"Now, allow me to introduce your brand-new temporary foreign language teacher," presented Karasuma.
"Irina Jelavic!" exclaimed cheerfully said teacher. "Nice to meet you all!"
Ame stared at her, unimpressed. The woman was dressed very… openly, and she was gushing about Korosensei, hanging onto one of his tentacles like a lover.
Ugh, I don't need those images…
She was a beautiful woman, of course, and her acting skills were near perfect. However, the orange-eyed teen knew a seduction master when she met one. Having Uma around was always… an experience, to say the least, and his patterns matched that woman's.
Meaning she's a pro, uh? So they're already starting to lose hope in us.
If the government placed high-ranked assassins on the chessboard, this meant they only considered the students as pawns and didn't care about sacrificing their well-being in order to checkmate. She'd have to be more careful from here on out.
"This school intends to give you an authentic experience in foreign language," stated the goverment agent. "I trust there are no complaints about her taking over half your English lessons?"
"If we must…" murmured Korosensei.
And then, he turned pink. Ame facepalmed. Could he truly be fooled so easily? Just because some woman came up to him and showed her breasts?
For real…
"The more I look at you, the more I like what I see!" squealed Irina. "Your beady eyes, like two diarrhea pills… Your undefined joints… Why, you're positively captivating!"
"How embarrassing!"
At that, all of the students slumped over their desks in defeat. He can't be serious!
.
.
"I had all kinds of close-ranged methods prepared…" mused Irina. "I just never thought my seduction tactics would work."
"But you can't just hire an assassin to work at a school," warned Karasuma. "We'll have you do some teaching to keep up appearances."
"I'm a pro," replied the woman, somewhat arrogantly. "My job will be done before I need to resort to teaching."
"Or so you think."
Both adults stiffened, snapping their eyes to the door, against which none other than Ame was leaning. She didn't seem that much impressed by the woman near her.
"Overestimating yourself is the most amateurish mistake you can make," remarked coldly the teen, her orange eyes narrowed. "You know nothing of Korosensei, and this lack of information is what'll get you killed. Isn't it how it works for assassins? Kill or be killed?"
There was a moment of heavy silence before the girl shook her head and walked out, heading to the field to join her classmates. Irina frowned at her retreating back, biting her lower lip.
"Who is she?"
"Naoki Ame," answered Karasuma with a sigh. "One of your students. She's the first one who managed to hurt the target, and only her and Akabane Karma have managed that feat so far. I'd suggest not to get on her bad side if you wish to get information from her."
"Information?" scoffed the blonde. "From a brat like that? I can find out what I need on my own. As I said, I am a pro."
Karasuma merely shrugged. In the end, she was the assassin and it was her mission. She could lead it however she liked, as long as it didn't put the students' in harm's way.
"Ooh, Korosensei!"
Ame clicked her tongue in annoyance. She had just joined the game, and that woman was now interrupting it. Lowering her knife, she almost screamed in frustration when, completely smitten, Korosensei left for Vietnam to bring back some coffee for the hidden assassin.
The bell rang almost as soon as he was gone.
"Ne, Irina-sensei? Class is starting. Shouldn't we go back in?" remarked Isogai.
"Class? Oh, right." The students stiffened at the suddenly detached tone of the blonde. She brought a cigarette to her lips. "Just make it a study hall or something."
"Uh?" blinked Okajima, startled by the sudden change of attitude.
"Also, can you not call me by my first name?" she added, lighting her cigarette and inhaling deeply. "I won't be playing teacher unless that octopus is around, so you are to call me Jelavic-san."
There was a moment of silence. Then, Irina stiffened as a hand suddenly passed above her shoulder and grabbed her cigarette, pulling it out of her grasp. She spun on her heels, only to find that Naoki girl staring at her, the cigarette between her fingers.
I didn't hear her coming behind me!?
"First of all, we wouldn't be calling you by your first name if you had introduced yourself properly," she pointed out, scowling a little. "For an infiltration master, you're forgetting rather basic things. In Japan, we introduce ourselves starting by our last name. Had this been any of your usual missions, you would probably be dead already."
"Why you little—"
"And second of all…" The teen threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, crushing it until it fully went out. "Smoking is prohibited on campus. If you want to 'play teacher' when Korosensei is around, you probably should take a look at the school's rules first. You know, so that he doesn't get suspicious."
The blonde was fuming. How dare that little girl tell her how to do her damn job!? She was a pro, an assassin! She could kill her in the blink of an eye if she wanted to, so who did she think she was—
Wait, what's that?
Her eyes landed on the ring the teen was wearing on the middle finger of her left hand. It was rather large, obviously made of real gold, and the letter "Z" was engraved into it, in black and cursive.
That's a gang membership proof, she realized, narrowing her eyes. But I've never seen that symbol before. Whom is she with? I need to study it, maybe send it to some of my contacts to get more information.
"Found something interesting, Irina-sensei?"
The blonde was snapped back to reality and offered the irritating girl a honeyed smile.
"Merely wondering where you got that ring of yours. Quite pretty, really. Real gold, isn't it?"
"Family heirloom," shrugged the girl without missing a beat, not a single trace of hesitation in her tone or body language. "Never bothered to look into it."
She's warning me not to inquire more. Who is that kid!?
Sensing the growing tension between the two, Karma decided to step in.
"So, what are you going to do, Bitch-san?" he taunted.
"No nicknames!" warned angrily the woman.
"You're an assassin, right?" added the boy, unperturbed. "The entire class working together can't kill this monster, and you're going to kill him all by yourself?"
"Brat," huffed the woman, before smirking. "Grown-ups have their own grown-ups ways of doing things." She then turned to the blue-haired student. "You must be Nagisa… Shiota Nagisa, right?" Ame snorted as the woman corrected herself at the last second.
However, her amusement was soon forgotten and replaced by disgust as the woman suddenly leaned closer to the boy and kissed him. Once he was completely out of it due to sheer shock, the woman finally released him and hugged him, his face right into her breasts.
"Come to the staff room later, I'd like to see what you have on him," she cooed, before truly letting him go and turning to the rest of the students. "The same goes for anyone else with key intel! I'll give you something good in return. I can even swap in a man for you girls." At that moment, three men showed up, carrying equipment. "After all, it's a pro's job to have both technique and connections. Now, you brats go watch from the outfield. Oh, and one more thing: interfere even slightly in my assassination… and I'll kill you."
Some killing intent was now weighing in the air. Ame simply scoffed, though. If that was all that woman could manage, then she truly wasn't a threat. Hell, even Usagi was scarier when he threatened someone. However, she decided not to add anything else. She had said what she wanted to say, for now.
And now it's English, but she won't bother teaching us anything…
"Hey, Karma," she called as the students started heading back inside.
"What is it?"
"Feeling up for skipping?"
"Mmm… I think I'll stay this time around," he shrugged, smirking a little. "Teasing Bitch-san will be fun."
"Suit yourself. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya."
The teen quickly went to class and grabbed her things, before heading out. As she stepped outside, though, she ran into the agent who was now their teacher.
"Karasuma-san," she greeted.
"Where are you going?" he frowned. "Class is starting—"
"Class? There's no teacher to teach us, so I wouldn't call it a class," she deadpanned.
He cringed a little at the remark. "Irina Jelavic is a master in numerous languages and—"
"Not the point. She doesn't want to teach us, she's completely focused on her assassination. Though, in a way, I can't really blame her. Her reputation as an assassin is on the line, after all," pointed out the teen. "But it won't get her anywhere. She's already convinced she's going to win, and that'll be her downfall."
"… She is here on government orders. Until she is done with her mission, I'm afraid you and the students will have to bear with it," he sighed. "But English class is still very important. You shouldn't leave without a good reason."
So he's already starting to fall into the teacher persona? How cute. She almost rolled her eyes. Not.
"I don't need English classes. I'm already bilingual. Plus, I don't want to spend more time than I have to with that viper," she then replied in perfect English.
He blinked, though found himself unable to really be startled. That girl was a still-growing mystery, and he doubted she could surprise him more than she already had.
"Anyway. I'll see you tomorrow, Karasuma-san."
With a careless wave, she then left. He watched her go for a second, before shaking his head with a sigh. He wasn't used to dealing with kids, and he'd rather not get involved too personally with the E-Class students if he could help it.
.
.
As soon as night fell, Ame slipped out of her room through her window. She had found no trace of a gang intruding in their territory on the last few patrols, but she and the other members knew something was up. Usually, finding if another gang was present was rather easy. However, the one they were now facing was quite careful when it came to their identity and other basic info.
So, she decided to take it upon herself to find out who were the idiots who thought they could challenge the Zodiac on their own turf.
She didn't bother with her mask. It'd only attract unwanted attention. Plus, if she actually found whoever she was looking for, then they might assume she was living close and start digging around, thus putting her grandmother and the kids in danger. Plus, it was an independent mission. She was now acting as Naoki Ame, normal teenager, and not as Kitsune, member of the Zodiac.
There were only two proofs that Ame was part of the Yakuza group. The first one was her ring, which granted her access to Headquarters and different little hideouts where she could get her hands on equipment. It also allowed her to contact other members in case of an emergency, and it was also used as a way to make all the members gather as fast as possible. Another of the rules of the Zodiac was: never take off your ring. Otherwise, it'd be taken for granted that you were dead. So, needless to say, Ame never disobeyed that rule.
The second proof was more subtle and very easy to hide. It was a tattoo on the back of her neck, which consisted of seven little black dots. To anyone, they appeared as mere moles, but they actually represented the constellation of the Little Fox, Vulpecula. All the members had such tattoos so that they could recognize each other during infiltration missions and such.
Anyhow, the ring and the tattoo were the only things that could link Ame to the Zodiac. No one knew about the tattoos saved for the members and her ring was hidden thanks to the gloves she was wearing. So, there truly was no way that whichever gang was running amok could know about her allegiance.
She'd use that to her advantage.
Though I have to find them first. Where the hell should I start? Dark alleys are kind of cliché, but if they're selling drugs…
Not knowing where to start, she decided to go with her instinct. She truly hated running around blind, having grown used to being well-informed whenever she went out on the field (selling information and knowing things were the Zodiac's trademarks, after all), she didn't have much of a choice. So, knowing it'd be a long night, she started looking.
It's only a little past one in the morning that she finally found what she was looking for. Silent, she leaned against the wall, just near the entrance of an alley, in which four men were selling some drug to a couple of delinquents.
She closed her eyes to focus on their voices.
"—cheaper and better than the usual one."
"Why is it the first time we've heard of it?" wondered the sole woman present.
"Change of guard, if you really wanna know. We're not that known right now, but we're taking over this territory," replied one of the men.
"You crazy or somethin' pal? The territory's already claimed. You really gonna challenge 'em?" retorted the other civilian, snorting.
"Who're 'them', uh? Small gangs dividing the place amongst themselves? We're gonna kick them out real quick, you'll see."
"What, you haven't heard?" mused the woman. "All those gangs are working for a much bigger one. It's a complete system, you don't stand a chance."
"System? We're already in it, sweetheart," chuckled another of the truants.
Ame fought back the urge to facepalm. Of course they didn't find anything in previous lookouts: the gang acting up was one of those working under the Zodiac! They had grown complacent, completely forgetting about their own underlings.
Only the leaders of each gang know of the Zodiac, and even them don't know how any of us looks like, so normal henchmen like these don't know about anything about our members. They think it's merely a sharing system between a few gangs. However, if one of the leaders has decided to take us on… She clenched her fist. Even if we discover who it is, we won't be able to disband them quietly. We need to figure out how many people are in on this and to what extent goes this treason.
There was some shuffling as the group finished selling, and Ame took this as her cue to leave. Alone, she wouldn't stand a chance. She was a thief, not a warrior, and she'd rather not get involved in a fight without necessity. So, deciding to simply report what she had found the next day, she quickly and quietly made her way back home.
Her job was done, for now.
.
.
When morning came, Ame was dead tired but forced herself to move and get ready for the day. If she was late too many times, Korosensei would have her kicked out of the assassination, and that was something she couldn't afford right now. So, dragging her feet, she started heading for school.
It's only halfway there that she remembered what she had found out the night before.
Shoot! Gotta call Hana…
Grabbing her phone, she dialed the red-haired woman's number. After the fourth ring, she picked up.
"Didn't think you'd be awake. You know, what with your long night."
Ame cringed. "You know about that?"
"Of course I do. You're rather predictable. But what have I told you about independent missions?"
"That I shouldn't do them," sighed the girl, not in the mood for a scolding. "But I couldn't just stay there and do nothing. Plus, I wasn't even close to being found out!"
Hana sighed heavily. "Have you found something, at least?"
"It's me we're talking about," scoffed the teen. "So yeah, I did. Now, do you want the info or should I tell you later?"
"Don't play that game with me. What'd you find?"
"Gee, touchy… Anyway, we couldn't find anything previously because we were looking too far. There isn't any new gang or anything, it's one of those working under us. I couldn't tell whom, I didn't stick around long enough else they'd have found me, but at least we've got a lead, now."
"True. Though, I have no idea where we can start looking. We've got what, a dozen gangs right now? And we've managed to have them work for us for years without them ever even knowing who we are. How the hell are we supposed to find out the traitors without blowing our cover?"
"Infiltration?" shrugged the teen. "Hell, I don't know. Do you want me to come over later so that we can work it out?"
"Might be for the best. No skipping for you today, though."
"What? When I said later, I meant—"
"You meant now, I know. But! You shouldn't have gone on that self-appointed mission without at least warning one of us, so suffering through the whole day is your punishment. You'll come to Headquarters after. Enjoy!"
And then Hana hung up.
Ame gaped at her phone for a few seconds, before grumbling under her breath and shoving it in her pocket, annoyed. It's not like she had been caught or anything, right? Plus, she was convinced all the other members went on independent missions all the time. Just because she was the youngest member didn't mean she was helpless either. She wanted to help, damn it!
Too caught up in her frustration, she didn't see the man before her until she ran into him.
"Oof!" She stumbled back, surprised. "Whoa. Sorry about that—"
"Sorry?" The man slowly turned around, revealing his shirt, on which was now smeared some chocolate. "You brat! You dirtied my short and made me drop my breakfast!"
His voice was familiar. She knew she heard it before.
"Err, I can pay you… back…" She trailed off when her eyes landed on a small bag on the ground.
In it was a pale blue powder.
Drug. Her eyes widened in understanding. He's one of the guys from yesterday!
Not really thinking straight, she suddenly grabbed the small bag and instantly made a run for it.
"HEY! Come back here!"
"AS IF!"
It was the drug they were selling yesterday, she was certain of that. Maybe it'd help identify the group that had betrayed them? She needed to bring it back to Headquarters to have it analyzed. However, she knew perfectly well that the red-haired woman wouldn't budge on her idea of punishment, no matter the circumstances, so going now simply wasn't in her options.
"Gotcha!"
She jumped on a bench, avoiding the hand that had shot out to grab her. She then propelled herself on the guy's back, the sudden weight making him fall. She landed back on her feet as he quite literally ate the dust, and instantly disappeared from his sight. Once hidden, she dared to take a look. The guy was back on his feet, his eyes darting around angrily in hopes of finding her. When he realized that he wouldn't be able to find her, he cursed loudly, before stomping away. Ame exhaled in relief. Having a confrontation in the middle of the day truly wasn't the greatest idea, and she'd rather not have her civilian persona involved in illegal things like drugs and street fights if she could help it.
As she started heading back for school, though, she realized that she wouldn't be able to bring her loot in class. Korosensei had a wicked sense of smell, he'd find her out instantly. And then what? It'd bring up a lot of questions, none of which she wanted to answer to.
I can leave it at one of the drop points, she thought. I'll be late, but it's better than being accused of taking drugs, I guess.
She took a detour, heading for one of the drop points used by the Zodiac. Herself never actually used one of those before, they were usually for the members who were undercover, but it was her last option. So, careful not to be seen, she hid it under a rock, which was under a tree, which was on the side of an almost always empty street. Once done, she quickly texted Hana.
"Got something for you to analyze. Might be a lead. Drop point RTS-24."
- K
Her work done, she finally started making her way back to school. If she hurried, she'd make it by half of the first period, so it wasn't so bad.
She received Hana's reply as she reached the gates.
"I told you not to act solo without warning us! But fine, I'll go. Now stop buying yourself time and get your ass in class already."
- H
Ame snorted but didn't reply. She knew Hana wasn't really mad, just watching out for her. And, in the end, the teen couldn't really find it in her to blame her.
It was nice to know she had people watching her back.
She was late, but Korosensei didn't make a fuss, what with the new English teacher still gushing about him and his tentacles.
At least one thing that woman is useful for…
The second period consisted of gym with Karasuma. However, as if to punish her even more, fate made it so it was shooting day. Of course, she had learned her lesson well and was now wearing her special earplugs as soon as she stepped on school grounds, but it didn't mean she was comfortable either.
She didn't bother changing, instead going up to the government agent while the rest of her classmates started getting ready.
"Naoki-san," he greeted. "Are you not getting ready?"
"I can't shoot," she informed bluntly, straight to the point. "I know you expect us to learn all the basics of assassination, but shooting… I can't do it." She pulled out one of her earplugs to show him. "Korosensei made those for me since I can't stand gunshots. However, holding them is a big no-no too."
"Frankly, I'm not forcing any of the students into these activities," he replied. "It is better to know them, but you are free to refuse. The reasons are your own, of course. If you do not feel comfortable with holding a gun, no one can blame you, really. You're still children, after all."
The teen bit back a bitter smile at the last remark. She wasn't a child, hadn't been for a long time, but Karasuma proved to be extremely understanding and she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. So, she simply bowed.
"Thank you for your comprehension. I'll be in class if anyone needs me."
He simply nodded, and Ame returned to the classroom. On the way there, she almost ran into Irina. The two exchanged a glare before parting ways.
"I'm acting now," the woman then announced, making the teen stop in her tracks. "Don't get in my way."
"I won't need to. You'll fail without me needing to interfere."
The blonde gritted her teeth at the obvious insult and Ame disappeared into the classroom. The orange-eyed teen knew just the right buttons to push her into an irate state. However, Irina Jelavic was a pro. It wasn't a fifteen-years old's petty insults that would make her lose control. So, breathing in deeply, she then fell back into character and stepped out.
Time to get this mission over with.
.
.
Gym class was over. All of the students had however been distracted by the assassination lead by the pro assassin.
They didn't like her. Not one bit.
However, her attempt failed. Horribly. Humiliatingly. So, it was with a bounce in their step that the students returned to class for the English lesson. Knowing the woman had suffered such a bitter defeat lifted their spirits more than most liked to admit.
"Too bad Ame missed it," sighed Rio, walking into the classroom.
"She probably predicted the outcome anyway," pointed out Karma.
"Knowing her? Yeah, she did—oh!" They had thought the teen had left without anyone noticing, to be frank. But there she was, actually sleeping on her desk. "Wow. Didn't think she was still here."
"Should we wake her?" wondered the red-haired boy.
The blonde's lips twitched a little as she sat to her own desk. "Be my guest."
Somewhat suspicious of the girl's mysterious smile, the boy however stepped forward and went to stand next to Ame's sleeping form. After one last moment of hesitation, his hand fell on her shoulder, and he started shaking her.
"Oi, Ame, wake up— gah!"
He didn't have the time to finish, the teen's knife suddenly at his throat. He gulped a little, thankful it was only a rubber one, as Ame slowly straightened up.
"I swear ta God, Usagi, ya better not…" Her scowl fell as she blinked, staring up in surprise at her classmate. "Karma?"
"Do you threaten all the guys who wake you up with a knife to their throat?" he sweatdropped as she finally lowered her weapon.
"Only the annoying ones."
Rio laughed at that, and Karma glared at her a little.
"You knew she was going to do that?"
"Ame's rather edgy when people take her by surprise," shrugged the blonde, smirking. "I've learned not to wake her up unless there's a two-meter distance between us, at least."
"Thanks for the warning," grunted the redhead, rubbing his throat.
"Sorry. Bad reflex," apologized Ame, rubbing the back of her head. "Just throw an eraser at my head or something next time. It'll be safer."
"I'll… remember that."
.
.
The English class turned into a study hall. The students weren't working, though, their attention on Irina Jelavic. The woman was sitting at the front, obviously growing more and more unnerved.
"Dammit! Why doesn't this backwoods school has Wi-Fi!?"
"You're trying awful hard, Bitch-san," mused Karma, leaning into his seat with his arms crossed behind his head. "Your pride must be in tatters after that failure."
The blonde bared her teeth at him, about to retort, when Isogai raised his hand.
"Miss?"
"What?" she huffed, exasperated.
"If you won't teach us anything, could you swap with Korosensei?" he asked. "We have entrance exams this year."
"Ah!" Her laugh was disbelieving, mocking. "You want that vicious creature to teach you? You think your exams compare at all to a planetary crisis? Must be nice being such clueless kids!" She rose to her feet, looking down on them. "Besides, from what I've understood, you E-Class students are the school's loser misfits. There can't be any point to studying now. I know—how about this? If my attempt succeeds, I'll give you five million yen to share! That's far more than you'd gain from any pointless schoolwork. So shut up, and do—"
The woman was cut off as an eraser suddenly flew passed her face and landed on the blackboard behind her. She blinked a few times, startled, and Ame snorted, another eraser in hands.
"I don't usually miss. That was just a warning," she casually informed. "Get lost already."
"What—"
But the whole glass started glowering at her. There was pressure in the air, and any idiot would have noticed that they weren't welcome. Five seconds passed before the status quo broke down and the students started throwing at her whatever they could get their hands on.
"Get out!"
"Bring in Korosensei!"
"W-what are you doing!?" she snapped, unable to escape all of the projectiles. "I'll kill you—"
"I'd like to see you try!"
"Yeah, that's right! Down with big boobs!"
"Wait, that's your complaint?"
After a few more seconds, the pro gave up and left the classroom with an irate scream. The door slammed behind her, and the chaos that had taken over the classroom finally died down.
…
…
…
"So…" Okajima glanced around, rubbing the back of his head. "What do we do?"
"Well, it's a study hall," pointed out Ame, rising to her feet. She stretched her arms a little. "Why don't we go study some assassination tactics or something?"
"That's a great idea!" lit up Rio. "Let's go!"
Agreeing, the students soon left the classroom, chatting animatedly and completely forgetting about the teacher they had just kicked out.
"Take that!"
The ball hit the ground, making Ame's team cheer. They started exchanging it again, everything going fast. They had already grown used to the game that Karasuma had shown them the week before and all of the students were making fast progress. Assassination Volleyball was an easy and fun way to learn how to strike a moving target, so it was perfect training for them.
"Incoming!"
"I got it!"
Kurahashi jumped but missed. Ame instantly threw her knife, hitting the ball with enough strength to return it to their opponents. Too surprised by the impromptu move, the students from the otheer team didn't react fast enough to stop it from hitting the ground.
"Hey, that's cheating!" protested Muramatsu.
"Never heard of a rule stating you can't throw your knife," shrugged Ame, smug.
"Yosh! Point for us!" cheered Fuwa.
"What? No way!" protested Maehara.
The two teams started bickering. Seeing this, Ame couldn't help but smile. Being assassins-in-training really created weird bonds between the students, but she couldn't say she disliked it.
.
.
The door of the classroom suddenly slammed open. Irina Jelavic stepped in, and wrote a sentence in English on the blackboard, before turning to them.
"You are incredible in bed. Repeat!"
There was a moment of silence, none of the students really knowing what to do. They had kicked her out earlier, so should they really do what she was saying? Well, that and most of them had no idea of what she had just said. In the end, they decided to go along with it and slowly returned to their places.
"Come on!" she prompted.
"You- you are incredible in bed," finally echoed the rest of the students.
Well, save for Ame. No way was she saying that.
"When I assassinated a certain VIP in America, I first turned on the charm to get close to his bodyguard. Those are the words he said to me. They mean: you're incredible in bed."
Ame's classmates paled a little when realizing what they had just said out loud, and the orange-eyed teen didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm.
"It's often said that the fastest way to learn another language is to get yourself a lover who speaks it," pursued the woman, unperturbed. "You want to know what they're feeling, so you try your hardest to understand what they say. When necessary in the course of my work, I have used that method to learn more than a few new languages. Therefore, my lessons will teach you how to sweet-talk foreigners. The basics of chummy chat, straight from a pro assassin: master them and they'll come in handy with a real live foreigner." Then, she lowered her eyes a little. "Let that octopus teach you what you need for your exams. The only thing I can teach you is practical conversation skills. And then, if you still don't think of me as a teacher, I'll give up on my assassination and leave. That- that ought to fly with you all, right? And… I'm sorry, about all that stuff."
There was a deep blush on her face by now, obvious telltale of her embarrassment, and all the students exchanged stunned glances… before bursting in laughter.
"Why so nervous?" exclaimed Karma, grinning. "You were just threatening to kill us!"
"Well, she's totally a teacher now," mused Maehara.
"Yeah, we can't call you 'Bitch-san' anymore," added Okano.
"You… you understand," gasped Irina, a hand now covering her mouth.
"It was a pretty rude thing to call a teacher," admitted Rio with a shrug.
"Yeah, we need something else," agreed Kayano.
"Then, how about 'Bitch-sensei'?"
The emotional mood instantly vanished as the blonde assassin stiffened, before chuckling nervously.
"Err… How about we move away from the whole 'bitch' thing?" she proposed. "I know! Just call me by my first name. I don't mind—"
"But that bitch thing really isn't going away," taunted Maehara.
"Mmm! Bitch-sensei fits her way better than Miss Irina," nodded Fuwa, before beaming at the woman. "Well, there you have it. Welcome, Bitch-sensei!"
"Let's get started, Bitch-sensei!"
As everyone started yelling along, more and more veins started appearing on the woman's forehead. She lasted longer than Ame thought she would, so she had to give her props for that. However, she still ended up losing.
"Ugh! I hate you all so much!" she screamed. "Don't screw with me! Bunch of rotten brats!"
As she kept on cursing up a storm, Ame hid a smile behind her palm. In the end, maybe having that woman around wouldn't be so bad.
.
.
"I'm back—"
"Why hello there~!"
God no—
The girl didn't react in time, though. Before she could even gasp in horror, slender fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist and dragged her down, making her fall on the couch.
Or rather, on the person who was lying on the couch.
"Hey~!"
"Uma!" The girl struggled to shove him off, but she was trapped on his lap as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Let go! Damn it, I told you to stop doing that!"
"But I missed you so much~!" he whined, holding her even closer.
Understanding she wouldn't win this one, Ame stopped struggling and simply let the blond hug her to his heart's content. It had been a while since they last saw each other, after all, so she guessed she could cut him some slack this time around.
Uma was a tall, blond man with deep blue eyes. He wasn't Japanese, he entered the country illegally a few years prior and the Zodiac picked him up before the authorities could get their hands on him. He was the seduction master of the group, and he was, unfortunately, more often driven by his lust than his reason. That guy was also the one who taught her English. He was also… extremely open, when it came to showing affection. The man had taken a particular liking to Ame, often calling her his little sister… though the teen asked herself if he had a thing for incest, sometimes.
"So, what have you been up to, sweetheart?" he then asked, still not letting her go.
"Failing tests. Skipping class. Being awesome," she resumed, counting on her fingers. "Ooh, and sleeping during the lessons, can't forget that one."
He laughed at that, before kissing her on the cheek loudly. She scrunched up her nose, instantly shoving his face away.
"Stop it! Don't…" Her eyes widened in horror as a glint of malice lightened his gaze. "No! No, don't you dare—gah! No! Stop it! Don't—ah! Ah ah—ah ah aha ah! S-stop!"
But he wasn't stopping, tickling her mercilessly. It's only once she no longer was able to properly formulate her pleads and curses due to a lack of air that he finally released her. She rolled off his lap and landed on the caret with a 'THUMP'.
Panting, it took her a few seconds to muster her energy and glare at him.
"I hate you."
But she couldn't shake off the smile from her lips.
"Okay. Now that you're done molesting the kid, maybe we can get to the real reason why we're here?"
Ame would have jumped had she been able to do so. Lifting her gaze, her orange eyes met dark red ones.
"Karasu!"
"Yo."
"Kara-chan, I wasn't—"
"Don't call me that," warned the younger man, his right eye twitching. "And you're thirty-two, for God's sake, and she's fifteen. Stop acting so touchy-feely already."
"But I looove her..." whined Uma.
"Then don't love her that much. It's creepy."
"Ugh, guys, stop fighting," groaned Ame. "I swear, you two become actual children as soon as you're around each other. Which is bad, considering you're partners."
"Which is horrible, trust me."
"So mean, Kara-chan~!"
Karasu sighed heavily for only answer, rubbing his temples.
Having actual partners in the Zodiac wasn't usual. Normally, members were independent of each other since each had different skills that could be put to good use on different missions. However, Karasu was the main info-gatherer of the organization. No one really knew how he did it, but he always knew everything about everyone, including each of the members' true identity and other personal information. So, his skills were put to good use on bigger-scale missions, for which he often needed a partner inside.
Otherwise said, a master of infiltration.
"Can't we just get started already?" finally pleaded the black-haired man.
"Started on what?" finally caught on Ame, rising back to her feet. "Were you called here because of the situation with the gangs?"
"Aa," confirmed Karasu. "Thanks to your little stunt from yesterday, we now know where to look. And, again thanks to you, we more or less know which gang is in on it. The drugs they're selling is a new one on the market, to which very few have access. It'll be easier to narrow down our options using that info."
"So you and Uma are going undercover?"
"Not yet," answered the blond, stifling a yawn. "We need to find out which gang it is first. We'll work on finding them out, to begin with."
"Though, you'll have to be careful," added Karasu, more serious now. "Most of their activities are in your area, from what we've already gathered. Considering it's one of the farthest from our main base of operation, it's safe to assume that they more or less know the location of our main force and thus are trying to take over the territory starting by the borders. Once those are secured, they probably think they'll be able to slowly close in on us or something."
"Understood. I'll just hide my ring and try not to gain attention," she nodded. "Though, do you want me to do some more patrolling? I do live there."
"… Maybe from time to time," relented the red-eyed man. "Maybe take pictures of the members, pick up their patterns, that kind of stuff."
"Though, don't hang around too much," warned Uma, dropping his flirtatious attitude for once. "If they end up spotting you too many times and they connect the dots, you'll be in trouble."
"Agreed. I'll go out once a week or something like that, try to get some more info for you," she assured. "And I'll be careful. Though, you guys should know by now that I never get caught. It's kind of my thing, you know?"
Uma roughly ruffled her hair at that, making her grunt in annoyance.
"Don't get overconfident, Ame-chan. It always leads to trouble!"
"Yeah. Remember how it turned out last time?" added Karasu.
At that, the teen stiffened. Uma instantly shot a glare at his partner, who cringed when realizing what he had just said.
"Ame—"
"It's fine. I'll… I'll get going. My grandmother's gonna grow worried otherwise." She picked up her bag and offered them a smile. "And I'll be careful, I promise. I'll call if I find anything new."
"… Okay. We'll warn you if anything pops up," concluded Karasu.
"And do drop by our apartment to visit sometime! You know you're always welcome, Ame-chan~!" added Uma, hugging her tightly once more.
She let him. While his affection was somewhat suffocating, she knew it was his way of showing that he cared for her. When he let her go, she waved to the two of them, before heading out. As soon as she left the room, Uma elbowed the black-haired man.
"Ouch! What was that for?" protested Karasu, rubbing the sore spot.
"You really need to learn how to speak to ladies," deadpanned the blond.
"Hey, it slipped out! I know I messed up, okay? I'll just… make it up to her next time."
"You know, for a guy who knows all the secrets of the country, you sure have a big mouth."
"Just shut up already."
Ame wandered in class early the next morning. She didn't want to risk running into a member of the unknown gang so soon after having provoked them, and they were starting in gym that day, so she'd have some time to warm up. When she arrived, though, she almost ran into none other than Irina Jelavic.
There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other, unmoving. Then, the woman sighed, crossing her arms over her ample chest.
"We haven't started on the best of terms. Frankly, I don't like your attitude. However… you had a point. As a pro, I shouldn't have grown overconfident. That is why…" Blushing a little in embarrassment, the blonde extended her left hand to her. "Why I suggest that we start over again, as teacher and student. What do you say?"
Ame stared at her for a few seconds, before nodding and shaking her hand. As she pulled away, though, a shock of pain ran through her middle finger. Biting back a cringe, she then smirked at Irina's stunned expression. The woman had tried taking off her ring. Had it been any normal ring and any normal person, she would have probably managed to take it without her victim even noticing. However, it wasn't a normal ring, and Ame wasn't a normal person.
"That ring is quite precious to me," she informed casually, shoving her hands in her pockets. "If you really want us to start over, I'd suggest not beginning our new… relationship, by stealing what is mine."
"I wasn't—"
"Don't try digging up my secrets, Irina Jelavic," warned the teen in English, walking past her to get inside. "It'll only lead to trouble, for the both of us."
As the door closed, she tilted her head, and her orange eyes met Irina's. Her smirk widened a little as she offered a taunting wave.
"See you in class, Bitch-sensei."
And she fully vanished from sight. Irina stared at the now closed door for a few seconds, somewhat shaken. That girl… Naoki Ame's aura reminded Irina of the one she had so many years ago, when she was her age.
Dangerous.
Whatever was going on, she wasn't getting involved in this. She'd work on her assassination and her teaching, and leave the rest to that octopus.
With a groan, she slapped her hand over her face. I hate kids…