Chapter Four - The Assassination

Asano Gakushuu's schedule was airtight. He entered the office at 5:30 to review the news and get his daily briefing. His employees began coming in around six, giving Nagisa a 30 minute window if he wanted to take that opportunity. He would have a team meeting at seven. A meeting with other division heads at 8:30. Four hours of office work after that. A one-hour lunch, usually out in public at one of the nearby restaurants. More office work and meetings, until he finally went home at seven. At any given moment of the day, he was doing something.

Nagisa weighed his options. The half hour in the morning was no-dice. It was too short a period of time to get in and out of the building, and there was too much risk. If one of his subordinates just so happened to walk in too early, then it was all over. After work was his best bet. He could track when employees were leaving the office, when he was alone. It would also give him the benefit of keeping the body untouched overnight, giving him enough room to escape.

"Friday..." Nagisa muttered to himself. He would have a little over a week to prepare. He could try and tackle the assassination in three days, but as the old assassin proverb went: In too quick, never out again. So nine days. Simple enough.

First, he needed a disguise. His blue hair was too distinctive, especially in a government office setting. He would need to cover it up. That wouldn't be hard, he had mastered disguises a long time ago.

Second, he needed a weapon. He opened the hidden compartment in his suitcase, revealing the numerous weapons he had collected. From the protective casing, he pulled out his favorite knife.

"An assassin should be well-versed in a myriad of weaponry," Karasuma lectured. Nagisa nodded. "You've had a lot of experience with knife work, gun work, both pistols and automatic, but I am here to expand that."

"That said, almost every assassin has a preferred weapon," Irina jumped in, "I prefer a pistol. I can use everything in these cases, but if I had a choice, I would go for a pistol." Karasuma sat down and opened two of the hard cases he had brought. Nagisa stared at the strange assortment in front of him.

"By the end of your training, you will be proficient at every single one of these weapons," he declared. He pointed towards one gun. "This one is particularly good if you are going to be shooting from a medium-range distance." He pointed to a pistol. "You already know, but short to medium-range distances are best for this gun." Finally, he pulled a knife out of the second case. "In addition to bearing a knife, becoming comfortable with knife throwing is very important."

"But," Irina butted in, "Using a knife is brutal. You need to be precise with your cuts, or you will cause suffering. Unless, of course, that is your intention." Nagisa's eyes went wide. Horrified. He saw a brief hint of approval in Irina's eyes. "It's also personal. Most assassins you find will prefer a gun to a knife."

"So Nagisa, what would you like to learn first?" Karasuma asked. Nagisa looked over his options. He had never been great with guns, so he should probably pick one of those. He paused.

"Karasuma-sensei, why is there a sword here?"

"You never know when you'll be in a pinch," Irina answered. It was oddly amusing despite the strange situation.

Nagisa turned back to the weapons. He pulled out the knife. He wasn't quite sure why liked it, but he had always gravitated towards knives in Class E.

"Can we start with knife work?" he asked. The two nodded. He handed the knife to Karasuma.

"No, keep it," he said, "It's your weapon of choice. It's yours now."

He reluctantly packed his favorite knife back away. It was not appropriate for this particular task. Instead, he pulled a bulkier gun out of the casing. This was a job for a sniper.

Third, and finally, he needed a plan. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. This is where it really began.

He enjoyed assassination prep, second to perhaps the action of executing the assassination itself. Unless, naturally, said assassination prep included hacking. In which case, he kind of hated it. Still, he loved coming up with many solutions on the puzzle of assassination. He had to counter hundreds of inside and outside factors that may affect the assassination. What if the police caught wind of his plans or he was caught mid assassination? What if Asano got an important phone call immediately after his death and which alerted the person on the other end to trouble on Asano's end? What if there was no escape route?

He drew his hand down his notebook. In it were the numerous assassination considerations, plans, and worst case scenarios. He had always preferred writing his plans down in a notebook. It made it so much easier to jot down his side thoughts and ideas.

In his ideal plan, he would be entering the office building neighboring the Ministry at around 17:00 disguised as a maintenance worker. Most occupants would be leaving work for the weekend at this point, which would help detract attention away from him. He would then head to the office that was across from Asano's. According to his schedule, he had a meeting until 17:45, at which point, he would be alone for the rest of the night until around 19:00, when he typically left.

The plan was simple. Simplicity was always best when it came to assassination. Complicated plans got you killed or caught.

At the moment, he was looking down at a list of things he needed to do and/or obtain before Friday. He needed an ID card, easy enough to forge; a wig, which he already had; his gun (that was checked off a long time ago); access to a floor plan of the buildings, still working on it; and access to security cameras, not even close. Nagisa mentally groaned at the work ahead of him.

Only a little reluctantly, he began to type into the computer. The worst part about this part of assassination was that the sensitivity of the information meant he couldn't do his work in a café anymore. So here he was, drinking awful hotel coffee, alone in his room. He would have to treat himself to a nice restaurant later that night.

The assassination was a little over a week away. Then he could be out of this country and be rid of all the memories it resurfaced. Just one more week.

—

"You'll never guess who I ran into the other day," Irina said as she leaned against the counter top, a glass of red wine in her hand. Aleksandr was already in bed.

"Hm?" Her husband was at the kitchen table, working on some paperwork.

"Nagisa." Karasuma's scribbling stopped. He looked up at her seriously.

"Nagisa?" he repeated. She nodded, taking a sip of her wine, "Is he here for a job?"

"From what it sounds like, yes. He was tight-lipped, but I got that it was an in-and-out job. I'm guessing a minor criminal or government official. He said he'd only be around for about two weeks at most."

"Hm, how's he doing?"

"He's relaxed, comfortable. He's lost a lot of his accent, though I don't even think he realizes it."

"Kind of like you, then."

"Yeah," she agreed, "He kept his hair long."

"Did he?"

"No! I refuse!" He yelled. Irina was surprised, she had never seen him get this angry before. If ever.

"Nagisa..." she started.

"No! I'm so sick of being everyone's puppet! What if I don't want to do this?!"

"You don't have to listen to me if you don't want to. But these skills will be useful in the future, I can guarantee it."

"I don't care. I just want to be my own person! I don't want to be someone I'm not! The second I am out of my mother's house I'm cutting my hair off!" Irina didn't respond. It was good that Nagisa was finally confronting his feelings. It would make him stronger.

"Yeah, though it's not quite as long as it was back when he was in high school. It's still enough to fool anyone he wants to." Karasuma tapped his pen against the table.

"Did he tell you of any of what he's been up to?"

"Nothing much. He did mention the CEO of a non-profit in Canada though."

"Interesting, should I expect any trouble from him?" Irina laughed.

"I think we taught him better than that."

—

"ID, sir," the man intoned. Nagisa fumbled with the "authentic" ID card. He presented it to the security officer.

"Muso-san?"

"Yes," Nagisa confirmed with a nod. He loudly chewed on some gum.

"And what is your purpose at the Ministry today?"

"What's it look like? I'm here to fix some lights." He held up his case to demonstrate his point. Should the security officer decide to check his case, it would indeed hold a number of tools needed to fix lighting. The rifle laid in a hidden compartment, opened only by a key he currently had hanging around his neck. The guard looked annoyed by his disrespect.

"And what office are you fixing?"

"I'm headin' up to the 12th floor, their lights are flickering and some outlets aren't working. I'm gonna take a look and work some magic." He waggled his fingers around to emphasize his point. The guard rolled his eyes.

"Just sign this." He handed Nagisa a visitors form, which he quickly filled out. The guard handed him a sticker that plainly stated VISITOR. "Wear this at all times and be sure to sign out when you leave." Nagisa placed the audacious sticker on his shirt.

"Thank ya!" He picked up his case and headed towards the elevator. He could feel the watchful eyes of the suspicious guard on him. Thankfully, a shift change should be happening soon, so the guard would be switched out for someone new soon enough. He entered the next elevator, standing to the side as a number of people left for the day. He glanced at his watch. 17:22, perfect.

He pressed the button to 12, feeling the elevator hum as it began to ascend. As the doors opened, he let a few people enter as he exited. He walked the hallway, carefully making note of the offices and nearby exits. He slid his ID card for office 537. Based on his research, he was entering the office of a small tech start-up. The entrepreneur had some connections that allowed him to get an office in the heart of Tokyo. He pushed the door open, feeling a bit of relief to see that the office was empty. He shut the door, locking it behind him. It wouldn't be the best security, but it would be enough.

Nagisa carefully examined the room for any cameras. He was satisfied to see none except for the computer webcams. That would be easy enough to avoid and were probably not high enough quality to capture a detailed image of him. Still, he ducked under their viewfinder as he approached the window. It was always better to be overly-cautious than not cautious enough.

He pulled a couple of boxes from their supply closet to creating a mounting station for the rifle. It would make it easier for him hit his target than it would without. Nagisa pulled apart the casing that hid his gun and set it on the stand he had created. He looked through the scope, hoping to get a sense of orientation with the office.

No, too far to the right. He adjusted. A little too high. Down just a bit. Perfect. The window to Gakushuu's office was open, or at least the curtains were, giving him a great view into the room. He could see an older man with blond hair sitting on the other end of the desk, though he couldn't immediately see Gakushuu. The unknown man was looking off to the side, which told Nagisa that Asano was probably just outside the windows view.

Nagisa watched carefully. He could see the man's eyes following the figure around the office. He watched the man speak a few times, but Gakushuu never quite appeared in front of the window. Still, he watched. To the right, right, right, left, stationary, stationary, left, left, left. Nagisa's heart pounded. Left, left, left... Sure enough, a familiar face appeared in the window. Just like the photos. He's grown up well, at least. He could remember their classes together.

Nagisa and Karma walked down the hall together. This was where they would spend the next three years of their lives. It was a little scary.

"What do you think our sensei is going to be like?" Nagisa asked.

"On previous experience, I would guess a 7 foot tall bird monster that wants to drain the ocean dry."

"That would be fun," he agreed with a laugh, ignoring the way his stomach twisted when he thought of Koro-sensei. He waved to Kayano, who was currently having a deep conversation about sweets with Kurahashi. His eyes then met a familiar face.

"Akabane-san," Asano Gakushuu greeted.

"Asano," Karma responded immediately, "Got that stick outta your ass yet?"

"I see you've not changed since last year," he said, "I'm just letting you know that you shouldn't expect to keep your position as the top of the class for much longer."

"Oh? What're you gonna do about it? Try and take that away from me? I'd like to see you try." Karma responded defiantly. Nagisa rolled his eyes. If Gakushuu really wanted to take the position as top of the class back, the literal last thing he needed to do was challenge Karma for it. Karma never backed down from a challenge. Especially if he thought the guy challenging him was kind of a dick.

"Is that a challenge, Akabane-san?"

"You bet," Karma sneered. Asano sneered right back before heading into the classroom.

"You think that was a smart idea?" Nagisa asked as he watched Asano walk away.

"What's wrong with a little friendly competition?" Karma asked innocently. Nagisa blinked. You don't seem like you're going to make this friendly!

As Karma has predicted, his top scores consistently beat Asano's. Although given the caliber of tests Board Chairman Asano developed for them in middle school, many of the exams felt like review instead of learning. Even at the end of their time in high school, Asano could never get the leg up on Karma.

"Alright class, I just want to let you know that it has been a privilege to be your home room teacher for the last three years. Your work has been exceptional, and any university or firm would be lucky to have you. Your scores have consistently beaten our expectations. Your class has been the highest scoring class at Kunugigaoka ever. I hope that you all go on to do incredible things." Nagisa shifted in his seat. He would be leaving in a week. "Now, let me announce the final class rankings for your final exam."

She turned around to grab the paper. Nagisa noticed Karma looking particularly smug and Asano gripping his pencil tight.

"Scoring a perfect score was Akabane Karma! Congratulations Karma-kun!" There was a round of applause. "Second, by only one point, was Asano Gakushuu!" The pencil snapped and the class went silent.

"Ah, my apologies," he said politely. Nagisa was almost certain he could feel bloodlust radiating from Asano. "Go on." Their teacher was a bit disturbed, but continued on anyway. Nagisa kept an eye on Asano. That boy was bad news.

Nagisa jumped as he heard a loud bang outside the door. Alarmed, he turned around, taking out a secondary weapon in case they insisted on coming in. He waited for a minute and heard a vacuum cleaner start. He let out a breath of relief. Just janitorial staff. Their cart probably just hit the door as they were moving it. Nagisa turned back to the scope. The man on the other end of the desk was gone and he saw a blond head poking over the chair. He looked at his watch. 5:52. Perfect. He let go of the gun for a moment, so he could grab his protective visor and ear plugs. He would have to shoot through a window, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin his perfect face with glass shards.

He lined up the scope with the window. Wind is south by southeast. He adjusted accordingly. He glanced at the building one more time. His target was in range. With only a moment's hesitation he pulled the trigger.

The glass shattered, raining glass all over himself and the gun. He protectively covered his head until it stopped. Even without the scope, he could see that the bullet hole had hit the right window. But had it hit its target?

He looked through the scope. He could see the blood splattered all over the desk. Perfect. Looks like I got a head shot. 50 points to me. He smirked a little. Morbid humor. Every damn time. Just as he was about to pull away, the curtains moved. Not from the wind of the shattered window, they were moving unnaturally. His heart dropped. Was someone else still in the room?

Nagisa's throat went dry. Impossible!

A very much alive Asano Gakushuu was looking directly at him. If Asano is alive, then who did I kill?! He couldn't turn his eyes away. Without looking away, Asano swiveled the chair around to reveal the disfigured and bloody body of the man that Asano had been meeting with. Nagisa's fingers twitched. He felt numb.

Behind you, Asano mouthed.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND WEAPON DOWN!" Nagisa slowly turned around, the gun slipped through his fingers. Ten armed cops blocked his only exit. "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" This was surreal, how could this be happening. I can't fight them off. He knew that much.

Nagisa didn't fight the handcuffs being placed on him. Nor did he try to escape from being walked down to the cop car.

He had been tricked.

He'd lost.

Nagisa sat against the wall of his holding cell with his eyes closed. How did it go wrong? Why did it go wrong? How did Asano know he was being targeted? Was he really being that obvious?

How was he going to get out?

If word got out that the Blue Viper was captured, then his reputation would be damn near worthless in the black market. Nagisa groaned, Lovro probably already knew. If he ever got out of here, he was damn sure that he was going to be dropped. He would be totally out on his own. If he was lucky, some of his connections would come through. If he could get out of here. His cell was locked from the outside by what looked to be a combination key and pass code lock. Even if he could get the key, he'd still be stuck without the code. Also, his handcuffs were already chafing his skin.

Nagisa watched the door as he heard the sounds of a key code being punched and the squeaky hinges swinging. Asano Gakushuu. Nagisa would be surprised, but he was just numb to it at this point.

"Asano," Nagisa greeted, "I'm sorry about the mess, if I knew you were coming I would've tidied my cell up."

"Shiota Nagisa," he sneered ignoring his quip, "Did you really think you could assassinate me?"

"Well, I tried," he said. Nagisa carefully observed Asano. His body confidence was through the roof, he truly believed that he had won. "How did you know I was after you?"

"I have people everywhere, Nagisa. It's incredible what people will do for a little bit of cash. I've been watching you ever since you entered Japan." So he knew that someone had ordered his assassination...

"And you just knew when I'd go for the kill?"

"I've known that the building next to mine was an optimum sniping position since I first moved into that office. I knew that any assassin with any brains would pick that spot. As soon as you entered the building, my security guard at the front alerted me." Nagisa frowned. He was disguised, how did the security guard identify him? Something was nagging at him. He was missing something. How had the cops gotten up there without him noticing? Why had they let him go through with the assassination if the cops were alerted when he entered the building?

"And once he alerted you, you alerted the cops," Nagisa said out loud, "But you knew there would be an assassination attempt. I'm guessing the man I actually killed was your higher-up?"

"The Monbusho, my superior."

"Shit," Nagisa swore under his breath. He had vowed not to kill government heads unless given a good enough reason.

"You have also killed the Minister for Finance, and the Minister for Health." Nagisa's eyebrows furrowed. "They are currently on a retreat to their summer homes. Their bodies won't be found for another week." There was a lump in his throat. He's going to blame me for their murders. But what's his game? Nagisa's eyes widened. "But let's not forget the Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry, nor should we forget the Minister for Justice." Nagisa was cold. "Their cars fell off the road, it'll be a few days before anyone notices."

"You're the one who ordered your own assassination. You requested me." This isn't some evil plot, this is personal. Asano smirked. "But why me? What's your end-game?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The door closed and Nagisa took a deep breath. He had really messed up here. His mind replayed the scene over and over again. Had he been more cautious, would this have happened?

Unbeknownst to Nagisa, people all over Japan were receiving the news alert that their Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was assassinated.

Including a certain red-haired government worker.