The Madagascar incident

"So why are we here in Madagascar, Rebelle-senpai?" Rika asked as she set up camp.

"I wish to gather the organic fungi growing in the wilderness," Rebelle mused.

"Pretty sure we could have just requested them from the school. Anyway, why'd you bring me? I thought all you Makihara supporters hated me."

"I wish to pick mushrooms from the source myself. As for why I requested you, labor. Also, Nozomi-chan is also here, and she could be considered neutral."

A woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail then arrived at the campsite. She was none other than Hinari Nozomi, a second year at Tabemono Gakuin.

"Took your sweet time getting here, Nozomi-senpai. I've almost finished doing all the labor," Rika growled.

"Komachi-san, Madagascar is home to a variety of endangered species. I wish very much to see the state of their habitat so that I can do what I must to ensure they will not go extinct," Hinari stated.

"So admirable. So how do you plan to do that? Your cooking's subpar, so I doubt you'll become a famous chef," Rebelle sneered.

"I can at least cook a meal without the need to slaughter any animals to do so. I despise the act of killing greatly.

"Well, since you both came with me, I'll allow you to gather any other flora you want," Rebelle smirked.

"It would be wise not to take too much so as not to harm the local ecosystem-"

"Really!? Can I hunt some snakes too?" Rika giddily asked.

"SNAKES!?" Rebelle and Hinari shouted in shock.

"Yeah, I wanna try cooking some exotic snakes. Bet they'll taste good."

"Does conservation status not matter to you at all!?" Hinari glared.

"Huh? Why can't I eat snakes? I ate them all the time when I was young."

"Which snakes?" Rebelle asked.

"Hmm, Tiger snakes, sea snakes, oh and the delicious taipan snakes."

"Th- Those are like, the most venomous snakes in the world," Rebelle nervously stated.

"Well, I'm off to find some fungi. So chill and smear mud all over your face or something," Rika snickered as she leapt away.

"So, she enjoys feasting on exotic animals. I don't think we will get along well at all," Hinari glared as she set off to gather some mushrooms.

"Rika Komachi, or should I say Rika Korosekai. I am well aware of your assassin roots. Though you appear to be straying from the path your family laid before you. For Madam Ookuma's sake, I can't allow you to roam free, though I have no doubt she could effortlessly silence you should you attempt to bring her down. Though to think you eat venomous snakes. Well, you learn something new every day. Now, why don't I get some fresh dirt on you," Rebelle thought as she pulled out her phone.

...

As Rika returned, she noticed Rebelle and Hinari being confronted by some burly men with shotguns. They were also standing next to a cage containing a lemur.

"Must be poachers," Rika thought as she cautiously approached the group.

"And you think I'm just going to let you waltz away scot-free with that silky sifaka?" Hinari glared.

"Ay mate, we caught it so it's ours," the leader of the poachers glared as he twirled his thick mustache.

"Release it and turn yourselves in."

"Nah! We’re gonna sell im' to a billionaire as a pet," another poacher grinned as he held up the cage containing the live silky sifaka.

"The hell you asshole's want?" Rika snarled as she strolled up to the group.

"Ah, Komachi. Good timing. Use your gorilla powers to best these poachers," Rebelle snickered.

"I detest violence as a means to solve problems. Have you three heard of Tabemono Gakuin?" Hinari asked as she displayed her student ID.

"That famous cookin' school? Yeah, we heard of em, mate," a poacher nodded.

"Then face us in a cook-off. If we win, you release the silky sifaka and imprison yourselves in its cage until the authorities arrest you. As for the dish, it must be vegan."

"Alright, and if you lose, you three ladies come with us," the head poacher maliciously chuckled.

"Despicable, but I shall risk it to save the silky sifaka and see that you three are brought to justice.

"We hear ya guys can issue cooking challenges worldwide. Well, we love a good sport so why not spice up the challenge a bit an make it a team match. Let's say one member does the gatherin, the other does the cookin, and the other acts as judge."

"And if there's a draw in the judging?"

"We go our separate ways. Though all ya gotta do is make a good enough dish to impress the other judge as well as your own. I've been cookin' grub for these boys since we formed a party, and they love every crumb I feed em. Bet your judge will love it too."

"Very well. In that case I shall do the cooking. Adler-senpai, please be the judge."

"Sure. Komachi, do the hunting," Rebelle ordered.

"So, my only purpose here is labor. Well, guess I probably am the best to go gathering things in the dark," Rika shrugged.

"Don't you dare take more ingredients than necessary. The local ecosystem must not be disrupted," Hinari glared.

"Yeah. Yeah."

"Now that we got that settled, how bout we give each member an hour to hunt, and a half hour to cook. If ya fail to get things done in time, you lose," the head poacher snickered.

"We accept. Now pick your hunter. Komachi, get ready to hunt," Rebelle ordered.

...

"That should be plenty of mushrooms," Rika thought as she stared at her overflowing basket of mushrooms. She then glanced down at the waterfall next to her. "Wonder if I could take the river back. Well, I can just sky run so-"

Bang!

Rika suddenly went on guard as she was faced with a barrage of bullets.

"Not gonna make it back," a poacher snickered as he opened fire on Rika from within a thicket.

"Damn cheater's trying to kill me, well out here I- GAH!"

The ground suddenly gave way causing Rika to stumble and subsequently take a bullet to the arm as she fell into the river below.

...

"Only 50 seconds remained before you get disqualified for not returning from the hunt," the head poacher sneered.

"What is that idiot doing!?" Hinari fumed.

"Guess she slipped and fell somewhere," another poacher sneered as he stood next to his basket of mushrooms.

"Yeah, luckily I got back up and brought back some quarry," an angry soaked Rika glared as she slammed down a basket of mushrooms before clutching her bandaged arm.

The poacher that shot Rika suddenly went pale with shock as Rika shot him a death glare.

"What happened?" asked Rebelle.

"Oh, I just slipped and fell in the river like he said," Rika angrily smiled.

"You took far too many mushrooms. I shall reprimand you later," Hinari glared as she picked up the basket.

"Guess I shouldn't tell her I ended up having to pick a whole nother basket's worth of mushrooms after the first batch got washed away in the river," Rika nervously thought.

...

"My, you've outdone yourself, Nozomi-chan," Rebelle cooed as she finished eating Hinari's dish.

"This meal is way better than any crap you ever made, boss!" the poacher designated as judge declared as he awarded the Tabemono girls the win.

"Looks like we win. Now boys, release the silky sifaka, and imprison yourself in its cage," Hinari smirked.

"Yeah, and you think I'm just gonna turn myself in? Grab the snarky one," a poacher ordered.

The remaining poachers quickly took Hinari and Rebelle hostage and held their sharp knives up to their necks as the leader aimed his shotgun at Rika and fired.

Rika vanished and quickly killed the two poachers holding Hinari and Rebelle hostage with her knife, before chucking it into the neck of the remaining poacher, killing him.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH! WHAT'S HAPPENING! WHY'S THERE SO MUCH BLOOD!?" Hinari screamed in terror.

"Oh, um. I... took a self-defense class?" Rika nervously smiled as she retrieved her knife.

"YOU KILLED THOSE THREE!"

"Like I said I'm-"

"An assassin I presume?" Rebelle nervously asked.

"Assassin? KOMACHI! Is this true!?" Hinari glared.

"Nozomi-senpai, can I explain-"

"You killed them! You're a murderer!"

"But they were poachers, why are you so upset?" Rika asked.

"I don't believe in killing, no matter how vile the perpetrator is."

"Sorry Nozomi-senpai, but killing's all I've been doing since I was young."

"So, Adler-senpai's hypothesis was true then. In that case, free the Silky Sifaka and imprison yourself in the cage. I will contact the authorities."

"Can't you keep a secret? I did save your life."

"Perhaps a court of law will agree that you acted in self-defense. Yet how many people have you killed?"

"...Alot."

"Then you need to be tried for each and everyone. Confess to all your crimes and serve the sentences for them."

Tears began to well up in Rika's eyes as she began to tremble. Rebelle meanwhile had picked up the poacher's shotgun and begun pointing it at Rika. "Do as she says," Rebelle trembled as she walked in front of Hinari.

Before Rika could react, Rebelle suddenly panicked and pulled the trigger. On reflex, Rika dodged the shot and immediately threw her knife at Rebelle's throat. To her shock and horror, Rebelle smirked before quickly vanishing, causing the knife to fly straight into Hinari's throat. Hinari's eyes went wide with shock as she coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Huh? NOZOMI-SENPAI!" Rika cried as she rushed over. However, as Rika reached Hinari, she realized she was dead.

"You murdered her," Rebelle glared as she reappeared from behind a tree.

"No, I- WAIT! You were able to dodge that attack with ease! Who are you!?" Rika tearfully glared.

"Rebelle Milverton Adler," Rebelle smirked.

"That was an assassin technique. Are you an assassin too?"

"Nay, but I do need to train in order to survive attacks from them. Now Kohai, grovel before me if you wish to continue your peaceful school life."

"The hell!? Why would I-"

"Because you are now at my will. Just look behind you."

Rika turned to see the caged silky sifaka holding a smartphone. The lemur then laughed and freed himself before scurrying over to Rebelle and putting on a fedora.

"His name is Cyril. He's been an irreplaceable ally to me. As you just witnessed, he recorded and sent the whole video of your killing spree to my many allies. Now Kohai, if you want me to tell them NOT to send your video to the authorities, grovel!" Rebelle sneered as she pulled out a riding crop.

Rika trembled and angrily gritted her teeth as she begrudgingly complied.

...

"After that incident, Rebelle constantly tormented me and threatened to expose my secret until she graduated a month later. Once she was gone, I never saw her again until today, so school life became cool again," Rika stated as she finished her story.

"So, wait, were those poachers-"

"Guess she had a role in bringing them to me. Or perhaps it was that damn lemur that was with her that brought them to us."

Zuina stared at Rika before pressing her hand onto her forehead. "So, you accidentally killed her. In the video I saw, all that was shown was you killing the poachers and throwing the knife at Hinari. However, you claim you threw the knife at Onee-san on reflex, who then dodged it, causing the knife to kill Hinari? Leave me be. I need to digest all this," Zuina growled.

Rika and Matcha quickly let her be. When they were gone, Zuina rewatched the video of the incident on her phone. "I was too shocked to notice it at first, but the audio is muted, and it does appear as though Komachi-san has dodged something as she prepares to throw the knife," she muttered before breaking down in tears. "DAMN YOU REBELLE! I'll never forgive you for this!"