Vol2: Mission: Chaos

The morning sun filtered through the treetops, melting the dew from the grass as a gentle breeze carried it into the sky.
Somewhere in the distance, birds greeted the new day.
The world around him was still half-asleep; one by one, the windows of nearby houses began to open.
Here and there, fathers waved goodbye to their children before heading off to work.

His tie hung a little looser around his neck than usual.
With steady steps, he walked past small bushes already bearing their first fruits.

For most people, it was a beautiful morning.
For him, just another.

Crossing the railway tracks, he could already see the school—his workplace for the past few weeks.
By now, he had grown used to it. The early uncertainty of teaching had faded.
In the end, he found little difference between lecturing students and giving briefings at his old job.

Still, Takeshi couldn’t shake the feeling that things were busier than usual.
Every now and then, students ran past him, hurrying toward the gate.
There was still some time before class started, so they weren’t just running to avoid being late.

After a few more minutes, the school gate came into view—or at least, it should have.
Instead, a huge crowd had gathered in front of it.
Not just that—students filled the courtyard so densely that getting through the gate would’ve meant squeezing past shoulder to shoulder.

Huh? What’s going on here? Did I miss something?

His pace stayed steady, but his thoughts began to race ahead.
The answer wouldn’t take long to reveal itself.

Just as he was about to push his way through, the atmosphere shifted, voices rose, the crowd stirred.
It was as if someone had kicked an anthill or shaken a beehive from a branch.
The students pressed closer together, excitement rippling through them.

A black car turned onto the street leading to the school.

…What the?

Tinted windows. Expensive model. A driver wearing gloves.
Are we… getting a visit from someone important

And then it hit him.
His eyebrows drew together, and the muscles in his jaw tightened.

Of course… how could I forget…
Aimi Tsukamoto.

For a second, he looked at his watch and thought about calling in sick.
But that wasn’t his way.

A faint squeak, the sound of a car door.
The students grew restless, their voices rising. Some even letting out small screams.

When the first foot stepped out, it felt as if the world had been muted.
No one spoke. No one moved.
As if under a spell, the students stood frozen.
Only quiet breaths could be heard.

From the car stepped a girl with platinum-silver, shoulder-length hair, emerald-green eyes, and a perfect smile.
She drew every gaze to her the moment she appeared.
Her doll-like skin shimmered in the sunlight, and her uniform fit her body as if made for her.
It looked as though every spotlight in the world belonged to her.

Suddenly, as if someone had turned the sound back on, the crowd screamed.
A real star stood before them.

With a rehearsed, flawless bow, she charmed everyone around her.

Admiration. Adoration. And, in some faces, even envy.
That was the state of the crowd, but not for Takeshi.

Fascinating, how a single person can turn an entire world upside down.
So that’s what they call charisma… or mass hysteria. This is going to be fun.
And of course, she just had to be in Class 2-3.

He stood still and crossed his arms.
It wasn’t interesting, nor was it worth noticing.
Yet he couldn’t move. The path ahead was blocked.

Some students tried to take pictures, others asked for autographs.
Aimi smiled perfectly and started signing. Photos, notebooks, anything they handed her.
Takeshi found it strange that some even wanted her signature in their school textbooks.

It took several minutes before every photo was taken and every autograph signed.

Takeshi stood a little further away, watching silently. She looked a little exhausted, yet school didn’t even start. Her green eyes swept around, looking if there was anyone left to sign. Their eyes met, just long enough.

With graceful steps, she moved over to him.

“Eh… do you want one too?” she asked with a gentle, warm voice. You could almost hear the training she put into her voice. Even in casual speech, she sounded controlled and crystal clear. Her big, round eyes stared into his. Somehow, it felt more like she was looking straight through him.

Is she even there? Or…

Before he could even finish the thought:

“No,” he replied curtly.

Her eyes went wide, as if this was a new experience for her. She fumbled with her pen, unsure of what to say.

“H-Huh?! O-oh… I see.”

Though he looked at her, no words left his mouth.

So, you’re back now, huh? Don’t like your fans? Or just gotten too used to it…

Aimi Tsukamoto stood right in front of him. Not moving, eyes downcast, lost in thought. Her black, silky hair swayed gently in the wind.

“Tryin’ to grow roots or what?”

“Eh? A-Ah… I am sorry! Guess I was lost in thought for a second.”

Aimi bowed elegantly, a small smile on her lips.

Takeshi could imagine how hard It must be to be the center of everyone’s attention. Not his style. He liked to stay in the background and pull the strings from there. Living in the shadows. That’s what his former job required from him.

All the students stared at them, waiting impatiently until Aimi spun her attention back to the crowd. Before she reached the others, she looked at Takeshi. Just a second too long.

Huh… was I too brusque? Hm, doesn’t matter now.

Takeshi slipped through a small gap between the students, finally able to go to work. The noises of the crowd faded slowly, vanishing as he entered the main entrance. Nothing but silence cloaked him as he went upstairs.

Unusual how calm it is… guess they’re all outside today.

The same creak, another day. Takeshi opened the door to the staff room, said his greetings and went straight to his desk. With a light buzz, his computer booted and the chair beneath him creaked.

Even though the staff room was quiet as always, a certain restlessness hung in the air. Everyone seemed to fiddle with something. Watanabe stared out the window, seemingly observing Aimi’s fans. The crowd at the gate still there, you could still hear their voices and chatter.

Takeshi looked at the clock.

Still enough time for a coffee.

Right when he wanted to stand up, a white cup filled with black liquid appeared next to him. Shizuka Maki, the other new teacher besides him, stood there with a friendly smile holding a coffee right in front of his face.

Takeshi hesitated for a moment, eyeing the cup.

“W-What? Is something wrong with it?!” asked Shizuka.

“Not sure. Is there?”

“Hey, you think I wanna poison you?! Do I look like an assassin?!” she protested.

She set the cup down, one hand on her hip, brows furrowed.

“How do you think assassins look like?” asked Takeshi, grabbing the cup.

“Huh? Eh… I don’t know… black clothes…a knife behind their backs… how should I know?!”

Takeshi knew exactly what she meant and let out a quiet sigh. The cliché image of a thief.

How innocent…

“I tell you what: Imagine the most trustworthy person you know. That’s how assassins look like.”

“Eh?”

Shizuka looked as if she’d just heard a foreign language. Puzzled, she raised one eyebrow.

“And another thing. You look more like a honeytrap than a Hitman.”

“Honeywhat? What are you talking about?”

Shizuka looked like she listened to a language she didn’t know.

“A Honeytrap. Mostly very attractive women who are used for gathering intel. They loosen the tongues of their targets by flirting and stuff. Pretty useful, actually…”

Takeshi explained that like it’s nothing special and Shizuka was at a loss for words, mouth half open.

In the past, Takeshi used those Honeytraps a few times, so he knew the worth of them. But also, the danger that comes with it.

“S-so basically, you’re saying… I would be good at flirting?”

Shizuka blinked in irritation, unsure of what that meant.

“Not necessarily, but you would have an advantage,” he said curtly, shrugging.

“Why does this sound so…indecent?”

“Depends on the perspective. Indecent? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.”

“You… you can’t mean that as a complement… right?” murmured Shizuka. Her jaw tensing.

“Objectively, I do,” replied Takeshi flatly with a dead serious look.

Shizuka scratched her head, avoiding his gaze.

“… I’m not even sure if I should be offended or flattered…” she murmured behind her hand.

Maybe I’ve gotten too comfortable. Time to redirect the conversation.

“Thanks for the coffee,” stated Takeshi, taking a sip.

“Uh, yeah… sure.”

It took a second before Shizuka bowed slightly, still looking confused. He looked at her, but she didn’t move, staring at him. Somehow, it felt as if she were looking straight through him. As if something is on her mind.

What a weird situation.

“Hey, have you seen Aimi Tsukamoto already? You were a fan, right?”

Shizuka looked a little surprised by the sudden change of topic but smiled shortly after.

“Yes! I have! And she is as beautiful as on the stage. Her aura, her charm, the way she moves and smiles. Exactly how I imagined.”

“Planning to grab an autograph?” asked Takeshi while sorting a bunch of papers.

“While I would love to, i won’t. I don’t want to bother her more than necessary,” sighed Shizuka, the schoolground reflecting in her eyes as she stared outside.

“We are teachers, you know? It’s our job to bother them with things they don’t like.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking at him doubtfully.

“You know what I mean!”

A few seconds passed and Takeshi didn’t reply in any way. Chatting wasn’t a strength of his, so he was unsure what he could add. Luckily, Shizuka was the first to speak.

“You’re pretty talkative today. Something changed?”

Talkative? No, I am not. Not more than usual. Or am I?

Before Takeshi had the chance to answer, the door was slammed open with a loud thud. Heavy steps and creaking shoes made their way towards him.

As he looked at what’s coming, yellow teeth, a big mustache and greasy hair greeted him. Principal Ishida walked straight towards him.

A wide grin as he looked at Shizuka, spread his arms as if he wanted to hug her.

“Ah! The best view I can have in the morning is you standing right in front of me. I am always in awe of how beautiful you are. Sadly, I hardly have time to come by and enjoy your company. I am very important, you know, so I am very busy. Bahahaha!”

His gurgling laugh echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention. His breath was reeking. A smell Takeshi couldn’t define, but his nose was suffering.

“A-ah, good morning, Principal…” returned Shizuka with mixed feelings.

Is it embarrassment, disgust or… even fear? Maybe all of them at once… Should I step in?

She bowed slightly; her fingernails clad tight into her fists.

“Principal Isihda, how can we help you? As you said, I am sure you are very busy, so we don’t want to waste your valuable time,” remarked Takeshi, his tone carrying a faint edge.

He was visibly taken aback by Takeshi’s intervention. His hands fumbled with his tie, trying to fix it. He stared back, eyes wide. No word left his mouth. The normally so talkative principal was silent. Ten silent seconds passed before his lips finally parted.

“You´re right! Of course. As you might have noticed, we are short on staff right now. So, I need you two to guide tomorrow’s excursion. Especially because its class 2-3, so you should know them.”

His voice was stern with a hint of drill in it.

“Huh? Tomorrow? Eh… I-I’m not sure. Where exactly are we going… and is there a schedule I can follow?”

Shizuka scratched her head, slightly panicking.

“Ah, yes! I’ll send you an email with the details. I excuse myself now. I’m very busy, as I said before.”

Without a word, he left the room with heavy steps and a satisfied smile. Kyoko Suginami, immediately stood up and opened the window.

Thank you. Fresh air is what this room needs the most...

It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted when the principal left. Takeshi looked over to Shizuka, noticed her forehead creasing and she kept biting her lower lip, restless and tense.

For a short moment, he considered talking to her but decided against it.

I should focus on today’s lesson. Today would be somewhat different than usual.