The Assassin Within

Part 47~Smog

"Well, uh... Let me check with the front-" Professor Vitch grabbed onto the guard before he could walk away.

"Aw, come on. I want you to hear me play. And then critique me." Professor Vitch pressed down on the first cord, easily playing the music. The guards were pulled in as Professor Vitch continued to play. She did everything to draw the guards in as the class ran past the first room.

"We all made it through," Kayano cheered excitedly.

"Isn't Bitch-sensei something? Playing like that with those nails," Sugaya said as he leaned against the wall.

"You think you could do that," Zen asked quietly into Nagisa's ear.

"Ask me again and I'll break your nose. I knew she could play the piano but I never knew she could do it with those nails."

"Really?" Kayano tilted her head as Nagisa nodded.

"Yeah. Okabe might not look like the type but he can play the violin and sing. He was playing for Karma one day when Bitch-sensei caught them. We ended up in a four-hour-long conversation about classical music," Nagisa explained as the others gasped.

"There's more to them than what you see every day," Karasuma said while standing up. "The better the assassin, the broader their skill set. The woman who's been teaching you conversation skills is amongst the top one or two masters of seduction in the world. And the teenager over there is one of the youngest assassins in the world."

"So my current immobility won't be a problem," Koro-sensei summed up as Nagisa narrowed his eyes.

It would have been easier with Okabe here but since he was out of the question, Nagisa will have to do with Karma and Zen. "Let's go!"

"All right. Now that we're past the heavy security at the entrance, we should be able to pose as regular guests," Karasuma explained strictly.

"Guest? Do they put up with a group of junior-high kids here," Sugaya asked in confusion.

"Plenty, from what I've heard. The coddled kids of millionaires and celebrities. Brought up like decadent royalty, they keep innocent faces while dabbling in darker pursuits."

"Right! So walk around acting like those kids, looking down your noses at the whole world," Koro-sensei ordered as the class took it way too far. "That's the way! However, we have no idea what our opponent looks like. He might attack while posing as a regular guest like us. Proceed with plenty of caution."

Nagisa felt his eyes scanning the space around him. Each time a guest passed him he wanted to check they weren't going to attack but doing that would blow their cover so he just checked walking forward.

Terasaka and Yoshida seemed to get bored of just walking as they charged forward against Karasuma's wishes.

"Terasaka-kun! Watch out," Fuwa ordered as Karasuma ran forward and pushed them behind him. A purple gas expanded and encased Karasuma as he fought off the mysterious man. Karasuma jumped back as the mysterious man pulled out the cloth he used to stop himself from breathing in the gas.

"How could you tell? I kill in passing without the slightest hint of bloodlust. That happens to be my speciality, Helmet Hair," the mysterious man said as Fuwa stepped forward.

"Aren't you the man who gave us our welcome drinks? It's downright fishy for someone like that to be walking around in here!"

"You've got a good eye."

"Then was it you who gave everyone that virus," Kayano accused.

"That's a pretty flimsy accusation. There would have been plenty of other opportunities to slip you that stuff," the man defended himself while holding up his hands.

Fuwa shook her head as she walked out. "The only time we all ate or drank the same thing was with those drinks and our shipboard dinner. But Mimura-kun and Okajima-kun worked on the video right through dinner, and they're both sick, which narrows it down to those daytime drinks. And that means the culprit is you, mister!"

Nagisa narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, something felt... familiar about him. While Fuwa was completely right that caused more confusion. A real assassin wouldn't be that clumsy. 'They brought in some new people, can you believe that! There was this weird poison guy with a large nose. He's better at hiding his bloodlust than you are, Vi. Really weirdo.'

"You're one of Lovro's, aren't you?" Nagisa glared down at the mysterious man with a dark aura. "Lovro said that three of his newer recruits went missing. Bleach had told me about a poison-based assassin who could withhold his bloodlust. He made a particular focus on the distinctive feature on the assassin face. That's you right? What's one of Lovro's doing being played."

The mysterious man started to laugh, confusing Nagisa and the class. Nagisa's eyes widened as Karasuma fell to the ground.

"I guess even if you've found me out, it's already too late," the man said as Nagisa growled. How did he not see that?!

"A poisoner eh? And quite skilled in practical application," Koro-sensei muttered.

"My very own paralysis gas for indoor use. One whiff can bring down an elephant. Fresh air neutralizes it, leaving no evidence behind. Now, it's plain to see you have no intention of honouring our arrangement. Negotiations have broken down. Guess I'll have to tell my boss." The man turned around to leave but the exit was blocked.

"When encountering an enemy immediately block their retreat path and cut off communications," Kataoka recited as the class prepared for a fight. "Isn't that right, Karasuma-sensei?"

"The minute you saw us, you should've held off attacking and gone back to tell your boss," Karasuma growled as he stood up.

"I'm surprised you can still talk," the mysterious man pulled the mask to cover his mouth but before he could do anything he felt something cutting the back of his neck.

"You might be a poisoner, but you're not Digit. This is her special blend, a single drop in the blood and you can take down a dinosaur," Zen growled while holding up the knife. "You should have learnt by now to not yap when in a room of trained enemies."

Zen swung his blade, hiding it back under his jumper as he turned to Karasuma who had collapsed.