Hello! This chapter is where things get started. Thanks to everyone who's still reading this!
Chitaru
Chitaru had seen several of Azuma's unhappy faces in the four and a half days since she'd arrived at Myojou. None of them had been quite this unhappy.
"Azuma-san?" she ventured, walking up to the girl. "Are you all right?"
Azuma acknowledged her existence by glaring at her. "I'm fine," she said, walking even faster. "Just appalled, is all."
With her long legs, Chitaru could easily match her pace. "I saw Haru-san walk off with Takechi-san."
She'd hit the nail on the head, unless Azuma's eyes twitched like that all the time. "I just can't believe her," Azuma sighed, a bit of her anger evaporating. Chitaru noticed that her calmness tended to have that effect on people. That was why she always tried to keep a level head.
"That girl jumped out at us on the first day and tried to suffocate us," Azuma continued, focused on the concrete path ahead. "But now that she's asked Ichinose out for ice cream, suddenly that's all okay? And she knows Takechi wants to kill her. That's the part I really don't understand." Her face was fixed in a constant frown, and she never raised her voice. "Is she just… stupid?"
Remembering her conversations with Kirigaya, Chitaru looked at her sympathetically. "I think I might have an explanation."
"How?" Azuma finally lifted her head. "Did you talk to her?"
Chitaru shook her head slowly. "No, but I talked to someone else. Do you remember Kirigaya Hitsugi? She's the small girl."
Azuma's face finally shifted a little. "It would be hard not to remember Kirigaya. What about her?"
"I think…" Chitaru hesitated, knowing Azuma wouldn't be happy to hear what she had to say. "I think she's the target."
"What?" Azuma's eyes widened. "Then you think Ichinose is-!"
"I don't know for sure," Chitaru added quickly, holding up her hand. "But wouldn't that explain why Haru-san is perfectly comfortable being alone with another assassin?"
There was no verbal response from Azuma, but she could feel the girl's tension from a foot away.
"Kirigaya didn't know anything about the black class game," Chitaru sighed. "When I told her about the assassins, she was afraid. I said I wasn't after the target, which made her feel a little better, but not much." She shuddered. Kirigaya's frightened face had burned itself into her memory. It was a face she never wanted to see again.
Having recovered from her initial shock, Azuma put a hand in her skirt pocket. "She could be lying to you just like Takechi is lying to Ichinose. Maybe she wanted less competition for the real target or something."
Chitaru folded her arms. "Would it really be worth that much lying just to eliminate one person? We're meant to believe that Ichinose-san is the target, but since everyone here is lying already, it wouldn't surprise me if this whole game is set up to trick us."
"Then I'll repeat your argument too," Azuma answered. "Would it really be worth going to all this trouble just to trick us?"
Rubbing her head, Chitaru felt more overloaded than she ever had. "Maybe I should've waited for Angel Trumpet to leave this school," she sighed as fatigue settled into her body. "I don't like these kinds of environments where I don't know what's real and what's not. Even if I wouldn't want to know the truth, it's better than being lied to left and right."
They had arrived in a playing field with grass and a baseball diamond. It was late afternoon, so the sun was beginning its long journey down the sky. There was a lot of glare, but the fencing behind the baseball diamond blocked some of it. If not for the perfectly mowed, green grass and the tall buildings in the background, it almost would've looked like a normal school field.
Azuma turned toward her. "I came here to exercise," she said, bending over to stretch her legs. "You can talk while I work."
Chitaru herself liked to go on morning jogs. Maybe she could invite Azuma along. It would be fun, having someone to jog with. A friend to jog with.
She cleared those thoughts out of her head to focus on the topic at hand. "This is what's going through my mind," she began. "Kirigaya is kind, innocent, and unaware of what's going on. She carries on like a normal high schooler would, even if she looks a bit young. Haru-san is different. She's just as kind and innocent, but she's almost too nice. It's like she wants us to think she's the target."
"Hold up," Azuma said, stretching her arm back over her head. "Two seconds ago her friendliness meant she was obviously not the target, and now it's supposed to make us think she is?"
"You're right, I'm sorry." Chitaru sat down on the grass. "I'm tired, and I'm not thinking straight. I don't like this school or the people in it. I really want to believe Kirigaya. Haru-san just seems suspicious to me."
Brushing away a large stick, Azuma laid down on the grass and began doing leg lifts. "There's a lot about Ichinose that we don't know," she admitted. "But that's true for everyone, so I don't get why you think it's something special."
"Do you remember on the first day before class, when I had to use the bathroom?" Chitaru folded her legs. "I didn't actually have to go."
To her surprise, Azuma didn't look at all confused. "I thought you might've lied about that," she grunted, already onto her seventh leg lift. "Did you eavesdrop on us in the classroom, then?"
Shifting uncomfortably, Chitaru did her best to meet Azuma's eyes. "I don't think you realize how much you changed when you were in that room with Haru-san. When I met you on the sidewalk, you were violent and distrustful. When she talked to you, it was like you softened. In a good way, actually, but it was so different that I wanted to see what would happen if I left you alone.
She played with a few blades of grass. "I don't presume to know everything about you after just meeting you, Azuma-san, but it didn't feel right to me. The atmosphere in there was strange, kind of unsettling. I mean… you told me outright that you weren't even going to pretend to make friends, and then five minutes later you're telling this girl that she smells nice."
"It wasn't supposed to be a compliment," Azuma growled, rolling onto her stomach. "It was just an observation. And we aren't friends, we just talk a bit. Like you and I."
Chitaru's eyes narrowed. "How would you feel if I killed her, then?"
Azuma dug her fingers into the ground and lowered herself into an angry pushup.
"Now," Chitaru said, "how would you feel if you killed her?"
Punching the ground, Azuma rested on her side and glared at the redhead. "None of what you're saying makes any sense. Maybe it's because I'm finally performing a real assassination, but I'm starting to care about things I didn't care about before. Yes, it feels weird, but it's not… supernatural, or whatever you think it is."
Of course people changed. Everyone knew that. Typically though, that change took longer than a few days. "You're probably right," Chitaru replied, plucking the blade of grass. It was like a tiny green sword between her fingertips. "You'll know who the target is by tonight, anyway. In the meantime, I'll be finding out as much as I can about Kirigaya."
"You're not going to the orientation?" Azuma sat upright. "I know you're not playing the game, but don't you want the information?"
"I don't want to be mislead any more than I have to be." Standing up swiftly, Chitaru brushed off her black dress pants. "I'll believe what I can find concrete evidence for, and I'll make sure not to hurt anyone who's innocent."
Azuma's face stiffened. "None of us are innocent."
It was sad but true. Although Chitaru tried not to think about the people she had killed in the past, their spirits stayed with her. She made a point to know all of their names and crimes; she would not allow herself to kill without respect or reason.
"I agree," she said softly. "That's why I like talking with Kirigaya. Her innocence, I mean. And Haru as well, I really do like her as a person.
Tokaku nodded. "Haru, she has this…" She looked up at the sky. "Wounded innocence. I probably shouldn't get on you about wanting to be Kirigaya's friend. We're kind of the same, aren't we? You have Kirigaya, and I have Ichinose."
Chitaru nodded. "We live in a world of death and lies, so when we find that someone or something that gives us a bit of hope, we cling to them for dear life. Even the worst people need to have faith in something."
The blue haired girl looked up at her. "Do you think we're the worst, Namatame?"
A light breeze rustled the grass around them. Those million blades of grass formed a whispering chorus, livening the dead air with their song. A part of the sun shone out from behind a cloud to illuminate the buildings ahead of them. Finally, there was that endless blue sky. Chitaru found herself speechless.
When the moment had passed, she could feel that new air enter her lungs, rejuvenating her. She smiled sadly. "I suppose we aren't. If we were, we wouldn't be allowed to witness so much beauty."
She could see pain in Azuma's expression. The girl looked out at the grassy field, as though she were noticing it for the first time.
"Namatame…" she said slowly. "Don't tell anyone else, but… I've never killed before."
"You haven't?" Chitaru's eyes widened. "Even though you're an-" She stopped herself. "I'm sorry. That should have nothing to do with it."
Azuma seemed thankful for her thoughtfulness. "Ever since I was young, I've been having weird visions. They aren't hallucinations, they're images, the same ones over and over." She grimaced. "And then a voice, saying that I won't be able to kill because someone is watching me."
More surprising than the actual subject was that Azuma was telling her about it at all. It must have really been weighing on her mind.
"So I haven't been able to," Azuma finished, her gaze affixed on the cloud covering most of the sun. "In case you're wondering why I told you that, it's not because I need help or someone to confide in. What I want is for you to understand why me not wanting to kill Ichinose isn't surprising."
Her eyes narrowed. "Back at 17 Academy, before I came to Myojou, I looked at myself in the mirror and said over and over again, 'I just have to kill her'. 'I just have to kill her'. It didn't seem like a big deal at all. Now that I'm here, I feel something pulling me away from all that."
"You said it earlier, didn't you?" Chitaru patted her shoulder. "You're human. Everyone feels that way about killing. At least, all good people do."
"But I'm not a good person," Azuma answered. "I would rather be able to kill without thinking about it."
"Is that what you think is expected of you?"
Azuma threw her hands in the air. "I don't know what the hell is expected of me! If Kaiba could make one bit of god damn sense, ever, then maybe I'd have some idea. From the way he talks, it seems like he doesn't expect anything at all!"
She took a deep breath and let it out. "My family has caused more people more pain than I can count, and I have to follow in their footsteps. My own name is a curse." Her fingers curled into a ball. "I've been training all my life to do one thing, and I can't do it. When you talk about the way I am with Ichinose, it just reminds me that I'm incompetent."
Chitaru wasn't sure what she could say to help a girl like Azuma Tokaku. "I'm sorry," she said, looking down at her. "I won't pretend to know what that feels like. I can give you a piece of advice, if you want it. It's something my mentor used to say to me."
Folding her arms, Azuma glanced up at her. "You might as well."
"A lot of people say that once you pick a path to go down, you can't go back. But what they don't tell you is that all of the paths cross each other. There are many opportunities to change course." Chitaru thought of her mentor, a kind woman so full of life that one wouldn't expect her to be an assassin. "If you want, you can even pave your own path. The important thing is to keep moving forward and to not let anyone else pick your path for you."
The corners of Azuma's mouth turned upward, possibly for the first time in years. "You sound like an old lady."
"Kirigaya does say I look older than fifteen," Chitaru laughed nervously. "The truth is, I'm seventeen."
"You know what she meant by that, right?"
The redhead smiled. "I drank a lot of milk when I was younger. That probably did it."
Azuma winced. "I always hated milk."
The two of them ended up sitting in the field talking for an hour as the sun dropped lower in the sky. Soon the reality of their situation would be upon them, but for an hour they could set that all aside. For an hour, they could just be friends.
NIO
Nio inserted the last brightly colored plug into its outlet and watched as the gigantic wall monitor lit up in a flash of bright light. Turning on the monitor always brought her an odd satisfaction. Soon she would be at the command of a massive, slightly intimidating display, revealing important information to the participants in the black class game.
She was technically a participant herself, but she would take care not to remind the other students of that little fact. It was better if they feared her without knowing why. This was assuming anybody feared her in the first place, but a few of them would have to, right? She had such a devilish smile, after all.
Pulling out her remote, she switched the monitor to a black screen so she could make the room explode in eerie light once everyone had arrived. She couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces.
The door to the warehouse creaked open. "Hello?" someone called. "Is this the place?"
"Hi!" Nio shouted, waving. "Yep, you made it!"
Shutou and Kaminaga stepped through the door. It wasn't surprising that they had arrived first. The two of them seemed like very polite, punctual people.
"Are there any chairs?" Shutou asked, scanning the room. "And is there any way to light up the room? It's a little hard to see."
"Don't worry." Nio put her hands on her hips. "It'll be real bright soon enough. There're a few chairs over there. Good thing you arrived first!"
As Shutou settled down into a chair, Nio couldn't help but notice that she looked physically tired. Mentally she seemed fine, but her legs were shaking a bit. It could've been her imagination, though.
Kaminaga folded her arms and stood right where she was. Apparently Miss Class Rep didn't need a chair.
The next to enter was Hanabusa, who got some odd looks from the other two girls, but no questions. It was probably less the girl herself and more the random man behind her carrying a giant fancy chair that drew their eyes. Nio chuckled. Sooner or later they would get used to Hanabusa's eccentricities.
The other assassins arrived in groups of one or two and either dragged chairs over or opted to stand. There were Kenmochi, Takechi, Inukai and Sagae, and finally Azuma. Somehow Nio wasn't surprised that Namatame and Kirigaya didn't show up. Banba's absence was a little less expected, but not by much. A girl who couldn't even talk to people wouldn't want to attend a meeting. She'd have to get the details from her roommate later.
Glancing at her watch, Nio decided not to wait any longer. All the girls in the room looked excited or nervous, with the exception of the ones who looked constantly bored.
She grinned. It was time to set the ball rolling.
"Thank you for joining me tonight!" she said loudly, taking her place in front of the big black screen. "I express my gratitude to you for not making any attempts on the target's life before this meeting. As you were told, this is where we'll cover the rules!"
Satisfied with that introduction, Nio whipped out her remote with a flourish. "Okay! Let's get started!"
She pressed a button on her remote and the screen burst to life, casting blue-green light over everyone in the room. A hexagonal picture of Ichinose Haru appeared. Even on the big screen, her round face was guileless and pure.
"If anyone was confused," she said, gesturing grandly toward the screen, "the target is none other than Ichinose Haru!"
A few people smiled.
"The one to assassinate the target will be given anything she wants!" Nio continued, meeting every girl's eyes in turn. "Just make the wish, kill the target, and it's yours!"
Walking toward the side of the screen, she held out her index finger. "Of course, a game has to have rules! There are four rules to the black class game."
From the audience, Kenmochi frowned and opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed it again, eyeing Nio suspiciously.
"Rule number one!" The screen went black again so that only bright white text was visible. "Before attacking the target, you have to send them an advance notice!"
Nio held out a single red letter with a gold insignia. "Each of you will get one, count it, one advance notice! Once you submit it to the target, it's a free for all!"
From her old plastic chair, Shutou raised her hand. "What happens if two people submit their notice at the same time?"
"That's a-okay! If two people wanna do a joint attack, or if it happens by accident, no problem! But remember…" Nio grinned. "Only one of you can win."
She flicked her wrist and several more notices appeared from behind the first one, creating a fan of them in her hand. She'd practiced that trick. The assassins walked up one by one and took a notice, each giving her a different expression in return.
There were no more questions, so she moved to the next slide on the monitor. "Rule number two! Once you submit your advance notice, you have forty-eight hours to kill the target! Whatever methods you use are fine, as long as you stay within the time limit!"
Another slide. "Rule number three! You aren't allowed to involve anyone from outside the black class! That includes Mizorogi-sensei."
Some of the assassins laughed a little. Mizorogi was about as offensive as a potted daisy on a sunny windowsill, and almost as shrewd. It would take some serious work to incorporate him into an assassination attempt.
"Excuse me!" Kenmochi finally piped up. "But aren't there supposed to be just three rules?"
"Huh?" Nio turned to look at her. "What made you think that?"
The brunette looked uncomfortable. She stepped back behind a few other girls and kept her mouth shut for good.
She was right, though. In the past, there had been only three rules to the game, along with the final rule. This time though, the chairwoman- the entire clan, really- had opted to make things a bit different. Nio felt especially proud, because the new rule had been her own idea.
The big issue, however, was how Kenmochi could have known about the number of rules in the first place. Nio would have to peek into her file later. She'd run into good hackers, but anyone who could hack into Myojou's databases was worth keeping an eye on.
The audience was waiting for her to continue. "Rule number four!" She punched her remote with undisguised enthusiasm. "When you give your notice to the target, all other assassins will be notified of the target's location!"
Nobody moved. It was like the whole room had just done a double take.
That's the reaction I was hoping for, Nio thought, letting her true smile reveal itself.
"You heard it right!" she said, watching their eyes widen. "When you send that notice, everybody else knows you're making your move. And as you've already noticed, there's no rule against killing the other assassins."
Takechi's eyes widened. "Seriously? So when you try and kill the target, everyone else knows and gets a chance to save her."
"Exactly!" Nio clasped her hands behind her back. "Normally you'd just go first and get the target before anyone else, right? But you can't do that this time! The earlier you make your attempt, the more people you'll have breathing down your neck."
"Why, though?" Inukai scowled. "What's the point of that?"
Nio leaned forward. "The point is, if you want to kill the target, you'd better have a damn good plan. There are plenty of ways to get around rule number four, if you think about it."
She held out her arms. "We're offering you anything you want! The chance of a lifetime! Did you think it was going to be easy?"
No one spoke for a little bit. It was Kaminaga who finally spoke up from beside Shutou.
"If that's the case, I suspect Ichinose Haru is also not what she seems."
"Oho!" Nio pointed at Kaminaga. "We've got a smart one here! Don't expect to have an easy time killing Haru. That girl is a lot tougher than she looks."
A few girls parted to make way for Azuma, who walked right up to Nio. She looked down at the shorter girl, calm on the outside but obviously hiding something.
Nio grinned cordially. "Yes, Tokaku-san?"
The blue haired girl frowned. "How do you know so much about Ichinose?"
She had wondered if she'd get this question. Azuma was both observant and suspicious, which made her hard to trick but easy to confuse.
"I'm the class arbitrator," she replied, shrugging. "I know some things other people don't know."
"You two seem like you know each other," Azuma growled. "And you're always looking on that weird tablet. I know you're up to something."
There were a few nods of agreement from the others, most notably from Kenmochi and Inukai. The majority showed no opinion, but kept watching to see what would happen.
"May I interject?"
From her fancy chair, Hanabusa had listened the entire time without commenting or emoting. Now she smiled demurely and held up her hand. "In a company," she said, "there are certain levels of clearance. The smaller employees have access to less information, the managers have more, and so on. I don't believe Hashiri-san is trying to trick us so much as hide information that is beyond your clearance level."
One could almost imagine a cup of fine tea in her hand. "You'll find this hierarchy at every level of society. And you've only been here five days. I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about."
Azuma was about to protest when none other than Takechi grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
"Just let things happen, Tokaku," she said cheerily. "Besides, don't you kinda like this setup?"
The two locked eyes. Nio wasn't sure what sorts of emotions passed between them right then, but they weren't nice ones. She chuckled, wondering if those two would butt heads anytime soon. It would be fun to watch.
Takechi's hand was swatted away like a disgusting insect. "Don't touch me," Tokaku said angrily. "Even you have to see that something weird is going on with her. If her attitude around Ichinose is the result of something trivial, shouldn't she be able to explain it rather than being all secretive?"
I'd be perfectly fine with telling you, Nio thought. I just don't think you'd want to hear it.
"Alright, how about this?" She switched back to the screen with Haru's face and smiled at Azuma. "If you win this game, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Is that fair?"
Clenching her fist, Azuma took a step forward. "None of this is fair. Maybe not even for the assassins, and definitely not for-"
To everyone's surprise, even Nio's, Takechi grabbed Azuma by the wrist and ran out of the warehouse. It happened so fast that nobody had time to react until the warehouse doors banged shut. A few seconds later there was a metallic crash.
"Um…" Nio laughed nervously. She was thankful that the disruption had quite literally left the room, but she kind of hoped Azuma and Takechi weren't killing each other out there. "Okay, I guess that's fine. They already have their advance notices."
She focused on the remaining assassins, all of whom looked uncertain where they had been been confident a few minutes ago. "Hey, don't look so down! Like I said, there are still plenty of ways to win! That's why you get forty-eight hours. Instead of relying on your superior strength and skill, you'll have to use your brains." She tapped her head to illustrate her point.
"What if we fail to kill the target?"
The question had come from Sagae, and it had been on everyone's mind.
"If you violate any of the rules," Nio replied. "You'll be expelled."
It wasn't a coincidence that she neglected to specify what being "expelled" entailed. She wanted to keep them wondering for as long as possible.
"Okay!" she said, pressing the power button and turning off the massive screen. "Secret orientation meeting dismissed! The game starts tomorrow, so get some sleep!"
Even as she said that, she was well aware that none of the girls would be getting all the sleep they wanted tonight. Neither would Nio, from sheer excitement.
She watched everyone file out of the building to return to their dormitories. She herself would return in a little while, but she expected to get a message from the chairwoman within the next five minutes. Despite the fact that she was constantly watching everything that happened with the class, the woman still felt the need to check in. Nio was secretly thankful for it. It was nice to hear a friendly voice.
Sure enough, her tablet beeped from where she'd left it beside the screen. When she answered the message, the chairwoman's face appeared not on the tablet, but on the massive screen. The sudden brightness blinded her for a second before she got her bearings.
"Hello, Nio-san."
The sound played out of the speaker on her tablet, not the large computer. That happened sometimes. "Hi," Nio laughed, blinking the floating color blotches out of her eyes and picking up the tablet, since that's where the actual camera was. "Is there anything you want to ask about?"
The chairwoman smiled. "You know the first question I'll always ask."
Nio waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine! Everything's going well. There were a few no-shows at the meeting, but I'm sure they have a reason for it."
"Did you make a friend?"
Again with the friends. "Nope," she replied. "That's not really why I'm here, though."
"I suppose it isn't," the chairwoman sighed, leaning on her chair. "It's important to have acquaintances, at least. I'm not saying you should truly open up to anyone, but knowing and relating to others will get you far in the real world."
Now she had the bored look again, but it was the special "laid-back and tired" look that she only had around her closest associates. If not for the crisp suit and white collared shirt, she could've been a student herself. She had been, years ago.
"It's not my fault," Nio said, folding her arms. "All people do is lie to each other. And you make friends more easily than most other people, chairwoman."
The brunette sat up a little straighter. "That's true. I've never had trouble making friends. How has Haru-san been doing?"
It was a mystery why the chairwoman cared so much about her own opinion on these things, but Nio was happy to give it. "So far it's been interesting," she answered. "I could tell you more if you'd give me some more info about-"
"Nio-san, why are you looking upward?"
Nio blinked. "Huh? Your video appeared on the big screen by accident. I forgot to unplug my-"
She realized her mistake. Leaning over, she pulled the plug out of the computer tower.
The large screen flickered and went black. Nio looked down and saw that the chairwoman's image had reappeared on her tablet.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, glancing around. "I can't believe I did something that dumb."
The chairwoman was unhappy, but not angry. "We requested that the best young assassins be entered into this class," she said quietly. "Because of that, I wouldn't be surprised if someone were watching us now, just as I watch them. Unless you're in your own dormitory or my command center, please use the tablet and headphones."
Rarely did Nio feel ashamed, but the feeling splashed over her like cold water. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her earbuds and plugged them in. If one of her class members had seen the chairwoman, she would have to think up a believable explanation.
"Okay," she said, giving a quick salute. "I'm ready."
The chairwoman nodded. "You were in the middle of asking about Haru-san's powers, weren't you? I thought I explained them to you earlier. She and I have the ability to make others like us. Beyond that, we make people listen to and protect us. It's a defense mechanism that some of us are born with."
"By 'us', you mean-"
"Please don't reference the true nature of the game, Nio-san. I'm willing to answer your question here, but we don't want to give away our big reveal." The chairwoman chuckled. "I sound like a movie director."
She was a director, in a way. While Nio didn't enjoy being cut off in the middle of her sentences, this must have been a very important secret, so she resolved to keep her mouth shut. There was nothing more thrilling than having someone else's secret in your arsenal.
"I was expecting Haru-san to pick up one or two friends very quickly," the brunette continued. "It's in her nature to acquire protectors. Her old family and friends are perfect examples."
She uncrossed her legs and crossed them again the other way. "The new rule you came up with, however, has complicated that a bit. Now that everyone is in a position to protect her, it will be harder to track her progress."
"Sorry." Nio shrugged weakly. "The circumstances were different this time, though."
"Yes, they were. With the added requirement, your rule is just what we needed. I wasn't trying to insult it."
Nio knew she was beginning to blush. "Thanks," she said, turning away from the screen to collect herself. "This whole thing is a little strange for me. I really like the job, but once it's over..." Then there would be her next job, the one she was worried about.
"I understand a bit of how you feel," the chairwoman said. "I'm sure Haru-san would as well, but I don't expect that you'll talk to her about it."
Right, Haru. That's who she was supposed to be talking about. "It looks like Haru has been making friends, like you said. There are a few people in particular."
That piqued the chairwoman's interest. "Yes, that's right. Azuma and Takechi-san. Azuma-san was expected, being her roommate and an inexperienced killer, but Takechi-san was surprising." She put her hand on her chin. "She must have wandered into Haru-san's aura by accident."
Nio wanted to ask about this "aura", but there was little she could say without tipping off potential observers to their plot. "Maybe," she said, then grinned harshly. "I wonder if Haru will be able to survive through the power of friendship."
"Bravo," the chairwoman laughed quietly, golf-clapping. "You've become quite a good actor, Nio-san. Even I might have thought you really meant that."
What the chairwoman couldn't see was the shadow that Nio had just spotted outside one of the warehouse windows. The window was cracked glass, with several holes and a few lazily placed boards. Anyone skilled at eavesdropping would be able to hear their entire conversation.
She was suddenly very thankful that they had decided to use the tablet and headphones, and also slightly sick to her stomach. It didn't matter how little they had said- whoever was there had definitely seen the chairwoman.
"That's it then!" she said. "I'll keep working."
The chairwoman frowned. It was clear she understood what had just happened. "You said nothing they wouldn't have figured out on their own, so don't worry. As for me, I'm sure you'll think of something. Meet me in my office so we can have a real conversation, all right?"
"Yep!" Nio saluted. She hung up and took a deep breath. Pushing herself away from the wall, she stepped out into the middle of the room. Part of her really wanted to let whoever was spying on her know that she'd seen them, but there would be no point in that. If they knew she had seen, they'd suspect that Nio had been acting.
Ah, everything was so complicated. That was her favorite thing about being class arbitrator. As long as she was more careful in the future, she could control the flow of information and mould the class to her liking.
She couldn't help but laugh as she walked out the door and headed for the chairwoman's office. This was going to be fun.
TOKAKU
"What the hell are you doing?!" Tokaku growled as she was jerked out of the warehouse. "Let me go!"
Takechi grinned. "In a second! Let's get a little further from the building."
Gritting her teeth, Tokaku pulled a knife out of her sleeve. "If you don't want me to cut your arm off," she hissed, "you'll let go right now!"
Takechi planted her feet and swung her into a trash can. The blue haired girl crashed into the hard metal and rolled to her feet. The resulting clang pounded in her ears as she readied her knife to attack.
"Relax," Takechi snickered. "Why would I hurt you? You're not even cute."
Flicking a piece of trash off her uniform, Tokaku stood and held Takechi at knifepoint. "I might be a little more trusting if you hadn't just dragged me out of a building and thrown me into a trash can!"
The other girl shifted left to right, like she was admitting that maaaybe that was a fair point. Why did Tokaku keep running into the ones she hated?
Lowering her knife a little, she shoved Takechi back a few feet. "If physicality is the only way you communicate with people, okay. Just stay away from me and say your piece."
"Fine, fine." Takechi kept her distance, which was surprising. "It has to do with Harucchi- I mean, Ichinose."
She'd said it that way on purpose to be annoying. "Everything has to do with Ichinose at this point," Tokaku said. "Just spit it out."
"Well, I was thinking…" Takechi folded her arms. "Harucchi's a pretty special person. She kinda caught me off guard." That insidious smile crept onto her face like the spider she was. "I think you know what I mean."
The infuriating part was that Tokaku did know exactly what she meant. "You might have tricked Ichinose," she said, "but you won't trick me. I don't know how the hell she missed it, but you're a horrible person."
Takechi wasn't fazed in the slightest. "I know!" she said, inching closer. "I like being horrible. You should try it sometime."
Tokaku felt like grabbing that awful face and ripping it off, but she restrained herself. "It doesn't matter," she said, her hand going back to her knife. "Even if we both don't want to kill Ichinose, we still have to..."
Her voice gave out on her all of a sudden. The mere thought of hurting Ichinose was sickening. What other choice did she have, though?
There was one other choice, the one she'd thought of on her first day at the academy.
But she couldn't do that, right?
The raven-haired girl watched her inner toil from the outside, as though observing an insect caught in a web. More than most other things, Tokaku hated having her mind toyed with.
"I don't get this," she breathed. "I've known her for less than a week! Why is this happening?"
"So you do get it!" Takechi said happily, reaching to grab her shoulders but shrinking back when she remembered the knife.
She folded her arms. "We both feel the same way, even though we're completely different. Isn't that amazing?" She shivered. "Which is how I know we've both come up with the same solution."
Tokaku's eyes widened. "The same solution?"
"Yep." Takechi danced around her, popping in and out of the shadows. "You had a plan to protect Harucchi from the others, right? So did I. And thanks to this new rule, we won't stand out while we're doing it."
Keeping an eye on the girl's movements, Tokaku steadied her breathing like her Aunt Mako had taught her. A good killer could sense fear in their target, and Takechi seemed to thrive on it. "If the others realize that we're never going to attack Ichinose," she said in a low voice, "they might try to take us out."
Takechi rolled her eyes. "Those girls? I've talked with all of them. Most of them wouldn't have the guts." She laughed. "I could cut them all to pieces before they'd have the nerve to pull out a gun."
"You're disgusting," Tokaku answered. "And if you aren't afraid of the others, why did you drag me out here to tell me this?"
"I needed to make sure we were on the same page." Takechi appeared behind her and backed her into the warehouse wall. "If we both have the same goal, we should be allies, right? Organizing an alliance isn't something you do in front of a crowd."
Tokaku did want to protect Ichinose. She could deny it all she wanted, but it was there, begging to be noticed. Why should she have to do what Kaiba told her? The bastard hadn't done a damn thing for her, and it wasn't like she had a wish.
At the very least, she thought, I have to protect her from Takechi.
Turning around, she looked up at the raven-haired girl. "You're right," she said. A forced smile etched itself into her features. "I do want to protect her. As much as I would hate to praise you in any way, shape, or form, I have to thank you for making me realize that."
Eyes alight, the raven-haired girl grabbed her hands. "Great!" she said. "Then we've got a truce?"
Her grip was like iron, and Tokaku found herself with a pretty good idea of the kinds of murders Takechi committed.
She ripped her hands away and kicked her hard in the stomach, dropping her to the ground. Takechi landed in a plume of dust and somersaulted backward, reaching for something at her waist.
Putting her knife away, Tokaku stepped back from the scene. "That said…" she closed her eyes. "There's no way I can work with you."
From her crouching position, Takechi was forced to look up at her. "Is that really what you think?"
Tokaku nodded. "Yes. Even if you do actually want to protect Ichinose, you're the kind of person who hurts people." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't forgive as easily as she does."
"Ha ha…" Takechi got to her feet with something metal in her hand. It was whatever she'd pulled from her waistband. "Well, I didn't really wanna work with you either. I thought Harucchi would rather have you alive than in little pieces, but I guess I don't have a choice!"
She swung at Tokaku with a pair of gleaming scissors. They sliced through the darkness like the claws of a demon, making Tokaku jump back. The end of her tie fluttered to the ground.
This girl was insane. Really, truly insane, and Tokaku had made her really mad. Those weird green eyes were almost glowing with rage.
Seeing no other option, she pulled out her knife again. "Look," she said, edging away. "I definitely don't like you, but I haven't known you for long enough to hate you this much. We don't have to kill each other. We can work toward a common goal without cooperating."
She saw no sign that anything was getting through to Takechi. The girl cackled and ran the dull end of her scissors across her lips. "That's not the way I think about stuff," she purred, positioning herself to fight. "The way I see it, you want to get in my way. Even if we go our own separate routes and both survive, in the end it'll be the two of us and Harucchi. If this is gonna happen anyway, may as well get it out of the way now!"
She lunged in a flash of brown and black, ready to catch her prey in her jaws.
Then they both heard a loud click.
Tokaku clutched her knife tightly. She'd been ready to block Takechi's attack when she saw the gun being pressed to her opponent's head.
Takechi stood frozen in place, only turning her head a little to see who had intervened.
Neither could have been more surprised to find Kenmochi standing there. Granted, she looked like she might wet herself, but she stood firm nonetheless.
"Really?" she said angrily, glaring at them both. "You're already trying to kill each other?"
Shoving her knife back into its holder for the last time, Tokaku held up her hands. "I didn't start the fight, all right? Takechi did."
Kenmochi stared Takechi down, pressing the gun harder into her temple. "Give me the scissors," she said slowly.
The voice that replied was sickeningly sweet. "You don't mean that, Shiena-chan."
"Only one person has to die in this stupid game." Kenmochi swallowed. "But if you want to add yourself to the list, that's fine by me."
Although she tried not to look at the deranged smile on Takechi's face, Tokaku found herself staring at the scene in front of her. This could go several different ways. Kenmochi had the gun, but she obviously hadn't used it before. Takechi was in an extremely vulnerable position, but she was clinically insane.
"I get it," Takechi said snaking her hand up Kenmochi's arm. "You hate bullies, right Shiena-chan? But I wasn't bullying Tokaku. I was removing an obstacle."
Kenmochi grinned shakily. "Normal people are smart enough to find their way around the obstacles."
Now she'd done it. Tokaku debated whether she should run away or watch this play out. She did owe Kenmochi on a certain level, but hanging around Takechi when she was like this was stupid.
The thing that had stopped the fight a few seconds ago had been a distraction. If she could find a good one, she might be able to stop this fight too.
As it turned out, the universe was on her side for once. A bright light shone out a hole in one of the warehouse windows, forming a line of pale blue that separated Tokaku from the other two.
"What the hell?" Takechi grumbled, turning toward the window. "Is this what that big screen looks like from outside?"
"Yeah, when it's displaying bright colors." Kenmochi frowned. "But it should be off. Everyone left while you two were messing around back here."
The three girls exchanged glances. Tokaku and Kenmochi's eyes quickly settled on Takechi, who still had a gun at her head.
"All right, all right…" The raven-haired girl shoved the scissors back down her skirt. "This isn't over."
Tokaku stayed several steps away from her. "Believe me, I know."
"Good." Bending over, Kenmochi peered through the dirty window. "Be quiet."
The other two bent over on either side of her, making sure there was absolutely no contact between them. Tokaku wished she'd never have to see the freak again, but if the two of them were protecting Ichinose, it wouldn't be easy.
Inside the warehouse was Hashiri, standing in front of the giant monitor. Instead of still images or messages, it displayed a massive live video feed of some woman in a suit. She was sitting in a business chair in front of a honeycomb structure.
"Holy crap," Takechi whispered, pressing her head into Kenmochi's for a better look. "Who's that?"
"How should I know?" Kenmochi growled as she was squished between the two of them. "Now shut up and listen!"
"...I could tell you some more if you'd give me some more info about-"
It was Hashiri talking, presumably to the woman on the screen. Tokaku could see that woman's mouth moving, but her words were too quiet to hear, and it was hard to read her lips.
The screen turned off rather suddenly, leaving them all in pitch blackness. Tokaku cursed and waited for her eyes to adjust.
She heard Takechi's voice from far too close. "She's using her tablet now. She's putting in headphones."
"You can see?" Tokaku whispered incredulously.
"That's nothing," Kenmochi muttered, trying to shrug off Takechi's arms from around her shoulders. "Last night she stayed up reading guro in the dark and left it open on the nightstand."
"Did I do that?" Takechi snickered. "Whoopsie."
Kenmochi smacked her head. "Not so loud! They're talking about important, secret information in there! Do you want to miss all of it?"
Tokaku and Takechi shushed her in unison. With a sigh, she pressed her face to the window while Takechi clung to her.
At least Tokaku could still hear in the dark. Hashiri said "Okay, I'm ready" and was silent for a while. If she had put in headphones like Takechi said, they would only be able to hear her side of the conversation. That could be problematic.
They sat and listened for the next few minutes to Hashiri's short, infrequent remarks. Whoever was on the other side was doing most of the talking.
"By 'us', you mean-"
"Sorry. The circumstances were different this time, though."
"Thanks. This whole thing is a little strange for me. I really like the job, but once it's over..."
It sounded like Hashiri was worried about something. Now that her eyes had adjusted, Tokaku could read a bit of her body language. The "job" must have been black class arbitrator. Maybe she wasn't sure what to do with herself afterward.
No. It couldn't be that simple, not here. There was something actively troubling that Hashiri would have to do after the class ended. Anything that could make Hashiri nervous couldn't be good.
"It looks like Haru has been making friends, like you said. There are a few people in particular."
Now she was talking about Ichinose, once again by her first name. Those two knew each other, and the woman in the suit knew both of them. If Hashiri was class arbitrator, and she was talking with a business-like woman…
Was that woman in charge of the black class?
She heard Hashiri laugh and refocused on the blonde girl. "Maybe. I wonder if Haru will be able to survive through the power of friendship."
She wished she could punch the little imp for saying that, but it would be the wrong thing to do. Beside her, Kenmochi was shaking her head.
"It's no good," the brunette whispered. "They know someone's watching."
Takechi squeezed her. "How do you know?"
"I'm a drama geek," she replied, squirming out of Takechi's grasp. "I know what acting sounds like. That's why Hashiri is pausing for so long. They're exchanging all the real information where we can't hear it."
Sighing, Tokaku backed away from the window. "Then we can't trust anything they say."
Kenmochi looked apologetic. "Don't dismiss it, but don't take it as the truth either." She straightened up and stashed her gun in her bookbag. "I'm going to bed. C'mon, Takechi-san."
Where Takechi might've clung to Ichinose earlier, she was now stuck to Kenmochi like a leech. "Bye bye!" she giggled, giving Tokaku a little wave. She smiled nastily. "You might wanna sleep with one eye open from now on."
When they were gone, Tokaku felt her legs shake under her. This was too much for one night.
The warehouse doors banged open. Tokaku instinctively ducked behind the trashcan to watch Hashiri leave. It would only take a few seconds, and she wanted to see what the blonde would do.
Hashiri showed no signs of knowing anyone was still outside the warehouse. She walked down the concrete path away from the dormitories. Tokaku stood at her full height and watched as Hashiri got to the end of that path, unlocked a glass door, and entered the skyscraper that marked the center of the Myojou campus.
If she hadn't been so exhausted, Tokaku might have followed. Right then she needed sleep, and anything she had tried to do would have failed. Besides, Ichinose was alone in their dorm room, and the game started tomorrow morning. She would need to be there.
Sighing, she glanced at the skyscraper one last time and made her way to the dorms.
This ended up being a long chapter. Fitting character development with plot and not making it boring is hard!