Blending In

"Ran, you there?" Watcher called for me through the comms.

I lifted my finger up to my left ear. "I'm here, sir. Do you have a new mission for me?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. Pick up your goddam phone."

After that, I heard a static click, a sign that his transponder had gone offline.

Pick up my phone? What does he mean by that? He never called me. At least, that's what I thought until I opened the lock screen. Rolling down my notification log was a collection of missed calls from Watcher, all within seconds of each other.

I unlocked the screen and shot him a call.

"Jesus Christ, son," he grumbled. "You know how many times I tried to call you? I can't keep contacting you via comms. Looking so damn suspicious, reaching for your ears and shit like you got something to hide."

"Apologies, sir. I forgot to switch my phone back from silent mode after my exams."

"Uh-huh. Speaking of which, how'd that go?"

"I'd be surprised if I passed any of them, sir."

"What the... You know how hard it was for me to get you into that university? That stuck-up, quote-on-quote 'prestigious institution' ain't no joke when it comes to admissions."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but I remember you explicitly telling me that all it took was a word from you, and the headmaster caved."

An awkward moment of silence fell between us.

"Ahem... Anyways, you done with your classes for the day?" Watcher quickly asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now for your next mission. I want you to go around campus and see what interests you."

"...Pardon, sir...?"

"You heard me right, son. Take a look around. Go see all the extracurricular shit the young folks do in college. Maybe join a club. How about the student council? Actually, wait. Scratch all of that. As of right now, your mission is to join at least one club before the end of the week."

"If you don't mind my asking, sir... What does this have to do with our line of work?"

"Absolutely nothing, but that's the beauty of it, eh? You finally get to go around and be a normal kid for once in your life."

"Would it be impolite to say that I'm uninterested, sir?"

"I don't give a shit if you're uninterested. That's the mission. Got it?"

"...Understood, sir."

"Good. Now, get going. There's a lot to see, haha!"

With that, he hung up the phone.

For the next few minutes, I stood in the middle of a bustling courtyard, feeling completely out of place while Watcher’s words echoed in my head.

Extracurricular activities? Clubs? Student council? That means I'll have to interact with other students. It's not that I can't, but... I’m definitely not great at it.

All around me, students were passing by in pairs or small groups, chatting effortlessly as if they'd been doing it their whole lives.

And me? I've always been a loner. My life as an assassin is all I've ever known. How can I possibly fit in with these people?

Even with all my doubts, I decided to go along with the mission. As much as I want to, it's not like I can just outright disobey Watcher. The thought of what he might do if I fail sends a chill down my spine.

In the courtyard, a bunch of decorated stalls were stationed on the grass next to the many arching pathways. I suppose now that final exams are over, they're back to recruiting new students for their clubs.

There seems to be quite a variety here.

Some athletics clubs were lined up on one path as if to compete against each other. They're the only ones that remotely fall within my line of interest, and that's simply because I work out a lot during the Hunt's training sessions.

The cultural club had, by far, the most visually appealing stalls. Paper lanterns hung from the wooden beams, accessories were stapled to the support columns, and the desk was decorated with a bunch of small trinkets. They seem similar to the ones I saw at the Summer Festival a few months ago. Perhaps they are the ones who are in charge of setting up festivals and whatnot.

Other clubs included academics, community service, and of course, the student council.

"Come join the volleyball club!" shouted one. "Beginner or pro, we'll take ya in!"

"Wanna get into study groups and prepare yourself for the next term? Come join our math club!" cheered another.

If I'm being honest, none of these appeal to me. A part of me wanted to reach back to Watcher and call it a 'mission failed,' but that would certainly put a dent in my perfect record. Don't want that happening. However, this particular mission is extremely out of place for someone like me.

Suddenly, a pair of students bumped into my shoulder while running past me. One of them turned around with a frantic expression.

"Sorry, man!" he said before turning to his friend. "Dude! Quit bumping into people!"

His friend turned around. "S-sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," I replied with a smile. "Where are you guys off to in such a hurry?"

"The student council stall. The 'Belle' is there right now! We gotta get going, or we'll miss her. See ya, man!"

The 'Belle,' huh? I've heard that name a couple of times since summer break ended. Apparently, her beauty is unmatched among the second-year students. She's also smart, somewhat athletic, and very rich. It is said that she charmed some of the popular third-year guys with just a single glance.

Despite hearing all the rumors, I've never once met her. I always wondered why people even care about things like that. I get it. Girls can be pretty, and guys will do anything in their power to get with someone they love. However, this seems a bit... cultish—the fact that they call her by a specific title and hoard around her like she's some kind of goddess.

It's times like these that I look up to the sky and laugh at myself for being so different from other people who are my age. Maybe this really is the norm, and I'm the weird one.

No, that's definitely the case.

I took a deep breath and looked back at the direction those two were headed. Even though I've heard so much about this 'Belle,' I've never actually seen her before. Since I have nothing better to do, I suppose I'll go check it out.