The poisoned students were quickly laid down on futons that had been brought outside by the personnel of the hotel. Ame had spent the last three minutes checking up on each of them, gathering as much data as she could manage with the help of Ritsu. Once she was done, she pulled out her phone, quickly dialing her emergency contact, and Hana answered after the second ring.

"Ame, what—"

"Half of my class has just been poisoned," cut sharply the teen, going straight to business. "I already sent you all of the data I could gather and Ritsu will answer any other questions. We'll be going after the remedy, but do you think you can figure out how to make it? I'm afraid things might not go as planned."

"I'll do what I can, Ame, but it'll be hard to make an antidote without even knowing what poison I'm working against. It might take a while."

"The one responsible for this said they had one week left," retorted the girl. "You'll have to work fast."

"I'll get right to it, but I can't promise anything. And Ame? Don't do anything reckless."

"… I can't promise anything."

She hung up before the woman could reply, before going over to Karasuma, who had just gestured for her to join him.

"My contact will be working on a remedy," she announced as soon as she reached him. "But I don't think they'll manage. We don't have enough information nor enough time. The best course of action to take is to follow the deal for now and try to get our hands on the original antidote."

"And playing the government card is useless," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "The hotel where that assassin is located simply replies with claims of privacy protection."

"Well, obviously," she replied, annoyed at how they were wasting time. "This is the Citadel—they won't let government agents run wild in such a place."

"How do you even—"

"Do you really think it's the time to ask? Now!?"

"Citadel?" echoed Nagisa, confused.

"… A noted site for illegal negotiations," clarified the man, running a hand through his hair. "A remote island is the perfect location for such activities. Even the police force and other forms of legal authorities have no power here."

"Clearly they're not going to cooperate with us," grunted Karma.

"What are we gonna do!?" Yoshida was straight-out panicking. "At this rate, a lot of us will die! Damn it, we didn't come here to be killed!"

"None of us will die or be killed!" snapped Ame, harshly hitting him over the head to knock some sense back into him. "Get your shit together! Isn't the answer simple? We know where our target is and we know what's on the line. What are we still doing here, then?"

"W- wait!" protested Fuwa. "Didn't he say to only send you and Nagisa?"

"It's too dicey to do what he says," replied Terasaka, shaking a little. "Send the smaller guy and the girl with a target on her back? We'd be basically offering him hostages! First off, I'm pissed at anyone who would even do this kinda thing. No one lays a finger on my cohorts!"

"You can say 'friends' you tsundere," replied flatly Ame.

"Shut it! And I say we ignore his demands! Let's get everyone to a Tokyo hospital!"

"I'm opposed." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Takebayashi who stepped up. "If it really is an unknown artificial virus, even the biggest hospitals won't have the antivirals to stop it. The time wasted in bringing in the sick could hurt them more." He kneeled next to Hazama and Muramatsu, pulling out some ice from the bucket he had just brought. "We'll work on treating the symptoms for now—you'd better hurry to the trade-off spot."

"Takebayashi…" muttered Terasaka, calming down.

"There's no need to worry," replied Ame, grabbing her jacket. "I'll be going on my own to retrieve the remedy."

"What? That's crazy!" instantly protested Yoshida.

"Ame, that's suicide!" added Fuwa, worry clearly etched on her features.

"It's not like I'm going to fight the guy!" she retorted, already heading for the door. "I can easily sneak inside the Citadel, get the remedy, and come back here. I still have a lot of equipment left in my room, and—"

"No."

"Ka- Karasuma-sensei!" gasped Ame, turning to face him. "You know I can do it—"

"In case you've forgotten, you're also a target," he replied, flicking her forehead. She rubbed the sore spot with a huff. "Plus, you've admitted to having ingested that virus too. It's far too dangerous for you to go on your own."

"So what, you want to endanger Nagisa, too?" she deadpanned. "Of course, send the guy two hostages instead of one."

"It's not—"

"There is a way."

At Korosensei's voice, everyone reported their attention to him. At the same time, Ritsu appeared on all of their screens.

"Korosensei? All set!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Ah, it looks like Ritsu's completed the prep work I asked her to do. Okay, everyone! I need all of the healthy students to come here! Also… wear something you can get dirty."

Ame frowned a little at that, confused. What did he ask Ritsu to do? She, however, understood that Korosensei was sending them all to deal with the situation and, in a way, she could see why: they might be teenagers, but they were still undergoing some serious training even the pros would be jealous of.

I can't get ahead of myself. Going on my own is exactly the last thing I should do, she managed to rationalize through the haze clouding her mind. Not only was I strictly forbidden from stepping foot inside the Citadel, but I'm also kind-of high right now, and having people with me is the only way I won't grow blindsided.

"Come on, girls!" she called to those still able to stand. "We're gonna gear up."

"Gear up…?" echoed Okano, confused.

Ame simply nodded, gesturing for them to follow. After a moment of hesitation, the girls realized they couldn't afford to waste any more time and quickly followed her while the rest of the boys started getting ready to leave.

When Ame said "gear up", she meant it. She grabbed every single piece of equipment she could get her hands on, and all of the weapons she had brought were either hidden on her body, stuffed in her noise-absorbing bag, or handed to one of the girls. She had insisted on them carrying a real knife each and, although they were uncomfortable with the idea of wielding a real weapon, they understood that Ame was serious: the place they were going to was more dangerous than it let on, and they needed to be ready for anything.

After what, they joined the boys and their teachers downstairs and climbed in the three vans that had been placed at their disposal. After exactly eight minutes, Korosensei made them stop, just at the foot of the mountain on top of which proudly loomed the Citadel. The students got out, gaping at the sheer distance between where they were standing and the very top, where they were supposed to go.

"It's so high…" murmured Kimura.

At the same moment, they received a signal from Ritsu. All pulled out their phones, wondering what she wanted to tell them.

"I infiltrated the hotel's computers and got schematics of the interior—complete with guard locations," she informed proudly. A virtual picture of the Citadel appeared on their screens. "A large number of guards are stationed at and around the main entrance. It's not possible to enter the hotel without going past the front desk. However, there is an entryway on this side, atop the ledge. The terrain is impassable, and there are no guards posted there."

At that, all looked back at the cliff. It was pretty high and there was no way to safely climb that thing… Ame was already calculating her next move, though. It wouldn't be the first time she climbed this type of wall and, while it'd take more time than they could afford to lose, it was their only way in—their only option.

"If you don't want the enemy to get his way, there's just one thing to do!" exclaimed Korosensei, still held by Karasuma in a plastic bag. "Not counting the ten patients and the two left behind to care for them, all capable students must sneak in from here, get the jump on the guys at the top, and steal that remedy!"

"It's too dangerous!" instantly protested Karasuma. "The ease with which he threatened us indicates we're up against a real pro—"

"Yes. Perhaps it would be wisest simply to hand me over," mused the octopus. The agent instantly stiffened at the suggestion. "What do you think? It's up to all of you."

"But… this is…"

"It's too hard!"

"They'll plummet to their deaths before they reach the hotel," warned Irina.

Ame was more or less ignoring them, though, having already drawn a potential route up the cliff in her head. She might be growing affected by the poison, but she could still think properly for now, and she'd put that to good use. Glancing back at her classmates, she could tell they were all frozen in place face to face with this challenge, and she truly couldn't blame them for it. After all… one wrong move, and it was over.

However, she never was the type to back down from a challenge.

"Ne, Ame?"

"What?"

She tilted her head at Karma, who simply grinned. "Race you to the top?"

She blinked a few times, before grinning back. They bumped their fists together, before pouncing forward, startling those around. Instantly finding the good spots to hold on to, Ame quickly climbed up the rocky wall, only stopping once she was a few meters above the ground. She looked to her left, exchanging a grin with Karma before the red-haired boy pointed at something behind her. Blinking a few times, she looked to her right… before almost falling in surprise as she found none other than Isogai, standing right next to her.

I didn't sense him!?

"Well, I think that's the first time I managed to startle you," he laughed lightly. "But one way or another, if the ledge is the problem, that part's a piece of cake!"

"Especially compared to our usual training!" added Okano, quickly following them.

"Right?" agreed Hayami.

Ame's grin simply widened as, very quickly, the rest of her classmates started climbing with ease. If at first frozen with terror, they had gotten over it in the blink of an eye, easily realizing that it wasn't as bad as it looked—or at least, not for them.

"But we haven't practiced fighting an unknown foe in an unknown hotel, so, Karasuma-sensei…" Isogai smiled at the man's way. "It won't be easy, but could you be our commander?"

"We'll make that jerk pay for playing with us!" exclaimed Terasaka.

"As you can see, they're no ordinary students," mused Korosensei, obviously proud of how they took the initiative. "You have a sixteen-member special forces unit at your command."

"Sixteen?" repeated Irina, confused.

"Don't forget about me!" exclaimed cheerfully Ritsu.

"Now, there's not much time," pressed the trapped teacher. "What do you answer to their determination, Karasuma-sensei?"

"… Attention!" barked the man, stiffening his posture. He wasn't talking to them as a teacher to his students, but as a commander to his soldiers. "Our objective is the top floor of the hotel at the summit! Our mission will shift from a stealth infiltration to a surprise attack! We'll use the same hand-signals and link-ups from training. The only difference is our target! You have three minutes to memorize the map. We begin at 2150!"

"Yes, sir!"

37 minutes remaining

Ame was already at the top of the mountain when Okano finally reached the end of the climb. The girl had been waiting for the last five minutes or so, taking in the Citadel and discussing strategies with Ritsu. She had thought of going in alone—more than once!-, but she knew she wouldn't stand long on her own. Breaking in and stealing stuff was what she had been trained for, but the Citadel was another matter entirely. Plus, the utter lack of information they had about their target and the obvious advantage he had over them put her on edge. Not only were they on borrowed time, but they didn't even know what kind of danger to expect!

I need to stay calm and think things through. This virus is messing with my head and if I get too carried away, it'll only blow our chances of success.

To be honest, she was also worried about the team. It was the first time she went on a mission as Ame, and not as Kitsune. It was also the first mission in which she didn't have the backup of the Zodiac, and the first mission in which she worked with other people.

It was both thrilling and terrifying.

"Eh? As expected, you're already here, Ame-san," grunted Isogai, pulling himself over the edge.

"I'm scouting the perimeter," she replied, narrowing her eyes at the slight movement she could see in the trees farther away. "Stay low. There are guards everywhere."

He nodded in understanding and joined her and Okano, taking cover behind the small fence. Then, one after the other, the rest of the students joined them, until everyone was finally at the top. Once they were all gathered once more, Karasuma pulled out his phone.

"Ritsu, run a final check of our invasion route," he ordered.

"Yes, sir. Displaying interior map." She went through some calculations, before beaming. "Final check: we can't use the elevators; they require a pass-card for every floor. We'll have to take the stairs, but they're scattered throughout the hotel, so we'll have to cover quite a distance on foot."

"It's like a TV station," remarked quietly Chiba.

"What do you mean?" wondered Kaede.

"Apparently they have complex layouts to prevent a terrorist takeover," he answered.

"In this case, though, it's the best way to protect their unsavory clients," replied Ame, already fearing the earful she'd surely get from Saru once she got back home. "Not only is it basically impossible for the government to infiltrate, but it also ensures that no one can do what we're about to do. There's a reason why it's called the Citadel, after all: it's supposedly impregnable. It was built this way to ensure the safety and anonymity of their clients, who pay big so they can have a safe haven like this one to conduct their illegal activities."

"You… sure know a lot about this, don't you?" sweatdropped Sugaya.

"I have my ways," she shrugged, before looking at their commander. "Karasuma-sensei, what do we do?"

"We move in," he simply ordered.

"Unlocking side entrance," announced Ritsu.

Careful to keep a low profile so as not to be seen by any wandering guard, the E-Class quickly moved toward the mentioned door. Karasuma opened it, making sure everyone entered before closing it behind him. Honestly, the last thing he wanted was for a student to be accidentally left behind—they had enough problems as it was.

Inside, though, things only seemed to get worse.

"There are more guards than I expected," cursed the government agent.

"It'd be too difficult for us all to get past them," pointed out Nagisa.

Karasuma was obviously thinking hard about the situation, trying to find a way to make it work somehow. Ame would have suggested they use one of her smoke bombs, but it wouldn't have lasted and it would have given away their presence.

"What's the problem?" then asked Irina, stifling a yawn. "Just go on through."

All of the students gaped at her at that.

"A- are you crazy?" protested Yoshida.

"Do you have any grasp of the situation here, Bitch-sensei?" added Sugaya.

"How are we supposed to make it past all those guards?" remarked Kimura.

"I told you: just go on through."

Without an ounce of hesitation, the woman passed through their little group and walked right out in the open. Ame instantly understood as the blonde stumbled into one of the guards.

Hiding in plain sight! Of course!

If they acted suspiciously, then people were bound to figure them out. However, if they simply blended in with their environment, then they'd basically become invisible.

"A- ah! I'm so sorry… I seem to have had too much of the liquor in my room," giggled Irina.

She's going to distract them so we can pass! Realized the teen, honestly impressed by the woman's acting skills. After a while, it was easy to forget their teacher was a pro in a field of her own. Go get them!

"Oh, err, think nothing of it, miss," assured the guard, instantly falling for her innocent charm.

"I'm the pianist scheduled to perform here next week," she then informed, improvising on the spot as soon as she saw the piano farther away. "I came early to see the sights. I'd like to see if the piano is in tune—it'd help me sober up. Do you mind?"

Ame could only smile, impressed, as Irina went to sit. From what she could hear the other guards saying, they were completely oblivious to what she was truly doing—that is, distracting them from their job.

She makes it look easy!

"Well, uh… Let me check with the front desk—"

"Aw, come on!" She grabbed the man's arm before he could move. While it looked like she was pleading him, though, she was truly ordering him to stay. "I want you to hear me play, and then critique me."

"Cri- critique you…?"

"Yes—critique me carefully…" Irina placed her hands over the keys. "And if I do anything wrong, will you punish me?"

She didn't leave them the time to answer, though, and started playing. This time around, Ame almost applauded her. Maybe she was acting, but she had more than enough skills to back up the characters she created on whims.

"S- she's good…!" gasped Kimura.

"Ah, the Fantaisie-Impromptu," recognized Korosensei. "An assassin who not only has obvious skill, but who also knows all too well how to charm, how to use her wiles… Using her whole body in such a bewitching way as she plays: it's aural seduction! All eyes are on her."

Aural seduction? Uma told me about it once or twice, I think. He prefers the violin, though.

"Ne, don't watch from so far away!" she then pleaded, stopping the music for a second. "Come closer and make sure I do well!"

As the entranced guards originally blocking the entrance approached her, she signed under the piano, just low enough for the class to see.

"I'll buy you twenty minutes. Go."

Ame blinked a few times at that. She had been completely thrown off her rhythm too while watching their teacher. In the end, Irina may whine a lot, but she was still a skilled pro—and a beautiful woman too.

Maybe I should present her to Uma… They'd get along, that's for sure.

"We're all through safely!" sighed Kaede, relieved.

"Isn't Bitch-sensei something?" mused Sugaya. "Playing the piano with those nails?"

"Aa, she never said anything about being able to play," agreed Isogai.

"There's more to her than what you see every day," replied Karasuma. "The better the assassin, the greater their skillset. The woman who's been teaching you conversation skills is among the one or two top honeypot masters in the world."

"Niryufufufu! So there's no problem at all if I can't move," remarked Korosensei, now being held by Nagisa.

"No, you're still pretty much deadweight right now—otherwise said, completely useless," retorted flatly Ame.

A cloud of gloom instantly started floating over their teacher's head. "Useless…"

"Harsh, Ame, harsh," chuckled Karma.

"Whatever. We should get going," she replied, already climbing up the stairs. She shifted the bag on her shoulder—it was starting to get a little heavy, to be honest. "We're still short on time. We can't afford to dawdle around."

The others nodded in agreement and started following, climbing the stairs without a sound. It surprisingly didn't take too long for them to reach the third floor, but Ame guessed that was the easy part. From here on out, getting through would only get harder.

"Now that we're past the stringent entrance checks, we should be able to pose as regular guests," pointed out Karasuma.

"Guests?" repeated Yoshida. "Why would they put up with groups of junior-high here? I thought this was a place for all sorts of illegal stuff."

"Who do you think are the perfect sellers and the perfect clients for stuff that requires a lot of money?" replied Ame, rubbing her eyes. They had become clouded for a second. "Millionaires, entertainers, high-level businessmen, government figureheads… Only high-placed people can have access to the Underworld through connections, corruption, and some other nasty stuff. And, of course, these people have kids. By bringing them here, they allow their next generation to form other connections that will, later on, make their businesses grow. There's actually a floor entirely reserved to those rich brats. Even if they act innocent, they actually dapple in pretty weird stuff already."

"Right! So walk around acting like those kids, looking down your noses at the whole world!" instructed Korosensei. "High and mighty but still mysterious! You know things other people don't know! You're above everyone else! That's how you have to act."

As one, all of the students stopped, and turned to Ame. It took the girl a few seconds to notice how they were all staring at her but, once she did, she scowled.

"Aa? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You fit the bill perfectly," sweatdropped Kimura.

"Ne, Ame-chan, have you ever come here before?" then wondered Yada.

"Ooh, that could explain a lot!" remarked Fuwa. She was suddenly before Ame, her eyes sparkling. "Oh my God, are you actually the heiress of a super-duper important company who got involved with those shady deals, but then you were disowned as you tried to break away from that dark world and that's how you ended up with no money!?"

"… no?"

"Dang it!"

"Look, I never came here before," answered honestly the teen. "I only learned about it a few days before we came here. In fact, I was strictly forbidden from stepping foot inside."

"Eh?" Okano's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Well, with the whole target-on-my-back situation, this is one of the few places on Earth where many people will actually know my face and the bounty attached to it," she shrugged, a little past caring at this point. It was too late to back out, after all. "There are many assassins here, so we'll have to be careful."

"Then why did you come in the first place then, you dumbass?" retorted Terasaka, annoyed. "If it's so dangerous, you should have stayed behind with Okuda and Takebayashi!"

"Because I know what I'm doing and, if worst comes to worst, I can use my trump card," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Can't we just get a move on already? We need to be fast."

"Naoki's right," intervened Karasuma. He narrowed his eyes at her, though. "If you become a liability on this stealth mission, I will order you to fall back."

"Understood."

She had already decided that, if her situation brought trouble to the team, then she'd break off from the group and handle said trouble by herself. Plus, she had permission to use her ring if truly needed and, even with that target on her back, pro assassins would think about it twice before attacking a member of the Zodiac. Their group was only really known by the top-tier of the Underworld, after all. Since the Citadel was the meeting point for many of the people fitting that label, she'd be more surprised if someone didn't recognize the gang's emblem.

"Naoki is right: there's a high chance pro assassins are also present. Plus, we don't know our opponent's face," suddenly remarked Korosensei, drawing everyone's attention. "He might even attack us while posing as a regular guest. Proceed with plenty of caution."

"Right!"

It didn't take long for them to run into some guests. However, acting natural, the students easily passed off as fellow guests and didn't draw any attention. Since they acted as if they belonged, they easily blended in their new environment.

"Wow, it really is like we're all just regular guests," remarked quietly Kimura as they passed a pair of men who didn't even look at them.

"If anything, they avoid eye contact," pointed out Chiba. "No one wants to cause any trouble, after all."

"Right now, they think we're rich kids," replied Ame, most of her face now hidden by her hood. She preferred to play it safe now that there were people around. "They don't know whose children we are so getting involved with us would mean making unknown enemies. Here, no one's dumb enough to do that."

"I'd pegged everyone in the hotel as our enemy, but now I think we can get up to the top floor, easy," mused Kaede. "If what Ame-chan's saying is true, then we're safe, right?"

"And if something did happen, our vanguard Karasuma-sensei would find out," added Okano.

"Eh! It'll be a cinch now that we're inside!" assured Terasaka.

"No, it won't be," retorted the orange-eyed girl, tensed. "Getting inside was the easy part. Now, we're in enemy territory—you need to stay alert."

"We're outta time—we should just get in there already!" however replied the rough boy.

"Wait, no! We need to be careful—"

Terasaka completely ignored her warning, though, running ahead of the group with Yoshida. As if on cue, another guest arrived, walking leisurely down the hallway.

"Terasaka-kun, watch out!" exclaimed Fuwa, startling many.

What is she warning him about—the guest! Ame's eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks. The guy's familiar… Isn't he the waiter who offered us those drinks at our arrival? What is he doing here?

Ame didn't have the time to think it over, though. Spurred on by Fuwa's warning, Karasuma had understood the gravity of the situation way before the teens and had darted ahead. Forcefully pushing the two boys behind him, he however didn't manage to move in time to avoid a sudden burst of purplish smoke.

"Gas!" exclaimed Ame, eyes going wide. "Everyone, fall back! Cover your noses!"

"Ka- Karasuma-sensei!" gasped Kaede as they quickly put some distance between the cloud of gas and themselves. "He was caught in the attack!"

"Damn it!"

But their teacher jumped out of the cloud, landing on his feet at a safe distance. The smoke quickly cleared, revealing the "guest" who had just attacked them. In the span of the second it took him to attack, he had managed to cover his lower face with a special tissue so as to avoid being caught by his own poison.

"How could you tell?" he asked, lowering the tissue. "I show no bloodlust, killing as I pass by. That happens to be my specialty, Miss Helmet-Head."

"Aren't you the man who gave us our welcome drinks?" Fuwa replied, stepping forward.

All the students stiffened at that, taking a better look at the man… and coming to the same conclusion. Ame couldn't help but curse herself internally. Had she been fully in control, she would have recognized him right away. After all, instantaneous facial-recognition had been part of her intense training.

My senses truly have dulled. Damn it! I need to stay alert!

"It's downright fishy for someone like that to be walking around in here!" added Fuwa.

"Eh, you've got a good eye," praised the fake waiter.

"Then was it you who gave everyone that virus?" asked Kaede.

"Ah ah, your evidence is pretty weak, here," replied the man. "There would've been plenty of other opportunities to slip you that stuff."

Kaede recoiled at that, but Fuwa simply laughed.

"Wrong," she claimed smugly. "The only time we all ate or drank the same thing was with those drinks and our shipboard dinner. However, Mimura and Okajima worked on the video through dinner, and they're both sick, which narrows it down to those daytime drinks. And that means…" She lifted her finger, pointing at him accusingly; victoriously. "The culprit is you, mister!"

At that, it was the man's turn to recoil. He obviously hadn't expected to have his cover blown so easily, and even less by a teenage girl.

"That's amazing, Fuwa-san!" praised Nagisa.

"Just like a real detective!" added Kaede.

"Well, when you read a lot of shonen manga, you learn to adjust quickly to unusual situations," pointed out Fuwa, obviously smug.

"That gas you just used…" Ame's voice drew everyone's attention. "It was the same virus you used on our class, did you not?"

"Uh?" blinked Fuwa. "How would that work? He slipped it in the drinks, did he not?"

"Once an assassin develops a toxin, it's pretty natural to try and find a way to change it's form, shape, or state," replied the girl. "It broadens the range of attacks by exploiting its full potential. Use the liquid form for a subtle assassination, use the gas form on the offensive. So, just to confirm: this gas is the same virus you used on our friends?"

"You've got bright kids on your side," mused the man, a band of sweat now rolling down his forehead. "What makes you think I developed this toxin, though?"

"Since you attacked us so openly, it's easy to guess you're working for the guy who contacted us earlier. You're an assassin who was employed to poison the class so as to give your boss some leverage against us, and you're now supposed to stop us from getting any closer to him. He told us he is the only one in possession of the remedy, meaning we can't make it. That said, it's also logical to think it's the same case for the virus. That means the virus was created by someone and, since you seem so adept in using it, I'm taking a wild guess here and saying you're the one who created the virus—meaning you also created that remedy we're after." Her eyes sharpened at that. "You're the one who poisoned our friends and you know how to save them, don't you?"

There was a moment of silence as all of the students gaped at her. Everything she said made sense and, if she was right, then it meant… they didn't have to get the remedy. They could force this guy to create it for them!

"Gee, my cover's completely blown, isn't it?" grunted the assassin. "I guess it's too late, then."

At the same moment, Karasuma suddenly collapsed to his knees. Ame's eyes widened when remembering he had been caught in the gas earlier. The gas form of the virus obviously worked faster than the liquid one.

"You're right. My very own paralysis gas for indoor use!" then exclaimed the man. "One whiff and you're a living statue. Fresh air counteracts it, leaving no evidence behind. And when ingested, the effects are even nastier—deadly. Though, now, it's plain to see you have no intention of going through with this. Negotiations have broken down, so guess I'll have to tell my boss—"

He stopped in his tracks, startled. Terasaka, Isogai, Kataoka, and Chiba were now blocking the hallway by which he had come in earlier. Fuwa, Kaede, Nagisa, Karma, and Hayami blocked off the one to his right. Yada, Okano, Kimura, Sugaya, and Yoshida covered the one to the left. Finally, Ame blocked the one behind him, from where the class had come earlier. He narrowed his eyes at the girl. Her face was covered, but he easily guessed who she was, though he was surprised to see her standing.

They're fast! When did they block off the exits!? And that girl… They trust her enough to leave her on her own, and she's still standing despite the double-dose I was careful in giving her earlier…!?

"When encountering an enemy, immediately block their retreat path and cut off communications," recalled Isogai. "Isn't that right, Karasuma-sensei?"

"The minute you saw us, you should have held off attacking." Slowly, Karasuma rose back to his feet, swaying in place but still standing. "You should have gone back to tell your boss immediately."

"Eh? I'm surprised you can still talk," replied the assassin, pulling the tissue back over his nose. "But all that's left is a bunch of kids. Once you're dead, they'll stop following orders and just run away!"

Karasuma was having none of it, though. Too fast for the eye to follow, he dealt a serious blow to the man, kicking him in the face. The strength of the attack sent the assassin flying and he dropped his gas-diffuser, completely taken by surprise. The students cheered at that, but their joy quickly vanished as their teacher collapsed once more—this time, for good.

"Karasuma-sensei!"

While the students went to check up on him, Ame started searching through her bag. After a few seconds, she pulled out a long, long rope.

"Oi, Terasaka! Yoshida!" she called, gaining their attention. She threw the rope at the tsundere, who easily caught it. "Tie him up real tight. We can't let him run loose and go back to warn his boss."

"Got it."

While they did that, Ame pulled out her phone and took a picture of the assassin. She quickly sent it to Hana with a note indicating that man was the creator of the poison. With some luck, Usagi would be able to run him through the facial-recognition software and find a match and, hopefully, find some more information on the poison used.

The two boys placed the tied-up assassin under a table. It wasn't the most subtle thing, since anyone actually paying attention would notice him, but they didn't have the time to find a place to hide him properly. At the same moment, Isogai helped Karasuma back on his feet, to the man's request.

"You can't keep going like this, Karasuma-sensei," sighed the class representative.

"I- I'll be better in a half-hour," assured their teacher, stubborn. "Don't do anything crazy."

"He's the crazy one," sweatdropped Sugaya. "That much gas would freeze an elephant."

"I guess Karasuma-sensei's kind of a monster himself," agreed Okano.

"Wait, everyone!" called Ame, stopping them from going any farther. "Before we keep going, we need to choose a second-in-command."

"Uh? What are you talking about?" wondered Kimura.

"Karasuma-sensei's currently incapacitated and, in the worst-case scenario, he won't be able to provide the necessary leadership as our commander," she stated bluntly. "If that happens, we need to immediately be able to rely on a new leader so as to keep the chain of command."

"… Naoki has a point," grunted Karasuma, not even able to stand on his own. "She should—"

"I suggest Isogai-kun," added Ame in a no-nonsense tone.

"M- me?" gaped the boy, startled.

"You're the class representative, aren't you? The class is already keen on following you," she shrugged. "Plus, you've got a good head on your shoulders and you can keep your cool in any kind of situation—something crucial if we want to succeed."

At that, the rest of the students nodded in agreement. Isogai had been the one to signal them to cover the exits and he was also the one who more or less took the lead whenever they needed someone to fill the role.

"Alright, I'll do it," he agreed, smiling a little. "Though, I'll be counting on you, Ame-san."

"Me?" she blinked.

"I understand it's not the time to ask questions, but let's not play dumb: you know exactly what you're doing, and you have experience in this kind of situation," he pointed out, making her flinch a little. "I could use your support, then."

"… understood."

"Maa, it sure is starting to feel like summer vacation, am I right?" suddenly exclaimed Korosensei, breaking the tension.

…

…

…

"AREN'T YOU HAPPY-GO-LUCKY!?" snapped back all of the students.

"Says the one who's absolutely safe!"

"Nagisa, twirl him around till he's sick!"

"Well, so much for a stealth mission," sweatdropped Ame as they kept on yelling.

"Okay, Terasaka, I'm jamming him in," announced Karma, taking a hold of the plastic bag containing their teacher. "Shorts off and spread those cheeks."

"That'd kill me!" violently protested the boy in question.

"Korosensei, why does this feel like summer vacation?" couldn't help but ask Nagisa.

The octopus instantly perked up at that. "The teacher-student relationship is not a cozy one. Summer vacation fosters student independence in places beyond a teacher's protection. If you apply the lessons you've learned in your usual gym classes, there will be few enemies for you to fear. This is your assassination vacation… and you can beat it."

That seemed to fire their spirits even more, and it's with great determination that they started walking once again.

26 minutes remaining

They reached the fifth floor without running into any trouble. Their peace however wasn't meant to last as, while they sneaked through the scenic walkway, they found a man leaning against the wall, unmoving but with a rather imposing presence. They immediately stopped in their tracks, not wanting to be found out. At the same moment, Ame's phone buzz in her pocket (though there was no noise, obviously). Pulling it out, she realized it was a message from Hana. Apparently, they had managed to identify the man Karasuma had defeated earlier as the pro assassin Smog, a renowned poisoner. And, conveniently enough for them, he usually worked in team with two other assassins—always the same ones, meaning they now had intel on them, too.

"Hey, why's he just standing out in the open like that?" asked Sugaya.

"That vibe he's giving off…" murmured Yada.

"Oh, yeah. I can totally call it now," nodded Yoshida, tensed. "If it's kill or be killed, he'll kill."

Ame was quickly reading over the files sent by her partner when the loud noise of breaking glass suddenly echoed, making everyone stiffen in fright. Sneaking a peek, Ame paled when realizing the man had just cracked the glass behind him with his bare hand.

"What a drag, hm," the man spoke up, not even looking at them. "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."

"He- he cracked the window with his hand…!" gasped Yoshida.

"But more than that…"

Slowly, they all walked out of their hiding place. Most were pretty much scared shitless, but none dared to say it out loud—

"Eh, you sure say 'hm' a lot, buddy!" exclaimed Karma.

He actually said it! Thank God for Karma! Cried internally the students.

"I heard it would make me sound more like a samurai, hm," replied the assassin, unbothered. "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." He started cracking all of his fingers, and Ame cringed at the noise. "After I kill you all here, I can drop the 'hm' with no loss of face, hm."

"Bare hands… Are those your killing tools, then?" wondered Korosensei, nervous sweat having broken all over his head.

"There's actually quite a demand for this, hm," confirmed the foreigner. "Passing through pat-downs has distinct advantages. Once they come closer, I snap their necks, hm. Or, if I feel like it, I could crush their skulls, hm."

Okano started shaking at that. Ame placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, only half-paying attention. She was still reading and memorizing the file Hana had sent her, hoping she'd find something in there that would help them out of this sticky situation.

"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 mighty foe—to the death, hm. But what a letdown, hm. Seeing who I'm up against, I've all but lost my will to fight, hm."

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge, Grip."

There was a moment of silence as the man stiffened. His eyes quickly scanned over the group, searching for the one who had just spoken up. Confidently, Ame pushed apart the few people who had been standing before her, her hood still covering her head and hiding most of her face.

"… I did not hear you, hm," he then remarked. "I heard fourteen people, plus a deadweight, hm. How do you know my name, hm?"

"Grip, twenty-seven years old, American, assassin," she resumed, smirking a little as his eyes narrowed at her. "Your hands are your main tools and your strength is, frankly, inhuman. You've been a pro for a while, too. Eleven years, uh? Not bad. Though, considering all of this, it's true that we don't really stand a chance against you. However, if you keep on looking down on us, you might find yourself regretting it."

"Ooh?" He took a step forward, pulling out a phone. "Maybe you're worth my time after all, hm. But, then again, maybe you're not. I'll just call in my colleague and my boss so we can all get rid of you together, hm."

Before he could dial the number, though, Karma suddenly swung at him the decorative palm tree that had been standing in the hallway. It sent the phone crash into the wall, breaking it on impact.

"Ne, buddy," smirked the red-haired boy. "You're pretty average for a pro, uh? 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. Ame just warned you not to look down on us, didn't she?"

All of the students stiffened at the clear provocation. What was Karma thinking!?

"No—don't be reckless!" protested Karasuma.

"Stop right there, Karasuma-sensei," however intervened Korosensei, calm. "See? 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'd been lying low ever since finals, but it seems he's learned well from his failures."

"Karma," called Ame, grinning a little. "You know what to do, right?"

The boy grinned back. "Aa."

"… all right, hm," agreed Grip, getting rid of his jacket. "Let's see what you can do, hm."

"If you insist…"

The students stepped back a little to give some space. They still didn't know what to make of the situation, worried, but Ame was simply watching. She knew Karma could do it. A moment later, the boy moved, trying to hit his opponent with the decorative palm tree.

"Too soft, hm," remarked Grip, easily catching it. "You'll have to find a better weapon, hm."

"Don't need one."

The plan was snapped in half and, a second later, the assassin lunged at the boy. Karma instantly moved backward, light on his feet as he avoided the man's grasp. Soon enough, it turned into a cat-and-mouse game, Grip trying to get a hold of Karma, but Karma escaping or blocking every time. They were moving very fast, but the student was somehow able to keep up.

"W- wow…" murmured Kaede, in awe. "He's blocking or dodging every blow!"

"That's your defense technique, right, Karasuma-sensei?" remarked Korosensei.

The teacher simply narrowed his eyes at the boy. "… Naoki. You taught him evasive maneuvers?"

"Actually, he picked them up while watching me fight," she admitted. "When I noticed, I volunteered to teach him the basics. He integrated your defensive technique to the mix, and the result is the following." All eyes turned back to the ongoing fight. "Not only is he able to block properly his opponent's movements, but he's also able to move around without wasting more energy than required. Frankly, though, when it comes to fighting skills, Karma's in a league of his own."

"Ame, why did you tell that guy all of this stuff?" then wondered Fuwa, confused. "Was it to buy more time or something?"

"Distraction," answered the black-haired teen. "I slipped a note to Karma when I pushed through to get at the front since he was too far ahead for me to simply give it to him without being noticed. I drew his attention while Karma read it, is all."

"What did you—"

"What's wrong, hm?" asked Grip, suddenly stopping the fight. "You'll never get past me if you don't attack, hm!"

"You think?" Karma loosened his stance a little. "I mean, I could be doing my best to distract you while the rest of us slip past a few at a time." Grip's face darkened at that. "Relax, though. No underhanded hijinks here. Now… it's my turn." He cracked his knuckles before he started to jump a little, giving him some momentum. "Barehanded, like you. We'll settle this fair and square, man to man."

"I like that face of yours, young warrior, hm," praised the assassin. "With you, I've got a chance—a chance at the fair fight I can't experience in the assassination biz, hm."

Karma pounced, and the two instantly started exchanging blows. Ame narrowed her eyes, knowing fully well that Grip could have used the opportunity to grab the boy's arm and crush his bones. He was leaving a clear opening too.

This is too easy.

Karma managed to hit him in the leg, and the man kneeled on the floor, his back turned to the student. The boy instantly lunged forward, probably hoping it was his chance to deal the final strike but, at the last second, Grip decided to play dirty and used a gas-diffuser. A spray of purplish smoke engulfed Karma, who collapsed to his knees.

"Karma!" panicked Nagisa.

"It's over, hm," stated Grip, taking a hold of the boy's head. "I'm not fond of draw-out fights, hm. Thought I'd give Smog's paralysis gas a try, hm."

"T- that's dirty!" protested Yoshida. "Ain't nothing fair about sneaking that into the fight!"

"I never said I only fight bare-handed, hm," replied the assassin, glancing at Ame. "You merely assumed based on the information she provided you with, hm. If you want anyone to blame, blame her."

Contrarily to her classmates, though, the girl didn't seem worried in the least. Her stance was relaxed, aloof even and, while he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was smiling. Noticing his stare, she lifted her head slightly, and he caught the quirk of her lips: she was definitely smiling.

"What do you find so amusing, hm?" he asked, somewhat on edge.

"For a pro, you're pretty blindsided, aren't you?" she simply taunted.

"What—"

His question was cut off as Karma suddenly struck him the neck. Flashes of electricity followed as a violent shock ran through his entire body, before the man collapsed, smoke sizzling from his spasm-shaken body.

"Eh, it's a lot more effective than I thought it'd be," mused Karma, showing off the mini-Taser he had received from Ame months ago. "I didn't think it'd actually knock him out."

"It's meant to paralyze," she shrugged. "But you did jam it in his neck. The shock probably fried his brain a bit."

"Isn't this, I don't know, dangerous?" sweatdropped Nagisa.

"Only in the wrong hands, don't worry," assured Ame with a smile.

Then why did you give it to Karma!? Protested internally the rest of the students.

"Anyway, we've wasted enough time," remarked the black-haired girl, completely oblivious to her classmates' mental struggle. She pulled out some more rope. "Let's tie him up to make sure he can't warn his boss. I've also got some tape we can use. Be mindful of his hands!"

Terasaka, Yoshida, Kimura, and Chiba instantly moved forward to come and help out. In less than a minute, Grip was tied up, taped up, and still paralyzed from the electrical shock. He had however managed to gain back his senses somehow and, while his hair was still fuming a little, he was muttering curses under his breath and glaring openly at Karma.

"Did you see my gas attack coming, hm?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "Is that why you didn't breathe any in? But I only showed you my bare hands, hm. How, hm?"

At that, the red-haired boy showed him a scrap of paper. "Ame slipped this to me when she spoke up earlier. She knows me too well, you see, so she knew I'd take you on. She simply warned me about the cartridge of poison she had noticed in your back pocket. Plus, it was pretty obvious you'd use some sort of dirty trick to beat me. After all, you needed to stop us by any means necessary if you wanted to accomplish your job. I simply trusted your attitude as a pro."

After a moment, Grip sighed. "You're nothing to sneeze at, young warrior, hm. I may have lost, but I enjoyed our time togeth—"

"What are you talking about? The fun's just beginning~!"

Karma showed off two tubes: one containing wasabi and the other containing hot mustard. Ame barked out a laugh at his evil smirk.

"W- what are those for?" blinked the assassin, genuinely confused.

"Well, I'm going to jam those up your nostrils, of course!" answered cheerfully the boy.

"Eh!?" gasped the students, horrified.

"Karma, don't take too long," simply warned Ame, though amused.

"I know~!" He got to work. "You know, 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 chilies—then, on top of all that, I'll gag you. Done and done!"

"Ame-san… Isn't that the special kit you gave Karma for helping you out that other time?" remarked Nagisa, a little pale.

"Yeah. I'm glad to see he's enjoying his gift!" grinned the girl.

Evil! They're both evil! Shuddered the rest of the students.

"All right, now's the time to show your willpower as a pro, Grip-san~!"

On which, as promised, he jammed in the mustard and the wasabi. Most looked away at that point, a little sickened by the torture Karma was putting the poor man through. Chuckling, Ame simply swung her bag over her shoulders.

"Come on, let's keep going," she suggested. "Now that two out of three of the assassins have been taken out, it won't be long before we run into the last one. We'll have to be careful, okay?"

The team agreed, starting to move forward once again while Karma quickly gathered all of his stuff. Honestly amused, Ame went to stand by him, holding out her phone.

"Picture time?" she suggested.

His grin only widened. "Can't pass up the opportunity, can we?"

So they crouched on each side of the assassin, grinning manically and offering peace signs at the camera as Ame snapped a picture. After what, they quickly moved to catch up to the other students. Ame, however, rose up too fast, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She stumbled, but Karma took hold of her arm before she could fall.

"Ame?" he frowned, more serious now. "Are you okay? Is it the virus?"

"My immunity is supposed to protect me from most toxins but, for some reason, this one seems to be getting to me," admitted the girl, rubbing her forehead. She was starting to grow a headache. "Fortunately, the effects have been greatly lessened, so I'll be fine."

"If you can't go on—"

"I'm fine. Let's just go already."

She quickly went ahead. Karma's frown deepened before he shook his head and followed. Ame was stubborn and she wouldn't back down. The only way to get her to leave would be by using force and, right now, they didn't have the time for that. He'd keep an eye on her, though. The last thing he wanted was for his partner in crime to get herself killed like an idiot.

19 minutes remaining

Ah, I've always loved that arc! But anyway, thank you all again for your continued support, and I do hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Later~!