I love time travel the most!

"Speaking of which, can Tatsumi win? The others don't seem like weaklings either... Well, he's been trained by us, so he should be fine, right?"

"Indeed, he seems to have grown quite a bit since I last saw him."

"Right, right!"

Hearing the praise, Leone looked very proud and said with a mischievous grin, "Okay, it's decided! I'll make Tatsumi treat me to drinks after he wins!"

"Are you going to scam him out of his money for drinks again?"

"Don't put it so harshly... Hey?"

Leone finally realized something was wrong, and she turned to look at the person beside her who was agreeing with her.

He smiled and said, "You really haven't changed, Leone."

"...Xiao Lin?"

Leone blankly called out his name, and the next second, she was about to use her Teigu to transform in a fit of rage, but Kobayashi held her shoulders and forcibly controlled her.

"Don't be impulsive. Don't you know who's on stage?"

"...Tsk."

Leone clicked her tongue softly in annoyance.

Esdeath on the stage is exceptionally strong. If she attracts the attention of the enemy, she will definitely be subdued. Not only will her identity be exposed, but she may also implicate Tatsumi and the others from Night Raid.

Be patient!

“Yes, you’ve grown, Leone.”

"Don't talk to me with that smug look on your face!"

Leone pushed his hand away and angrily questioned, "Kobayashi, what is your purpose in showing up here now? Have you joined the Empire?!"

"No, I did not join the Empire."

Kobayashi looked her straight in the eye and said very seriously, "I will not join the Empire, never, I can assure you of that."

Unfortunately, it was completely unconvincing; Leone simply didn't believe him.

Xiaolin chuckled lightly, offering no further explanation.

"As for why we're here..."

"Next game!"

Just then, the names of the two teams facing off in the next match were announced from the stage.

"Tatsumi, the blacksmith from the north, and... Kobayashi, the watchmaker from the capital! Please come to the stage!"

Chapter 62 Esdeath is a Love-Obsessed Person

Under Leone's clenched-teeth gaze, Kobayashi nonchalantly left his seat and walked towards the ring.

He slowly approached Tatsumi, looking at him with a pie chart showing a mixture of surprise, joy, sadness, and anger in his eyes.

If nothing had actually happened between them, he would have thought he was some heartless, unfaithful man.

"Oh, it's been a long time, Tatsumi."

"...Xiao Lin."

"Is it a coincidence or fate? I never expected to meet again in this kind of situation."

This is a lie.

Actually, it was Kobayashi who deliberately asked Seryu to help him cut in line. Although he found it strange, he said that he and Tatsumi were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time and he wanted to give him a surprise by reuniting in the ring, so Seryu readily agreed.

The purpose of doing this, of course, is to play the supporting role and highlight Tatsumi, this innocent little flower.

"Why, why are you here?!"

Tatsumi was furious upon seeing Kobayashi. He angrily demanded, "Do you know how everyone has been since you left...?!"

"Tazmi! Sh-"

Xiaolin gently stopped them, while putting her index finger to her lips and gesturing with her eyes that there were other people nearby.

Tatsumi wanted to impulsively question them, but in the end he clenched his fists and held back.

Will's lips twitched slightly, his smile awkward.

It seems that although the two are old acquaintances, there appears to be some grudge between them, so it's best not to get involved.

Then he raised his right hand.

"Next, the ninth group's battle begins!"

"……here we go."

Ran, watching from the Imperial Capital's viewing platform, couldn't help but whisper, because Esdeath had seemed completely uninterested in the battles on the stage from the beginning, until the two fighters from the ninth group took to the stage, at which point her eyes lit up and she perked up slightly.

"General Esdeath, are you interested in the two people on the stage?"

"I just saw an interesting person."

Esdeath saw the boy who gave her a strange sense of familiarity and began to pay some attention to his presence.

"Is that right?"

Lan was slightly surprised and turned her gaze back to the arena.

The two fighters in the ring are exchanging punches at a high frequency.

"Tatsumi, you've gotten stronger."

Kobayashi continuously parried the incoming straight punches with great speed and force, very much in the style of Brand.

"Humph!"

Tazumi grunted.

Seeing that Kobayashi was handling the situation with ease, he was naturally unhappy, and his fists moved even faster.

“She’s a junior who joined later than me.”

“No, Tatsumi. I didn’t join you, and I’m older than you. You should call me senior.”

"What did you say?!"

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because once he did, Tatsumi got even angrier.

During the time Kobayashi was away, Leone drank heavily every day and cursed Kobayashi as an idiot. Akame seemed unchanged, but she would always put Kobayashi's name on the scarecrow when testing swords. Mine would also often put the scarecrow in the clothes she had bought for him and fire a shot at it. Najenda and Lubbock were also worried because they regarded Kobayashi as their imaginary enemy.

It's easy to imagine how important Kobayashi is to them.

Now he's saying it has nothing to do with them?!

Kobayashi, who was trying to read his mind, couldn't help but speak up and explain, "Wait, are you misunderstanding something?"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!"

After Tatsumi's rage exceeded the threshold, both the speed and power of his punches increased significantly. However, the cost was that his attacks became chaotic and disorganized, failing to form effective combos and resulting in gaps in his defense.

--flaw!

Kobayashi deflected the incoming fist, causing Kobayashi to lose his balance and momentarily stiffen. Then, with lightning speed, Kobayashi delivered a punch to Tatsumi's abdomen.

"Pfft!"

Tatsumi's face tightened, he clutched his waist and abdomen and took a large step back, then quickly adjusted his disordered breathing.

"No, no, how can we let our emotions get the better of us? Even if we're furious, we have to stay calm."

Kobayashi lightly tapped his forehead with her index finger and admonished him, "Brand is also an excited and passionate man, but he doesn't show his passion on the surface. He just gets hot-blooded but his mind remains calm. You still have a lot to learn from him."

"Big brother..."

Tatsumi would recall his older brother's words and the teachings he received on the dragon ship.

He got even angrier after that.

It was only after hearing the news of his older brother's death that Kobayashi resolutely decided to leave them.

"Oh oh oh!!!"

Tatsumi charged forward again, his fists quickly targeting Kobayashi's weak points each time. Unfortunately, his intentions were too obvious, and he easily dodged and blocked each attack. Continuing like this would only be a waste of his energy.

—The battle is about to be decided.

Will, acting as referee, made a judgment instinctively.

After the two fought for a while, he realized that Tatsumi was no match for Kobayashi.

Although it appears that Tatsumi is constantly throwing punches and forcing Kobayashi to retreat and defend, Kobayashi is actually very comfortable with the situation.

Furthermore, given the prolonged siege, Tatsumi will soon be defeated due to exhaustion.

At this point, the battle took a dramatic turn, with not only fists but also legs joining the attack.

Front kick, and another front kick!

He raised his leg and kicked at Xiaolin's waist and abdomen, making two extremely fast kicks, but both were easily blocked.

Tazmi was not discouraged.

Tuck your legs in, twist your waist, turn around...!

and many more!

This move looks so familiar.

Kobayashi recalled the scene of his first battle with Brand.

At that time, Tatsumi was also observing.

Is it a backspin kick to the chest?

However, judging from the subtle muscle movements, it appears to be a high-rotation kick to the chin.

—Insight!

Unsure of what to do, Kobayashi immediately tried to read his mind, only to find that he was just desperately thinking about the scene of Brand's death, which caused Kobayashi to be slightly careless in his defense.

At the same time, Tatsumi's eyes lit up, and he gathered all his strength into this attack.