Price of Life
Chapter 4
If somebody would happen to see a group of junior high school aged children leaping from roof to roof this late at night, they would probably think that they were delinquents and contact the police. But the students of Class E knew how to be careful, so they reached the alley where their missing classmate's belongings were found without any problems.
"Alright. Everybody is here," Sugino said when a familiar car stopped in front of the alley after Terasaka's gang had arrived. Karasuma and Irina stepped out of the car and approached their students.
"Isn't that octopus here yet?" Karasuma asked from the students after everybody had gathered together.
"Korosensei informed a moment ago that he's searching Isogai's scent," Nagisa explained. "He promised that he'll get us after he has found Isogai but until then we just have to wait."
An anxious silence fell on the alley. Although this wasn't the first time the students found themselves in a similar situation, it was clear that everybody was worried about their class leader's safety and that the situation should be clarified as soon and safely as possible.
Soon Irina broke the silence. "Could somebody hired by the Government be behind the kidnapping?" she asked from Karasuma.
"It can't possible," Karasuma answered. "The Government hasn't hired anybody to kill that octopus lately."
"So we don't know who our opponent is," Okuda said nervously.
"But it isn't like that has stopped us before," Karma assured confidentally while leaning against the wall.
"I hope that Korosensei finds Isogai soon…" Kataoka muttered as she lowered her gaze on the ground with worried expression.
Just when she had said it, their indestructible teacher appeared in the alley.
"I found Isogai's scent!" Korosensei announced, making the students and teachers gather around him immediately.
"Where?" Maehara demanded as he stepped in front of Korosensei. "Where is he?"
"Outside the town is a forest where a car has left on the edge of it. I found Isogai's scent in the car's trunk and on the trunks of some trees," Korosensei told and nodded in approval. "He clearly left them on purpose."
"Where's that forest?" Karasuma asked.
"Ritsu will lead you there. I left my phone in that car," the octopus-like teacher explained.
"What are we waiting for then?" Maehara asked, his voice strained with impatience. "Let's go already!"
Very soon Korosensei had arrived at their destination. After putting Nagisa, Maehara, Kataoka, Hayami and Yada carefully on the ground, he led them to the edge of a nearby clearing.
"There. Isogai has been taken there," Korosensei whispered to his students as he pointed at a white tent with curved roof that was pitched in the clearing and guarded by Kombu and another slender but strong looking man. There was a van parked next to the tent and inside its trunk was a portable generator which wires were pulled inside the tent.
Hayami frowned. "Isn't that a field hospital tent?" she wondered aloud, earning shocked looks from her classmates.
"Okay. Now I'm even more worried," Maehara muttered. He was just going to stand up while his hand grabbed a taser inside his uniform's pocket but Kataoka stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"Hold on. Guards will alert others before we even have a chance to attack them," the female representative warned as she motioned in the direction of Kombu and another man who were standing in front of the tent.
"But there's only two of them," Korosensei stated with serious tone before he turned to face his students again. "I'll take care of them. As soon as they're gone, you'll charge inside the tent. Try to stall the kidnappers while I go to get the rest of your classmates here. Mr. Karasuma, Miss Irina, Karma, Takebayashi and Chiba should arrive here soon."
After he received a nod in response from his students, the supercreature teacher left.
The students of Class E stood still and observed the situation vigilantly when a couple of tentacles appeared from nearby bushes seconds later. They wrapped themselves around the men and covered their mouths before they had time to react. Right after the men were dragged into the bushes, Nagisa and others rushed towards the tent.
Kataoka pulled a fabric covering the tent's inlet and held it up while her classmates entered. Their sudden appearance startled three surgeon standing at the operating table, one of them actually froze while holding a scalpel.
"Wha-?" a male surgeon asked but Hayami silenced him by shooting a stun dart at him and right after that she shot another surgeon standing nearby. But just when Hayami had aimed her gun at the third surgeon, she and her classmates noticed to their shock that the surgeon had a hostage.
It was Isogai. His classmates hadn't notice him earlier because he was covered with a sheet but now the surgeon held the unconscious boy by his hair and had placed the scalpel on his neck.
"Put down your gun, Hayami, or I'll cut Isogai's jugular vein open!" the female surgeon shouted. "Where did you even get a gun? And what did you do to Shimada and Rinnoru?"
The students of assassination class were even more shocked. This surgeon knew them? But who was she? It was difficult to say because of her operation gear.
Nagisa went through all females who knew Class E students in his mind until his eyes suddenly widened. "Doctor Gakemi?"
"What?" Maehara, Hayami and Yada gasped in unision.
"You're right. It's Doctor Gakemi," Kataoka confirmed with surprised expression.
Gakemi stared at the young with eyes full of alertness. "Why are you here?" she demanded. "You should be home by this time! And why have you dressed up like that?"
"The most important question is why did you kidnap Isogai?" Maehara hissed between his teeth.
"S-Shut up!" Doctor Gakemi snapped as she pressed the scalpel to the skin of Isogai's neck, causing the students of Class E to tense. Gakemi rose her voice: "Kombu! Takenaka! Get here this instant and get rid of these brats!"
"If you mean those guys who were standing in front of the tent, they have already been taken care of," Kataoka told. "So please. You should-"
"No!" Gakemi screamed.
"Doctor Gakemi," Yada said with soothing tone while holding her hands up. "Let's talk a little bit. What do you want in return for releasing Isogai without harming him?"
"I can't let him go!" the doctor snapped. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a person whose vital organs are in enough great condition that they can be sold?"
Silence fell inside the tent as Nagisa and others stared at her in horror.
"What?" Yada whispered in shock. "Why?"
"You have no idea how difficult my life is! Day after day I have to endure hysteric people who bother me with little things! And my so-called colleagues! They always look me with condescension just because I'm a doctor of small, 'worthless' private clinic!" Gakemi explained anxiously. "But it's going to be over soon! When I sell Isogai's organs in the black market at a good price to right people, I'll finally get respect and reputation among those who actually mean something!"
Class E students have listened the doctor's ranting speechlessly but now their schock was turning into bloodlust.
Hayami looked like she wanted already to pull a trigger. Yada lowered her hands but her tense frame told that she wasn't afraid to pull out her weapons. Kataoka's hands clenched into fists with furious look in her eyes. Nagisa stood still while staring the doctor with intensive look, obviously waiting for a perfect moment to use Stun Clap. And Maehara. He looked like he wanted to lunge at the doctor.
"You're crazy!" Maehara yelled furiously. "Isogai has family who loves and needs him!"
"So what?" the doctor yelled back. "He's just a brat from poor family! His life is meaningless and it will never become better! Actually, his death will be a favor for everybody!"
"Is that so?"
Gakemi froze. Slowly she turned her gaze at her hand holding the scalpel and noticed that something elongated and black had wrapped around her wrist. Then the doctor glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened in horror.
Korosensei was standing behind her. His skin has turned pitch black and face distorted with fury.
"Do you think that you have the right to kill Isogai just because he's poor?" Korosensei growled with low tone as he leaned closer the woman. "That he doesn't have any more important future than to die for others?"
Gakemi couldn't say anything. She just stared at the octopus-like supercreature while the scalpel fell on the operation table from her limp grip.
"I don't accept it. It doesn't matter what kind of family Isogai comes from or will he become rich and remarkable in the future. To me he's as important as any other of my students. I'll protect all of them. And that's why I'm not going to let somebody like you destroy his life!"
Finally Gakemi screamed in horror. After removing her grip from Isogai's hairs and yanking her hand free from Korosensei's grip, she rushed towards the tent's inlet.
Nagisa and others stepped aside and allowed the doctor ran out of the tent but right after that Nagisa and Hayami turned to go after her. However, they stopped when they felt tentacles grabbing their arms and they glanced at their homeroom teacher with questioning look.
"Let her go," Korosensei said as he removed his grip from his assassin students. His skin had already turned back into its normal yellow color. "We have already surrounded her."
Maehara and Kataoka dashed to the operation table and began checking Isogai's condition with Korosensei.
Other students turned quickly and pulled their weapons out when the fabric of the tent's inlet was pulled aside but they calmed down immediately when they saw that it were just Takebayashi, Okuda and Hara.
"Guys," Hara greeted her classmates. "Mr. Karasuma caught the person who ran out of the tent. It was-"
"Doctor Gakemi. We know," Hayami completed as she put her weapon back in her uniform's pocket.
Okuda looked around the tent. Her eyes widened when she saw Korosensei holding unconscious Isogai in half-sitting position. "Isogai!" Okuda gasped as she and Takebayashi rushed to the operation table.
"Is he alright?" Takebayashi asked from his homeroom teacher with worried expression.
"Everything is fine now," Korosensei told as he glanced gently at his now found student. "We arrived just in time. They had no time to do anything else but anesthetize him."
When the police and ambulance arrived, Korosensei and Class E students disappeared into the shadows of the forest and left Karasuma and Irina to deal with them. Thanks to Karasuma's efforts, nobody questioned why Doctor Gakemi was spluttering about some monster or why her accomplices were unconscious.
For the relief of his mother, Isogai regained his consciousness some time after he was brought to the hospital. The examinations confirmed that he had just been given anesthetic and therefore Isogai was allowed to return back to home.
Once again the Class E students of Kunugioka Junior High School and their teachers had finished their mission safely.
To be continue...