Hey everyone! I've gotta warn you: this is one of my favorite chapters so far, so I really hope you'll enjoy it!
"Okay, everyone, the terrace is upstairs," announced Ritsu as they climbed the stairs leading to the sixth floor.
"The bar floor," recognized Hayami. "This could be tricky."
"Yes! There's a stairway to the VIP floor inside a lounge here," informed the program. "The back entrance is locked; we'll have to come in through the lounge to unlock it."
"Now we're flying by the seat of our pants," remarked Nagisa.
"We really stand out, you guys," sighed Isogai.
"Let's have the teachers and the boys hide here," suggested Kataoka. "We'll sneak into the lounge and unlock the back entrance. We girls won't look suspicious alone in a place like this."
The other girls nodded in agreement, but Karasuma weakly shook his head.
"No—it's girls going alone that makes it dangerous," he refused.
"Karasuma-sensei, in case you've forgotten, all of us have gone through intense training too," pointed out Ame, miffed at how he seemed to doubt their abilities. "Just because we're girls doesn't mean we can't defend ourselves. Plus, I'm used to this kind of places: I'll keep an eye on everyone and we'll make it back safely."
"Ame-san, are you sure?" asked Isogai. "You've ingested the virus—"
"I told you that I'm fine!" she snapped, now annoyed. "I'm still standing, see? And I can still kick your ass to the school and back so stop looking down on me already!"
There was a moment of silence, before the girl exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples.
"… sorry. The virus… it just made me a little more susceptible. I'm still in top shape, though, and the chances of us running into the last assassin in that lounge are extremely low due to the sheer number of people in there," she explained, calming down. "There would be too many witnesses. One way or another, though, we're more than apt to defend ourselves, so having a guy with us would be pretty much useless and riskier. So, please: trust us with this mission."
Karasuma gauged her for a moment, before sighing.
"Very well. Though, if you do run in the assassin, you are to come back here immediately," he ordered, serious.
"Yes, sir!"
All of the girls exchanged a confident grin, before heading up. At the last moment, though, Ame realized her bag would surely draw a lot of unwanted attention.
"Oi, Terasaka!" she called. "Mind looking after my bag for me? I'll take it back later, thank you!"
"Wait—"
But she had already thrown it his way and he had no other choice but to catch it. He actually stumbled at the sheer weight, though, and grimaced.
She's been carrying all of this stuff to climb the cliff and on the whole way here?
He was suddenly very, very glad not to have made an enemy out of her. Her threats of punching him through the wall suddenly seemed a lot more realistic.
.
.
All of the girls walked into the lounge without an ounce of hesitation in their steps. While they seemed relaxed, though, all of them were scanning the perimeter, already taking notice of all of the potential exits, the people surrounding them and the threat level. Ame had been forced to lower her hood since the check guys were extremely careful, but she doubted they'd run into any real trouble there. After all, this lounge was mostly used by the rich brats. The real dark deals were usually made in the privacy of the rooms, to avoid attracting attention.
"All right girls," she said, gathering everyone. "We move fast and straight to the goal. Avoid drawing attention, don't make eye contact either. If someone comes up, then we improvise, as long as we don't stir up trouble, okay?"
They all nodded firmly at that and started moving. Through all of the rich brats, they easily blended in despite their age, and Ame actually thought it'd go smoothly… until a hand fell on her shoulder.
"Hey? You're pretty cute, you know? How 'bout a drink? It's on me."
All of the other girls instantly stopped in their tracks, glaring at the newcomer. Ame, however, stiffened, the voice familiar…
No way…
Tilting her head back, she swallowed back a curse as her eyes met familiar red ones. The orange-haired man smirked openly at her, his grip on her shoulder tightening slightly.
"F- Feitan!" She couldn't believe it. Of all the people she could run into… "What are you doing here?"
"Eh? Didn't Saru-chan tell you?" he replied, eyes glinting with malice.
::
At that, though, Buta frowned. "You don't know? The tower is one of the meeting points for most gang leaders and other higher figures of the Underworld. There are many enemy organizations who have an agent twenty-four/seven in there, to keep an eye on the ongoing deals and on their competitors and rivals. That's a live Black Market."
::
She facepalmed at that. How stupid can I be? Of course the Zodiac would have a member here! I'm so fucking dumb!
"Ame-chan, you know this guy?" asked Kaede, wary.
"… yeah. You girls go on ahead, okay? I'll catch up to you in a few," assured the teen. "We can't afford drawing suspicion now."
Her friends nodded, somewhat hesitantly. However, if Ame knew the man who had just arrived, then they surely had nothing to worry about. So, with a short goodbye, the girls continued ahead while Ame headed to the bar with Feitan. As soon as they got there, though, the man whacked her behind the head.
"What the hell are you doing here, brat?" he asked, somewhat spitefully.
Feitan, aka Ondori, was yet another of the three members who were strongly against her joining the Zodiac. Contrarily to Mest, though, he had no problem voicing it out loud, and they often ended up fighting, be it verbally or physically. Feitan was a brilliant gambler and a good talker, though, so beating him in verbal fights was near impossible.
"I thought Hana would have warned you," she grunted, rubbing the sore spot. "My class got in trouble and half of my friends have been poisoned. We infiltrated the Citadel to steal the remedy."
"Ooh? Don't you trust Hana to come up with an antidote?"
"Better safe than sorry."
"Says the girl with a bounty on her head?"
She cringed at that. He too had been informed, uh?
"Gee, you're really more trouble than you're worth," he grunted, flagging the bartender for a drink. "Why don't you quit already?"
She gritted her teeth at that. "Look, if you brought me here to throw another of your temper-tantrums, then I'm going back. I'm on a mission myself and I'd rather not waste my time with the likes of you."
She made a move to leave, but a single name made her falter.
"Coup de Grâce."
She stiffened at that. Slowly, she looked back at him. "What?"
"Coup de Grâce is here. Saru-chan sent me here to keep an eye on them," he informed, serious now. "Thought I'd warn you, is all. If you're recognized here by one of them, it'd get the Zodiac into even more trouble, so don't you dare get caught, got it?"
"… Aa. Thanks for the warning."
"I didn't do it for you."
"I know."
They stayed silent for a moment before the girl shook her head and rose to her feet. Without even bothering with a goodbye, she started walking away. Hopefully, the rest of the girls hadn't gotten into too much trouble while she was gone.
It only took her a minute or so to locate them. They had already reached the goal of their mission, but the door was heavily guarded by an antipathetic-looking guy. She had no doubt he wouldn't be fooled by one of their tricks.
"A- Ame-chan!" gasped Yada when seeing her. "Who was that guy?"
"An… acquaintance," she answered, a little tensed. "He warned me about some unsavory guys we'd rather not get involved with. So, what's the situation?"
"We don't really know how to get passed this guy," admitted Takaoka, discreetly looking at the man guarding the door.
I could use my ring, thought Ame. He's a member of the staff, though, so the chances of him knowing what it means are fifty-fifty—
"Maa, leave it to me, young ladies~!"
"Gah—Feitan! Can't you just leave us alone already?" snapped Ame, turning to see the man once again behind her.
"Sheesh, here I am, offering my help, and you reject me?" He placed a hand over his heart, his smirk all but pained. "You hurt me."
"A- ano… How would you help us…?" asked Fuwa, a tad intimidated by the guy.
"Watch and learn, girls!"
Feitan went ahead, walking up to the man without hesitation. He talked to him in a low tone, too low for any of them to hear. Then, he jabbed his thumb at their little group, and the girls stiffened when the guard narrowed his eyes at them. A moment later, though, Feitan showed him the ring on his middle finger. The guy's eyes instantly widened and he bowed deeply, apologizing profusely. Laughing, Feitan gestured for the girls to come closer.
"There you go, ladies!" he announced, grinning. "You're free to pass. Don't cause too much trouble, okay?"
"R- right!"
Sending wary glances at the still bowing guard, the girls however passed through without a hitch. As the door slid closed behind them, Ame shot a look at Feitan. He wouldn't have helped them out unless it either benefited him or the Zodiac. Understanding, however, dawned on her when she noticed the three men following him back at the bar.
He blew his cover when warning me, she realized, gritting her teeth. Those gang members already had their eyes on him and, had I used my ring, they would have found me, too.
"Ame?"
"Coming!"
She quickly joined the girls, shaking her head. Feitan could take care of himself. For now, she needed to focus on their own mission. So, they unlocked the door indicated by Ritsu before Okano went to fetch the boys.
Soon enough, everyone was back together.
"We really sent you into some dicey territory," remarked Korosensei. "You weren't in any danger, were you?"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Not remotely!"
"We even had some help!" added Kaede.
"Help?"
"An acquaintance of mine," shrugged Ame, exchanging a knowing glance with the octopus. "He helped us through. Now, shall we get going?"
Because frankly, if agents of Coup de Grâce were present, she'd rather not stick around long enough to run into them. Knowing they were almost out of time, the others agreed and everyone started climbing to the seventh floor.
"Ne, Ame?" She glanced to Karma. "You've got pretty special friends, uh? To find one of them in a place like this…"
"Acquaintance," she corrected, scowling a little. "That man is anything but my friend, trust me."
"So why did he help you?"
"Common interest."
"Which was?"
"Karma, you never pried into my business before, so I'd really appreciate you didn't start now," she warned, growing even more annoyed.
"Kind of hard not to pry when you're basically shoving those secrets of yours in our faces," muttered Terasaka.
"I…" He had a point, she couldn't deny that. "I'm not allowed to talk about it. Even if I wanted to tell you everything, I couldn't. I'm not the only one who'd be affected by it."
At that, though, Karma smiled. "I can work with that. Better than you lying, at least."
"I don't lie," she huffed. "I just… twist the truth a little."
"Of course, of course."
"Everyone stay focused," then ordered Karasuma, bringing back some order. "We're in our final stage of infiltration here. Ritsu?"
"Yes. Up ahead is the VIP floor. These guests don't rely solely on hotel security, but provide their own hired lookouts."
They stopped at the top of the stairs, glancing inside the hallway. Farther away, standing before the doors they needed to pass through, were two of the mentioned lookouts.
"Of course there's some blocking the staircase," sighed Sugaya.
"They look way tough, too," added Kataoka.
"Are they more of the guys who've been threatening us?" wondered Yada. "Or hired muscle that has nothing to do with us?"
"Neither of them is the third assassin," however assured Ame. "Though as for whom they're protecting, I can't say."
"Either way, we're gonna have to beat them to get by," replied Terasaka, cracking his knuckles.
"Exactly right, Terasaka-kun," confirmed Korosensei, surprising many. "And that weapon Naoki-san brought will do the job perfectly!"
"That weapon…?" Curious, Ame looked through her bag before pulling it out. "You mean the katana?"
Everyone flinched as the blade glinted under the neon light. It was obviously very sharp—and probably very much lethal, too.
"Gah! Why'd you bring that thing?" protested Yoshida.
"Why do you even have a real katana in the first place!?" added Sugaya, about to tear his hair out in frustration. What's up with this girl!?
"I- I actually meant the stun-guns," sweatdropped her teacher. "I didn't know you had that."
"Well, you just had to be more specific," huffed the girl, putting away the sword. She then pulled out two stun-guns, handing one over to Terasaka. "Here, go and have some fun."
"I ain't gonna face them head-on! You crazy or somethin'?" he snapped, taking it anyway.
"You'll have to take them both down at once, or they'll call for help," instructed Karasuma.
"Kimura, you're one of the fastest in the class, right?" recalled Ame, turning to the boy. "Mind luring those guys over so Terasaka and I can handle them?"
"S- sure, but how?"
"Ugh, who cares? Just do it already!" urged Terasaka, testing the baton.
"Here, Kimura, I got an idea…" Karma whispered in the boy's ear. "Got it?"
"R- right!"
Exchanging a nod with the others, he then stepped out of their hiding place, walking toward the two guards. His step was more confident than he really felt, but he could handle running just fine. After all, as Ame said, he was one of the fastest in their class. He then stopped before the two men, glaring openly at them.
"Aa?" One of them noticed him, already annoyed by the look he was giving them. "What gives, kid?"
"Uh? Any brains around here? These guys are total muscle-heads!" exclaimed the boy, following Karma's instructions. "You slabs of pigmeat out to quit pretending to be human."
After what, he started walking away. There was a moment of dumbstruck silence… before the two lookouts instantly took off after him, intending to give him the beating of his life. Kimura picked up the pace, passing by the staircase in a flash. As one, both Ame and Terasaka jumped into the hallway. Terasaka tackled the first one to the ground while Ame slipped under the arms of the second and jammed her stun-gun into his chest. He collapsed to the floor while his companion met the same fate.
"Eh, you handled that weapon well," mused Ame, glancing at Terasaka, somewhat impressed. "Ever wielded a stun-gun before?"
"I actually bought one to see how electricity would work against the octopus," admitted the boy, scratching the back of his head.
"Ooh? Then keep that one too. You ought to deal some more damage with two of them," she suggested, grinning a little.
"Aa? That shit is expensive, I'm not—"
"Chill, it's a gift. I've got plenty of those already," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Oh, unless you would have preferred the katana? I can—"
"I think I'll stick with the stun-gun," he sweatdropped. "… thanks, I guess."
She waved it off. Frankly, she had no idea of where or when she even got those stun-guns in the first place, so it didn't really matter to her. Plus, Terasaka seemed to have a certain affinity for it, so why not? At the same time, the rest of the students stepped out of their hiding place, coming to see the result of the surprise attack.
"Well, as expected, you possess wonderful weapons, Naoki-san," mused Korosensei. "Though, if you check their coats, you ought to find something even better."
"I'd rather not," huffed the teen, already knowing what she'd find. "You know I can't stand guns."
She let Terasaka pull out the two handguns hidden in the lookouts' coats. She immediately felt the tension in the air grow as the students stared warily at the weapons.
Those were real guns with real bullets.
They could actually kill someone with those.
"Chiba-kun? Hayami-san?" Both turned to their teacher, a little pale. "Those guns are for you. After all, Karasuma-sensei hasn't recovered enough to fire with any accuracy. Right now, you two are the best gunners we have."
"B- but this all so sudden—"
Chiba's protest was cut short. "However! I will not permit you to kill anyone. With your skills, you should have plenty of ways to use those to defeat someone without a scratch."
Hesitantly, the took grabbed a gun each, examining them carefully. It was easy to tell they didn't really believe in their capacities after what had happened during their assassination attempt, but they didn't have time for hesitation. The hour they had been given was almost up and they had yet to reach the top floor.
"Let's be on our way, then," urged Korosensei. "From the look of things at this hotel, there's no sign the enemy has set up camp in any great numbers. They're even down to one hired killer, if Naoki-san's information is accurate."
"Yosh! Let's go kick his ass and get that damn remedy then!" exclaimed Terasaka, clenching his fist.
"Okay, team: we'll have to use the VIP-only emergency stairs to reach the next floor up," announced Ritsu. "And to do that, we'll have to go through the concert hall on the eighth floor."
"Right!"
As everyone started moving up, Ame wiped some sweat from her forehead. Her head had started to throb not too long ago and her little stunt with the guard had taken a lot more out of her than it should have. For some reason, the virus had managed to bypass her immunity, and it was starting to show. She breathed in deeply to clear her head, forcing herself to follow the others without a noise.
Never had she realized before how hard it was to actually walk silently.
.
.
They had managed to find their way into the concert hall mentioned by Ritsu but, as soon as they went inside, they spread out to hide behind the seats. After all, if the third assassin really was coming after them, the concert hall would be the best place for him to execute his work. So, they waited silently.
They didn't have to wait for long.
"Ugh, what a pain, going after a bunch of kids…" A man's voice echoed as he appeared on the stage.
Just as he was about to leave, though, he stopped in his tracks. Ame easily guessed he had sensed them after all. He stayed silent for a while, probably evaluating the situation, before he fired one shot in the air. All of the students immediately tensed (well, saved for Ame, since she was wearing her earplugs).
"Just so you know, this hall is completely soundproof," he warned, making them stiffen. "I'll have shot you all dead before anyone comes to save you. You know you're not prepared to kill anyone! Now come on out like good little children and bow before the boss—"
A shot near his head made him stop talking. Hayami silently cursed herself. She had been aiming for his gun, hoping to disarm him, but she had missed.
Again.
Damn it! Now the guy knows we have real ammo, sighed internally Ame. He knows we're equipped and he probably already guessed we took the guns from their goons, which means he now knows not to underestimate us.
She didn't have time to ponder over it any longer, though, as the entire concert hall was suddenly bathed in bright, blinding light. She flinched a little, not expecting the man to turn on the lights on the stage.
No! With this backlight, it'll be near impossible for Hayami and Chiba to open fire!
"Finally, a job I can seek my teeth into!" exclaimed the assassin. He started laughing. "Feelin' fine again today, with my tasty, tasty gun!"
He fired. Ame gritted her teeth when realizing he had fired at Hayami's position, having managed to locate her merely because of her own shot earlier.
"I never forget the position of an enemy once they've fired," claimed the assassin. "Used to be an army man, you see? All that experience taught me how to pinpoint my enemy's location and the sensation of checking my guns by taste. Now, then… there should be one more stolen gun out there."
"Hayami-san, remain standing by!" suddenly ordered Korosensei, his voice echoing loudly in the silence. "You were wise not to fire just now, Chiba-kun! The enemy still doesn't know where you are! I'll keep an eye on him and tell you when, so hang tight until it's go time!"
There was a moment of silence before the assassin finally found the source of the voice… right before him. The sphere in which was encased Korosensei's head had been placed on a seat, right out in the open, and the assassin instantly started firing at him.
"Oi! Quit staring at me from the front row!" he barked.
The bullets kept on bouncing off his ultimate protection, though.
"Niryufufufu!" laughed the octopus, clearly taunting him. "An expert gunman versus junior-high students? This much of a sight advantage should be all right, shouldn't it, Gastro-san?"
The assassin stiffened at having his name called out but, before he could react properly, the damn head starting yelling out orders.
"Okay, Kimura-kun, run five seats left! Terasaka-kun and Yoshida-kun, move three seats to either side!" The students instantly obeyed. "We've made a blind spot! Kayano-san, move two rows forward into this gap! Karma-kun and Fuwa-san, move eight seats right! Isogai-kun, five seats left!"
He's shuffling us around, uh? Mused Ame, readying herself to move. Though I hope he hasn't forgotten he can't exactly call out my real name in front of an assassin—
"The student who's always where she shouldn't be and always knows what she shouldn't know! Move two rows back and one seat right!"
Ame obeyed in a heartbeat, unable to stop a grin from stretching her lips. Taken by surprise, the assassin didn't even react to her sudden movement.
Well played, Korosensei!
"Student number 12, move right and continue preparations! Number 4 and 5, film the target from between the seats! Use Ritsu-san to tell Chiba-kun what's going on onstage! Ponytail, move to the front left! Motorcycle Fan, you too—two seats to the front left! The person who out of curiosity went to Takebayashi's top maid café and was alarmed to find he liked it, make a big racket to confuse the enemy!"
"Shuddup!" yelled back Terasaka, mortified as he slammed his fists into the seat before him. "How the hell did you know I went!?"
"Okay, Chiba-kun, it's time," announced their teacher, unperturbed. "After I give this next command, fire at will. Hayami-san, you're on follow-up as the situation requires. You're looking to block off the enemy's movements. But before that, a word of advice for the two who don't let their feelings show: when you failed at shooting me earlier today, you began to doubt your own skill. You don't whine or make excuses, and your classmates forced their confidence onto you, thinking 'surely they can handle it'. No one would notice your anguish. But it's all right. You don't have to bear all that pressure alone. If you two miss, we'll switch over to a strategy of shuffling people and guns around so no one can tell who's pulling the trigger. We can use that strategy because everyone here has gone through training and has tasted failure. You have allies at your side who share your experience. So, with that peace of mind, go ahead and fire."
Ame could only smile at his little speech. While her own words hadn't seemed to get to the two snipers, maybe his will. While he was their target, he was also their teacher, after all: they'd take his lesson to heart.
And of course, it bought them some time.
"All right: here we go!"
"Student number 12! Stand and fire!"
Instantly, a dark figure rose up, gun in hands. The assassin instantly shot it in the head, realizing too late it actually was a dummy. As if on cue, Chiba stepped out from behind the seat and fired with confidence.
There was a moment of stillness.
Then, Gastro started laughing. "Eh, you missed! Now I know where the second one—argh!"
His body was violently hit by the stage lights that had suddenly fallen thanks to the brackets Chiba had hit and broken. The harsh blow, however, wasn't enough to make him fall and, while a little shaken, he still managed to lift his gun at the boy.
"You damn brat—"
His weapon was however blasted away by a sure hit from Hayami. The gun landed further away on the stage. Startled at first, the assassin then collapsed. The rest of the students instantly came out of hiding to tie him up. When Ame rose to stand, though, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She grabbed the seat before her to steady herself, her vision doubling.
Damn it…
"—me-chan? Ame-chan!"
She blinked a few times, only then realizing Kaede was next to her, frowning.
"Are you—"
"Don't. Ask."
The green-haired girl paled a little at her tone, nodding quickly. Gritting her teeth, Ame picked up her bag before quickly joining the others. Now that they had handled the three assassins, they should be able to reach the top floor without much more of a hassle and finally find out who was behind all of this.
Just a little more time!
.
.
Karasuma took a hold of the guard who had his back turned to them, trapping him in a chokehold. In less than three seconds, the man was knocked unconscious and the government agent released him, his body hitting the floor.
"I seem to be mostly moving again," he remarked, flexing his fingers. "Figure I'm at about half-strength."
"That's still twice as strong as us," sweatdropped Kimura.
"He should have just gone in alone," agreed Kataoka.
They checked the following hallway. It was empty, no more guards standing around and, in the very back, there was another staircase behind glass doors—it would lead them to the top floor.
"We're out of time," warned Isogai, gritting his teeth.
"Students!" All turned to Korosensei, wondering what he wanted to say. "I've come to realize something about our mastermind waiting above: he's using assassins all wrong."
"What do you mean?" wondered Ame, having a hard time doing all the thinking on her own.
"Lookouts and guards—those aren't jobs for assassins," he explained. "If their potential had been used to the fullest, they'd have been fearsome indeed."
"It's true he wasn't even a single centimeter off the mark…" recalled Chiba, shuddering a little.
"And Karma-kun—if that fellow had sneaked up on you from behind on any other day, his grip strength would have killed you instantly."
"I… suppose so," agreed the boy.
"What really bothers me is that Smog, Grip, and Gastro usually work closely with each other," sighed Ame, leaning against the wall. She rubbed her temples, forcing herself to think. "Their employer separated them, for some reason, even though their greatest strength is when they work together. Had the three of them gone after us as one, we wouldn't have stood a chance. My best guess is that their employer, whoever it is, is someone with a personal grudge: they're trying to make us suffer for as long as they can."
"So the one who's after us isn't an assassin, right?" understood Isogai. "He's actually aiming at the class as a whole, and not only Korosensei."
"Right."
"All right, time to assign roles to each of you," then announced Karasuma, drawing their attention. "First off: Isogai, Terasaka, Yoshida. I'd like you three to…"
Ame's head started throbbing once again. Darkness edging on her vision, she closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight the effects. She had yet to understand why the toxin was working against her, but it reminded of her when she started building up her immunity.
The only conclusion I can reach is… is…
"Okay everyone, let's move!" ordered Karasuma.
She shook her head, quickly following everyone.
She'd think it over once all of this was over and done with.
.
.
One after the other, the students entered the room, on Karasuma's signal. Using the Namba silent walking technique Ame had been kind enough to teach them a while ago, they quickly made their way toward the chair in which their enemy was sitting. They stopped, barely a meter or two from the chair, knowing whoever had his back turned to them was their last obstacle at getting that remedy. Talking of remedy, though, Ame found it. It was in a silver mallet, just next to the chair.
There's a timer on it… Gee, that guy isn't screwing around, is he? That's a plastic explosive, Buta is always making those. He taught me how to stop one from exploding, but my head's all fuzzy and I can't remember what to do… Do I cut the wires first? Or try to take it off? Stop the timer?
Karasuma signaled for the students to spread out. Just as he was about to give the signal to attack, though, their enemy moved.
"Itchy." They all stiffened at his voice. Ame frowned at how familiar it seemed but failed to place it. "The very memory makes me itch. But maybe that's why my senses have grown so much keener: because my wounds are always exposed to the air."
Ame's eyes widened when the man, still not facing them, threw a bunch of detonators in the air. They all landed on the floor, practically identical and too many to count.
"I told you, didn't I?" He knows we're here. He knew as soon as we entered the room! "I'd come prepared to kill a Mach-20 monster. I have spare detonator remotes in case one is snatched away at high speed." He showed off three others he was holding in his hand. "Enough to press any one of them if I happen to collapse."
"Of the people I couldn't reach, there were three assassins and one other," then stated Karasuma, his gun aimed straight at their target, ready to fire. "An insider who vanished with Ministry of Defense secret-service funds and the assassination budget."
The man in the chair moved again, this time rising to his feet to fully face them. Ame flinched, taking a step back as, before them, stood none other than their ex-physical education teacher.
I can't believe it—no, wait, it isn't that much surprising, actually. But he- he—
"What do you think you're doing, Takaoka!?"
It's him… It's him… He hurt everyone again… He's hurting them again… Ame's mind was becoming a little more blurry each second passing. Damn it… I said I'd protect them… but he's back… He's fucking back…
"What naughty children…" His voice made her skin crawl. "Coming in the back door to see your dear teacher? That's not how your good old dad raised you. Ah, well. I'll have to give you some summertime tutoring, eh?" He picked up the mallet containing the remedy. "Shall we go to the roof? I've got everything ready to welcome my beloved students. You'll follow me up there, right? After all, your class is only alive thanks to my benevolence."
Ame gritted her teeth at that, her fists clenching tightly. However, much like everyone else present, she was utterly powerless. One wrong move on their end and he'd destroy the remedy, and they couldn't let that happen.
She couldn't let that happen.
I'll protect them… I'll save them… Ame's feverish mind was now only focused on that single, simple goal. I won't let him hurt them… I'll stop him… I'll save them… Her eyes hardened. By any mean necessary.
.
.
"Hiring assassins, threatening students with a virus—such atrocities…" Karasuma glared at the man. "Have you gone mad?"
"Now, now—I am exceedingly sane! This plan will save the world!" retorted Takaoka, grinning. "If only you'd sent that little runt and the bitch along to bring me the monster with a bounty, my assassination plan would've gone off without a hitch."
"Bi- bitch yourself…" muttered Ame, swaying in place.
He knees buckled and she stumbled into Yoshida, who managed to catch her. "O- oi! Naoki!?"
"Ah, finally kicking in, uh?" snorted their ex-teacher. "I did ask Smog to put double the dose in your drink, just in case. Couldn't have you causing too much trouble, right? See, my plan involved you, mostly. The bathtub in my room here is filled with anti-Sensei BB's. I'd have you go in there holding the target, then I'd bury you two alive in cement. For him to return to his usual form without touching those BB's, he would have to blow everything up—including his precious student." He started laughing. "But he cares too much for his students to do anything so heartless! So I figure he'd just do me a favor and melt away. And of course, after that, I'd cash in Naoki-chan's bounty. You can never have too much money, right?"
"You're… completely mad.." she spat, her grip tightening on Yoshida's arm to keep herself standing. "Are you- are you the one… who put up that bounty…?"
"Aa? No, someone beat me to it," he shrugged, somewhat uncaringly. "Though what a lovely idea, really! What better way to put you in your place for all the trouble you've caused me, right?"
She tried to answer, but her headache only seemed to worsen, killing the words before she could even formulate them properly. Takaoka's grin only widened when he noticed her state.
"To be honest, it gave me a fright when I learned you all came here together," he admitted, scratching his cheek. "In the end, though, it doesn't really change what I have to do. My mood will determine how many of you will leave here alive."
"Do you think you can get away with this?" then asked Korosensei, completely red. There were veins bulging all over his face too. "That there won't be any consequences?"
"It's the more humane route… compared to the inhumane way you've treated me!" retorted the madman. His grin lessened as he started scratching his face more harshly. "Their humiliating glances… and the knife you tricked me with… Whenever they cross my mind, my face gets so itchy I can't even sleep at night! I'll pay back my bad evaluations with results. I'll take the humiliation I suffered and give it back in spades! You, in particular, Shiota Nagisa." He pointed at the blue-haired boy, making everyone tense. "I will never forgive you for spoiling my future!"
"So when asking for Nagisa and Naoki, he was really aiming for the two who gave him a hard time back in class," understood Chiba.
"Completely unjustified grudges!" protested Yoshida, still supporting Ame. He glanced at the girl. "Oi, you should sit down—"
"You really… really fell low, didn't you, Takaoka?" she grunted, completely ignoring him. She somehow mustered the strength to glare at the man. "Can't even accept a fair loss gracefully… And now you're- you're coming back for more…? Just jump… jump off that damn building already… Save us the trouble. I'll be- I'll be dead before you can… harm them…"
"Ah! With how much of the virus you ingested, it shouldn't take too long, Na-o-ki-chan," he replied, grinning again. "Though I don't remember asking for your opinion. Still don't know when to keep your mouth shut, uh? Don't forget that I can get rid of half of you with just one finger!" he warned, showing off the detonator in his hand. He then looked at Nagisa again. "You. Shrimp. Come upstairs alone. To the heliport."
On which he started walking up the stairs, still holding on tightly to the mallet containing the antidote to the virus. Ame cursed as she finally allowed Yoshida to help her sit down, knowing she couldn't do more in the state she was in. Her headache was getting worse, bands of sweat were now running down her face and breathing was proving to be a challenge. And of course, the situation was driving her mad because all she could focus on was how she needed to protect them and I need to get my hands on that remedy to save the others and I'm such a fucking utter failure I can't even move on my own damn it damn it damn it—
"Oi, get a move on already!"
"I'll hear him out, talk him down, and get him to hand over the remedy in one piece," stated firmly Nagisa, startling the others.
"Nagisa-kun…"
Nagisa went up to join Takaoka on the heliport. The rest of the students quickly went after him, Yoshida and Sugaya helping Ame up before following them while Kimura picked up her bag. They went to the railings, watching in worry as their classmate slowly approached the madman.
At his feet was a knife.
A real knife.
"Takaoka!" barked Karasuma, aiming his gun at the man as he made a move on the detonator.
"Oh—don't take this the wrong way," replied the ex-teacher. "See, I don't want you interrupting my precious time with Shiota Nagisa-kun."
He pressed down on the button and, the following second, the heliport was shaken by small explosions. He had placed plastic bombs under the sole footbridge connecting the heliport to the upper floor of the Citadel, destroying Nagisa's only way out—and their only way in.
"N- no!" Ame cursed, trying to climb over the fence.
"Oi! Naoki! Don't be reckless!" protested Yoshida, holding her back.
"You can barely move, let alone make that jump!" added Sugaya, helping the other boy.
"But Nagisa—he needs—I can't—"
"Ame!" She snapped her eyes to Karma. "Ame, you need to calm down. You've taken a lot more of the virus than the others and it might spread faster if you get agitated. You need to sit down and trust Nagisa, okay?"
Trust him.
I need to trust him.
She gritted her teeth at that, calming down. "I do… I do trust him…" She looked back at the two opponents facing each other on the heliport. "But I don't… I don't trust Takaoka…"
He was right, though. It's not like she could do much in the state she was in. If she tried anything, then Takaoka would destroy the remedy and half of her friends would surely meet an atrocious end.
She couldn't let that happen.
She couldn't.
Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!
No matter how she cursed herself, though, it didn't change the situation. She could only watch as Takaoka instructed Nagisa to beg on his knees for forgiveness. She could only grit her teeth in anger as the boy obeyed, apologizing for "having pulled a dirty sneak attack" because he "lacked any real skill". She could only curse her uselessness as her friend got unfairly humiliated because that damned man had too fragile an ego.
"… I'm really sorry," Nagisa finished, his forehead pressed against the ground.
Damn it damn it damn it damn it—
"Eh? Now you're speaking from the heart," mused Takaoka, taking his foot off the boy's head. "Your dear old dad is so pleased! Oh, I know: as a reward, I'll let you in on a little something." Ame stiffened when he picked up the mallet containing the remedy. "I asked Smog what happens to the people who die from that virus. He showed me some pictures. What a laugh! Their bodies, covered in boils! Faces like bunches of grapes! Wouldn't you like to see that, Nagisa-kun?"
Ame's heart simply stopped beating as Takaoka suddenly threw the mallet in the air. She barely heard as Karasuma yelled out in horror and rage while their enemy activated the bomb. She couldn't move as the mallet exploded, along with the antidote. She didn't pay attention to her classmates' horrified gasps, nor to Terasaka's loud curses, nor to Okano's whimpers. Her mind simply went numb as she watched the lives of her friends extinguish one by one like flickering flames shoved under water.
He… killed them…?
I… failed…?
Takaoka started laughing uncontrollably. "Yes! That's the face I wanted to see! You ought to put it in your summer diary—your friends' faces, bubbling up like so many grapes!"
Nagisa looked back to his classmates, his eyes landing on Terasaka. The boy had been affected by the virus, too, but had kept on going, not wanting to drag everyone down. Now, though, now he just looked defeated as the virus gained more and more ground… His eyes shifted to Ame, who had taken a double dosage of that damned poison. She was frozen in place, her head lowered and her hair hiding her face, which he knew was scrunched up in pain.
I- I couldn't do it… I failed them… Terasaka-kun… Ame-san… and- and everyone else…
"Na- Naoki!?"
Karasuma's startled shout snapped him out of his daze. His eyes widened when he saw the girl suddenly climbing over the fence. Before anyone could stop her, she pounced. The following second, she landed on the heliport. Slowly, one step at a time, she started approaching them.
When seeing her so feeble, though, Takaoka could only laugh some more.
"Look at you! Still going even though you already lost, uh?" he chortled. "Want a beating too? Is that it?"
She stopped walking just next to Nagisa, her head still hanging low. Then, she lifted her arm. It was shaking badly and she was forced to use her other hand to steady it, but she lifted it fully… until the gun she was holding was perfectly aimed at Takaoka's face.
That gun…! Karasuma's eyes widened. When did she—
"She- she took mine!" gasped Chiba, startled. "I didn't even notice…!?"
"How can she still move like that after taking double the dose of that virus?" gaped Kimura, eyes wide.
"Damn it, Takaoka's going to trash her!" cursed Yoshida.
"A- Ame-chan…" whispered Kaede, worried.
"Ame!" called out Karma, hands clenched tightly over the railing. "Damn it, don't be an idiot!"
"She's not fine! We need to do something!" exclaimed Yada.
"We need to help her and Nagisa!" added Fuwa. "We—"
"TAKAOKA!"
The girl's angry shout drew their attention back on the main event of that terrible night. The girl was barely able to stand, her legs threatening to give in at any second, but she kept her hands steady as she cocked her weapon at their enemy, glaring fiercely.
"Ooh?" Takaoka seemed to be enjoying himself. "Pretty daring to point that thing at me. Are you sure you can handle it? It's a real gun, girl, not a toy."
"Shut up!" Her grip tightened on the weapon. "Ya hurt everyone… just 'cause ya were too fucking weak ta handle having lost fair and square ta Nagisa… I'll have yer head, Takaoka! Ya hear me!? If I can't save everyone, THEN I'LL TAKE YA TA HELL WITH ME!"
"And how would you do that, uh!?" he retorted, his voice taunting and his grin only widening. He spread his arms wide, leaving his chest open. "You're just a kid! You can barely stand on your own, let alone go against me! You might have a gun, but you don't have the guts to use it! You don't have what it takes to be a killer—"
Ame fired twice. The first bullet completely went over his head, but the second grazed his left ear. He cursed loudly, taking a step back as the gunshots echoed like thunder into the dizzying silence that weighted over them. Nagisa's hands had flown over his ears as he flinched away from the girl, and Okano let out a startled scream.
None of it managed to snap Ame out of her daze, though.
"I KILLED ONCE BEFORE AND I CAN DO IT AGAIN!" she snapped, eyes blazing and her entire body now shaking. "DON'T GO THINKING YOU'RE ANYTHING SPECIAL! YOU WON'T BE MY FIRST, SO JUST DIE ALREADY!"
Karasuma's eyes widened at that, while the rest of the students stiffened.
What… did she say…?
::
"You think that was me losing control?" snorted Ame, rubbing the back of her head. "Hell, you'll know when I actually lose control, trust me on that."
::
"Na- Naoki-san!" exclaimed Korosensei, worried. "Don't! You cannot kill him! I forbid it!"
"Why shouldn't I!? He just killed everyone else!" she yelled back, eyes wide and unfocused. "Scum like that should just die on da spot!"
Just as the words left her mouth, though, a cloaked figure suddenly pushed through the horrified students still watching. Climbing over the fence, the newcomer then gracefully jumped onto the heliport and, in a flash, reached the girl. The man (from his height and broad shoulders, it was easy to guess the stranger was a he) covered Ame's eyes with his left hand, his right one going to grab hers, taking a hold of her gun.
"Ame, that's enough," he stated plainly, his voice heard by everyone present.
"W- what? Where'd he come from?" gasped Sugaya, startled. "Who is that?"
"Saru…?" Ame's broken whisper still managed to reach them.
"That's enough," he repeated softly, not taking his hand off her eyes. "Drop the gun, Ame."
"I- I can't! He hurt everyone, and now they're gonna die and I couldn't stop him and—"
"You're not a killer, Ame."
She started shaking even more and, after a moment of stillness, she dropped the gun. As soon as it hit the ground, the girl collapsed in Saru's arms, struggling to breathe properly due to sheer exhaustion. Exhaling in relief, the man easily picked her up bridal style, before glancing at Nagisa, who was staring up at him in wonder—still under shock.
"Boy, do you think you can handle the rest from here?" he asked, somewhat somberly. "I'd love to take care of him myself, but I kind of have my hands full right now."
Nagisa could only nod slowly, still unsure of what to make of the situation. Sensing his hesitation, Saru offered him a small smile, before turning around and heading back from where he came from.
"O- oi!" snapped Takaoka, finally regaining his senses. "Who're you, bastard!?"
"A very pissed off man. Don't anger me more if you wish to keep your head attached to your body," warned the man, his tone now as cold as ice and his usual smile nowhere to be seen.
At the sheer killing intent suddenly emanating from the man, Takaoka backed down. Karasuma and the tentacle-monster, he could handle just fine. But that guy? He was in a league of his own, even he could understand that much.
Without an ounce of effort despite the added weight, Saru jumped back on the exterior platform where the rest of the students were still watching everything, dumbstruck by his sudden appearance. As soon as he landed next to them, though, Karasuma turned his gun against him.
"Who are you?" he barked. "What do you want with this student?"
"Relax, teach," replied the man, not in the mood for pleasantries. "I'm Ame's… caretaker, if you want to see it that way. If you don't mind, I have to go and take care of that nasty poison. We don't have a remedy, but I've got something that should slow down the effects until we get our hands on it. Think you can handle that part?"
Karasuma was thinking fast. On one hand, they still had Takaoka to handle, plus finding a way to get some more of the antidote. On the other hand, an unknown man with the skills of a pro assassin had just shown up and more or less kidnapped Naoki.
"Karasuma-sensei, he's saying the truth," suddenly stated Fuwa, calmer than the others.
The agent narrowed his eyes at that. "How do you know that?"
"The ring he's wearing. It's the same as Ame's, isn't it?"
At that, he instantly snapped his eyes back to the man's hands. Just as told, on the middle finger of his left hand was a ring, identical to the one Naoki was wearing.
"You've got a fine eye," praised Saru, somewhat surprised he had been found out so easily. "One way or another, though, none of us can afford to waste much time, now." Without warning, he threw something at Fuwa. "Here you go, girl. There's only one number in there. Call as soon as you have the remedy."
"Wait!" then protested Terasaka. "Where are you taking her? How can we know you're not one of those damn assassins who's just pretendin', uh?"
"You can't. Though, at the moment, I'd say you have a bigger fish to fry."
On which he turned on his heels and, without warning, jumped once again to reach the lower floor, completely ignoring the stairs. He was gone in a flash and the students and teachers could only stare at the spot where he had been standing not a second earlier.
Damn it… cursed Karasuma, reporting his attention on the other situation.
There wasn't much he could do. He'd handle Naoki's situation later. For now, they needed to take care of Takaoka—once and for all.