ground. The guy dripping with sweat is Bulat, and the one sparring with him is Tatsumi—a newcomer just like you."

Leone shouted at the people in the arena, "Hey, Bulat, Tatsumi! Come meet the new guy!"

The two of them had just finished their morning exercise.

Bulat walked over, extended his hand to Kobayashi, and introduced himself. "Hello, kid. I'm the one who was wearing the armor last night. My name is Bulat. Nice to meet you."

Kobayashi hesitated for a moment before extending his right hand, but he couldn't help being snarky. "While I don't mind shaking hands with a man, could you please wipe that strange smile off your face?"

"Ahaha, don't be like that."

Bulat gripped Kobayashi's hand firmly, wearing a smile reminiscent of Abe Takakazu, and said, "Let's get along well, shall we?"

"No, we definitely won't get along."

Kobayashi refused flatly.

"Don't say such terrifying things!" Leone couldn't help but complain. "Kid, sometimes you really are quite strange."

The other person stepped in as well, saying to Kobayashi, "Hi, I'm Tatsumi."

"Hello."

Kobayashi shook his hand in turn.

For some reason, both of them had the illusion that they might be the only two normal people in the base!

Next, they arrived at an open-air bath.

"This is the bathing area." Leone pointed to a green-haired boy hiding in a tree with binoculars. "And the one peeping over there is Lubbock."

"What? Peeping?! Someone is peeping here? I am the security guard of the base; no one can peep under my watch!" Lubbock, up in the tree, feigned alertness.

"Lubbock, you've already been exposed."

With that, Leone unceremoniously twisted his arm, causing him pain without actually causing physical injury.

"Aooooooooh————!!!"

Lubbock's scream echoed through the sky.

Finally, the two arrived by a small stream.

"This is the main source of food for the base, and the one grilling meat over there is Akame."

"Leone?"

Hearing the voice, Akame turned around and tossed over two pieces of meat.

Kobayashi asked curiously, "What is this?"

"Food. Since you've joined Night Raid, you're entitled to a share of food," Akame explained coldly.

"No, no, no, I haven't agreed to join yet."

"Those who clean up are also allies."

Akame seemed to have her own set of criteria.

"Don't mind if I do!"

Leone took a big bite of the meat. Kobayashi thought for a moment, then also started eating heartily.

...Wait!

What is this strong sense of déjà vu? I feel like I've seen this similar introductory process somewhere before!

"How is it, kid?"

"What?"

"After meeting such reliable allies, don't you have a strong urge to join Night Raid?"

"Not at all!"

After meeting everyone in Night Raid, Kobayashi's refusal only became more resolute.

When Najenda found out that Leone had acted on her own, snatched Akame's task, and messed it up, her screams could be heard throughout the base all night long.

Afterward, Kobayashi began his life as a cleaner.

Although he was a cleaner, he and Ruze could actually finish cleaning all the rooms, including the main hall, quite quickly.

The afternoons were his personal time. Although he couldn't leave the base, he was free to move around inside, living a leisurely life of doing chores when they appeared and wandering around when they didn't.

Plus, because the members of Night Raid were trying to win him over, they would give him little perks from time to time, which made him feel secretly pleased.

Who said being in Cao Cao's camp but having one's heart in Han was a derogatory term?

With people showing concern, others bringing food and clothing, and getting occasional benefits—is this the treatment Lord Guan used to get?

It's just too good!