First Meeting

Sakuno and I stopped at one of the buildings across campus. Just like every other day, many eyes turned to us as we walked. The words of that one girl from a couple of days ago resonated in my mind. She said we looked like... 'models.' Do we really look that good? I suppose I never stopped to consider my appearance.

"This is it, right?" I asked.

"Uh, the flyer says... Engineering building number two, right next to Yasuda auditorium," Sakuno said.

We both turned around to see the grand building in the background.

"I mean, the description matches," I said.

"Should we call Shiro?"

"I think we got it. There's no reason to bother her."

Sakuno opened the door and stepped to the side. "Alrighty, then. After you, sire."

"Haaa... Quit calling me that."

We walked through the branching hallways, passing by a couple of students whom we could've asked for directions. However, I abstained, and Sakuno was too distracted by the new environment. 

Eventually, we heard a commotion and decided to follow the sound. That led us to a large room sprawling with students. A banner was strung up on the back wall, reading, 'Culture Club General Meeting.'

"Looks like we found it," Sakuno whistled. "That's a lot of people."

"It is," I gulped. "I can already feel my tolerance for loud noises running thin."

"Relax, bro. We're here to have fun."

"... Sure."

However, it wasn't that simple. Our heads turned when we noticed a large group off at the corner of the room. When I saw why, I wanted to leave immediately.

Sitting on the chair like it was a throne was the Belle herself. With a book in her hand and her legs crossed, she presented herself as some kind of celebrity. The crowd that surrounded her was feeding into it, as they were awing and mumbling words of admiration.

"Is this normal in the real world?" Sakuno whispered.

"I suppose so," I replied with the same tone.

"But... This is a bit excessive, isn't it?"

"Just a little."

Suddenly, Ayaka twisted her head at just the right moment to see us. When she did, her apathetic eyes were replaced by those of irritation.

"Why are you here?" she muttered, prompting the crowd to go completely silent.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," I said. "This is the culture club general meeting, isn't it?"

"Obviously, it is. I'm asking why you're joining. You don't strike me as the type to get involved in something like this."

"What I do is none of your concern."

"Of course it is. After all, I'm on the officer board of this club. Based on the way you conducted yourself in front of me the other day, I'm not so sure that you're an appropriate candidate."

I let an exhaustive sigh before turning my attention back to the front of the room. There, Saki was preparing a projector for the meeting. However, it seemed like the commotion had caught her attention, as she and a few others stopped to fix their eyes on us.

"Are you finally feeling threatened?" Ayaka scoffed. "That's good. That's how it should be. You're a nobody who amounts to nothing, so quit acting like you can just talk to me however you want."

"Hey, 'Belle,' can you shut up already?" Sakuno said with a taunting smile.

"... What?"

"He's a nobody, huh? In that case, I am too, and so are you. We're all humans under the same sky whose lives are just as meaningless as any other. Point is, you've got nothing on us, so keep playing princess in your own little corner and leave us alone."

The flustered look on her face made me want to smile, but I kept it in. When it comes to creative insults, no one does it better than Sakuno himself. Well... with the exception of Megumi no Hana.

"What did you say about our Belle?!" one of the guys in the crowd shouted.

He lunged forward and attempted to punch Sakuno. It was perhaps the biggest mistake of his life.

Sakuno effortlessly sidestepped the strike, pulling the guy's arm into an elbow lock before slamming him against the wall.

"Now, now," Sakuno chuckled devilishly. "Let's not get violent here. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself, hm?"

"Screw you!" he exclaimed.

Second biggest mistake. Sakuno pulled the guy's arm back even further, causing him to grunt in pain. All the while, the smile on Sakuno's face was growing wider.

"Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear ya," he muttered wickedly.

"Sakuno," I said, making sure to emphasize it with a menacing tone. "Let go of him."

The moment he saw my eyes, his momentary state of psychosis broke. It was only then that he realized what he was doing to the poor guy.

"Oops," he said, releasing him from the lock.

The boy fell to the ground while clutching his arm. He looked up at Sakuno with eyes full of rage, but that immediately shattered when he saw him still wearing that smile.

I remember the first time I encountered Sakuno's venomous eyes. They seemingly glow like that of a demon, and the piercing gaze could petrify even the most stoic man as the mythical Medusa would. When someone is in fear, they tend to see things that are not there.

No matter what, those who are sworn to the Hunt are not authorized to hurt civilians with the skills they developed as an assassin. It would go against everything our organization stands for.

However, not all of us are mentally sane, and Sakuno is one such person. If he ends up hurting someone, he won't even know it until they're all bloodied up on the ground. Those of us who have a somewhat stable mind are the ones who have to reel them back to reality.

I wouldn't necessarily call myself 'stable,' but I'm way better at controlling my emotions than Sakuno. One-thousand percent.

"My apologies," Sakuno said as he extended a helping hand. "Are you alright?"

"Ah..."

"... Eh?"

The boy slouched over, his back against the wall.

"Did... Did he just faint?" someone asked.

"I think so..." another one replied.

"Now why'd he go and do that?" Sakuno mumbled. "I was just offering a helping hand. Oh well. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"What happened here?" asked a girl.

I turned around to see Saki standing at the front of the crowd, flabbergasted and at a loss for words.

"Sorry, Miss Shiro," Sakuno said. "He tried to hit me first, so I retaliated. Didn't know he'd be so fragile."

"Erm... T-that's okay... I think," Saki mumbled. "But... Shouldn't we bring him to the nurse's office? Who knows what'll happen if we leave him like that."

"Eh, fine. I'll carry him."

Sakuno picked up the unconscious boy and held him like a princess. That was all it took for a majority of the girls in the room to look at him with great anticipation.

"And off I go," he smiled. "I'll be right back, Tsuki. Don't do anything dumb."

"How ironic that you're the one telling me that," I scoffed.

With that, he left the room, leaving me amongst a sea of strangers. Well, except for Saki, I suppose.

"Are you alright, Tsuki?" Saki asked.

"Hm? I wasn't the one who was fighting," I said.

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm glad you're safe."

If Ayaka is supposed to be beautiful, then Saki is simply sweeter than sweet. Her eyes curled, and her smile was enough to make her the star of the meeting. Just like that, the Belle lost her cultish followers for a moment.

"... Yeah," I replied.

"Anyway... Everyone! We're about to start."

The projector screen shifted to a slide, signaling the beginning of the meeting. I kept my attention fixed on Saki as she spoke, but not all were respectful enough to do the same.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Ayaka was glaring at me resentfully the whole time, alongside several boys who were making way too obvious that they were gossiping about me.

As an assassin, the worst thing I can do is draw attention to myself. Not only have I gained the scornful eyes of the Belle, but I've also garnered a somewhat positive relationship with Saki, a person who might be just as popular.

Something tells me I'm in for a loud and annoying ride.