Putting all they'd learnt into the real world was a lot harder than it originally sounded. Although Nagisa had fought Takaoka before, he had been trying to prove a point rather than seriously intending to harm Nagisa. These real, professional assassins were tough, so tough that when they'd faced the poisoner, Karasuma himself had been incapacitated, and was having to be tugged around by Isogai.
Just around the corner from the place they were standing was, if Nagisa was guessing right, another professional assassin. They had made it all the way up to the fifth floor walk way, before their path was blocked by a tall, blond man. There was something in his stance that said he was ready to fight, but it was so subtle… He was definitely a pro
"Hey, why's he just standing there in the open like that?" Yoshida whispered.
Yada looked almost as if she was scanning him in concentration. "That vibe he's giving off…"
"Oh, yeah, I can totally call it now," Yoshida realised. "If it's kill or be killed, he'll kill."
Moving lightning fast, the man slammed his first into one of the windows, causing it to crack around his hand. He didn't seem fazed by this, standing to attention as if to greet them. "What a drag, hm. If I can hear your footsteps, you're not tough enough for me, hm. Supposedly some special forces teacher was taking the lead too, hm. I guess Smog's gas must've gotten the better of him, hm. Probably killed each other at the same time, hm. Come on out, hm.
Even though he was a professional assassin, clearly, Nagisa felt no fear. In fact, there was something odd about him, like an itch Nagisa wasn't sure of the location of.
"You say 'hm' a lot, old man." Karma stepped forwards, fairly so since he clearly knew their location.
Ah, there it was. The rest of them stepped forwards, since there was no real advantage to hiding their numbers right then.
He shrugged. "I heard it would make me sound more like a samurai, hm. It's got a cool ring to it, so I'm trying it out, hm. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't mind, hm. After I kill you all here, I can drop the 'hm' with no loss of face, hm."
From Nagisa's hands, Korosensei joined the conversation. "Bare hands… are those your killing tools, then?"
"There's actually quite a demand for this, hm. Passing through pat-downs has its distinct advantage, hm. Once they come closer, I snap their necks, hm. Or, if I feel like it, I could crush their skulls, hm." He flexed his wrists in demonstration. "You know, it's funny, hm. The more you train your strength for killing people, hm, the more you feel like using it for something else, hm. A fight, to be precise, hm. Against a might foe – to the death, hm. But what a let-down, hm. Seeing who I'm up against, I've all but lost my will to fight, hm. Plus, it's a pain killing a bunch of small fry by myself, hm. I'll call in my boss and my colleague to kill you together, hm."
He took out a large walkie-talkie, but before he could contact anybody, Karma was moving. With a speed only Karma could manage right there on the spot, he grabbed a hold of one of the decorative plant pots that were lining the walkway, swinging it around like a baseball bat to hit the device right into the window, next to the punch shatter.
"Hey, old man, hm." He said confidently. "You're pretty average for a pro, aren't you? Breaking glass, busting skulls? I can do that too. But if your opening move is to call in reinforcements, maybe you're too scared to take on a junior-high kid alone."
Nagisa could sense that the rest of their group was unnerved by Karma's taunts, but he could sense a different kind of energy from Karma. He'd seen him fight many times in the past, back when they were twelve and in Class D together. That was rash, mostly unplanned violence he used to get his way. Right then, Karma's entire presence wasn't fully dark.
"No! Don't be reckless!" Karasuma yelled.
"Stop right there, Karasuma Sensei," Korosensei said. "His chin is down. So far he's been showing off his swagger with his chin in the air, looking down on his opponents. But this is different. His words may be as rough as ever… but his eyes are looking straight ahead, alert, observing his foe head on. He's been lying low ever since finals, but it seems he's learned well from his failures."
The pro shrugged off his jacket. "Alright, hm. Let's see what you can do, hm."
"Give this everything you've got," Korosensei warned. "You're facing one high wall: an adult!"
If Karma took the advice in, he didn't show it. "If you insist…" With his hands still gripping the plant pot, he charged forwards with it, but the assassin gripped it with ease. Knowing Karma, that definitely wasn't everything the alpha had planned. You could practically hear the gears of his mind spinning.
"Too soft, hm. You'll have to find a better weapon, hm." With ease, the assassin snapped the plant in half.
"Don't need one," Karma said casually, and moved out of the way of the assassin's lunge. The fight was a blur, with the assassin trying to get his hands on Karma, and Karma avoiding each potential blow with expert precision. He was light and steady on his feet, concentrating fully on his opponent. A part of Nagisa swelled up, in something almost like proud. There'd been a change in him, somewhere.
"Wow… he's dodging or blocking every blow!" Kayano commented beside Nagisa.
Korosensei hummed. "That's your defence technique, right, Karasuma Sensei?"
Of course, he must have picked it up in practise. Karma tended to skip many of their extra sessions, and indeed also the mandatory ones, with the excuse he didn't need it. He'd definitely picked up a lot from it, though, even if he didn't realise.
"What's wrong, hm?" The assassin halted his advance. "You'll never get past me if you don't attack, hm!"
"You think?" Karma said knowingly. "I mean, I could be doing my best to distract you while the rest of us slip past a few at a time. Relax. No underhanded hijinks here. Now… it's my turn." He cracked his knuckles, and got into an offensive position. "Barehanded, like you. We'll settle this fair and square, man-to-man."
The assassin looked him over. "I like that face of yours, young warrior, hm. With you, I've got a chance- a chance of a fair fight I can't experience in the assassination business, hm."
This time, as the fight resumed, Karma did indeed do his best job at attacking. They moved together in a blur, though Nagisa did manage to notice how Karma favoured swift kicks and slashes, whereas the assassin was trying to get his fists on him. Surprisingly, the fight was pretty equal, until the assassin was knocked back onto his knee. Nagisa's heart jumped in his throat. Was Karma really going to win so clearly? Even before Karma advanced, Nagisa sensed the darkness form. Sure enough, the assassin pulled out an aerosol can – the same as Smog had used earlier, and sprayed it right at Karma, causing him to fall to his knees.
"It's over, hm," the assassin said, gripping his hair. Nagisa had to bite the inside of his cheeks. If the man was serious, Karma could really die.
"That's dirty! There's nothing fair about sneaking that into a fight!" Yoshida called out.
"I never said I fight only barehanded, hm." He yanked Karma up by the head. "One musn't get too particular about ones hangups, hm. Just another key to sticking around in this business, hm. A spray of gas at point blank range, hm… You'll never defend against it if you don't see it com-"
He was cut off by the same spray, coming from Karma's own hand, still perfectly mobile.
The assassin stumbled back. "Wh-what have you="
"What a coincidence!" Karma said easily, completely unscathed. "We were both thinking the same thing!
"How… did you… get that… hm….? And how… did you not… breathe my gas… hm?"
The assassin made a final stand, charging clumsily towards him with a knife he'd pulled out of his jacket, but Karma easily grabbed him by the arm, flipping and pinning him onto the floor.
"C'mon Terasaka!" He called. "Quickly, quickly! We'll need duct tape and sheer numbers to beat this monster!"
"Yeah, I'm on it," Terasaka replied, pulling a bag out of his own backpack. "The promise of a barehanded, one on one fight? It was bullshit from the word 'go'!"
Following the instruction, and coming out of his stunned state, Nagisa followed the rest of their group to help pin the assassin's body, still struggling against the gas, firmly to the ground. As they prevented him from moving, Karma swiftly moved around him with the tape, fastening his limbs together.
"Careful taping him up." Karasuma instructed. "With his superhuman strength, you've got to be cautious even though he's paralysed." Karasuma
Karma admired their handy work."I filched an unused cartridge from that poisoner guy. It's so handy, I wish it weren't a one time use kind of thing."
"How, hm… did you see my gas attack coming, hm?" The assassin choked out. "Is that why you didn't breathe any in, hm? But I only showed you my bare hands, hm… How, hm?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Karma replied. "I was on guard against everything but bare hands. I'm sure you really did want a barehanded bout… but you would have had to stop us by any means necessary, and if I were you, I would have done the same." He lowered himself, sitting cross legged in front of the assassin. "I trusted your attitude as a pro… and that's why I was on guard."
There was something much more mature in Karma's entire demeanour, like he'd somehow changed for the better. To his horror, Nagisa realised his throat had gone bone dry, and there was a weird itch in his neck. He shifted uncomfortably as quiet, glancing thoughts filled the back of his mind. Strong alpha, they whispered, he can protect you, your alpha. Nagisa almost wanted to scream to drown them out. It was just some kind of hormonal thing. Just hormones, that's-
"Karma kun had never known great defeat," Korosensei interrupted his train of thought, "but those midterm exams taught him all too well: losers are people just like you who live their lives thinking about all sorts of things. Once you realise that, you inevitably find you can no longer make light of your opponent on the battlefield. You can see if your foe is thinking like you, trying hard like you. You come to see their abilities, their circumstances. Someone who can be respectfully wary of their opponent… That person has no chinks on the battlefield. You grew so much from that one defeat. You'll make a name for yourself one day. "
The assassin seemed to agree. "You're nothing to sneeze at, young warrior, hm. I may have lost, but I enjoyed our time togeth-"
Before he could finish, Karma dug around in the bag Terasaka had provided him, producing two tubes. "What are you talking about? The fun's just beginning!"
"What the hell is that, hm?"
"Wasabi and mustard. I'm going to put them in your nostrils. I'd been on guard around you all this time, but now that you're tied up, what's the point? Once these are in, I'll plug your nose with a special clip, stuff your mouth with ghost peppers – a thousand times hotter than average chillies – then, to top all of that, I'll gag you. Done and done! Okay, old man hm? Now's the time to show your willpower as a pro, hm."
Nagisa swallowed. "Korosensei, Karma kun hasn't really changed all that much, has he?"
"No, he hasn't. I'm concerned for his future." Korosensei agreed.
"What the hell did you bring with you, anyway?" Terasaka asked, as Karma finished up torturing their opponent. "Hey, let's get going! Keep dragging our feet and they'll find us!" Terasaka.
"They'll find you," Karma said, finally turning his attention away, "you Big Hulk."
"Shut it!" Terasaka complained, practically dragging him away.
Though they kept their stealth up, there were no other secret assassins poised to try and defeat them for a little while, as they followed the map Ritsu had set out. Thankfully, the guy hadn't had time to call for reinforcements, and had in fact given away that more did exist. The only thing they could hope for was a smooth ascent the rest of the way, although it was unlikely.
"Okay, everyone," Ritsu announced as they reached a staircase. "The terrace is upstairs."
"The bar floor," Hayami said. "That could be tricky."
"Yes," Ritsu confirmed. "There's a stairway to the VIP floor inside a lounge here. The back entrance is locked; we'll have to come in through the longue to unlock it."
Isogai looked up towards the doors, where music was booming. "We really stand out, you guys."
"Let's have the teachers hide here. We'll sneak into the lounge and unlock the back entrance. We girls won't look suspicious alone in a place like this." Kataoka suggested.
Karasuma shook his head. "No. It's girls going alone that makes it dangerous."
"Oh! In that case…" Karma shot Nagisa an oddly suggestive look.
"Huh?" Nagisa voiced his confusion, the rest of the group looking at him.
"It's just," Kataoka looked him over, "if any of the boys stand a chance of getting in, it's you, Nagisa kun."
He still didn't understand exactly what they meant, but he was frightened to ask.
"If Nagisa kun is okay with it," Karasuma said, "I approve of the mission."
"Come on, Nagisa kun!" Yada said cheerfully. "You wan't to help in the assassination, don't you?"
He gave in. "F-fine."
"Great! Now go get changed, snappish!"
As soon as they'd said it, Hayami swiftly pressed a pile of folded clothes into Nagisa's arms, pushing him off into the first room that was unlocked. It didn't seem like anybody was currently staying in there, due to a total lack of bags. Looking at the clothes he'd been provided made Nagisa want to cry, but he'd already agreed to it, and had no choice but to slip them on.
It wasn't uncommon for male omegas to choose to dress in the feminine way. Not that he really knew any others, but he'd definitely seen it in the media. At the Junior High stage, any segregation was based on the primary gender alone, but after that, if you were an omega you were essentially a girl in official eyes. Even the thought made Nagisa squirm.
His mother had forced him to wear dresses before, but none were as promiscuous as this. When he looked begrudgingly in the mirror, it definitely wouldn't do. At the moment, Nagisa's t shirts fit loosely enough to mostly hide the curve of his stomach, but this top was so tight that if anything, it highlighted it. Never mind the skirt, he couldn't be seen like that. The best option, he decided, was to suck his stomach in as far as he could, tugging the material up and over the bump. With the way it flared out, it disguised his stomach, but to the disadvantage that it showed an indecent amount of thigh.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Nagisa left it like that, and finally went outside to join the rest of the group again. The stares bore into his skin, and he just wanted to run away and hide.
"Can we just go?"
They nodded, and entered the longue. Club music was blaring as people either danced along to it, or hung out at the side lines. Nobody was giving them a second glance, at the very least. Hopefully this mission would be over in the matter of minutes. All he had to do was hide behind the girls, and nobody would even see him.
"C'mon! Get out in front and protect us, Nagisa kun!" Kataoka said, pushing him forwards.
"I can't! I can't be out in front!" Nagisa panicked.
"Give it up," Kataoka continued, "go on!"
"Why me?"
"We'd like a guy around, but in places like this they check guys real carefully." She replied.
"Yeah, but even so-"
"It's all part of the plan!" Fuwa cut in.
"Really?"
"Yes, really!" Ritsu agreed.
"Not you too!"
Hayami crossed her arms. "You're acting too normal. It's not fresh enough."
"But that's not what I'm looking for! Where did you find these clothes, anyway?"
"Cast off beside the outside pool," she responded, casually.
Nagisa couldn't help but shudder. What if they were diseased, or something? After this was all over, he was going to have a two hour bath, definitely.
"Ugh let's get out of this filthy place ASAP!" Fuwa said.
Nagisa's eyes narrowed. "And yet you seem to be enjoying yourself, Fuwa san."
A tap on his shoulder made him jump, as he turned to face a guy of around their same age. "Hey! Where'd you come from? How about a drink – anything you like, it's on me!"
Oh, god. That had definitely not been a part of the plan, or what he'd agreed to.
"Go ahead, Nagisa! Keep him company!" Kataoka took any choice away, pushing him towards the boy.
"But, Kataoka san…" Nagisa complained lowly.
She grabbed his shoulder, whispering into his ear. "We have to act normal, remember? We'll come get you if anything happens."
How did it come to this?
"Oh! So you're Nagisa chan! I'm Yuji." The boy introduced, a hand on Nagisa's back steering him towards the bar. "Is there anything you like?"
Nagisa didn't know what to do in a situation just like this. "Uh…"
"No worries, I'll order for you," he turned to the bartender, rattling off the name of some drink Nagisa had never heard of. From the smell of it once it was placed in his hand, it was most definitely alcoholic. "C'mon, drink up! I'm paying! We'll do it up big tonight, anything for a nice omega like you!"
"N-no! I…I can't drink." Nagisa excused. He couldn't anyway, due to his doctor's warnings, but he was never drinking alcohol in his life again. All it had gotten him in was this huge mess. His mind turned to Yuji's comment. Omega? Nagisa realised, with a small amount of horror, that in the rush of the assassination and then their infiltration, he'd forgotten to apply any of that scent blocker stuff. It hadn't seemed to be an issue before, but he must be producing some kind of scent.
The more natural he acted, the better. "Um, Yuji kun? Are you here with your parents?" Nagisa decided to ask, as Yuji downed his own drink.
"My parents? Like they have the time! This is just between us, but my old man, he's a famous TV personality." He announced, excitedly. "You know him, believe me! He's such a big deal, he can get away with anything. He was bragging about squeezing this omega woman announcer's ass for twenty four hours straight!"
That sounded gross. "Does your dad have some kind of grudge against asses or something?"
Yuji looked away, as if he'd run out of any kind of reply, and pulled out a cigarette looking thing. There was an odd smell coming from it, though, causing Nagisa to wrinkle his nose.
"That's… not a regular cigarette, is it?"
"Yeah. I just got into it. At my age, if you know about these, you're cool."
Nagisa reached over, inspecting it closely. He wasn't sure he had any grounds to lecture people on what they did with their lives, given his own situation, but he couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. "Our teacher said he doesn't know if smoking those will make you look cool, but it definitely makes your life harder."
"Life's already hard for us betas!" He slammed a fist on the table. "We gotta force ourselves to try and look cool! It's worse for me, always getting compared to my old man. You've got it made… All you have to do is pick a cool guy"
"Uh… yeah…" Nagisa looked away from him. If only his life were that easy.
"Nagisa!" Kayano called out, across the room.
"Kayano!" Her coming to get him could mean danger, but Nagisa was overjoyed he was allowed to leave. "Oh, um… I gotta go," he excused.
"What? Already?" Yuji looked up.
"Bye now!" Nagisa said quickly, going over to Kayano's side. The girls didn't seem to be in too much danger, at the very least, and were waiting by the balcony door. "Don't leave me alone like that!"
"Sorry! We hammered out a stratergy!" Kataoka said, like that had been the plan all along.
"Great," Nagisa responded genuinely. "I can't wait to get out of these clothes."
"Hey, wait up! Ladies!" Nagisa turned, to see Yuji had followed them. "As a special treat, check out my signature dance moves!"
The display was awful. Even if he'd actually been a good dancer, the moves were so try-hard Nagisa just wanted it to end. That's all he seemed to be – try hard. It was a little sad, really. Maybe if Yuji learnt to be more comfortable on his own two feet, he could be a genuinely nice guy. His moves grew too frantic, though, and he knocked a drink out of a taller man's hand, spilling it all over his jacket.
"Hey brat, tough guy, eh?" The man approached.
"N-no, I-"
"Get over here!" He grabbed Yuji by the shirt.
Yuji trembled. "I didn't mean to…"
"This is a million yen jacket. I demand compensation. Your address, now! Add on pain and suffering, and that's three million total. Pay up now and we'll only leave you half dead."
"What?! M-my father will pay! Please don't beat me up!"
"Excuse me, Yakuza San?" Okano stepped up, with apparently some pity.
"Yeah?"
Expertly, she flipped, kicking him back so he was knocked out in one blow. Nagisa was sure that if Karasuma had been there to see it, he would have been proud of how flawlessly she'd pulled off the technique.
"Excuse me, sir?" Yada asked one of the men guarding the door. "That customer just suddenly collapsed. Take him out of here and get him checked out."
"Oh yes. Sorry for the bother." He left his post, and seeing their chance, some of the girls ran through the open door.
"Back to the dance floor with you!" Yada said kindly to Yuji. "And don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
"Even when girls pull off something so effortlessly cool," Nagisa said, his eyes following them, "you still have to chin up and act cool… It is hard."
"Nagisa chan…" Yuji looked up at him.
He sighed. "If we meet again, keep acting cool, okay? Anything but drugs and dancing… if you can help it."
Joining them, he ran around the back of the longue, unlocking the door so the rest of their group could come through. The second it was unlocked, Nagisa slipped away, this time finding a cleaning cupboard to change in. Once his regular clothes were touching his skin again, he felt infinitely more comfortable. It wasn't like he'd done much, anyway.
"Wow, you sure got changed fast, Nagisa," Kayano said, once he'd returned.
"Yeah." Nagisa looked down.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Kayano asked.
"It's just… You girls did everything this time around. What was even the point of me being in this get up?"
Karma quickly cut in, holding up his phone to display a photo of Nagisa in the outfit. "Comic relief, duh!"
"Don't you dare Karma kun!" It was how he'd used to tease Nagisa before all this mess had started, strangely familiar. As he reached for the phone, Karma laughed, holding it above his head and out of his reach. It didn't bother him that much, really. In a sense, the normalcy of it was refreshing. Perhaps they still had hope, somehow.