I love time travel the most!

—Kick in the chest!

Instead of following her instincts, did she choose to believe Brand?

Kobayashi quickly raised his arms and crossed them in front of his chest to block the kick. Although he managed to block it, the force of the kick was too great, and he still slid back several meters.

As luck would have it, he fell off the ring.

"I didn't expect that my previous impulsive attacks were all an act, with the aim of forcing me to the edge of the ring and then delivering a powerful blow to make me fall off."

Kobayashi exposed his scheme with a few words and praised him, saying, "I really underestimated you. I've lost, Tatsumi."

—That's a lie.

Will, an observer with a clearer perspective, knew that things weren't as Kobayashi described.

Admittedly, Kobayashi's reaction was slow when he was kicked, but he should have adjusted his posture by then and wouldn't have slid that far.

But for some reason, he deliberately adjusted his angle to slide even further, and "just happened" to fall off the ring.

It seems there really is something between them.

But none of that matters to him; he only has one thing to do.

"—The victor is Tatsumi!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!" xN

Amidst the cheers from those around him, Tatsumi remained somewhat dazed.

Kobayashi encouraged him, saying, "It was my fault for saying you weren't thinking clearly. You're just like Brand, and I'm sure he'll be very happy to know that. So, stand tall and accept everyone's applause."

"Cheers for me...it feels so good!"

Tatsumi raised his right hand, revealing a pure smile.

That infectious smile instantly transformed into an arrow of love, shooting towards Esdeath on the viewing platform and successfully capturing her heart.

Then she went to the ring.

After asking for Tatsumi's name, the domineering Esdeath immediately declared that she would take him away without giving him any chance to resist.

Kobayashi, who was just watching the show, was a little disappointed because Esdeath hadn't looked at him at all. He had thought that their previous conversation would leave some impression so that he could get some favors.

But whatever, this is exactly how he expected things to unfold.

Girls in love have zero IQ.

Although Esdeath isn't simply driven by love, Tatsumi's appearance has indeed lowered her IQ somewhat.

Let him make good use of this gap.

"—Excuse me! I want to join the Hunters!"

Regarding the question of whether or not to allow it, would I do something so risky?

Chapter 63 Methods to Prevent Rebellious Teenagers from Running Away

When Kobayashi excitedly approached Will, raising his right hand, and asked to join the organization, the simple seaside boy initially refused.

Because you can't just join whenever you want; they're a secret unit, after all. But when he saw Ryuko, he immediately hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Ran then appeared and said that the precious Imperial Arms user was a rare talent, and that they should be taken back and handed over to General Esdeath for a decision.

This proposal was met with unanimous approval.

"So, they brought you here."

The haughty and domineering Esdeath looked at Kobayashi sitting opposite her and asked with interest, "Interesting. You're quite strange. What's your reason for wanting to join the Hunters? Tell me."

"Because I have ambition, an immense ambition. It is this ambition that brought me here."

Kobayashi took a small sip of hot tea and said those words in a very calm tone.

"Then why did you refuse the previous invitation?"

"Because their nature is different."

Esdeath was also recruiting at the time, but she hoped that Kobayashi would join the army and become her deputy after being trained in war. Now, however, Kobayashi is taking a different path.

"You seem very certain that I will agree to let you join?"

"At least the general won't refuse, will he?"

Teigu users are very rare talents. The power of Teigu can even change the course of a war. In addition, with the upcoming war against Night Raid, they need powerful partners, especially since Kobayashi's Teigu is a humanoid Teigu.

Most importantly, Esdeath admires Kobayashi.

From our two encounters, I could see that he was talented, and his magnanimity and potential, which far exceeded those of ordinary people, made him very worthy of being nurtured.

There was also an inexplicable sense of closeness that she cared about.

"Alright, I approve of your joining. From now on, stop calling me General and call me Captain."

Esdeath gave a soft hum, indicating her agreement to Kobayashi's midway participation.

Dr. was somewhat resistant, and said in a high-pitched voice, feigning surprise, "Oh dear, I welcome new companions, but will the minister agree?"

“No problem. What does the person I’m interested in have to do with the minister? I can just go and talk to him.” Esdeath replied casually.

Esdeath, who was self-centered, naturally didn't care about anyone else's opinion, and even ministers couldn't order her around at will.

Dr. could tell that Esdeath wouldn't back down and didn't want to say anything more, so he pretended to have a headache and gently rubbed his forehead to indicate his agreement.

It seems the suspicious man has noticed something is amiss.

People who do scientific research are generally quite intelligent. Although he didn't know what the problem was, he still keenly sensed something was amiss.

Furthermore, he is extremely loyal to the ministers and is currently Seryu's closest confidant. If he could successfully replace Seryu in Seryu's heart...

Decided!

Dr. was the first person to be eliminated.

Kobayashi gave him an incredibly kind smile.

"That's enough about that issue. Now let's talk about my problem."

Esdeath clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention to her and Tatsumi, who was tightly bound to a chair.

"As you can see, he is Tatsumi, a candidate for Teigu User."

"Why are you tied to the chair?"

"Because we were afraid he would run away."

"Then why put a collar on him?"

"Because they're so cute."

No, I have absolutely no idea what the general is thinking.

The hunters all wore speechless expressions.

Lan said, "If we want him to join us, please remove his collar to distinguish him from a pet."

"...That's right."

Esdeath thought for a moment, then removed her collar and asked, "By the way, does any of you have a lover or are married?"

Kobayashi and Borus raised their hands.

"Huh?...Huh?!!!"

Will exclaimed in surprise, "It's understandable that Kobayashi has a lover, but Borus does too? Could he already be married?"

"Yes, we've been married for six years."

"Six... years?"

It seems that no one can accept this.

If they saw Borus's lovely daughter and beautiful wife, they would surely be astonished.

"So how should one get along with their lover?"

"Hmm... let's just get along normally."

Kobayashi pinched his chin, and in the end, he could only give this ambiguous answer.

Will sensed something was wrong and asked, "Kobayashi, if I may be so bold as to ask, who is your lover...?"

"It's Ryuzu."

"Really!"

Will slapped his forehead.

Kobayashi continued, "My relationship with Ryuu was very simple. She swore allegiance to me, and I reciprocated with my loyalty. There was nothing special about it. Right, Ryuu?"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand to the doll beside him.

"Yes! I swear to Lord Kobayashi that I will offer absolute obedience and loyalty until the moment my gears break down and stop turning."

Liu Zi also grasped it with her other hand, their fingers interlocked.

The two basked in each other's light, leaving a blinding glow that severely hurt all the single people out there.

"No, no, no, this is completely useless as a reference!" Will couldn't help but complain, "Miss Ryuu is a Teigu, right? She's not human, so her emotions are different from humans, aren't they?"

"……really."

Esdeath nodded in agreement, then looked at Borus, the only one who was married.

"The secret to winning someone's heart is never to give up!"

Borus recounted his love history to everyone, saying with a touch of happiness, "Actually, I've been dumped twice, but I always took the initiative to win their hearts whenever I had the chance. Captain, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort."

"Hmm... I see, I've learned something."

Esdeath seemed to understand something, but judging from her expression, she seemed to have misunderstood.

"But don't be too forceful, and definitely don't use violence." Kobayashi seized the opportunity to remind him, "Please try to give Tatsumi some space, so he doesn't develop a rebellious attitude."

"……What's the meaning?"

“Because Tatsumi is only 15 years old and is going through a rebellious phase. The more you force or coerce him, the more he resists and tries to run away, so force and violence are absolutely unacceptable. Am I right, Polus?”