Kazerou the Zero

It was a nice clear morning. I had gotten to school early in order to hone my skills at the shooting range there. I smirked as I perfectly hit every target, and effortlessly pulled off a ricochet shot. Even the ace of the boy’s shooting team couldn’t hope to match me.

There was just one problem.

“KAZEROU TSUBAKI! STOP RIGHT THERE IMMEDIATELY!”

I groaned as I turned to face Maya Kuriyama, the secretary of the student council and head of the disciplinary committee. She was in the same year and class as me, was unreasonably strict, and despised me.

“What? Students are allowed to practice sports before school starts,” I argued.

Then to my dismay, the tyrannical student council president, Ayaka Himesaki, and Kasegawa Sensei, the teacher in charge of the shooting team appeared behind her. I knew what this meant.

“Tsubaki! Your grade report indicates that just like last year, you’re ineligible to participate in sports. This means you are forbidden from using this area to practice, nor can you borrow the school’s equipment to take home.” Kasegawa stated as she shoved a paper in my face.

“Zerou, Zerou, Zerou. You’re not supposed to be here, yet here you are. I think after school detention is needed to correct your disruptive behavior,” Himesaki sneered.

My name is Kazerou Tsubaki. I am currently a 2nd year in high school. Unfortunately, I’m on the lowest tier of the social hierarchy and constantly picked on. My grades are terrible, my physical strength is lower than average, and I’m only 163 cm tall and likely won’t have another growth spurt. However, I’m so talented at sports shooting that I could probably qualify for the Olympics. Sadly, my poor academic ability and the school’s strict guidelines threatened that dream.

As I depressingly trudged through the hallway, a voice called out to me.

“Kazerou-kun! Are you alright?” a cute grirl with long messy brunette hair asked.

It was Naname Hosen. My girlfriend and the one person willing to stand by my side.

We’ve known each other ever since I saved her from some bullies back in elementary school. Well, it’d be more accurate to say I just shifted the bullies’ focus to me. Though my beat down did allow Naname to get away and call an adult. Afterwards, Naname became attracted to me and befriended me. I guess it must’ve been my bravery considering that was the only thing I had going for me back then.

Unlike me, Naname is highly intelligent and an angel. If her light didn’t radiate so brightly, there would be nothing in this world for me. She was what motivated me to try to find my calling in life, so that I could be a man worthy of standing by her side. It’s thanks to her that I discovered my talent for sharpshooting and just barely avoid repeating a grade.

 After seeing how far she’d go for a loser like me, I finally mustered the courage to ask her out. She said yes, and today will be our first official date.

“Yo Naname, they said I can’t participate this year and that I also have after school detention,” I stated.

“That’s wrong! Kazerou-kun has talent! Naname will complain.”

“I appreciate that you’d do that, but it’s best not to get on Himesaki’s bad side. You know what she did to my older sister last year. I couldn’t bear to see you suffer just for me.”

“Then Kazerou-kun needs to man up. Fight back!”

Seeing Naname’s positive energy gave me the confidence I needed.

“Thanks Naname. Next time those tyrants try to pick on me, I’ll tell them they’re trash. Heck, I refuse to succumb to their detention sentence. Once school’s out, I’m heading straight home to change before our date.”

“That’s the Kazerou-kun Naname likes to see! But you better be on time. Naname will be upset if you’re late.”

We were finally going to go on our first date. All I had to do was get through school, then go home and change and then I’d finally be on an official date with Naname. If only time would move faster.

                                                                             …

*Bing Bong* *Bing Bong*

“YOSHA!” I yelled as the bell rang.

“Oi Tsubaki! No one’s dismissed until I finish explaining this theorem!” the teacher angrily yelled as he hurled chalk directly at my head. It hit me causing me to fall to the ground as everyone laughed and jeered at me.

“Show some respect to Ushino Sensei!” Kuriyama growled.

“Lol, dumbass got sniped," a male student chuckled.

“How the hell did you even pass last year, Zerou?” another student sneered.

“QUIET EVERYONE!” Ushino Sensei barked as he resumed his lecture.

Once he finally dismissed us, I ran out as fast as I could as the class glared at me.

“15 minutes!? I knew Ushino Sensei was strict, but that was overkill. If I stay here any longer, I’ll be beaten to a pulp!” I thought as I bolted for the shoe locker.

I had to be careful though as the student council and disciplinary committee would relentlessly torment me if they caught me running in the halls. I managed to reach the shoe locker without any problems, though I still felt uneasy. My fears were confirmed when I reached the courtyard.

“KAZEROU TSUBAKI! STOP RIGHT THERE IMMEDIATELY!”

I groaned as I turned to face Kuriyama.

“KAZEROU TSUBAKI! You disrupted class and disrespected Ushino Sensei. You were also spotted running in the halls and have a detention sentence do you not?”

“Hell no! I’ll do it tomorrow!" I growled as I bolted for the gate.

Unfortunately, I was blocked by Yuzuki Shimemura the ambitious vice president of the student council.

“Quite the coward you are Zerou,” she sneered as she approached me. I was quickly being sandwiched between the two. Then things got worse as Himesaki emerged from the school.

“Zerou, Zerou, Zerou. Why do you always break the rules? Are you that much of a masochist that you enjoy being punished? Well sorry to burst your bubble, but we despise scum like you that disrupts the peace of society,” she sneered as she stared me down.

“Me scum!? You three practically run the school like a syndicate you tyrannical-Ugh!”

Himesaki kicked me in the gut with a disgusted look on her face.

“Don’t you DARE compare civil servants like us to criminal trash!” she snarled.

 Kuriyama and Shimemura  then dragged me off to detention as I fell unconscious.

                                                                                 ...

30 minutes later I was free. I ran home as fast as I could and called Naname.

“Kazerou-kun, are you getting ready?”

“Ah, sorry Naname, I got mugged by the tyrant council, so I haven’t gotten home yet.”

“Well, Naname knows they can be unreasonable. The movie we want to see has a second showing at 4:45, so we could see that one. However, you NEED to be on time. Naname won’t wait any longer.”

“Got it, I should be home by 3:55. I’ll get ready as fast as I can.”

I ran into my house so fast, I almost forgot to remove my shoes. I showered and changed in 5 minutes tops.

“Damn those tyrants! I’ll never forgive them for delaying my date with Naname,” I grumbled as I ran down the stairs.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

“Wait, could that be Naname? Did she really come here so we could go out together?” I happily thought as I opened the door.

“Naname- Oh, um sorry. Who are you?”

Instead of Naname, it was a woman in a black suit and heels. She had long maroon hair tied up in a ponytail and wore pounds of makeup on her face.

“You’re Kazerou Tsubaki right?” she asked.

“What business do you have with him?”

“A job. I want YOU to clean up some trash for me.”

I scowled in annoyance as I tried to get past the woman.

“I’ve got a date! And I’m not gonna let anyone else stand in my way!”

The woman then kneed me in the gut and knocked me out.

                                                                                    ...

When I awoke, I was sitting in the backseat of a car bound and gagged.

“Pathetic! You went down in one blow. Guess you really are a zero, Zerou,” the woman sneered as she ripped the tape off my mouth.

“WHAT THE- AHG!”

Before I could scream, the woman shoved a gun in my mouth.

“Now Zerou, listen closely. Your job is to take out the three men down by the dock. Do that, and I’ll let you go. Fail or refuse and you’re dead.”

“Fahail? Tahk OWT!? I CAUGH OO AT!”

“No, I don’t want you beat them up, I want you to snipe them to death,” she sneered as she removed her gun from my mouth.

“Snipe!?”

“Yes. I’ve heard you possess a great talent for sniping. You would do well to serve as my hitman.”

HITMAN!? Who the hell are you?”

“I’m the boss of Familia Panini, an infamous Italian mafia.”

“Ma-MAFIA!?”

I then realized I was about to be dragged into a world of darkness and pain.