"We- we beat him! We beat the boss!"
"Yosh!"
The students started cheering in relief when Takaoka's body hit the ground. Nagisa had managed to beat the madman without killing him! It didn't take too long for them to join him on the heliport, glad it was finally over.
Well, almost over.
"I'm fine, but… now what?" asked Nagisa, rubbing the back of his head. "The remedy we took off Takaoka-sensei won't be enough."
"And Ame was whisked away by that mysterious guy, too," added Karma, frowning a little.
"Let's get out of here, at least," suggested Karasuma with a sigh. "I've called a chopper; you wait here. I'll bring up the poisoner. As for Naoki—"
"Ah. You don't need no stinkin' remedy."
At the new voice, everyone turned around, only to find three familiar figures standing on the edge of the heliport. They tensed when recognizing Gastro, Grip, and Smog—the three assassins. Despite being thoroughly beaten earlier, they didn't seem in too bad a shape.
"You brats thought you could get out of here alive, eh?" added the gunner with a taunting smirk.
"We've defeated the man who hired you," replied calmly Karasuma as all students took a fighting stance. "You're out of reasons to fight. I've mostly recovered, and these students are plenty strong. How about we stop now before anyone else gets hurt?"
"Yeah, okay," agreed easily Gastro, licking his gun.
"You just don't know when to give up—uh?" Yoshida blinked dumbly a few times. "Uh!? Okay?"
"Our contracts don't cover avenging the boss," shrugged the gunner. "Besides, it's like I said: you don't need any antidote."
"This here is what I gave you," announced Smog, showing off a silver container. "An improvement of the food-poisoning bug. It'll keep going strong for another thirty hours or so, but then it'll lose its oomph—and with it, its poison." He then showed them a vial. "Now, this is what our boss told us to use. If we'd used this, you'd be in dire straits."
"Right before using that virus, we three talked it over, hm," explained Grip who, for some reason, was now dressed up as a woman. "Our boss only gave you one hour, hm. We figured we could do the handover without resorting to a deadly virus, hm."
"It was enough to make you feel like your lives were in danger, anyway," added Gastro with a shrug.
"So you went against orders?" understood Okano, puzzled. "Can you do that when he's paying you?"
"What are you, stupid?" retorted the mad gunner. "If you think pros will do anything for money, you got another thing coming. Of course, we'll do our best to abide by our client's wishes… but he never had any intention of giving you that remedy. Either we become killers of a bunch of respectable high-junior kids or we take a hit to our professional standing. We just calmly weighed which option carried more risk from here on out."
"And that's why, sorry to say, none of you will be dying," assured Smog, a tad amused. He threw another vial at Nagisa, who easily caught it. "Give the patients that supplement and put them to bed. Per the testimonials, they'll feel even better than before they were sick."
"Should we give double the dose to Ame-chan?" wondered Kaede, looking closely at the vial.
"Ame—oh, you mean that girl?" Smog chuckled a little. "Man, I was startled to see her still standing, to be honest. I guess she doesn't have a bounty for naught, right?"
At that, the students did tense a little again.
"Oh, why those faces?" grunted Gastro. "Bounty or not, the kid's still a kid. We'll wait until she's a little farther up the list, at least."
"The same dose of supplements as for the others," then answered the poisoner. "It might take a little longer for her to recover fully, but the result will be the same."
"I'll believe it once I see all of those students recovered," replied Karasuma, though relieved. Even though they were assassins, he could trust them as pros. "I'll have to detain you for a while for questioning."
"Maa, maa, it's fine," shrugged Gastro. "You've got a week to wind it up before the next job starts."
At the same moment, the chopper Karasuma had called for arrived. Some agents arrived to tie up Takaoka to a stretcher while the assassins began heading toward it to climb in.
"Eh? What's that?" called Karma, making Grip stop in his tracks. He grinned evilly, showing off his supply of hot mustard and wasabi. "Not going for a revenge match, buddy, hm? Isn't your grudge strong enough to want me dead?"
"I don't kill people out of spite, hm," replied simply the man. He passed by Karma, patting him on the head once. "I'll wait for the day someone put a hit out on you, hm. You need to become someone worth targeting, hm."
"And there you have it, kids!" exclaimed Gastro as they stepped on the chopper. "If you really want us to come to kill you, you gotta make it big! Then we'll give you the pro assassin's grand tour!"
The students could simply watch them leave, somewhat in awe and shock at the same time, and obviously relieved, too. In the end, all was for the better.
"Oh!" Fuwa pulled out the phone that strange man had given her earlier. "Karasuma-sensei, should I call this guy to tell him about the situation?"
"… yes. For now, we'll assume he's an ally," sighed the man, not knowing what else to do. "If we don't have news of Naoki by morning, we'll come back to find her."
"R- right!"
Fuwa turned on the phone and selected the only number present. Bringing it to her ear as everyone gathered around to try and listen, she only had to wait for a single ring to pass before someone picked up.
"Ooh, Fuwa-chan, right? I'm so glad you called!"
She blinked a few times at that. "Ano… You're the man from earlier, right? Err, how do you know—"
"I know all of Ame's friends, of course! Anyway, she's been administered a temporary fix that should slow down the effects of the poison, but it won't be enough. Since you're calling, I'm guessing Nagisa-kun beat that guy after all, right? Is there any sample of that remedy left, even if it's on the ground? We've got someone who can replicate it easily and in no time, so we can—"
"S- Saru!" Everyone's eyes widened at Ame's voice. "Ugh, give it here already—hello? Fuwa?"
"A- Ame!" she gasped, surprised. "Are you alright?"
"I feel like shit, but the fix I was given helped me gain back my senses somehow," sighed the girl, obviously tired. "Tell me you have good news, please."
"More than good news, Ame-chan!" then exclaimed Kaede, beaming. "The virus you were given is just an improvement of the food-poisoning bug, or so that assassin said. They weren't aiming to kill us, actually, so you won't need a remedy or anything. He did give us some supplement and told us to administer it to those infected, though."
"Really? Oh, I'm so glad… Don't worry about the supplements, though, keep it for the others. Everyone's gonna be fine, then, right? And is Nagisa okay?"
"I- I'm fine, Ame-san," confirmed the boy. "Everyone is, or will be."
"That's great to hear." They could all hear the distinct relief in her voice. "I doubt I'll be allowed out of the room until I've recovered, though. I'll come back to the hotel tomorrow. Is that okay, Karasuma-sensei?"
"… Aa. I expect an explanation, though," gave in the agent.
"I'll do what I can. See you guys tomorrow, then."
"Rest well, Ame!" replied Fuwa.
The communication was cut off but, as soon as Fuwa pulled the phone away, it started sizzling. Startled, she dropped it and, as soon as it hit the ground, a few sparks flew around and it seemed to implode, considering the smoke pouring out and the screen flickering before it went dark.
They're very careful to cover their tracks, uh? Karasuma was starting to have a fairly good idea of what Ame was involved in, but he'd rather not rush to conclusions. Well, I'm just glad everything turned out okay. It was our greatest battle as of yet… Questions can wait for tomorrow. Right now, everyone deserves their rest.
.
.
"That- that was Saru's technique!"
Ame had spoken up as soon as Nagisa left after learning that "surefire technique" from Lovro. The man in question glanced at Ame, lifting an eyebrow.
"So I was right," he mused. "He taught it to you?"
"Yeah, so what?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "And now that I think about it, I still don't know how you know Saru."
"I know him because I was his teacher," he answered plainly.
"Wait, what?"
"Saru was once an assassin. He gave up that way of life many years ago to become an info-broker, but he excelled as a student and as a pro assassin," explained Lovro. "I taught him that surefire technique, making him promise me one thing before we parted ways."
"… which was?"
"To only teach it to his successor."
"Aa? What do you—"
"Naoki Ame." She stiffened as Lovro suddenly towered over her, staring at her as if he was reading her very soul. "Although he's probably still waiting to tell you, I believe Saru has been training you to become the next leader of the Zodiac."
"T- that's crazy!" she instantly protested, taking a step back. "As if I could do that! I'm too young and not everyone's okay with me being a member—there's no way I could become the leader!"
"Saru always keeps his word, you'd know that better than anyone else," he replied simply. He then started walking away. "If he taught you this surefire technique, then it means he has great expectations of you. I'd suggest you do not disappoint them."
She could only gape dumbly as he walked away as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on her.
.
.
Thanks to the information they received about the actual nature of the virus, Ame was administered a nice dose of the proper anti-toxin by Saru before the man forced her to get in bed and get some rest. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When she woke up, it was the middle of the next day, way past dinner time.
"I'm surprised you're up so early," mused Saru, who was sitting next to her bed with a book in hands. "From what I've heard, your classmates have yet to wake up. That was a pretty exhausting night, after all."
"Ugh, tell me about it," she groaned, sitting up. "I've got an awful taste in my mouth…"
"Knew you would. Here, drink this."
She gratefully took the gigantic glass of water he offered her, downing it in one go. Once she was done, she handed it back, before looking back at him. After a moment of silence, she lowered her head.
"… I'm sorry."
"What for?" he replied, still reading his book.
"I disobeyed a direct order. I knew to go into the Citadel was dangerous and you specifically told me not to, but I ignored your orders and came anyway." Her head lowered even more. "I'm sorry."
After a moment of stillness, she stiffened as his hand suddenly fell on her head, gently stroking her hair in a comforting manner. Surprised, she looked back at him, only to find him smiling.
"Ame, you disobeyed my order to save your friends," he remarked, his smile widening. "I'm proud of you."
"… but I didn't do anything. I ended up being a deadweight and when- when Takaoka blew up the antidote, I just snapped…" She shuddered a little.
To be honest, the memory was kind of like a blur, but she did remember parts of it.
::
"I KILLED ONCE BEFORE AND I CAN DO IT AGAIN!"
::
"The others… Everyone…" Her voice turned to a whisper. "What will they think of me…?"
"They'll understand. You just have to explain, right?" he replied.
She snorted derisively at that. "As if I could face them after all of this."
"Well, not like you have much of a choice," he shrugged, getting up. "I'm not giving you a ride back, so you either come back with them or stay stuck here."
"Asshole," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
He simply laughed at that, this time ruffling her hair. "Good to have you back, Ame. To be honest, you had me worried. When I saw you with that gun in your hands…"
::
"Ame, watch out!"
The gun fired.
::
"Thank you, Saru." She offered him a tentative smile. "For stopping me."
"Of course. Now, get some more rest. I need to go back, but you have the room till tonight," he informed, picking up his traveling bag. "There's a card on the desk that'll give you access to the elevators and all that. Use it to check out—you won't have any problems. I'll see you when you get back, okay?"
"Okay. Later, Saru."
"Later."
As he left, Ame couldn't help but think back to that flashback she had dreamt of last night. She easily recalled what Lovro had told her, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was why Saru looked out for her so much. In the end, though, she had decided against asking him.
She'd ask later, once she fully got her mind back on track.
.
.
She ended up leaving an hour or so later. She didn't exactly feel at ease resting in such a dangerous place, even less one she had infiltrated under such pressure just a day earlier. When she checked out, she was given an escort that had been tasked with taking her back to the hotel, but she arrived much faster than she had hoped for.
She had yet to figure out how to explain everything to the others.
She sighed, deciding to take the long way around by the beach before heading inside. Her feet dragging in the sand, she stopped in her tracks when the water washed over them. She looked at the ocean spreading before her eyes, water and sky joining in the horizon and blurring the line between Earth and Heaven.
It's beautiful…
For a moment, she truly wished she could enjoy this moment with the rest of her family. Now that the excitement of the previous day died down, she felt somewhat homesick. It was the first time she spent so much time away from them, and there was still another day to go, but she really wanted to hug her grandmother right about now.
What would she think… if she knew her granddaughter had killed someone?
Thinking back, she understood that killing Takaoka would have gotten her in real trouble. True, it would have been a form of self-defense, but they had a special-forces agent on their side acting as their leading officer. He surely would have taken responsibility but, with the target the government had put on her back, she wouldn't have escaped the consequences. That meant her grandmother and the children would have learned what she did… and she couldn't bear the thought of them seeing her as a killer-a monster.
She sat down on the sand, the water licking her feet from time to time as she gazed upon the ocean. Without really thinking, she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lightened one, before placing it in her mouth. As she puffed out some smoke, time seemed to come at a standstill here. This place felt peaceful, with no pressure or worries or expectations. Here, on this remote island, she was, ironically enough, safe.
She couldn't really remember the last time she felt that way.
I've been on edge ever since learning about my situation and I've always had someone watching me. It's reassuring but, at the same time, it feels a little suffocating. Each morning I get up wondering if today is the day I'll get killed. I keep an eye out for threats, knowing death might be lingering just around the corner… It's exhausting.
She tensed a little when sensing a presence approach. It wasn't an enemy, far from it, but she was scared all the same.
"Ame-san?"
"… hey."
She didn't bother inviting Isogai to sit with her, didn't even glance at him. She simply brought her knees to her chest, afraid she'd truly lose it all if she spoke up, and she took another smoke in hopes it'd help her calm down. A single wrong word, and all of those special bonds she had built with the others would vanish in an instant, after all.
"… I didn't know you smoke, Ame-san."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Isogai-kun. What do you want?"
She couldn't help it. She wanted to try and explain herself, maybe make amends for what she had said and done, but she couldn't find the right words, and the only solution she found to this problem was to raise her walls again.
"Everyone was pretty worried about you, you know?" the boy then stated, standing just behind her.
"I'm fine."
"If you were, you'd be in the hotel with the others," he however replied, sitting down just next to her. "What's wrong?"
"… what's wrong?" She let out a humorless laugh, the cigarette hanging between her fingers. "What's wrong, you ask? I snapped and almost killed the bastard, that's what's wrong! And I- I said things none of you should have heard, said things none of you should have ever learned about. How am I supposed to face any of you after this?"
"Ame-san, if I may… you've always been pretty mysterious," remarked slowly Isogai, carefully picking his words. "You rarely talk about your life outside of school, and you've got those abilities that could easily make you pass as a pro… We've come to understand that the secrets you keep are your own, and we're okay with that."
"You're okay with not knowing?" she scoffed. "As if."
"We're not okay with not knowing, but we're okay knowing you'll tell us someday, on your own," he shrugged. He then sat down next to her. "Knowing you'll trust us enough to share those secrets of yours when the time comes."
"You just learned I killed someone before. Are you sure you want to know more?" she retorted, a tad bitterly.
What naïve talk that was! As if that boy knew anything. He talked of waiting and understanding, but he couldn't possibly believe—
"Bitch-sensei killed a lot of people too, didn't she?" Wait, what? "And Karasuma-sensei… Well, he's a special-forces agent: he's bound to have killed people too. And all those assassins we keep running into, it's pretty much their job, isn't it? To kill people." He chuckled a little. "We're not a normal class either. In case you've forgotten, we've been training to kill our teacher for months now. Once this is all over… once this is all over, there'll be one more killer walking this earth-one of us. So, what makes you any different?"
"We're trying to kill Korosensei to save the planet," replied the girl, frowning. "And Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei do that for their jobs, and—"
"And you did it to protect someone, didn't you?" She stiffened at that, looking at him for the first time since he arrived. He offered her a tentative smile at that. "Like you were ready to do in order to protect everyone, back on the heliport."
She kept silent for a moment after that, her mind buzzing, a tad overwhelmed.
"… the man you met that night is a precious friend of mine," she then admitted, a little out of the blue, her voice low. "A teacher. A brother, even. A few years ago, though, he ran into some trouble."
::
"Saru? Saru! Where are you!?"
"Ooh? Look at that! Looks like someone found you after all," chortled a man, kicking Saru in the side. "Who's she, your daughter? How unfortunate, really."
"D- don't touch her!" warned Saru, though he was too injured to move on his own. He turned to Ame, who was standing in the doorway. "Ame, get out of here! Call for backup!"
She was staring at him, eyes wide. All she could focus on was how he was hurt and how that man kept laughing and how he'd probably hurt Saru even more if she didn't do anything, if she left as he told her to, if she ran like a god damn coward—
"Ame, watch out!"
The gun fired.
::
"It took me a few seconds to realize that I was the one who had fired," she admitted, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't really understand what was going on, blinded by rage still, and I only snapped back to reality when that man collapsed due to the bullet I put through straight his head. After that, though… after that, I wasn't able to fire a gun again. I started getting uneasy, sick even, whenever I held a gun or even saw one. Hearing a gunshot was the worst but, as years passed, I grew accustomed to it, I guess. Never got worse, never really got any better, either." She looked down at her right hand at that. If she focused hard enough, she could still feel the weight of the gun. "Yesterday evening was the first time I held a gun since the incident."
They stayed silent for a while. She did leave out the part where it was her fault that Saru got captured in the first place since it'd be hard to explain without mentioning the Zodiac, but she had told him the truth, and she was now awaiting judgment.
"Then I was right," he mused. "You did do it to protect someone."
"I still—"
"You still killed him, I know. But one way or another, it's not like me or any of the others could really judge you for it," he pointed out, rising to his feet. "If we can accept Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei and even Korosensei when knowing he's going to destroy the planet, of all things, then why couldn't we accept a girl who's ready to do anything to protect her friends?"
"I- Isogai-kun…"
She could only gape as he extended his hand to her.
"We trust you, Ame-san. I trust you." He smiled at her once again. "And I'm glad you trusted me with your secret, even if it's only one amongst so many. The first of many, hopefully."
After a few more seconds, Ame placed the tip of her cigarette in the water to drench it, before shoving it in her pocket. After what, she grabbed his hand. He helped her back to her feet, and she offered him a tentative smile.
"Thanks, Isogai-kun."
"Well, what are friends for?"
This time, he offered her a big, bright grin. It took her by surprise, how genuine that smile was. How could he have such a pure expression on his face when knowing what he knew and having done what he had done? When he had seen the world in its true, ugly form?
For some reason, her cheeks turned red.
"Let- let's go back!" she stammered out, spinning on her heels to head back to the hotel. "If I stay away from everyone any longer, Rio will have my head!"
He laughed at that. "I'm afraid it might be a bit too late for that. You gave her quite the scare by not coming back with us, after all."
She simply nodded, picking up the pace. The last thing she wanted was to face Rio's wrath, but the sooner she got it over with, the better. Though, of course, there was another, puzzling reason behind her sudden eagerness to return.
Why… why is my heart beating so fast?
"AME!"
"Rio—gah!"
Both girls fell on the floor with a 'THUD'. Ame groaned, knowing it'd leave a bruise.
"Rio…" she whined.
"Ah ah, sorry!" The blonde rose back up and extended her hand to her. "Here, up you go!"
Ame was back on her feet the next second and, this time, her friend hugged her properly. Their moment of peace was however of short notice as Rio suddenly remembered exactly why Ame only showed up now.
"You dumbass!" she exclaimed, whacking her head. "You're so fricking stupid! Why'd you had to go and push yourself when you got double the dose of that stupid virus, uh? You could have died had it been the real deal!"
"I thought my immunity had gotten rid of it," grunted the black-haired girl. "I—"
"And then you only come back now? Do you know how worried I was when I didn't you see with everyone else?" Rio grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little. "I thought- I thought—"
"Rio, I'm fine," chuckled Ame. "I—"
"I thought you had died!"
The black-haired girl blinked a few times at Rio's exclamation, and it's only then that she noticed the tears the blonde was fighting back. The tight grip she had on her shoulders wasn't to keep her from escaping but to ensure Rio that she was really back, safe and sound.
"You're always doing this… Going so far to try and help everyone…" Rio choked a little, her grip tightened. "Why can't you care about yourself a little more, uh? Why do you always have to put yourself in danger? Like what happened during our school trip, or with Shiro-san, or with Takaoka-sensei, and now this…"
"… Aa. I'm sorry, Rio," Ame replied softly. She offered her an apologetic smile. "I promise I'll be more careful next time around."
"There shouldn't be a next time!" Rio protested, however accepting her apology.
She released Ame, quickly wiping away her tears, before grinning at her. Ame grinned back, and they bumped fists together.
"Good to have you back."
"Good to be back."
.
.
Everyone was fine, and everyone greeted Ame back with warm smiles or some cheers. None of them mentioned the incident with the gun, and she could only wonder if Isogai had something to do with it. Also, she had yet to run into any of the teachers since they were apparently preparing a big-scale assassination to get rid of Korosensei once he returned to his normal shape, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hold off on her explanation much longer. She didn't intend on telling them about the Zodiac, of course. Just keep it to the basics, just like how Hana had done with Korosensei.
"I see everyone's in their school jerseys, eh?" mused Hara.
"We're the only guests, and these are nice and comfy," shrugged Sugino.
"And it'd be cruel to have to think up a whole new day's worth of outfits," added Fuwa.
Ame simply chuckled at the faces her friends made. That would have been a comment Uma made, so she was used to it, although she didn't really understand it herself. All of the students had gathered on the beach to watch the assassination attempt take place—and fail, of course. Korosensei had already warned them it wouldn't work, but Karasuma just had to go and try his luck anyway.
"I hope Karasuma-sensei won't be too annoyed when Korosensei escapes," she nonchalantly remarked. "He's been leading the charge without rest since that whole mess with the virus ended, from what I've gathered."
"He shows no signs of fatigue at all," pointed out Kimura. "He's amazing!"
"He really is. Wonder if we'll be as awesome as him in ten years," wondered Sugino.
"I doubt anyone could be as awesome as Karasuma-sensei," snorted Ame, sitting down. "He's in a league of his own."
"Though, Korosensei might get the best of him if he keeps foiling his plans, uh?" replied Rio, amused. "Karasuma-sensei will have grey hair by the end of the year."
Ame grinned at that. "Yet he'd still be able to kick all of our asses to the moon and back if he wanted to."
"Ah! True enough!" laughed the blonde.
Before anyone could add anything, though, the whole island shook violently as, in the gigantic construction in which Korosensei had been placed, an explosion occurred. It pierced through the top of the weird prison, heavy smoke rising to the sky.
"He- he exploded!" exclaimed Isogai.
"Did we get him!?" gasped Maehara.
"Repeat that question and hear how dumb it sounds," deadpanned Ame, rolling her eyes.
"Niryufufufu!"
"Right," sweatdropped the flirt.
Because of course, their assassination target had managed to escape without even losing a tentacle. From the face Karasuma made, though, Ame could tell he had already expected this to happen. In the end, he had probably done it simply because the government couldn't let such a chance go to waste. So, turning around like pretty much everyone else, the girl found their un-killable teacher right behind them.
"You suffered so much on account of my cowardice," he then sighed. "But you battled enemies and a virus—and did a fine job, too."
"Good morning, Korosensei," simply greeted Nagisa. He smiled. "You're just not the same without your tentacles."
"Yes, good morning. Now, let's enjoy the rest of our trip, shall we?" suggested the octopus.
"But we're going back tomorrow morning, aren't we?" recalled Sugino.
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Korosensei, horrified. "I haven't enjoyed myself nearly enough, having spent so much of the trip in my Absolute Defense Form!"
"If you had just died when we tried to kill you, you wouldn't have been stuck in that form for so long," retorted Ame, stretching her arms.
"Gah! This is a one-time thing: summer camp with my students!" In a flash, multiple clones of their teacher appeared all over the beach, doing all sorts of activities all at once. "We can't waste a single second! We—gah! What are you doing!?"
Karma grinned at that, cocking his gun at their teacher to fire again. "You just said not to waste a single second."
"Ah, yes, Karma-kun. Wait until your target lets down his—"
Their teacher was cut off as many of the students joined in and started firing at him. Knowing something like that would come up, Ame had put in her earplugs earlier, so she wasn't bothered by it. She could only laugh as their teacher started panicking, trying to avoid all of the bullets.
"He's got a point, though," mused Kataoka. "We've got to make the most of the time we have!"
"I'm all for that!" cheered Kurahashi.
Ame could only blink dumbly as all of the girls pulled off their school jerseys, revealing the bathing suits they were wearing underneath. Only Kaede seemed as taken aback as she was, since neither of them had been planning on going for a swim.
"Ame, come on!" urged Rio, pulling her toward the water.
"I don't have a bathing suit and this jersey is the only non-dirty thing I can wear," instantly refused the black-haired girl. "Just go and have some fun—"
"No way!" The blonde suddenly shoved a plastic bag in her hands. "I knew you would conveniently forget to bring a bathing suit, so I brought another one just for you!"
"Rio, I can't—"
"Put it on and join us!" ordered firmly the blue-eyed girl. She grinned cheekily. "That's the only way I'll forgive you for scaring the crap out of me!"
Ame gaped at that. "What? I thought I was already forgiven!"
"You will be if you put it on~!"
"Rio, wait, I don't—Rio!"
But the blonde simply laughed, joining the rest of the girls. Cursing under her breath, Ame spun on her heels to head back to the bathroom and get changed. She was fully aware Rio was guilt-tripping her into it, but it still worked, and that was that.
Rio knew her too well. The swimsuit was actually a black sports top along with a pair of matching shorts. It hid most of her scars, which was perfect. So, tying up her hair in a ponytail, she then stepped outside to join the others, as per Rio's orders. Once she reached the beach, though, it was only to find the girls beating up a very nude Okajima.
"Let me guess: he was being a perv again," she sweatdropped.
"Yeah, well, that's Okajima for—" Isogai stopped talking, only then noticing what she was wearing. "Ame-san…"
"What?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, her tone somewhat defensive.
He simply smiled, though. "You look more relaxed like that. It suits you."
She blinked a few times at that, startled, before offering back a smile. "It's just as you said, isn't it? I ought to trust you guys, after all that's happened. I might not be much right now, but I'll do better. I promise."
"Ooh?" Maehara suddenly slung an arm around her shoulders. "Is the Ice Queen finally opening her heart?"
"I'm not that bad, you stupid flirt," she huffed.
"Says the girl who has like, five knives somehow hidden on her body right now," deadpanned the boy.
"… how'd you know?"
He paled, quickly backing away. "I was joking, damn it!"
She simply grinned at that, though. "I know. Me too."
He seemed startled for a moment. Who knew Naoki Ame could crack an actual, non-morbid joke? He then laughed, pleasantly surprised, and the girl soon joined in. From further away, in the water, Rio smiled softly at the sight. Like everyone else who had gotten sick, she had heard from those who had gone on that stealth mission what exactly had happened while they were all bedridden. To be frank, she wasn't that much surprised when Isogai told them what exactly Ame had revealed. After all, her friend had always been mysterious to the extreme and somewhat morbid, and she always had a feeling her secrets (or at least, most of them) were better off unknown. From how Ame acted and talked, from what she said and did, it was simply easy to guess the girl wasn't exactly the… innocent, kind.
So no, Rio didn't think any less of Ame when learning she had killed someone. Much like Isogai and many who had come to know the girl better, she had simply guessed her friend had done it to protect someone precious to her and left it at that.
What she had been worried about was how it'd affect Ame. She had worked so hard to keep her classmates away from the truth, and then she went and yelled for the world to hear probably one of the worst secrets she possessed. Frankly, she was scared that, after all those months during which Ame grew closer to the students and forged new bonds, all of this progress would be erased and Ame would go back to that aloof, reserved and closed persona of hers.
I'm glad, she thought as she saw the small, genuine smile on Ame's lips. I'm glad you finally found people you can trust, and I'm glad to be one of them.
"Oi, Ame!" she called, gaining the girl's attention. "Get in the water already! Don't let my gift go to waste!"
"Loan," corrected the black-haired teen, however walking toward her. "I am not keeping this."
"But it suits you."
"And it's yours, so you keep it."
"If it's mine, then I can decide what I do with it, and I've decided to give it to you."
Ame groaned at that. "You're annoying, you know that?"
"Aw, you love me anyway!" teased the blonde, throwing her arms around the girl's neck in a semi-hug.
Much to her surprise and delight, Ame hugged back. "Guess there's no point in denying it."
"You know it!" beamed Rio. "Now get in that water already!"
"Wait, don't—"
Rio pulled the girl into the water, making her stumble then fall. When Ame broke the surface, coughing out the salt water she had accidentally swallowed, she was drenched from head to toe and glaring mightily at her friend.
"Fine. You wanna play rough?" Her hand suddenly latched around the girl's wrist. "Well, two can play that way!"
"Gah!"
The blonde was powerless as Ame suddenly used her position to throw her over her head and smack into the ocean. Spitting out the salty water, the blonde then started laughing and coughing at the same time. Ame soon joined in, knowing this would probably be the last time she could allow herself to lower her guard in a long, very long while.
.
.
"A test of courage?"
After having their fun at the beach, the students had changed back into their jerseys and gathered at the hotel. They still had a few hours in the sun left, and all had been wondering what to do when Korosensei suggested a particular idea.
"Yes! What better activity for a midsummer night?" insisted their teacher.
"You just want to have some fun, Korosensei," stated accusingly Karma.
"Unlike some people, I've been cooped up in a shell this whole time!" retorted the octopus, a vein bulging on his forehead. "On a tropical isle, of all places!"
"That's your own damn fault," huffed Ame, unimpressed. "And what's a 'test of courage' anyway?"
There was a moment of silence, before Okajima, Sugaya, and Yoshida suddenly appeared before her, scaring the hell out of the poor girl.
"You don't know!?"
"How can't you not know this!?"
"What kind of childhood did you have!?"
"A… busy one?" she answered, genuinely terrified. "Why don't you tell me what it is already?"
"It's really simple, Ame," answered Rio, taking pity on her. "You have to go through a predetermined path, usually in pair. It's scary and it's fun, is all."
"Well, I guess we've got nothing better to do," mused the black-haired girl. "Okay, I'm in!"
"Ooh, a test of courage! This will be fun!" cheered Maehara.
"Right?" agreed Isogai.
"But I don't like scary stuff," protested Kurahashi.
"Don't worry, Korosensei will act as the ghosts, so I doubt it'll be too bad," pointed out Sugino.
As everyone started talking about that test of courage with growing eagerness and anticipation, none noticed the evil glint in Korosensei's eyes, or how his smile twisted into a smirk.
All of the students were guided to a small cave situated farther down the shore. Ame couldn't help but feel a little nervous, though. She wanted to try it out, but she was a little scared of how she'd react. After all, she had sharp instincts. She might mess up the whole game just because she was too wary to truly get into it.
"We'll hold it in this ocean cavern!" announced Korosensei, stopping at the entrance. "Walk through to the exit in boy-girl pairs, and keep a five-minute interval between each group. Also… Naoki-san?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll have to ask you to leave your weapons at the entrance," ordered the octopus.
"Aa? No way!" she refused instantly. "Who knows what we'll run into in there? Or what, is it because you're too scared you might not escape my knives this time around?"
"It is merely a precaution to ensure everyone can have a good time," replied calmly the teacher. "I do not mind if you keep the rubber knives or the anti-me guns, but real weapons might harm one of your classmates."
"Oh, right…"
She didn't feel comfortable in the least with the idea. Maybe coming was a bad idea after all? She had been taught never to leave herself unprotected, after all, no matter the circumstances. Earlier with the swimsuit had been an exception. But here… here, she was safe, wasn't she? And she was with her friends, far from enemies and other dangers. Here, she wasn't Kitsune or just another assassination target. Here, she was just Naoki Ame, student of the E-Class.
... right?
"Ugh, fine." She had promised Isogai she'd try, after all. "Though I will know if one of them is missing when I get them back, so you better not touch any of them."
"Of course, of course."
With a sigh, the teen started getting rid of her weapons. She first threw away over a dozen of knives that were hidden under her shirt. Then, another dozen from under her shorts. Some throwing stars followed, along with the needles holding her hair together.
"There," she huffed. "Happy?"
"All of your weapons, Naoki-san."
"Tche."
She tapped her right foot on the ground, and five little blades fell out of the sole of her shoe. The same thing happened with her left shoe. She then threw away her wristbands, a weird clinking noise echoing as they hit the sand.
She then crossed her arms over her chest. "Can we get a move on, now?"
Korosensei sweatdropped. "I… didn't know you had those, too. I actually meant the katana."
"Aw, do I have to?"
"The… katana?" repeated Rio, confused.
With a sigh, Ame bent her arm backward, her hand disappearing behind her back… only to pull out a goddamn katana out of literally nowhere.
"Where the hell were you hiding this!?" exclaimed Maehara, pale.
"Why did you bring it along anyway?" added Yoshida, about to tear his hair out.
"I dunno. I thought it could be useful," shrugged the girl.
She did throw it on the pile of weapons, though. Korosensei wiped away the nervous sweat that had started rolling down his head.
"Is- is that all, Naoki-san...?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I said 'yes', would you?" she scoffed.
And to the pile, she added five more knives, a bag full of makinichis and a few smoke bombs. She also added a mini-Taser on an afterthought, and also her stun-gun. At the end, where she had hidden those on her body was yet another mystery the students and teachers of the E-Class would never figure out.
"W- well, I guess it's now time for the test of courage to begin! Let's start!" exclaimed the octopus.
He was gone in a flash. There was a moment of silence before Ame groaned loudly.
"Ugh, I feel naked now."
"Ame, I don't know how you pulled that off, but you need to teach me some time," sweatdropped Rio.
"Why do you have so many real weapons anyway?" grunted Terasaka. "It's not like they'd work against that damn octopus."
"They're not meant for him," she replied, her tone less enthused. "I knew from the start this island could be dangerous for me, what with that stupid bounty on my head. I simply came prepared to face any kind of situation in case… something happened."
"You have to tell us about this kind of stuff, Ame," then pointed out Karma, rubbing his fist over her head. "We can't help if you don't talk to us."
"I know, I know!" she huffed, slapping his hand away. "And stop messing up my hair, damn it!"
"One way or another, we have to go in there in pair," then remarked Hara, bringing all of the students back on topic. "Who's going first?"
"We could be mean and go back to the hotel, leaving him alone in there," suggested the orange-eyed teen, a little bitter at having been forced to get rid of her weapons.
"Ame, no."
"Why not?"
"Ka- Kayano-san and I will go first!" then announced Nagisa.
And so they went inside.
Soon enough, the other pairs were formed. Since they had to go in there as boy-girl pairs for whatever reason, though, Ame couldn't go with Rio. She would have gone with Karma if he hadn't already promised to Okuda he'd go with her (it's the only reason the poor girl agreed to come along in the first place).
So… now what?
"Oh, Ame!" She turned to Maehara. "Do you have a partner yet?"
"I think I might have scared some people with all those weapons," she admitted, a little sheepish. "So no, I don't. Do you—"
"Great!" He suddenly shoved none other than Isogai before him. "Isogai doesn't have one either. Have fun!"
"What—"
But the flirt was already gone. Both students blinked a few times in utter confusion, before looking at each other. After a moment, they shared a few chuckles.
"I don't really know what's gotten into him, but I don't mind," mused the class representative. "Would you like to pair up with me, Ame-san?"
"Sure. Do we go in next?"
"Yeah, we can do that."
Farther away, three students were watching the interaction like hawks eyeing their preys. Rio, Karma, and Maehara all had that weird, evil glint in their eyes that made everyone else back away from them.
"You sure about this, Maehara?" asked the red-haired boy.
"Positive. And he's the one who convinced her to come back, isn't he?" pointed out the flirt.
"I see the potential," nodded Rio, grinning. "Hell yes! Let's play matchmakers!"
"As long as neither of them finds out," added quickly Maehara, paling a little. "I have absolutely no idea of how Ame would react, and Isogai can be pretty scary when he wants to."
"Well, let's just see how this test of courage turns out first," suggested Karma, greatly entertained. "We might not have to do a single thing."
The other two nodded in agreement and, much to their delight, Ame and Isogai walked into the cave next, talking in low tones about God knows what.
Maybe she's sharing another deep dark secret with him! Swooned internally Rio. It's so romantic!
"So, do you prefer vanilla to chocolate?"
"Actually, I think I like both equally. Though, it's kind of hard to choose when you rarely have the chance to taste it."
"Ugh, don't I know the feeling."
.
.
Ame tensed when sensing a presence, though allowed herself to relax when realizing it was just Korosensei about to play his bit, probably a little further down, though.
"Are you scared, Ame-san?" couldn't help but ask the boy.
"Scary stories and stuff like that don't scare me," she assured. I've seen and done one too many much scarier thing in my life. "I just don't like being weaponless. I can fight, sure, but it's easier to defend myself with at least something sharp in my hands."
"Is it a habit that's been taught to you?" he wondered, genuine curiosity lacing his voice.
"Yeah. I've learned the hard way to always have a weapon near me," she nodded, not really minding answering. "Hell, I even have a knife under my pillow. Otherwise, I can't sleep."
"Paranoia?"
"Precautions. And it's necessary too, now more than ever." She then thought it over. "… okay, and maybe a bit of paranoia. I can't really help it. The only people I trust blindly enough to leave my back open when they're around are kind of like my second family, but even then I always have at least a throwing knife with me."
He couldn't help but smile at that. "So you trust us too, uh? Since you got rid of them. Had you truly wanted to, you could have just refused to join and could have waited outside instead."
"… I guess so," she relented, before offering him a smile of her own. "But I did make you a promise. I intend to keep it."
"You're pretty adamant about that, uh?" he mused. "You told me something along the same lines when you promised you'd do your best for the exams, too…"
"I don't give my word on a whim and, even if I hide a lot of things, I'm not a liar," she replied, scratching the back of her head. "Though I guess that's just something I've learned from Dale."
"Dale?"
"He's kind of a father figure for me," she admitted, smiling a little. "He's also the one who taught me hand-to-hand combat and defensive and evasive maneuvers."
"If you don't mind me asking… does he have that ring too?" She stopped in her tracks at his question, startled, and he lifted his hands in an appeasing motion. "It's just, that man we met at the Citadel… Saru, right? He was wearing the same ring as you, and the girls told us that the acquaintance who helped you out back in the lounge also used the same ring to let you pass…"
"… I didn't really lie to Bitch-sensei when I told her it was a family heirloom," she shrugged, walking again. "I told you about how I had a second family, right? Saru, the guy from the lounge, and Dale are all part of it. Hana, too. You know, the red-haired woman who came to the campus once?"
"Oh, right! Okajima really wanted to meet her," he recalled, amused.
"Yes, well, she's way out of his league," snorted Ame, before falling serious again. "This ring… it's really important to us. It's a mean to stay united despite the distance or the time we spend apart. And, well, it has its other advantages too. Let's just leave it at that."
"… if they're your second family, then who's your first?" he wondered. It was the first time he conversed so openly with the girl, and he found himself more than curious. "I remember you brought them to the café, but…"
"My grandmother is in charge of a foster home. All of those kids you met… Well, she took them in one after the other, hoping to give them a home," explained the girl. "At first, she had my grandfather to help out, but he died of cancer many, many years ago, so money became scarce. She refused to close the home, though." Her eyes softened slightly. "Those kids are her family… and, well, she took me in when my parents died. I don't really remember them, though. When I think of 'parents', the only face that comes to my mind is my grandmother's. She's the one who raised me and—" She stopped, blinking a few times, before offering him a sheepish smile. "Ah, sorry. I've started ranting, didn't I?"
"I don't mind," he admitted, a tad amused. He'd never have taken the girl for a rambler. "It's nice to see you opening up."
"Yeah, well…" She shook her head. "What about you? What's your family like?"
"Well, I have a sister…"
In the end, they reached the exit without running into Korosensei once. Frankly, the octopus had gotten emotional when he heard Ame talking so openly and had to leave if he didn't want to flood the entire cave.
.
.
"What a disgrace… a total disgrace…"
"So basically you meant to frighten us into becoming couples thanks to the suspension-bridge effect?" resumed Maehara.
"We saw right through you before you even scared us!" exclaimed Okano.
"But- but I so wanted to see you all! I wanted to grin at you holding hands and blushing, two by two!" cried Korosensei. "I was trying to keep you from marrying someone random!"
Ame rolled her eyes at that, finishing putting her weapons back. She felt more at ease now that she was armed again, but she couldn't deny she had completely forgotten about it while in the cave when she started talking with Isogai.
"Never mind that stuff," then remarked Rio, a tad hypocritically. "There are plenty of us who don't want to be dragged into a love affair. We're not all as sleazy as you."
"Plus, we kind of have bigger fish to fry right now," pointed out Ame, stretching her arms. "In case you've forgotten, the ultimate goal for the E-Class is to kill you and claim that ten billion yen prize—not some weird romance."
"A- all right, Nakamura-san, Naoki-san," he sobbed. "I get it…"
"You call that a test of courage? There was nobody in there!"
At Irina's annoyed exclamation, all students turned their attention to the cave, from which exited none other than their English teacher and Karasuma. The woman was clinging to his arm like some sort of leech, while the man simply seemed exasperated.
"I told you it was pointless clinging to me like that," sighed the agent. "I don't need that kind of baggage after an all-nighter."
"Shut up! You're a man, aren't you?" huffed the assassin. "If there's a pretty woman around, escort her nicely!"
He sighed yet again and, suddenly realizing the presence of the students, Irina let go of him and "discreetly" walked away. Apparently relieved, Karasuma wasted no time in leaving.
"Ne, I wonder…" murmured Maehara.
"Is Bitch-sensei…?"
"Uh-uh."
"What should we do?"
"We've got time before we go home tomorrow morning," pointed out Rio.
Ame gulped a little when noticing the weird aura now emanating from the students and their teacher. A little more and they'd have horns sprouting out of their heads.
"Should we push them together?" suggested Korosensei, eyes glinting maliciously.
A nervous band of sweat rolled down the girl's forehead. Oh boy.
.
.
"Ugh, that does it!" cursed Irina. "How obtuse can a person be?"
"This isn't like you, Bitch-sensei," mused Maehara, crossing his arms over his chest. "You wrap men around your little finger!"
"But when it comes to her own love life, she's inexperienced," added Kaede.
"Love? Ah!" snorted derisively the assassin. "Don't make me laugh!"
"What? It's not love?"
"He's a rare bird, that's all—a world-class square!" huffed the blonde. "And while I was all worked up, trying to get him to fall for me, before I knew it, I…" A faint blush rose to her cheeks. "I just…"
At the sight, most boys blushed too. That was rather cute…
"Yosh, just leave it to us!" then exclaimed Maehara. "We'll set the perfect stage for you two!"
"Good idea!" agreed Rio.
"You kids…"
"Let the E-Class love consultant meeting come to order!" announced Korosensei.
"Ugh, no way," grunted Ame, walking away. "I'm not involved in this."
"Aa? Come on, Ame-chan!" pleaded Kaede.
"No thanks. I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."
Frankly, she had had enough excitement for one day and, well, she was rather tired too. She had no doubt it was a longer-lasting effect of the poison and she hoped she'd be able to simply sleep it off. So, offering a lazy wave as she walked back inside, Ame wasted no time in returning to her room to get some much-needed rest.
.
.
"So you'll be back for supper?"
"Yes. I already told you—"
"Awesome! I'm gonna make your favorite!"
"Wait, Ash, you don't need—"
"Hey, hey, you brought back souvenirs, right?"
"Not this time, Kiba, I—"
"I miss you, Ame-nee! Can't you come back sooner?"
"Jackie, I'm already on my way—"
"Now that you've enjoyed your vacation, you'll have to work even harder for the incoming term, Ame-nee."
"Uh? I know that, Rin, so why—"
"Okay, love you, see you later!"
"Wait, Amaya—"
But the little girl hung up before she could stop her. Ame gaped at her phone for a few seconds, before groaning in annoyance.
"Those little brats, passing the phone around as if it was a game of hot potato…" she mumbled, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I didn't even get to talk to Obaa-san after all…"
"Who?"
Ame jumped at the question and shot a startled look at the newcomer. "Ka- Karma!"
"Looks like you were talking to quite a few people there," he remarked, apparently amused. "Friends of yours?"
"My siblings," she corrected, shaking her head. "They're a rowdy bunch, but it's kind of hard not to like them."
He seemed surprised at that. "You have siblings? I had no idea…"
"Well, I guess it just never really came up," she pointed out. "But yeah, I've got six of them."
"Six? That's a lot."
"Well, we're not actually blood-related," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "My grandmother took them in one after the other and we all grew up together. We're just some kind of patched-up family."
He simply smiled at that. "Sounds nice. Why don't you tell me about them?"
She was surprised by the request, but pleasantly so. Without wasting any time, she started describing her precious family to her friend, more than happy to share that small bit of happiness that always illuminated her life.
.
.
A few days after everyone returned from the island, summer vacation came to an end. Only two days were left and, soon enough, all of the students would return to school to begin the second term. Ame fully intended on enjoying her last days of complete freedom, of course.
"A Summer Festival?" read her grandmother. She looked up from the waiver, surprised. "But you never liked those… Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Well, there's only a few days left before school starts again, and I want to spend some time with the kids," admitted the girl. She bit her lower lip. "I know I haven't really been able to hang out with them lately since I've been so busy with school and work. I just thought the Summer Festival would be a good way to spend time with the family and have some fun all together."
"This is a wonderful idea, sweetheart," agreed the woman, offering her a smile. Said smile, however, dropped quickly. "But I'm afraid I have a meeting tonight with Kiba's teacher… Will you be fine on your own?"
"Of course, Obaa-san. I can perfectly handle them," assured the girl with a chuckle. "Go to that meeting with your mind at ease, okay? And while you're at it, why don't you go watch that movie you've told me about? I'll take care of the kids, so you can go and relax tonight, alright?"
"Well, if you don't mind…"
"I'm the one who just suggested it," snorted the girl. "Go on, have some fun too. We'll be fine, so don't worry about a thing, okay?"
At that, the woman's smile returned. "All right."
The children instantly agreed when Ame suggested they go to the Summer Festival. It didn't take too long to dig up some old kimonos and yukatas from the basement and, after a quick washing, everyone quickly got changed. The black-haired girl wasn't planning on putting on traditional clothing, to be honest, but she hadn't been able to resist Ash's puppy eyes.
So, it's wrapped up in a tight, black and red kimono that she left the house with her siblings by her sides.
Ame wasn't worried about tonight. Her grandmother had given her some money to spend on games and food at the festival, and she had Karasu and Uma tailing them. She had learned from her mistake, after all, and there was no way she was dragging her family outside without some backup nearby. The last thing she wanted was to be attacked while having to protect them.
When they finally reached the festival, Ame stopped the little group to lay down some ground rules. While she had no doubt she could handle them, she didn't want to risk anything.
"Okay guys, so here's how it's going to work," she announced, careful not to wake Leo, who was sleeping in her arms. "I've got money for games and food, and we've got the whole night. So, I don't want any fighting, okay? If you want to do something, just tell me, and we'll do it. There's no point in rushing, so let's just enjoy ourselves. And also, I don't want any of you going off on your own, okay?"
"But what if we get separated?" asked Jackie, already tightly holding on to her kimono as he stared at the large crowd of people. "What do we do?"
"If you ever get separated from the group, then you come here right away," she replied, lightly ruffling his hair with her free hand. "We'll do the same and we'll get back together in no time. If you don't know how to come back, then just ask someone. They'll be happy to help, I'm sure. Now, who's up for some fun, hm?"
"YEAH!"
She laughed at that. "Great, then let's—"
"Ame-chan?"
She blinked a few times, startled, before turning around to find none other than Kaede, Nagisa, and Korosensei standing behind her.
"Uh? What are you guys doing here?" she wondered.
"Korosensei invited us to come…" Kaede tilted her head in wonder. "Isn't that why you're here-"
"AME!"
"No, don't!"
The black-haired girl barely avoided Rio in time. The blonde stumbled when she failed to hug her target, and she was about to berate her friend for avoiding her when she realized she was holding-
"Wait, where'd you find the baby?" she asked, a little pale. "Don't tell me you stole it!?"
"What!? No! Why would I steal a baby?" instantly protested her friend.
"You do a lot of things I've learned not to question, Ame. I can't rule out any possibility," deadpanned Rio.
"… fair enough."
"Oh, Ame!" Maehara waved, grinning. He was followed by Isogai, Kataoka, and Kurahashi. "You finally got here! About time—is that a baby? Did you steal it?"
"No! Why do you—"
"Funny, I didn't peg you as the kimono type," mused Karma, popping out of nowhere and slinging an arm around Ame's shoulders. "Let me guess: the knives are hidden in the obi?"
"Oh, please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm more original than that."
At the same time, Chiba, Hayami, Kanzaki, Yada, and Okajima arrived, and the girl shook her head.
"Is the entire class here?" she asked, curious and confused at the same time. "You said Korosensei invited you… Ne, Korosensei! Why didn't you invite me?"
"I tried, but then I realized the address written in your student file is a fake," sweatdropped the teacher. "When did you change it?"
"Uh?" It took a few seconds for the girl to understand what he was talking about. "Oh, right! I wrote down a random address when they asked me to fill the file… Ah ah, my bad, I guess!"
Why would she even do that!? mentally protested the rest of the students.
"Ame-nee…? Who are they?"
At the childish voice and question, the attention of the E-Class fell upon a group of children they had failed to notice up until now. Many only then realized Ame was also holding a sleeping baby.
"Gah! Why do you have a baby—wait, did you steal it?" gasped Okajima.
"No!" she snapped back, now annoyed. She glanced back at the kids. "Guys, these are my classmates and friends. Classmates and friends, these are my siblings."
"Si- siblings!?"
"So many!"
"They don't really look alike…"
"I didn't know she even had those…"
"They're cute!"
"Hi Jackie!" exclaimed Kurahashi with a smile. "You still have that bracelet I gave you, right?"
"O- of course!" the boy answered, somehow scraping up the courage to answer. "I- I'm happy to see you a- again, Ashi-nee!"
"Oi, I thought this was supposed to be a family outing," then grunted the oldest boy, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Don't be rude!" warned Ame with a frown. She then sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, this brat here is Kiba—"
"Hey!"
"—this one is Rin—"
"Hello."
"—then we have Jackie—"
"H- hi…"
"—there's Amaya—"
The girl waved a tad shyly.
"—that's Ash—"
"Yo!"
"—and finally, Leo!" Ame grinned when showing off the sleeping boy. "So no, I did not steal a baby. Questions?"
Kurahashi's hand instantly snapped up in the air. "Can I go with Jackie to the fishing stand?"
The black-haired girl blinked at the sudden and odd request, before looking down at the boy in question.
"Do you want to go with her, Jackie?"
He seemed surprised, but pleasantly so. "Y- yeah!"
"Well, alright then. Go on and have some fun. We'll see you later."
"R- right!"
He wasted no time in running off toward Kurahashi. The orange-haired girl laughed as he jumped into her arms to give her a tight hug and she wasted no time in walking away, quickly followed by Yada and Kanzaki.
"Okay, so what do you guys want to do?" then asked Ame.
"The shooting stand," answered calmly Rin.
"The sweets!" exclaimed happily Ash.
"The- the love booth…?" suggested Amaya.
"The chance games, I guess," mumbled Kiba, obviously annoyed.
That's… quite diverse. It's not like we can do everything at once, though. I just hope we'll have enough time to do everything…
"Ne, Ame?" She turned to Rio, who grinned. "I was already heading to the love booth, so I can take that sweetie pie along if you want."
"Well, if you don't mind…" Ame turned to Amaya. "Do you want to go with her, Ama?"
"I- I don't want to be a bother—"
"Nonsense, cutie!" laughed the blonde, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"
"Ooh, I'll come with you!" announced Maehara, following them.
"Me too!" exclaimed Okajima.
"We were heading for the shooting stand ourselves," then stated Hayami, though it didn't really surprise anyone. She offered a small smile at the little girl. "Rin, right? You can come with us if you wish."
Rin glanced at Ame, who simply shrugged. "If you want to, then go."
"But Kiba's right, for once—"
"Oi!"
"—this is a family outing. Why are we splitting up?"
"Well, I brought you guys here so we could all have some fun," shrugged the teen. "And since I've got Leo with me, I'm afraid I won't be able to do much. Plus, instead of wasting your time on things you don't like, you can go and spend it on things you're sure to enjoy. In the end, though, it's up to you."
"… then I'll go. Thank you for the offer…?"
"Hayami Rinka," completed the sniper. She jabbed a thumb at the boy beside her. "And this is Chiba Ryunosuke. Let's go."
"Aa."
"I wanted to taste the sweets too!" then remarked cheerfully Kaede. She offered her hand at Ash. "Let's go together!"
"Hell yeah!" instantly agreed the girl.
"Ash, language," warned Ame with a sigh. "And don't cause too much trouble, okay?"
The child simply laughed. "No way, that's Kiba's job!"
"I hate you," replied flatly the boy in question.
"Love you too. Now let's go!" cheered the girl.
Kaede, Ash, Nagisa, and Kataoka were the next ones to break off from the group, leaving only Korosensei, Karma, Isogai, Ame, Kiba, and Leo behind.
"Hey, kid." Karma placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, an evil grin stretching his lips. "Want me to teach you how to get free stuff at the stands?"
At that, the brooding expression of the kid instantly vanished. "For real?"
"Sure."
"I'm in!"
"What—Karma! Wait, don't—aaaand they're gone," sighed Ame, exhaling in defeat. "Whatever. As long as they don't start threatening people or maim anyone, I guess."
"Are you sure it's alright to let them go off on their own?" then wondered Isogai, frowning a little. "Last time you went out with your family, you had a run-in with another assassin…"
He was obviously referring to the incident at the restaurant.
She simply offered a reassuring smile, though. "Don't worry about it. If an assassin does actually pop up, then I know our friends will keep them safe. Plus, I've already got two of my coworkers tailing us, just to make sure nothing happens. And, well, Korosensei is here too, so what could happen, really?"
He relaxed at that. "I guess you're right… Well, I found some cheap food stands earlier, so care to go grab something to eat? They're not too far and, well, since you don't have to watch over your siblings any more—"
"You had me at 'cheap', Isogai-kun," she admitted, a tad sheepishly. She then looked down at Leo, her eyes softening a little. "And this little guy won't wake up for a while, so why not?"
"Great! Let's go, then."
"Lead the way."
The tree of them finally left to go and enjoy the festival too. It took Korosensei a few seconds to realize he was now the only one left.
"Gah!" he cried, tears pouring down his face. "I'm all alone! Please, don't leave me!"
And he ran into the crowd in hopes of finding his students. He was the one who invited them to this festival, after all. The least they could do was to stay with him so they could enjoy it all together, right? Right!?
.
.
Around thirty minutes or so later, Isogai and Ame stepped out of the food stall, full. Leo had yet to wake up, much to Ame's relief, and she had had a good time. She had no doubt her siblings had warmed up to her classmates too, and she simply hoped they were having fun.
Just as they stepped outside, though, they were suddenly cornered by six men.
"Naoki Ame?" one of them asked.
"I'm afraid you have the wrong person," she replied, narrowing her eyes.
"It's her alright," however replied a woman, passing through two of the man. "She's the one we're after."
The woman was rather small, with an almost childish face and her brown hair held in a ponytail. She could almost have passed for an high-school kid had it not been for the frosty voice and the missing left eye that gave her right one a sharp, deadly edge.
"Naoki Ame, fifteen years old, one of the highest bounties on the Dark List," resumed the woman, checking the girl up and down. "Don't look all that impressive to me, but money is money. If you don't want anyone to get hurt, follow us without causing trouble."
Ame couldn't refuse. She had Leo in her arms and there was simply no way she was risking him getting injured. So, offering a simple nod to the woman, she turned to Isogai and carefully handed him the sleeping baby.
"Take care of him, 'kay?"
He frowned, but nodded. As she started following the six men and the woman, she discreetly used the standard sign language they had learned in class to pass along her instructions.
Warn the others. Watch the kids. I'll be fine.
Needless to say, the boy wasted no time in running off to find their teacher.
The black-haired girl sighed when realizing what exactly the assassins were planning. They had stopped walking a minute ago or so, smack in the middle of the crowd. The men easily blended in with the civilians and were all surrounding her, and the one-eyed woman was just behind her. For anyone watching, they probably looked like two friends holding each other, but that's because they couldn't see the gun pressed against Ame's back.
"You're going to use the fireworks to cover the sound of the gunshot," she stated simply. "And let me guess: you're holding the crowd hostage?"
"If you try anything funny, my men have orders to open fire at random," confirmed the assassin in the same tone. "And thanks to this crowd, your monster of a teacher can't get to use either. So, just relax and enjoy the show. It'll be done quickly and painlessly."
"I see. Though, indulge my curiosity: what exactly is my bounty?" asked the teen. "You mentioned earlier it was one of the highest… Last time I checked, I was in the lower ranks, so what exactly is my head worth now?"
"7 billion yen," answered flatly the woman. "Now indulge me: what exactly did a brat like you do to end up with such a heavy bounty, hm?"
"No idea," admitted the girl, rubbing the back of her head. 7 billion yen? What the actual fuck!? "Someone just wants me dead, I guess. I'd say 'I'm innocent' and try to plead my case, but it doesn't really matter to you, does it?"
"I'm afraid not. Now, eyes up!" The gun was pressed a little harder in her back, vis-à-vis her heart. "It's time to say goodbye."
At that, though, Ame grinned. "Okay. Bye-bye!"
The girl dropped to the ground and pulled out the stun-gun from her obi, jamming it into the woman's stomach. The assassin let out a hiss of pain as she stumbled back, though it was drowned out by the fireworks that had started illuminating the sky. The six henchmen instantly raised their guns to fire at random into the crowd, as per ordered.
"Nu-uh! Not so fast!"
Uma grabbed two of them from behind and harshly slammed their heads together, knocking them out cold instantly. The third one was handled by Karasu, who used a Taser to take him out. The black-haired girl instantly kicked the fourth one in the crotch before punching him in the face while Uma threw one of the unconscious men at the last two, who collapsed under the sudden weight. Wasting no time, Karasu used his Taser to take them out too.
"Whew! That was a tad too close for my liking," mused Ame, before turning to her friends with a small smile. "Thanks, guys. I—"
"Argh!"
The teen spun around, ready to defend herself, but she only found the lead-assassin standing before her, the woman's single eye wide open in shock. She collapsed to the ground, revealing a dart full of sedatives embedded in her shoulder. Looking up, Ame searched the roofs for the sniper, until she finally found him. Red Eye waved her way, before disappearing into the night. Around them, the crowd simply kept moving around, probably thinking the men lying around had passed out because of the alcohol or something.
"Wait, you guys brought Sasori along?" she realized.
"We had an inkling something like that would happen," admitted Karasu, quickly taking the wallets of the assassins lying on the ground. "You know, because of your increased bounty and all that."
"And you didn't think of informing me of this?" replied the girl, crossing her arms over her chest. "Misinformation is the worst thing for info-brokers, remember?"
"We were planning on telling you tomorrow," shrugged Uma, not all that bothered by her scolding. "Let you enjoy tonight, you know?"
"Ugh, fine. Whatever. Any idea why it increased?"
They shook their heads in a negative motion, making her sigh yet again. Things just kept growing more and more complicated, didn't they?
.
.
"Ame-san!"
The girl smiled reassuringly at Isogai, glad to see he and Leo were safe. "I'm back. You guys okay?"
"Aa," he nodded, before lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help..."
"Don't make a big deal out of it," she instantly replied. "You watching over Leo greatly helped me, you can believe that. Fighting with a sleeping baby in my arms was the last thing I wanted."
That earned her a laugh and he finally handed back the child (who, somehow, was still sleeping). At the same moment, Korosensei suddenly appeared next to them.
"Gah! Ame-san!" he exclaimed, sobbing loudly. "I'm so sorry! I was having a hard time coming to your help because of the crowd!"
"It's fine, it's fine," she assured, gently rocking the boy she was holding so he wouldn't wake up. "I had friends watching my back, so don't worry about it. Now can you please stop crying? You're going to wake up Leo!"
"Ri- right…"
Korosensei wiped away his guilt-filled tears before blowing his nose, making the girl roll her eyes at the dramatics while Isogai chuckled. Just a moment later, Kurahashi showed up with Jackie.
"Ame-nee!" exclaimed the young boy, running up to her. He practically shoved in her face a plastic bag with a goldfish inside. "Look, look! I caught one all on my own!"
"That's great, Jackie," laughed the girl, ruffling his hair. "So you had fun?"
"Yeah!" He turned to Kurahashi with a big, bright smile. "Thanks, Ashi-nee!"
"Sure thing. I'll see you around then, Jackie-kun," replied the girl, smiling back. "Night-night, Jackie-kun, Ame-chan, Isogai-kun, Korosensei!"
"Goodnight!"
"Bye-bye!"
Just as the orange-haired girl left, Rio showed up with Amaya, along with Maehara, Kaede, Ash, and Nagisa. Amaya seemed to have opened up to the blonde while Ash was grinning happily as she held many bags of sweets. As they bid their goodbyes to the students, Chiba and Hayami brought back Rin, all of them holding many, many toys and other prizes.
"Hey, Ame-nee! Look at that!"
The girl turned around, ready to greet Kiba, but she choked on her words when she saw the numerous boxes he was carrying. There was an X-box, some video games, and even a phone, and those were the ones she could see from afar. Karma also had his arms full.
"Please tell me you didn't steal those," begged the girl.
"Steal?" echoed Karma, amused. "You got it all wrong. We won them fair and square, really."
"And there wasn't some threatening involved?" she insisted, unconvinced.
There was a moment of silence.
"Ugh, I knew it!" she grunted.
"Eh, in our defense, the guy stole our money first," replied Kiba, unashamed. "He was cheating. We just… convinced him, to let us take our prizes. We got what we wanted, and the police didn't come to check his stand. It was a win-win situation, seriously!"
Understanding she wouldn't win this one, the black-haired teen nodded in defeat. At that, the two boys exchanged a high-five. Then, Karma ruffled his hair before walking away, apparently done for the night. After that, it didn't take long for the rest of the students to leave. Once certain none of the kids were missing, Ame quickly texted Karasu to let him know they were heading back home. Now that she was aware of her increased bounty, she'd rather not be seen with the children if she could help it. After all, the last thing she wanted was to have them dragged into that mess.
Though, I'm still glad we came here tonight, she mused internally. Even if we weren't together, they all had a lot of fun. Plus, they seemed to have warmed up to my friends too…
For some reason, knowing her family and her friends got along made her stupidly happy.
She could only hope that happiness wouldn't vanish too soon.