"I like you. Please go out with me." The blushing boy in front of me blurted out.

I felt a chill breeze pass by, making his blond-dyed hair dance with the wind. His words went into my ears but never reached my heart.

After hearing his heartfelt confession, my first thought was: what an idiot. He didn't even know me and he never will. Besides, how could someone "like" a total stranger? Romantic humans were nothing but fools. In response to this boy's stupidity, I bowed my head at him and said, "I'm sorry." Not that I meant it. Honestly, I didn't care about his feelings even a bit. I was not truly sorry for dumping him. I just wanted to be left alone.

"I-is there someone else you like?" he asked.

Tsk.

"No, but..." How could I tell him to just piss off? We were standing behind the school's old gymnasium. It was supposed to be empty now, but several students had gathered here, trying to hide themselves behind the trees. I could hear some of them whisper and snicker. "I'm really sorry," I said with another bow and hoped he would finally give up. My feet started walking away.

But he shouted: "I'm Chifuyu Matsuno! A first-year like you! At least remember my name!"

Ignoring him, I did not stop or look back but continued toward the center of our campus where the building for the middle schoolers was located. It seemed that in my short trek, news about Matsuno's confession had traveled fast. As soon as I sat on my chair and got my textbook from my bag, I heard some of the girls whisper behind my back.

"Sakura Minamikawa really turned him down?"

"Of course, she would! Matsuno is a delinquent. He's an idiot whose only skill is to fight."

"But Minamikawa's below average. Ugly and stupid. You'll think she's lucky even Matsuno likes her."

"Right."

"She thinks she's so pretty turning him down."

"What a bitch."

I suppressed the desire to sigh. These spoiled brats didn't know anything. And they were annoying as hell. Head resting in my palm, I looked at my reflection in the window. But, honestly, was I really ugly? Not that I cared. I was just curious.

My short bobbed black hair was a bit unkempt, courtesy of the breeze behind the old gymnasium. My brows were thicker than normal and my nose was small but not flat. I thought my lips were okay but my eyes... They were dull black orbs that did not show any emotion. Anyway, I didn't look all that bad.

The school bell rang to denote that lunch was over. My eyes darted below and I saw Matsuno, rubbing his eyes like he just cried. His friends were with him and, together, they were walking back to the building. Suddenly, the boy stopped, slapped his face with both his hands, and shouted something. His buddies laughed and he looked like he gained back his composure.

Idiot.

It was dark, around one in the morning. The light in the antique shop was still lit. According to the information passed to me, the shop owner often stayed inside the store itself. If he wasn't there, he'd be sleeping up in his room on the second floor of the same building. With fast, light steps, I walked toward the window behind the shop. It was old and took only a few tries to dislodge.

A cat jumped from somewhere and hissed at me. Then it ran away when I stared into its eyes.

Laughter resounded from the building. It came from the antique shop.

The owner.

My target.

Gingerly, I entered through the window. My small stature fit perfectly into the hole. The place smelled nice despite being filled with old objects. The shop was mostly wood and its items were too, except those with gold and silver.

A few steps more and I reached a wooden shelf by the counter. Hiding behind it, I spied on my target. He was reading a book and laughing at some of its passages.

Having a good time before death, huh?

Since I've been handed this mission, I've been thinking of what to use as my weapon to finish my target. Having learned that the killing place would be an antique shop, I felt responsible for making sure that the old antiquities would not be sullied. I could use my gun, make sure his blood won't stain anything. Would that be possible? How about shuriken? No. He won't die instantly. I liked giving instant death to my targets. Besides, there was a glass cabinet of antiques behind the shop owner. I must be extra careful.

"Hahaha!" echoed his last laugh.

I readied my hand at my side, revealed myself to the target, and dashed toward him.

"W-wha- Who are you?" He stood up and was about to grab his phone.

With lightning speed, I karate-chopped his arm and he wailed. With all the lights on, he still wouldn't see my features. I was, after all, dressed in a black ninja suit revealing only my dark eyes. I jumped over the counter and placed myself behind him. I tell him, "I'm Death and I came to take your soul." I took my kunai and, with it, I carefully slashed my target's throat. My other hand was on his mouth to muffle his screams. At first, my target struggled, but I held him tightly. I did not want his blood on the antiquities. After some time, his body gave up and he finally took his last breath. The scent of fresh blood permeated the air, something I was used to. The thick, red liquid dripped all over the dead man's chest and made a puddle on the wooden floor. Avoiding noise, I gently placed the lifeless head on the counter.

Mission accomplished.

"Oh fuck." I exclaimed as I saw tiny drops of blood on the side of the glass cabinet. Hurriedly, I wiped it using my sleeve. That was when I saw a picture hanging beside the cabinet. It was a photo of the owner and his family, taken when they were having a picnic in a nearby park. It was taken recently, judging by the age of the owner. His younger wife was smiling as she held her wide-brim hat on her head. They had three children, all kids, elementary students. For a moment, the images of my own family flashed at the back of my mind and I felt my lungs constrict.

I used to smile and laugh like the kids in the photo.

But not now.

The beautiful images in my head changed into horrifying ones: screams, wounds, blood, and death.

I inhaled deeply and took my phone from my pocket. I dialed my Boss' number. Only one ring and he immediately answered my call.

"It's done," I reported.

I could imagine his wide smile. He said, "That man you killed was a rival of Goto. You know Goto, he wants to be the number one distributor of cocaine in Shibuya. Your target's being a little nuisance. I mean, was. Good job. You'll receive your payment as promised."

"Okay, Taiju." The call ended. It was never about the money. I did not become an assassin to acquire thousands of yen nor did I do it for fun or entertainment. It's just... what I became. Now what I was.

I walked back to the hole I made earlier and climbed the building through the fire exits located outside. Nobody should see me. Death could only be seen by those destined to die. Right now, most people were already asleep, but there still might be people on the streets. To avoid them, I ran above rooftops, jumping from one house or building to another. I changed clothes in a public bathroom and headed to my apartment.

"I'm home," I greeted the empty room. I went straight to the bathroom to take a shower and winced when the water touched my wrist. I didn't notice that I got a wound when I entered the antique shop through its window. Anyway, it didn't matter. An injury that small would easily heal.

After washing up, I went to my bedroom and plugged in my earphones. My MP3 player sang me a lullaby as I went to sleep.