Nio woke up in her bed, the afternoon light streaming through the curtains. She looked around at her surroundings, trying to clear her head as she woke up. Suzu sat next to her bed on a chair, while Chitaru and Hitsugi were also present.
"Good afternoon, Hashiri-san. Please don't cause another altercation like that, alright?" Suzu said.
Behind her, Hitsugi kissed Chitaru's lips and smiled. "Let's go, Chitaru. I really admire how noble you were, aiding our classmate...but I think you should leave this to me and Shutou-san."
"It's fine, Hitsugi." Chitaru said. "I can stay here and help out." Hitsugi shook her head and lightly ushered Chitaru outside, whispering in her ear.
"No, I insist. It's best for me and Shutou-san to handle this. Don't worry, I'll completely reward you later, especially since you've mostly recovered by now… without telling me." Hitsugi promised with a lick on her lips.
Chitaru blushed, and left with a gulp. Hitsugi smiled and turned her attention back to Nio and Suzu. Nio gave both of them a glare and bared her razor shark-like teeth in a scowl.
"Don't touch me like that ever again." she warned. However, what she didn't voice was her inner disgust with herself, for allowing them to carry her in such a manner. Hitsugi looked at her in a condescending manner, her eyes glowing coldly with slight contempt.
"Really, Hashiri-san? Stop being so pathetic. Me and Shutou-san already know what you've been dealing with. We checked your tablet." As if to add fuel to the fire, Suzu showed Nio the device in question, unlocked and showing pictures and detailed information about Sachika.
"What?! How did you get in?!" Nio asked, genuinely surprised. Hitsugi chuckled.
"Get a better password next time." was Hitsugi's only reply.
"Kirigaya-san is right." Suzu added with an amused smile on her face. "Knowing you, the
password was only too obvious. What was it again, Kirigaya-san?"
"Oh right! Wasn't it 'Punish Me Chairwoman' or something like that?" Both of them laughed, earning an angry growl from Nio.
"Shut up!" yelled Nio. "Or else I'll show you what I can really do with my powers…"
"You're too hurt and tired to do anything to us, don't try it. I still wonder why my darling Chitaru ever decided to help you in spite of her condition...you have to thank her later." countered Hitsugi.
"Don't you dare make demands of me! Now give me back my tablet!" Nio snarled. She moved to take back her tablet, but the pain prevented her from even rising out of bed.
"Please, Hashiri-san. Calm down, it won't help your heart and your wounds." Suzu said.
"No! Why should I listen to you two? You're both pathetic! You wouldn't understand how much I care about the Chairwoman, because your relationships are both in shambles!"
"What do you mean?" Hitsugi asked with a deadly look.
"Shutou. You and Kaminaga are doomed. Like it or not, you'll never be able to have the life you want! Kaminaga's still on the run from Clover Home, they'll find her anytime soon now, and you along with her! And you're still immortal, right? Even if you DO escape them, you're gonna outlive her anyway, and then what? More centuries of loneliness?"
"That's not the point we're trying to make…" Suzu said, but Nio talked over her.
"And you, Kirigaya! You and Namatame just disgust me. Do you honestly believe that stupid lovey-dovey act counts for anything? It doesn't. Even Takechi and Kenmochi have more going for each other than you two! How dependent you are on each other is absolutely pathetic. Things would be way easier if you had just kicked the bucket for good at the play…"
Hitsugi, almost instantly, pulled out a needle and attempted to stab Nio's eye with it, but Suzu held her back. Nio's eyes glowed as she attempted to activate her powers to incapacitate both of them. However, the pain hindered her concentration, and she let out a pained cough, unable to summon the Kuzunoha techniques.
"Kirigaya-san, don't attack her. Would Namatame-san want you to fall into the darkness again?" Suzu said. "Don't discard her wishes over a petty insult." Hearing this, Hitsugi soon calmed down, and put away her needle, but still gave Nio a somewhat angered look
Suzu appeared to be somewhat insulted, but still calm and not angry at all. "Hashiri-san. It would do you well to let us tend to your wounds. While you may not appreciate the help, the Chairwoman tasked you with this assignment, and you will not perform to her satisfaction while injured. So put aside your dislike of us and allow us to help you now. Or could it be that you are at the peak of your health?"
"I don't want any of...fine." Nio said, her eyes filled with self-hate for showing such a weak side. "But forget everything you saw on that tablet. And I mean everything."
Suzu nodded and started unbuttoning Nio's jacket so she could apply bandages. Removing the jacket, she noticed that some of Nio's tattoos were visible near the blonde girl's neck. "It's alright." Suzu said as Hitsugi nodded in agreement.
"We won't judge." said the assassin formerly known as Angel Trumpet as she opened the first aid kit.
"Stop looking…" Nio said as Suzu began to unbutton her shirt next.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Hashiri-san." Suzu reassured. She finished unbuttoning Nio's shirt. Hitsugi opened up the shirt, ready to treat Nio's wounds. Nio looked down and saw it, a purple bruise on her chest right over some of her tattoos. Nio recoiled in horror. It was ugly. Absolutely ugly. An ugly bruise on an ugly body. Unworthy of the Chairwoman's love. Nio started to hyperventilate.
"Hashiri-san. You need to calm down." Suzu told her. She gently grabbed Nio's shoulders to ease her.
"Just take a deep breath, right now." Hitsugi said. But Nio refused to listen to either of them.
"No...she'll abandon me…" Nio said, her voice shaking. "I can't be like this. I can't. I'm so ugly, oh god, she's going to leave me behind, oh my god, I look awful…"
Nio tried to stop herself, but images flooded her mind. Images of Sachika standing by her beloved Chairwoman's side, images of them kissing, abandoning Nio to the darkness she had been born in. Nio screamed in self-inflicted agony, unable to bear the thoughts that she had brought upon herself.
Suzu and Hitsugi both tried to calm her down, but Nio barely even heard them. She pushed the two away, and quickly grabbing her jacket, ran out of the door. Before the two could stop Nio, a monstrous version of the blonde girl rose in their path, stopping them. The monster had jagged, bladed teeth, a reptilian jaw, and pitch black eyes. It towered over the two of them, as thin as if it were just bones, its blood red tattoos looking like wounds.
"Is this...how she views herself?" wondered Suzu, as she and Hitsugi stepped back away from the monster. Nio had used her powers to conjure the image in order to cover her escape. Eventually, the image began to flicker and vanish, but Nio was already gone.
Nio ran down the hallway, still unable to escape her own thoughts about the Chairwoman and Sachika. She pushed herself onward despite the pain in her body and the torment in her mind. Not focusing on her movements, and weakened by her untreated injuries, Nio tripped and hit her head on the ground. "Meichi…" she muttered before falling unconscious again. Suzu and Hitsugi, catching up to her, picked up Nio's body and once more carried her back to her room.
"Do we really have to help her?" Hitsugi asked. "I think we should just leave that brat there…"
"Well, you are right- she is a bit of a brat. But didn't we come here to help her in the first place?" Suzu responded as she carried Nio's body.
Hitsugi scoffed but continued to help anyway. They returned to the room and laid Nio down on her bed, removing her shirt fully to bandage the girl's damaged ribs. Suzu nodded in understanding, observing Nio's tattoos further.
"I think now I understand why she hates these…" Suzu mused.
"True." Hitsugi said. "Those tattoos...I know that's where the Kuzunoha power comes from. They're very intricate. The process of inking them on must have been painful."
"Yes. The Kuzunoha techniques themselves are also very advanced. If performed incorrectly, they can harm the user. Are these the lengths Hashiri-san was willing to go to, the pain she endured...all for her queen? Their bond is just as dark as it is deep."
"Right." Hitsugi then hung her head in shame. "But...was she really right about me and Chitaru? I'm not sure if we should...keep living this lie. Neither me or Chitaru are happy like this, you know. But we need each other. It's like...an addictive poison." she said as she took out the needle she previously wanted to use on Nio. "Even now I ask myself, is my own ugly nature in such a need to change to stop her suffering? Or should I stay as myself and wait as long as it takes for her to allow it?"
"Well." Suzu stroked her chin in contemplation a bit, before pinching Hitsugi's cheek as she laughed. "I guess you are quite princely yourself, Kirigaya-san, caring so much for Namatame-san's wellbeing. You see, love is about both people doing whatever it takes for their fellow soulmate. Of course, not in a harmful way. If you try to change for the better, I'm sure Namatame-san will do the same." Despite her years, Suzu was still optimistic about love.
"Thank you, Shutou-san." Hitsugi said, smiling. "I hope you and Kaminaga-san...can also find happiness."
"Oh, that'll be no problem." Suzu said, looking out the window at the sky as she bandaged Nio. "Me and her will defy fate itself for each other. Even until death."
Tokaku awoke, the afternoon sun streaming through the curtains. She was surprised to find herself in the middle of the bed. Had...Haru moved her? She smiled to herself. It was quite uncharacteristic for the assassin to wake up this early, but she supposed she needed the rest.
"I wonder if lunch is ready?" Tokaku thought. It was past noon already, after all. She quickly changed clothes and left the room. She arrived at the dining room, and gritted her teeth seeing the cracks on the wall and overturned furniture. It looked like a fight had broken out.
"Haru." she said instantly. She ran out and began to search the house, looking for any of her classmates. She dashed past the training room, and saw quite the unusual sight. Haru and Shiena were both sparring with rubber knives. Her girlfriend appeared to be quite the natural, disarming Shiena with a quick strike.
Instinctively, Tokaku stepped forward to stop them. But she stopped herself instead, reflecting on Haru's and Isuke's words from the night before. Maybe...this time she would give Haru space. It would be best for both of them. Tokaku returned to the dining room, and seeing that lunch was still unprepared, went to the kitchen. This kitchen was a smaller personal kitchen designed for use by the members of Black Class instead of Sumireko's employees, because the heiress and the other girls had wanted to practice their cooking while they were staying together.
A strange thought ran through Tokaku's head. What if she cooked lunch for her classmates, just like Haru had done for her so many times? It would be one step towards being closer to them. She inspected some of the cooking equipment and ingredients.
"How does this work?" Tokaku wondered, looking at some curry powder. She set some carrots and potatoes on the counter, then read the cookbook to see how she would mix them into the curry. But the cookbook, covered in Sumireko's notes (mostly directed at Mahiru and Shinya's preferences) and and instructions she didn't understand, was too unfamiliar for the assassin. She had never tried cooking at all before due to her upbringing.
"How do people tolerate this…" Tokaku said aloud to herself.
"Cooking is quite an important skill to learn." remarked Kouko, who had just entered the kitchen. Tokaku looked at the other girl in surprise, a bit flustered.
"K-Kaminaga! I was just, um, checking the inventory for possible traps or poison…"
Kouko adjusted her glasses, letting them shine. "Don't be like that, Azuma. It's only natural that you're interested in cooking, given you and Ichinose's domestic status."
"Fine. I...kind of wanted to try cooking for Haru and the others. So that I can….get closer to them." Tokaku said, choking out the words.
"I'll help you, then." Kouko said. Tokaku looked surprised. "You see," Kouko explained, "it's my duty as class representative to assist in things like this. So let's get started. What are we cooking?"
"Right. I was thinking we could make some curry, miso soup, and tonkatsu, like in the recipe book here." Tokaku said. Kouko read the book dutifully, as if it were one of her school textbooks.
"Alright. You work on the tonkatsu." Kouko said. "I'll handle the soup, then we do the curry together." Tokaku nodded and both of them went to work. Tokaku started cutting the onions for the curry, but soon found her eyes irritated. She dropped her knife and started rubbing them with her free hands, to no avail. Kouko looked over at her.
"Ah, be careful, Azuma. Cutting onions without goggles isn't good for your eyes. Here." She handed Tokaku a pair of cooking goggles, which the bluenette put on. Tokaku resumed cutting the onions with almost robotic precision. Apparently her assassin training also served her well when it came to cutting food.
"You were up a bit late, Azuma. Why is that?" Kouko asked, trying to make small talk with Tokaku.
"I thought you had heard about the argument? Most of the girls probably know already." Tokaku replied as she now went on to cutting the carrots.
"Inukai did tell me about it, but I assumed it wouldn't really impact your sleep schedule. My mistake." Kouko said. She began to insert some seaweed and tofu into the boiling miso soup. Tasting some of it with a spoon, she smiled at the flavor.
"Right. Well, thanks for your consideration anyway." Tokaku said, looking away as she placed the chopped carrots into a separate bowl as the onions. Neither her or Kouko were really used to conversations like this due to their upbringing. Tokaku looked down at her knife awkwardly. She found handling raw pork to be somewhat strange as she held it with her free hand while cutting it piece by piece.
As Tokaku applied flour to the pork, due to not knowing the proper technique, some of the flour somehow got on her face. Kouko let out a bit of an uncharacteristic chuckle and handed Tokaku a moist cloth to clean herself.
"I'll handle this." Kouko said, going to work on the tonkatsu. Tokaku nodded and stepped aside, letting Kouko bread the meat before placing it in the deep fryer.
"Sorry for not helping out much…" Tokaku said as she wiped the flour from her face. Kouko gave her a nod without looking away from the food.
"It's fine." Kouko said. "Neither of us were really raised to do these things...can't be helped. But at least you want to improve. I respect that. It took me a while to learn this too, Suzu had to teach me."
Tokaku smiled. "You're pretty good, at least compared to me. Maybe I should have Haru teach me some time...she's always the one cooking in our apartment."
"I see." Kouko said. "Well, let's just finish this for now…" she then started preparing the rice.
"Hey, do you...see me as a friend?" Tokaku suddenly asked. Kouko was a bit startled by the out of nowhere question and quickly tried to think of a response.
"Well, um...yes. I do." she finally said, still surprised. "Why do you ask?"
Tokaku hesitated a bit before she answered. "Well, Inukai had a bit of a talk with me. She said that you and the others all saw each other, even me, as friends...I was just wondering what you thought."
Kouko was quiet for a bit, before turning to face Tokaku. She then cleared her throat with a sad smile. "When I was a kid, back in that orphanage...I really didn't have any friends. I wasn't the best at what they trained us to do, so they would always mock me, even when I tried my hardest. I used to have someone to encourage me, but…" Kouko paused for a bit as she said this. Looking at the rosary around Kouko's neck, Tokaku nodded in understanding.
"I'm sorry." Tokaku said. "That must have been hard for you to deal with."
"Yes, it was." Kouko said. "Especially since...it was my fault. I set the bomb that accidentally killed her. If only I had been better, maybe she'd still be alive. Her death made me strive for perfection, even if I really just wanted to quit...I was so tired of it all deep inside…"
Tokaku placed a hand on Kouko's shoulder. "My condolences. I really hope you can find happiness…"
Kouko interrupted Tokaku as she spoke. "It's alright. I'm moving on a bit day by day. Thanks to Suzu and our classmates...including you. As your class representative, I won't allow any of us to get hurt! I promise!" she said, adjusting her glasses.
Tokaku nodded at her. "That's good. I'm kind of happy that I got to know you better." she said with a bit of awkwardness and a half smile. Interacting with her classmates like this was still a new thing to her. She briefly considered telling Kouko about her aunt, but…
"Oh my God!" Kouko cried. While they were talking, they had neglected the food. A fire had broken out in the kitchen. The flames were spreading, not fast enough to endanger them, but it was still a problem.
"There are no buckets!" said Tokaku. Kouko tried to use water from the sink to put it out, throwing it on the fire with her hands. The fire only continued to spread despite her efforts. Tokaku tried to look around for something to extinguish it, but couldn't find anything that would work.
Just then, the flames were extinguished by a white spray. The two looked towards the doorway, where Chitaru stood holding a fire extinguisher.
"Just like a noble prince…." was the same thought both Kouko and Tokaku had as they see Chitaru approaching them through the smoke and helping them up.
"Are you two alright? I was making my way to my room for my daily medication when I noticed a light trail of smoke and smelled the fire. Good thing there are fire extinguishers placed at every floor." said Chitaru as she placed the extinguisher on the floor, wiped the sweat off her face before using the wall as support to take out her cane from her belt "Sorry, legs still aren't at their best yet."
"Alright?" Kouko said with a bitter smile at the messy situation. "Me and Azuma were trying to cook lunch, but...you can see how that turned out." Tokaku looked guilty as she gestured to the food. The tonkatsu was alright, but both the curry and soup were ruined. The deep fryer's handle was somewhat burnt. Chitaru laughed a bit.
"Let me help you out." Chitaru said.
"I'd appreciate that." replied Tokaku. Chitaru handed the two of them aprons as she put on her own.
"Wear these." she said. "It's pretty useful if you don't want to get dirty."
Kouko and Tokaku put them on. "You know," Kouko said. "I would use these more if Suzu didn't tease me every time I put one on…" she sighed as she recalled all those times Suzu even made hearty jokes about her appearance. Of course she would laugh too, resulting in her accidentally ruining the cooking.
"Haru always wears cute aprons while cooking." Tokaku added with a small nostalgic smile.
"Well, I usually cook." Chitaru added. "But Kirigaya's been learning to cook as well, and she once wore an apron with nothing underneath but a swimsuit to try and seduce me…"
Tokaku giggled a bit. Kouko and Chitaru were a bit shocked, not used to seeing the bluenette laugh, but then laughed along with her. "Sorry, it's just… Haru once surprised me by wearing an apron with English words sewed on it, it was pronounced 'Tokaku's Waifu'. Of course when I saw the bandages on her fingers, I quickly told her off for sewing without me helping her… I kept on focusing on her safety that I failed to notice her acts of… love towards me." her smile gradually became sad as she spoke.
Tokaku then puts on her goggles and began peeling and chopping a new batch of onions. Kouko and Chitaru did the same with the potatoes and carrots respectively, both concerned for Tokaku as the bluenette continued wearing the sad smile. But it was Chitaru who finally broke the gloomy atmosphere.
"Azuma, did you hear about what happened earlier in the dining room? It was just dreadful."
"What do you mean? I saw the wreckage there, but our classmates seemed to be fine when I passed by them, so I assumed it wasn't anything too bad…"
"Hashiri and Sagae got into a fight. Hashiri was insulting us and Sagae couldn't take it, so she tried to attack Hashiri...but it didn't end well. Ah, Sagae is fine now, of course. Though Banba had to interfere and stop Hashiri from hurting her, but then Hashiri got injured too. Me and Shutou had to carry her to her room."
"Was Haru there? Did she get hurt?"
"She was there." Chitaru confirmed. "But Hashiri just stunned her with her powers. She didn't really hurt Ichinose or anyone else."
"Thank goodness." Tokaku said. "Hashiri's strong...she could have seriously wounded somebody even without her powers."
"I heard about it too." Kouko said. "I'm quite surprised that Banba was able to hold her own against Hashiri. I am worried that Hashiri had such an outburst though...it might be bad for us if this behavior keeps up."
"Don't worry, I'll try my best to keep her under control." Chitaru said, and Tokaku nodded in agreement. They went back to cooking for a while, before Chitaru broke the silence again with an unexpected question.
"Hey, Azuma. Can we, um...be more than friends?" the redhead asked with a faint blush on her face.
Tokaku and Kouko were both caught off guard by the awkwardly timed question. Chitaru looked at Tokaku earnestly, awaiting a response. Tokaku briefly wondered why all assassins were just as socially awkward as her, before she replied.
"Um...I don't think that would work. Don't you already have Kirigaya? What would she think? And besides, I already love Haru...I've pledged my heart to her. So I'm sorry, but...I think we have to just stay friends."
Chitaru panicked, due to her question clearly being misunderstood, which was mostly her fault. "Oh, um, it's n-not like that! I, uh, meant that, well, w-we…"
Kouko cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "I think that Namatame didn't mean to ask you out romantically, Azuma. She means that she considers you her best friend, instead of just a regular friend."
Chitaru nodded, still a bit shy. "Even if we did fight that one time...I do think you're my best friend. Really."
Tokaku took some time to process this. She had never really had a casual friend before, aside from Haru, let alone a best friend. "T-thanks." the bluenette said. "I've never really had a best friend, so...um, I think I need time to think about that."
Chitaru smiled at Tokaku. "Don't worry. I'll wait."
"Well…" Kouko said. "Can I also confess something? I think you and the other girls...are kind of like my sisters. Not just because I'm your class representative, but because I feel an actual bond to you all. It was our bond...that convinced me to leave the Clover Home for good."
Chitaru was touched, and tried to hold back her tears. "Thanks...I didn't know you felt that way, Kaminaga."
Tokaku giggled a little. "Inukai said something similar about us. I didn't expect it from her either."
"Wh-what!? Inukai did? Y-you're kidding right?" Kouko asked as she grabbed Tokaku by the shoulders and leaned her face forward, her glasses tilting off balance.
Tokaku was surprised but smiled a little "It's not a joke, she told me last night that she saw as little sisters, well except for Sagae and Shutou."
Kouko took a step back and straightened her glasses with a sigh "And I mustered all my heart to say those words, only to learn it was so easily said by that lazy delinquent of all people…."
Chitaru placed a hand on her lips to keep herself from laughing. "But still, I guess we have one troublesome older 'Sister' to look after huh?"
Tokaku gave a smirk. "And now the perfect way to tease the almighty 'Isuke-sama' for as long as we want."
Almost immediately, Tokaku, Chitaru and even Kouko started laughing, looking forward to Isuke's constantly embarrassed face should they act all sisterly around her.
In the back room of an huge armored truck, scores of men were loading and double checking their weapons and gear. Wearing SWAT design clothes and body armor, their real identity was a group of contracted mercenaries, paid or blackmailed for a certain job.
As they sat down and waited for the vehicle to reach its destination, four individuals who were much smaller than the men around them, yet far more dangerous, stood in the center of the room. One of them held a laptop that suddenly came to life and showed the smug face of Shuri Watanabe.
"Now then Gentlemen, I hope you are worth your price and our effort. And whatever you think you are capable of, don't even think for a second our opponents are simply weak girls. For if you do… well they may not kill you, but my lieutenants here aren't as merciful."
The four in question only nodded through their black ski masks, the holes only showing their eyes which were eerily glowing.
"Now then, happy hunting."