"Najenda, what's wrong? You've been spacing out a lot lately."
"Ah? No... it's nothing."
"The new country was only just founded; don't overwork yourself. We still need you here."
Najenda, the former leader of the assassination group [Night Raid], watched the official walk past, her expression vacant.
Just yesterday, Susanoo--who was supposed to have been destroyed by Esdeath--had suddenly reappeared before her. Even Lubbock, whom she had confirmed dead, had walked into her office as if he'd just been away on a long trip.
If they hadn't possessed the warmth and reason of the living, she would have suspected they were some kind of advanced Teigu-controlled puppets.
But there was something else that bothered Najenda even more.
'Night Raid? What are you talking about?'
'We never had a department with that name.'
At first, she thought the new government's high-ranking officials were simply refusing to acknowledge their existence for political reasons. But when she went out into the city, she realized the truth was far more disturbing.
The people of the Revolutionary Army had "forgotten" [Night Raid].
Not just the officials, but the common people and the historical records as well. It was as if every trace of the group that had assassinated countless Imperial officials and turned the tide of the war had been systematically erased from the world's memory.
Even the bounties for the members, including Akame's, had vanished.
"But... if I go there, I'll find the answers."
Akame had sent a letter to their secret hideout, the gathering place for everyone who remained. Najenda had to see it for herself. Even though she was now a high-ranking official in the new state, she had to find the time to ask what was happening.
She was certain Akame knew the secret. Why else would she have called them together?
"I'm telling you! Can't you be a bit more careful?!"
"It's fine, look. I've been walking around all day, and not a single guard has stopped me. Not even a single person has looked at me with hostility."
Tatsumi laughed, his carefree attitude infuriating the pink-haired girl beside him.
"It's unbelievable... but we're alive. And no one remembers us."
Tatsumi tossed a piece of fruit he had just bought to Mine, who caught it with a huff.
"Hmph! If you get caught, don't expect me to come save you!"
She looked away, her cheeks flushing in a signature display of tsundere pride.
"Yeah, yeah. I won't cause you any trouble."
"But if that ever happens... Mine, you just run, okay?"
Tatsumi's smile was genuine and warm.
"Ugh... you!"
Mine crossed her arms, her face turning even redder.
"Hey... can you two stop? Think about the rest of us for a second," Lubbock groaned from a nearby chair, watching their flirting with a look of extreme discomfort.
"Hahaha! Lubbock, are you jealous?" Leone laughed, slapping him on the back.
"Shut up! I just..."
"Hehe. Everyone's alive."
"Sheele, the fact that you're alive is the biggest shock of all," Leone added. "I thought I was dreaming when I saw you."
"Speaking of which... where's Chelsea?"
"She said she wanted to wander around the neighborhood."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't joke around! Please! Most of us don't even have our Teigu anymore... if we get hunted, we're in real trouble!"
Lubbock still couldn't grasp the reality. Dead companions were standing right in front of him. If the feeling weren't so real, he would have assumed they were all in heaven--or hell--together.
"Don't worry about it. I've checked all the bulletin boards in the city. There isn't a single wanted poster for us. Who's going to catch us?"
Leone pointed toward the street, looking entirely unconcerned.
"By the way... where's Akame?"
"She said she was going to find Bulat."
"What? Aniki is back, too?!"
"I'm not sure. But if we go to the old hideout later, we'll find out."
"Yo! Akame, you came just in time. I was just sitting here wondering what's going on."
"Climbing out of the ground and seeing my own tombstone... that was a bit much, even for me."
A massive man with a pompadour sat on the ground, a wide, cheerful grin on his face as he looked at the girl approaching him.
"Mm... I'm glad I came to check."
Akame looked at the vibrant, healthy Bulat and felt a wave of relief. She had already met everyone who had died in the Capital, except for Najenda. No one was missing. Every member of [Night Raid] was present.
But there was something else that preoccupied her.
Before she'd left for the war, she was one of the most wanted criminals in the Empire. But since her return, not only had the bounty been cancelled, but the very concept of [Night Raid] as an assassination group had vanished. Even when she'd infiltrated the new government's archives, she'd found absolutely no record of their existence.
She could walk through the streets in broad daylight and no one would lift a finger.
'Is this Rin's wish?'
She knew the answer. She felt a profound sense of gratitude toward the little girl.
[Beautiful and Stable Future].
She had been "saved" twice.
Rin hadn't just brought her friends back to life; she had erased the "trouble" that would have followed their resurrection.
Without the wanted posters, the members of [Night Raid] were free to live however they chose in the new country. They could go into hiding, travel, or start a business.
"Sister..."
"!"
Akame whirled around, hearing the voice she had never expected to hear again.
Standing beside a man named Wave was her younger sister, Kurome--the one she had been forced to kill.
"Waiter! Over here, please!"
"Coming right up!"
"Whoa... the girls in this new place are really something else. I guess when the country gets better, everything else follows suit."
"Hehe. You'd better not have any bad ideas. Bulat will beat the living daylights out of you."
"A guy that big working as a bouncer at a little tavern like this... no one's brave enough to start trouble anyway."
"I heard this place is actually funded by that high official, Najenda."
"Really?"
In a busy street of the new Imperial Capital, a tavern called "[Night Raid]" had appeared out of nowhere.
It was staffed by beautiful, incredibly skilled girls who could serve a table and take down a rowdy customer in the same breath. There were also teenage boys who looked unassuming but could hold their own against grown men in a brawl.
The unique style and energy of the place had made it an overnight sensation among the locals.
"Hey, is Leone drinking on the job again?!"
"Isn't she supposed to be working?! Why is she just sitting there downing ale while we're swamped?!"
"Lubbock, that's just the difference between people," Tatsumi sighed as he tried to calm his colleague down.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Tatsumi, come help! The shipment for today hasn't been moved yet!"
Mine's voice cut through the chaos, and Tatsumi turned with a smile.
Akame stood in the kitchen, silently working alongside Sheele, Chelsea, and Susanoo.
And out front, sitting on a wagon in the bright afternoon sunlight, Bulat let out a long yawn and stretched his massive arms.
"This..."
"Isn't bad at all."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]