Karma rushes forwards and swung the potted plant at the man. It does nothing. He catches it with his hand, "Too soft, hm. You'll have to find a better weapon, hm," and breaks the trunk in half.
"Don't need one." The two then brace themselves to fight with bare hands only.
The assassin comes charging toward Karma and starts taking swings at him. All of a sudden, Karma is dodging and blocking like there's no tomorrow.
The Assassin's hand goes flying towards Karma's face and the younger male just avoids it again.
"Wow..." Kayano muses, "He's dodging or blocking every blow!"
Damn Karma, I knew you were tough but holy shit!
"That's your defense technique, right, Karasuma-sensei?" Koro-Sensei inquires.
The Assassin stops.
"What's wrong, hm? You'll never get past me if you don't attack, hm!" He states.
"You think?" Karma smiles, "I mean, I could be doing my best to distract you while the rest of us slip past a few at a time." E Class comes into focus. "Relax. No underhanded hijinx here. Now... it's my turn." He cracks his knuckles and starts hopping about like they usually do in martial arts when preparing to fight, "Barehanded, like you. We'll settle this fair and square, man to man."
"I like that face of yours, young warrior, hm. With you, I've got a chance— a chance at the fair fight I can't experience in the assassination biz, hm."
Karma next runs in and tries to hit him, throwing punches left and right, up and down. Things are getting nowhere, that is until Karma manages to kick his leg. Grip staggers and turns around when he limps away, leaving his back wide open. It's an opportunity to win, and the young redhead takes it. He rushes up...
And a can of the demobilizing gas gets sprayed at point-blank range into his face. Karma falls to the ground.
I narrowed my eyes.
The Assassin grabbed Karma by his hair, "It's over, hm." He drops the canister.
"I'm not fond of drawn-out fights, hm. Thought I'd give Smog's paralysis gas a try, hm."
"That's dirty! Ain't nothin' fair about sneakin' that into the fight!" Yoshida yells at him.
"I never said I only fight bare-handed, hm." He now has his hand over Karma's face and lifts him up into the air, "One mustn't get too particular about one's hangups, hm. Just another key to sticking around in this business, hm. A spray of gas at point-blank range, hm... You'll never defend against it if you don't see it com--" He turns his face around to properly view his victory and looks dead ahead at the demobilized redhead. Demobilized. Or at least... that's what he thought. Karma himself sprays The Assassin in the face with a canister of gas.
I smirked.
The older male immediately coughs when he breathes it in, "Wh-what have you... hm..." He staggers, struggling not to fall down. Karma has a big grin, holding a handkerchief over his mouth.
"What a coincidence! We were both thinking the same thing!"
"How... did you... get that... hm...? And how... did you not... breathe my gas... hm...?"
He reaches inside his shirt and reveals a pocket knife which he then comes flying towards Karma, wildly attempting to stab him.
Karma dodges grab his arm, twists it, and shoves him onto the floor with all his weight on top of Grip. The man grunts in pain.
"C'mon, Terasaka—make it snappy! We'll need duct tape and sheer numbers to beat this monster!"
"Yeah, I'm on it. That promise of a barehanded one-on-one fight?" Almost all the healthy male students rush to help and all sit on top of him. What used to be a grunt now turns into a cry of alarm and pain. "It was bullshit from the word go!" Terasaka laughs. Sugaya produces some duct tape.
"Careful taping him up. With his superhuman strength, you've got to be cautious even when he's paralyzed," Mr. Karasuma warned them.
Grumbles of 'yes, sir' emerge.
The Assassin is now steadily immobilized. The tape covers many inches of his body, around his legs, arms and torso. He has a look of anguish written all over.
"Hm hm hm hm hm hm..." he mumbles whilst Karma throws the canister up and down and catches it.
"I filched an unused cartridge from that poisoner guy." Karma smiled mockingly. "It's so handy, I wish it weren't a one-time-use kind of thing."
I shoulda thought of that.
"How, hm... did you see my gas attack coming, hm? Is that why you didn't breathe any in, hm? But I only showed you my bare hands, hm... How, hm?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Karma smiles, "I was on guard against everything but bare hands,"
"Hm..."
"I'm sure you did really want a barehanded bout... but you would have had to stop us by any means necessary, and if I were you, I would have done the same." He sits down cross-legged in front of the man. "I trusted your attitude as a pro... and that's why I was on guard."
Oh my God has Karma finally changed for the better!?
"Karma had never known great defeat, but those midterm exams taught him all too well: Losers are people just like you who live their lives," Koro-Sensei states while a flashback to him taunting the boy over his defeat is shown, "thinking about all sorts of things. Once you realize that, you inevitably find you can no longer make light of your opponent on the battlefield. You can see if your foe is thinking like you, trying hard like you. You come to see their abilities, their circumstances. Someone who can be respectfully wary of their opponent... That person has no chinks on the battlefield. You grew so much from that one defeat. You'll make a name for yourself someday."
"You're nothing to sneeze at, young warrior, hm. I may have lost, --but I enjoyed our time together-"
"What are you talking about?" Karma asked.
Huh?
Karma cuts Grip off, "The fun's just beginning!" He produces two tubes, one hot mustard, and the other wasabi, and brandishes them like weapons.
Dammit, Karma.
"Hm? What the hell is that, hm?"
"Wasabi and mustard. I'm going to put them in your nostrils." Karma grins sadistically.
Cries of alarm come from both The Assassin and our classmates, "What, hm?!"
Karma starts fiddling about and clamps a metal clip onto the assassin's nose, it pulls the nostrils open. "I've been on guard around you all this time, but now that you're tied up, what's the point?" "Hm?"
"Once these are in, I'll plug your nose with a special clip," the now confirmed sadist informs him. A bag is on the floor, with 'be prepared' scrawled on top, containing objects/condiments like hot mustard, gentian tea, wasabi, a 'kick me' sticker, etc. "Stuff your mouth with ghost peppers—a thousand times hotter than average chilies—then, on top of all that, I'll gag you. Done and done!" He holds the hot mustard ready, "Okay, buddy, hm... now's the time to show your willpower as a pro, hm."
The Assassin's nostrils and mouth are pulled open widely, courtesy of the 'special' clip. Ever so simply, Karma squeezes the mustard up the assassin's nose.
The man yells out in distress.
"Koro-Sensei... Karma hasn't really changed all that much, has he?" Nagisa remarks as the rest of the class look on in shock and disgust.
"No, he hasn't. I'm concerned for his future."
"What the hell did you bring with you, anyway?" Terasaka puts the bag of 'useful items into a backpack. "Hey, let's get goin'. Keep draggin' our feet and they'll find us."
"—They'll find you, you big hulk."
"—Aw, shut it!"
____________________
Kayano holds her phone out whilst Ritsu informs them of the next obstacle, "Okay, Everyone, the terrace is upstairs."
"The bar floor. Could be tricky." Hayami adds, serious as always.
"Yes." A diagram pops up, showing where the class is, the route the need to take and where the end of it is, "There's a stairway to the VIP floor inside the lounge here. The back entrance is locked; we'll have to come in through the lounge to unlock it."
"Now we're flying by the seat of our pants."
"We really stick out, you guys." Isogai worries.
"Let's have the teachers hide here." The guys all look up at the girls, "We'll sneak into the lounge and unlock the back entrance." Kataoka gestures at all of them. "We girls won't look suspicious alone in a place like this." The rest of the girls nod.
"No, a group of girls alone is too risky," I said, making Okano raise an eyebrow.
"We're not helpless you know," she replied and I shook my head.
"I never said you were," I replied. "But you will draw unwanted attention,"
"Then what do you propose we do?" Rinka asked.
"Simple, I'm going with you," I said and Kataoka raised an eyebrow.
"The point is to not stand out," she explained, and I smirked.
"Trust me, I know my way around a place like this," I said with a sly wink.
"Even then we could still use one more," Karma said, glancing at Nagisa.
Uh oh.
____________________
"C'mon, be a man! Now get in front and protect us, Nagisa!" Fuwa tries to persuade the short blue-haired male who is currently hidden.
"Yeah come on," I laughed. "Why are you so embarrassed?"
"I can't! I can't be out in front!"
There are answers of, "Give it up." And "Go on!" as Nagisa was pulled out front.
The guy is dressed up as a girl. He's wearing: black boots and knee-length socks, a red tartan skirt sort of thing, a black sleeveless top with pink ribbons and a bow, a red choker, and two more pink bows tied around his pigtails.
"Why me?" He questions whilst blushing a deep red with embarrassment.
I snickered a big and adjusted my hat.
"Sora, remember to be careful. They're likely to check you more carefully than us," Kataoka pointed out, ignoring Nagisa's plight.
I nodded and looked around the club. Nothing like an alcohol-infused dance floor with shitty dancing and awful EDM beats.
"Let's go," I ordered.
"Where did you find these clothes, anyway?"
"Cast off beside the outdoor pool."
"Ugh! Let's get out of this filthy place ASAP!" Fuwa sighs.
"And yet you seem to be enjoying yourself, Fuwa." Nagisa sweat drops.
"Hey!" A hand falls down on the, still flustered, bluenette.
"Where'd you come from? How about a drink? Anything you like— it's on me!" Yuji starts and is met with hard stares from the females.
"Ah, no thanks. I'm actually here with-" Nagisa tried to say, but I patted him on the shoulder and pushed him forward.
"Go and have fun Nagisa," I said with a wide smile, wrapping an arm around Rinka. "It's not like I need all you lovely ladies to myself,"
Fucking shoot me.
"Huh but what-" Nagisa asked and I leaned in closer.
"Just act natural," I whispered. Nagisa was then led off by the boy.
After a moment Rinka raised an eyebrow at me.
"Was the wannabe player act really necessary?" She asked and I shrugged.
"That's the kinda person that frequents this kinda place. No upstanding gentleman would hang out here," I explained. "Believe me I hate it just as much as you do,"
I placed my hands in my pockets and walked forward, leading the girls along.
Then we got interrupted...again.
Jeez, what the hell is going on today?
"Hey there," one of the men said. "You wouldn't be opposed to sharing would you?"
It took all of my power to not break his nose.
I instead smiled and flashed a wink to the girls.
"Well, I gotta ask them first," I replied.
Then Yada stepped forward.
"We'd love to hang out with cool guys like you, but we're here with our daddies today. And our daddies are kinda scary." She flips a pin and catches it between two fingers, "So let's not."
The pin is brandished, and the men have a good look at it.
"A-A yakuza emblem! – And it's that infamous tiny-but-terrifyin' Shuei Syndicate!" They yelp while Yada continues.
"I asked real nice and he gave this to me. Maybe I'll pin it on my school bag!"
The two shout, "Sorry about that!" and scamper away.
It took all of my power to not laugh.
"Okay that was good," I laughed, then someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned to the person and my eyes widened.
"Sora? Is that you?" He asked, Rinka raised an eyebrow.
"Someone, you know?" She asked.
I took a long look at the boy. He had long shoulder-length black hair and a red bandana. He wore a black hoodie and jeans.
"Yeah," I muttered, then turned back to the girls. "I'll be right back,"
I then grabbed the boy by the hood and dragged him away for a one-on-one conversation.
"What are you doing here Kota?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Hangin' out," he said, raising an eyebrow. "How bout' you?"
I laughed a bit at that. "It's complicated,"
"Yeah ain't that the truth," he replied, offering me a drink. I shook my head.
"Nah, Rinka would kill me," I joked and he raised an eyebrow.
"That's the girl you were with?" He asked. "The one with the pigtails?"
I nodded, and Kota sighed.
"Listen, man, there's somethin' you gotta know," he said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Izumi was let outta juvy last night," he said.
My heart stopped.
"What?" I asked and Kota nodded.
"I just felt like you should know," he said. I nodded and sighed.
"Thanks for the heads up, I'll be on the lookout for him," I replied, Kota, nodded and took a sip of his drink.
"Hey so uh, if you need anything just call alright," he said, I thought about this for a moment and then nodded.
"Yeah, got it," I replied.
I then turned away and went back to the girls.
"Hey sorry about that," I said as I walked back over.
"It's fine," Kataoka said, Okano stepped in between us and looked over at where Kota still was.
"So what's the deal with that guy?" She asked.
"He's an old friend of mine, he just wanted to catch up a bit," I replied and she nodded. I noticed Rinka raise an eyebrow at that but she stayed silent. "So where's Kayano?"
"Getting Nagisa," Yada said.
"Don't leave me alone like that!" Nagisa protests when he reunites with the group.
"Speak of the devil huh?" I joked.
"Sorry! We hammered out a strategy."
"Great. I can't wait to get out of these clothes." He looks at them.
"Hey, wait up, ladies!" They turn around to face some weird kid. "As a special treat, check out my signature dance moves!" He starts frantically dancing... very badly.
The hell?
There's a clang of a drink when his arm goes flying out.
"Huh?" A man is holding a glass, with the contents freshly spilled down his jacket, he does not look amused in the slightest. "Hey, brat! Tough guy, eh?"
"N-No... I..." Trap victim desperately stammers.
"Get over here!" The man grabs him by the front of his shirt, pulling him forwards.
"I didn't mean to—" "This is a million-yen jacket. I demand compensation! Your address—now!"
Who the fuck spends that much on a JACKET!?
Yada gets an idea, "Hinata!" The smaller, agile girl nods, catching on.
"Add on pain and suffering, and that's a three million total. Pay up and we'll only leave you half dead!" He growls.
That feels like extortion.
"What?! M-My father will pay—please don't beat me up!"
Okano approaches the pair, "Excuse me, Mr. Yakuza, sir?" He turns around, partially letting go of the dancing boy.
Okano then flips over and kicks him right in the jaw, a look of triumph over her face.
Holy fuck!?
Some of the girls pick the unconscious man up and move him over to another spot while Yuji looked at them in confusion.
"Excuse me, sir? That customer just suddenly collapsed. Take him out of here and get him checked out." Yada tells the lookout while Kataoka and Hayami stare at the man, looking concerned.
The lookout rushes over, "Oh, y-yes... Sorry for the bother. What'd he do, overdose? Sheesh."
Impressive.
With the guard distracted we make a break for the doors.
Yada smiled at the weird dancing kid. "Back to the dance floor with you! And don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Yada winks at the kid and follows after us.
That could have gone worse.
____________________
"We really sent you into some dicey territory. You weren't in any danger, were you?" Koro-Sensei checks.
The girls all shook their heads.
Nagisa joins them, now back in his own clothes.
"Wow, you sure changed fast, Nagisa," Kayano observes.
"Yeah." Nagisa looked uneasy.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"It's just... You guys did everything this time around. What was even the point of me being in this getup?" He pulls the folded-up outfit closer.
Karma shows him his phone with a picture of Nagisa blushing, all dressed up, "Comic relief, duh!"
"Don't you dare, Karma!" Nagisa yells, pink tinting his cheeks with embarrassment.
Kayano laughs, "No, I don't think that's it. I'm sure it wound up helping someone, anyway."
I smiled at that, and then thought back on my own conversation.
Izumi was supposed to receive a few more years in Juvy. Why was he already out? Did Shiro have something to do with it?
"Something on your mind?" Itona asked. I shook my head and laughed.
"Nothing important," I said, Itona glanced at me wearily and shrugged.
"Nice work kids, two down already and two more to go," a new voice said. We turned to the sound to see a man in black clothes with dual daggers.
Another assassin huh?
Well fuck.