A/N: Welcome back to Another: The Call for Blood. Please enjoy Chapter 6- Boat!
Chapter 6- Boat
After the mood whiplash that came when Kubodera committed suicide, the class had moved into a different classroom, with Miss Makami taking over as the homeroom teacher. As the class struggled to recover from the fact that their teacher had killed himself, they gained another blow when Mr Chibiki had reported that Kubodera had murdered his own mother that same day. Needless to say, Adam had written that info in his file on the Calamity. Couple that, with the fact that news seemed to be spreading around town of a possible "serial killer", made Adam become a little tenser, as he feared his "night-time activities" would be exposed. Deciding to keep a low profile for the time being, Adam tried to return to his normal, reckless self, but he always kept the dark side of himself partly prominent, and his much too persistent efforts to keep that side down seemed to unnerve his friends, even though they decided not to ask questions.
One day, a week after Kubodera's suicide, Adam roused himself from his slumber, and cracked his back, as was his usual routine. As he headed towards the bathroom, he heard his phone ring. "Oh, what the fuck now?" he asked, going over and picking it up. Looking at the screen, he saw Teshigawara's name on the screen. Answering the phone, he said, "What's up, Teshigawara? You know better than to phone me at this time on a Saturday.", before Teshigawara responded, "No time to explain, just get Yukari and head down to the address I'm sending you.", before hanging up. "What the fuck is he wanting?" Adam asked, looking at the text, before heading over to the bedroom. Looking at Yukari, who was sound asleep in bed, Adam scowled. "I am so going to regret this." He said, before tiptoeing over to Yukari's side, and lightly poking her cheek. Slowly, the girl's eyes opened, and they widened when she saw Adam standing above her. "Sorry for waking you up Yukari, but Teshigawara wants us to meet up with him later." Adam explained, before Yukari nodded. "Alright, I'll be dressed in a bit." She said, before Adam nodded, and left the room to get ready in the bathroom. As soon as he exited, Yukari dashed in after him, and a couple of minutes later, she exited, dressed in a cardigan and jeans. "You all set?" Adam asked, before Yukari nodded. "Alright, let's go!" he said, before getting his keys. "We can grab something to eat on the way back. Sound good?" he asked, before Yukari smiled. "Fine by me." She said, before pulling on her jacket. With that, the two quickly left the house, and went to the specified address, which turned out to be a small café.
Inside, the pair saw Izumi sitting at a table, with Sakakibara sittng across from her. Spying the pair, Izumi waved them over, and pulled Sakakibara over to her side. As Adam and Yukari sat down, a waitress came up to them. "What do you want, Yukari?" Adam asked his companion, who shrugged. "I'll have whatever you have." She said, before Adam nodded. "Two coffees, three sugars and milk." He said to the waitress, who nodded, bowed and walked off. Soon after, she came back with their order.
As he took a sip of his coffee, Adam asked Izumi, "So, what's this about?", receiving a shrug from the girl in reply. "No idea. We're here for the same reason as you two." She said, before Adam saw the door open out of the corner of his eye. First, he saw a shadowy girl enter and sit at the bar, before she was followed by Teshigawara and Mochizuki, who walked over to the table. "Well, glad to see you're all here." Teshigawara said, before Adam sighed. "You woke us up, on a fucking Saturday morning. You'd better have a good reason for it, or I swear, they'll be fucking scraping you off the sidewalk." He growled, clenching a fist, before Teshigawara nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about waking you all up, but I have an idea on what to do about the Calamity." The boy said, before Adam relaxed slightly. "Go on." He said, before Teshigawara nodded. "We should just get out of the town for a day. Take a trip to the beach or something." He suggested, before Adam looked to Izumi, who had a wide-eyed look. "Well, it's not a half bad idea." He said, before the group looked to him. "The Calamity only affects individuals inside Yomiyama City, am I right?" he asked Izumi, who nodded. "So, if we get out of the city for a day, we'll be fine." He said, before the Head of Countermeasures sighed. "Alright, when do we leave?" she asked, with Yuuya immediately replying, "Tomorrow." Nodding, Izumi stood up. "Alright, I'll tell Takako and Junta. We'll see you tomorrow." She said, before Teshigawara nodded, and Izumi took her leave, Kouichi following close behind her. After Yukari tapped his side, Adam said, "I'll catch up. You go on ahead." As the spectacled girl nodded and walked out, Adam leaned over to Teshigawara and Mochizuki.
"There's an ulterior motive to this trip, isn't there?" he asked, before Teshigawara's eyes widened. "What makes you think that?" he asked, before Adam raised an eyebrow. "How thick do you think I am?" the Assassin asked, before Mochizuki smiled. "Alright, if you must know, my older half-sister, who actually works here, knows someone who was in Class 3-3 a couple of years ago. Apparently, they ended the Calamity mid-year." He explained, before Adam nodded in understanding. "So this trip is part vacation, mostly interrogation." He said, before Mochizuki shrugged. "If that's the way you want to see it." He said, before Adam finished up his coffee, and stood up. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow." He said, before straightening his collar, and going to leave the café. As he got close to the door, he saw the shadowy girl from earlier was looking in his direction. As soon as she noticed Adam looking towards her, she looked back down to the bar. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Adam shrugged his jacket up a bit, and left the café, running to catch up with Yukari.
After catching up with her, Adam and Yukari headed home, Adam taking care to keep an eye out for someone possibly tailing him. As he got to work on lunch, he couldn't get his mind off the suspicious feeling that the girl in the bar had given him. After he finished cooking, he heard Yukari walk up behind him. "We should get ready for tomorrow, Adam." She said, before Adam nodded, and passed her lunch to her. As the two sat down, Adam gave Yukari a quick look over, and he noticed that she was very pretty in the outfit she had chosen. "Ease up there, horndog." His brain said to him, causing his face to turn bright red. "Adam, you okay? You look a bit ill." Yukari said, pulling him out of his stupor. "What? Oh, yeah, sorry, I just got lost in my own little world. But, I appreciate the concern." He said, before Yukari smiled. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" she asked, before Adam smiled, and got to working out their plan…
The next day…
"Alright, you ready?" Adam asked, as he passed Yukari a helmet. "Adam, are you sure about this? Where did you even learn to ride one of these?" she asked fearfully, as she looked at the pitch-black motorcycle in front of them. "I learned how to back in Scotland. If you want me to, I'll take it slow." He said, as he fastened his own helmet. "Alright, I trust you, Adam." She said, before hesitantly getting on the bike, and placing her arms around Adam's waist. "Alright…" Adam said, as he looked at her. "Let's ride!" Kicking the bike into action, Adam turned on the throttle, and the bike sped off. Soon after, the pair reached Izumi's house, which the girl herself and Sakakibara were standing outside of, next to a car that was driven by Reiko, Kouichi's aunt. As Adam parked his bike and removed his helmet, Yukari slid off, and struggled to regain her balance. "Alright, it's decided. You're taking the car." Adam said, before Yukari nodded.
"Didn't know you could ride a motorcycle, Adam." Izumi said, before Adam smirked. "You never asked." He said, before he heard a car pull up behind him. Turning round, he saw Takako get out of the car, before helping a boy, who Adam recognised as Junta Nakao, a member of the Countermeasures group, out. As Junta struggled to stay upright, Adam rushed over to help Takako support him. "You alright, mate?" he asked, before Junta nodded. "If you insist. Just, take it easy, alright?" he said, before he let Junta lean against a nearby wall. As Adam looked round, he said, "Just waiting on Teshigawara and Mochizuki.", before a voice yelled, "Hey, guys!" Groaning, Adam said, "Speak of the devil…", before turning to see the two boys walking up, Teshigawara carrying a giant bag on his back. "So, we all here?" Teshigawara asked, before counting the people present. "Sakakibara, where's Misaki? Isn't she coming?" he asked, before Kouichi shook his head. "Her family went on holiday. I forgot to mention." He said, before Adam nodded. "Alright, we all set?" he asked, before Mochizuki's eyes narrowed. "We've got a problem." He said, causing the group to turn to him. "There's 1 too many people for both cars." He said, before Adam chuckled. "Don't worry about that, mate." He said, before getting back on his bike. "We sorted now?" he asked, fastening his helmet. As the other members split into the different cars, Adam turned his bike on. "Izumi!" he shouted, drawing the girl's attention. "You take the lead." He said, before Izumi nodded, and got into Reiko's car. As the two cars pulled away, Adam turned the throttle on his bike, and pulled off after them.
A while later, he came up besides Reiko's car on the highway. Pushing his visor up, he winked to the car's occupants, before pushing it back down, and speeding up, pulling his bike into a wheelie. Rolling down the window of her car, Reiko shouted, "Show off!", before rolling the window back up. In the back seat, Izumi said, "That maniac's going to get himself killed.", causing Yukari to look at her. "He seems pretty capable." She said, before Izumi smirked. "Tell me, Yukari, is there something going between you and him?" she asked, before Yukari's face erupted in a bright blush. "No, there isn't." she said, looking at her feet. "But you wish there was?" Kouichi asked, before Yukari looked back up, and nodded. "You need to tell him, then." Reiko said from the front seat, before she came up behind a large tanker. "If you want to go slow, get out of the fast lane!" she yelled, before the tanker changed lanes. "Finally!" she said, before shifting the car into a higher gear, and speeding up, soon after passing a sign that said, "Now leaving Yomiyama City." Eventually, the two cars and the bike pulled up outside a small beach hotel, in a neighbouring city of Yomiyama.
After checking into the hotel, the group started to head towards the beach. After getting everything set up, most of the kids ran into the water, but Adam elected to stay on the beach, laying on a towel underneath a parasol. "Aren't you going to join your friends?" the voice of Reiko said, before Adam smirked. "Nah, never been one for having fun. I'm a man of business." He said, before Reiko scowled. "All work and no play will make you a grouch, Adam." She said, before the Assassin shrugged, and Reiko walked off. "Screw it." Adam said to himself, before he spied Kouichi walking off to a cliffside, shortly before returning to the beach, with Misaki following behind him. "Hello, everyone." The girl said, before the others waved to her. "Alright, Misaki?" Adam called out, before the girl smiled to him.
After the kids had played around for another hour or so, Teshigawara called the group together. "What's going on, Teshigawara?" Adam asked, before the boy smirked. "We bring any food?" he asked, before the others looked to each other. "Didn't think so." He said, before opening the large bag he had brought with him, to reveal a barbeque. "So, how about we gather our own food, and make a game out of it? The team who brings back the most cookable food wins!" he said, before Adam shrugged. "Sounds good. I'm in." he said, before Teshigawara nodded. "Alright, the teams are: The Countermeasures team, consisting of myself, Akazawa, Sugiura and Sakuragi, and the Non-Existent team, consisting of Sakakibara, Misaki, Mochizuki and Robertson." He said, before Adam looked to Junta, who was still looking deathly pale. "I'm out." The boy breathed out, before Adam nodded. "Alright…" he said, before turning to Teshigawara. "Get ready to lose." He said, extending a hand. Shaking it, Teshigawara said, "Game on!" With that, the two teams split up.
Immediately, the "Non-Existent team" went to the rock pools on the small cliff where Kouichi had found Misaki, and started fishing round. After a while, Adam heard a small gasp. Turning round, he saw that Misaki had a small fleshy creature on her arm. As Adam looked, he saw a small octopus wrapped round her hand. "Get it off." She said quietly, before Adam nodded. "Hold still." He said, as he palmed a small stone. "Keep your arm steady." He ordered, before flinging the stone up, catching it, and tossing it, cracking the octopus right in the head, causing it to fall to the ground, releasing Misaki's hand. "Thank you, Adam." She said, as Adam picked up the octopus, and dropped it in their team's collection bucket. "How did you do that?" the girl asked, wide eyed, before Adam smirked. "It's all in the wrist." He said, spinning his hand a couple of times. "Fair enough." She said, before returning to fishing. Turning back to what he had been doing, Adam saw Teshigawara being whipped with a clump of seaweed by Izumi. Chuckling, Adam looked down and saw a small fish swimming round in his rock pool. Smirking, he leaned forward slightly, crouching over the pool, poised to strike, counting down in his head, "Nearly, almost…. Now!", before lunging, snagging the fish up, and dropping it in the bucket immediately.
After spending a bit more time hunting, the two teams called an end to the competition, and decided to let Reiko count up the food. Eventually, the "Non-Existent team" won, due to the fish Adam had caught putting them ahead. As their team cheered, Reiko pulled out some raw meat. "Just in case we couldn't get a lot, I went and got these." She said, before the kids smiled. "Alright, who's cooking?" Adam asked, before Reiko held a hand up. "I'll call you all when it's ready." She said, before the kids took off towards the ocean again, and Reiko got to cooking. Soon after, she called them back, and they were all devouring the food. Afterwards, they headed back into the water. As some of the children got into a game of water volleyball, Adam saw a man walking up to Reiko. Tapping Kouichi on the shoulder, he jerked his head back towards Reiko, before Kouichi nodded, and with Izumi joining them, the two headed over to Reiko's parasol. "Oh, you three, I'd like to introduce you to Katsumi Matsunaga. He was a member of Class 3-3 in 1983 alongside myself." She said, before the man bowed his head. "Pleasure to meet you." He said, before the three bowed in return.
"I heard the Calamity ended mid-year when it hit your class, sir." Adam said, before Matsunaga nodded. "That's right. I'm the one who ended it. But, I'm afraid I'm unable to remember how I did it. I did, however leave something for future classes to find somewhere in the school." the man said, before Adam looked to his two companions, who nodded. "Very well, sir. If you remember anything else, please, don't hesitate to tell us." He said, before pulling his friends away. "Alright, you two. We now know what we need to do." He said, before Izumi nodded. "We need to find that clue." She said, before she looked to the other members of the class, and asked, "What do we tell the others?", before Adam said, "Let's keep this between us. They're enjoying themselves. No need to add more tension to what's there already.", before he saw the ball their friends were hitting fly off into the ocean. "I'll get it!" Junta yelled, before starting to swim after the ball. After a while, he was no closer to the ball, and was a bit too far out from shore. "How far out you planning to go?" Teshigawara yelled, but Junta didn't turn back, causing Adam's eyes to narrow. "Something's not right." He said, before everyone noticed that Junta wasn't moving. "He needs help!" Kouichi said, before he ran into the ocean, Matsunaga pulling off his shirt while following him, but before the two could get very far, a boat came out from behind the cliff, and sped towards Junta. The students and adults could only watch in horror as the boat collided with Junta, and the spray behind the boat turned red, as the motor on the back of the boat chopped his body up, before it was launched into the air, and splashed back into the water. As the boat pulled to a stop, the crew looking back at Junta's body, Adam heard Matsunaga say, "The clue. I saved them all. I put the clue for them…"
"In the classroom."
A/N: And another one down! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time, in Chapter 7- Car Crash. Madman out!