Shirou's body recovered swiftly. By the very next morning, he could already get out of bed and move around without much difficulty, apart from some lingering muscle soreness.
Not intending to rest any further, Shirou seized every available moment to strengthen himself—an absolute necessity in such a dangerous world.
Scritch, scritch, scritch!
Just as he prepared to leave the room, Shirou heard an unsettling sound that instantly put him on alert, eyes glowing faintly scarlet.
Since yesterday, Shirou had become somewhat familiar with the members of Night Raid, and he remembered this particular older-sister type figure with golden hair.
"What… are you doing?"
Leone—that was her name.
"I noticed your base was filthy, so I decided to clean it up."
"Clean?"
Leone paused to think. It had indeed been a long time since the base was cleaned properly.
Ever since Sheele had passed away, Night Raid's housekeeping had essentially come to a standstill.
Mine was utterly hopeless when it came to cleaning. Previously, Sheele had handled most of it, and since losing her, Mine had even less motivation to tidy up, afraid of revisiting painful memories.
Leone herself actively dodged cleaning duty, often hiding in unreachable spots whenever Akame came looking for help. She would only reappear after Akame had finished.
As for Akame, between cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for everyone, training throughout the day, and her own voracious appetite, she hardly had any time left. Though she occasionally tried to tidy up, it was difficult without help, and efficiency inevitably suffered.
As for the guys—Tatsumi, Bulat, and Lubbock—cleaning up after themselves?
It would be less of a cleanup and more a disaster. Any attempt at tidying usually resulted in utter chaos.
"Are you good at this sort of thing?"
Leone stared incredulously at the spotless, gleaming floor behind Shirou, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
It looked even cleaner than when it was new.
"I used to live alone, and there was a teacher who often dropped by just to mess things up. If I didn't become good at it, my house would've quickly become uninhabitable," Shirou explained matter-of-factly, deftly cleaning a stubborn stain in the corner before producing a short knife to scrape out some accumulated grime.
"These dark corners are usually damp and can easily attract bugs. You need to clean them frequently or else they'll smell awful."
"Oh, and don't forget to regularly change the water in flower vases. Otherwise, it turns into a breeding ground for pests, and the flowers won't survive long."
"Also, whenever you eat, food scraps—"
Shirou kept talking incessantly, providing Leone with cleaning tips one after another. Each word seemed to weigh heavier on Leone's eyelids until overwhelming drowsiness began to wash over her.
Leone, usually brimming with energy and capable of going days without rest, found herself rapidly succumbing to sleep under Shirou's monotonous barrage.
"Eh—! Hey, what happened?"
The next moment, Leone collapsed straight into Shirou's arms.
"Zzz… Zzz..."
Even though she'd only been awake briefly, she was already sound asleep again.
Shirou's startled exclamation drew Akame out of her room.
Due to the nature of Night Raid's missions, their sleep schedules were naturally late, with members generally waking long after Shirou rose each morning.
As for Leone being awake at this hour—it was because she simply hadn't slept yet. Technically, someone who never slept was the earliest riser by default.
A couple of sleepless nights occasionally had little effect on Leone anyway.
"What's going on?"
Akame walked out, hugging a pillow with one hand and holding her sword in the other, sleepily rubbing her eyes in confusion, dressed in her pajamas.
To guard against ambushes, Akame never went anywhere without her weapon, always prepared for immediate combat, even in her sleep.
"Um, Akame… do you know where Leone's room is?"
Holding Leone in his arms, Shirou awkwardly glanced toward Akame.
"Over there," Akame pointed casually.
Following her direction, Shirou quickly found Leone's room.
---
"It smells delicious… did Akame already make breakfast this early?"
Tatsumi emerged from his room, drawn by the enticing aroma. Ever since inheriting Incursio, Bulat had been subjecting him to relentless, intense training, leaving Tatsumi sore and exhausted every morning.
"Oh, Tatsumi! You're up early. Since the base is particularly clean today, let's do thirty laps around it before breakfast!"
Bulat cheerfully jogged up, stopping in front of Tatsumi. Ever since losing his Teigu, Bulat had intensified his training even further.
Fully aware of the huge gap between ordinary people and Teigu users, Bulat knew that without exceptional talent or special modifications, directly confronting them was impossible.
But Shirou's battle prowess deeply shocked him. Shirou hadn't possessed any Teigu when brought to the base, and the blood samples analyzed by the Revolutionary Army revealed nothing abnormal. He truly was just a regular human without a Teigu.
Yet Shirou had managed to withstand Bulat's strongest attack head-on, apart from that unique skill he used at the very end.
That encounter left Bulat profoundly aware of his own inadequacies, prompting him to double his usual training regimen.
Unfortunately, this also meant intense suffering for Tatsumi.
Now, Tatsumi looked forward eagerly to missions, solely because it meant he could temporarily escape this hellish training.
"Ah—! I think I'll just head straight to breakfast. Esdeath has returned to the palace and seems to be preparing something against us. I'd better hurry to the bookstore and check for palace movements."
Lubbock pushed open his door, lazily making his way toward the dining hall.
"Alright, let's go, Tatsumi."
"Wait! Yamerooooo!!!"
Tatsumi was mercilessly dragged away by Bulat, his desperate cries for help ignored by a deliberately oblivious Lubbock.
...
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
"Delicious!"
Seated at the dining table, Akame enthusiastically exclaimed after every bite, in a manner reminiscent of a certain Flame Hashira. Yet, strangely, everyone else seemed entirely oblivious to her repeated outbursts.
Their heads were already buried deeply in their bowls, slurping loudly and hungrily. Aside from Akame's ecstatic praise, the only sound was the frantic clinking of dishes and cutlery.
"What the heck happened here?"
When Lubbock finally stepped into the dining hall and saw the chaotic scene, confusion was the only expression left on his face.