The promised hour approached. A little bit of excitement sparked to mind from a happy family moment. It was hard not to look forward to it. A long desired wish granted always felt like a dream. Even if not all wishes could be granted, she would see as many that could be. That was her duty.

  That was why she could take aep.

  With the end of csses, Fumiko hurried out of the room. She foreweures to cssmates and the teacher. Because the Student cil didn’t have personal details, she knew nothing about Ayumi, just that she was a first year. That meant a trek to the third floor.

  Searg the halls as it began to fill in with students proved a little more challenging than she expected. But so far at least, it wasn’t too many. ‘There’s so many to check…wish I had stayed to ask more questions. But that’d be creepy. Mind telling me what css you’re in? Yeah no, I just will have to deal with this…’

  “It’s the bance of slice of life with a! You know it’s like ‘oh let’s have tea and cake, it’s a wonderful bam assassins from the roof’!”

  “I don’t think… I’ll get it…”

  “It’s edy! Eh, edy is subjective anyway, but it’s a really funny read.”

  “May…be…”

  Fumiko turned, reizing the voices behind her. “Nishimura? Nishimura!”

  Yuki perked up hearing a voice calling to them. “Ayumi? Is that?” A very tall teenager hurried towards them. If he didn’t know who they were, he’d probably be back away. “Oh, you’re Fumikht?”

  “Gd I found you!”

  “You were looking for us?”“Nishimura actually. I ran into someoerday that wao see you before you left. Are you free?”

  Ayumi stared at the girl reading her expression and stanbsp; Questions immediately rose up. The situation appeared suspicious, almost insultingly. She didn’t see any hints from Fumiko. It troubled her even more the ck of deception. “Who is it?”

  “They wa to be a surprise.”

  Yuki leaned in a little towards Fumiko. “We keep a secret. Couldn’t you tell us?”

  “Please, Nishimura.”

  ‘At least I know it’s a trap…better ter it now than where I ’t trol it.’ She turo look over at Yuki. Before she even opened her mouth, the expression told her everything. This wasn’t something she was allowed to do alone. “Okay…”

  Chapter 35 – Lost and Found

  Uainty followed them out to the school grounds. The safety of the school disappeared, increasing the unease about the situation. Yuki started looking around everywhere in paranoia. Random sounds made him snap to attention.

  Fumiko gnced back curious to what bothered him. “Something wrong?”

  “N-no! I’m just a little…act prone. So I’m just a little on guard.”

  “All the sports practi a different part of the school.”

  “You’d like to think that’d be enough.” He ughed a little leaning on a different truth for his lie. A demanding stare from Ayumi told him to calm down. Yuki attempted to rex, but the knowledge of another assassin made it difficult.

  In both a hurry to see the tension break and dreading it, Yuki walked on a little behind Ayumi. ‘I know she’s prepared and I’m useless still, but Fumiko’s here.’ He looked around again trying to feel assured in their safety. Nothing.

  Yuki rubbed his arm out of nerves. “So Fumiko…do you have a club you’re a part of?”

  “Hm? Oh, yes, one of the Literary Clubs.”

  “Oh!” A bit of geerest leaked into his words. “Are they meeting today?”

  “Yes, they’re probably starting to make their way now.”

  “We wouldn’t want to keep you from your club. If you tell us where to meet them, we make it there on our own.”

  “It’s only a few minutes. We don’t start immediately.”

  He rubbed his fingers down his forearm. Another check of the surroundings came up empty. By all signs, they headed to the front gate. They didn’t need Fumiko anymore. Yuki felt his heart starting to pound. “What are you reading?”

  “Huh?”

  “For fun. I happen to read my fair share and I’m always looking for new suggestions.”

  “I mostly just read fantasy.”

  “Then you must have some good suggestions! I sort of read a bit of everything. So the more uff I end up missing. Any good reendations?”

  The question finally made Fumiko stop to think. While she was distracted, Ayumi took the opportunity to start going on ahead. Yuki remained behind to keep feeding her questions.

  Ayumi marched to the gate monit the entire area. Only students filled the grounds as expected. The number made it troubling for her. The assassin could easily hide among them to strike. She stayed on defense as she tinued forward.

  Still no one appeared. No hints of an enemy. They had to be somewhere. This was a very different game thahers. Ayumi wondered who the cil might have sent. The old men finally saw it as a real threat a someone skilled. ‘Did they send an Omega?’

  Even as the iigation tinued, she tried to prepare tingencies. Yet as she stood out at the gate, nothing still appeared. Students as far as she could see. Across the street no o of the ordinary, not that was a mark of anything. They could pretend to be anyone. Eveudents could be suspects, yet none of them moved for her.

  One final look around, she saw no one. ‘Perhaps this isn’t the meeting location? Or…’ Ayumi looked back towards Fumiko. Staring long at the teenager, new questions rose up.

  The distra finally broke as Yuki leaned around Fumiko, seeing nothing happening. Fumiko turned around surprised to see Ayumi at the gate. “Ah crap! I pletely lost myself!”

  He smiled babsp; “It’s my fault. I sort of get lost in my own world when it es to books!”

  “Yes, I know what you mean. You thought about joining the Literary Club?”

  “Well I’m…”

  “Dammit, look at me recruiting! We should get back to Nishimura!”

  “Yeah…” Yuki jumped up to get a little ahead of Fumiko. Without words, he exged looks at Ayumi hoping for some answers. Best he got from her was no assassin. Her answer put him even more on edge to what came . “Where are we going?”

  “Oh just to the gate! She’s waiting outside for Nishimura.” Fumiko hurried her pace to catch up with Yuki. However, they looked around together and found no one. “Odd, she said she’d wait here for you.”

  “Who’s waiting for me?”

  “Well I…” Fumiko searched around again for Chiasa, but it was no use. Just like Ayumi, she found nothing but students. “She didn’t run off did she?”

  “Fumiko?”

  “I guess it would help if you knew. You’d probably spot her faster than me, since she’s your sister.”

  Yuki jumped back towards Ayumi immediately going on the guard. He desperately sought out their stranger. The st firmation was all he o know without a doubt they walked into a trap. But where were they? Why hadn’t they already attacked when Ayumi was alone? Doubts mixed around in his mind about the situation.

  “What’s wrong? You’re looking a little odd…”

  Nothing still. He looked up to the roofs in hopes of anything. “Ayumi doesn’t have a sister, Fumiko. She’s an only child.”

  “Huh? What are you talking about? I saw her and her ID!” Fumiko walked closer to Ayumi wanting some answers. A straension she didn’t uand surrouhem. This was meant to be a happy moment for sisters. They were ruining everything. “Nishimura–”

  Out of Fumiko’s chest came a long sword that glowed yellow sending out a burst of energy from the tip towards Ayumi. Ayumi’s eyes had widened in shock as the entire area was blinded by a fsh with blood spraying everywhere.

  Yuki turned in horror to see both Fumiko and Ayumi pierced with the sword. Pools of blood already began to gather on the crete. It came up at a low ahrough Fumiko’s waist straight into Ayumi’s heart. A stunned look remained painted on her face with life quickly starting to fade. And behind it all a small ten year old child equally soaked in the blood of her targets. “No! Ayumi! Fumiko!”

  He reached out to Ayumi as the sword ripped back out, tearing through flesh. Fumiko coughed up an uling amount of blood already starting to shake. The strength disappeared from Ayumi’s body colpsing into his arms. “Hoere…” He looked over at the child sensing the murderous i.

  It should have been a disturbing and uling image, aary school child soaked in blood holding an oversized on. Perhaps his media ption or special powers , but all he felt was fear. This wasn’t how it was supposed to py out. Ayumi couldn’t be dead.

  Before he could spare ahought to what happened, a familiar looking sword flew in pierg the child through the heart as well. He couldn’t even go into shock at this point. “Ayumi?” It was her sword. He looked down, but the body was gone.

  Out of the air, Ayumi looked to materialize or be revealed depending on the perspective. She had a narrowed expression, worn many times before. “Be careful, they’re still out there. It was just a fake.”

  “But…everything…you’re not dead?”

  “No, but the girl is at risk.” Ayumi stood a little down the sidewalk seeking out the assassin. They remained well hidden still. “I’ll draw their attention away, heal her et medical attention!” She turned away and ran down the sidewalk to hunt.

  Yuki looked around, still cheg up. The assassin remained unknown a Ayumi just left him. All he could do was hope she had more of a clue than he had to their location. But she was right about ohing. A thud o him drew him back to the present. “Fumiko!”

  Colpsed in her own blood and shaking, the teenager coughed and gasped on air. Panic filled her eyes with an experience she never knew. Yuki reized the fear and grabbed onto her hand. “Fumiko! It-it-it’ll be alright! Just listen to-t-t-to my voice!” He tried to reach out to the power that existed in him, always hiding, always at a distanbsp; It had to e to him now. It alicked the extreme.

  There wasn’t any ge in Fumiko. No signs of lights or motes of energy like before. He squeezed her hand praying deep ihat his mind would answer his call. This couldn’t be the time that it failed him. It wouldn’t let this happen to him. He refused to believe it.

  Seds slowly ticked aon the bleeding vas around him. Yuki closed his eyes, fighting against his mind aions. The tempest of his thoughts fought out a re distatle. All his worries stu the back of his mind never focused upon finally came true. The cost of his life, his secret, it stared back at him.