Many days had passed since that war. Cloud Moon had suffered the least damage during the conflict.
They quickly adjusted after the war and began to frantically accumulate resources. One must know, if they missed this, there would never be such a good opportunity again.
Not to mention their enemy, Fire Cloud, wouldn't let them have their way; even other guilds wouldn't either. No one was willing to watch someone else's strength grow while their own remained unchanged.
Akame and Kuromi also frequently went out to do missions. The two of them seemed to be counted as Players as well, possessing the same ability to gain stats as Players do.
Moreover, they seemed very eager for strength, so they often hunted beasts alone; missions were just incidental.
Kaede wasn't idle either. First, under Koujo Shizuka's care, she recovered from her injuries. Recovery potions were effective for Kaede, but the effect was limited.
Furthermore, the effects were getting worse and worse. If she were to rely on recovery potions, the cost would likely be enormous. So, in the end, she gave up on using them.
And now, Kaede looked at the options before her, a hesitant expression appearing on her face.
Yes, that's right; this was Asuna's summons.
Kaede had received it several times already, but in the end, she hadn't agreed. After all, Kaede was a bit afraid to see Asuna, given she had become like this...
However, Kaede felt that if she refused again, Asuna would get angry, wouldn't she?
"Xiao Kaede~"
Asuna's angry face seemed to appear in Kaede's mind. Well, no matter how she thought about it, she felt her sister was so beautiful...
Ultimately, Kaede chose to accept. In the next moment, Kaede's figure disappeared from the guild.
...
It had been quite some time since Asuna had drawn Kaede's likeness, but she still hadn't seen Kaede appear before her. Although she hadn't received a refusal message, Asuna still felt that Kaede might not come.
"Hmph, Xiao Kaede, if you aren't coming, then it's best you never come at all." Asuna wrinkled her nose, but then felt a bit worried in her heart.
Was it that Kaede had too many things to do and no time to come, or was she in any danger, or something like that?
Then, Asuna felt a blur before her eyes as a light flashed, causing her to involuntarily close her eyes. But as she closed them, the corners of her mouth quietly curled up.
However, a moment later, Asuna pulled back her smile and looked coldly at Kaede's slowly emerging figure.
"Eh?" Asuna couldn't help but be startled when she saw Kaede. "Who are you!"
Asuna couldn't help but call out, but in her heart, she felt that this person seemed to be Kaede.
Kaede was also taken aback by Asuna's question, then looked into Asuna's bright eyes and saw her own reflection, only then realizing that she had come in her original appearance this time.
And this was the first time Asuna had seen her like this.
"Sister, it's me, Kaede." Kaede couldn't help but say as she watched Asuna's astonished expression.
"Really?" A look of suspicion appeared on Asuna's face, although the person in front of her truly brought with her the feeling of Kaede, a special sense of intimacy.
"Of course, Sister, this is my original appearance right now~"
"...Oh." Asuna nodded, then realized, she should be angry right now, right? Then Asuna put on a straight face and looked at Kaede.
"You still know how to come over?"
"Uh." Kaede scratched her head.
"I called you several times, and only now did you respond." Asuna continued.
"That, I didn't... Sigh." Kaede didn't know what to say. Should she say she was afraid to let her see her as she was now? Afraid of disappointing her...
Mostly, Kaede was afraid. She was no longer the same person she was before in front of Asuna; now, her hands were stained with blood and filth...
Watching Kaede's expression, Asuna finally couldn't help but laugh first.
Hearing Asuna's laughter, Kaede also laughed. From the very beginning, Kaede knew her sister wasn't actually angry.
Then Asuna puffed out her cheeks and looked at Kaede, "Next time, if there's nothing else, you are not allowed to refuse your sister's summoning!"
"Mm-hmm." Kaede nodded.
"However, for now..." Asuna placed her hands on Kaede's face, "Let me get a good look at your real appearance." When mentioning "real," Asuna's voice became heavier, which made Kaede pause again.
Afterward, Asuna still asked Kaede about what she had experienced.
Kaede hesitated for a long time without speaking.
"What's wrong, is it hard to say? If you don't want to talk about it, then don't." Asuna looked at Kaede gently. Although she felt a little sad inside, she didn't want to see Kaede feeling troubled even more.
Kaede shook her head and finally spoke. She really didn't want to tell Asuna about her experiences, those blood-soaked experiences.
Moreover, it was impossible for Kaede to deceive Asuna. Since Asuna had asked, Kaede would tell her the truth.
While recounting her experiences, Kaede didn't look at Asuna's eyes. She was afraid, truly afraid. If Asuna showed a look of fear, Kaede didn't know how she would feel...
When Kaede finished her last sentence, her eyes were already fixed on the ground.
No one spoke. Kaede closed her eyes. Sister... would she loathe her? Kaede didn't know, which was why she was afraid to see her sister. And, this version of herself...
However, the next moment, Kaede felt a pair of soft arms wrap around her neck, and then, following that force, she fell into a warm embrace.
Asuna's gentle, slightly trembling voice rang in her ear, "You must be very tired, right?"
The trembling wasn't from fear, but from pity—a voice trembling so much it wanted to cry...
"No, I..." Kaede didn't finish, as Asuna pressed her index finger against her lips to stop what she was about to say—nothing more than words like "I'm not tired."
"Don't lie~" Asuna said. How could she not be tired? Just listening to her, Asuna felt so bitter and tired...
Kaede was silent, not saying a word. Her eyes were a bit blurry, but in the end, she didn't shed a single tear. She didn't know when, but she had already learned to be strong.
"If you're tired, then rest." Asuna said.
"Mm."
Kaede nuzzled into Asuna's embrace and answered softly, then slowly closed her eyes. Perhaps this was the first time she had slept so deeply since becoming an assassin?
In any case, Kaede really did fall asleep. Not the kind of sleep where one could wake up at any moment, but she had entered a deep sleep.
Before, she dared not and could not, but now...
With some effort, Asuna carried Kaede to the bed. Looking at Kaede's sleeping face, Asuna felt her eyes stinging again, but if she cried, wouldn't it make Kaede sad?
So, Asuna didn't cry, but she truly felt for Kaede.
"Silly girl." Stroking Kaede's face, Asuna understood why Kaede didn't want to see her, and understood that feeling.
However, she was a bit angry. How could she care about those things? The only thing she cared about was her safety.
Looking at Kaede gently, Asuna finally pulled over the blanket and covered both herself and Kaede...
Such a summoning could naturally not happen in public, so it could only be in Asuna's own private room.
"Get some good rest, Kaede~" Beside Kaede, Asuna also closed her eyes.
------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks