Kasumi Aika's POV
"Our leader really is a man among men." In other words, an ikemen?! I've never met one before... o(^▽^)o
"I could kill him..." Okajima cursed. That's because you're a perv.
"You sure are making that one cup of tea last a while." Isogai said. I chuckled.
"And why not? We are keeping your job a secret, you know." I added a wink for effect.
"Hai, hai. A shakedown, eh? If you'll take a second steep, this round's on me." He put is index finger over his lip, and winked as he poured us another round of tea.
Ikemen da! ('▽'ʃƪ)♡
"Carrying all that at once?" Kataoka awed, seeing Isogai carrying two trays full of dishes.
Ikemen da! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈) wait, I understand Kayano, but why's Nagisa joining the 'ikemen da' team? What'evs
"Don't tell me your mom's feeling poorly again?" One of the guests asked.
"Yes, well... It's just me and Mom, so I have to help out with the finances."
Ikemen da! (人'∀')
"Him being poor is his only negative. And he even turns that into a cool-guy advantage! He wears his bargain-basement clothes so neat and clean, they don't look cheap at all!"
Ikemen da! ( ∩ˇωˇ∩)♡
"He let me eat some of the goldfish he caught at the summer festival. And boy, can he cook a good goldfish!"
Ikemen da! （●'∀｀）ノ♡
"And after he used the bathroom? The toilet paper was folded into a triangle!"
Ikemen da! ε=(｡♡ˇд ˇ♡｡） How can someone be that perfect?! And how am I not falling for the guy?!
"Hey, I fold toilet paper too!" Okajima pointed at himself, look pervy as always. "Into a triangle!"
"Disgusting!" (⊃д⊂)
"Just look at him. Perfect biddy bait!" Maehara continued when he saw the guests doting on the ikemen.
Ikemen da! (●♡∀♡))ヾ
"Uh, middle aged women in my neighborhood dote on me, too..." Nagisa said, sweatdropping.
"Shape up!" ┗(｀皿')┛
"He's still getting love letters from girls on the main campus."
Ikemen da- wait... *flashback to the baseball incident*
"Well... so am I. -_-III" Kataoka and I said at the same time.
"Forbidden love!"
"Some things only suit cool guys like Isogai... or me."
"Ikemen... WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" We all yelled when we saw Korosensei wearing his poorly made disguise.
"The honeytoast here is divine! It's why I turn a blind eye to Isogai's part-time job." Korosensei said as he ate his honey toast. "You don't seem to be too upset about Isogai being such an ikemen."
"Huh? No."
"Why is that?"
"Umm... maybe because he's such a good guy." I said. More of the reason why I don't understand why I'm not falling for the guy.
"Uhuh!" Kayano, Kataoka, Nagisa, Okajima, and Maehara agreed with me.
"Do we need another reason?" I asked.
The welcoming bell rang, meaning a customer arrived. "Welcome!" Isogai said.
"Oh...? Oh, dear!" It's the A Class Brats! The Virtuous Five, I believe? "Our intel was right. There is a student working here! Isogai, you naughty boy!" Koyama, the one best at science, said.
"This is your second major violation of the school rules. I expected better, Isogai-kun." Asano Gakushuu! This won't end well if he's here...
The last time we found out about your job, you went down to the E Class. It seems you've done no soul-searching since then." Asano tutted.
"Can't you keep this quiet, Asano? Just working this month will net me all the money I need." Isogai begged.
"Well, I would like to give you a chance, if I can."
The fact that there's a cunning smile on his face made me feel suspicious. And kinda weirded out. He's the spitting image of the principal like that.
"Alright. On one condition. Show me your fighting spirit and we'll pretend this never happened."
"My fighting spirit?"
"Per school tradition, those who possesses a fighting spirit out in society are revered above all else. A fighting spirit that garners enough respect to nullify a conduct violation. And to show that spirit..."
~~~~~
"Pole toppling at the sports festival?"
"Yep. If we beat A Class, they'll let Isogai slide." Maehara said.
Terasaka folded his arms, letting out a small 'tch'. "Obviously they're lookin' to embarrass us."
"So what do we do? If we say no, Isogai'll be penalized again. Screw this up, and he might even be expelled."
"No... you don't have to." Isogai decided.
...What.
"You never know what Asano has up his sleeve. And besides, I made this bed. I'll take responsibility and lie in it. Expel me for all I care! I can still pull off an assassination off school grounds!"
What... what a...
"WHAT A HORRIBLE IDEA!!" The class yelled, throwing trash at the poor class president. "QUIT ACTING SO SELF-SATISFIED, YOU COWLICKED POOR!"
"Cowlicked poor?!"
"Don't overthink this, Isogai." Maehara comforted. "We just have to beat those nerds at pole-toppling, right? We've got this in the bag!"
"We sure do. We're practically lucky you got caught working!" Mimura agreed.
"This is our chance to pay 'em back for all their daily spite! Topple em'- hell, we'll destroy them!" Terasaka tagged along.
"Right, ikemen?" And the guys began to crowd around Isogai, making him feel determined.
"Alright, then, let's go!"
"Yeah!"
Isogai's a guy who puts class harmony before his own needs. What a selfless ikemen. He has the essential attributes of a leader, and has a lot of personal magnetism. But... pole toppling? I've done many of those in the assassination training. It's no assassination. It's war. The difference in size can be a huge handicap. I'm sure Asano already knew this, and going to use it as his advantage. I knew it, deep in my near-to-nothing heart. So the question is, can they best a team nearly twice as big?
"You seem to be deep in thought, Aika-chan." Karma pointed out. I furrowed my eyebrows. Wasn't he mad at me the other day? What made him change his mind? "And uh... about the other day... sorry about that. I was just surprised that you were already talking to the guy without stuttering. Have you guys already met?"
He remembers that I stutter to acquaintances?
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Maybe I'm improving since you're rubbing off on me." I joked, laughing a bit. "But no, I've never met him in my entire life. He's just... different, I guess."
"What, you like him?"
"Wh-What? No!" Where did that question come from?! "Why would I? I just met that guy!" I crossed my arms and puffed my red cheeks in anger. "If anything, I'd rather be with you than Itona-kun. He's a good guy, but I know you longer, right?"
Karma suddenly turned a bit pink. "R-Right." He quickly turned away and walked to the guys. I cocked my head to the right, a bit confused. What's wrong with him?
~~~~~
The days has come. The sports festival.
"Are you sure you don't want to be Akito-kun, Aika-chan?" Irina asked.
"I'm sure, Irina. It's too risky. This is Asano-san we're talking about. The last time I managed to do it was possible, probably because nobody really knew that Akito-kun existed. The only reason the principal never noticed was because I was always on the bench until the last minute. But in pole-toppling, I have to be in the battlefield until it's over. And Asano-san might be suspicious of Akito, since he's never seen him in a single assembly."
"Hmm... good point."
"Jeez, Irina, you're a friggin assassin. If you don't even consider the possibility of getting caught, how could you even survive the assassin world?"
"Shut up, Aika-chan. Alice, we're going, okay?! We're gonna ride my car this time!" Irina told her.
"Yep! Go ahead!"
And then we set off to school. Once we reached the main building, the blonde assassin parked her car and we walked in the building. A bit uncomfortably, too. The guys kept giving the googly eyes at Irina, and the girls gave her looks that could've killed. While I... was never noticed.
"You see, Aika-chan? You have to look like this to get the boys. Shape up, walk the walk. You got a good body, except that those boobs are as flat as a board."
"Shut up, Irina!" I hissed, before opening the doors that lead to the track and field. It was massive, about the size of a FIFA football field. That's Kunugigaoka for you... I joined up with the rest, watching Kimura running far faster than the other contestants.
"Woo! Awesome, Kimura! Smile even bigger now! That's it, Justice!" Really, Korosensei? -_-*
After that, Hara ate a piece of bread like a boss. And she friggin walked to the finish line, saying, "bread is for drinking."
Too cool! Σ(゜ロ゜;)
"Assassination has improved your physical fitness, balance, kinetic vision, and a sense of distance. This extraordinary competition is sure to show them off."
I sighed as I watched Maehara and Okano bicker off as they did a THREE LEGGED RACE. And Kayano crawled through the net with insane speed.
"Hmm? Karma-kun, you're not going to compete?" I asked the redhead.
"Oh! Aika-chan? You were here this whole time?"
"Uh, yeah..."
"Oh. Sorry for not noticing you. It's probably because you're so short."
That boy! （╬ಠ益ಠ)
"I'm taller than most girls in the class! And Nagisa-kun!"
"Nagisa-kun doesn't count, he's the shortest boy in class."
"But... you... ugh!" I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated.
"Hahaha!" The redhead laughed at me. "I'm saving my energy for the pole-toppling."
"Hmph! Fine!" I crossed my arms angrily.
"Hhh... fine. I'm sorry for calling you short, okay? Forgive me and I'll give you some ice cream-"
"Really?! Okay! But you better be serious on that!"
"Okay, okay. And it'll be a way to celebrate E Class' future victory."
I rolled my eyes. "Then you better not lose, 'cause if you do, I'll be demanding your free ticket of ice cream."
"Joke's on you, I already used it." He smirked. You...!
"Whatever!" I stomped my way to Isogai. I wonder if he's alright. "Yo, Isogai-kun." I greeted, giving him a big pat on the back.
"Ah! Aika-chan!" He greeted back.
"Say, what's the problem? You seem pretty worried."
He sighed. "No matter what anyone says, Asano is one amazing guy. I'm definitely no match for him."
I paused a bit, thinking for a bit. "Hmm... it is true that no matter how talented you are, once you're out in the world, there will always be someone better. Like Asano-san."
"Then what do I do? If everyone gets hurt because of me..."
"But the thing is, Isogai-kun... out in the world, one person only has so much power. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'nobody is perfect'? That applies to Asano-san, too. You've beated him in a field. You know what that is? The power to command allies into battle. If you find yourself in a pinch, everyone will fight alongside you. That's your personal magnetism. And don't you dare forget that." Let that be a thought, straight from an assassin's mind.
Isogai grinned. "In that case... all right, guys! Let's go into this guns blazing, like always!"
"YEAH!!!" The guys roared. And I hope he read the book I recommended him to read the other day...
~~~~~
"Now for an exhibition match! Seems like the E Class has challenged the A Class to battle!" Teppei Araki, the commentator, said. "Okay, Kunugigaoka's elite, give 'em hell!"
That's not fair! I thought, glaring at the four foreigners in Asano's team. Isn't that against the rules-?! Oh wait, Asano's father is the principal. Never mind.
"And in the spirit of cultural exchange, this exhibition match will include all our exchange students!"
Asano-san's getting way too careful. They have the numbers and the size. Does he want to win that badly?
The teams got into their positions. Asano's team could do both offense and defense, while E Class...
"Hey, does the End Class even want to win? No one's on offense!" Koyama pointed out.
True. Everyone huddled around the pole, with Isogai on the top.
"What's with the E Class? They're going all-in on defense! Might they be cowed by the skill gap? Let the battle begin!"
The two leaders had a staring showdown before Asano commanded in smooth -but the Japanese accent still lingered- English, "Offence team, plan F!"
"Roger!" Hmm... an American? I could hear the accent that he's probably from Boston. Not helpful.
The front lines moved forward.
"Here they come!" Sugaya told them. No shiz Sherlock -_-*
"Dammit!" Yoshida yelled, running towards the foreigner. Muramatsu followed. "We're not gonna roll over and take this!" The two wrestled the man, but got thrown over my way to the crowd.
"Two down! They've been flung out to the stands!"
I looked at them, trying to inspect them from the look of it. I smirked. I see...
"Why don't you fight instead of defending like a bunch of turtles?" The foreigner taunted. "Hmph. But you don't even understand me, do you."
"It's alright, man." Karma said (in friggin English). "Why don't you attack instead of chatting away?"
"Huh. Bring it on!" The foreigner and his charged. A split second before collision, the boys jumped, locked them into position, and Itona pinned them with the pole.
Smart move, Isogai-kun. I thought. Using the pole as weapon would be unexpected.
"The E Class comes together with the weight of the pole! Now this is intense! They're playing dirty!"
"Ain't no rule against usin' the pole as a weapon!" Terasaka pointed out.
"Get off of me!"
"You're not goin' anywhere!"
I looked to Asano's side, to see the strawberry blonde smirking as he thought of a plan. I wonder what he has up in his sleeve.
"Guerrilla teams on both flanks, plan K!" He commanded. The two on each side moved forward, running towards them. Oddly, they left a big gap in the middle. It's suspicious.
"Come on out! Attack team! Operation Mucus!" Leave it up to Isogai to make operation names （−＿−；）
"Got it!" Maehara, Kimura, Karma, and Sugino followed Isogai, who lead them to battle. But once they went past them, the two opposing forces chased after our offense team. They faked the offense?
"Oh! They've chased after the E Class and are back on the defensive!"
"An offensive fake-out?!" Okajima yelled. Now, our offense team were trapped on almost every side. Almost. This reminded me of Hannibal of Carthage, the scourge of ancient Rome. Hannibal strike forces in unexpected places, and thought of many defenses and used secret weapons. If Isogai did do his extra studying, he knows what he should do.
The E Class fled to the stands. I grinned at them, giving them a thumbs up. Talking about Hannibal of Carthage... I looked back to where Yoshida and Muramatsu was thrown over. They were gone. I chuckled. That's smart.
"There are no rules about boundaries. Come on." Karma taunted. "The whole school is a battlefield."
"Tch!" The foreigner began chasing Karma.
"Akabane. Kimura. Isogai. Keep an eye on those three in particular!" Asano commanded them.
"Isogai! I think it's about time!" Karma reminded him.
"Yeah! Everything's going according to plan!"
And out of nowhere, Yoshida and Muramatsu began running towards Asano's pole.
"What?! Where did those two E Class goons come from?!"
"We practiced taking blows till we were blue in the face. The only hard part was acting out that flight to the stands!"
"We're done running! Okay, team: Sonic!"
"All right!" Gotta go fast. Gotta go fast- shut up, brain. No memes!
"Ack! They got right up in our faces!"
"Take that, Asano!" I cheered behind the bleachers. But the moment I saw that smirk, that trademark smirk, my blood ran cold. He threw his helmet away and...
"Does he know martial arts, too?!" Karasuma didn't sound too surprised, though. In fact, it's as expected of the principal's son. That last-boss vibe... that's the principal's son for you.
"Uh oh, they're closing in." Yada said. "At this rate, they'll be surrounded and beaten to pulp!"
Hmm... Asano is a strong leader who can singlehandedly decide the tide of battle. As long as they follow his command, the A Class won't lose.
Isogai was kicked on the face, and sent sprawling to the floor.
But... there's a defect on that. Isogai is clearly not that type of leader. And that's because...
The ikemen bent down, and Nagisa did a run and jump from his back.
He doesn't have to make all the decisions himself!
Nagisa grabbed Asano's shirt, tugging him down.
"No! Not more E Class reinforcements!"
"Wait a second! Isn't that their defensive unit? Which means..."
I looked at the E Class' pole. Only two are on the defensive?! That's amazing.
"How are they keeping them down?!"
"...Leverage." *Insert the amazing readjusting glasses of Takebayashi here.*
"Lev... leverage, is it." ._. ...yeh.
"It's just a stall, of course. We two can't really hold them back. But you guys can't do anything without orders, can you?" He smirked. "Maybe he still has an ace up his sleeve. I guess it's better to wait for his orders before you make any moves."
"Damn four-eyes!"
"Asano! Your orders!" One of Asano's mates yelled.
Heh, but he couldn't. He's too preoccupied to do so.
"Now the A Class has assumed a defensive posture, too! If they can hold out here, the E Class will be out of options!"
"Now! Come on, Itona!"
"Yep."
Ah, so he's the secret weapon. I was wondering what it was.
Itona ran towards Isogai, and Isogai gave him a big leg-up. He shot through the air, and landed at the top of the pole, making it topple down.
Pride boasted in my chest.
"Uh... er... the A Class..."
"The E Class... wins!" The class cheered in victory.
"How cool is that?! My kids are the coolest! Look this way, please!" Korosensei began snapping pictures in (probably) mach speed.
"Congratulations, Isogai-kun!" I patted him on the back. "It seemed that you did read those books I recommended."
"Hehe, it helped a lot. I owe you, Aika-chan."
"It's cool! You don't owe me anything. But someone else does!" I looked at the redhead. "Karma-kun~!" I sang, glomping him from behind. "I want my ice cream!"
"Whoa!" He managed to not fall over. "I know, I know. And by the way, I still haven't used the ticket. Good thing this ticket has no expiration date, either."
"I'm in the mood for Blue Bell's Camo 'n Cream ice cream!"
"You know I didn't promise, right?"
I froze. "You... you tricked me!" I got off him. "You're mean, Karma-kun!"
"I'm kidding~ just help me sort out these chairs, they're making us clean up for the mess."
"Okay..."
~~~~~
"Darn, I need to go to the bathroom..." I said, roaming the hallways. "Where the heck is the bathroom- hmm?" I noticed the principal's door was creaked half open. I peeked through the crack and nearly gasped. Asano Gakuho... singlehandedly took down four wrestlers at once. Asano Gakushuu was mortified, blood was coated on the walls. It was almost unbearable to watch for him.
"Sorry... I'm sorry... I apologize..."
"I took down a karate black belt on my third day of karate lessons. The first day, this thirty-something guy beat me but good. I fell over, vomiting. I had never tasted such defeat. Now, what do you think I did on day two? I watched, burning with the flames of extraordinary humiliation. If I lost my next match, too... I'd probably lose my grip on my personality and die of madness. And on day three... I took down my teacher without him landing a blow. That's learning from defeat."
He... He can't be... he reminds me of...
"Say, Asano... if you lost, then why isn't the frustration eating you alive?"
...Fuck this shit I'm out, mmhmm. Fuck this shit I'm out. *takes Mexico airways back to my classmates*
~~~~~
"Hey, check it out."
I looked behind me to see a strawberry blonde boy with violet eyes. "It's Asano."
"Oi, Asano!" Maehara called out. "You meant it, right? About keeping that secret?"
"I never lie. I don't resort to underhanded tactics, unlike you. But next time will be different. I'll chase you all into oblivion." He walked away, his other virtuosos joining him, and tried to lighten him up. As dark as he was, I would admit that we both have some things in common. I'd like to talk the boy at one point.
"Hmm? You seem deep in thought, Aika-chan." Karma pointed out. "Are you intrigued of Asano now?"
"Hmm, I guess. He and I turns out to have many things in common. Almost too many."
"What are you talking about?"
"I... I realized he likes ice cream, too!" I lied, grinning. The redhead chuckled.
"You and your ice cream. Is that the only thing you think about?" He joked. I only replied with a chuckle. I wish. "C'mon. Let's get your ice cream."
~~~~~
"Arigatou for the ice cream, Karma-kun!" I thanked him.
"Well, I admit that I would walk you home, but Nagisa-kun called."
"It's alright! See you tomorrow, Karma-kun!" I waved goodbye as he walked the other direction. Once he was out of my sight, I stopped waving. "Now, I gotta work further on- hmm." When I wanted to meet the boy at one point, I didn't think it was this early. "Heya, Asano-san." I greeted the blonde. It seemed like his other classmates already left.
"Hmm? Oh, it's you." He looked at me with distaste. "Y'know, people could've just mind their own business. How much did you see."
"Oh? So you saw me." I gave him one of my usual smiles. "No worries, I won't tell. We've got too many things in common, such as..." I dropped the fake smile, and replaced it with a twisted one. "Overthrowing our fathers."
End of Chapter Twenty Seven
I'M ALIVEEE!!! *LE GASP* okay, I'm good. Argh, I'm having a stomach ache rn T^T I feel like I'm getting sick so easily these days. I hope it won't be forever. And I actually have to go to a talent show after this o(*>ω<*)o my class will perform tomorrow so I gotta start practicing, but... eh ¯\_( ◉ 3 ◉ )_/¯
Closing brought to you by talent shows,
Pocky-chan, out!